God Makes Space For Misfits Pt. 5

[Music] open your Bibles with me to the book of Joshua the chapter number 2 Joshua at chapter number 2 on the top again about God makes space for misfits God makes space for misfits Joshua chapter 2 1 begin in verse number 1 until verse 18 is a long reading but I need you to get all of this and 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 harlots 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 become 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 wish not whence they were and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate when it was dark that the men went out whether the men went I would not pursue after them quickly for ye shall overtake them but she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flax which he had laid in order upon the roof and the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the Fords and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out they shut the gate and before they were laid down she came up a taunt up unto them upon the roof 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 all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you but we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt and what he did unto the two kings of the Amer acts that were on the other side of Jordan Sihon and our whom he utterly destroyed and as soon as we had heard these things our hearts bit milk 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 therefore I pray you swear unto me by the Lord since I have showed you kindness that you will also show kindness unto my father's house and give me a true token and that you will save alive my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that have all that they have and deliver our lives from death and the men answered her our life for yours if you order not this our business and it shall be when the Lord had given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with thee then she let down by a cord through she let them down by a cord through the window for her house was upon the town wall and she dwelt upon the wall and she said unto them get you to the mountain unless the pursuers meet you and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers be returned and afterward may ye go your way and the men said unto her we will be blameless of this Dinos which thou has made us swear verse 18 reads behold when we come into the land I shall bow buying this line of scarlet thread in the window without this let us down by and thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all thy father's household home unto thee thank you you may be seated the grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our God shall stand forever God makes space for misfits the outcast the misfit this morning is a prostitute named Rahab that night and in Judean skies the mystic star dispensed its light a blind man moved in sleep and dreamed that he had sight that night when Shepherds heard the song of hosts angelic choir a near a deaf man stared in slumbers spell and dreamed that he could hear that night when all the newborn babe the tender Mary rose to lean a prostitute slept a happy sleep and dreamed that she was clean the story is told of a rough uncultured man who for some unknown reason fell in love with an ornate vars in a window he saved his money and purchased this beautiful vows and brought it home with him and when he got it home and put it on his mantel he noticed that the curtains were too tattered for this beautiful vows so he had to change the craters the wallpaper was too ugly for this beautiful of ours on the mantel so he changed the wallpaper this chair that was comfortable but the stuffing was coming out he had to move that chair out of the way because he could not have this beautiful vows in a room on a mantel with an ugly chair with stuffing coming out pretty soon he redecorated the entire room to match the valves on his mantle once you put Jesus on the mantel of your life you have to do some redecoration everything that does not look like him it has got to come down Joshua chapter 2 is one of the most exciting salvation stories in all of the Old Testament r3hab brothers and sisters is a demonstration of the power of God to transform lives what I want you to take away from the message this morning is that an immoral pagan woman would never have been considered a candidate for God's rescuing grace in this place where God was about to bring judgment upon Jericho yet she and her family are the ones rescued when Jericho is destroyed it's an example of God's compassion and God's response to the faith of an immoral woman walk with me around the text look with me at rehabs failures verse number one tells us what and who rehab is rehab was a Harnett she was a shady lady she was a prostitute she was engaged in a wicked lifestyle selling her body to men for money her life was one of deep depravity and wickedness some Bible Translators have tried to redeem rehab by saying the word harlot means innkeeper that is a translation of the word Harnett but that's not the translation of the lifestyle of rehab because when you read Hebrews chapter 11 and James chapter number 2 they call Rahab where she was a prostitute rehab is the picture of every person in here who is lost and without Jesus Christ without Christ your life is defiled you may not be a prostitute but if you don't know Jesus Christ you're just as lost as a prostitute you're just as lost as a drug dealer you're just as lost on where as that man on the street who does not know anything about Jesus Christ you don't have to be a to be lost because you can't tell who's lost in here by how they look because lost folk don't look lost somehow to help me preach it they look just as good as you look they look just as intelligent