[0:00] Now let us worship God, singing to his praise from the Scottish Psalter, Psalm 25, Psalm number 25.
[0:14] I'm going to sing verses 1 to 7, the tune is Dennis, Psalm 25, verses 1 to 7, Scottish Psalter. To thee I lift my soul, O Lord, I trust in thee.
[0:35] My God, let me not be ashamed, nor force triumph over me. Let none that wait on thee be put to shame at all, but those that without cause transgress, let shame upon them fall.
[0:49] Show me thy ways, O Lord, thy paths, O teach thou me, and do thou lead me in thy truth therein my teacher be. For thou art God that dost to me salvation send, and I upon thee all the day expecting do attend.
[1:05] Thy tender mercies, Lord, I pray thee to remember, and lovingkindnesses, for they have been of old forever. My sins and faults of youth do thou, O Lord, forget.
[1:18] After thy mercy think on me, and for thy goodness great. The pages 231, Psalm 25, and the Scottish Psalter, the tune is Dennis, To thee I lift my soul.
[1:30] O Lord, I trust in thee.
[1:43] My God, let me not be ashamed, nor force triumph over me.
[2:00] Let none that wait on thee be put to shame at all, but those that without cause transgress, let shame upon them fall.
[2:30] Show me thy ways, O Lord, thy paths, O teach thou me.
[2:43] And do thou lead me thy truth therein my teacher be.
[2:59] For thou art God that dost to me salvation send, and I upon thee all the day expecting do attend.
[3:29] Thy tender mercies, Lord, I pray thee to remember, and lovingkindnesses, for they have been of old forever.
[3:59] My sins and faults of you do not, O Lord, forget.
[4:14] After thy mercy take on me, and for thy goodness great.
[4:32] Let us bow our hearts in prayer. O gracious God, as we come and worship this morning, we pray for that grace that will enable us to worship in spirit and in truth.
[4:46] We pray, O Lord, to be delivered from ourselves, from self, because self so often hinders our worship, whether that self is in the realms of pride or even in the sense of a low self-esteem.
[5:05] We ask, O Lord, that we ask, O Lord, that we might indeed have a focus upon the King of glory, and that the command from the word to set our affections upon the things that are above might indeed motivate our heart in this time of worship.
[5:23] We pray, O Lord, to fill us with yourself.
[5:53] The ministry of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, teaching us and affecting us, reaching right down into the very depth of our being, leading us in the way of truth. We were just singing there about how the psalmist was so keen to be led by the Lord.
[6:11] And as he said, teach me thy ways, O Lord, thy paths, O teach thou me. And we pray that similarly, we will have the desire to be taught of the Lord and to walk in the right way.
[6:27] And we pray that there will always be that desire, because our own inclination is so sinful and is often so distorted and so twisted. And so often it's very hard for us to understand just how our own being comes in the way of the things that are spiritual and the things that are of God.
[6:47] We pray to bless us all here with every blessing, both temporal and spiritual. We pray for our young people and we give thanks for them.
[6:59] We pray that they will be taught of the Lord. We pray that in their young years that they will come to know Jesus as Savior. We pray, O Lord, for any who have reached the advanced years in life and still do not know Jesus.
[7:15] We pray, Lord, to come into their hearts and that they will discover the reality and the truth of that word, that the Lord has restored the years that the locusts have eaten. And we pray, Lord, for all the different age groups, all the different stages in life, all the varied experiences going through.
[7:34] And we ask, Lord, that your guidance and your grace, your protection, your security, your peace may be in our hearts and in our lives.
[7:45] Pray for those who are sad, those who have experienced bereavement and loss. And we know that death is always active, always taking away.
[7:56] And year by year we see so many empty places of those who were once part and partial of our congregation. And we ask, O Lord, to bless the memory of those who have been taken from us.
[8:12] But we pray, Lord, to bring in others, that there will be a desire in many souls to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior. We pray then to watch over us and guide us.
[8:24] We pray for the nations of this world. As we see so often, there seems to be hostility and anger and rage. There seems to be brutality.
[8:36] So many places and people vying for power. There's so much oppression and torture and murder going on all throughout this world. And we would ask, Lord, that in your mercy you would come and bring peace into all the troubled areas.
[8:53] And we even see in our own land that there is a growing unrest. We're so aware that as we move away from yourself that that causes unrest.
[9:05] It is only in Jesus Christ that we can really know peace and rest. And there is a national lack of rest and lack of peace within our nation.
[9:17] We would ask, O Lord, that we might turn again to the living and through God. We ask, Lord, to forgive us all our sins. We do that even now individually and personally.
