A QUESTION OF FAITH?
JOSHUA 2:1-7.
Faith is a common denominator that everyone has.
There is Natural & Spiritual faith.
Spiritual faith comes from the Living God.
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God.
Our spiritual faith is based upon who the Lord Jesus is.
1. A lot of people believe that faith is the ability to manipulate God.
2. A lot of people believe that faith is the adherence to a certain set of beliefs.
3. A lot of people believe that faith is a blind leap into the dark.
4. A lot of people believe that faith is the simply devotion to whatever god you happens to chose to follow.
1. Joshua faith in the lord does not stop him from fulfilling his responsibilities.
A. The Lord expect that you and I would make decision that we would normally make as long as those decision don’t go against the game plan of the Lord.
B. The second thing for us to learn is that the Lord expect for us to begin the process of moving forward.
C. There are two dangers here. First is that we would do nothing. The second is that we would run ahead of the Lord or that we wouldn’t seek the Lord guidance.
Luke 14:28. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
2. Rahab faith was based upon what she had heard.
Joshua 2:9b-11. "I know that the LORD has given you the land. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea. What you did to the two kings. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained. For the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
Rehab’s faith is based on the reports of others.
3. The two spies placed their faith in Rahab.
A. The actions of the two spies declare that they had faith to believe.
A QUESTION OF FAITH?
JOSHUA 2:1-24.
A high school teen came home from school to find his mother in the kitchen making supper. She asked what was new in school today. He said that a lot of the teens in his class were saying that the world was going to end that night and I was wondering what you though about it. I doubt it said his mother, but I suppose that it could happen. Her son asked, what would you do if you though it was true? I’d keep on making supper. I believe that the Lord want to find that his children are doing what they are suppose to be doing when he come for them. She stopped and looked at her son and said. Right now my task is to make supper, and you task is to be doing your home work.
Faith is a common denominator. Every one who is alive expresses their natural faith in something. Natural faith is the faith that you are born with. No one can live a single day without exercising their natural faith in the physical world. When you awoke and went into the bathroom this morning you flipped a light switch and your natural faith said that it would work. When you get in your car your natural faith tell you that it will start. Every time you walk into this church you are expressing your natural faith. Natural faith comes from what we have learned from life experiences and education.
Faith is also expressed in the spiritual realm.
Spiritual faith comes from the Living God.
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God.
The difference between our natural faith that we use everyday and our spiritual faith is the foundation of our faith.
Our natural faith is developed as we grow and as we teach our mind that the chair won’t break or the lights will come on. The thing about our natural faith is that most of us probably never question it because our faith is based on what we have learned, what we see and feel. How many of us would feel the chair to make sure that it is there before we sat on it?
Our spiritual faith is based upon who the Lord Jesus is. As I have read for you from Ephesians the Lord gives you and I the spiritual faith we need to believe in and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
The Moslem puts his faith Allah and in Mohammed. The humanist put his faith in himself. The follower of religion are people who have put their faith in a system of doing something a certain way or by saying certain words of phrases over and over. Those who follow cults usually place their faith in a certain humanist person or a concept. None of these concepts can save, because in each case the object of faith is wrong. The Bible insists that we personally put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. One of the major difference between Christians and everyone else is that Christianity isn’t a religion; rather Christianity is about having a personal relationship experience with the Living Lord Jesus Christ.
There are certain misconceptions about faith.
1. There are people who believe that faith is the ability to manipulate God. One of the groups that follow this concept people who preach prosperity gospel. The people who promote this concept see faith as having one aim – one fruit – a life of ease and blessing.
2. There are people who believe that faith is the adherence to a certain set of beliefs. In other word you must believe exactly what you are told and nothing else. Those who follow this idea believe that they are only people who have the right doctrine. They make up their belief system.
3. There are people who believe that faith is a blind leap into the dark. A lot of non Christians people believe that faith is opposite of science. People who think that faith is leaping into the dark are the one who have a difficulty believing that the Lord is a God of miracles. They believe that there has to be a scientific answer for everything. There are some who think that Christians who are living by faith are just acting contrary to be different to everything that is known.
4. There are people who believe that faith is the simply devotion to the god you have chosen to follow.
I have found that the people who belong to cults are usually more faithful followers to their belief system than Christians. In most cults the followers are required to simply obey and not ask any question about whether what they are being taught is correct. The sad thing is that it doesn’t matter how sincere they are, these followers have placed their faith in something or someone that isn’t solid or true.
The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
True faith is made visible in Christians lives by their confident obedience to God’s word in spite of circumstances or consequences. In other word how we live our lives allow other Christians and non-Christians to see whether we have faith or not.
Faith is described as the “substance of things hoped for,” and “the evidence of things not seen.”
First, the word translated “substance” in the Greek, means literally ‘to stand under or to support.’ Faith in Jesus Christ as our foundation gives the Christian the confidence to stand the trials knowing that they are supported by the Living God.
Second, word describing what faith is, is translated “evidence” and means “conviction.” The inward evidence of the Holy Spirit with in us bring about the conviction which enables the Christian to believe in things not yet seen. An example would be our belief in Heaven, or the belief the Lord promised that the Lord is able to accomplish what he has promised. There is an old illustration where a Christian was asked if he was put on trial for his faith would his life show enough evidence to bring forth a conviction?
Today I want to look at three people in Joshua chapter two and examine their faith to see if there is enough evidence to bring forth a conviction.
