Sermon Video: Rahab chooses the LORD - Joshua 2

As Joshua prepares to lead the people of Israel over the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, he sends two spies ahead of the host to ascertain the status of the first objective, the city of Jericho.  In Jericho, the two unnamed spies encounter and unexpected ally, a local woman named Rahab.  We know little about Rahab, other than the assertion that her profession was prostitution (although some contend the translation ought to be innkeeper, perhaps she was both), but the choice made by Rahab upon meeting the spies will not only preserve their lives but that of herself and her entire family. 

Rumors of the victories of the God of Israel had proceeded the arrival of the people of Israel, and then subsequently enhanced by their destruction of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan.  Rahab recognizing the power of the LORD, through some combination of divine grace and an open heart/mind, chooses to protect the spies and make a pact with them regarding the future assault upon Jericho rather than remaining loyal to her own people.  In the end, the faith of Rahab as evidenced by her choice is rewarded, her family is spared when the city is destroyed, and she herself will eventually marry a Jewish man, and their child together will be a direct ancestor of both King David and the Messiah Jesus.

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Sermon Video: Making Faith Complete - James 2:20-26

After his conclusion that faith that is not accompanied by works is dead, James offers two Old Testament examples to further prove the point.  The first example is the revered Patriarch, Abraham, a man renowned for his faith and righteousness.  The second example is quite the opposite, the Gentile prostitute Rahab, a woman with no interaction with God prior to the moment when she risked her life to save the spies sent by Joshua.  In both cases, actions confirm what faith has already begun, in Abraham's case, decades after it had begun, in Rahab's case, at its inception.  These two examples thus offer proof that actions (works, deeds, whatever they're called) are necessary to vindicate faith, for both those coming from a high position with a track record of faith, and those coming from a low position with no pretense of having a righteousness of their own.  The discussion of the necessity of actions along with faith by James offers a counter-balance to those who might misinterpret the writings of Paul and thus get stuck on the fact that our salvation is indeed by grace alone without moving beyond our initial repentance to focus upon the absolute necessity of having works of righteousness as part of our discipleship.  The path to being reconciled with God is grace (faith in what Christ has already done for us), the only way to walk with God once we have been reconciled is for our faith to propel us to take action.

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Sermon Video, The Genealogy of Jesus Part1 - Matthew 1:1-5

I know what you're thinking, there can't be anything worth learning about a list of names.  The Genealogy of Jesus is just a list of names isn't it?  For Matthew, the inclusion of a genealogy at the start of his biography isn't unusual for the world he lived in, but a simple list of names this isn't.  Matthew tells a story through his list of names by including five women in the list.  It was unusual in such list to include any mothers, let alone five, but what strikes us as we look at the list is which mothers Matthew chose to highlight.  It wasn't the most respectable of the ancestors of the Messiah, but rather a trio (in the first half of this 2 part message) of women with foreign roots, two of whom had a checkered past.
The first woman listed in Matthew's account is Tamar.  Tamar isn't very familiar to us because her story is left out of every Sunday School material packet on Genesis.  Tamar was married to a dishonorable man, taken advantage of sexually by a greedy brother-in-law, and backed into a corner where she resorted to prostitution at the hands of a lustful father-in-law.  The twins boys who resulted from this union were included in the line of David, and hence the Messiah, rather than any of the other sons of Judah.
The second woman in the list is the prostitute and Canaanite, Rahab.  Now, Rahab is included in our telling of the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho, although her profession prior to the arrival of the spies is often left out.  How did this woman, renowned for her faith in a God she didn't know about (see Hebrews chapter 11) end up marrying into the line of Judah after the Israelites entered into the Promised Land?
The last woman in the list is actually one that we have no problems with but that would have been considered suspect in her day because of being a Moabite.  Ruth is remembered for her loyalty and faith, and for finding a good and faithful man in Boaz, but she would have been an unlikely grandmother for Israel's greatest king had not God provided for her in response to her faith.
In the end, Matthew didn't have to include any of these women, but he chose to, that means something.  Is he trying to tell us that the Messiah came from an imperfect line as we all did, but was perfect himself?  Is he trying to tell us to judge these women with fresh eyes and see their true value by including these three in particular?  Regardless of what conclusion we come to about Matthew purpose, it seems clear that this isn't just a list of names.

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