By Faith: Moses
Hebrews 11:23-29
Chris Patton
July 14, 2024
Sermon Audio
Sermon Recap PDF
Sermon Theme:
- To live by faith is to base one’s entire life on the unseen realities of who God is and the promises He makes to His people.
- Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1-2)
- The difficulty is because we aren’t in heaven yet— the world, the flesh and the devil wage war daily against our souls.
- From scripture and experience, we know a primary way they oppose us is by endeavoring to dim the eye of faith and shift our gaze off of what is unseen to what is seen.
- It is a spiritually perilous thing to allow what we see in our circumstances to take our eyes off of Christ, who is unseen, and His promises.
- Thankfully, Hebrews 11 calls us to Faith. Hebrews 11 calls us to faith by reminding us of the spiritual heritage that has been passed down to us by saints of old—which is a heritage of living by faith in the unseen God.
- Their stories aren’t just their stories. They are our stories. We will see these men and women in heaven.
- Our text highlights the example of Moses, and actually his parents as well, and also the people of Israel —- and their faith as an example for us to follow.
- May God by His Holy Spirit strengthen our faith as we consider their example.
Verse 23
- The essential point of verse 23 is that their faith in Yahweh God caused Moses’ parents to not yield to fear of Pharaoh. Instead Yahweh was the defining reality of their lives and so above all, they feared Him, and labored faithfully to protect their newborn son.
- Verse 23 also points out that Moses’ parents saw that he was beautiful. What is intended here is not to say that Moses’ parents thought he was cute, The author is pointing out that Moses’ parents, saw that there was something special, something unique about this child. They probably sensed a kind of anointing on His life.
Verse 24 – Verse 26
- Here we see, Moses’ faith in the unseen God of His Fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) compelled him to forsake wealth, comfort, ease, acclaim, honor, and the pleasures of sin as well.
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” — Matthew 16:24–25 (ESV)
- Moses was willing to deny himself and take up his cross and follow Yahweh God, who is Christ, because from the vantage point of faith, enduring reproach and persecution and affliction for Jesus Christ, was of far greater value and worth than all the treasures and wealth of Egypt combined.
- In Verse 26 We see Moses was willing to give up the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his heavenly reward. In other words, Moses had an eternal perspective.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot
“If we could only view things in that clear light which beats about the eternal future we should avoid a thousand mistakes….Let me exhort you also to see things in the eternal light. Do not look at things in their bearings upon to-day, or to-morrow, or the next few years. Judge by eternity.” — CH Spurgeon
Verse 27
- When Moses finally came to deliver God’s people from bondage and slavery in Egypt — when “he left Egypt” — at that point, Moses was now around 80 years old and He was not afraid of the terrible, hateful anger of Pharoah….but instead by faith, Moses boldly and courageously led the people out.
- Verse 27 also says, Moses “endured as seeing him who is invisible.” This refers to the whole time during the plagues when Moses experienced the unrelenting opposition of Pharaoh. Moses endured this mans hatred and opposition, because, by faith he saw the invisible God.
- This reminds us – faith is that Spirit-given quality that enables the people of God to stand even when the powers evil and demonic forces are arrayed against us…. because the reality for the Christian is if God be for us who can be against us.
Verse 28
- God instructed Moses for each household to take a lamb without blemish. And then kill the lamb And then take the blood of the lamb and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts of their houses in which they ate the Passover. The angel of death would then Pass-over the homes marked by the blood.
- In Hebrews 11:28, the author points out that for Moses, to lead the people to do this was an act of faith in the unseen God.
Verse 29
- By faith in the living God the people of God walked across that Red Sea, trusting God to bring them through.
Questions for Discussion/Application:
- Consider taking time to read Hebrews 11:23-29 out loud. What initial insights or observations of the text do you have?
- How does it affect you to consider that Hebrews 11, and these heroes of faith, represent our spiritual heritage as Christians? Just stepping back from the passage as a whole, what impact should the example of these Old Testament saints have on our lives?
- Moses was willing to deny himself and take up his cross and follow Yahweh God, who is Christ, because from the vantage point of faith, enduring reproach and persecution and affliction for Jesus Christ, was of far greater value and worth than all the treasures and wealth of Egypt combined. How does Moses example in this way land on you? How does it convict, encourage or inspire you?
- What does it truly mean for us to take up our cross and follow Christ? If we took that command from our Savior more seriously how would our lives be different?
- Consider these two quotes:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot
“If we could only view things in that clear light which beats about the eternal future we should avoid a thousand mistakes….Let me exhort you also to see things in the eternal light. Do not look at things in their bearings upon to-day, or to-morrow, or the next few years. Judge by eternity.” — CH Spurgeon
How is what Jim Elliot says so contrary to the typical American way of thinking?
Spurgeon speaks of how an eternal perspective can help us avoid “a thousand mistakes.” How is that so? What mistakes can we make by not having an eternal perspective? - How are you inspired in your own faith as a result of considering the life of Moses? How do you want to grow? How do you want to change?
- Consider taking time to pray, asking God to help us to be people of faith, following in Moses’ example.