Rahab: Safe from Judgment

Now I'd like to read this evening in the book of Romans, chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, verse 1. We've been hearing and singing just now about condemnation, but look what verse 1 of Romans 8 says. There is therefore now no condemnation, no judgment, to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. It's the first part of the verse that I'm interested in.

There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. I do want to read a little illustration of this found in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. If you wish to follow along, Joshua, and we'll read from verse, in chapter 2, verse 1. Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho.

And they went and came into an harlot's house named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold there came men in hither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house, for they be come to search out all the country.

And the woman took the two men and hid them, and said, Thus there came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were. It came to pass, about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out. And so she gets the men up and speaks to them.

And verse 9, And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that of the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when you came out of Egypt. Verse 11, And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts did melt.

Neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. Now we'll just look at just a little further down.

Verse 18, Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window, which thou hast left down, by, and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household home unto thee. And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless. And whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

So the spies leave, and then got to go over a little bit to chapter 6. If you remember the story, they marched around the city. We won't read all the story, but just look, just to confirm what happened. Look down at verse 22, And Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye swear unto her.

And the young men went, there were spies went in and brought out Rahab. And then look down, verse 25, And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she hath. It's quite the statement really.

There is now no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus. What does it mean to be in Christ, and to be safe from judgment? That's what we're going to see in the illustration here tonight. This is the story when the children of Israel went into the land of, where the promised land, and when they arrived there was a big city called Jericho, and it has these massive walls, and the people are living inside.

There were likely two sets of walls, and in between there was a lady that lived in that area, along with other people, and she was a prostitute. She was a very sinful woman named Rahab. And so to find out what it's like, Israel, they send, by God's direction, Joshua sends in some some spies, and they go in, and they end up staying at her house, and she hides them from the king's soldiers who hears that they're there, and then they go away.

And before they leave, this woman gets the assurance of how she can be saved from coming judgment. She knows it's coming. God is going to use the nation of Israel, and they are going to absolutely destroy everybody in that city.

So she knows, just like you tonight, she knew exactly what was going to happen. It's just a matter of time until the condemnation, the judgment comes. It's just a matter of time.

So the question would be, how could she be saved from that coming judgment? You get it? A question is tonight, how could you go out the doors of this auditorium having been saved, and be sure the coming judgment of God will never touch me? I've been saved from condemnation. Well, I want you to notice quickly with me the necessity, the necessity of salvation for Rahab. She needed salvation for two reasons.

Number one, because of what was committed, because of what was committed. You only need to read the story, and you find out that she was of Canaan, and you know what that means? That means that she was an idol worshiper. She worshipped false gods and idols.

Everybody did, and it was all kinds of sinful practices related to that, but she would have been an idolatrous person. She bowed down to images. Instead of worshipping the true God of heaven and earth, she worshipped images.

But not only that, she was really wicked. She was a prostitute. She committed gross sin, and everybody knew it, and everybody knew her reputation, and God knew it as well.

Plus, we read she told a lie. The sins that she had personally committed for those sins, the judgment of God, it was coming on all the city because they were all involved in it. But just taking it personally, she, because of what was committed, she was in danger of coming judgment.

I want to ask you tonight, what about you? You say, something so, so awful as, like this woman did? Nope. Count me out. I don't have to worry about that one.

Bowing down and worshipping and praying to an image, a false god? Huh. I'm good to go on that one. No worries? What if Rahab could go back and she could erase all of the sinful, sexual sins she committed, and erase all that from her life? And what if she could go back and erase all the times she worshipped and prayed to some idol, some god or goddess or some animal or some thing? And all she had left was a lie, one lie that we read about.

See, that wouldn't change anything. Wouldn't change anything at all. The judgment of God, why does God give out judgment? He is not up in heaven with some kind of a heavenly fly swatter going around, and just looking for somebody who's not behaving themselves, and whack, he'll get you.

That's not the God of the Bible. God only gives out judgment as the right response to sin, when his laws have been broken. That's why the New Testament says, the wages of sin is death.

It is the right consequence that as a calm, righteous judge, God will give out for sin. And you'll remember with Adam and Eve, it wasn't prostitution, it wasn't drug use, it wasn't murder, it wasn't stealing, and it wasn't idolatry. It was simply disobeying God.

For that reason, God moved in judgment. He said, get out! That's why the Bible says about the presence of God, nothing that defiles shall enter in. Nothing.

