Rahab – No Longer a Wasted Woman (Part C)

Satan says I can drop you, then I will cause doubt in the ranks will say raise up a child in the way should go when he is old he shall not depart but you departed. Therefore, they will doubt God's word, they will delve their interpretation of God's word. I will bring confusion into the camp and not long after that victory will be mine. God says listen I need you to be righteous needs you to not give up and not quit. 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 Genesis. Please stay with us after today's message more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Now here's Pastor Rick in the book of Joshua chapter 2 as he continues his message Rahab no longer a wasted woman chance to be free from the shame, guilt, and the filth she knew it chance to no longer be a waste of a woman failure. No more. I cannot identify with no longer being a waste of a woman, but I can certainly do identify with no longer being a waste of a man and that's that that's what is real to me and that's what it should be for any man.

And this is what it should be for any woman when we understand that this is what's going on.

She needed she wanted to get away from her past. For good because her past was no good. A lot of people don't do that.

A lot of people try to make excuses for the past so that they can continue with their past and their present this again case with lots wife, Mrs. Locke, this Rahab risked everything on the basis of deep spiritual discovery. I emphasize the word deep because that's what it was book with me at verse Joshua chapter 2 verses two through four and it was told the king of Jericho, saying, behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country of the king of Jericho sent to Rahab saying bring out the men who have come to you who have entered your house, will they have come to search out all the country, then the woman took the two men and hidden them, so she said yes, the band came to me, but I did not know where they were from and it happened as the gate was being shut when it was dark that the men went out with the men went. I do not know pursue them quickly for you may overtake them give her an Academy award. She's lying in is wrong and there is no way to justify line what God is bigger than her lie.

I almost cringed to say that because if there is a Christian who was flirting with some Sam they may take that as they are out and continue to sin as though it were not a big thing with God. The puny list of sin, the sin of size of the fleet is enough to dam one soul to one eternity in hell without out. This is called conviction.

If you are the guilty one.

She was convicted she not grown that far yet they they had some work to do with her common sense would say she did the right thing but we do not want by common sense. It's supernatural sense. God knew she was going to lie, so he allowed things to run their course, if she had made up her mind to tell the truth God would've done something differently to protect or to protect the spies. It is nothing for him to do what he does as Jericho is going to soon find out. As she already knows but she's just not yet developed it and that will come out in a moment. Also, unlike the lot family, the Lott family. A man named Lawton his family who lacked depth. Therefore, they lacked want to act as a higher see this. The depth of her spiritual discovery gave her a desire to get out to get right with God is God, that she had talked to them about they had to be impressed. I mentioned I love the world I would've loved to watch her eyes as the words left her mouth I would've then quickly glanced over at the two men and looked at their eyes as they listen to her recite for them what God had done had to be impressed. They had seen him this is a divine movement. This is God, we could do with this stab her with a dagger, absolutely not. They enter into covenant with her because of her conversion lots family is forever remembered as the family that lacked depth. They lacked depth, and therefore they had no want.

They did not want what God had to offer lot for circus tent and he moved into the side of the me rephrase that Lott forsook his own tent where he had control of his destiny, more so than in Sodom when he could pick up and move. Should circumstances change when he moved out of his own tent into Sodom and everything he lived for one up in smoke.

Okay, that's an easy part of his story but there's much more to it.

Not only did Mrs. lot move into Sodom with her husband, but worse still, Sodom moved into Mrs. lot there is the real danger of seduction. She allowed Sodom to move into her. That's what stories all about her, her parish. I don't know that you can never use that word parish without some along going off even when the Jews saw that the army of Israel perished. It was still a startling moment.

They were in the presence of great things, lots wife perished, not because she look backwards, but it was that backwards look that indicated she had a different view to a different view of things she saw things differently and they were like what God saw that citizen look back at this trash is done. No depth, no want for God. But when it came to sin. There was death.

There was want. She was hungry and thirsty for the things of unrighteousness. Paul wanted the Romans to be ignorant when it came to the things of sin, and fill he wanted them to be knowledgeable wanted this for all the churches for current from galleys. All of them he wanted them to be knowledgeable about things that were true, noble nobles, a big word decent.

That's things that are right, whatsoever things are true. That's first Formosa can get decency in nobility without truth. The minute you inject ally. It is no longer true nobility. Truth is gone. It's something else that you dealing with now you're in salvage mode, whatsoever things are just, pure, lovely, good report this what he wanted is not what Mrs. lot wanted. She enjoyed the thrills of the flesh, she had learned in her mind to sort out that which was over the top versus that which she could live with and she was fine with it. God was not her heart was divided. We see this in church, often too often we see divided believers their hearts into places and therefore their restless and the conviction is always something that does not work good with the world will serve them well.

