WEBVTT 00:00:14.169 --> 00:00:16.570 Hebrews chapter 11, we'll begin reading in just 00:00:16.570 --> 00:00:23.250 a moment at verse 23. I entitled this morning's 00:00:23.250 --> 00:00:29.690 message, The Fortitude of Faith. because it really 00:00:29.690 --> 00:00:34.469 speaks to the courage that faith enables us to 00:00:34.469 --> 00:00:37.729 have as the people of God. Webster's dictionary 00:00:37.729 --> 00:00:40.890 defines fortitude as the strength of mind that 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:44.090 enables a person to encounter danger, to bear 00:00:44.090 --> 00:00:48.030 pain, or to face adversity with courage. So we're 00:00:48.030 --> 00:00:50.350 gonna see that in the life of Moses and some 00:00:50.350 --> 00:00:52.070 others that are named here in the passage that 00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:55.549 I'm gonna read. But I want to share an illustration 00:00:55.549 --> 00:00:57.770 of fortitude that I learned about when Jan and 00:00:57.770 --> 00:01:00.329 I traveled to Scotland many, many years ago. 00:01:00.829 --> 00:01:05.349 We came across a statue in a garden about two 00:01:05.349 --> 00:01:09.709 Scottish sisters. There was an angel behind them 00:01:09.709 --> 00:01:13.109 as they studied and prayed over the word of God. 00:01:13.150 --> 00:01:15.609 And we came to kind of get an understanding of 00:01:15.609 --> 00:01:19.170 why these two girls were memorialized in that 00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:21.530 way. And it's really a story not only of these 00:01:21.530 --> 00:01:24.579 two sisters, whose names were Margaret and Agnes 00:01:24.579 --> 00:01:28.459 Wilson, but it was also about an older friend 00:01:28.459 --> 00:01:31.640 of theirs, also named Margaret, Margaret McLaughlin. 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:37.799 And it's a story of steadfast courage. Margaret 00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:40.900 and Agnes, again, were born in Scotland mid to 00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:44.379 late 1600s. They lived during the reign of King 00:01:44.379 --> 00:01:49.469 Charles II, a time when believers who refused 00:01:49.469 --> 00:01:53.090 to conform to the king's imposed church laws 00:01:53.090 --> 00:01:57.230 were labeled as rebels, traitors, and they were 00:01:57.230 --> 00:02:00.310 marked for death. So these people, they were 00:02:00.310 --> 00:02:05.189 known as covenanters. Well, they believed in 00:02:05.189 --> 00:02:08.090 the absolute authority of Christ over the church, 00:02:08.110 --> 00:02:11.509 and they rejected, as we do today, any government 00:02:11.509 --> 00:02:15.479 interference in matters of faith. Of course, 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:17.479 Margaret and her sisters, growing up in this 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:19.919 kind of household, heard the scriptures. They 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:21.960 worshiped together with their family, of course, 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:26.340 in secret, and all the while witnessing the brutal 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:29.039 prosecution or persecution of those who remained 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:32.620 faithful to Christ. By the time Margaret was 00:02:32.620 --> 00:02:36.319 18 years old, worshiping Jesus had become even 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:38.419 more dangerous where she had been brought up. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:42.280 So she and her younger sister, Agnes, left home 00:02:42.280 --> 00:02:47.580 and really connected with a group of other believers 00:02:47.580 --> 00:02:50.139 that were worshiping secretly out in the middle 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:55.080 of a forest. But eventually, the two sisters 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:57.340 and their 63 -year -old friend, this is where 00:02:57.340 --> 00:03:01.060 the elder Margaret comes into the story, the 00:03:01.060 --> 00:03:04.219 two sisters and their 63 -year -old friend Margaret 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:07.259 were captured by the authorities and placed in 00:03:07.259 --> 00:03:11.699 prison. And they were sentenced quickly to death 00:03:11.699 --> 00:03:15.310 by drowning. That was the punishment for refusing 00:03:15.310 --> 00:03:18.789 to renounce their faith. Margaret's father, of 00:03:18.789 --> 00:03:20.610 course, heard about the fate of his daughters 00:03:20.610 --> 00:03:22.509 and he did everything that he could do to rescue 00:03:22.509 --> 00:03:25.750 them. He appealed to the authorities of his day. 00:03:25.810 --> 00:03:29.150 He raised money to try to secure bail for his 00:03:29.150 --> 00:03:31.469 two girls. But when it came down to it, he was 00:03:31.469 --> 00:03:34.330 only able to secure the release of one daughter, 00:03:34.370 --> 00:03:37.830 the younger one, Agnes. And so Margaret was left 00:03:37.830 --> 00:03:42.030 to suffer execution along with the elder, Margaret 00:03:42.030 --> 00:03:46.409 McLaughlin. And it was on May 11th, 1865 that 00:03:46.409 --> 00:03:49.250 these two women were taken to a place called 00:03:49.250 --> 00:03:52.150 Solway Firth, a coastal area where the tide would 00:03:52.150 --> 00:03:55.370 soon rise. The authorities tied the older Margaret 00:03:55.370 --> 00:04:01.810 farther out on the beach, forcing the younger 00:04:01.810 --> 00:04:05.650 Margaret to watch her drown, hoping that the 00:04:05.650 --> 00:04:08.180 horror of it would break. Her resolve, as a matter 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:10.939 of fact, one witness supposedly said that at 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:12.599 a certain point, one of the authorities asked 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:17.079 her almost mockingly, what do you see? And this 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:19.620 is what the young Margaret said. She said, I 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:25.240 see Christ wrestling there. Faith, the conviction 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:28.810 of things not. I see Christ wrestling there. 