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I thought it would be good for 
us tonight to stand amazed at God's grace. It's always good 
for us to consider these snapshots in the Bible of God's sovereign 
dealings with His people and the grace that He displays in 
the salvation of sinners. Begin reading in Joshua 2, beginning 
in verse 1. Now Joshua the son of Nun sent 
out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, Go, 
view the land, especially Jericho. So they went and came to the 
house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged there. And it was 
told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men have come here tonight 
from the children of Israel to search out the country. So the 
king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men who 
have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come 
to search out all the country. Then the woman took the two men 
and hid them. So she said, Yes, the men came 
to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened 
as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went 
out. Where the men went, I do not know. Pursue them quickly, 
for you may overtake them. But she had brought them up to 
the roof and hidden them with the stocks of flax, which she 
had laid in order on the roof. Then the men pursued them by 
the road to the Jordan, to the forts. And as soon as those who 
pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate. Now before they 
lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, 
I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror 
of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the 
land are faint-hearted 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, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites 
who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom 
you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these 
things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any 
more courage in anyone because of you. For the Lord, your God, 
He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, 
I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you 
kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's 
house and give me a true token and spare my father, my mother, 
my brother, my sisters, and all that they have. and deliver our 
lives from death. So the men answered her, our 
lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And 
it shall be when the Lord has given us the land that we will 
deal kindly and truly with you. Then she let them down by a rope 
through the window, for her house was on the city wall. She dwelt 
on the wall. And she said to them, get to 
the mountain lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days 
until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you may go your way. 
So the men said to her, we will be blameless of this oath of 
yours which you have made us swear, unless when we come into 
the land you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through 
which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, 
your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home. So 
it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house 
into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will 
be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the 
house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on 
him. And if you tell this business 
of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made 
us swear.' Then she said, according to your words, so be it. And 
she sent them away and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord 
in the window. They departed and went to the 
mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. 
The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find 
them. So the two men returned, descended from the mountain and 
crossed over. And they came to Joshua, the 
son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. And they 
said to Joshua, Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into 
our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are 
faint-hearted because of us. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank You for this account. Thank You for the display of 
Your grace and the glory of Your name as evidenced in Joshua chapter 
2. We just pray that our hearts 
would be stirred and encouraged, that we would stand amazed at 
Your mercy towards sinners. And our Father, how we thank 
You that You've dealt mercifully with us as well. How we thank 
You that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in 
Jesus Christ alone. We ask now that You would guide 
us in our study and we pray in Jesus' holy name. Amen. Well, 
Joshua was the one who succeeded Moses. After the death of Moses, 
Joshua was raised up, General Joshua. He was tasked with taking 
the children of Israel into the Promised Land. In fact, the book 
of Joshua outlines very easily. It is concerned first with entering 
the land, chapters 1-4, taking the land, chapters 5-12, possessing 
the land, chapters 13-21, and retaining the land, chapters 
22-24. The key verse in the book that 
sums up the entirety of the particular book is in chapter 21. Chapter 
21, verses 43 to 45 says, So the Lord gave to Israel all the 
land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they 
took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest 
all around according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, 
and not a man of all their enemies stood against them. The Lord 
delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed 
of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. 
All came to pass. And I suggest that that is a 
great place to start in your study of the book of Joshua. 
Do you see that? That's exactly how the book breaks 
down. Entering, taking, possessing, 
and retaining. Back in Genesis chapter 12, and 
especially in Genesis chapter 17, God had promised Abraham 
an inheritance. God had told him that he would 
indeed receive the land. And we see that promise reiterated 
throughout the Pentateuch. And one man, Dale Davis, or Ralph 
Davis, comments on the entrance of Israel into the Promised Land. 
