Please turn with me, if you will, in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 6, for Old Testament scripture reading. Again, a story I think so many of us are familiar with, which we'll give our attention to this morning for the sermon. Joshua 6, beginning in verse 1, now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, see, I have given Jericho into your hand with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around this city, all the men of war going around the city once. I'll show you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark on the seventh day. You shall march around the city seven times And the priest shall blow the trumpets And they make a long blast of the ram's horn when you hear the sound of the trumpet Then all the people shall shout with a great shout and the wall of the city will fall down flat The people should go up everyone straight before them So joshua the son of nun called the priests and said to them take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said to the people, go forward, march around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord. And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, you shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth until the day that I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout. So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about at once, and they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord, and the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. The armed men were walking before them. The rear guard was walking after the Ark of the Lord while the trumpets blew continually. On the second day, they marched around the city once and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawn of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. At the seventh time, when the priest had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, shout, for the Lord has given you the city, and the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab, the prostitute, and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them, you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold and every vessel of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord. They shall go into the treasury of the Lord. And so the people shouted and the trumpets were blown. And as soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat. So the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, sheep, oxen and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you have sworn to her. So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belong to her. They brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. They burned the city with fire and everything in it, only the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua was saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. And so Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates. And so the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land. Now turning with me, if you will, to the book of Hebrews, chapter 11. So we look and give our consideration to two verses this morning, making quicker headway this week. verses 30 and 31. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. And by faith, Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And this is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. Our gracious God and Father, we do thank you for your word. And we ask that you would give us the ears to hear that we might be receptive to what you have to say, that we might lift our voice with one accord to sing the triumph and victory that Christ has won for us at Calvary. We ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. I'd like to pose a question to you, as I often try to do. What is the purpose of worship? I'm a big fan of old country music and kind of the old rockabilly music of the 60s and 70s, and I grew up listening to people like Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash and Elvis, and I think what's interesting for All three of these people in particular, if you listen to any one of their interviews or read anything about their lives, one of the things that they love more than anything has been listening to gospel music. All three of these have recorded gospel songs. If you listen to any of their interviews, inevitably they talk about the fact that the critical role that gospel singing, the singing of old hymns, has played in their lives, particularly about growing up in homes that sang them. I think what's striking, however, is the reason why they would speak about such hymns with such deep affection. I remember watching an interview with Dolly Parton, I believe it was right at the beginning of the pandemic. Again, her speaking about her love for singing old hymns, but when the reason was asked why, and the way in which she described it was simply this, well, it reminded her of home. I think on the one hand, there's nothing particularly wrong with that. I think how great it would be to look back with fondness on growing up and having your parents take you to church and singing hymns rather than suffering from some bout of PTSD. On the other hand, I think there might be a certain danger that can attend such sentimentality where the old hymns tend to remind you of home and your childhood, but do not really point you in the direction of Christ and the cross. So I'd like to suggest this morning that worship actually does something more than instill within us a certain sense of nostalgia, good as that might be. I think what we will see throughout the whole of scriptures that corporate worship in particular