1. Faith Conquers (verse 30)
2. Faith Saves (verse 31)

I invite you to open your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, where we have been for the past few months. As you are turning there, I want for you to realize that one of the common laments that Jesus often expressed to His disciples went like this: “O ye of little faith."

Jesus is in the boat with the disciples, and a great storm arose over the sea. Jesus, Himself, was asleep on the boat, exhausted from His labors (c.f. Mark 4:35-38). As the waves were crashing over the boat, the boat was taking on water. The disciples were in a panic! They woke Jesus up, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" (Matt. 8:26). “Then He got up rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm" (Matt. 8:26).

On another occasion, Jesus had just finished feeding the multitudes. He sent His disciples away on a boat, while He remained behind to pray (Matt. 14:23). Again a storm came up. This time, Jesus was on the land, so He came to the disciples, by walking on the water to the boat. When His disciples saw Him, they were terrified (Matt. 14:26). Immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid" (Matt. 14:27). Peter then responded, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water" (Matt. 14:28). And so, Peter came a few steps. Matthew 14:30-31 says, "But seeing the wind, he became frightened and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

When Jesus preached to the multitudes, He said, ...

Matthew 6:25-34
"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jesus is on the mount of Transfiguration, having a wonderful experience, chatting with Moses and Elijah, allowing His glory to seen by His disciples (Matt. 17:1-13; Mark 9:1-13; Luke 9:28-36). As he walks down the mountain, He walks into a large commotion. As the story unfolds, we discover that the disciples of Jesus attempted to cast out a demon from a little boy, but they were unable to do so (Mark 9:17). Jesus replied with these words, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me" (Mark 9:19). When Jesus saw the boy, immediately, the demon spirit threw the boy into a convulsion (Mark 9:20). He started falling to the ground and rolling around, foaming at the mouth (Mark 9:20). Then, the father said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" (Mark 9:22). Jesus said, “‘If you can?’ All things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23). “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief’" (Mark 9:23). Then, “Jesus rebuked [the boy], and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once" (Matt. 17:18).

A little time later, the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why could we not drive it out?" (Matt. 17:19). He said, “Because of the littleness of your faith;" (Marr. 17:20). And then, Jesus makes a statement of the power of faith. He said, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you" (Matt. 17:20).

Questions abound from this story. Such a statement begs a few questions: “How small is your faith? How small is my faith?" None of us have ever moved a mountain. (At least, I haven’t seen it). Therefore, our faith must be pretty small. Do we understand the power of faith? Can it really cast the demons out? Can it really move mountains? Is it true that, "All things are possible to him who believes?" (Mark 9:23).

Perhaps there is a bigger question. “Do you want to have faith? Do you want to have the faith that moves mountains? Do you have the heart of the boy’s father?" “I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

This morning, as we dig again into Hebrews 11:30-31, we will see two illustrations of the power of faith. May they stir our hearts to believe.

Hebrews 11:30-31
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Here we have two examples of “The power of Faith." The first is this:
1. Faith Conquers (verse 30)

In verse 30 we see the Israelites conquering Jericho by faith.

Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

Now, before we dig into verse 30, I do want to mention a bit about the gap. I’m talking about the gap between verse 29 and verse 30. In verse 29, we see the faith of the Israelites leaving Egypt on their way to enter the promised land. They saw the 10 plagues, in which the shear power of God was on display. They saw the Red Sea split in two as Pharaoh and the Egyptian army was pursuing them. A bit later, they would see the Israelites witness the bitter water being made sweet (Exodus 15). Then, they would witness the Manna coming down from heaven to feed millions, every day (Exodus 16). A bit later, they would see the water come out of the rock, sufficient to provide drink to the entire nation (Exodus 17).

No generation has seen the wonders that God displayed in that generation. When I say “no generation," I’m talking about “no generation" from all time. No generation before them. No generation after them. Not even in the days of Christ. The magnitude of the miracles that Jesus did simply cannot compare with the miracles during the times of the plagues. Feeding the multitudes was powerful. But, God fed more people with the manna every day for forty years than Jesus fed in His miracles.

And yet, what characterized that generation? Unbelief. It is no accident that from verse 29 to verse 30, we skip ahead 40 years in time. Because, that generation lacked the faith that God requires.

I trust that you remember the story. The LORD said to Moses, “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel" (Num. 13:2). And so, Moses sent 12 spies into the land, one from every tribe (Num. 13:2-3). They went into the land and discerned correctly that it “flows with milk and honey" (Num. 13:27). They even brought back some of the fruit from the land so that all could see (Num. 13:26).