[9:30] We do it collectively as a congregation. And we do it as part of our nation. O Lord, forgive us. Guide us then in the truth. Take away from us all and our every sin.
[9:42] We pray for those in hospital. Those who are undergoing treatment. Those who are anxious over loved ones. We pray, O Lord, that each and every one will be blessed of the Lord.
[9:53] Forgive us our sin. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. Just a wee word to the young folk before we sing again.
[10:05] Amen. Now, if you had something very, very precious, something that was very expensive or very dear to you, it's something I'm sure you would want to keep very safe.
[10:20] In fact, a lot of people hide things that are very, very precious to them. And because they don't want it ever to get stolen or that it would get lost. So a lot of people will hide things that are very precious.
[10:34] But, you know, the Bible talks to us about hiding God's word in our heart. Now, maybe the youngest people in here might say, how on earth can you do that?
[10:48] I can understand hiding certain things. But how do you hide God's word? Now, we know that God's word is the Bible. And I'm sure there are many ways that we could hide.
[11:01] I could very simply, if I was going to hide God's word, I could pick up the Bible and put it under the cushion of desire and it would be hidden from you. But that's not what's being talked about.
[11:11] That's not what the word is saying. And in fact, the psalmist who is writing this said, I have hidden your word in my heart.
[11:24] Now, again, people may say, well, how on earth do you do that? Am I going to ask Dr. Martin Walker to come up here and open my chest and put that Bible in?
[11:35] Well, obviously not. How on earth can we put God's word in our heart? Well, our heart in the Bible talks about not what is beating away in there, but what is at the very, very center of our being.
[11:54] What makes us what we are. Right down in there where at the very, very center, it's what, almost like we would say, makes us tick. And God wants us to come to his word so that we will read his word and study his word.
[12:15] And indeed, I think we all know this, and it's something when you're young, unless you're a genius, we need to read something or study something or do something a few times before it goes in.
[12:32] I know that myself sometimes when somebody shows you how to do something. And I think, oh, I remember that. That's no problem. But if you leave it for a wee while and then go back and you say, oh, do you know this?
[12:44] I can't remember. And sometimes we have to be shown something, even when we're learning how to do something, we have to be shown two or three or four or five or six times.
[12:54] And then it goes in. And it's the same often as we come to God's word. We've got to read it over and over and over again until it goes from our head right in to the very center of our being.
[13:08] And the psalmist said, I have hidden your word, or it could even be translated stored your word in a hiding way, so that I will not sin against you.
[13:20] That's great. And that's exactly what Jesus did because Jesus was full of the word. And when Satan came tempting Jesus, Jesus brought the word out to Satan.
[13:35] And he said, oh, no, it's written. This is what God's word says. And that's how Jesus was able to stand against Satan's temptations because he brought the word.
[13:47] He was God and is God. But he was showing us, this is what you do. And so if we have God's word in our heart, in our mind, it'll teach us a way to go.
[14:01] We were saying that, Lord, show me your ways. And when you're young, this is something I want you to do. You've got loads of things ahead of you.
[14:13] If God spares us and God spares you, you have loads of things and you have what we would call decisions to make. What am I going to do?
[14:24] Because when you're young, you're always thinking, what am I going to do? And we need to be guided as we go along. And the Lord will guide us. So that's why we have to go, like the psalmist said, show me your ways.
[14:36] And if we hide God's word in our heart, God, through his word, will show us the way to go.
[14:47] Not just young people that have to ask that, but everybody needs to be asking the Lord, show me your ways. Make this word part of your life so that it's hidden, stored up in your heart.
[15:01] And the Lord will, I'm telling you, through the word, will bless you and help you as you go on through life. We're going to sing again from Sing Psalms this time, and it's Psalm 107.
[15:16] Psalm 107 in Sing Psalms. The tune is Petersham. It's on page 143.
[15:31] Oh, thank the Lord, for he is good, his love endures always. Let those whom God redeemed say this, those rescued by his grace. He saved them from their enemies and brought them from the lands, from east and west, from north and south, safe from oppressing hands.
[15:49] Some wandered in the desert wastes, not finding any way to reach a city where they might obtain a place to stay. Their life and strength were ebbing fast in thirst and emptiness.
[16:02] Then in despair they sought the Lord who saved them from distress. And so on, verses 1 to 9, the tune is Petersham or Psalm 107.
[16:12] Oh, thank the Lord, for he is good. His love endures always.
[16:27] Let those whom God redeemed say this, those rescued by his grace.
