Extrordinary from Unordinary
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Explain Faith in the Seen and Faith in the Unseen:
Gravity is Unseen, but I can see its effects on my life.
Oxygen is Unseen, but I can see its effects because I am still breathing.
God is Unseen, But I can see Him working in my life and in the world around me. I have faith in an invisible, Invincible, all powerful God.
Today we will be looking into the faith of Moses highlighted in the Book of Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11:23-29 “23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. 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. 28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.”
I. The Faith of Moses
a. What faith?
b. This faith in Hebrews 11:1 “1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith treats the things hoped for as a fact and places confidence today in what has been promised for the future. It is an absolute conviction based on the assurance of God’s unchangeable and perfect character-that God’s promises will be fulfilled.
1. throughout Hebrews 11 we see multiple times the confrontation of Seen faith, and Faith in the Unseen. Tonight we will look the life and upbringing of Moses , and how he dealt with this.
Hebrews 11 (KJV 1900)
In studying the origin of the observable world of nature, the writer recognizes the need for faith. If the explanation were to be restricted to phenomena which can be tested, no faith would be needed. The unseen would automatically be excluded, since only what is seen would be regarded as valid data. But the words By faith we understand show that knowledge is not independent of faith.
The writer of Hebrews recognizes that acceptance of a special creative act of God is possible only by faith.
II. The Faith of Moses’ Parents
1. Vs. 23 talks about the faith of Moses’ parents during the time when pharoah feared the growth of the Israelites’ population, and he ordered the murder of all Hebrew boys being born. Exodus 1:22
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
Hebrews 11:23 says,
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
2. Moses’ parents saw that he was a proper child, or another Greek translation says exceedingly fair to God
What was the SEEN and UNSEEN workings of faith in this verse?
SEEN - Pharoah decreed that all baby boys be killed because he was afraid of the Israelite’s growth.
UNSEEN - Moses’ Parents had faith that God would protect their son and so they had faith enough to not call the midwives.
Moses’ parents took their faith in the Unseen, and acted upon it in the SEEN world by putting Moses in a basket and floating him on the Nile.
At this point Moses’s faith was just his Parent’s faith acting on his behalf because he was not of the volition to have his own faith.
Moses’ Parents had faith that God would save their baby Boy, and while they were waiting in faith for this to happen, Moses’ sister waited and kept watch until Pharaoh’s daughter came along and found the basket with Moses in it.
From here we know what happens - Pharaoh’s daughter takes moses as her own, but asks about finding someone to take care of him. Merriam/ Moses’ sister, steps in and says she knows someone (Moses’s Mother).
Moses grows up in Pharaoh’s house, being raised by his own mother.
Moses’ Mother’s faith that God would take care of her child, worked out in a very special way because She was the one whom God had set in place to raise her son.
II. The faith of Moses expressed through his choices.
In this passage Moses makes a choice. What this choice was. “To suffer with the people of God.” This implies—
1. That God has a people (Exod. 6:4
4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
2. That they are a suffering people. “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (Matt. 5:11
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
What constrained Moses to make this choice? “His faith in an all powerful God.”
Lets take a look into the Seen and Unseen workings of faith in this section of Hebrews 11
1. By faith he saw the nature of godless pleasure. “Pleasures of sin” (Dan. 5; Rev. 3:17–20).
Seen - Moses saw the godless pleasure.
Unseen - Moses had faith that God’s commandments against sin were true, so he suffered affliction with his people.
2. By faith he saw the riches of Christ. “Esteeming reproach for Christ greater riches,” etc. (1 Peter 4:14).
Seen - Moses saw that all the riches in Egypt would never satisfy.
Unseen - Moses saw that heavenly/ Godly riches last for eternity, and that living for Christ benefitted him better than physical wealth.
3. By faith he saw the rewards of eternity. “He had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (v. 26). “In the world to come eternal life”
Seen - Moses saw life here on earth was fleeting, and passing away.
Unseen - Moses saw the weight, and reward of living for Christ. That it had eternal consequences.
III. The choice to leave Pharaoh’s household, and suffer with the enslaved Israelites implied.
1. A refusing (Heb 11: 24
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
2. A forsaking (Heb 11:27
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Moses didn’t fear the King because compared to God, Pharoah was powerless.
IV. How was Moses sustained in his choice? Many times someone will act in faith and it may be a long time until there is fruit from that act. so the writer of Hebrews points out they way in which God sustained Moses in the waiting time for his act of faith to be worked out. “He (Moses) endured, as seeing Him who is invisible”/ Unseen (v. 27).
The main point of the sermon: Seeing Him who is Unseen Brings about —
1. Patience in trial, ( What is the trial wee see? - verse 27.
Moses forsook Egypt in fear the first time
(Exodus 2:15 “15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.” but when he came to stand before Pharaoh 40 years later, his decision to leave Egypt was nothing less than an act of faith. God had broken and then molded him in the desert preparing him to be His agent to deliver the Israelites. Moses endured standing up to Pharaoh because the presence and power of the invisible God was so evident.
2. Strength for the battle
3. Comfort in affliction
Moses occupies more attention than any other person in the Hall of Faith. (He is mentioned 10 times in the Book of Hebrews). His life is characterized by faith and faithfulness from birth to death.
From the story of Moses we see him at an intersection of choosing to act upon Seen, and Unseen faith.
In your study of the Bible keep watch for the Seen, and Unseen.
Christians have faith in a God that is Unseen, there is no physical manifestation of God. But we do See the effects of His workings in our lives. Just because God is unseen doesn’t mean he isn’t working.
We see God is present and at work in our own lives
We see God is present and at work in the lives of the people around us.
We see God is present and at work because He gave us the Holy Spirit living in us.
There is no doubt that I can see God work in my life, and in the lives of the people around me.
But...
How does this affect us today?
Having faith in the Unseen, doesn’t mean we should leave that faith in the Unseen realm. Rather we should be acting upon what we have faith in.
For example. Hebrews 11:24-25
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;
Moses Had faith in an Unseen God. He had faith that he was not Egyptian. He had faith that he was a child of God. He had faith that if he stayed in Pharoah’s household, he was just setting himself up for a possible life living in sin.
In your life, make a point to point out the Unseen workings of faith so that you can act upon them in the Seen world.
Unseen - By Faith I know that God has called me to preach.
Seen - By Faith I am seeking out the knowledge on how to preach/ shepherd so that I can be used of God.
I pray that God would strengthen your faith through the faith of Moses, and that you would make it a point to act upon your faith in God and His workings in your life.