"And, Part 1" Sermon: Hebrews 11:32-34

“And, Part 1”

[Hebrews 11:32-34]

December 22, 2013 Second Reformed Church

            “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV).

            We have talked about receiving the Word of God by faith for some weeks now.  We have seen that faith is not a thing that we do, but a gift from God by which we receive what God has said in His Word.  And as the author of Hebrews wrote, by this gift of faith, we receive the Word of God and we have absolute assurance that the things that God has promised in His Word will come to pass, and we are convicted – we believe as true and historical realities – all those things that we have not seen – things that have occurred before we lived – such as the world-wide flood of Noah, beings which are invisible – like the angels, and things which have yet to occur – such as the restoration of the Creation.  Because God has revealed Himself to us and gifted us with faith to receive His Word, we hear God’s Word read and preached and we believe that it is all true.  Christianity is a historical religion, not a book of stories that merely teach us to be moral people.

            We have been looking at the major figures that the author of Hebrews has put forth in his book for us to look at and witness faith working – these are to be an education and an inspiration to us as we live the lives of faith that God has given to us.

            As the chapter comes to a close, the author of Hebrews rapidly presents a number of people and types of situations for our consideration.

            In this, we learn:

             First, there are many more examples of faith in the lives of believers in the Scripture.

            Second, we are not to make these men and women into idols.

            Third, instead, we are to be so encouraged to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith.

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of”

The author of Hebrews could have gone on for many more chapters going through the lives of believers – Christians, showing examples of faith in their lives, but instead, he leaves off after mentioning major figures of the patriarchal period in detail, and quickly mentioning the names of some figures from the periods of the judges and kings – believing that his readers would know the histories, or could hear them in worship.

The author of Hebrews was not attempting to catalog every Christian who ever lived – or even every figure of the Scripture – but to give a representative group so his readers could see that there are many more examples of faith in the lives of believers in the Scripture.

We’ve noted before that we have the unparalleled privilege in history to have our own copies of the Bible in our own languages – as well as churches every few blocks – some of them even Christian – where you can hear the Word of God read and preached and hear about these figures and see their faith and be inspired to live lives of faith, just as they did, because they are no different from us – at least in two ways:  they were all sinners and they all received faith as a gift.

The Bible is unique in religious texts in that it tells us about all of the stupid, naïve, and sinful things that the saints did.  God purposely left the truth of their failings in there so we would not become enamored with any man of woman of the faith – we are not to make these men and women into idols.

Especially in these days when we hear “the Christmas story” – that Santa brought the Baby Jesus to the manger, having defeated the Heat Miser and the Abominable Snowman, and turned Scrooge’s and the Grinch’s heart extra-large, just in time for the wise men to come with gold, which should be spent during the Christmas sales to support the economy so this remains a Christian nation.

The True Christmas story is the beginning of the fulfillment of the Gospel, but the Gospel doesn’t make any sense unless we know the bad news – the reason for the Gospel:  “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;” (Isaiah 53:6a, ESV), “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23, ESV).

The question for humanity, whose Answer is all the more prominent in this time of year, is, how can a person be right with God?  We cannot be right with God through any of the saints – not even Mary – because they were all sinners – we can only be made right through Jesus Christ, if we believe in our hearts that God came to earth in the Person of Jesus, lived a perfect life under God’s Law, died for the sins of everyone who would ever believe, and physically rose from the dead and ascended back to His throne.

As we consider the heroes of the faith – both in the Scripture and outside of the Scripture – remember last week I said it was good to read good Christian biographies – after the Scripture – to see examples of living by faith.  But the examples cannot end there, because every single one of them is or was a sinner – just like you and me.  Which is an encouragement to us to not give any excuse for not living by faith.  Because we who believe have been indwelt by God the Holy Spirit – and Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26, ESV).  The Holy Spirit will lead us in becoming like Jesus.

And here was see again, that our salvation is all of God.  Even our faith – and the faith of the saints of old – is a gift.  As Paul tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV).

The saints received their faith as a gift from God, through which they received the Word of God, and were enabled to do the good works that God predestined for them to do – and the same is true of us.

So, if they were sinners, just like us, and they received faith as a gift, just like us, though we may find them inspiring in our living by faith, we ought never to put them on a pedestal.  If we see something in the lives of these saints that we desire to aspire to, we ought to aspire to it, not to be more like them, but to be more obedient and faithful to our God and Savior. 

Before we say more about that, let’s take a moment to look at these figures he names:

“Gideon,”

Gideon was a farmer during the time of the judges when Midian oppressed Israel, and God came to Gideon and told him that had chosen him to overthrow Midian.  But Gideon told God He must have the wrong man – since he came from a small tribe.  But God assured him that He was with him, so Gideon offered up a sacrifice and God caused fire to burst up from the ground and swallow the sacrifice.

