INTRODUCTION There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note. The note read: "pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need". Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got a little scared but he kept going and water started coming out. So much water came out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find. Because he was willing to give up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he needed. Now the note also said: after you have finished, please refill the jug for the next traveler. The man refilled the jug and added to the note: Please prime the pump, believe me it works! 1 Page
1) Decisive faith a) Trusting God with our very life b) Trusting God that His plan is good c) Trusting God to make it all come out right d) Believing God s goodness and His power is there for us 2) We are looking at a man of faith from Hebrews 11 a) Today we want to study the faith of Moses the man of God i) I have labeled Moses faith Decisive faith 3) We often refer to these men and women as heroes of faith a) They weren t really heroes b) They were humans c) They were sinners like we are d) They were not super- human e) The outstanding thing about their lives was their faith in God f) Jehovah God was and still is the Hero of all our stories 4) Everyone on the planet has the yearning for someone to believe in a) We want to be able to trust to lean on someone b) Unfortunately we have probably all been let down at some point in our life 2 Page
i) As a result many have come to the conclusion that there is no one that a person can really trust ii) There is only One who is absolutely trustworthy and One that we can absolutely place our faith in; that is God! iii) God satisfies the need that we have deep down to be able to trust. 5) Where does faith come from? a) Do we have to come up with it or is it something that only God can provide? b) The answer is both. We each play a role in the building of faith. c) Our part is simply to seek a relationship with God. To reach out to Him in response to His drawing. i) He draws us ii) He imparts the faith into our heart as we get to know Him d) As we respond to his advances we are drawn into a life of faith. i) We have to be willing ii) We have to make that choice to believe. 6) What can we learn from the faith of Moses? a) The faith that caused him to decide to leave his position of power and prestige and to identify with slaves. b) We want, today, to look at the decisive faith of Moses 3 Page
TEXT: HEBREWS 11:23-29 (ESV) 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 7) We will use the 5 Ds of Moses faith experience as points to the message today 1) Dilemma 2) Decision 3) Delay 4) Demonstration 5) Disappointment 4 Page
THE DILEMMA 02 1) Faith always starts with a dilemma a) A situation b) Do you recall when you first realized that you were a sinner on the way to hell? i) That is a situation c) Today your situation may be such that you are you are tempted to make a choice that is not compatible with God s ways d) There is a dilemma i) There was the dilemma in which you decided to God for salvation - I trust you have made the decision to trust God in that ii) There are the on- going choices that we make from day today e) Is your faith going to impact the decision you make? f) Are you going to move forward in faith or draw back and use your own devices 2) What is the driver in your decision- making where do you look? a) You look inward i) Your smarts you are going to rely on them to make good choices b) You look back 5 Page
i) Your past experience that is going to determine how you decide c) You look off to the side i) What are others doing? d) OR Do you look up i) We should always look up ii) Looking around and back and inward are all good things but we must, as Christians look up! iii) So many of us, as professing Christians, are practical atheists. e) We don t look to God in making decisions i) Our faith is not impacting our decisions 3) The dilemma with Moses and his parents is our story a) The Israelites had become slaves in Egypt b) The Pharaoh had become alarmed at the proliferation of the Israelite people and had ordered that all the male children be killed at birth 4) Amram and Jochebed were a godly Levite couple who became the parents of a baby boy whose original name we don t know. a) He was later named Moses by an Egyptian Princess b) They decided to disobey the kings orders and keep the child alive by hiding him 6 Page
Hebrews 11:23 (ESV) By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king s edict. c) Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that Amram had prayed for deliverance for his people and that God had shown him in a dream that they would have a special child that would deliver Israel. i) Amram and Jochebed believed that Moses was that child ii) Their faith helped them to decide to hide the child and do what was necessary to preserve his life iii) Their faith allowed them to see God working in the life of their little son 5) About the faith of parents a) God is not a grandparent i) We are not saved by the faith of our parents b) We cannot decide the faith of our children c) But we can sure help put them in an environment in which faith blossom and grow d) By the time Moses left his birth parents to live in the palace his faith had received a good foundation e) The teaching and example of godly parents are important in the lives of their children f) We, as parents, can have more impact on our children than on anyone else 7 Page
