1 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:09,840 If you have a Bible, you can open it to the Old Testament 2 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,600 book of Joshua will be in chapter 2 this morning and just 3 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:14,760 hold it. We're not going to look at it 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,240 quite yet. I'll start with a question, a 5 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:21,600 real time question for me, but I'm thinking this through in my 6 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,040 life. How many of you are done with 7 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,800 your Christmas shopping? Is that probably a 5050 split? 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,040 Some of you got done in July and some of you won't get done until 9 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:32,439 December 24th. No doubt. 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,600 And then there is the spectrum that exists in all things. 11 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:40,840 As I think about that question, I always think of my my 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,960 childhood years. And there was one gift my mom 13 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,800 wanted every year, especially as her kids got older. 14 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:51,720 And it was simply, I want my kids to get along. 15 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,680 It's all I want. It probably would have been 16 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,320 easier had she just asked for something from a store so I 17 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,440 could just buy it, give it to her, and move on with my life. 18 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,280 It was hard. It's still hard to give someone 19 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,400 the gift of peace. That's what she was essentially 20 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,160 asking for. A mother who had children who 21 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,920 were at odds. Like all children are just 22 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,000 wanted a moment of peace for her life. 23 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,920 Some of you mothers can relate to that. 24 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,160 Now I just want my life to be at peace. 25 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,000 And it is one of the aims of this season. 26 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,720 In fact, as a challenge, just listen how often the theme or 27 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,840 even the word peace comes up in the Christmas songs. 28 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,400 It is a desire of all people that someday there would be 29 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,440 World Peace. And yet year after year after 30 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,920 year, it is still on the list of things that would be nice to 31 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,800 have that are so often hard to get. 32 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,560 I bring that up because it is the third week of Advent. 33 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:57,080 It is the week where we will look at a story of one of God's 34 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,480 people that represents the peace of God. 35 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,040 And Jesus says, I give you peace, not like the world gives. 36 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:07,440 This is this is different kind of piece than just a momentary 37 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,680 time for kids to get along or a little ease on a vacation. 38 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,440 We're going to look at life transforming peace today and 39 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:20,280 we're going to do that in one of if not the most surprising 40 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:25,080 characters, the most surprising name on the list of the 41 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,560 genealogical record of the Messiah. 42 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,680 Remember the the foundational passage of Scripture for our 43 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,960 time in Advent is Matthew chapter 1. 44 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:40,280 The Gospel of Matthew starts by giving genealogical proof that 45 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:45,960 Jesus fulfills the requirements of Messiah, Abraham, David on 46 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,440 down the line. And we have been taking some 47 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,080 surprising names from the list. Some people that you wouldn't 48 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,000 necessarily think would be honored as Direct Line of the 49 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,880 descending king. And there is no more surprising 50 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:05,440 name on the list than Rahab. This is what it says in Matthew 51 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:12,880 chapter one verse 5 and Solomon begot Boaz by Rahab. 52 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,360 So remember all last week we looked at the surprising person 53 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:20,200 of Ruth the Moabitus who came from the outside of Israel and 54 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,880 was brought in to become the grandmother of Jesse who became 55 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:30,760 the father of King David. Well, Ruth married Boaz and Boaz 56 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:37,040 was the son of a woman named Rahab, and it is Rahab's life 57 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,560 that we will look at as a picture of radical, 58 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,120 transformational and surprising piece. 59 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,800 For those of you who don't know, Rahab is often thought of as 60 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,080 Rahab the harlot. It will come up in today's 61 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,720 reading. She's mentioned in the Hall of 62 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:59,560 Faith Hebrews Chapter 11 says Rahab the harlot by faith. 63 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:04,440 So today we are looking at the life of a harlot as Bible speak 64 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:09,120 for prostitute and I don't know if any of you have a direct 65 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,440 reference point to that life. I met some women during first 66 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,360 service who had this message speak to them in real time. 67 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,440 But I don't think it takes a huge imagination or real life 68 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:22,920 experience to know that being a prostitute is probably the 69 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:27,920 farthest away you could get from a lifestyle of peace. 70 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:32,440 This is a, a tormenting lifestyle just in your physical 71 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,560 life. It's tormenting in the dangers 72 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,560 that you have to deal with and it torments your soul to have to 73 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,240 go through that. And yet we will look at the 74 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:46,040 person of Rahab as the hope that any one of us can have that God 75 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,760 can take any life. God can work in any 76 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:52,520 circumstance. God can take any part of your 77 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,920 past, your present, and your future, and He can give you 78 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,480 surpassing peace that will go beyond your understanding. 79 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,320 So I want all of you to listen. Some of you need to listen to be 80 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:06,800 encouraged for something you're going through right now. 81 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,720 And I just want you to have ears to hear that. 82 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:16,120 Yes, you can have peace. Joshua chapter 2. 