Rahab and the Spies

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

If you're here this morning, do not have a worship guide, would you please raise your hand so we can make sure you've got a got a few up here, Carlton, right here, because we thank the Lord that we have the opportunity to learn God's word.

Don't you love it?

You know, we have a little saying here, and I hadn't said it in a while, and uh it's about the word of God.

You know, the Bible tells us, Paul says, study, told young Timothy, study to show thyself to prove unto God a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Sanctify them through thy word.

Thy word is truth.

2 Timothy 2, 15 and John 17, 17.

And we we kind of we started this at the very beginning of this church and uh probably ought to say it every week.

But we start out saying, it's very evident that one of our spiritual foundations here is clear biblical truth out of the four pillars that we hey founded this church on.

Clear biblical truth.

And we have a little saying that says, one, we love it, we learn it, and we live it.

Let's say that together.

Hold your Bible.

Do you have your Bibles with you?

I and I know I throw it up there on the screen, but if you have your Bibles, let's uh it's something about shaking the Bible in the devil's face.

Amen.

Hold your Bibles up.

There you talk it.

All right, now let's say it.

We love it, we learn it, we live it.

Amen.

All right.

I want you to turn with me this morning to Joshua chapter 2.

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

Um, David and Sylvester cornered me as I was walking in.

Where's David?

He's out there, he's kind of, but uh he said, we got a problem, preacher, we would like to talk to you about.

I said, Uh-oh, this must be serious.

Two of my councilmen want to talk to the preacher.

And I started thinking, well, what am I doing?

But uh I said, no, I've been good this week.

Now, sometimes I'd be guilty, but I'd been good this week.

And uh he said, I meant we had a bunch of things going on in Sunday school today.

I said, Well, what do we have going on?

He said, We're talking about a prostitute.

I said, Oh, well, that could be a serious problem.

But uh, in this case, it's a great problem because the harlot comes to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

But you know, I have people all the time, I don't know why you don't want to read the Bible.

The Bible is exciting.

I mean, it is one of the best storybooks that you'll ever read.

It's got more stuff than you'd ever think.

It's even got some X-rated stuff.

And uh, but it's in the right context.

Can I get an Amen?

Amen.

So it's the book.

It's the book.

And uh so this morning we're starting in uh chapter two.

We just finished chapter one, and many of you that are watching uh uh on uh by live streaming this morning, we also have the outline on uh the computers.

I mean uh on the video.

You can throw it up as you're going.

You can follow along and fill in the uh outline as well.

Benji and all our young guys around here uh make us look, older guys look real good with this tech.

And I'm looking there, Matt's look, Matt's sitting there.

Now see, I would think he might be texting somebody, and if he is, I pray it'll blow up.

But uh, yeah, and look at Rick, all these younger guys, uh, it makes me.

Well, I uh and I've already watched Sylvester try to preach with a tab, so I'm not gonna do that.

Because every time I'm studying with mine, I hit something and it loses.

So I'm just gonna stick with my book.

I like my book, I like my book, so uh I'm just uh gonna stay with that.

All right, Joshua chapter 2.

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

Title of the message this morning: Rahab and the spies.

This scripture is the story of a reconnaissance mission.

I mean, it's exciting.

Uh, and it's carried out by two of the spies that Joshua sends out.

And really, it's the two spies and Rahab the harlot.

Rahab the prostitute that's involved in this story, and what a story it is.

It's a fantastic story.

But we see that the Israelites had camped in the plains of Moab, close to the Jordan River on the east side, ready to cross over the Jordan River into the Canaan land.

In fact, you could see, I'm pretty sure you could see, possibly, uh, they knew Jericho was not far.

Jericho was about five miles after you crossed the Jericho River into Jericho.

And Jericho was a strategic city.

And it was a strategic city because it was a commerce city.

But not only was it a strategic city because it was a commerce city, it was located at the bottom of the base of the mountain of Moab, and it had springs everywhere, and the whole valley was very fertile.

I mean, you could grow anything and everything.

It was just a strategic place in Canaan, in the promised land.

In fact, it was that one of those valleys where if you remember when the 12 spies came back, and 10 of them came with the negative report, but all 12 of them even said, it is a land flowing, say it with me, with what?

Milk and honey.

And so this was one of the most fertile valleys in the Promised Land.

So that's important that we understand that.

And what is what happened, I think, too, in this story is one of the most intriguing, exciting, uh, captivating stories in the Bible.

These two men encountered, as they go in to Jericho, a prostitute named Rahab.

A prostitute who was to be converted and became one of the most significant women, hey, in the Bible.

Now you tell me that's not great.

Hey, when you go from a harlot, hey, to a queen.

Amen?

And she did when she got saved.

And she became one of the most significant women in the Bible because she was one of the five.

I still hear y'all talk about Susan's mother's name's message and the five ladies up here.

Well, Rahab was, you remember, in that lineage.

So she became two things.

One, you go to James 1.5, we see she becomes, hey, one of the ladies in the lineage of Jesus Christ Himself.

Amen.

That's unbelievable.

And then secondly, not only did she become a significant woman in the lineage of Jesus, guess what?

She her faith described in this incident.

Are you ready?

Put her in the hall of faith.

I'm telling you, in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, verse 31, she is mentioned because of her faith.

Hebrews 11:31

What a tremendous testimony for Rahab the harlot.

