All right, go back to Joshua
chapter 2 with me. While you're turning, let me
read a verse from Hebrews. And by the way, Rahab is mentioned
throughout the scriptures, isn't she? Several times, Rahab, what
she did. And as an example to us, this story is so relevant, more relevant now than ever.
This is what Paul said. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith. Don't give up. Don't give this
up like Rahab. We're not going to give these
men up. We're not going to turn them over. Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering. He's faithful, that
promise. I just read. We promise you. We're coming
back for you. You tie this scarlet line, and you don't quit us. You don't turn us over. We're
coming back for you. Let us consider one another.
Didn't Rahab do that? Who was she concerned about?
Herself? Her house? Her family? Before
herself? Provoke unto love unto good works,
not forsaking. Assembling of ourselves together
as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so
much more, as you see the day approaching. What day? The coming of our Lord draweth
nigh. I'm going to blow a trumpet this
morning. And if your name's Rahab, give
music to your ears. All right, in our text, you remember
I said recently, my pastor said scriptures is bifocal, right? Primary purpose, reason, story
is Christ and crucified. That's what this whole story,
or who this whole story is about. Christ is the story and the message.
But there's also some real people here. A real story. This really happened. didn't
it? A man named Joshua, two men whom
he sent, two actual men, sinful men that the Lord had sent to
warn this sinful woman and to promise her. And this woman received
them and believed them and consulted them and wasn't going to turn
them in or give them up for anybody or any reason. She believed God
and she believed these men God sent. And what did God do to
her? He saved her. Joshua is the Savior. Joshua,
His name means God our Savior. That's the name Jesus isn't it?
Call His name Jesus. He shall save His people from
their sin. And from this present evil world,
he's coming. He came down here to give them
life, and he's coming back again to take them out. Amen. Back to Joshua. Jesus Christ. Joshua was feared, wasn't he? They heard of him everywhere.
That's what Rahab said. We've heard of you, everybody.
And there was fear. There was fear in everybody in
Jericho somewhat. In the end, where were they all
when the men came back and when Joshua came? Where were all these
people that feared the Lord? They weren't in the house. They
weren't under the blood. Lots of people claimed to fear
God. But men don't fear this Jesus
that preachers are talking about today. It's fear of the Lord. You know, the world doesn't believe
this story. They don't like this story. They don't like Joshua.
They don't believe that God's that holy, God's that just, God's
that righteous. They don't believe God kills
people and God destroys people. They don't like Joshua. He went
everywhere killing everything in his sight except those that
asked him for mercy. Anybody would ask him for mercy.
Arch enemy. No matter what they've done,
just ask him. He's a merciful man. It's so good. It's parable. No, instead they all came out
against him. That's the story of Joshua. Men don't like it.
But that's Jesus Christ. That's the Jesus of the Bible. Just like Joshua. He came to
save. He's coming again to destroy. This town, this place, this earth
we live in is just like Jericho. It's destined for destruction.
You know that? The old Bible talks about it. Well, the message is Christ who
gave his life for some and promised. You know what? The title of this
message is, Our Life for Yours. And the message of salvation
is Christ said, my life for yours. He gave his life for his people. Gave his life for them. And you
know what they knew? when they find out he gave his
life for them, you know what they do? They give their life
for his. Just like me. And she found out that Joshua
sent these men just for her. Just for her. Of all people in
Jericho, Joshua sent them for me, to warn me, to bring me out,
and that I'm getting way ahead of myself here, but I can't wait
to get to it, John. You mean that scarlet line, that
rope? Yes, the sinner's rope. You mean
hope? Yes, and rope, the line, the
cord, the scarlet thread that goes throughout the Scriptures,
the blood of Jesus Christ, that's how every single sinner is going
to be saved by God. God sends men to preach that
gospel, and they hold to that rope, the hope, It's Christ,
His blood and His righteousness. He promised all who hope in me,
all who believe in me, all who are under the blood when I come.