83 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,000 We'll we'll do a fly over much like we did in the story of 84 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,200 Ruth. We're going to look at by the 85 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:26,200 largest text of scripture, the account given to us in Joshua 86 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:29,480 chapter 2 of Ruth's life. There are other areas that will 87 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:33,120 kind of sum up her story, but her story can really be captured 88 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,800 in Joshua chapter 2. The scenes is set up in verse 89 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,160 one. Here is our backdrop now. 90 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,560 Joshua, the son of nuns, sent out two men from Acacia Grove to 91 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:48,480 spy secretly saying go view the land, especially Jericho. 92 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,400 So they went and came to the House of the harlot named Rahab 93 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:57,080 and lodged there. So the story is resuming where 94 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:01,720 Moses left off. Just say a very quick preview of 95 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,280 where we're coming from and the story of God's people. 96 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,000 So far, Moses has set the people free. 97 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,120 They've crossed the Red Sea, they've gone into the 98 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,520 wilderness, going into the promised land. 99 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,280 And because of the lack of faith of the generation that was set 100 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:18,840 free from slavery, Moses and that generation die in the 101 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:21,880 wilderness. Moses leadership is inherited by 102 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,840 Joshua son of Nun and he is going to very quickly after 103 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,560 taking over as the leader of the the nation of Israel. 104 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:31,920 He's going to send spies into the land. 105 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:36,080 The into the land means the promised land, the land beyond 106 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,480 the Jordan River, the land that Moses was walking towards but 107 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,000 never made it. He's going to send spies in. 108 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,760 And notice it says, especially Jericho, there's something 109 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:49,440 happening in Jericho that these spies needed to take special 110 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:51,640 note of. And so they go in. 111 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,960 And a spy, being shrewd, is looking for a good place to take 112 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:57,480 cover and not make a lot of noise. 113 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:02,440 So maybe by just mere convenience, maybe by part of 114 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:07,240 the plan, what better place to find some anonymous lodging than 115 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,640 the House of a harlot? So they find themselves at the 116 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,920 House of a harlot named Rahab taking cover to spy out the 117 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:17,560 land. The story now picks up and, and, 118 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,760 and starts to take let's say if there a a movie, a reference 119 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:23,960 point would almost be like a James Bond moment. 120 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:25,280 This is where the action is going to start. 121 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:27,440 It didn't take long. It's only going to take one 122 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,880 verse before we find out that their cover wasn't very good. 123 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:35,200 And the king ruling over Jericho has gotten word that there are 124 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,240 spies from the other side of the Jordan in their land and he 125 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:40,160 actually knows exactly where they are. 126 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,120 He says in verse 2. And it was told the king of 127 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,200 Jericho saying, behold, men have come here tonight from the 128 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,800 children of Israel to search out the country. 129 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:54,320 That's Bible speak for to do some military reconnaissance to 130 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:59,720 to make plans to engage in warfare to spy out our land. 131 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,880 So the king in in the defensive nature that would you would have 132 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,800 if you found out someone was spying your land to make war 133 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,240 says in verse 3. So the king of Jericho sent to 134 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,520 Rahab saying, bring out the men who have come to you who have 135 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,200 entered your house, for they have come to search out all the 136 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,400 country. So he's got Intel. 137 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:22,880 He knows where the spies are out. 138 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:26,680 He gives a word to Rahab. She now under his authority, is 139 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:30,280 being commanded to turn over the enemy of the state. 140 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,600 And this is where, classically, Rahab has a decision to make. 141 00:08:35,159 --> 00:08:38,559 And we are now going to see what is often considered the moral 142 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:40,840 dilemma of the Bible. One of the great moments where 143 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:45,040 the Bible presents us with something you have to do for God 144 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,440 that would seemingly go against God because Rahab is going to 145 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:55,160 make a decision to side with the spies to go against the order of 146 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:56,920 her own king. It says in verse 4. 147 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:59,440 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. 148 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:04,560 So she said to them, them being those who have requested for her 149 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:06,680 to turn over the spies to the king. 150 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,480 She says yes, the men came to me, but I didn't know where they 151 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,160 came from. I didn't know they were spies. 152 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,040 I didn't know they were from the children of Israel and it 153 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:19,120 happened verse 5, as the gate was being shut when it was dark, 154 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,760 that the men went out. Where the men went I do not 155 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,520 know. Pursue them quickly, for you may 156 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:30,000 overtake them. But the fact is everything you 157 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,040 just heard me read in verse 5 is a lie. 158 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,040 She actually does know who these men are. 159 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:39,800 She didn't see them leave. She actually, when she said they 160 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,800 went of that way, she was lying, and it says in verse 6 in the 161 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,880 parenthetical, But she had brought them up to the roof and 162 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,960 hidden them with the stalks of flax which she had laid in order 163 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,520 on the roof. Then the men pursued them, The 164 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,720 men being the King's men, The men pursued them by the road to 165 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:02,680 the Jordan and to the Fords. And as soon as those who pursued 166 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:05,040 them had gone, they shut the gate. 167 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,080 And so they listened to Rahab. They believed her. 168 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:11,360 She sent them in the wrong direction. 