Faith - Hebrews 11:24-26

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.

There's a lot more that goes into this story, but we'll leave it there for now. So we consider this text in Hebrews 11 tonight. I think the main point that I want you to take away from it is this. Faith treasures the reproach of Christ more than all the treasures of the world. Faith treasures the reproach of Christ more than all the treasures of the world. So we'll walk through this text in two main sections. The first is Moses' faith enacted in verses 24 and 25. And the second is Moses' faith rewarded in verse 26. So Moses' faith enacted. Moses, he was called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Pharaoh was king of Egypt, at this time a very wealthy and powerful nation. Moses would have been raised with great privilege. He would have been well cared for, taught to read and write, populated many servants. He would have been given many opportunities in life for great wealth and luxury. He could have been a powerful and influential person, perhaps seeing himself in the likeness of his ancestor Joseph. A Hebrew man that was just below Pharaoh in authority and used his authority to bless his people and the people of God. But that isn't what happened. The author tells us instead that Moses, by faith, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. And he chose, by faith, to be mistreated with God's people rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of God. So what is Moses' act of faith here? Moses' main act of faith here is that he chose to be identified with God's people, and in doing so, renounced worldly pleasures. He chose to be identified with God's people, and in doing so, renounced worldly pleasures. At this point, the conflict between Pharaoh and Israel is already set. Pharaoh is oppressing Israel partially. Moses was not only given by taking Pharaoh's side, And instead, he chose to be with God's people at one of the most difficult times to do so, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God. Moses saw that it was better to go and worship with God's people, living a life of sin and comfort. Nothing was going to keep him from communing with God in his speaking. There are two challenges that I want us to take from this, that I want us to consider from this text here. So the first is this, what is keeping you from choosing to be with God's people. I asked you earlier to reflect upon things in your life that you most treasure. So now, let's consider more directly. Do any of these prevent you from regularly joining the body for fellowship and worship of our creator? As I was reflecting on this, I thought of some areas in life that can tempt us to not prioritize being with the body. The first is work. Are you consistently too busy with work to come and worship God? or maybe too focused on the next promotion or your career goals. Work is a good gift, and it isn't sinful to take a promotion or to be put in authority. But if it regularly prevents you from being a part of the body, then it could be sin for you. And I also want to say that I am greatly encouraged when I look around at our church, and I see many people in demanding jobs that still make it a priority to come and be here and fellowship with us. The second area is just relationships. Family, friends, they're a wonderful blessing and spending time with them is wonderful. But is that keeping you from regular fellowship with the body? Are you spending weekends away from the church body regularly for the sake of spending time with family and friends? And I don't mean caring for those close to you when they're in need or a trip to go see your family. I mean a regular deprioritization of gathering for worship. And the third, another very common one, is simply our hobbies. We can prioritize them highly. Making great efforts to prepare to watch a football game with our friends or attend a concert, but treating Sunday morning worship like it's an obstacle that we need to overcome. Watching TV instead of doing a devotional with your spouse, something Kim and I recognized recently that we needed to change. A major hobby and pleasure in my own life is skateboarding, something I try to do very regularly, and I had to decide that I can't go skateboarding on Wednesdays because doing so would mean I couldn't finish my work and come to prayer service. Not every pleasure in life is sinful, but if it keeps you from being a part of the body, then you may need to reevaluate your priorities. These things can distract us from the necessary task of listening to God and communion with Jesus and his people. They can tempt us to give in to the fleeting pleasures of sin. Now, these kinds of issues may seem small or insignificant when compared with what Moses faced. He was given the choice, riches, comfort, security, and sin, or oppression, fear, maybe death, but to be with God's people. And some of you may relate to Moses' situation more directly than others, but Jesus makes this applicable to all of us in his parable of the talents when he says,

