Taffi Dollar - The God of Second Chances - Part 2
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If you make yourself a living sacrifice and commit your life to the Lord, he will start developing your talents and directing you. As soon as you get usable, God will use you. And let it just be a living testimony. I never had imagined that I would be before you today sharing Scriptures and talking about the Lord just… it’s a living testament to God’s grace and his power that he will use you, he will save you, and he will do it in a way that is unimaginable. So look at what it says here in James chapter 2, verse 25. It says, «Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way»?
Look at this in the New Living Translation. It says that she’s the harlot that was justified. It says, «Rahab the prostitute is another example». Because I know sometimes, you know, in the church we wonder why, you know, do prostitutes have a place, do the drug dealer have a place, does the thug have a place? It’s like you know what. Who are we to determine who God can use and who is welcome into the house of the Lord? He says, «Rahab the prostitute is another example». I want her to be an example for you this morning.
You know, some people might be able to say, «Well, you know, I can’t learn anything from a prostitute». Well, the Bible says and mentions her and describes what she did, and we can learn from her example. Of course, we’re not elevating and making it something to glamorize, but the Bible talks about how she was shown to be right with God by her actions. She was shown to be right with God. Think of that; that she was justified despite her past, with what she had done, the men that she had done it with. It says that she was right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers, talking about the spies that we were just reading about in Joshua chapter 6 when she hid those spies and sent them safely away by a different road.
And so we see here that the Scripture says that she was right with God. Somebody say, «I am right with God». And when we receive Jesus as our Lord and as our personal Savior, we got to remind ourselves that, «I am right with God». When he comes and moves on the inside of us, «I am right. I have the opportunity to be an example. I have the privilege by which my life can minister to someone else, that it could be used to change someone else’s life». And so that’s what Rahab was able to do. And so we must understand the will of God because she trusted God. We need to get to a point that we’re not doing what we do out of our own ability, out of our own strength but getting to a place where we do what we do through the power of God like she did where she trusted God and then as a result God was able to trust her and use her and then great things began to take place.
Now, let’s look at the third thing. God redefines those with a past. She probably when she made up in her mind, you know, «I’m going to help these spies. I’m going to take them in, risk my family, risk being killed». She probably never knew that over time that she would be included as one of the heroes of faith. She didn’t say, «Well, you know, I’m going to take these spies in 'cause I take them in then I’m going to be mentioned and then I’m going to have Boaz and then I’m going to do, you know, get with Ruth. I’m going to be able to influence Boaz, and I’m going to do this and do that». No, she just took one step. She made up in her mind that, «I’m going to extend myself. I’m going to trust God».
And then the rest just began to happen; the perfect, the good, the acceptable will of God. She made up in her mind that, «I’m going to be a living sacrifice. I’m going to sacrifice». And then as a result it just opened up the floodgates of God to be able to do these things in her life. So God will redefine those because she was redefined as not just one who, you know, was a harlot, but then we see her over in Hebrews chapter 11. Turn there, Hebrews chapter 11. He redefines those with a past. God redefined Rahab from a fallen woman to a chosen woman, from a whore to a bride, from a mess to a mother, from a prostitute to a woman of faith. Am I talking to somebody this morning?
He will redefine, and I love that. I love that he redefines us and gives us an identity in him and causes us to stand in our righteousness in him knowing that we are right because of him, knowing that we can serve him, knowing that we have a place in his kingdom, knowing that he can use us; knowing that there’s a plan for our life, that there’s a will for our life; that there’s something that must be discovered, that must be revealed. And God will use those. He will save those and he will redefine those because he’s a good God. Chapter 11 of Hebrews, verse 31. Chapter 11.
Let’s look at this in the Message Translation, Message Translation. «By an act of faith», 'cause when you look at that passage there of chapter 11 and you see all the great things that men did, God would use a woman. Glory be to God. God would use a woman. Jesus came to reveal that, «I could use a woman». The woman who had all the husbands who was at the well and who said, «You know, I’ve got a husband». «Yeah. But the one you’re not supposed to be with him». But you know what? He used her. He said, «Go. I don’t condemn you». And as a result she was the first one who was called, and she began to go out in faith and empowered her. And so God through an act of faith, it says Rahab, she was a woman of faith, the Jericho harlot. My God. How would you like to have that reputation? «Here she comes, the Jericho harlot».
She wasn’t moved by any of that. You know why? Because she knew who she was. It’s why it doesn’t matter what people say. You got to know who you are. She knew who God was because she saw how God delivered her, how God preserved her family. She knew how to experience deliverance and experience his so great protection and how he was able to do the things that he was able to do, delivering her from death and delivering her from danger. To her that’s all that mattered. Other people didn’t know that. Other people didn’t know David’s testimony. Other people didn’t know how David was delivered in the field and how God delivered him from the lion, delivered him from the bear.
