Keep sharing good news without ads.
Bro. Otis Fisher
Everyone open your Bibles to first Joshua 4, you know. It's quite interesting as we move through this book. I know we're just starting. But a lot has taken place today. We see another miracle Perhaps the greatest in all of the Bible and it came to pass When all the children were clean passed over Jordan.
That the Lord spoke unto Joshua saying take you 12 men out of the people out of every tribe a man. Now Joshua is told to select one man from each tribe making 12 And command you them saying Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan out of the place where the priests feet stood firm 12 stones and you shall carry them Over with you and leave them in the lodging place that you shall lodge this night.
Then Joshua called the 12 men whom he had prepared of the children of Israel Of every tribe a man and Joshua said unto them Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God unto the midst of the Jordan and Take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder According as his number the tribe of the children of Israel.
That this may be a sign among you that when your children ask their fathers in time to come Saying what mean ye by these stones then you shall answer them. That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord When it passed over Jordan The waters of Jordan were cut off and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.
And that children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded them And took up 12 stones out of the midst of Jordan as the Lord spoke unto Joshua according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel.
And carried them over with them Unto the place where they lodged and laid them down there and Joshua Set up 12 stones in the midst of Jordan in the place where the feet of the priest bear the ark of the covenant stood and They were there unto this day now.
Seems rather unique. It's hard to get any meaning from it. But Greg What's your thinking on? The the priests were in them in the center of the bed of the river. They The 12 men one from every tribe was to Pile up a bunch of stones in the middle.
They were to take a stone out of the river other stone and carry it to the far side. Then Joshua set them up there. What kind of meaning is there in this? Well the rest of you be thinking We we have something physical that he's doing.
Seems to me to be an odd thing. Joy. Anything come to mind? David is it just to remind them of the miracle. Well, that's true. I I too thought of all of that. But that didn't satisfy me. This section has great spiritual significance.
You know everything in the Old Testament Was a physical doing of a spiritual truth in the new. And to be frank with you, I wrestled with this for quite a while in an attempt to get the full significance in in Romans.
If you'll turn to the sixth chapter. And I'm quoting from Phillips book. Phillips is not a translation. It's an interpretation. But in Romans 6 1 through 4 joy. Will you read that for us? When did we Die to sin David.
All right. I hope you have not forgotten that. All of us that were baptized into Jesus Christ Were baptized into his death now. We were dead and buried with him in baptism. So that just as he was raised from the dead by the splendid revelation of the father's power so we too might rise to life on a new plane and altogether new plane.
So Christ went into death instead of you and me and That is set before us here in the book of Joshua, I believe. Let's see if we can find it. 12 stones were put into the water of death. And it would have been death had they not had the hand of God.
So 12 stones represented Part of Israel or all of Israel. David all of Israel. Those 12 stones were placed in Jordan to speak of the death of Christ. And the 12 stones taken out of Jordan and put on the west bank of the river Represents the resurrection of Christ now follow it took me a long time, but See if I can explain it so you can at least have a kernel of something to think about.
The stones were not taken from the East side of Jordan they were taken out of the river of Jordan. So if we have the watery Jordan Representing his death. He went into death ahead of me for me. He died over 1 ,900 years ago 2 ,000.
Paul makes it very clear in the chapter Romans that we were Identified. What was the purpose of the of our being placed into Christ? Greg all right. What was the purpose of us being placed into his death?
All right, and You are identified today. Because you were placed into Christ. So we identify ourselves with him right now. I Think it's a shame that the word Baptized was transliterated and not translated.
It's a Greek word a baptism and Here it has no connection with water. It speaks of identification. Christ in his death and when he died he died in our place. You must get that must understand that if he did not die you have to.
All of those that are not in Christ Will have to suffer death not the physical death the spiritual death. His death was my death. When he arose from the dead then we arose from the dead also and we are joined Today to a living Jesus Christ.
It is in this measure that we are identified with Christ. That you and I can enjoy all the spiritual blessings in being identified with him now. When the children of Israel crossed over the river They became citizens of Palestine.
They became forever identified with that land so much so that today even at this hour they speak of the Jew in Palestine and When he's out of the land He is spoken of as a wandering Jew now. Let's tie all of these facts together when we were called of God and And received Jesus the Christ is our Savior his death became my death our death and His resurrection became my resurrection and when I wander or you wander.