So as we look at this, this is going to be exciting.

Now, first of all, let's notice some facts about Rahab.

In fact, let's read verses 1 through 7, and that's, we'll read the first paragraph and look at the first paragraph as we go through this chapter.

First of all, and Joshua the son of Nun sent out Satim, two men, to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho, and they went and came into the harlot's house named Rahab and lodged there.

Now, it's pretty interesting to note here.

First of all, the the word for a harlot and prostitute definitely means a woman of ill repute, okay?

But it also, the word here can mean uh uh innkeeper.

So chances are that Rahab, by this time, I really believe, now, and I've done a lot of studying, you're reading uh weirsby, so uh, and what he says about it, but it's exciting.

So by this time, there's no doubt that she probably was both.

I mean, innkeeper, it probably was an end, and there's no doubt scripturally, we know.

In fact, it does not uh throughout the scripture it keeps saying Rahab the harlot, Rahab the harlot.

So, chances were she was both.

And I would like to say that by this time she had been converted, and she had been moving away from the prostitution thing to maybe more the innkeeper and also not just an innkeeper, she was making clothes.

And the way that I really believed that, or she was helping make clothes, selling clothes, or selling materials so that people could make clothes is the flax.

The flack that she ends up hiding the two spies under on top of her Ruth is what?

Used for linting and making clothes.

So I think it's strong evidence, even at the very beginning of her introduction, that she was moving away from her evil, should I say, life, now to her new life in Christ.

Can I get an amen?

So it's very exciting as we look at this.

But so, and it was told, verse 2, of the king, and boy, is this not, you're gonna see a great uh analogy here.

And it was told of the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in here to, hey, tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country.

And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth these men that are come to thee, which are entered into thy house, for they become to search out all the country.

Isn't it amazing how the enemy knew exactly when they came in and where they went?

Now I'm telling you folks, look out, because our enemy knows everything about us.

Hello, amen.

And he is set up to do exactly what this enemy was to do, and that is to take us out.

And so they went to Rahab's house.

And the woman took the two men and hid them and said, This, uh, there came men into me, yes, but I wish not whence they were.

And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate when it was dark, that these men went out.

Whether the men went, I do not know.

Pursue after them quickly, for ye shall overtake them.

I can see now, I've I've watched enough cowboy movies, how the posse rides up and they come to a place and house and say, Where is the villain in this?

Oh, he went there, man.

They turn around.

You can see the horses take it off after the villains.

Well, I can picture that right here, you know.

They had the army, oh yes, they were here, but they left.

And they're probably headed toward the gates.

You might want to go catch them, and boom, here they go.

They take off.

And so it's it's kind of exciting as as we look at this story.

But we see that she, verse 6, she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flack, which he had laid in order upon the roof.

And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan and to the fords.

And as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

Now, I want you to notice, first of all, Rahab saved the life of two spies.

We see this in these verses.

Secondly, Rahab provided important information to the spies that was needed by Joshua as the commander of the army.

We'll see that in a few moments in verses 9 through 11.

And then thirdly, what's this?

God used Rahab to be a bearer of the promised seed, to be in the very genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 1, 5.

And then fourthly, God used Rahab to illustrate the necessity of us, of one sealing their salvation experience.

It's really a powerful, unbelievable story.

It's intriguing, it's suspenseful, and it's high drama.

So let's begin.

Number one, let's look at five things this morning.

Number one, Rahab forsook her former life, as stated in verses 1 through 7.

What now happened is one of the most, I think, exciting and captivating stories we ever look at.

The story, uh, hey, and the expense to me is just unbelievable.

The scripture immediately opens with the expense of the, hey, the excitement of two spies.

Now, I don't know about you, I love spy movies.

Anyone else with me?

I love Mission Impossible.

I grew up on Mission Impossible.

Oh, I couldn't wait.

I couldn't wait every week to watch Mission Impossible.

Because I've always been intrigued with spy movies.

I really have, and I try to figure it out.

And uh I love Sherlock Holmes.

I just love Sherlock Holmes.

I've read the books and watched the movies.

I just, it's the suspense, the excitement of trying to figure it out.

So here these two spies are.

They're sent by Joshua into the land to get some information about, especially Jericho.

Because we're gonna see in this story, Joshua knew that Jericho was a strategic place for him to captivate and to conquer the promised land.

So he really wanted to make sure they went to Jericho.

And so, with that said, I want you to see two things about the story.

Number one, the wise strategy of Joshua, the reconnaissance mission to Jericho shows the military strategic genius of Joshua.

And here's why.

Because he knew if he could capture Jericho, Jericho's right in the middle, now watch this, of the northern kingdom of all the armies, and the southern kingdom.

And he knew that if he could capture Jericho, he would have a fortress that he could house his army, house the family of the Israelites.

They'd have plenty of food, they'd have plenty of water for the army, for the families, and he also knew then he could strategically, as a general, attack the southern armies first, because if you read and you again, I'm a historian, Josephus' writings took place.

Josephus is a historian that wrote during the times of Jesus.

So it really, if you ever go to uh the Christian bookstore and get Josephus' writings, it's really a history book about what went on during Christ's times.

And and oh, excuse me, not Christ's, well, not Christ's time, but the Old Testament times.

It's just a powerful book that does nothing more than uh confirm everything the Word of God says.

