Passage: Joshua 3:7-17

The Big Idea

How do we change? Find strength deep inside? A new strategy? God has a different way: faith. Crossing the Jordan pictures leaving behind the wilderness of striving and stepping into the rest of God’s promises, on dry ground He provides.

Three Doors

Israel had wandered forty years, going in circles, never finding rest. They knew they weren’t where they should be, but had no idea how to get out. They were afraid of the enemies and incapable of conquering them.

Have you ever wandered? Struggled to walk in freedom? Felt lost, afraid or out of control, staring at an impossible enemy?

There are three doors:

Keep trying the same thing. Keep trying to keep God’s law in your own strength. That leads to burnout, bitterness toward God, disappointment and confusion.
Give up and settle in the wilderness. Stop trying and see if that works. That leads to depression, apathy, regret, self-pity and a starving soul.
Cross the impossible river by faith. That leads to peace, joy, abundance and deeper fellowship with your Father. A life that testifies to His goodness. We become Spirit-led people who naturally live out what the Law intended, with new hearts.

What Crossing the Jordan Means

From wilderness to promise. Believers move from living under law and striving to resting in God’s grace. The Law doesn’t give life. We’ve been set free from it to live by the Spirit.
God’s faithful provision. Like the Red Sea, the Jordan parting shows that God begins and completes the journey of faith. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). He alone is the way, and looking to Him is how we share His victory.
Entering rest. Hebrews 4 uses this story to talk about God’s rest. For believers, it’s the rest found in Christ’s finished work (Hebrews 4:9-10).
A New Covenant picture. We’ve been delivered from the Law to serve in the newness of the Spirit, not the oldness of the letter (Romans 7:6).

It’s a picture of moving from death to life, from self-effort to divine rest, all by grace.

Stand in the Jordan (Joshua 3:7-8)

God tells Joshua that today He will begin to exalt him in the eyes of Israel, so they’ll know God is with him just as He was with Moses (Joshua 3:7). And the priests carrying the Ark are to go to the edge of the water and stand in the Jordan.

God’s plan is simple: He makes promises, then fulfills them by His own power through the servant He has chosen. That’s exactly how Jesus works for us. We never have to depend on ourselves. The world tells you to distrust everyone, but God asks you to fully trust the One who loves you perfectly.

Stand in the Jordan. We don’t ignore problems. We walk right up to them, expecting victory, with ridiculous confidence in Jesus. He always wins what He promised.

Hear the Words of the Lord (Joshua 3:9)

Joshua calls the people to come and hear the words of the Lord their God (Joshua 3:9).

What a good pastor. He doesn’t teach his own opinions or entertain them. He’s not trying to get anything from them. His goal is to connect them with their God. Find a church that teaches God’s Word and points you to Jesus alone.

And Jesus is the One who brings God’s word to us. He is God’s message.

The Living God Among You (Joshua 3:10-13)

This is how they’ll know the living God is among them: He will surely drive out all the nations in the land (Joshua 3:10).

He’s a living God, not a dead idol. Alive, active, and He has chosen you in love. He wants you to know Him.

Maybe that’s why you’ve faced such big problems, or struggled with the same thing over and over. He’s so committed to being your Savior that He’ll let you need saving. It’s all for your good. Nothing is wasted.

Without fail. Not a wimpy promise, not partial deliverance. God doesn’t lose.

As soon as the priests carrying the Ark set their feet in the Jordan, the water flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap (Joshua 3:13).

There’s no confusion about where the power comes from: the Ark, God’s presence, Jesus. And notice what’s required: the soles of their feet. No tools. No sacrifices. Just complete dependence on God, standing on His promises. That’s faith.

Stepping Out Before the River Parts (Joshua 3:14-17)

The people set out from their camp before the river dried up. That’s what walking by faith looks like. You believe God’s promise before you see it, and take a step. If your eyes are on Jesus, His victory is yours.

For example:

We step forward into sobriety before we feel free, because Jesus has made us free.
We make wise choices about purity, because Jesus has made us pure. We step forward to honor Him with our bodies, eyes on Him rather than on the culture, our friends, or whatever the world says will satisfy.
Steps of faith apply to everything: how we spend our time, rest, look at people, study, eat and drink, listen, save and spend.

But this only works if we keep our eyes on the Ark, on Jesus.

The Jordan was overflowing its banks at harvest time. As soon as the priests’ feet touched the water, the river stopped and piled up far upstream at a town called Adam. The priests stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people had crossed completely over.

Interesting: the waters were held back all the way up at Adam. Through Jesus, the flood that began with Adam is held back, and we cross over on dry ground.

All the People

“All the people crossed completely over.”

Has everyone here crossed over? The promise still stands. No one should be left behind in the wilderness. It’s like the movie where the family flies off for Christmas vacation and leaves Kevin at home. Not on our watch.

“That’s me. I’ve been wandering. What should I do?”

Keep your eyes on Joshua and the Ark. That is, on Jesus and His New Covenant of grace.
Step over on dry land. Depend on His finished work and His life.

How to Cross Your Jordan

Believe in the perfect work of Jesus. Your sins are fully forgiven, and you’re made righteous through His death and resurrection (Hebrews 10:10, 14; Colossians 2:13-14). You’re not striving for acceptance; you’ve already passed from death to life.
Embrace your identity in Christ. You’re a new creation, righteous and holy, with a new heart and spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ezekiel 36:26-27). You’re one spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17).
Rest in His finished work. Christ’s work is complete. You don’t need to earn favor or work to stay forgiven.
Renew your mind. Let the truth of the New Covenant replace old, performance-based thinking (Romans 12:2).
Walk by the Spirit. The Spirit leads you now, not the Law (Galatians 5:18). Grace itself teaches us how to live (Titus 2:11-12).

Grace Takeaway

Crossing your Jordan doesn’t mean generating more faith or doing more spiritual push-ups. It means resting in the faithfulness of God, who has done it all through Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him, take the step, and walk across on the dry ground He provides.

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