Now, unfortunately, 10 of the spies felt that the cities were too fortified and too large and the people were too strong to enter the land (Num. 13:28-29). And despite all that Caleb and Joshua said to persuade the people of Israel to “go up and take possession of [the land]" (Num. 13:30), still, “All the congregation lifted up their voices and ... grumbled against Moses, [saying] ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! ... Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" (Num. 14:1-3). Rather than siding with Joshua and Caleb, the people sided with the 10 spies in unbelief. The mutiny was complete when they said, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt" (Num. 14:1).

At that point, God’s verdict was announced. He said, "Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it" (Num. 14:22-23 ). And for 40 years, they wander in unbelief, as the corpses fell in the wilderness (Num. 14:32).

So, the writer to the Hebrews passed over them here in chapter 11. There is no mention here. But, it's not that the writer was unaware of that generation. No, he was very aware He said previously, ...

Hebrews 3:16-18
For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

Oh, may we learn from that generation; the generation that failed to make it into Hebrews 11! May we not be like them. But, may God look down upon us and see our faith. May we be like the Israelites of the next generation, who believed and conquered Jericho. If God would be so pleased to evaluate our generation, may he not skip over Rock Valley Bible Church in describing those who walked by faith.

We read in verse 30, ...

Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

This story is recorded for us in Joshua, chapter 6. So, turn back there. Unlike the generation that wandered in the wilderness, there is no complaining recorded about those who conquered Jericho. Rather, they were filled with faith. We read in verse 1, ...

Joshua 6:1
Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in.

Jericho was a prominent city in the Jordan Valley. It rested just north of the Dead Sea, just west of the Jordan River. It was a desirable place to live, with a good water supply and favorable climate. At 670 feet below sea level, it is also the lowest city in the world. ^[1] It sat on the Eastern edge of the land of Canaan, and stood as the gateway to the land. To take the land of Canaan, the Israelites needed to take the city of Jericho.

As we pick up our story, we see that the city was “tightly shut." There is a reason why they were shut up. It’s because those in Jericho were scared. They were afraid of attack. They had heard “how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea They had heard how Israel had “utterly destroyed" Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan (Josh. 2:10). Their hearts had melted (Josh. 2:11). They had lost courage (Josh. 2:11). They feared for their lives. So, they buckled down the hatches and holed up in their city, allowing no one out and no one in. This was a common strategy in the days of old. Without airplanes and helicopters, attack from above was impossible. If the walls of the city were strong enough, they could withstand the attack. So, they made the city as secure as they could, not allowing any to leave or come in.

In verse 2, we see the LORD’s perspective.

Joshua 6:2
The LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.

Here is a prophetic assurance from the LORD of victory. From God’s standpoint, the victory was already complete. Not only would the city be given into Joshua’s hand, but also the strong and powerful of the city --- “The king and the valiant warriors." The idea here is that none will escape! And then comes the plan of attack (in verse 3), ...

Joshua 6:3-5
"You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead."

By all human standards, this is a strange plan. To conquer a city that has holed up like Jericho normally goes like this. Find the weakness in the wall where you want to attack. Build a siege ramp. Ascend the siege ramp and take the city by force. Or, if you're going by stealth, perhaps you might build a ramp on one side of the city, only to attack on the other side of the city. Perhaps you might starve the people out by surrounding the city and not allowing any to come or go. Wait for their supplies to wear thin. Wait for them to run out of water or food. This is the way that it was done in the ancient world. The Romans did this to Jerusalem in AD 70.

But, never would you devise a plan like this one in the book of Joshua. You would never tell your army to walk around the city for six days, just walking. You would never tell your army to blow trumpets and shout, and expect the walls of the city to fall down before you. Right here is where you see the faith of Joshua and his fellow countrymen. Were they going to trust in the ways of the LORD? Or, were they going to devise their own schemes?

Well, in verse 6 we see Joshua’s faith. He instructed the priests in accordance with everything that the LORD had spoken.

Joshua 6:6-7
So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD." Then he said to the people, "Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the LORD."

So, would the people obey or rebel? Some 40 years earlier, when Joshua and Caleb brought back the report of the land, the people had rebelled. Even then, the story was the same.

I love the way that Moses tells the story: Deuteronomy 1:29-30 says, “Do not be shocked, nor fear them. The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes." And here comes the same message again to Israel, who were looking to take the same land; who were looking to defeat the same people. And the LORD says, “Do not ... fear them. The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf."

What would they do? Would they follow in the ways of their fore-fathers? Or, would they follow the LORD by faith? Well, in verse 8, we see the Israelites walking by faith, ...

Joshua 6:8-10
And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets. But Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout!"

Picture the parade: You had “armed men" in front of the procession (Josh. 6:7). This was followed by seven priests (Josh. 6:8). Then, you had the Ark of the Covenant (Josh. 6:8). In the back of the procession was the rear guard (Josh. 6:9). The only sound you heard was that of trumpets being blown by the priests (Josh. 6:9), as the people were silent (Josh 6:10).