And it always does.

So what they're saying is he knew that if he could attack the Southern Army first, they were the weakest, that then after he took them out, he'd have over half the country done, secured, and then he'd be ready to take on the strongest part of the army, which was the northern army.

So if you look at that as a military uh act, you'd see the genius behind that.

And so that is what we see about Jericho right here, and why it was so important.

Now, the reconnaissance mission to spy Jericho and the surrounding land was again evident of the importance of it.

Now, does it not make sense that, hey, now you understand, when the two spies came in, what was the first place they would go?

They would look for an inn.

And they happened to find the innkeeper.

Now, granted, watch this.

It would be known as possibly a prostitution place.

Okay?

All right?

Now I know what you're thinking.

Well, what would they be doing going into a place of ill repute?

Well, let me ask something.

Uh, where would it probably not be noticed too much if two men were going into a lodge and possibly a place where prostitutes were?

That happened quite often.

So actually, even though it was thought on by most of the city and the people of a place of ill repute, it was also a place for them to camouflage and hopefully hide out why they were seeking out information about Jericho.

And not only that, at the same time, they would be getting a lot of information from the people in the lodge.

Where else to go is the main plates.

Find out a lot of stuff.

Amen.

So they were very strategic in what they were doing here.

However, again, we see that, and we must realize the strategic input that was going to come from these two spies in this place, and their greatest informer was gonna be Rahab.

Notice the second thing the courageous decision of Rahab.

This is good.

And what was her courageous decision?

Was to protect the spies.

To protect the spies, verses 3 through 7.

What Rahab now does is a clear picture, church.

Don't miss this, of hey, forsaking her former life and start being very active in her new life, a life, hey, what?

Saved by Christ and now serving Christ.

Can I get an amen?

And very evident.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he's a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, old things have become new.

For hey, she's changed her life.

Now, now she's ready to, hey, take on what God wants her to do.

And you'll see in a minute, she had already been, hey, witnessed about God, read about God, or listened to people coming and talking about the Israelites that were camped five miles on the other side of the Jordan.

I mean, well, actually, about 11 miles from Jericho.

They they had heard all the stories.

So with that said, it's a tremendous, courageous decision.

Now note her courage.

Are you ready for this?

Look, verse 4.

She hid the spies.

That takes courage.

Do you realize?

You know what that meant?

That meant treason.

You know what that meant?

Death.

Hello.

Now I don't know about you, but if you're lost, hey, you're not going to give up your life.

I mean, hey, for some God you don't even know, you're not going to do that.

You're not going to do that.

But if you happen to know the God that we know, you're willing to give up your life.

So here we see that she was, hey, courageous.

Proverbs 28:1.

Proverbs 28:1

She was bold as a lion.

She hid the spies.

Notice what else she did in verse 4.

She omitted the strangers had come, but hey, she denied knowing that they were spies.

Now I know what you're going to think, and you ought to think it.

But I'm not going to, that's another whole message.

She lied.

Yep, she did.

And I'm not going to try to justify it because I don't think you ought to lie in any circumstance.

Now you may disagree with that.

And I'm not going to say that I wouldn't lie.

I might do that in this situation.

But I also know that my God could perform acts without lying.

Okay?

And I serve as far as I'm going.

I don't understand that.

Corey Tim Bone did it.

Tim Bone.

I was thinking about Hillbone's connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone is connected.

But anyway, Corey Timbone.

But anyway, that's another.

Hey, lying lips are abomination.

I know.

So all I can tell you is she lied.

I'm not going to try to justify it, okay?

Yeah, but he never says she can lie.

Scripture never says you can lie.

Well, God didn't tell her to lie.

Well, there's nowhere in Scripture justifies lying.

I'm on record saying that.

Nowhere.

Okay?

But I may have done the same thing.

Okay?

I'm keeping it real.

Alright.

So, but we're not getting into that.

That's another message.

We're getting into it.

Don't get off the subject.

I shouldn't have even said it.

I started not to say it.

I shouldn't have said it.

Alright.

She stated, now look at verse 5.

She stated that they had left the city before nightfall and before the closing of the gates.

However, she did not know where they were going.

So she she was very convincing.

Very.

Man, they took off.

They went after.

And then she said, That they might be caught if the armed guards pursue them quicker.

Isn't that something?

She said, hey, they just left.

They're going that way.

Go get them.

They took off.

What did she do?

She diverted them from looking around the house, the inn.

She said, No, hey, yes, they were here, but they just left.

Go get them.

Let's go get them.

Here they go.

Turn on the sirenes.

Go get them.

They went that way.

So, and then verse 6, she had actually hidden the spies on a roof under some stalks of flack.

Flack was used again to make the yarn and linen cloth.

So the king's patrol immediately sets out the hot pursuit of the spies.

Now, let me share with you a few thoughts here.

One, Satan is in hot pursuit of me and you.

Amen.

Satan is in hot pursuit of me and you.

In fact, watch this.

In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 10, listen to what he says.

Ephesians 6:10

This is awesome.

He says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

Why?

Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the what?

Wild.

What's the word wiles?

Methodologies, the tricks, the traps, all kinds of schemes that Satan uses to take us out, to trap us, to make us stumble and fall.

I mean, he's after us.

He's coming after us with awe and hot pursuit.

And then he says, because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, and then wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand, and when you've done all you can do, stand.