It doesn't work good in them, and works resistance towards God when you bust them when you catch them.

They want off the hook. They don't want to fix it. Just think about the judgment they going to get there. Think about what they been doling out those who have divided heart are always unhappy, always unhappy and they spend all their time trying to be happy and in so doing, they make everybody around the miserable when they stay in the church we call them immature Christians. There's a difference between being an immature Christian and a babe in Christ, a babe in Christ hasn't had time to mature, by definition maturity requires time and immature Christian has had time and has not matured the word just to be wall is not grown like they should have something is not working the way it should.

We should tolerate.

We should look to work with them nonetheless because we are not committed to shooting our wounded nor should we ever be Rahab. In contrast, in stark contrast to Mrs. lot. She forsook Jericho to hunt above a look back at this place the board walls that have added she forsook her city and moved in with the people of God in everything she lived by before God's people showed up tumbled down, burned up spies ended up burning up her house they got her out and her family, but they were ordered to burn down her house and she should have it never did me any good old to have a heart like that when we look at sin every born-again believer wants that heart. This is this is the struggle that we have. We get a lot of it. We don't get all of it in this life and it causes us, discussed, and it should. We have to learn how to work with our personal discuss in the light of grace or also beat us to death. The grace of God's not being careless of us in quite the contrary.

It's been careful about what Christ has done for me and I receive it, let me get this right you want me to come to the cross and that's that.

And I come to the cross. Genuinely something is going to happen to me that couldn't happen the world. Yes, that's what I wants is God that I do and that is something that Satan cannot undo when the Christian loses his temper hates it doesn't like it but still still continues to serve still commits to not doing it again, the enemy is nothing else to do so out of the ruins of Jericho, a new life is born for her and her family that is very significant because she could've said, because her family doesn't live with her. We know this because the story the spies tell her make sure your family is in your house. The deal is off is not two houses one house yours. They come under your roof, and they will come under the law of Israel and guaranteed the men will be circumcised and be grafted into Israel as converts they don't have to look any further. To understand but I'm I'm spending a little time more time and I want to and that I get back to this is enough to say about her that she left nothing behind.

I want that to be said about me everything he lived for was in front of him was ahead of him was beyond this, the things that he did in this life were with what is beyond in mind that's why he never look back at Sodom burn. He was too busy looking beyond Sodom. That's the idea.

This is what she did. This is what she teaches and he was one of the great attractive things about the only thing she left behind was wasted life and she is an un-wasted woman. At this point she is in on wasted woman from this point forward now as to her type, which is very significant because once you crack the codes of types in the Scripture. It opens up a lot more lessons will then open up to you. She is a type of the convert from a sin filled life insurer judgment.

That's what one of the one of the types she represents now try to make that mean something to us will be live. In other words, the story is not a story with mere eerie similarities, but they are parallel pictures with a message to man. That's what a type is it's a historical event that has a message in it that runs parallel to the story in our lives that they run parallel together and it is on purpose God is saying something. There are types of Christ there types of converts which she is there types of Satan which the king of Jericho is in the story, which will get to in a moment. So on the brink of her own doom she sees what one must do to convert that as truth she must come under the authority of truth to come under the authority of truth. One has to be convicted and he will convict the world of sin and of truth and of righteousness is the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said nobody really is ready to be saved who is not first come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit puts the searchlight on and he says looking looking and now he waits because you see it to and are you going to be true with what is been searched out or are you going to fake it. Proverbs chapter 9 verse 10 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy one is understanding… Rahab Jericho was securely shut up.

It was on lockdown. They did not want to lose any of their soldiers who are afraid of dying to run off and live somewhere else.

They did not want anybody to run over to the Israeli camp and say okay here's what the city is laid out like and and and give them valuable, intelligent, and from intelligence valuable so they lock the city down Joshua chapter 6 verse one now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel. Non-went out and none came in.

There is a parallel picture or a type of the lost mine the loss mind is shut up it's lockdown nothing gets sin.

Nothing gets out. When it comes to spiritual truths, what is already inside their head is all that's going to be inside their head and less something breaches their defenses so the king of Jericho.

He represents Satan the prince of this world. This is a type now parallel Ephesians chapter 2 tells us that Satan vigorously opposes any thought of salvation. Ephesians 22 Paul says, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Thessalonian second Thessalonians chapter 2. Speaking again of antichrist in the.

