A Legacy of Faith

Enjoying the drive in Service

Happy Mother’s Day

1. 100.7

2. lbcbristol.org/drivein

3. sing out

4. no to minimal honking

With today being Mother’s Day our church has a special gift for all ladies 18 and older here with us.

If your comfortable receiving this gift please roll your window down and hold out your arm. One of our team members will get that to you while we are singing.

PRAY

Introduction

Love those songs this morning.

Happy Mothers day again.

I hope you are all spoiled today and every day for how amazing you are and what you do.

Mom’s really are great.

Throughout time there has been an understanding of this basic truth.

It was Theodore Roosevelt that said “Praying mothers are America’s greatest assets.”

The man known as the prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon said “I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother.”

Both of these statements speak to, I believe, what could be considered the most important quality in a mother. Faith.

In our 21st century society we often find ourselves on some form of social media looking a number of different things. Moms, ladies, one of your favorites is most likely, pinterest.

I remember when Pinterest came out. I got an account to check it out and quickly removed myself from it. However, my wife has kept it. Maybe your here and don’t know what Pinterest is. Pinterest is a platform where you can look of pictures of a number of different things, recipes, decorating ideas, vacation ideas, and all those things that us guys get on the honey do list…we can blame Pinterest.

One of the greatest compliments some women believe they can get is “your home looks like its straight off of pinterest”

Many mothers can look at pinterest and begin to get down on themselves…why? Because they compare their home to what they see online.

Ladies, I want to be an encouragement to you today. I also want to challenge you along with the rest of us. I believe that can be accomplished by me telling you. The greatest quality you can have, the most admirable trait that a mother could possess, is not how “PInteresty” her home looks it’s how great her faith is.

When we look to scripture and see the women that God used, they do not all have great backgrounds or beautiful homes…but they all had one thing…faith.

The prayers of the mothers while Theodore Roosevelt was President was a sign of their faith. Charles Spurgeons Mother who prayed for him prayed because she had faith.

Today I want us to look at a woman in Joshua named Rahab. We will read Joshua 2:9-13 to find where we first meet Rahab and then jump to another passage in Joshua and finally end in the New Testament to see her legacy of Faith.

Follow along as I read

Joshua 2:9-13

Joshua 2:9–13 KJV 1900

9 And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: 13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

PRAY

Notice the beginning of faith

I. The Beginning of Faith

Rahab was a harlot in the town of Jericho and not living a life for God at all. As we read in our text she had got wind of the things the Israelites were doing and how their God was delivering them.

She chose to believe on the one true God which gave her a faith filled worldview.

A. A Faith-Filled Worldview

Rahab’s worldview was changing. She went from being just a harlot to a faith filled believer in God.

What made her believe? What was it that was convincing her that the God of the Bible is the only God?

It was the work God was doing in the lives of the Israelites.

Mothers, Christians, the world will have a hard time knowing God if they do not see Him through us.

As Christians we believe in God, we believe in Jesus, and when we are living that out and God begins doing great things, people recognize somethings going on.

However, if we are not putting ourselves in the place of recieving a blessing, then we are missing the opportunity to show our faith to others.

Having faith and a worldview centered around God and Christ isn’t enough. We must have faith filled works.

B. A Faith-Filled Work

As people of faith our worldview, our perception of what is going on around us, is different than others. Here is this harlot Rahab who sees the impending attack on her town and doesn’t freak out, doesn’t lose it, but acknowledges who is in control and then acts on it to protect her family.

I believe it is in the heart of every mother to sacrifice for those she loves. Rahab at this time isn’t a mom but she has a mom and a family. When she talks to the Israelites it isn’t just about her saving her own skin. It’s about saving her family.

She acknowledged who was in control and chose to act out her faith.

James 2:25

James 2:25 KJV 1900

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

It was her works that justified her before others.

It was not her works that saved her soul, it was her works that proved her faith.

As mothers, as Christians, how we live out our faith is what proves our faith.

Your children will know what you believe by how you behave.

I heard a statement recently that I don’t think I had heard before. It was that a person has to be careful to “protect their integrity” with some people.

When I hear that statement I hear “I need to project a good image so people don’t know how awful I am.”

Can I encourage in this way, don’t live a life that needs to be hidden. Live one based upon your faith and let others see it.

Moms, don’t discount the influence of your beliefs or behavior with your children.

I’m thankful for the many women of faith here at LBC and the great example they are to others. I’m sure all of us, ladies and men, have moments where our behavior isn’t matching what we say we believe.

You know, when the dishes are piled up, when the room you just cleaned isn’t clean 5 minutes after you finished, when the laundry has had to be re fluffed in the dryer 3 times because you forgot to get to it or chose not to because of everything else you had going on.

The behavior I speaking of is not in keeping up on all of that, is the overwhelmed feeling, it’s the frustration and anger you can get into as you feel you are doing it alone. Some of you may be doing it alone and I commend you for carrying the weight that is on your shoulders.

Ladies, this morning I’m going to give you something that I hope will be a blessing. As I studied this week I didn’t find anywhere in scripture where God said your house has to be in perfect condition…all the time. I didn’t find anywhere that Jesus said “laundry should be done with 30 minutes of drying.” So with that said you have permission, to not be perfect. You have permission to fall behind. You have permission to fail at something. It’s ok. We all do it.

Men, let me give you some help this morning as well.

Eph 5:25

Ephesians 5:25 KJV 1900

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Love your wife as Christ loved her. Christ gave himself for her. The least you can do is help with the dishes. Fold a towel. Tell her you love her daily. Make sure she knows shes as beautiful in her comfy pants as she is in fancy clothes.

