Title: People Who Make Miracles
Contents
people who make miracles
Text Joshua 3:1-6
Today's text is the story of the amazing miracle God performed for the people of Israel.
To summarize the story, Moses died and Joshua became the leader.
God commanded Joshua to lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan.
Because God will be with you, he encouraged them to lead the Israelites strong and boldly.
Now, Joshua started preparing for the Canaanite march in earnest and had them prepare food.
And he sent spies to spy out Jericho, the first city of Canaan.
Finally, Joshua left Siddim, where he had stayed and encamped for Canaan, and came to the Jordan River.
Surprisingly, the Jordan River was not full and partly overflowed. So, while staying there for 3 days, Joshua was preparing for the Jordan River crossing. First, Joshua ordered the Israelites to sanctify themselves.
And the priest carried the Ark of the Covenant and took the lead, and the people followed him.
Now cross the Jordan River. The priest carried the Ark of the Covenant and entered the Jordan River. Surprisingly, the Jordan River, flowing down from the north, began to cut off. Water began to accumulate and stand in an area called Adam in the north.
God has built an invisible dam. All the Israelites crossed the river while the priests stood in the middle of the Jordan River. As the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant came out of the river under Joshua's command, the Jordan River began to flow again, and it was restored to its original state.
Why did you do this? Two reasons can be found in the text.
One is verse 7. “And the LORD said to Joshua, “From this day on, I will make you great in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.” There was a time when the Israelites thoroughly realized that God was with Moses.
Likewise, God will now perform this miracle in order to make the Israelites thoroughly aware that God is with Joshua by allowing Joshua to cross the Jordan River.
The other is verse 10. “And he said, “By this you will know that the living God will be among you and will surely drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgas, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.” It was to let them know that God was with Israel. It was to make it known that God was working to drive the six Canaanite tribes out of the land of Canaan and make the Israelites take possession of the land.
A miracle is not the purpose of a miracle itself, but the purpose of making God's people realize through the miracle. Changing the perception of God's people is the purpose of the miracle. Miracles change the way we think.
We change the life of faith, which we believed in vaguely ideological terms, into a life of definite experiential faith.
That is why miracles are necessary for those who want to experience the existence of God with certainty.
Miracles are needed for those who want to live a dynamic life of faith with the Lord.
If you look closely at today's text, you will find a spiritual situation where miracles occur. First, God prepares it.
God prepared a miracle of crossing the Jordan River for the Israelites who had to enter the land of Canaan and fight fiercely. He prepared this miracle to put their faith on a rock.
Today, I believe that God is preparing a miracle for me and for you.
Because God wants me and you to win the fierce spiritual warfare.
Next, the Israelites prepared. In verse 5, Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, and the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.” Joshua believed that God would perform a miracle across the Jordan River. I have prepared several things for them.
The right faith grows bigger and bigger and becomes a great faith. This is the work of faith upon faith. It is a process of growing in faith. Then, what did the Israelites prepare by faith for a miracle?
This point will be a valuable guide for us as we go to work God's miracle today.
1. to be sanctified
In verse 5, Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves.”
Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, they had to prepare for them to be sanctified.
So what does it mean to sanctify yourself?
In Exodus 19:10-15, the Israelites already had the experience of sanctifying themselves in front of Mount Sinai.
They were commanded to sanctify just before they made a covenant with God in front of Mount Sinai.
At this time, what they did to sanctify was to wash their clothes, and this means to prepare themselves to come before God by purifying their body and mind in the sight of God.
And actively listening to God's voice and preparing spiritually to make a promise with God.
That's right. Holiness refers to the spiritual state in which we can stand before God.
Furthermore, it refers to the spiritual state in which we can share spiritual communion with God.
God's people need to be prepared to stand before God. Preparation is necessary for God's servants to participate in God's work. That is holiness. We must be pure in body and mind before God.
We must be prepared in a spiritual state to hear and obey God's voice.