Then God told Gideon to tear down the altar – the Asherah pole – and offer up a sacrifice on the hill, but he was too afraid to do it in the day time, so he did so at night.  After he cut down the idol and offered up the sacrifice to God, God promised to lead Gideon in saving Israel from the Midianites.  Yet, Gideon doubted and asked God for another sign – he would put out an animal fleece, and if the fleece was wet, but the ground dry in the morning, he would believe God.  So God did what he asked, but Gideon still doubted and asked God to make the fleece dry and the ground wet, and God acquiesced again.

Finally, Gideon believed and gathered 32,000 soldiers to fight with him.  But God told him that was too many – if they won in battle, it would seem that they had won, and not won by the Hand of God, so God whittled the number to 10,000, and finally to 300 men to fight against the entire nation of Midian, and by faith, Gideon and the 300 defeated Midian. (cf. Judges 5-7).

“Barak,”

Barak was called to be a judge during the persecution by Jabin of the Canaanites, his general Sisera, and the prophetess, Deborah.  Deborah called Barak to her and told him that God would lead him to victory against the Canaanites, but Barak was afraid and doubted God and said he would only go to war if Deborah came with him.  Deborah told him that she would come with him, but because he doubted God, a woman would get credit for the victory.

So Barak went off to war with Deborah in tow and was victorious over the armies of the Canaanites.  However, Sisera escaped from him.  In fleeing for safety, he went to the tent of a woman named Jael, and she promised him safety, but when he fell asleep, she took a tent peg and drove it threw his head and down into the ground, achieving the credit for victory over the armies of the Canaanites. (cf. Judges 4-5).

“Samson,”

Samson was called to be a judge from birth and his mother raised him as a Nazarite, but Samson was a playboy and submitted to the pagan woman, Delilah, who got him to reveal that it was through his Nazarite vow – part of which was never cutting his hair – that God gave him his strength.  And Delilah had his hair cut off, and he was taken into slavery and blinded by the Philistines.

One day the Philistines were throwing a massive party, and they brought Samson out to make fun of him.  Samson stood between the two pillars holding the house up to support himself, and he repented of his sin and asked God to strengthen him once more.  God heard his request, and Samson pulled the pillars out of place, killing himself and all those in the house – more people than he had killed for the Lord in all the years before totaled together. (cf. Judges 13-16).

“Jephthah,”

Jephthah was called to be a judge and fight against the Ammorites, but rather than just believe God’s Word, he made a foolish vow – that if God would really lead him to victory over the Ammorites, when he returned home, he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his front door.

God led Jephthah to great victory, and when he came home to the adulation of his people, his only daughter came out of his front door.  And after a period of mourning, he sacrificed his daughter. (cf. Judges 10-11).

 “of David”

We remember David, the second king of Israel, who, by the Hand of God, extended the United Kingdom of Israel to the greatest extent it would ever be.  He was called the man after God’s own heart – the writer of many of the Psalms – builder of many great buildings in Israel, but not the Temple.

We also know that though he had wives and concubines, one day he lusted after Bathsheba – a married woman, and had sex with her, and got her pregnant.  And when he could not convince her husband to sleep with her so it would look like the child was his, David had her husband killed in battle.

“and Samuel”

Samuel was the last judge – one of the Major Prophets – the leader of Israel in very dark days.  He was given to the Temple as a child and served his whole life.  He anointed the first and second kings of Israel, though he argued with the people on behalf of God against having a king.

We are not given a specific example of a sin that Samuel committed, but since he was a mere human, we know that he was a sinner.

“and the prophets”

Here, along with the author of Hebrews, I turn the reading of the rest of the Old Testament – and the New – to hear the history of the faith of the men and women of God that He called to Himself as His people.

The author of Hebrews turns to examples of the things that the saints did through faith – through believing the Word of God – through receiving the Word of God.

“—who through faith conquered kingdoms,”

We think of Joshua and David in particular.  Beginning with the end of the exodus out of Egypt and the conquest of the lands up the east of the Jordan and the conquest of Jericho, which we looked at recently, to the conquering of Canaan.

“enforced justice,”

We think of the judges whom God appointed after the exodus and before the first king, who, with the prophets, brought and enforced the Word of God among the people.

 “obtained promises,”

This would include all those who believed – the promise of the Exodus, the promise of the Promised Land, up to the promise of a future salvation by God, making His people right with God, by God Himself coming to live a righteous life and pay the debt for the sin of His people, while crediting them with the righteousness that He earned.