Sometimes people say that was a barbaric act, it was a horribly 
vicious thing, that Israel went in and committed genocide. Davis 
says this, the conquest is not a bunch of land-hungry marauders 
wiping out, at the behest of their vicious God, hundreds of 
innocent God-fearing folks. In the biblical view, the God 
of the Bible uses none-too-righteous Israel as the instrument of His 
just judgment on a people who had persistently reveled in their 
iniquity. In fact, in Leviticus, God says 
He is casting the people out of Canaan because of their repeated 
iniquity, because of their ungodliness. So, He uses none-too-righteous 
Israel as a scourge and a chastisement upon those who had delighted 
in ungodliness. So as we come to Joshua 2, we're 
going to look specifically at Rahab the harlot, her conduct, 
her confession, and her blessings. But before we look at that, we 
need to deal with her lie. When we read this chapter, we 
see that Rahab lied. You cannot squirm out of it. 
It is a reality. Now, the Bible often reports 
things without necessarily condoning them. King David of Israel, he 
committed adultery and he committed murder. We are not to take that 
as our cue to go thou and do likewise. Just because something 
is reported doesn't necessarily mean that it is condoned. Also, we need to understand when 
Rahab lied, what she was in fact doing was committing an act of 
treason. The king heard about this. The 
king sent people, representatives, to go and determine the truth 
of this activity. Her lie to the king of Jericho 
represented a treasonous act, which is a capital offense. But when we leave Joshua chapter 
2 and we go throughout the rest of the Bible, she is only ever 
treated positively. In Matthew 1, verse 5, it's very 
interesting that she appears in the very genealogy of Jesus, 
the son of David. In Hebrews 11, that we read at 
the outset of worship, she's spoken of very favorably there, 
and she is applauded for her faith. And then in James 2, along 
with Abraham, she is a model of faith, then work. Remember, 
Abraham was a patriarch. Rahab was a prostitute. The idea 
that James presents is that whether you are a patriarch or a prostitute, 
genuine faith will always be displayed in biblical works. Again, quoting Dale Ralph Davis, 
he says, it is tragic when people snag their pants on the nail 
of Rahab's lie. quibble endlessly about the matter 
and never get around to hearing Rahab's truth, which the writer 
has conspired to make the center of the whole narrative. And I 
realize that won't satisfy every curiosity concerning this particular 
lie, but suffice it to say we're going to focus on her truth this 
evening. So notice first her conduct. Joshua 2, verse 1, Joshua the 
son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, 
saying, Go view the land, especially Jericho. Joshua had been one 
of the original twelve spies. Remember, Moses sent Joshua and 
Caleb and ten other spies into the land of Canaan on an initial 
reconnaissance mission. He had been the only one, along 
with Caleb, who said, The Lord has promised this. Let's go take 
the land. In fact, the text is very conspicuous. that Caleb says, let us go at 
once and take the land. But the ten spies were grumblers 
and whiners and complainers. They said it's a good land to 
be sure, but there's big nasty people there, and we certainly 
can't defeat those big nasty people, so let's go on in slavery, 
because that's where we're comfortable. But Joshua and Caleb said, no, 
let's go and take this land. And so Joshua is taking a similar 
approach to recon the land of Jericho prior to engaging in 
this military campaign. Notice that Rahab receives the 
spies. Verse 1 still, it says, So they 
went and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged 
there. She is identified as a harlot. That is an accurate translation. 
She received money for sexual favors. Some do not like that, 
some do not want to approve of that, so they translate it as 
an innkeeper. She was an innkeeper. Now I ask 
you, would spies check in to a motel? Would spies check in 
to a hotel? Would spies look for a place 
that offered a continental breakfast? Would spies want to lay low and 
keep under the radar? Who are they far more prone to 
visit? A harlot or an innkeeper? She was a harlot. She is a bad 
woman. She is, as Davis calls her, the 
shady lady of Jericho. The king hears about this. The 
king dispatches men. And then what she does is she 
lies. She says, yes, they came, but 
they quickly left. Notice the text. It says in verse 
4, the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, yes, 
the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 
And it happened as the gate was being shut when it was dark that 
the men went out. Where the men went, I do not 
know. Pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them. But she 
had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks 
of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof. Then the men 
pursued them by the road to the Jordan through the fords. And 
as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut 
the gate. She confirmed that the men had 
come to her house. She lied to the king's men. She 
said the spies had already left her house. The king's men believed 
her, departed from the house in search of the spies." And 
then that brings us secondly to consider her confession. This 
is what the author wants us to understand. It's very interesting. 
