1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,160 If you have a Bible, turn to Joshua chapter 3. 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,039 If you don't have a Bible, take the one that's on the view in 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,000 front of you and Merry Christmas. 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:16,040 So as you're turning to Joshua chapter 3, I'd like to pray for 5 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:21,920 us. Father in Heaven, we ask you to 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,480 come take up Your word and teach your people that You would 7 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,600 establish us and build us up in the faith and that the name of 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:35,280 your Son that you would continue to exalt the name of your Son in 9 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,200 our hearts, in our minds, in our bodies, in our church, in our 10 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:43,360 families, and yes Lord, in our county, in our state, in our 11 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,880 nation, and in our world. We pray that you would speak a 12 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,160 word to us this morning from Your word. 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,080 By your Spirit we ask it in Jesus name, Amen. 14 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:00,480 So before we dig into Joshua chapter 3, I want to remind you 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:04,640 of something Jesus said when he rose from the dead and was on a 16 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:11,160 road talking to two disciples. They say they're they're 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,040 recounting the deeds of the crucifixion of Christ. 2 Christ 18 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:16,200 who has been raised from the dead. 19 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,080 And they end this way. They say yes. 20 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:24,800 And beside all of this, it is now the third day since these 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,520 things happened. Moreover, some of the women of 22 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,160 our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in 23 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,120 the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came 24 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,400 back saying that they had even seen visions of angels who said 25 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,840 that he was alive. And some of those who were with 26 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,840 us went to the tomb and found it, just as the women had said. 27 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:47,080 But him they did not see. And he said to them, oh foolish 28 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:52,240 ones and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets 29 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,200 have spoken. So let me ask you something, 30 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,160 Christian. Does Jesus have a point when all 31 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,680 they have is the Old Testament? Does he have a point to be able 32 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:03,680 to look at them and say, what are you doing? 33 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,800 Didn't you understand that this was supposed to happen to 34 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,080 Messiah when he came? He was supposed to be crucified 35 00:02:09,479 --> 00:02:11,600 and then three days later risen from the dead. 36 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:13,560 Why are you so slow of hard to believe? 37 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:19,120 It sounds kind of harsh because everybody missed it, but the 38 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,600 text goes on verse 27. It says, and beginning with 39 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,800 Moses, that's Genesis and all the prophets. 40 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,000 That's all the way to the Italian prophet Malachi at the 41 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,440 end of the Old Testament. He interpreted to them in all 42 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,880 the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 43 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,360 We have in front of us one of the high points of the 44 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,160 redemptive history of God's dealing with His people in the 45 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,560 crossing of the Jordans. 1,000,000 songs are written 46 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,760 about this. A million prayers are prayed 47 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,400 about this. We talked about crossing Jordan, 48 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:55,360 right? One of my favorite authors had 49 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,080 brain surgery, lost his hearing and he described it as my 50 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,320 hearing has crossed over Jordan early. 51 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,000 It's gone ahead. There's this, there's this 52 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,760 massive weight to to this story when Israel, when God leads them 53 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,880 to cross into the Jordan. And I'm here to tell you this 54 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:15,480 morning that this story is all about the exaltation of the Son 55 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,320 of God, whose name is Jesus Christ, the real, true and 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,680 better Joshua. So one of the things that can 57 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,800 help us is anytime you read in the book of Joshua, as in verse 58 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,960 1, chapter 3, verse one, then Joshua, you just need to read 59 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,280 Jesus. If you were a Jewish believer, 60 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,600 you're reading about a man named Yeshua. 61 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,680 And then when you get to the New Testament, you read about a guy 62 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,440 who's named Yeshua for he will save his people from their sins. 63 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,320 This is same same name. And so there's all these clues 64 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:48,440 in the text that are telling us that this is a true story, but 65 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,440 it's a more deeply true story than what's actually on the page 66 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,480 and on the history. It's signing something for us. 67 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:00,200 And so verses one through 7, I want to show you that this is 68 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,560 this. This part of the story is about 69 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:08,760 the exaltation of a man named Yeshua by baptism in the Jordan 70 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,960 River. Does that sound familiar to 71 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,920 anybody? Well, let me show you this. 72 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:19,240 OK, so chapter 3, verse one, then Joshua rose early in the 73 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,959 morning and they said set out from Shiten. 74 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:23,440 You have to be careful saying that word. 75 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:24,640 Let's just get it out of the way. 76 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:29,520 Got to be careful. And they came to the Jordan and 77 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,160 he and all the people of Israel lodged there before they passed 78 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,200 over at the end of hey presto, three days. 79 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:41,040 At the end of three days. By the way, we're in Joshua 80 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:46,120 chapter 3-4 times so far in the book of Joshua, something has 81 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,400 happened on the third day. Do you think that's important? 82 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,960 Maybe that there's this constant mega theme of all the time 83 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,480 stamps and Joshua have to do with three days, this story 84 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:00,280 about a man named Yeshua. At the end of three days, the 85 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:02,920 officers went through the camp and they commanded the people. 86 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:08,680 Watch this, as soon as you see the Ark of the Covenant of the 87 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,760 Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priest, then you 88 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,040 shall set out from your place and follow it. 89 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,040 So a couple of things here. First of all, Passover. 90 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,960 You're going to have a Passover on the third day continually 91 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,280 throughout this text. They're going to call crossing 92 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:26,320 the Jordan. They're going to call it passing 93 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:31,080 over the Jordan. They are commanded to wait until 94 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,640 you see something. So they're not, they don't know 95 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:35,880 exactly how this is going to take place. 96 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:40,400 They just know they're waiting for for two things, for the ark 97 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,640 of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical 98 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,560 priest. Then you shall set out. 99 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:48,320 So they're just waiting for something to follow. 100 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,120 So this is, by the way, a great metaphor, a great help in the 101 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:55,200 Christian life, that a lot of times what God gives us is a 102 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,440 whole lot of clarity mixed with twice as much mystery. 