Joshua 3:1-8 Camping with God January 14, 2007
Jake, an avid camper and hunter, was preparing to spend a weekend camping and deer hunting. He walked down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and to his surprise he finds his wife, Alice, fully dressed in camouflage. Jake asks her, “What are you up to?” Alice smiles, “I'm going camping with you!” Well, they arrive at the camp site. Jake sets his wife safely up in the tree stand and tells her: “If you see a deer, take careful aim on it and I'll come running back as soon as I hear the shot.” Jake walks away with a smile on his face knowing that Alice has never been camping or hunting. But not 10 minutes pass when he is startled as he hears an array of gunshots. Quickly, Jake starts running back. As Jake gets closer to the camp site, he hears Alice screaming, “Get away from my deer!” Confused, Jake races faster towards his screaming wife. And again he hears her yell, “Get away form my deer!” followed by more gunshots. Now within sight of the camp site, Jake is surprised to see a cowboy, with his hands high in the air. The cowboy is yelling, “Okay, lady, okay! You can have your deer! Just let me get my saddle off it!”
How many of you enjoy camping? In my teen years, I spent many nights with friends in tents. This morning, we are continuing a series on the book of Joshua and I would like you to look at Joshua 3:1. Before the people can cross the river of Jordan, they must first camp with God. Did you know that God is calling us to camp with Him? To lodge, to spend time with, to get away and rest in His presence.
You see, Joshua and the people were about to cross into a new land filled with great challenges. The territory of Canaan had walled cities, other gods, extreme sexual immorality, violence, and child sacrifice. As the people of Israel looked at this new place, they were uncertain about how they would live there and raise their families there. You know, I know that feeling. I face the culture of Canaan today in Twenty-First century America. I wonder how I can live a clean life in a place that constantly throws temptation in my face. How do I raise my son to live a quality life when he is surrounded by cheap goods, low morals, and easy violence? How do take the high road in my life when all around me I see people walking the low road?
Are these questions ever in your mind? I saw a bumper sticker which read—If you are not outraged, then you are not paying attention. It is true. If you open your eyes and pay attention, then you will be outraged by what you see in our nation today. I know that so many of you want a better life than you see most people living today. You want more for your kids than the low life which is being pushed upon our young people. I know that many of you come here to this church and are involved in what we do here because you are dissatisfied with where you find yourself in the midst of a messed up society. Like Joshua and the Israelites, we look across river at the community we see there and we are shocked, saddened, and dismayed.
But God has an answer for us. God is leading us to cross the River and take our lives and the community back. Such a task seems impossible. The people of Israel stood at the Jordan River’s edge in the spring time when the waters were at full flood. It was an impossible time to cross the river. Taking back our lives and communities is also impossible. It cannot be done….. unless God opens the waters.
So before we can do this work of God, before we can even think of crossing this impossible river, we must first have God work in us, in our own hearts and lives. Before our church and community can experience change, we must change. You know, all this work of change is ultimately very simple. I read a book this past year on Christian Growth and the title says it all—“All You Have to Do Is Die.” We must go down into this Jordan River and die.
You see, the Jordan River is a unique geologic formation. It is part of a rift valley that is the lowest point on earth descending into the Dead Sea. The Hebrew word—Yarden—means “the descender.” No other river has more Biblical allusions. In Christian hymns and in preaching, crossing the Jordan often symbolizes our transition from death into the next life. If you want to experience the new life of God in your life, then there is a place of going down into the river to die. We die to our pride. We die to our sin. We die to a false religiosity. We die to our self.
Sadly, so many good, Christian people resist this going down into the Jordan. In the next months, as we undertake the Natural Church Development process, we will discover some short-comings in our church life. Some of us may find it hard to see these ideas. One of the areas examined is worship. I have heard of pastors who cannot handle the news from NCD that something is falling short in their worship hour. So I am preparing myself spiritually for what I need to hear and what I need to change. You see, going down into the Jordan will be hard. The great military General Namaan in the book of II Kings 5:10 was told to go down to the Jordan and immerse himself seven times to find healing for his leprosy. He was resistant. Were there not other rivers, better rivers than the muddy old Jordan? Namaan was furious and refused to hear what Elisha told him. And he almost missed the great healing God had for him. Listen, so many good, Christian people are missing what God has for them because they will not hear of their own short-comings. So many churches are missing the blessings God has for them because they will not hear of a new way forward. What finally convinced Namaan to go into the river? Desperation and a humbled spirit. Listen. Namaan finally wanted healing so badly that he would do whatever he had to do. Not once. Not twice. But seven times he would die to his great military pride. And he was healed. Let me ask you, what is keeping you from going down into the Jordan River to find new life? Are you willing to do whatever it takes—once, twice, seven times—to discover the full life of God?
Well, let me tell you a step that will help you on this journey. We need to first camp with God before we cross this river. Look at Joshua 3:1….Before we can ever cross this river into a new land to face the many challenges, we will first camp, lodge, rest with God. This word lodge or camp in Joshua means to stop and stay for a length of time. The people stayed there three days. When the Holy Spirit is about to do something new and fresh in our lives, the greatest need we have is to lodge, to camp, to wait. When Jesus left his disciples to return to His Father, he told them to go and makes disciples of the entire world. But first, he told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. So they waited in the Upper Room for ten days. We also need time to be patient, to pray, to fast, to worship, to repent, to hear the Word, to be made ready to cross the river. When Joshua and the people arrived at the river’s edge and looked across at the walled city of Jericho, at the false gods who demanded child sacrifice, they needed time to lodge with God.
So where is your life these days? Are you dry after crossing the desert wilderness for so long? Are you eager to cross the river into a new land? That’s good. But before you cross the river, your first responsibility is to stop, camp, and be with God. Oh, I know some of us are in a hurry. We need to stop and be with God. Others of us are uncertain. You do not know if you are ready to cross and go with God into the future. That is okay. Stop here and camp with God. Wait with God by the river. The way forward is not to be rushed. Be patient. Arrange some time in your schedule to spend some time in prayer and in God’s Word. Lodge with God and you will find your way forward.
This week, as you pray, ask yourself these questions. What are the false gods in your life that will need overthrowing? And what do you need to do to spend some time camping with God in His Holy presence? If you will do these two things, God will prepare you and all of us to cross this river, find new life, and take our community back. Amen.