Hebrews 11:24-26 “Portraits of Faithfulness: Moses”

1:06And that is as we seek to know Jesus and follow Jesus and make Jesus known. I want to share a few observations with you about what I perceive are some of the struggles for American Christians today. I observe that many professing Christians struggle with the question of identity. Who am I is a question that haunts even people who love God, who attend church regularly, and who know his word. I observe that many professing Christians struggle with what we might call besetting sins.

1:49Sins that you know you shouldn't be engaged in. Thoughts, attitudes, behaviors that you know are sinful, you want to stop, but you just don't seem to be able to do it. And I observe that many professing Christians struggle with constant disappointment. We know that our hope should be in heaven. We know we shouldn't be putting our hope here on earth, but we find it very hard to do that. Do those observations seem accurate to you? Do you or Christians that you know struggle with the question of identity, struggle with besetting sin, struggle with constant disappointment in life?

2:38The struggle is real. This morning, we're continuing our Portraits of Faithfulness series, and we're going to be looking at the life of Moses, the faithful man of God who confronted the world's most powerful leader, led millions of people out of slavery in Egypt, and guided those people through four. Decades in the wilderness. When I read the story of Moses, I am amazed at his faithfulness. And I find myself thinking, how? How did this man do what he did in spite of his own shortcomings, in spite of his own character flaws, in spite of his sin?

3:21How did he do it? Well, friends, the answer is by faith. Hebrews 11 shows how men and women lived and did extraordinary things by faith. In fact, the words by faith occur no less than 18 times in Hebrews 11. The words by faith start off almost every single paragraph in that chapter. But for the people mentioned in Hebrews 11, the struggle was real. Yes, they did great things by faith, but they struggled with their own sin issues, their character flaws, all of the challenges and trials of life. And that was certainly true of Moses. He struggled with his own identity, with besetting sins, and with constant disappointment about this life.

4:19But, friends, Moses met each one of those struggles by faith. And so this morning, we're going to learn that by faith, we must embrace. Our God-given identity. Reject the fleeting pleasure of sin and look to our eternal reward. So, join me now in Hebrews 11, verse 24, where we'll see that by faith we must embrace our God-given identity. Hebrews 11, 24. By faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

5:02So many of us struggle with the question of identity. And it's no wonder, since in our society, we're told that identity is something that you choose. It's something that you decide for yourself. We are told to look inside of ourselves and follow our hearts because whatever we find in our hearts will never lead us astray. We cannot trust anyone or anything outside of ourselves. We alone can and must choose our own identities. Well, friends, that's a lot of pressure to choose your own identity. Pressure that is so great that millions of men and women in our country have wilted underneath that pressure.

5:49And that is evident from the skyrocketing rates of depression and suicide, particularly among those who are struggling with this question of identity. But the identity that we choose our own, the idea rather, that we choose our own identity, it's both modern and unbiblical. Identity is not chosen, it is given to us by God, and it is embraced. Our hearts and our souls will be restless until we find rest in God and in the identity that He has given to us. That is true of us, and that was true of Moses. I mean, think about Moses' situation. The question, who am I? was very hard for him to answer.

6:39If you don't know Moses' story, he was born to a Hebrew father and mother in the land of Egypt at a time when the law was that all Hebrew baby boys had to be drowned in the Nile River. That is the context of his birth. But his mother defied the law, and she hid him as long as she could, but then when he got too big, she couldn't do that anymore. And so she made a little boat out of a basket. She put Moses into it, she hid him among the reeds near the bank of the river. And in God's providence, Pharaoh's own daughter found Moses, took him in, and raised him as her own son. So Moses grew up as the adopted son of a compassionate princess, the adopted grandson of the most powerful person in the world.

7:30Because of that, Moses had the world at his fingertips. For the rest of his life, he'd be wealthy and powerful. He would have no responsibilities. He could pursue as much leisure and pleasure as his heart desired. But that question haunted him. Who am I? Am I really an Egyptian? The son of a princess? Or am I actually a Hebrew, one of God's children? Eventually, he had to answer that question, and he did. Look at verse 24 again.