[16:38] He saved them from the enemies and brought them from the lands, from east and west, from north and south, safe from oppressing hands.
[16:58] Some wandered in the desert with not finding any way to reach a city where they might obtain a place to stay.
[17:21] Their life and strength were ebbing fast in thirst and emptiness. Then in despair they sought the Lord who saved them from distress.
[17:40] Straight was the path he led them on, a city to attain.
[17:52] So for the Lord's unfailing love, let them give thanks again.
[18:03] And for the awesome deeds of power which he for them achieved.
[18:13] For hungry souls he fills with good, the thirsty he leaves.
[18:24] Let us turn now to the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. The book of Joshua and chapter 2.
[18:47] Joshua chapter 2. And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim a spy, saying, Go, view the land, especially Jericho.
[19:09] And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.
[19:21] Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land. But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them.
[19:35] And she said, Through the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went.
[19:48] Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.
[20:00] So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan, as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
[20:27] For we have 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 who were beyond the Jordan, to Sion and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
[20:43] And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you. For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
[20:57] Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.
[21:22] And the men said to her, Our life for you, even to death, If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land, we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.
[21:40] Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. And she said to them, Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned.
[22:00] Then afterwards you may go your way. The men said to her, We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours, that you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window, through which you let us down.
[22:19] And you will gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless.
[22:36] But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath, that you have made us swear.
[22:53] And she said, According to your words, so be it. Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
[23:04] They departed and went into the hills, and remained there three days, until the pursuers returned. And the pursuers searched all along the way, and found nothing.
[23:17] Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills, and passed over, and came to Joshua, the son of Nun. And they told him all that had happened to them.
[23:28] And they said to Joshua, Truly, the Lord has given all the land into our hands, and also all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.
[23:41] Amen and may God bless to us, this reading of his holy word. I'm going to sing again from Sing Psalms number 26. Psalm number 26 and Sing Psalms.
[23:53] And that's on page 30, verses 1 to 8, the tune is Balerma. Declare me innocent, O Lord.
[24:03] I have walked in blameless ways, and I have trusted in the Lord, not wavering all my days. Test me, O Lord, and try my heart.
[24:14] My inmost thoughts survey. Your love surrounds me. From your truth my feet will never stray. I do not sit with worthless folk. I shun the hypocrite.
[24:25] I hate the wicked's gatherings. With them I will not sit. I wash my hands in innocence, and blameless is my heart. I go about your altar, Lord, the place you set apart.
[24:38] I'll tell of all your awesome deeds, proclaiming loud your praise. Your glory fills your dwelling place. I love your house always. We'll sing these verses, the tune is Balerma, 1 to 8, Declare me innocent, O Lord.
[25:02] Declare me innocent, O Lord. I've walked in blameless ways, And I have trusted in the Lord, Not wavering all my days.
[25:30] Test me, O Lord, And try my heart. My inmost thoughts survey.
[25:44] Your love surrounds me, From your truth. My keep will never stray.
[26:01] I do not sit with worthless hope. I've shown the hypocrite, I ate the wicked's gatherings, With them I will not sit.
[26:30] I wash my hands in innocence, And blameless is my heart.
[26:46] I go about your altar, The place you set apart.
[27:00] I'll tell of all your awesome deeds, Proclaming loud your praise, Your glory fills your dwelling place.
[27:25] I love your house always. Let's turn again to this chapter that we read in the book of Joshua.
[27:43] Joshua chapter 2. Well-known story, the story of Rahab. I just want us to consider the whole chapter.
[27:58] So I'm not going to read it again, If we were to fix on any words, Really. I think it would be that, Where in verse 10, Rahab says, We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, And so on.
[28:16] And then in verse 11, And as soon as we heard it, Our hearts melted, And there was no spirit left in any man because of you. And then that great statement, For the Lord your God, He is God in the heavens above, And on the earth beneath.
[28:36] I love the book of Joshua, And I find myself going back to it so often. I find it one of the most inspiring books in the Bible. It's a book that is full of encouragement.
[28:49] It's a book that, When you go to chapter 1, You see Joshua taking over the reins, Taking over the mantle from Moses. And that was no mean feat.
[29:02] Because Moses was this most extraordinary of men. And he had led Israel for 40 years. He had become, We use the expression, A legend in his own lifetime.
[29:15] And certainly, Moses, If we can use that expression, Was that. And he was revered, Rightly so, Down throughout the generations. And Joshua had the great task of taking over from Moses.
[29:30] Joshua had been really the understudy of Moses for years and years. But to actually take over the reins was a huge task. Because he knew how unpredictable the Israelites were.
