SERMON NOTES

The first Sunday of a new year often carries a unique weight. A new calendar has begun, but expectations, uncertainties, and unanswered questions often walk with us into it. Stepping into a new year is rarely accidental—it is a decision, whether made with confidence or caution.

Stepping into something always sounds manageable at first. What begins as a simple “yes” can become an unexpected responsibility. What seems temporary can become transformational. That is because stepping forward eventually asks something of us.

As we step into a new year, the invitation from God is not to stand still or wait for clarity before moving, but to trust Him enough to take the next step.

Stepping Before Understanding

The story of Joshua and the Israelites at the Jordan River captures this moment clearly. Behind them was what they had survived. Ahead of them was what God had promised. Between them and the promise stood an obstacle.

Joshua 3:8–13 (NLT) records God’s instruction to the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant: they were to step into the river first. Only once their feet touched the water would the river stop flowing and make a way forward.

The water did not move first—the feet did. This reveals a foundational truth: God does not part waters for spectators. He parts waters for participants. Faith does not wait for conditions to change; faith moves first and allows God to change the conditions. Obedience creates movement where intention alone cannot.

When Obedience Matters More Than Conditions

This pattern appears again in the ministry of Jesus. In John 5, Jesus encounters a man who had been lame for 38 years, waiting beside the pool of Bethesda. The belief was that healing would come when the water stirred, yet Jesus healed the man without the water ever moving.

The miracle was not found in waiting for the right moment, but in responding to Jesus’ command.

Sometimes waiting looks spiritual, but it can still be stagnant. The miracle is often not in the movement of circumstances, but in the movement of obedience.

At the start of a new year, many people stand beside potential, waiting for life to change first. God’s invitation is to step forward, even when clarity is incomplete.

Carry What Creates the Opening

The priests did not step into the Jordan empty-handed. They carried the Ark of the Covenant—the visible symbol of God’s presence.

Joshua 3:13 makes it clear that the river responded not to confidence or strength, but to what they carried. Throughout Scripture, God’s presence always precedes breakthrough. Moses understood this when he declared in Exodus 33:15, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Progress without presence leads to misdirected movement.

What we carry determines what opens. Just as secure doors open only to the right access, spiritual breakthroughs respond to the presence of God rather than human determination.

Crossing Is Not Enough—Claiming Matters

After the people crossed the Jordan, God instructed Joshua to pause and gather twelve stones from the riverbed.

Joshua 4:1–3 explains that these stones were to be carried forward and set up as a memorial. The stones were not souvenirs; they were markers of inheritance. Crossing without claiming leads to forgetting. Claiming, however, establishes testimony.

Joshua explained that future generations would ask about these stones, and the story of God’s faithfulness would be passed on (Joshua 4:6–7). Claiming God’s promises is never just personal—it is generational.

Unclaimed promises leave gaps that future generations inherit as uncertainty. Claimed promises become landmarks that build faith, authority, and confidence. Crossings are moments, but claims become lifestyles.

Remembering What Has Already Been Won

For believers, Communion serves as a sacred reminder and declaration. Just as the stones marked what Israel had crossed, Communion marks what has already been claimed through Christ.

The bread remembers His broken body. The cup remembers His poured-out blood. Communion is not ritual alone—it is a declaration that what Jesus purchased now belongs to us by faith.

Each act of remembrance becomes a stake in the ground, affirming that God’s promises are not distant stories but present realities.

Stepping Into the Year Ahead

This year is not about standing on the banks waiting for the water to move. It is about stepping forward in faith, carrying God’s presence, and boldly claiming what He has prepared.

Stepping into obedience, stepping into promise, and stepping into inheritance creates a legacy for those who follow. The same God who parted the Jordan, healed the broken, and conquered sin through the cross continues to walk with His people today. The invitation remains simple and challenging: Step into it.