The Crimson Thread

Joshua 2:1-24

Good morning, Church.

Go ahead and grab your Bibles—Joshua chapter 2 is where we’re going to be today. We’re walkin’ through the book of Joshua from now until Easter, and I couldn’t be more fired up about it.

Now, I’ve got three goals today—real simple. No fluff, no gimmicks, just want to be upfront and honest. Church is a great place to be honest.

My wrestlers on the wrestling team are always pointing out that I’m always sayin’, “God loves you, and he’s got a plan for your life.” Well, I’m not God but here’s my plan for your life today- and then I just tell them all the hard things they are going to do in practice and its fun to do hard things.

So here is my plan for your life- by the end of this service today when I say Amen at the end of the sermon that if you haven't yet that you would surrender your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

That’s goal number one.

Why? Because some of you walked in here thinkin’ you’re too broken, too far gone- not good enough—listen, that’s a lie from the pit of hell.

And others? You think you’re killin’ it, got it all together—also a lie straight from the pit of hell.

So here’s the call: If you have never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ- today is the day.

Second goal? If you’ve never gone public with your faith—never been baptized—No excuses. You come forward at the end of the service and we are going to set the date for you to be baptized.

My last goal for today- if you have surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ- if you have been baptized- if you are not a member of Cedar Bay Baptist Church- my hope and prayer is that at the end of the service you will come forward and officially become a part of this faith family.

Why church membership? I put it right there in the bulletin for you- (use the Bulletin)

Church membership isn’t about checking a box—it’s about committing to a people, not just a place. The Bible calls us to live in covenant community, where we encourage, challenge, and hold one another accountable in love (Hebrews 10:24-25). In a culture that resists commitment, membership is a countercultural declaration that we belong to Christ and to His body, the Church.

Understand- Church membership isn’t about adding your name to a list or locking yourself into some kind of religious contract—it’s about belonging. It’s a commitment, not to a building, but to a people.

In the Book of Acts, the early church wasn’t just a random gathering of folks who showed up when it was convenient; they were devoted to one another, sharing life, breaking bread, praying, and meeting each other’s needs. Membership is saying, “These are my people, and I’m committed to growing in Christ alongside them.”

Now, I get it. "Membership" can sound like a cold, institutional word—something you sign up for at the bank or Sam’s Club, not the church. And if we all agree that Christianity isn’t meant to be a solo journey, why does it have to come with paperwork? Why make it official when we’re already part of the universal Church?

Here’s the thing—commitment always costs something, but it also produces something. When you become a member of a local church, you’re not just attending, you’re belonging. You’re saying, “This is my family. These are my people. I’m here to serve, to grow, to be held accountable, and to help carry the mission forward.”

The early church didn’t just drift in and out of community when it was convenient; they devoted themselves to one another (Acts 2:42-47). Church membership isn’t about boxing in the Holy Spirit—it’s about creating a structure where the Spirit can move through a committed, unified body of believers.

The truth is, we don’t resist commitment in other areas of life. We commit to marriages, jobs, friendships, and even Amazon Prime subscriptions, but when it comes to the church, we hesitate.

Why? Why hesitate?

Because commitment means responsibility. It means being known. It means putting down roots instead of staying on the edges. But that’s exactly what God designed the church to be—a people, not just a place.

Membership is simply a way of saying, “I’m not just attending—I’m invested. I’m accountable. I belong. I’m all in.”

And let’s be honest—our culture doesn’t exactly celebrate commitment. We like to keep our options open, stay flexible, and avoid being tied down.

But spiritual growth happens in the context of relationships, and relationships thrive where there’s real commitment.

Church membership isn’t about legalism; it’s about stepping into the fullness of what it means to be the body of Christ, fully engaged in the mission He’s called us to.

So those are my goals today- Surrender- Baptism- Membership.

So at the end of the service- when I talk about the time for invitation and consecration and say Amen- that isn’t just a time to sing one more song- thats the time to respond to what God is calling you to do.

And I understand if your a little nervous coming up front- I understand completely- This is my 45th Sunday as the Pastor of Cedar Bay and I’m nervous every time I preach and this will be the 45th time I invite you to respond to the Lord- do not let nerves keep you from doing what the Lord is calling you today.

