Dr. Jim Schettler: The Life of Rahab: A Trophy of God's Grace

I want you to do something today it's not in your notes but I want you to take your Bible and turn to Genesis chapter number 1 Genesis chapter number 1 years ago I was starting a series on the book of Genesis and I was in my study and I was I was very excited about creation Genesis 1 and I thought oh this is gonna be good this is that message about God's glory that heavens declare the glory of God and his creation and he just spoke it and everything happened and Genesis chapter 1 is an incredible chapter verse 1 it says in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth I thought whew boy that's a good one verse 3 and God said let there be light and there was light look over verse 9 and God said let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place and let the dry land appear and it was so look at verse number 11 and God said let the earth bring forth grass and the herb yielding seed and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind I'm thinking man alive he's speaking in this great creation verse 14 and God said let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night then I got to verse 16 and it was like just one of those moments in my life that God just spoke to my heart it says in verse 16 and God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day we know it as the oh boy house man King we know it as the and the lesser light to rule the night we know it as the and then the next five words he made the stars everyone to get a last word that verse also you know I mean I study how God like whoa there's not hundreds and thousands of stars there's not billions of stars there's not billions of stars there's trillions of stars there's galaxies and solar systems this universe is incredible each one of these stars are absolutely magnificent this is unbelievable and he made the stars also I'm thinking to myself five words to the creation of the Stars now there are scientists that would have stopped right there in written values God gives the stars five words that day in my office I started thinking about people throughout the Bible there's a whole chapter in John chapter four about a woman at the well who was very immoral a whole chapter on her there's first is about some blind guy outside of Jericho Bartimaeus there is a chapter in the Bible about the woman we're going to talk about today her name is Ray AB by the way you guys know her Rahab the and she's called Rahab the harlot into the New Testament - and we'll talk about that in a couple moments there is a chapter in the Bible on a prostitute and five words on the stars what does that tell you about your God what does that tell you about God and about what he created friend I'm gonna tell you something the heavens do declare the glory of God but there is not a star solar system in our galaxy and in our universe that is more important than every soul that's in this auditorium right now God gave five words to the stars it expends the rest of the book revealing himself and redeeming mankind I want to talk to you today about a trophy of grace because I believe that we are in a huge trophy chest right now man if I'm gonna ask you to do something if you have been saved by the grace of God and you're on your way to heaven would you stand up right now you've been saved by the grace of God you know you're on your way to heaven would you stand right now this is one large trophy case thank you you may be seated every one of you if you just stood you are a trophy of grace and my friend I want to tell you something I sure didn't mean to embarrass you I even struggled about even doing that at the beginning but if you could not just stand I pray today you'll get put in the trophy case of God's grace you've come to the right place I think by God's providence and God's divine order you are here today to become one of God's trophies of grace now what is a trophy a trophy as a trophy is a symbol of success or victory you take a trophy and it reminds you of a victory or a success and somebody presents that trophy with you well today I brought a trophy with me I like this trophy this is a volleyball up here and it's one of our girls volleyball trophies it goes back to 1832 no no it goes back to the year 2004 I don't know there may be a woman in here that was part of this team I don't know there may be somebody in here that remembers this tournament it was the women's volleyball tournament champions congratulations west coast Baptist College 2004 it's a trophy of a success of a victory today I want to talk to you about a woman that is absolutely a trophy of God's grace Rahab is not in heaven saying hey I was quite the girl hey did you know that I was the great-great-grandmother of David did you know who my pedigree did you no no I guarantee you Rahab is in heaven tonight in this morning for one reason the grace of God and you are a trophy of God's grace if you've received that grace and you've seen God work in your life and I want to talk to you Pastor said to me he said brother schüttler could you maybe not when you preach this Sunday not really mention anything about the election or anything I said no problem let's get as far away from all of that stuff and go to the things that are so encouraging how about the grace of God