As much of a weight as the ladies in the home carry, men they should not carry it alone.

Jesus washed the feet of 12 dirty men from the middle east that walked around in sandals all day....You can give your sweetheart a foot rub from time to time.

The beginning of Rahabs faith came as a result of the work God had done in the lives of the ISraelites. It changed her worldview and she began living that out.

When we live out our faith we will the Result of Faith.

II. The Result of Faith

Look over at

Joshua 6:22-23

Now at this point in the life of Rahab she has lived through the seige of Jericho. Where God tore the walls down and the Israelites came in to destroy everything.

Our text finds us at the next time Rahab is mentioned.

Joshua 6:22–23 KJV 1900

22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

She lived out her faith and found a short term blessing

A. A Short-term blessing

She chose to live out her faith and the short term blessing came but only after, get this, her town was ransacked.

I get it, she was a woman of faith, but can you imagine sitting in your home knowing everything around you is getting destroyed. yes, you were told you would be safe, yes you believed in God…but you probably got a little scared. Doubt is normal…remaining in doubt is harmful.

Ladies, Christians, I believe that living out your faith has short term blessings. That means I believe there are blessings to having an active prayer life. I believe their are blessings to stewarding finances the God calls us to. I beleive thier are blessingns with raising our children in fear and admoinishen of the Lord.

Those blessings can be a variety of things but just like in the life of Rahab…it may come after a ransacking.

The blessing of respectful children may come after a stage of life where they destroy everything. But they have to be taught, you have to go through it, living out your faith, and then see the result.

Reading the Bible with your kids and not just teaching them the stories, this is what we are transition from in our house, not just teaching the story of david and goliath but relating that giant to something they are facing and how David had that faith so can they.

Dads, those things ultimately rest on your shoulders. However, dads, we sometimes fail.

Many of you have heard of Moses, the man God used to free the Israelites from Egypt. He lead them for 40 years in the desert and was greatly of God.

There was a time though where he had failed and his wife had to pick up the slack.

Ex 4:24-26

Exodus 4:24–26 KJV 1900

24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

Without going into full detail here the basics of this excerpt in scripture is that Moses hadn’t circumsized his son according to what God had said so Zipporah came in and took care of it.

Ladies, we men are not perfect. You know that…sometimes we have to hear from someone else though.

Don’t let our failures lead to your faithlessness. Keep it up. Live out your faith to your children and to those around you.

Christians, don’t let anyones failures lead to your faithlessness. People will fail you…it’s your job to remain faithful.

Rahab acted on her faith and saw a short term blessing.

She continued to live out that faith which lead to a long-term legacy.

B. A Long-Term Legacy

Look at Matt 1:5

Matthew 1:5 KJV 1900

5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

I know the spelling is a bit off and that can be explained another time. Notice who Boaz is of…Rahab…For those that don’t know Boaz was an important man in the life of another woman in the BIble, Ruth. Boaz was also the great grandfather of King David.

Rahab didn’t get a lot of recognition in life. She did this one thing, she had faith and lived it out, and because of her faithfulness, God rewarded her by allowing her to be in the line of Jesus.

She is also mentioned in what is known as the hall of faith

Heb 11:31

Hebrews 11:31 KJV 1900

31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

What can we all learn from Rahab and her life?

She is not known for how beuatiful she may have been. She is not known for how clean her house was. She is not known for her clothing. She was not blessed because how many followers she had on social media. She was blessed because of her faith. Moms, Christians…You don’t have to be perfect…just be faithful.

The love of a mother is one of the greatest loves we can ever know. When Boaz met Ruth he was kind, gentle, and loving toward her. I believe it was because of the influence of a godly, faith filled mother he was that way. parents, your kids may be driving you crazy, life may be getting overwhelming…take some time to prioritize your faith filled actions to your family over everything else and see if there isn’t a short term blessing that follows.

Conclusion

At the end of every service we have what’s called a time of response. It’s when we take a few moments and respond to the Word of God.

Would you bow your heads please and close your eyes. Take these momemts and go to God.

Are you hear today and don’t know Jesus at all? You’ve never heard some of the things I spoke about this morning. You’ve been unclear as to what it meant to “be saved.”

John 3:16

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.The gospel is the death burial and resurrection of Christ.Christ came so that you could be saved. Because as you can’t go through a crisis alone, you can’t go to Heaven on your own.

​Ephesians 2:8–9

Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Rom 10:9, 13

Romans 10:9 KJV 1900

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:13 KJV 1900

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Christians, are you living by faith this morning? Are you showing your faith to others so that they may no Jesus? If not, could you ask God how you could be doing better and commit to do that?

If your here this morning and want to trust Jesus as your savior I want you to know that’s very easy. If you believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, was buried in a tomb, and rose from the dead, then you are saved.If you just made the decision to trust Jesus as your Savior I want you to help you confirm that with a prayer. The words of the prayer mean nothing but what you believe in your heart means everything.

“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, I believe you came to die on the cross and rose from the dead. I put my faith right now in you and ask you to come into my life and change me from the inside out. Amen.”

PRAY

If you made that decision this morning I want you to make sure you fill out that form on lbcbristol.org/drivein or send us an email at [e-mail]. I have a gift I want to send you. I want to rejoice in your decision with you. I want to pray for you. I want to talk to you about the next step of faith you can take to deepen your relationship with Jesus.At this time I want to thank you again for coming out. Our worship team is making their way back out to play and sing a closing chorus and while they sing I’d like to ask you to give your attention to the parking team that has vests on for direction to leave.