Man of Destiny, Part 2

If you have your Bible, I would invite you to turn with me to the book of Hebrews, the 11th chapter. And I thought it would be good for us today to pick up where we left off last week and look at spe Hebrews chapter 11 because it kind of fills in the gaps.

We told you last week that when you read Exodus 1 and Exodus 2, you must read Acts 7 as well as Hebrews 11 because all four of those chapters Give us a composite picture of what was happening in the life of Moses, what was happening in the life of Egypt, and what was happening in the life of the nation of Israel. So, as we are studying Exodus chapter 2, Hebrews 11 picks up some of the part of the narrative that we don't get in Exodus chapter 2. So, I want to read that to you this morning, and this is where we're going to be.

Hebrews chapter 11. Verses 23 down through verse number 29. By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. cons the rep of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he was looking to the reward.

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn might not touch them. By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land, and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. Now, listen.

The writer of Hebrews helps us to understand this man, Moses. Unlike Stephen in Acts 7. And even unlike Moses himself in Exodus chapter 2, because Moses, of course, is the author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.

So the right of Hebrews helps us understand this man's persuasion, this man's ability to make right decisions, proper decisions. Based on the fact that God had done a work in his life. I like what it says by faith, verse number 24: Moses, when he had grown up. When he had grown up, this is when he's 40 years of age. We know that when we parallel Acts 7 and Exodus 2, that it was at this time. He was 40 years of age. It was at this time he went to visit his brethren. It was at this time he went to convince them of who he was.

And I want you to notice, first of all, his denial. What he would deny. For he would deny four things. First of all, he would deny pos.

Look what it says. By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Moses denied pos. You see, he had the highest position in the land. And he would deny the scepter in Egypt for a staff to lead the people of God. How does somebody do that? How does somebody have enough strength to say no to that? By faith, Moses would deny this great pos. He had a higher calling to be called the son of his father in heaven. See? You see, inside he knew he was a Hebrew. He was an Egyptian.

Inside, he knew he was called of God. Inside, he knew that God was making him and molding him to be the deliverer of Israel. He knew that. You see, that's why he didn't have an identity crisis. Because his identity was wrapped up in his God, it wasn't wrapped up in his position. It wasn't wrapped up in what people thought about him. It was wrapped up in what God thought about him, right And so that's how, by faith, he could deny that position. He knew he was to serve the great God Jehovah. Listen.

For those of us who know who we are in Jesus Christ, that we are a child of the living God, we don't have an identity crisis. We don't worry about who we are. We don't worry about what people are going to think about us because we're concerned about what God thinks, because He's the one we serve. So by faith, he would deny position. Number two, he would deny pleasures.

Pleasures. And believe me, he had all the pleasures he could ever dream of. The Bible says, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

Now he had a choice, right? God's people have a choice. God's people have always had a choice. And God places before him that choice. You can go all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, it speaks of the choices that we have. Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse number 19. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live. You and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying his voice, and by holding fast to him, for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham, Isaac.

And Jacob to give them. Moses would tell the people of God, before they would embark on the promised land, to make a choice. To love their God, to obey his voice, to serve him, to honor him. Joshua said the same thing in Joshua 2, verse number 15. As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord. Before us is a choice. Before Moses was a choice. And he chose to by the passing pleasures of sin. Instead, to endure ill treatment with the people of God. You see, this is why Moses is such a great leader.

This is why Moses is so high up on God's list. This is why Moses is set up as the prime leader in the nation of Israel. That's why they look to him for all of their leadership skills and techniques, because this man is the. Greatest of all leaders to be able to make a choice to deny pleasure. A lot of times we have a trouble with that, don't we? We don't deny ourselves much anymore. We en in pleasure. The next time you have a choice to engage in sin. The next time you have a choice to do that which is displeasing to God, realize it's a passing pleasure.

It never lasts, it's temporary. But what Moses knew, the wealth of Egypt, the riches available to him. The pleasures of sin would pass in a moment. So we denied them. How? By faith. He believed his God. He denied position. He denied pleasure. He also denied possessions. The treasures of Egypt. It says, considering the reproach of Christ's greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine? I mean, archaeologists today are still discovering the immense wealth of the Egyptians, the royalty that they had.

