Hall of Faith - Rahab

Intro: There are many among us who are dealing with many different things and are wondering how things are going to workout. We try to push it aside and not think about it but it can be overwhelming. If I told you “have faith”, what would you think of if I say that to you? Just sit back and not worry about it? We’ve studied it out so far in this series that its much more than that:

Faith means NOT trusting in what is seen, the odds or the circumstances are not the full reality. God isn’t limited by what is seen so we don’t focus all our attention and joy or heartache on it either!

Abraham: obey when you don’t fully know, trusting when it doesn’t make sense.

Jacob: wrestle with God and ultimately put yourself into submission to God trusting Him to bless and to direct my ways and define us.

Moses: saying no to the world, to fear, to sin or myself and instead say yes to God whatever I have and am doing.

Faith in God looks like commitment in these ways. And today Rahab will show us that sometimes faith requires taking some sort of risk and big change.

What have you done because of faith in God that is risky? That really will disrupt your life? There might be many of can’t think of anything that’s really even too extreme. I remember studying with someone and you could tell that they understood the gospel, I knew that they understood it…but what kept them back from obeying it was the risk it would bring of being alienated from family. For her the risk wasn’t worth the turmoil. And I hope that something has changed since then in their decision. It’s like what Jesus said and Luke chapter 14, you have to count the cost. Not count what you lose, but to count on Him despite anything you could!

Joshua 2

V.1

This scenario didn’t go well last time - Num.13, led to 40 years in wilderness.

Joshua 1:2 the land was a GIFT but they still had to go get it. And God said in v.15 I’ll give you rest when it’s done.

V.2-4

(PPT) Do we have the maturity to receive a Rahab here? Because God may BLESS us to give us one here.

God treats us all the same way: not wanting to get caught up talking about where we’ve been and all we’ve done, but wanting to focus on where we’re going from here.

How do you look at people? Disgust or compassion?

Look at this short parable in Matthew 21:28–32. The point was “YOU DIDN’T CHANGE”! Rahab is going to by faith CHANGE. You and I are going to Change if we really are living by faith. Our actions will change, our motives will change, and our hearts and ways we see souls better change too. But it’s not just different, it’s change that is more into the image of Jesus!

V.4-5

(PPT) What made her hide those men? Good question. We’ll find out as we keep reading.

Not only did she hide them, she lied to the soldiers. “If you chase em you might catch em.”

V.6-7

Gates shut each night - no going in/out.

V.8-9

Why is that? How can that be?

V.10

(PPT) She heard of the God of those two fellows that were sent.

And that’s how faith started for her. That’s the only way faith starts for anyone!

She Heard about...

The Red Sea

that was risk taking faith to step out. Because we also think for different reasons “what if I sink?” and we don’t step out.

But if God says Go, friend you want to RUN that direction. Don’t be timid or fearful, but Trust!

Defeat of Og the Giant and Sihon

Duet.3:11, Og needed a bed that was 13.5 feet long! He qualifies as a giant.

“I heard about all that, and I believe!”

Can’t we see the ways people can be brought to faithfulness? Some might say “well God never spoke to me” - but that's false! He has spoken through all His creation, through His people in all times, on every page of the book we hold! It’s not a question of if God has spoken but whether if you believe Him!

And who is it that's teaching us this? A prostitute named Rahab. So do we have a struggle with what she is now, or are we gonna focus on what she can be by faith?

It’s a terrible thing we do when we hold people to sins of their “pre-changed” life when we know now they’re “changed”. That CANT be us. We’re THE people who truly believe any person can be transformed!

(PPT) 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

You hear it. Do you believe it? If you do it affects how you live yourself AND how we deal with one another too.

V.11

“I know that the God of two guys whose name I don’t know is better than our god”

We have no courage in the thought of facing you, nor are we arrogantly foolish about it.

Rahab preaches here “your God is the ONE true God on earth, He is in control, that much is clear!”

V.12-13

She was willing to take the risk of being dealt with as a traitor because she ultimately knew that God’s side would be winning anyway.

It didn’t matter what her job was, it didn’t matter how many times she’d sinned in that manner, it didn’t matter what group of people she belonged to - none of that mattered to God! But what did matter was that she gave God her loyalty and commitment.

She found a great treasure and traded it all for it.

Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Giving up everything in order to gain something worth far more than what you had anyway.

(PPT) And then not only that, but she wanted to help save her family too! Wisdom says when I find God I’m gonna help anybody that will pay attention! That was Rahab, The Faithful Evangelist.

V.14

You do your part, we’ll do ours.

V.17-20

First, tie the scarlet cord on your widow

Second, you got to get all your family in your house with you. Get your family in the place of safety! (Get your family to the place of safety, in Christ and with Church)

Third, reemphasizing the secrecy of this

V.21-22

Deal agreed upon

Here, her faith was SEEN. Notice whats said in James 2:25 “And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”

Her faith was proven to be real and grounded in her action. If there was no faith there wouldn’t have been this action. Real faith always results something being done!

The two spies listened to her. They trusted Rahab - now watch what comes as a result of that trust and Rahab’s faith.

V.23-24

(PPT) Safe return

(PPT) God’s people are encouraged

“God’s already won the fight - all we got to do is what God already told us to do.”

5th time that truth is spoken in the book of Joshua already.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

Hebrews 11:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”

Joshua 6:25 “However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua preserved alive; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.”

(PPT) Matthew 1:5 “And Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed was the father of Jesse.”

I ain’t got a problem with what Rahab was, I LOVE what she IS!

Hebrews 11:31

Rahab heard about God and what He did. She trusted in a God that could do those things. And then she obeyed…what’d she obey? She chose to obey God Himself, changing loyalty and sides and her life – she had her own “gods” and her own “people” but she knew that the God she heard about was all powerful and she made the decision to want to obey Him instead of the foreign gods and people. And she changed sides. She gave up everything she had – her house, her stuff, her friends, and she changed sides. That’s by faith.

If you’re imagining that you became a Christian without changing sides, then you’re imagining being a Christian. You got to change.

By switching loyalty to God Rahab says “The sin around me needs to crumble, I don’t want any part of it!” When we choose faith in God we are continually choosing to trust in Him while the unnecessary and far too weighty things in our lives crumble and break. That has happened to many of us, and it very well may happen to you or happen again to you! But don’t despair over the things that aren’t godly!

If I tell you to have faith, I’m not saying sit back and do nothing. I’m telling you to be as much like Rahab as you might be any other person of faith - be a difference maker.

But you’ve got to be ok with the fact that it takes worldly risk and it takes big change. But when you look at the end result, I’m not sure how you wouldn’t be ok with it.

Get on the side that wins!

Are you living by faith? Are you ready to switch sides?