WEBVTT 00:00:09.609 --> 00:00:13.910 Hebrews chapter 11, we're going to read verse 00:00:13.910 --> 00:00:20.670 30 and 31. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell 00:00:20.670 --> 00:00:23.649 down after they had been encircled for seven 00:00:23.649 --> 00:00:29.769 days. By faith, Rahab the harlot did not perish 00:00:29.769 --> 00:00:33.969 along with those who were disobedient after she'd 00:00:33.969 --> 00:00:37.350 welcomed the spies in peace. Let's go to the 00:00:37.350 --> 00:00:41.780 Lord in prayer. Father, we come to you this Lord's 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:46.000 Day. And Father, as we approach your word, we 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.939 ask that you, Lord, would be in our midst. Father, 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.100 we ask that you would bless and accompany the 00:00:54.100 --> 00:00:58.119 ministry of the word of God as we reverently 00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:04.219 listen and hear your holy word. As we approach 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:08.060 it, Lord, we ask that you would use it to sanctify 00:01:08.060 --> 00:01:12.379 and Build up and strengthen your people. Lord, 00:01:12.459 --> 00:01:15.280 we ask that you would encourage the people of 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:18.260 God today as they come to the word of God, as 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:22.140 they hear it and they understand it. Father, 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:24.700 I ask today that you would use your word to pierce 00:01:24.700 --> 00:01:27.939 the hearts and minds of unbelieving men, women, 00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:31.840 and young people. Lord, that conviction would 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:34.980 be brought into their hearts and that they would 00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:39.969 desire and long. for the balm and the medicine 00:01:39.969 --> 00:01:44.670 of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We ask these things 00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:49.310 in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. When 00:01:49.310 --> 00:01:56.349 we read Hebrews chapter 11 and many other portions 00:01:56.349 --> 00:02:01.730 and pieces of the word of God, I believe that 00:02:01.730 --> 00:02:09.259 we often approach them in a wrong way. Not maliciously, 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:14.580 not intentionally, not even consciously always. 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:20.400 But we come to the word of God at times almost 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:25.159 as though the realities that we read of, almost 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:28.639 as though that the realities that it speaks of 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:34.520 are concepts and ideas and fairy tales kind of 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:39.189 like those we find in... bedtime stories. But 00:02:39.189 --> 00:02:42.169 that's not the case at all, brothers and sisters. 00:02:42.430 --> 00:02:45.990 When we come to the word of God, we're coming 00:02:45.990 --> 00:02:51.030 to redemptive history. We're coming to divine 00:02:51.030 --> 00:02:56.689 revelation that God has given to us as his people. 00:02:56.870 --> 00:03:00.069 And as we come to it, we ought to come to it 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:04.669 recognizing that it is true and from God and 00:03:04.669 --> 00:03:10.550 for us. as his people. The things that we read 00:03:10.550 --> 00:03:14.550 of in Hebrews chapter 11, the mighty feats and 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:17.530 the great deeds that we've seen the men and women 00:03:17.530 --> 00:03:20.430 of faith do and that we've seen God perform, 00:03:20.729 --> 00:03:24.949 brothers and sisters, they're not fairy tales. 00:03:25.590 --> 00:03:31.750 They are real. They are true. They are real reality, 00:03:32.030 --> 00:03:35.849 we could say. And so that should affect how we 00:03:35.849 --> 00:03:39.949 approach them and how we come to the word of 00:03:39.949 --> 00:03:43.389 God. And as we look into redemptive history, 00:03:43.490 --> 00:03:47.629 in particular with the case of the Israelites 00:03:47.629 --> 00:03:52.650 and Joshua approaching Jericho and encircling 00:03:52.650 --> 00:03:58.150 Jericho, and Rahab, the harlot, living in the 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:01.650 city yet being delivered, it's important for 00:04:01.650 --> 00:04:04.699 us to remember that we're not... all that different 00:04:04.699 --> 00:04:11.960 as believers today from them who lived many, 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:17.620 many years ago. We're really not. We think about 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:22.579 them, they were on the coattails of many great 00:04:22.579 --> 00:04:27.720 redemptive events, right? The people of God had 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:31.480 already been delivered by God through the Red 00:04:31.480 --> 00:04:34.910 Sea. They've been brought through the wilderness, 00:04:34.970 --> 00:04:37.350 and now they're being brought up to the land. 00:04:37.509 --> 00:04:40.129 They've already dealt with some of those nations 00:04:40.129 --> 00:04:42.149 that have been on the outskirts of the land. 00:04:42.209 --> 00:04:45.329 Now they're entering into the land, and Jericho 00:04:45.329 --> 00:04:50.769 is the first enemy that they encounter in the 00:04:50.769 --> 00:04:56.189 land itself. So they have this redemptive event 00:04:56.189 --> 00:05:00.439 in front of them. Something that God has promised. 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:03.000 They have redemption behind them and they have 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.639 redemption in front of them that is promised. 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:09.540 Brothers and sisters, the same is true for you 00:05:09.540 --> 00:05:15.180 and I. We are living in the pages of redemptive 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:19.399 history. We have all the mighty works of God 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:24.339 in the Old Testament. And we have the great work 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:28.939 of Christ on the cross behind us. And what do 00:05:28.939 --> 00:05:32.759 we have ahead of us? The glorious promises that 00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:37.060 God has given to us. We have full and final redemption. 