All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn back to the book of Joshua, Joshua chapter one, Joshua
one. The Lord instructed Joshua after
the death of Moses, that he would be the one leading Israel over
the River Jordan. The River Jordan had so much
spiritual significance. The crossing of that river to
the nation of Israel signified the surety and the accomplishment
of God's promise to give them, to lead them to the land of Canaan. And to the believer, the crossing
of the River Jordan is the picture, it's a type of life eternal,
finished by the Lord Jesus Christ and entering in, life with Him. But when we consider the crossing
of the River Jordan, oh, the comfort that we have in the journey
that we're taking right now by faith, following after our Lord
who has borne all of the debt of his people on Calvary Street,
debt that he made his own, he who suffered for the sheep bearing
the penalty that was due them. And because of his finished work,
we who are chosen in him before the foundation of the world made
to know that we're heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
who know that by faith Soon we're going to experience the glorious
entrance into heaven itself. The very heart of that which
was pictured in Israel's passing over Jordan is going to be finished
when we hear the Lord say, and I'm convinced, the scripture
is so wonderfully clear. Now, there's much that the Lord's
not been pleased to reveal to us. I know that. But there's
some things that we know. These words will be spoken by
the Lord himself. Matthew 25, 34. When he divides
the sheep from the goats, the sheep's on his right hand. These
words will be spoken by him. Come, you blessed of my father. Now you listen to that. We're
gonna hear those words, those that know him. Come ye blessed
to my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. Matthew 25, 34. Well, I want us to look again. This book of Joshua is the setting
forth of the believer's journey. in this world, in the surety
of crossing over. This blessed book is the proclamation
of the gospel in type, picture, and we see it. God has given
us new eyes to see and new ears to hear, and we rejoice. That's
when we rejoice. Let's look again. The Lord prepared
and instructed Joshua, verse one, who was Moses' minister,
That's what it says, and after the death of Moses, the servant
of the Lord, came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the
son of Nun, Moses' minister. As I said, when I looked at this
first part of this chapter last time, there's a picture, there's
a title. Joshua is a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Moses is a picture of God's law
in that part, but there's a picture. Joshua was Moses' minister, a
type setting forth of our Lord who was made of a woman, made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. And as soon as the Lord
spoke, in verses one to nine, I won't read them again, but
verses one to nine, the Lord spoke to Joshua and he told him,
what he was to do, what Joshua was to do. And like Noah, when
the Lord told Noah, I want you to build an ark, it had never
rained. Never rained. It had a mist that
came up from the earth. That's how it was. Never rained
before. I want you to build an ark, I
want you to build a boat. Scripture says that Noah moved
with fear. And when God Almighty told Joshua,
you tell the people. I'm ready to go over. Verses
10 and 11 of Joshua 1 says, then Joshua commanded the officers
of the people saying, pass through the host and command the people,
saying, Prepare you victuals, for within three days ye shall
pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which
the Lord your God giveth you to possess it." Now, here's a
picture. Joshua is a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And Joshua here commanded the
officers of the people, Strong's Concordance gives this definition
of the officers. Overseer. Overseer. That's what it is. Here again
I see as types of God's pastors who've been made overseers. Obey
them that have the rule over you. Not the authority in themselves,
but set up by God and commissioned by God. Give instruction. Here's types of pastors given
according to the heart of the Lord to feed the Lord's people.
Pastors who are to comfort according to Isaiah 40, verse 1 and 4. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith the Lord. Now you pass through. Joshua
commanded, verse 10, the officers of the people saying, you pass
through the host and you command the people to get ready. We're
leaving. Within three days, we're leaving. Get ready to travel. Let me ask
you this. Is not this the message of God's
ministers, God's preachers, now to the sheep? Has the Lord told
us that this world is not our home? Have we ever heard that
before? Have we ever heard you're not
of this world as I'm not of this world? Have we ever heard this
life is a vapor. Have we ever heard that? Have
we ever heard the Lord say that he's gone to prepare a place
for us, that where he is there we may be also? And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again to receive you unto
myself. Have we ever heard that? Here's what we're doing. We're
telling the people. I'm telling the people. I'm talking. And I'm telling, just like these
officers were told, you command the people, you pass through
the host Command the people saying, prepare you victuals, within
three days you're gonna pass over, you're leaving. You're
not staying here. There is life after this life.