169 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:16,000 The spies are seemingly safe, and we have no idea why Rahab 170 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,240 was willing to do this. And so the author is now going 171 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:23,000 to give us some insight into what Rahab was thinking. 172 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,800 It says in verse 8. Now before they lay down, she 173 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:30,440 came up to them on the roof and said to them, men, I know that 174 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,520 the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has 175 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:37,000 fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land, 176 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,920 Jericho, are faint hearted because of you. 177 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:45,560 So here is what's happening. The reason that she lied was 178 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:50,200 because she is essentially changing allegiance from Jericho 179 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,240 to Israel. So if you've ever been someone 180 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,120 who has been wondering about the moral dilemma, I think it's 181 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:00,560 fairly simple. She is risking her life. 182 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:06,320 She is harboring enemies of the state and sending the King's men 183 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,640 in the wrong direction with a lie so that she can change 184 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:11,760 allegiance from Jericho to Israel. 185 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:16,160 This isn't necessarily a lie. That would be something that you 186 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:18,160 would consider. You know, the, the, the 9th 187 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,320 commandment prohibits us from, from telling grievous lies. 188 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,920 This is a lie that I would put in line with spy games. 189 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:26,560 That's essentially what she's playing. 190 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:30,960 In fact, if we think about the the, the conversation she's 191 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,480 having, she's talking to two children of Israel who are also 192 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,840 not being exactly forthright. Why? 193 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,040 Because they're spies. And when you're a spy, you have 194 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:44,120 to, in a sense, walk under the cloak of what may can be 195 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,600 considered, yes, a moral lie. They're secretly entering in. 196 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:49,360 They're not telling their true intentions. 197 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,360 They're staying at the House of a harlot because they're playing 198 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:56,200 spy games. And Rahab, in the same sense, is 199 00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:00,560 deciding to change her allegiance at risk of her own 200 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:03,400 life. That is the message of the story 201 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,080 in this moment. The message of the story is that 202 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,440 when it is time to decide who you're actually going to live 203 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:14,920 for, Rahab, king of Jericho or king of the Israelites, you may 204 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,240 have to put your life at risk and you may have to do some 205 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,480 things that would change your allegiance in radical ways. 206 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:25,400 And that is where we are going to see this story speak to us 207 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:30,040 because Rahab will, in her confession of faith, speak to 208 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,880 every single one of us about how to align yourself with God. 209 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,120 And that's why this particular moment in her conversations with 210 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:41,120 the spies, it's so worth our reading. 211 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,560 It's so worth our considering because Rahab essentially is 212 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:46,520 going to make a confession of faith. 213 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,640 So many people get caught up on what she said that wasn't true. 214 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:55,000 They miss the confession that she said that was so radical in 215 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,840 its truth. And her confession of faith, I 216 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,120 will point out, is some of the most simple theology that you 217 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:07,760 will ever hear in the Bible. And I'll, my, I'll remind you 218 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:13,240 again, Rahab is exalted in the Hall of Faith as a woman who had 219 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:17,160 incredible faith. And it was not because she had 220 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:23,240 an academic level of doctrine and theology. 221 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,160 Her theology is very simple. She never went to seminary. 222 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:27,880 She didn't grow up in Sunday school. 223 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,040 She did not have pastors and podcasts and Youtubes and all 224 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,880 the things that we love in our modern, modern version of 225 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:35,800 spirituality. They're all fine. 226 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:37,920 But I'll remind you what we studied for a year in the 227 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,920 pastoral epistles. May we not be people who zoom so 228 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,440 far into doctrine that we do more time disputing the 229 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:48,880 worshipping. Rahab has simple faith that 230 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:51,840 changed her life. That's what matters. 231 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,200 So let's look at a couple of moments of her confession that 232 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:59,040 are for all of us to measure a person of faith by first and 233 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:02,400 verse 10, it says, For we have heard how the Lord dried up the 234 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,040 water of the Red Sea. For when you came out of Egypt 235 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:10,680 and what you did to the 2 kings of the Amorites who are on the 236 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:14,000 other side of the Jordan, Sahan and Ogg, whom you utterly 237 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,360 destroyed. Of course you you know the 238 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:21,160 reference to the Red Sea as Moses was leading the children 239 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:23,880 out of slavery after the 10th plague. 