All right, good evening. We'll take our hymns out or look up on the screen as we turn to page 443. Page 443, stand with me and we're going to sing all four verses of He Hideth My Soul. So sing it out. ♪ A wonderful Savior to me ♪ ♪ Behind my soul in the cleft of the rock ♪ ♪ There is a place where I sleep ♪ ♪ Behind my soul in the cleft of the rock ♪ with his hand, and honors be there with his hand. The wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord. Meet him, I will be. I shall be moved, be giv'n, be strengthened by faith. Behold it, my soul, you have never known wrong, and shall not depart this way again. Behind thy side, in the depths of his love, let love be ever present. Let love be ever present. With all of God's blessings, each holy grant shall fill with his holiness divine. Oh, it's a laughter we hear at last. Behind my soul, in the calm of the rock, and shadows of dark thirsty land, behind my life, with his hand, and covers the earth with his blood. With all his might and strength, Lord, did I rise to be the great mountain of Zion. O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Just a couple pages back to page 440. Page 440, abide with me now. All four. Just keep singing until I stop it. Help of the helpless, O Thine we'll be. Stiff to its mounting, to its kneeling, ♪ And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air ♪ You are my sun, confidence may give me, through cloud and sunshine, the light may be. Shine through the moon and point me to the stars. Bells tolling, birds singing. Go ahead and have a seat, but stick in the 400s. We're going to go to 459. 459, all three verses of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. Sing it out. Lord of hosts, best of all things, living and everlasting God. Living, living, living and everlasting God. Living, living, living and everlasting God. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. What am I to live on the everlasting Lord? I am blessed and peace with my worshiping God. Amen. Time for some testimonies. Okay, well on Sunday nights we'd like to take a couple Who haven't I called on in a while? Braxton. 627. That's in the back of the book. 627. 627. That's one of those medleys. All right. So Jesus is the sweetest name I know. Jesus loves me and oh how he loves me. Okay. All right. Okay, we'll sing through Jesus. Okay. Jesus is the sweetest name I know. We'll sing through twice. Please stand with me and stretch your legs after that testimony time. Jesus is the sweetest name I know. Fair is His majesty. Nice is the way. Please be seated. you you you so so All right, turn your Bibles to Joshua chapter two tonight. Joshua chapter two, very, very familiar passage. One that if I had any number of you stand up here and ask what this chapter is about, you could probably tell me about any issue. Joshua chapter two. This chapter describes the events surrounding the providential preservation of two Israelite spies through God's willing servant, the Messianic ancestor, Rahab. But when coming to a passage like this, it's very helpful to remember that what we are reading is a narrative description of events. It's not like an exhortation or a teaching text like Galatians or 1 Corinthians. It's a passage that simply describes events as they are. It's also a passage that is very frequently told and referred to. The story is told in many contexts, Sunday school sermons, blogs, various places, and so the description of the historical events can be a bit muddled. So tonight, to provide clarity to the text, we're going to walk through the chapter, and we're going to then examine the person of Rahab in light of the proposition that I'm going to withhold for the time being. So starting out, we're just going to go through the story, And beginning in verses 1 through 3, right off the bat, we're given a ton of information. And for the guys in the booth, you can keep it on the purpose for now. Right off the bat, we're given a ton of information regarding the background to Joshua 2's events. Joshua begins by sending two men into the city of Jericho on a reconnaissance mission. He's trying to get information on the city and its people, his enemies in warfare. And during their venture into Jericho, the two men come into Rahab's house to lodge. Now, ancient historians like Josephus state that the Jewish tradition is that Rahab's home served as an inn of sorts. Unfortunately, to perform her job that we'll learn about a little bit tonight. And whatever reason these soldiers found themselves in this inn, is really minuscule to the fact that their being there is an act of God's providence, bringing them into this home of what some would call the prime example of a proselyte. So what they came to was likely the only person probably in the entire city outside of that household who was worshiping the true God of Israel. Now somehow word got to the king of Jericho that the spies had entered the city. And the king discovered their mission and their location at Rahab's house. And so we're introduced to the conflict of the narrative. The king sends for Rahab, one of his citizens, and tells them to turn over these spies. And Rahab is made to choose either faithfulness to her people or faithfulness to her God. In verses four through eight, we see a quick rise to the climax. Rahab makes her decision to serve God. She protects the spies of God's chosen people. She brings them up to the roof and puts them under drying stalks of flax that are sitting there. And when the king's men came to retrieve the spies from Rahab's home, she lied by telling them that they had gone about the time the city gates were going to close for the night. So she persuades them to chase after the spies whom she had been hiding in her home. In verses nine through the end, we see the king's men leave, and as they go out through the gates, the gates closed, and the spies are safe. She goes to the spies, and she shares with them these words. I do want to read these words found in verses nine through 13. And Rahab 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. