A reading from the letter to the Hebrews 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.
By faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated
with the people of God. Than to enjoy the fleeting
pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of
Christ's greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.
Quarry was looking to the reward by faith.
He left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he
endured as seeing him who is invisible by faith he kept the
Passover and sprinkled the blood.
So that the destroyer of the first blonde might not touch
them by faith, the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry
land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same,
were drowned by faith. The walls of Jericho fell down
after they had been encircled for seven days.
By faith, Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who
are disobedient. Because she had given a friendly
welcome to the spies, the word of the Lord.
Well, good morning. It is great to be here while
with you again, open up with me if you haven't already.
Hebrews 11, we've heard it red, but we will like to revisit it.
So life for me recently has been a a whirlwind of sorts.
I could say a joyful whirlwind of sorts.
Almost four weeks ago, my wife and I, we welcome and met our
baby girl, Victory Buchanan, into the world.
And she has already changed our house.
She's changed the house We call her boss baby.
And the adjustment is real. So.
So again, keep praying for the preacher this morning that the
adjustment is real. The last time I was also here,
Father Aaron mentioned that our church, family, church, as well
as nonprofit exodus projects was.
Buying a property, we have a sense just in the last few weeks
taking possession of that property, a man.
And now our faith journey begins with it, as we need to raise the
funds to complete the purchase of that property.
But it's all good. That's why we're studying the
Hall of Faith today. So we're looking at Hebrews
11/23. I want to jump in, invite you
guys to be praying for us again. We got babies and buildings
going on and so we just got to keep believing as as as we go go
along. So thank you for your prayers
and your support. Hey, let me breathe the word of
prayer again and we'll jump in. Father, it is good to be in your
house. It's good to be with my brothers
and my sisters, the family of God.
Your Father is good for us to be in your word.
As Peter said, it is good for us to be here.
Father, I pray that as we open your scriptures, that, Father,
you will open our hearts. Our Father, would you please
breathe on this meagre manuscript?
I pray, Lord, that you would give me the energy that's
necessary to be your instrument and your tool this morning.
Holy Spirit, we need you to speak to us clearly and
profoundly. So hide me and move me out of
the way. The Lord, may you be exalted,
and may you be lifted. May your people be edified.
Father, we come today hungry and with great expectation and
anticipation to meet you in the preaching and the proclamation
of your words. So Father, we thank you for
hearing and answering our prayers.
We give you glory and honor. We pray this in Jesus name.
Amen. Let me just read a little bit of
this text again says 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 kings eat
it. I thought for a little while
about what I should title this text, and I'm not that big into
titles, but if I was the title of this text, I would title it
Risky faith. Risky faith.
That was the story that I recently revisited that I
thought was appropriate to share with you.
This morning, as we think about risky faith in a trial in a
southern small town, a prosecuting attorney called his
first witness, a grandmotherly elderly woman, to the stand.
He approached. Her and he asked Miss Jones.
Do you know me? She responded.
Why, yes, I do know you, since you were a little boy, and
frankly, you've been a big. Disappointment to me.
You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and
talk about them behind their backs.
You think you're a big shot, and when you haven't, the brains to
realize you'll never. Amount to anything more than A2.
Bit paper pusher, Yes. I know you.
The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he
pointed across the room and ask Mr. Jones.
Missus Jones, do you know the defense attorney?
She replied. Why, yes, I do.
I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster.
He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem.
He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his
law practice is one of the worst in the entire state.
Not to mention he cheated on his wife with.
Three different. Women.
And one of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.
The defense attorney? Nearly.
Died. The judge hurried that as both
attorneys to approach the bitch and in a quiet voice say if
either of you idiots ask her if she knows me, I will send you
both. To the lecture chair.
Well, I want to ask you, who do you know?
Well, maybe not. Who do you know?
Maybe what do you know? Maybe to narrow in the question,
do you know faith? Or what do you know about faith
as you guys have been in this sermon series?
I know you've been learning about faith, but when I look at
the verses that have been assigned to me, the question
seems to surface. What do you know?
About faith. Come on, do me a favor.
Help me preach. Look at your neighbor.
And say neighbor. What do you?
Know about faith. Well, it seems like I took y'all
off, caught y'all off guard on that one.
Come on, look at your other neighbor.
Ask your other neighbor. Come on, say it.
With some conviction. Say neighbor, what do you know
about faith? Faith is such a common word in
our culture, isn't it? It it it appears to me that the
word faith has been watered down.
It can almost feel insignificant in our conversations.
It almost can feel cliches. It appears that that that we use
faith too often and really without any real significance in
in our culture. When we think about faith it it
is something that is for our heads and not for our hands and
for our feet. But that's not what the Bible
teaches us at all. Faith is one of the most
important virtues we can possess.
