Participants:
Series Code: HHJ
Program Code: HHJ000005S
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00:01 Music...
00:14 Hello and welcome once again to the Secrets Unsealed Summit: 00:18 The Hour of His Judgment. 00:21 Allow me to join with my fellow Speakers in thanking you 00:24 for joining us for what we feel 00:26 will be a time of preaching and prayer and praise 00:31 and very important messages 00:34 that are designed to help prepare us all 00:37 for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 00:40 It is my desire this day 00:44 to do something just a bit different. 00:46 I have three messages to preach, this... the first of three. 00:51 I have seen parallels in the crossing of the Red Sea 00:59 and the crossing of the Jordan 01:01 and so, in today's message, 01:03 we're going to take a look at those two experiences 01:07 as God's people crossed the Red Sea 01:09 and as they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. 01:13 I see parallels in the condition... 01:19 the circumstance of God's people in these days. 01:22 We find ourselves in the hour of His judgment... 01:24 we find ourselves as pilgrims and strangers in this world... 01:29 we have crossed the Red Sea into the kingdom... 01:32 we're now in the... 01:34 when I say "the kingdom" I mean, the kingdom of the Lord... 01:37 we've given our hearts to Him 01:39 and we'll unpack this out a little bit more 01:41 but we're now in the wilderness time 01:44 getting ready to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land 01:48 so, as we are in this time that we have chosen to call: 01:53 The Hour of His Judgment, 01:55 I see parallels in the crossing of the two bodies of water... 01:59 the second one... taking God's people into the Promised Land 02:03 and, of course, when we cross over, 02:06 we will be in the Promised Land also, 02:09 so, it is my prayer that we will be able to 02:13 make those connections 02:15 to give you an understanding of where we're going 02:17 and what we're trying to say. 02:19 The next message: A Call to Arms 02:21 deals specifically with the hour 02:23 of His judgment 02:25 and then the final message unpackages that 02:28 even a bit more looking at Daniel chapter 12 02:31 comparing it with Daniel chapter 7 02:33 and taking a look at how those two passages 02:38 of Scripture 02:40 bind themselves to the book of Revelation 02:43 and to each other 02:44 and have much to say for us 02:47 in these last days as God's people. 02:48 So, we've got a lot to talk about 02:51 during our three sittings together 02:53 and we pray that God will be the center and circumference 02:56 of all that we do... 02:57 will be our teacher... our instructor... 02:59 and that we will know His will 03:01 and more importantly... do His will 03:04 as each day brings us that much closer 03:07 to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 03:10 and brings us closer hopefully spiritually to Him 03:14 as we get closer physically to the day 03:17 when we shall see Christ face to face. 03:19 I would ask you to turn with me to the book of Joshua... 03:23 the book of Joshua in the Old Testament... chapter 3 03:27 and we want to consider verses 1 through 6. 03:30 Joshua chapter 3 verses 1 through 6. 03:38 Pause... 03:40 Shall we pray... 03:41 "Father God, would You please be our instructor this day. 03:45 We turn to You and ask You to bless us... 03:49 to teach us... 03:51 to show us Your will and Your way... 03:52 to help us... to enable us... 03:56 to embolden us to follow You and to serve You 03:58 and to surrender our lives to You, 04:02 for we know that the time is short. 04:06 This Summit has been put together 04:10 to emphasize that fact 04:12 that we don't have a lot of time. 04:14 We are in the hour of judgment and that God's people 04:19 must make up their minds to fully surrender themselves 04:23 to You and to receive Your power 04:28 for successful living 04:30 as we await the return of Jesus. 04:32 Bless us just now we do pray 04:34 and thank You, in Jesus' name, amen. " 04:36 We are reading from Joshua chapter 3 verses 1 through 6. 04:44 The book is Joshua chapter 3 1 through 6 04:48 and I'm reading from the New King James Version... 04:51 the Bible says, 04:52 "Then Joshua rose early in the morning; 04:55 and they set out from Acacia Grove 05:00 and came to the Jordan, 05:02 he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there 05:07 before they crossed over. 05:10 So it was, after three days, 05:13 that the officers went through the camp 05:16 and they commanded the people saying, 05:19 'When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, 05:24 and the priests and Levites, bearing it, 05:27 then you shall set out from your place and go after it. '" 05:32 Now the "go after it" doesn't mean to chase it, 05:35 it means to follow in line behind it. 05:38 So, that's what "go after it" means. 05:41 "Yet there shall be a space between you and it, 05:46 about two thousand cubits by measure... " 05:49 little less than half a mile... 05:51 "do not come near it, 05:53 that you may know the way by which you must go, 05:57 for you have not passed this way before. 06:01 And Joshua said to the people, 06:04 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do 06:08 wonders among you. '" 06:10 And verse 6, 06:12 "Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, 06:15 'Take up the ark of the covenant 06:18 and cross over before the people. '" 06:21 And I think we'll stop our reading there 06:25 and we'll come back to this in just a moment 06:28 because there's something very important that happens 06:30 in just a little bit. 06:32 Ellen White describes in the book: Patriarchs and Prophets, 06:36 the Jordan valley in the days of Abraham 06:38 as one of the most beautiful in all of Palestine. 