Far surpasses anything that we could ever imagine. And the treasures of Egypt were his. Can you imagine being able to buy whatever you want, whenever you want it? That's what he had, all at his disposal. And he denied it. He denied possessions. He denied pos. He denied pleasure. Remember the man who came to Christ in Luke 12? Said, would you tell my brother to divide my father's inheritance with me? Evidently, his father just died. His brother had taken all the money. And Christ says, I'm not the arbitrator between you guys.

He says this, understand this: man's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. It doesn't consist in what a man has. And yet that's the way we think, isn't it? We are so concerned about getting more treasure, getting more things. You get Moses, forty years of age, six years younger than I am today. Said no to possessions, no to position, no to pleasure. And then, notice this.

The Bible says by faith, verse 27, he left Egypt. You know what else he denied? He denied protection. Egypt was the comfort zone, right? Egypt was what he knew. Midian is what he didn't know. Sinai is what he didn't know. Canaan is what he didn't know. He didn't know the wilderness. He had been brought up in a palace. That was his comfort zone. That was his protection. And he decided to risk it all to step out on faith. Out of his comfort zone and to obey God. He left his realm of security. To obey his God.

In fact, Moses would say in Exodus chapter 15, verse number 2, the Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God. I will praise him, my father's God, and I will extol him. You see, he learned to depend upon his God. He learned to find strength in his God. He learned to understand that his sole protection would come from God. Listen to what David would say in Psalm 18: I love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord. Is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, and my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

David learned to depend upon his God, the rock of his salvation. The second thing I want you to see about his persuasion was not only his denial, but number two, his decision.

His dec. He decided to suffer the affliction with the people of God. He chose to do right and suffer. Rather than choose wrong and experience pleasure, he chose eternity over Egypt. He chose to be with the people of God. You see, for the most part, we wouldn't make that choice. He wanted to be with his people because his people were God's people. Granted, they weren't living like God's people, but they were God's people. And he would decide to be with them more than he would decide to be Called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, more than he would want to be in a palace with everything at his disposal.

He realized the value of relationship. He realized that what was in the palace was superficial, but what was with the people of God was real. He chose that. He made the decision based on faith in his God. He knew what it meant to be around the people of God. And that's where his heart was. The third thing I want you to see is his dedication.

Remember, the writer of Hebrews is telling us about this man Moses. Helping us to grasp his persuasion. What would cause him to do what it is he did? And why was he as great as he was? It was because of his denial. It was because of his decision-making process. It was because of his dedication. It says, listen, this is amazing. Verse 26, cons the reproach of who? Moses knew about the Messiah. How did he know about the Messiah? His mother. But look what it says. Considering the reproach of Christ great riches Than the treasures of Egypt.

That is, bearing the reproach of the Messiah was more valuable to him than anything Egypt could offer him. That's why he was so great. Is because he believed that to suffer for the sake of his Messiah, the promised seed, was more valuable than anything Egypt could give him. David would say something similar in Psalm 69 when he said, The reproaches of those who reproach thee have f upon me. David would say that what is going to happen ultimately to the Messiah has happened to me. You see, whenever you live for God, you bear the reproach of God.

You bear the abuse that God Himself receives because people can't abuse God because they can't see Him. They can't grab a hold of Him. So, what do they do? They abuse the people of God. And Moses thought to be abused by people for the sake of the Messiah was the most valuable thing that could ever happen to him. Think about that one for a moment. That's why Christ said in Matthew 5: Blessed are you when men persecute you. Blessed are you when men revile you. When they speak all kinds of evil against you, for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

You are the blessed man if for Christ's sake you bear the reproach of your Savior. Now you think about that and you ask yourself how do you fit into verse 26 of Hebrews 11? Think about it. Number four, not only his denial, his decision, his dedication, but his determination. For it says verse 23, verse 24, verse 27, verse 28, verse 29, by faith. By faith, he did what he did. By faith Verse 27 says, He endured. That's det. He persevered. He didn't quit. See now think about Moses for forty years he was on the backside of the desert He had no conversation with God at all until the Bernie Bush.

So by faith he left Egypt. So we know that God told him to leave Egypt. So God had to communicate with him some way, leave Egypt. So he did. But for those 40 years, from the time he left Egypt to the time of the burning bush, there was no conversation with God. But by faith. He was able to endure and persevere, not quit, not give up. And that's why the man was so great. How many times do we want to quit throwing the towel? Give up on our marriage. Give up on our evangelistic efforts. Give up on our kids.