This is not where we're gonna be, you tell them. And he instructed,
he said, you speak of the certainty of going over Jordan. Verse 11,
let me read it again. One verse, pass through the host,
command the people saying, prepare you victuals, For within three
days ye, what's that next word? Shall, you're
going. You're going. We're going to
leave. Within three days you shall pass
over. Look at the certainty of that,
Jordan. You shall. You shall what? You
shall pass over. There's some comfort there. Where
are we going? Where he is. Are we going? Absolutely. Are we going to make
it? Absolutely. All got sheep. Oh, what glory is witnessed. They are going to see the surety. In three days, you're going to
see it. And it just made me think, when he said three days, I could
not help but the time of our Lord. After he suffered on Calvary
Street, You know, I think about those
two on the road to Emmaus. I'm coming up to what I was about
to say on the Lord on Calvary Street. He had told his disciples
that he was going to suffer. He was going to suffer. Peter
rebuked him. The Lord said to Satan, Peter
said, get behind me, Satan. Those two on the road to Emmaus
after the Lord was crucified, and the Lord then on the third
day was risen, And he's walking beside them, and their eyes are
holding that they should know him. And they were talking. The Lord asked them, what are
you talking about? And they, as I paraphrased, they said,
you're not from around here, are you? This Jesus of Nazareth,
we were sure that he was the Messiah. We really thought he
was, but he was crucified three days ago. slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets spoken. You know what the surety, what
the witness was after three days? That he was raised from the dead.
Three days you're going over. How do we know that we're going
over? He was raised for our justification. Is there any possibility that
we're not gonna pass over, spiritually speaking, Passover Jordan? We're
gonna pass over. These officers told the people,
he said, concerning their journey, he said in verse 11, pass through
the host, you command the people saying, prepare you victuals. I looked that up, make sure I
knew exactly what it was. I had an idea, food, food. Prepare you some food. Why? Hold your place right there.
I'll show you what. Exodus 16. Go back to Exodus 16. Here's
what the Lord said was going to happen. Exodus 16, verse 32
to 35. Exodus 16, 32. And Moses says, this is the thing
which the Lord commandeth. Fill an omer of it to be kept
for your generations that you may see the bread. Wherewith
I have fed you in the wilderness when I brought you forth from
the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take
a pot, put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before
the Lord to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded
Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the testimony to be kept. And
the children of Israel did eat manna forty years until they
came to a land inhabited. They did eat manna until they
came into the borders of the land of Canaan. Prepare you victuals. Bring you
something to eat. Why? Because the manna is gonna
stop. They were to bring that which
was necessary. Necessary. Bring that which is
necessary. They were gonna travel over,
prepare you victuals. Now let me ask you this. Now
again, spiritually, as I read these things, I'm praying, Lord,
give me some understanding here. Let me see. Lord, give me some
understanding into the truth of this. Let me ask you this.
As we, his people, that are traveling through this world, and I know
there's a time coming, When we will, we'll leave this world
and we'll be in the presence of the Lord. I'm to be absent
from this body, present with the Lord. Let me ask you something. Is there anything that's absolutely
necessary that we have as far as victuals are concerned? Now this is just me thinking,
and I've read these scriptures, I'm just thinking. Prepare you
victuals, what do you need? Hold your place right there.
Hold your place, turn back to Matthew 6. Matthew 6. I know that while we're in this
world, there's many things that we need. The Lord says, you know,
give no thought to tomorrow. Consider the ravens, consider
the lilies. These lilies, they don't toil.