[29:42] Knew how fickle, How changeable, Just in a moment, They could turn. And so it was a mammoth task. And chapter 1, As we know, Is one of these very encouraging chapters, Where God keeps coming to Joshua and saying, Fear not.
[29:59] Don't be dismayed. I'm with you. And that's why we find it such an encouraging chapter. Because the unchanging God makes the same promises to us.
[30:10] And whatever you do for the Lord, However little or however big. And in many ways, There is no little thing for the Lord. Because often what we, In our estimation, What we think are little things, Are not little things at all.
[30:22] And sometimes what we think are the big things, In God's sight aren't. The important thing is that, Wherever we are, That we are doing for the Lord. But always, There is a sense of inadequacy, A sense often of failure, A sense of being not up to the task.
[30:41] And that is why we find the likes of, This first chapter so encouraging, Because you, You're saying to yourself, Ah well Joshua, I know exactly how you felt.
[30:53] But then, After chapter 1, When we move into chapter 2, We find of course, That there's the planning, For the attack. Because we've got to know, Remember at this time, Joshua had no idea, How God was going to work.
[31:08] All he knew was, That he was to lead Israel, Over the Jordan, Into Canaan, And that he was to lead the conquest, Lead the campaign.
[31:20] God hadn't opened up before him, And revealed everything, And given him a, As it were, A detailed account, Of how it was going to be, What the strategies were going to be. Joshua didn't know.
[31:32] And you see, That's because, It was a conquest, Yes it was a military conquest, But it was a conquest of faith. And it's the same for ourselves, We would love to make it, Comfortable for ourselves.
[31:44] And we'd say, We often would say, Well Lord, What is, What's going to, How's it going to be, We don't, The Lord doesn't work like that. It wouldn't be good for us. We'd become complacent, If we knew, That this is how the way, Was going to work.
[31:58] The Lord takes us, Day by day, And step by step, And it's by faith, Looking to him, And sometimes, We think we're going the way, But then the Lord will show us, It's another way. Well, Joshua was exactly the same.
[32:10] He didn't know, As to, What was to do, He was just waiting, For the next command. So we find that, Joshua, Is making preparation.
[32:20] But of course, The story, The story really centers, In chapter 2, Around this woman, Rahab. And it's, It's a story we're all familiar with, Looked at it before, But I want us just to, To develop it again.
[32:34] Because, I find it one of the most, Amazing stories. Because while, The book of Joshua, Is certainly, A book of judgment. It is also, A book of grace.
[32:46] And, There are few stories, Anywhere, That demonstrate, The enormity, Of God's grace.
[32:57] Like the story, Of Joshua, Or the story of Rahab. It is a really, A quite magnificent story, That highlights, The marvel, Of God's grace. Because when God, Begins to deal with a person, He just doesn't, Deal a wee bit.
[33:13] It's not, When God saves us, It's not just that, He takes us from, He takes us into. And maybe, Where you are today, You haven't understood, The into, That he's taking you, And has already taken you.
[33:27] But there's something, About the life, And the continued history, Of this woman, Rahab, That shows, Just the extravagance, And the enormity, And the marvel, And the super abounding, Overflowing, Love of God, In his dealing, With sinners.
[33:47] And it's very interesting, That two of the Old Testament, Chapters that are just, Ripe for destruction, Sodom, And now Jericho, Where there's to be, Complete obliteration, That we find, God's grace, As it were, Standing at the very gates, Of both cities, And God is showing us, Despite his judgment, That he is, A God of grace.
[34:11] And of course, This woman, Rahab, Who was, Making her living, In a sinful way, Turns out, Through God's grace, To become, One of the great, Heroines of faith.
[34:24] She takes her place, In the book of Hebrews, Alongside, Great people, Like Abraham, And Isaac, And Jacob, And Moses, And David, These great, Stallwords, Rahab, Rahab, Is included there, Because of her faith.
[34:43] And so this is, This is, As we say, Is a marvel, Of God's grace. And, Again, We see something, That Rahab, Was always known, By, Her former, Sinful practice, She was always termed, Rahab, The prostitute.
[35:03] And not just, In the Old Testament, But also the New Testament. Some people have tried, To water it down, And say, Well, It was an inn, She ran. Some historians, Will say that it was a, She was an innkeeper.
[35:16] Well, She may have been that, But she was also a prostitute, Because the word of God, It's very clear. And, In the New Testament, When writing about Rahab, Continues to refer to her, In that way.