Say, I'm done. Moses. Endured because of faith. In the time rem, I going give you some principles. Four of them. From our text in Hebrews 11. Some principles that you need to live by that will help you understand God's call upon your life. And so, here's principle number one.

Practice incredible faith. Practice inc faith. We go back up to Hebrews chapter 11, verse number 23. By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because he saw He was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. Now, you know what that means if you've been with us the last couple of weeks. You know that Moses' parents knew. From God, because it was by faith, they learned something about their son Moses. And they weren't afraid of the king's edict.

They had incredible faith. And that needs to be practiced in our lives. We need to trust God no matter what the circumstances. We need to trust God no matter what's happening around us. Because, for all practical purposes, in the life of Am And Jacob, everything was falling apart. Can you imagine Jac coming to Am, honey? I'm going to have another child. I wonder if it 's going to be a boy. Because the king's edict is that we've got to destroy all the male babies. What do you do? Well, what else do you do?

You trust God, right? You believe in God. And somehow God would come to them, he would speak to them, he would tell them that this child is fair unto me, as Acts 7 says. He is my chosen one, he is my deliverer, and God is going to do a great work through him. And they would learn to believe their God and trust Him. Have incredible faith. Incredible faith. Number two, not only should we practice incredible faith, but we should.

Prefer the imperishable fortune. Practice the inc and prefer the imperishable. If you practice the incredible, you will prefer the imperishable. Moses did that. Right? He decided to prefer. Reproach over riches. That was his choice. The Bible says.

Considering the reproach of Christ greater riches. It's a mathematical term. It wasn't a snap decision. He woke up one and say Oh, I'm going to decide to do that. And then he went and did that. No, no, no. It was a long, calculated decision. I can do this. Or I can do this. I can choose the imperishable, or I can choose the perishable. He chose the imperishable. So if you practice the inconceivable, and I know my time's gone, but I got to finish this because I just got to finish it. Okay? So if you practice the incredible, You will prefer the imperishable.

If you prefer the imperishable, you will perceive the invisible. Listen to what the text says. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seen him who is un. Seen him who is unseen. He was able to perceive the invisible. No man has seen God at any time. And Moses would even ask to see God, and God, listen.

If I let you see me, you got die, Moses. I can 't let you do that. But Moses was able to grasp the invisible God. Listen.

By understand the sovereignty of God, His absolute control over everything. See, that's why the right of Colossians says, in Colossians 3, Paul says, set your affections on things above, not on things below. Where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. What is he saying? Set your affections above. Look above, because what you see up there is God's sovereign rulership. To sit down at the right hand of God was to sit down in the place of authority. God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has all authority both in heaven and in earth.

He's in complete control of everything. That's why when Habakkuk in Habakkuk chapter 1 went to God and talked to him about why he would choose wicked people to destroy his people, God would say to him in Habakkuk chapter 2. Your God is in heaven. Let all the earth be silent. He wanted Habakkuk to see that his God was in heaven and he is in complete control. He is on his throne. You have nothing to say. That is an accurate perception of the invisible God. You can't see him, but he's everywhere. You can't see him with the physical eye, but you know he's in everything.

And here was Moses. He was able to see the one who was unseen. He was able to grasp the character and nature of his God. Because of his faith in his God. And listen, if you perceive the inv, you will perform the impossible. The Bible says, by faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn might not touch them.

Moses performed the first Passover. Can you imagine? Here's this guy. All this education, a statesman, a scholar, a soldier. And what's he doing? He's taking the blood of the Lamb and he's putting it on the doorpost of his house. There he is. We're doing this. Moses, what are you doing? God said, God said, the death angel is going to come. And those who have sprinkled the blood on the doorpost of their home, that death angel will pass over them. You're kidding me, right, Moses? No, I'm not. That's the truth.

That's what God said. You know what? That's exactly what happened. Exactly what happened. He believed that what God said would happen, would happen. And listen to this. By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry l. Is that impossible or what? Absolutely. Absolutely impossible in human terms. But when God's in control and you're living by faith, God does the impossible. That's the life of Moses. And that's what God wants to do in your life. Wants to do in my life.

That's the relevancy of God's word. You take the life of Moses. Thousands of years ago, and your life today, and you put them side by side, and what God wanted to do in and through him is what God wants to do in and through you as well.