Hebrews 11

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

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Heb 11:23–26.

Suffer To Be Chosen

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As I was reflecting on this message there are several times in the bible where God chose a person to suffer. For example. In Acts 9:15-16, God tells Ananias to go talk to the recently converted Paul (at that point “Saul”), saying, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine. I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” God declares that Paul had been chosen…to suffer.

Another example - was Job; The LORD used Job as an example to show Satan that there was still a man that was faithful to God. “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil” (Job 1:8)? Job was chosen to suffer.

For Christian's, suffering is a part of life. Suffering cases us to turn inward. Suffering is meant to make us dissatisfied with the current state, to long for something better, to long for Christ's return. We will all suffer due to 1 of 3 reasons.

1. Suffering due to sin

2. Suffering to sanctify us

3. Suffering to test us.

In our scripture today Moses suffering was a test of his faith. A test in his belief that something better must exist. Something better than livng in a palace.

Something better than being the next Pharoah.

Anybody in here looking for something better?

The bible say Moses rejected the gift that he had been given. Moses rejected position and power. That’s when Moses found God. Moses,chose to suffer.

Although Moses was born into a poor family he was raised in a place of riches. If we would have chosen to stay in the palace then it's unlikely Moses would have met God. God calls his people to come out from among the world. So Moses did just that. God placed Moses in a position that his choice would set him on a path to his destiny. But Moses had to make good choices.

If your life depended on it, would you do like Moses and chose to suffer?

Some people really struggle with making choices. We are praying that this series will help somebody make good choices. If I’m honest there are days that I don’t make good food choices. Exercise or activity choices or stay up too late. If I were to survey the room every person in here could like tell us of a time that you did not make a good choice. But if you think about it , that’s all life is, a series of choices to be made. Chose what job to take, chose a spouse, chose a career, chose where to live, chose to serve God or not?

We

Often the choices we are faced with have two alternate outcomes. Why don’t we make good choices everyday? There are times when Nearly everyday we tell our grandsons to make good choices before they go to school. Why? Because we do not want to deal with the negative consequences that result from the boys making bad choices at school. We do not want any phone calls. We do not want our day disrupted and have to go to the school and address behavior that should not happen.

The Bible

Hebrews was written to encourage Christians and prevent behaviors that should not happen even though those were trying times. Hebrews focuses on the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. While God spoke in the past “many times and in many ways,” he has now spoken to us “by his Son,” Jesus Christ. We should imitate Christ and those on the honor roll of Faith even in our decision making. Today we will examine a choice Moses faced and how his decision determined the trajectory of his life. here will come a time in each of our lives, when we too will have to choose. Choose, decide, make up our minds, about who we want to be!

1. Our Choices shape our Life

Often we can say If you don’t like your life, look in the mirror. We’re not talking about extreme circumstances where people have been kidnapped, sold into bondage or held captive against their will. We are talking about people that have the ability to make choices over their life. Where people make bad choices day in and day out and wake up years and wonder how did I get in this perdicament? Where did my life go wrong? Good choices, good outcomes. Bad choices, bad outcomes. The only time that formula does not work is when God has a greater purpose for your life that cause you to suffer. Even then the outcome is not bad it is simply different from what you would have chosen for yourself.

The bible says that Moses at the age of 40 made a difficult choice. Our choices not only effect today, but our choices effect things concerning the future. Our future can be altered positively or negatively by the choices we make today. Moses chose to suffer today to secure his future in God. Moses made the unpopular choice of suffering to be chosen.

Even though Moses was chosen as a child as one whom God designed to do a great work, Moses still had to chose God.

Moses Flees to Midian 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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ex 2:11–15.

He balanced the best of the world with the worst of religion, and chose God. “Choosing” implies a deliberate resolution, not a hasty impulse. He was forty years old, a time when his choices were mature.

If the world has “pleasure” (Greek, “enjoyment”) to offer, it is but “for a season.” If religion bring with it “affliction,” it too is but for a season; whereas its “pleasures are for evermore.”

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 473.

Some folk are long past grown, past the age of maturity 40, yet they still make immature choices, act on impulse, react to things they should not, s. M

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 473.

Because he made good choices he was chosen. Don’t you want to be chosen by God. Don’t you want your name to be written in the book of life? What are you willing to do today to secure your place in heaven. Jesus said In John 14: 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. You only prepare a place for someone if you are confident of their arrival. Jesus could only say this to the group after Judas had left. He would not go to prepare a place for Judas—at least not a place in His Father’s house.

How confident is Christ in you? Should Jesus expect you to be with

2. Our Choices Reflect our Faith

In its widest sense the choices we make are very telling about the strength of our faith. The bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The word substance in the Greek means “confidence”. So the question is, how confident are you in your God given ability to make good choices? The choices we make are a demonstration of our faith.

Our faith in Christ should be strong enough to overcome any doubt in our mind that doing the right thing, is indeed the right thing. For example why is it that everytime, we have an opportunity to do the right thing we have to stop, and think about it first? Why can’t we just do the things we know we should do, no questions asked?

Why do you have to think about going to church? Girl, you going to church tomorrow? I don’t know? I’m thinking about it. It’s supposed to be bad out, it might snow.

Do you think about going to work? No, you don’t because you want to get paid. Because you feel that you need your job. You need that money, you need that overtime. Don’t you need Christ? Don’t you want the blessings of the Lord over your life? Or do you still need to think about it?

Do you think about going to your childs birthday party? Nope

Some of the choices that we make are simply “automatic”. No questions asked. Yet when it comes to the things of God, we need to think about it.

In the words of Nike’, Just Do It!

Our Choices connect us to God

It is the choices that we make in life that will either connect us to God or separate us from God. That’s why this subject of choices is so important.

If Moses had not suffered, he would not be rewarded

If Moses had not suffered, he would not, made the honor roll of faith

If Moses had not suffered, the child of Israel would have remained in bondage

If Moses had not suffered he could have died in earthly luxury, but gone to a fiery hell

The question is, are you ready, to consistently, make good choices.

Just like those little boys , going into the school each day. They must be mindful of the choices they make. Sometimes making good choices means we don’t get to do what we want to do.

Sometimes good choices require sacrifice

Sometimes good choices require us to suffer.

So you see suffering is unavoidable. You can suffer now or suffer later.

But the Bible says you will suffer.

Suffering is a result of fallen humanity.

Suffering exisits because the world is broken

It is suffering that connects us to Jesus

Suffering is the gateway to resurrection, to rebirth, to new creation.

Jesus suffered and as Christians so will you.

We try to prevent our family from suffering at all costs

But when we prevent suffering we stunt their growth!

We prevent the transformation that needs to happen

We block the rebirth

We stop thhe new creature from coming forth

Don’t block the suffering

It will sanctify you

◦ Our choice parents, to protect our children from suffering, at all costs, speaks to the level of our faith.

◦ Remember choices are a reflection of our faith.

◦ You circumventing

The choices made right now impact my family

◦ The choices made right now effect our legacy

◦ Can you make the right choice even if you'll need to break some bad habits.

◦ You have a piece of paper. Write down the thing or area where you know you need to make better choices. Even if you need to suffer to make better choices a reality in your life, you're willing to be uncomfortable,

◦ Willing to deny yourself some pleasures

Are you willing to hoose to suffer

4. Some gifts should be rejected

5. Do not desert God by the choices you make