00:04:28.850 --> 00:04:31.629 She continued to stand firm. Other witnesses 00:04:31.629 --> 00:04:34.550 said that she recited the 25th Psalm, and then 00:04:34.550 --> 00:04:36.910 she loudly declared that nothing could separate 00:04:36.910 --> 00:04:39.589 her from the love of Christ, not even death. 00:04:40.949 --> 00:04:43.529 Even her family that day, and we can understand 00:04:43.529 --> 00:04:46.470 this, they begged her to renounce Christ and 00:04:46.470 --> 00:04:49.529 to pay homage to the king, but as the water continued 00:04:49.529 --> 00:04:52.730 to rise around her, Margaret refused to deny 00:04:52.730 --> 00:04:55.870 her savior. Her final words. that were recorded 00:04:55.870 --> 00:05:03.089 on that day, I am Christ's. Let me go. With that, 00:05:03.189 --> 00:05:05.509 the waves overtook her and her earthly life ended. 00:05:06.110 --> 00:05:10.449 She was 18 years old. Now many would say, and 00:05:10.449 --> 00:05:13.129 I believe many said on that day, that Margaret 00:05:13.129 --> 00:05:17.389 displayed only foolishness. She could have easily 00:05:17.389 --> 00:05:21.149 recanted her faith, gone home with her family. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:24.660 I would say, however, that what Margaret displayed 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:27.819 is fortitude, the fortitude of faith that we're 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:29.980 gonna learn about this morning, read about this 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:32.879 morning. She trusted herself entirely to Christ, 00:05:33.259 --> 00:05:35.899 believing that his kingdom is worth more than 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:37.939 anything this world would ever be able to offer 00:05:37.939 --> 00:05:40.540 her. And the question that I want us to kind 00:05:40.540 --> 00:05:44.139 of ask ourselves today is, do we have that kind 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:48.019 of faith? And if so, where does that faith come 00:05:48.019 --> 00:05:50.399 from? Or even if you can say, well, no, I'm not 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:52.740 sure I have that kind of faith. Where does that 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:56.079 kind of faith come from? That kind of fortitude, 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:58.639 that kind of courage come from? And of course, 00:05:58.779 --> 00:06:00.379 the answer, as we're gonna see, is that kind 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:03.399 of courage comes from faith. Faith in the Lord 00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:07.399 Jesus Christ, this gift of God that we have been 00:06:07.399 --> 00:06:10.779 granted if we are believers. As we're gonna see 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:15.279 from the life of Moses, faith produces an enduring 00:06:15.529 --> 00:06:20.009 courage to pursue the purposes of God, even when 00:06:20.009 --> 00:06:23.430 our obedience to those purposes demand sacrifice, 00:06:24.250 --> 00:06:28.009 suffering, or perhaps even death. So with that, 00:06:28.149 --> 00:06:31.370 let's read Hebrews chapter 11. We're gonna read 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:35.990 verses 23 down through verse 31. And if you don't 00:06:35.990 --> 00:06:38.750 have the words in front of you, they're here 00:06:38.750 --> 00:06:41.110 at the front of the auditorium on the screen. 00:06:41.430 --> 00:06:43.839 Scripture says this, by faith Moses. when he 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.579 was born was hidden for three months by his parents, 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:49.459 because they saw that the child was beautiful 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:52.120 and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:57.519 For by faith, when he was grown up, Moses refused 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.560 to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:02.959 rather to be mistreated with the people of God 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:05.259 than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:07.980 He considered the reproach of Christ greater 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:11.339 wealth than the treasures of Egypt. for he was 00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:14.139 looking to the reward. There's a theme in these 00:07:14.139 --> 00:07:15.899 men and women of faith, isn't it? They're looking 00:07:15.899 --> 00:07:19.360 for something beyond what was right in front 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:21.860 of them, visible to their eyes. He was looking 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:24.620 to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:26.879 afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:31.060 as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept 00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:34.040 the Passover, sprinkled the blood so that the 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:36.860 destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 00:07:37.100 --> 00:07:40.120 By faith, the people crossed the Red Sea on dry 