Surprising Saints, Part 2

Take away immaterial part of who you are and you, your body is a corpse with tweezers and dynamic faith is the believer's life. Faith is the animating principle moves us to action. It provokes us toward a living demonstration of faith in a living God with the exhortation of James to the believer as he describes defines and illustrates faith.

If you believe be like at the very core of Christianity because faith as opposed to works is the very basis of our salvation.

But what is faith. How can we define and describe faith biblically working to find out more about this today. You've tuned into wisdom for the heart.

The Bible teaching ministry of Stephen David Stephen is in the series from James chapter 2 called faith works. He's calling this lesson surprising saints. We began this lesson last time and couldn't fit it in. So here's the conclusion to Stephen's message.

Surprising saints, the Israelites, because of their disobedience and their lack of faith and wondering down the wilderness for 40 years under the care and guidance of God.

But there just long enough for all of those who disbelieve to die. Now the ready to enter the promised land, which finally was promise to Abraham back in Genesis chapter 12 the promised land.

However, at this point in time is is inhabited and has been but it's it's a habit by idolatrous wicked brutal nations that are too excited about this little promised thing to Abraham they're not impressed. And they're not too convinced about the coming judgment of God that they have heard about now for decades, where you learn nothing from Rahab's own personal testimony, but Joshua decides to begin by sending out two spies to check out the land, they would go to the very first city they're about to encounter city, prepared by the way, for battle city surrounded by what seems to have been a double set of walls spammed by wouldn't be city by the name of Jericho. We read in Joshua chapter 2, the middle part of verse one of the spies were sent out and go to spy out the land in these two men went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and logs.

There word for harlot here is the Hebrew word zone which can be translated harlot or innkeeper nurse on the grab that and relieve immediately the tension where these men of gone to high problem is the word for harlot in reference to Rahab in the New Testament in both passages where she appears as the word porn day which gives us our word fornicator transliterated to give us our word fornication. It always has an immoral contact. She was not keeping and in she was running a brothel. Why would these men go there. I believe verse two holes.

Some of the answer look there. It was told the king of Jericho, saying, behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land when these men evidently came across that fort near Jericho. Jordan. They were spotted they were watched. They were followed by the king's secret police. They know exactly when the men entered the city they knew exactly where the men had gone spies evidently knew they had been spotted. We are told when they discovered that but they they ran as it were, and they made it to Rahab brothel where they has to be hidden. Where would someone go not be asked any questions, suggest where. Where could he go for shelter and remain anonymous. Those are interesting thoughts, but I believe they miss the greater point.

They are obviously led by God to turn that corner and go up that alley and turn it this corner and knock on that door because they are going to arrive at the house where the only woman in the entire city lives, who is ready to believe in the God of Israel will see your testimony moment she's already believed. She is literally the only person in all of Jericho would be sympathetic to their cause. God knew her heart. God knew her desire and they appear here so coincidence that the rush into this place of business and hope for the best that are probably surprised to find a woman that only ready to declare her faith in God, ready to demonstrated in the in the remarkable way that she does James find it remarkable. So much so that, as he thinks of illustrations under the guidance of the spirit to talk about real living faith.

He goes back to this event and the woman the right. Look at verse three.

The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab saying bring out the men who come to you who entered your house, for they come to search out all the land but the woman had taken the two men and hidden them Artie done that. She said well yes the men came to me, but I did not know they were from. It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark. The men without, I do not know where the men went pursue them quickly for you will overtake them know you notice in her answer that she's she's lying like arrive right and you might immediately feel some other tension. I see end up in the hall of faith and he is 11. Again, this is another sidebar will address this very, very quickly, and by the way, I didn't address either of these passages in my first sermon serves as we got through it. Biblical ethicists talk about hierarchy of ethics they believe would be demonstrated, hereby Rahab. In other words, there's a time and a higher moral principle is Even if it requires disobedience to lower moral Ethan, it's not is not an ironclad argument. Tension won't go away, but perhaps this is what's happening this way you're living in Holland in 1939 and the Nazis show up at your doorstep and ask you if you're hiding any Jews upstairs in her closet say no. Are you sure Mr. Tim Boone, was finished with her two volume autobiography of Charles Spurgeon, probably one of the most well-known pastors in London during 1801 point in his ministry. And up until his death, his brother James served as his copastor. Spurgeon spent literally half of the year. Sick recuperating from dealt number of other things.