Remember it was Adam and Eve's lack of faith that ushers sin
into the world. They believe the serpent over
God and and it is actually our faith in God that reverses the
curse. We know it is by grace that we
have been saved through faith. It is important for us to know
faith. It's important for us to
understand faith, and that is the blessing of Hebrews 11 and I
believe I text today. These few verses lend to us at
least four thoughts in relation to the question, what do we know
about faith? So I want to drop.
These like my friend says, but not push them this morning.
What do we know about faith? The first thing we know about
faith is this. Faith.
Pushes us, has our fears. Faith pushes us has.
Our fears. I believe we see this in verse
23. Moses, by faith 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. Your imagination has to be
evoked while reading this traumatic and dramatic scene of
this Hebrew. Genocide.
Pharaoh has the. Creed that all, baby.
Boys are to be cast. In the Nile.
River this saying it's too cool. To imagine, but it is necessary.
For us to understand the evil of the moment, we Can you imagine
the depression that was spreading like the plague?
Mothers and grandmothers are wailing.
Parents are questioning in themselves, trying to find a way
to justify their actions by hasting their babies in the sea.
Are sea preachers feasting? And I wonder, I wonder, is there
a stitch in the air, Moses parents?
Could not allow the fear of the kings eating to lead them to
terminate their baby. It was obvious he was beautiful.
He was wonderful and fearfully made.
That that there's surely every good and perfect gift comes from
the father above and children are a gift from God.
This thing that they were asked to do was evil.
And it was against the promises of God, the promise that God
gave to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob, that that descendants
would be as the sand of the sea, as the stars in the sky.
Moses parents believe that this was not God's will, that this
would not, that was not God's way.
They believed that somehow, in some way, God would intervene.
They believed. They expected that God was so up
and he was so out in their helpless situation.
When I think about faith, I really like the concept that
faith is expecting God's word to come to pass.
Faith is expecting that the character of God that has been
revealed in the scriptures that has been manifested to us to be
true of them. And when I think about fear,
someone once said that fear is false evidence, fear and real
faith and fear they are opposite, but they are so much
alike. We often fear something that we
are not even certain if it is. Real.
Our fears are filled with assumptions and expectation.
I often think that one of the things that we fear the most is
tomorrow, which is ridiculous because tomorrow never arrives.
We we can be so fearful of tomorrow that we can't eat, that
we can't sleep, that our heads are hurting, our bodies are
sick. All because of something that is
not even promised to us and and a time that is not coming.
All we have is today and we can be so fearful about tomorrow
that we can enjoy today. That's why Jesus teaches us in
the Lord's Prayer that we should pray.
Father, give us this day our daily pray.
See Moses parents found themselves in the valley of
decisions. They had to choose between faith
or fear. Maybe you're here today.
And you have some. Real scenarios.
That is really threatening your comfort, your livelihood and
maybe even your peace. And you're figuring, if you give
in to your fears, that that life would be easy.
Well, let me tell you that God has not given us a spirit of
fear, but He's given us love, power, and the sound mind.
God doesn't want us to live by the depressive emotive of fear,
but he will have us to live this victorious adrenaline kind of
life of faith. What we know about faith is that
faith pushes us past our fears. We also see that.
Faith leads. Us to Our Calling.
Looking verse 24 through 27 says by faith Moses when he was grown
up. Refused to be called a son, a
Pharaoh daughter. Choosing rather to be mistreated
with the people. Of God that to enjoy the
fleeing. Pleasures of seeing, He
considered the reproach. Of Christ greater wealth.
Than the treasures of. Egypt, but he was looking to the
reward. Safe leads us to our call, and
Moses refused to be called. The son of Pharaoh's.
Daughter. This seemed to be a risky
position. Here we see that Moses chose to
identify with the people of God instead of the people of
Pharaoh. He was willing to embrace
poverty and being associated with wealth.
How did this? How is it that he came to this
conclusion and this position in his life?
So the Bible teaches us that faith comes by hearing and
hearing the word of God. I would imagine that Moses,
mother and his family would have told him about the Hebrews,
about their past, and about how God had been working and moving
in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
Moses not only heard about the traditions of his ancestor, but
he's all he also believe. See our faith.
He is personal. But it can't help but to become
public. And that's so good.
I ought to say it again that our faith, it is personal, but it
can't help but to become public. Our faith is like a seed that is
planning in the soul of our hearts.
And eventually it bears free for all the world to see.
Faith is risky. I watch this.
It comes with great reward. Our faith is not just for our
minds, it is for our hands and our feet.
But the scripture is showing us is that Moses faith was
accompanied with actions. We can see his faith by looking
at his works. He refused to be called the son
of. Pharaoh's daughter.
