Faith Overcomes Fear

We have nothing to fear but fear itself. The words of Franklin D Roosevelt in 1933 where he was trying to address the fears that led to a run on the banks. Out of fear people were pulling their money out of banks and causing them to go out of business. He was calling them to not live by fear but to act in ways that would help to end the Great Depression. When He took office he declared a national back holiday and shut down the banking system for 1 week. He eventually created the FDIC and was able to restore faith in the banking institution.

Fear can cause us to do some crazy things. It can paralyze, us, make us irrational, it can make us flee when we should fight, it can do all sorts of things. Fear is the thing that we give our minds over to and the thing that controls us. If we allow it. But fear is not always bad if the thing that we fear is God. In fact fear of God is the thing that will cause us to cling to his promises, will cause us to act in ways that will show that we have faith in Him and His promises.

So in a sense to fear God is the negative side of faith, like a coin with two sides, but we are not called to fear God in the sense that we thing that he will destroy us but to believe positively in His promises.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

You might be asking the question, I thought this was a chapter on faith and not fear. And you would be right but I want you to see our theme for Moses is and a phrase that come out in the text, that Moses was not afraid of the kings edict.

Moses had faith that overcame fear.

Moses’ Mother had faith vs. 23

This passage is interesting in that it seems to indicate the the faith of Moses mother and father are attributed to Him. It was not Moses’ faith but their faith. The text seems to indicate that there is something more than skin deep going on. Moses very well was probably of good stock and indeed a beautiful child. But are we to think that the He was the only beautiful child even if he was the most handsome. And hardly would a parent choose to drown their child in the Nile simply because he was ugly.

Acts 7:20 ESV

At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house,

Did you catch that it was the Lord that saw Moses as beautiful. Surely the Lord looks deep than just the physical appearance and surely the Lord chose Moses of all of the children of Israel not simply because he was a baby whose cheeks you could squeeze and eat up. There evidently was some marker some indicator that God’s hand was on this child. As far as it goes we do not know what that was. But we do know that they were commended for their faith and that faith was substance or assurance. In other words they must have known in some way shape or fashion that this child was unique and that there was some promise attached to him concerning their people. As we will see in this passage and as you are already aware of this child was destine to become the greatest prophet to live the world has known and preform the greatest miracles recorded in the scriptures, miracles which will prefigure the true Messiah the true Exodus of God’s people, not out of Egypt but out of sin and death.

I want you to notice here that Amram and Jochabed were not afraid of the kings command, though they had every reason to fear. The penalty for disobeying was likely severe. But their faith drove out their fear of man. Even the most powerful man in the world. You see their faith and belief in the promises of God their fear of God was greater than their fear of Pharoah.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Transition:

Moses Matured in Faith vs. 24-26

In acts 7:23 Stephen tells us that Moses was 40 years old when he went to his people and when he struck down the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave.

He had a decision to make.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

“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.

Joshua tells the Israelites who are going after foreign God’s to make a choice, Chose this day whom you will serve.

Moses considered the reproach of Christ as great than all the treasures of Egypt. Its all about perspective, its all about where your faith is. Moses cast aside what most people in this world would die for, money, power and fame.

Some would most certainly call him foolish. He was presumably in line for the throne in Egypt. Surely if he were to wait, he could do great things for the Israelites as leader of Egypt. But he considered those things as fleeing pleasures as sin. They would not last.

“Those who are Christ’s, looking to the ultimate goal of eternal happiness on which their hope is fixed, choose afflictions and poverty rather than riches and pleasures, because the latter hinder their pursuit of the hoped-for goal.” Thomas Aquinas

Philippians 3:7–8 ESV

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

The ways of God are not the ways of the world. Now to be fair, I do not think that political power or gain in and of itself is wrong or even sinful, for example consider Joseph who rose to political power and remained in power until his death, yet for Moses as one whom Christ would be the antitype, his road is suffering.

Isn’t that the way that Christ was viewed and misunderstood as the Messiah, why did he come riding into Jerusalem on a humble donkey and not a horse? Why did he not come as a powerful political figure a conquering king?

Because like Moses, Christ came to identify with and bear the reproach of his people

Psalm 69:9 ESV

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

Isaiah 63:9 ESV

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Those who were reading the letter of Hebrews were in need of encouragement, they were in need of being reminded that they too can suffer and endure reproach because like Moses Christ bore our reproach bore our suffering and our sin. He is our sympathetic High Priest.

Heaven is a great reward, surpassing not only all our deservings, but all our conceptions. It is a reward suitable to the price paid for it—the blood of Christ; suitable to the perfections of God, and fully answering to all his promises. Matthew Henry

Moses Marooned Egypt by Faith vs.27

Moses paid more attention to the invisible King of kings than to the king of Egypt. Heb Hughes

There are some difficulties in this passage. When did Moses leave Egypt? After he killed the Hebrew and fled to the wilderness, or when he stood before Pharoah and led the Israelites out of Egypt.

I tend to think that the natural flow of though leads to fleeing after he killed the Egyptian. It seems to be the logical order. I tend to think that this is the proper understanding but it is difficult to square the actual account on Exodus 2 where it says that Moses fled because he was afraid. What ever the outcome, there are moments when we are tempted to fear man more than God, but we are called to overcome fear by faith. And one thing is for certain that whether it was fleeing in the wilderness or coming back to lead the people out of Egypt, Moses was a man of faith, and he did not fear Pharoah.

It is natural when we are tempted or struggling through hardship to fear as long as that fear does not paralyze us as long as the fear we have of God is stronger. At any moment in life we have multiple desires and feeling going on all at the same time. But when the decision time comes it is the greatest desire that we have to will move us.

WHO DO WE FEAR MOST? WHO DO WE PUT OUR FAITH IN?

Moses Ate Matzo by Faith vs 28

If the people were to be afraid of anything, then the angel of death that was looming over them on the night of passover was it. This is the stuff of nightmares. But Moses was a man of faith and he led the people by faith to not eat matzo but to put the blood upon the posts of their doors.

By faith Moses lead the people of God out of Egypt and through the waters of the sea. Surrounded by an impassable sea and towering mountains on each side, and the greatest army in the world at their backs, the people crossed the red sea by faith, and the pursuing army who trusted in chariots and swords drowned in the sea as they pursued them.

Gospel.