06:45 When she talks about the Jordan valley 06:47 and the Jordan river, 06:48 she says it's one of the most beautiful rivers 06:52 and river valleys in all of Palestine 06:54 equal to the Nile valley in Egypt and Ethiopia 06:59 and reminding one of beholding paradise lost. 07:04 The Jordan valley certainly was and is... in many respects 07:10 a valley of surpassing beauty, 07:13 it's not quite what it once was 07:16 because so much of the Jordan River has been siphoned off 07:19 for farming 07:20 but it is still a very beautiful river valley. 07:24 One of the most beautiful experiences that I have had 07:28 the privilege of having is to be on the Sea of Galilee 07:32 on the Sabbath, 07:33 I've had that privilege a number of times... my wife and I... 07:37 on the Sabbath day to be in a wooden boat 07:41 on the Sea of Galilee... on the Sabbath mornings 07:44 singing songs of God 07:47 with brothers and sisters of like faith... 07:50 it is really quite a heady experience... 07:53 really quite a wonderful experience to be there... 07:56 the sun shining on that historic river 07:59 in that historic sea on the Sabbath morning... 08:04 it's really quite something. 08:07 The... the Sea of Galilee 08:10 is actually a bulge in the Jordan River. 08:13 The Jordan River comes down 08:15 and then you've got this wide bulge... 08:17 almost like a bulge in a vein 08:19 and then it... it narrows at the bottom 08:22 and it continues its trip southward... 08:25 the Sea of Galilee is about 13 miles long 08:27 about 8 and a 1/2 miles wide... 08:32 it's not a very, very big body of water, 08:36 at its greatest depth it's about 141 feet deep, 08:41 so, it's actually just a decent size lake 08:45 much smaller than... oh, by comparison... 08:48 any of the great lakes in... in the United States of America. 08:52 The smallest of the Great Lakes is Lake Erie 08:55 and I grew up on Lake Erie... 08:57 growing up in Buffalo, New York, there right on Lake Erie. 09:00 Lake Erie is 241 miles long... 09:04 about 57 miles wide in average... 09:08 with an average depth of about 62 feet... 09:12 undulates... 09:13 it goes down to 210 feet then comes back up. 09:17 So, the Sea of Galilee really is rather small 09:20 as part of the Jordan River. 09:24 It is crucial to four particular nations. 09:29 Israel draws from the Jordan River... 09:33 Lebanon draws from the Jordan River... 09:37 Jordan draws from the Jordan River 09:41 and, of course, Syria draws from the Jordan River. 09:46 So, it's always been an important water way 09:49 and I suspect it always will be. 09:52 The headwaters of the Jordan River 09:55 begin the north near Mount Hermon 09:58 near where Lebanon, Israel, and Syria actually come together. 10:04 That's where we find the headwaters or the beginning 10:07 of the Jordan River. 10:09 That is the area occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War 10:16 in 1967... the war that they had with Syria, 10:20 the area is still called to this day... the Golan Heights. 10:24 It is up near the Druze area of... of northern Israel. 10:29 They annexed it in 1981. 10:31 This, of course, includes Mount Hermon 10:34 as I said from which the headwaters flow 10:38 and I have heard Israelis say in Israel 10:41 that they will never give that land back... 10:44 that land will never be seceded back 10:48 because they don't want Lebanon 10:50 or even worse... Syria, 10:52 to be in control of the most important water system 10:56 in all of Israel. 10:58 Whoever controls Mount Hermon... 11:00 whoever controls the Golan Heights 11:03 really controls the flow of the Jordan River 11:07 and so, Israel will never relinquish that land 11:11 because they want to be in control 11:13 of their own water source 11:14 and don't want any other country to be in control 11:19 of that water source. 11:21 So, the Sea of Galilee is in Israel proper. 11:27 So historically, it has great import 11:30 as it does today. 11:32 Below the Sea of Galilee, 11:35 the Jordan River flows out of the south end 11:38 and forms the boundary 11:39 between Israel and the Royal Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 11:43 continuing southwards for a 156 miles 11:46 and, of course, ending in the Dead Sea. 11:49 But over two millennia before, 11:54 Ellen White describes the coming of God's people 11:58 to the crossing of the Jordan as a watershed experience 12:04 and I see parallels in the crossing of the Jordan 12:08 into the Promised Land 12:10 and the crossing of God's people 12:12 over into our heavenly Canaan. 12:15 The crossing of the Jordan was a "God" thing. 12:19 The crossing of the Jordan was an act of faith. 12:23 The crossing of the Jordan 12:25 was acceptance of God's call to war 12:29 and a sign of their belief in His power to win. 12:33 They're instructed to celebrate the Passover 12:38 on the 14th day after crossing the Jordan 12:42 into the Promised Land. 12:43 The rite of circumcision was re-instituted 12:46 after they crossed the Jordan. 12:50 The manna that had flowed for so many years in the desert 12:54 ceased before they crossed the Jordan 12:58 and they had to rely on what they could gather 13:00 and grow for themselves 13:03 and so, the relationship between God and His people... 13:07 once they crossed the Jordan changed significantly. 13:11 Ellen White describes the coming to the Jordan 13:14 as I said, as a watershed experience. 13:17 So, what I want to see and consider 13:21 is the difference and the dissonance 13:24 between the crossing of the Jordan 13:27 and that which took place some 40 years earlier... 