So Satan is in hot pursuit of me and you.

And you know it because you've been caught.

We've all been caught a time or two.

Amen.

One lady said, I've been caught every week.

Well, honey, you need to get back in the book.

Stay around dynamic Christian people.

Because he's pursuing.

Why do you think he says, be sober, be vigilant?

That means, hey, hey, be watchful and have your priorities in order because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.

Resist him by being steadfast in the faith.

1 Peter 5, 8, and 9.

Can I get an Amen church?

So that's a good thought.

Now notice what else.

Rahab risk her life to save these two Israelites.

But this was not all.

Hey, she not only risked her life because it would be treason, but we also see she forsook her former life.

She did not, hey, deal and should I say, fall under the pressure of giving the spies up.

She didn't fall under peer pressure.

She didn't, hey, she wasn't scared of peer pressure.

She wasn't scared of her country, and she wasn't scared of death.

If it meant doing what was right for God.

Wow.

That's powerful, folks.

Man, is that not powerful?

She was not a, and I've I forgot to ask Susan.

I wanted Susan to sing one of my favorite songs, Romans 1.16.

She was not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.

What a powerful example we see right here.

Scripture is clear.

We must forsake sin and turn to God.

Can I get an amen?

The Bible says, in the times of this ignorant, God winked at, but now, and notice what he says, but now commanded all men everywhere to repent.

That's what he said.

That's what he said.

Acts 17, 30.

And listen to what he says in Ephesians 4.22.

I have that up there for you.

Wherefore sin we also are compassed up, excuse me, that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust.

And that's exactly what she did.

She put off the old woman.

She put it off.

And then one of my favorite verses, Hebrews 12, 1, wherefore sin we're, hey, surrounded by the cloud of witnesses.

Oh, a great cloud of witnesses.

Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

We all have a race to run.

And it's for the glory of God.

She accepted her race.

She was starting her race.

And boy, did she start out well.

Amen.

Number two.

Rahab believed the testimony about God.

She believed exactly what she had been told about the living and true God in verses 8 through 11.

Right after the king's patrol left her in, Rahab went up to the roof where the spies were hiding in the flak.

As the story of Rahab is read right here, keep in mind, though, that she could have exposed the spies at any time.

But she didn't.

Now look at verse 8.

Powerful.

And it says, before they were laid down, she came up unto them.

Before she they laid down, she put the flak over them, and she said unto men, now I like this profound statement.

Not I think so, not I feel so, not I don't know, but I know.

It's a, hey, let me tell you, my salvation is a no-so salvation.

Not a hope-so, not a feel-so, not a think-so, but a no-so.

Because God said so.

Amen.

And the word there in the New Testament is Odi or Oda.

Same Hebrew word means absolutely sure.

Absolutely sure.

No, no, no doubt.

Notice what she said.

Man, this is powerful.

She said unto the man, I know, I know that the Lord has given you the land and that your terrah is falling upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land, are you ready?

Faint because of you.

Woohoo! Now she's never, hey, she hadn't read the Bible.

She's been listening to people witness to her or telling the stories.

But there was a spirit of the living God that touched her heart and said, This is me, this is who I am.

I'm the one that brought the king plagues on Egypt and ended up killing all the baby boys that didn't believe.

I'm the one that brought the water out of the rock.

I'm the one that parted the Red Sea.

I'm the one that brought manna and brought the quail to feed millions of Israelites.

I'm the one.

She heard those stories and she said, Whew! That's who I want to know.

That's what I want to be a part of.

1 John 5 13, these things have a written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life.

Because you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is that not good, church?

I know.

I gotta say this with me, church.

I got a no-so salvation.

I got a no-so salvation.

A no-so, not a hope-so.

Well, I have people all the time say, Well, you can't really know.

I say, Yes, you can.

If you believe that, you don't believe the Bible.

The Bible doesn't say.

I said, yes, it does.

I'm glad you asked.

These things have written unto you, believe on them, Son of God, that you may know.

1 John 5.13.

There it is.

That little word know in 1 John is used 35 times.

Telling you you can be absolutely sure not only of your salvation, but of your relationship.

Woo-hoo! Yeah.

Amen.

Six tests in 1 John 5.

You hey, you don't pass them, you need to get saved.

Amen.

Go to 1 John chapter 5.

1 John 5 · chapter mention

I meant 1 John five small chapters.

And circle a little word and no every time you go through the verses and then say, Am I doing this?

Yep.

And if you're not, then guess what?

It's simple.

Just ask the Lord to save you.

Amen.

And he will.

Now, Rahab, ready?

Whoo, man, that felt good.

I know.

I have a no-soul salvation.

Now let me share with you two things about this.

First of all, Rahab opened her heart to the two spies and revealed a strong conviction about God.

Woohee.

Somebody say that's good.

She had heard about, was the living and true God.

She had heard about him.

She believed it.

Revelation 22, 13 says, Jesus says, Behold, I'm he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I'm alive forevermore.

She believed that God, Yahweh, Jehovah, was alive and was real.

She didn't believe her Canaanites, false gods.

She had already seen them, probably worship them.

She knew that wasn't.

In fact, a lot of the gods involved prostitution, to be honest with you.

So she knew that wasn't right.

She knew she was wrong.

Let me tell you something.

When you're doing wrong, you know it.