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:41.939 land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted 00:07:41.939 --> 00:07:46.120 to do the same, were drowned. By faith, the walls 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.500 of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled 00:07:48.500 --> 00:07:52.319 for seven days. By faith, Rahab, the prostitute, 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:55.180 did not perish with those who were disobedient 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:58.100 because she had given a friendly welcome. to 00:07:58.100 --> 00:07:59.899 the spies. Let's stop there and pray, and then 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:01.959 we'll look at some things that I believe this 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:04.800 text will help us to more clearly understand. 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:07.560 Father, we are thankful today for the faith that 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.079 you have given us. Thankful, Father, for this 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:13.000 wonderful relationship that you have initiated, 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:17.699 that we now enjoy with you, your Son Jesus Christ, 00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:20.079 the Holy Spirit of God who dwells within us. 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:23.350 Lord, we are so blessed. And I pray today, Father, 00:08:23.449 --> 00:08:26.709 that you would open our hearts, our minds, Lord, 00:08:26.829 --> 00:08:29.569 to receive this message from you that we might 00:08:29.569 --> 00:08:33.750 be encouraged, inspired to be people of fortitude, 00:08:33.990 --> 00:08:38.350 courage, Lord, to face the adversity that will 00:08:38.350 --> 00:08:40.990 no doubt come to those who profess Christ as 00:08:40.990 --> 00:08:45.590 Savior and Lord, and to do it steadfastly, hopefully, 00:08:48.029 --> 00:08:51.860 with determination. and earnestness, Lord, we 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:54.440 just pray you would do that. And Lord, again, 00:08:54.539 --> 00:08:57.399 help us, as we see in the lives of Moses, as 00:08:57.399 --> 00:08:59.580 we read about these two young girls in Scotland, 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:04.419 help us to take a stand in our day, to stand 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:11.559 firm, to trust you, looking forward to our heavenly 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:13.960 home, and Lord, really our home upon the new 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:19.269 earth, which is our promise from you. Our assurance, 00:09:19.450 --> 00:09:26.629 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. The first few verses 00:09:26.629 --> 00:09:30.190 there, by faith when Moses, when he was born, 00:09:30.350 --> 00:09:32.450 was hidden for three months by his parents because 00:09:32.450 --> 00:09:34.750 they saw the child was beautiful and they were 00:09:34.750 --> 00:09:37.590 not afraid of the king's edict. So it's really 00:09:37.590 --> 00:09:40.090 not so much about the faith of Moses as most 00:09:40.090 --> 00:09:42.070 of the rest of this passage is. This is about 00:09:42.070 --> 00:09:44.870 the faith of Moses' parents and I just wanna 00:09:44.870 --> 00:09:49.179 stress right now, again, we, parent by faith, 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:52.120 all right? And that shouldn't catch any of us 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:56.679 who are parents by surprise. Parenting is an 00:09:56.679 --> 00:09:58.659 act of faith, or at least it should be an act 00:09:58.659 --> 00:10:03.419 of faith, and we parent in the strength or with 00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:07.789 the courage that God's gift of faith. gives us, 00:10:07.809 --> 00:10:09.850 because it's not easy to be a parent, is it? 00:10:10.070 --> 00:10:12.190 I mean, you think about the days in which Moses 00:10:12.190 --> 00:10:16.909 was born. This was a day when Israel were slaves 00:10:16.909 --> 00:10:21.429 in Egypt. They were being badly mistreated, persecuted, 00:10:22.590 --> 00:10:25.889 and Edict had gone out from the king that all 00:10:25.889 --> 00:10:28.629 male children who were born were to be tossed 00:10:28.629 --> 00:10:31.509 into the Nile River to drown or to be eaten by 00:10:31.509 --> 00:10:35.759 the crocodiles. And yet, in spite of that, the 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:39.100 turbulent times that existed for the Hebrews 00:10:39.100 --> 00:10:43.620 who were living there in Egypt. Moses' parents 00:10:43.620 --> 00:10:47.240 chose to get married. They chose to have children. 00:10:47.299 --> 00:10:50.679 Moses wasn't the only child. There was Aaron, 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:54.679 his brother, Miriam, his sister. You know, I've 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:58.120 heard people, well, I've heard people with my 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:00.740 own ears say, you know, the times in which we 00:11:00.740 --> 00:11:03.039 live, I just wouldn't even want to bring a child 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:08.600 into this messy world. That is not a statement 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:13.120 of faith. You know, as messy as our world might 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.539 be, you know, if we were able to look back upon 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:18.539 the life that these Hebrews were living in Egypt 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:21.379 under the slavery and the cruelty of Pharaoh, 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:24.879 much worse than anything we could possibly imagine 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:30.299 right now, we parent by faith. God has told us 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:32.320 that children are precious. They're valuable. 