Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
April 6, 2014 - W1414

In Joshua chapter 2, we find a lady by the name of Rahab the harlot. Do you remember that march around Jericho six times, they blew the trumpet, they shouted, then the walls come tumbling down.

 But before that takes place, Joshua sends spies into Jericho to find out about fortifications, the armament and the amount of warriors there are. And so two of them go into an inn which is built into the wall, and this lady Rahab owns this inn. She's the inn keeper, but it's Rahab's inn plus benefits, if you know what I mean. And so you can come to this inn and get a little bit more. Well, she was known for being one of the prostitutes there in the town or the city of Jericho. However, we're not going to start in Joshua 2, today. We're going to start in the Hall of Faith of Hebrews chapter 11.

Now, there's going to be certain occupations that are going to be linked with certain characters in the Bible. Abraham, patriarch of our faith; Joseph, one of the pharaohs of Egypt; Moses, the leader of the Exodus. We'll find David the king, Gideon the warrior, Samuel the priest, and then probably the strangest person of all in this Hall of Faith, Rahab the harlot. That's right. You mention her name, and it usually comes linked with her occupation, and the Bible makes no bones about it. In fact, let's read it. It's at the top of your notes. Would you read it out loud with me, go, “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” (Heb. 11:31).

This just thrills me today because we end off this series, Avenue of the Giants with this very strange person, Rahab the harlot. Although we think nothing about it in our society today, I tell you, sexual sin always leaves scars on the souls of people. Not one woman can escape the fact that there's a deep sense of guilt and a deep scar on her heart.

 And I imagine Rahab, too, before the spies came probably had given up all hope of ever turning her life around, and that's just how it was. However, the cool thing is, in this session, as we learn from Rahab about faith, God has other ideas, and He's about to turn shame into glory with one shining moment of redemption. That's how God is.

 I can relate to Rahab, and I know what she felt. I mean, she's up there with the man who built the ark. She's up there with the one who led the Jews out of Egypt. She's listed with the sweet psalmist of Israel and king. If ancient Israel had a Mount Rushmore, her face would be on there. She's in pretty good company.

 But here's the most wonderful thing of this whole passage is that God does not emphasize what she was but who she's about to become. That's why she's in here. It's not what she was. It's who she's about to become. And, you see, that desire God packages and says now, this is faith. No, it's not what you were. It's what you intend to become, and that is all faith. If you don't have that, you've got nothing but a track record, an empty pipe dream of hopes, but when God says it's not what you were, it's who you intend to become right now. God says, if I can package that, that's what faith is made out of, and that's exactly what Rahab had.

 Here's what happens. The spies come in, and they go to Rahab's inn to find out what's going on. Now, it's said here that the king hears about these two spies, sends someone to the inn and says where are these spies? The king of Jericho sent to Rahab saying, “Bring out the men who came to you, who entered your house, for they've come to search out the land.” But the woman had taken these two men, hidden them on the rooftop. She intends to become something different.

The Bible says, “Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, ‘I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea^] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.’” (Joshua 2:8-13)

Rahab helped the spies escape and in return they promised that she and her family would be spared if she tied a scarlet cord outside her window. I looked at that, and I thought, here it is, here's the key. Rahab, when she heard promises, she did something about it

 It's never enough to merely just hear the truth. Hearing the truth must move you to action. Why? Because she intended to be someone different. It's not what she was. It's who she was intending to become. Because here it is. She made it to the Hall of Faith for one reason. When the chips were down, she believed the promise of God, and she did something about it. So here's the whole lesson …

 RAHAB’S LESSON in FAITH

FAITH IS THE DETERMINED EFFORT TO GET OUT OF SIN.

 See, there's so many people that want their circumstances to change but do so little to change them. We groan about it. We moan about it. We drone on about it. But we don't do anything about it. And God is saying you must have a determined effort to get out of sin. Proverbs 24 says this,

 “The righteous man falls seven times but rises again” (Prov. 24:16).

 In God's evaluation, He may not register sinlessness as much as He rates a person's determination to get back up.

 I was thinking about that. You know, there's a deeper definition at work here. That scarlet cord was no coincidence. It reminds of the blood of the Passover. You get into that house, and death will pass over you. But you tie that scarlet cord. And if Rahab represents a helpless sinner, then the scarlet cord represents the blood of Christ that was shed for you and shed for me.

 One of the old gospel songs goes like this, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

 Note with me that as soon as the spies left it said she tied the scarlet cord out her window. Now, she didn't know when the attack was going to happen. It could have been in a few days, could have been in a few weeks, could have been in a few months, but as soon as they left, she said, “I'm identifying with God”, and she hung that scarlet cord. In fact, the Bible says,

• “So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window” (Josh. 2:21).

