BE STRONG IN GOD'S DIRECTION
Be Strong: Strong in God’s Direction
Bible Text: Joshua 3:5
“And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Joshua 3:5
We are continuing our series through the book of Joshua called “Be Strong.”
Last week, we began this journey by looking at Joshua chapter 1. Three different times the Lord told Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage.”
The reason Joshua could be strong was not because he was naturally fearless. The reason he could be strong was because God gave him this promise:
“I am with thee.”
Joshua and the children of Israel could find strength because they knew they were not walking alone.
Last week, we also looked at the story of Rahab, the harlot, and how God used her in an incredible way. Two spies entered her home, she hid them, and God used her obedience and faithfulness as part of His plan.
Rahab reminds us of an important truth:
God can save anybody, and God can use anybody.
Regardless of our past, regardless of our failures, regardless of the things we wish we could hide, God is able to take the unlikely and use them for His glory.
Tonight, we continue our study of being strong, but we are going to focus on being strong in God’s direction.
1. Strength Remembered From Yesterday
Joshua 3:5 says:
“Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Israel was moving toward Jericho, but there was still a great obstacle standing between where they were and where God was leading them.
They came to the Jordan River.
And the problem was that the Jordan River was not calm and easy to cross.
Joshua 3:15 tells us:
“For Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest.”
They wanted to move forward. They wanted to obey God. But they could go no further.
They were facing an obstacle.
And this was not the first time Israel had faced an obstacle involving water.
Forty years earlier, their parents and grandparents had stood at another body of water—the Red Sea.
They had escaped Egypt. Moses had led them out after Pharaoh finally allowed them to leave. But then Pharaoh changed his mind, and his army chased after them.
They reached the Red Sea, and there was nowhere to go.
In Exodus 14:13, Moses said:
“Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day…”
Notice the similarity.
Moses told them to stand and see what God would do.
Joshua told them:
“Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
The same God who parted the Red Sea was still the God leading them across the Jordan River.
Can you imagine what some of those people must have been thinking that night?
The older generation could remember.
Maybe someone was sitting around the fire thinking:
“Forty years ago, when I was just a child, I watched God open the Red Sea. I watched my family walk across on dry ground. I watched God make a way where there was no way.”
Now Joshua was saying:
“Get ready. Tomorrow you are going to see God do something great again.”
I believe many of them laid down that night wondering:
“What is God going to do tomorrow?”
“How is God going to make a way?”
But they had confidence because they remembered what God had already done.
Can I encourage you tonight?
When you face obstacles today, look back at God’s faithfulness yesterday.
Maybe you are facing something you never thought you would face.
Maybe you are walking through a hardship.
Maybe you feel like you cannot keep your head above water.
Look back.
Remember the times God provided.
Remember the times God carried you.
Remember the times God made a way.
Because if God was faithful yesterday, He will be faithful today and tomorrow.
2. Strength Required for Today
The Israelites were not being chased this time.
At the Red Sea, the enemy was behind them.
At the Jordan River, the obstacle was in front of them.
There were no armies chasing them, but there were enemies waiting on the other side.
Joshua 3:6-13 gives us God’s instructions.
The priests were told to take up the Ark of the Covenant and go before the people.
The Lord told Joshua:
“This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.”
God was showing the people that Joshua was His chosen leader.
Then Joshua told the people:
“Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you…”
God was preparing them to see His power.
The instructions were simple, but they were not easy.
The priests were to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River.
And God said:
“When their feet touch the water, I will stop the water.”
Can you imagine what those priests must have thought?
“Joshua, are you sure?”
“You want us to walk into a flooded river carrying the most holy object in Israel?”
The Ark was not something to be handled casually.
They knew the seriousness of touching the things of God.
These men had to step forward in faith.
And that is where many of us struggle.
We love hearing messages about faith.
We love hearing preaching about trusting God.
We sing:
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…”
And we say:
“Amen!”
Until it is our turn.
Until God asks us to step out.
Then suddenly faith becomes harder.
Years ago, I started trout fishing with Stephen and some others. If you have ever been around those North Georgia streams, you know those rocks can be extremely slippery.
You can feel steady one moment, and the next moment you are flat on your back.
I remember trying to cross those streams. Sometimes you would find shallow areas and walk across easily. Other times you would have to step out into deeper water, carefully finding each rock.
The truth is, it does not matter how strong you are or how good your shoes are—those rocks can get you.
I imagine those priests felt something similar.
They were stepping into rushing water carrying the Ark of God.
But God said:
“Step.”
And when they stepped, God moved.
3. Strength Reserved for Tomorrow
The priests stepped into the Jordan River.
And when their feet touched the water, God stopped the flow.
The Bible says:
“The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap…”
The Israelites crossed over on dry ground.
God did exactly what He said He would do.
But notice something important:
God required obedience before He revealed the miracle.
They stepped first.
God moved second.