testifies to Christ's victory over sin and Satan. That when we gather together we sing of Christ's triumph over death and hell. We're going to see that this morning not only in Israel's testimony at Jericho where we see before us a giant, as it were, worship service, but also we see the prostitute Rahab and the way in which she receives the word and the way in which her heart is inclined to hear. What is going on? And I think these things have significance today when we think about the nature of corporate worship. So we'll consider two aspects. First, we'll consider that of Israel in verse 30, and then secondly, that of Rahab in verse 31. You know, in the ancient world, the pagans would often shape their history around a central theme. Typically what you'd see, at least in the Ancient Near East, are these repeated stories of the triumph of the local tribal deity over the other gods in the surrounding area. And then following that, the accession of that local deity to the royal throne. Take, for instance, I've mentioned this story before the old Babylonian creation story, the Enuma Elish, where the Babylonian god Marduk is said to have defeated all his enemies in the surrounding regions and then commands that a temple be built in his honor. I think what we find where we left off last week with the book of Exodus is that a similar story is told except, of course, this is no mere myth but history itself. As the Lord God Almighty has bared His holy arm in the side of the nations, executing judgments on Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, we have to recall that Pharaoh himself was seen to be a divine or at least a semi-divine figure. So when the ten plagues fall upon Egypt, three on the earth, three from heaven, and three upon the sea, they are demonstrating the Lord's sovereignty over the pagan gods of this world. And as the death of the firstborn comes, we find that not even the divine or semi-divine pharaoh is immune from the power of the Lord. The Lord has demonstrated His triumph over the gods of Egypt. And of course, that brings us to the first half of the books of Exodus. It leads us all the way through the Red Sea crossing and the triumph of the song of Moses in Exodus chapter 15. And as we know, the rest of the story is devoted with what? The fact that the Lord commands the building of a temple for him. the tabernacle. Of course, as Israel has to wander through the wilderness, the temple cannot reside in a single place. So just as the people are on the move, so is the Lord's temple on the move. And yet over the course of the next 40 years, even as the faithless generation dies, the Lord continues to demonstrate His faithfulness. By leading the charge, the Lord's presence is symbolized. and the going forth of the Ark of the Covenant. As the Ark, it stands at the vanguard of the people of God, and they go to war against the Amorites, against the king of Og and Bashan. We find that the Lord descends as a mighty warrior, fighting on behalf of the people of God. It is the Ark that leads the people into battle. Of course, as we know, at the end of 40 years, The faithless generation has died out. Israel has finally made it to the cusp of Canaan. Of course, not even Moses is allowed to enter because of his own disobedience. And so the mantle passes from Moses to Joshua. Israel is under new leadership in a certain sense. But even though Israel has a new human leader, a new changing of the guard, we find that the promises of God remain unchanged. Just as the Lord had overthrown Pharaoh and demonstrated it at the crossing of the Red Sea, so too does the Lord promise to overthrow the Canaanites. Just as the Lord held back the waters of the Red Sea for Moses, so too does he now hold back the waters of the Jordan for Joshua. As Israel passes out of the wilderness, through the waters, and into the promised land. And yet, of course, it's not Moses' staff that parts the waters. It is the Ark of the Covenant. Again, it is the symbol of the Lord's presence with his people, the Lord as the mighty warrior who leads the way. But of course, Israel is confronted with their first major obstacle. It turns out that the entry point to the land of Canaan from the east is a massive citadel, the Citadel Fortress of Jericho. Here is a fortress, a city enclosed with walls, walls so thick that two chariot horsemen could ride side by side along the top of those walls. This is a seemingly impenetrable city. How could Israel ever throw such a place, especially this is, you know, the big bad boss of level eight. This is the very first bad guy they have to fight in the land. How is Israel ever to expect to overcome their enemies and claim the land that has been promised to them. Well, as we all know in the first opening chapters of the book of Joshua, the Lord himself, the captain, the armies of heaven and Israel appears before Joshua and gives his battle plan. And he tells Joshua this, that at the vanguard, at the front of the army is to stand not archers, not a cavalry, not even foot soldiers, but the priests, bearing the Ark of the Covenant, showing yet again that it is the Lord as the divine warrior who will lead his people into triumph. The Lord gives specific guidelines for how Israel is to fight in their first battle at Jericho. Just as the Lord had made the world in six days, so Israel is now to march around the city once a day for six days. Hinting again at the in-breaking of the new creation, the in-breaking of the kingdom of God. This is what everything is moving towards. The establishment of the kingdom of God on earth and its in-breaking in the land of