13:32 the crossing of the Red Sea. 13:34 Forty years earlier, they sent out twelve spies. 13:38 This time in crossing the Jordan, 13:41 they sent out two spies. 13:43 Forty years before, the Bible says, 13:46 the people sent out 12 spies 13:49 and those 12 spies reported back to everybody. 13:52 This time, the two spies 13:54 reported back directly to Joshua. 13:58 Joshua had already gotten God's assurance 14:02 that they would succeed in conquering Jericho 14:06 and indeed all of the Canaan land. 14:09 It was theirs 14:11 but there was no substitute for preparation. 14:15 There is, I believe, a... a... a parallel 14:20 in the crossing of the Jordan 14:22 because the crossing of the Jordan is a type 14:25 of us crossing over, I believe, into the Promised Land... 14:31 our heavenly home. 14:34 Heaven is guaranteed 14:36 even as the conquering of the Canaan land was guaranteed 14:41 but it is guaranteed for those 14:44 who have given their hearts to the Lord... 14:47 for those who have surrendered their lives to the Lord... 14:51 for those who are one with the Lord. 14:55 In Revelation chapter 22 verse 12, 14:59 Christ says very plainly... very matter-of-factly 15:03 "Behold I am coming quickly, 15:07 and My reward is with Me, 15:10 to give to every one according to his work. " 15:15 That's the promise that Christ has given... 15:20 so, heaven is a sure thing. 15:23 Heaven is promised to those who love the Lord. 15:27 In Revelation chapter 22 and verse 7, 15:30 the Bible says, "Blessed is he 15:34 who keeps these words... " 15:37 blessed is he who keeps the words as given 15:42 by Jesus Christ. 15:44 This text is backed up by Revelation chapter 22 15:49 and verse 14... I'm reading from the Word of God 15:54 turn to it quickly, Revelation 22 and verse 14, 15:59 you will see a pattern here. 16:01 I'm in Revelation 22 and we're at verse 14, 16:04 the Word of God says, 16:05 "Blessed are those who do His commandments, 16:09 that they may have a right to the tree of life, 16:12 and may enter through the gates 16:14 and into the city. " 16:17 Revelation 22:7, 16:19 "Blessed are those who keep the words... " 16:22 Revelation 22:14, 16:24 "Blessed are those who do His will... 16:28 who do His commandments... " 16:31 we can further buttress that by looking at Titus chapter 3... 16:36 Titus chapter 3 and verse 8 where the Bible tells us 16:42 by the grace of God to maintain good works. 16:48 I want to read that for you, 16:49 Titus chapter 3 and we've got verse 8... 16:54 "This is a faithful saying, 16:55 and these things I want to affirm constantly, 16:58 that those who have believed in God 17:00 should be careful to maintain good works... " 17:04 the Bible says in Titus chapter 3 verse 8... 17:08 you see a pattern here... 17:10 doing the work of God... 17:12 keeping the will of God... 17:13 doing the commandments of God... 17:15 Titus says, "Maintaining good works... " 17:19 Ephesians chapter 2... one of my very favorite texts 17:24 in the Word of God... 17:25 Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8 is a powerful text, 17:30 we... we know Ephesians... 17:32 I'm sorry, Ephesians chapter 2, I want verse 10. 17:36 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 17:39 is one that comes to mind very quickly 17:41 because it's says, "By grace are ye saved through faith; 17:43 and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God... " 17:46 but I want to go to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 17:50 for it says, "For we are His workmanship, 17:54 created in Christ Jesus for good works, 17:58 which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. " 18:03 You notice, all of these texts and many, many others 18:06 in the Word of God commend us to good works 18:11 as we are preparing to cross over 18:14 into God's heavenly Canaan, 18:17 we must work the works of Him who died for us. 18:22 We must be busy about our Father's business. 18:26 Part of the preparation for getting into heaven 18:31 is doing heavenly works here on earth 18:34 and even now 18:36 as we are directed by the Spirit of God. 18:41 What ought God's people to be doing in these last days? 18:46 We ought to be doing the works of God. 18:48 We ought to be employed and involved 18:51 in doing the works of God. 18:53 Our lives ought to be consumed in doing God's holy works. 19:00 Now, I need to just say here, 19:03 we're not talking about legalistically doing works 19:06 trying to please God... trying to get into the kingdom. 19:09 No... no... we are saying... 19:11 these works flow out of an... 19:14 I've used this term many times, 19:15 a pre-existing condition... 19:18 the pre-existing condition is a surrendered life 19:22 to Jesus Christ... 19:23 it's a life full of the Spirit of God. 19:26 The works that we do flow out of our love for Jesus. 19:32 We don't work to get Him to love us... 19:35 we don't work to get Him to save us... 19:39 we work because He does love us... 19:43 we work because He has saved us... 19:47 we work out of the understanding 19:51 of the work that He has done for us on the cross... 19:56 He is doing for us in judgment 19:59 and that He will do for us in coming to take us home. 20:03 So, I go now to 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verse 6, 20:08 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 is what I want. 20:13 2nd Timothy 3 and 16... the Bible says, 20:18 verse on screen... 20:39 So, the Bible is saying that Scripture is given 20:44 to equip us... to enable us... 20:47 to understand and to do what works God has called us to do. 20:54 No one should think 20:56 that given the work that Christ has done for us... 21:00 that we will not have to labor in the Master's vineyard 21:05 while time lasts 21:07 as we prepare to cross over the Jordan 21:11 into our heavenly home. 21:13 The watch word for this time is: work the works of Jesus. 