Our lesson this morning will
be taken from Joshua 2, verses 18 and 19. Our last lesson I
kind of gave you an overview of the chapter, and now we're
going to focus on some particular things. Our subject this morning
is the scarlet cord. The scarlet cord. Let's read
these two verses together. Joshua 2, verse 18. Behold, when we come into the
land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window
which thou didst let us down by, and thou shalt bring thy
father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's
household home unto thee. And it shall be that whosoever
shall go out of the doors of the house into the street, his
blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless. And
whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall
be on our head, if any man be upon him. Now let's start with
this. Rahab was a harlot. I keep saying
that because the first thing God's going to make known to
you is what you are. We're sinners of the vilest sort. We're sinners. Actually, a harlot
would probably be a step up from what we are by nature. She was a harlot, and this in
itself may explain why she has this scarlet rope. A scarlet
rope is not a common thing. It's not something you see every
day. Cowboys don't ride around on
a horse with a scarlet rope. A scarlet rope is something out
of the way. It's something different. And
I don't know why she had this scarlet cord. He calls it a thread
in one place and calls it a cord in another place. But it was
obviously something that would support a man's weight. And so
we're going to call it a rope or a cord. And it was probably
something that you've seen these real, in movies, these real extravagant
rooms in these mansions and they'll have a bed and it has a linen
curtain going around it and ropes hanging from the bed. And they're
kind of color-coded with the linen and the bed. So you pull
on the ropes and the little thing goes out of range. And that's
probably where this cord came from, more than likely. But this much I know. I don't
know. This may explain it, may not
explain it. But this much I do know. The scarlet cord pictures the
blood-bought redemption of Christ. And if indeed we have learned
this lesson, we might know that the harlot has to do with false
religion. And while practicing such an
ungodly profession, even the blood of Christ is pictured hanging
on the bed. Now let that sink in, what I
just said. Of how much sore punishment,
Paul said, shall we be thought worthy who have trodden underfoot
the Son of God and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
we were sanctified an unholy thing, and done to spite under
the spirit of grace. False religion is nothing but
practicing hoarding. That's what it is. Spiritual
hoarding. But such ignorance and darkness
does not take away from the means that God has ordained. She may
use that rope to pull a linen covering around her bed, but
God's going to use it. to save his messengers and save
Rahab and her house and hang it in the window of her house
for all to see. You see, in false religion we
talked about the blood all the time. But we didn't know what
the blood was about. And so we used it in ways contrary
to the way that God had ordained. You see the similarities here
in this type He's going to hang it up for
all to see in the sanctified house of a harlot. The Apostle
Paul said he was the chief of sinners, and he meant that as
he was the chief of the Pharisees. You see, the bottom of the barrel
is not the harlot. The bottom of the barrel is the
Pharisee, the self-righteous religionist. And so it's being
pictured. And yet the blood that he once
despised was declared the clearest as he sounded out the gospel
to the heathen. God took what he misused and
used it in a marvelous way. Now what I want us to do this
morning is to look at this wonderful picture of how God saved sinners
and to see this scarlet cord in the light of the doctrine
of Christ. That's how we understand everything,
through the doctrine of Christ. Not doctrines, the doctrine of
Christ. We learn everything in Him. He's
our wisdom. Now I have six things for us
to see as we look at Him through the light of Christ and Him crucified. Let's look first of all at this
scarlet line in the light of God's eternal purpose of grace.
God's eternal purpose in all things is to manifest His glory
in the salvation of sinners. That's His purpose. And it's in the salvation of
sinners, not just any sinners. God's not going to save every
man who's a sinner. But He's going to save chosen
sinners. Not just any sinners, but sinners
made provision for in His Son, Jesus Christ. And if you and
I were to devise some way, now think about this, we're looking
at this line, this garlic cord, that's what she let those messengers
down here in Joshua chapter 2. We're looking at this in the
light of God's eternal purpose. Now if you and I were going to
devise a way, we didn't know what, we're just going to devise
some way to manifest the glory of God. Would you come up with
this? He wouldn't come up with anything
anywhere near this. We'd have done just what religion
has done and what we may have done at one time. We'd say, I
know what we're going to do. We're going to come up here and
build an altar right up front. And then we're going to call
folks after we bring this message of free will and man's will and
man's glory and man's choice. We're going to bring anybody
who wants to, they're going to come up here at this altar And
they're going to pray for whoever feels like they need praying
for. Who's going to say I don't need
prayer? Anybody in here think they don't need prayer? My soul,
everybody's going to come up for it. Oh, there's so much bad. We would never come up with going
to a harlot's house. And taking the rope off her bed.
