1

God Who Made the Jordan River Crossable by Land

2

Bible verse : Joshua 3:17 (NIV)

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD
stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,
while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing
on dry ground.

3

Moses, the great leader of Israel, climbed to the top of Mount Pisgah.
It is a place overlooking the land of Canaan where the Israelites will enter. Moses saw Canaan as God said, but he could not enter the land and died at the age of 120 when God called him to do so.
[Deuteronomy 3:27] Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan.

4

Before his death, Moses laid his hands on Joshua according to God's word and chose him as the next leader to succeed him. God filled Joshua with wisdom.
And God promised to be with Joshua until the end.
[Joshua 1:9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

5

Joshua led the people and arrived at the Jordan River, the entrance to Canaan.
They camped there before crossing the river. On the third day after camp, the leaders spoke to the people. “You will see the priests and Levites carrying the ark of the covenant of God.” Then, keep your distance and follow.
“You will take a path you have never taken before.”

6

Joshua said to the people: “Sanctify yourselves for Jehovah.
“Tomorrow God will do wonders for you.” Joshua continued to speak to the priests.
“Carry the Ark of the Covenant and cross the river in front of the people.”

7

The priests set out carrying the Ark of the Covenant in front of the people.
Then Jehovah God spoke to Joshua. “From today on, I will make you great before all Israel. Then the people will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. Speak to the priests who carry the ark of the covenant.
When they reach the Jordan River, tell them to get into the middle of the water.”.

8

Joshua again told the people what God would do. “You will know that the living God will be with you to drive out all the nations in the land of Canaan. When the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord touch the water, the river will stop flowing and the water will stop flowing.
“The water will stop there and accumulate, as if it were blocked by a dam.”

9

After hearing Joshua’s words, the Israelites set out to cross the Jordan River.
The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead. When the Israelites tried to cross the Jordan River, it was harvest season with lots of rain, so a lot of water was flowing between the banks of the Jordan River.

10

The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God arrived at the bank of a flowing river full of water. They fearlessly put their feet into the water, relying on God's word. At that very moment, an incredible miracle occurred.
The water that filled the river stopped flowing.

11

Moreover, the water no longer flowed, but piled up on the banks of the river.
The river that had just been full of water no longer flowed. The lower part of the river, where the water was no longer cloudy, quickly turned into dry land.

12

The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of God stood in the middle of the river. The Israelites began to cross the Jordan River, stepping on dry land created by God's miracle. God held the water safely and prevented them from coming down until all the people had crossed the river.

13

After all the people had crossed the dry bed of the Jordan River, Joshua told them to select one person from each tribe and gave them orders. “Go to the middle of the river where the Ark of the Covenant is, find a large stone for each tribe, and place it in the middle of each tribe’s camp. One day, your children will ask, 'Why are these stones here?' “Tell your children that the Jordan River has stopped flowing.”
The representatives of the twelve tribes did as Joshua had said, taking one large stone from where the priest was standing and placing it in the center where they had slept that night.

14

Joshua also provided evidence of God's miracle of allowing people to cross the Jordan River by land. He took twelve stones and placed them in the middle of the river where his priests were carrying the ark of the covenant of God.
He used these stones as evidence of God's miracle of allowing him to cross the Jordan River on land.

15

After all this was done, Joshua told the priests standing in the middle of the river to come out of the river. The moment the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant came out of the river and stepped on dry land, the river water that had accumulated between the banks flowed out and turned into a river full of water like before.

16

After crossing the Jordan River on dry land, the Israelites camped east of Jericho, the first city of Canaan. Joshua gathered stones from each tribe in the middle of the Jordan River and built them at Gilgal.
And he emphasized it again to the people.
“In the future, when your children ask their father, ‘What are these stones?’
you will tell them, ‘The Lord your God stopped the river from flowing, and it stayed dry until Israel had crossed over.
The Lord did the same thing at the Jordan River as he did at the Red Sea.
The Lord did this so that everyone on earth would know that the Lord has great power.
It is also so that you can always serve Jehovah God.”

17

On that day, the Israelites directly experienced and realized how amazing miracles would occur if they obeyed God’s word. We learned what happened then through the Word. God has granted us faith in Jesus and made us his children.
God, our Father, created the entire universe and rules over all that he created. Those who obey God's word, as Joshua and the Israelites did, will experience miracles. Even great difficulties, such as the Jordan River, which seem impossible to us, can be overcome miraculously by those who obey the word of God.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)