8:10By faith, when he was grown up, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Now, I want you to look at that phrase, when he was grown up. I think he uses that phrase because it comes right out of the book of Exodus. Look on the screen at Exodus chapter 2. One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.

8:43Now, the phrase, when Moses had grown up, certainly refers to the fact that Moses has achieved adult status. He's no longer a child. But I think much more than that, it captures this moment in Moses' life when he finally answers the question, who Who am I? From the text, we see how Moses answered the question. Look there again in verse 24, or rather on the screen at Exodus 2. He went out to who? To his people. And looked on their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of who? His people. His people. Not their people, not those people, one of his people.

9:28So if you know the story, Moses ends up killing this Egyptian who's beating one of the Hebrews, and Pharaoh finds out. So Moses spends the next 40 years in the land of Midian. But then God calls to Moses out of a burning bush, and God says to him, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. I want you to lead my people out of slavery in Egypt. God calls to Moses out of this burning bush, and he says, this is your identity, this is your calling. And over time, Moses comes to understand and accept that calling from God.

10:10Over the next 40 years, Moses lives out God's call on his life, but that was only possible because he first embraced his God-given identity. And friends, the same thing is true of you and me. You see, Moses was not the son of an Egyptian princess. He was a Hebrew, one of God's children, and he embraced that God-given identity. He didn't choose it. And by faith, you and I must do the same thing. We must embrace our God-given identity. It may be the case that you or somebody you know are trying to answer the question, who am I? So many people in our country are trying to answer that question. And so they look outside for answers. They look to relationships, to academic achievement, to their career, to possessions, to experiences, to answer this question, who am I?

11:11The world looks for identity in all of those places, but it cannot be found there. Other people cannot tell us who we are. Grades and research cannot tell us who we are. Job titles and promotions and awards cannot tell us who we are. The stuff that we own cannot tell us who we are. Only God can tell us who we are. And who does God say that we are? We are His dearly beloved children. Take a look at the screen, 1 John chapter 3.

11:50John says, See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God. And so we are. Are. According to John, you don't have to spend another second wondering, who am I if you will allow God to tell you who you are and you will embrace your God-given identity. You were created, male or female, in God's image and likeness. You, just like our first parents Adam and Eve, rebelled against God's good authority in your life. You were destined to spend eternity in hell, suffering God's righteous and just wrath for your sin.

12:45But by faith in Christ, that is no longer who you are. Look on the screen at 1 Corinthians 6. Paul says, Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

13:27You see, friends, the first part of those verses does not describe. Who we are today by faith in Christ. It describes who we were before Christ saved us, and such were some of you. But now, through faith in Jesus, we've been washed and justified and sanctified. We are not who we were. We are not who we will be, but by God's grace, we are not who we were. And that is very good news. We are dearly beloved children of God. We simply need to embrace that God-given identity. Have you done that?

14:07Have you done that? Or are you still searching for identity? It can only be found in God and who God says that you are. Let's look again at Hebrews 11:24, where we'll see that by faith we must reject the fleeting pleasure of sin. Verse 24. By faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

14:45Many of us struggle with besetting sins, sins that we just cannot seem to shake, despite the fact that at some level we really do want to be free from that sin or from those. Sins. Now, in our day, we use the language of addiction, which refers to some habit that you cannot break, though you may genuinely want to. And you think about all of the things that people are addicted to, perhaps even some of us in this room. People are addicted to food, alcohol, drugs, prescription medication, sex, pornography, shopping, and a million other things.

