“The Rahab in Me!”
Joshua 2
Intro: Affirmation w/ Stewart from SNL (I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!)
READ JOSHUA 2:1—7
- Jericho: city c. 14 miles West of Jordan River; a bridgehead for all advances West or North into Canaan
- “The use of spies was not a lack of faith, but rather a demonstration that TRUE FAITH is an ACTIVE FAITH. Joshua didn’t send the spies to determine whether or not the people SHOULD attack the city…He sent them to determine HOW and WHEN to attack.”
- “Just like Joshua, Xians today need to use common sense and caution as we march through our lives.”
- “So why in the world would spies go to stay with a prostitute? Isn’t this a bit strange for people of God to be in a place such as this?”
- “They went where they could find shelter and some measure of freedom. They went somewhere that they could easily ‘get lost in the crowd.’ There’s no Biblical indication that they went there for any purpose than to look over the land.”
Foundational Truth # 1
- God will use WHATEVER IS NECESSARY to accomplish His Will! (v. 1)
o A 450’x75’x45’ BOX (Gen. 6:15).
o A DONKEY (Num.22:21—33).
o A BLIND man (John 9).
o A PROSTITUTE (Joshua 2:1).
o YOU and ME.
- “Remember what we learned last week…God is not interested in our pasts. He is more interested in our present lives!”
- “God is looking today for people who are ready to accept His grace and forgiveness, willing to forget their past, and able to move forward in faith.”
- “So ask yourself this morning…am I available to God? Am I missing out on victory because my faith is not an active faith?”
READ JOSHUA 2:8—13
- “Apparently, the works of the Lord had made a bigger impression on Rahab than they did on the people of Israel. Remember, this is the second time that they have been camped “down by the riverside”…and the first time, they couldn’t see past themselves to put their faith in God.”
- “Xians today need to be reminded that God, in His infinite wisdom, chooses to work through people who have nothing to offer. But we have to be ready to move when the commander-in-chief gives the marching orders.”
- (v. 11) – “The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below” – 1 of 4 places in whole Bible where this phrase is found in Hebrew….and all 4 refer to God’s sovereignty.
- “What an amazing statement of faith from someone who had never seen the deliverance at the Red Sea, had never seen the glory cloud or the pillar of fire, and had never tasted manna.”
- “The reason that Rahab was useable was that she demonstrated a readiness to know the purpose, the power, and the person of God.”
Foundational Truth # 2
- When I am following God, HE WILL GO before me! (vv. 8—11)
o Psalm 23 – leading me beside still waters, guides me in paths of righteousness, you prepare a table before me … all things that are done for the one in relationship with the Shepherd
o Eph. 2:10 – “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
- “For the two spies, and consequently the nation of Israel, it was easy to see that God had gone before them to the peoples living in Canaan. And that’s the way He works today as well…when His Spirit moves, people take notice. And lots of times, it’s the people who need Him the most who are the most sensitive to His motions.”
- “Are you following God, so that He is before you...or are you running ahead of Him?”
<< ILLUS. – Horatio Spafford >>
- “Is it well with your soul this morning? Do you trust God to go before you and to be there to uphold you, even in times of extreme distress, grief, and pain? Or have you placed your trust in something else?”
READ JOSHUA 2:14--21
Foundational Truth # 3
- Following God requires ACTING IN faith! (v. 14)
- The spies never wavered in their belief that God would give them the land
- Rahab acted in faith, even though she never knew God, she knew about Him enough to know that she needed Him. And from this point on, she was a de facto Israelite.
- “Christians, we need to be members of the kingdom who WALK in God’s Sovereignty because we know that HE is FAITHFUL!”
o Phil. 1:6 – “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
o Heb. 10:23 – “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
- “The old adage about actions being louder than words is really true…for the Christian, your behavior is a reflection of what you truly believe.”
<< ILLUS. SCOTSMAN & ROWBOAT >>
Conclusion:
- “So what can we learn from this chapter of Joshua? Two things:
o God looks for faith in the midst of unbelief and moves in astounding ways to reward that belief.
o Those who live by faith will undoubtedly produce actions consistent with what they believe.
- “So today you find yourself in one of three situations:
o Like the two spies, you’re in the middle of a place that God wants you to be, but you’re surrounded by the enemy. What will you do?
o Like Rahab, you’ve heard of God and of the things that He has done, but you’re not living a life that reflects His presence in your heart.
o Or maybe you’re like the rest of the people of Jericho, who have heard of God, but just don’t care.
