Over the next three months we are embarking upon a study of the Old Testament book of Joshua.

· It teaches us how to live once we’ve place our faith in Jesus the Savior.
· It shows, through the examples of others, how to possess what God has promised us.
· It demonstrates the blessings of obedience and the price of stubborn disobedience.
· It illustrates the reality of spiritual warfare and the danger of compromise.
· It challenges us to be decisive, determined, and devoted.

The Setting - The Jordan River
About the Jordan River:
· Israel’s major river
· The name means “descended” – drops over 3,100 feet from beginning to end
· Flows from Mt. Hermon through the Sea of Galilee and terminates at the Dead Sea
· Its total length is 223 miles
· From Sea of Galilee to Dead Sea is 65 miles…as the crow flies
· Because of its winding nature its actual length is closer to 130 miles
· In modern times the river is only 100 feet wide at its widest and 17 feet at its deepest
· At the southern end, it is only 20-30 feet wide and 4 feet deep
· Studies have found that the Jordan is only discharging only 3% of the volume of water into the Dead Sea…30 million cubic meters/1.3 billion cubic meters
· At the time of the Joshua during flood stage, the Jordan River could be up to 1 mile wide with water speeds of 40 mph
· We have photographic evidence of what the Jordan River could have looked like at flood stage. This is from 1935.
· Report from 1835 describes debris being in the tops of the trees and bushes located along the bank of the River
· Jeremiah 50:44 “…Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets to a rich pastureland…”
· One writer said, "it was not the river so much as the jungle that was difficult to cross."
· Report from 1835 described the thicket being so thick they had to push their way through it

The Story - Joshua 3 & 4
Crossing the Jordan River is the challenge that is facing the Children of Israel.
Joshua 3:1-5

What does it mean to consecrate yourselves?
They had two things to do and we find these in Exodus 19:14-15.

We skip down to verse 9 where Joshua tells the Israelites the rest of the plan.
Joshua 3:9-17

The people have crossed the dry ground; a miracle for sure.
Possibly an even greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea?
We continue on now in Joshua chapter 4.

1. The first step to CROSS OVER is to CONSECRATE yourselves to God.
Joshua 3:5
Romans 12:1-2

When we talk about consecrating ourselves to God. It’s about letting go of anything that is holding us back from fully being available to God for His work. If we’re going to cross over from HERE to THERE, we will have to release everything we have to God and His work.

2. When we CROSS OVER God GOES before us.
Joshua 3:14-16

Sometimes we forget that He continues to go before us. We begin to think the Jesus came and made the way of salvation for us and that He has left us to figure the rest out on our own. He is still there for us! He is available to guide us through prayer and studying His Word. He wants to provide for us when we need it. He will continue to make a way for us.

3. Building MEMORIALS is what CROSSING OVER is all about.
Joshua 4:8-9

God knows us better than we think. He knows our tendency to forget. As such in this passage we see that He commands the Israelites to build a memorial to remind them of what He had done. Its purpose wasn’t only to serve as a reminder for those who crossed the Jordan on that day, but also for future generations.

We have a memorial that Christ commanded us to observe – Communion. Communion commemorates what Christ did for us on the cross. We observe because He asked us to but also so that we will remember what He has done.
But we can be a memorial to what He has done also. In 1 Peter Chapter 2 verse 5 we are called “living stones.” Our lives should be a memorial to what He has done.

At Grace we have some memorials to people. They are memorialized not so much because they were amazing people, which they were. They are memorialized because of what they have done for future generations. Their lives were a memorial to what God had done for them and they used their lives to touch generations to come.
One of the couples memorialized is Clare and Joyce White. They were charter members at Grace. They couldn’t have been more different from a personality standpoint. Joyce was busy, outgoing, take charge kind of person. Clare was laid-back, friendly but not out going, slow, and methodical. Together they covered all the bases. Their love for God and their passion for ministry at Grace is the reason that many of us are here today. For these reasons, our coffee shop is named in honor of them. Their lives were memorials of what God had done for them.
Just like Clare and Joyce, we have an opportunity to be that memorial to future generations. We must remember it isn’t about our words, our thoughts, or our feelings. It’s through our actions that our lives will be built into a lasting memorial.

Today is Sanctity of Human Life Day, so I’d be remiss to not mention the opportunity we have to make difference in the lives of those young women and their children in need. It has been the hallmark of Christians throughout history to help those in need. I’m proud to say that our Church supports the pregnancy assistance programs in our area. Many churches can’t say that.
I tell people that we, Christians, lost the debate on abortion long ago when we failed to support those young women and their children in need.
We can win that debate back, but it has to be with our actions first and then our words. I hope that you would consider being part of those ministries in some way.

H.O.M.E. Group Discussion Questions:

1. What is something that you have that commemorates a special event in your life?

2. When was a time in your life where God did something unexpected that you use to remind yourself of God’s goodness to help you through tough times?

3. Who is someone whose life has impacted yours? How did they do it? What did they do? Do you try to be like them? If so how?

4. Do you find it hard to transfer ownership of your life to God? How do you handle it when you find things that need to be surrendered to Him but you haven’t been able to?

5. What are some of the things that you tend to hold onto that keep you from fully following God? How does it affect your ability to follow Him?

Birthdays and Anniversaries:

Sunday, January 19 - Bonnie Maker
Tuesday, January 21 - Allan Meehan
Wednesday, January 22 - Vadik Stephens
Friday, January 24 - James Berry