Crossing Over Jordan - Joshua Ch.3

Old Testament experiences often help us to understand God’s distinct plan from the beginning. It also helps us to understand New Testament doctrine, which applies to us today. Pastor Dwayne Spearman, a dearly beloved brother of mine often quotes, “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.” So with this in mind, let’s take a look into the third chapter of Joshua, as God brings his children from wanderings to victories!
To know the context in Ch.3, first we must look at where the Israelites have come from. They have been wandering in the wilderness for forty years, waiting for the old generation to pass away, that the new generation may go on into the new land, promised to their father’s in the Abrahamic Covenant.
Often times you hear people speak of, “Crossing over Jordan” as an allegory for entering into our new life in Heaven, that when we die and go to Heaven, we are “Crossing over Jordan.” This is not at all true, because in Heaven, there will be no more battles to conquer. When the Israelites crossed over the Jordan and went into the Promised Land, they still had to face opposition. There was still unfinished business that required them to persevere. So, now that we know what “Crossing over Jordan” isn’t, let’s talk about what it is. “Crossing over Jordan” is a beautiful picture of a believer who is crossing over into a victorious life in Christ. Moving on and laying hold of the promises which are found in Christ. Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Paul saw Jesus on the other side, not of the Law, but where there was promise, where there was real victory, a land filled with grace, mercy, and truth.
The onward call to “victory,” so let’s walk with the Israelites to the other side shall we. First we see Joshua, he rose up early and they headed out. “There is a time to pray and a time to act.” Here Joshua knew what needed to be done; therefore he acted by putting his hand to the plow. If we are going to be leaders, it would be wise to observe the wisdom and the foolishness of God’s leaders throughout the Bible. Here at this particular time, Joshua rose up early and acted, and at other times he rose up early and sought the Lord in prayer. Two things I see here, and that is Joshua didn’t live by a certain pattern nor was he lazy, and to me, that is evidence that he is following the Lord. Proverbs 20:13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread. God does not stick to patterns, nor is He ever predictable. The Lord from day one has been teaching us to lean upon His understanding, and not our own. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. His ways are far above our ways, and we will never understand them in this finite mind of ours. Now moving forward, we know that we must follow the leader, seeing that we know not where we are going because we have not been there before. Vs. 3-6, the people received instruction to follow the Arc of the Covenant when it passed by, not getting to close and not falling too far behind. They were to follow because they had not been to this place beforehand. In Joshua, the priest were to pick up the Arc and follow Him. Jesus told His disciples to pick up their cross and to follow Him. Remember our dearly beloved brother Peter, what happened to him when he followed at a distance, he denied the Lord Jesus three times. If we are going to follow Christ, there is no other place but right behind Him.
Every Christian begins His walk with the Lord in the wilderness. Even the Lord Jesus began in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. I believe that we begin in the wilderness, in order that we might learn this fact: if we have any chance at following Him, it is going to be through Him, by His Spirit. It is through these wilderness experiences that God performs His work in us that we may be emptied of ourselves, in order to be filled with Him. Luke 4:14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.
We are called to be followers of Jesus Christ, and that means we are to drop our life for the sake of His, that is, if you want to receive life. Jesus made it very clear, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39 “Crossing over Jordan,” applied into our life today is simply this, forsaking all the belongs to us, for the sake of knowing Him. Our Promise Land is our life in Christ. He is the Promise Land, and where ever He is, there I want to be. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I don’t know about you, but I want to jump over the river into that abundant life with Christ. The children of Israel followed Joshua into the Promise Land, and we, we have the privilege of following Christ Himself. Where there are battles ahead, He will be there also. In our times of despair, He will be there to comfort us. When we fall, He will carry us. When we can’t carry on, He will carry us. When we are faithless, He will remain faithful. Onward is the call, and narrow is the way! Christ is our Leader who wants to be with us every step of the way. A leader should never lead where he is not willing to go himself, nor does he ask someone to do something that he is not willing to do. Christ has already walked the path ahead of us to sure the victory. He has already suffered all things that He might be there to comfort us on our way. Heb 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.