Even if it's just briefly It has a tragic meaning to it. Paul wrote a blessed truth in the visions 2 4 through 7. David read that Ephesians 4 2 7. All right when he died He died for our sins that we might have life and when he came back from the dead his life was then our life.
Now we're joined to the Living God. That's one of the greatest truths in the Bible. So to go back. The twelve men were instructed of Joshua God through Joshua one man from each tribe. They were as they passed over they were to pick up a stone probably as heavy as they could carry and To take it with them to the far side then the priests were Called to come over to come out of the river and These men as they came Laid the stone on the west side of the river to me that that represents First the death of Christ he went into death for me.
For you that's the pile of stones in the river then He came out of death Resurrected to a new life. That's the stones one at a time and that speaks of us as we have to Receive Christ one at a time. Not he doesn't come and save all of you he saves one of you.
This one and this one and this one at a certain time in our life he puts the stone on the West Bank and Joshua build a monument for him and that represents the resurrected Christ and our Being identified with him in Christ to the new life as The visions speaks and we are identified with Christ.
Now does my ramblings make any sense. Do you do you get the idea that this picture is the death burial and resurrection of Christ. I Think it's all there. If we'll just dig it out. He did not Pass the world through just his children.
He did not die for the world. He died just for his children and it was all under the direction of God the father the priests the men everything and The one man from each tribe Of the children picked up a stone and carried it to the other side.
Now David let me get your wandering thinking on this. That's right. That's right. Yes never gets tired. Oh, there's so much here. You want to say something? Everything. Well, yes. Yes. Get it fixed in your mind that every thing every word in the Bible points to Jesus Christ.
It all passes through him. It is all made possible by him. Greg you have any thoughts on what we've just stated. Yes Russell you got in a little late, but What's your thinking? Well The Bible is full of incredible truths.
The sanctification of common sense. Turn to 10 now, please. For the priests which bear the ark stood in the midst of Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people according to all that Moses commanded and The people hastened to pass over now bear the ark in the middle of the Jordan.
Until everything was finished. You remember Christ saying it is finished on the cross then the people hastened to pass over. Well, that's only natural if we were in that circumstance. And we saw the waters divided and I got the dry ground to pass over.
I would be Running as if possible to get to the other side. For fear that I don't know how long that water will stay back. So they would be naturally In a hurry to get over. When in obedience to God we have taken our place and engaged in the service Which he has assigned us.
We should patiently abide in it until in his providence He has us leave it. Then we'll go to the next place and engage in whatever service he has called us. Look back over your life and you will see that that's true Greg.
I have Watched you for years remember when you came and You lost your job at the chemical plant. I can't think what it was. But we both decided then that was the best thing that ever happened to you. You know, we can always say at the end of the day.
This has been the best thing that ever happened to me. Why do we look at the negative side so much? 11 and it came to pass when all the people were clean passed over that the ark the Lord passed over and the priests in the presence of People the ark is mentioned as the efficient cause here.
They didn't have the ark when Moses Parted the sea you remember. So this is better than that. Because of the ark. Well, it was a great miracle passage of the Red Sea in this respect that admitting the fact there is no possibility of The incision the Insinuation of the world that this was produced by the river drying up or whatever.
Now look at what? Yeah, I think it's amazing that God had it planned this way first. It was in the spring When the river was flooded. Impossible to get across. Second they are about to go into the land Which is at the spring of life we?
Enter into a new life and in 12 and the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and half tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the children of Israel as Moses spake unto them. The people of God should remember that they belong to how many families.
David? One family. Whether you'd like your brother or not. He's in the same family and It's not just this church and they have one common cause Among all of us. Most gladly therefore should each portion pursue the course, which is best for the whole.
God's promised us that He will not send anything Meaning that he sends everything he will not send anything that is more than you can bear or Is not good for the whole and The whole church is what he's speaking about 13 about 40 ,000 prepared for war passed before the Lord in the battle to the plains of Jericho.
Now I Believe next week We will see another thing that has to be done before They can go into battle. On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of Israel and they feared him as they feared Moses all the days of his life and the Lord spake unto Joshua saying Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony That they come up out of the Jordan.