They don't spin. Even Solomon was not arrayed
like the lilies. Your father knows that you have
need of all the, there's some things we, you know, we need
in this world, but to pass over. What are the victuals? The food. John chapter six, John chapter
six, verse 53. Here's our need right here. When
it comes time for me to leave this world, then Jesus said unto
them, verily, verily, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh
of a son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. What does that mean? What does
that mean? To eat the flesh of the Lord is to say, by faith,
I feast upon him who lived for me before God, establishing righteousness,
the righteousness of God. Righteousness that is accepted
of God by faith. I eat of his flesh. He who laid
down his life for me, drink of his blood. I believe that when
he died, I believe he died for me and robed in his righteousness. Here's my victuals. This is all
I got. This is all I need. except ye
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. You don't
have any life in you. That means that I live by faith upon him
who loved me and gave himself for me and robes me in his righteousness. That's my victuals. Prepare you
victuals. Three days, you're going over.
Joshua told the people, be ready. And it appears as though to the
scripture, according to the scriptures, and I'm going to show you something
that I am convinced is consistent. There appears as though whenever
the Lord told Joshua, I want you to tell the people you'd
be ready. In three days we're going over.
There appears as though that there was another conversation
that took place according to the scriptures in the preparation
of going over, and it was what we looked at last week. Two spies
were sent over. The scripture sets forth, and
if you have a marginal translation, I mean marginal reference there,
in verse 1 of Joshua 2, and Joshua the son of Nun sent. If you've
got a marginal reference there, mine says had sent, and Joshua
had since, or something happened, as Joshua was preparing, telling
the officers, okay, I want you to go through the host and tell
the people, prepare your victuals, we're going over in three days.
And also, at that time, he sends out two spies, and he tells them,
you go in and spy out the land. And they did, we looked at it
last week. They went and saw where they met Rahab, and they
talked to her. And they, it was 10 miles, about
10 miles from where they were. Doesn't say how they got over
Jordan. I don't know how they got over Jordan. Swam, I don't
know. But they got over to the other side, because they met
Rahab on the other side of Jordan. And they spoke to her, and she
hit them. She told them, she said, you
go wait three days before you go back. They're going to be
looking for you, but wait three days. They wait three days. That's what Joshua said. You
tell the people, we're going over in three days. Just turn over
and look at Joshua chapter 3, verse 1 and 2. They came back and they told
him, they gave him a report, that was the last two verses
of chapter 2. And they gave him a report three days later. They
came back, gave him a report, and Joshua rose up early in the
morning and they removed from Shittim and came to Jordan. He
and all the children of Israel lodged there before they passed
over and he came to pass. He came to pass after three days
that the officers went through the host. He told them, he said,
three days. He told the officers, he said,
now you go through the host. You tell them in three days we're
going over. Those spies were over there. They hid three days. They came back. They told Joshua
what happened in verse two. And it came to pass after three
days that the officers went through the host and they commanded the
people and they told the people, we're going over. So there was
a conversation that took place. They sent these two spies and
they went through the land and they learned the condition of
the place that would be given unto Israel Joshua might hear,
what's going on over there? I thought about that. I read
one writer and he said, he said, you know, it could have been
that he sent those spies over there because of a lack of faith
and, no, no, I don't believe that. I believe that Almighty
God moved upon Joshua You go over there and you find out what's
going on and you come tell me. God has sent us over there, you
come tell me. And the scripture says, at the
end of Joshua 2, the last two verses, so the men returned,
verse 23, 24. The men returned and descended
from the mountain and passed over and came to Joshua the son
of Nun and told him all things that befell them and they said
unto Joshua truly, The Lord hath delivered into our hands all
the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because
of us." You know what Joshua did? He heard. He heard what was going on over
there. He heard that those spies, what
they had seen, he heard what they had learned, he heard how
the people's hearts melted, and he heard about what they knew.