6) I challenge you as parents to make those wise choices with the understanding that you will influence decisive faith on the part of your child a) Think carefully how you make choices b) Think carefully if you are ever tempted to do something wrong of the impact that decision will have on the faith of a child c) What are we doing as parents to make faith decisions easier for our children 7) The words of Proverbs offer hope, Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. The word, "train," comes from a Hebrew word that was used to describe the action of a midwife, who, soon after helping deliver a child, would dip her finger into the juice of chewed or crushed dates. Then she would reach into the mouth of the newborn infant, and massage the gums and the palate with this burst of flavor so the baby would be motivated to learn to nurse. So the word "train" here literally means to "create a thirst in" 8 Page
a) Although godly parents cannot pass on their faith like they do family traits they can create an atmosphere of faith in their homes and be examples to their children. b) We can generate an environment in which a child desires God and will come to faith. c) Jochebed trained Moses as a little boy in their home and likely taught him of God s promises to Israel i) That they were to inherit the land of Canaan and be a great nation and bless the world. ii) She instilled in him God s promise of a future redeemer. iii) His mother helped build in him the faith that was to become characteristic of his life. iv) Her teaching would make him a man of faith. He would choose to serve God. v) Her patient instruction built a faithful son. 8) The best thing in life that you can give your children is not possessions, not even an education, but an environment that fosters faith...a faith that leads them to thirst to use their uniqueness to serve God. a) A faith that is decisive toward God b) A bent that helps our children to choose wisely c) A desire for God 9 Page
THE DECISION 03 1) Moses made a decision after reaching maturity to follow God a) The God of his birth parents b) To identify with the people of God c) It was a momentous, life- changing, and costly decision. d) Praise God that that decision was made and is made today! 2) Choosing not be the son of Pharaoh's daughter a) The decision not to be the next Pharaoh b) Decisive faith c) Faith made the decision d) The choice was made because of faith in God Hebrews 11:24-26 (ESV) 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. Acts 7:20-22 (ESV) (Stephen s Speech) 20 At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father s house, 21 and when he was exposed, Pharaoh s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 10 Page
22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds. 3) Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that Moses was an excellent military leader and had won in battle for the Pharaoh a) He was a rising star in Egypt b) He was educated in the best schools i) He was bright ii) He was privileged iii) He was respected iv) He was in line for the throne, most likely 4) He refused all of the privileges that could have been his a) The fame b) The power c) The privilege d) The pleasures of sin 5) He chose to be mistreated over the pleasures of sin a) He chose disgrace over the treasures of Egypt. b) He chose slavery and mistreatment with the people of God over the privilege of the elite in Egypt c) He abandoned his position of power to join the slaves 6) The choice was stark 11 Page
a) All the privilege and power and pleasures of Egypt over against becoming a slave and extreme hardship and disgrace. 7) What could have motivated the man Moses to make the choice that he did. Hebrews 11:24-26 (ESV) 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. a) By faith! 8) One of the drivers that move a lot of decisions is that of fear a) Fear of what might happen b) Fear of loss i) Loss of Reputation ii) Loss of privilege iii) Loss of status iv) Loss of opportunity v) Loss of security c) Fear of failure d) Fear of being hung out to dry e) Many reasons to fear 12 Page
9) Decisions made under the influence of fear are often wrong decisions a) We decide to go small because we are afraid b) We stay in bad situations because we are afraid c) We opt for what we consider to be safe choices even though they are not the best d) We can become paralyzed by fear i) I have been 10) Faith allows us to overcome fear because faith reveals the real picture a) Faith shows us the reality of, not only the obstacle ahead of us, but the power of God that is there for us b) Faith does deny the reality of the problem c) Faith shows us the reality of God i) His love ii) His power iii) His awesome dependability MOSES DECISION 1) Identifying with his true family Hebrews 11:24-25 (ESV) 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 13 Page