you have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

Moses was faithful in this act, and we know that God chose to set him over much by leading Israel out of Egypt. If we cannot be faithful to God in the little, how can we expect to have faith like Moses when more significant challenges come? The second challenge from this text that I want us to consider is this. Will we renounce fleeting pleasures to be publicly identified with the people of God? We are corporately and publicly God's people. Do the people around you know that you belong to Christ, both in name and in deed? Will you tell them, even if they think less of you? When you're at work or school, do you engage with others in complaining about your boss or teacher, or do you choose instead to express gratefulness? I have found that even refusing to engage in complaining often results in people becoming irritated towards me. And men, do you tolerate or engage in the use of demeaning language about women at your work, or listen to music that endorses it? Graduation is coming up soon. My wife is soon to graduate medical school and have the match day celebration next week. Some of her colleagues have expressed their intention to excessively consume alcohol, even with the overt intention to become drunk. Graduation is a great achievement to be celebrated, but will you deny the fleeting pleasure of drunkenness and pure approval despite any ridicule or pressure from your classmates. And what about evangelizing to others? Will you consider obedience to Christ to share the good news of salvation a greater treasure than the approval of others? We are to expect others to revile us and hate us on account of our faith in Christ, based on Jesus' own words. Your boss might pass you over for promotion or worse, try and get you fired. People may gossip about you or stop responding when you reach out or ridicule you. You may meet real hostility because of your faith. Are we willing to lose everything for the sake of gaining Christ and his reproach? We will have to choose, be a son of Pharaoh's daughter or a son of God. In preparing this devotional, I was struck by Jesus' words in Matthew 511.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad. for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before them.

We are to rejoice at this, for our reward is great in heaven. And with that, let us now turn to consider the second part of the text, verse 26. Is faith rewarded? So why would Moses reject being Pharaoh's daughter? He had great wealth offered to him, and he refused to take it to be mistreated with God's people. The verse says,

he considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

So why would he give up all of these riches to go be oppressed with God's people? The Israelites were enslaved and being harshly oppressed by Pharaoh. They had an obvious motive to improve their situation in life. Moses, on the other hand, was made exempt from this oppression and instead given great treasures with him. But the author tells us plainly,

He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Now, before we consider the reward, I think we should briefly inspect this term, the reproach of Christ. What is this? It could be referring to this idea we were talking about earlier, the persecution one expects when they take on the name of Christ. And I think that is correct. However, there's another way that you can read this and consider this phrase in light of the rest of the story of Exodus and the story of Moses' life. We see that through Moses' suffering on behalf of the people of God, God used him to bring about redemption for his people. Moses, in this way, bears a similar reproach to that which Christ himself would bear. Christ had all the riches, glory, and honor, and he set it all aside, humbling himself by taking on the form of a servant. He suffered on our behalf to the point of death on a cross, a death that we deserved, so that, for those of us who trust in him, we are redeemed from our sins. Moses similarly lost great to go and suffer on behalf of the people, and God used him to redeem them from Pharaoh and Egypt. Moses should serve as a foreshadowing of Christ and point us to him. Moses was the flawed mediator for Israel. Jesus is the perfect mediator for all who believe in him. Now, what is this reward that motivated Moses to be faithful? Earlier in this chapter, the author tells us in verse six,

God rewards those who seek him.

This reward is salvation on the last day, eternal life where we get to commune with God himself with great joy for those who seek God and put their faith in Christ. Moses didn't earn this reward by his conduct, but by his faith in God's promises and goodness. This past Sunday, Keith impressed upon us that Jesus tells us there is but one necessary thing, one thing we must do, one good portion, that is to commune with God. This is the one thing we must do now, trust the Lord, praise him, and love him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Throughout the scriptures, we find many specific rewards for faithfulness and obedience, but here I believe the author is referring to the reward given to all believers. Through Jesus Christ, we are called sons of God and will share in the splendor of Christ's inheritance. The author of Hebrews points this out in the coming verses as he builds to the climax of these stories of such great faith. We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. In chapter 12, verse 22, the author says,

but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God.

And in verse 28,

Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

This is the reward to be in God's presence in this unshakable kingdom, communing with him and enjoying him forever. So, how can we, of a faith like Moses, look to this reward and to Jesus, who is himself the founder and perfecter of your faith? And the last thing I wish to impress upon you tonight is this. In Luke 14, Jesus instructs us to count the cost of discipleship. It could cost us everything, but consider, as Moses did, the reward set before you. Moses counted the cost, and by faith considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt. Friends, we too must count the cost, just as Moses did. It is costly, but the reward is greater. Trust God, for he is faithful, and he is worthy of all of our love. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the reproach of Christ. We thank you for your word and Moses and his faith and the example he gives to us. We ask that you would help us to treasure you and treasure your reproach. And we praise you. We thank you. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.