1. Joshua faith in the lord does not stop him from fulfilling his responsibilities.
If I believe that Joshua, in chapter one was responding by faith to the game plan of the Lord that we see in chapter one verse 11; then why is he sending out spies. If he believes in the promise of the Lord; why send the spies? Is Joshua saying by sending out the spies that he really doesn’t believe in God’s ability to achieve what the Lord wants or does Joshua just have weak faith?
So let’s examine Joshua.
Joshua did the Lord tell you that you couldn’t send out the spies? No.
Joshua did the Lord You that this wasn’t part of His game plan? No.
Joshua did the Lord tell you that by doing this you were showing your lack of faith? No.
Joshua did the Lord try to stop you in any way? No.
The result of our questions implies that since the Lord found nothing wrong with what Joshua was doing then there must be a principle here for you and me to learn.
A. The Lord expect that you and I would make decision that we would normally make as long as those decision don’t go against the game plan of the Lord.
B. The second thing for us to learn is that the Lord expect for us to begin the process of moving forward.
C. There are two dangers here. First is that we would do nothing. The second is that we would run ahead of the Lord or that we wouldn’t seek the Lord guidance.
If you remember I mention last week that Joshua told the people to prepare to enter the land. Well that is what Joshua is doing. As a military leader he needed to make all necessary preparation for the people to cross the Jordan. Joshua didn’t believe that just because he was told that the Lord would be with him, that he could sit back and expect the Lord to do all the work. The Lord is not asking his children to walk forward in their Christian walk with our eyes closed.
Luke 14:28. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
We live in a world that is hostile to the cause of the Lord and like Joshua we should take every preparation we can so that when we face the opposition we will win the victory.
2. Rahab faith was based upon what she had heard.
The result to the spy story is that we meet Rahab and we learn about her faith. God blessed Joshua’s actions because he was moving in the direction of the Lord game plan.
As we examine Rahab lets see if there is enough evidence to convince Rahab of having faith.
Rahab got her faith the same way you and I get our faith.
Rahab heard about the amazing victories of the Israelites. Rahab claimed that she knew about all the amazing exploits of Israel. When Rahab heard about everything that the Lord was doing for the Israelites she became convinced that God was on Israel side. Look at her conversation with the two spies; she said to the spies that “we have heard” what the Lord has done for Israel. We need to understand that Rahab didn’t see what happen nor does the Bible tell us that she talked to some of the survivors. She was acting upon the stories that she had heard.
Joshua 2:9b-11. "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10"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 utterly destroyed. 11"When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
Rahab’s faith is based on the reports of others.
Romans 10:17 tells us that Faith comes from hearing the message of the Lord Jesus.
She never considers that what she heard may be wrong.
Look at her declaration of in the Living Lord from what she had heard. The LORD your God, He is God. The action of the Lord caused Rahab to believe in the Living Lord.
Our spiritual faith is based upon what we have heard. I believe that the Lord created everything, but I wasn’t there when it happen. I believe that Jesus is the son of God and that he lived and died on a cross so that I could have my sins forgiven. I wasn’t there when Jesus hung on the cross but I believe that he did because I not only heard it in church but I read it in the word of God.
I believe that according to John 14:1-3 that Jesus has gone to prepare a place everyone who accepts his offer of grace and forgiveness. I can’t look into heaven to see how Jesus is coming along with my heavenly home yet I believe it because I heard it in church and I read it in the word of God.
I believe that there is coming a day when the Church will be rapture and that the world will go through seven years of tribulation. I can’t look forward into the future to see when this is going to happen, but I believe it because I heard it in church and I read it in the word of God.
Christian writer William Ward reminds us: “Faith is knowing there is an ocean when you have seen the brook.”
Rahab heard about the brook and she saw evidence of the Nation of Israel because there were two men standing in front of her.
What does the Child of the Lord have that can be used to give evidence that they have a relationship with Jesus Christ?”
The answer is by living our faith out through our lives so the world can see in our lives the evidence that will convict them.
As the allied soldiers swept through war torn Germany near the end of World War II, some troops came upon a bombed out house totally reduced to rubble. They discovered that the basement was still intact. When they were able to enter the basement they found a Star of David was etched on the wall. Under the star of David they found the following words. “I believe in the sun even when it does not shine; I believe in love even when it is not given; I believe in God even when he does not speak.” That is faith. That is the kind of faith that Rahab had. That is the kind of faith that the Lord desires that we have.
3. The two spies placed their faith in Rahab.
These two men went to Rahab’s place simply because that is the one place in the whole city where they could fit in.
I find it interesting that as soon as the people of the city realize that the spies had entered the city they went and inform the King who then want Rahab to produce the two men. I wonder why the king didn’t send his soldiers to take care of the two spies, is it because what they had heard about the Lord caused then to fear these men. But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.
These two men allowed this woman to look after making sure that they were hidden from the King men. They saw something in the way that Rahab’s was responding to them that caused these two men to put their lives in her hand. In that time period that is something completely unheard of
Her story convinced the king’s men that she was telling the truth. Here is the thing; if Rahab is found out to be a traitor, her life wouldn’t be worth the ground needed to bury her.
A. The actions of the two spies declare that they had faith to believe that what Rahab was saying was true.
These two men were putting their life in the hands of a harlot because of her testimony about who the Lord is look again at her statement of faith. The LORD your God, He is God.
Look at what happen next.
Their faith in Rahab enables them to not only believe her but to follow her instructions to the letter.
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. 16She said to them, "Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return.
Look at the testimony of the two men when they get back to camp.
Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. 24They said to Joshua, "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us."