promise. And so Israel marches in silence once a day for six days, but then on the seventh day, the nation is told to march around the city seven times. The priests are told to blow the trumpets, and then the nation is, with one voice, commanded to shout. In other words, Israel's battle tactic is a liturgical procession. It's a regulated worship service. that the Lord has commanded for this particular instance. I think what's so interesting about the battle plan itself is that it echoes much of the liturgical feasts we find in Leviticus chapter 23 and Leviticus chapter 25, the feast of Pentecost and that of the year of Jubilee. Here you have these ram's horns, the countless singing, the cycle of seven sevens, these festivals where Israel celebrates the remission of sin and her deliverance from Egypt. In other words, the festival is a massive battle cry of victory even before the battle has been won. It's a giant worship service of sorts. Particular service, not one that's replicated in any other point in this manner in scripture or redemptive history, but it does testify to this. that the gates of hell will not prevail against the onslaught and the advancement of the kingdom of God. And it seems as though it's very clear that Jericho has heard of Israel's previous battles. Joshua chapter 6 begins by saying that it turns out that the city of Jericho, even with its fortified walls, is under a massive lockdown. Nobody's allowed to leave the city. Nobody's allowed to enter the city. In fact, as the two spies are sent by Joshua to do a recon operation to reconnoiter the land, they are able to sneak their way into the city. Of course, they happen upon Rahab, and Rahab hides them in her own house. And she tells them, she says, look, everybody's heard the story of what happened 40 years ago. with the Red Sea crossing. Everybody has heard what you did in cutting down the Amorites. And we are afraid for our very lives. We know what the Lord has done for you. You can read this in Joshua 2, verses 8 to 14. We heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea for you. We heard how the Lord cut down the pagan kings who opposed you. Truly, your God is the God of heaven and earth. Please spare us. That's her request. It's so interesting. She says that the whole city knows of the wonderful works of God. And again, it's because of them hearing these stories that the city itself is under lockdown at this time. The city is bracing for impact. They know what is coming. But what's fascinating is that even though they know how powerful the Lord is, that the stories are true, Jericho believes and trembles. They're not scoffing at the power of the Lord. They know that the power of the Lord is on their way. And what is it that they say? We're preparing for battle. Let's prepare to fight against the Lord God of heaven and earth. The whole nation acknowledges that the Lord has worked wonders, yet they continue to prepare to fight against him. With the exception of Rahab. Rahab hears the word and she knows the only mercy she has is found. the Lord. The only one who can deliver her from the Lord is the Lord himself. And so she welcomes the man, she hears the word, she welcomes it with open arms. Rahab not only acknowledges that the Lord is the true God, she acts on it and seeks to help the people of God. In other words, Even as the kingdom of God is breaking its way into the land, here is one who hears the story of the inbreaking of the kingdom and welcomes it with open arms. It's a picture of faith, of her trust, and who the true God is. You know, we make it to the book of Matthew and we find out that Rahab herself is included in the Messianic line, that Jesus himself is a descendant of Rahab. So fully is she welcomed into the life of the people of God. I think it tells us something about the nature of faith. We've said this a couple of times over the past few months as we've been working our way through Hebrews chapter 11. Faith is more than a bare assent to propositional content. Even Jericho believes and trembles. They know the stories are true. It's not that they're scoffing at the stories and going, well, the Red Sea event, it didn't happen. We don't believe it. We've heard the rumors. We don't buy it. They know the stories are true and they're afraid. But faith is something more. It's not simply the acquisition of biblical data, although that is part of it. It's learning propositional truth, yes. It's assenting to its truth, yes. But Jericho so far, the whole city has done all of that. And yet what we see here in Hebrews 11.31 is that Rahab's faith is still contrasted with the disobedience of Jericho. the disbelief of Jericho. In other words, faith must have an extra component more than merely assenting to the truth of propositional data. Faith not only accepts that it is true, it acts upon it and trusts the Lord on the basis of the divine testimony. Right? Think of so many people who might say, yeah, yeah, I believe that there's a God out there. I might even believe that the God of Christianity is the right God, but I can't bring myself to trust him. That's the deal breaker. That's the difference between faith and unbelief. Do you trust the testimony of scripture? See, I think Rahab's story highlights another significant future of faith. Faith is not simply a masculine trait. One can almost accidentally walk away thinking, reading Hebrews chapter 11 thus far, that faith is something that's bound up as a quality for men. With the exception of Sarah and now Rahab, and of course another figure coming up later, Exemplars have thus far been men. But of course we could