15:30Now, the Bible doesn't use the word addiction. It uses a different word talking about these things. It uses the word slavery. Look what Jesus says in John chapter 8. Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. Think about that word practice. You do it over and over again. You get better at it over time. Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. Look what Paul says in Romans 6. Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

16:20Now, hang on a minute here. Sin is bad, right? We all in agreement there. So how in the world does anybody end up Addicted to or enslaved to sin. If sin is bad, if we all agree that sin is bad, how do we end up in this place? Well, friends, we find the answer right here in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 25. It talks about enjoying the pleasure of sin. Here's the fact: sin is pleasurable. That's why it's tempting. If it weren't pleasurable, it wouldn't be tempting. Sin is pleasurable, but what does the scripture say? It is a fleeting pleasure. A fleeting pleasure. It's a pleasure that lasts only for a moment or at most just a short amount of time, and then it's gone.

17:20And I think that the scripture speaks to this very powerfully in many places. One of those places is the stomach-churning story of Amnon and Tamar. If you've never read this story before, Amnon is one of David, King David's sons, and Amnon is infatuated with a woman named Tamar. I use the word infatuated because the Bible literally says he was sick over her. He wanted her so badly that he felt sick. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He had to have her. He wouldn't be satisfied until he did. Now, a lot of us have been. There before, maybe over a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, but we've also been in that place with that house that we just had to have, that new car that we just had to have, that new outfit, that new pair of shoes, whatever it is that we just had to have, and we felt, I am going to be sick until I get this thing. Whatever it may be, we've been in that spot where we've had something that we just had to have and felt like we wouldn't be satisfied until we had it. Well, long story short, Amnon pretends to be actually ill, and he asks Tamar to come and take care of him. So she comes up to his room, and when she gets there, he grabs her and demands to sleep with her. She refuses, so he overpowers her and violates her because he has to have her at any cost. And I want you to look at what happens next in the scripture. This is the next verse. This is one second after that is over.

18:59Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Get up, go. He called the young man who served him and said, Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her. Like I said, stomach churning. But it certainly drew her. Drives the point home. I've forgotten all kinds of stuff in the Bible. I have never forgotten that story since the day I read it.

19:39Amnon is infatuated with Tamar. He's got to have her. He won't be satisfied until he does. Then he gets what he wants, and one second later, the fleeting pleasure of sin is over, and he is literally screaming at her to get out of his room. He doesn't even call her by her name. He refers to her as that woman. The fleeting pleasure of sin. Going back to Moses, I want you to think about his situation. He's the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, which in some sense is the best possible position to be in. He's a Hebrew by birth, so he's not in line for the throne or any real position of authority. He'll never have any real responsibility.

20:23But because he's Pharaoh's adopted grandson, he lives in the palace. He can have whatever he wants: the finest clothes, the best food and drink, nightly entertainment, concubines, whatever he wants. But somewhere along the way, Moses realizes that although these are real pleasures, they're all fleeting. They don't last, and ultimately they will not satisfy. And if Moses isn't really the son of Pharaoh's daughter, but one of God's children, and he embraces that identity, and he realizes that it would be better to be mistreated. With the people of God, than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin, then he is going to turn away from that, and that's what he does. He turns away from the fleeting pleasure of sin.

21:12Now, friends, some of us have these besetting sins that we just cannot seem to shake. It might be lust or covetousness, it might be anger or lying or something else, but you've got this besetting sin that you've been enslaved to for a long time, maybe even years. What do we do? Well, friends, the answer is simple, but the answer isn't easy. The answer is that we've got to reject the fleeting pleasure of sin. We have to see sin for what it really is, pleasurable, but only in a fleeting way. You already know this. You already know and understand deeply the fleeting pleasure of sin. It feels good to give into your lust, but just for a moment. It feels good to click place order, but just a few weeks or a few months after that product arrives in that Amazon box, you're not excited about it anymore. And a few months or years after that, it's going in a garage sale.

22:25It feels good to give full vent to your anger when you're upset. But later, you're sad and guilty and filled with regret that you yelled at your spouse or your children or your roommate. We want freedom from these besetting sins, but the only way to get that freedom is to see sin for what it is and to reject it. But, friends, here's the thing: we will only do that if we find even greater pleasure somewhere else.