21:20 The watch word for this time is not sitting and knitting 21:25 and waiting for Christ... 21:27 the watch word is: standing and walking 21:31 and working for Jesus 21:32 occupying until He comes. 21:36 So, the Bible says... Joshua sent out two spies 21:39 who tell them what they've got to do... 21:45 these two witnesses... 21:47 that reminds me of the two witnesses... 21:49 the Old Testament and New Testament 21:51 in the book of Revelation 21:53 they... they tell us what to do and how to live 21:55 but Joshua sent out two spies... 21:56 they... they inform them of what is waiting for them 22:01 on the other side. 22:02 The Bible tells us who we're fighting... 22:05 when we're fighting... 22:07 what we're fighting... 22:08 why we're fighting... 22:10 where we're fighting... 22:11 and how we are fighting in these last days 22:14 as we prepare to serve and to enter 22:18 into our heavenly home. 22:20 You know, in Revelation chapter... 22:23 Revelation chapter 20 and chapter 21, 22:25 Christ says, "Behold, I make all things new. " 22:30 It's a wonderful promise that one day 22:33 this earth that we've had to fight with 22:36 and fight through 22:37 and which fights against us 22:39 is going to be changed into a brand-new earth... 22:45 a new heaven... 22:46 no more sin... 22:48 no more sorrow... 22:49 no more pain... 22:51 no more ugly things... 22:53 the beauty of Christ will be shown in His people 22:58 and in a brand-new earth, 23:01 so, the spies return and they came back with a report 23:05 and basically, the report was the same 23:10 as the 12 spies had given 40 years before. 23:14 The report was the same... 23:17 there were still giants in the land... 23:19 there were still obstacles to faced... 23:21 there were still wars to be fought... 23:24 but the difference was... 23:26 where the spies 40 years before said, 23:29 "We can't do this... they are too big for us... 23:33 they are too much for us... 23:36 the spies 40 years later... 23:38 came back with the universal declaration 23:42 that though these things are there, 23:45 we are able. 23:48 We are able because He is able. 23:53 I see a parallel in our lives today. 23:57 We each have Jordan rivers to cross. 24:01 We each have trials in our lives... 24:05 we each have times when things are going to oppose us... 24:12 I just got some news before... a few minutes ago 24:16 before beginning this message about a good friend 24:19 who is... who is suffering... 24:21 someone known and loved for many, many years... 24:24 that's the lot of this life... 24:28 my own mother-in-law... my wife's mother 24:32 at 100 and... well... oh, in a few days 24:37 will be 101 as of this recording 24:42 and we don't know how things are going to end 24:46 but that's the lot in life... 24:49 we are called to fight... 24:51 we are called to... to wrestle our way through life 24:55 and since the entrance of sin, 24:59 this has been man's lot in life 25:03 but the truth is... we are able 25:06 and when we're faced with trials 25:09 and when we're faced with calamities 25:12 and when we're faced with trials and challenges, 25:16 we as God's people need to hold on to the truth... 25:20 the fact that we are able... 25:24 we are able because He is able 25:28 and He enables us to meet and overcome the challenges 25:34 of these days in which we find ourselves. 25:39 We are... Ladies and Gentlemen... 25:42 on the borders of the kingdom. 25:45 We're on the edge of Paradise. 25:48 We are just about ready to cross over 25:53 and it is too late for God's people to be faint of heart 25:58 to lose hope... to lose courage... 26:01 to lose faith... 26:03 we need to be strong in the Lord as never before 26:09 because the trials are going to come... 26:12 the challenges are going to come... 26:15 they are going to increase and get greater 26:19 but the truth is... 26:21 "Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world" 26:27 and so, when you are faced with trials... 26:29 hold that thought... 26:31 let that thought surround you and enfold you 26:37 and give you courage and strength. 26:39 We shall overcome because He has overcome 26:47 and my Bible says... 26:49 has sat down at the right hand of the Father. 26:53 So, we stand at the edge... at the border as it were 26:58 of the Promised Land. 27:01 Now, the kings on the other side of Jordan 27:05 were... were afraid... 27:07 they had heard about the... 27:10 the seven kingdoms that had been conquered 27:15 on the way to Jordan... the five Midianite kings and... 27:19 and Og of Bashan... 27:21 and Sihon... King of the Amorites and... 27:23 and the word had gone out 27:25 that Israel had conquered these... 27:29 these kings before getting to the Jordan 27:33 and they had become successful. 27:36 I see a parallel in that we too will be assaulted... 27:42 you know, we've got this Corona deal 27:44 and we've got financial things 27:47 and here in California, we've got fires... 27:50 you know, no one ever said it's... 27:53 it's going to be easy. 27:54 Getting into heaven is not going to be easy 27:58 but getting into heaven is going to be possible 28:02 because Christ has made it possible. 