00:05:37.139 --> 00:05:41.639 We have the next great redemptive event in history 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:48.480 still to come. The return of Jesus Christ in 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:54.899 glory and power. That is the next great redemptive 00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:59.839 event that will occur. So just like the people 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:03.160 of God had to wrestle with how they would live 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:06.199 and how they would walk between those redemptive 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:11.600 histories, we have to do the same thing. How 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:15.579 do we live in the in -between, we could say, 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:21.279 between Christ's atoning death and Christ's return 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:25.699 in power and glory? And we find in Hebrews 11, 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:32.139 the answer is this, by faith. We live and walk 00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:37.199 in this life by faith. Today, we're going to 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:41.899 consider the faith of Israel as they are led 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:49.579 by Joshua to defeat and overthrow Jericho. And 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:52.160 then we're going to consider the faith of Rahab. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:58.439 and her deliverance from that judgment that had 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:02.259 come upon her city. Directly following that, 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:07.459 we'll consider some principles from their lives 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:13.339 and situations that are true of faith. So beginning 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:17.720 with the first, the faith of Israel, as they're 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:22.740 led by Joshua encircling Jericho. We read this 00:07:22.740 --> 00:07:27.459 in verse 30. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell 00:07:27.459 --> 00:07:32.660 down after they'd been encircled for seven days. 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:38.699 Now, we'll be spending some time in Joshua chapter 00:07:38.699 --> 00:07:46.819 6. This is where the narrative is. And then after 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:49.319 that, we'll be spending some time in Joshua chapter 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:58.329 2. With regards to Rahab. Now, we read in Joshua 00:07:58.329 --> 00:08:06.329 chapter 6, verses 1 through 6 this. Now Jericho 00:08:06.329 --> 00:08:10.389 was tightly shut because the sons of Israel. 00:08:11.149 --> 00:08:15.589 No one went out and no one came in. So the city 00:08:15.589 --> 00:08:20.149 was shut up tight. So people couldn't come and 00:08:20.149 --> 00:08:24.540 go. Why? Because they knew the sons of Israel 00:08:24.540 --> 00:08:28.879 were on the loose. They knew the sons of Israel 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:33.840 were dangerous. They knew the people of God were 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:36.580 making their way into that which God had promised 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:39.940 them, the promised land. So they are protecting 00:08:39.940 --> 00:08:43.100 themselves. They shut their doors up. They've 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:45.419 gone over all their walls to make sure they're 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:48.490 tight and strong and fit. They've readied all 00:08:48.490 --> 00:08:51.009 their people. They've gotten everybody sober 00:08:51.009 --> 00:08:55.049 and reverent and watchful because they know that 00:08:55.049 --> 00:09:00.049 to them there is a foreign power that is coming 00:09:00.049 --> 00:09:06.049 into their land. They know that there is danger 00:09:06.049 --> 00:09:11.529 afoot for them as the enemies of God. Now we 00:09:11.529 --> 00:09:15.169 read this in verse 3. You shall march around 00:09:15.169 --> 00:09:18.710 the city. This is the Lord's instruction. You 00:09:18.710 --> 00:09:22.429 shall march around the city, all the men of war, 00:09:22.669 --> 00:09:29.309 circling the city once. You shall do so for six 00:09:29.309 --> 00:09:36.350 days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets 00:09:36.350 --> 00:09:40.649 of ram's horns before the ark. Then on the seventh 00:09:40.649 --> 00:09:44.720 day, You shall march around the city seven times 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:49.659 and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:52.879 be that when they make a long blast with the 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:56.539 ram's horn and when you hear the sound of the 00:09:56.539 --> 00:10:00.259 trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:03.960 shout and the wall of the city will fall down 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:09.080 flat and the people will go up, every man straight 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:13.820 ahead. Here's what the Lord is telling Israel 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:17.299 is going to take place. Here's what the Lord 00:10:17.299 --> 00:10:20.700 is outlining and prescribing by his word. Here 00:10:20.700 --> 00:10:25.860 is what the Lord is promising to the people of 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:28.759 God with regards to Jericho so that he could 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:32.059 fulfill his further promises in giving them the 00:10:32.059 --> 00:10:37.220 land that he's already committed to them. He's 00:10:37.220 --> 00:10:41.879 promising them the defeat. that they would conquer 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:47.559 Jericho, that they would be victorious. He's 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:53.820 promising them victory over Jericho and their 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:58.639 enemies, brothers and sisters. Now, as we think 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:02.399 about this, these instructions in Joshua chapter 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:07.240 1, chapter 6, verses 1 through 6, as the Lord 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:10.440 prescribes and instructs Israel, Remember, these 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:14.659 things are still future. He's giving them his 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:18.399 word and what they ought to do, yet the victory 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:22.659 is not won yet. And we think about their actions 00:11:22.659 --> 00:11:26.700 even, their obedience in encircling the city, 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:30.779 time after time, day after day. Brothers and 00:11:30.779 --> 00:11:35.080 sisters, the victory wasn't had yet. It was still 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:40.940 future. It was still to come. And as we know 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:43.700 for the book of Hebrews, that's very important. 00:11:44.700 --> 00:11:47.360 Because we know that that has to do with what 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:52.220 faith is. It's got to do with present assurance 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:55.480 and conviction in our hearts regarding unseen 00:11:55.480 --> 00:12:01.360 and promised realities. So we see that God is 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:04.340 giving them promises according to his word as 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:08.179 we've seen time and time again throughout Hebrews 00:12:08.179 --> 00:12:12.220 chapter 11. Very similar to what we saw with 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:16.340 regards to the Red Sea. So we see this, and we'll 00:12:16.340 --> 00:12:20.779 go ahead and read the rest of Joshua 6, verses 00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:26.139 6 -21, and we'll see their faith on display. 