“stopped the mouths of lions,”

Here, we think of Daniel, in particular, during the Babylonian exile, when King Darius passed a proclamation that only the king should be worshipped, and when Daniel refused and worshipped God by faith, he was thrown in the lions’ den.  But, in the morning, when the king came, Daniel was alive, God having shut the mouths of the lions so they would not hurt him.  So the king confessed faith in the God of Daniel and threw his accusers in the lions’ den – all of whom we eaten by the lions before their bodies hit the ground. (cf. Daniel 6).

“quenched the power of fire,”

Three young men, named in Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were thrown into a furnace to die for not worshipping the statue of the king.  But they walked around in the fire – with a fourth Man – a preincarnate manifestation of the Son of God – and the king set them free, confessing faith in the God of these young men of faith, (cf. Daniel 3).

“escaped the edge of the sword,”

Many escaped the sword:  David escaped the sword of Saul until God set him on the throne.  Elisha escaped the sword of Ahab, and saw God put Ahab to death.

“were made strong out of weakness,”

Again we think of Samson who became weak through his sin, yet God allowed him to become strong again to take vengeance in God’s Name.

“became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”

This is the history of the men and women of God who God led to conquer the Promised Land, with God always fighting in the forefront.

And so we see:

There are many more examples of faith in the lives of believers in the Scripture.

And, we are not to make these men and women into idols.  Because they are sinners, just like us, and because their faith – like ours, was a gift from God, through which they received God’s Word, and were enabled to do the good works that God predestined for them – and us – to do.

Still, we are to be encouraged by them to live by faith – to do those good works that God sets before us, just as He sets good works before all we who believe – that we would do them.

They key is to move beyond the fallible – sinful – example we are given in the Scripture and be so encouraged to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith.  We will look at this more in the coming weeks, Lord willing, but for now, let understand, as Paul writes:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:4-10, ESV).

            God has given us grace – He, according to His Own Sovereign Good Pleasure, has raised all those who believe from spiritual death – not because of anything we did, but for His Sake.  And He has given us faith that we would be able to receive His Word and believe it wholeheartedly.  God has made us who we are for His Sake, through Jesus Christ, for the good works that He predestined that we would do.

            So let us take encouragement as we receive the histories of Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Sarah, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses, and Joshua, and Rahab, and Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, and Jephthah, and David, and Samuel, and all the others God has been pleased to record in His Word for us to learn from.

            Yet, let us acknowledge their failings and sins and shortsightedness and doubts and strive to be more faithful, more obedient, receiving the Word of God with greater assurance and conviction, as men and women who know Who the Savior is, that He has come, and that He has work for us to do.

            “What should I do?” some of you may be thinking?  What work does God have for me?

            I got into a discussion with a Baptist friend during a dinner the other night, and he said that we Reformed folk can’t believe in missions and evangelism because we believe that God has chosen all those who will ever believe.  I explained to him that that is not true – while it is true that you and I cannot convert anyone or change the number of people God has chosen to receive Him by faith, God has given us the command and the privileged to be the usual way in which He brings people to Himself.  We don’t evangelize because we think we will save someone, but because God has chosen to use us to bring people to Himself, and in evangelizing, as God is pleased, God will bring people to Himself.

            With Christmas upon us, we have an easy “in” to the discussion:  if someone wishes you “happy holidays” or “Merry Christmas,” you might ask them, “why?”  “Why is this day any different from any other?  Do you know what it’s about?”

            It’s a place to start; and don’t be afraid, grace, faith, and salvation are all in God’s Hands.

            Let us pray:

            Almighty God, we thank You again for the examples of men and women of faith that You have given us in the Scripture.  Thank You for showing us that You do use Your people to accomplish Your Work.  Thank You for showing us that despite even our sin, You are Sovereign in bringing about Your purposes.  Help us to be one of those men and women of faith that the author of Hebrews doesn’t have time to name, that we might do great things by Your Hand and for Your Name.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Free Community Lunch

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, December 21st, as we offer up our Free Community Lunch from 12 to 1 PM!  All are welcome.

"What is Reformed Theology?" Study

We continue our study this evening, D.V., of Reformed Theology, looking at the Doctrine of Limited Atonement.  Join us at 7 PM.

This will be our last evening study for awhile, as we take a break during the harshest of the weather.

However, we will continue this study on Sunday morning at 9 AM -- taking a break from the Gospel of Matthew for two weeks -- so we can consider Irresistible Grace and the Perseverance of the Saints.

Join us as we complete this study.

Review: "The War on Christmas"

The War on Christmas, edited by Bodie Hodge is a beautifully illustrated collection of essays written to set the record straight about a number of myths and misunderstandings about Christmas.  It is very readable, and could be used as a coffee table book.

Throughout the essays, the thesis which ties them all together is that there must have been a real, human, historical Adam in order for Jesus to be the Promised Savior.    This is not as strange a thesis as some might think at first glance:  Paul explains the relationship between the sin of the first Adam and the salvation through the Second Adam, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Corinthians 15:21-22, ESV) – and so forth – if there was no first Adam, Christ cannot be the Second Adam, and salvation is a myth.