23:02So, let's look again at Hebrews 11:24, where we're going to see that by faith we must look to our eternal reward. Verse 24, one more time. By faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

23:40As Christians, it's hard to admit, especially out loud, that many of us struggle with constant disappointment in this life. We know that we're not supposed to put our hope in this world, that our hope is supposed to be in heaven, but the struggle is real. If we're honest, we just find it hard to do, to put our hope in heaven where it belongs. Life is really all about expectations, isn't it? Life is all about expectations, and we feel disappointed when our expectations aren't met. But modern expectations are very hard to meet. Think about our modern expectations. All we want is a spouse who never looks a day over 22, perfectly obedient children who go on to get their PhDs or play professional sports, the perfect house, car, and clothes, and a job that pays at least $150,000 a year and has unlimited vacation days.

24:53We're people of simple tastes. Look what Kevin de Joung said in his book, Just Do Something. We need the firm reminder that many of us expect too much out of life. We've assumed that we'll all experience heaven on earth, and then we get disappointed when earth seems so unheavenly. We have little longing left for our reward in the next life because we've come to expect such rewarding experiences in this life. Isn't that true? We just expect too much out of life. And when it comes to non-Christians, that makes sense because they believe that this life is all that there is. So, of course, if you believe that this life is all that there is, you've got to wring every last ounce of pleasure from it because this is it. Every disappointment is existential because you've only got so many trips around the sun and then it's over.

25:59But it doesn't make sense for believers because we know that this life is not all that there is. That's why Moses is such a powerful example for us. If he wanted, he could have lived in Pharaoh's palace until the day he died. He'd never have to work. He'd still have everything that he could ever want. But he didn't. The scripture says that he considered the reproach of Christ. I want to pause there just for a second. The Greek word translated Christ means anointed. And so there's a double reference here to the people of God and to the coming Savior, Jesus. The scripture says he considered the reproach of Christ, of God's people, greater wealth than the treasure of Egypt. How in the world could Moses do that? How could he walk away from the treasure of Egypt? Scripture tells us, for he was looking to the reward. That is how he did it.

27:00Reward was that? A life of blessing in a land of blessing. That is what Moses was looking forward to, this land flowing with milk and honey, the promised land. That is what we're all looking forward to, isn't it? Deep down, it's what we all want. A life of blessing in the land of blessing. Well, friends, that is heaven. Heaven is a life of blessing in the land of blessing. So, a few minutes ago, we were talking about Moses rejecting the fleeting pleasures of sin by faith and how we must do the same. But the only way we're going to reject the fleeting pleasure of sin is if we find an even greater pleasure somewhere else. The way we do that is by looking to the reward, the reward God promises to all believers. And according to Scripture, that reward is life with God in the new heavens and the new earth, with innumerable blessings for our faith and our obedience in this life, with no crying or mourning or sin or pain anymore. Once we've embraced our God-given identity, and once we've chosen to reject the fleeting pleasures of sin, we must look to our eternal reward.

28:19Great. That sounds like an awesome Sunday school answer. How do we do that? How do we look to our eternal reward? Reward. Set your hope on God. Set your mind on things that are above. And set your sights on the crown that you're going to receive. First, set your hope on God. That is what Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6. He tells him to teach the people to set their hope on God. Friends, we can set our hope on God because, unlike the stock market or our companies, or our politicians, God will never, ever let us down. We have to set our hope on God.

29:09Okay, so how do we do that? Set your minds on things that are above. That's what Paul tells the Colossians. Don't set your mind on things that are on the earth. Set your mind on things that are above. If you're a Spotify listener, you know about Rapt. It's that time of the year where they send out the little video that tells you which artists and songs and albums you listen to the most and which artists and songs you listen to the most at these different seasons of the year, how many minutes you listened, got all your data and stats. It's a really cool little thing.

29:45Well, I wonder what it would be like if at the end of the year God sent us a rapt that was a video of all the stuff we thought about over the previous year. Summarize into the minutes and the topics and the things that captured our hearts and minds. What would that video look like? Would it show that our minds are set on things that are above? Or would it be the stuff that Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 not to be anxious about? What are we going to wear? What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? Where are we going to go?

