Battlefield faith (Part B)

This woman is quite remarkable. Something faithless simply will not do.

She did and became faith faithless. This incidentally is remarkable to is quite staggering.

Jesus was always puzzled by it is indeed I have not found such faith in Israel get the point to a century and or dual woman knows child was in need of his touch.

This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching battlefield faith is the name of Pastor Rick's message today will be teaching in Hebrews chapter 11 in her own words.

Joshua chapter 2 verse eight Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above and on earth beneath the covers everything is the whole thing it is that the exclusion of all the fake God's just a single, your God is the God in ours a lesson but not saying that she sang the God of the Jews is God and there is no other quite a powerful revelation facing that she was because had she not entered into this agreement, she would've been slain with everyone else. She knew her life was less than what it should've been. So she changed sides, something we try to do on behalf of lost souls. We try to convert them from the fruit of sin and unbelief and rebellion against the God of heaven and earth convert them to the God of heaven and earth come into salvation says here when she had received the spies with peace when not made right with God by the work we do, even if it's for him, but we all made right for good works is Grayson is the goodness of God that brings us to his side and keeps us there. We are supposed to behave as though we obey him that were going to do something now that we have been saved for purpose. His purpose but ours is purpose, whatever it may entail look at next session about the side of faith that cause blood. This side here though.

Again, these are the war clouds over the people that they are facing. Ephesians 2 again needs to be reread the little bit more to Ephesians 2 verses eight through 10 for by grace you have been saved through faith, trusting God, according to his word and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works, not of deeds, lest anyone should boast.

Bragging about how I did this for God had actually helped about that day what God is fortunate to have me on his side. That would be the stupidest thing a human being could say. And yet it is, there are those that think that God owes them something that somehow they going to survive death that is going to work out for them at work out got them this far will carry them.

The rest of the way they are drunk with their unbelief. Don't say that as their enemy's just true. Hopefully it will resonate with someone who may be falling for that. He continues in Ephesians 2 in verse 10 for we are his workmanship is Poe IMO is poetry we get our rings were poetry from that Greek word translated workmanship for Lima, created in Christ Jesus for good works, good deeds, which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So her good deeds did not savor as set but we are created to do good deeds, God is expecting that from us out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and the life moves on out of what's in the heart, all sorts of wicked things. The heart is touched by God. It will be fruitful. Things to come out, you know it's true. You sat through sermons where the Holy Spirit is convicted you and you felt yourself resisting. If you been around Christianity long enough, some pet gripe that you don't want to let go of yet because you feel justified or wounded or whatever it is you hear the Lord speaking of love and forgiveness and what he did for you and you harden not your heart deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. Who can know it.

God, yeah. And then God tells you about a so you could know what to do something about to shut your mouth and work it out with him instead of justifying yourself.

I'm no exception, but I work hard to reduce rebukes from the Lord. I try to stay a step ahead of him. He's fast.

Should we not, what would happen of all Christians would determine to be perfect you fail, but the pursuit of that perfection would take you to an altitude you would otherwise never come to in your own strength. It does count. Don't be discouraged. Discouragement against like the silver was in the days of Solomon. Like stones on the grounds can be picked up anywhere so cheap it's on your dashboard in your car it's in your left shoe.

It's in your right hand is everywhere. Anybody can be discouraged takes a child of faith to work through this life. Not without discouragement and spite of discouragement.

Yes. So what I know you're there I can get you out of here and I want to do what I gotta do you want to sit there and sit there, but I have work to do. That has to be our approach to something like that. Maybe you're a nicer personality and you say well okay you can sit there to scare Newton that told me had I choose my don't feel the animal you going to be there fine was exploring you discouragement. It's there for Rahab is a type of the unbeliever converted to belief by the grace of God in the presence of those who refused to be converted.

Here are some points from the life of Rahab. She needed a regime change is a ruler in our life. You know all of that old song is say what you want about the singer of the writer but it's a fact.

You gotta serve somebody is either going to be the Lord of the devil. You've got to serve somebody.

If it's the devil you need a regime change leadership needs to change. She recognize that another point is that while she was trapped in sin should being a harlot and approaching judgment until the people of God came. That's true with sinners is not there under the condemnation of Christ of God for being sinners and then the righteous are used by God to bring them into the knowledge of Christ, even Saul of Tarsus. He was not directly converted by other Christians who is but without those other Christians in their lives. He never would've been on that road to Damascus with the Lord intercepted him. So we count every one of us would Saul of Tarsus. Of course it was the face and ministry of Stephen that he couldn't get out of his head. It was spiritually traumatic to him. He suffered blows to his spirit and his soul because of Stephen so he was enraged against Christians because he needed a regime change and he got it she enters into a covenant with the spies, Christians, we are supposed to be a covenant people, not an old covenant, but a new one.