28:05 God gives us these challenges 28:09 and He gives us these... these testimonies 28:15 so that we can look at the way God has fought for us 28:19 and through us 28:20 and we can give glory to Him. 28:22 Ellen White says in the book, 28:25 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 485, 28:29 "To the Canaanites, to all Israel, 28:32 and to Joshua himself, 28:34 unmistakable evidence had been given 28:38 that the living God, the King of heaven and earth, 28:41 was among His people, 28:44 and that He would not fail them nor forsake them. " 28:51 You know, there's a wonderful text in 1st John chapter 5 28:54 verse 13, 28:56 I won't turn to it, I'll just sort of paraphrase it, 28:58 it says, "We ought to know... 29:00 we ought to know... that we have eternal life. " 29:03 God doesn't want us to be hazy about our eternal salvation. 29:08 God wants you to know where you stand with Him. 29:11 You... as a Christian... 29:14 ought to be able to look back through your life 29:17 and you ought to be able to see times 29:21 when you know God put His hand into your life. 29:25 You know that what you are going through... 29:30 that what you experienced was orchestrated by God. 29:34 Look over your life and see the blessings 29:37 that God has done in your life 29:41 and you shouldn't have to look too far 29:44 or to look too hard. 29:46 You ought to be able to see a pattern 29:49 of what I call, Providential Interposition... 29:53 that is to say, that at certain times in your walk 29:57 towards heaven, 30:00 you can see where God inserted Himself in your life 30:07 and spiritual muscles accrue from being able to see 30:12 where God has blessed you in a very specific way. 30:18 You ought to know when God was in control. 30:22 Certain decisions you made... 30:23 certain places He took you... 30:25 certain experiences you went through... 30:27 even though they may have been tough experiences, 30:30 you ought to be able to see, as a Christian, 30:33 times in your life... 30:35 and I'm not saying just "time" 30:37 times in your life 30:39 when God has put His hand in your life 30:43 and He has blessed you and kept you through this day. 30:48 One of the things that 30:50 recounting those blessings of God does 30:53 is... it gives you strength to go forward... 30:57 so, as we stand here on the edges of the Jordan, 31:02 you ought to be able to look back 31:06 and see that since you crossed the Red Sea 31:10 which was the time you gave your heart to the Lord... 31:13 which was the time that you signed on with Jesus... 31:16 which was the time that you surrendered to Him... 31:20 to this day... heading across the Jordan... 31:24 you ought to be able to see 31:26 where God has put Himself in your life... 31:30 has inserted Himself in your existence 31:34 and those times... recalling those times... 31:37 remembering those times... 31:39 recounting those times... 31:41 ought to encourage you to go forward... 31:44 I always say, "If you can't see ahead, 31:47 then look back over your shoulder 31:49 and see from whence God has brought you. 31:53 You don't want to live in the past... 31:56 but you don't want to forget about the past 32:00 because the only thing worse than nostalgia 32:03 is amnesia... 32:05 you want to remember the past 32:07 and see how God has blessed you in the past. 32:10 So Prophets and Kings tells us 32:12 that Israel had unmistakable evidences 32:16 that God was with them 32:18 and hopefully, you got those times in your life 32:22 that you can go back to and see God has blessed you 32:25 because one of the things that they will assure you of 32:28 is that... if He's blessed you in the past, 32:30 He can bless you in the future. 32:32 If He's done it for you once... He can do it for you again. 32:35 So, you know that God is with you. 32:38 We've got some things that we're going through 32:40 in... in our family 32:42 and it's good to know that God has been there in the past 32:46 because it gives us hope and courage 32:48 that God will continue to bless us in the future. 32:51 God, Ellen White says, is waiting to give us 32:55 unmistakable evidences of His presence. 33:00 Has any one here ever had an unmistakable evidence 33:03 of the presence of God? 33:04 You should and you should look for them 33:08 and bask in them 33:10 as you recount them to the glory of God. 33:12 You don't need to have many... 33:14 they don't need to be weekly or monthly... 33:17 they just need to happen every once in a while 33:20 so that you know that you're walking with the Lord 33:23 just often enough to assure you 33:26 that God is on your side as you are on His side 33:31 and we praise the Lord for that. 33:34 Ellen White says... or rather the Bible says... 33:37 I want to go to the Bible here... 33:38 in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4... 33:41 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4 33:44 that we walk in the flesh but we don't war in the flesh. 33:48 The weapons of our warfare, the Word of God says, 33:52 are not carnal 33:53 but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds 33:56 so, God steps in and fights for us 34:00 and fights through us 34:01 and by the grace of God we gain victory through Him 34:05 and through His power. 34:07 Pause... 34:10 Knowing that God has blessed you in the past, 34:14 emboldens and encourages you to greater feats for Him 34:21 in the future. 34:22 They didn't know what was on the other side of the Jordan. 34:28 They simply knew that God has brought them 34:33 to this time 34:34 and when you have your Jordan-River experience, 34:38 you may not know what's on the other side 34:42 but you know that the God who brought you to the Jordan 34:47 will get you across the Jordan 34:50 and that's very, very important 34:52 as we look at something that we're going to talk about 34:55 in just a minute. 34:57 Crossing the Jordan was a big deal. 35:01 God had led them through a wilderness experience 35:09 and all of those faithless ones had died in the wilderness 35:14 and now, a brand-new group of people 35:17 were prepared to cross the Jordan. 