Introducing Rahab

Joshua 2:1-24

The Israelites were about to enter Canaan and claim their promised land.

The first city they would have to face was the great walled city of Jericho.

If they could take this city, they could easily split the country into two, and then move from there to conquer the north and the south.

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Before they attacked the city, Joshua sent two spies into the city to examine the mood of the people, and to determine whether or not they were ready for the war that was coming.

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When the two men arrived in Jericho, they went to the home of a harlot.

Their purpose in entering into a harlot’s home was not immoral.

Their reasons were practical.

The sight of men entering a harlot’s home would not attract too much attention.

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What they found when they entered the home of Rahab was a shock to them.

They found Rahab changed by the power of God!

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Rahab is a demonstration of the power of God to transform lives.

God can take sinners who will place their faith in Him and completely changes them by His power.

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Let us look at what the Lord did for Rahab.

Let us see how Rahab saved and changed by the power of God!

Israel’s Commitment

Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!”

(Joshua 1:16-18)

They Committed Themselves To A Life Of Surrender

They made their stand with the Lord. They promised absolute obedience and surrender to the will of God.

This is the only way to spiritual victory. There must be total and absolute surrender of every area of life to the will of God and to His divine leadership. We need to make a complete surrender to God.

They Committed Themselves To A Life Of Submission

They promised to follow the leadership of Joshua.

We also need to submit to those in authority in the church.

They Committed Themselves To A Life Of Separation

They promised to separate themselves from those in their midst who refused to comply with the commandments of Joshua. They vowed to put to death anyone who rebelled against the leadership of Joshua.

If we want to walk in victory, we must practice separation in our lives as well. We must separate ourselves from anything that would prevent us from achieving victory in our lives. We may need to consider the way we dress, the way we talk, the things we watch and do, where we work, how we think or in any other area of life.

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The land of Canaan was in sight!

God had commanded Joshua to claim the land!

God had asked Joshua to trust in Him, to carry out His Law, and to be courageous!

Joshua had challenged the people of Israel to be ready and to be responsible people!

They were committed to march into the land of Canaan!

They were committed to live a life of surrender, a life of submission, and a life of separation to the will of God and the leadership of Joshua!

How about you?

Are you committed to march into your land of Canaan?

Will you commit yourselves to the will of God and the leadership of your Church?

Oh! It had been 40 years! Linger not in your spiritual wilderness!

Come out, cross the river Jordon, and march into your land of Canaan!

It is a land of spiritual conquests and victories.

It is a land flowing with milk and honey!

It is a land of abundant blessings in the very presence of God!

A Challenge To Responsibility

Joshua 1:12-15

Joshua addressed the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh.

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These tribes had sought, and got permission from Moses to remain east of the Jordan, just outside the Promised Land.

They had made this request because the land east of Jordan was a land that was good for raising cattle (Num. 32:1, 4, 16).

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Joshua reminded them that they had promised to fight alongside their brethren until the land of Canaan was conquered (Deut. 3:12-20).

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There are many Christians today who are just like these 2 ½ tribes.

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They are more concerned about making a living than about making a life!

They are materially minded, not spiritually minded!

They have trusted Jesus for salvation.

They attend church when they want.

They give and tithe when they feel like it.

But they seldom put God first in their lives.

And they refuse to go all the way in their commitment to the Lord.

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But they must be reminded to cross over to fight alongside their brethren!

A Challenge To Readiness

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’”
(Joshua 1:10-11)

Joshua’s Challenge (Joshua 1:10-15)

After Joshua received his challenge from the Lord, without hesitation, he went to the people and told them that the time had come to take their land.

First, he told them to get ready. He told them to prepare some food.

The manna was about to stop.

God had told them that He would give them manna while they were in the desert.

But it would cease when they entered the Promised Land (Ex. 16:35).

The manna was desert diet.

Now they were about to move up to something a whole lot better.

They were going to a land flowing with milk and honey.

What had worked in the wilderness would not suffice in the land of blessing.

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Before we can enter our Canaan, we also have to make the proper preparations.

The way we live must change.

The things we feed on must change.

Our priorities and passions must be brought in line with the will of God.

The entire scope of our lives must be altered to adjust to living differently than the world around us!

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This is why some people never enjoy the victorious Christian life.

They refuse to make the necessary changes to adjust to living in spiritual victory.

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Are you ready for your Canaan?

A Call To Courage In Leadership

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

(Joshua 1:9)

Three times, The Lord God Himself encouraged Joshua to be strong and courageous (6a, 7a, 9a).

Joshua would need great courage to face the enemies of Israel and to lead the people to victory in the Promised Land.

He must learn to stand firm and strong in the face of opposition!

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We also need to stand strong and courageous for the Lord now!

