Fleeting Treasures

By Faith Again  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Last week as we were discussing the decision that Moses parents had to make him disobeying the evil commands of their government. Obvious to anyone murdering babies is clearly against God's law and so the faithful were not permitted to obey. Also expressed that we are very lucky in this country that we don't have the sort of oppressive government they wouldn't mind finding a place like Iran, China or even India where the government set the limits and boundaries on the expression of
Well I understand that there have been many efforts to change this, our government doesn't set those types of boundaries and limitations. There are no laws that say that you must worship or must not worship in any one way or another. Well we are far more likely to encounter or social boundaries. Identifying with the Christian faith can absolutely get you ostracized in your family, at work, and among your neighbors. — and I will make this bold statement: if you haven't experienced pushback from people in your social groups about your faith then you probably aren't living your faith with enough conviction that it rubs people the wrong way.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not proposing that as Christians we go out looking for a fight. We don't go into the world and expect them to live a life the lines with Christian values. They're not Christians, they're not going to live like Christians. I take exception to the attitudes of some believers that will intentionally stir up trouble because their sensibilities have been disturbed. I know of people who didn't appreciate the language in their workplace and so they went to the HR department at their company and complained. Now, here's what I know, that person that complained completely lost any ability to share the gospel with those people that they complained about. Furthermore that person that complained built a wall there anyone in the future who tried to share the gospel with them will have to break down. That person that complained was an adult, bad words were going to hard them, they're just words. That person was being a self righteous legalist and probably couldn't find much to stand on in scripture giving them the right to approach the situation like they did.
But I will tell you this. Take a stand against gossip and he will pay social cost. Choose morality over political expedience and he will be blackballed. Stand unwaveringly for the truths in scripture and you will be slandered.
As we continue our study this week in Hebrews chapter 11, looking at these heroes of the faith, belief in God guided their actions. We come to Moses. But before we do I want to begin this message how we have begun every message in the series by giving the context to Hebrews chapter 11 that we find in verse 1.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV 1900
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Or to paraphrase as we have:
Faith is living as if the things hoped for are real.
With that context in mind join me as we read this mornings passage, Hebrews 11:24-26
Hebrews 11:24–27 KJV 1900
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Our message this morning is entitled Fleeting Treasures as we continue our series, By faith (Again).
Let’s Pray

A (Line?) in the Sand

Moses was, by all accounts the son of pharaohs daughter. You know the story. The command was given that all of the male babies of the Hebrews would be drowned in the Nile. So, to rescue their child Moses his parents put him in a basket among the reeds where pharaohs daughter would come to discover him. She rescued him out of the water and made him her own son.
No I don't presume to be an expert on ancient Egypt but I would imagine that being the grandson of pharaoh wasn't a bad gig. He would have no doubt grown-up in the Royal Palace. What luxuries were available 3400 years ago would undoubtedly have been available to him. What is certainly true is that he was no slave. Moses didn't spend his days whipped by taskmasters as he put blocks of the great pyramids in the place. He had it, pretty good.
In v25 we read that Moses
Hebrews 11:25 KJV 1900
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
In Exodus 2:11-12 we get the details of what happened
Exodus 2:11–12 KJV 1900
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
In the book of acts Stephen says that Moses was 40 years old when he saw the Egyptian. I've reflected that just a couple years younger than I am. Do you have a long time to be set in his ways. But he also had a long time to see the best treatment of his people. I don't know how that happened, how did Moses know who his people were. His mother was brought in to be his nurse. I wonder if she told him whose child he really was. I wonder if pharaohs daughter knew?
What I do know is that at the age of 40 years old Moses saw one of his people being beaten and responded to it as a vigilante, committing murder.
He probably thought that his actions would make him a hero in the eyes of the one he saved. But what we find out is quite the opposite. That one that he saved must have begun telling people about Moses the murderer.
There is an expression you were here around our house once in a while. Don't be wrong being right. What that means, is that we can't allow the fact that we are the right to excuse us to act wrongly in response. The talk amongst the Hebrew slaves wasn't about the fellow Hebrew getting beaten by the Gyptian. The talk was about the son of pharaohs daughter who came down and murdered that Egyptian. He didn't win favor he won resentment because look at the response in the next couple of verses:
Exodus 2:13–14 KJV 1900
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
Moses fled, but regardless, in another 40 years he would return.