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:33.019 We read in chapter 6, starting in verse 6, So 00:12:33.019 --> 00:12:36.940 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and 00:12:36.940 --> 00:12:39.809 said to them, Take up the Ark of the Covenant 00:12:39.809 --> 00:12:43.809 and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of 00:12:43.809 --> 00:12:48.070 rams horns before the Ark of the Lord. Then he 00:12:48.070 --> 00:12:51.210 said to the people, go forward and march around 00:12:51.210 --> 00:12:54.730 the city and let the armed men go on before the 00:12:54.730 --> 00:12:59.090 Ark of the Lord. And it was so that when Joshua 00:12:59.090 --> 00:13:02.549 had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying 00:13:02.549 --> 00:13:05.360 the seven trumpets of rams horns. before the 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:08.639 Lord went forward and blew the trumpets, and 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:10.779 the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed 00:13:10.779 --> 00:13:14.820 them. The armed men went before the priests who 00:13:14.820 --> 00:13:18.059 blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:21.700 the ark while they continued to blow the trumpets. 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:25.320 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, You 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:29.720 shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:33.799 nor let a word proceed out of your mouth until 00:13:33.799 --> 00:13:38.659 the day I tell you shout. Then you shall shout. 00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:43.299 So he had the ark of the Lord taken around the 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:46.100 city, circling it once. Then they came into the 00:13:46.100 --> 00:13:49.320 camp and spent the night in the camp. Now Joshua 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:52.399 rose early in the morning, and the praise took 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:55.830 up the ark of the Lord. The seven priests carrying 00:13:55.830 --> 00:13:58.669 the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the 00:13:58.669 --> 00:14:02.049 ark of the Lord went on continually and blew 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:05.289 the trumpets, and the armed men went before them, 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:09.990 and the rear guard came after the ark of the 00:14:09.990 --> 00:14:13.490 Lord. While they continued to blow the trumpets, 00:14:13.590 --> 00:14:17.129 thus the second day, they marched around the 00:14:17.129 --> 00:14:19.870 city once and returned to the camp. They did 00:14:19.870 --> 00:14:25.480 so for six days. So we see their obedience on 00:14:25.480 --> 00:14:29.000 display. It's particular, brothers and sisters. 00:14:30.179 --> 00:14:34.259 Joshua is leading the people in obedience to 00:14:34.259 --> 00:14:38.879 what God has prescribed. Then we read in verse 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:43.700 15, Then on the seventh day they rose early on 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:46.279 the dawning of the day and marched around the 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:50.710 city in the same manner seven times. Only on 00:14:50.710 --> 00:14:54.049 that day they marched around the city seven times. 00:14:54.610 --> 00:14:58.730 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the 00:14:58.730 --> 00:15:03.090 trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout, for 00:15:03.090 --> 00:15:06.350 the Lord has given you the city. The city shall 00:15:06.350 --> 00:15:09.309 be under the ban, and all that is in it belongs 00:15:09.309 --> 00:15:12.730 to the Lord. Only Rahab the harlot and all who 00:15:12.730 --> 00:15:15.450 are with her in the house shall live, because 00:15:15.450 --> 00:15:19.240 she hid the messengers whom we sent. But as for 00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:23.580 you, only keep yourselves from the things under 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:27.759 the ban, so that you do not covet them and take 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:30.820 some of the things under the ban and make the 00:15:30.820 --> 00:15:33.220 camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on 00:15:33.220 --> 00:15:36.120 it. But all the silver and gold or articles of 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:39.720 bronze and iron are holy to the Lord. They shall 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:42.879 go into the treasury of the Lord. So the people 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:47.039 shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. When 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:49.700 the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:52.820 people shouted with a great shout, and the wall 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:57.740 fell down flat. So that the people went up into 00:15:57.740 --> 00:16:00.559 the city, every man straight ahead, and they 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:05.759 took the city. They utterly destroyed everything 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:10.320 in the city, both man and woman, young and old, 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:13.240 the ox and the sheep, and the donkey with the 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:17.450 edge of the sword. They did exactly as the Lord 00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:22.470 prescribed. And what came about? Exactly what 00:16:22.470 --> 00:16:27.429 the Lord promised and said would occur and take 00:16:27.429 --> 00:16:32.889 place. The emphasis of Hebrews chapter 11 is 00:16:32.889 --> 00:16:37.850 on their obedience in encircling the city. Why 00:16:37.850 --> 00:16:42.529 does the author of Hebrews recognize that obedience 00:16:42.529 --> 00:16:48.440 of encircling the city? as faith because they're 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:52.620 acting in accordance with what God has commanded 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:57.879 them to do. They're acting in accordance with 00:16:57.879 --> 00:17:01.460 what God has said, believing and looking to what 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:04.900 God has promised and looking for God to accomplish 00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:10.259 that which he has promised himself. Oftentimes 00:17:10.259 --> 00:17:13.900 when we come to the Old Testament, it describes, 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.700 And it characterizes a people who are abundantly 00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:25.160 obedient and faithful. Oftentimes it shows their 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:30.559 sin and their failures as well. But when we look 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:32.900 at that obedience and that faithfulness in Old 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:36.680 Covenant saints, we cannot look at it and say, 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:42.200 oh, they were earning their salvation. We can't 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:44.380 look at it and say, oh, they were obeying to 00:17:44.380 --> 00:17:48.900 get faith. Brothers and sisters, we look at it 00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:52.579 and we see that their obedience was the manifestation 00:17:52.579 --> 00:17:58.160 of their faith. That is why the author of Hebrews 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:03.920 attributes their marching around the city to 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:07.660 faith. Because they were acting in accordance 00:18:07.660 --> 00:18:11.099 with God's word and obedience to God's word. 00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:15.099 Why? Because faith was fueling their obedience. 