But these are the goals- Surrender- Baptism- Membership. Alright?

Alright, grab your Bibles—Joshua chapter 2, that’s where we’re goin’. And here’s what’s wild—if you’re just following the storyline, you don’t need Joshua 2 to complete the big, epic moment of Israel stepping into the Promised Land.

You could jump straight from chapter 1 to chapter 3, and the story still flows.

But right here, right in the middle of this huge, history-shaping moment, God presses pause.

Why? Because Joshua 2 isn’t just about the conquest of a land—it’s about the heart of God.

Now, don’t raise your hand—because you’d be incriminating yourself—but have you ever felt like damaged goods?

Like you’ve gone too far, messed up too much? Maybe somebody—maybe even some church—slapped a label on you, and now you think you’re on the outside looking in.

Yeah, you believe God so loved the world, but let’s be honest—you think that means the other world. The “good” people. The ones who kinda have their act together. The ones who clean up nice. But you? You’re too far gone.

Listen—Again- lie straight from the pit of hell.

And then some of y’all? You’re sittin’ here like, “Nah, I’m good. God’s lucky to have me.”

Like it doesn’t really matter what you’ve done, who you’ve done it with, or how many times you’ve done it—you’re just gonna keep rollin’. Maybe even got plans tonight. And you kinda think God’s just this cosmic grandpa who’ll pat you on the head and say, “Aw, c’mere, buddy. Let’s hug it out. No big deal.”

That’s another lie straight from the pit of hell.

Some of us think we’re too broken for God. Others think we don’t need Him.

But Joshua 2? It’s God stepping in to shatter both of those lies.

So, what I want us to do is we are going to read all of Chapter 2 and unpack it all together.

Starting in verse 1.

Joshua 2:1–24 ESV

1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. 8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” 21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. 23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”

Now I want you to see this- First truth

1. God’s Grace is Greater Than Our Past.

Clear as day- And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.- Joshua 2:1

Now- So why do the spies end up at a prostitute’s house? Like, what’s goin’ on here? You think they’re just out on some Bible study retreat? A little mission trip ? “Hey, fellas, what y’all doin’?” “Oh, just prayin’ over here at Rahab’s.” Alright. Sure.

Now, maybe—just maybe—these guys needed a Savior like the rest of us. Or maybe—let’s give ‘em the benefit of the doubt—they needed a place to lay low. I mean, they’re spies, right?

They’re sneakin’ into enemy territory, and they don’t wanna be noticed. And if there’s one place in town where nobody asks questions? It’s Rahab’s house. ‘Cause let’s be real—nobody’s walking in there is wanting to be seen.

So maybe that’s why they’re there. Or maybe not. I don’t know. But here’s what I do know—God gives us the name of the prostitute but not the name of the 2 spies.

Thats because Rahab is the center of this event.

God uses this woman’s house- to hide these men. And when the guards hear about the spies- she hides them and she lies-

Joshua 2:5 ESV

5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.”

So here’s something you see all over the Old Testament—somebody drops a lie to protect God’s people or push forward His plan, and the writer doesn’t seem all that bothered by it. It’s like the text just keeps going without stopping for a moral debate.

I had a professor—really sharp man- Dr. David Jones—who tackled Rahab’s story in his book on biblical ethics. And to his credit, he didn’t try to sugarcoat it. Rahab didn’t just bend the truth, didn’t dance around it with some clever wordplay—nope, she flat-out lied. No half-truths, no technicalities, no little loopholes—just a straight-up, bold-faced fabrication to throw the king’s men off track.

It’s the classic western movie moment: “They went that-a-way!”—except, you know, ancient Jericho style.

No other lie in biblical history has been debated more than Rahab’s. Christian ethicists have wrestled with it for centuries—it was already a hot topic in Augustine’s day. Was she right to do it? Was it wrong?

On one hand, if she hadn’t lied, those spies were as good as dead. But on the other, we’re commanded not to lie. So what do we do with that?

Now, there’s a lot we could say, but for now, let’s just acknowledge this—war ethics and everyday life ethics aren’t the same.

Are there universal moral principles? Absolutely. But does everyone have a right to the truth? Not necessarily.