about God giving them victory over the Red Sea and the victory
over kings of Og and Sihon. Now, let me ask you this. Concerning
what Joshua heard and knew and believed by faith, he trusted
God. It wasn't because of lack of
faith. Do we not hear of the glorious victory of God's people
through the report of the gospel? This is what Joshua heard. He
heard something. And God confirmed it. And now
He's going over. And right now, we're doing the
same thing. We walk by faith and we know through the report
of the Spirit of God that we're more than conquerors through
Him that loves us. How do we know that? Because
God told us. How did Joshua know that the
people were fearful and that God had delivered them? That
was the report of the two spies. He believed them. This is how
God teaches his people. While the spies were in Jericho.
Here's Joshua, back in Joshua chapter one. He's preparing the
people. He said, you go and tell them. You pass through the host. But
then he spoke to another group that was there with him. Part
of the people, part of Israel. Verses 12 to 15. And to the Reubenites,
and to the Gadites, and to half-tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,
Remember the word which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded
you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath
given you this land. Your wives, your little ones,
your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you
on this side Jordan. What does he mean? Well, there
was two sides. They were on the east side. They were on the east side of
Jordan. And they were going to go over the Jordan River to the
west side. That was the land of Canaan over
on the west side. Now they're all on the east side
right now. All of them. All of Israel's
over there. And these Reubenites and the
Gadites, half-tribe of Manasseh, he's talking to them. He said,
now, we're going over. We're going over Jordan. All
of Israel is going over. And he said, you remember, verse
13, you remember which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded
you, saying, the Lord your God has given you rest and has given
you this land. What land? They were on the east
side now, they're still on the east side. He said, now God's
given you. He said, your wives, your little
ones, your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave
you on this side, Jordan. But you shall pass over before
your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help
them. until the Lord hath given your brethren rest, and hath
given you, and they also have possessed the land which the
Lord your God hath given them. Then you shall return unto the
land of your possession, and enjoy it which Moses, Lord's
servant, gave you on this side, Jordan, toward the sunrise. Are you looking toward the east?
That's where your land's gonna be. Joshua reminds these two
and a half tribes of the obligations that they were under to go over
Jordan with his brethren. Told them, I want you to hold
your place now. This passage of scriptures is
very, very, very tough. It's not tough so much, but it's
very revealing. Let me say it like that, revealing.
Hold your place and turn back to numbers. I want to show you
what was actually going on. Numbers 32. And just so we can all get on
the same page here, here's all of Israel. And they're on the east side.
They're on the east side of the Jordan River. They're going to
the west. They're gonna cross over. But
there was two and a half tribes here Numbers 32, here's what
happened. Look at Numbers 32, verses one
to six. Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a
very great multitude of cattle. Now Reuben and Gad, these were
two sons of Jacob, of Israel. Jacob, who the Lord said, no,
your name's Israel. These were two of his boys. And
when they saw the land of Jazar, the land of Gilead, the whole
of the place was a place for cattle. And the children of Gad
and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses and to Eleazar
the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation said, Adaroth
and Dibon, Jazar, Nimra, Heshbon, Eliela, and Sheba, Nebo, Beon,
even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation
of Israel is a land for cattle. and thy servants have cattle. Wherefore, said they, if we have
found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants
for possession, and bring us not over Jordan. And Moses said
unto the children of Gad and unto the children of Reuben,
Shall your brethren go to war? Shall you sit here? Look at verses
16 to 25. They came near unto him and said,
that is, they came near to Moses. We will build sheepfolds here
for our cattle and cities for our little ones. We ourselves
will go ready armed before the children of Israel until we have
brought them into their place. And our little ones shall dwell
in the fence cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
We will not return unto our houses. until the children of Israel
have inherited every man his inheritance. For we will not
inherit with them on yonder side, Jordan, or forward, because our
inheritance has fallen to us on this side, Jordan. And Moses
said unto them, if you will do this thing, if you will go armed
before the Lord to war, and will go all of you armed over Jordan
before the Lord until he hath driven out his enemies from before
him, the Lord and the land be subdued before the Lord. Then
afterward, you shall return and be guiltless before the Lord
and before Israel. And this land shall be your possession
before the Lord. But if you will not do so, behold,
you've sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find
you out. Build you cities for your little
ones. foals for your sheep, and do that which hath proceeded
out of your mouth. And the children of Gad, the
children of Reuben, spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will
do as my Lord hath commanded." Now, here's what happened. They're
going over. Now, they're in the land now
that really the Lord has allowed Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe
of Manasseh Manasseh was Joseph's oldest boy. And they're over
there, Reuben and Gab, they're tribes in Manasseh. And they're saying, we're in
the place where we are. This is our land right here.