You know it.

You even know it when you lost.

You sure better know it if you're saved.

Or something's wrong, you ain't saved.

Amen.

So she knew that.

She knew that.

But notice what she said.

She said, Not only do I know that your God's real, but that, hey, the people are gripped by a spirit of fear.

Their hearts are melting.

Look at this.

The word faint there in verse 9 literally means panic with terror.

It means helpless.

It means trembling with fear.

It means to be consumed, faint-hearted.

It means that the Canaanites became the victims instead of the victories.

See, when you're consumed with fear, folks, Satan's got you.

Because God's not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7.

2 Timothy 1:7

That's why you can see the difference in people that are dying.

The lost and the saved.

There's a big difference.

With the saved, there's a peace of God that passes all understanding, that keeps your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I've literally been with him.

Dr.

Rollins, one of my mentors, he got up one day and he went into the other room where his son, 84, Dr.

Rollins was 96.

He said, I'm going home.

And his son said, Okay, well, I'll see you in a little while.

What we're gonna have for supper.

He said, No, you don't understand.

I'm going home.

I'm going home to be with Jesus.

And Herb kind of looked at him.

He said, What?

He said, Yeah, it's time.

I've done all I'm supposed to do.

God said it's time for me to go home.

I'm not eating anything.

I'm going home.

Day and a half later, he died and went home with Jesus.

Didn't eat another bite, just went home.

I've been with people that say it's time.

It's time.

Or they'll point up.

I'm going home.

Now, yeah, I know you say, oh, no, hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

If you just believe Hebrews chapter 12, that the cloud of witnesses, woo! How in the world would you want to, hey, not want to go home and be with all your loved ones and your friends and your people that's been saved?

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Hey, and you love and you lost them.

By the way, if you have a loved one or friend that's saved and they die, you didn't lose them.

They just beat you there.

And as much as they love you, if you said, I wished you'd come back, you know what they're gonna say?

No, you need to come up here.

Amen.

So don't allow this fear.

Rahab believed the Lord was a living and true God.

She believed that she was given, hey, that he was given the promised land to the Israelites.

The victory was there.

Can you imagine?

She had more faith than the Israelites.

She did.

Hey, they had seen the miracles.

Well, believes, and faith cometh by hearing.

And hearing what?

By the word.

She's a living testimony of Romans 10, 17.

A living testimony.

She believed.

She told the spies, go tell Joshua, the land's theirs.

Oh, the first time the spies went back, Joshua and Caleb came back and said, Moses, the land's ours.

Another 10 said, No, no, no, no, no.

There's John sending me.

Hey, why do you think Joshua didn't send 12 again?

Just a thought.

He said, I'm not sending 10, I'm sending two, and I'm hand picking them.

Amen.

He said, you know, he sent his two courageous.

He knew who to send.

He was a wise general.

He knew who to send.

He sent the, hey, he's he sent the Navy SEALs.

Or the Green Beret.

Whatever special service, whatever.

I don't want to get mad.

Yeah, whatever.

But he said, he sent the best.

Now notice what else.

Rea believed what she had heard.

Oh, yes.

Verse 10.

Look at what she said.

Is this not good?

For 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 unto the two kings.

Oh, not only, hey, had she heard about the miracle she said, she'd heard about how God took the two mean kings out.

Hello.

She knew that there was nothing that could withstand the hand of God.

And she was very adamant about it.

And then Rehab Rehab.

Rahab, maybe I need some rehab.

Rahab then shared the important information with the two spies.

She said, they have a defeated spirit, and they're melted in fear.

What greater message could she take back to Joshua?

They're done with.

They're consumed with terror.

They're melting away.

In fact, another synonym for the word I thought probably AWOL and it literally means disappears.

In other words, they were so terror stricken, they just left.

Wow.

Wow.

Isn't that unbelievable?

Notice the second thing about Rahab.

Not only did she open her heart to the two spies and revealed her strong conviction.

Now let me tell you something right here.

That's a powerful testimony for us, folks.

Listen to me.

If you and I are saved, we ought to have a strong, powerful, strong, strong, hey, testimony and conviction about our Lord.

We ought not to waffle when it's time to stand.

Can I get an amen?

I don't care where you are, when God puts you in a position to stand up for what's right, you stand.

Well, I I know.

Gotta take care of everything else.

She stood when nobody else would stand.

It took a woman.

It wasn't a man.

Can I get an amen, ladies?

Yeah, come on, preacher.

That's it.

That's it.

Boy, how many times have we seen women window?

Spineless men wouldn't do squat.

But let me remind you, if God be for us, what?

Nay, in all things we've been made more than conquers.

Romans 8:31, 32.

Romans 8:31

But now watch.

Rahab made a strong confession to the spies.

Notice what she said.

Verse 11.

And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts didn't melt, neither did they remain any more courage in any man because of you.

For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and earth beneath.

Woo! In other words, she said, once we heard about Jehovah Jirah, the Lord that provides, once we heard about Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace, we knew.

I knew that God was real and that God was ready to take this land.

I knew it in my heart, she said.

The Lord Jehovah Yahweh, the supreme God.

The Lord Jehovah Yahweh, the personal God.

Notice she said two things.

He's the all-sufficient, all creator of heavens and earth, but he's also my personal God.

Did you see that in verse 11?

Was that not good?

Look at what she said.