The Reproach of Christ

What Hebrews 11:26 tells us about Moses is interesting, it says
Hebrews 11:26 KJV 1900
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
The reproach of who? How could it be the Moses considered the reproach of Christ at all given that this was almost 1500 years before Christ walked the earth. I think scripture suggests hear the Moses had a much clearer picture of the Messiah then we give him credit for even that he wrote down.
In a couple of chapters we read this statement from the author of Hebrews:
Hebrews 13:8 KJV 1900
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
This is a common idiom. It does it mean literally yesterday that Jesus Christ was the same the day before this was written in Hebrews and then all that ended in forever to come. What does the saying is that Jesus is the same in the infinite past Jesus is the same today and Jesus the same in the infinite future.
I have a couple of Bibles, more Bible tools and anything else that are referred to a Harmony of the Gospels. And what a harmony of the gospels does is arrange the gospels in as much of a chronological order as possible. What's your find is parallel passages arrange the columns so that you can see a representation of the events as recorded by each of the individual gospel authors. And the say that I understand what I mean by authors are those who have been used as the medium for which the Holy Spirit used to have scripture recorded.
Most of them chronologically begin with John chapter 1 verse 1 & 2.
John 1:1–2 KJV 1900
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Moses had a relationship with God that allowed for him to have a greater clarity the most anyone. So I don't doubt that he understood that an infinite Christ would be incarnate and they would suffer for our sin. And the most remarkable thing about this passage when you consider human nature is knowing what Moses knew that she was choosing to join a suffering people that serve a God who is promised king would be a suffering messiah over the life of luxury that was handed to him.

The Reward

Look at the end of v26, Moses’ reason for considering Christ’s anguish better than the treasures of Egypt
Hebrews 11:26 (KJV 1900)
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Moses was considering the reward.
There was an experiment at Stanford University that began in the 1960s and didn't end until the early 90s referred to as the marshmallow experiment. During this experiment hundreds of four and five-year-olds were brought into a room in the hand of the marshmallow. They were told that if they could wait on eating that marshmallow until the researcher came back that they would not only get to eat that marshmallow but would also get a second marshmallow. The conclusion of this experiment was that those children who were able to delay gratification in order to receive a greater reward were most likely to go on to be successful adults.
The experiment may have quantified some results but I don't think that there was anything discovered that is all that surprising. We observe that teenagers and adults who make irresponsible and even risky decisions for instant gratification tend to reap long-term negative consequences.
Hebrews calls the pleasures of Egypt
Hebrews 11:25 (KJV 1900)
25 .... the pleasures of sin for a season;
Moses had this perspective. The pleasure of sin, the pleasure of a life rejecting the will of God was temporary. That pleasure fades and he has to be constantly replaced.
Moses hoped for something better. As matter of fact Moses acted as if the things hoped for are real.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV 1900
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Verse 27 tells us of Moses
Hebrews 11:27 KJV 1900
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
There were some things that weren’t see-able that Moses had faith in, and he acted accordingly.

Action

Moses had an advantage that I wish you and I had. Moses heard God speak to him in a literal audible way. For that matter so did Abraham and Issac. Jacob had God come to him in a dream.
But John 20:29 says this:
John 20:29 KJV 1900
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
That is what this chapter in the Bible is asking you. That is what v1 is all about. There are plenty of external evidences in creation and God’s work in our lives, The Holy Spirit testifies of Christ in our hearts.
Moses believed in a greater unseen reward, do you? If you believe this morning then let it be shown in your actions. — If you haven’t already, the first step in doing that is to put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your savior. If you have not, I ask that you please meet with me after the service. I would love nothing more than to tell you about our Lord.
Let’s Pray
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