When I see the blood, I'll pass over them. I'll bring
them out. Like Egypt, like Exodus. Those not under the blood in
the house, there's not going to be one house where there's
not one dead. But those under the blood, where the lamb died,
there's not going to be one house where there is one bed. That's the message. That was
way back in Exodus, wasn't it? Same story. And here's the thing. My life
for yours, our Lord said. My life for yours. And you know,
when they find out, like Rahab, that he did this for us, you
know what they say? Mine for yours. They ain't going
to quit. They won't give you up for anybody. That's the story in a nutshell.
Joshua reigning, ruling, conquering. Jericho, a decadent, corrupt,
wicked, filthy place. It's going to be destroyed. God
is holy. God is just. God is righteous.
He will not by any means clear the guilty. That's the God of the Bible.
He'll only clear those that have been punished and their sins
paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. And they're clear. They're
holy. They're justified. They're blameless in God's sight,
not because of them, but because of Jesus Christ. Can I make it
any clearer? That's the story. This woman came out because she
had a scarlet line in the middle. It was there before she knew
it was there. They said, take that scarlet line. I didn't know
that was here. Been there all along. Wasn't
anybody else's house. You know what she did? She laid
hold of it. They said, tie it in the window.
You know what she did? She tied it in that window. And they said,
we come back, we see that line. We're coming in that line. We're
going out that line. You're coming out with us. And
we see the line. But I bet you every day, Millie,
she went out to that window to see if it was there. And Ty loomed
and tied her. That's my hope. That's my rope.
Out of here. That's the story. But as said,
it's bifocal. The story of real people, two
men, chapter 2, the Lord Through Joshua sent these two men, spies
secretly, to search out the country. They kept saying this. These
men are spies. They're searching out the country. That's the eyes
of the Lord. They run to and fro on earth.
His eyelids try the sons of men. Listen to Hebrews 4. Listen to
this. This is what it says about the
Word of God. Hebrews 4. It says, The word of God is quick
and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword piercing through
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. The joints and marrow
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And
there's no creature, neither is there any creatures not manifest
in his sight. All things are naked and opened
unto the eyes of him with whom we have To do and face. That's the Word of God. Word
of God. These two men represent the Word
of God. His eyes. His Word. And they
came into the house of a harlot. Of all places. Why? Did the Lord send them to
abide? It says they lodged there. Why
did they go into the house of Harlan? Because that's who Jesus
Christ came to save. You know, Rahab's name is in
Matthew 1. She is the Lord's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother. Harlan. And there's a bunch of
them in his life. Sinners. Didn't come to call
the righteous, but sinners. You know what she knew? She knew.
You know what she thought about herself? I'm a harlot. That's what she was. What about
you? You know what a harlot is? When we call somebody, the worst
thing we can call somebody on this earth is a whore. You just
put it bluntly. A harlot horror is someone who
gives her body for pleasure and money. And you want to tell me
that you haven't done the same thing? Anybody want to tell me, want
to tell God that you haven't given your life up until He revealed
himself to you until he came to you until he showed you this
that you didn't give your life to the things of this world and
the pleasure this live for pleasure and live for yourself and try
to please and make this body happy and have a good time anybody
money anybody didn't live before for the sake of money anybody
there's not one person on the top According to the course of this
world, what's that? Lust to the flesh, lust to the eye, pride
of life, money. Money and pleasure. That's it.
That's all that's in the world. That was me. I was in the world.
I was of the world. You? Now, if you're honest, you're
going out on a rope. If you take your place now, I'm
telling you, this story is not for good women. It's a forlorn winner. Okay? And this woman, you know why
she didn't give up these men? You know why she didn't give
up her hope? You know why? She remembered what she was. She never lost sight of what
she was, and who sent for her, and what he did for her. She
never lost sight of that. If she had forgotten that, she'd
have given them up. She'd have given this up. She
never lost sight of that. And may the Lord ever keep us
mindful of what we are by nature and where He found us. And the
mercy and the grace and the love that He would send men to preach
to us the gospel of all people. Well, look down at verse 4. The
woman took these two men and hid them. It says this over and
over through the scriptures. She hid them. Where did she hide
them? Up on the roof. Not in the basement. Up on the roof. What's this a
picture of? She esteemed them what? Highly. Better than herself? I'm heartless. These are God's
men. If you'd ask them what they thought
about themselves, they would say, we're no better than her.