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:36.309 They're important. They are not a liability, 00:11:36.950 --> 00:11:39.230 but they are an asset. Blessed is the man whose 00:11:39.230 --> 00:11:43.950 quiver is full of them, the scripture says. So 00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:46.110 despite the turbulent and the perilous times 00:11:46.110 --> 00:11:50.230 in which they lived, Moses' parents chose to 00:11:50.230 --> 00:11:53.389 marry and to have children and to raise those 00:11:53.389 --> 00:11:55.889 children, as we would say today, in the fear 00:11:55.889 --> 00:11:58.110 and admonition of the Lord, telling them about 00:11:58.110 --> 00:12:03.039 this great God that they served. this great family 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:05.639 of God that they were a part of. And so what 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:09.220 I would say is that Moses' parents, by this statement 00:12:09.220 --> 00:12:13.240 here of faith, hiding him from the authorities, 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:17.159 not afraid of the king's edict, lets us know 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:20.600 that they saw the real value of this child. And 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:23.299 not just Moses, but his brother Aaron, his sister 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:26.139 Miriam, they saw the value of their children. 00:12:26.419 --> 00:12:29.059 And of course this whole idea that they hid him 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:31.580 because They saw that the child was beautiful. 00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:33.419 That's something, of course, that's taken from 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:36.460 the Old Testament scriptures. And it simply means 00:12:36.460 --> 00:12:39.580 that what Moses' parents saw in him was that 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:41.720 there was something unique, something special. 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:45.259 Perhaps even God had revealed to the two of them 00:12:45.259 --> 00:12:48.559 that he was going to use Moses in a unique way, 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:52.240 and as he ultimately did, to deliver the people 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:56.600 from Egyptian bondage. But for us today, they 00:12:56.600 --> 00:13:00.710 simply saw that their child. was a child of God, 00:13:02.090 --> 00:13:06.149 created in the image of God. And that God's purpose 00:13:06.149 --> 00:13:08.669 for that child was to bring honor and glory to 00:13:08.669 --> 00:13:11.850 his Heavenly Father. And so they protected him 00:13:11.850 --> 00:13:14.009 and they provided for him for as long as they 00:13:14.009 --> 00:13:16.049 could. And then by faith, you know, you think 00:13:16.049 --> 00:13:19.309 about this story, they wove a basket and covered 00:13:19.309 --> 00:13:22.169 it with pitch so that it would be as waterproof 00:13:22.169 --> 00:13:24.230 as possible. And they set that little baby three 00:13:24.230 --> 00:13:26.730 months old into that basket and floated him down 00:13:26.730 --> 00:13:29.330 the river. Of course, all of this with a plan. 00:13:29.330 --> 00:13:31.330 They hoped that they would float him down into 00:13:31.330 --> 00:13:33.769 an area where Pharaoh's daughter routinely came 00:13:33.769 --> 00:13:36.029 to bathe, that she would discover the child and 00:13:36.029 --> 00:13:37.889 upon discovering the child that she would look 00:13:37.889 --> 00:13:42.539 favorably upon the child, And she took the little 00:13:42.539 --> 00:13:45.559 baby into her own family and even asked Miriam, 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:48.320 Moses' sister, is there someone that could serve 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:56.159 as his mother, his handmaid? And of course, the 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.220 woman that was chosen was Moses' own mother. 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:03.500 So she got to raise her son in a time when Hebrew 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:08.080 boys were being drowned routinely in the river 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:11.919 and all of this in the in the Pharaoh's palace. 00:14:13.700 --> 00:14:18.220 These parents trusted God. They were people of 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:20.559 faith, and they trusted God more than they feared 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:23.100 Pharaoh. That's the idea. You know, there are 00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:25.240 things in our world, and let me tell you, Pharaoh 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:28.779 was a person to be feared. In his day and time, 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:32.860 he had absolute power of life and death to decree 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:36.340 life for one, death for another. But let me tell 00:14:36.340 --> 00:14:40.379 you, God is always more powerful than the most 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:44.679 powerful ruler in the world. Moses' parents knew 00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:47.399 that and they trusted God and they did what they 