The authors look at the origin of Christmas, showing it is not a replacement of pagan ceremonies, as popularly taught.  And they argue that the Christmas tree is unique, and not a new Asherah pole.  They consider how many magi there were, when they came, what the angels did, the problem of having all the characters of the history at the manger, etc.

The most interesting piece for me was the nineteenth chapter in which the author looks at the archeological evidence and the meaning of the words used in the Gospels to deduce that the manger Jesus was born in was actually the first floor of a peasant’s home – probably a relative of Joseph.

The one weak argument I found was in the second chapter where the author argues that the Scripture does not forbid celebrating Christmas, therefore, it is permissible to celebrate Christmas.  The celebrating of holidays is one I am muddle through currently, and I am in a tradition which (despite practice at times) holds to the regulative principle which says that if the Scripture does not say to do something, we ought not to do something (specifically with regards to worship).  The tact the author takes is more along Lutheran lines, which seems a weaker argument to me.

All in all, I found the book informative and enjoyable, and I would recommend it to anyone who is being told that the Scripture is wrong or that Christmas is based on pagan traditions.  One will find in these pages that these allegations are simply not true.

 [This review appears on my blog and at Amazon.com.  I received a copy of this book free from Handlebar Publishing for review.]

"Rahab" Sermon: Hebrews 11:31

“Rahab”

[Hebrews 11:31]

December 15, 2013 Second Reformed Church

            By faith we receive the Word of God – we hear what God has said, and we believe it is true.  We are assured that all the promises of God will come to pass, and everything we have not seen that God has said is true, we believe with steadfast confidence.

            Faith is not based on guesswork and whimsy; faith is the receiver of the Word of God – a Word that we can hear and know and believe, because we have come to know Who God is – we have come to know God’s character, and so we recognize His Word and receive it as true and faithful.

            We come to the last figure in Hebrews chapter 11 who is spoken of “at length.”  And she is different from all the other figures we have looked at – she is a woman, she is a Gentile – not a Jew, and she is a prostitute.  Her inclusion in this list could be seen as scandalous, because she is a woman, she is not one of the chosen of Israel, and she made her livelihood in sin and encouraging others to sin.

            Yet, as we consider her history, as we find it in the Word of God, we find:

            God has chosen people from all nations and graciously forgiven even great sins of the truly repentant.

            Faith proves itself in action.

            True faith is the reception of God’s Word.

            And, examples of faith are an encouragement to faith.

            Last week we considered Joshua and the taking of Jericho.  Today, we are taking a step back – and we note that this is another difference with Rahab – she is the only major figure in Hebrews 11 who is listed out of historical order.

            Why is she included in the list of examples of the faithful for the Hebrews suffering under Rome?

            One reason is surely to show them that God’s plan has never changed.  God has chosen people from all nations and graciously forgiven even great sins of the truly repentant.

            Rahab was a Gentile; she was not a Jew.  The Jews – Israel – were the people of God.  And while it was true that God did have a special relationship with the nation of Israel – above all other nations – it is not true that God only chose Jews to be saved.  Rahab is one example.

As Paul wrote to the Romans, he wrestled with the heartache that not all biological Israel would be saved – not all the biological descendants of Abraham would be saved, and he explained how it could be that all Israel would be saved, but not every Israelite would be saved, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring” (Romans 9:6-8, ESV).

Paul explains that God did promise that all of the children of Israel would be saved, but the Word of God has not failed – all of the children of Israel shall be saved.  However, just as Abraham’s son Isaac inherited the promise, but Ishmael did not, so we are to understand that being a child of Abraham is not a matter of biology – it is a matter of faith.  All those who believe God’s Word are children of Abraham.  One does not need to be a biological descendant of Abraham to be a child of the Promise.

As Paul explained, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17, ESV).

The Gospel was given to the Jews first, but it is also given to the Gentiles – to every other person.  The person who receives the Word of God by faith and believes, is a child of Israel and Abraham.  Everyone who believes in the Word of God and the Savior God promised in it are children of God.

So, while not many non-Jews believed in the days of Rahab, she did believe, and God adopted her as His daughter.

Yet, when we hear that she was a prostitute, we bristle – just as the Pharisees bristled when they accused Jesus of being a friend of prostitutes.  Jesus explained to them at different points that He hung out with prostitutes because they had the good sense to know that they needed to be forgiven, whereas some religious types don’t.

And Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:28-29, ESV).

All sins are forgivable if a believer is truly repentant.  Rahab was a prostitute, but she repented and was forgiven.  You have a penchant for some sins over others, and you can be forgiven if you repent and believe.