103 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:00,400 Like this is what I want you to do. 104 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,400 And we might say, how do you want me to do that? 105 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:08,240 To which God would say, just trust me, just go for it, just 106 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,360 do what I'm asking you to do. And the means by which it will 107 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,280 happen, you'll get there. So all that the children of 108 00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:17,200 Israel are told is that they're going to walk like they're 109 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,480 waiting for the the ark and the Levitical priest to go and 110 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,480 they're just going to follow it so that they can cross the 111 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,000 Jordan. They have no idea how this is 112 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,120 going to happen. They just are expected to 113 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,720 believe that God is going to miraculously get them across a 114 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,120 river that we're told later on is in flood stage, a thing that 115 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,360 cannot happen. So they're told to wait, and 116 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,800 they're told to wait for something really important. 117 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:43,840 I wonder if something signals in your mind when you read these 118 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:48,560 words. As soon as you see the Ark of 119 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,280 the Covenant of Yahweh, you're gone. 120 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,720 The ark. It would be easy for the author 121 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:58,960 of this book to say, hey, as soon as you see the Ark, 122 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,640 everybody knows what we're talking about. 123 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,760 So why is it called the Ark of the Lord? 124 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,440 You're God. There's this gravity, this 125 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:09,840 weight here. And I would just point out 126 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,240 something out to you about these two. 127 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,840 Lord, capital Lord, and then you're God. 128 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,520 God. Lord is always God's covenant 129 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:20,760 name. It's it's, it's, it's Yahweh. 130 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,280 And it the aspect that is highlighted when his covenant 131 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,680 name is used is his nearness, his imminency with his people. 132 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:29,800 That God is a God who is near to his people. 133 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,640 He's not a God far off. He is there too, but he dwells 134 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:35,680 with the lowly and the broken hearted. 135 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:37,360 He dwells with those who fear the Lord. 136 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,640 And so it's the ark of the Lord, your covenant God. 137 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:44,280 The ark is the is the manifest, the sign of the manifest 138 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:46,320 presence of God among his people. 139 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:50,040 But this is also the covenant of the Lord your God, highlighting 140 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,600 the transcendence of God. Our God, the one who draws near 141 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:56,680 to us, is the God who rules and reigns in the heavens. 142 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:01,120 He is God over all things. And so that God that is that the 143 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,880 the heavens are his throne, the earth is his footstool, that God 144 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:09,600 comes to his people in the in in his imminency, in his covenant, 145 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:14,200 keeping relationship with them. And so when they see when they 146 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:21,960 see the ark carried by the Levitical priests, OK, what is 147 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:23,720 this? What is this looking at? 148 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:28,200 You have the Levitical priests are the mediators between God 149 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,760 and man. And So what Israel is watching 150 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,000 for, they've got to get across the river into their 151 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,600 inheritance. And what Joshua and the elders 152 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:40,320 tell them to to look for is he says, wait for the ark of the 153 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:42,720 covenant. That is the manifest presence of 154 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,720 God and the mediator that's going to be carrying that the 155 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,720 mediator between God and men, the Levitical priests. 156 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:51,160 And they're going to go before you. 157 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,280 And when you see that you set out and you follow them. 158 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,560 It's not accidental. It's very interesting. 159 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:01,120 And I want to show you this is this is there's something 160 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:05,280 strange that happens because this is pre Emmanuel times. 161 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,680 Look in verse 4 he says, yet there should be a distance 162 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:12,120 between you and it, about 2000 cubits in length. 163 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,000 Do not come near. Think about that. 164 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:18,520 You have the manifest presence of God. 165 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:22,280 You have the mediators that are bearing His presence and they're 166 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:23,840 going to go before and you follow. 167 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,360 But don't get too near because this God is a holy God and His 168 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:32,680 Holiness is dangerous for you. This is a pre Emmanuel, a pre 169 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:37,040 God with us in the flesh text. Do not come near it in order 170 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:38,960 that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not 171 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:41,600 passed this way before. Then Joshua said to the people, 172 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,920 consecrate yourself for tomorrow, the Lord will do 173 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,920 wonders among you. Joshua said to the priest, take 174 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:50,680 up the ark of the covenant, pass on before the people, and they 175 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:53,320 took up the ark of the covenant and went before. 176 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,600 So God is assuredly with them in this text and guiding them, 177 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,440 guiding them in this text, but they can't get too close. 178 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,960 Brothers and sisters, you and I have to see this text. 179 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:09,800 Well, we have to see this text well before Christ dealt once 180 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:15,000 and for all with our sin, being close to a holy God was 181 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,400 dangerous. Not just dangerous, it was 182 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,160 deadly. It was a thing that you could 183 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,960 not do. You couldn't just stroll into 184 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:26,080 the presence of God. Before Christ dealt once and for 185 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:31,160 all with our sin, but now that Christ has dealt with our sin 186 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,960 once and for all, He takes up His abode. 187 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:38,400 Not in an ark, not just close to us, 2000 cubits away. 188 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:43,200 Get close, but not too close. Where does God reside among men 189 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:47,040 today? Christ has made an end of all of 190 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,480 our sin, and therefore at Pentecost He pours His Holy 191 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:54,480 Spirit not to his people, but into His people, that we have 192 00:10:54,480 --> 00:11:00,360 become the very temple of God. He is not just near to us, He is 193 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:04,480 in US. He has taken up His abode in US. 194 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:07,520 And then in verse 7 He says something phenomenal. 195 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,480 The Lord said to Joshua, notice not to all Israel, but just to 196 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:18,320 Joshua, Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all 197 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:24,040 Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will 198 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:26,520 be with you. I believe this is the key and 199 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,960 most important verse in this whole text. 200 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,160 Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that 201 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:36,160 they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 202 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:40,840 Let me dwell with you on a moment on some of these, for a 203 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:44,560 moment on some of these words. First of all, it's today there's 204 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,960 something about the crossing of the Jordan that is going to 205 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,080 signal to all Israel that Joshua is the man. 206 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:54,800 Just as God was with Moses, so he will be with Joshua. 207 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:56,960 It's today. It's the crossing of the Jordan. 208 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:02,560 Secondly, God says I will begin to exalt you. 209 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:06,120 Well, what would that mean? When you begin something, what 210 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:07,400 does that mean? It means you're going to 211 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:09,360 continue to do it and you're going to finish doing it. 212 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,200 This is not the only thing. This is just the the start of 213 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,360 it. I will begin to watch this to 214 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,200 exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that God is going to 215 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,760 take this guy named Yeshua, and when he goes into the Jordan 216 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:29,160 River, that's God is going to exalt him in the sight of all 217 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:30,960 Israel. Does it sound familiar to 218 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:32,480 anybody? Are there any bells going off? 219 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:38,040 And God does this so that they may know that Joshua is the new 220 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:41,080 man of God, the new leader. So I will be with you. 221 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:45,520 So how is God going to begin to exalt the name of Joshua in the 222 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:47,960 sight of all Israel? What is the means by which God 223 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:53,080 is going to signify to Israel that Joshua is his leader? 