Joshua said, now, we're all going over. We're all going over. And the Lord's giving you rest.
You're in your place where you are. Okay, I got it. But you
remember what Moses said according to the word of the Lord. If you stay on this side and you
don't go over, you will not be guiltless before the Lord. He
said, we're all going. And they said, we're going to
go. Now brethren, here's something we learned here. This walk that we're in, we're
taught And we must consider how we honor the Lord to be truthfully
sensitive to those like all of us who are still struggling in
this flesh. The presence of sin is with us. When the Lord gives rest to his
people, bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law
of Christ. That's Galatians 6.2. There are some that have said
that these These tribes, they were just mere professors. No,
no. Reuben and Gad were sons of Jacob. And do you remember upon the
breast of the high priest in the wilderness? Do you know whose
names were written on the breast of the breastplate of the high
priest? The sons of Jacob. Whenever that
priest went in before the Lord with those stones on his breastplate,
those stones, every one of them had one of the names of those
boys, 12 of them. A stone on this shoulder and
a stone on this shoulder and six names of the sons of Jacob
and six names of the sons of Jacob. When that priest went
in, that's a picture of the intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ for
his people. Even in type. They would not
have been on his breastplate if they were not his own. These
boys were believers. Pictures of believers for sure.
Pictures of God's people for sure. And also, Brother Neil
and I was talking earlier before this service started. You know where those cities of
refuge were? Half of them were on the east
side of the Jordan River and half of them on the west. God
provided a haven of rest. a city of refuge. We're taught in this scripture
that we're still struggling in this world. Yes, we are. Yes,
we are. And Joshua warned these two tribes
and a half tribe. He said, we're all going over.
We're all a family. We're all in this together. We're
all in the fight. bearing one another's burdens.
We are lively stones, members of one another, built up in spiritual
house. The scripture says a holy priesthood
to offer up spiritual sacrifice is acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ. And all the while, we're still
struggling, but we're all in the fight. And the scripture
says in Joshua 16 to 18, first chapter, and they answered Joshua
saying, all that thou has commanded us we will do. And whether soever
thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto
Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee. Only the
Lord thy God be with thee as he was with Moses. Whosoever
he be that doth rebel against the commandment and will not
hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he
shall be put to death, only be strong and of a good courage. All the people were in agreement. They were all going over. The Lord had raised up Joshua
as he directed. Let me ask you this in closing.
As a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, think about Joshua being
a picture of Christ and listen to the words that were stated
by those two and a half tribes. Well, all the people, no, not
these last one, it was all the people you're talking. They're
looking at Joshua, but picture Christ here. And they answered,
Christ, all that thou commandest us, will we do. And whithersoever thou sendest
us, we will go. According as we hearken unto
Moses and all things, we'll hearken unto thee, only the Lord thy
God be with thee. Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy
commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou
commandest him, he shall be put to death. Only be strong and
of good courage. The Lord had told him, he said,
we're going over. And the preparation's being made. Brethren, again,
we're going over. We're all in the fight. Paul
said, I fought a good fight. Finished my course. I pray that
the Lord prepare us, teach us as brethren. We're a family,
one together in Christ for God's glory and our eternal good.