Any defilement in your life, any sin, you're banned. I was banned because of my sin. So don't take any comfort that you don't have a lot of sin.

Don't take any comfort of the sins you haven't committed. We have heard tonight, there's no difference between us all, for all have sinned. Whatever.

Just take, just suppose in Rahab's life, that was the smallest sin she ever committed. Whatever the smallest sin in your life is, you think back on that you've ever committed. Maybe you disobeyed your parents, maybe a kind of, maybe a kind of heart on a brother or sister, or maybe you hurt somebody.

Maybe you lied. Whatever it may be, just remember, one sin and God the judgment of God. That's how, doesn't that tell you how bad sin is? And that we need to repent of our sin? Because we see it here, the necessity, because of what was committed.

But the necessity was because of what was coming, as well. The judgment of God was coming. Now you may not think that for a lie, or for some certain sins, the judgment of God is not necessary.

But the God of the universe, who is righteous and holy, he has declared, the soul that's in it, it shall die. There is a coming judgment upon this world, but you read the Bible. The Bible tells us very clearly that there are people who are going to die, and they're going to be in a place that was actually made for the devil and his angels.

You say, why would God put anybody in a place of burning fire forever? I can understand the devil, and I can understand the demons, but why would God put people there? It's because you and I have done the exact same thing the devil has. The devil is going there because he sinned, and I was going there because I sinned. And tonight, if you've never been saved from the condemnation, that's where you're going according to the Bible.

Have the courage to read the Bible. It should trouble your soul to think that you are one breath, one heartbeat away from the judgment of God for your sin. Because of what has been committed in your life, and because of what is coming, you need salvation tonight.

As the Bible says, we must be saved. But now the possibility of salvation, the possibility of salvation. How could this woman be saved from coming judgment? The spies arrive, and they say we're coming, and the judgment's going to be carried out.

But when they come, they set up camp, and they put a siege on the city. So the Jericho, they close the gates of the city so that the attackers can't come in, the Israelites, and something strange happens. First morning, the Israelites get up, and they put, it's like a parade, and they march around the city.

And they come back, and they go back to their tents. On the second day, and the third day, and the fourth day, and the fifth day, and the sixth day. On the seventh day, they march around seven times.

Strange way to do battle. Oh, the judgment of God is unique. It's not like people expect it.

It's something unique. But now, how is he going to be, how is she going to be saved? Well, as she looks down from the city wall, upon the wall where her house was, and she looked around, there was a strange-looking thing. It would catch your eye as you looked at it.

As they're moving along around, God says to them, Rahab, there's a way you're going to be saved. The messengers say when we come, there will be salvation. And she looks down, and there's something blue.

It's covered, it's like a piece of furniture. It's actually where the presence of God was, and it's covered in blue. Blue.

Blue. Blue. Ah! Rahab, get the message! If you're going to be saved, it is going to be, have to be a salvation that comes from above, from the blue, from God.

You need God's salvation. And it'll have to be a way that somehow where God will be set, God will be satisfied, so that you do not get the judgment. You'll be saved from the condemnation.

She must have thought to herself, I would love to be able to find a place, somewhere I could go where I would be, I would be safe in that place from the coming judgment, some place that God gives me. She had heard all about the Israelites. She would have known that they had a place where that piece of furniture was, and she she seemed to know a lot about them.

She would have known that outside that place they were, had been sacrificing animals. Blood was being shed. And that once a year, they would take some blood inside, and they would put it out, what was on that piece of furniture underneath that blue covering, and God would hold back.

God would be satisfied. It would look like for a year, and then they would have to do it again. Get the picture now.

How will Rahab be saved? She needs three things. She needs a safe place to go. She's going to need a payment for her sins, and she's going to need to know that God is satisfied with that payment.

A safe place, a payment, a sacrifice, blood shed, and knowing that God is satisfied. Before the spies leave town, what do they say to her? They say to her, tell you where, right here, this place, right in your house. Whoever comes into this place, whoever comes into this place, they'll be saved in here, in this place.

They'll be saved from condemnation. This place. Because, look down there, look what's happening.

There's going to be it. The only thing that satisfies the God of blue of heaven and earth is blood. A blood sacrifice that will satisfy him.

If you could have these three — look at you tonight. If I could hold up a mirror, look at you tonight. What do you need to be safe tonight and sure you'll never come under the judgment of God? You need some place where you could go that would be safe.

In that place you could be safe, and you could be sure that there was a sacrifice that satisfied God for your sin. Paul picks up his pen, he says, I got it. I got it! There is now no condemnation, no judgment for them which are the place.