a) Not the son of Pharaoh s daughter b) The people of God c) The people who believed in the God he also was convinced of d) That solidified his faith. It gave him a sense of identity and a rallying point. e) Something for us to emulate in our faith f) Identifying with our family gives us courage to make good decisions g) It keeps me from making many harmful choices that are made by those who remain on the sidelines 2) For the sake of Christ Hebrews 11:26 (ESV) 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. a) Moses prophesied of the One that God would raise up similar to him (Deut. 18:15) i) Moses knew of the redeemer who would come to redeem Israel ii) He knew that Christ would come through Israel b) The reproach that he took on was similar to what the early church experienced c) They were happy to experience that reproach d) Moses considered it valuable 3) Looking ahead to the reward 14 Page
a) He saw the pleasures of sin i) They are pleasurable don t fool yourself ii) The pleasure is short- lived b) He was looking for an eternal reward 4) Moses faith allowed him to make the good choice a) The eyes of faith allowed him to see deeper i) Things that were not obvious to the one who lacked faith ii) To see into the future iii) To see the reward iv) To make the wise choice 5) What choices are you making in your life? a) We think the choices we are no big deal it doesn t matter b) They are a big deal c) They will impact your future d) They are impacting those around you 6) We are making important choices a) Who will we choose to associate with? b) What kind of influences will you expose yourself to? c) How do you choose to spend your time? d) Are you willing to speak out for your faith? e) What kinds of goals you will adopt, if any? i) Will you identify with the people of God 15 Page
ii) Will you be willing to suffer reproach for the cause of Christ iii) Will you fix your eyes on the reward that will happen in the end - Will I choose the eternal reward over the short- lived pleasures of sin? 7) Is faith influencing your choices! a) Does the fact that you are a Christian impact the way you choose? b) Do you pray about your decisions? c) Do you seek God's perspective in the choices you make? d) Does the eternal reward in heaven and God's well done influence the way you choose? e) It must! f) God! Open our eyes of faith so that we can see where these things end up - where they lead. g) Help us to see! THE DELAY 04 Acts 7:23-30 (ESV) 23 When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. 16 Page
26 And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other? 27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? 29 At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. 30 Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. Moses took action with his decision Moses got busy Moved out on his own He got the same results we do when we step out on our own o Getting thrown out. o Being sidelined o Emptying o Sensing our own ineptitude. He wasn t ready yet! 1) The personal wilderness experience a) In the barren desert of Midian b) A time of reflection c) A time to learn dependence on God d) Learning God s ways e) Gaining the benefit of family experience 17 Page
i) A wife ii) A couple of children 2) Learning patience and reliance on God a) Twice as old b) Twice as much wisdom c) Twice the meekness d) Twice the reliance on God e) Is there a shortcut? i) For many of us: no. ii) Our faith needs to go to Midian iii) Our faith must be in God 3) The desert school is hard but if we can graduate we will have a clearer picture of God a) Moses covered his eyes in humility at the end of his experience in the desert b) God told him to take off his shoes c) Everything to make sure that Moses had graduated from doing things himself to looking to God for his strength and deliverance. d) Moses has gotten the picture; He was not the deliverer, God was! Exodus 3:7-8 (ESV) 7 Then the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 18 Page
8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 4) Can we get the picture? a) Can we see that it is not in me. b) Not I but Christ c) My faith is in God and His amazing purpose and power; not in my ability, not in my wisdom Galatians 2:20 (ESV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 5) Decisive faith is all about the decision to only trust Christ and not my own abilities a) To constantly seek His strength; His wisdom; His blessing in my life and work. 6) Moses decisive faith worked through crises a) His parents faith at his birth b) His Decision c) His Handling of the desert experience and now going back where he had failed earlier and allowing God to work through him in bring deliverance. 19 Page
THE DEMONSTRATION 05 1) Moses was at the burning bush where He met God and God called him to go lead the Israelites out of Egypt Exodus 4:1-5 (ESV) 1 Then Moses answered, But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The LORD did not appear to you. 2 The LORD said to him, What is that in your hand? He said, A staff. 3 And he said, Throw it on the ground. So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the LORD said to Moses, Put out your hand and catch it by the tail so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand 5 that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you. 2) God asked Moses to throw down the rod a) The security that Moses had in his hand was thrown down b) Moses obeyed God c) When Moses picked up that rod again it was now the rod of God in his hand 20 Page