One evening Spurgeon was at his home and the housekeeper wasn't around and Spurgeon happen to be walking by and he opened the front door and in jumped a man brandishing this very large knife any analysis I have come to kill Charles Spurgeon and Charles Sibley's not here, and the man said, well, who are you and he said well on his brother James Ginger's brother didn't appreciate later saying that eventually convinced him he was his brother. The man ran back out the door was caught a few blocks later. Now you say well you know Spurgeon told the truth knife and a broken or maybe he was supposed to die it. It doesn't answer all the questions she could have said… The monsters hiding under stalks of flax God could've kept them invisible.

So there is tension.

She convinces the guards perhaps believing is a higher moral principle at stake.

They leave verse nine she goes up on the roof and she says I know that the Lord is given you the land and the terror of you has fallen on send that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you interesting. She chooses the names of God here I know the Lord has given you the land, just more insight than the king verse 10 we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites were beyond the Jordan, the silent dog will utterly destroy that it only happened recently, the Red Sea, it happened 40 years earlier, but when we heard it verse 11, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any manner any longer because of you that listen to her testimony for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven and on earth you imagine Moses rolling over in his grave to hear this. I couldn't help it stagger and I've never seen this before 40 years earlier. Moses sends out 12 spies. Joshua was one of them. Joshua and Caleb. The two spies are the only ones who will enter the promised land. Everybody is because of unbelief and they go out there and they come back in the majority report says will we can survive were terrified by these people now have 40 years later says when we heard you crossed the sea. We were terrified of you with anything we survive we been in fear for 40 years, because we know your dog is much more powerful than any of our Rahab effectively says they have been following the exploits of God for the children of Israel they heard how God parted the Red Sea on the Egyptian army and now here it is.

40 years later Rahab is revealing their perspective, our hearts. 40 years ago melted feet. Can you imagine all of those Israelites who died in the wilderness not allowed to enter the promised land because they lacked dynamic faith. They knew the words, but they would not act upon them in here.

40 years later, there is found among these pagans. A woman of faith should not only believed which he acted, for the sake of time you know she she helped the spies to escape. She followed their command to hang a scarlet cord out her window. I don't want us to fall into the trap of a valid arising everything we see, but I did find it interesting that the word in the Hebrew language for cord.

The normal word is bypassed in Joshua chapter 2 verse 12 and the words chosen is the word most often translated in the Old Testament by the word hope, hope this is your only hope. And she will stake everything upon that hope the cord was called in the same verse the pledge assignment again unusual Hebrew language.

It's the same word used in the Passover seen in Exodus, more than 40 years earlier. The death Angels coming. Those who have the sign the same word sign is used in reference to the blind on the doorpost. Those who have assignment anybody in the home survives his words are not coincidences Passover language, something she has yet to fully understand these are these are terms of hope and redemption and this woman saved from death by her faith in God, she will learn later. All the redemptive trues the Israelites know that she more than likely doesn't know but she does know that God alone is her hope. Nothing struck me these Israelites over these 40 years had seen the miracles they had been delivered time and time again they had seen the Shekinah glory, they had seen the man they had been fed. They had water out of a rock.

They had seen, and they had been there. They had experienced this prostitute had only heard about it. She only hired she believed she was ready before the spies ever showed up.

She's ready to walk away from her idols and her customers.

She's sick of her life. She knows the Israelites are coming. Everybody knows she knows and believes that they are following the true and living God. And somewhere in between the lines she has had some kind of rough and rugged conversation with God saying what she's declaring here more than likely to him. I don't know much about you but I know you are the God of heaven and I know you are sovereign over all of earth if you can accept and forgive me, I will give my life to following would you please change my tag from hopeless hopeful from a hopeless harlot to a forgiven follower for long Israelites arrive at the city gates if effectively turn over to chapter 6. Notice in verse one that they have the city tightly shut. I mean, they got every crevice filled they got the gates double barred no one when out and no one came in they are not going to surrender these Amorites are specifically mentioned in Scripture as an idolatrous nation known for child sacrificing their cruel and brutal and most importantly, they hated the God of Israel, and we built our wall to keep you out. Israel will will be acting as the tool of judgment in the hand of God to these nations and it occurred to me in the in the context of our study on the different kinds of faith that the city of Jericho is at this moment filled with faith is filled with demonic faith. They know the truth they've heard the stories. There convince their true they they know the God of Israel exists. They may have been following the exploits of God for these people, but they will not open the gates. They will not lay down their arms, they will not surrender. They will not follow that God not on our lives with one wave of his sovereign hand walls of Jericho come tumbling, which means either the fact that the little section of the wall upon which set Rahab's house is remaining would be another miracle or her home was in the wall ground-level remained intact while the wall still around her home. None of it fell upon. I love this reunion of sorts. In verse 22 of chapter 6 Joshua said the two men could spied out the land go into the harlot's house and bring the woman in all that she has out of there as you have worn to her in the wonderful Joshua lies these two men whose lives she saved.