224 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:57,480 Well, we're going to find it in verses 7 through 13. 225 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:02,400 So watch what happens. The Lord said to Joshua, today I 226 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:04,880 will begin to exalt you in the side of all Israel that you may 227 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:08,200 know, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be 228 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,480 with you verse 8. And As for you command the 229 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:15,520 priests who bear the ark of the covenant, when you come to the 230 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:20,000 brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in 231 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:25,960 the Jordan. So picture this ark borne by 232 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:30,040 priests, ark that is the presence of the transcendent and 233 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,040 eminent God, borne by the priests that are the mediators 234 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,040 between God and men there to there to step down into the 235 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,800 Jordan River. You shall stand still in the 236 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:41,480 Jordan. And Joshua said to the people of 237 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,040 Israel, come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 238 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,280 Joshua said here is how you shall know. 239 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:51,280 This is wild. God is about to do something to 240 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,920 prove something to Israel. God wants Israel to know two 241 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,480 things in this text. Here's how you shall know. 242 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:02,600 First of all, that the living God is among you, OK, that that 243 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,760 God is with you. And secondly, that he will 244 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:10,040 without fail drive out from before the Canaanites, before 245 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,560 you, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hittites, the 246 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:16,680 Pirazites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 247 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:21,320 So stand still in the Jordan priests and ark God and his go 248 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:25,600 betweens God and the men that represent him as mediators going 249 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,640 down into the waters of Jordan. And that should ring some bells 250 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:32,920 with all of us. These are Old Testament shadows 251 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:35,720 and they find their substance in the man Christ Jesus. 252 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,760 We're told in the New Testament there is one God and one 253 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:44,160 mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who is 254 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:48,600 called Emmanuel, God with us. So in Christ God is with us and 255 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:52,560 in Christ we also have the new and better mediator. 256 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:58,200 And that that man Christ Jesus, our mediator, God's presence 257 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,920 with us. He also Once Upon a time stood 258 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:05,640 still in the Jordan River and interestingly, the heavens were 259 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:07,600 torn asunder. Mark uses the word. 260 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:11,440 The same word to tear the heavens is the word that is used 261 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:14,000 when the temple curtain is torn at the death of Christ. 262 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,840 That is irreparable damage. We're never putting this back 263 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:19,640 together. Something foundational has 264 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,400 changed. Heaven has been torn asunder 265 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:28,240 because God is with men. Emmanuel, his mediator, is in 266 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,760 the Jordan, and as he's baptized, the heavens are torn 267 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:33,480 open. The Spirit of God descends upon 268 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:37,920 Christ, and he is declared to be the Son of God with whom God is 269 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,720 well pleased. And in that act Jesus is 270 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,080 revealed to Israel. John the Baptist says, I came 271 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:47,280 baptizing with water so that he would be made known to Israel 272 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:51,520 that this is their Messiah. So these things are clearly 273 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:56,800 given as signs to Israel. And because they are signs, they 274 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,760 teach Israel two things. And we need to reckon with these 275 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:01,960 two things. First of all, that the living 276 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,640 God is among you. What a treasure to know, brother 277 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,760 and sister, that we're not just doing a hobby here. 278 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:15,680 A great author, 1A great teacher once said if if church to you is 279 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:21,560 a hobby, go find a better one. This the church is a super lame 280 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:23,400 hobby. This is just something we do on 281 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,640 Sunday 'cause it's what we do. Go fishing. 282 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:31,080 Go do something different if the church is only a hobby. 283 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:35,320 What's going on here today is that God, the Almighty Creator 284 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,160 and Redeemer of the universe, has constituted us to himself so 285 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:43,160 that he can be our God and so that he can live and dwell in US 286 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,680 and among us. We want the living and the true 287 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,720 God and the and, and Joshua crossing the Jordan and Jesus 288 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,920 being baptized in the Jordan is proof to all of us that the 289 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,560 living God really is among us. It is also proof, Joshua says, 290 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,440 you shall know that the living God is among you, and secondly, 291 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,839 that he will without fail. What does it mean to be without 292 00:17:05,839 --> 00:17:09,079 fail? It means you don't fail, right? 293 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,359 It's in the Hebrew. God without fail will drive out 294 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:15,599 from before you. Canaanites, Hittites, Hibites, 295 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:18,599 Pirozites, Girgishites, Amorites, Jebusites, the seven 296 00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:24,359 Canaanite nations in the land. So, So not only is God among 297 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:27,960 you, but he is among you so that He can bestow victory on and 298 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,840 through you. It's not going to be all you sit 299 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:35,320 back and watch God clear out. Some of that will be that way, 300 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:37,960 but a lot of it is going to be you're going in the power of God 301 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,160 to accomplish the work that He wants you to accomplish. 302 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:46,120 Now look, in verse 11, Joshua is going to describe a little bit 303 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:50,000 more about this, this picture, this sign to Israel that God is 304 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,480 among them and that he's going to give them victory. 305 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:55,400 In verse 12 he says verse 11, Behold, the ark of the covenant 306 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:59,800 of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the 307 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,680 Jordan. Now therefore take 12 men from 308 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,600 the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 309 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,640 Now that's significant. Where in Scripture have we seen 310 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:17,600 a Joshua that surrounds himself with 12 men after a baptism, 12 311 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,880 men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 312 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:23,320 And when the souls watch these words, when the soles of the 313 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:27,160 feet of the priest bearing the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all 314 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:32,200 the earth shall rest in the waters of the Jordan. 315 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,840 Rest there is not is not the word that we where we get 316 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:40,880 Sabbath rest is the word that we get in Noah the name of Noah, 317 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,560 right. Remember Noah's dad named him 318 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:46,240 Noah because he says this one will give us rest from all the 319 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:51,320 toil of our hands on the earth. And so when you see if if if we 320 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:55,480 read Hebrew and we could read the Lord of all the earth shall 321 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:59,600 when the soles of their feet shall Noah in the waters. 322 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:04,000 What do the waters mean to us? When you have think about this, 323 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:10,080 you have an ark, you have a reminder of Noah of rest, and 324 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:13,800 then you have waters. What do the waters represent? 