And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts didn't melt.

Neither did they 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.

She knew that.

She knew it.

Here's a thought.

Ray believed the testimony about God.

She believed what she heard.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna tell you something.

To be saved, you gotta believe this book.

No?

It's not a book.

It's God's word.

Amen.

It's a love letter from God.

Every jot, every tittle, hey, shall not pass from this word till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5, 18.

Forever, O Lord, my word is settled in heaven.

Psalm 119.89.

You with me, church?

All scriptures given by the inspiration of God.

2 Timothy 3.16.

Powerful, powerful truth here.

We see the faith.

We see the faith.

To be saved, we must believe the testimony of the Holy Scriptures about God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Without faith, it is what?

Impossible to please God.

For he that comes of God must believe that he is that he is a reward of them that diligently seek him.

Faith cometh by hearing, and say it with me.

Hearing by the word of God.

Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And then Romans 10, 9 and 10, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus shall believe in the heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Amen.

For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confessions made unto salvation.

You saw her heart believe, and you saw her mouth confess.

Right there.

Amen.

She wasn't ashamed.

She wasn't ashamed of the gospel.

Notice the third thing.

Verses 12 through 16.

Rahab requested that she and her family be saved from death.

Ooh, this is good.

Look at what it says.

Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me, she's talking to the spies, by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness into my father's house and give me a true token.

And then notice, now here's what I call assured salvation.

Amen.

You can know that you're saved.

Now notice what she said.

And that ye will save alive, my father, my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

Now watch what happened.

And then she said, Then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house was upon the town wall to the west side facing the mountain.

So she could easily let them down into the valley facing the mountain.

There's a reason for that.

And she dwelt upon the wall.

And she said unto them, Get ye to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you and hide you yourselves there in three days until the pursuers be returned, and afterwards may ye go your own way.

There were caves all up in the mountains, hundreds of them.

You could live for months in there, and people couldn't find you.

Okay?

So she was telling them where to go.

Now she's helping them.

Not only she saved them, now she's helping them.

Isn't that what we're to do once we save somebody?

Aren't we to help them?

Aren't we to disciple them?

Absolutely.

And that is why we need you to get involved in Sunday school.

I know it's just a little early, but come on, guys.

Come on, come on.

What matters is what, hey, to you.

If you want to be in Sunday school, you'll be in Sunday school.

Amen?

Or you'll be in a small group.

Yes.

That's it's so important.

We're to help you go to the next level in your walk with God.

Can I get an amen?

This is what you're learning in Sunday school, by the way.

What I'm teaching you right now.

We're learning all this.

In fact, some of them say, man, this is a good story.

Well, you even get more of it in Sunday school.

So we see that she requested.

Now, watch this.

Rahab had risked her life, taking a stand against her own people, and for the sake of these two spies, and now she's given up everything to save these two people.

Watch this.

Three things.

Actually, four things she did.

Rahab made a desperate request, verse 12.

A request that flowed out from her heart.

She asked for a guarantee of safety, not only for herself, but also for her family, concerned about her family.

Now let me let me say this.

First of all, she did what's biblically right.

Hebrews 4.16, remember?

What does it say?

Let us come what?

Boldly unto the throne of grace that we might attain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

She came boldly to God for salvation, and then she came bold for her family.

Ladies and gentlemen, we can bring our family to Christ.

Don't give up.

Don't give up.

Never give up.

Come boldly.

If we pray as much as we worry, we'd probably see more results.

Amen.

Pray.

She came boldly.

Notice what else?

Rahab gave a strong expression of her faith.

Look at verse 13.

She says, and that we will save a, hey, hey, and that ye will save a line of my father.

Not only did she say, hey, you saved me, but now you're gonna save, you're gonna save my family.

Woo! Is that not taking authority?

Remember Randy Spencer preached on authority?

She now, hey, she's taking authority over her family.

We need to take authority over our family for God.

I'm just not gonna let my hey, I'm not gonna let that that devil, that, that, uh, that crafty, unbelievable, powerful Satan kill my family and take them to hell.

I'm gonna fight.

I'm gonna take authority.

And that's why you need to pray.

Boldly.

I'm taking authority over you, Satan.

You have no power over my family.

Isn't that good?

She said, deliver, save us from death.

She pleaded with the men, save us, rescue us when you attack the city.

She was concerned.

And then the third thing, Rahab was given the assurance of being rescued and saved.

Look at verse 14.

And the men answered her, our life for yours.

Wow.

Our life for yours, if you utter not this our business, and it shall be.

That's a pretty, in other words, keep your mouth shut.

Baptists have a hard time doing that.

And it shall be when the Lord hath given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

Wow.

Is that not awesome?

Hey, they had a total assurance of what they said.

The only way we won't save you is, hey, God kills us.

We get killed in the battle, but that's not gonna happen.

Because God's in this.

Your faith has, hey, remember, I threw out the Bible.

How many times Jesus told the woman, your faith has made you whole?

He said to the commander of the Roman army, he said, You don't have to come to my house.

I know who you are.

I know, I know, I know who you are.

You speak and then be done.

And he spoke, and her his servant was healed.

That's faith.

This woman had faith.

She made the hall of faith chapter.

She said, Not only are you gonna save me, you're gonna save my family.

I like it.

She's taking authority.

They said, okay, we will.

I would too.