240 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:28,080 Pharaoh has a change of heart and Pharaoh's armies are chasing 241 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,400 them. They get to the edge of the Red 242 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:33,520 Sea and by miracle of God the Red Sea parts they walk through 243 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,480 on Jai land and the enemies are engulfed in the waters. 244 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:44,280 This is something 40 years later that Rahab is referencing. 245 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:53,320 So somehow the amazing miracles of the God of Israel, this 246 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,640 testimony of those are spreading far and wide. 247 00:14:56,560 --> 00:15:00,360 They've they've entered into the land of Jericho and they've 248 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,560 heard about what the people of Israel have had happen in the 249 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:07,360 name of their God. And not only a a miracle from 40 250 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:13,080 years ago, but also incredible victory recently, he says, Rahab 251 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,160 says, I heard what happened to Sahan and odd. 252 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,120 These are two kings that you'll find recordings of. 253 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,120 As Moses was journeying towards the Promised Land, he often 254 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,200 times had to battle people living in the wilderness, people 255 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,200 living in the land surrounding the Promised land. 256 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:30,040 And every time the battle happened, the people of Israel 257 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:31,640 won. And Rahab heard of that. 258 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,040 So here's the incredible theology, simple yet profound, 259 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,560 that Rahab has Rahab believed in the power of God. 260 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:44,400 It's very difficult to live by faith. 261 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,440 It's very difficult to have peace in the middle of your 262 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,400 storms of life when you lose sight of the God you're actually 263 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:56,200 believing in. And This is why so much of your 264 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:01,000 faith can be summarized in what you believe about what God has 265 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,600 already done. If you're looking for a a way to 266 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,840 stir up your faith, maybe a a new place to read in the Bible, 267 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,600 start at the very beginning. Genesis chapter one verse one 268 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:12,840 says in the beginning God created the heavens and the 269 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,000 earth. The heavens declare of his 270 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,920 glory. The the earth did have a 271 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:21,000 beginning. The universe did not pop out of 272 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,360 thin air. It was spoken into existence by 273 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,640 the God we worshipped today. And This is why it is worth our 274 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:31,240 time week by week to look back in this ancient text that we 275 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:35,400 study and remember all of the things that God has done to show 276 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:40,360 himself miraculous and powerful. She heard of the miracle of the 277 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,640 Red Sea. She heard of the power to defeat 278 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:46,640 kings, to uproot them. And so when a king comes to her 279 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,880 and says, you better turn over the enemies of the state, she's 280 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:54,200 like, you are going to die. The people that the God that 281 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,160 these people serve, he defeats kings just like you. 282 00:16:57,600 --> 00:16:59,360 She believed in the power of God. 283 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:05,839 We would do well to believe in the power of God. 284 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:11,400 So why every time we gather, we make it a point to remember that 285 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:16,040 the pinnacle of our faith is a moment in history when Jesus 286 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,240 Christ rose from the grave. You worshipped a God this 287 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,599 morning that has power over sin and death. 288 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,079 And the same spirit that was raising Christ from the grave 289 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:30,680 now abides in you. And He was in you is greater 290 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,760 than He is in the world. Rahab's theology believed in a 291 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:38,040 powerful God and for that she had faith that changed the 292 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:45,760 course of her life. Look what else she had in in 293 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,200 chapter 2 verse 11. Not only did she know the power 294 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:52,600 of God, she also says this. As soon as we heard these 295 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,800 things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any 296 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,520 more courage in anyone because of you. 297 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:05,040 For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth 298 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,240 beneath. This is from a Pagan culture. 299 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,640 This is a radical declaration that the God of Israel is the 300 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:16,560 Supreme God. It was not uncommon to believe 301 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,440 in deities that had domain over certain parts of the world or 302 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,080 certain powers of the world. But what Rahab is saying is 303 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:26,680 yours is the God of gods, the King of kings, the Lord of 304 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:29,320 Lords. And because she had a knowledge 305 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:34,680 of that, because she knew of what God had done, she gives 306 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,000 this incredible report in Jericho. 307 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,240 People are afraid of your God. Their hearts are melted. 308 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,960 We have no strength of courage. Now, I want you to just hold 309 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,120 that report that Rahab is giving on behalf of the entire city of 310 00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:50,960 Jericho. We're afraid of your God. 311 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,600 And contrast that to what happened earlier in the story of 312 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:59,600 the nation of Israel. Joshua was not the first leader 313 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:01,720 of Israel to send spies into the land. 314 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:05,400 You'll remember that Moses also spent sent spies. 315 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:10,120 He sent 12 spies and 10 out of the 12 came back from a report 316 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:15,320 after seeing Jericho and they told Moses we're dead. 317 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:18,800 We're like grasshoppers in their sight. 318 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,240 We have no strength and no courage. 