You know what went on there. We're going to take that scarlet
rope down off that bed, and we're going to make that a picture
of Jesus Christ and His blood. When we look at that scarlet
cord in the light of God's eternal purpose of grace, and God's eternal
purpose in all things is to manifest His glory, and the glories in
the salvation of these sinners. Now, his ways and means seem
strange to us because we're ignorant of God and ignorant of God's
purpose and ignorant of God's Word. We're up to date on religion,
but we're not on the Word of God. In fact, one man said, I
don't care what that book says. Well, you better. You better. That's the only information we
have on God. Nobody in here has seen God at
any time. That's what he said. Nobody.
Not from Adam to now. All we've ever known is salvation
by our own will and merit. And all we've ever participated
in is ceremonialism of our own design and our own origin. and
theories concerning salvation. That's all we've ever practiced.
It doesn't seem odd to us to put an altar in the front of
the church, or a cross on the steeple out front, or a Christian
flag next to the pulpit. Christ is our banner. I don't
need a cloth hanging on a pole up here to declare Christianity. He's our banner. He's the Lord
our banner. That's His name. It doesn't seem out of place
to hold a revival meeting, or have an altar call, or any one
of the things that men have imagined and put into practice. That doesn't
seem odd to us as natural men, but sovereign grace, grace dispensed
by a sovereign. He shows mercy to whom he will
show mercy, and to whom he will he'll harden. That seems out
of place. Why? Because we're strangers
to God. That's why. And we're strangers to His way,
His means, His time, His people. All those things, they seem out
of place. No one would have ever come up with a scarlet cord to
picture the substitutionary work of Christ and the preaching of
the gospel and the faith of God's elect. But God did. God did. What if Rahab had thought
it over and talked with her mother and father and decided, this
scarlet cord in the window ain't a good idea. We're going to melt
down some gold and silver and make us a cross and we're going
to pour this on top and we're going to put the cross in the
window. That wasn't what she was told to do. Wasn't what she
was told to do. She was told to put this scarlet
cord there. God put it in the heart of these
men to tell her to put a scarlet cord in the window. And that
will be to her the same as the blood on the doorpost when they
came out of Egypt. And that's probably what they
were thinking when they told her the scarlet cord. It's like
the blood on the door. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. The scarlet cord is a picture
of the blood-bought redemption of Christ and the whole of God's
character is glorified in this salvation wrought by His Son
through His blood. That glorifies God's name and
satisfies God's purpose. And then secondly, let's look
at the scarlet rope in the light of God's election of grace. And
I see two things here. There's many things about election
that we could talk about, but I see two things here relating
to this scarlet line. And both of them are accurate
concerning God's salvation. And both then and now, it's as
prevalent right now as it was back then. First of all, that
election is particular. Election is not some unidentified
nation whose unborn children would or would not choose to
serve the Lord. When men say, well, election
has to do with Israel, that's what they're talking about. They're
talking about a nation, not individuals. And anybody in that nation who
exercises their free will and exercises and on and on it goes,
applies their religious doctrine to, then that's God's elect.
No, it ain't. No, God chose his people, Jew
or Gentile, or maybe I should say Jew and Gentile, individually. Individually. That's hard to
come to terms with. It really is. He chose me. You think about what you're saying
when you say that. The God of glory from all eternity,
looking out here at all men, every man that'll ever be. And
he said, I'm going to save Walter. Uh-huh. I'm going to save Yvonne. Particular. Particular. The individually chosen of grace. He said, Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated, and I said this to set before you election
As it really is. These two, they've never done
any good or evil. They weren't even born yet. They're individually chosen of
grace. And they will in time make up a holy nation. They will
be called His body, His church. But they're chosen individually.
And God chose Rahab. God chose Rahab. But, and here's
the second thing I want you to see. This election is not what
keeps anyone from coming to Christ. Think about what I'm saying.
Sin is what keeps you from coming to Christ, not election. Rebellion and stubborn pride
is what keeps you from coming to Rahab's house. Sure it is. It's not election. elections and opened over. It's my guess that the first
thing Rahab did after binding that scarlet cord, after receiving
that covenant of grace, I'm going to say the first thing she did
was run to her father's house and tell her father and mother
and sisters and brothers and friends and anybody she knew
that if you come to my house, This is the house where salvation
is manifested. You come to this house and God's
going to pass you by. He's not going to destroy you.
