★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)
Wuye, Abuja
2nd Sunday Service
30th July, 2017
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| Picture credit: FWC Media |
☆ SERMON:
* Speaker: Pastor Yakubu Yola
* Topic: Heroine of Faith (Rahab)
* Text: Joshua 2:1-14
☆ Facts about the City of Jericho:
→ Jericho was a part of the land of Canaan (which was promised to the children of Israel)
→ It was the gateway into Canaan
→ It was a metropolitan city that engaged in a lot of commercial activity and attracted many visitors
→ It was full of evil practices and idolatry
☆ Facts about Rahab:
* Rahab was a prostitute in the city of Jericho
* Her house was built into the city wall and also served as a brothel
* The spies sent by Joshua lodged in Rahab's house
* She lived in a busy house in a busy city
* She lived in an evil house in an evil city
* If Rahab could be counted as a heroine of faith, then you have hope!
→ NOTE: No situation is too bad for God to turn around
★ Ecclesiastes 9:4 → "For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion." (KJV)
☆ Reasons why the Spies Chose to Go to Rahab's House:
→ Rahab's house was strategically located in the wall of the city. This helped them escape without being detected;
→ Many travellers visited her house. It was virtually impossible to be detected;
☆ How Was It Possible for Rahab to Develop Faith in God considering her location, profession and background?
→ NOTE: God did not show her any supernatural sign like he did for Moses, Gideon or Mary the mother of Jesus.
→ All it took for Rahab to have faith in God was that she HEARD of God's wonders through third-party accounts
* There is no greater prescription for contacting faith than what the Bible provides - faith comes by hearing.
★ Romans 10:17 →"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
* Rahab's knowledge of God was meagre but she acted on it!
→ Some Christians were born into godly homes and have access to God's Word but their lives remain un-transformed
* NOTE: Whatever you hear affects the level of your faith - positively or negatively
* Unless you defeat your 'Jericho', you cannot enter your promised land
* 'Jericho' may represent a negative mindset or attitude, a setback, a challenge, or a physical enemy, etc.
★ Joshua 6:1 →"Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in."
→ As fortified as Jericho was, its inhabitants HEARD about the Children of Israel!
* NOTE: The devil is afraid of you!
→ You must realise that the devil knows about your exploits and he is fortifying his defences because he knows that he cannot defeat you!
* Jericho looks fortified from the outside but was scared and trembling on the inside
→ Do not let outward appearances to intimidate you
* NOTE: Your 'Jericho' is getting melted on the inside and if you stand your ground in faith, it will eventually give way.
☆ How did Rahab Demonstrate her Faith?
1. She declared what she believed
★ Joshua 2:10 → "We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed." (NIV)
* NOTE: Faith has a voice!
→ Your consistent confession of faith is your key to victory
→ Your confession of faith in connection with your belief will produce results.
2. She had knowledge of God's ability
☆ You must know and be convinced!
★ Joshua 2:9 → "and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you."
⇒ Everyone in Jericho 'heard' the wonders that God performed, but Rahab 'knew' His ability.
* Only those who are willing to pay the price of faith by coming to an intimate knowledge of God's power can experience His divine intervention.
★ Hebrews 10:23 → "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
* Rahab was a solitary champion of a righteous cause
→ she was saved by what she believed
☆ What Actions Did Rahab perform:
* It was Rahab's action of faith that drew God's action to her
* Even though it required faith to be saved, it takes action for faith to be expressed.
★ James 2:24 → "You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone." (NIV)
1. She hid the Spies
→ This was actually an act of treason which would have cost her her life. She took a risk by deceiving the King's messengers and misleading the army of Jericho.
→ NOTE: Every time there is an opportunity to fear, is also an opportunity to trust God.
★ Hebrews 11:23 → "By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict." (NIV)
2. She orchestrated the escape of the Spies
→ She gave the spies the strategy to escape from the military scouts of Jericho
★Joshua 2:16 → "She said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."
3. She negotiated the deliverance of her entire family (Joshua 2:12-13)
→ She was not intimidated by the spies nor felt disqualified to make big demands.
→ She negotiated big! She wanted ALL members of her family to be saved.
→ She did not look at her qualification, but on their ability.
☆ Three (3) Conditions the Spies gave Rahab:
1. She must hang a scarlet rope over her window (verse 18)
→ this represented the blood of the Passover & a foretelling of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary
2. Every member of her family has to be in her house (verse 18-19)
→ She had control over all members of her family
3. They must not tell anybody (verse 20)
→ There are things that you must keep to yourself till God comes through for you
→ this represents self control
NOTE: The Bible's description of Rahab as a harlot was not to discredit her. It was to demonstrate the grace of God that was upon her life.
☆ What held Rahab's House in Place even when the wall of Jericho was crumbling?
★ Luke 1:37 → ''For with God nothing will be impossible.”
* NOTE: Rahab's house was a solitary fragment in the midst of a universal wreck
→ This was a type of the rapture
* After the children of Israel conquered Jericho, Joshua honoured the oath that the spies made with Rahab.
★ Joshua 6:22 → "But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.”
★ Only those who trust God till the end shall be saved
☆ NOTE: God can change your situation and your story regardless of your background.
→ There in no person that God cannot use for His glory!
→ Only God has the capacity to do this
* If Rahab made it, you can make it!
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