[35:27] And the Bible, Often has a way of doing that. It was like, Matthew, The public, And that stuck to, Paul, As he looked back, Over his own life, When he wrote about himself, He always referred to him, As the chief, He was the chief of sinners.
[35:41] He is open about it. However, And it pained his heart. He was a persecutor. He hated Christ. He was a persecutor of Christ, And a persecutor of the Christians.
[35:54] But he never hid away from that. Oh, It pained him. I am sure, Paul, Had many a sleepless night, At times, At times, As he thought about, The blood, That was on his hands, Of those who followed Jesus.
[36:13] He was a man, Who was breathing out, Slaughterings against the church. And although, I'm sure, At one level, Paul would love to have just, Covered that up, And say, Oh, I just never want anybody, To know about that, Or think about that.
[36:29] Paul, In his letters, Will say, Look, I was a persecutor. I hated Jesus. And that's why Paul said, I found mercy. I was the chief of sinners.
[36:42] That's how Paul saw himself. And that's how he wrote it. And that's part of the beauty of the Bible. It just says it as it is.
[36:52] God reveals it to us as it is. And so we find, There are no excuses made, With regard to this woman. So of course, Now we find that Joshua sends out spies.
[37:05] And of course, Joshua himself, Was a former spy. He knew what he was doing. He was a military man. He had been, One of twelve spies, That Moses had sent out, Nearly forty years earlier.
[37:17] Into this very same place. Where these, Spies, Joshua was taking two spies. And I'm sure, I'm sure he had a few, Words of advice for them. Because Joshua had already been, Over the Jordan.
[37:33] He had been, In Canaan. Remember twelve spies went, Only two came back, With a good report. Joshua and Caleb. The other said, Oh, Everything that's told, About, Canaan is through.
[37:45] But, Oh, We can't do it. Huge walled cities. Giants in the land. We haven't a chance. And remember how the people rebelled. And said, We can't do it. Of course, That's how they ended up wandering, All these years in the wilderness.
[38:00] But Joshua and Caleb had been faithful. Here's Joshua, Now, All these years later, And he's taking two spies. And if anybody was able to give advice, It was him. And it tells us, In fact, That he, He did it.
[38:13] Joshua, Joshua, The son of Nun, Sent two men secretly from Shittim. Now, I would say, It could be, That, Well, Obviously, The whole campaign, This particular part was, They were to go in secret.
[38:29] But I think, Paul, Sorry, Joshua, Joshua, Didn't tell anybody else what he was doing. That he just, He called these two men aside, And obviously men he knew and trusted.
[38:41] And he gave them this mission. It wasn't something he declared to all the camp. And there's a lot of wisdom in that, Because if you tell everything, To everybody, Of what you're planning to do, Then you will get so many different, Pieces of advice.
[38:57] There would be loads of people who would have said to Joshua, Oh no, Don't do that. You should do this, We should do that. Joshua was the leader. He was given command. He was going to do it, With the help of the Lord, In the way that he saw.
[39:12] So secretly, He sends these two men out. And of course they go, As we see, They make their way to, To Rahab's house. And again, If she was an innkeeper, And historians would suggest that she was, She had this house on the wall, But she also was a, Was a prostitute.
[39:31] The reason for probably going there, From a human point of view, Was this was the least likely place, To raise any suspicion. Because loads of travelers, Because Jericho was, A very strategic place.
[39:48] And there would be loads of travelers passing by. And if you went to an inn, That's a place where people would just say, Oh well, They're strangers, That's all right. But we know, That they were guided there by God.
[40:02] There was a, There's always, A higher, Motive, A higher work, At taking place. God guided them there, Because there was a soul to be saved, There was a whole family, There was a family, To be delivered.
[40:18] And this woman, Was going to have an important role, In the history of Israel. So these men were divinely led there. And so, They go in, But of course, Jericho's on high alert, Because they know, The whole of Israel is camped, On the other side, Jordan.
[40:39] They know, That Israel are planning to attack. Word went to the king, Two Israelites, Israelites have entered Rehob's house. Deputation came straight away, Where are these men?
[40:51] And of course, Rahab, She had hidden the men, And of course, She told a, A very blatant story, A blatant lie, And she made this story, About, Oh yes, The men were here, But they went away, And if you chase after them, You'll get them, And such like, And a lot, There's an awful lot made, About what, What Rahab said, And her lie.
[41:18] Well, I think, I don't want to dismiss, It all together, But that's not really, The point of the story, What we've got to remember here, This is a, A heathen woman, Who was living, In a city, That is ripe for destruction, Why was it ripe for destruction?