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side of Jordan, Zion and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 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. Now, therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, that covenant God of Israel, since I have showed you kindness, that you will show also kindness unto my father's house and give me a true token, and that you 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. And so, from there, the spies agree, and her household later on is spared of the destruction of the city. We, of course, know about the scarlet line hanging out of her window as a token that she would agree not to share the spy's location to the king. And so the spies escape through the hand of Rahab, and in the weeks that followed, the spies journeyed back to Joshua, Israel crossed the Jordan, and they conquered Jericho, leading Rahab and her parents and siblings to be brought into the congregation of Israel. Now we've just gone through the entire chapter of Joshua 2, so we can go home, right? No, tonight I want us to look at Joshua 2, particularly at Rahab. and see that God wants us to rejoice in our salvation as sinners saved by grace. You ask, well, how can I do that? By examining the person of Rahab the way that scripture presents her. We should see how to understand what we are through a biblical lens. You see, in the first seven verses, we see that like Rahab, We are sinful sinners. I apologize for the alliteration tonight, but it was inevitable. Like Rahab, we are sinful sinners. When we're introduced to Rahab, one of the first things that scripture presents us with is her profession. It's a very irreparable profession. I'm not going to belabor this because we do have young ears in here. But if we're gonna talk about Rahab, we have to understand she was a part of a dark profession. Now scripture doesn't qualify this in any way, doesn't give any background to why or how she came to be in this profession, in this position. But the underlying Hebrew word zonah does signify that this was the same practice that we are familiar with today. It wasn't a cultic or a religious practice. In fact, the term is a very blunt term, to put it plainly. And I don't know any young person who would tell you that this is the profession that they would want to be a part of when they grow up. And I doubt that that was the case for Rahab. No doubt Rahab had experiences in life that were dark, horrifying, demeaning, and hopeless. And that is the experience of those who fall into this sinful profession. But that was what she was. We also need to note that she was a Canaanite. In verse three, we see that the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab. Why? Because she was a Canaanite. She was a citizen of the city of Jericho. And as such, She was a part of a doomed culture. She was a Canaanite. And the Canaanites, as you're well aware, were on a collision course with the wrath of God. Israel was coming into the land and God was going to use Israel as a weapon of warfare against the Canaanites to destroy them for their sins, for which God has been long suffering toward them for. For 400 years, the Canaanites had dwelt in their sin. And in that time, Rahab was born, was raised, was identified with these people. She grew up watching her people commit the very atrocities that earned them the just punishment of the Almighty. She likely took part in the traditions, in the rituals, because that's what you did as a Canaanite. She didn't have to, she didn't have the internet with pastor's blogs or YouTube videos saturated with Christian apologists. She didn't have access to the law of Moses. She lived day after day in complete ignorance to who her creator was, and her culture promoted that ignorance. It's exactly the kind of culture that Paul describes in Romans 118 when he's talking about humanity as a whole, where the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood of the things that are made, even his eternal Godhead and power. so that they were without excuse. But when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. That is the culture that Rahab was not only a part of, but was a product of. Just like any of us are a product of our culture. In fact, we're a product of humanity in its sin and its doomed state. Hers was one that could be characterized by a sinful people deserving the wrath of God, just as any one of us could be. So we've seen that Rahab was of a sinful profession, of a doomed culture as a Canaanite. She was also a liar, as we've seen in verses four through six. Look with me again at these, or look with me at these words. It says, and the woman took the two men and hid them and said thus, there came man unto me, but I wist not whence they were. And it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out, whether the men went, I what not, or I know not, pursued after them quickly, for ye shall overtake them. 