325 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,120 They represent judgment, their judgment that that is coming, 326 00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:20,720 that God is going to help his people pass through. 327 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,400 So you have resting in the waters with an ark, with Noah, 328 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,040 with waters. They represent judgment. 329 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,800 And so he says, when they rest in the waters of the Jordan, the 330 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:35,240 waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the 331 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,080 waters coming down from above shall stand in one heat. 332 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:42,520 So when God himself and the mediator, just as Cliff notes of 333 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,840 this text, when God himself and the mediator between God and man 334 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,560 had his feet resting in the waters of judgement, those 335 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:52,800 waters would be cut off from flowing over the people of God. 336 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,760 And there are 12 guys with him. Does this sound familiar if we 337 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,200 were reading the Gospels in this light and saw Christ, Emmanuel, 338 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:04,560 God with us the the great High Priest? 339 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:08,560 Of our faith coming and standing in the Jordan River. 340 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:14,120 We we would if we knew this text well, it would take on a whole 341 00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:16,800 new depth of meaning when we come to the Gospels. 342 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,880 Priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, resting the soles of 343 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,600 their feet in the Jordan with one man from each tribe in 344 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,800 Israel ready to bear memorial stones. 345 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,800 This is how Israel is to know that God is with them, that he's 346 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:31,760 going to give them victory, and that Joshua is his man. 347 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:38,240 That's extremely important. So the question is, they said, 348 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:40,640 he says prepare yourself for glory. 349 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,560 God is surely going to do wonders. 350 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,200 Now we got to look now at not just the preparation and all 351 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:48,080 that, but what does God actually do? 352 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:52,560 What wonder does God perform? And it's in verses 14 through 353 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:58,160 17, and it is phenomenal. In verse 14, the text says so 354 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,320 when the people set out from their tents. 355 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,280 If you write in your Bible, circle the word tense. 356 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:07,400 And I would just invite you to think about this most pregnant 357 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,840 text where the people of God are about to come into their 358 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,000 inheritance, They're about to come into the promised land, and 359 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,240 they leave their tents to cross the Jordan. 360 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:21,040 The idea of tents reminds us, does it not, of words like 361 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:25,720 sojourning, of exile, of pilgrimage, right? 362 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:30,640 500 years, 600 years before this moment, God called a man out of 363 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,120 her, and he said, I'm going to give you land, seed and 364 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:36,160 blessing, and through you all the nations of the earth will be 365 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:40,560 blessed. And that man never had a house. 366 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:42,080 He dwelt in tents all of his life. 367 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,920 Abraham was a tent dweller. Isaac was a tent dweller. 368 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,200 Jacob was a tent dweller. Joseph and his brothers were 369 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,760 tent dwellers until Joseph was sold into slavery. 370 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,280 They went down into Egypt and sojourned there, not in tents, 371 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:58,000 but certainly not permanently. They they stayed there for a 372 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,960 season awaiting the time when God would redeem them and bring 373 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:05,680 them to the promised land. By the way, Joshua has the bones 374 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,400 of Joseph from 400 and some odd years ago. 375 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:12,360 Because Joseph said when God delivers you and when he gives 376 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:15,760 you the land and victory in the land, take my bones with you and 377 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:19,240 bury me there. So the people of God, please 378 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,040 hear me out here. The people of God have been 379 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:25,960 sojourners for, for at least 500 years, waiting for the time that 380 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:27,320 they would receive their inheritance. 381 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:31,200 And so this idea that they leave their tents, that's a, that is a 382 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,240 really WAVY thing to say that they leave their tents for the 383 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:38,880 very last time before they step into the promise. 384 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,920 And it's a beautiful picture when the people set out from 385 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,720 their tents to Passover, the Jordan with the priests bearing 386 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:48,760 the ark of the covenant before the people. 387 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:52,920 And as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the 388 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:56,440 Jordan and the feet of those priests bearing the ark were 389 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,840 dipped in the brink of the water. 390 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:01,280 We're giving this parenthetical statement now. 391 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:04,640 The Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of the 392 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:06,520 harvest. And again, that the biblical 393 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,640 theme, if we knew our Bibles, we're told Noah, we're told ark, 394 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,320 we're told waters, the waters are the waters of judgment. 395 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,000 And now we're told those waters have jumped their banks. 396 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:20,720 They're flowing hot and heavy. But as soon as God's presence, 397 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:24,880 God's priests come in and their feet are dipped in the in the 398 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:30,120 brink, watch what happens. Verse 16, the waters coming down 399 00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:37,680 from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away at Adam. 400 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,800 And I would just counsel you to circle that at Adam, the city 401 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,720 that is beside Zarethan. I can't think I, I know that 402 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,080 there are other texts in Scripture that mention a city 403 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,400 called Adama. This is the only time to my 404 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,720 knowledge that the city of Adam is mentioned. 405 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,800 What's going on here? There's something very 406 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,560 significant. So he says not just that that 407 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:03,560 they God made a patch of dry ground, but that the water stood 408 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:06,400 in a heap, and they went as far away as Adam. 409 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:09,400 Upstream they were cut off. And the city that is beside 410 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,080 Zarathan, and that those flowing down towards the sea of the 411 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:15,440 Ereba, we call that the Dead Sea, the Salt sea, were 412 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,040 completely cut off. And the people passed over 413 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:20,640 opposite Jericho. Now the priest bearing the ark 414 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,080 of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in 415 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,200 the middle of the Jordan, in the midst of the Jordan, and all 416 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,920 Israel was passing over on dry ground until all nations 417 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,280 finished passing over the Jordan. 418 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,040 So when Joshua, the king and commander, with the priest to 419 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:40,640 our mediators and the ark, which is the presence of God and 12 420 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:44,160 representatives from all Israel, when they stand in the Jordan, 421 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:48,480 the floodwaters of judgment recede to a city called Adam. 422 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:53,200 Does that mean anything to anybody? 423 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:55,000 Let me ask you something, Christian. 