And then, she was also a woman.  In a culture where a woman’s word did not stand up in court, God has chosen to reveal Himself through women, including Rahab.  God likes to use the downtrodden to reveal Himself.  As Paul explains:

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (I Corinthians 1:26-31, ESV).

That’s a good passage for us to keep before us both for when we deem someone as unworthy of the Gospel and when we think that God is pretty lucky to have us.  No one is too low for us to bring the Gospel, and we have no special merit in receiving the Word of God and believing because faith and believe are gifts of God by His Grace.

So let us remember – in the days of Joshua, in the days of the New Testament Church, in the days of the 21^st century Church – God has chosen people from all nations and graciously forgiven even great sins of the truly penitent.

            Rahab’s history takes place between the death of the last of the Israelites God condemned in the forty year wandering and before the conquest of Jericho.  Joshua took the people of Israel up to the eastern border of the Jordan River, having defeated the kingdoms along the way.  Now, Joshua was ready the lead the people against the frontier town of Jericho and begin the conquering of Canaan proper.  But before they go in, Joshua sends two spies.  And we read:

“And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho.’ 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.’ 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. And she said, ‘True, 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. 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. 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.”

The two spies snuck into Jericho and went to the house of Rahab the prostitute.  Why did they go to her house?  Not for sinful reasons.  Perhaps because men coming and going at her house would not raise suspicion.  However, the people of Jericho – and the king of Jericho – knew that Israel was on the march, and they recognized them when they arrived.

So the King sent a message to Rahab, demanding that she hand over the spies.  But Rahab lies and tells the kings men that the spies made it out of the gate before they locked the door, so to run after them.  In reality, she had hidden them on the roof of her house and covered them with roofing material so they would not be found.

What shall we say about this?   Surely lying is a sin, is it not?  Aren’t we told to submit to the government?  Or is this an exception because the government was engaged in sin?  It would seem, in the face of such a difficult moral question, the best we can say is that her lie was a sin, but her saving of the spies was approved by God.

What we can see more clearly is that Rahab proved her faith by rescuing the spies at the risk of her own life.  We see here that faith proves itself in action.  Rahab believed in the Word of God – and we’ll talk more about that shortly, and she acted on her faith and protected the spies God sent to accomplish His Will in Jericho.

We’ve talked about faith and action – or faith and works – quite a bit in our Sunday morning Bible study.  We have seen that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone – our works do not merit anything towards salvation – we can never do enough good to be right we God – we can only be right with God because God chooses to give us His Grace and make us right with God. 

However, James writes, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”  (James 2:19, ESV).  James was writing to people who had heard the Word of God and believed that the Word of God is true, yet it had not changed their lives at all – there had been no proof of their faith through action – through living it out.  James explained that it is a good thing to know the Word of God and to believe it is true, but even the demons do that!  The proof of a true faith is that it is lived out in action – if we have received the Word of God savingly, it must change the way we live and act.  We must be different people.

Rahab heard the Word of God and believed it – she received it by faith – and then, when the opportunity came to save the spies, she acted and saved them – proving her faith in action.  And we must do likewise – it is not enough to sit around knowing the truth – though we are not saved by our works – if we have believed savingly, we must do good works – we must bear fruit – we must live out our faith and all we have believed.

After Paul explained to the Ephesians that salvation is by faith alone, he wrote, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).

We who have been saved by God through Jesus Christ, must now, as new creatures, prove our faith by doing the good works He predestined us to do.  Faith proves itself in action.

We continue the history:

“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. 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 Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 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. 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.’ And the men said to her, ‘Our life for yours 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.’

“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. Then afterward 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, and you shall 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. 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.’ 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.”

Here we see Rahab’s faith – and we see that true faith is a reception of God’s Word:

First, Rahab reflected on the history of what God had done for the Jews.  She confesses that she knew that the Lord God had given Jericho into their hands, because they all knew that God had freed them from slavery and parted the Red Sea so they could escape, and now they had bested the nations on the east of the Jordan and taken the land for themselves.

Second, Rahab confesses her faith in the God of Israel, as she confesses that God the Lord God is the God of heaven and earth – the One True God – the One Who has prospered Israel – this is the God she believed in.

And third, she asked, in the name of that God, that she would be protected – she and her family – as members of those who believe in that God – and she made the spies swear that they would recognize her as a sister in the Lord and save her and her family when they took Jericho.

It is unlikely that Rahab had access to anything in the way of the Scripture – only the books of Moses, and perhaps Job, would have existed – but she received the Word of God by faith by hearing Who the God is Israel is and what He had done for them, and she believed.  Thus, her faith was seen in believing the promises God made to Israel.

In the same way, our faith is seen in believing the promises that God made to Israel and all those in the Scripture.  True faith is a reception of God’s Word.  As Paul explains, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV).