And so when that giant Goliath showed up in David’s life, he said, «Oh, God will take care of this because you know why? God did it before. And you know what? He’ll do it again». And so to her it was like, «Hey, it doesn’t matter about my past. I know what God did. I know how God delivered me. I know what he can do. And so it doesn’t matter if you call me the Jericho harlot. I’m something else. Because you know why? God has rewritten my past and God has given me a future. God has given me an identity and as a result I know who I am». So by an act of faith, an act of faith. It’s going to take us stepping out in faith in order to discover the will of God for our lives.
You know, if she had said, «Well, my past is just too bad. I have slept. I’ve done too much. I’ve damaged too much». No, by faith she said, «I’m going to trust God. I’m going to believe God. I’m going to step out of shame. I’m going to step out of condemnation. I’m going to step out of what people have said about me. I’m just not going to let that keep me back». And at some point you got to make up your mind in order to do the will of God that you’re going to willing, you got to be different. You got to be different from the crowd. You got to be free from what people think. You got to be on a position where God has done too much for you just to be limiting yourself by the opinions of people. And although she was a harlot, the Bible says that she welcomed the spies. She welcomed the spies.
So there must have been even something hospitable about her that she took them in. She welcomed them. And the Scripture says escaped the destruction. My God. 'Cause you know what? Her life probably could have been destroyed from her previous lifestyle, but she escaped all of that when she got in the will of God for her life. «She escaped the destruction that came on those who refused to trust God».
So you got to make up in your mind today that, «I’m not going to be in the category of those who refuse to trust God. Even though it might be a slippery slope, it might not be the prettiest picture, it might not be the, you know, squeaky-clean pass, but I’m going to trust God. At the end of the day I might not get it all right, all the words may not come out grammatically correct, all the things may, you know, be a little rough, a little rocky, but I trust God. Because you know what? When it’s all said and done, when all the chronicles are written down and the history records are closed and my life has come, I want to be one that others have said and that I know in my knower that I trust God. I trust him. Not going to be caught up in the fear of what people think».
We talked about that last week, the fear of man how it brings a trap. It brings a snare when we’re more concerned about what people think. «Well, because of your past, you know, I wouldn’t do that». Well, I’m not living by my past, I’m living on my future. My future is bright. My future is promising. I got some promises in my future. There’s a path that God has prearranged for the good life; the life that’s full, that overflows. And so we have to understand that God redefines those with a past, glory be to God, and causes us to live. So God redefines you. And how many of you know he will redefine me? Glory be to God.
Now, turn over to the Book of Psalms 87, the Book of Psalms 87 and we’re going to try to figure out how we can just bring this to a place because the will of God must be. I beseech you today to begin to pursue God’s plan for your life. Now, look at verse 4 of Psalms 87. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. He says, «I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me». Just think that the Scripture even mentions her. Just befuddles me. It amazes me that this person which, some would probably say she has no character or better yet maybe she is a character, but the Scripture says, «I’ll make mention of her to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there».
And so this morning I just want you to just begin to envision and seeing the fact that God has a plan for your life; that God saves those with a past, God uses those with a past, God redefines those with a past. He will save, he will use, and he will redefine. He is God. He’s not limited by what man will call limitations. He will not be stranded by the mistakes and maybe the ignorance of the things that have been done. And so we can take comfort in knowing this and take comfort in his grace because we can begin to trust in him and to lean and to rely on him this day.
And so, Father, I just pray for every person. I pray, Lord, that we’ll not allow ourselves to think less than what we should, but help us to think in line with your Word. Help us to know who we are and to know the sufficiency of your grace. Father, we amplify right now in our lives. We just believe that where sin abounded grace much more abounds. And so, Lord, help us to not be afraid of our past but to use it as a testimony, to testify of the goodness of the Lord, to show that you’re great; that you’re bigger than our past, you’re bigger than our mistakes, you’re bigger than our fears, you’re bigger than our brokenness, you’re bigger than our scars, you’re bigger than our hurt. And so we just thank you for the great love that you have towards each and every one of us, Lord. Help us to be mindful of the importance of being that living sacrifice. You said it’s our reasonable service so that we can begin to prove the will of God for our lives and we can know who we are in you, that we know that we’re righteous and the beloved and peculiar, chosen, accepted. We thank you for that today, Lord; that your love redefines us, each and every person. We receive it right now. By grace through faith we lay hold of it. Glory be to God. Glory be to God.
And I just sense the Holy Spirit just breaking down that fallow ground in your heart, that he is allowing that firm foundation because he is a chief cornerstone. And that past which you stood on in the past God says, «No, I’m going to cause you to have a new anchor». And he will be the anchor of our soul. He will be the foundation upon which we stand this day. So we let go of it right now. We let go of the brokenness so that we can be everything that he desires for us to be. Just begin to lift up your hands right now.
Lord, we just thank you. Thank you for loving us and saving us to the uttermost. Thank you, Lord God. We thank you that you welcome us as a part of your family. There’s nothing that will exceed your saving grace today. Glory be to God. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Receive the depth of his love, the width, the height. He wants you to understand how wide his love is, how deep his love is. There’s nothing we can do to outrun or to undo his love concerning us. Just receive that love right now that overshadows your past, overshadows shame, condemnation, trauma, hurt. We receive. We receive.