Sermon – The Power of Living Faith In God Overcomes
Joshua 2:1-21 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. 3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. 4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: 5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. 6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. 7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; 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. 14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. 15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. 16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. 17 And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. 19 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 we 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. 20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. 21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
The conquest of Canaan was summed up in two New Testament passages: Heb 11:30, 31 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”
Jas 2:23-25 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Introduction: Joshua, as a wise leader, though assured of God’s protection, uses every available means to achieve success. 1. He sends out spies to get information concerning the easiest method for his attack on Jericho. We must not tempt God by a neglect of the means that God has provided. Though we must trust God for the success of every enterprise, we should use all that we have to ensure success. It is not a lack of faith to wear a mask or receive a vaccine. It is not a lack of faith to have regular check or take medicine. God selected a wise military leader for his people, knowing what Joshua would do. 2. The spies with ready obedience undertake the dangerous mission, and, as all good soldiers ought to do, put their lives in their hands, cross Jordan, secretly enter Jericho by night, and take up their abode at a harlot’s house, whose name was Rahab. A woman whose conduct had justly deserved to be stigmatized, yet who by faith made a decision that changed her destiny. God sovereignly directs the spies to her knowing that was a believing vessel of mercy.
Many are amazed that God would use a woman like Rahab. This lesson encourages the vilest sinner that there is hope for all. The grace of God knows no difference; His grace abounds to the chief of sinners. This lesson should also cause every believer to remember what they were, should serve to affect our minds more deeply with thankfulness to God, for what, through grace, we are. Rahab very kindly entertains and protects these servants of God. They had not entered Jericho undetected. The city was on alert and suspicious every stranger. If they have been found their lives would have been in most imminent danger. But Rahab having heard rumor, believed the report of God’s promise to Israel, resolved, at all hazards, to protect them and hid them under the flax, which lay on the flat roof of her house. Rahab’s belief in God caused her to take action.
It was by faith, we are assured, she concealed the spies: an action which the Holy Ghost has marked as highly commendable. Many people condemn Rahab’s action of lying to hide the spies. Yet we should understand that there may be within true and justifying faith a measure of corruption still at work, and sin in some instances may be exposed. Rahab is a new believer learning the ways of God. She is not perfect, but her faith caused her to put her life in danger to conceal the spies. Her actions showed the firmness of her confidence in God and His divine promise to Israel. Those who truly believe will risk all for God, and not count their very lives dear unto themselves. We must not hastily cast out, as reprobates, those whose actions we condemn. We all are a work in progress. Rahab became the great grandmother of Jesus of Nazareth. Her faith though imperfect pleased God.
This lesson demonstrates the power of a living faith in God overcomes and the power of an active fear paralyzes. Fear is one those themes that I hear often repeated today. The pandemic has advanced a culture of Fear. I think it is important to talk about it because God does so often warn against it in scripture. Someone has counted 366 passages dealing with fear in the Bible. Yet, it is so prevalent today. Fear and unbelief caused the first generation of Israelites to die in the wilderness, while wandered aimlessly for 40 additional years and never reached their goal. Joshua 2:8-11 reveals that Rahab is in a city and culture paralyzed by fear, but she is not limited by her environment.
Joshua 2:8-11 “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.”
This passage involves the conversation between Rahab and the two Hebrew scouts that Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. Jericho was the place of entrance into the Promised Land. I find it interesting that this rag-tag bunch was causing fear in the city of Jericho. This group really didn’t look like much of an army. They were they descendants of the generation that died in the wilderness because of their fear and unbelief. Their parents had failed to enter Canaan, and refused to go forward, So God led them in circles in the wilderness for forty years. Fear was the root cause of their failure. Remember the report of the ten spies? Numbers 13:31-33: “31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”The result of their decision led to despair and despondency. The people despondency caused them to want to return to Egypt according to Numbers 14:1-2.
