SundaySermon - Prince - Follow the Ark

 Follow the Ark

The people of Israel were crossing over to the promised land after their wilderness journey. There were specific instructions for this crossing over. The crossing over required overcoming a flooding river Jordan. 

Verse: Joshua 3:1-3,13,17

1 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove[a] and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. 

2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, 

3 giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them

13 The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”

17 Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

Ark - Meeting place

How does this translate to our lives? Our life does have some mountains and some rivers. And we need to be careful to follow God's instructions to overcome this. This transfer of instructions happens in the presence of God. Moses was asked to meet with God while he was guiding the people of Israel.

Verse: Exodus 25:22

22 There I will meet with you, and from above is the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I wll speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel

This meeting point (prayer) is not a place of asking and receiving. This meeting place is a place of intimacy. When you are in prayer, God will speak to you and we are to listen.

Verse: Revelation 3:20

Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.  

In this communion (meeting place or prayer), we discover who God is. 

Ark - Place of Repentance

When the priest approached the ark, he had to purify himself. 

Verse: Leviticus 9:2

2 He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD

When you have confessed your sin, God will cover you with his forgiveness 

Verse: Genesis 3:21

21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

Confession requires that the hurting and sinful part of us, is exposed before God. And because we all have areas that we want to hide this could be very difficult. We need to come to the point of dying or burning (Burnt offering or Worship). It is only after this, will we be clothed by God Himself.

There was a woman who was forgiven of her many sins. Her worship was the inside change which overflowed into action. She broke the alabaster jar before Jesus

Verse: Luke 7:37-38

37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 

38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. 

Ark - Glory of God

The Glory of God is terrifying to the enemy. His enemies scatter at the glory of God. 

Verse: Numbers 10:35,36

 35 And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would shout, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!” 

36 And when the Ark was set down, he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel!”

Often times when we don't see glory of God, the things we see, terrify us. The only way the glory of God is with us