Think about it—thirty-eight years earlier, God Himself sent spies into Canaan (Numbers 13). And what do spies do? They deceive. They lie. That’s kinda the job description.

Now, does that mean lying is just fair game whenever it benefits us? Not even close. The reality is, there might be extreme situations where deception is necessary, but for most of us, in most situations, faithfulness to the Lord means walking in truth. Period.

Think about this- C.S. Lewis—writer of Mere Christianity, the Chronicles of Narnia- the Screw-tape letters- a bunch of stuff-was an avid walker—is out for a stroll when this fox, worn out and desperate, comes tearing past him, running for its life. A group of hunters were closing in on the kill. Lewis, feeling for the little guy, cups his hands and hollers to the riders, “He’s gone that way!”—pointing in the opposite direction. The hunters take off, and the fox gets a shot at freedom. Later, Lewis gets home and he is just beamin’, telling his wife how he saved the fox’s life—no hint of guilt, just pure delight.

Now, was that a lie that passes? I’m not so sure.

But what about this?

In 1528, William Tyndale publishes The Parable of the Wicked Mammon and The Obedience of a Christian Man—both carrying the name of a non-existent printer, Hans Luft, and a fake location, Marburg. In reality, they were printed by John Hoochstraton in Antwerp. Why? Because if Tyndale had put the real names and places on those books, people helping spread the Gospel would’ve been in serious danger.

So what do you do with that?

There’s a tension here. And if you’re lookin’ for an easy, clean-cut answer—sorry, not gonna find it. But what you can do is recognize that there’s a difference between deception for self-preservation and deception that serves a greater mission. Rahab’s lie, Tyndale’s printing trick—these weren’t about dodging consequences for themselves; they were about protecting others in service of a bigger kingdom purpose.

That doesn’t mean we get a free pass to lie whenever it benefits us. It does mean we’ve gotta wrestle with the reality that in a broken world, sometimes things aren’t as black and white as we’d like ‘em to be.

But I do know this- God used it.

Let’s just get real for a second—when Rahab was a little girl, sitting around with her friends, and somebody asked, “Hey, what do you wanna be when you grow up?” She didn’t say, “Oh, I’d love to be a prostitute.” No way. But life happened. Circumstances shaped her. She made choices in response to those circumstances, and that’s where she ended up. And now? She knows she’s in trouble.

And I’m not just talking about some distant, eternal judgment. I mean, she looks out the window and sees the army of Israel marching toward Jericho. She knows—like, she knows—God has given them this land. Judgment is here.

And here’s the second thing—she can’t save herself. She can’t just run away and hide. They’ll find her.

She can’t pick up a sword and fight—she won’t last five minutes. And she can’t just turn over a new leaf, quit her job, start selling Girl Scout cookies, and hope that makes everything okay. That won’t stop the judgment coming for her.

So she gets it. She’s in trouble. She can’t save herself. And her only hope—her only hope—is the grace and mercy of God. So what does she do? She throws herself at it. She begs these men, “Listen, I believe in your God. I trust Yahweh. I put my hope in him.”

And if you’ve read ahead in Joshua 6—spoiler alert—it goes really bad for Jericho. The walls come down. The whole city is wiped out. Except for one little section. One little place where the grace of God rested. Because Rahab trusted in the Lord, she and her family were saved.

And listen, it wasn’t because she cleaned herself up. It wasn’t because she suddenly became a good person. It was because she believed. That’s it.

But here’s where it gets even crazier—God doesn’t just save her and say, “Alright, you can come in, but stay in the back.” No. He adopts her into the family of Israel. He uses her. If you flip to the New Testament, Rahab’s name pops up in all kinds of places. In James, she’s held up as an example of faith in action. In Hebrews 11—this “Hall of Faith” listing the heroes of the Bible—her name is right up there with Abraham and Moses.

This woman goes from hooker to hero. Put that in your Baptist pipe and smoke it. I love this.

And What I love about Rahab is she’s not just some distant, historical figure in an ancient event—she’s a picture of every single one of us before we meet Jesus.

Now, I know what some of you are thinkin’—“Well, I’m not a prostitute.” Okay, sure. Maybe not.

But if you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, the Bible says you’re just as lost in your sin as Rahab was in hers.