Now, forty years later, as the Hebrews approached Jericho, the people of Jericho feared Israel and their God. The inhabitants of the land had heard the stories of the Exodus. They heard about the Red Sea. They heard of the Hebrews’ victories in the wilderness. As a result, they were afraid of them and their GOD! As outsiders looking in, the Canaanites saw what God was able to do and believed that He was able to conquer them as well. So, the people of Canaan were overcome with fear as the Hebrews stood on the threshold of the Promised Land.
1. A Living Faith in God Must Choose Sides. Regardless of the consequences, Rahab decided for God and his people. Many today desire to claim God’s promises without claiming God. I think there are modern applications for us, and I want to mention three. First, this generation learned to trust God in the wilderness. The previous generation had been trusting in themselves and their own abilities. They were right that they could not defeat the inhabitants of Canaan on their own, but they forgot God was with them. Rahab decided to choose God and his people over the inhabitants of Jericho. She had to separate herself and her family from the Jericho, its culture and its gods. True living faith in God must make the same decision today. There is difference between Christians and Culture, Holiness and hellishness, right and wrong. By faith Rahab made a choice. If our faith is living, we must
make the same choice.
2. A Living Faith Has Corresponding Actions. James reminds believers that faith without works is dead. Rahab initiated the meeting with the spies. When the spies spoke with Rahab, they learned that the occupants of Canaan feared them because of what the LORD was doing through them. I wonder if they were they surprised? Very possibly! But that brings me to modern followers of God. Are intimidated by the world or is the world intimidated by the church? Who would you say that they fear Christians and their God today? Not many. When our faith is active and working, others will notice. We must not allow fear to dominate our lives. Our God is bigger than pandemics, storms, earthquakes, and calamities. I hear lots of fear from Christians today. “They are afraid to go to church, to go out and so many other things. What are You afraid of? Economy woes, vaccines, isolation, etc.? A common one is, “I’m afraid I am going to die because of the virus.” Don’t forget, you are going to die of something, someday and somehow if the Lord tarries. Stop fearing death and start living again trusting God. A Living Faith has corresponding actions which means our words and actions should line up with God. To say we have faith and live in fear is a contradiction. Faith without works is dead. Dead faith cannot save or give victory.
3. A living Faith is on the Move. God is on the move. When the fear of things in this world paralyzes us, why should we think people of the world will look to the God that we don’t trust? I believe that when we let the spirit of fear from the evil one control us God is unable to work through us. God is still at work and He is on the move. Those spies learned an important lesson from Rahab. Rahab’s testimony assured them God was out in front of them, making ways that did not know about. So Rahab made her move. A living faith is always on the move because God is on the move. On one occasion the disciples were unable to cast out a demon they went to Jesus in Matthew 17:19-21 (ESV) and asked:19 . . . “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
It seems that when we act in faith over fear, even a little faith, God will work through us. The world will take note. The world will be impressed with GOD, not us. But when we give in to fear we don’t glorify God, we hinder Him and no one cares who our God is. Third, the spirit of fear in Jericho was an indication God was involved in the coming conquest. Look again at Joshua 2:9. Rahab said: “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.” Rahab believed the spies could speak and act for God. She obeyed their and placed a scarlet cord in her window. When the Hebrews came into Jericho by the power of God, she and all in her house were saved much like the way the Hebrews were saved at Passover in Egypt and Noah’s family on the ark. The same truth applies to us today. When we hear the word, we must make a decision. I trust you will choose well. We will live and die by the choices we make. 1. A Living Faith Choose God’s Side 2. A Living Faith Has Corresponding Actions. 3. A living Faith Moves with God. Many believers are operating out of fear. They are terrified by protests, immigrants, radical movements and ungodly agendas. They seem overwhelmed with politics and the pandemics. So, if fear prevails over faith, what is the outcome? Fearful churches and scared believers will falter in their mission. We must have a living faith that overcomes the world. Faith-filled churches and True Christians will advance God’s kingdom and bring glory to Him. We must go in and possess the Land. The walls will come down and faith overcomes the world.