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:20.319 It was compelling their obedience. It was driving 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:24.619 them to obedience. What the Old Covenant describes 00:18:24.619 --> 00:18:28.039 so often as obedience, the New Testament recognizes 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:32.960 as what? Faith, brothers and sisters. So we'll 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:36.779 learn a great deal about that. Today, as we consider 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:42.519 Israel, Jericho, Rahab, and her deliverance as 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:47.119 well. So we also see the faith of Rahab in this 00:18:47.119 --> 00:19:08.559 text. We read this in verse 31. in peace. Now 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:13.599 we think about the contrast between what we're 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:17.880 seeing in these two texts. We see the covenant 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:23.200 people of God exercising faith, trusting in the 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:26.500 Lord, the Lord fighting and working on their 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:30.039 behalf, giving them the promised victory. And 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:35.140 then we come to verse 31. And we have a very 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:40.500 different individual, don't we? We have a Gentile 00:19:40.500 --> 00:19:47.380 prostitute, a Gentile harlot who believes upon 00:19:47.380 --> 00:19:53.579 the word of the living God. It magnifies and 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:59.920 bolsters the grace of God in and with regards 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:03.079 to the nature of faith, brothers and sisters. 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:09.400 The only reason the best of men do anything that 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:12.440 is commendable in the sight of the living God, 00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:18.640 do you know why that is? Faith. But do you know 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:25.720 why the worst of men and women do anything that 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:28.140 is commendable and pleasing in the sight of the 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:34.819 living God? Faith. levels the ground, brothers 00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:40.400 and sisters. You are not pleasing to God based 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:46.279 upon your performance in life. You are not pleasing 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:52.539 to God based upon your opinions and your lifestyle 00:20:52.539 --> 00:20:57.680 in life. Your commendableness of your personality 00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:03.279 or your popularity or your influence. Brothers 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.539 and sisters, the only reason any single person 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:09.519 is ever commendable and pleasing in the sight 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:14.559 of God is because of faith. Whether a person 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:17.680 walks in general conformity to the law of God 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:20.960 and has some semblance of practical righteousness 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:24.319 in their life, or whether a person lives a libertine 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:27.819 lifestyle and they've been converted and they 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:32.460 exercise faith. And then they lead a holier and 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:35.920 a godlier life. Both of those individuals are 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:38.880 on level ground at the cross in grace because 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:42.460 God has given them faith, brothers and sisters. 00:21:43.299 --> 00:21:48.599 Both. The only way, the only way that any single 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:52.039 person does anything that is commendable or pleasing 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:58.099 in the sight of God is faith, brothers and sisters. 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:04.559 We learn this clearly from this chapter. We see 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:11.019 in Rahab that the emphasis in Hebrews is on the 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:16.160 courage of her faith, the boldness of her faith. 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:19.940 In a sense, we saw that the people of Israel 00:22:19.940 --> 00:22:22.920 had a conquering, victorious faith that overcame 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:30.920 Jericho. Rahab, we see that she has an unconquerable 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:37.599 faith that cannot be overcome. So we read her 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:43.000 story partly in Joshua chapter 2, and we'll go 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:47.920 ahead and read that. In Joshua chapter 2, we 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:52.619 see a few of the reasons she has a courageous 00:22:52.619 --> 00:22:59.319 and bold faith. In Joshua chapter 2, starting 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:03.680 in verses 9 through 10, we read this. Starting 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:09.960 in verse 8. Now, before they lay down, she came 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:14.920 up to them on the roof and said to them, I know 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:21.000 that the Lord has given you the land and that 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:26.099 the terror of you has fallen on us. and that 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:29.039 all the inhabitants of the land have melted away 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:35.359 