By Faith... Moses Walked - pt1

Also to the importance thereof: Heb. 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

And so as we consider Faith in God specifically, this chapter deals with the Faith of our Spiritual forefathers, AND WHAT IT MOVED THEM TO DO.

In this series of messages we have looked at:

v4 ‘By Faith… Abel Sacrificed’

v5 ‘By Faith… Enoch Walked with God’

v7 ‘By Faith… Noah Feared God’

v8-10;17-19 ‘By Faith… Abraham Obeyed, Became an Outcast & Offered’

v11-12; 20-22 ‘By Faith… Come Blessings & Bones’

So today, we’re going to be looking at a great man of faith in Moses. God was pleased to use Moses to not only rescue His people from Egypt, be the mediator of the Mosaic Covenant, but also pen down over 2,000 years of history in God’s Word!

Moses was a great man of Faith, but before we get to Moses, we must first look at Moses’ parents - as they played a great part in what Moses would ultimately accomplish

I. By Faith Moses’ Parents Defied the King (v23)

Exodus Chapter 1 sets the stage for the life of Moses.

In Ex. 1 we find that Joseph dies, the Pharaoh that loved Joseph dies & another rose up who didn’t know NOR CARE about Joseph or his brethren.

Because of that, this new Pharaoh grew afraid of the Hebrews numerical growth and devised a ‘population control’ technique by killing every male child of the Jews born. (If you think that’s wicked, we have our own population control in America, it’s called abortion - and it kills more black babies that any other combined… You’d think that if these libs really believed that ‘Black Lives Mattered’, they’d call for an end to abortion.)

But in Ex. 2, we see the birth and miraculous preservation of Moses

They Saw Potential in Moses

He was a ‘proper’ child (v23)

He was a ‘goodly’ child (Ex. 2:2)

In the most basic sense, this is saying that they saw good in Moses. They saw potential. They looked upon their baby boy & said ‘this child is something!’

Do you know what? That’s a natural inclination for a parent towards their child. I know of no parent that has ever held their baby and said ‘man, this child is UGLY! He’s a loser for sure! Give me a sharpie, we’ll go ahead & write an ‘L’ in his forehead now!’

They saw potential in Moses - and that’s the way is should be! Whether the child is 3 months, 3 years or 30 years - parents, your children have potential!

It doesn’t matter how far your child has gone or what sins are besetting them - GOD CAN GET HOLD OF THEIR HEARTS! This is why we should pray and seek God’s face for our children!

Moses’ parents saw potential in Moses

They Provided for their child

They Provided a Foundation

The Displayed a Greater Fear of God than of the King

Had Moses’ parents had greater respect unto man than they did their God, where would the COI be today?

The entire foundation of Moses’ existence depended on his parents and the way they viewed their God, their child and their King. Without the actions of his parents, Moses would have had no hope for a future.

(Just FYI, if you think that we’re supposed to follow every dictate from our Government without question, study the midwives in Ex. 2 and see how God blessed them for their civil disobedience)

They Provided a Future by Faith

They Displayed a Faith in God to Preserve their Child

Consider just what they were trying to accomplish by what they did with their baby.

They knew that if he was discovered, he’d surely be killed, so they by faith fashioned him an ark!

And why not? They knew how God spared Noah and his family with an ark some 1,100 years earlier! “God used an Ark to save Noah, maybe God will use an Ark to save my boy!”

They placed their trust in a God who is able to protect a child that wasn’t!

The Provided for their child

They Serve as a Pattern for Parents Today

This I believe is a good mindset for parents to have toward their children today.

They saw Potential in Moses.

Notice I did not say they saw perfection in Moses. This is a mistake that many parents make in that they see no wrong in their children - and this is dangerous, as if you don’t recognize the wrong, you’ll see no need for correction! Guess what, your children are not perfect, they’re not going to be perfect - but they all have potential! They all have potential to do great and mighty things!

And I’m not talking about in their careers, I’m talking about doing great & mighty things for God!

(Ill.) I’ll give you a ‘for instance’. You take me for example. I’ll never be rich in earthly goods. My career choice is not one that makes men wealthy. I have no education to get some fancy, high-paying job (even if I wanted one). I don’t have money to put into stocks. I don’t play the lottery (and neither should you). But my parents could look at me with hope for great potential in that God could use EVEN ME to CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST!

And if He can use me, He can use you!

They Provided a Foundation for Moses

They took the necessary steps to get Moses the opportunity!

They made sure to follow what God wanted for Moses instead of man!

They rejected the popular and the accepted, and dared to be different - even at the expense of their own safety!

They Provided a Future by Faith

They placed their faith in a God who is able!

They committed their child unto that God!

Yes, Moses’ parents serve as a Pattern for you and I today!

So we see how Moses’ Parents by Faith Defied the King. Secondly, moving on to Moses himself, we see By Faith Moses Denied the Carnal

II. By Faith Moses Denied the Carnal (v24-27)

He Elected Affliction Over Adoration (v24-25)

Several things to notice in these few verses, the first of which is that word ‘Choosing’ in v25.

Moses chose - and the Scripture tells us what he chose - He chose to yoke up with God’s people instead of the popular and powerful.

Church - let me tell you something… this is a choice that we all will make. We will either choose to suffer for the cause of Christ, or we will choose to enjoy the adoration of the world. One thing that we Christians need to understand, is that our lives are simply a sum total of the choices that we make.

