Hebrews 11_30_31

Intro: One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."

Orientate Scripture: Assurance of faith…. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

As the father who can see his child yet his child cannot see him, he will catch the boy. The God whom we cannot see yet see us will catch us.

But is believing his father enough to be caught. What if the little boy believes his father but doesn’t jump? Will he be saved or will he perish in the fire?

Grammatically …. Faith is a noun …. Spiritually it’s an action. Believing something will happen therefore you walk as though it has happened.

The boy has to jump out of the window to be caught. Faith precedes the jump but without the jump does faith exist?

CPS: Trust the Lord in all circumstances and be ready to follow Him as opportunity arises.

Faith Overcame a Fortified City (Jericho) Vs. 30

It’s important for us to understand God’s instructions to Joshua

No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. Josh. 1:5

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Josh. 1:9

Joshua took God at His word and set out to conquer the land of Canaan.

The Instrument Which Overcame.

BY FAITH

Joshua’s faith

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow. Josh. 3:5 (as they enter the Land)

The Captain of the Lord’s army. What does my lord bid his servant?” (Josh. 5:14)

The Spies faith

We will give our lives for yours (Rahab). If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the Lord gives us the land. Josh. 2:14

The Lord has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us Josh. 2:24 (said to Joshua)

The people’s faith

On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses. Josh 4:14

they carried out faithfully the instructions which Joshua communicated to them, until the city fell

The Action Which Overcame.

By faith Joshua and the people obeyed and the results the walls of Jericho fell down.

The most unmilitary acts…. (Paint the picture… in enemy territory… yet held two ceremonies)

The men were circumcised Josh 5:1-4

Circumcision was the rite of entry into the community of faith. In the OT the origin of the Israelite practice was founded upon the circumcision of Abraham as a sign of the covenant between God and the patriarch.

This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. Gen. 17:10-11

This was an act of faithful obedience, all the warriors had to heal before they could fight, this left Israel vulnerable by human standards. But God was with them.

Passover feast was held by the people. Josh 5:10-11

Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance. Ex. 12:14

Through circumcision and the Passover the Lord was calling His people back to the basics of their relationship with Him. Both of these rites had been neglected in the wilderness.

NB) they ate of the land… when they did this the manna ceased …. God had given the land to them.

How would the drying up of manna encourage them? Pilgrimage was over

How would it discourage them? God had fed them for 40 years now they were to eat of the land.

The military acts

The Lord appears to Joshua

Joshua sees the “captain of the army” of the Lord. Josh. 5:13–15.

Preincarnate Jesus…. Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked him, “What does my lord want to say to his servant?” (Are angels worshipped? NO!)

The Lord’s instructions

Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites—no one leaving or entering. 2 The LORD said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its best soldiers over to you. 3 March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the trumpets. 5 When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.” Josh. 6:1–5.

Jericho was a stronghold – heavily fortified, Defensive wall had openings for shooting. City walls often had towers at the gates and corners from which the city could be defended from attack. It was the most important city in the Jordan valley (Num. 22:1; 34:15), and the strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan

Did the Lord’s instructions seem foolish?

What may have seemed to be a great wall of protection only served to keep her inhabitants inside for judgment; they certainly didn’t keep Israel out.

Jericho was a doomed city because it stood on God’s land and its rightful tenants had come to claim their property.

The people’s obedience

Besieged by Joshua seven days; the people marched not uttering a word encircling the city six days. Then on the seventh day God gave it into their hands…… the trumpets blew the men of war shouted and the wall fell down.

Application: God promised to deliver Jericho to Joshua, and faith in that promise led to victory.

Israel acted in faith… marched around the city for seven days and must have looked foolish to Jericho’s citizens, but the Jews’ faith was rewarded.

James said that faith without works is dead. Joshua, the spies, and the people acted out their faith, do we act out our faith?

Many things in our lives loom out as Jerichos, perhaps we’ve been discouraged with the immensity of our trials but the fact stands that God is sovereign and He can turn trials in to trivia, Jerichos into joy, and walls into walkways.

Faith Overcame Condemnation (Rahab) Vs. 31

“The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the Lord; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. Josh. 6:17

All of Jericho was condemned, the city and its inhabitants stood in the way of God’s promise to Israel. But we find an Old Testament of salvation by faith.

Instrument of salvation.

BY FAITH

Who by human standards would seem to be the least likely person to fear and obey God in Jericho? Probably the cities prostitute.

When you hear the name Rahab what is the first thing that comes to mind? Harlot

Perhaps we are too harsh on Rahab, but perhaps Rahab is most always referred to in Scripture as the Harlot to remind us that sins canbe forgiven and strangers of God can become friends of God by their faith which pleases Him.

Her profession of faith.

for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.12 Now please swear to me by the LORD that you will also show kindness to my father’s family. Joshua 2:11–12.

What a profession of faith! The Lord is God in heaven and on Earth!

She uses a second person pronoun “your” God then follows it up with the LORD.

She make a claim to the LORD. I may be a Canaanite doomed to destruction but I trust that your God, the God of Israel can save me!

I may be a prostitute but God can change that too.

Her faith in action

She welcomed the spies in peace, she hid them at great cost to her life, she came up with a plan to get the spies back to their camp and set that plan in motion.

Once the search party left she sent them over the wall let down from her house which was built into the wall.

Right before the spies shimmied down the rope, they told her to tie a scarlet cord in her window.

The future blood of Jesus was poured over Rahab and she and her family were saved from God’s wrath.

The destruction.

The city was destroyed and cursed by Joshuas.

all the inhabitants and all the spoil of the city was destroyed, “only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron” were reserved and “put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah.

Rahab the Harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient. Only Rahab “and her father’s household, and all that she had,” were preserved from destruction, according to the promise of the spies

Jas. 2:25 her kindly treatment of Joshua’s spies is one of two arguments for the thesis that faith without works is dead

Application: We see in this narrative faith that works overcomes! Joshua’s faith is seen in Him believing the Captain of the Lord’s army and set out to follow his orders regardless how foolish it may sound. The people’s faith is seen in their following the orders of Joshua, the result a great defensive stronghold is shattered.

Rahab’s faith is seen in her profession of Faith in the God of Israel and it is demonstrated in her welcoming the spies, hiding the spies, and helping them escape. Her faith is seen in the following of the spies orders to gather her family into her house and to tie a scarlet rope from her window.

Her confession of faith “The LORD” saved her, Her faith led to works when she risked her life to save the spies. Though a harlot, she was saved by faith and was even brought into the human ancestry of Christ.

Her faith was contagious because she also won her family. (Josh. 6:23).

Illustration: Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again and again until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other.