take your Bibles if you would in turn first of all we're going to get to Joshua 2 in just a moment would you take your Bibles and turn to Ephesians chapter 2 Ephesians chapter 2 and I I want you to see this trophy of grace that's found in the Word of God visions chapter 2 and verse 5 the Bible reads even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and look at verse 7 then in the ages to come he might show in other words display in other words put up his trophy case that he in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward everyone together what's tonight's word toward us were his trophies through Christ Jesus now think about this talk about a trophy of grace Rahab goes from the house of shame a harlot to the Hall of faith Hebrews chapter 11 how did she do that for the sheller she did that by the grace of God that is nothing of Rahab that is totally the grace of God in what he did in his life if Rahab could come and give a testimony hi brother I appreciate it brother libels testimony and you know I've watched him from afar what a great you know praise the Lord for Esther's desire and vision to come but you know in that little core of people way back in 1986 God had some trophies of grace that he was going to use and I appreciate it brother Wiles testimony today however wouldn't it be great if today from the door we could call out Rahab would you come and if Rahab came and gave her testimony this morning in this church service I believe there would be three things that she would want us to know about the grace of God that made her a trophy of grace I want you to see these a number one she would want you to know that God's grace is individually given God's grace is individually given in other words we cannot receive grace for somebody else if there's somebody here today that's on their way to hell they do not have a personal relationship with Christ they're still in their sins they haven't been forgiven I can't give you grace for that I can't receive grace for you there's things I can do for you but I can't receive grace for you only you can receive that grace individually now let's go to our story Joshua chapter 2 by the way we will be back in Ephesians 2 so you might want to hold your place there but Joshua chapter 2 let's look at verse number 1 for just a moment Joshua chapter 2 and verse number 1 and Joshua which is a picture of Jesus Christ I find that interesting Yeshua that's his name there are Jesus's name as yushua we have Joshua Hosea all these are the same name means Savior and Joshua the son of nun sent out of shittim two men to spy secretly saying go whew the land even Jericho now I want to share this with you about the book of Joshua you could go since you're right there right now you could go from chapter 1 verse 18 whosoever he be that doth rebel against the he's telling these tribes that you got to stick with us you got a reuben gad they have tribal Manasseh you gotta fight and so he finishes up after one you could go rate to chapter three and Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from shinola you could go right from chapter 1 to chapter 3 Joshua chapter 2 has nothing to do with the historical account of Israel possessing in occupying the land now the Battle of Jericho is going to come up here in in chapter in chapter 6 but what occurs in chapter 2 has no relevance to the book at all they say well brother seller it's a very important chapter because out of that we get the genealogy of Rahab who's going to end up being part of the genealogy of our Messiah Jesus Christ that is true Matthew chapter 1 verse 5 we find Rahab the harlot mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ yes but in the historical account of the book of Joshua you don't need chapter 2 and you know what else you don't need this is so cool you don't need these two spies going to check this thing out at this point in chapter 2 Joshua has not been given the instructions and how the walls gonna be torn down at this point he has not been told hey you're gonna walk around the city 13 times you're gonna give a big shout and it's gonna fall down he hasn't happened yet so he's thinking you know what I gotta get planning I gotta get checking into this thing so he sends two spies to check it out doesn't need to be done because whatever information they bring back everything they bring back hey listen I think these people are really afraid but it doesn't do anything there is no reason for for Joshua chapter 2 except for one thing there is somebody there that's gonna be a trophy of God's grace there is somebody there that's going to get saved there is somebody there that's going to receive the grace of God and for that reason there are two missionaries that are sent out to the city of Jericho now they don't even know that they're missionaries they think they're spies but they're actually going to be missionaries I even know their names you say brother Stella where do you get that oh yeah their names are Michael mercy and Gabriel grace because mercy and grace entered into Jericho for anyone could have received them into their home but only one woman a harlot a sinner woman an immoral woman a wicked woman received the grace and I want you to know friend you may be here today and you may feel like you're the most wicked person in this auditorium