But anyway, she put them up on a roof, a high place, and esteemed
them highly for their works. They're just sinners. They're
just men. They're no better than the worst
harlot. But they're God's men. And they have God's message.
And God sent them. So she hid them. And the scripture
says of David, he said, you know, David was a sinner, wasn't he?
He said, I'm poor and needy, but the Lord thinketh on me.
And David said, thy word have I hid in my heart. Word of God. He took it to heart,
didn't he? What was that? You're a sinner.
God's holy. I know it. One way, salvation
by another. Oh, let the bud be propitiation
on the mercy seat for me, the center. Have mercy on me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness, according to the multitude of
thy tender mercy. Blot out my transgression. Wash me throughly
from my iniquity. What can I wash away my sin?
What? Nothing but the blood. Have mercy on me, O Lord. I'm
a sinner through and through. I know you created me a clean
heart. Thy word have I hid in my heart
that I might not sin against thee. She took these two men
who brought her this warning and the promise, and she hid
them. She hid them. They were in her
house. They were abiding with her. They were lodging in her
house. They just lived there for a while. May the word of God live in me,
with me. Sent by God. These men were sent
by God to save her life. Save her life. And she hid them. And I said to you that this is
told of in this chapter, in Psalms, in Hebrews, in James, her story. And what this did, what she did
by hiding these men proved her faith. She really believed God. She feared God. She believed
Joshua was coming to destroy this place. She believed that
she's a sinner through and through, a harlot, didn't deserve God's
mercy. She believed these men, though,
if you stay in this house where this scarlet lion is, we'll save
you. Though you're a harlot, we're
going to save you. It's not about you. It's about the promise.
It's about the covenant. We made a covenant concerning
you. And you just believe us, and you just stay right there
and don't go anywhere. Do not get out of that house
where that scarlet line is. And if you believe this, you'll
get your family. You'll get your father, your mother, your sons,
your daughters. She wasn't married, but you'll
get your brothers, your sisters. Everybody you love, you get them
and you bring them to that house where this scarlet line is. We're
telling you, we're promising you, if they're not under this
blood, if they're not in this house, their blood's on their
head. But if they're in this house, under this blood, their
blood is on our head. Who's our head? Christ. That's the promise. You know
what she did? She hid. Damn. And these words
in her heart, and she went to her family and said, listen to
me. How do we know she believed?
She did what they said. She did. You kept these men. Kept these
things close. Keep these things close. You
know what's in your heart is your treasure. And out of the abundance of the
heart, what happened? The mouth speaketh. Whoever she
loved, she told them. Look at verse 8. I love this.
Before these men laid down, she came up to them on the roof.
She communed with them. She called on them. She consulted
them. She wanted to hear them a covenant,
a promise. She called on them. She asked
them something. You know, if you seek, you'll
find. You know that? If you knock,
it'll be opened up. If you ask, you'll receive. You
know that? She did. Verse 8, they laid down on the
roof. Before they laid up, she came
up on the roof, and she said to them, I know the Lord's given
you the land. I know. You're terrorists. See,
the fear of the Lord's is beginning to whisper. All the inhabitants
of the land faint because of you. People listen to me. Men are just men. The prophets were just men. Just
sinful men. But God sent them with God's
message. They were true men. They were
holy men. They were just men. They were upright men. They were
men that told the truth. And the whole world hated them.
But I tell you this. They weren't mealy-mouthed, poor
little effeminate fellows that nobody was afraid of. Everybody
was afraid of them. Ahab saw Elijah come and he said,
nobody could stand before Stephen, the wisdom and the spirit by
which he spoke. Stephen was just a deacon. He
had the Word of God. He wasn't one of these pinhead,
silly little effeminate fellows out there being called preachers.
