Download Hebrews 11:24-28 “Take the World, but Give Me Jesus” 24 By faith

Hebrews 11:24-28
“Take the World, but Give Me Jesus”
24
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be
mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded
disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his
reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By
faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the
firstborn of Israel.
When you hear the name Moses, what pictures come to your mind? Do you see a crying baby placed gently in a woven
basket floating on the Nile? Or a champion of slaves standing before the most powerful ruler in the world and making
outrageous demands? Or maybe an elderly man standing in the presence of the almighty God and receiving his
commands on tablets of stone. To the Jews, Moses is the most important figure in their history. He is the great
deliverer who freed them from over 400 years of slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. He is also their
greatest prophet and the one through whom God gave his Law. One could even argue that Moses is the most important
writer of history who ever lived since he recorded things like the creation of the universe, the fall into sin, and God’s first
promise of a Savior.
The book of Hebrews was written to Jews who were being tempted to give up on Christ and return to Judaism. The
writer of this letter gives them a powerful encouragement to stand firm in their faith by showing that their greatest
hero, Moses, lived by faith in Christ long before Christ was born. Today as we consider the example of Moses we will see
that like him, faith moves us to make godly choices, and to rely on the protection of God’s power and wisdom.
The circumstances surrounding Moses’ birth, though he had no control over them, were already a powerful witness of
faith. In the verse just before those we are studying we’re told that “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months
after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” (Heb
11:23) The faith of his parents moved them to obey the will of God rather than the sinful decree of pharaoh which
called for the death of every male baby born to the Israelites. You know what happened after three months. The baby
was found by Pharaoh’s daughter as he floated in the Nile River and she took him to be her own. Scripture tells us that
there in Pharaoh’s household Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and
action. (Ac 7:22) Here, he also learned how to write, a rare skill in that day, which would become so important later on.
Moses essentially became an Egyptian growing up in the palace with all the privileges and extravagances of a prince.
But all of this would soon change. “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a short time.” (Heb 11:24-25) Instead of taking advantage of the rights and privileges that came with being a prince
of Egypt, Moses made a conscious choice to be identified with the slaves of Israel. After God called him to rescue his
people it would have been a sin to remain in Pharaoh’s court. So he said “no” to the riches and power of Egypt. And
instead of being pampered like a prince he chose to be mistreated like a slave. By faith he made the choice to follow
God’s command and be identified as one of God’s people.
Do we always make that same choice? Do we always choose to be identified as one of God’s people? Maybe it’s not a
problem on Sunday mornings or in the company of Christian family and friends. But what about when we’re among
those who don’t think so highly of Christ, are we still willing to be identified as one of God’s people? What if it means
being ridiculed or even pitied by classmates or a teacher for our seemingly ignorant Biblical worldview? What if it means
getting passed up for promotion because we’re not willing to get ahead at all costs? What if it means losing a friend
because our commitment to God’s Word won’t allow us to stand by and say nothing when they make sinful choices?
Unfortunately we aren’t always so willing to take the mistreatment or ridicule that might come from being one of God’s
people.
So how was Moses able to make such a choice? Verse 26 says He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater
value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Heb 11:26) Moses put faith’s price
tag on things. He realized that the apparent treasures of worldly power, wisdom, and honor, were nothing compared to
the eternal reward waiting for him. He regarded disgrace suffered for the sake of Christ as the most valuable treasure.
This is astounding! Even though he lived 1500 years before Jesus, he was looking to HIM! Through faith’s eyes he saw
his Savior. He looked forward to the reward that was his because of his Savior’s perfect life and death, and so he was
willing to suffer disgrace for the sake of Christ’s name.
But Moses didn’t always have such a perfect focus. He didn’t always make godly choices. Early in his life he took
matters into his own hands and murdered an Egyptian. When called to be God’s leader he at first doubted God’s power
and promises. Later when the people of Israel were grumbling and complaining for the umpteenth time, the Lord told
Moses to speak kindly to them, but instead he lashed out in anger. It was for this disobedience that he would not be
allowed to enter the Promised Land. But, this is also why Moses considered Christ his most valuable treasure. Because
it was only though him that his many sins were forgiven and that his eternal reward was assured.
What a comfort to us! Even though Moses is praised as a great hero of faith, like you and me he too struggled at times.
We know how at times we have been reluctant to live the kind of lives that God wants us to live and make choices that
are pleasing in his sight. We’ve already mentioned the times that we have refused to be identified with the people of
God, and how instead of being bold and courageous we have been cowardly and fearful. Like Moses we need a Savior.
Like Moses we have that Savior in Jesus. Our Savior was never afraid or unwilling to let others know exactly who he was
and why he came. And it cost him his life. He did what we couldn’t do. His sacrifice pays for our failures. And through
faith in him we too can look forward to our heavenly reward.
Such faith removes our fears because we know that God’s power and wisdom stands behind us as his people. Verse 27
says: By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
(Heb 11:27) Earlier Moses fled to the land of Midian in fear of Pharoah. But later by faith he stood before the most
powerful man in the world, with the strongest military in the world, and told him that God’s people were leaving. He did
not fear Pharaoh’s anger because he knew that the invisible God stood behind him.
It is faith in the invisible God that continues to remove fear from his people. Peter describes this trust in the invisible
God saying, Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in
him. (1 Pe 1:8) I doubt any of us will ever be asked to stand before a world leader and make bold demands like those
that Moses made. But each day we are called on to act in faith. And when we live by faith sooner or later we will be
faced with situations that challenge us and have the potential to create fear. Maybe it’s just speaking to your neighbor
or family member about what Jesus Christ means to you. Maybe it means looking at the blessings that God has given
you and committing yourself to returning a generous portion to him even when the economy seems so uncertain.
Maybe it means moving from the sidelines to the playing field in our ministry, even though you know it will cost you
some time and might even bring some criticism. In each of these cases fear will not be absent. But faith in Christ moves
us to do what is right and God pleasing in the face of fear.
Finally Moses is praised for keeping the Passover because it demonstrated that he valued God’s wisdom above all else.
Verse 28 says, By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would
not touch the firstborn of Israel. (Heb 11:28) The tenth plague was God’s final judgment on the unbelief and hard
heartedness of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Since they refused to listen to God’s Word the firstborn in every home in
Egypt would die, except where the blood of the lamb had been sprinkled on the doorposts. Now think about this. Here
stands Moses, one of the most educated men of his day, and now he is directed to tell the people that to spare the lives
of their firstborn, they must observe the Passover exactly as God said, and smear blood on their doorposts. The
instructions were strange, the demands costly (a lamb without blemish) and the ritual unprecedented, but Moses and
the Israelites did precisely as they were told. In simple faith they kept the Passover. By faith, Moses trusted God even
when he didn’t understand, and through this ritual he learned of God’s ultimate wisdom and salvation, he learned how
God delivers his people through blood. By faith, Moses saw the sacrifice of God’s true Passover lamb Jesus Christ.
Just as the Passover was difficult to understand, the story of our deliverance through Christ is impossible for our human
minds alone to understand. Humanly speaking, it makes no sense that the Creator of the Universe, the almighty God
who needs nothing from us should send his one and only Son to come into our world, to take up our afflictions, to carry
our sins and to shed his blood in our place so that we might live with him. Yet that’s exactly what God has done, and
through a miracle of the Holy Spirit we believe this truth, even though our logic may not understand. By faith we look to
Christ, the ultimate Wisdom of God, and we learn of God’s gracious plan of salvation for all.
This faith in Christ moves us to make godly decisions relying on God’s power and wisdom alone. This faith gives us the
perspective we need to say with confidence: Take the world, but give me Jesus. Amen.