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:23 lays it out plain—All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Not some, not just the really bad ones, not just the ones who made a mess of their lives early on. All.

That means the rebellious and the religious. The wrecked and the well-mannered.

Galatians 3:22 says we’re all held captive under sin—it’s got us locked up, and we don’t have the key.

And listen—this isn’t just about making some bad choices or needing to clean up a little bit. We aren’t in need of a life coach just to help us clean up a few little bad habits.

No, Ephesians 2:1-3 says that apart from Christ, we’re dead in our sin. Not sick. Not struggling. Dead. And you know what dead people can’t do? Fix themselves.

It gets even heavier—Ephesians 2:12 says that without Jesus, we are without hope and without God in the world.

That means on our own, we’re spiritually bankrupt, cut off from the One who made us, with no way to climb out of the pit. That’s really bad news.

But here’s the good news—Rahab’s story doesn’t end in brokenness, and your story doesn’t have to either.

Rahab is a stunning picture of what happens when faith collides with grace.

She didn’t have all the answers, didn’t grow up in the right culture, didn’t have a spotless past—but her heart was drawn to the God of Israel.

And that changed everything. She risked everything—her life, her identity, her past—to step into a future with God’s people. And she didn’t come alone.

She brought her family with her. Joshua himself would later write that she in Israel to this day (Joshua 6:25), a lasting testimony to the power of a faith that surrenders and a God who redeems.

Joshua 6:25 ESV

25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

God forgave her of her past- in fact, He used her position for His Will and His glory. And Rahab recognized who God was and believed that God is exactly who He says He is.

She was grafted into the family of God. Fully loved and completely forgiven.

and those that are forgiven can forgive others. and that can be difficult.

Corrie ten Boom knew what it meant to be forgiven—but learning to forgive? That was another battle entirely. She and her sister, Betsy, endured the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp, stripped of dignity, mocked by guards who found amusement in their suffering.

One soldier, in particular, stood out to her—a man who laughed as she and the other women stood exposed and humiliated. Corrie survived. Betsy did not.

Years later, in a church in Germany, Corrie stood preaching when she saw him. That same soldier. But now, he was different. He had come to Christ. After the service, he approached her, hand extended, joyfully declaring, “Isn’t it good to be redeemed?”

Everything in her recoiled. How could she extend grace to the one who had inflicted such pain? She had spoken about forgiveness, but now she had to live it. And she couldn’t. Not on her own.

So she prayed. And as she reached out, she felt what she later described as a current of divine power—something beyond herself—flowing through her arm as she grasped his hand. In that moment, she experienced the supernatural reality of forgiveness—not just as something to preach, but as something only God could make possible.

She paraphrases Psalm 103:10–12:

When God forgives us, He casts our sins as far as the east is from the west. He then puts a no fishing allowed sign on the shore which does not allow anyone to purchase a license to fish up our sins; in fact, we are not even able to purchase a license to fish up our own sins.

There is nothing to fish up. Any old dubious designation is nothing compared to the redeeming blood of the Messiah. Believers are all in the same boat.

Our sins are cast as far as the east is from the west. They will never rise to condemn us again because Christ who redeems through the power of the Spirit of God uses unlikely persons to proclaim the message of the cross for the salvation of sinners, allowing all believers to serve together in the kingdom of God.

God removed Rahab’s sin as far as the east is to the west. She is redeemed and it wasn’t because she did anything to deserve it but because she trusted in the Lord.

Hebrews 11:31 ESV

31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

She trusted the Lord by Faith and that faith compelled her to action.

Darryl Strawberry, the former baseball player of the Mets, Yankees, and the Dodgers, shortened his career through his drug and alcohol abuse. He fell from the top of society to the bottom of shame and ineptitude. However, one day the Lord redeemed him, and he now preaches the gospel of redemption.

The model of his ministry is, “Make your mess your message.” He understands that one cannot spell “Messiah” without the word “mess.”

The Messiah has come to take us out of our messes.

This is why the angel Gabriel said to Joseph, “You are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21).

God is in the business of redeeming us, saving us from our messes, and giving us a message of redemption for others. This is through no work of our own but rather through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:11, 13). Therefore, we witness and share with others so that they might become one body with us in Christ.

