Faith Like Rahab

Welcome

Good to be back

Staying in our Forward by Faith series

talked about

Enoch

God took him instead of him experiencing death.

Abraham

GOAT, left his homeland and was obedient

Moses

Delivered Israelites from 400 years of slavery

These are Influential people

influence is super important

TikTok

YouTube

Netflix

Twitch

Streaming services

We act like these people

We talk like these people

We dress like these people

Influence in my life

Tanya, my wife.

language and actions get harsh

she brings me back to Jesus

The next person on this list would be Joshua

he brought the Israelites to the Promised Land

But this would be wrong

open up to Hebrews 11 in your bibles

encourage to grab one

I will set the stage while we get there

We have all these great men. Men who lead God’s people in the most troubling times and the most joyous times of their lives this far. But we put the breaks on here and focus our attention to a woman.

Hebrews 11:30–31 (NIV)

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

By faith Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

Rahab, a woman, is who the Hebrews writer turns to next

About Rahab

Lives in Jericho

Jericho is a well-fortified city.

just east of the Jordan River

The first place you would encounter when entering the Promised land.

But this would be easier said than done

walls were large

well guarded

it was widely know that it was impenetrable.

Joshua, leading them into the promised land, knew this

so he sent 2 spies to see what they were up against

Turn to Joshua 2 in the Old Testament

The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness

They were told they were headed to the promised land

they had bumps along they way but still remained faithful that God would deliver them into the promised land.

they finally got there and were told to wait

there were foreigners in this land

they had to rely on God to give them this land

This required more faith

but not the faith of the Israelites alone

Joshua 2:1–3 (NIV)

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a woman named Rahab and stayed there.

The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

Joshua sent 2 men into the city and they chose a womans house to go to

The Old Testament times are kinda funky

Women were not as equal as they are today

it was backwards for men to sneak into a city and go to a woman to help hide them.

God is at work here

He is trusting that Rahab will do the right thing and he used his will and power to direct the men to her

Joshua 2:4–7 NIV

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

She lied

isnt lying a sin?

Yes, but murder is also a sin

She knew that giving up the men would lead to the king killing them

that would make her part of their murder

but wait, she is living in this pagan land and is not a Israelite

she does not follow God’s commands

Why is she doing this for these people and not following the laws of her land?

Joshua 2:8–11 NIV

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

It makes sense

she heard the stories of God’s wrath and power and was afraid to go against him

She didn’t know lying was a sin

but she knew going against God would end with a punishment

she also new that God was the one true God without having the full knowledge of God, just from these stories

Right then and there she turned to God

the moment these spies entered her house she decided to turn from the King of Jericho and to the Heavenly Father.

What does she ask for in return for hiding these spies

Joshua 2:12–14 NIV

“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

She asks to be spared from God’s wrath

A life for a life

She helped keep these spies alive

which in turn will allow for the Israelites to get the promised land

She turns from her old ways and decided to follow God

Further in the Book of Joshua we see Jericho fall

God fulfils his promise to pass over Rahab’s house

Everyone in her house at the time of the seige was spared from God’s wrath and destruction.

How did God know to pass over her house?

All Rahab had to do was put a scarlet cord in the window that she let the spies escape from.

Scarlet cord

does that remind you of something?

it should

Passover story

Lambs blood is the key for God to pass over the Israelites houses

Scarlet cord is the key for God to pass over Rahab’s house

Rahab is a great example for us

She is one of the most influential people in the bible

She chose to turn to God based off of what she heard about God.

She, like everyone in Jericho, had time to hear what God was doing and turn to him.

She had the guts to do it

Her family trusted her enough to come in her house and be saved

they in turn followed God

Rahab’s story reminds me of a different great’s story

Abraham

She knew a little more about God when she chose to follow him

She knew the vengeful, wrathful God. Not the loving, graceful God.

She did not have to leave her land

it did get destroyed and changed and was unrecognizable to her

She blindly followed God and trusted he would protect and save her

What does this story show us?

God wants EVERY HUMAN to turn to him

God wants everyone to be in community with one another and in turn in community with Him.

God desires to build up, not to destroy.

God wants us to thrive on the positive, not dwell on the negative

Rahab could have dwelled on the negative of what might happen if the king found out she lied

But she thrived in the positive of turning to God, Saving her family, and slavation

Do you have a heart like Rahab?

Are you worried about yourself and your problems, schedule and life than you are about other people coming to know Jesus?

I will go out on a limb and say yeah you are.

but that is normal

I fall into that often

When preparing for this message i had an opportunity to talk with someone i know from my business

Greg Story, Helping his frined out

feels he is getting taken advantage of

I was not thinking fully about what we were talking about and repeated myself a bunch

i was worried about things going on in my life

I took a bathroom break and recentered myself

I cam back out and asked him if he was going to church still

he said no

i told him to and to take his friend

God will help them both

I set aside my issues, listened to him, and turned him back to God. My heart was aligned with Rahab’s heart.

Rahab is our model to bring people to God.

God wishes EVERY SINGLE human to know him

Are you turning others towards God?

Do you talk to others who dont know Jesus about Jesus?

if you dont you should.

Have a heart like Rahab

Live like Rahab

Step out in your faith and bring others to God like Rahab

As the worship team comes out will you pray with me

Father God, Thank you for your salvation. Thank you for your love of us. Thank you for sending those before us to be great models of faith for us. I pray that we can become like Enoch, like Abraham, like Moses, like Rahab, and step out in our faiths daily. I pray that each and every one of these students can step out in their faith like one of these greats. I pray that I continue to step out in my faith. I pray that generosity runs fervent through this place. Holy Spirit come into these groups and open the hearts, soften the hearts of each student and irritate them and convict them to share Jesus with others. Holy Spirit do a mighty work. I pray that our goal of 100% participation from the students, leaders, and staff of CrossWay is achieved easily and faithfully. I pray that we come together as a ministry and become a model for all other ministries within your Church. I pray this all in the powerful name of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.