Bet\u00adween the desert and the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land, the Jor\u00addan River floods towards the Dead Sea. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel are to cross this river under the lea\u00adder\u00adship of Joshua \u2013 but how? When the priests car\u00adry the Ark of the Coven\u00adant into this raging river at God\u2019s com\u00admand, the\u00adre is a dry crossing \u2013 a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of the redemp\u00adti\u00adve work of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
When someone has gone \u00abover the Jor\u00addan\u00bb, this popu\u00adlar\u00adly means that they have died.
\nFor the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel, the Jor\u00addan River was the divi\u00adding line bet\u00adween 40 years of desert and the pro\u00admi\u00adsed land, whe\u00adre milk and honey flowed. Most Israe\u00adli\u00adtes had never expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced any\u00adthing other than desert.
\nWe see three con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons among the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Israel:<\/p>\n
\tEns\u00adlaved in Egypt \u2013 libe\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon on dry land through the sea by
\n\tDesert life as actu\u00adal libe\u00adra\u00adted peo\u00adp\u00adle \u2013 becau\u00adse they did not trust God they ended up in the desert
\n\tLife in the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land \u2013 the peo\u00adp\u00adle go to the place of their true cal\u00adling and discipleship<\/p>\n
The\u00adse three con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons also app\u00adly to us humans today:<\/p>\n
\tDo we live ens\u00adlaved, sepa\u00adra\u00adted from God\u2019s freedom?
\n\tDo we live in the land of scar\u00adci\u00adty, libe\u00adra\u00adted but still in the desert, becau\u00adse we trust God too little?
\n\tDo we live in the place of pro\u00admi\u00adse, of strugg\u00adle but also of vic\u00adto\u00adry, of strength (honey), of growth (milk) and of joy and fruitful\u00adness (grapes\/wine) \u2013 whe\u00adre God wants to glo\u00adri\u00adfy hims\u00adelf in the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing of his own?<\/p>\n
The sto\u00adry we want to take a clo\u00adser look at today is also rele\u00advant to us in its imagery. Isra\u00adel is given the task of crossing the Jor\u00addan and ente\u00adring the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land. \tWhat is the dif\u00adfe\u00adrence for the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel in the slavery of Egypt, life in the desert and the pro\u00admi\u00adsed land with enemies and milk and honey? Bet\u00adween the desert and the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land, the Jor\u00addan River floods towards the Dead Sea. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel are to cross this river under the lea\u00adder\u00adship of Joshua \u2013 but how? When the priests car\u00adry the Ark of the Coven\u00adant into this raging river at God\u2019s com\u00admand, the\u00adre is a dry crossing \u2013 a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of the redemp\u00adti\u00adve work of Jesus Christ. When\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":8001,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[95],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-harry-graf","wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7983","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nWhat does the Jor\u00addan River stand for?
\nThe Jor\u00addan River starts in the Her\u00admon Moun\u00adta\u00adins at around 2800 met\u00adres abo\u00adve sea level and flows into the Dead Sea, 430 met\u00adres below sea level. The Jor\u00addan is an image of the natu\u00adral man, wit\u00adhout God. His life beg\u00adins with God (given by him) and ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adb\u00adly ends, fol\u00adlo\u00adwing gra\u00advi\u00adty, in death.
\nOur histo\u00adry shows that this appa\u00adrent ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty can be inter\u00adrupt\u00aded by God\u2019s intervention.
\nHow this hap\u00adpen\u00aded to the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel is high\u00adly signi\u00adfi\u00adcant for us.
\n\u00abSo the peo\u00adp\u00adle set out to cross the Jor\u00addan, and the priests car\u00adry\u00ading the ark of the coven\u00adant went ahead. It was har\u00adve\u00adst time and the river had over\u00adflowed its banks. But when the priests car\u00adry\u00ading the ark came to the Jor\u00addan and step\u00adped off the bank into the water, the river began to dam upstream at the town cal\u00adled Adam, oppo\u00adsi\u00adte Zare\u00adtan. The water stop\u00adped like a dam. Below the dam, it con\u00adtin\u00adued to flow into the Dead Sea until the river\u00adbed was final\u00adly dry. The peo\u00adp\u00adle now crossed the river near Jeri\u00adcho. Mean\u00adwhile, the priests car\u00adry\u00ading the ark of the coven\u00adant of the LORD<\/span> stood in the midd\u00adle of the river\u00adbed on dry ground, and the peo\u00adp\u00adle pas\u00adsed them by until they had all crossed the Jor\u00addan\u00bb (Joshua 3:14\u201317, NLB<\/span>).
\nPoint 1: The peo\u00adp\u00adle must cross the Jor\u00addan, but it floods!
\nThe Jor\u00addan is not only an image of life, but also an image of what stands bet\u00adween life in the desert and life in the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land: This old life, my sel\u00adfi\u00adsh, sin\u00adful nature.
\nThis is not just a small river bob\u00adbing through my life, but this river is floo\u00added. You can\u00adnot natu\u00adral\u00adly over\u00adco\u00adme a floo\u00added river, you can\u00adnot over\u00adco\u00adme your old natu\u00adre, and you would be denied the path to succession.