If you read Joshua 1 and 3, Joshua 2 really isn't necessary. I'm 
not saying that to impugn the glory of God, but it's not information 
that is essential. It does answer a question that 
may come up later in Joshua 6.25, which we'll refer to, but it's 
not intrinsic to the story or narrative in terms of the military 
aspect. Joshua 2 is deposited here for 
us so that we'll stand and marvel at the grace of God. so that 
we'll understand his heart and his disposition and his attitude 
to the shady lady of Jericho, to this woman who was a harlot, 
to this woman who was in the act of treason, to this woman 
who had heard of Yahweh of Israel and so wanted to identify with 
Him that she enters into an agreement with the spies that Joshua had 
sent. Joshua chapter 2 is a place designed 
by God for you to stop and marvel at God. For you to consider the 
fact that He saves, that He's not only sovereign over the heavens 
and the earth, but over prostitutes. That He saves not only Joshua, 
the son of Nun, the military commander of Israel, but He saves 
this woman in Jericho. He is a gracious and a merciful 
God, and she admits as much. So in her confession, we notice 
first, she confesses the fear of God. The fear of Jehovah. Notice in verse 8, Now before 
they lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to 
the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, that 
the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants 
of the land are faint-hearted because of you. She knows something 
of the fear of God. I believe Rahab could teach our 
generation something. We like to treat God as an equal. 
We like to treat God as an inferior at times. We don't want to fear 
Him. He's just our big buddy. Not so with Rahab. She says we 
have heard of this God. And what we've heard promotes 
fear in our hearts. It causes us to be faint-hearted. May the God that we preach be 
such that promotes fear in the hearts of people. That is a good 
thing. The fear of the Lord is the beginning 
of knowledge. The fear of the Lord is that 
which leads to life. Brethren, she understood something. Hearing those miraculous deeds, 
hearing those marvelous words, caused her to fear before this 
God. She confesses, secondly, the 
might of Yahweh, or the might of Jehovah. Notice in verse 10. 
For 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 
the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of 
the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed." I bet 
if you've ever read through the Pentateuch, you see those guys 
come up a lot. Sihon and Og. I wonder, what's the emphasis 
on Sihon and Og? Why does God continually tell 
us about His parting of the Red Sea and His leading the people 
out of Egypt? Why is this continually brought 
before the minds of Israel? So that they would understand 
His majesty. It worked in the case of this 
pagan, this profligate, this harlot, this woman who lay with 
men for money. She had heard of this and it 
made an impression upon her heart. She took this God seriously. 