424 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:58,920 What? Who is Adam and what does his 425 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:03,040 name mean? Adam was taken from the earth 426 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:06,720 and so he's named Earth. Adam, it just means land or 427 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,120 earth. Adam is the original father of 428 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:15,200 mankind and the source of our inherited sin nature, our 429 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,320 sentence of death. See if you can pick up what I'm 430 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,200 throwing down here. Our sentence of death for sin 431 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:28,720 flows down to us from Adam, and this continues until a new and 432 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,720 better Adam, whose name, by the way, is Joshua, prefigured in 433 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,320 the person of the Old Testament. Joshua comes to the Jordan River 434 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,920 to unite with his people through baptism so that their sin can 435 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:43,640 become his problem and his righteousness can become their 436 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,600 possession. All of these things point to and 437 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:51,200 prepare us to recognize Christ and recognize why he came to do 438 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:53,720 what he did. Remember, when Jesus comes for 439 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:58,360 his baptism in the Jordan, John is baptizing a baptism of 440 00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:00,760 repentance, and people are to confess their sins. 441 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:05,240 And Jesus comes for baptism and John says, no, I need to be 442 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:07,480 baptized by you. You have no sin here. 443 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,600 And Jesus says, nevertheless, let it be so for now. 444 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:15,640 For thus it is fitting that we should fulfill all righteousness 445 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:20,920 When Christ is baptized like us in a baptism of repentance, He 446 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,240 takes our sin upon himself so that our righteousness could 447 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:27,400 become his. So let me point something out to 448 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,360 you that I think is being signalled here, signed here, and 449 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:32,080 then I'll give you a New Testament reference. 450 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:36,200 This is, I believe, a picture of what is called retroactive 451 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:42,720 grace, grace that covers past all the way past when the new 452 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,360 and better Joshua steps into the Jordan opposite Jericho with the 453 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:50,720 manifest presence of the substance of the ark of God 454 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:54,760 right the the the real ark of God, not a not a earthly copy of 455 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:56,920 the heavenly realities. But when Christ comes, he has 456 00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,120 the real presence of God with him. 457 00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:02,400 He is God in the flesh. The heavens are ripped open, the 458 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:06,520 Spirit, the sins, He is there with 12 men who stand for the 12 459 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:09,520 tribes of Israel. The waters of judgement recede 460 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,480 all the way back to Adam. Jesus comes as a new and better 461 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,520 Joshua and as a new and better Adam. 462 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:19,240 You might say that's you're reading too much into the text, 463 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:21,680 to which I would say, let me show you something. 464 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:27,040 Romans 3, listen to these words. It's a very famous text. 465 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,040 We're told in Romans 3. All have sinned and fall short 466 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:36,160 of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift 467 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,360 through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 468 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:43,760 All of this we know and we love, but watch this Christ Jesus whom 469 00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:47,360 God put forward as a propitiation by his blood. 470 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,920 Propitiation means a satisfaction of wrath. 471 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,480 Christ dying on the cross is not just penal. 472 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:55,960 It's not just a you did the crime. 473 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,520 You've got to do the time. So somebody's going to pay that 474 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,640 penalty for you. That is the the centerpiece of 475 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:05,400 the atonement, but there's also the wrath of God that has to be 476 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,680 dealt with. We're told in the in the Psalms 477 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:10,920 that God is angry at the wicked every day. 478 00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:16,200 And so Christ is put forward as a satisfaction of wrath, as a 479 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,440 propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. 480 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,880 Now watch this. He says this was to show Christ 481 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:28,360 did this to show God's righteousness because in his 482 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:32,680 divine for parents he had passed over former sins. 483 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,920 So yes, it is true that Christ died because he loves you, but 484 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:41,560 it is also true and maybe more immediately true that Christ 485 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,320 died to vindicate the righteousness of God because he 486 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:47,160 had passed over sins previously committed. 487 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:49,520 Think about this with me in the beginning. 488 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:53,640 You have a, you have a word of God that says comes to Adam and 489 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:56,920 he says do not eat of that tree because the day you eat of it 490 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,040 dying, you will die. And then Satan comes and says, 491 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,480 no dying, you will not die. You'll be fine. 492 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:06,040 You'll be like God. It'll be great. 493 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,000 It'll work out great. And so as we're reading, if we 494 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,520 didn't know anything about the New Testament, if we didn't have 495 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:14,400 any category of spiritual death or any of those things, we're 496 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:18,000 just reading the text. God says you eat it, you died 497 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,040 that day. Satan says you eat it, you don't 498 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:22,720 die that day. You become like God. 499 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:27,640 They eat it and they don't die. And God says they have become 500 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:31,280 like one of us. And so as careful readers, we 501 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:34,240 should read and we should say who told the truth? 502 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,560 Who told the truth? God said eat it and die that 503 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:40,800 day. Satan said eat it, you won't die 504 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:45,520 and they don't die. It seems like Satan told the 505 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:49,400 truth and God did not, which we obviously know is not the case. 506 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,640 What you see there is you do see the first picture of 507 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,360 substitutionary atonement, that something dies in your place 508 00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:59,040 that they try and cover themselves with fig leaves. 509 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,080 God comes and he covers them with the skin of an animal and 510 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:04,840 you don't get that without killing an animal. 511 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:08,560 So something dies on the day that they that they came, but 512 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,560 again on the day that they sin. But again, as careful readers 513 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:18,640 were looking at that saying God, how can your how can that mercy 514 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,040 that you bestowed upon them 'cause it's very clear that it's 515 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:22,680 mercy. How can that be? 516 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,720 Just didn't you just break your standard? 517 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:28,800 This is, this is the command, this is the law. 518 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:31,360 This is what will happen and it doesn't happen. 519 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:35,040 They get mercy instead. And so there's this accusation 520 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,880 from that point forward against God and against His Holiness and 521 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:43,280 against his righteousness to say, look, we know that you're, 522 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,600 you're merciful, but is your mercy just? 523 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,920 And to that, Paul says that Christ died in order to 524 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:57,160 demonstrate God's righteousness because in divine forbearance he 525 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:02,120 had passed over former sins. He didn't ZAP them on on the day 526 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,720 that they said he passed over. Verse 26. 527 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:10,360 It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that God 528 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:15,400 might be both just and the justifier of the one who has 529 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,200 faith in Jesus. Think about this. 530 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,360 God could be just and incinerate everybody. 531 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:22,240 It's totally just. It's what we deserve. 