Joshua therefore commanded the priest saying come ye up out of Jordan and It came to pass when the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan and The souls of the priests feet were lifted up onto dry ground dry land.
That the waters of Jordan returned to their place and flowed over the banks as they did before. Now it is the father That called them up Through Joshua through Christ and Joshua they could not move until then, you know, that's right and The instant that they were clear of the river it returned to normal the Laws of nature.
There was a law that said the river must flow. But God suspended that law that which takes place. And I wish you would remember this. That which takes place is only that which God has decreed in the past.
Their crossing which was the final act Completed the evidence of this miracle when the waters returned. There was no sign of it except the stones 19 and the people came up out of Jordan on the 10th day of the first month and encamped in Gilgal and on in the east border of Jericho.
Now this too is under control. In fact, there's nothing here. That is not shown us to be under control because Four days before the Passover. What did they do four days before the Passover Greg? You probably wouldn't know unless you went back and looked it up.
But they selected the lamb the very day when the Paschal lamb required to be set apart the providence of God having arranged that the Entrance into the promised land should be at a feast time. David I truly believe That when he comes back It'll be on the date of some feast.
And if we were smart enough we could figure out which feast 20 and those 12 stones which they took out of Jordan did Joshua pitch in Gilgal and he spake unto the children of Israel saying When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come saying What mean these stones?
So it is necessary for early religious education of our children. Parents who neglect This will have an awful awful thing before the judge. And when you shall let your children know Then you shall let your children know saying Israel came over This Jordan on dry land.
Now if we carry the spiritual lessons out Our conclusion can be only that we are to teach our children the gospel. The business of parents is to teach the gospel and I trust that each one of you have done that.
There's no privilege like the parent leading his child to a saving knowledge of Christ. 23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan. From before you until you were passed over as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea.
Which he dried up from before us until we were gone over. That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord that it was mighty that you. That you might fear The Lord your God forever. This is another truth that we see from the crossing of the river.
It was done before all of the world. Nothing secret nothing hidden. They could watch it when God speaks it's for all of the people in all ages and Designed and adapted to make known his character to the universe forever.
What God did for the children of Israel he did for their benefit and your benefit and mine. He did it that the people of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is indeed mighty. I Can see it today.
Working wherever I am that the hand of the Lord is in that. This purpose was graphically fulfilled. As soon as the Canaanites heard the news that the children Crossed over Jordan. Now, we've kind of overlooked the Canaanites.
But Greg, how do you suppose they felt when the river suddenly dried up and the children of Israel marched over? Boy, their God must really be something. Some of the important things to remember out of this chapter are that the ark goes before and divides the Jordan River.
Not the rod of Moses, but the ark. Christ goes before us through death. But also goes with us through life. Jordan is typical of Christ's death not ours. The death of Christ. Oh, we have a few minutes.
Let me See what you have. David sure, that's right. You Know death terrifies us. But the closer I get to it the less terrible it is. And I suppose I'll eventually get to where I look forward to it. Not completely but death is.
Is not this Stopping of this life. Christ will. Will see us through. He will be there with us. Something else from every anyone. That's right. God had put in the hearts of the Canaanites fear. Fear of his people.
Well. Could someone else have been in among the children of Israel and passed over? I don't think so. He had spent 40 years in weeding out. Yes, we will see the falling of the wall and victory in chapter 6.
But there's still one thing that needs to be done. And it's in chapter 5. I'm sure. Now, did you this past week think about my question? Did anybody? There is something in the world that is as holy as God is.
What is it? Yes, and no Greg you weren't here last week. You and your wife, but I asked the question. You have something or there is something in the world that is as holy as God. What is it Charlotte Christ one?
It is his spirit. Want us to recognize how to look at things from God's view. By by that I mean If we look at his spirit from his view, it's holy. If we look at his spirit from us from our view. It's less than holy.
It has to be because we're looking at it. But from him from his view it is holy. It is the Spirit of God, which is holy. I can't. For some reason this morning divide the two. It's all right to look at it from our view if you will also look at it from his viewpoint.
That it is his spirit. Maybe I can add more next week. Greg will you dismiss us, please?