well I just want you to know Michael and Gabriel are coming to your place today the grace of God is available for you friend and God has brought you here today to see and to be a trophy of grace and to see what God has done so notice what it says and Joshua's the son of nun sent out shittim the two men just by secretly saying go view the land even Jericho and they went and they came into a harlots house named Rahab and lodged there she individually received both of those men and my friend let me tell you the way that she received them by faith because she knew who they represented and she knew who's God who was God her faith that received that is the same way a person gets saved let's look at this for just a moment large a the explanation of God's grace now I have to tell you something's changed in the last 24 hours on this and I'm I really have thought this out and I think you know what it's gonna be a little humble to say this but we got to get this thing corrected so this is not a typo this is a Jim oh this is my fault here and the explanation of God's grace now the definition of grace is what I thought about I wrote this out I like the beginning the free favor of God's goodness well that's a good definition I like the last part unmerited kindness an unearned given ability to do what's right and that's a really good definition of grace that God is grace is the unearned ability to do what's right you didn't this you didn't earn this unit isn't anything you did for it but there's a little phrase there without any expectation of return and I thought about that now here was my thinking in other words God doesn't give you grace saying hey you got to do this and you got to do that by the way I got saved out of a regional religion like that I was born in a religion that said be good do good look good at the end of your life if your good outweighs your bad that'll give you grace and save you if you do certain sacraments if you do certain things you can receive the grace of God no no it doesn't work like that it's not grace if you've got to do something but I thought about the wording which was awkward at best without any expection of return now that isn't necessarily true when God puts his grace on you it isn't for you to just live any way that you want God doesn't give you this grace so that you can go back in your sin and say hey I'm saying you know we're sin abounded grace did much more abound Hey so the more I said the more grace is given yeah keep reading in that chapter in Romans chapter 5 verse 2021 in chapter 6 verse 1 what shall we say should we continue in sin that grace may abound god forbid how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein now wait a second you don't do anything to get the grace of God but like Paul said in first Corinthians chapter 15 I pray that the grace of God has not been in vain in my life hey let me ask you something you just stood a couple of minutes ago oh yeah praise God I'm a trophy of God's grace yeah praise God I've been saved by grace what does that grace done for you what does that grease changed in your life okay you are saved by grace alone not by works of righteousness which you've done but let me ask you there is a return on that grace or otherwise it's vain God gave you the grace you're saved you're on your way to heaven but man because of that we want to live right and we're going to see we're gonna see Rahab be that kind of trophy number to the extent of God's grace the extent of God's grace you see no political system no government no country can do what I'm about to say right now the extent of the grace of God Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 says this and you have he quickened brought to life who were dead in trespasses and sins where in time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom also hey Rahab and all of us we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we're by nature the children of Wrath even as others but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us he saved us I want to tell you about the extent of this grace whoever you are in this room whatever you have done whatever you have been however you got there God's favor God's grace is sufficient for your need I don't care who you are I don't care what you've done I don't care where you've been the grace of God can save you and don't you think that we get a Joshua chapter 2 for that reason it doesn't have to be in there for the story of the book of Joshua but it has to be there for all of us that are sinners like Rahab for all of us that know we need a grace that extends nobody is in this auditorium right now with a sin that God's grace cannot cover nobody is in this room right now that has ever done anything that God's grace cannot forgive and cannot change in your life nobody is in this auditorium addicted to something change of some sin that the grace of God cannot give you victory over there sin so that you can be a trophy of God's grace number three the experience of God's grace now look at this passage in Joshua chapter 2 I find this so interesting Joshua chapter 2 jump down to verse number 9 so she takes in these two spies she hides them and she has this conversation with them starting in verse nine 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 all 