as you look they look just as alive as you look but without Jesus Christ you might as well be a prostitute because you are lost and without Christ not only was rehab defiled and not only is a prison defiled here who does not know Jesus Christ but rehab was spiritually dead and when you're dead you can't hear the things of God you can't be moved by the things of God you can't get excited over the things of God just like some dead folk in here right now if you've ever watched the movie sick The Sixth Sense this little boy in the movie The Sixth Sense who says I see dead people this morning right here in lily Grove I see dead people you haven't smiled you haven't said thank you Jesus you you haven't lifted your hands you haven't told God Frank he woke you up this man kept you all night last night you could have been dead and in your grave but God's been good to you in spite of you and you sit in his presence alive physically but dead spiritually [Applause] Ephesians says we were dead in trespasses and sins we've been made alive through the blood of Jesus Christ and if Christ has made you alive spiritually in autumn an offense itself spiritually and physically dead folk eshop dead folk can't give God the glory dad folk they tell God thank you but if God has rescued you if God has delivered you your response oughta make us know you alive not only was rehab defiled and dead she was doomed because she lived in a city that has been tagged for demolition read the book of Deuteronomy it's already prophesied that Jericho is going to fall the children of Israel you remember Moses sent out 12 spies and 10 of them came back with a minority report ten of them said we can't take the city there they are giants in that land and we look like grasshoppers in their eyes how can you know how you look in somebody else's eyes unless you look like that already in your own eyes we look like grasshoppers in there but Joshua and Caleb said we can possess the land its flowing with milk and honey his pomegranate seeds as well as that we haven't done we are able because God is on our side and everybody over the age of 20 died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb and now Joshua is in charge of the children of Israel and now they have crossed the Jordan at flood season and he sends a reconnaissance group to go in to spy the land and Joshua singing reconnaissance is not a lack of faith is just good since its wisdom because the scripture says what man goes to war I wish I had a Bible reader without first counting the cost that their safety in a multitude of counselors if you gonna do anything for the Lord you got the fresh snow it's the Lord that's doing it cuz if you try to do it in your stress you're gonna fail every time you sins be spies into the land of Canaan and when they get there they show up at rehabs house and the reason they show up at rehabs house I suspect is because men are used to going in and out of that and nobody would suspect them being on a mission from God going into a prostitutes house because they were used to seeing men in and out of there somebody ought to help me preach it but they're not going there within a sexual intent they're just going on a godly mission talk back to me if you can every man and woman that's talking is not of sexual connotation we are in an age in a culture where you can't be friends with somebody but unless somebody's thinking something's going on that must be in your mind and that's what you would do if you had an opportunity I wish I had time to stay right there I'm almost at the place where I don't want to hurt nobody [Applause] because I don't want to wind up on television for the wrong reason you just said good morning and it's some sexual kind of stuff going on I think this mess is going too far I don't have time to stay right there that's that's not the sermon I'm just trying to get over to you that nobody would suspect these men going into rehabs house because that's her trained men coming in and one in the front door and one out the back door and two rooms over on side and three rooms upstairs they are accustom to men traversing in and out of a home so nobody would suspect that they are on a mission from God because Rahab is a prostitute but she's a prostitute whose heart God had already touched and I think ought to tell somebody in here this morning I don't care who you are I don't care what you've done if you open your heart this morning God can touch you in verses 2 3 11 I want you to see rehabs freedom a failure is in verse number 1 but her freedom is in verses 2 through 11 especially around verse number 9 where we have our prostitute a pagan woman let me before I get to that let me tell you what rehab does not have she does not have a Bible she does not have a church home she does not have a pastor she does not have her name on the church's role she does not have envelopes in the mail with a name on it from lily Grove for her tithes and offering all she has is a heart open to God and God does not care about your church membership if you don't open your heart because you can be in church and be lost I want you I want you I want to get with me now in verse number 9 and in verse number 9 she said to the men I know she heard the message about Israel's girl ah no and if you're gonna get save you can't talk about what they know [Applause] you got to be able to say hi no I wish I had a witness job said I know that my redeemer lives have a got a witness here but not only does ray I'm saying I know she talks about her people she said now we know Paul says and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to those who are the called according to his purpose it's not enough for you to say I know you gotta get in a crowd so you can say we know [Applause] she heard the message and then