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.
- But we must understand that Kingdom living is what Romans 6
calls walking in newness of life.
- A life of victory contrasted against the old defeated life
of the old man.
- Conquering the tribes of Canaan is Kingdom victory.
- But this resurrection life ONLY FOLLOWS CHRIST’S
DEATH.
- If we want resurrection life of Jesus, we have to
comprehend and hold faith in DEATH WITH CHRIST first.
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.
- And he reminded Israel of it again 40 years later after the
doubters had died off.
- And GOD IS WITH US is exactly what ATONEMENT is all about.
ATONEMENT involved the DEATH OF A SACRIFICE.
- Atonement was a work God accomplished for Israel every year
when the high priest went into the holiest of holies to sprinkled the
sacrificial blood on the mercyseat of the ark of the covenant.
- The people were ATONED for their sins.
- In other words, they became AT ONE (AT-ONE) with God when
their sins that separated them from Him were paid for by sacrifice.
- The sacrifice had TO DIE.
- It is wonderful to see that Israel is crossing Jordan to
enter the promised land with a double assurance of ATONEMENT TRUTH
being presented to them.
- First, the atonement concept of GOD IS WITH US is spoken in
verse 1.
- Then THE ARK OF THE COVENANT is mentioned and actually used
to cross Jordan, upon which the ATONEMENT BLOOD was sprinkled every
year on the day of ATONEMENT.
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 learn from the Old Testament events and stories to see
how they overcame their enemies, in order for us to apply the MESSAGE
found in them to overcome OUR SPIRITUAL ENEMIES.
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.
- But the LAMB became the PASSOVER LAMB on the tenth day.
- Then Israel celebrated their FIRST PASSOVER in the LAND
four days later.
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.
- It is like FINALLY IDENTIFYING WITH JESUS as the sacrifice,
so that we know WE DIED WHEN HE DIED.
- At first at the Red Sea experience when we are first saved,
we do not see this depth of us dying with Jesus.
- But to enter spiritual maturity and Kingdom living, this is
what we must understand.
- Notice the term “PASS OVER”.
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?
- 2,000 cubits had to be maintained and not breached, because
they had never been this way before.
- From that distance they could better perceive the NEW
TERRITORY.
- Could it be that it took 2,000 years for the church to
finally come to a place where they could grasp this great truth and
finally enter?
- As they needed 2,000 cubits distance to get a good look at
everything since they’d not been this way before, there has been
2,000 years of preaching and Church for the people to come to the place
where they can finally enter since this is such a different level
altogether.
(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.
- Ever since Adam and Eve’s sin, a river of humanity
flowed.
- Sinners born since Adam.
- And JORDAN literally means DESCENDER.
- Mankind DESCENDED into sin and death.
- JORDAN speaks of a death.
- In fact, Jesus was BAPTIZED by John in the Jordan.
- ZARETAN means THEIR DISTRESS.
- Adam’s distress fell upon us all as we were all made
sinners by Adam’s transgression.
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.
- Get the picture.
- From Adam to the DEAD sea.
- And when the ARK was held up by the priests who STEPPED
into the JORDAN, that river was CUT OFF.
- Mankind was flowing to death from Adam, and JESUS CAME TO
CUT IT OFF BY HIS DEATH!.
- We must see the picture of how the DEATH of Jesus Christ
was meant to CUT OFF the flow of humanity that was heading straight for
death.
- Jesus would STOP the dying flow of mankind.
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.
- Holding up the Ark with Blood on the mercyseat was required
UNTIL everyone passed over.
- The Ark raised up by priests in that water KEPT THE JORDAN
OPENED.
- The MESSAGE of the death of Jesus Christ for our atonement
must be so clearly understood in order to enter KINGDOM LIVING that a
priesthood must hold it up before the people.
- They must STAND IN THE DEPTHS OF JORDAN – stand in
the depths of the DESCENT that Jesus Christ experienced IN HIS DEATH
– and uphold this message.
- A person will only be able to cross into Kingdom living
when they finally GET this message.
- We have to preach it until you get it.
- We have to hold it up until you are able to PASS OVER into
the Kingdom life BY THIS MESSAGE.
- This message will get you into KINGDOM LIVING.
Kingdom living is resurrection life.
- It is more than going to church.
- It is LIVING what the bible says we can live.
- Being victorious like it said we can be victorious.
The blood was already shed on the mercyseat when it was lifted up.
- The message is that Jesus already died and presented His
blood long ago in the holiest of heaven.
- We have to see that upheld before us until we GRASP THAT
and thereby ENTER IN.
This miracle would ASSURE ISRAEL that God was with them and that He
would surely drive out their enemies.
- When you GRASP this message of Christ’s death, you
will suddenly get an ASSURANCE that GOD IS INDEED WITH YOU.
- A revelation will strike you.
- You will grasp how you DIED WITH JESUS, and really get it,
and not just know it in your head.
- Your death with Christ caused YOU TO DIE TO SIN.
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!
- The only reason enemies could overcome us is because we
threw ourselves under their power by our own sins.
- When we realize WE DIED TO SIN, we realize we are no longer
under the power of the enemy.
- This makes us know we will see our enemies defeated before
us.
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.
- We have to GO THROUGH the death of the cross in full faith
in order to enjoy Kingdom living.
- YOUR FULL FAITH IN DEATH WITH HIM is what gets you through.
- Like GOING THROUGH THE VEIL.
- The veil is HIS FLESH that RENT IN DEATH.
- You have to GO THROUGH HIS DEATH to enter the holiest.
The Ark is GOD’S THRONE ON EARTH as well.
- It’s like the KEY that opens the LOCK OF THE CLOSED
DOOR OF THE JORDAN.
- Revelation of the death of Jesus for atonement and His
Kingdom position all wrapped up in that picture of the ark IS OUR KEY
TO ENTERING KINGDOM LIVING.
Kingdom living is conquering enemies.
- While Israel fought amongst themselves in the wilderness,
Kingdom living is beyond that childishness and is fighting devils and
conquering cities in revival for the Lord.
This message must be held up until everyone crosses over THROUGH
CHRIST’S DEATH into HIS RESURRECTION LIFE.