35:21 Ellen White says, "It was the spring of the year 35:24 and the Jordan 35:26 characteristically overflowed its banks 35:30 due to the melting snows of Mount Hermon. 35:34 It was impossible to cross the Jordan 35:39 without assistance from God. 35:43 It was not a man thing... it was a God thing. 35:49 How many times in our lives have we faced experiences 35:54 where we could see that it would be impossible 35:59 to do anything to conquer this thing... 36:02 to overcome this thing without the power of God?" 36:08 Ellen White describes the Jordan River in the spring... 36:13 she uses the terms as: swollen... raging and angry. 36:18 "As they camped on the eastern shore, 36:21 God wanted the people to understand 36:24 that the same God that had brought them out 36:28 would take them in. " 36:31 You know, God didn't bring us out of... out of the world 36:35 to have us die in the wilderness. 36:38 God called you out of the world 36:41 with the intention of taking you into the kingdom. 36:46 That's why it is so sad... 36:48 and I've had this in my ministry over the years... 36:50 to see people come out of the world... 36:52 take hands or hold hands 36:55 or join hands with Jesus 36:57 and then for some reason to let go 37:00 and to go back to the world. 37:02 The Bible tells us God brought them out of Egypt 37:07 that He might take them in to the Promised Land. 37:11 God brought you out of the world 37:14 with the intention of taking you into the Kingdom 37:20 and nothing less than that will do. 37:24 So, they camp now on the eastern shore 37:29 and the river is raging 37:32 and the waters are swollen and angry 37:36 and they know they can't get across 37:39 without the power of God. 37:42 In Jeremiah chapter 12 verse 5, 37:45 the Bible says something very, very interesting 37:49 and very, very important. 37:51 I'm going to turn to that text, Jeremiah 12:5 37:54 because it... it bespeaks the challenges 37:59 that God's people face. 38:01 Jeremiah 12 and I'm looking at verse 5... 38:05 pause... 38:08 the Bible says, 38:10 "If you have run with the footmen, 38:13 and they have wearied you, 38:14 then how can you contend with the horses? 38:18 And if in the land of peace, 38:22 in which you trusted, they wearied you, 38:24 then how will you do 38:26 in the swelling... or the floodplain 38:29 of the Jordan?" 38:31 Pause... 38:34 One of the things that is going to be called for 38:38 in these last days is perseverance 38:43 and patience by the people of God. 38:48 We, as a church... we, as individuals... 38:52 are going to face things we have never faced before. 38:57 We are going to be called to fight and overcome obstacles 39:03 as never before. 39:06 The word here for "swelling" is "gaon" 39:11 gaon... the Hebrew word... 39:14 it means Pride... anger... 39:18 and interestingly enough: arrogancy. 39:21 Pause... 39:24 We are going to face things as never before. 39:29 Pause... 39:32 Everybody is going to have a Jordan-river experience 39:36 in their lives. 39:38 You see, at the Red Sea... and this is important... 39:45 God did most of the work. 39:51 Forty years earlier, a mixed multitude left Egypt... 39:58 they did not really know God... 40:04 they had been in Egypt for several generations... 400 years 40:11 there was a group embedded and in... in... in... 40:18 in... in... yeah... embedded in Israel 40:21 that were basically Egyptian in mind-set 40:26 so, you had this mixed multitude. 40:29 They had not had an experience with the Lord... 40:33 they did not know the Lord in His fuller sense 40:38 so, when they crossed the Red Sea... 40:44 God did most of the work. 40:48 When they crossed the Jordan, 40:53 they had had 40 years of experience with the Lord 41:00 and things had changed. 41:03 When you start out in your Christian experience... 41:07 when you go through the Red Sea... 41:10 which... which is really sort of analogous to your baptism 41:15 and the Bible does sort of give us an invitation of that. 41:19 It's early in your... in your walk with God 41:22 and God's got to do a lot to strengthen your faith. 41:26 Sometimes He's got to take you through on dry land 41:29 because you're... 41:31 you're not accustomed to trusting Him yet. 41:33 He's got to do some very special blessings for you 41:36 to strengthen your faith... to get you to trust Him 41:39 and so, when the Children of Israel came to the Red Sea, 41:44 you got Pharaoh's army behind... 41:46 you've got the Red Sea before... 41:49 God had to do something very, very special for them. 41:53 You know the story how the... 41:57 the pillar of fire which was leading them 42:00 came around behind them... interposed itself 42:03 between God's people and Pharaoh 42:05 and Moses said, "Stand still, hold your peace... 42:11 you're not going to see them anymore. " 42:13 This is the experience 42:16 and they went through on dry ground 42:21 because they needed to go through on dry ground 42:27 but 40 years later, 42:30 God is calling for a little more faith. 42:34 God is calling for a little more input from His people... 42:38 God is calling for a different experience 42:41 than He did at the Red Sea. 42:43 So, crossing the Jordan 42:45 is little different than crossing the Red Sea... 42:48 it's going to take more faith to get you across the Jordan 42:53 than it did to get you across the Red Sea. 42:57 I'm reading Patriarchs and Prophets, page 43, 42:59 Ellen White says, "Leaving their encampment, 43:02 the host descended to the border of the Jordan. 43:06 All knew however that without divine aid 43:10 they could not hope to make the passage. " 43:14 We're talking about... 