THE SCARLET LINE IN THE WINDOW

 "She bound the scarlet line in the window."   Joshua 2:21.

JOSHUA 2
1 AND Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men
to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho.
And they went, and came into an harlots house, named Rahab,
and lodged there.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there
came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to
search out the country.
3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring
forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered
into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them,
...
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house,
and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid
in order upon the roof.
...
9 And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath
given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us,
and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because
of you.
10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of
the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt;
...
11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts
did melt, neither did there remain any more courage
in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is
God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
...
18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind
this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst
let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and
thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy fathers household,
home unto thee.
19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the
doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be
upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever
shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on
our head, if any hand be upon him.
21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it.
And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound
the scarlet line in the window.

ALL OF GOD'S WORD IS INTERESTING TO ME.

          I HAVE LOVED IT FOR MANY YEARS.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THERE ARE SOME

          WHO FIND IT BORING.

                    THOSE OF US WHO LOVE THIS BOOK

                         ARE SORELY GRIEVED BY

                         YOUR INDIFFERENCE TOWARD IT.
 

          TO THOSE OF US TO WHOM
               THE LIVING WORD IS PRECIOUS
               THE WRITTEN WORD IS ALSO PRECIOUS,

                              ALL OF IT,

     BUT PERHAPS NO PARTS OF IT
     ARE MORE INTERESTING TO US
     TO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE TRULY BEEN CONVERTED

     THAN THOSE SCRIPTURES WHEREIN IS A NOTABLE CONVERSION.

               SUCH AS THIS STORY OF RAHAB THE HARLOT.

Heb.11:31
   By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed
  not, when she had received the spies with peace.

     THIS IS A REMARKABLE STORY OF ONE SAVED OUT
          OF THE MIDST OF A WICKED PEOPLE

               A brand snatched from the burning.

                    There are some such here today.

  THERE IS NOTHING COMPLICATED ABOUT THIS STORY . . .

  I.    NOTE THE SIMPLICITY OF HER SALVATION

     "She bound the scarlet line in the window."
      Joshua 2:21.

          NOTE PRECISELY THAT IT WAS A SCARLET LINE

               SHE DIDN'T SUBSTITUTE
                    BLUE    OR    GREEN OR YELLOW.

     AH,   SOME WOULD TELL US THAT

          IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT COLOR THE LINE IS

               As long as you are sincere.

                    One color is as good as another.
 

   II.    SOME SAY THAT THE COLOR IS SUCH
          A SMALL MATTER.

 

     Yes, but this matter of the scarlet color

          is the difference between life and death in our story.

     THIS HAD BETTER BE RIGHT

          OR EVERYTHING IS WRONG.
 

  III.  I BELIEVE
          THIS PARTICULAR COLOR HAD AN IMPORTANT SYMBOLISM,

          PROBABLY TO RAHAB AS WELL AS THE SPIES.

          SHE MADE MENTION OF THE DELIVERANCE
          OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FROM EGYPT

  JOSHUA 2:10
  For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of
  the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt;
 

               SHE KNEW THE STORY
               OF HOW THE BLOOD OF THE PASSOVER LAMB
               PROTECTED THE ISRAELI HOUSES

               BUT ONLY THOSE TO WHICH IT WAS APPLIED.

          SHE PROBABLY UNDERSTOOD THE FAITH PRINCIPLE
                    OF THE APPLICATION OF THE BLOOD
 

          THE COLOR OF THE CORD
                         MAY SEEM INCONSEQUENTIAL TO YOU,

                         But without it, the household perishes.
 

  IV.     NOTE THAT HER OBEDIENCE
          AROSE OUT OF REAL FAITH

          Belief carried behavior along.

        HOW EASY TO HAVE DOUBTED

          Can my faith in such a simple thing
          as this scarlet cord actually save me?

                    Surely I must do more.

                    IS THAT ALL THERE IS TO IT?

                              JUST SIMPLE FAITH

                              IN A SCARLET COVENANT.
  

     I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY:
               HAVE YOU TIED THE SCARLET CORD
               IN THE WINDOW OF YOUR SOUL

               HAVE YOU RECEIVED THE
               CHRIST OF THE COVENANT?
 

               THEN, MY PRECIOUS FRIEND,
               YOU ARE SECURE     YOU ARE SAFE

                    Even if you doubt!

                         Rahab could have trembled in fear,
                         She was still safe!

                              The same was true
                              at Passover in Egypt.

                         But why doubt?

                              Just trust in the COVENANT

                              & try to get your family
                              to trust in it, too.
 

  V.   ONCE RAHAB TRUSTED IN THE COVENANT,
     IT WAS THEN IMPORTANT TO GET HER FAMILY IN.

     IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN EASY

     THEY MAY HAVE MOCKED SUCH A RIDICULOUS IDEA

          They may have mocked the idea
          that they even needed saving.

          They may have mocked the idea
          that such deliverance could come
          by way of a simple scarlet cord.
 

     BUT RAHAB KNEW THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SCARLET CORD.
     SHE WANTED TO GET HER FAMILY IN.

     OH,    IF LIKE NOAH, YOU HAVE YOUR FAMILY IN,

               REJOICE
               Even if their deportment later
               is a disappointment, as it was with Noah.
 

  VI.   THERE IS SOMETHING HERE OF A PUBLIC CONFESSION

     THAT SCARLET THREAD WAS VISIBLE TO ALL

               BOTH FRIEND AND FOE.

               Undoubtedly evoked curiousity.

                              WE ARE SET ASIDE BY THE "BLOOD MARK"

                                        THIS IS NOW A DEDICATED HOUSE.
  

  LET ME ASK YOU IN CLOSING,
  WHEN THE LORD LOOKS AT 
  THE WINDOW OF YOUR SOUL,
     WHEN YOUR NEIGHBOR LOOKS,

  IS THE SCARLET CORD THERE?
 

     I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO PUBLICLY

          HANG OUT THE SCARLET CORD

                    MAKE YOUR TESTIMONY PUBLIC

  NEVER BE ASHAMED

          IT IS A MARVELOUS THING
          THAT HE IS NOT ASHAMED OF US.

          WE SHOULD NEVER BE ASHAMED OF HIM.

               WHY NOT HANG THE THREAD
               IN THE WINDOW TODAY?

               EXPRESS YOUR FAITH IN THE
               COVENANT WORK OF CHRIST
               ON CALVARY'S CROSS
               FOR YOUR REDEMPTION. 

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  A sermon written by Ben Shepherd
  Copyright 1999 Ben Shepherd
  Permission is freely granted to those who minister  to use in public proclamation without stating attribution.
  All other rights reserved.

  Written and edited after reading & rereading a sermon
  by C.H. Spurgeon - Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit,  Volume 55, NO. 3168 - Page 673 -
  THE SCARLET LINE IN THE WINDOW.
  A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 1909,
  DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE
  METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

  Some of the thoughts and ideas were inspired by
  Spurgeon's sermon, which is in the public domain.

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