She understood something of His majesty. He is the one that defeated 
Sihon and Og. It wasn't the military superiority 
of Israel. It was God who opened up the 
River Jordan so that His people could walk through with dry feet, 
brethren. It was God who opened up the 
Red Sea. And then when Pharaoh and his 
army stepped in, their chariot wheels fell off, and then He 
causes the water to crash down upon them and destroy each and 
every one. So you see, that story was retold 
over and over again in Israel to produce something in their 
hearts concerning the majesty of God. And it did that for this 
woman, Rahab the harlot. And then she confesses not only 
the might of Jehovah, but also His majesty. Notice in verse 
11, And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any 
more courage in anyone because of you. For the Lord your God, 
He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. That's a glorious 
confession for a pagan harlot to make. That's a confession 
born of genuine faith in her heart. I believe she is acting 
in terms of her deeds based on her prior faith commitment to 
the God of Israel. Turn back for just a moment to 
Deuteronomy 4. Deuteronomy chapter 4, specifically 
verse 39. Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 
39. This would be Israel's confession. This would be Israel's hope. 
This would be what Israel would be known for in terms of the 
nations around them. Verse 39 of Deuteronomy 4, Therefore 
know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord 
Himself is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. There is 
no other. For her to imitate that statement, 
for her to express the same thing, was to renounce paganism. was to own and confess faith 
in the true and the living God. Remember, the pagans had a pantheon. They had a God of heaven. They 
had a God of earth. They had a God of the sun. They 
had a God of the river. They had a God of war. They had 
a God of storms. In fact, John Calvin says, here 
the image of Rahab's faith appears as if reflected in a mirror. 
When casting down all idols, she ascribes the government of 
heaven and earth to the God of Israel alone. For it is perfectly 
clear that when heaven and earth are declared subject to the God 
of Israel, there is a repudiation of all the pagan fictions by 
which the majesty and power and glory of God are portioned out 
among different deities. And hence we see that it is not 
without cause that two apostles have honored Rahab's conduct 
with the title of faith. It's no accident that she appears 
in Hebrews 11. It's no accident that she appears 
in James 2. In fact, in James 2, the function, 
the particular aspect of her being there is to evidence that 
genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ will always issue forth 
in works consistent with that faith. That is precisely how 
Rahab is operating in this particular context. So she not only expresses 
the fear of God, the might of God, the majesty of God, but 
notice she casts herself upon the mercy of God. Genuine faith 
never rests content with being convinced of the reality of God, 
but presses on to take refuge in God. I can't take credit for 
that. That's Dale Ralph Davids. Just 
a shameless plug, or not a shameless plug, Dale Ralph Davis on the 
Former Prophets is worth having and reading. Former Prophets 
being Joshua through 2 Kings. Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 
1 and 2 Kings. Dale Ralph Davis on those books, 
read them and you will be greatly edified, greatly instructed in 
the message of these particular books. But he says, genuine faith 
never rests content with being convinced of the reality of God, 
but presses on to take refuge in God. You see, we preach who 
He is. You ought to learn that. You 
ought to receive that. You ought to understand God is 
Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. In His being, wisdom, 
power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. But you ought to flee 
to take refuge in Him. And that's precisely what she 
does in verse 12. Now therefore, I beg you, swear 
to me by Jehovah, since I have shown you kindness, that you 
also will show kindness to my father's house and give me a 
true token and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, 
and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death." She knows 
that God has sent His people to destroy their city. And she 
seeks refuge in God. She manifests concern for others. It's not just her that she's 
looking out for at this point, but her father, her mother, her 
brothers, her sisters, the entirety of her father's family. She wants 
them safe and protected. She casts herself upon the God 
of mercy and the God of grace. What do the spies say? They say, 
okay. We serve a God who will make 
that deal. We serve a God who will show 
that mercy. We serve a God who will cover 
you. We serve a God who, because you 
confess faith in Him, will preserve your lives. He will keep you 
unharmed. He will provide not only for 
you, but your entire family. I would submit that this is not 
only a casting of herself upon the mercy of Jehovah, but it 
is great faith. Isn't that what Hebrews 11 is 
all about? It's celebrating great faith. This isn't a measly, meager 
faith. This is the faith that not only 
wants protection for herself, but for all that she knows. She 
comes with a bold request. She comes with large petitions. 
We sing that hymn. Large petitions bring our Lord 
and our God. He is good and merciful and kind. Try Him. Prove Him. Show Him 
faithful in this area. of displaying mercy and displaying 
grace. She is convinced of His might, 
majesty, and absolute sovereignty, and she is convinced there is 
mercy to be had as well. I believe Rahab could preach 
a great sermon to each of us in our own day. And then notice 
thirdly and finally, her blessings. The spies make the promise. They 
enter into this. They say, okay, We're going to 
do this. You let this start lying down. 
