This is an exposition of Joshua 3:1-5:12. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, December 30, 2012.
Intro:
It was an impressive sight. It was larger than life. It promised joy, excitement, thrills and adventure. I was strangely drawn to it. I long to experience it – but it was off limits. I had been denied the joy it promised in the past but today was different. Today I would be allowed to experience the full joy of Zingo – the biggest, most wonderful rollercoaster in the whole world. There it stood the main attraction of Belle’s Amusement Park on the corner of the Tulsa Fair Grounds. The wooden giant was right there before my eyes. I could see it. I heard the screams. The earth moved beneath my feet. It called to me. My heart pounded with anticipation. As we walked around the park my eyes remained focused on Zingo. The day grew long. At times my heart grew faint. Just when I was about to give up hope – I found myself standing at the ticket booth. The moment I had waited for had finally arrived. I was in line. My heart was beating out of my chest. Fear began to set in. This thing is even bigger up close. When was the last time it was inspected? Is this thing safe? Wait a minute how do I get off this thing?
That must have been what it was like for the people of God as they stood on the threshold of the Promise Land. For over 500 years the children of Abraham anticipated the fulfillment of God’s promise. During the years of captivity they hung on to that promise. Through 40 years of wilderness wandering they anticipated this day. Now at last it had come. They were filled with “sweet nausea.” There is the joy and excitement of entering the land and the fear of the unknown. How important was this crossing of the Jordan into the Land of Promise? The Holy Spirit takes three chapters to tell the story! Our text this morning is found in Joshua chapters three, four and five.
Text: Joshua 3:1-5:12
- Moses is dead and buried.
- Joshua is installed as the leader.
- The spies have returned from Jericho.
- Now is the time to enter Canaan.
This would be a good time to mention the difficulties in interpreting and teaching narrative passages. What we have in these chapters is the historical narrative of crossing the Jordan. When dealing with these chapters we must avoid “allegorizing” or “spiritualizing” the text. Saying, “This is about living the abundant life” or treating the Promise Land as code for the Christian life. These are actual events. This passage is not about living in victory, but it is legitimate to draw some principles from the text. To say as we look at their actions we learn some things about living out our faith. Drawing lessons from rather than saying “this is the meaning of this text.”
In that context I think it this is a good passage to consider as we enter a new year. We enter 2013 with a lot of uncertainty. The fiscal cliff, some changes that will definitely affect our pocket books in the year to come. We are just two weeks removed from the shooting in Newtown. We know about the concerns in Bartelsville. It seems everyday’s news brings word of another shooting in our city. The new year brings its challenges and yet there is the hope of better days, the promise of God’s provision and the assurance of His presence.
As we consider our text in Joshua…
Thesis: The story of Israel’s entrance into the Land of Promise serves to teach us three foundational principles about our walk with God.
While this is the account of their entering the land in fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and his descendants – we would do well at ask, “Why God led them as He did and what does that say to us?”
Let me point out three things – one from each chapter.
- The absolute necessity of God’s sovereign presence leading the way. (3:1-17)
- The indispensable need to remember and reflect on God’s wondrous works. (4:1-24)
- The continuous need to revisit and reaffirm our commitment. (5:1-12)