before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:38.259 up the water of the Red Sea before you, when 00:23:38.259 --> 00:23:41.900 you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the 00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:44.259 two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the 00:23:44.259 --> 00:23:49.339 Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:56.619 They've heard the reports. They've heard the 00:23:56.619 --> 00:24:01.319 truth. Brothers and sisters, they heard the gospel 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:08.119 in a sense. And of all of Jericho, one person 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:14.279 believes that report. One person believes in 00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:18.490 that gospel that was being proclaimed. in those 00:24:18.490 --> 00:24:21.750 echoes that were reverberating through the Mediterranean 00:24:21.750 --> 00:24:26.029 world and the Middle Eastern world at that time 00:24:26.029 --> 00:24:30.430 because of what God was doing in and through 00:24:30.430 --> 00:24:37.089 his covenant people. She believed what God had 00:24:37.089 --> 00:24:40.150 said, brothers and sisters. She believed the 00:24:40.150 --> 00:24:43.990 truth. She believed that God would conquer the 00:24:43.990 --> 00:24:47.960 land. She believed that Jericho would be overthrown 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:52.400 because God was fighting against Jericho. She 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:56.039 believed that their city would be sacked because 00:24:56.039 --> 00:25:02.380 the God of the Israelites was fighting for them. 00:25:02.920 --> 00:25:07.319 This is why she was courageous and bold in her 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:11.380 faith. But it's also because she believed what 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:16.569 God would do. She believed that God would, in 00:25:16.569 --> 00:25:23.089 fact, be good on his word. Part of the report 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:27.890 was that God would overthrow her city. That God 00:25:27.890 --> 00:25:31.309 would defeat Jericho. And she believed that that 00:25:31.309 --> 00:25:34.670 would occur. Yet, as we've seen so often, it 00:25:34.670 --> 00:25:41.210 had not occurred yet. It was still to come, brothers 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:44.759 and sisters. She had no other reason other than 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:47.900 the reports that she had heard of God and his 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:50.819 people to believe that this would take place. 00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:55.480 Yet she did. We read in verses 11 through 13 00:25:55.480 --> 00:26:01.880 of Joshua chapter 2, When we heard it, our hearts 00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:05.940 melted and no courage remained in any man any 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:09.559 longer because of you. For the Lord your God, 00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:13.440 he is God in heaven. above and on earth beneath. 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:19.019 Now, therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, 00:26:19.160 --> 00:26:22.660 since I have dealt kindly with you, that you 00:26:22.660 --> 00:26:25.680 also will deal kindly with my father's household 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:30.400 and give me a pledge of truth and spare my father 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:32.539 and my mother and my brothers and my sisters 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:36.240 with all who belong to them and deliver our lives 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:39.559 from death. So the men said to her, our life 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:42.589 for yours. If you do not tell this business of 00:26:42.589 --> 00:26:46.009 ours, and it shall come about when the Lord gives 00:26:46.009 --> 00:26:50.049 us the land, that we will deal kindly and faithfully 00:26:50.049 --> 00:26:56.170 with you. She believed what God had said, and 00:26:56.170 --> 00:26:58.730 she believed that what God had said would occur, 00:26:58.990 --> 00:27:05.950 would in fact take place. And what did this produce 00:27:05.950 --> 00:27:12.519 in Rahab's life? It produced a faith that was 00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:16.619 evident and clear, brothers and sisters. This 00:27:16.619 --> 00:27:21.779 is why she does what she does. We read in Joshua 00:27:21.779 --> 00:27:30.200 chapter 2, verses 13 through 16, or starting 00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:35.859 in verse 15. Then she let them down by a rope 00:27:35.859 --> 00:27:39.119 through the window, for her house was on the 00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:42.529 city wall. so that she was living on the wall. 00:27:42.809 --> 00:27:46.190 She said to them, Go to the hill country so that 00:27:46.190 --> 00:27:49.970 the pursuers will not happen upon you and hide 00:27:49.970 --> 00:27:53.289 yourselves there for three days until the pursuers 00:27:53.289 --> 00:27:57.230 return. Then afterwards you may go on your way. 00:27:57.430 --> 00:28:00.009 The men said to her, We shall be free from this 00:28:00.009 --> 00:28:03.869 oath to you which you have made us swear, unless 00:28:03.869 --> 00:28:07.349 when we come into the land you tie this cord 00:28:07.349 --> 00:28:10.539 of scarlet thread. into the window through which 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:13.980 you let us down and gather to yourself into the 00:28:13.980 --> 00:28:16.759 house your father and your mother and your brothers 00:28:16.759 --> 00:28:21.400 and all your father's household. We see that 00:28:21.400 --> 00:28:26.559 her actions are lining up with what God has said 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:31.720 and what God has promised would take place. Her 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:35.220 actions are in conformity to the report that 00:28:35.220 --> 00:28:38.000 she has heard, brothers and sisters. Why is she 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:42.960 willing to risk her neck? Because she believes 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:48.940 that God's going to defeat the city. Why is she 00:28:48.940 --> 00:28:52.599 willing, brothers and sisters, to fear the nation 00:28:52.599 --> 00:28:55.859 of Israel and God more than she fears her own 00:28:55.859 --> 00:29:01.619 city? Because she believes that God will do exactly 00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:07.759 as he said he would do. It produces. obedience, 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:14.079 and courage and boldness in her life. All of 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:16.900 this leads to her deliverance, brothers and sisters. 