John the Baptist, Elijah, Samuel, Moses, meekest man on earth. He was not weak. Not trying to
please everybody. Not in people's pockets to be
paid for and so forth. Men. And the whole world, they
heard what they're saying. Men of truth. If the world doesn't
believe you're a true man, they won't believe what you're saying
is the truth. So, that's who you need. And the whole world's fighting
the Word of God through man. But it's the truth. It's the
truth. No man said it. It's the Word
of God. So, she came up to them and she said, we've heard, and
I love verse 11, it says, Your God is God. Isn't it? Isn't that what Pharaoh
said about Joseph's God? His God is God. Right? Daniel,
isn't that what Darius said about Daniel? Daniel's God is God. He's not trying to be God. Not
this God wants to be God. If you'll let Him be God. He
is God. The God I preach. Yes! Tell me
if it's not so. That the God I preach, by the
grace of God, is God. God forbid that I should preach
God anything less than God, always, whether men like it or not. I
want everybody to receive it, but they don't. They ain't going
to soft-soap it. They ain't going to compromise
it. They ain't going to bring it down to attract more members.
My dad used to say, you don't want church members. You want
sheep. You want goats. Your God is God, she said. He's
God in heaven. And he's God on this earth. Christ
said in his prayer, he said, as thou hast given him power
over all flesh. What's that mean? It means what
it says. Every single human being, every
single worm that crawls into dirt is under his sovereign power
and control. And I'm so glad. Aren't you glad?
I'm so glad. I can go to sleep at night. I
can go to sleep at night because I've told you the truth about
God. I can go to sleep at night because I've told you the truth
about salvation. I can go to sleep at night because
I've told you the truth about yourself, about God's Word, about
salvation, about Christ who is the truth, about the true God.
I can go to sleep and I can promise you from the Word of God that
what He says is true and if you believe Him and do what He says,
He'll save you. He's coming for you. And I can go to sleep. Your blood
is not on my head. Not on my head. I've warned you. I've promised you. So we'll look at verse 12. She said, I pray you, swear unto
me by the Lord, since I've showed you kindness, that you'll show
me kindness. My father's hat. Now look. Look
who she is praying for. My father's hat. What is your father's house? Huh? Who is your father? Who is your father? Is it God? Well, who's his house? Who's your family? Who are your
brothers and sisters? Who are they really? Who's your
family? Who do you pray for? She prayed for them before she
prayed for herself. God's going to hear that. Yes,
He is. Pray for the peace. Remember?
Where was that? Psalm 122. Pray for the peace
of Jerusalem. They'll prosper that love her.
David says, OK. So for my brethren and my companions'
sake, I'll say, peace be with them. Pray for my brethren. Oh, Lord, save. My father's house. Save my brother, Mike. Save my
sister, Elizabeth. Save my sister, Elizabeth. Save my sister, Margaret. Save
my sister, Matt. Save my sister, Mary. Save my
sister, Jill. Lord, please. And I do just that. I do. I pray for you. You pray for me? Am I the man God sent you to
tell you? You'll give up on me? I'm not going to give up on you.
Your children, I'm not giving up on your children. Mary, I'm
not going to give up on your children. I'm not going to let them go
until they bless us. Stephen, that's what I do. I do. You're going to give up
on me? You're going to turn me in? Our life for yours. Our life for yours. That's what
He said. Verse 14. Our life for yours.
Oh, as I said, if you find out Christ laid down His life for
you, you'll give your life to Him. He will be your life from
then on. He really will. No exceptions.
And when a man brings you the gospel, and you were dead and
trespassing sin, And you hear the gospel from him, you'll think
he's the best gift God ever gave you. And you'll not give him
up or give him in or turn him over or speak evil of him for
anything or anybody in this world. He's a man. I know that. He's
a sinful man. I know that. Ask him. He'll tell
you. But he's the man God sent me. Why me? Every day I think, how in the
world could I be a preacher? How in the world could I be a
believer in God's church? Who better to tell this story
to sinners than an old sinner himself? What did Rahab talk
to her family about? When these men left, what did
she talk about? Joshua coming. red line in the window, the hope
of everybody, stay in the house. This is where he told us to be,
wherever the line was. He told us, don't leave. He said,
we stay here where the rope is, the center's rope. They said,
well, those men are liars. No, they're not either. And I
don't want to hear you say that about them. You reckon? I told you the truth. I don't
like those men. But I don't like this man either.