319 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:26,160 Don't send us in. The people that Moses sent 320 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:31,640 represented the fear of man. The fear of man is when you give 321 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:37,040 the inappropriate authority to people in your life. 322 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,560 You declare that people are more powerful and more strong and 323 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,080 more authoritative over your life than they actually are. 324 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:44,760 That's what causes the fear of man. 325 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,440 But contrast that with Rahab. Do you know what she had? 326 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:55,200 She had the fear of God. Where the fear of man gives 327 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:58,440 inappropriate power to people, the fear of God gives 328 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:01,240 appropriate power and authority to God. 329 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:06,320 And because she had the fear of God, she was willing to 330 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:11,080 completely risk her life to align with God, because she 331 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,240 realized that God is powerful and His authority is real. 332 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:16,080 And her heart was melted before him. 333 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:21,640 Look what it says in Proverbs chapter 14. 334 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:28,280 In the fear of the Lord, there's actually strong confidence. 335 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,640 You ever wonder how Rahab had the courage to reject the 336 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:35,280 command of the king of her land who could have killed her 337 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:36,880 because she had the fear of the Lord? 338 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,240 She had confidence that was not in the king of Jericho, but in 339 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,400 the in the Lord. It goes on to say his children 340 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,040 will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a 341 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:52,120 fountain of life to turn 1 away from the snares of death. 342 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,920 When you truly begin to fear God, the Proverbs say it's the 343 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,440 beginning of wisdom because now you're actually willing to do 344 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:04,560 whatever He tells you to do. When you have the fear of man, 345 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,560 you live under their authority, doing whatever they tell you to 346 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,320 do. But when you have the fear of 347 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:16,440 God, you're willing to align your whole life by faith under 348 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:21,160 His order. And the fear of God, it says, is 349 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:23,760 a refuge. The fear of God is a strength to 350 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:25,720 your life. The fear of God is confidence. 351 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:30,000 The fear of God saves you from your soul being trapped by 352 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,080 death, which means the fear of God is not meant to cripple you. 353 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:37,120 That's the fear of the world. The fear of man cripples you. 354 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:40,280 The fear of God blesses your life. 355 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:45,320 When you align yourself with God as the in the with the proper 356 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:47,920 authority of your life, your life becomes blessed. 357 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,880 And this is the progression of Rahab's theology. 358 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:55,280 She had a theology of the power of God that turned into the fear 359 00:21:55,280 --> 00:22:01,440 of God and this turns into Rahab believing in the grace and mercy 360 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,480 of God. She then says to the spies, now 361 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:08,840 therefore I beg you swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown 362 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,600 you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's 363 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:16,000 house and give me a true token. Make a deal with me. 364 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,160 I, I've cared for you, you care for me. 365 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:23,280 Show me kindness. I fear your God. 366 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:25,280 I know the land already belongs to him. 367 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:31,880 Please give me mercy, not only mercy for herself, but she also 368 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:36,880 says, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters 369 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:42,920 and all that they have and deliver our lives from death. 370 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:50,360 There is such a such a simple and yet profound moment in your 371 00:22:50,360 --> 00:22:54,360 life and you'd be shocked how many people miss this moment, 372 00:22:55,120 --> 00:23:00,720 which is very simply the realization that you need a 373 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:05,000 savior. The realization that apart from 374 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:10,440 God showing you grace and mercy, you and the people you love are 375 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,560 doomed. I love being a preacher. 376 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,800 I get to share the gospel. The gospel makes no sense until 377 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:22,520 you realize apart from God's grace and mercy in our lives, we 378 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,640 are doomed. There is nothing you can do to 379 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:30,000 save yourself, to reform your life, to somehow bargain your 380 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:34,560 way out of the due penalty of the decisions you make in your 381 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,400 life that eventually turn into spiritual death and physical 382 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,160 death. We are doomed apart from the 383 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:44,760 grace of God. Psalm chapter 33 says, behold, 384 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,800 the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him and on those who 385 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:53,960 hope in his mercy. And I love that Rahab. 386 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,360 Just what a beautiful picture of a woman who had St. smarts. 387 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,640 She sent the the King's messengers the wrong way. 388 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:04,280 She's she's understood all these reports of the God of the 389 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:07,200 children of Israel are true. She's now begging for their 390 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:08,640 mercy. And then she says, and can I 391 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:10,240 make a deal for my family as well. 392 00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:13,160 There's something powerful about family evangelism. 393 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,800 Lord, I need your mercy and I need your grace and can I bring 394 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:19,720 my child? Can I bring my mother, Can I 395 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:21,800 bring my sister, Can I bring my father? 396 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:28,200 There are people that God has given you as messengers of his 397 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,920 mercy and messengers of his grace. 