30:30It's hard to set your hope on God if almost all of our time is spent thinking about the things on earth. Okay, so we're supposed to set our hope on God. We set our minds on things that are above. Well, like what? Do we picture ourselves laying on a cloud, playing a heavenly harp, wearing the holy diaper? That's how most people envision heaven. Does that excite you? I'm happy to tell you that doesn't excite me at all. Not even a little bit.

31:11Thankfully, that's not what the scripture tells us to do. It says, set your sights on the crown. Look on the screen at 2 Timothy. Paul says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness. Which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.

31:42Brothers and sisters, that is a compelling vision. Playing a harp on a cloud is not a compelling vision. That is a compelling vision. That you get to heaven, and the Lord Jesus Himself personally places a crown on your head because by his grace you were obedient and faithful and finished the race that he gave you to finish. He puts the crown on your head and says, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master. That is a compelling vision.

32:21So when we are tempted by the fleeting pleasure of sin, we need to look to our eternal reward. And the way we do that is by setting our hope on God, by setting our minds on things that are above, by setting our sights on the crown that we're going to receive when Jesus appears. Friends, the struggle is real, isn't it? We struggle with our identity, with besetting sins, and with constant disappointment in this life. Moses is a great example because by faith he embraced his God-given identity. He rejected the Fleeting pleasure of sin, and he looked for his eternal reward. But just like us, Moses was sinful. He was a great example, but he wasn't perfect. And neither he nor the law that he gave to us was sufficient to save us.

33:18Thankfully, Jesus is the true and better Moses, the one who is not just a perfect example, but the one who can deliver us from our sins and their consequences. Look at Hebrews 12, 1 and 2 on the screen, and look at how it parallels the passage that we've just looked at today. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, people like Moses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God.

34:10Jesus is the true and better Moses. You see, just like Moses, Jesus left a palace in order to deliver people from slavery. But Jesus left the perfect palace of heaven in order to deliver us permanently from our slavery to sin. Like Moses, Jesus embraced his God-given identity. At his baptism, God the Father said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And Jesus never doubted that identity for a moment. Like Moses, Jesus rejected the fleeting pleasure of sin. He was tempted in every way, just like you and me, and yet succeeded where we failed. And like Moses, Jesus chose to bear reproach, the reproach of the cross, despising the shame. For the joy that was set before him, he was looking to his reward from his father.

35:12And so, friends, look to Jesus, the true and better Moses, the one who alone saves us from our sin through his sinless life, his death, and his resurrection. Put your faith in him this morning if you have not done that. Turn to him, and then by faith, embrace your God-given identity. Reject the fleeting pleasure of sin and look to your eternal reward. Let's pray. Father, I think we all realize that whether we're talking about internally or here in church, it's tough to admit that we struggle with our identity.

36:27It's a struggle to say to other people in our life group or who we're connected to in church that we have besetting sins that we want to be free from and rid of. But for one reason or another, we just cannot seem to shake those sins. And it's hard for us to admit that we struggle to long for heaven. That really a lot of our hope is in this world. And so, God, this morning, we pray that by the Spirit's power, you would help us to embrace our God-given identities. That there wouldn't be one person in this room who walks away today still asking the question, who am I?

37:20We pray that by your grace, we would be freed from those besetting sins. I pray particularly for people who came in today so discouraged because yet again, they gave in. Their anger or lust or covetousness over the weekend. Would you minister to them and help them look to Jesus, the Savior? And God, I pray for every one of us that we would look to heaven and that our relatives at this holiday time of the year and our neighbors and everybody that we're around on a regular basis would see that our hope is not in this world. Our hope is in heaven. And it's obvious from the way that we talk and the way that we hope and the way that we live.

38:06Thank you, God, for your word. Thank you for the example of Moses. And thank you, most of all, for Jesus, our perfect Savior. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.