[41:34] Well, Again, Historians will tell us, That it was an awful city, It was a city of, Evil, Of cruelty, Of perversion, It was a city, That was just, Full, Of iniquity, That's the kind of place, It was, And Rahab grew up, In a culture, Where, Lying, And truth, There was no difference, People just lied, It was a way of life, People didn't think, The sense of morality, Was just virtually, Non-existent, So we mustn't come down, Like a ton of bricks, On Rahab, Because she concocted, This story, And again, She's conscious, That they're just going to enter, Into a time of war, And she'll be aware, That the boundaries change, In war, Now, I know that, We should always, Seek to tell the truth, But we've got to remember, Where Rahab is, Where she has come from, And, So that, That's why, Not a lot is made about, The lie, The story that she made up, But what is,
[42:35] Highlighted, Is what she did, And what she did, Was an act of faith, And how was it, An act of faith, Because Rahab's heart, Was being changed, By God, And Rahab, Looked at these two men, And Rahab, Had heard, About what God was doing, And although, Rahab, Belonged, Her people, Belonged to the city, Of Jericho, Her heart, Now belonged to Israel, And she saw, The people of Israel, As her people, Because she saw, The God of Israel, As the God, That she wanted, See God was working, In her heart, And this is one of the, Great evidences, The great marks, That was taking place, There was another woman, A little further on, Ruth, Who was really, In exactly the same situation, Remember, Ruth had to make, A decision one day, On the borders, Of the land, Does she go back, With her sister-in-law,
[43:36] Orpah, Back, Into the old ways, Of Moab, Into the culture, Into the idolatry, Or does she go, With her mother-in-law, Naomi, Into Israel, Into the unknown, But into the place, Where the living, And through God, Was worshipped, And remember, How Ruth made that decision, And she said, Where you go, I will go, Your people, Will be my people, And your God, Will be my God, That's what Ruth said, Well, Rahab is really, Saying exactly, The same thing, At this moment, She's putting, Her whole life, In jeopardy, But there's only one, Thing she wants, She has finished, With her own, Nationality, With her own, Particular people, Not her family, We'll see that in a moment, But her particular people, Although she's an inhabitant, Of Jericho, She belongs, Naturally to Jericho, Spiritually, She's on the move,
[44:38] And she's saying to them, Look, I want to be, With you, My heart, Is going out, To the living, And the true God, And we find that, You see, She heard all about the Lord, That's what's so important, It tells us that, For we have heard, How the Lord dried up, We heard these things, And that's so important, Bible tells us, How can people believe, If they do not hear, How can you believe, In the one, That you have not heard about, And that's why it's important, So important for us, To speak, About Jesus, To other people, Because if the Christian, Doesn't speak, Who will?
[45:21] I believe, At the end of the day, The Lord is going to say to us, Did you speak, About me? Did you tell others, About me?
[45:32] Because remember, Every Christian, Has opportunities, Every Christian, Has a circle, Circle of people, That you, And you alone, Have an ability, And a contact with, That others haven't, As you build up, Relationships in life, Whether it's through work, Or in wherever, Within your community, You are given, Opportunities by the Lord, To speak, A word for him, And he expects you to, Because this is where, Faith comes, Faith comes, By hearing, And hearing, By the word of God, People need to hear, About Jesus, And so this is where, It all began, With Rahab, She had heard, The whole of Jericho, Had heard, And in fact, The whole of Jericho, Had feared, As soon as we heard it, Our hearts melted, And there was no spirit, Left in any man, Because of you, But there's a huge difference, Between the rest of Jericho,
[46:32] And Rahab, The rest of Jericho, They feared, But they dug their heels in, That mentality, Oh I know, I know things are grim, But I'm just going to, Carry on as before, And you know, People are like that, Still under the gospel, People can be like that, When shaken by death, When death comes around them, When death knocks at the door, Of their heart, And their life, And they still just push it away, And say, I know, I know, These, I should face up to these things, But I'm just going to, The willful stubbornness, That can be in the human heart, Well that's what Jericho was like, Their hearts melted with fear, There was an opportunity, To cry out to this God, Who was all powerful, But they didn't, But Rahab makes, The most amazing declaration, Because not only, Does she say, How her hearts melted, And so on, But she makes, This great confession,
