Impact Events

Impact events in the life of Rahab.(Josh 2:8-21. Heb11v31)

It true that great events in world history always stand out in the lives of people. When something out of the ordinary happens? People seem to always remeber where they were, what they were doing and so on.

For instance I am sure that in the mind of many Iraqi people the mass graves unearthed will impact their lives for a long time. The day the statue of Sadam Hussein was toppled down in Baghdad symbolising the liberation of the people from their dictator, will be also vividly remebered. And the ongoing carnage is an idelable stamp never to be removed.

For the American people Sept 11th will stay in the mindset of the American people forever. The two great world wars of our nation will stay in the mindset of our nation and always be remembered. The 6 million deaths in the holocaust will stick in the mind of the Jewish people and the world I hope. All these things happened and impacted the lives of people who lived around that time. But have you noticed?

The distorted time line.

But as time marches on these impact points often become further and further removed from our reality.

When some of those events happened I wasn’t even born. None the less they happened. We have history, which record such events, which reveal the lives, impacted at that time. But as time marches on many of the above events get distorted, especially in our post modern world where objective truth is under constant attack.

But individual testimony is vital.

For us here today there will be events that will impact our lives to an extent that they will effect the way you think and act. Many of these events will cause many to think about God for the first time. These are life changing events. This is exactly what happened to Rahab and will happen to us as history roles on. These events which wil impact your life, will not cease to exist because of the roll of time…

These major impact events we will see will cause Rahab to take notice of God’s work, it effected her whole life. Will it effect yours?

In fact it took her in a totally different direction. What was it that had impacted her life? To have once been a Cananite prostitute rejected by society and yet later on she would become one who possesses great faith (Heb11:31) and one who would become an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matt.1:5)

I’ve got three points for us today.....

1.Rahab was aware of God’s work.

She knew of the historical events that had taken place; The acts of God, she recounts them to the spies

V10, For we have heard how the Lord, dried up the water of the Red Sea, brining the people out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites.

a.Notice 40 years later these great miracles are still remembered even by those who were not there. The Exodus when around 2 million people leave Egypt the most powerful world power at that time, yet God delivers them safely out of Egypt.

2. Ex14:21. Notice the division of the Red Sea to enable the people to cross over and escape from the Egyptians. (A Divine miracle) And in three more day’s God’s people would cross the Jordan Jos.3:16.

Rahab was also certainly aware of God’s future work…

While many took no notice.

V9, I know that the Lord has given you the land.

She was well aware of the great Army of Israel camped out on the other side of the Jordan River who were ready to cross over in three days. She knew that victory for them was certain due to the Lord being with them.

She had heard of the destruction of the Amorite kings in battle. And the effects of which had brought fear upon her own people.v11 and herself. She realised that God was at work and that her city would be destroyed.

I wonder if this week, for the first time you are being made aware of God’s work in History.

The Bible the book we are using is one of the oldest historical books of antiquity we have. The accuracy to the original manuscripts is amazing we have over 24,633 manuscripts, which authenticate today’s NT.

Sir Isaac Newton. The founder of science; “The Bible is a rock from which all the hammers of criticism have never been able to chip.

Have you ever taken notice of Gods greatest work through Jesus Christ? His unique Birth, life, death and resurrection and ascension and coming again!

This as all happened in a historical setting and is a true and reliable account, found in the greatest book of Antiquity the Bible.