And I'm telling the truth. Don't. You can't have them. King of Jericho represents Satan,
the god of this world. And what he wanted her to do
is give them up, turn them over, turn them in. These are liars.
These men, you don't need these men. We don't need these men.
Give up on them. Give them up. Turn them over. They're evil
men. No, they're not. Joshua right here. No, they're
not. I'm not gonna give up on them
for anything. I don't care what you say Me and God sent to me
And I say this I say every preacher said I defend my brethren. One of
the brethren was talking about another brethren. I said, don't
do that. I'm not going to hear it anymore. Don't do it in my
presence. But my father-in-law at one time
was listening to two men, two leading men in the church at
13th Street, being critical of Henry Mayhem. And my father-in-law was no weakling.
What, did you beat him? He pointed his finger at his
face, and he said, I want you to stop what you're saying. He
said, I'd be afraid to talk about God's man like that if I was
you. Didn't he, man? I'd be afraid if I was you to
talk about that man that God sent to preach the truth to us.
He said, I don't want to hear it. How about you, Rahab? I'm talking to Rahab now. Rahab,
those men are sinners, yes, but she believed she was a lot worse
than they were. She came with good news. Everything he said
was good news to her. The warning didn't make her mad. The warning didn't make her mad. It saved her life. It saved her life. Now let's
go on down. It says in verse 15, She let
them down by a cord through the window. All the prophets, these
men represent the prophets and the apostles. Two men. These
men represent the law and the gospel, don't they? These men
represent pastors and teachers. That's who they represent, the
word of God. And all through the scriptures is this scarlet
thread of the gospel preached by men. It all hangs. The whole truth hangs on the
blood, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now go on down
here and it says in verse 18, these men said, when we come
into the land behind this line of scarlet, scarlet thread in
the window which thou didst let us down by, bring your father,
your mother, your brethren, all your household home unto thee.
It shall be whoever goes out the doors of the house into the
street, his blood is upon his head. Do you remember reading
that anywhere else? Exodus 12, don't leave the house. Don't leave the house. There's
blood there. There's a gospel priest there.
And why would you leave? We'll be guiltless. Whosoever
shall be with thee in the house, his blood will be on our head.
Whoever stays there, whoever doesn't leave, has laid hold
of this hope and holds steadfast the beginning of their compass
unto thee and the rejoicing of the whole. His blood, his soul,
his life is on the head of Jesus Christ. Let me ask you where
your head is. Let me tell you where your head
is, that nobody can touch. It's in the heavens. See, that's
the right hand of God. He's our hope. He's the sinner's
rope. He's our salvation. And nobody's going to put a hand
on you. They can't pluck you out. And
he sent me to tell you that. And she said, according to your
word, verse 21, she confessed. She believed. Yes, I believe.
So be it. That word, so be it, Kelly, is
amen. Amen, brethren. Preach it again. Before you leave,
tell me one more time. And she bound that scarlet. They
departed. Oh, God forbid that the word
of God should depart. You got a poor preacher, but
you still got one. And this story is told in Revelation
11. In Revelation 11, there are two
witnesses that were sent into the world, and they represent
the preachers of the gospel. And they were sent, and they
warned, and the world hated them. The world hated them and killed
them. One of them dead. And for the
longest time, the world was rejoicing. No word. No preacher. Nobody
to warn us. No God. Everybody did that which
is right in their own hand. And they were so happy. That's
the Dark Ages. Those two witnesses that were
killed arose from the dead. That's when the light came in
the 1407 gospel. The law and the prophets came. Prophets and the apostles came.
God's people. They sent it back, thanked God
and resurrected the Word, these two faithful witnesses, to warn
His people to flee from the wrath to come and to promise them to
be under the blood, they're under the blood of our Savior. He's
coming. So she bound that scarlet line. May God bind this message of
hope, truth, warnings and promises upon the tables of my heart.
Write it on the tables of my heart. Let me treasure this word,
and yes, those who preach it, more than anything and anyone
on this earth. And let me not give it up. My only hope for
anybody. All right, now go with me to
chapter 6, OK? This is not the end of the story.