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:22.059 In Deuteronomy chapter 9, the Lord reminds the 00:29:22.059 --> 00:29:26.559 nation of Israel, he says, don't forget, I'm 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:29.539 driving out the people because of their wickedness 00:29:29.539 --> 00:29:33.200 and their unrighteousness, not because of your 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:37.000 righteousness. And what he's teaching them in 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:41.380 Deuteronomy 9 is that he's driving them out because 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:46.900 of judgment, not because of Israel's supposed 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:51.559 righteousness that they think they may possess. 00:29:52.519 --> 00:29:58.660 So ultimately we find that this Gentile prostitute 00:29:58.660 --> 00:30:03.240 who believes in the gospel Brothers and sisters, 00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:07.220 she's delivered from judgment. She's delivered 00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:10.220 from the judgment of God. Why? Because she has 00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:12.619 faith and she believes in the report that she's 00:30:12.619 --> 00:30:17.599 heard about God. Praise the Lord. The Lord saves 00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:21.960 sinners, brothers and sisters. Now, what are 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:26.799 some principles that we can draw from these two 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:31.359 scriptures regarding the nature of faith? things 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:35.059 that are true for you and things that are true 00:30:35.059 --> 00:30:39.119 for me, things that are always true with regards 00:30:39.119 --> 00:30:43.900 to faith. I think there are several things, several 00:30:43.900 --> 00:30:48.900 principles that we can draw from these two texts. 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:53.700 The first is this, and there's some repetition 00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:57.220 with previous weeks, which is a good thing and 00:30:57.220 --> 00:31:00.299 a helpful thing, brothers and sisters. We need 00:31:00.299 --> 00:31:04.299 to be reminded of these truths over and over 00:31:04.299 --> 00:31:08.000 because we're so easily forgetful with regards 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:12.299 to doctrine and truth and so forth. The first 00:31:12.299 --> 00:31:19.839 is this. Faith believes what God has said. Simple 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:24.039 and straightforward, brothers and sisters. And 00:31:24.039 --> 00:31:27.950 specifically, it believes. The promise is that 00:31:27.950 --> 00:31:30.609 God has made with regards to that which is not 00:31:30.609 --> 00:31:35.970 seen and that which is future. In Hebrews 11, 00:31:36.250 --> 00:31:42.170 the author defines faith in such a way. Now faith 00:31:42.170 --> 00:31:47.269 is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction 00:31:47.269 --> 00:31:53.549 of things not seen. For by it the men of old 00:31:53.549 --> 00:32:01.809 gained approval. This is true for Israel, as 00:32:01.809 --> 00:32:07.109 led by Joshua, when they are overthrowing Jericho. 00:32:07.309 --> 00:32:10.609 They believed what God had said. But it's also 00:32:10.609 --> 00:32:14.950 true for Rahab, brothers and sisters. She believed 00:32:14.950 --> 00:32:21.829 what God had said. Now, this speaks of a knowledge 00:32:21.829 --> 00:32:27.960 that goes beyond the head, doesn't it? This speaks 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:33.480 of heart conviction, heart assurance. It speaks 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:37.339 of convictional assurance, convictional knowledge 00:32:37.339 --> 00:32:41.259 that compels and propels the believer forward 00:32:41.259 --> 00:32:45.799 in obedience and courage in a life of faith. 00:32:46.759 --> 00:32:51.039 Head knowledge is insufficient for certain things. 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:56.839 First, Purely head knowledge is insufficient 00:32:56.839 --> 00:33:03.599 to save you. Mere mental assent with the truths 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:09.079 of Scripture is inadequate to save. If those 00:33:09.079 --> 00:33:12.160 truths never make their way down into your heart 00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:15.640 and your convictions and to your assurance, if 00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:18.400 they never become heart realities and they never 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:21.519 affect how you live, it's never operative or 00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:24.980 effective, then brothers and sisters, That faith 00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:30.039 is insufficient to save you. Devils have that 00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:36.000 kind of faith. Satan has better theology with 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:39.380 regards to mental assent and understanding and 00:33:39.380 --> 00:33:42.819 comprehension of the mind than any of us. But 00:33:42.819 --> 00:33:46.099 none of that truth has ever changed him or affected 00:33:46.099 --> 00:33:52.160 him. It remains in the head. That kind of faith 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:58.900 is... demonic brothers and sisters. The faith 00:33:58.900 --> 00:34:02.559 that's spoken of in this chapter, the faith that 00:34:02.559 --> 00:34:05.579 is spoken of here is a knowledge that makes its 00:34:05.579 --> 00:34:12.480 way deep down into the core of our being so that 00:34:12.480 --> 00:34:19.900 we know down in the depths of our heart that 00:34:19.900 --> 00:34:25.269 these realities are true. so that we know and 00:34:25.269 --> 00:34:28.190 we have conviction of these realities, brothers 00:34:28.190 --> 00:34:33.650 and sisters. It's immovable. It's unshakable. 00:34:34.150 --> 00:34:38.409 It will vary in degree and intensity throughout 00:34:38.409 --> 00:34:43.269 one's life based on your use of the means, based 00:34:43.269 --> 00:34:46.050 on how you stir up the graces of God in your 00:34:46.050 --> 00:34:50.030 soul. But brothers and sisters, if there's true 00:34:50.030 --> 00:34:54.099 saving faith, That true and saving faith will 00:34:54.099 --> 00:34:56.920 be found in the form of convictions and assurance 00:34:56.920 --> 00:35:03.679 in the heart. And that will compel you and propel 00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:08.159 you forward in real obedience in the Christian 00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:14.900 life. That will always be true of faith. True 00:35:14.900 --> 00:35:18.480 faith always rests on God's word and it impacts 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:22.239 the convictions and assurance. of a believer. 00:35:22.659 --> 00:35:28.440 Now faith, this is a second, faith produces obedience 00:35:28.440 --> 00:35:36.139 to what God has said. Again, simple and straightforward. 00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:42.780 Why is it important to remind ourselves of this 00:35:42.780 --> 00:35:47.699 reality? To recognize this as a principle with 00:35:47.699 --> 00:35:51.550 regards to the character and nature of faith. 