398 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:34,920 I think some of the best evangelism is in the world is a 399 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:39,480 mother praying for her lost son, for a wife praying for their 400 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:45,320 hardened husband, for a a person within a household saying Lord, 401 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:47,640 not just for me, but for the people I love. 402 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:55,920 And so now the story will turn into a beautiful picture of the 403 00:24:55,920 --> 00:25:00,320 grace of God. The men reply as God replies 404 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:04,560 when you cry out for mercy, when his power turns into the fear, 405 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:06,560 turns into the plea for salvation. 406 00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:11,080 The men answer our lives for yours, if none of you tell the 407 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:13,840 business of ours. And it shall be when the Lord 408 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:19,040 gives us the land, we will deal kindly and truly with you. 409 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:26,280 Mercy, grace, kindness. And so there is now an assisted 410 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,480 getaway where Rahab is going to help them escape as part of the 411 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,720 deal. Joshua chapter 2, verse 15, it 412 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,600 says then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her 413 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:40,000 house was on the city wall. She dwelt on the wall and she 414 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,760 said to them, get to the mountains lest the pursuers meet 415 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:44,600 you. Hide there for three days until 416 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,760 the pursuers have returned. Afterward you're free. 417 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:51,640 Go your way. And so the men said to her, We 418 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,520 will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us 419 00:25:54,520 --> 00:26:00,040 swear, unless we come into the land and you bind this line of 420 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,360 scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down. 421 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:07,520 And unless you bring your father, your mother, your 422 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,800 brothers, and all of your father's households to your own 423 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:13,840 home. So it shall be that whoever goes 424 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,560 outside the doors of your house into the street, blood on their 425 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:18,800 own heads, and they'll be and will be guiltless. 426 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:23,480 That's not our fault. But whosoever is with you in 427 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:29,560 this house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on 428 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:34,960 him. Many people rightfully point out 429 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,800 that Joshua, that the book of Joshua, the person of Joshua, is 430 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:44,560 a type of Christ. That just as Joshua took the 431 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:49,800 promised land by faith, the walls come down South. 432 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:54,840 Jesus enters, helps us enter into the promised land, that the 433 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,120 Holy of holies, the heavenly place. 434 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:02,520 And there is now a type of the salvation that Christ offers 435 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,960 through the story of Joshua in the picture of Rahab. 436 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:13,760 The only hope that Rahab has is that her house is marked by the 437 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:16,400 scarlet rope, the red rope that hung down from the window that 438 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,280 they escaped from. They said, leave this rope here 439 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:22,280 and we will have a marker that your house is marked by the 440 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,800 mercy of God. And they said, here's the deal, 441 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,280 though it's not our fault. Anyone who's not in the house, 442 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:33,320 we cannot help them. The only hope that you and all 443 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,880 of the household and anyone that you invite in has is to stand in 444 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,800 the household marked by the scarlet thread. 445 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:45,240 Whosoever comes will be saved. Whosoever doesn't will be 446 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,920 destroyed. This is the gospel of grace and 447 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,400 the banner of God's grace that you sing your songs under this 448 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,400 morning. This is the reminder that Jesus 449 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,960 comes onto the scene to fulfill the picture of God's peace 450 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,200 offering to the world. He says I am the way, the truth, 451 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:04,480 and the life. No man comes to the Father 452 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,760 except by me. There is no Pagan God that would 453 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:11,400 have saved Rahab. There was no hospital or school 454 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,560 or institute of academia or other religious offering that 455 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,000 Rahab could have done. Her one hope was to come to the 456 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:18,960 household marked by the grace of God. 457 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:25,680 And it is our only hope as well, that under the grace of God 458 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:29,040 revealed through the person of Jesus, the scarlet rope being 459 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:32,800 the blood of Christ. Anyone who stands under the 460 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:37,680 blood of Christ, believing that, whoever believes that God sent 461 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,800 His Son into the world, that none would perish, but all would 462 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,640 have life, you will be saved. That is the answer. 463 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:47,200 And don't you love the picture? Because not only is the scarlet 464 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,720 rope a picture of the cross of Christ, Rahab is the picture of 465 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:56,080 the sinners that qualify. It says that the rope comes out 466 00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:03,160 of a House of harlotry that was literally built on the wall. 467 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:05,960 You can't get more fringe than the wall of a city. 468 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:11,000 You can't get more unrighteous than the House of a harlot. 469 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:16,720 And it would be that one single household that would be marked 470 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:20,720 by the grace of God. And for this reason, it becomes 471 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:25,040 clear that this was in fact the mission of the spies. 472 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,120 If you think about it, the the story will end, the chapter will 473 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:33,120 conclude, the spies come back and they they tell Joshua the 474 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,160 land is ours. The people are faint hearted. 475 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:38,000 Joshua already knew the land was theirs. 476 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:40,400 It was promised by God and God keeps his promises. 477 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:44,120 It was not a military mission to find cracks in the wall and to 478 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,160 come back with military Intel that would turn into the 479 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,760 strategy of conquest. It was a rescue mission. 