She's Not The Girl She Used To Be Series

Sermon by: Dr. Todd Morris

Text: Joshua 2:1-24 (Read 1-5)

Title: She’s Not the Girl She Used to Be (#2 in Joshua)

Date: December 28, 2003

Introduction: There was once a rather rough, uncultured man ho for some reason took a liking to a beautiful vase in a shop window. He finally bought the vase and put it on the mantelpiece in his room. There is became a kind of judgment on its surroundings. He had to clean up the room to make it worthy of the vase. The curtains looked dingy, the old chair looked broken, the wallpaper needed redoing. Gradually the whole room was transformed. When you put Christ on the mantel of your heart, your whole life is transformed.

That is the kind of transformation we witness in the second chapter of Joshua. As the Israelites were about to enter Canaan and claim the Promised Land, the first city they had to face was Jericho. If they could take this city, they could easily split the country in two and then move to conquer the north and the south The problem was that it was a great walled city, so before they could go about the business of defeating Jericho, Joshua sent spies in to gage the mood of the people, and to see if they were prepared for war. When these spies entered the city they went to the home of Rahab, a harlot. Why? Well, the sight of men entering the home of a harlot would not attract much attention, now would it? What they found when they entered the home of Rahab must have shocked them. They found a woman who had been changed by the power of God. They found out that by the supernatural working of God, Rahab was not the girl she used to be.

For us, Rahab is a picture of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to transform any life that comes to Him by faith. We will see tonight how the Lord takes sinners who will place their faith in Him and changes them by His power and His grace. As I preach this message tonight, if you are saved, then rejoice in the great change Jesus has made in your life. If you are not a child of God, then allow the Lord to speak to your heart tonight and be saved this very day.

Lets take a look at these verses and think on this subject, She’s Not the Girl She Used to Be.

I RAHAB THE CALL GIRL (1)

A. Her Spiritual Condition – She was a harlot

1. She is a picture of every lost sinner tonight

B. Her Spiritual Condemnation – She lived in a city slated for destruction.

1. So is the lost sinner this evening

C. God’s Spiritual Compassion (10)

1. Friend how many years has God given you, how many chances have you had to be obedient?

II RAHAB THE CONVERTED GIRL (2-11)

A. She Heard the Word (10-11)

1. Its still the only message of hope

B. She Heeded the Word (9-11)

1. That is what must happen in the life of every person for salvation to be attained.

III RAHAB THE COMPLETED GIRL (12-22)

A. The Proof of Her Completion (12-22)

1. She Labored for the Lord (1-7)

2. She Loved the Lost (12-13)

B. The Payoff of Her Completion

1. She found new freedom (Joshua 6:20-25)

2. She found a new family (Josh. 6:25, Matt. 1:5, Ruth 4:21) – When these verses are taken together we have the rest of the story of Rahab. She married into Israel, and was in the line of Jesus.

3. She found new fame – She’s in the hall of fame of faith. David’s great-great-grandmother, mother-in-law of Ruth. God took her from the gutter and placed her in His eternal divine plan for the salvation of mankind.

Conclusion: Well, it’s plain to see that Rahab isn’t the girl she used to be! What about you my friend? Are you really saved today? If you were to die right now and stand before the Lord and He looked down at you and you looked up at Him and He said, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” What would you say? Could you say, “Father, I should be allowed into Heaven because as a lost sinner I placed my faith in Jesus Christ and in His shed blood and His resurrection from the dead. I have nothing else to claim but Jesus Christ.”

My friend, if your answer would have to be anything else, then you need to come to this altar, and trust Jesus as your savior. You need to be saved by His grace!

Christian friends, many of you have been less than God saved you to be. You need to come and make things right with God today. This altar is open for those of you that need it.