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 it by the way this happened 40 years ago this has been this has been over 40 years since all these things happened they've never forgotten it chances are Rahab has been born since then chances are Rahab under 40 years of age but even as a little girl growing up in cursed Jericho in wicked Canaan land they all hurt they all have a knowledge of this God they have all heard about the God of Israel she even noticed the names she says Yehovah capital L capital o capital r capital e that's that's in the Hebrew that's Jehovah Allah ween capital G swallow small D Elohim Lord God she knows a lot about this God she wasn't even living at the time probably that the Red Sea was parted she knows God and one thing what else about the city of Jericho she feared God and so did the city the city is melting look at we continue on look at verse number 11 and as soon as we had heard these things our hearts did melt I mean we're all living in fear here because you guys are coming after us 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 Wow what a testimony but this is interesting a testimony of what the people in Jericho knew now I'm going to tell you we live in a secular culture we live in a culture that is without God the Christian foundation in the Christian heritage of our country has been more than just damaged but I'm going to tell you in every person there is a belief in God there is even in the culture that we live in today there is still a knowledge of God and I'm going to tell you something somebody somebody goes through a difficult time somebody goes through an accident what are they do they will cry out to God because of a fear of God but that does not mean that they have experienced the grace of God to experience the grace of God there has to be an individual reception of that grace so if you're here today and you say oh listen I know that there's a god and I think we worship the same God I really do I I can sense that around here I made go to a different kind but I said we worship and you know what I fear God I know there's certain things man I better not do that that does not mean you've experienced the grace of God Rahab does something that is so important here everybody in Jericho knew about God and what this God was like everybody in Jericho is scared to death of this God but there is a harlot woman that takes a step further she experiences the grace of God yesterday I went out soul-winning we went on door knocking with a costume me and this young man we went out we would I think we did 56 doors and we were going and we met a one-family from Lancaster Baptist Church and some doors nobody answered but we had a lot of people we did a lot of talking we said the same thing at each door we had the same materials I had the same Bible I was given the same guff I didn't go like this store I'm gonna give a different gospel and in this store I'm gonna give it no no I'm giving the same guys for on the same street we're saying the same things but there was a 21 year old yesterday he may be here today there was a 21 year old yesterday that experienced the grace of God at his door stop we witnessed to him and he did something that no one else on that street did that morning he received it now let me tell you what Rahab did Rahab is no better than anyone in Jericho brilliant doesn't matter if rehabs worse than anyone in Jericho Rahab did something that every person in this auditorium has to do you have to receive Jesus Christ you have to receive the grace of God what makes Rahab different isn't that well I'm the only one that believes in God in this city no everyone believe in God in Jericho they all know who parted the Red Sea I am the only one that feared God no everyone's scared to death in the city but Rahab's the only one that received the grace of God my friend you come to this church you walk in here and you can walk out the same as you came in or you can come in and receive God's grace to become his trophy of what he can do in your life and forgive you of your sin it must be personal Rahab received it it will be powerful Rahab was changed by it it can be pushed away Rahab city rejected it number two God's grace number one is individually received but number two God's grace is ignited by faith okay so what did it for Rahab by the way brother schüttler if you say that it's they all believe then they all have faith they did but there is an object that changes with Rahab Rahab understood the God they also understood this as powerful and everything but Rahab received the spice and if you look at Hebrews chapter 11 verse 30 you don't have to turn to that but if you look at Hebrews chapter 11 verse 30 how she gets to the Hall of faith I'll tell you how she gets there because it says in Hebrews 11:30 she received the spies and I think that's the receiving of the grace the mercy that was given to her hey you got stayed in here with us you stayed here with us that faith goes further and and that faith is what ignited God's grace I don't know if you've ever had this happen to you before I think I was still in the early service I think this has happened three times it might have even happened more but there's three that I can recall I can recall the state and the place in the gas station but have you ever been in line to be the next one