480 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:56,240 Jericho is about to be destroyed, and I know that that 481 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,400 can be a tough read as you go through the Bible to see utter 482 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,240 destruction befall cities. But let me assure you that 483 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:10,360 Jericho needed to be destroyed, that the promises of God are 484 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:15,000 going to annihilate all of the things that represent sin in the 485 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,400 land. Jericho was a a known place of 486 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,920 just violence and perversion and sexual idolatry and at its worst 487 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,760 child sacrifice. And if you heard anything in 488 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,760 headline news now that was similar to what was happening in 489 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,800 Jericho, your heart of hearts that God gave you would say, is 490 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:36,600 there any way, could this just not happen in the world anymore? 491 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:40,360 As as much as we think that we're more merciful and more 492 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:44,160 just than God, when we hear the tragedies of sin reigning in the 493 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,120 world, we think, why does God allow this to happen? 494 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:51,840 And here's the reality. God is going to judge the sin of 495 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,680 the world just like God's judge Jericho. 496 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,120 There's coming a day when the Lord will return and he will set 497 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:01,200 everything to order and he will punish all injustice. 498 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,400 And our culture looks more like Jericho than it does like the 499 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:09,240 Garden of Eden. But here's the good news. 500 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:13,800 God offers peace before he destroys. 501 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:20,560 God goes in to find whosoever believes that he is merciful and 502 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:22,640 gracious. And he provides a household 503 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:27,240 covering that whosoever would like to come under it will not 504 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,600 perish, but have everlasting life. 505 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:33,440 And we don't know what Rahab did in her rescue mission, but we 506 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:36,960 know that Rahab had the gospel that anyone in Jericho who 507 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:41,200 Jericho who ran into Rahab, she said, come under my house. 508 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:46,080 Trust me, the the God that is coming to this city is gracious 509 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:50,360 and merciful. And it is the same now before 510 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:56,120 God puts everything to order and finally punishes sin, He comes 511 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,640 with good tidings, peace on earth. 512 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:03,600 Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to offer life to 513 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:07,120 anyone who believes. And this is a story and why 514 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:12,000 Rahab is exalted in our week of peace, because this is a story 515 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,760 of peace. In fact, look what Hebrews 516 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,360 actually says about the person of Rahab. 517 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:21,000 Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 31. By faith, the harlot Rahab did 518 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,680 not perish with those who did not believe. 519 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,760 When she had received the spies with peace, she was making a 520 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:34,000 truce with the God of Israel, and they offered peace to her. 521 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:39,240 And this is the offering that will transform your life. 522 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,920 If God can make peace with Rahab and a House of hollow tree, He 523 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:47,440 can make peace with your life and every aspect of it. 524 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,040 And this is how we'll close. We'll just take a moment to 525 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:54,720 consider the peace that was given to Rahab. 526 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:58,520 It was not simply a white flag of surrender or a military 527 00:32:58,520 --> 00:32:59,480 conquest. Peace. 528 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,520 When you think about the life of Rahab, she became a person that 529 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,600 was transformed by this moment in her life. 530 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:13,320 And it affected her in every area of her life, from her past 531 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,240 to her present to her future. And I would venture to guess 532 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:19,560 that if you came into this sanctuary this morning and you 533 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:22,720 heard that we were going to have a sermon on peace and you needed 534 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:26,320 this sermon, it was for one of three areas of your life. 535 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,000 There are some of you who struggle with the tormenting 536 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,960 things of your past. Could be 40 years ago, could be 537 00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:36,560 a year ago. There are some of you who need a 538 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:40,240 message of peace because what you think about most in your 539 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:43,200 anxious thoughts and your plague mind and the burden of your life 540 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,720 is all of the mistakes and the what ifs and the things about 541 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:49,680 your past that seem unresolved. Well, here's the good news. 542 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:54,160 Rahab represents a piece that transformed her past. 543 00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:58,960 Let me just think about the practical moment of of Rahab's 544 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:03,880 life that changed from living in Jericho to living with the 545 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,680 children of Israel. She was a harlot. 546 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:12,080 She was known in a city by people who used her and and her 547 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:18,280 household for sexual pleasure. And I love that God did not come 548 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:20,800 in and reform her. So I want you to make amends 549 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:23,679 with all the the people that know you as this person. 550 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:31,600 He utterly destroyed her past. All of her clientele seemingly 551 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:38,360 gone, The house that was on the wall gone, the wall would be 552 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:40,719 destroyed. And there's not one reminder. 553 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:43,360 There's not one thing about her past that got to remain. 554 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:47,080 She is a new creation in this new citizenship. 555 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:51,639 And that is true of your past. When you give your life to Jesus 556 00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:54,280 and you stand under the banner of his grace and you say my 557 00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:57,960 household is now marked Mike, my confidence in the God of mercy. 