In fact, the word testament means covenant when we say New Testament we are talking about a covenant we have entered into an agreement and so often it is difficult for Christians in the church to keep their word yes is maybe we can really count on that.

There know is too often that is not my aim to beat the sheep but these things must not be swept under the rug for someone to stumble over and be injured.

Maybe you say I've been that way you know I've you can't count on me in Christ for anything. I've always got something else to do doesn't.

We all have something else to do what we learn to carve out time for the Lord. It's called devotion we devote time. We don't come in like candles and do rituals and say that we satisfy the quest for devotion to God hears your devotion. I just did something for you know we serve.

We serve in positions that may not be glorious to the common heart to the righteous.

It is glorious work. Imagine if someone those who come in they clean the bathrooms in the church. The restrooms in the church. They said now you know I want more glorious task. This is beneath me. We would all find out about it very quickly. It is glorious work because of who it is for and why it is being done. She did not perish with unbelievers.

That is the saints, and she became according to Matthew chapter 1 verse five. The bride and wife of a good man and she finds her place.

The genealogy of Christ. Christ Jesus. And so this woman is quite remarkable. Something the faith was simply will not do. She did and became faithful faithlessness incidentally is remarkable to is quite staggering. Jesus was always puzzled by it is, indeed, I've not found such faith in Israel.

The point to a century and or to a woman knows child was in need of his touch.

Matthew chapter 7 verse 13 this is what Christ has to say to those who are still not ready to receive to change. He says enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. There are many who go in by only one of them. That's his word.

Many go that route don't you be in that number is a narrow gate. That's the one you need to squeeze through.

That's the one I'm calling you to forward finish with Rahab we have three excuses at least three rebuffed by her story.

One is all I'm not good enough to be saved or welcome to the club. There is no one in heaven nor the will there ever be amongst humans who is good enough to be there just to grace God gives us this may upset your personal pride. It's supposed to. God has much to say against personal pride, self steaming, popping yourself up you don't come to recognize your sinner before a holy God. You want to keep on comparing yourself with someone else on earth and gorditas comparing yourself to another sinner comparison will be made to Christ was sinless so that line.

I'm not good enough to be saved okay. We all can say that, but that's where you leave it than you are doing like those in Jericho.

The other one is oh I don't know the Bible very well. You will have to know the Bible very well. You have to know enough of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is very simple, so simple that even a child can receive it in Jesus stressed that point of such is the kingdom of heaven. And then the third point is that faith rebuffs this position. Faith does not require action, yet does is not just a theory that you side with the philosophy that you endorse. It is a life to be lived out by faith. She not only believed she acted on, and so she put the scarlet cord on her window. According to the covenant, and she and her household was submitted to this were spared and the writer of Hebrews is telling his audience that you have a responsibility that you are covenant people. And if you turn back from it you will suffer the consequence as Rahab would have suffered had she not acted on her face so wasn't enough to save your God is the God of heaven and earth.

She had to act on it now verse 32 we come to more exciting characters. We only have two hours to go. Saul try to get it all in verse 32 and what more shall I say, for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon Barrick Samson Jeff. Also David and Samuel and the prophets he starts off and what more some time time would fail me. So even though it is scriptural for pastors to not have enough time to say everything they want to say it's biblical right. There he refers to four judges, not judges or nobles and robes sitting in courts they rule their section of territory in the land. They were deliveries from the people of that part of the world that would come against the Jews, the people from the East Amorites, the Phyllis whoever they were, God would raise up these individuals to oversee the victories and to also rule the people he'll give us the four judges, a king that would be David. Of course, and the prophets and there you have quite a an interesting group, but the judges unlike the later prophets with the exception of strange Samson. They all got to see their victories. The prophets did not.

Jeremiah 4 Jeremiah them is what a man of God. He was, but the last we know of him.

He was taken to Egypt against his will, and so much stuff. He saw that was just a failure. In contrast to the judges. They were there, saw the victories of that is significant and so is going to now talk first about Gideon, the frightened farmer is afraid someone is going it's come and take his grain and so is threshing wheat and the winepress, knowing the war for me. Here they would come in wards like locusts, the people from the East Amorites, the Midianites, they were just common horns like locusts and just consume everything you the couldn't stop they would leave the people of God's starving so God would raise up judges. Another reason things got that way because the people I do not have faith. In fact, they turn to idols. He started worshiping mingling with the people. So the Jews. They were taken out by the sword in the promised land. It was the fake gods that was taking them out. We see this in Christianity we see Christians tinkering with things that are forbidden in Scripture and then becoming quite obnoxious and defensive about it leaven cannot be defended.