00:35:52.010 --> 00:36:00.170 Because faith has real fruit. It really produces 00:36:00.170 --> 00:36:06.250 things in the life of a person. When knowledge 00:36:06.250 --> 00:36:10.389 of the gospel and God's word becomes assurance 00:36:10.389 --> 00:36:13.630 and conviction deep down within us, brothers 00:36:13.630 --> 00:36:16.289 and sisters, there are things that it does to 00:36:16.289 --> 00:36:19.610 us that we are completely out of control of. 00:36:20.460 --> 00:36:24.320 There are secret divine workings within the person. 00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:28.639 Just as regeneration is secret and subconscious 00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:32.639 in the life of a person, and conversion is manifest 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:36.519 and open and evident and seen, brothers and sisters, 00:36:36.679 --> 00:36:40.019 the workings of faith are mysterious in some 00:36:40.019 --> 00:36:44.059 ways. The Spirit of God doesn't always openly 00:36:44.059 --> 00:36:47.300 work in our hearts in the depths of our beings. 00:36:47.500 --> 00:36:53.329 We're not robots. We are people made in the image 00:36:53.329 --> 00:36:56.349 of God with affections and longings, and the 00:36:56.349 --> 00:36:59.869 Spirit of God is working in us to bring about 00:36:59.869 --> 00:37:06.590 real fruit, real results and consequences and 00:37:06.590 --> 00:37:15.250 outcomes of real faith in our lives. Real faith 00:37:15.250 --> 00:37:22.440 always produces real fruit. or obedience. Obedience 00:37:22.440 --> 00:37:26.980 is one of those fruits. Now, it's also important 00:37:26.980 --> 00:37:34.199 because it shows us that obedience is not abstract. 00:37:35.619 --> 00:37:41.119 And what do I mean by that? Well, obedience may 00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:44.900 in fact look different in a person's life because 00:37:44.900 --> 00:37:48.340 they have a different personality. or they're 00:37:48.340 --> 00:37:52.420 in a different circumstance, or they're doing 00:37:52.420 --> 00:37:54.360 a different job and interacting with different 00:37:54.360 --> 00:37:57.940 people. So it's relative in that sense, but it's 00:37:57.940 --> 00:38:01.400 not abstract with regards to the definition of 00:38:01.400 --> 00:38:06.840 what it actually is. What is obedience the fruit 00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:12.119 of faith? Well, faith produces obedience to what? 00:38:13.199 --> 00:38:19.780 What God has said. God's word. So obedience is 00:38:19.780 --> 00:38:24.119 conformity that is spirit -empowered and faith 00:38:24.119 --> 00:38:32.780 -driven conformity to God's word. It's not what 00:38:32.780 --> 00:38:41.119 works best. It's not what we think is best. It's 00:38:41.119 --> 00:38:44.530 not that... which evangelical culture in its 00:38:44.530 --> 00:38:48.429 cultural moment says is the best thing to do. 00:38:49.070 --> 00:38:52.230 Obedience, brothers and sisters, is actions and 00:38:52.230 --> 00:38:55.989 behaviors produced by faith that conform to the 00:38:55.989 --> 00:39:01.110 word of God that God has revealed. It's living 00:39:01.110 --> 00:39:06.730 in accordance with God's word. It is not abstract 00:39:06.730 --> 00:39:12.179 or relative in that sense. That's always true. 00:39:13.880 --> 00:39:16.159 If you want to live by faith, then you're going 00:39:16.159 --> 00:39:19.659 to end up 100 % of the time living according 00:39:19.659 --> 00:39:25.420 to the word of God. But it also means that if 00:39:25.420 --> 00:39:27.340 you're not living according to the word of God, 00:39:27.500 --> 00:39:31.440 that you can't be living by faith in certain 00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:38.119 aspects of your life. It's conformity to God's 00:39:38.119 --> 00:39:42.190 word. That's what faith and obedience mean, brothers 00:39:42.190 --> 00:39:46.949 and sisters. Now, another principle is this. 00:39:47.750 --> 00:39:54.590 Faith perseveres in the face of obstacles. So 00:39:54.590 --> 00:39:58.809 we think about the nation of Israel as they're 00:39:58.809 --> 00:40:03.590 approaching Jericho. There's the obvious and 00:40:03.590 --> 00:40:10.079 clear obstacle of the wall. of the fact that 00:40:10.079 --> 00:40:15.960 it is shut up tight. You can't get in, you can't 00:40:15.960 --> 00:40:19.659 get out. But there's another couple obstacles. 00:40:20.500 --> 00:40:25.059 The fact that they have to march around it day 00:40:25.059 --> 00:40:28.400 after day after day. The fact that they have 00:40:28.400 --> 00:40:30.960 to work through their wrestlings of heart and 00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:34.000 the struggles of their heart as they do that. 00:40:36.400 --> 00:40:42.820 There's obstacles that faith must persevere in 00:40:42.820 --> 00:40:50.679 the face of. The people marched around in faith 00:40:50.679 --> 00:40:56.860 day after day after day. I bet one day, I bet 00:40:56.860 --> 00:41:02.539 the first day, they were very gung -ho. The second 00:41:02.539 --> 00:41:06.480 day, they were probably pretty gung -ho. The 00:41:06.480 --> 00:41:09.739 third day, questions may start entering into 00:41:09.739 --> 00:41:15.300 their mind. The fourth day, they may be thinking, 00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:23.420 nothing's coming of this. My obedience, my faith 00:41:23.420 --> 00:41:29.420 is not doing anything. It's not accomplishing 00:41:29.420 --> 00:41:36.099 anything. They're waiting on God to act. yet 00:41:36.099 --> 00:41:40.340 what do they do? They get up the next day and 00:41:40.340 --> 00:41:44.260 they march around. They get up the next day and 00:41:44.260 --> 00:41:48.079 they march around. They wait on the Lord in faith 00:41:48.079 --> 00:41:52.719 and obedience. They wait on God to act by waiting 00:41:52.719 --> 00:41:57.079 in faith and obedience and persevering in the 00:41:57.079 --> 00:42:02.559 face of obstacles. There may be those present 00:42:04.460 --> 00:42:07.260 who don't know what the future holds for them. 00:42:09.480 --> 00:42:13.800 They don't know what is coming next. They don't 00:42:13.800 --> 00:42:17.139 know what is ahead. They don't know what's going 00:42:17.139 --> 00:42:20.480 to happen. They don't know what's going to occur 00:42:20.480 --> 00:42:24.079 in their life next. There may be those present 00:42:24.079 --> 00:42:27.079 who are facing uncertainty and difficulty and 00:42:27.079 --> 00:42:31.190 trial and obstruction and obstacle. Time after 00:42:31.190 --> 00:42:35.030 time after time. What do you do, brothers and 00:42:35.030 --> 00:42:41.909 sisters? What do you do? You press on in faith. 00:42:43.150 --> 00:42:46.949 You keep on in faith. You wait on the Lord to 00:42:46.949 --> 00:42:50.150 act. When you don't think your obedience is doing 00:42:50.150 --> 00:42:55.929 anything, keep obeying. When you don't think 00:42:55.929 --> 00:42:58.369 that your obedience is accomplishing anything 00:42:58.369 --> 00:43:02.190 and your marriage, When you don't think that 00:43:02.190 --> 00:43:05.010 your obedience and your faith to Christ and his 00:43:05.010 --> 00:43:08.650 word is doing anything and your friendships or 00:43:08.650 --> 00:43:12.710 your preaching or your ministry or your service, 00:43:12.730 --> 00:43:20.170 keep on obeying. Wait on the Lord to act. Wait 00:43:20.170 --> 00:43:23.929 in faith and obedience, brothers and sisters. 