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:51.360 believed was right. They feared Pharaoh but not 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:56.200 more than they trusted God. So by faith, Moses, 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:58.059 when he was born, was hidden for these three 00:14:58.059 --> 00:15:01.059 months by his parents. They were not afraid of 00:15:01.059 --> 00:15:06.639 the king's edict. And then we jump ahead. About 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:09.539 40 years, the life of Moses as it's described 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:13.039 in scripture could be carved up into three 40 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:16.039 year periods. The first 40 years as he grows 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:19.659 up as the Prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's house. 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:22.580 But look what it says here. It says, by faith 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:26.379 Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called. 00:15:26.669 --> 00:15:29.009 the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather 00:15:29.009 --> 00:15:31.370 to be mistreated with the people of God than 00:15:31.370 --> 00:15:34.330 to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered 00:15:34.330 --> 00:15:37.250 the reproach of Christ greater wealth." Now, 00:15:37.269 --> 00:15:40.090 just think about that for a minute. He considered 00:15:40.090 --> 00:15:44.450 the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the 00:15:44.450 --> 00:15:48.710 treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to a reward. 00:15:51.110 --> 00:15:54.230 The Christian life is a life of persistence, 00:15:54.529 --> 00:15:59.870 alright? We persist. We are persisting by faith. 00:16:00.409 --> 00:16:02.889 And again, the idea of persisting means that 00:16:02.889 --> 00:16:06.009 we have to make choices. We choose a position 00:16:06.009 --> 00:16:10.590 and we remain resolute in spite of opposition. 00:16:11.429 --> 00:16:14.350 And of course, the position that we have chosen 00:16:14.350 --> 00:16:17.370 as Christians is to follow Jesus, to serve Jesus, 00:16:17.690 --> 00:16:21.299 to honor Jesus. to recognize Jesus as King of 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:23.399 Kings and Lord of Lords. Well, let me tell you, 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:26.419 Moses lived in a day when to do that could bring 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:30.519 about your swift death. And it's still that way 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:36.080 in many parts of our world today. But Moses growing 00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:38.409 up... in the palace of Pharaoh, and we can't 00:16:38.409 --> 00:16:42.529 even hardly imagine the splendor and the opulence 00:16:42.529 --> 00:16:46.909 that this man grew up in. Again, Egypt was the 00:16:46.909 --> 00:16:49.789 greatest civilization on earth. Everything that 00:16:49.789 --> 00:16:52.570 was available in that day was available to Moses, 00:16:52.690 --> 00:16:55.389 the greatest education, the greatest food, the 00:16:55.389 --> 00:16:57.669 greatest philosophers. I mean, everything that 00:16:57.669 --> 00:17:01.110 could possibly be offered was offered to him. 00:17:02.610 --> 00:17:04.769 And yet it says when he was grown up, you know 00:17:04.769 --> 00:17:08.650 the words grown up there. I'm a big believer 00:17:08.650 --> 00:17:15.630 in growing up. Right? I mean, we're supposed 00:17:15.630 --> 00:17:20.710 to grow up. Lots of people in our day, I think, 00:17:20.809 --> 00:17:23.910 are refusing to grow up. It's important that 00:17:23.910 --> 00:17:26.390 we grow up. Moses grew up, the Scripture says. 00:17:26.490 --> 00:17:29.009 And those words literally mean that when he had 00:17:29.009 --> 00:17:35.240 become great or powerful, or respected, or important. 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:38.140 That's the idea here. Moses had grown up as the 00:17:38.140 --> 00:17:41.339 Prince of Egypt. He was the son of Pharaoh's 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:45.599 daughter. Some historians believe that the Pharaoh 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:47.779 who was currently in power in Egypt didn't have 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:51.220 any sons, and that therefore if Moses had stayed 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:55.400 in Egypt, he might have become the next Pharaoh. 00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:58.680 He was next in line to the throne perhaps. But 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:01.559 one way or the other, as the son of Pharaoh's 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:03.769 daughter, He was a man of great wealth, a man 00:18:03.769 --> 00:18:05.630 of great power, a man of great influence. He 00:18:05.630 --> 00:18:07.549 was a great man. That's what those words when 00:18:07.549 --> 00:18:10.390 he had grown up. So in other words, and again, 00:18:10.450 --> 00:18:12.049 at this time we believe that Moses was about 00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:16.349 40 years old. He had experienced everything that 00:18:16.349 --> 00:18:19.250 Egypt had to offer. Again, the education, the 00:18:19.250 --> 00:18:25.210 wealth, everything. And it was at this point, 00:18:26.430 --> 00:18:29.309 the Bible says this, that he refused to be called 00:18:29.309 --> 00:18:32.109 the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing, and 00:18:32.109 --> 00:18:34.990 notice that, he made a conscious choice. He made 00:18:34.990 --> 00:18:40.930 a