All around us, Christians are falling by the wayside.

We need Christians who will take the lead in the churches and make their stand for the Lord.

We need to stand up, make our stand, and headed God’s call to be brave and strong in our days.

We need to be godly men and women of courage, conviction and integrity.

Let’s learn to be strong and courageous for the Lord as we move toward our Canaan.

A Call To Carry Out The Law

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
(Joshua 1:7-8)

Joshua was to lead the Israelites into Canaan. God told him to take heed of His Law. Remembering the Law is an essential step to entering Canaan.

• Joshua was to keep all the Law. He was to do everything the Law said to do.

• Joshua was to meditate on the Law. Day and night, his mind was to be occupied with the Law. He was to love it and let it fill his heart and mind. His life must be centered in the Law and in the will of God!

• Joshua was to prosper by honoring the Law. God promised Joshua that if he lived his life around His Law, He would prosper him in everything he did and make him very successful.

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We are to develop a love for the Word of God!

Joshua was commanded to honor the Law; we must honor the Book of God!

We are to feed on the Bible and live by it.
We will be blessed when these things are true in our lives.

Let’s set a proper time everyday for the Word of God and feed therein.

Then our spiritual life will be strong and effective.

And, we are well on our way to claiming our Canaan and entering into our spiritual victory.

A Call To Trust God

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” (Joshua 1:5-6)

Joshua was reminded of the promises of God:

• The promise of victory over every enemy.
• The promise of the presence and power of God.
• The promise of the faithfulness of God.
• The promise of absolute victory.
• The promise of God to keep His promises.

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Joshua was called to trust God!

God was going to give Israel the victory.

Joshua was the instrument to do it.

Joshua was called to have faith in God!

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The same promises God made to Joshua are still valid today.

We can still count on God to do everything He promised Joshua He would do!

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We just have to trust God!

When we can place our faith in God at all times and in every situation, we will walk in victory in our lives.

Faith will ever stand the test (Heb. 11:1)!

We will fail the Lord, but God will never fail believers who have their faith in Him!

God Commanded Joshua to Claim The Land

“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses" (Joshua 1:3)

God had already given the land of Canaan to the children of Israel.

Moses, the man of God was dead.

But the work of God must go on.

Joshua was commanded to lead the people into Canaan to claim the land.

The land was given to them back in Gen. 12:7.

The promises were reaffirmed to every succeeding generation of the nation of Israel.

The land of Canaan was their land! They didn’t have to go on wandering around in the wilderness.

The land of Canaan was their land! All they had to do was to claim it!

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Some Christians live a defeated life.

They continue to struggle with sins.

They continue to wander around their spiritual wilderness.

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God has a place of victory for Christians.

He has promised us that we can live in that place of peace and blessing.

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Most of the time, we are defeated because we refuse to walk in victory!

There is a place of conquest for us.

Let us set out to claim our land of Canaan.

Canaan Was In Sight

“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.” (Joshua 1:2)

Moses, the great leader of Israel had died.

A new leader named Joshua had been appointed to lead the nation of Israel into Canaan.

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel was about to take possession of the land God promised Abraham many centuries earlier.

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (Gen. 12:7)

The book of Joshua is about the battles Israel faced in order to claim that promise from God.

The book of Joshua is a book about Christian warfare, painful defeats, suffering and great victories.

The land of Canaan was in sight. It was the route to the heavenly Jerusalem. It was a place of the Christians' victory in the midst of many struggles.

The land of Canaan was at hand. The Lord God told Joshua and the people to get ready. They were to cross over the Jordan river and claim the Promised Land.

The land of Canaan is very near. Are we ready?

We Have Found The Messiah

John 1:41b

Successful soul winner has a proper view of Christ.

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He Knows Who Jesus Is. He knows Jesus is the Son of God. He is aware of who he is representing.

He Knows What Jesus Did. He is comfortable talking about:

• His virgin birth (Isa. 7:14).
• His sinless birth (1 Pet. 2:22).
• His sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21).
• His horrible death on the cross for sinners (Isa. 52:14; Rev. 5:9).
• His resurrection from the dead (Matt. 28:1-6).
• His ascension to Heaven (Acts 1:9-11).
• His intercession for His children (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34).
• His return to receive His people unto Himself, (John 14:1-3; 1 Thes. 4:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52).
  

He Knows Jesus Has The Power To Save All Who Will Call Upon Him By Faith! (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; John 1:12.) Jesus is able to save! (Heb. 7:25)

He Knows Jesus Is Willing To Save. Jesus is always ready to receive all who will come to Him by faith! (John 6:37; John 7:37; Rev. 22:17)

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We need to know our Savior before we can share Him with another.

This demands much prayer and study of His Word.

We Have Found The Messiah!