He'd rather be mistreated with the people of God that.
To enjoy the. Pleasures of seeing for a
season. He chose the reproach of Christ,
and he left Egypt. We can see the sacrifice of
Moses and his sacrifice is motivated by his faith.
See, faith calls us out. It demands that we come out from
the world and be separate. Our faith makes us unique,
doesn't it? Because we are trusting in a God
who is unique, our faith can make us strange because we are
believing in something that we can see.
Our faith can make us appear to be crazy because we take risks
that go beyond what we're the rules of common sense.
Our faith is dynamic because we believe that the suffering for
Christ brings great reward for us personally and relationally.
It could be that that you're here today and you find yourself
really, really struggling with faith because what what, what,
what God seems to be calling you to.
It's irritating. It's it's it's it's risky.
It involves suffering and and really the reality is that you
rather be comfortable. But but faith has a way of of
shaping us. It it seems to always be pushing
us and calling us to become what what God has for us and and the
very thing that that that may be interrupting your life may be
the very thing that God is using to shape your life.
Never thought about pearls. Where they come from?
Do they grow trees? Can they be found under the
earth? No, no.
Listen this pearls come from living creatures, oysters, rare,
gorgeous, round jewels that are not found under the sea, but
inside the oyster. How is the Pearl produced that
this a foreign particle like sand gets into the oyster?
And when the sand enters the oyster, it is a painful
experience for the oyster because it irritates the soft
part of it and it is unable to push the sand particle out of
the shell, hits the sand, remains inside the oyster, and
then a biological process happens within the oyster and it
becomes a Pearl. Who would have ever thought that
out of a rough broken? Coarse looking shell as it
appears on the outside that the suffering of this soft orster,
that the glistening loveliness and preciousness of a Pearl will
come forth and see times. That's what God does.
And that by faith God may, may, may, may cause irritation and
suffering and discomfort. Because God is shaping something
beautiful and something precious in us and on us because he wants
to work through us. We must remember that even
faith, even faith, it is a gift from God.
It it it, it is. It is that saying that that God
puts in our life. It is that seed that is meant to
shape us. To something beautiful.
But friends, it is not just for ourselves, it is for the world
around us. We know that the faith, it
pushes us past our fear it it will push us to our call that.
But also when we look at verses 28 through 29, it pushes us to
live obediently. Someone once said that the
acronym for the Bible stands for Basic Instructions before
Leaving Earth. I love that acronym.
It it it is. It is a great way to describe
the Bible. It speaks to the to the fact
that the Bible is filled with instructions from God for us to
follow. And these instructions not only
benefit us personally, but they have corporate benefits.
Moses received some ridiculous instructions from God and and
and Hebrews here wants us to understand that these were
instructions that require faith for him to fulfill.
Them. Look what it says verse 2829.
By faith he kept the Passover sprinkle the blood so that the
destroyer of the first boy may not touch them.
By faith the people cross the Red Sea on dry land.
But the Egyptians when they attempted to do.
The same were drowned. I gave Moses these detailed
instructions on what to say. These detailed instructions are
what to do, and his exact execution of God's command would
lead to the saving of many lives.
And this happened at the Passover and it happens at the
Red Sea. There's so much to say about
this, but I believe the point that I believe the Holy Spirit
wants us to get is that all of all that our faithful obedience
is not just for us, but it is for others.
Our faith is not only a blessing for us, but it is a blessing for
the world around us. And it is impossible for me not
to read this and somehow to deviate, to talk about the
significance of Passover and the significance of obedience.
Because when we are reading this, we understand that all of
this whole moment is pointing to a future moment.
It is pointing to a beautiful moment.
It is pointing to one who is absolutely perfect. 1111 Who Who
absolutely had no faults and no blimp assist.
See Moses had to find a a lamb without spot or wrinkle, but.
That was a. Lamb that was born, and he was
born, and he had no spot, and he had no wrinkle.
He had no sin in his life, and he himself became our past over
lamb. His blood was shed, It was
sprinkled. It has been sprinkled on us.
Miss obedient Savior gave his life that we may have life.
The faith of Moses was to believe that the blood.
Over the door posts. Will save the lives keep family
in 2023. We must believe that the blood
of Jesus. Perfect.
Sing the slam will say it. We must believe as such that
that we that we carry this this glorious, wonderful gospel.
Truth. To men and women and boys and
girls, no matter if we feel they will accept it or reject it, we
preach it and we proclaim it and we teach it and we share it in
faith. Moses was obedient to institute
the Passo. He was obedient and listening to
the Father by by, by by raising the raw that the Red Sea they
part. He was faithful.
Moses had instructions. That he needed to follow Jesus,
follow God's instructions to the T Some of us may struggle with
God's instructions. We might struggle with God's
direction, those that we received.