They promised that Joshua was coming back, and he did. Chapter
6. Chapter 6, OK? Now, Rahab had
to go out of her house, didn't she, to get groceries, didn't
she? Did she have to go out in the
world and deal with people and so on and so forth? Sure she
did. Had to go out there and get groceries. Had to go pick
up her mail or something. Had to get the kids from school
or whatever. She was in the world, but she's
not out there. And where you would find her after she's doing
these necessities, she's right back in that house. right back
in that house under that blood. She believes. Look at chapter 6 verse 1. Now
Jericho shut up. None could go out and come in
because Joshua, he owns the place. He's coming to destroy. Yes he
is. And Joshua gave the word. You know what he said? He said
to the priest, carry the ark. That's Christ. That's the gospel.
Carry the ark. And he told seven other men to go out in front
of the ark, blow out a trumpet. Have you ever blown a trumpet,
anybody? Can you do it softly? I've tried. You know, my dad
played the trumpet. Isn't that fitting? You wouldn't
believe that, would you? My dad was a trumpet player. I've tried. I can't get it to
sound out unless I... And he told these men, go out
in front of that ark for everybody here and blow the trumpets. What's that? Warning. Joshua's
coming. This place is coming down. Joshua's
coming. But it's also Promise. Get in the house, under the rope,
under the hope, under the blood. Come, anyone, everyone, come
in the house with that old harlot. Joshua will save you. He's promised
everybody in that house. He's under the blood. He'll save
you. You want to hear that loud? Loud
and clear, don't you? Well, they started doing this
one day, and they went in their tents. Next day, same thing. Next day, same thing. And somebody
in Jericho said, what? People in Jericho said, I wish
they'd stop this. Is that all they know? Are you
with me? They were blowing one sound,
one trumpet, every day for seven days. And the people in Jericho,
it was noise to their ears. Would you tell them to stop that?
They're interrupting our sleep. Yes. Let us not sleep as do others. May the gospel sound wake us
up to what? Joshua's coming. I know one person on a wall in
Jericho, and every time, every morning, that trumpet sounds,
he said, would you listen to that? Mama, daddy, brother, sister,
listen. Listen. That's our salvation. Isn't that wonderful? He said he's coming, and right
there he is, right outside the door. I hear it. And he did. He came in. Look who he sent to bring them
out. Joshua verse 22 said to the same
two men that spied out the kitchen, go into that harvest house and
bring her out. Why? Because she hid you. and
all that she hath, bring her out. And they went in, verse
23, they went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother,
and everybody was there, all her kindred, and left them, where'd
she put them? Outside the camp. And they burnt
that city with fire. And verse 25, Joshua saved Rahab
the harlot, still calling her a harlot. She's still the sinner. But he
promised. He brought her out to hardly
alive in her father's household. And you know what? Look at verse
25. And she dwells in Israel even to this day. She's still
there. Right now. In Jerusalem. She's there today. Are you still
here, Rahab? Same man still preaching to you?
Same message? Is it the same message? But Stephen
Montgomery was transposing these cassette tapes into MP3, you
know, for the computer. He did 2,000, 3,000 of them.
Thank you, Stephen. It's a good work. Bad preacher, but good work.
Good gospel. But I asked him, I assume when
he started doing that, I said, please forgive me for some things
I might have said in the beginning and the way I said it. Please
forgive me. He said, so gracious. He said, no, no, no. Same message.
Exact same message. That relieved me. Are you still
here? Do you still hear? Is this still
music to your ears? Yeah? Same preacher, same message,
same hope, same rope. Same gospel? You love Christ? You love his family? His people?
Do you? Huh? You still waiting? What
are you waiting on? How come you're still hanging
around? You waiting on the Lord to come? That's where Rahab is. You know
what? Rahab got married. She got married to a man named
Salmon. And she had a baby. She had a baby boy. You know
what his name was? Boaz. And Boaz married a woman. What
kind of woman? A heathen woman, named Ruth,
who was the great-great-grandmother of David. God's going to save His people, I pray. And He's going to send them men
to tell them the truth. And they're going to keep telling
the truth until the day they die. And when the Lord comes, they're
going to be believing that truth until the day they die. Is that
you? Hey, Rahab, is that you? You
still here? Okay. Let's sing it.