When we see that, it'll be spared. You renege on your commitment, 
if you tell about this, or you compromise the mission in any 
way, we're not obligated. But as far as you do what we 
have agreed to, we'll honor that covenant. We will make good on 
it. We will not destroy you or your 
family. The Lord does indeed bless her. Turn over to Joshua 6. Joshua 
chapter 6. At verse 22, this answers the 
whole affair. Again, we need Joshua 2 simply 
to tell us or answer this. But in terms of the military 
aspect, we could proceed from 1 to 3. But Joshua 2 does demonstrate 
for us that mercy and grace of God. Notice in 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. And the young men who 
had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, 
her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all 
her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. But they 
burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the 
silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron they put into 
the treasury of the house of the Lord. And Joshua spared Rahab 
the harlot, her father's household and all that she had. So she 
dwells in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers 
whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho." Isn't that beautiful? She's forever 
known as Rahab the harlot. Her middle name and her last 
name are always given. The harlot. Like Smokey the bear, 
she's Rahab the harlot. She's identified by this. What 
does that tell us? God is gracious. God is good. God is kind. He doesn't just 
save the upright woman. He doesn't just save the Proverbs 
31 woman. He saves Rahab the harlot to 
become the Proverbs 31 woman. He doesn't just save the upright. 
In fact, Jesus said, I didn't come to call the righteous, but 
sinners to repentance. So the Lord blesses her. The 
spies make the promise. The Lord responds in grace and 
in kindness, and she is spared, and she resides in Israel. What a great testimony to the 
grace and the mercy of God Most High, and what a great display 
of a living, vibrant, Christ-centered faith that Rahab expressed. So in summary, I want to look 
at a couple of things. First, her conversion. She had 
heard of Yahweh. Think when we look at this. She 
had heard of Jehovah. That's what she reports to them. 
The Word was communicated to her. It should remind us of Romans 
10, 17. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing 
by the Word of God. If that Word would have never 
gotten to Rahab, she wouldn't have been saved. That Word is 
instrumental. James 1.18 says, of His own will, 
He brought us forth by the Word of truth. Paul says in Romans 
1.16, I'm not ashamed of what? The Gospel. For it is the power 
of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Brethren, we must 
communicate the mighty works of God. We must communicate His 
might, His majesty, and His mercy. We must communicate the doing 
and dying of our Lord Jesus Christ. Should the Rahabs of our generation 
Come to know Him in faith." She hears of Yahweh. The Word was 
communicated. She confessed the majesty of 
Yahweh. That means she was convicted. 
God does that. When we hear the Word, He sends 
the Spirit. And what does He do? He doesn't 
promote in us great feelings of self-worth. He usually lays 
us low and shows us our sin. He brings conviction upon us 
so that we fear and tremble before Him. In many ways, Rahab is a 
textbook example of what conversion looks like. There is communication. There is conviction. And then 
she fled to the mercy of Jehovah, thereby demonstrating commitment 
to Him. Saving faith is a committed faith. Saving faith is looking and living. Saving faith is holding fast. to the mercy of God through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. And then the amazing exploits 
of Rahab. Again, I'll just reread that 
section in Hebrews chapter 11. It's beautiful. One person we 
probably would have left out. In fact, a few of these guys. 
I mean, look at this. In Hebrews 11.30, by faith the 
walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven 
days. By faith, the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who 
did not believe when she had received the spies with peace." 
We might just want to sanitize that right out of the biblical 
record. If we took pen to paper and started celebrating the heroes 
of the faith, we might begin to wonder, are there any genuine 
heroes who are upright and holy and good? Well, no, there wasn't. Remember several years ago, I 
worked at Northrop Grumman. I worked in such a situation 
where I always had people to talk to. This one guy, we used 
to talk about religion, we talked about the Bible, we talked about 
various things. And he came to work one day, work swing shift, 
it was a Friday afternoon, I remember it vividly. And he comes to work 
and he says, you know, I was just watching something on TV, 
maybe A&E or one of these history channels or something, and it 
was on Samson. And he had the East Coast, he 
was from New York or something, had this rich East Coast accent. 