The that which energizes him being Satan he says cool opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped. This is the king of Jericho. We read about that in chapter 2, where he interrogates her briefly probably trusted her.

He knew her. He wanted to believe her and so he did.

But that doesn't change the fact that while that city was lockdown. She was a prisoner in her own city. She was trapped by its king. So when we are speaking to an unbeliever.

They are trapped the city as lockdown. Nothing's coming in nothings getting out when it comes to the truth of God. How many people live today in their own personal Jericho with great walls of disbelief. The Great Wall of China was built. Of course, to keep the enemies out. Unbelievers have great walls greater walls than those of China to keep truth out and Satan is the builder of this wall and this is illustrated in this story, and they feel secure in their man-made walled city ideas of whatever it is, just pick up Brandon pick a potion pick a flavor of the day whatever it is, most of us here were once in that city shut up in that city. You children of believers are you are a prize. You are a high-value target of Satan you been raising the home of righteousness. You've been exposed to truths that others are at risk of going to hell without and yet the commonplace.

Perhaps maybe they like and yeah God you know yet church and we've always been going because I was born in is really not a passion. It's not a want. Satan says, if I can drop you, then I will cause doubt in the ranks still say raise up a child in the way should go when he is older he shall not depart but you departed. Therefore, they will doubt God's word, they will doubt their interpretation of God's word. I will bring confusion into the camp and not long after that victory will be mine.

God says listen I need you to be righteous.

I need you to not give up and not quit.

Imagine Jared Joshua looking among his men think can I find two spies to go into the land and bring back intelligences are not going to keep them. I find that I'm one of the Israelites and tell me we approach prayer. That way we can expect whatever results would been produced by whatever response. A leader would hear like anyone from God's camp is viewed as an enemy by the people of Jericho. That's why they had the manhunt out for these two men. And so we should not be surprised when we meet with the opposition. We meet with but according to her own words, she was reluctant. And God overcame that. So when we find those who are reluctant, we overcome it by perseverance. Nothing will get done by the church, ever. Without perseverance, take perseverance out of your Christian walk and you are useless here on the casualty list Sabia but you are sick Bay commando, the only operations you will be running as from a sickbed you will not be out on the field where it counts. This is our message to the believers, not to the lost, but remarkably remarkably about this woman.

She cites the Lord's will, not the Jewish army as a reason for faith look with me again in verse 10 we have heard a look at verse nine pardoning. She said to them hi know that the Lord has given you the land that the terror of you has fallen on us and that all the inhabitants of the land or fainthearted because of you.

The Lord has given you the land, Joshua looked at Jericho and he says how am I going to bring down those walls. Rahab looks at the walls and said God go to do this I need to change teams that it would be that simple for us. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 31. Again, our text. This is why the writer of Hebrews writes in the infant under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe she perished not the others did not exercise faith but she did. Thus, the second New Testament statement James 225, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by action when she received the messengers and sent them out another way so she had two things faith and action together.

That is who Rahab is. That is a picture of the un-wasted woman that is a picture of the un-wasted man Rahab illustrates that were not saved by good works, but for good works. She was saved to do good and she did good without her God would've had to have either come up with a another way to save the two spies lose one of them will lose both of them, but he had a Rahab in that city. That wall city, closer to verses Joshua chapter 2 verse 21 and she said according to your words. So be it. And she sent them away and they departed and she bound the scarlet cord in the window exiling Court of course, speaks of the blood of Christ is equal to the gesture made by the Jews in Egypt with the blood over the door. Then there is Joshua chapter 6 verse 25. At the end of it all. It says Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household and all that she had so she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent out sent to spy out Jericho. She is not known as Rahab the harlot in heaven. I should add the way of salvation is always the same without exception when I see the blood, I will pass over you. That's God's word when I see the blood I'll Passover you that is our message. The cross of Christ. The empty tomb.

The book of Genesis ends with a crowded tomb every body in the book of Genesis dies while Enoch, the New Testament Gospels and with an empty tomb. This on purpose.

The purpose this faith is trust me, I told you that the soul that sins will die, but I also said that he shall not see corruption.

Death has no power over him. He is the firstfruits we follow him, but in Exodus 23 verses 1324 versus 13 and 24, 32 and 33 God clearly teaches the Jew that they're not to have anything to do with these fake gods there not to even use their names not to be casual about their to be fierce in their commitment to Jehovah and him we have every reason to believe that Windows spies and when Joshua and the people in the camp spoke to Rahab and her family and brought them in. They brought them into that truth also. You've been listening to cross reference radio daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

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