She had the choice either, hey, save my life or kill me.

Yep, you save me, I save you.

That sounded pretty good to me.

Amen.

I call that a win-win.

You live, I live.

Woo-hoo, I like it.

And then notice the fourth thing she said in verses 15, 16.

Rahab demonstrated strong, strong faith.

Because then she said, then she'll let him down.

Hey, she said, now here's the way we're gonna do it.

I gotta let you down.

I'm gonna let you down out of the wall.

Now, this is a powerful, powerful picture here with this red cord.

Now, I I don't have time, and I knew I wouldn't have time to go into that crimson red, but that's what it is.

It's a crimson red taken from a bug.

And I can't pronounce the bug's name, so that's one reason I wasn't gonna use it.

But anyway, it makes crimson and they use it for dye.

And they dye curtains, I dye any kind of thing.

Well, this ruck, this rope had been dyed with this this kind of whatever came from that bug.

But it was a crimson rope.

Hmm.

Crimson is God an Alabama fan?

Where's Brand?

I had to get that one in.

They said, no.

Maybe he's just an Alabama fan.

But but what?

Isaiah 118.

Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.

Though your sins be as what?

Scarlet.

As scarlet, they should be white, hey, as snow.

Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.

Though your sins be as scarlet, they should be as white as snow.

Is that not awesome?

Like crimson.

The word crimson's in there.

Yeah, it's a bit like crimson.

So here's that she's saying it takes the blood of Christ, hey, to save us.

Can I get an amen?

It takes the blood, and in whom we have redemption through his blood?

The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.

Oh, that is so, so powerful.

And then notice what she said.

And she said unto them, Then get you into the mountains.

Then we see she tells them how to stay protected, where to go.

Powerful.

We must call upon the Lord to be saved.

We believe and trust in him.

His blood saves us.

The Lord Jesus Christ alone can save and will save.

Can I get an amen?

So basically, she's saying, Here's the way you're going to be saved.

Here's the way you're going to be protected.

And then notice the fourth thing.

Rahab was given three conditions for saving herself and her family.

This is good.

Before leaving, the spies spelled out, verses 17 through 21, exactly what she had to do.

Three conditions had to be followed step by step.

Watch this, verse 17 through 20.

Verse 18.

Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind the line of the scarlet thread in the window which thou did let us have down by, and thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and thy father's house, oh home, into the house.

In other words, they're gonna be in the house of safety.

And it's the crimson blood.

And I thought to myself, whoo, hallelujah.

Hey, here it is.

Number one, Rahab must take the scarlet rope lying in her house and tie it in the window.

Verse 18.

The scarlet rope would identify her house as a house of safety.

Go back to remember in Exodus when God sent the judgment on the Egyptians, and then he was gonna send the death angel, and then he said, You must get the what?

The blood of the lamb, the sweet lambs, and get the bush, the hips of bush, and dip it in the blood of the lamb and make the mark on the door, so that when the death angel passes by, there will be no death in that house.

Woo! The blood.

You sprinkle the blood of the lamb all over the place.

Satan can't penetrate the blood.

Satan can't penetrate the blood.

And by the way, those houses that during that death angel experience, they were called the house of safety also.

Isn't that beautiful?

Isn't that beautiful?

There's a clear picture of the blood of Christ right here, the Passover lamb.

Then Rahab must bring the family into the house and keep them.

Hey, they are separated from the Canaanites.

Verse 18 and 19.

Notice what it said.

And in the window which thou didst, okay, and shall bring thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all the father's household home unto thee.

And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and will be guiltless, and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

Here's what he said.

This is powerful.

He said, here's exactly what you got to do, Rahab.

You got to get your people away from the world, all the guilt, all the junk, all the stuff, get them in the house of safety and keep them there.

Because if they go back out, we're not responsible.

Folks, let me tell you, once you get saved and we start helping you, hey, hey, we bring in, you go back out, we can't help you.

When you come out from the covering of God, you can't be helped.

You're prime meat for Satan.

You're prime prey for Satan.

But when you're under the authority of the word of God and covered by the blood of the Lamb, you are protected by God Almighty.

Can I get an amen?

Is that not good?

What a story! What a story.

What a story.

And then, separated.

By the way, come out from among them and be separate, saith the Lord, touch not the unclean things, and I will receive you, and I'll be your father, and I'll be your hey, hey, your comforter, God says.

1 Corinthians 6, 19 and 20.

2 Corinthians 6, 17.

And then 6, 2 Corinthians 6.14.

All of that.

Wherefore, come out from among them, be separate, saith the Lord, touch not the unclean things, and I will receive you.

I'll be a father unto you, and you should be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6.14, 2 Corinthians 6.17.

Have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness.

Ephesians 5, 11.

Amen.

And then he said, Rahab, here's the third thing.

Rahab, you must not betray the two spies, but rather protect them by keeping silent.

Look at verse 20.

And if thou utter this, our business, and we will be released from the covenant, our oath, which thou hast made.

Wow.

You know what he said here?

This is awesome.

If she broke her commitment to protect them, then they would die.

Now note the second thing about Rahab's salvation.

One, the three specific things, and the second thing, and I'm winding it up.

The sealing of Rahab's salvation.

We must trust the blood of Christ to be saved.

That's the scarlet broke.

Amen.

Number two, we must repent and separate from the world, from its sinful, evil, and wicked ways, spiritual separation.