That pattern is found throughout Scripture.
The man with the withered hand was told:
“Stretch forth thine hand.”
The man could have said:
“Lord, that is why I am here. I cannot stretch my hand.”
But when he obeyed, God healed him.
The ten lepers were told:
“Go shew yourselves unto the priests.”
They had to start walking before they saw the healing.
The boy gave his lunch before Jesus multiplied the food.
The lame man was told:
“Take up thy bed, and walk.”
God often asks us to move in faith before we see the answer.
Obedience and faith have always been God’s way of working.
God does not need our strength.
God does not need our ability.
But He allows us to participate because we need growth.
God tests us because we need to grow.
When we avoid His tests, we miss the miracles.
As we move into Joshua chapter 4, we see another important lesson.
God wanted them to remember.
After crossing Jordan, Joshua commanded twelve men to take twelve stones from the river.
Joshua 4:6 says:
“That this may be a sign among you…”
These stones were a memorial.
They were placed there so that future generations would ask:
“What do these stones mean?”
And the answer would be:
“God stopped the Jordan River.”
God had done something worth remembering.
Church, we need to understand something:
Our faith is not just for us.
What God has done in our lives is meant to encourage those coming behind us.
There will be a generation that does not remember the Red Sea.
There will be a generation that does not remember Moses.
There will be a generation that only knows what they have been told.
Who will tell them?
Who will tell the next generation:
“God was faithful.”
“God provided.”
“God carried us through.”
“God preserved His church.”
For years, faithful people have served God.
They taught Sunday School.
They sang in choirs.
They gave offerings.
They cleaned buildings.
They served meals.
They worked with children.
They sacrificed.
And they did it because they believed God.
Now it is our responsibility to pass that faith forward.
Not just so people know the history.
Not just so people know who built the church.
But so they know the God who has sustained the church.
Conclusion
The message of Joshua chapter 3 is this:
Be strong in God’s direction.
Remember God’s faithfulness from yesterday.
Trust God’s strength for today.
Prepare to pass God’s faithfulness to tomorrow.
The Jordan River was not the end of the journey.
There were still battles ahead.
There were still walls to face.
There were still challenges coming.
But every step taught Israel the same lesson:
God can be trusted.
West End Baptist Church, we have seen God work.
We have crossed rivers.
We have faced challenges.
We have watched God provide.
And there will be more ahead.
But we must keep walking.
We must keep trusting.
We must keep obeying.
Because the same God who was faithful yesterday is the God who will lead us tomorrow.
Bible Text: Joshua 3:5
“And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Joshua 3:5
We are continuing our series through the book of Joshua called “Be Strong.”
Last week, we began this journey by looking at Joshua chapter 1. Three different times the Lord told Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage.”
The reason Joshua could be strong was not because he was naturally fearless. The reason he could be strong was because God gave him this promise:
“I am with thee.”
Joshua and the children of Israel could find strength because they knew they were not walking alone.
Last week, we also looked at the story of Rahab, the harlot, and how God used her in an incredible way. Two spies entered her home, she hid them, and God used her obedience and faithfulness as part of His plan.
Rahab reminds us of an important truth:
God can save anybody, and God can use anybody.
Regardless of our past, regardless of our failures, regardless of the things we wish we could hide, God is able to take the unlikely and use them for His glory.
Tonight, we continue our study of being strong, but we are going to focus on being strong in God’s direction.
1. Strength Remembered From Yesterday
Joshua 3:5 says:
“Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Israel was moving toward Jericho, but there was still a great obstacle standing between where they were and where God was leading them.
They came to the Jordan River.
And the problem was that the Jordan River was not calm and easy to cross.
Joshua 3:15 tells us:
“For Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest.”
They wanted to move forward. They wanted to obey God. But they could go no further.
They were facing an obstacle.
And this was not the first time Israel had faced an obstacle involving water.
Forty years earlier, their parents and grandparents had stood at another body of water—the Red Sea.
They had escaped Egypt. Moses had led them out after Pharaoh finally allowed them to leave. But then Pharaoh changed his mind, and his army chased after them.
They reached the Red Sea, and there was nowhere to go.
In Exodus 14:13, Moses said:
“Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day…”
Notice the similarity.
Moses told them to stand and see what God would do.
Joshua told them:
“Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
The same God who parted the Red Sea was still the God leading them across the Jordan River.
Can you imagine what some of those people must have been thinking that night?
The older generation could remember.
Maybe someone was sitting around the fire thinking:
“Forty years ago, when I was just a child, I watched God open the Red Sea. I watched my family walk across on dry ground. I watched God make a way where there was no way.”
Now Joshua was saying:
“Get ready. Tomorrow you are going to see God do something great again.”
I believe many of them laid down that night wondering:
“What is God going to do tomorrow?”
“How is God going to make a way?”
But they had confidence because they remembered what God had already done.
Can I encourage you tonight?