532 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:27,160 Or He can have mercy on everybody and have the 533 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:32,760 accusation of being unjust. The only way that God can be 534 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:39,040 just and the justifier of sinners is when he puts forward 535 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:42,240 his Son and his death. So I just want you to see this 536 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,840 picture here. When Christ, when Christ comes, 537 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,240 when he's baptized, when he lives perfectly, when he dies on 538 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:52,040 the cross to pay for sin, His death is retroactively 539 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:54,840 meritorious. I don't even know if that I'm 540 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:58,920 saying that the right word, his death covers all of those all 541 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:02,200 the way back to Adam. You see this in Hebrews Chapter 542 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:03,280 9. I'm going to read this to you as 543 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:08,000 well and and then we'll I'll apply it to you, to us. 544 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:11,640 Hebrews Chapter 9. Listen to, listen to these 545 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,160 words. Thus it was necessary for the 546 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,480 copies of the heavenly things to be purified with sacrifices, but 547 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,720 the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices. 548 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:27,560 For Christ entered not into the holy places made with hands. 549 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,640 That's not the Tabernacle, not the temple, which are copies of 550 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:35,160 the true things in heaven. But Christ entered into heaven 551 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:39,560 itself now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 552 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:43,480 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as the high priest 553 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,880 enters the holy place every year with blood not his own. 554 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:50,320 Every year the high priest has to atone for his sin, for the 555 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:51,840 sins of the people. It's repeated. 556 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:54,680 There's a reminder of sin every single year. 557 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:59,000 Christ is different, but he says he didn't come to to offer 558 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:02,760 himself repeatedly for listen to these words anytime you're 559 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,200 reading the Scripture, brother, sister, anytime you're reading 560 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,600 the scripture and a sentence is completed in a way that you 561 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,760 would never complete it or even imagine it would be completed. 562 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:16,840 That's usually a a red flag. You need to think about this the 563 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,880 way I would complete this sentence that that he didn't 564 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:23,880 come to offer himself repeatedly as those priests for his death 565 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,160 is sufficient once for all, but that's not what he says. 566 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:30,400 He says for them. If he was going to offer himself 567 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,320 repeatedly for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly 568 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,000 since the foundation of the world. 569 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:43,040 If God ever gives mercy, which He did with Adam, He did with 570 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,680 Eve, He did with all of the Old Testament Saints prior to 571 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:49,120 Christ. Every one of the every time God 572 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:54,680 forgave, a question arises as to His justice, and Jesus Christ on 573 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:57,800 the cross and in His resurrection is the answer to 574 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,360 all of those accusations. He is the only way God can 575 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,040 justly give mercy. So the death of Christ 576 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:10,880 sufficiently and effectually covers sins of His people passed 577 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:15,360 back to Adam and present to our day and on into the future until 578 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:19,080 He unmakes the world. That's the sufficiency of the 579 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,719 death. Death of Christ once for all, 580 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,960 brothers and sisters. That's the majesty of the person 581 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:28,280 of our Savior Jesus Christ. Think about this. 582 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:33,440 A few hours on the cross gave sufficient answer to the just 583 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:37,639 demands of God for the entirety of human history. 584 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:42,320 Such is the worth of our Savior Jesus Christ. 585 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:45,360 For Him to take our sin upon Himself and suffer for a number 586 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:49,760 of hours is sufficient to cover every murder, to cover every 587 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:54,639 rape, to cover every abuse, to cover everything for those who 588 00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:56,520 repent. What a savior we have. 589 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:00,400 OK, so So what? What do we do with these things? 590 00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:05,440 Three things and I'm done. First thing is an exhortation to 591 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:09,440 read the gospels in light of their biblical precedent and the 592 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,320 entire biblical context. So let me ask you something. 593 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:16,480 If you didn't know anything about Israel entering into their 594 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:20,280 inheritance under a guy named Joshua carrying the the presence 595 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:24,680 of God with the mediators, mediators of God going down into 596 00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:28,160 into the Jordan and the waters are cut off and they enter into 597 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:31,360 their inheritance on dry land by a miraculous parting of the 598 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,240 waters. If you didn't know anything 599 00:35:33,240 --> 00:35:36,680 about that, how could you possibly fully understand what 600 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:41,160 Jesus does when the new and better Joshua comes and is and, 601 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:44,080 and the beginning of his exaltation to Israel starts at 602 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:46,360 his baptism? How could you possibly 603 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:48,600 understand that? And so we need to start reading 604 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,720 the Gospels in the full light of their biblical context. 605 00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:57,560 So when the Son of David was born in Bethlehem, he come. 606 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,080 When he comes to the Jordan to be baptized, the heavens are 607 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,560 torn irreparably open. The Holy Spirit of God descends 608 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:06,400 and rests upon him, remains upon him. 609 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:10,240 He is declared to be the Son of God by a voice from heaven, so 610 00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:15,400 that all Israel might know that as God was with Moses, so he is 611 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:19,480 now with a new and better Joshua who has come to take dominion of 612 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:21,280 the promised land. You remember in the book of 613 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,160 Joshua when when he takes over and God says, I want you to rise 614 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:27,120 up. The men say to Joshua, as we 615 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,240 obeyed Moses in all things, we will obey you in all things, and 616 00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:32,160 whoever rebels will be put to death. 617 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:36,640 You are the word that matters. It's a picture of Christ who 618 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:40,200 comes to say, blessed is the one who takes no offense at me. 619 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:46,640 We catch Christ. We we watch Christ. 620 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:50,200 Rather, let's think about this. What does Joshua do immediately 621 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:52,200 after his baptism? He goes down to the Jordan. 622 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:53,960 He comes up and what does he do immediately? 623 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:58,600 He goes to war. What does Jesus do after his 624 00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:01,520 baptism? The new and better Joshua who 625 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:03,320 has come to take dominion of the promised land. 626 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,840 We watch him go up out of the waters of baptism and 627 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:11,200 immediately enter the land and battle his enemy, the devil. 628 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:14,840 We should be thinking about the entire gospel narrative in terms 629 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:18,560 of Joshua issuing a new and better command to conquest. 630 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:20,120 So are you, are you following that? 631 00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:24,040 Are you seeing that the touch points of how this fulfills this 632 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:25,120 right? Think about this. 633 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:29,440 Answer this question. You have a knight who enters A 634 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:32,400 forsaken castle. He battles a dragon to the 635 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:36,520 death, or it looks like a death, but he ends up rising like all 636 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:40,000 good Knights do. He ascends the stair and what 637 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:41,920 does he find in the uppermost tower room? 638 00:37:42,240 --> 00:37:44,640 What does he find? This is not a trick question. 639 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:48,640 What does he find? He finds a Princess. 640 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:52,560 Of course he finds a Princess. And in what state is that 641 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:54,520 Princess? Well, she's obviously sleeping. 