she heeded the message cuz it's not enough to hear you got to heal and when you hear what you've heard it results in a life of faith I'm not talking about a Sunday school teacher I'm talking about a prostitute this is not the President of Russia board number two this is a prostitute she's not leading a song in the young adult choir she is a prostitute but she opened a heart to God and I think I ought to say again whoever you are if you in here this morning if you open your heart you come in yes he will you may not have a bad reputation you just might be lost and without a hope in Christ if you're here this morning and you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior you've never been on the street you've never killed anybody you never robbed the bank but being lost ain't got nothing to do with what you haven't done it's about what has already been done for you he died on the cross for you and if you open your heart just like Rahab he'll come in rehab for the shady lady she's a queen of the night lady of the evening her house is in the red light destroyed on Montrose South Park Sunnyside fifth Ward right right along here on till Weston because you can't tell what's going on in a house by looking at it from the outside somebody ought to help me preach it you you can't tell these folk by saved by just looking at him I wish I had two or three witnesses here because all of us in here got a rehab pass if you didn't do it it was on your mind and if you did don't act like you didn't because the Lord had mercy on you the Lord was patient with you and just like God saved you pray for God to save your mother your father your brother your sister rehabs freedom she said I heard about your God how you open the Red Sea and you win over on dry ground and then we heard that the hammerites was messing with you until they heard about your God and you got rid of Sion and AH and before you even got inside the game our hearts melted because we heard about the power of yoga and and the reason for help some of you can't shout this morning it's because you don't know nothing about God's power but somebody here who has experienced the life changing power of God through Jesus Christ somebody here who knows that God can lift up a bow down ahead God can answer prayers God can open doors that were closed in your face God can make your enemy your footstool God can put food on your table there's power power wonder-working power [Applause] in the precious blood of the name argon has power let me tell you how powerful God is you in hit is morning that's powerful because if you had your way you'd still be doing what you were doing for God's Savior but the power of God turned your life around made you a brand new individual and you are in this church this morning because God has power [Applause] yeah I'm I'm pastoring my family right now through the sickness and the soon passing of my brother he's he's he's down he's not going to get up and one of my nieces is really struggling three or four of my niece's are really struggling cuz we just buried a brother not long ago another family member soon after that and they are they're really struggling and and I'm praying that that God will keep him alive until I get the unit's this afternoon I had Johnny to put the phone by his ear this morning they tell him I love you and hold on till I get that but but if if he's gone that does not diminish God's power because God has the power to take him to the other side and then God has the power to bind up broken hearts somebody healed had God dried tears from your eyes can help me testify weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning that's power even if he doesn't do what I ask he still got found wonder-working that's rehabs failure verses to 311 is rehabs freedom but I want to see as a hurry rehabs fulfillment what God did in that prostitute is a miracle of love and grace and what he did for rehab he can do for you [Applause] she was fulfilled in her neighbor she involved herself in the work of the Lord too many many lily Grove members don't want to get involved in the work of the Lord too many of us are what we call members don't get involved in the work of the Lord for some reason you stand offish and and stand on the outside and on the margins don't want to get involved in the wicked or well I've been hurt over here so what need to misses so what who you working for you think I care what somebody think about me on see about me all I want is to hear him say cyber well done you've been faithful over a few things I'll make you ruler over many it to messily it was missing on Noah's Ark no bathrooms no running water no windows stinky animals nor and his family but when the flood subsided everything in the ark live everything outside they all died it's messing on your job but you're going to work tomorrow it's messy in your family but you gonna eat Christmas dinner with him I bet it's messy at HEB but you go shopping there I'm gonna stay with the church coz when he comes back he's not coming back for a grocery store [Applause] he's coming back for the church without a spot or wrinkle she involved herself in the work of the Lord she hid the spies and covered up for them she told a lie she lie I mean it's not a stretch to think that a prostitute who Allah because you ain't prostituting and you lie [Applause] help me preach if you can a line nothing for rehab to tell she's in corruption every day she's drowning in immorality she's around corruption and defilement on a daily basis so a lie is nothing for an immoral pagan woman detail and that's what I love about the Bible the Bible doesn't try to cover up and and sanitize and disinfect who people are the Bible tells it just like it is and that's why we ought to tell it just like it is all of us in here