Anyway, this frightened farmer would rise from his hiding place and deliver and judge the people of God.

God discovered Gideon not men. There was no one except my got a good idea. We need to find somebody threshing wheat in the winepress, and he will deliver us man could not come to that conclusion.

So God is the only one to seize this man doing this and then approaches him and go through all of the things that Gideon required to trust. I'm not so ready to say Gideon was full of doubt, because within his apparent doubt. There was the determination to be sure if I want to launch out in this distance To be God. I can't make any mistakes about this because the enemy will kill me.

My family and wipe us out.

He was determined to get it get it right. God makes habit of finding people like this, those who we would all pass by and miss. He makes habit of plucking them out of the crowd and putting them into such a position and so before Gideon is sent as an instrument of God against the enemies of God's people. He is first sent to the enemies of thought amongst his people. Gideon go to your father's house he's entitled, I need you to destroy it, and he did use his choice bull to do it least. The second choice bull and Gideon doesn't and it begins a revival in the land was sent to march against that which was fake about God before he could march against that which was coming against God's people. He faced war he went to war and he survived. And then there's Barrick. He is the underachieving general. He should've had more glory. This one is going to be very appealing to all of us is very victorious on the battlefield, but he was cheated by on necessary doubt I'm in.

There are doubts that are just big and are hard to get around. But then there are those doubts that you know we need to dismiss that one.

Sometimes we don't.

The encouragement this man is that while he did have doubt and he did fall short of a higher glory. He accomplished much is victorious very victorious. Save the people of his day, in spite of the low altitude at that moment on that day he still did much for the Lord for his people as he had faith still. So in other words what I'm saying is you may be called to do something and you do not hear Moses this way God wanted Moses to go without Aaron and Moses you know fussed and hemmed and hard about the whole thing. And God said fine Aaron. He can speak ill go with you so that was Plan B of God. God often settles that. What's he supposed to do if you sent going to wait for the perfect servant that would disqualify us all. So we look at the life of Barrick and we see this lack of confidence that caused him to forfeit even more glory.

And yet he still used is still victorious and that makes me say okay all right I don't always get it right but I'll take what I get right. I will not let that cheat me what I can do.

So here's a story. Deborah is the judge in Israel at this time. And Barrick is going to be dispatched with his forces to bring about the great victory against Cicero, the commander of the people of Canaan, and Deborah says God's going to be with you.

He says okay but I'm not going let you go with me. She says okay I'll go with you but a woman's going to take you glory and he said I don't care. You got it with me. So they go off to war. He defeats the enemy.

Cicero, the commander of the Army, the enemy's forces running for his life goes into the tent of this young lady is thirsty is hungry is asking for water.

She gives a milk probably warm milk. If that was because they had refrigerators that would apply to men. Well anyway he goes to sleep nice and comfortable and she takes a spike in drives it through his head kills see that it was supposed to say Barrick has slain Cicero does not say so we look at our lives. We see that man you know someone else got what I was going after, but I won't let that stop me. I will continue to serve. Nonetheless, with what I do have and find my name listed amongst men like Gideon and David and Samuel and Joshua. Nonetheless quite remarkable. And then there's Samson seated on the list. If you have a black marker across his name out. That would be sinful. I am more afraid of Samson in my life than I am of Solomon in my life because I will likely never ever in this life become filthy rich as Daffy duck would say independently wealthy with the okay I lost you with the Daffy duck thing, but I think filthy rich. I think of him saying it anyhow.

I won't and I don't, I will have to struggle with what Solomon struggle with but probably without it exception, every single one of us is susceptible to some charm some romantic charm. It does not have to be sexual but it will be essential.

There will be some lore that pulls us that causes us to look at what God has given us as being routine and not exceptional. And then we begin to find ourselves in places we don't belong to. Finally we blinded and enslaved. Because of our own stupidity in the faith. Samson one small one. He's walking through a vineyard, and he meets up with a lion. Two things about that. He was a Nazirite from birth that Mandy did not cut his hair and he did not take of the vine. Why is he in the vineyard. Why is he taking that shortcut was there not an oak grove that he could've gone through the Bible is saying he's where he doesn't belong because his faith was lacking at this time in his life and what meets him where he doesn't belong a lion that's more than rolling this once charging God allowed him to defeat the lion. Nonetheless, and then of course Samson. We know the horrible collapse that he meets with so you say why is he that in the list of those who have faith that I should pay attention to that I should learn what can I learn from Samson is here because God remembers the faith of the saints, not do any to say anything else behind the moon. You've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick, you can subscribe cross reference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio your favorite podcast to the next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on cross reference radio