[47:33] For the Lord, Your God, He is God, In the heavens above, And on the earth beneath, Do you know this, There haven't been many, Up at this time, Many greater confessions, Found, In the Old Testament, Than this, Right up to this time, If you go through, The books of the Bible, Rahab's confession, Is an absolutely, Amazing confession, The Lord, Your God, He is God, In the heavens above, And on the earth beneath, And I believe, That this confession, Takes Rahab forward, And you know, A lot of, There are a lot of Christians, Who are holding back, From making, The ultimate confession, Or the ultimate profession, And somehow, They, They're thinking that, Something else has to happen, In order for them to, Make that great confession, Well, Do you know this, Nothing hinders, Or holds us back, In our walk of faith,
[48:36] Like not confessing, And professing the Lord, It hinders us, It stifles, You may think it doesn't, But it does, And every Christian, Will tell you, That once they have, Nailed their colors, To the mast, Once they have made that, Profession of faith, It's like it takes off, Because, You see, We're being obedient, To the Lord, The Lord brings in a blessing, And brings in an assurance, So many of the Lord's people, Have come forward, To the Lord's table, Trembling, Oh, What if I'm, Oh, What if, And afterwards, They say, Oh, I am so, Glad, I did that, Because, Then that comes, This, Sense of assurance, Of peace, Of, What you did, Was right, It's a step of faith, And so we find, This is again, A picture of what we find, Rehob doing this, Step of faith,
[49:36] And then we see the evidence, Of her faith, Yes, Her great, Act was in hiding the spies, Because she was identifying with them, But she now wants, All her family safe, And you know, When you become a Christian, That's what you want, My family and my friends, That's who you really start praying for, Any of them who are outside the kingdom, Oh Lord, Bring them in, If you're here today, And you're still outside the kingdom, And there's a member of your family, Inside the kingdom, You have no idea, How much they pray for you secretly, You might not, You might not be aware of it, In an open way, But let me assure you, They are praying, And praying, And praying, And praying for you, That's the way it is, You want all, To be safe, In Jesus, And here we have that picture of Rahab, This is what she's wanting, She's wanting all,
[50:37] All her family in, And so a covenant is made, Between the spies, And Rahab, And of course, A covenant is simply, A very strong agreement, It was an agreement, Really almost to death, And of course we know, God is the one, Who has made the ultimate covenant, God made many covenants, In the Old Testament, But the ultimate covenant, That God the Father has made, Is with God the Son, And that's why we're here today, This new covenant, The covenant of grace, Where, Jesus Christ, Has stood in our stead, It's a wonderful thing, God the Father, Didn't make the covenant with us, Because, We couldn't, Stand, Before him, But he made it, With one who was, Who was, And is, Our representative, With Jesus Christ, Anyway, We find that,
[51:38] Rahab, The house was on the wall, And so she lets, The spies down, By the scarlet rope, Or this red rope, And a lot of people, Wonder, What's the significance, Of the red rope, And a lot of people, Focus in, And they say, Well, There you have it, Sort of, It goes back to Egypt, And you think of the red, On the doorposts, And the lintel, Of how, The angel of death, Passed over, And, For spiritualizing things, I'm sure that is true, And I'm also, In my own mind, My own wandering mind, I've also thought, I don't know, But this is such, And we're going to, Finish now, Because we want to, Build this up, To just show the wonder, Of God's grace, I just wonder, And this is only my own, My own thinking, And it might be, I might be way off, But it is such, A story of grace, I'm wondering if this, Red rope, That was in the window, Which, She had,
[52:39] And which she used, To let the people down, The spies down, Was that something, That she often had, Hanging, Or in the window, We, We hear the expression, Of where, People like Ray, Have worked as a, Red light area, Red attracting, Was it possible, That in her old life, That that red, Or that scarlet rope, Was there, As an attraction, Indicating, The kind of place, She had, And the Lord, Is now, Going to take, The very thing, That was used, For sin, And going to turn, A brothel, Into a bethel, Because that's the way, The Lord works, He takes, What were the instruments, Of unrighteousness, And turns them, To become, The instruments, Of righteousness, And that's what happened, In your life, And in my life as well, Because the Lord,
[53:42] His grace, Is so amazing, Because what did God do, With Ruth, With, With Rahab, He didn't just deliver her, Yes, Ruth and all, Ruth, Rahab, Rahab, And all her family, Were saved, When the time came, She was incorporated, Into life, In Israel, But she didn't just become, A strange in Israel, We read about, The history of Rahab, In the genealogies, She married a man, Salmon, Who was a prince, In Judah, And they, Raised a family, Rahab, When she got married, To this man, This prince, In Judah, Salmon, Had a son, And his name, Was Boaz, Boaz, Married Ruth, Boaz, And Ruth, Had a son, Obed, Obed, Had a son, Jesse, Jesse, Had a son, David,