again say Sarah is one exception But you might again try to write it off go. Well, Sarah is Abraham's wife. She's a Hebrew Well, we find here with Rahab Rahab is not a Hebrew. She's not an Israelite She's a Canaanite On top of that she's not even a righteous pagan so to speak She's a prostitute This reminds us what it is that pleases God. This is how Hebrews 11 even began. What is it that pleases God? It is faith. Faith pleases God, not gender. Faith pleases God, not your own ethnicity. Faith pleases God, not your own good works. This is why Paul writes this in Galatians Chapter 3 says that in Christ there's neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free. He's not saying that once you trust in Christ you cease to be male or you cease to be female or you cease to be white or black or Gentile or Jew. You cease to be a working class person or a multi-millionaire. You're still all of these things. But it's not these things that please God. It's faith that pleases God. You know, you can't go before the Lord in prayer and go, Lord, I thank you that you've made me a man, and so you can hear me on the basis of my own manhood. Or, Lord, I thank you that you've made me white, or black, or whatever, and so therefore, you love me on the basis of my own social or economic standing in society. No, rather, the Lord looks for any who will trust him, regardless of tribe or tax bracket, that anyone who trusts the word of God and testifies to the faithfulness of God will be welcomed by God. Faith is an act of worship that proclaims that God has given his people victory over sin and death and the offer of victory is given to whosoever will. To whosoever will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith And what we see here is we're gathered together for worship. We testify to the triumph of Christ over sin and death. Even while sin continues to proliferate throughout this nation, even as death confronts us every day. I think that puts us in a very similar situation of Israel on the cusp of the Battle of Jericho. They're already proclaiming the victory over Jericho even before Jericho falls. I think in a similar way, when we gather together for worship, we're proclaiming the great victory of the resurrection from the dead, even though we have not seen the resurrection from the dead happen for the people of God yet. It is a testimony of faith. And yet, the Apostle John writes that this is, in fact, the very victory that does overcome the world. It's our faith. That's 1 John 5, verse 4. And it's that same apostle maps out the whole history of the human race in vivid detail and vivid imagery in the book of Revelation. He characterizes the history of the whole human race in this way, one giant conflict between the people of God and the serpent himself. And he describes the victory of the people of God in this way, that the people of God, the church, has triumphed over Satan. by the blood of Christ and by the testimony of faith. Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians with an opening hymn of adoration, praising God for the victory that is granted in the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us every spiritual blessing found in the heavenlies by the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ from the dead. that through the work of Christ as he is ascended on high has poured out his spirit who seals us for eternity, making us partakers of the victory of Christ, justifying us by faith, sanctifying us by the work of the spirit, and adopting us and calling us his very own. This is a glorious inheritance. And it is an inheritance and a foretaste of the age to come, the very thing for which faith testifies, that faith testifies of the new world to come. That has been the driving thrust and argument of Hebrews chapter 11 this entire time. Faith testifies to the world to come, even when we have not yet seen it with our very eyes. It is the evidence and testimony of the unseen realities. And the promise of this new world is offered to whosoever will believe. But this promise is not restricted to, nor is it contingent upon race, or sex, or social status, or income. Rather, the only discriminating factor is that of faith. And we even see the good news found in the gospel for those who recognize their own lack of faith in these things, crying out to the Lord. We think of the man who approaches Christ with his own son. He says, Lord, I want to believe. Help my unbelief. And we have such a gracious Savior who does even that, that he gives faith because we cannot produce it in and of ourselves either. So the encouragement this morning is to continue to put your trust in the Lord. Or if you have not put your trust in the Lord, to ask Christ and to turn to him to grant you the faith to turn from your sin and to turn to Christ. And so join the saints as we testify both in song and in the hearing of the word every Lord's day. the great victory that will be accomplished at the consummation of all things when our savior shall return to put even death to death on the last day let us pray our gracious god and father we do thank you that we have victory in christ that christ by his death and resurrection from the dead has triumphed over sin and death and so has made us partakers such that Even for the believer, death is only spoken of as falling asleep. As we look forward to that day, when our Savior appears, he will call us to awake and rise from the grave and lead us to a place of everlasting rest. Give us the faith to believe that we might persevere faithfully as we make our way to the gates of Zion itself. We ask in Christ's name, amen.