decision. He chose to be mistreated with the 00:18:40.930 --> 00:18:44.650 people of God rather than enjoying the fleeting 00:18:44.650 --> 00:18:50.589 pleasures of sin. As Christians, our life is 00:18:50.589 --> 00:18:52.990 all about choices, right? Now we believe in the 00:18:52.990 --> 00:18:55.529 sovereignty of God, correct? We believe that 00:18:55.529 --> 00:19:00.200 God is ultimately in control of everything. But 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:02.400 the reality is you and I make choices every day 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:04.359 about how we're gonna live, how we're gonna serve 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:07.279 the Lord, how we're gonna honor the Lord, if 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:09.359 we're going to serve the Lord, if we're going 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:14.319 to honor the Lord. Moses was faced with those 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:18.500 very same choices, and he made his choice. He 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:23.220 took his stand. And let me tell you, I can assure 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:26.319 you that it was not a popular stand in Egypt. 00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:29.559 Certainly not around the palace of Egypt. The 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:31.920 Prince of Egypt, the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:36.359 is now choosing not to be called the son of Pharaoh's 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:41.559 daughter. How inconsiderate of him. Is he not 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:43.619 thankful for all that we have provided for him 00:19:43.619 --> 00:19:46.740 over these first 40 years of his life? Can you 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:51.440 hear the tongues wagging? Moses stood firm in 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:56.140 his decision. He had a reputation. People throughout 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:58.890 Egypt knew who he was. They knew the power that 00:19:58.890 --> 00:20:02.269 he wielded. They knew the respect that he garnered. 00:20:02.549 --> 00:20:07.670 They knew what an important guy he was. But the 00:20:07.670 --> 00:20:10.250 scripture says that he chose to be mistreated 00:20:10.250 --> 00:20:13.410 with the people of God rather to enjoy the fleeting 00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:16.450 pleasures of sin. I love what Charles Spurgeon 00:20:16.450 --> 00:20:20.089 said about this decision of Moses. Of course, 00:20:20.109 --> 00:20:21.849 Charles Spurgeon was preaching from the old King 00:20:21.849 --> 00:20:25.299 James Version of the Bible, and so the word mistreatment 00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:28.279 in the King James' affliction, that he chose 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:30.859 to be afflicted with the people of God. Charles 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:34.039 Spurgeon said this, affliction, nobody would 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:37.880 choose. But affliction with the people of God? 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:42.859 That's another business altogether. Affliction 00:20:42.859 --> 00:20:46.059 with the people of God is affliction in glorious 00:20:46.059 --> 00:20:50.680 company. With the people of God, that is the 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:54.450 sweet which kills the bitter. of affliction. 00:20:56.089 --> 00:20:58.289 So yeah, none of us would choose mistreatment. 00:20:58.289 --> 00:21:00.450 We don't want to be mistreated, do we? We don't 00:21:00.450 --> 00:21:02.890 want to be afflicted. We don't want to be persecuted, 00:21:03.630 --> 00:21:05.490 but to be persecuted with the people of God. 00:21:06.730 --> 00:21:09.069 To be afflicted with the people of God. To be 00:21:09.069 --> 00:21:13.089 mistreated with the people of God. Let me say, 00:21:13.670 --> 00:21:15.809 nothing wrong with making a choice like that. 00:21:16.349 --> 00:21:20.109 Choosing to stand with my brothers and sisters. 00:21:21.009 --> 00:21:23.470 And I want you to notice that the scripture here 00:21:23.470 --> 00:21:25.609 uses a word that we need to pay attention to. 00:21:25.730 --> 00:21:28.549 In verse 26 it says, he considered the reproach 00:21:28.549 --> 00:21:30.190 of Christ's greater wealth than the treasures 00:21:30.190 --> 00:21:33.289 of Egypt. The whole idea behind that word, considering, 00:21:33.289 --> 00:21:36.329 means he gave careful thought to. This was not 00:21:36.329 --> 00:21:38.150 some decision. He didn't get mad at his mother 00:21:38.150 --> 00:21:40.289 one day and say, okay, I'm through with you guys. 00:21:41.109 --> 00:21:44.049 I'm gonna go to return to the people that I'm 00:21:44.049 --> 00:21:46.990 really a part of. No, he gave careful thought 00:21:46.990 --> 00:21:54.109 to this decision. out his various options. He 00:21:54.109 --> 00:21:58.390 did the math, some would say, today. And then 00:21:58.390 --> 00:22:03.690 he chose not to be called the son of Pharaoh's 00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:06.609 daughter, but rather to suffer mistreatment along 00:22:06.609 --> 00:22:08.130 with his brothers and sisters in Christ. And 00:22:08.130 --> 00:22:10.589 of course, this gives us evidence that his mother 00:22:10.589 --> 00:22:12.910 was very much involved in his upbringing. The 00:22:12.910 --> 00:22:14.529 only way that he would have ever learned that 00:22:14.529 --> 00:22:16.799 he was a Hebrew, that these... people of God 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:19.140 were