It's the little things that matter the most.

Illus: Goat heads in the carpet. Overlooking the little things.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and then God’s chosen people had to wait 400 years before God set his people free from slavery in Egypt, took them trough the wilderness and brought them into the promised land.

God worked through Moses because of his faith. God’s process wasn’t quick but it did happen stretching Moses, maturing his faith as he waited for God to open the door.

Hebrews 11 doesn’t highlight the faith of Moses on Mt. Sinai, or the parting of the Red Sea, or the striking the rock in the wilderness.

Hebrews 11:23–26 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.

PRAY

This greatest faith hits of Moses started with his parents who let their baby go and trusted God to protect and bless.

Moses willing to give up the pleasures of the Palace for God’s promise.

We see the first passover accepted by God by faith. Pointing to the blood of Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, covering all and protecting those who apply it.

Faith begins as we paying attention to the little things so that God can do the big things.

It’s the little things that matter most: Protecting Life, Pursing real happiness, and Simply rest in Jesus.

God’s heart is to protect life

Moses’ parents were willing to stand up for the life of their son despite the law.

Hebrews 11:23 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.

Pharaoh’s “edict” was that all male children born to the Hebrew slaves were to be killed. But they saw this child as beautiful and uniquely created by God. They saw the child as a gift from God.

They were willing to disobey the law of the land to support life. They trusted that God would take care of Moses.

They could have tried to raise Moses. Moses could have been born a slave like his parents but God had other plans, bigger and better plans. When it came to protecting life, this was honorable faith.

In the OT account, Pharaoh tried to manipulate the midwives but instead, because of their faith, God even used the midwives to protect life.

In Exodus 1:16-22 Pharaoh commanded the midwives to kill the baby boys at birth and spare the daughters at the time of their birth.

Exodus 1:17–21 ESV

17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

God blessed the midwives for being pro-life and God blessed Moses’ parents for being pro-life because God is always pro-life no matter what the circumstances.

It’s more then just sparing the baby but it’s about raising young men and young women of God. As parents, we are called to do the very best with the circumstances that we are dealt with.

As parents, we want the very best for our children but God never promises easy.

But… God does promise that HE will never leave us or forsake us… God does promise to be or provider… God does promise to take care of our needs according to HIS riches and glory… God does promise that nothing can ever separate us from HIS love for us.

Those promises are for us and our kids. The truth is that God loves our kids infinitely more then we could ever love them.

We dedicate our kids to the Lord in faith, we pray for our kids, and we raise them in the faith showing them Jesus.

Moses’ mom and dad had to let this baby go.

In Exodus 2:2–10 , it says that this mother took Moses, put him in a basket converted it into a boat. Then she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.

Exodus 2:4–10 ESV

4 And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

In vs. 4 it said that Moses’ sister stood at a distance to see what would be done to him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and then saw the basket among the reeds, saw the baby and heard him crying and felt sorry for him. Then the baby’s sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “I can go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called her mom and Moses’ mom. Pharaoh’s daughter brought mom in and paid her to take care of her baby in the palace.

So the woman took the child back and nursed him but then gave Moses back to Pharaoh’s daughter to became her son.

It takes faith to let go of our kids go. They let him go into the river and then mom had to let him go into the palace.

I could not imagine the heartbreak of a mom giving up her son to another family, not being the one to raise her boy must have been so painful. God saw her pain and in Hebrews 11 we see this beautiful tribute to a seemingly small step of faith. We see a tribute to parents willing to sacrifice their influence as parents for God’s wonderful plan.

Parents, never forget that our children first belong to God.

We cannot look to the world to affirm our faith.

The world’s measure of success is based on performance, God’s measure of success is based on faith.

God sees the little things. In God’s economy it’s worth the sacrifice. Being committed to serving the Lord as parents is worth it.

We choose life every day as we love and follow Jesus every day. As we make that choice every day as parents, we make it so much easier for our kids to follow Jesus because it’s more caught then taught.

Faith means giving up the Palace for God’s promises.

Moses had to make his own life decisions. He had to gave up his royal roots for God’s promised provision.

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.

Moses was unsettled watching God’s people, his own people, treated like animals and here he was, benefiting from their sacrifice. If he was going to settle for easy comfort he knew that for him, that would be living in sin.

Moses was so compelled by faith to leave. He was convinced that he could no longer live in the pleasures of the palace while God’s people were enslaved.

He knew he had to do something. First, he left the palace and then put matters in his own hands.

Exodus 2:11–15 (ESV)

11 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. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian.

Moses reacted and responded in his own strength and wisdom. He thought that maybe my people will see that I’m not with the Egyptians so he intervened by killing an Egyptian who was beating a fellow Hebrew and buried him in the sand.

He got caught and so instead of earning their respect they only saw Moses as some kid from the palace who wanted to make a difference. Moses went from the palace to the wilderness, becoming a wanted man who was charged with murder.

Even thought Moses’ plan failed, God’s plan did not. Event though his method was skewed, God saw Moses’ faith. The Moses in the palace did not want to stay in the palace, he wanted to make a difference. So God use the wilderness to prepare Moses for the deliverance ahead.

God did not give up on Moses because he didn’t seek the pleasures of this world he wanted to make a real difference. He saw that this was an impossible task. I could not do this on his own strength, he needed God to do the miraculous.

It started with this little step of faith, leaving the palace.

We cannot love God and love the world as the same time.

1 John 2:15–17 ESV

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Jesus said we cannot serve 2 masters, you will hate the one and love the other.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Jesus wants to be our master, but we must make the choice. The palace or his people?

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.

We make choices every day. Don’t hold this world so tightly that we fail to see God’s promise.

Always keep God’s promise in focus… remember God’s promise, pray God’s promise, seek God’s promise.

When this world crumbles we won’t crumble because our faith is built on Jesus. Jesus is our Rock, our salvation, our identify and when God sends us in the wilderness, he never sends us alone.

God’s purpose for the wilderness is to deepen our faith as we get alone with God.

God wants us to be alone with HIM. It’s the little things that God uses to establish our faith.

Take Away

What does God need to strip away in your life?

What distractions are keeping you in the palace?

Are you more in love with this world than Jesus?