THE KEY THAT OPENS THE DOOR TO KINGDOM LIVING

May 30, 2010 pm
MF Blume


Joshua 3:10-17 CEV  The Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites control the land on the other side of the river. But the living God will be with you and will force them out of the land when you attack. And now, God is going to prove that he's powerful enough to force them out.  (11)  Just watch the sacred chest that belongs to the LORD, the ruler of the whole earth. As soon as the priests carrying the chest step into the Jordan, the water will stop flowing and pile up as if someone had built a dam across the river. The LORD has also said that each of the twelve tribes should choose one man to represent it.  (12)  (SEE 3:11)  (13)  (SEE 3:11)  (14)  The Israelites packed up and left camp. The priests carrying the chest walked in front,  (15)  until they came to the Jordan River. The water in the river had risen over its banks, as it often does in springtime. But as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water,  (16)  the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed toward the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.  (17)  (SEE 3:16)




The entire point introduced into the crossing of the Jordan was for the people to KNOW the Living God is AMONG YOU.

Joshua 3:10 KJV  And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

Conquest over enemies is Kingdom living.


Joshua knew God was with Israel forty years before.

Numbers 14:6-9 KJV  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:  (7)  And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.  (8)  If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.  (9)  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

Joshua always had that faith.

ATONEMENT involved the DEATH OF A SACRIFICE.

Notice it again.

Joshua 3:10-17 KJV  And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.  .  (11)  Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 

The purpose of the Ark going before them, and OPENING UP THE JORDAN, as we shall see, was to ASSURE THEM of TWO THINGS.

1.    GOD IS WITH THEM.
2.    God will without fail drive their enemies out before them.

Again, Joshua and Caleb and Moses knew the enemies would be defeated 40 years ago when the rest of Israel would not believe it.

Numbers 13:28-30 KJV  Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.  (29)  The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.  (30)  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

Numbers 14:9 KJV  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

There is something we need to receive from this picture of the Ark and the crossing over Jordan that will let us know in the church age how GOD IS WITH US and our ENEMIES WILL SURELY BE OVERCOME!

WE NEED TO KNOW GOD IS WITH US.
WE NEED TO KNOW WE WILL OVERCOME!

Josh 3:(11)  Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 

I always was blessed by knowing that the day they crossed over Jordan was the SAME DAY FORTY YEARS BEFORE that THE PASSOVER LAMB WAS TAKEN from the flock.

Joshua 4:19 KJV  And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

Exodus 12:3 KJV  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

That lamb died four days later on the 14th day of the first month.
Joshua 5:10 KJV  And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

THE SAME DAY THEY TOOK A PASSOVER LAMB FROM THE FLOCK WAS THE SAME DAY THEY “PASSED OVER” THE JORDAN.

Joshua 3:3-4 KJV  And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.  (4)  Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

Could it be that 2,000 cubits between the ARK and the people following behind it to PASS OVER Jordan speaks of 2,000 years after the Lord opened the way into KINGDOM LIVING that NOW people are getting it and hearing it more and more?
(13)  And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

Joshua 3:16 CEV  the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed toward the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.

Notice the waters started piling up near a city CALLED ADAM.

Romans 5:19 KJV  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

It was flowing normally DOWN TO THE DEAD SEA.

Joshua 3:14-16 CEV  The Israelites packed up and left camp. The priests carrying the chest walked in front,  (15)  until they came to the Jordan River. The water in the river had risen over its banks, as it often does in springtime. But as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water,  (16)  the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed toward the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.

Joshua 3:17 KJV  And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

They had to HOLD UP THE ARK with the blood sprinkled on the mercyseat UNTIL EVERYONE PASSED OVER JORDAN COMPLETELY.
Kingdom living is resurrection life. The blood was already shed on the mercyseat when it was lifted up. This miracle would ASSURE ISRAEL that God was with them and that He would surely drive out their enemies.
JORDAN IS BAPTISM.

Matthew 3:13 CEV  Jesus left Galilee and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.

Romans 6:3-7 KJV  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  (4)  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  (5)  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  (6)  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  (7)  For he that is dead is freed from sin.

You GRASP THIS and you THEN GRASP UNDERSTANDING that no enemy can overcome you!

By seeing this truth of Jesus’ Death until we grasp it, we will cross over into victorious faith life and Kingdom living, and know beyond the shadow of a doubt God goes before us and drives out the enemy.

We must WALK THROUGH JORDAN.
The Ark is GOD’S THRONE ON EARTH as well.
Kingdom living is conquering enemies.
This message must be held up until everyone crosses over THROUGH CHRIST’S DEATH into HIS RESURRECTION LIFE.