And three, we must not turn back nor desert the Lord once we have made a commitment to follow.

Can I get an amen?

We got to stay true.

She made a commitment to follow the Lord God and to become identified with the people of God.

And hey, the Bible says any man putting their hands to the plow and looking back is not fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 9, 62.

Wow.

Here's a thought.

Rahab sealed her salvation by following through with her faith.

And you know how it was evident?

Let me tell you how you know when you get saved.

Your works follow you.

There's not a more beautiful picture of Ephesians 2, 8, 9, and 10 than right here.

For by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourself.

It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

But now watch verse 10.

But we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works.

This woman got saved and she went to work.

She saved the spies.

She let the spies down.

She told them where to be protected.

She saved her family.

She took a stand against the anti-God community.

Her own, hey, her own country, her own people.

She didn't go.

Let me tell you what this woman was it.

She was not politically correct.

Amen.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works.

Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my work.

James 2.18.

And then the last thing in number three.

Number five.

Verses 22 and through 24.

Her faith saved the spies, enabling them to escape and return to give the report to Joshua.

Now watch this report.

I love it.

One, the spies headed.

Excuse me, the spies heeded the advice of Rahab in verse 22.

Hey, notice what they did.

She says, uh, go to the mountains.

Okay, they went to the mountains.

They hid.

They hid.

Hey, so they couldn't be found.

But then notice secondly, verses 23 and 24.

So the two men returned and descended from the mountain and passed over and came to Joshua, the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them.

And they said unto Joshua, truly, the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

The two spies returned to camp and reported everything to Joshua.

Hey, note the declaration of the spies.

In strong faith and excitement, they declared that the Lord had surely given them the land.

They were excited.

Hey, Rahab got them excited.

I mean, they came back and reported just what Rahab said.

They said, Hey, we know, we know that we got the land.

Hey, we know they've already heard.

They've already heard about God, what God did, how he delivered us from the Egyptians, and how many parted the Red Sea, how many fed us.

They've heard every miracle, and they not only have they heard it, they are dispersing.

They're scared, they're running.

That's ready for our taking.

Joshua said, Ha ha.

Let's go.

Attack! Attack! Because they had already been mobilized.

They were just waiting for the spies to return.

He wasn't gonna make the same mistake twice.

He wasn't even gonna give them a chance to talk to the people.

He had them lined up for attack.

He said, We've done enough talking.

It's time to do some fighting.

We're taking the city.

We're taking the city.

Now here's what I wrote to me.

Faith must reach out to help others.

Can I get an amen?

Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

As ye have opportunity, do good to all men, especially those of the household of faith.

Folks, that's why you want to be a part of a church like CCW.

If it's not our church, find another good church.

But be a part so you can be a part of the family, you can be a part of the army.

But we're to help one another.

And I praise God the way you respond when you know of a need.

I do.

I do.

And then not only are we to our faith reach out to others, but to bear strong testimony and witness so that others will be saved.

We ought to have a strong witness everywhere you go.

You ought to take our little life and death tracks and leave them and share and invite people.

You know, let me tell you, just get them here.

You get them here, Pastor Danny will present the gospel.

Our Sunday school teachers will present the gospel.

Just get them here.

Just get them here.

We must help people escape the pursuit of the evil one.

Can I get an amen?

We do.

We do.

We have the answer for drug addiction.

We have the answer for alcoholism.

We have the, hey, we have the answer for pornography.

We have the answer for unfaithfulness.

The home's being broken.

We have the answer.

J-E-S-U-S.

Jesus is the answer.

Awesome Almighty God is the answer.

But it's got to be done his way.

Must be done his way.

1 Peter 3.15, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.

In other words, know who you are, what you are, just like Rahab, and then be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you the reason or the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

Can I get an amen?

1 Peter 3.15.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, Paul said, talking to Timothy, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.

Wow.

What a story.

What a story.

You enjoy that story?

Is that not an awesome story?

Filled with suspense, excitement, danger.

What a story.

What a savior.

Can I get an amen?

The spies reported everything to Joshua.

And here's what I wanted to leave on.

We are to report everything we know about Jesus to everybody we see.

Can I get an amen?

Amen?

Will you do it?

You have the power to save your family.

If you're saved, living in you, you have the power to save your family.

But you gotta pay the price.

You gotta be willing to give it all.

No amen on that one.

You gotta be willing to give it all.

She is willing to give everything, even her life, to save her family.

Are we are we that committed?

That's the only kind of commitment that really works.

Hello.

So when you're praying and things aren't working, let me just say I'm I'm talking to me now.

I mean it.

I'm talking to me.

Then my question is, how committed am I?

That's the question you gotta answer.

Because your commitment is what brings the results.

Or the level of results.

Maybe a better way of saying it.

Your commitment.

Remember last week I said when you're praying, and you say, Well, God's not answering my prayer, and I asked the question, Well, how quick have you answered his call?

And you're beating.

I think they go hand in hand.

Sorry.

They go hand in hand.

So really, when we don't see God moving like we think he ought to, we have to adjust ourselves and examine ourselves and say, What about my commitment to you?

Is it where it needs to be?

Can I get an Amen?

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

If you would like to find out more about us, visit us on our webpage at thechurch at cw.com.

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Send us an email at office at the church at CW.com.

We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.