up at the pump and you're in you're waiting in line like okay get out you know you got to do this and maybe you're in the wrong lane for where your camp is and all that you know but you're thinking about all that and the person that's hit the pump right now they're not paying attention they're on their cell phone or what are they doing they cut their topping it off and they keep pumping and then it happens gas starts coming flowing out of their gas tank it's flowing down on the ground if there's a little puddle of gas and you're the next person that's got to pull up it's like I might get rid of my cigarette man what are we gonna do I don't smoke okay and I'm thinking to myself lady hey guy what are you doing you left and they leave you know their day left and there is a puddle of gasoline in front of a gas pump and you pull up and going oh man now I want you to know I've done that three times in I'm still here okay I never get blown up and I'm gonna tell you why not that that wasn't a dangerous situation but you still have to have something to what ignite it something still has to get it going something still has to light it now I want you to know you know we sing God shed His grace on thee you know AMERICA God shed His grace on I want you to know he is grace is all around us grace is all over California but you got to ignite it God's grace is all over your life you go well man I tell you that there's one thing I need this guy's preaching on the grace of God boy do I need that it's there God's grace is there a brochure I've had a sin I've had bitterness I've had unforgiveness I've had worry I've had pride I've had gossip I've struggled with lost all my life I've struggled with substance abuse I've been addicted I need this grace it's their gods where you are in a puddle of God's grace right now you said throw shell I don't think I'm experiencing you're not you haven't ignited it yet it gets ignited when you start believing your step of faith is what ignites the grace of God in your life some of you are living defeated lives and you've lived defeated for years because by faith you've never ignited the grace that's all around you that God wants to give you as joyful as it is to preach on the grace of God today is a burden because I'm thinking so many people what you needed today was God's grace it was there but you've never ignited it by faith she does she ignites that grace by faith if you look at that I just love look at verse 12 now therefore I pray you swear on to me by the Lord since I have showed you kindness I have taken my step of faith I have received you in I've allowed you to stay and I've hid you guys now you protect me take your step of faith today believe that today's it I'm having victory over this today is it I'm getting rid of this out of my life I'm repenting from this I need the grace of God and I believe that if I take my step of faith and receive these two spies in that God's gonna protect my life God's going to deliver my life Rahab had a confidence in Israel's God who he was and what he in what he could do now this is important because in her statement when she says for the Lord your God at the end of verse 11 for the Lord your God He is God in heaven above and in earth beneath no a woman being born in Canaan does not believe this stuff a woman that was raised in Jericho doesn't believe this kind of stuff you know what this shows me her confidence comes out of humility hey I've got to admit as much as we would like to say that our gods in Canaan are it our gods in Canaan are not it your God of Israel is it that is humility and the only way that I can figure out in the Bible to get God's grace God resisteth the proud I'm gonna tell you those rest of those citizens in Jericho as fearful as they were and as knowledgeable as they were they were fooling themselves those people and and by the way they had the people walk around them for seven days those people could have said this is crazy man that God is God man I'm repenting right now God is long-suffering to those people in Jericho but they were full of pride except for one girl and her family that showed humility you know what we're gonna have what's called an invitation at the end of this service and we're going to ask you to come forward to get counsel some of you are believers but you need to talk to someone or you need to pray with God some of you do not know Christ as your Savior and I'm gonna tell you you need very badly to can sit down with someone and show them how you're gonna have to humble yourself if you're gonna get saved today you got to become like a little child and you got to humble yourself there was a confidence in that confidence I think is based on humility I think it's like hey listen your God is God and it's not our God I totally admit that I totally understand that God resisteth the proud but gives grace to the humble large be Rahab had a commitment to Israel's God she laid her life on the line for those two spies Rahab had a commitment large sea may have had a chain because of Israel's God oh I love this rehabs life changes forever God's grace changed her life but it was her faith in God that brought it for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast this changes her life are you sick and tired of living the way that you're living God's grace is