00:43:24.110 --> 00:43:30.920 Press on. Keep on. Continue obeying even... when 00:43:30.920 --> 00:43:36.900 obedience doesn't seem to do anything. But also, 00:43:37.019 --> 00:43:42.639 in the face of the unknown, you know what to 00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:47.119 do, brother and sister. You may not know the 00:43:47.119 --> 00:43:50.400 exact decision you need to make in every circumstance 00:43:50.400 --> 00:43:55.980 as providence comes into your life, but you know 00:43:55.980 --> 00:44:00.780 what you ought to do. When you don't know what 00:44:00.780 --> 00:44:03.119 to do in the Christian life, do you know what 00:44:03.119 --> 00:44:07.860 you fall back on? You do what God has said to 00:44:07.860 --> 00:44:14.260 do. You keep being faithful. You keep seeking 00:44:14.260 --> 00:44:17.940 the face of Christ. You keep coming to God and 00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:24.199 his word. You keep loving the brethren. You keep 00:44:24.199 --> 00:44:27.860 raising your children as a faithful mom. You 00:44:27.860 --> 00:44:30.099 keep leading your family and providing your family 00:44:30.099 --> 00:44:34.599 as a faithful father and a husband. Brothers 00:44:34.599 --> 00:44:37.059 and sisters, when you don't know what to do in 00:44:37.059 --> 00:44:41.260 life, go back to the word of God and do what 00:44:41.260 --> 00:44:47.059 God says to do by faith. Look to him and his 00:44:47.059 --> 00:44:53.800 word. Faith perseveres in the face of obstacles. 00:44:53.820 --> 00:44:59.909 This is always true. faith now lastly we see 00:44:59.909 --> 00:45:07.070 a final principle and that is this faith proves 00:45:07.070 --> 00:45:13.550 itself in the face of peril and danger we see 00:45:13.550 --> 00:45:21.510 this in Rahab Rahab was willing to be in danger 00:45:21.510 --> 00:45:26.809 she was willing to count the cost She was willing 00:45:26.809 --> 00:45:31.409 to risk it all because she believed God's word. 00:45:32.869 --> 00:45:38.949 She believed God's promise. Faith is always willing 00:45:38.949 --> 00:45:44.650 to count the cost. To do that which is required 00:45:44.650 --> 00:45:48.670 and to give up and sacrifice that which is required 00:45:48.670 --> 00:45:54.880 of them as those with faith. Rahab is actually 00:45:54.880 --> 00:45:59.760 mentioned in James chapter 2, at the end of James 00:45:59.760 --> 00:46:03.260 chapter 2. And if you think about James chapter 00:46:03.260 --> 00:46:08.599 2, what is it talking about? It's talking about 00:46:08.599 --> 00:46:14.079 faith and works. So what do we find in Rahab? 00:46:15.320 --> 00:46:20.260 That she as a justified woman, someone who's 00:46:20.260 --> 00:46:24.150 believed on Christ, now... has a faith that is 00:46:24.150 --> 00:46:27.110 operative and effective and justifies itself 00:46:27.110 --> 00:46:33.530 among men because of its works. We find, brothers 00:46:33.530 --> 00:46:38.170 and sisters, all throughout Hebrews 11, all throughout 00:46:38.170 --> 00:46:43.630 this text today, that faith does not simply rest 00:46:43.630 --> 00:46:50.090 on Christ and receive benefits. This is vitally 00:46:50.090 --> 00:46:55.159 important. But faith works, brothers and sisters. 00:46:55.699 --> 00:47:04.460 Faith exerts. Faith acts. If your faith has rested 00:47:04.460 --> 00:47:08.500 on Jesus Christ, and you have received the righteousness 00:47:08.500 --> 00:47:11.800 of Jesus Christ, if you have every spiritual 00:47:11.800 --> 00:47:14.510 blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, if 00:47:14.510 --> 00:47:17.809 you are in saving union with Jesus Christ, brothers 00:47:17.809 --> 00:47:20.449 and sisters, then your faith will not merely 00:47:20.449 --> 00:47:26.389 rest, it will act and work for that which God 00:47:26.389 --> 00:47:31.429 has promised. It is one thing to say that we 00:47:31.429 --> 00:47:38.309 trust in Christ for justification. It's another 00:47:38.309 --> 00:47:46.800 thing to purely say we trust in God for our Why 00:47:46.800 --> 00:47:52.980 is that distinction important? Because justifying 00:47:52.980 --> 00:47:56.000 faith that rests on the promises of God will 00:47:56.000 --> 00:48:00.000 what? It will work for that which God has promised 00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.280 to his people. A lot of times we look in Scripture 00:48:04.280 --> 00:48:09.800 and what is described as faith is really hard 00:48:09.800 --> 00:48:16.699 work. It takes energy. It takes diligence. It 00:48:16.699 --> 00:48:21.639 takes exertion. It takes suffering. It takes 00:48:21.639 --> 00:48:24.980 discipline, brothers and sisters. That is faith 00:48:24.980 --> 00:48:30.039 not purely resting on God and his promises. That 00:48:30.039 --> 00:48:34.760 is faith working, brothers and sisters, in this 00:48:34.760 --> 00:48:38.840 life for that which God has promised to his people. 00:48:39.059 --> 00:48:44.340 And that... is historically accepted in doctrine 00:48:44.340 --> 00:48:48.559 and theology. I'm not saying anything novel in 00:48:48.559 --> 00:48:55.559 that. All of our faiths, if we are in Christ, 00:48:55.659 --> 00:48:59.000 it will rest on Christ, brothers and sisters. 00:48:59.639 --> 00:49:03.079 But we have got to move beyond the idea that 00:49:03.079 --> 00:49:09.750 it is legalistic and dogmatic. to say you should 00:49:09.750 --> 00:49:16.130 work at your sanctification. That is not legalistic. 00:49:17.489 --> 00:49:22.429 It is not wrong to exhort the people of God to 00:49:22.429 --> 00:49:26.110 work in their faith. Do you know why? Because 00:49:26.110 --> 00:49:30.550 the word of God does it all over the place. The 00:49:30.550 --> 00:49:34.809 word of God presents this example of what faith 00:49:34.809 --> 00:49:40.599 is. brothers and sisters. I wish and I pray and 00:49:40.599 --> 00:49:47.340 I long that every single person had a faith such 00:49:47.340 --> 00:49:53.300 as that. A faith that rests on Christ. A faith 00:49:53.300 --> 00:49:57.829 that receives all his saving benefits. A faith 00:49:57.829 --> 00:50:00.710 that is saved by faith alone, through grace alone, 00:50:00.849 --> 00:50:03.909 and a faith that operates and is effective in 00:50:03.909 --> 00:50:07.170 the life of the believer. A faith that works. 00:50:07.510 --> 00:50:10.409 You don't know the glories and the blessings 00:50:10.409 --> 00:50:14.590 of knowing Jesus Christ without that kind of 00:50:14.590 --> 00:50:20.130 faith. You don't have eternal life without that 00:50:20.130 --> 00:50:23.929 kind of faith. You are doomed to wrath and hell 00:50:23.929 --> 00:50:28.869 without that kind of faith. You don't know the 00:50:28.869 --> 00:50:31.889 blessings of having a great shepherd that watches 00:50:31.889 --> 00:50:35.230 over you and leads you and works in you and comforts 00:50:35.230 --> 00:50:37.829 you and strengthens you and builds you up and 00:50:37.829 --> 00:50:40.309 guides you and directs you. You don't have a 00:50:40.309 --> 00:50:43.050 shepherd because you don't have that kind of 00:50:43.050 --> 00:50:48.750 faith. There is no blessing greater. than having 00:50:48.750 --> 00:50:54.789 God -given faith that rests on Christ and works 00:50:54.789 --> 00:51:00.170 because it rests on Christ. Because if you have 00:51:00.170 --> 00:51:04.349 that faith, do you know what you have? You have 00:51:04.349 --> 00:51:09.909 everything because you have God. You have Christ. 00:51:09.929 --> 00:51:13.510 You have the gospel. You have redemption. You 00:51:13.510 --> 00:51:16.690 have every promise that he's ever made. And it's 00:51:16.690 --> 00:51:19.409 all yours in Christ.