4/16/23

Easter 1

Jonah Albrecht

Joshua 2:9-13 (ESV)

And [Rahab] said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” (Jos. 2:9 ESV)

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

In the name of Jesus who once was dead, but who lived again and shall live forevermore, dear fellow redeemed.

“Your reputation precedes you.” This phrase can have a positive meaning and a negative meaning depending on the context of when it is said. According to grammarhow.com,

“Your reputation precedes you” is a way to tell someone you have just met that you already know about them. It shows that the speaker has an idea of what another person will be like, despite not having met them. News of their deeds has already colored their opinion.”

What would your reaction be if someone said to you today, “Your reputation precedes you?” Would you be confident that it is a good reputation, or would you be concerned of what they might know? I can’t tell you what people’s perception of you might be based on your reputation. But I do know of a reputation you possess that precedes you in the best way imaginable. It is the same reputation that Rahab talks about in our text, and our theme for this morning: The Victory of the Lord precedes you.

Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who lived in Jericho during the time when Joshua and the nation of Israel were beginning their conquest of the Holy Land. She would have been an unknown character lost to the history of time, except the Lord had a plan for her. Not only did she play a vital role in preserving the lives of the Israelite spies whom Joshua sent into the city of Jericho, but also, she provides us with an inside look to the hearts of the people in Jericho.

Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world and it was renown for its impressive city defenses at that time. It stood as an intimidating fortress city that would be nearly impossible for any army to conquer. If anyone in the land of Canaan could be confident that they could withstand the might of Israel, it should have been the people of Jericho. And yet, that is not the description we are given. Rahab says, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”

The hearts of the people were feint. They were terrified of this nation that was just beginning to find its way. But why? Was it because Israel had the most advanced technology? Or because they had the best military commanders, or overwhelming numbers? No, it was because they had the Lord on their side. The report Rahab and the people of Jericho heard was how the Lord dried up the Red Sea, and how the Lord gave them the victory over the Amorites. Their terror was over the Lord and His victories.

What set the Lord apart from every other nation was that He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. The false gods of the Canaanites were local, meaning they only had control over one aspect of nature. Contrary to this, the true God had control over all things and He showed it. He opened the Red Sea at will so His people could cross over on dry ground, then crashed it upon the Egyptian army to destroy them. He annihilated two vastly more powerful kings. By land or by sea, the Lord is God and the people of Jericho knew it and they were afraid. The victory of the Lord preceded Israel. Israel could go forward with complete confidence that no one would stand in their way as long as they had the Lord on their side. Let the walls of Jericho be as thick and as high as they could be. Let the armies in the land of Canaan be as numerous as they want to be. The victory of the Lord went before Israel and no enemy could stand against them. Time and time again, the Lord proved to His people and the world – He alone is God of the universe and besides Him, there is no other.

Rahab heard the works that the Lord accomplished and she placed her trust in Him rather than the walls of her city of the gods of her people. Despite the threat to her own life, she protected the spies and made a promise with them and with the Lord to preserve her life and that of her family. She did this out of faith and trust in the victory of the Lord. The writer to the Hebrews tells us as much, “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies (Hebrews 11:31)”

Now, you might wonder, “How does this apply to me, especially in the season of Easter?” Well, like the Children of Israel, the Lord’s victory precedes you as well. Except the victory that goes before you is more awe-some than the parting of the Red Sea, more complete than the destruction of the Amorites, and more sure than the victory over Jericho. The Lord’s victory that precedes you is your Savior’s Resurrection on Easter Morning.

Like the Children of Israel, you and I are engaged in a battle against a seemingly invincible enemy. However, our war is not against a city like Jericho, but as Paul puts it in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Our warfare is a spiritual one against the forces of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh.

This is a battle we are not equipped to fight. Without the Lord on our side, we would be like Israel before the village of Ai. Because of the sin of Achan, the Lord was not with them and the army of Israel was routed by a tiny village and 36 men died. Without the Lord on our side, we are soundly defeated by these powers of darkness. Sin reigns in our hearts. We give into lusts of the flesh, rationalizations of the world that try to excuse our wrongdoings, and we let Satan have free reign within us. That is how you and I are by nature. There is nothing good within us, but we belong wholly to the powers of darkness.

Thanks then, be to our God who has not left us to fight against these powers of darkness on our own accord, but has provided a lopsided victory for us through His Son Jesus Christ. The life Jesus lived as your substitute and mine was a perfect one. He resisted the temptations of the Devil. He did not succumb to the desires of the world, nor did He give place to sin in thought, word, or deed. He stepped forward to the cross where He suffered an excruciating execution at the hands of the Romans. Even more devastating, He suffered the full wrath of God that was incurred by the sins and guilt of a world full of putrid sinners, including you and me. On Calvary’s mount, Jesus waged war in your place. He laid down His life in death so that death would be destroyed. He died so that what you deserve for your sins has lost every ounce of its power over you.

In His death, Jesus claimed victory and it wasn’t even close. On October 7, 1916, a game of college football was played the likes of which we may never see again. The Georgia Tech Engineers played against the Cumberland Bulldogs. The final score? 220-0. Georgia Tech did not throw a single pass, but rushed for over 900 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Bulldogs ended with -28 yards total and 1/3 of their offensive plays ended in a turnover. It is hard to achieve a more lopsided victory than that.

And yet, the victory that Jesus won for you is even more lopsided and God proved it. Peter says in Acts 2:24, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” It was not possible for death to hold onto Jesus because Jesus overcame death. He overcame everything. He paid for every single sin, He destroyed the power of Satan, and through the Holy Spirit working faith in your heart, He wages war against your sinful flesh and makes His home in your heart, working both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.

This is the victory that precedes you – the resurrection of your Savior. It goes before you even now when your enemies confront you. When sin comes knocking on your door, Jesus’ resurrection has given you victory over that sin. “call upon Me in the day of trouble;” the Psalmist says, “I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me (Psalm 50:15).” You have the same God who parted the Red Sea, destroyed nations, and tore down walls with a shout, ready to help you at a moment’s notice to overcome sin’s temptation. And if you, God forbid, should fail and fall to that temptation, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead still gives you the victory, and guarantees that sin is paid for and God is ready to offer you His forgiveness.

When Satan comes accusing you, Jesus’ resurrection gives you the full armor of God to repel his accusations and force him to flee from you. And what about the world, which seems to be growing more and more powerful every day and its hatred for you growing increasingly volatile? Even here, my friends in Christ, you need not fear for the Lord’s victory precedes you. Jesus Himself said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”

Ultimately, this is the victory Rahab believed in, and it has been the victory of every single believer in history all the way down to you and me today. In every aspect of your life, the Lord’s resurrection victory precedes you. Your enemies can’t help but cower in fear because you have on your side the Lord. The one who died in your place, who rose again and lives forevermore.

I remember singing a song in Choir at Immaneul called Mercy Tree. It’s lyrics summarize this victory quite well: Hope went dark that violent day/The whole earth quake at love’s display/Three days silent in the ground/This body born for Heaven’s crown./On that bright and glorious day/Heaven opened up the grave/He’s alive and risen indeed. Oh Praise him for the Mercy Tree/Death has died, love has won! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Jesus Christ has overcome He has risen from the dead.

Hallelujah. Thanks be to God, Amen.