From the scripture. So we read the Bible.
And those that the holy. Spirit may share with.
Us. Sometimes we struggle with God's
instruction, and God's direction is simply because we don't
understand it. It it it doesn't make sense to
us. I'm chasing Moses, slaughtering
a lamb and putting blood over the door posts of people's
houses. It didn't make sense then.
How that was going to save them? It didn't make sense that he
raised the rod that that a Red Sea would part.
Can I tell you that being obedience to God's command
doesn't have to make sense? Following his instructions and
direction doesn't have to make sense to us?
Come on. Don't look at me in that tone of
voice. You know when you tell your kids
to do something they don't have to understand?
What you're telling them they just need to do it.
And sometimes we get so sensitive.
Is that because we don't understand it or because we
don't like it, we don't want to follow through with it?
You don't have to like God's commands in order to follow his
commands. Oh baby, it's just better than
sacrifice. But because we believe that God
is all power. We believe that God is all
knowing. We believe that God is a good
God all the time. We follow His commands, we
follow His instructions, and we allow faith, push it to
obedience. What do we know about faith?
It pushes us past fear. Leads us to Our Calling.
Pushes us to. Obedience.
Lastly, they pushes us to act, to act.
Versus 3031 by Faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they
had been in circle for seven days.
By. Faith Rehab.
The prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient
because she had given a friendly welcome.
To the spies these verses have shown us.
Again, their faith pushes. Us past our fears.
That faith pushes us into Our Calling.
Faith leads us to obedience. And lastly, faith causes us to
act. Actions of faith not only
changes us, but it changes. The world around us noticed.
He starts with. Moses in these verses.
And then he ends with Ray Hat. Notice he starts with Moses and
then he ends with rehab. Moses journey of faith has
become contagious. It is scone to one people, to
another group of people that are practicing now ridiculous faith.
They are following the commands of God.
They they they take on the risk of marching around a city.
That is not theirs. But they are believing that God
one day will give it to them. They are not focused on the
risk, but on the reward. And this is true of rehab.
She heard of the God of Israel and the faith of Israel, and she
too wants to benefit from the reward.
And people of faith live by faith.
People who don't know faith become jealous of our faith.
And that's what we shall long for.
That is that those people of faith, that they have this
ridiculous and crazy ideas, that we want those ideas we we, we
want that lifestyle. We want that joy.
We want that peace. We want that power.
We want that kind of relationship.
I'll hide the spies. She's a prostitute with a house.
Successful business woman, That's all I say.
She wants the reward. Children of faith and.
I'm almost done. I'll take my seats when I say
this. The old lady.
In the. Courtroom was telling
everyone's. Story and testimony.
Here at Hebrews 11 we are reading.
Testimony of what would appear to be ordinary people who
radically and ridiculously believe God.
He didn't understand everything about God.
They probably wouldn't have passed the theological test.
They didn't have it all figured out.
He believed they was willing to take the risk.
Because they believe watch this really that God was the reward.
And here we are reading about their stories of faith and I and
I love that we can read about their stories of faith.
Because they are our spiritual ancestors and we get
encouragement and we we are challenged and we are inspired
and and hopefully we we are charged up as the people of God
to say we want to take risks for God.
But when people read your story, what will your story be full of?
Will it be filled with excuses? Will it be filled with
hesitations? Will it be filled with doubt?
Will it be filled with with fear?
Or could we actually write on your team song?
She was a woman. Faith.
He was a man that that that God will say, Well done, my good and
faithful servant. I believe that when we read this
that God is involved to say you have A and you have a story and
your faith is not just, it's for the world around you.
You notice. Moses parents faith was for
Moses. Moses faith was for Israel.
Israel's faith was for Rahab and all the other women she had in
her house And the spy. And your faith is not just for
you. Yes it is private, but God wants
it to be public faith is risky. There is.
Great reward on Earth. All return, let us Lord, as we
talk about faith, we talk soul. And humility, knowing that the
faith we have it is a gift from you, the Lord you allow us to to
build on that faith, to grow in that faith.
That we may be people of faith and Father was so beautiful and
so wonderful about the body of Christ the church the Bride is
that is that is that our faith can be contagious to one
another. That that that that we can that
that that we can as iron sharp as iron that that our faith can
sharpen each other's faith. And and I pray God that you
would just continue to help us and raise us up to be people of
faith. Help us not to be afraid, to
take the risks, to be mistreated, to suffer the
reprints of Christ, to stand with you because we totally
trust you, but God, we are people that are expecting.
Your word to come to pass, so help us to be people who.
Not only have risky faith, but who exercise.
Risky Bay, we pray. This in Jesus.
Name Amen.