43:15 depending on whose numbers you take... 43:18 between three and five million people. 43:20 "God willed that the passage of Israel over the Jordan 43:26 should be miraculous. " 43:29 One of these things is going to happen 43:31 when you get into heaven... 43:34 when you cross the heavenly Jordan 43:36 and look back at your life, 43:38 you will realize that without God, 43:41 it would not have been possible. 43:45 The calling you out of the world... 43:48 the leading you through the desert... 43:51 the crossing over the Jordan was all done... 43:56 was all made possible because God was leading your life 43:59 and had God not been there... 44:01 had God not taken care of you... 44:03 had God not surrounded you with His love 44:05 and with angels 44:07 and with the Holy Spirit, 44:08 you know that you could not have made it 44:13 into the kingdom of God. 44:15 One of the things that we will be so thankful for 44:18 when we make it to heaven 44:20 is that God put up with us 44:22 sometimes when we weren't even willing to cooperate with Him 44:26 to save our souls and to get us across the Jordan. 44:30 Ellen White says, "Joshua, by divine direction, 44:33 commanded the people to sanctify themselves 44:37 they must put away their sins and free themselves 44:42 from all outward impurity 'for tomorrow,' he said, 44:46 'the Lord will do wonders among you. '" 44:50 Pause... 44:54 This time of God's judgment... 44:56 this day of God's judgment 44:59 is the day... are the days 45:01 when we as people of God must sanctify ourselves. 45:06 We must make sure that not one drop of impurity 45:11 is in our lives... 45:13 that we are in total harmony with the Lord... 45:16 that we are doing the work of the Lord 45:18 and allowing the Lord to cleanse our lives. 45:22 These are the times... 45:24 these are the days when that text says, 45:26 "Let this mind be in you, 45:28 which was also in Christ Jesus... " 45:31 is applicable... why? 45:33 Because we are in the hour of His judgment... 45:37 we need to fear God and give Him glory 45:41 and cleanse our lives 45:43 for soon and very soon 45:46 God is going to do a marvelous and wondrous work 45:49 when He comes to take His children home. 45:53 Ellen White says, "The Lord instructed them 45:57 to lead with the Ark of God... the Ark of the Covenant... 46:02 and the people were instructed to follow at the distance... 46:06 as I said of about a 1/2 mile. 46:08 Now, this is important because there was another time 46:12 some 500 years later, when they took the Ark of God 46:15 into battle... they led with the Ark of God 46:18 and the Ark of God was taken by the Philistines 46:20 but this time, they are told 46:23 to lead with the Ark of God. 46:26 They needed to follow this Ark of God... 46:32 this visible presence of the Lord that was leading them. 46:39 Now, let's focus on Joshua chapter 3 verses 15 and 16, 46:46 I want to go back to Joshua 46:48 chapter 3 and I'm at verse 15 and 16... 46:56 in fact, I'll go back to verse 14, 47:00 I'll go to 14... 15... and 16... 47:03 "So it was, when the people set out from their camp 47:06 to cross over the Jordan, 47:08 and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant 47:10 before the people... " here we are at verse 15... 47:14 "and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, 47:18 and the feet of the priests who bore the ark 47:22 dipped in the edge of the water... 47:24 for the Jordan overflows all its banks 47:27 during the whole time of harvest, 47:30 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, 47:34 and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, 47:41 the city that is beside Zaretan. 47:45 So the waters that went down to the Sea of Arabah, 47:50 the Salt Sea... " 47:51 it's heading down towards Dead Sea... 47:53 "failed, and were cut off: 47:55 and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. " 48:01 Now, let's look at what's happening here, 48:05 before a miracle took place... 48:11 God's people had to exercise great faith... 48:18 the people in general... the priests in particular. 48:22 The Bible says, "God dried up the Jordan 48:29 just as he had dried up the Red Sea 48:34 but the Jordan didn't dry up 48:40 until the people stepped in the water. 48:48 The water was raging... 48:50 the river was flooded... 48:53 it had overflowed its banks... 48:56 it was swollen 48:58 but God had them to exercise unusual faith 49:04 before He performed the miracle. 49:08 There is a pattern here. 49:11 At the Red Sea... 49:13 when God's people came to the Red Sea, 49:16 God dried the Red Sea for them 49:20 before they ever stepped into the Red Sea. 49:24 "They crossed over... " the Word of God says 49:28 "on dry land... " 49:30 but when they came to the Jordan, 49:34 God said, "You got to step into the water... 49:39 you've got to get your feet wet 49:43 before the miracle takes place. " 49:46 Much more faith was needed 49:53 to step into a flooded flowing river 49:59 than it took to step into a dry riverbed 50:06 as 40 years before. 50:08 Now, both were a miracle... 50:10 the Red Sea being dried was a miracle... 50:14 but the Jordan was a miracle that was a response 50:20 to the faith of the people. 50:22 When you gave your heart to the Lord at the Red Sea, 50:27 when you came out of the baptismal pool, 50:30 you were a babe... 50:32 you were a babe in the faith 50:36 but before you go into heaven, 50:40 your faith is going to have to grow. 50:45 Your faith is going to have to get stronger. 50:49 Your faith will be tested 50:53 because it will take great faith 50:57 to get you through this time of trouble... 