his people, that he would come to the place 00:22:19.140 --> 00:22:21.559 in his life where he chose to make such a decision 00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:24.640 as this, again, reveals the importance of parenting 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:26.819 by faith, raising our children in the fear and 00:22:26.819 --> 00:22:28.920 admonition of the Lord, teaching them who they 00:22:28.920 --> 00:22:33.599 are, who they are in Christ. And of course, it 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:36.920 seems as if Moses' parents had done that. And 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:39.779 so at 40 years old, he makes this very important 00:22:39.779 --> 00:22:45.279 decision by faith, choosing to align himself 00:22:45.640 --> 00:22:48.960 with the slaves in the land that he might very 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:51.579 well have become the ruler of if he had only 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:54.579 made another decision. And notice this also, 00:22:54.619 --> 00:22:57.160 verse 26. He considered the reproach of Christ 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:01.720 greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt. Moses 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:04.640 had no real knowledge of Christ, right? I mean, 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:07.799 Christ wouldn't be born for a thousand years. 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:14.039 But he knew that God was sending a Messiah. Again. 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:18.220 His mother, somebody taught him about this coming 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:20.980 one that God would send. Remember, we've been 00:23:20.980 --> 00:23:23.279 stressing throughout this entire study of Hebrews 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:26.279 that the Old Testament saints were saved exactly 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:28.759 the same way we are, by grace through faith. 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:32.740 Only they are looking forward to the coming of 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:36.599 Christ. And again, Christ simply being the Greek 00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:39.940 equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah, the anointed 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:44.200 one of God. Moses looked forward. to the coming 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:47.839 of Christ. That's what this says. And he chose 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:51.400 to suffer the reproach of Christ, considering 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:55.819 it greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, 00:23:56.099 --> 00:24:04.519 for he was looking to a reward. To suffer as 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:09.359 a slave of Christ is greater than being the prince 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:13.279 of Egypt. That's what he decided. to suffer with 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:17.940 the people of God is greater wealth than I will 00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:20.680 ever have as the prince of Egypt. You know, the 00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:22.720 apostle Paul came to the very same conclusion 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:24.880 in his life in Romans 8, 18. He said this, he 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:26.740 said, for I consider, there's that word again, 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:29.420 I consider that the sufferings of this present 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:32.559 time are not worth comparing with the glory that 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:36.019 is to be revealed in us. And all of us need to 00:24:36.019 --> 00:24:37.660 come to that place in our own lives where we 00:24:37.660 --> 00:24:39.559 make this same decision. We need to come to this 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:42.720 same realization. that anything that is demanded 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:45.119 of us in this life, any sacrifice that we are 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:46.980 called upon to make, and we're called upon to 00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:49.940 make plenty of them, right? Any suffering that 00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:53.880 we may have to endure, even at the risk of our 00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:59.920 own lives, none of that is worth comparing to 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:05.779 the glory that is to be revealed in us. And when 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:07.900 we come to the point that we make that determination, 00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:09.819 when we have thought it through, when we've done 00:25:09.819 --> 00:25:12.730 the math, Let me tell you, it'll change the way 00:25:12.730 --> 00:25:14.809 we live. We'll live with a holy boldness. We'll 00:25:14.809 --> 00:25:18.450 live with a fortitude, a courage, a strength 00:25:18.450 --> 00:25:23.089 that most people will never know. And of course, 00:25:23.130 --> 00:25:27.029 all the while looking to the reward, like Abraham, 00:25:27.150 --> 00:25:30.210 Moses did not have his hope set on worldly things. 