Sermon Tone Analysis

Crossing over

Father we ask for preaching power, the ability to speak your word with boldness and conviction.

Give my words clarity and purpose speak for me speak through me and speak to these your people,.

I am not worthy but use me for your will and your way.

And I will be so careful to give you the glory and the honor for only you are worthy Amen.

Come with me and let us look at this old testament scripture.

Let us look back 3,000 years ago and see what message that God has sent through time that can be of use to us today.

What in this living scripture that we can look back to that can possibly have meaning for us today.

What can we learn from this Israelites who had no modern conveniences, no TV or cars, much less internet, twitter , snap chat, Instagram or even cell phones.

Why should I even read about somebody who has no connection with me, knows nothing of my life ,my circumstances or my situation.

Why should I even listen to you Pastor because you lost me when I even started looking at an old testament.

Well folks I tell you , you have a point when you say that in terms of daily life style , our way of life and the life of these Hebrews are different.

For they were a different people, different government, and even on a different continent.

They ate different food, drink different beverages and wore different type of clothes, and spoke a different language.

If we were to switch places with one of them, we both would be totally lost in the other’s environment.

And even with all of that I am still going to preach from Joshua the 5th chapter verses 10- 12, do you know why?

because with all those things that are different, there are still some things that are the same.

Number one is we serve the same God.

I don’t think you heard me I said we serve the same God.

We serve a God that has power!

We serve a GOD WHO IS NOT DEAD! AND WE SERVE a GOD WHO IS Real !

So real I that he woke me up this morning.

So real that that I feel him

So real that he talks with me and he walks with me

Anybody know the God that i am talking about!!!

And the second reason we are going to talk about this scripture is because people don’t change.

We may talk a different language

we may wear different clothes

We may even have different toys and conveniences but people don’t change

if we are cut we bleed

if we hurt we cry

We tend to lie to get out of trouble , we fall sick and we have problems.

So it would behoove even the ones who are even right now texting, or surfing or even dozing or sleeping to get this life lesson, the moral directive, this scriptural blessing and pay heed to the word that is contained in this passage.

And that word is this year God will do a new thing.

If you will allow me to paint this picture and develop this text so that we can be together on one accord

You see these Israelites had just come over the Jordan River!

They had been wandering the dessert for 40 years trying to get to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

They had, as a people fell short of what God had commanded, and although he punished them he also had kept them.

And now God was reestablishing them and reestablishing his covenant with them.

he punished then for he caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

they were stuck in a wilderness unable to get to the promised place, this land flowing with Milk and Honey

But he kept them for he provided Manna from heaven from them to eat

Their shoes never wore out and there clothes never rotted.

He went before them as a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day!

He stayed with them during their punishment!

I don’t know if anybody here has ever been stuck in one place.

It seems as if you can’t make headway.

the proverbial one step forward and two steps back.

Anybody ever been there.

you can see where you want to go but just can’t get there!

Despite your best efforts the prize remains out side of your grasp and you are just stuck.

It may be financial , it may be spiritually or even emotionally but you have been stuck for too long.

And so the first thing I need to tell you is that it is time to cross over.

your Jordan.

The Jordan River was wide and deep and appeared to be formidable barrier.

I tell you right now whatever your Jordan is I know I don’t understand what you are going through you have to face it and cross it.

Why because you promise is on the other side.

It may be that you have lived with the wilderness so long you are satisfied with the status quo, yes you are in pain, yes you are unhappy, yes you are trouble , but you have been in it so long that you are are comfortable right where you are.

Some of the Israelites wanted to say on the other side but they couldn’t settle until they had crossed over.

How can i face my problem, how can I challenge this hurdle , how can walk that road.

Joshua was told to , don’t fear be encouraged and put God first, The ark of the covenant went into the Jordan first.You take God with you make that move, face that problem challenge that demon.

Face your problem with God, not what you want but with what God expects.

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be added unto you.

Do you feel me!

Put God first.

Worship Him

They had come to the land of milk and honey but the Jordan was only one obstacle.

there were still people there and many of them lived in Jericho .

Jericho was a big walled city.

But before they went to war with jericho they had to get right with God.

Before you step off into a major battle get right with God.

talk to jesus, do the right thing, according to his word not according to your understanding.

After they had crossed over they had to rededicate themselves to God. the males were circumcised and then they celebrated passover.

What I want you to understand they had become used to doing something a certain way.

They had developed habits and customs and ways of doing stuff in the wilderness they they couldn’t bring over into the promised land.

Some of your attitudes you are going to have to change!

Some of your thinking you are going to have to change

Some of your selfishness you are going to have to change because this is something new.

You will recognize God’s something new!

Something new is when you take one step but God moves you two

something new is when you don’t know how it happened but it happened, because you put it all in God;s hands.

Trust him and he will deliver.

Your faith will will make you whole.

See the God they served was a miracle worker.

the miracle was providing all those years in the dessert

the miracle was Manna from heaven

the miracle was crossing the Jordan river on dry land

But was the miracles had done what the the miracle was intended to do

when the miracle had brought you to a place of deliverance

and after the miracle and after the worship

and after the shedding of the old

It was time for something new

Something New

When they came over the river Jordan .

All the people who lived in the area were afraid and left their belongings and fled probably to Jericho.

So scripture says for the first time they ate old corn,of the promised land.

And all of that year they would eat the fruit of the promised land.

A new thing.

God had provided miracle Manna but now a new thing, Fruit of the valley and corn of the land.

That first year they ate corn without planting.