there for you notice the statement at the end God was not moved boy this is important God was not moved by Rahab's life she's a harlot God was not moved by Rahab speech she was a lawyer God was not moved by Rahab's need everybody in Jericho had the need what move God to give grace was her faith was her faith number three and we're done God's grace inspires change God's grace inspires change God's grace has got to be individually received God's grace has got to be ignited by faith and God's grace is God's grace inspires change Rahab's view of God changed by grace the way that she sees this God is a God now of love and goodness Rahab's view of God changed grace allows us to see him properly large be rehabs view of God's people changed by grace man the way that she looked at Israel the way that she looked at believers completely different and I'm going to tell you something when you get the grace of God in your life it inspires a change in the way that you relate with others grace allows us to love others properly until you've received the grace you can't love others properly large si rehabs view of her vocation change by grace grace allows us to live properly now that we have the grace of God in our life now we could do what we couldn't do before let me explain something law God gives these law what does the law do it breeze guilt oh wow look at those laws I can't live by that I'm a guilty sinner then the law becomes a schoolmaster it's a teacher and it brings you hey you're right you can't live by the law so let me bring it in one it again that you need help the grace of God law brings you to grace then you get saved you get saved by nothing you did but by what Christ did on the cross and now you've experienced the grace know what happens with the law well now the law is a guide I've been married for 36 years I kind of know what my wife likes and what my wife doesn't like and because I love my wife I want to please her there's kind of some unwritten unspoken laws in our home there's things I know I can do and there's things I know I shouldn't do well I'll hurt her I don't have I'm married to Marilee whether I do those things or not but I want to do those because I love her and let me tell you this I'm going to heaven no matter what I do today because of God's grace not because of me but I want to know how to please the one who gave who died for me and save me so I don't believe I'm a legalist at all what in the world is this thing called legalism legalism is a work system to get you saved man you're saved by grace but now that you're saved by grace you want to live holy you want to be holy in the Word of God shows us how to do that oh the law is important to me because it's God's will it's my way and now he's given me this grace to change my life so I can live right look at the conclusion Rahab was always called a harlot whoa yeah brother I struggle with that I thought God forgave oh God forgave rehab well then why is Ray AB always called a harlot because when you look at rehabs life God wants you to remember hey this isn't about some harlot woman in Jericho this is about what I did with that woman so yes you will remember her as Rahab the harlot because she's a trophy of my grace but do know this my friend that your past can I ever hip victory over the past absolutely but your past is a constant reminder of where God has taken you from today could be your beginning of being put in the trophy case of God look at that guy got saved today look at her her life it's change she's the mother she never was she has become the godly one you never you would never think of godly and that woman at the same in the same breath but the grace of God's changed her the grace of God has made her a trophy of grace Rahab is found in the lineage of the Lord I think that's amazing truly she became a trophy of what our Lord can do by His grace now I've been talking to you all about God's grace today I got to tell you one thing though and we're done there is something God's grace can't do brother shower you said God's grace can do everything yeah there's one thing you can't do God's grace cannot change your past God's grace can correct the present I hear me I don't know what baggage you come with I don't know how long you've been in pornography I don't know how long your language has been terrible I don't know how long your attitude of depression has almost taken your life I can't talk about the past but I can tell you this there is a grace that is given that can change the present that can correct your present life and if you want that person Jesus Christ and His grace it's available to you today it's here for you for by grace are we saved through faith and that not of ourselves it's a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast you ignite it when you believe you got to take it individually and it will inspire you to be different and change like you've never changed before

Channel: Lancaster Baptist Church

Views: 2,096

Rating: 4.878788 out of 5

Keywords: preaching, sermon, Christian, Jesus, Dr Jim Schettler, Pastor Paul Chappell, Paul Chappell, Lancasster Baptist Church, Lancaster Baptist, Christ, trophy, grace, experience, confidence, commitment, change

Id: b8un7o7QSbk

Length: 39min 45sec (2385 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 16 2016