God does not FORCE us to serve Him

Satan cannot FORCE us to reject Him

Joshua told the COI this - after God brought them into the promised land and Joshua was going to the grave, he said: Jos. 24:14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Make no mistake - to live like Christ will bring persecution. Jesus said: Joh. 15:19-20 “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

Some might be wondering, how does this relate to faith? It’s simple: If we truly believe (by faith) that God’s instructions matter, we will follow them - regardless of what it costs us in this world. But all too often, we choose the easy path, because it means more to us to be accepted by a world that Crucified our LORD than to follow the instruction of the Crucified One.

Moses Elected Affliction Over Adoration

He Esteemed the Spiritual Greater than the Physical (v26)

This falls more along the 'why’ than the ‘what’.

The reason Moses Denied the Carnal is because he cared more for the Spiritual things in life as opposed to the carnal.

The Bible is filled with these examples:

Abraham cared more for God’s command than His own son - therefore he was willing to sacrifice him.

Stephen cared more for preaching the Gospel and was willing to be stoned for it.

Moses cared more about fulfilling God’s command so he was willing to confront Pharaoh

Jesus cared more about saving our wretched souls so He went to the Cross!

And let me add this: If you’re going to do anything truly great for God, you’ll need to be willing to put the Spiritual ahead of the Physical

(Ill.) This subject was (in my opinion) front and center concerning the decisions we had to make over the past 1-1/2 years with this Virus. Were we willing to follow God’s instruction in Heb. 10:23-25; or place our physical concerns before God’s command? And you can get mad at the preacher if you want to, but if you consider the Scripture, you will see that what we’re talking about is a matter of faith! Heb. 10:23 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

Moses esteemed the Spiritual Greater than the Physical

He Endured by Voice as if by Sight (v27)

This verse is not speaking of the first time Moses fled Egypt - after he killed the Egyptian, as the Bible tells us when Pharaoh found out he was going to kill Moses, so Moses fled. This verse is speaking about when Moses came back, confronted Pharaoh and after the 10th and final plague, Moses forsook (def) left behind Egypt… He wasn’t in a hurry - if you look in Exodus 12, you’ll see that after the plague of the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh called for Moses - and he went! He wasn’t afraid of what man could do to him! (Mat. 10:28)

Moses obeyed God - and what v27 is saying is that Moses behaved in a manner as if God was standing before him in person.

(Ill.) Let me ask you this: If Jesus stood before you and said: ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature’, would it mean any more to you than when He said it in: Mar. 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” ?

If you said ‘yes’, then it displays a lack of faith in the Word of God - because Christ did say that, right? He did say it unto His disciples right? Do we have faith in the Word of God as being accurate and important? If so, then why do we often treat it as if it’s not?

Moses Endured by Voice AS IF by Sight.

By Faith, Moses’ Parents Defied the King. Then we see By Faith Moses Denied the Carnal. Next we see that By Faith Moses Discharged His Spiritual Duty

III. By Faith Moses Discharged His Spiritual Duty (v28)

Discharge is a funny word that has varied meanings.

Discharged (def) 1 officially allow (someone) to leave somewhere, especially hospital. (i.e. dismiss from a job.) 2 emit or send out (a liquid, gas, or other substance). (i.e. fire a gun or missile) 3 do all that is required to fulfil (a responsibility) or perform (a duty).

This last one is the one I want to focus on. Moses Discharged His Spiritual Duty - He did ALL that is required to fulfil and perform

Moses Believed that the Lamb Must Die

For the 10th & final plague, God instructed Moses that every firstborn in the land was going to die - no exceptions! Ex. 12:12 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.”

But He gave them a Remedy: Ex. 12:3-6 “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.”

So God tells them that this must be done. They had to kill a lamb as part of the remedy to save the firstborn - and Moses BELIEVED GOD!

Moses Believed that the Lamb Must Die

Moses Believed that the Blood Must Be Applied

Not only did the lamb have to die, but if we read on God told Moses this: Ex. 12:7 “And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.”

God said ‘take the blood that was spilt and apply it to the door posts & lintel - and He goes on to tell Moses: Ex. 12:12-13 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”

So Moses Believed that not only did the Lamb have to die, but then the blood had to be applied! And we KNOW that Moses believed because it says in: Ex 12:21-23 “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.”

Moses Believed that the Blood Must be Applied

Moses Believed God’s Prescription for Salvation

Moses simply believed God’s Method of Salvation - and let me say this: If you’re going to escape the fires of Hell, you’ve got to believe it too! BECAUSE GOD’S METHOD OF SALVATION HASN’T CHANGED! The only difference is the lamb!

Know this: 2,000 years ago on a hill called Golgotha, a Lamb was killed! That Lamb’s name is Jesus!

John was right when he looked upon Jesus in Joh. 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

He was killed so that the Judgment that is upon all of mankind MIGHT NOT FALL!

But remember - the death of the Lamb was only part of what was necessary! The other thing that’s necessary is that the Blood must be applied - but instead of upon your house, it must be applied to your heart!

Moses believed God’s Prescription for Salvation - I pray you do as well!

By Faith, Moses’ Parents Defied the King. Then we see By Faith Moses Denied the Carnal. By Faith Moses Discharged His Spiritual Duty. Lastly, By Faith Moses Delivered the Israelites

IV. By Faith Moses Delivered the Israelites (v29)

Moses Trusted in God’s Provision - and Delivered a Nation

Moses believed God (Faith) - So he went to Egypt

Moses believed God (Faith) - So he confronted Pharaoh

Moses believed God (Faith) - So he preached God’s Word

Moses believed God (Faith) - So he raised the rod and parted the sea

Moses believed God (Faith) - So he walked across on dry ground

Moses believed God (Faith) - So he delivered a Nation from Slavery!

What can’t faith do? Great Faith in a Great God can bring about Great Things!

By Faith Moses Delivered the Israelites

Conclusion

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