got some skeletons in the closet some lies that we wish we could take back some lies that we are living even right now suppose we knew everything you were thinking the last 24 hours [Applause] I'm talking to you two and you two suppose your sins would show up on this screen I would be the first one running for the door thank God for grace I said thank God for grace thank God for mercy thank God for forgiveness thank God he looks behind my soul and he sees my need my brothers and sisters hear me in no way does the Bible condone rehabs life the Bible merely records it to show that she is in good Biblical company with other liars liars like Abraham liars like Isis liars like David Lila's like Elijah I wish I had one or two more Bible readers here so if you're gonna shout over Abraham's life then you can't criticize Rahab because a lie is allowed [Applause] not now as a hurry Orthodox Christian ethicists argue one of three positions concerning situations in which biblical principles of behavior seem to be in conflict with each other let me help you the next time somebody corners you I'm not I'm not encouraging this I'm just I'm just throwing it out I'm just putting it on the staff you can get it if you want I'm gonna go in the house I'm just putting it out on the step if you can use it take it with you I'm not encouraging this I'm just giving you some positions that have been argued concerning rehabs lie don't do it if you don't want to get killed you won't get run over you don't want but I'm just saying if you're backed in a corner here's some useful information the first position involves what many Bible scholars call conflicting absolutes conflicting absolutes is that rehab is confronted with either turn the spies in and they die and Israel may perhaps forfeit their inheritance or tell a lie and the lie is a conflicting absolute it's the lesser of two evils so when she traps or he traps you or they trap you tell him it's a conflicting absolutely don't believe your eyes it's a conflicting absolutely the second position is often called or often labelled hierarchical ism or graded absolutism the first is the lesser of two evils the second is Rahab lied for the greater good if you turn the spies in again Israel would forfeit their inheritance and if she told a lie she was sin but the lie she told was for the greater good tell him tell her tell them it was hierarchical listen I didn't lie I just graded the absolutes don't try it at home I don't encourage it I'm just leaving it on the steps get it if you can use it the third position speaks of non-conflicting absolutes the ends justify the means she lied in order to justify saving a life in either of the three positions I just mentioned every last position is sin we do not lie for the means to justify the end we do not lie for the greater good we do not tell a lie because it's the lesser of two evils because God is truth and the truth of God cannot abide a lie so in evaluating Rahab we must render a mixed verdict a mixed verdict because God condemns the lie but Camille is for faith you miss that God judged her ultimately by the faith and not by Allah because a lie and a liar must be condemned there is no right way to do the wrong thing or no wrong way to do the right thing all unrighteousness is sin but if you fall on its grace if you throw yourself on its mercy God will forgive the lie and come in the face you don't believe that I'm looking at you you don't believe it you don't believe it you don't believe it you you in your mind you talking about the rehab that old no-good liar and no wonder she lies she's a prostitute that's all they do is lie you judge the rear at you judging rehab no I see you're judgmental staff I recognize that Baptist snob because I've been around so many Baptist snobs in my life I'm looking at you looking down your sanctimonious nose and acting like I ain't talking to you because you never told a lie you ain't in no way near the class rehab he is look at what you got home this morning you went shopping yesterday you got a nice job you got a good car you come from a good family you ain't nothing like that prostitute rehab you've never prostituted in your life that don't make your Christmas you never stole anything that don't make you a Christmas you never cheated on your income that don't make you a Christmas you're not a Christian because of what you haven't done you're a Christian because you of what you've appropriated about what has been done for you and that is Christ died for your sins even though you didn't commit one yet because when you were born you came in sin and for you here who thinking you better than rehab let me close by showing you what God will do if you open your heart to him God will take a prostitute and put her in the bloodline of Jesus Christ because because when you read the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 1 somebody ought to help me close it rehab married a woman a man named Salma and Rehab and Salman had a boy named Boaz and Boaz married a boy by pagan girl named Ruth and they had a boy named to obey and Obed had a bar named Jesse and Jesse had a bar named David and David had a bar named Solomon with his wife Uriah that he stole Bathsheba that he stole from Uriah I wish I had a Bible reader Solomon had a bar named reborn and reborn had a Sur and Jehoshaphat and Zerubbabel all the way to Jesus Christ but they started with a prostitute named really God can take them nobody God can take a prostitute God can take a worthless nobody and put them in this family and I know that's true cuz you in here [Applause] [Music]

Channel: lillygrovembc

Views: 16,330

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Id: thr0c06PPFc

Length: 42min 57sec (2577 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 26 2018