[54:43] So you see, God's amazing grace, This woman, Was the great, Great granny, Of King David, Who was all part, Of the line, Of Christ, And that's what, That's why I'm saying, This is one of the most amazing, Wonderful stories, In the Bible, That speaks to us, Of God's, Redeeming grace, That is why, Although my mind, Might be wondering, About the scarlet rope, It's not, This is why I'm saying, His grace is so amazing, No wonder we sing, Amazing grace, How sweet the sound, That saved, A wretch like me, Two cities, That were ripe, For destruction, Another thought, Here you have, Rahab, Going to her family, And Rahab, Telling the family, The city's going to be destroyed,
[55:46] There is only one place of safety, In my house, And all the family come in, Because we read about that, That, It's very interesting, Joshua, Actually sends the spies, In, To, To Rahab's house, To take out, All the people, And, That's one of the, One of the, The, The, The wonderful things, About, Because, When we, If we went to chapter six, We, We're told there, Of how they go, They go into the city, And, Before they burn it with fire, They go into Rahab's house, And take out, Rahab, And our, People, Brothers, Everyone, And then they burn the city with fire, So, All, Rahab's family listened to Rahab, And they went into the place of safety, The other city that was earmarsed for destruction, Was Sodom, The Lord warned Lot, And he said, Look, Go and get all your family, And Lot went,
[56:48] And he pleaded with them, And only really his daughters listened to him, His sons-in-law thought he was mocking, His wife who, Did begin to come out, She didn't go very far, Because although she came out of Sodom, Sodom never came out of her, Her heart was left behind, And she perished, Two very, Very different stories, But they're both showing and testifying, To God's amazing grace, You know, Sometimes, And this is a funny thing, Sometimes, We don't feel comfortable, With God's grace, That might sound a strange thing to say, But you know, There are people who come to the Bible, And say, Ah, You know, It's not fair, Shouldn't, Shouldn't be working like that, How dare we ever, Ever think like that, Before the living and true God, None of us, It wouldn't be, God would be completely just,
[57:49] And fair, And right, To have cast us all, Into hell, It is because of his love, And his grace, That he doesn't, It's amazing grace, And I would say to you today, If you don't know of this grace, Then please, Please go to the Lord, And ask the Lord, That you may discover, What his grace is really like, And that you will learn, To live by grace, Because there are an awful tendency, Within us, To try to go back to the law, And to fulfill the law, And to, To try and, Do, No, It can be quite difficult, To live by grace, We need grace, To live by grace, And you ask the Lord, Every day, Lord, Give me your grace, In my heart, Let us pray, Oh Lord, We pray that, We may thrill, As we come under, The wonder, Of your word, How amazing,
[58:50] This grace is, How it touches, And affects lives, Oh Lord, We marvel at, The way you work, Sometimes we can, Almost feel uncomfortable, But Lord, Help us to remember, That this is, How it is, This is the reality, This is, Your wonderful work, Lord, Forgive us, For ever being judgmental, And help us to have hearts, That sit graciously, Under your word, Bless us, And pity us, We pray, Guide us, Each one, To our homes, Be with us, Sunday school, And all the children, And those who teach, And take away sin, In Jesus name, Amen.
[59:34] Our concluding psalmists, From Scottish Psalter, Psalm 116, Psalm 116, I love the Lord, Because my voice, And prayer, She did hear, I, While I live, Will call on him, Who bowed to me his ear, Of death the cords, And sorrows did, About me compass round, The pains of hell took hold on me, I grief and trouble found, Upon the name of God the Lord, Then did I call and say, Deliver thou my soul, O Lord, I do thee humbly pray, God merciful and righteous is, Yea, Gracious is our Lord, God saves the meek, I was brought low, He did me help afford, It's on page 395, The Tunis Erikson, Psalm 116, I love the Lord, Because my voice, And prayers,
[60:43] He did hear, I, while I live, Will call on him, Him, About to me, His ear, Of death the cords, And sorrows did, Now about me compass round, The pains of hell, Too cold on me, I grieve and trouble found, Upon the name of God the Lord, Then did I call and say,
[61:45] Deliver thou my soul, O Lord, I do thee humbly pray, God merciful and righteous is, Yea, Gracious is our Lord, God saves the meek, I was brought home, He did me help afford, O thou my soul, May thou return, Unto thy quiet rest, For largely, O the Lord,
[62:48] To thee, His power, He hath expressed, Now may the grace, Mercy, And peace of God the Father, Son, And Holy Spirit, Rest and abide upon each one of you, Now and forevermore, Amen.
[63:05] Amen.
[63:20] Amen. Amen.