Not going to destroy you. Our Lord said this in John chapter
6. He said, All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. That particular in it. And he
said, Now here's the reasons, here's the cause, here's the
whole thing. I came down from heaven not to do my own will,
but the will of him that sent me, and this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me
I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day.
But he didn't stop there. He said, and, did he not? Go back and read it for yourself.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one would
seeth the Son, And believers on him may have everlasting life. Election is not a closed door. It's an open door. And the only
thing that keeps you from coming to Christ is your stubborn will,
your sin. It's all on you. It ain't on
him. It's all on you. And if it wasn't for election,
nobody would be saved. All right, thirdly, let's look
at this scarlet cord in the light of the law. The law is pictured
as Israel comes through as a destroyer. They didn't come through to make
peace. They didn't come through to invite folks down to the front
of the church. They didn't come to tell folks
about heaven and hell. They came to destroy. Everybody
that was still occupying that land is going to die. This is God's place, and He ain't
going to let them have it. He gave it to His people, and
He's going to take it from them, and He's going to kill every
one of them. They're coming through as a destroyer, and the law is
pictured in Israel coming through and destroying all who will not
surrender. When the destroyer comes, they'll
not enter into Rahab's house because everybody in that house
is already dead. Huh? They look up and see that
corridor behind that house died in substitute. No need for us
to go in there, they're all dead. They all died in him. He passes
by that house, but he doesn't spare any others. He died, the Scripture said,
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being
put to death in the flesh and quickened by the Spirit. And
then Paul tells us this over in Colossians 3. He said, You
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God, and when
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then you shall appear
with him in glory. Isn't that what they told Rahab
when Joshua came? When the city's destroyed, when
Joshua's manifested, Christ is manifested, then you're going
to appear with Him. You're going to appear with Him.
And they're going to treat you kindly. That's what it says.
They're going to treat you kindly. All right. Fourthly, see the
scarlet cord in the light of God's covenant promise. Our God
is a covenant God. King David's dying words. Here's
a man laying on his bed, dying, about to go out and meet God.
And he practiced what he believed was true religion. He practiced the faith that God
gave him. And he did what God enabled him
to do in the light of those things. And then this is David's dying
words. He's going out to meet God. He said, although it be
not so with my house, it doesn't include everybody in my house,
yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things
and sure, and this is all my salvation and all my desire.
Our God is a covenant God. And our God through these messengers
established a covenant with Rahab, the same as he might do through
me, bringing his gospel. He may establish a covenant with
you. And if he does, it's just a part
of that everlasting covenant that he secured in his son way
back yonder in eternity. And he may make it manifest to
you, just as he did Rahab. Rahab will be saved, and all
who come to dwell in her house, according to that covenant of whom these messengers represent,
the promise of salvation was conditioned by the scarlet cord
fastened in the window. It was the preeminent thing.
When you came up to her house, whatever else used to be preeminent
there, now the cord's preeminent. Now it's preeminent. Some conclude that since the
line was hung in the window, and hung there by faith, that
faith is the condition of the promise, but that's not so. That much faith your Savior,
and that's never going to happen. It's just not so. The condition
of their salvation was the scarlet cord, and faith was the fruit
of it. It's the fruit of the promise.
The condition of salvation is Christ and Him crucified, and
faith is the means of its application, and it's the fruit of redemption,
not the condition of it. Brother Henry Mahan used to tell
us young preachers he would use this reasoning. Faith didn't
die for you. Faith didn't shed its blood for
you. Faith didn't become a man and enter into a union with his
elect. Christ did. Christ did. All right. Fifthly, the scarlet
line is a picture of the gospel. And the house upon which it's
hung, the house of the redeemed is the house of the scarlet thread. How do I know if this is God's
house? Because I preach the blood of Christ. I preach Christ and
Him crucified. That's the only way you can tell.