What would have happened if she forgot to tie the scarlet cord or just never got around to it? She would have died just like everybody else.

 Let me ask you this question. What's your scarlet cord? What do you have that will identify you with God? Do you have a scarlet cord at all?

 You see, we live in a society that burns scarlet cords. We live in a society that demands you take the scarlet cord out of every arena of life, but it's time for the church to arise. It's time for us to hang out a scarlet cord out of every window we can. It's time to have a scarlet flag flying because that's the blood of Christ that we're going to come under, and that's what's going to save us. What's your scarlet cord?

 It might be a bumper sticker or a license plate holder. My license plate says J is L, and I let people think about that for a while. And then their eyes brighten up.

 You know the Lord's prayer. In the original language, it says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us away from any temptation and deliver us from the evil one who is the tempter. Lead us away.”

 And that's the beauty of Rahab. She's got a determined effort to get away from sin. She heard the promises. It wasn't who she was. It's who she intended to be. And she did something about it. Let's read this next one here. Now, she ends up in James, and we find James using her as an illustration. Read it with me, go.

“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead” (Jas. 2:24-26).

  You see, we've got to have a determined effort to get away from sin. If not, it will rule you. You have got to get away from that, and that's why Rahab ends up in the Hall of Faith. Why? Because she had a determined intention to be somebody that she wasn't in the past. She was going to be someone new.

 You see, faith is your determined effort to get away from that past and be someone new. Listen, if you want something you've never had before, then you may have to do something you've never done before.

 Let's read what happens as a result of Rahab's determination to get away from sin.

• “Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family has lived in Israel ever since” (Josh. 6:25).

 You know what she did? She left her people and moved in with the Israelites to worship God. Rahab ended up in the Hall of Faith but in most of the Bible, she is called, Rahab “the prostitute” or “the harlot”. I used to wonder why God did not remove that title from her in the Bible. But I later realized that it was a reminder to us that only the “unworthy” go to Heaven.

 So if you're caught in sin and you want to get out, you're an excellent candidate for repentance and for Heaven. And this whole thing about Rahab has enormous hope for you and for me because therein lies an example for you and me. If you're caught in that sin or any kind of sin, I want you to know that there is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. There is no sin that is so terrible that Jesus cannot forgive, and there is no stain on your soul that Jesus cannot wash away because faith is not what you were. It's what you intend to be today. That's what God looks for.

 Now, one final word in this message of hope and I'm done. What happened to Rahab after the fall of Jericho? Hundreds of years later she's going to show up in the New Testament in the genealogy of Christ. And this will be the first time you will find her name without “the harlot”. Here it is. Ready? Read it with me, go.

“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David” (Matt. 1:5-6).

Believe it or not, Rahab is the great, great grandmother of King David who's in the genealogy and the lineage of Jesus Christ the messiah.

 Here's another thing. In the genealogy of Christ, four women are named or at least inferred, and here they are: Tamar, and then there is Rahab, there is Ruth, and there is Bathsheba. These four all were the subject of sex scandals.

 Tamar was the first. She played a harlot to gain a son, and then Rahab of course was a prostitute, and Bathsheba for a time was the king's concubine, and all of them are mentioned in the lineage of Jesus.

 I look at that, and I think, Lord, why were these sinners in the genealogy of Christ? No, not because they were sinners, but because of their determination to get out of sin and into the kingdom and that's why they're there.

 What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. For there is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still, and there is no sin that is so terrible that Jesus can't forgive. And there is no stain on your soul that Jesus cannot wash away. It's not who you were. It's who you intend to become. Hang that scarlet cord out, identify with God, and watch how He puts you into the Hall of Faith, and your name will be among the Avenue of the Giants. That's what we want.

 So if you are here and you have something you're wrestling with, would you give it to Jesus right now? If you're here and you say, “Wayne, I've got to hang a scarlet cord out.” Do it. Some of you may need to end a relationship that's pulling you the wrong way. Do it. Make a determined effort to say no to sin. Lead us away from temptation, we pray, and God will. Will you put your hand to that? Some of you may need to stop doing certain activities. Put some restrictions on yourself, anything, and when God sees that, you know what He calls it? Faith. Because I don't want to be that way anymore, God. I don't want to be like that anymore. God says that's faith. Only unworthy people get to Heaven, so don't worry about it. You're a good candidate.

 But hang that scarlet cord because when the spirit of death comes, when the devil comes to bring death because he comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. When he comes, he won't be able to touch you because you have a scarlet cord, you've chosen to identify with Jesus and are determined to follow Him all the way. Be a people of faith, and as we are a people of faith, you watch what God's about to do. Amen? Amen.

 Study Suggestions

1. What happens to the righteous man when he falls?

2. What is faith?

3. Why did Rahab help the spies?

4. What can wash away any sin?