Now, we don’t know exactly how big this procession was. Certainly, it wasn’t the entire nation (which was well over a million people), as the city was small. I remember when Yvonne and I had the opportunity to travel to Israel on a tour. We went to ancient Jericho. I was amazed at how small it was. Jericho was 225 meters long and 80 meters wide -- some 600 meters in circumference. To give you a bit of perspective, it was a touch larger our property here at Rock Valley Bible Church. A parade that marches around our property couldn’t be more than several thousand people. Maybe they were several wide, which could have meant 10,000, certainly not more. However, this would have been far less than everyone in Israel’s camp. My guess is that there were others in waiting back in the camp, ready to come to the attack, when needed.

I can’t help but to think of what those in Jericho thought. They were watching what was taking place. They saw the armed men. They saw the ark. They heard the trumpets blowing. But, with no attack coming, certainly they were confused. Perhaps the Israelites were merely spying the city, looking for a weakness. Perhaps those in Jericho found some comfort in that they weren’t attacking the city. Whatever comfort they may have had was short-lived. We see the victory coming in verse 15, ...

Joshua 6:15-16
Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times. At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.

Then we will skip down to verse 20, ...

Joshua 6:20-21
So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

And here we see the city of Jericho fall to the Israelites. I want you to notice the phrase in verse 20: “every man straight ahead." Picture what that means. Israel is surrounding the city. They blow their trumpets and shout. The wall falls down. And every man proceeds “straight ahead" to take the city.

Again, I take you back to the days when Yvonne and I were in Israel. The city (as most cities were in those days) was built up on a little mound, often called a tel (which is Arabic for ‘mound’). The effect of this is that it raised the height of the wall. Not only would they have to get over the wall, but you had to ascend a sharp incline even to get to the base of the wall. Now, when we were there at the base of the tel, one of our instructors was there describing the city and how the Israelites would have come in to conquer the city.

He then showed where remnants of a red-brick wall was found, at the base of the tel, forming a slight incline into the city. ^[2] He explained for us how the wall fell outward, forming a ramp for the Israelites to ascend up into the city to take the city. The Biblical words prove true, “every man straight ahead." It wasn’t just a small breech in the wall on the Easter section that fell on that day. No, the entire wall fell before the Israelites, so that they might have easy access into the city and conquer the fearing residents.

Now, I want for you to notice how the Israelites had to fight. God paved the way for them by breaking down the wall. But, God didn’t destroy Jericho (as He did the first-born in Egypt). No, Israel had to enter the city and fight.

Such is how faith works. Faith doesn’t mean total passivity. No, faith will act. Faith will do things! The work is the expression of the faith. The work is the proof of the faith. Isn’t this the case of everyone in Hebrews 11? Abel acted by worshiping the Lord. Noah acted by building the ark. Abraham acted by leaving his home country. Moses acted by defying the king and leaving Egypt. And here, we see the Israelites acting by engaging in war with real spears and real bows and real arrows.

And, in this case, the Israelites conquered. Or, as I have said in my first point, Faith Conquers (verse 30).

The Israelites took hold of God’s word. They believed it and acted upon it. And they conquered. Whereas the generation before failed to grab hold of God’s promises, this generation believed them. And God used them to begin the takeover of the land of Canaan. God had instructed Joshua to “be strong and courageous" (Josh. 1:6, 7, 9), and the Israelites were. By faith, they conquered all.

Application comes to us as a body. Will we walk focused in faith? Together? Or, will we spend our efforts grumbling and complaining and devouring one another? The work that God will do for us at Rock Valley Bible Church will be done by faith as we walk forward together as we fix our eyes on Jesus -- believing in His sufficiency; making the cross our banner; unashamed of the gospel; forgiving as we have been forgiven. May we be a church that conquers by faith.

Let’s move on to our second point. In verse 30 we see that Faith Conquers (verse 30). In verse 31 we see that ...
2. Faith Saves (verse 31)

Rahab is the example of this. Rahab was saved from destruction that came upon Jericho. She was saved by her faith. Hebrews 11:31 says it this way, ...

Hebrews 11:31
By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

This describes the salvation of Rahab. She wasn't destroyed by the Israelites; rather, she lived. We see the details of her salvation in Joshua, chapter 6 (in the verses that I skipped earlier). Look back at verse 17. Here we see Joshua giving instructions about taking over the city when the walls would fall.

Joshua 6:17-19
The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.

Joshua gives instructions of complete destruction. Destroy everything. Destroy everyone -- except for Rahab. Any silver or gold or articles of bronze or iron that you see, take it. It goes into the treasury of the LORD. Rahab and her family shall be safe with us.

