A Saving Faith

Introduction

Last week we looked at Rahab helping the spies that came to Jericho

the king wanted to take the captive

the city had heard that the Israelites were coming

they had heard of all that God had done through them

This week… A Saving Faith

Many people have heard of the walls of Jericho falling

We are going to pick up with Rahab after the walls have fallen

they promised to save her and her family

she had to do, she had to put a scarlet cord in the window

Rahab had faith in the power of the Israelite God and she was putting that faith to action

This was a shout of faith; they believed the walls of Jericho would fall. It was a shout of prayer; they cry to Heaven for help, and help came.

Matthew Henry

but the Israelites were not the only ones with a prayer and a cry for help

Joshua 6:22–25 CSB

22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.

PRAY!

The motives of our works represent what we believe. That we have to save ourselves by our works, or we are saved and our works are an outpouring of our love for the Lord.

Talk about the walls of Jericho coming down

Marching around the city

marched around one time for six days in a row

seventh day, marched around seven times, let out a loud scream and the walls came down

my time in Jericho

Saved From Death

Somebody told me that I saved their loved ones life

I didn’t… their life was never in danger

but in an unusual emergency circumstance, we do not always think straight

when you read the story of Rahab the Jericho, understand outside of the room with the cord, she was in danger,

inside the room, she was in God’s hands and there is no safer place to be

Joshua sent the two spies back after the walls came down

Hebrews 11:31 CSB

31 By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.

perish = perish with… to die with… swept up with…

Joshua 6:22–23 CSB

22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

the practical… her and her family were not destroyed with the rest of Jericho

she lived in the wall according to Josh 2

we do not know if her house, portion of the wall remained standing

she lived higher in the wall, the spies had to be let down by a rope,

her home could have fallen with the rest of the wall but come to rest on top of the rubble

that part really doesn’t matter and distracts from two main things

her being saved did not mean that she did not have to live through the battle

just because we have to live through a battle does not mean that God is no longer in control

second - she was saved from eternal death

what is at stake is not that she would simply die in the middle of this war

those who perished were going to experience the wrath of God

we are at war right now… though it may not feel like it to us here in Kansas

ANY death on EITHER side should break our hearts

if they die not having faith, they will experience the full wrath of God

last week - the people of Jericho had heard the works of the Lord

the parting of the sea

defeating other kings

and Hebrews 11:31 tells us that they disobeyed

disobeyed = refused to believe

God is just in the destruction of Jericho

this was not a simple God was with those people and the people of Jericho never had a chance to repent and turn to God

they had heard of the power of God

but they did not turn to him, seek him and his protection

except Rahab

the people of Jericho sought to defeat him

There are tons of people around us that do not believe and are perishing

God is just in every soul experiencing his wrath

what about the one…

Romans 1:20 CSB

20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

the question is not what about those people, but what about you

do you have a saving faith

not do you believe in God

there are a lot of people who believe in God all around us and when they die they will be in Hell

The demons believe and tremble

the people of Jericho knew there was a God in Israel

Romans 5:1 CSB

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Justified = made righteous

TeamKID illustration with the blocks

my faith… Rahab’s faith, was that God, the Lord who parted the sea, who is Lord of Heaven and Earth would save her, even as everything else around her is being destroyed

Saving Works

just saying that can make us cringe a little bit

Faith that saves has one distinguishing quality; saving faith is a faith that produces obedience, it is a faith that brings about a way of life.

Billy Graham

Joshua 6:25 CSB

25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.

Joshua may have saved her because of her works, her actions, but God did it because of her faith, not works… right?

James 2:25 CSB

25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?

James uses Rahab as an illustration to his larger point

that faith alone, or faith without works is dead

for too many, they attempt to prove their faith by their knowledge of scripture

which then they judge others around them

this is not a chicken and the egg, which came first

Rahab did not act, was saved from death, then had faith

her faith in the God of Heaven above and the earth below led her to act out in the faith

Motives matter… but are not thought about when they are acting in faith

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of separating the sheep and goats

to the goats (not to the greatest of all time, goats here are not good) you did not feed me, give me water, clothes or visit me in prison

to the sheep… you fed me, gave me water, clothes and visited me in prison

both had the same reaction… when did we see you

meaning, both, revealed who they were

the goats would have done the deeds if they thought that they would gain from it

the sheep… just did it, it is who they were.

there was no motive, they did not even have to check themselves and their motives

when did we do that…

we are not constantly looking to see why we are doing things

a working faith - the faith that saves - is one that is serving the Lord and others without thinking about why they are doing it

James said that true religion is this, that you care for the widows and orphans

in that society, that is people that had nothing and could give you nothing in return

your good deed cost you something and you were getting nothing in return

it is who we are because of the heart change that takes place when we believe

Saved Forever

Rahab was placed outside the camp, but it was not always that way. She stayed with the Israelites

Since we have not been saved by our good works, we cannot be lost by our bad works. Grace means salvation completely apart from any merit or works on our part. Grace means that God does it all for Jesus’ sake! Our salvation is the gift of God.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Joshua 6:25 CSB

25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.

In Hebrews 10, the writer of the letter tells us that the law required sacrifice after sacrifice

but Christ came once and for all, that he sacrificed himself and then was seated at the right hand of the father

there are some denominations that will teach that you can lose your salvation

if I do not obey the law, he will take it away from me

as if he did not realize all your sin when he went to the cross

I love the little add in at the end of verse 25

she still lives in Israel today

not that she lives outside the camp

but she is in Israel

it means that she has been accepted as one of their own

I have been told that I do not count as somebody who has come in and stayed in our community because I have been here too long

I am just one of you all now

The prostitute believed that God was cleansing the land and giving it to his people

just like Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, so too Rahab, believed God and was justified

but she was not saved and left alone, she was brought into the people of God, the family of God

not for a time,

but she is recorded in the NT in the faith hall of fame in Hebrews 11.

she is an example of what faith looks like in the book of James

she is listed in the lineage of the savior of the world

As a believer

you are adopted into the family of God

Galatians tells us that there is neither jew nor greek, slave or free, but we are all one in Christ Jesus

that all who believe are descendants of Abraham

your name is written in the lamb’s book of life

and God does not have an eraser