558 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:02,880 He's not just reforming your past, He's not just giving you 559 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:07,040 some tips to to try to unthink your way through the mistakes of 560 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,760 your life, he says. I separate the past of your 561 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:14,440 transgressions as far as the East Bank of the Jordan is from 562 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:19,320 the West Bank of the Jordan. This is a new era of your life. 563 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:24,360 Your past doesn't define you. And Rahab would be remembered 564 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:30,440 not as a villain or a scandalous person, but as a hero of faith. 565 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:35,440 And some of you, no doubt related to the moment when I 566 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,520 said to you. And some of you have a need for 567 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:41,240 peace in your present. I know there's things happening 568 00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:44,600 in your life right now that make this season not feel that great. 569 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:50,880 There are everyday reminders in the headline news of your life 570 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:56,080 that you're not in heaven yet and your hearts are heavy and 571 00:35:56,080 --> 00:36:01,440 your mind hurts. And I just love this picture of 572 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:03,880 Rahab. It says the deal they offered 573 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:07,760 her was that she had to leave the scarlet rope outside of her 574 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:12,080 window, which means from the moments the spies left to the 575 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:18,240 moment the wall fell down and all the time in between, every 576 00:36:18,240 --> 00:36:21,440 time she worried about this God of Israel and all the reports of 577 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:23,280 his power. And every time she started to 578 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:26,160 get faint hearted again and she started to lose hope, she could 579 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:29,280 look out that window and say I've changed my allegiance. 580 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:33,240 Every time she looked out her window, she saw the rope and she 581 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:40,360 said, I am with God now. This God has accepted me into 582 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:44,320 his people and I'm with him. And she had a constant reminder 583 00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:50,720 of it in her life. I just want to assure you that 584 00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:53,520 for those of you who have the banner of God's grace in your 585 00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:57,240 life, you have a constant reminder every time we gather. 586 00:36:57,240 --> 00:37:00,720 You are here not because of what you've done to earn your stake. 587 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:03,120 You are here because you believe. 588 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:06,960 And every time you look upon the cross with the eyes of your 589 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:10,840 heart, every time you remember the empty tomb, you say, I am 590 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:14,560 God's people. Constant reminder for today. 591 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:18,720 May the peace of God, Sir, be given to you, surpassing your 592 00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:21,120 understanding and guard your heart for the present day. 593 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:26,160 You belong to God now, and that should give you a view of the 594 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:30,000 future that is hopeful. I'm going to show you the end of 595 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:34,600 the story for Rahab. It says in Joshua chapter 6, the 596 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:37,480 wall has come down that the people of God are now in the 597 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,200 promised land. And she kept her part of the 598 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:43,160 deal with the scarlet rope, and all in her household were saved. 599 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:47,960 God kept His promise, and it says that Joshua spared Rahab 600 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:50,520 the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. 601 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:54,200 So she dwells in Israel to this day because she hid the 602 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:57,840 messengers. So oftentimes we think of our 603 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:02,480 future as just heaven. Our future hope is eternal. 604 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:07,880 But I want you to know that if you have given your allegiance 605 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:12,680 to the new King, if you are now rejecting the kings of this age 606 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:16,440 and bending your knee to King Jesus, be confident that you 607 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:20,640 have a future that is peaceful. Sometimes people are like, I 608 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,560 don't know, I'll give my my plans to God and I just hope it 609 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:26,160 goes well. I want to do the will of God and 610 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:28,080 I just, I don't know. I had a pretty good plan outside 611 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:31,000 of the will of God. Let me give you the confidence 612 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,520 of the day. God has good plans for your 613 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:37,440 life. God had a plan for Rahab, her 614 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:40,720 whole house, the wall, the city she once belonged to in the 615 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:44,240 entire country gone and she's now living as a citizen of 616 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:45,560 Israel. And you know what? 617 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:48,400 We'll end where we started. God had a plan to give her a 618 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,240 husband named Salman. God had a plan to give her a 619 00:38:51,240 --> 00:38:54,480 righteous son named Boaz. God had a plan to give her an 620 00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:57,840 incredible grandson named Obed and a great grandson named 621 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,520 Jesse, and a great, great grandson named King David. 622 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,560 He had a wonderful plan for her life. 623 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:06,680 And God has a good plan for your life. 624 00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:11,560 As as I was waiting in between services, someone came up to me 625 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:15,320 and said, you know, my, my wife recently died. 626 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:20,680 But I have so much confidence that life will still be good. 627 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:25,360 Every time I visit her tombstone, it said, it says 628 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:28,680 peace means that God is in control. 629 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:36,360 He's got that on a grave. Peace means that God is in 630 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,920 control of your life. That gives you peace for your 631 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:43,200 past, peace for today, and peace knowing that whatever God has in 632 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:46,200 store for you, if you trust Him and live by faith, it will be 633 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,360 good. Thanks for joining us today. 634 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:52,400 If you would like to watch the full service, check out the link 635 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:55,240 in the description. For next steps and to learn 636 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:57,480 more, visit calvaryboise.com.