642 00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:57,400 Picture of death. Of course she is. 643 00:37:57,760 --> 00:37:59,200 How does he raise her from death? 644 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:00,720 Well, of course, you don't even need to ask. 645 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:03,640 He goes and kisses her on the lips like a real man, and she 646 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:09,240 rises from the dead. And then they ride off their 647 00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:11,320 separate ways into the sunset. What happens? 648 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,520 They always get married. It it can't happen any other 649 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:17,360 way. It has to happen this way. 650 00:38:18,240 --> 00:38:21,600 Now follow this too. If Jesus is the new Joshua and 651 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,160 He is, He is accomplishing a new and better conquest. 652 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:27,760 Think about this. Who are the Canaanites that he's 653 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,720 that he's battling? He goes through the Jordan and 654 00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:34,600 he enters in to take dominion and the very first message that 655 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,800 he preaches is the Kingdom of God is at hand. 656 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,720 It is upon you. Who does he battle? 657 00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:44,480 Who are the Canaanites living in the land? 658 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:46,720 Who are the people dwelling in the land that stand against 659 00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:48,680 Christ and the message of His Kingdom? 660 00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:53,200 Authority. Who continually demands signs as 661 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:55,520 to His authority for doing the things that he's doing? 662 00:38:56,080 --> 00:38:59,400 Who does Christ conquer? Who in the Book of Revelation is 663 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:02,120 Christ talking about when he says those who say they are Jews 664 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:05,240 but are not, but are a synagogue of Satan, who is it? 665 00:39:06,320 --> 00:39:09,520 What is the great city in the Book of Revelation symbolically 666 00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:12,280 called Sodom and Egypt where the Lord was crucified? 667 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:15,920 Revelation 11/8 Who are we talking about? 668 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:20,640 What city is called Babylon the Great, which in her was found 669 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,920 the blood of all the prophets and the Saints, and of all who 670 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:27,440 have been slain upon the earth? The city that Christ said in 671 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:31,360 Luke's gospel. It cannot be that a prophet 672 00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:33,240 should perish away from Jerusalem. 673 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,760 Jerusalem is the place where prophets go to die. 674 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:38,040 Who is he talking about? Who? 675 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,720 Who is Christ coming to conquer? Who does Christ say? 676 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:45,520 These are red letters, not Pastor Will's letters, O 677 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:48,360 Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the city that kills 678 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:51,960 the prophets and stones, those who are sent to it, the city 679 00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:54,960 about which Christ said, I will send them prophets and apostles. 680 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:57,280 Some of them they will kill and persecute. 681 00:39:57,280 --> 00:40:02,120 Listen to these words, so that the blood of all the prophets 682 00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:06,240 shed from the foundation of the world may be charged against 683 00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:10,560 this generation. So again, retroactive grace and 684 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:13,880 now retroactive judgment because that grace is refused. 685 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:19,520 When you reject mercy that is retroactive and proactive, then 686 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:22,920 you get to reap wrath that is retroactive. 687 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,040 Jesus said to the men of his generation, I will require the 688 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:30,280 blood all the way from Abel to Zechariah. 689 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:34,440 I think it was Zechariah that he said, Who does Christ come to 690 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:36,560 conquer? Who does the new and better 691 00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:39,840 Joshua come to conquer? The answer is unbelieving 692 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:42,640 Israel. So I want to make an assertion 693 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:43,800 here. I'm not going to defend it. 694 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:48,520 I'll defend it when Joshua conquers Jericho, but I'll just 695 00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:52,040 state it here so you're ready for it when it comes in the time 696 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:55,120 of Christ, unbelieving Israel are the New Canaanites, and 697 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:58,560 Jerusalem is the new Jericho, the most significant city to to 698 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:00,920 fall to the power of King Joshua. 699 00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:06,040 So again, the the exhortation is to read the Gospels in the light 700 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:10,400 of their full biblical context. Secondly, it's just a reminder 701 00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:13,880 that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 702 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:18,280 Christ brought Israel out of Egypt to Jude 5. 703 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:21,680 So if you have this notion that like the Old Testament God is a 704 00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:25,080 vengeful, wrathful God, the New Testament God is God of grace 705 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:29,080 and the God of mercy and, and, and, and kindness and comfort, 706 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,280 you need to reckon with the fact that Jude in the New Testament 707 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:34,760 says Christ brought Israel out of Egypt. 708 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:36,480 It was Christ himself that did it. 709 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:39,880 Christ was the rock that followed them in the wilderness. 710 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:44,120 First Corinthians 10/4 Christ cut the waters off and gave them 711 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:45,640 their battle plan against Jericho. 712 00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:49,880 Joshua 5. Joshua is the story of Jesus 713 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:51,880 with His people taking dominion upon the earth. 714 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:54,280 This is the theme of scripture and so we need to live like it, 715 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:57,040 or so Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 716 00:41:57,040 --> 00:42:00,400 This is what He does. Therefore, when we seek to obey 717 00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:03,400 Christ, we can count on His ability and willingness to do 718 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:06,640 that which is impossible for us. And this is the third thing, and 719 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:11,560 I'm done with this, that God, the facts are these, God always 720 00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:16,760 leads his people into impossible situations so that his presence 721 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:18,880 and his power through Christ can make a way. 722 00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:22,800 And I know because you're probably like me, I hate that 723 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:27,240 God does this like just make it easy on me, right, right. 724 00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:31,000 If, if I, if I need this much time, give me 10 times that much 725 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:32,520 time. If I need this much money, give 726 00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:35,360 me 10 times this much money. So I know I can rest in the 727 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:37,440 fact. If I need this much power, give 728 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:40,800 me 10 times more. I want to know before I watch 729 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:43,120 anything, I want to know that you're able to do this. 730 00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:46,040 But that's not why God, that's not what God does. 731 00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:49,320 He always brings us to the end of ourselves so that we can know 732 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:52,120 his power. And he does this this way 733 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:57,680 because he by doing this, he gets more glory, we get more joy 734 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:01,400 and his enemies either get drawn into love and relationship with 735 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:03,360 him or they get their courage wrong. 736 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:07,240 So God loves to do these types of things and he does them again 737 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:11,160 and again and again. So I would just ask you in your 738 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:13,760 life, what, what has God called you to do? 739 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,440 What's in front of you that you're looking at it saying that 740 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:19,760 my friend is impossible, I can't do it, it cannot happen. 741 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:23,520 Well, I've got good news. It can happen with the Lord 742 00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:27,040 suppress into him. So as we think about the table, 743 00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:30,600 God has called us to at least two seemingly impossible things 744 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:33,480 as Christians. First of all, a seemingly 745 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:36,920 impossible thing that he has called us to be holy as he is 746 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:38,600 holy. That's what Christ said. 747 00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:42,720 Just be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. 