He goes, that guy was horrible. You Christians think Samson was 
good? He was a horrible guy. That's what God's grace is all 
about. It comes to horrible guys. Isn't that who He deals with? 
What does He say in verse 32? And what more shall I say? For 
the time would fail me to tell of Gideon. Was he always upright, 
consistent, and holy? No. Barak and Samson. I mean, brethren, if you've read 
the Samson narrative in Judges, at times you're scratching your 
head saying, what's with this guy? How does he make it into 
Hebrews 11? Because the glory of God is bigger 
than a Samson. In fact, the glory of God is 
displayed through a Samson. I'm not being unkind to these 
men. These men were godly men in their own right, but they 
were not perfect. And then Jephthah makes it in 
here. Amazing. Go back and read Judges 
sometime. If you're not real familiar with 
Judges, Hebrews 11.30 and following isn't going to make a lot of 
sense to you. He goes on to say, also of David and Samuel and 
the prophets. Isn't that interesting? David and Samuel are almost incidental. Rahab gets more space in this 
celebration of God's glory in the faith of His people than 
King David of Israel. Isn't that a beautiful testimony 
of God's grace? He goes on to say, "...who through 
faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, 
stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, 
escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, 
became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 
Women received their dead raised to life again." Brethren, these 
are great models in terms of God's grace and God's mercy and 
faith displayed in the lives of His people. And then finally, 
the amazing grace of God. We've already hinted at this 
several times, but I just want to close by reading a quote again 
from Dale Ralph Davis. He says, So Rahab is a harlot. 
This is probably next to the Bible. This is a great comment 
on this whole scenario. So Rahab is a harlot, a pagan 
and a disreputable one at that. Yet she is welcomed into the 
church, Joshua 6. What happens? God preserves her 
and she lives in Israel. That's the church in the Old 
Testament. But Rahab the harlot, Joshua, saved a life and she 
dwelt in Israel to this day. Now that can be offensive. We say, we can't have that. The 
church is only for respectable, clean, middle class folks. But that is like saying that 
hospitals are only for doctors, nurses, and x-ray machines instead 
of sick people. Or it is like saying that only 
morticians and coroners belong in morgues instead of dead people. Who then should be in the church 
but sinners? The church is not a club, but 
a refuge for sinners who have been touched by the grace of 
God. Apparently, Rahab's past did 
not bother the writer of the first gospel. Rather, Matthew 
seemed to see in Rahab a trophy of divine grace. Astounding, 
isn't it? That the shady lady of Jericho 
should be the ancestress of Jesus, the Messiah. Matthew chapter 
1, verse 5. Praise God that He is sovereign 
over the heaven, over the earth, and over prostitutes. Praise 
God that He reaches down into the lives of sinners like you 
and me, and that He saves us, that He's merciful, that He cleanses 
us, that He washes us. Praise God for the life, the 
death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who alone can provide 
salvation for sinners like Rahab and like us. Praise God that 
the Church is not for the upright, respectable, and the polished, 
but for the sinful, the broken, the hurting, the wounded, those 
who by God's grace have been brought nigh through the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for the church. We thank you for your mercy. 
We thank you for your grace displayed in the life of Rahab the harlot. We thank you for your grace displayed 
in our lives, Lord God. And we pray that that gospel 
would be proclaimed from sea to sea, from coast to coast, 
throughout this earth, Lord, that you would be well pleased 
to save a great multitude. We know that you are mighty, 
we know that you are majestic, and we know that you are merciful. 
And we pray that this word would be proclaimed, the salvation 
of a great multitude of sinners and for the glory of God Most 
High. We ask now that you would go with us, help us to enter 
into this week knowing the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.