3) The rod became a symbol of the display of God s almighty power in delivering His people a) Moses trusted God b) Moses expressed faith by following through in obedience to God s commands c) Moses expressed his faith (decisive faith) in the power of God when he raised the rod. 4) The shepherd s rod in Moses hand became a symbol of God s power a) A symbol of authority b) A symbol of God s awesome power i) In the plagues ii) At the Red Sea iii) In his outstretched hand over the Amalekites 5) Paul prayed for the Ephesian church that they would get a picture of God s awesome power that is available to the saints Ephesians 1:18-23 (ESV) 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Page
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. 6) God is not looking today for the super- talented or the super- wise a) God is looking for those who will place their faith in Him to work through them b) God is more than able to do all of His plan c) He wants to work through us d) He wants us to decide to give up our own feeble efforts and allow Him to work through us in mighty ways 7) God is asking us to throw down our rods and to pick up His working in us a) Will we move forward in obedience? b) Will we tackle that fearsome wilderness and the enemies c) Will we raise that rod that allows God to conquer our Amalekites and our Hittites? THE DISAPPOINTMENT 06 Numbers 20:1-13 (ESV) 22 Page
1 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink. 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them, 7 and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle. 9 And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 23 Page
12 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them. 13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy. 1) It is important to remember that Moses claim to fame was his connection to God a) His faith in the Almighty b) His closeness to God i) As man would communicate with his friend ii) He was called the friend of God c) Moses was special because of his faith in God d) The Hero in this story is God 2) Moses failed in the end a) The one large task that God asked of him he failed to complete b) He did not lead the Children of Israel into the promised land c) He did not trust God enough! i) He raised the rod over the Red sea but he failed in the wilderness of Kadesh Barnea 3) Moses is great example of faith 24 Page
a) His humanity in this incident forcefully shows that it was not His greatness that accomplished the great work b) It was the power of God c) When we go in our own strength we fail miserably d) Moses was a great man of faith but he also failed 4) The people got to him. a) It is often this way with us as well b) If it wasn t for the people we have to work with we could be saints c) These were the kids of the original batch that came out of Egypt that acted like this d) 40 years later e) Like parents like children f) The people were complaining that they needed water g) They were a mean bunch, a little threatening maybe even h) Moses and Aaron fled to the sanctuary and went facedown 5) I m sensing a couple of men who were nearing the end of their collective ropes a) They had had enough! b) All they did was nurture this batch for the past 40 years c) Was this what it was all about? d) Moses had pleaded to God earlier to please spare this batch of sniveling ungrateful people. 25 Page
6) I m guessing that Moses wished later that He and Aaron had stayed in God s presence longer that day. a) It would be good advice for us many times in our crises b) That they had allowed the glory of the Lord to soak in i) The Lord, Merciful and Gracious ii) The Lord, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy c) It is enough to make you want to cry. d) Moses probably did a few times 7) Failure a) God told Moses and Aaron that they didn t trust in Him enough b) Moses lost it that day c) I believe we gather from this how absolutely important it is to look to God and to trust His hand d) The anger of man doesn t work the righteousness of God e) Looking away from God and focusing on our own unhappiness just brings failure f) Moses was one of the greatest men of God that ever lived but he failed when he didn t trust God. g) God allowed him to view the Promised Land from the top of Mount Nebo. i) Moses had to be content with that. ii) His earthly life was done and He went home to the promised land of heaven. 26 Page
h) A great man of faith but also human like we are. APPLICATION 07 1) Have you decided to trust God as Moses did? a) Is your faith the deciding factor in your decision- making or have you delegated your faith to church on Sunday mornings? 2) So many folks live a life of moral schizophrenia a) Dr. Jekyll (throughout the week) b) Mr. Hyde (on Sunday mornings) 3) We have relegated our faith to a room in our existence labeled faith and it doesn t affect the rest our living space. 4) Our faith in the unseen God must always impact the decisions we make in life Hebrews 10:38 (ESV) but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. a) In our homes and families b) Our relationships c) On the job d) In business e) Our future plans 27 Page
f) Our priorities 5) Can we commit to allowing our faith in God to be the deciding factor in our lives and the decisions we make? 6) In making the decisions of life will we look up? a) Does our faith in God impact all of our decisions b) God needs to be central in our experience! 28 Page