In! There she is standing inside her house. The walls are falling down. I'm safe, because I'm in the place that God has said that's the place of safety.

In Christ is the place of safety. But you say, how could that possibly be in Christ? What about the sacrifice for sin? Oh, let me tell you about the sacrifice for sin. For her, it was all kind of vague, probably, but it's not vague for me, because I'm not looking at some sacrifice of an animal.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. Is it good enough, that sacrifice for God? The Bible says that he is the propitiation, the satisfactory sacrifice, not for our sins only, for all sins of the whole world.

It's good enough for everybody. And so that's why God, in the picture, he's anticipating the sacrifice of his Son on the cross, and that's why he says, whoever goes in that place, whoever is in, whoever tonight is in Christ Jesus. You say, how could she be certain that that actually, that being in that place, depending on a sacrifice that would satisfy God, that she would be kept safe from coming judgment? Before the messengers left, the spies, they gave her a red cord, a red cord, and she had to hang it in the window.

The red cord didn't save her. No, no, no. Red cord.

She's looking at a red, a red, a red, red. That's it. Red.

That's key. Blue. God's got to be satisfied.

Red. Precious blood has got to be shed. Where the problem of my sins, that's where the solution is.

Red. God's satisfied, and I'm in the place. How could you know tonight for sure that you'll never come into judgment? I can imagine her putting that red cord in her hands, wondering about the coming judgment on the city of Jericho.

I imagine at times tears flowed as she thought to herself, I'm safe, because look, this reminds me that God gave me his word, that in this place there will be no judgment. I've got the red cord. I've got a promise from God.

I've got God's word. That's all I got. I am staking my whole salvation.

It all depends on a sacrifice that satisfies the God of heaven. I'm not living in the days of Rahab, and neither are you, but could I just tell you how I know for sure I'm never going to be in the judgment? The judgment will never touch me, because I'm staking my whole future on the sacrifice and bloodshed of the Lord Jesus that has satisfied God, and God has given me the red cord, the promise. There is now no condemnation.

He's given me his word. There's no condemnation for them who are in, depending on, enjoying. We're in the position.

We're in Christ Jesus. I just used a figure of speech. Kind of came home to me recently.

I used the expression that I'm staking my future, staking my future. It doesn't happen too often in the city, big city Phoenix where I'm from, but my son has a little tent business for some commercial tents that he rents out, and so one day he got this tent job on the edge south edge of the city, just on the other side of South Mountain that's wide open to the desert, and the wind was gonna be picking up, and so I said to Jake, I said I'm gonna put in the big stakes, 42 inch long steel stakes, and so I went out there to try and show him how a real man should work, and like a father, and I think think think away until I got the stake in. I don't know if you've ever put anything in the ground in Phoenix, Arizona, but it's the equivalent of trying to drive something into concrete, because we don't get rain and so it's dry and hard, hard, hard, and I pounded that stake in.

Stake, singular. As we drove away, the wind was starting to pick up. I thought to myself, what's the likelihood that those tents are gonna be there? You see, I was literally staking the future of those tents, it all depended on whether that would hold or not.

It was all, we're all counting on that. If that doesn't hold, like the old book in the movie, Gone with the Wind, tonight, could you not stake your whole future on Christ? Could you not count on Him that His sacrifice is sufficient for God, sufficient for you, satisfactory, the bloodshed, God-satisfied, and claim the promise? There is now no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus. What a promise.

I hope it'll not just be, what a promise. I hope tonight you'll take the cord and it'll be your promise. Take it from God.

There is now no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus. Shall we pray? Father, we're thankful for the Lord Jesus and His sacrifice at the cross. We do appreciate tonight, we're reminded so carefully and forcibly of the fact that thou art a patient God.

We recall how patiently thou didst wait for Rahab and the citizens of Jericho, hundreds of years waiting and waiting, and even waiting that whole week and reminding them, and calls of trumpets for them to repent. And seven times on that last day thou art a patient God, but much more thou has been patient with every one of us. But there came a day of limit on that patience, and Father, this we fear.

We pray, Father, for those who are not saved, perhaps some who are well aware of the Lord Jesus and His sacrifice, that tonight they will be saved and not come into condemnation. We pray, Father, for the salvation of souls and for thy blessing upon the Word of God presented through the day to Christians, and tonight to those we long who will become Christians, trusting in Christ. And so we pray for this blessing tonight in the worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.