This section of the history concludes in a way that shows us that examples of faith are an encouragement to faith – that is why the author of Hebrews listed all these figures and pointed to them as examples of faith that we would understand what faith is and so we would be spurred on to faith – to receiving all that God has said as true and sure – that we would be assured in the faith and convicted of the truth – the reality of everything God has said and promised. 

And so we read:

“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. 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. 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’” (Joshua 2:1-24, ESV).

The spies went to the mountains and hid for the time that Rahab had encouraged them to hide, and then they returned to Joshua and told Joshua about Rahab and what she had done – their promise to her and her faith – both exemplified in confession and action.  The reaction was that Joshua was encouraged and assured that God had given – not merely Jericho – but all the land of Canaan into their hands.  In Rahab’s faith, Joshua saw God’s promise all the more clearly and held to it with greater assurance – and, as we saw last week, went forward, according to the instructions that God gave him, and conquered Jericho.

The encouragement that Joshua received in hearing these words should encourage us to read our Bibles and hear the history in it that our faith would be encouraged as we see the faith of other saints of God.  One of the more difficult texts to read is the book of Revelation, but we need to read it keeping in mind that John wrote the text to Christians suffering under the persecution of Nero that they would be encouraged and assured that Christ is and was and will ever be victorious – so they – and we who read it two thousand years later, would be encouraged, that there is nothing in all the world that will stop Jesus from returning and restoring the Creation – bringing about His Kingdom – fully – on earth.

After the Bible, we find encouragement in reading good Christian biographies – let me encourage us to read biographies of the saints of these latter years, who in these last days have stood for their faith and lived lives proclaiming the Gospel.  They are an encouragement.  You might want to consider beginning with Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, in which he presents short accounts of the life and death of Christians in the early Church.

If there is a Christian figure you are interested in reading about – in addition to reading your Bible – ask me, and I will help you find a good biography of someone who may encourage you in your faith.

There is yet one more reason that Rahab is important and worthy of inclusion in this list, as we read in the genealogy given by Matthew:

 “Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king” (Matthew 1:2-6, ESV).

Rahab married Salmon, who father Boaz, who father Obed, who father Jesse, who fathered King David – Rahab was the great, great grandmother of King David, who was the ancestor of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.

It is through this pagan, woman, prostitute, who came to faith in the God of Israel, who saved the spies that Jericho could be conquered, that Jesus Christ was born.

“By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”

So, let us remember:

God has chosen people from all nations and graciously forgiven even great sins of the truly repentant.

Faith proves itself in action.

True faith is the reception of God’s Word.

Examples of faith are an encouragement to faith.

We may be nothing in the eyes of the world – we may have even lived scandalous lives, but Jesus Christ makes us new creatures as God adopts us as sons and daughters, making us His through faith, that we might do those good works that God predestined us to do.

All those who believe are being used to the Glory of God.  Even me – and you.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we bow humbly before Your Wisdom and Grace, that You would choose someone like Rahab to be Your daughter, to continue Your promise to give Your people the land of Canaan, and to be an ancestor of our Lord Jesus.  May we be humble, urgently proclaiming Your Gospel, and praying the You would use us to Your Glory.  For this is our joy.  And it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"Joshua" Sermon: Hebrews 11:30

“Joshua”

[Hebrews 11:30]

December (1) 8, 2013 Second Reformed Church

Moses and the people of Israel had crossed the Red Sea and begun to make their way from the Sinai Peninsula to the land of Canaan.  It was a journey – by the most direct route – of about 250 miles.  They could have made the journey in about a month.  Yet, they didn’t arrive for forty years.  Why?

Several months into their journey across the Sinai – since they stopped for the Ten Commandments, it took longer – Moses sent forty spies into the land of Canaan, as God commanded, to see the land that God was giving them, that they might be filled with joy and give thanks to God, and we read:

“And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, ‘We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.’

“But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’ Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.’ So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, ‘The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them’” (Numbers 13:26-33, ESV).

Thirty-eight spies said it was too dangerous to try to take the land.  Two spies – Caleb and Joshua – said, believing by faith God’s promise that He was giving them the land, that they should go and take the land.  The people took the words of the thirty-eight to heart, and they cried out, “We’re all going to die!  We should never have left Egypt; let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.”

And God told Moses that everyone over the age of twenty, except for Caleb and Joshua, would die in the wilderness, and then they would go into the land that God promised to give them.  That’s why it took forty years.  They didn’t believe God.  Their eyes and their fear got the better of them.  They thought God was too weak to bring them into the Promised Land.

After forty years, the people of Israel, Caleb, Joshua, and Moses, went to the edge of Canaan.  Joshua had been appointed Moses’ successor, and Moses died on Mount Nebo, overlooking the Promised Land.  Joshua led the people across the Jordan, and saw in the distance, the frontier town of Jericho.