The only way you can tell. Now listen to me. No one in all
of Jericho except Rahab and those she witnessed to knew that her
house was the house where sinners would be saved. Nobody else knew. Just her. The evidence was in
the scarlet line. Now what if in the providence
of God, The vital importance of this
house was made known to you. What if, in God's providence,
He allows you to know that this is the house where God is going
to save sinners? What if God's servant told you
these words here in verse 14? When the Lord hath given us the
land, we'll deal kindly and truly with thee. We're not going to
destroy you. We're going to let you keep your
house. We're going to let you keep your farm. We're going to
deal kindly with you. And it shall come to pass that
whosoever shall be with thee, now watch this, in the house. In the house. His blood shall
be on our head, if any hand be upon us. Not only is the scarlet quarter
picture of the gospel of Christ, but it's the way that God's house
is determined. That's how we know it's God's
house. Now I'm going to tell you, you pick them. I'm not going
to tell you don't go here, don't go there. You pick them, any
one of them. Go into them, sit down and listen
to what they're saying and see if what I'm telling you is not
the truth. They're not going to preach Christ crucified. They're
going to preach man's will, man's way, man's glory, man's choice. God done all he can do for you,
now it's all up to you. But not in this house. Not in the house of the chief
of sinners. There's a scarlet cord hanging in the window. That's
what you see first. That's what you see first. And
if God has permitted you to come into His house, His church, where
He dwells among His people, you best stay put. Huh? You listen to the second half
of that covenant. If any man go out these doors, and he's
found out in the street, it's blood on his own head. And here's a message all by itself,
verse 19. If you leave this house, The
covenant is no longer binding. That man's blood be on his own
head, and we will be guiltless. Isn't that what Paul told the
Ephesian church? I'm not shown to declare unto
you all the counsel of God. Huh? Now your blood's on your
own head. I'm free from the blood of all
men. And oh, how many come to the house of God by the testimony
of God's witness, and then over some trivial thing leave and
die in the street. How many? John said they went out from
us. He didn't say they left God. He didn't say they left the promise.
He didn't say they left the doctrine. They went out from us. Why? Because they weren't of us. Had
they been of us, they no doubt would have continued with us. Oh, I hope you can hear me this
morning. The only salvation in Jericho was Rahab's house. That's
it. No, but I'm telling you, the
whole lot of them, however many thousand there was, they all
died. No salvation except in Jericho, except in Rahab's house. Well, I ain't going down there.
She's a harlot. Boy, I've been caught a lot worse than that. And now I can just smile and
say, I know. I know. She was an ungodly woman. Yes,
she was. But Christ came into this world
to save sinners. And though her sins were like
crimson, she shall be whiter than snow. Now let me tell you this. Many
of the men and women who wonder at the idea of it, they listen. And they wonder at the idea of
it. They speculate as to the purpose
of it, and they debate as to the content of it. But to all
who have entered into this house with all that they have, it's
life from the dead. It's life from the dead. It's
not just another ceremony to keep. It's not just another day
that we have to go do this. No, sir. It's life from the dead. Is this a true statement? This
is where God saves sinners? Huh? That's a true statement? Don't take my word for it. You
can find it all through the Word of God. They understand that the only
thing between them and the wrath of God is the scarlet cord. And then lastly, I want us to
look at this scarlet cord in the light of the believer's rest.
There's coming a day when God himself in the person of his
Son will pass through and destroy everything except his people. Everything. Everything. Think about it. I've looked at
those pictures over the past several days of tornadoes hitting
this place and that place, and you look at what's left. Ain't
much, but there's a lot there. Might be a tree over here and
there. Might be a few keepsakes, and there ain't gonna be anything
left when God destroys it. Nothing. Even the elements are
gonna melt with the fervent heat. As it was in the days of Noah,
there'll be marriage, giving and marriage, business as usual,
just another day and time. But suddenly the Son of God in
all the glory of His Father's house shall appear, and the dead
in Christ shall rise first, and then they which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them, and everything that
remains shall be destroyed. Gone. Now let me ask you a question. Can you rest in your mind and
soul knowing what can happen at any minute? You can if you're in Rahab's
house. She has the covenant. Huh? Oh, my soul, what a precious
thing. Faith. Faith. Faith can rest
in the light of total destruction. It can rest. They're coming of power and judgment
upon this earth, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
Nothing. Where then can a poor sinner
find rest for his soul? I go to the house where God's
covenant is manifested, where God's election is confirmed,
where God's purpose of grace is displayed, and where the law
is exalted and honored, and where the gospel is preeminent. and
I can find rest for my soul. Because in that place, they talk
about Joshua. Huh? They talk about Joshua. We rest in the covenant of grace
and the coming Redeemer to whom we've been reconciled. And this
is rest for your soul. And there's nothing more important
than entering into the house of Rahab, the house of the sinner
saved by grace. And may the Lord enable this
sinner to hang that star up cord every time we meet here. Hang
that cord for folks to see. That's all you need. Somebody
said, well, that's all you got down there. That's all we need. If they needed anything else,
God would have instructed them through these messages. They
didn't need anything else. Just hang the cord in the window.
And we see the blood that will pass over you. All right. Thank
you.