The Secret of Walking Through the Impossible | Jonathan Cahn Sermon
The Secret to Walking Through the Impossible: Embracing the Power to Cross Over
Every follower of Christ encounters moments where the path ahead seems impassable. Whether these obstacles appear as physical challenges, spiritual battles, or emotional struggles, we often face seasons where the way forward looks impossible. Yet, throughout Scripture, God reveals that His people possess a unique power—the ability to cross through what cannot be crossed on their own. This ability is not just a story from ancient times, but a living reality for every believer today.
Understanding the Hebrew Call to “Cross Over”
At the heart of the biblical journey is the concept of the “Hebrew”—not simply as an ethnic identity, but as a spiritual destiny. The word itself comes from a root meaning “to cross over.” Abraham, the first Hebrew, was called by God to leave his past behind and step into a new land—a journey that required crossing a river, moving from familiarity into promise. The Israelites would later repeat this same act, leaving Egypt’s bondage behind, crossing through the mighty waters of the Red Sea, and later the Jordan River, to step into the freedom and destiny God had prepared for them.
The Journey from Slavery to Freedom
The journey of God’s people is always one of transition—from darkness to light, oppression to liberation, death to life. Each crossing was a physical act that mirrored a deeper spiritual truth. When the Israelites left Egypt, they stood before the Red Sea, blocked by impossibility with no solution in sight. Yet God parted the waters, proving that what is impossible for man is possible with Him.
Every believer faces their own “Red Seas” of struggle, be it addiction, broken relationships, hopelessness, or fear. God has provided the same power that parted the Red Sea to all who are in Christ. The identity of the believer is rooted in this calling: to step forward, even when the solution isn’t visible, trusting that God will make a way.
The Jordan River: The Place Where Everything Changes
Scripture marks a second, crucial crossing—the Jordan River. For the Israelites, this was not only the boundary between wilderness and promise but also the dividing line between the old life and the new. The Jordan River features time and again as a symbol of spiritual transformation.
It’s at the Jordan that Jesus began His ministry. John the Baptist baptized Him there: Jesus went down into the river—a sign of death—and rose up—a sign of resurrection. Christ’s act was a foreshadow of the ultimate crossing over that He would accomplish through His death and resurrection. By passing through the waters, Jesus identified with the story of all who would follow Him, marking the beginning of a new spiritual life.
Baptism: Joining Messiah in the Power to Overcome
For those who are born again, baptism is more than a ritual. It’s a declaration: through the waters, believers identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is in this act we join the Messiah in crossing from death into life, from past bondage into new freedom. The waters of baptism symbolize the Jordan—a leaving behind of what was, and a stepping into all God has promised.
This spiritual crossing is greater than geography or ancestry. Whether you are young or old, from any background or nation, by faith in Messiah, you become a spiritual “Hebrew”—one who crosses over. Baptism marks our identity as members of God’s people, empowered to leave behind old ways, old wounds, and walk into a radically new existence.
The Ongoing Call to “Cross Over” Daily
Crossing over is not limited to a single event. Just as the Israelites faced new obstacles after each miracle, the believer must live in a continual posture of trusting God for the next breakthrough. The Red Sea was not the last challenge; the Jordan River awaited, and the walls of Jericho needed to fall.
In our Christian journey, “Red Seas” and “Jordans” represent ongoing struggles. These might be relational barriers, inner doubts, persistent sin, or realms of spiritual opposition. Yet God’s promise stands: your identity as one who crosses over equips you to break through any wall and overcome every obstacle, not in your strength but in His.
Experiencing the Power of Breakthrough
God’s pattern is clear—He brings His people to the point of impossibility, not to defeat them, but to display His might. Remember when the Israelites arrived at the Red Sea? Human logic saw no way out. But God intervened, dividing the sea, allowing His children to walk forward on dry land. The same principle applied at the Jordan River: the waters parted only after the priests took a step of faith into the flow.
Faith requires movement. Many of the obstacles in our lives won’t yield until we step forward in obedience, believing God’s promise above what our eyes can see. It’s in the stepping that rivers part, chains break, and new doors open. God never calls us to rely on sight, but on His faithfulness.
The Spiritual Inheritance of Every Believer
So who are you in God’s eyes? If you belong to Christ, you are a spiritual descendant of Abraham, a Hebrew—a “crosser-over.” Like the Israelites, you are called to leave Egypt (sin, bondage, your past). You are an overcomer, equipped with the authority to leave behind what once ensnared you and to break through every barrier that stands in the way of your God-given destiny.
This means no circumstance, no addiction, no generational pattern, no depth of sin or shame, need hold you back. The God who divided the Red Sea and parted the Jordan has given you the same power—the power of Messiah’s resurrection.
Facing Your “Egypt” and “Red Sea”
Every believer