748 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:46,680 No big deal. To which we all say it's 749 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:47,640 impossible. I can't. 750 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:50,720 I can't do that Lord. But with God all things are 751 00:43:50,720 --> 00:43:52,520 possible. It was Christ himself who 752 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:55,720 descended into the waters of the Jordan in a baptism that 753 00:43:55,720 --> 00:43:59,760 identified Him with His people and fulfilled all righteousness 754 00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:03,440 on our behalf. And then after he descending 755 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:07,400 into baptism, he ascended to a Roman cross, where he took the 756 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,920 floodwaters of our sin flowing from the foundation of the world 757 00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:14,160 to the unfounding of the cosmos, whenever that may be. 758 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:17,440 And he put all of that water, all of that wrath, all of that 759 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:19,960 judgment in a cup, and he drank it dry. 760 00:44:20,640 --> 00:44:23,600 Brothers and sisters, no wrath remains for the people of God. 761 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,800 We cross the Jordan on dry ground in the name of Christ. 762 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:31,160 And so in Christ the impossibility of being holy is 763 00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:35,520 now progressively accomplished in US and through us by faith 764 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:40,160 and by the agency of the Holy Spirit. 1 Impossibility. 765 00:44:40,240 --> 00:44:43,360 The second impossibility. Christ also commands his people 766 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:48,080 not just to be holy, but to take dominion upon the earth in his 767 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:49,760 name. And I know you're tired of 768 00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:52,040 hearing me quote the Great Commission. 769 00:44:52,680 --> 00:44:55,280 I continually quote it because I don't think we've reckoned with 770 00:44:55,680 --> 00:44:58,640 what he actually says there. I know you're tired of hearing 771 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:02,280 me quote Matthew 16 where where Christ says I'll build my church 772 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:03,840 and the gates of hell will not prevail. 773 00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,520 It's a victorious word. So I'm going to go Old Testament 774 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:09,760 and give you another word about the the coming Messiah in the 775 00:45:09,760 --> 00:45:11,480 Old Testament. This is what was prophesied 776 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:12,960 about him. It's one of our favorite texts 777 00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:17,400 quoted of Christ in the New Testament that you won't hear 778 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,640 his voice in the street. He's not going to be be lifted 779 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:22,400 up. He's a faintly burning Wick. 780 00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:23,800 He will not quench. He won't. 781 00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:27,720 He won't break a bruised Reed. And that text ends with this 782 00:45:27,720 --> 00:45:29,320 man. Whenever he comes, he will not 783 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:33,360 grow weary or discouraged until he has established justice upon 784 00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:36,000 the earth and the coastlands wait for his law. 785 00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:39,320 Christ, when he comes, will not grow weary. 786 00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:42,440 He will not grow discouraged until he has established his 787 00:45:42,440 --> 00:45:46,600 lordship on the earth. We may grow weary and we may 788 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:49,640 grow discouraged when we look without faith upon a world that 789 00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:53,200 is going man. It's real easy if we just look 790 00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:55,680 at the newspapers to say we're losing this fight. 791 00:45:56,400 --> 00:45:59,760 But when we look at the promises of God, we cannot conclude that 792 00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:02,760 we cannot. According to Holy Scripture, 793 00:46:03,240 --> 00:46:06,040 Christ does not share our hand wringing despair nor our 794 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:11,880 councils of defeat. So to quote a Psalm, our 795 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:15,760 unbelieving question, when the foundations are destroyed, what 796 00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:18,320 can the righteous do? Have you have you thought that 797 00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:23,120 when you see our nation turn its back on its Lord, our nation 798 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:25,960 turn its back on the on the glorious constitution that God 799 00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:29,080 gave us in the way that we do things as a culture and you you 800 00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:31,600 watch the foundations are being destroyed. 801 00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:35,560 And so it's it's common for Christians to look and say, if 802 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:38,840 the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? 803 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:40,800 What can we do? What can be done? 804 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:47,440 Well, the answer, Christ's response in the Psalms and to us 805 00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:50,760 today, the answer to that, what can the righteous do? 806 00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:55,160 The answer is, the Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's 807 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:58,960 throne is in heaven. His eyes see, His eyelids test 808 00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:02,800 the children of men. He does not share our defeatism, 809 00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:04,360 and therefore we should repent of it. 810 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:07,800 Christ will have the price for which he died, and God be 811 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:10,880 praised that prizes the inheritance of nations. 812 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:14,800 He has asked his father, Psalm 2, who has given him the nations 813 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:18,120 as his inheritance, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. 814 00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:21,880 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to this 815 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:27,800 Christ as assuredly. Listen to me as assuredly as 816 00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:32,000 Rahab the prostitute says the land in her day had already been 817 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,320 given to Joshua the the first Joshua. 818 00:47:35,800 --> 00:47:38,720 She says I know that the land has been given to you Now if 819 00:47:38,760 --> 00:47:42,920 Rahab looked out on the land you might ask her, hey Rahab point 820 00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:46,520 to the point to the cities that are in loyalty to God and to his 821 00:47:46,520 --> 00:47:48,240 Kingdom. She wouldn't be able to point to 822 00:47:48,240 --> 00:47:52,760 a square inch of the land and that that's been disciple but 823 00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:55,280 she says I know that the Lord has given you the land. 824 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:58,480 Her faith was right. Our eyes are wrong. 825 00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:02,160 And so when we come to this table, we are coming to two 826 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:05,720 impossibilities, looking in faith to Christ who accomplishes 827 00:48:05,720 --> 00:48:09,760 them both in US and through us. This bread is his body which is 828 00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:12,040 broken for us. This wine is his blood poured 829 00:48:12,040 --> 00:48:14,120 out for the forgiveness of our sins. 830 00:48:14,760 --> 00:48:19,200 Coming to Christ means embracing what Christ has saved you from 831 00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:21,880 and what Christ has saved you for. 832 00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:26,720 Saved from sin, from Satan, death, hell, alienation from 833 00:48:26,720 --> 00:48:28,120 God. Yes and Amen. 834 00:48:28,240 --> 00:48:32,840 Those are all yours in Christ. You are also saved for eternal 835 00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:36,640 life, intimacy with God, participation in the one body of 836 00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:41,160 Christ, and participation in His work in the world to make His 837 00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:43,840 blessings flow far as the curse is found. 838 00:48:43,840 --> 00:48:48,880 You are saved from and for. So come join Him in the Jordan. 839 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:52,280 The water is fine because it's all dry. 840 00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:57,600 Come and welcome to the mercy and the mission of Jesus Christ. 841 00:48:57,720 --> 00:49:04,120 Let me pray for us. Father, we thank you for the 842 00:49:04,120 --> 00:49:08,760 stories that are ours, the stories of your faithfulness to 843 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,360 your people, and the stories that you not just accomplish, 844 00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:15,560 but you invite us to dwell richly upon those things, the 845 00:49:15,560 --> 00:49:18,240 way in which you did them and the purposes for which you did 846 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:21,000 them. And the more we think and the 847 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:24,560 more we dwell richly upon those things, the more we see that 848 00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:29,680 Christ has always been the centerpiece of your plans to 849 00:49:29,680 --> 00:49:33,640 exalt the name of your Son, to unite all things in heaven and 850 00:49:33,640 --> 00:49:36,120 on earth in him at the proper time. 851 00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:40,280 And so, Lord, we thank you. We thank you for sending us 852 00:49:40,280 --> 00:49:43,760 Christ who condescended to be united with his people. 853 00:49:44,560 --> 00:49:48,120 So now as we come to this table and we take up the bread and we 854 00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:50,000 take up the wine, Lord, we remember. 855 00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:53,640 We remember Christ Jesus crucified and raised for 856 00:49:53,640 --> 00:49:55,280 sinners. We remember Christ the 857 00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:59,160 vindication of your righteousness, because in your 858 00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:04,440 mercy people asked, is he just? We look to the broken body in 859 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:07,800 the shed blood of Christ, and we say, praise God and Hallelujah. 860 00:50:08,360 --> 00:50:13,760 God is mercy and He is justice, and the two kiss upon the cross. 861 00:50:14,600 --> 00:50:16,320 Oh Lord, would you meet us at the table? 862 00:50:16,320 --> 00:50:17,800 Would you shepherd us at the table? 863 00:50:17,800 --> 00:50:21,760 Would you empower us at the table and give us joy in it? 864 00:50:21,760 --> 00:50:24,360 Lord, we ask it in Christ's name, Amen.