God’s Grace is Greater Than anything in our past and we use it to tell others about the power of the Gospel.

Because that grace compels us to action.

2. Faith produces action.

We aren’t going to spend a lot of time here but Faith produces action. I would actually argue that true faith requires action.

James 2:26 ESV

26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Walk through this with me because Rahab is a beautiful picture of faith and action.

She trusted in the Lord. She believed that God is the one true God.

Joshua 2:11 ESV

11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

James 2:25 tells us

James 2:25 ESV

25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

James isn't saying she was saved because of her works, but that her works proved her faith was real. Genuine faith always leads to action.

You may not be aware but there’s been a long-running debate over Joshua’s decision to send spies into Canaan.

Some argue it was a moment of hesitation—maybe even unbelief.

After all, God had already promised victory. So why send spies?

They didn’t return with any groundbreaking military intel—just news that the Canaanites were shaking in their boots. Encouraging? Sure. Strategically necessary? Maybe not.

But here’s the reality: Israel still had to fight.

The promise of God didn’t negate the need for battle strategy. The same could be said for the twelve spies sent out decades earlier—God Himself had commanded it (Num. 13:1).

Just because victory is assured doesn’t mean preparation is pointless. Maybe the spies picked up some details about the land, the best routes, or key places to set up camp. Either way, Joshua still had to lead. Israel still had to step into the fight.

It’s a pattern we see all over Scripture. Think back to Israel’s journey through the wilderness. They had a pillar of fire by night, a cloud by day—divine GPS.

Yet Moses still asked Hobah, a Midianite, to guide them through the terrain because he knew where the best campsites were (Num. 10:29–32). God’s sovereignty doesn’t cancel out human responsibility. It fuels it.

As the old Scottish Presbyterian Rabbi Duncan put it: “That God does half and man does half is wrong; that God does all and man does all is right.” That’s the tension of faith.

God saves by grace, but He uses our effort in the process. The spies went. Rahab intervened. Joshua led. And Jericho fell. That’s how God works—sovereign over it all, yet calling us to step forward in faith and obedience.

Faith compels us to move.

Last and final truth

3. The Scarlet Thread of Redemption runs through Rahab.

Look, the whole point of the whole Bible—it’s for you, but it’s not about you. It’s about Jesus. The prophets? About Jesus. The Tabernacle? Jesus. The temple? Jesus. The sacrificial system? The cross? The return of Christ? All of it—every bit—is about him.

If you come on Wednesday nights- you hear this a lot while we are walking through the book of Genesis.

The whole arc of Scripture is about surrendering to the lordship of Jesus. That’s the thread of the Gospel running through the whole thing. Its called the Crimson thread. That Christ is the main Character of the Bible and that Christ is on every page. From Genesis to Revelation, it’s all pointing to one person. Jesus.

And what was it that Rahab hung from her window? A scarlet cord. That Crimson thread.

From the very beginning, when God created humanity, when he breathed life into Adam and Eve—there was perfect relationship. And then sin entered. And because God is just, he had to remove them from the garden. But before they left, he made a promise—a promise that one day, someone would come. The enemy would bruise his heel, but he would crush the enemy’s head.

That’s Genesis 3. That’s the first whisper of the Gospel. From the beginning, God knew he was sending a rescuer.

Every since Genesis 3- humanity had been waiting for the head crusher- the messiah.

And Rahab literally advances the story of the messiah but this woman wasn’t just someone who came to know Jesus- she didn’t just help the spies. She wasn’t just grafted into the people of Israel.

She is in the literal genealogy of Jesus. In Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. You probably skip over those lists of names, but listen, they matter. Because in that list—where most of the names are men, because that’s how genealogies worked back then—four women are mentioned. And one of them? Rahab.

Not only did God rescue and redeem her—he made her the great-great-great-great-great-grandmother of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

That’s what God does. He doesn’t just save us—he calls us his children.

Just like Joshua came to save Rahab, a greater Joshua—another Yeshua—would come on a rescue mission. And he wouldn’t just cross the Jordan to take people from the desert to the Promised Land—he would take those who believe in him from death to life.

That’s the story of the Bible. That’s the story of Rahab. And if you think you’re too far gone, if you think God can’t redeem you—you’re absolutely wrong. Because this is what he does.