Now the Israelites are standing in front of the Jordan River. What should they prepare? Should I prepare a boat? Should I bring a swimsuit? Should I bring a life jacket? no. The first thing they need to prepare is holiness. In fact, they stand before the Jordan River, but spiritually they stand before God.
That's right. God's miracles only happen to those who have prepared for sanctification.
Because God's miracles are works that God Himself accomplishes.
Dear all! We must be sanctified. We must cleanse our bodies and minds.
We must prepare spiritually for God to work through us.
Then we can experience the miracles of God.
2. Following the Ark of the Covenant
Verse 3 says, “He commanded the people, saying, “When you see the Levite priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, leave your place and follow it.” is that
And in verse 4, “But let the living distance between you and them be about two thousand cubits, and do not come near it.” He told the people to follow them from 2000 cubits and about 900 meters behind. The idea is to keep a distance and follow the Ark of the Covenant so that about 2 million people can see the Ark of the Covenant.
Then why was he told to follow the Ark of the Covenant? The reason for this is explained in the second half of verse 4. “Then you will know the way that you should go, for you have not passed this way before.” Because they are walking in a way they do not know. Because you need a guide.
It was the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud that had guided the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness.
The Israelites were led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
But now, as we entered the valley on the east side of the Jordan River, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire disappeared.
Now, instead of the pillar of fire and cloud, it was necessary to lead the Israelites.
That was the ark of the covenant.
God had told the priests to carry the ark of the covenant and stand before the people to take the place of the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud. This is to guide and lead the people of Israel to the ark of the covenant.
Now, the Israelites were led by God through the Ark of the Covenant as they proceeded toward the Jordan River and that Canaan, an unknown land. That's right. We, too, are moving towards the unknown.
We are moving towards a new future that we have never been to.
We are heading towards a path where we never know what will happen. So I am anxious and afraid.
So God prepared the ark of the covenant before us. The Ark of the Covenant symbolizes the Word of God. When we put God's Word first and follow it, we are on the right track.
When we go down that road, we can experience miracles we never thought possible.
“I have a long way to go and the night is deep, but the light of the Lord, light the way to my hometown. I do not know all the ways I am going, but guide me step by step.”
Dear all! The Lord leads us to the Ark of the Covenant. Don't miss the Ark of the Covenant.
The word of God guides our way. Don't lose the Word of God.
Living in harmony with the Word of God is a miracle in itself.
A life of obedience to God's Word and the experience of miracles abounds in it.
3. GOING BY FAITH
Verse 8 says, “Speak to the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the waters of the Jordan, enter the Jordan.’” He tells them to carry the Ark of the Covenant and plunge into the overflowing Jordan River.
It's about going by faith.
Compare that to when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. In Exodus 14, when Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea, the sea parted and the land in the middle of the sea was exposed, and the Israelites walked across the land.
But now things are different. The land was not exposed.
It means to jump into the water. It's about going by faith.
In 3:15 it says, “And the bearers of the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who carried the ark were immersed by the water.” After they set foot in the water by faith, there was a change in the waters of the Jordan River.
That is, the act of faith can bring about miracles, and you can experience miracles further.
We experience grace according to the measure of our faith. You cannot experience miracles with a little faith.
The other is to go together with the same faith, and four people carried the ark of the covenant like a palanquin.
When four people carry the Ark of the Covenant with the same faith and go to the Jordan River, you can experience a miracle.
The first two people go forward with great faith, but if the latter two hesitate, the ark of the covenant cannot move forward.
In a team run, a team's performance is determined by the last player on the team. Likewise, faith works according to the smallest measure of faith among members of a team.
It is important that we move forward with the same faith. Miracles happen when families share the same faith.
Miracles happen when the saints have the same faith.
Today we need a miracle. A miracle is a sign that God is working in us.
Miracles happen when we are sanctified and prepared spiritually. When we follow the ark of the covenant and obey God's word, miracles will happen. Miracles happen when we move forward in faith. Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know.