Now, I want you to note how similar verse 17 is to our text in Hebrews this morning -- “only Rahab the harlot ... shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent" (Josh 6:17).

Hebrews 11:31
By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

In both these verses, Rahab is mentioned by name. She is mentioned by occupation (she was a harlot). She is said to have survived the onslaught of the city. The reason is given as to why she should live: she welcomed the spies in peace. Her story is told in Joshua, chapter 2. So let’s turn over there.

Verse 1 begins with Joshua sending out some spies to enter the land.

Joshua 2:1
Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho"

I find it interesting to note how Joshua didn’t send out 12 spies; perhaps he had learned a lesson from 40 years before. They were sent to the entire land of Canaan, but particularly to the land of Jericho, the gateway to the land, which is where we find them in the last half of verse 1.

Joshua 2:1
... So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.

Rahab’s house was a frequent place where men would come to lodge. In fact, Josephus even called Rahab, an “innkeeper." Don’t think that this means that Rahab was a righteous woman, who merely ran an inn. No, in the culture when Rahab lived in Jericho, an “innkeeper" was synonymous with being a harlot. Anyways, apparently someone noticed these two men entering the city. Because, verse 2 says, ...

Joshua 2:2
It was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land."

How they knew the purposes of their visit is total mystery. But, their intelligence was correct. So, the king sought to thwart their efforts, by sending an envoy to visit Rahab. Verse 3, ...

Joshua 2:3
And the king of Jericho sent word 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 land."

If such men were found in her house, it would not be good for them. They may well be killed as spies. But, Rahab, filled with faith, thwarted the King’s efforts. Verse 4, ...

Joshua 2:4-7
But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them." But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

Rahab’s actions are pretty simple and straightforward. Rather than surrendering these men, she hid them. Rather than telling those looking for them where they were, she sends them off on a wild goose chase. Beginning in verse 8, she explains why she did what she did.

Joshua 2:8-13
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, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 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 utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death."

I love these sorts of statements in the Bible. Not only are they statements of faith. But, they are statements of faith for those in desperation. They are statements of faith for those who know so little about God. They are statements of faith for those who have no promises of salvation. Yet, they are statements seeking mercy.

Rahab’s statement is a bit like the woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years. In her desperation, she was thinking, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well" (Matt. 9:21). Notice the desperation in Rahab’s words, “I know that the LORD has given you the land. ... the terror of you has fallen on us. We have heard [of your other military victories]. Our hearts melted. [We have] no courage" (Josh 2:9-11).

Rahab’s statement has some similarity with those in Nineveh, who repented at Jonah’s preaching: “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed" (Jonah 3:4). To this message, the Ninevites responded, “they believed in God" (Jonah 3:5), although their knowledge of God was very little. Rahab wouldn’t have known much of the LORD. Being a resident of Jericho, all she would have known was paganism. Yet, she saw Israel victorious, and concluded, "For the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath" (2:11). I would not be surprised if this is all she knew.

Rahab’s statement is a bit like the Syrophoenician woman, who had no promises of salvation. She said to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table" (Matt. 15:27). Note also that Rahab had no promises of deliverance from these men. And yet, she begged for mercy, “Since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with [me and my family]" (verses 12-13). She knew that Jericho’s days were numbered. Her only hope was to find mercy from these men. She needed mercy. She was a sinner. But, as Jesus had mercy on the woman caught in adultery, so we find these men extending mercy to this sinful woman.

We see her receiving this mercy in verse 14, ...

Joshua 2:14
So the men said to her, "Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you."

Here’s a promise of salvation. “We will deal kindly and faithfully with you." Rahab made a profession of faith, saying, “Your God is the true God. He will do as He says. You will conquer our city. Will you have mercy on me and my family?" They said, “Yes, we will be merciful to you."

And when it comes to our faith, we receive salvation in the same way -- by faith. Albeit, the content of our faith is a bit different than Rahab’s faith. We know much about God. We have promises! She believed in the power of God. She entrusted her life to two spies. We believe and trust in Jesus -- His death, burial, and resurrection. And we entrust ourselves to Him, to deliver us from the wrath of God.

Our promise comes in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." That promise comes from the LORD, Himself. It doesn’t depend upon the promises of men.

May you realize the power of faith. Faith will save you from your sins! Faith will give you righteousness. Your eternal destiny rests on your faith. Faith will bring you into communion with God forever. Lack of faith will send you to hell -- everlasting torment -- forever. Where are you? Are you trusting in the LORD? Oh, I hope you are.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on March 20, 2011 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rvbc.cc.

---

[1] http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/05/did-the-israelites-conquer-jericho-a-new-look-at-the-archaeological-evidence.aspx#Article

[2] http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/05/did-the-israelites-conquer-jericho-a-new-look-at-the-archaeological-evidence.aspx#Article