Now go and keep the promise.

Personally, that if you wonder whether or not Rahab was able to convince anybody to get inside the her house because judgments coming in.

Only anybody living in here is safe. Notice verse 23 I love this.

So the young men who were spies when in and brought out here comes Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had also brought out all the relatives and place them outside the camp of Israel. They burned the city with fire and all that was in it. However, verse 25 Rahab the harlot in her father's household and all that she had Joshua spared. She has lived in the midst of Israel to this day meaning. While this is recorded, she still alive seen by the way, becomes a metaphor of judgment and redemption, all who do not personally surrender to God will one day be judged with everlasting fire. Those who will be spared like this harlot named Rahab, have surrendered to God, he or she is. She has that scarlet cord hanging from her window. You could see it waving by faith Hebrews records the harlot Rahab perished not with those who believed not, that's the story. The gospel writer. Her faith in God preserved her place in eternity.

Her demonstration of faith in God preserved for her a place in history were still studying life today and not all of us can identify with with Abraham, someone like him right. But all of us can identify with someone like Rahab.

The truth is known. Whether you admit it or not we have all played harlot, we have worshiped other gods. We have followed after idols. Certainly the chief idle is our own selves sinning against the true living God.

To this day, all hang out. The court of hope as it were in the redemptive plan of God. Would you come to place your faith in him alone. You are spared his judgment and he changes your tag. So the apostle Paul would write to church after church in the New Testament and read all the believers by calling them by their new tag sinks in Christ Jesus, saints. So now live as your tag with the same James wraps up his concluding statement back in that letter. Chapter 2 in verse 26 by saying for you or for just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead is effectively saying that Abraham's and Rahab's acts of faith were like spirits to abiding the life principle that animates a living human being. Take away that immaterial part of who you are and you, your body is a corpse. That's what he says dynamic faith is the believers life. Faith is the animating principle, it moves us to action.

It provokes us toward a living demonstration of faith in a living God with the exhortation of James to the believer as he describes defines and illustrates faith. If you believe be like at this point I want to take one more look before we wrap up James study. In this chapter, you have to turn back. I want to go to Jericho, one more time Joshua informs us that the Rahab and all her family are put outside the camp where they stood gathered around the world are family members she had been a convincing woman you got all the cousins, nieces and nephews, brothers and wives, grandpa and grandmother all suitcases, blankets and pillows and all the stuff in there all in one big huddled masses with no doubt tears of shock and relief.

I wonder what Rahab thought. She stood there watching her city and more importantly her past burn away her profession of faith would lead to a different profession in life, but I wonder if she thought while she was standing there with these Israelites with all their strange customs before and people to me with their God that I know and believe is the God of heaven and earth would would I be received whether I be accepted as a proselyte Gentile believer will he accept my faith in him. Would he ever cracked.

It isn't long before she's the talk of the nation heroin for dynamic faith against all odds against the king and their army. She saved spies. She turned the true and living God. There's more to her biography, she meets. She marries a godly Jewish man named Salman imagine he chose a converted Gentile to be his wife and they would have a son. They would name him Boaz Boaz would grow up and would you believe it he would choose a converted Gentile to be his wife named Ruth Rahab the harlot would become the great great grandmother of King David. She would show up again in Matthew chapter 1 along with her daughter-in-law Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Don't miss this, the God man who took on flesh with blood flowing in his veins. Not only Jewish Alyssa. There are strains of Gentile, and he will choose a prime just includes Gentile you and me for all who believe. Jew and Gentile changes are tag from hopeless to hope filled from abandoned to accept loss found from someone with a checkered past someone glorious future from sinner to say that was a lesson called surprising saints here on wisdom for the heart.

It's the final message in Stephen's series from James to called faith works.

This series has helped you understand the relationship between faith and works were not saved by anything we can do to earn its but Christianity is not a free-for-all or we can do whatever we please. This series teaches how all of that fits together if you'd like to listen to it again. It's posted to our website. When you navigate to wisdom online.org you'll find Stephen's library of Bible teaching on that site again, this series comes from James chapter 2 we also have it available as a set of CDs. If you'd like to order this series. Faith works as a set of CDs we can help you with that. You'll find that in our online store, but you can call us today at 86 648 Bible once again that's 86 648 Bible, we can help you get a copy of this series for your library of biblical resources is also a resource that you can share with someone else who might need to hear it. So there's two ways you can have this series, you can listen online@wisdomonline.org or you can order the CDs by calling us at 86 648 Bible thanks again for joining us today on our next broadcast, Stephen begins a series on the topic of marriage called for better or for worse I hope will be with us again next time. For more wisdom for the heart