When you face obstacles today, look back at God’s faithfulness yesterday.
Maybe you are facing something you never thought you would face.
Maybe you are walking through a hardship.
Maybe you feel like you cannot keep your head above water.
Look back.
Remember the times God provided.
Remember the times God carried you.
Remember the times God made a way.
Because if God was faithful yesterday, He will be faithful today and tomorrow.
2. Strength Required for Today
The Israelites were not being chased this time.
At the Red Sea, the enemy was behind them.
At the Jordan River, the obstacle was in front of them.
There were no armies chasing them, but there were enemies waiting on the other side.
Joshua 3:6-13 gives us God’s instructions.
The priests were told to take up the Ark of the Covenant and go before the people.
The Lord told Joshua:
“This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.”
God was showing the people that Joshua was His chosen leader.
Then Joshua told the people:
“Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you…”
God was preparing them to see His power.
The instructions were simple, but they were not easy.
The priests were to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River.
And God said:
“When their feet touch the water, I will stop the water.”
Can you imagine what those priests must have thought?
“Joshua, are you sure?”
“You want us to walk into a flooded river carrying the most holy object in Israel?”
The Ark was not something to be handled casually.
They knew the seriousness of touching the things of God.
These men had to step forward in faith.
And that is where many of us struggle.
We love hearing messages about faith.
We love hearing preaching about trusting God.
We sing:
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…”
And we say:
“Amen!”
Until it is our turn.
Until God asks us to step out.
Then suddenly faith becomes harder.
Years ago, I started trout fishing with Stephen and some others. If you have ever been around those North Georgia streams, you know those rocks can be extremely slippery.
You can feel steady one moment, and the next moment you are flat on your back.
I remember trying to cross those streams. Sometimes you would find shallow areas and walk across easily. Other times you would have to step out into deeper water, carefully finding each rock.
The truth is, it does not matter how strong you are or how good your shoes are—those rocks can get you.
I imagine those priests felt something similar.
They were stepping into rushing water carrying the Ark of God.
But God said:
“Step.”
And when they stepped, God moved.
3. Strength Reserved for Tomorrow
The priests stepped into the Jordan River.
And when their feet touched the water, God stopped the flow.
The Bible says:
“The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap…”
The Israelites crossed over on dry ground.
God did exactly what He said He would do.
But notice something important:
God required obedience before He revealed the miracle.
They stepped first.
God moved second.
That pattern is found throughout Scripture.
The man with the withered hand was told:
“Stretch forth thine hand.”
The man could have said:
“Lord, that is why I am here. I cannot stretch my hand.”
But when he obeyed, God healed him.
The ten lepers were told:
“Go shew yourselves unto the priests.”
They had to start walking before they saw the healing.
The boy gave his lunch before Jesus multiplied the food.
The lame man was told:
“Take up thy bed, and walk.”
God often asks us to move in faith before we see the answer.
Obedience and faith have always been God’s way of working.
God does not need our strength.
God does not need our ability.
But He allows us to participate because we need growth.
God tests us because we need to grow.
When we avoid His tests, we miss the miracles.
As we move into Joshua chapter 4, we see another important lesson.
God wanted them to remember.
After crossing Jordan, Joshua commanded twelve men to take twelve stones from the river.
Joshua 4:6 says:
“That this may be a sign among you…”
These stones were a memorial.
They were placed there so that future generations would ask:
“What do these stones mean?”
And the answer would be:
“God stopped the Jordan River.”
God had done something worth remembering.
Church, we need to understand something:
Our faith is not just for us.
What God has done in our lives is meant to encourage those coming behind us.
There will be a generation that does not remember the Red Sea.
There will be a generation that does not remember Moses.
There will be a generation that only knows what they have been told.
Who will tell them?
Who will tell the next generation:
“God was faithful.”
“God provided.”
“God carried us through.”
“God preserved His church.”
For years, faithful people have served God.
They taught Sunday School.
They sang in choirs.
They gave offerings.
They cleaned buildings.
They served meals.
They worked with children.
They sacrificed.
And they did it because they believed God.
Now it is our responsibility to pass that faith forward.
Not just so people know the history.
Not just so people know who built the church.
But so they know the God who has sustained the church.
Conclusion
The message of Joshua chapter 3 is this:
Be strong in God’s direction.
Remember God’s faithfulness from yesterday.
Trust God’s strength for today.
Prepare to pass God’s faithfulness to tomorrow.
The Jordan River was not the end of the journey.
There were still battles ahead.
There were still walls to face.
There were still challenges coming.
But every step taught Israel the same lesson:
God can be trusted.
West End Baptist Church, we have seen God work.
We have crossed rivers.
We have faced challenges.
We have watched God provide.
And there will be more ahead.
But we must keep walking.
We must keep trusting.
We must keep obeying.
Because the same God who was faithful yesterday is the God who will lead us tomorrow.
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