Our text for this morning reads:  “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”

As we consider what happened, we discern three doctrines:

If we believe in the promises of God by faith, we need no other deliverance.

Through faith, we trust God, even when what God has said doesn’t make sense to us.

Through faith, we patiently wait on God, even when we think we need something now.

Let us turn to Joshua chapter 6 to see what happened:

“Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.’”

As we have already noted, Jericho was a frontier town – it lay outside the main metropolis and served as protection for the bulk of the people.  It was a military town, set up to protect Canaan proper.  The spies who had gone in forty years earlier had not lied – Jericho was a secure facility, inhabited by unusually large, strong soldiers.  To the naked eye, it was suicide to try to attack the town – the walls were shut, the guards were on alert, Israel didn’t have the strength or the weaponry to take the town.  The inhabitants of Jericho knew what these two million people were up to as they approached Jericho – there was no way to surprise Jericho.

But what was God’s promise, “See I have given Jericho into your hand with its king and mighty men of valor.”  God was fighting for Israel – and the battle was a done deal.  God’s promise is in the past tense – “I have given Jericho into your hand – it’s done – it’s yours.  There is absolutely no question that the city will fall to you, because it has already fallen to Me.” 

The problem was never that God was too weak to take the city for Israel; the problem was that Israel doubted and sinned in disbelieving God’s promises.

The fact of the matter, for them and for us, is that if we believe in the promises of God by faith, we need no other deliverance.  If God has made a promise, it will come to pass, and we don’t need to fret and worry and groan and wring our hands, because God will make the possible reality.

They should have known that – we should know that – they saw the miracles in Egypt, they saw the Red Sea divide, they saw God’s provision of food and water for them in the wilderness, they saw God bind Himself to them as their God and they as His people, and so forth – still, they saw one big fort filled with mighty men, and they were willing to go back into slavery.

And before we say, “Stupid Israelites,” remember that every time you and I sin, we are telling God that we don’t believe Him.  Every time we worry and doubt that God’s promises will not come to pass, we are telling God that we don’t believe Him.

In our culture, perhaps the best way to see if you trust God and His promises is to take a look at your check book.  God has promised to provide us with all of our needs; do we give thanks to Him for that by giving to the work of His Church?  Do we give the minimum that He has required of us – ten percent of our gross income?  Have we learned to give more – generously – joyfully?

Paul, writing about his status, wrote, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8, ESV).

The voices in your ears are saying, “But I have to pay my bills.  And I have to have a buffer for anything that might happen.”  Beloved, God wants us to be wise with all that He has given us, but wise planning does not cause us to be disobedient or to be paralyzed in fear about what might be!

Whatever stumbling block is before you that keeps you from being able to trust Christ with your money, your possessions, whatever it might be that you are hanging on to – other than Christ – like a life preserver, whatever fortress looms before you and is causing you to shake in fear, remember what Solomon wrote, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10, ESV).

Run to Christ!  Be safe in Christ!  Trust Christ!  Believe in the promises of God – and act on them – for we need no other deliverance.

God continued His instructions:

“’You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.’ So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, ‘Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.’ And he said to the people, ‘Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.’

“And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, ‘You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.’ So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

“Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.”

If you’re going to take a heavily guarded fortress, this is not a good plan.  The people of Israel were out in the open, walking around the walls of the city – in silence, where the people of Jericho could easily have killed them.  They were tiring themselves out walking round and round, day after day – making themselves less able to fight when the time was right.

And what a strange sight this must have been to the people of Jericho!  “Look at these weird Israelites:  they’re not protecting themselves, they’re not trying to attack, and they’re just walking around in circles – day after day.  I think there’s something wrong with them.”

What God told them to do was bizarre, was it not?

God tells us to do strange things:

We read the history of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, who was a leper.  He heard there was a prophet in Israel who could heal him, so he traveled to Israel and asked for Elisha, but Elisha wouldn’t meet with him, though he did send his servant out with a word from God:

“And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, ‘Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, ‘My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, “Wash, and be clean”?’ So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (I Kings 5:10-14, ESV).

Sometimes we are left scratching our heads:  why did God tell Naaman to wash in the Jordan, when there were better rivers in Syria?  Why did God tell Israel to walk around Jericho, when they should have been preparing for battle, not making themselves a target and wearing themselves out?

Paul wrote, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (I Corinthians 1:26-31, ESV).

Sometimes God does things and commands things that don’t make sense to us – “I want to teach Jonah that I have chosen people to be mine out of all the peoples of the world, so I will have a fish eat him.”

The fact that something God says doesn’t make sense to us in some way is irrelevant – of course we should search the Scripture to try to understand, but if we do not, in the end, it doesn’t matter, because if God has said something, it is so, and our right response, no matter what we think or feel, is to obey.  We are to trust that God – being God – knows what He is doing – His mind is greater than ours, so we must submit.