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. Now the passage here is describing this event as it took place without any qualifying remarks. So some would argue that Rahab's lying is justified because of a few reasons. One might say that Rahab was protecting life in time of war. Another might say, Rahab wasn't condemned or punished for lying in this passage. Or others may even say, well, Rahab is doing the same thing that Samuel did to deceive King Saul in 1 Samuel 16. In fact, let's consider that passage for a moment. You'll remember that in 1 Samuel 16, God had told Samuel to go and anoint the new king of Israel, David. And what was Samuel's response? Well, if King Saul finds out, he's going to be unhappy, he's going to kill me. And so God tells him, take with you a calf or a bull and make it a sacrifice unto me and tell him that you're going to Bethlehem to give a sacrifice. Now with these three reasons why people might justify Rahab's lying, I would raise three objections. You see, while Rahab was protecting the lives of the Israelites, she was not protecting the lives of those who were seeking the Israelites. Meaning those king's men could have very well have been ambushed or attacked outside of the city and died because of Rahab's lie. These men who were simply obeying the commandment of their king. We can also note that Rahab's choice of profession also wasn't condemned in this passage. So to say that Rahab's lie is justified just because it's not explicitly condemned or doesn't show any negative consequences is really a foolish argument. And I would say with relation to what Samuel did in 1 Samuel, it was a diversion tactic. It's not the same as lying and deceit. It's what military, modern militaries might call false intelligence is what Rahab did. What Samuel did at the commandment of God was completely different from Rahab's pragmatic lie. In that one, God told Samuel to do what he did. Samuel did what he told Saul he would do. So what happened was consistent with reality. Whereas Rahab's statements were inconsistent with reality. I would also make three more points with regard to this. in that war is not a justification for sin because war only exists because of sin. Just as salvation wouldn't exist without the existence of sin, war exists without it being inherently wrong. But war has this distinction. It is terrible. It is nothing to be glamorized or sought after. In fact, when we see that God waited almost 500 years to go to war with the Canaanites for their sin, it makes it seem utterly foolish when there are those who would cry for war against any offense made against a nation. But is God sinning when he performs war? Absolutely not. Israel acting as God's weapon of war were such because sin had to be eradicated from the land. God hates sin at all levels. And it is God alone who has the right to punish it and eradicate it as he deems fit, even if that requires a tool of war. It's also worth noting that mankind has been at war with God ever since the fall. And though God doesn't need to defend himself against his creation, he does have every right to act against the sinful aggressor that is Satan and his kingdom and those who would be included in that kingdom as rebels against their creator. That doesn't diminish how terrible war is. but should help us realize how horrible it is that mankind in its sin would choose to perpetuate this rebellious war throughout human history. I'll also make this note. Rahab's lie was intricate. It was a difficult lie to spin in a life or death situation. She could have been tried for treason and killed even on the spot. And so when she comes up with this slide, it implies that Rahab was used to being in dangerous situations where she would have to lie to preserve herself or others. You could say that it could portray Rahab as something as a habitual or even a pathological liar. But even lies like this don't justify what some might call white lies. So often have I heard even parents justify white lies toward their children or spouses just to maintain peace. But what that communicates is not that you think some lies are okay and others are not, but rather that you think lying is okay as long as you deem it necessary. Therefore, God is no longer the determiner of truth and reality, you are. The reality is if you're in the habit of using white lies to control the situations you're in, you are, to put it bluntly, a liar and a manipulator. We can't forget that liars are ranked with the unbelieving and the abominable and the murderers and the whoremongers and the sorcerers and the idolaters in Revelation 21. God takes lying seriously, even if Rahab isn't explicitly condemned in the scriptures for her action. I won't belabor this point any further, because I think we get the point. Rahab was a sinner, just as any one of us. And the reality is that not only is our sin equally vile in the sight of God, But there may be even some tonight listening who understand the darkness of Rahab's past, perhaps even from firsthand experience. Perhaps looking at Rahab's sin is a painful reminder of our own sin. But I would redirect your attention to Christ. because for us who are in Christ, we realize, like Rahab did, that sin no longer defines us. That is why when we consider the change of Rahab from sinner to a saved saint, we come to realize that where we were once sinners, we have, by God's grace, become sinners saved by grace. And that's where we move to continue looking at Rahab tonight and realize that by God's grace, like Rahab, we are saved saints. Now