Rahab’s story is our story. Because when God begins to melt your heart, you come to the same realization she did:

We’re in trouble.

We can’t save ourselves.

We desperately need God’s mercy and grace.

We’re not good. We’re sinners. We’re rebels. And no amount of “good deeds” will undo the fact that we’ve missed the mark.

We didn’t just break a rule—we committed cosmic treason against the King of the universe. And the just punishment for that? His wrath.

But when Jesus went to the cross, His blood became the propitiation for our sin. Meaning what? The payment was made. Justice was satisfied. And if God is fully satisfied in Jesus, hear me, church—He cannot be dissatisfied in you.

Now, some of you need to hear that again, because you think God is waiting for some future version of you to love. Like, once you clean up your act, once you quit cussing so much, once you stop binge-watching trash on Netflix—then He’ll be pleased with you. But the gospel says otherwise. In Christ, God is already fully satisfied. You cannot surprise Him. You cannot disappoint Him.

See, disappointment requires surprise. Some of you wives know what I’m talking about. You walk into the bathroom, see the toilet seat up again, and you’re like, How? How is this still happening? Your frustration comes from unmet expectations.

But listen, God does not have unmet expectations with you. He knew every thought, every action, every moment of rebellion before you ever took your first breath. And He still said, I’ll pay for that one. I’ll adopt that one.

That’s what propitiation means. It means Jesus paid it all.

Now, let’s talk about why this had to happen. Because here’s the deal: God is just. Sin has to be paid for. A lot of people have this idea that God is just some big, loving force in the sky, kind of sprinkling forgiveness around like pixie dust, saying, “Ah, it’s fine. Just come here, let’s hug it out.” No. That’s not justice. That’s not holiness.

God doesn’t sweep sin under the rug—He deals with it. And that means either you pay for your sin, or Jesus does.

This is where we get twisted up, because we don’t take sin seriously. We treat God like some tame little house pet. But let me tell you something—you don’t mess around in the lion’s den. Nobody hops into the lion exhibit at the zoo like, “Watch this, guys!” No, because you’re the snack. And yet, we treat the Lion of Judah like He’s some petting zoo goat we can play around with.

God is holy. God is just. And sin must be paid for.

Now, in the Old Testament, God delayed that payment. That’s what this passage means when it says “because of His divine forbearance, He had passed over former sins.” In His mercy, He held back judgment. And that’s the same mercy He shows today.

Listen, you sinned this week—I did too. So why didn’t God strike us down? Because in His mercy, He delays judgment to give us time to repent.

But here’s the best part—He didn’t just delay payment. In grace, He made the payment. That’s why Scripture calls Him both just and the justifier. God remains just—sin is paid for. But in Jesus, He is also the justifier—He takes that payment upon Himself.

I’m wrapping this up.

You and I—every one of us—stood condemned. We had no shot of saving ourselves. But Jesus—Jesus steps in, pays the price in full, and says, It is finished.

And when Rahab hears about the God of Israel, she does the only thing that makes sense—she surrenders.

And how does she show it? She hangs a scarlet cord out of her window. That cord didn’t save her—it was a sign that she had already been saved.

Church, in the New Testament, we have that same kind of sign. It’s called baptism. Baptism doesn’t save you, but it marks you. It tells the world, “I belong to Jesus.”

That’s why we baptize the way we do. The Greek word for baptism literally means to dunk, to immerse. It’s why we put people under the water—because it represents dying to sin, being buried with Christ, and being raised to new life.

It’s kind of like a wedding ring. My ring doesn’t make me married—it shows that I’m married. If I take it off, I’m still married. And if you put it on, you wish you were married to my wife, but you’re not.

Baptism is the outward sign of an inward change. It’s no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And some of you need to take that step today. You’ve surrendered your life to Jesus, but you’ve been holding back on baptism—maybe out of fear, maybe out of pride. But hear me—be strong and courageous. Take that step.

Or maybe- you need to officially become part of this faith family.

Rahab surrendered her life- had the outward sign that she had been saved- then became part of the family. She lived in Israel.

So lets enter into this time of invitation and consecration.

Surrender, Baptism, Faith Family.

Let’s pray then respond.