It is through faith, then, that we trust God, even when what He commands doesn’t make sense.

God has promised Israel that Jericho was already in their hands, and God told Israel to march around Jericho in silence for six days, and they trusted God and obeyed God – though they surely had no idea what the marching did for their conquering Jericho.

The point we sometimes miss – in these texts – and in our own lives – is that God did not tell Israel to march around Jericho because it would weaken the walls and make it easier for them to conquer Jericho, God told them to march around Jericho that their faith and trust in God and what God had promised would grow. 

God didn’t tell Naaman to wash in the Jordan because it had some magical power – Naaman recognized that – God wanted Naaman to understand that healing was not found in the water itself, but in faith and trust and obedience of God, the Great Physician.

And, so, God sometimes tells us to do things that we would be strengthened in faith and trust of God.

Finally, we read:

“On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.  And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, ‘Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.’ So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword” (Joshua 6:1-21, ESV).

On November 28^th, I went to the emergency room at St. Barnabas with what I thought was “merely” an infection.  I was expecting to wait for quite a while, get some anti-biotics, and go home.  However, they suspected something more was going on, so they sent me for a CAT scan and found that, indeed, I not only had an infection, but a salivary gland duct stone – and they said I could not leave the hospital.  As I waited for a room, I objected to God and told Him that I had to get home and finish this sermon, etc.

Unbeknownst to me, the same day, Al Weinstein was admitted to emergency having an infection after having two surgeries to remove parts of his stomach and colon, after being diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer seven weeks earlier.  He received his room assignment first.

Around 11:30 PM, I was finally brought to a room, where I met my roommate, Al Weinstein.  Over the next five days, we got to know each other, and we began to talk about the God of the Bible.  I was released about twelve hours before Al, but we exchanged phone numbers and pledged to keep in contact.  We have called each other twice already this week to check in.

We said that God told Israel to walk around Jericho to build their trust in God and the promises from Him that they received by faith.  Why did God have them walk around Jericho for seven days?  Could it have been five?  Could it have been eleven?  Could it have been one?

Israel was beginning to take the Promised Land, why did God drag out their taking of the first outpost?

We, at least, see God teaching Israel to be patient.  God was teaching them to trust, but they could have sincerely trusted and still prayed to God, “Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!”  By making them wait, He was teaching them that through faith, we patiently wait on God, even when we think we need something now.

I wanted to get out of the hospital and get home.  I had work to do.   I had the work of the Lord to do – to finish preparing this sermon, to preach last Sunday.  But God said, “no.”  Why?

If nothing else, I know that God kept me from being with you, so I could be with Al Weinstein and befriend him and begin to talk with him about God.  Al said he wants to come visit us when he is back on his feet.  Please pray for him – for his health and salvation.

Paul explained to the Philippians that he was always content:  “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13, ESV).

What was Paul’s secret?  How could he be content in poverty and riches as they came his way?  In Christ, Paul knew:

If we believe in the promises of God by faith, we need no other deliverance.

Through faith, we trust God, even when what God has said doesn’t make sense to us.

Through faith, we patiently wait on God, even when we think we need something now.

The walls of Jericho fell by the Hand of God – not by anything Israel did.  And in preparation for conquering Jericho, God taught Israel to believe in Him for deliverance, to trust Him – and to work that trust out in obedience, and to be patient until God says the time is right.

May God teach each one of us likewise.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You for the history of Joshua and the conquest of Jericho, that we would be reminded that our deliverance is in You Alone, and not through anything we do.  We ask that you would help us to trust and obey You in all that You have put before us in Your Word.  Help us to be patient as we wait on You and long for the Second Advent of Your Son Jesus, in Whose Name we pray, Amen.

 

December Sermons

In the Providence of God, I had a salivary gland duct stone which laid me up in the hospital for five days, so I missed preaching the first Sunday of this month.  Thankfully, it passed and the infection is passing, and I am healing and getting back on my feet.  D.V., then, I propose the following schedule for the rest of the month:

12/8/13 Advent 2
 Hebrews 11:30  "Joshua"

12/15/13 Advent 3
 Hebrews 11:31  "Rahab"

12/22/13 Advent 4
 Hebrews 11:32-34  "And, Part 1"

12/24/13 Christmas Eve 7 PM
 Luke 2:1-20  "The Faith of the Shepherds"

12/29/13
 John 1:1-18  "Faith in the Incarnate God"

Join us at 10:30 AM for worship -- except as noted.

No Study Tonight

Due to my just returning home from the hospital, we will not have our study this evening.  D.V., we will pick up with the doctrine of Unconditional Election on December 11th at 7 PM.