let's look at some of the inherent blessings that Rahab received as a result of her life-changing faith in the God of Israel. You'll notice, of course, that Rahab's faith led to physical preservation. It's one of the things that we note very distinctly with Rahab and her story. Because Rahab had faith in the God of Israel, without even having access to the Word of God, she understood that she needed to preserve the God of Israel. And because of this, she was spared the judgment upon the city through God's instrument of war, Israel. That is why in Hebrews 11, it states, by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days. By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. And we may gloss kind of over this fact because it's very familiar. But stop and think about this for a moment. A Canaanite woman, was spared one of the most destructive victories recorded in scripture. And not only did her home survive the destruction of the walls, but the soldiers of Israel spared her life amid the chaos of the battle. They even retrieved her when they were prepared to burn down the city and everything that was in it. Listen, that wasn't good fortune. That wasn't good luck. That was the providential, preserving hand of God watching over the life of His child. And that providential act led to a life that lived for the true God of heaven and earth. We're able to see in Matthew 1.5 that Rahab's physical preservation led to a life as a child of God. Now Matthew 1.5 simply states, and Sammon begat Boaz of Rahab, or Rahab. And we know Boaz as the future husband of Ruth, who were the parents of Jesse, the father of King David. But before we talk about then, have you ever stopped to think about Sammon and Rahab? Salmon or Salma in some places. In fact, his name is different in a lot of different places. He's kind of an enigma. We don't really know who Salmon is. Others think that this is another name for Joshua and many think that he was one of the two spies whom Rahab hid. The fact is we don't really know who he was other than he was the husband of Rahab, and the ancestor to David, Solomon, and our Lord Jesus Christ. But you know what we often overlook when we read these names is that each name represents a life. Salmon's life was one that included marrying Rahab, a Gentile from the decimated city of Jericho. They experienced life together. They had children. They raised them, and they faithfully taught them the truths of God, as was evident when we look at Boaz and David. They were faithfully taught, as Deuteronomy 6 says, here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. I believe that we can rightly assume that because God preserved her life, She was able to teach her children, maybe even her grandchildren, the truth that Jehovah is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. But her life isn't limited to just here on earth. Rahab's life as a child of God led to eternal blessings. If we were to continue reading in Matthew chapter one in the genealogy, we would see Samuel begat Boaz of Rahab, or Rahab, and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David the king, and Jacob, later on, begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called the Christ. Again, I say Rahab's life wasn't limited to what she experienced on this earth. As we sit here, she enjoys even now the eternal blessings that she only tasted in her life as a child of God. Why? Because not only had God used her and her descendants to bring the world her Savior Christ, Rahab's sin penalty was paid for by his sacrifice. There is no denying that she believed in a coming Redeemer and that that faith was counted to her for righteousness just as it did for Abraham in Genesis 15. She was counted righteous before her maker. And I wonder if at some point, whether in her mortal life or in eternity, she uttered the very same words as her descendant Mary, when she said, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior, for he hath regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden. for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed for he that is mighty hath done to me great things and holy is his name. Rahab right now is experiencing the eternal joy that is the exaltation of them of low degree. She has been filled as a woman who once hungered for goodness in life with richness. Because of her faith in God, she became a part of the lineage of the one who would fulfill God's promise to Abraham, through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. Now in eternity, she experiences the joy and the company of her physical and spiritual descendants, praising and worshiping God forever and ever. Now why mention all these blessings that Rahab enjoyed and now enjoys for eternity? Because through faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, you and I as sinners saved by grace, we can enjoy these blessings as well. I mean, have you ever considered or wondered where you would be apart from God saving you from a life of sin? Our minds could not fathom the dark roads that our sin could have taken us. But Paul reminds us in Romans 5 of why we can rejoice in our being saved. He says, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also. Knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Now we live the lives that Christ died to purchase us, and we have not just the obligation to live for God, but the tremendous privilege and the opportunity. As Peter states in 1 Peter 2, We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. But