\nPoint 2: Priests from each tri\u00adbe must go ahead and car\u00adry the Ark of the Coven\u00adant into this floo\u00added river
\nThe peo\u00adp\u00adle have recei\u00adved the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing instruction:
\n\u00abWhen you see the ark of the coven\u00adant of the LORD<\/span> your God car\u00adri\u00aded by the Levi\u00adti\u00adcal priests, then you fol\u00adlow. That way you will know whe\u00adre to go, sin\u00adce you have never tra\u00advel\u00adled this way befo\u00adre. Keep about 2000 cubits away from the ark. Don\u2019t come any clo\u00adser\u00bb (Joshua 3:3\u20134, NLB<\/span>).
\nPriests from each tri\u00adbe have the task of car\u00adry\u00ading the Ark of the Coven\u00adant into the floo\u00added river. The most pre\u00adcious thing they knew. The ark of the coven\u00adant is an image of Jesus: wood on the insi\u00adde (image of man) and gold on the out\u00adside (image of God). The priests are a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of us. It is the task of all of us to bring Jesus into the lives of unsa\u00adved peo\u00adp\u00adle. The peo\u00adp\u00adle should fol\u00adlow Jesus after he has step\u00adped into the river of our guilt and crea\u00adted a tran\u00adsi\u00adti\u00adon. \u00abActual\u00adly, we don\u2019t know whe\u00adre to go \u2013 Jesus shows us the way\u00bb. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel are cal\u00adled to fol\u00adlow Jesus.
\nThe priests and the Ark of the Coven\u00adant had to enter the river 2000 cubits (approx. 1 km) befo\u00adre the peo\u00adp\u00adle. Around 2000 years ago, Jesus went to his death befo\u00adre us and ope\u00adned the way to God and his recon\u00adci\u00adlia\u00adti\u00adon. Just as he did here in the Jordan.
\nPoint 3: With just 1 step, the water rece\u00addes and cle\u00adars the way
\nThe priests only have to take one step and the water rece\u00addes. When Jesus is brought by us into the situa\u00adtions and chal\u00adlenges into which mis\u00adbe\u00adha\u00adviour and guilt can enter our lives, he crea\u00adtes space for for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness and recon\u00adci\u00adlia\u00adti\u00adon. The priests\u00bb or our part is only to take this first step and bring Jesus into people\u2019s lives.
\nPoint 4: The water abo\u00adve the inlet is dam\u00admed up at Adam
\nAdam was a small vil\u00adla\u00adge about 30\u201340 kilo\u00adme\u00adt\u00adres upstream of the ent\u00adry point of the priests. The water is dam\u00admed the\u00adre. This is a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of ori\u00adgi\u00adnal sin, this sepa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon from God that we have inhe\u00adri\u00adted from Adam and Eve. This sepa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon is cancelled.
\nPoint 5: The water below the ent\u00adrance flows into the Dead Sea
\nThe water below the ent\u00adry point is an image of our per\u00adso\u00adnal offence, our own guilt. It flows into the Dead Sea and loses its power over us. The path beco\u00admes dry. Christ has bor\u00adne the jud\u00adge\u00adment for us. He went into the river for us, into death, and thus drai\u00adned it for us. The old has pas\u00adsed away, the path to the new is open.
\nPoint 6: The priests with the ark stand in the river until all have passed
\nUntil all the peo\u00adp\u00adle have crossed the river dry (approx. 2\u20133 mil\u00adli\u00adon peo\u00adp\u00adle), the priests remain stan\u00adding in the river with the Ark of the Coven\u00adant. Christ wants all peo\u00adp\u00adle to be saved. The priests\/we have the task of ensu\u00adring that the gos\u00adpel and redemp\u00adti\u00adve work of Christ can help all peo\u00adp\u00adle who want to accept it.
\nPoint 7: After crossing, 12 stones are set up for each tri\u00adbe as a memory
\n\u00abThe\u00adse stones are to ser\u00adve as a memo\u00adri\u00adal. Later your child\u00adren will ask, \u00abWhat do the\u00adse stones mean to you?\u00bb Then you can ans\u00adwer them, \u00abThey remind us that the Jor\u00addan River par\u00adted when the ark of the coven\u00adant of the LORD<\/span> pas\u00adsed through it\u00bb \u00bb (Joshua 4:6\u20137, NLB<\/span>).
\nWe also cele\u00adbra\u00adte this memo\u00adri\u00adal today. Through his death, Jesus has pro\u00advi\u00added us with an unhar\u00admed pas\u00adsa\u00adge through jud\u00adge\u00adment. Jesus has cle\u00adared the way to God.
\nEven as fol\u00adlo\u00adwers who have long sin\u00adce deci\u00added to walk with God, we should always remem\u00adber this key event. Wit\u00adhout Christ, the path to the cal\u00adling and to the pro\u00admi\u00adsed land, to fel\u00adlow\u00adship with God, would not be possible.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nBible text: Joshua 3, 14\u201317<\/p>\n
\n\tWhe\u00adre in your life does the old Jor\u00addan \u2013 some\u00adti\u00admes floo\u00adding your life \u2013 reap\u00adpear with its \u00abdead works\u00bb?
\n\t How can the task of the priests, who had to car\u00adry the Ark of the Coven\u00adant (image of Jesus) into this Jor\u00addan, be trans\u00adfer\u00adred to our time (if we are the priests)?
\n\tWhat does it mean to you that you can walk dry through the Jor\u00addan into the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land \u2013 into unclou\u00added fel\u00adlow\u00adship with God?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"