51:00 it will take great faith 51:02 to get you through this time of judgment... 51:05 it will take great faith 51:07 to get you through the slings and arrows and Satanic attacks 51:12 that are going to be put upon the church 51:15 before you get into the kingdom of God. 51:18 The baby faith that got you across the Red Sea is fine 51:23 but the call in these last days is for God's people to... 51:27 one... grow in faith 51:30 two... grow in their knowledge of Jesus 51:34 and three... exercise that stronger faith 51:38 because it will be that stronger faith... that adult faith... 51:42 that mature faith... 51:44 that will keep you 51:45 in the hour of trial and temptation 51:48 and rest assured, Brothers and Sisters... 51:53 everybody and every thing will be tested... 51:57 all that you believe and all that you know 52:00 and all that you understand will be tested 52:04 before we make it into the kingdom 52:07 and so, the watch word in these last days 52:10 is to grow... 52:12 the watch word in these last days 52:15 is to get stronger in the Lord because crossing the Jordan 52:20 is not like crossing the Red Sea... 52:23 it's going to take strong Christianity... 52:25 it's going to take strong people... 52:28 it's going to take strong sense of God 52:30 to make it into the kingdom. 52:32 Weak-kneed faith... 52:34 sad faith... 52:36 sorry faith... 52:38 faith that does not have legs and muscles 52:42 simply will not do in these last days. 52:45 Indeed, Christ is calling for great faith... 52:48 great examples of faith... 52:50 great exhibitions of faith 52:53 if we are going to get into the kingdom of God. 52:56 The waters parted 52:59 but the waters parted after the children of Israel 53:03 got their feet wet 53:05 and Ladies and Gentlemen, 53:07 we're going to have to get our feet wet... 53:09 we're going to have to do all that we can 53:12 to make sure that we are strong in the faith 53:15 because the Lord is calling for great faith... 53:18 He's calling for growth in faith... 53:22 He's calling for the kind of faith 53:25 that will fight through the trials and see Jesus 53:29 face to face. 53:30 The Bible says, "Be ye therefore perfect... " 53:33 not talking about perfect sinlessness at this time... 53:38 it's talking about perfect love for Jesus 53:41 which will keep us during the trials 53:45 that we are going to face and that we have to face 53:50 in these last days. 53:52 I am so glad that God does not call us 53:57 to fight in our own strength 54:02 but that He will fight for us and fight with us 54:05 as we seek to make it to the kingdom. 54:07 In the book: Ministry of Healing, 54:09 Ellen White says this, 54:11 "Our hearts must be educated to become steadfast in God. " 54:17 I say again, "Our hearts must be educated 54:22 to become steadfast in God... " 54:25 and really, Ladies and Gentlemen, 54:27 one of the only ways that we get that steadfastness 54:31 is through trial. 54:32 We don't like trial... 54:34 we shy away from trial 54:36 but trial builds strong spiritual muscles. 54:40 I continue, "We are to form habits of thought 54:44 that will ennoble us or rather... enable us 54:48 to resist temptation. 54:50 Got to have our mind right... 54:52 our thinking process has to be right. 54:54 Not only what you do but what you think 54:57 must be in harmony with the will of God. 55:00 We must learn to look upward. 55:03 The principles of the Word of God... 55:06 the principles that are as high as heaven 55:09 and that compass eternity... 55:11 we are to understand in their bearing upon our daily life. 55:18 If we are going to be able to cross the Jordan, 55:23 we must prepare for that day... 55:27 each day. 55:29 You don't get to the Jordan and then try to summon faith... 55:33 you got to have faith to get across to Jordan. 55:36 Ellen White says, "Every act... every word... 55:39 every thought is to be in accord 55:42 with these principles. 55:45 All must be brought into harmony with 55:49 and subject to Christ. 55:52 The precious graces of the Holy Spirit 55:55 are not developed in a moment... " 55:57 this is important... 55:59 "courage... fortitude... meekness... faith... 56:03 unwavering trust in God's power to save 56:06 are not acquired by... 56:09 are only acquired... " rather... 56:11 "by the experience of years... " 56:14 so, you've got to start working now... 56:16 particularly those who got a late start... 56:18 you got to... you can do it 56:19 but you've got to trust in God with all your heart 56:22 and make up for lost time. 56:24 "By a life of holy endeavor 56:26 and firm adherence to the right... 56:29 the children of God are to seal their destinies. " 56:35 Now, there are two ways to go, 56:40 you can go across Jordan 56:43 or you can go back into the wilderness 56:45 as the Children of Israel did so many years ago 56:49 but the time is late... 56:51 the kind of faith you will need to make it into the kingdom 56:54 is not developed in a second... 56:57 it is not developed in trial... 56:59 it is revealed in trial 57:02 and if you are God's 57:04 and if you will make it into the heavenly kingdom... 57:07 if you will move from the crossing of the Red Sea 57:10 to the crossing of the Jordan 57:13 and on into the Promised Land, 57:15 then your faith will be tested... 57:18 your faith must prove its mettle 57:21 and your faith can overcome even as Christ has overcome 57:27 and is set down by the right hand of God. 57:31 It is God's pleasure... we are told, 57:35 to give you the keys to the kingdom. 57:38 Stay with Him so that after you have done the will of God, 57:44 you too will see... 57:47 will receive His mighty and gracious reward. 57:52 May God bless you. |
Revised 2021-01-28