God didn't save us. just to enjoy this Christian life on earth. Our joy in Christ is not temporary, it is eternal. And one day, we will join Rahab and countless saints in what is the eternal joy in the presence of God. will be among those saints who in Revelation 19 observed that a voice came down out of the throne in heaven saying, praise our God, all ye his servants. and ye that fear him, both small and great. And John heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. He saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God. Let's rejoice in our salvation tonight as sinners saved by grace. And perhaps you haven't considered tonight what it means to be a sinner or even a sinner saved by grace. You can reach out to me, pastor, anybody, and we'll help you know what the Bible has to say about being saved. But perhaps tonight, Christian, you haven't considered your position in Christ for some time. May I remind you the joy of God's salvation. Say, Chris, I don't know what that's like anymore. It's been a while. And let's take a Bible, and let's dig into the realities of who we are in Christ. And I have no doubt that when you consider your position as a sinner saved by God's infinite grace, you cannot resist saying exactly what Mary said. My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Let us rejoice. Father, words cannot amount to the joy that you not only allowed Rahab to experience in her salvation, but also in we who are called the redeemed. Help us tonight to again rejoice in you, our God and Savior, in the salvation you have so richly, so graciously given to us. Praise you in Christ's name. Aren't you thankful for God's grace? And sometimes we look at what's going on in our society and we look at the tremendous sin and the way that our culture has just drifted so far from being a healthy society. And it grieves us. One of the things that we really need to recognize is that as messed up as this world is, there are people all over this country who God wants to use you to reach into their life, point them to Christ's finished work, and see their life transformed by the gospel. And even within our congregation, there are so many people that maybe you've known them for 10, 15, 20 years, but if you'd have known them when they were younger, you wouldn't believe it was the same person. There's people like that. And they may not want to talk about what it was like before they're saved. they like to just not think about those things. The fact is they've been transformed. They've been forgiven and cleansed, they're righteous in Christ, and they're raising their families, and 20 years later you'd have absolutely no idea that that's what their life had been like. And, you know, Rahab is a name of someone who lived a life in Israel got married, had a family, and was a part of the lineage of Christ. She's a part of that story. It's a fascinating thing to think about. Let's go ahead and turn to hymn 464 for our closing, please. 464, How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord. Let's stand together, please. We'll sing each of those verses. Actually, let's just sing the first and the last verse together and throw off my guys in the sound room. Sorry, guys. but we're going to sing 464 first and last verses, please. In His excellent Word, what more can He say than to you He has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus hath fled? I will, God, I will, now return to his house. That stole from him, should it ever do shame, I'll never, no never, no never forsake. All right, well, it's been good to be in the Lord's house. It was wonderful to be here this morning to have wonderful fellowship and to spend time together tonight as well. I'm going to ask if Pastor Josh can close us in prayer and then we will be dismissed. I hope that you will be able to make it back this Wednesday as we will continue our study through the Sermon on the Mount. And the part of the Beatitudes that we're looking at, I only got through one point. So we might be there for a couple of nights, we'll see. But I hope you can join us for that. And we're getting close to Truth Trackers for our kids. So just one or two more weeks of our Anchored Kids Club, and then we'll be going into Truth Trackers. So make sure, kids, that you're getting ready for that. Pastor Josh. image of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and we just thank you so much for the reminder even this evening of the grace of God and how we cannot support lying, but Father, your grace is more than sufficient when we fall short of who we should be in you. And when we do make mistakes, it should not stop us from doing right in the future and to looking to you to rescue us and to preserve us as you did the life of Rahab that really, because of her faith, affected the lives of her family in a positive way. And though we don't know, but maybe in heaven we will learn that some of her family trusted in Christ after they saw that their lives were saved when the walls came tumbling down and the armies of Israel pursued. So Father, we thank you for the great picture of grace, for the life and testimony that changed Rahab's life because of what you had done in and through her. And would we do the same and be a part of your family and act as your child. Go with us now and we thank you for this wonderful reminder from Joshua chapter two. And we come to you through the precious, glorious, and holiest name of your son, our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. You are dismissed.