00:25:30.869 --> 00:25:33.329 His hope was not in the riches that Egypt could 00:25:33.329 --> 00:25:36.670 provide for him, but rather he too was looking 00:25:36.670 --> 00:25:39.089 for that city that has foundations, who's designer 00:25:39.089 --> 00:25:46.750 and builder. is God. We have many responsibilities 00:25:46.750 --> 00:25:50.829 in this world right now today, don't we? But 00:25:50.829 --> 00:25:53.430 we need to live our lives with a singular focus 00:25:53.430 --> 00:25:57.170 upon the life that is to come. We need to live 00:25:57.170 --> 00:25:59.809 in light of the truth that Christ is going to 00:25:59.809 --> 00:26:02.630 return, that we will indeed be caught up to meet 00:26:02.630 --> 00:26:04.569 him in the clouds if we're still alive on that 00:26:04.569 --> 00:26:07.349 day, never to be separated from him again, and 00:26:07.349 --> 00:26:10.970 that the earth as we know it is going to be resurrected, 00:26:11.670 --> 00:26:13.329 and that we're going to live eternally on that 00:26:13.329 --> 00:26:15.130 resurrected earth with our brothers and sisters 00:26:15.130 --> 00:26:17.670 in Christ from every generation, from every country, 00:26:17.970 --> 00:26:20.210 from all around the world over all these years. 00:26:20.970 --> 00:26:24.730 Millions, billions of Christians worshiping and 00:26:24.730 --> 00:26:28.650 serving the Lord together. What a reward to live 00:26:28.650 --> 00:26:31.829 in a place where there is no sin, no death, no 00:26:31.829 --> 00:26:37.190 unrighteousness. That was the reward. Moses determined 00:26:37.190 --> 00:26:39.470 it was greater than any wealth Egypt would ever 00:26:39.470 --> 00:26:41.250 offer him. Have you made that decision in your 00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:46.670 own life? There's nothing in this world more 00:26:46.670 --> 00:26:51.470 valuable, more precious, more pleasurable than 00:26:51.470 --> 00:26:59.990 what we will experience in eternity. Verse 27, 00:27:00.029 --> 00:27:03.049 by faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the 00:27:03.049 --> 00:27:09.750 anger of the king. I believe this refers, although 00:27:09.750 --> 00:27:11.609 there's some debate about this, I believe this 00:27:11.609 --> 00:27:14.289 refers to Moses fleeing after he killed the Egyptian 00:27:14.289 --> 00:27:18.730 who was beating the Hebrew man. And it says, 00:27:18.869 --> 00:27:20.890 by faith he left Egypt. And what's interesting 00:27:20.890 --> 00:27:24.289 here, it says, as it says of his parents, not 00:27:24.289 --> 00:27:25.950 being afraid of the anger of the king. He wasn't 00:27:25.950 --> 00:27:27.650 afraid of the king. Now if you read the Exodus 00:27:27.650 --> 00:27:30.329 account, the minute he killed that Egyptian and 00:27:30.329 --> 00:27:32.109 then buried him in the sand, he began wondering 00:27:32.109 --> 00:27:35.250 if somebody saw him, and it says he was afraid. 00:27:37.250 --> 00:27:39.750 So the Bible doesn't really, well it never does. 00:27:39.930 --> 00:27:42.509 The Bible never contradicts itself. So how could 00:27:42.509 --> 00:27:44.670 Moses have been afraid and yet not feared the 00:27:44.670 --> 00:27:48.549 anger of the king? And again, I believe it all 00:27:48.549 --> 00:27:51.650 has to do with faith. He did this by faith, by 00:27:51.650 --> 00:27:57.109 faith. In his faith overcame his fear. We've 00:27:57.109 --> 00:27:59.759 talked about that. Faith overcomes our fears. 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:01.920 It's not that we won't go through life and be 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:04.259 fearful of certain things. I mean, just the uncertainty 00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:06.599 of the future can bring a certain level of fear 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:12.240 into our lives, right? But faith overcomes our 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:14.519 fears. That's why Moses' parents chose to be 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:17.759 married and to have children in a time when it 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:19.920 was a risky thing to bear children, especially 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:26.500 young boys in Egypt. That's why Moses could decide 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:29.480 that the Being mistreated with the people of 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:32.019 God, aligning himself with God's people and God's 00:28:32.019 --> 00:28:34.299 purposes was far greater wealth than anything 00:28:34.299 --> 00:28:38.640 that Egypt would ever offer him. And it's why 00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:43.019 he could continue to persevere through the days. 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:46.559 Again, as Moses leaves Egypt here, he's about 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:52.799 to spend 40 more years in God's schoolhouse being 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:56.130 trained because he was indeed a beautiful boy. 00:28:56.150 --> 00:28:59.910 He was a special kid. He was a unique young man. 00:28:59.930 --> 00:29:05.410 He was going to be God's deliverer. And that's 00:29:05.410 --> 00:29:08.809 exactly what he did. He left Egypt by faith, 00:29:08.930 --> 00:29:14.450 not fearing the king's anger, even though when 00:29:14.450 --> 00:29:17.589 Pharaoh heard of it, the Bible tells us in Exodus, 00:29:17.990 --> 00:29:24.809 he tried to kill Moses. For he endured. The scripture 00:29:24.809 --> 00:29:31.890 says, as seeing him who is invisible, isn't that 00:29:31.890 --> 00:29:34.029 what we've been talking about? Faith is the conviction 00:29:34.029 --> 00:29:37.769 of things not seen. Moses endured. How could 00:29:37.769 --> 00:29:41.809 Moses leave Egypt? Leave his people. Leave the 00:29:41.809 --> 00:29:44.150 family that he had known. Leave everything that 00:29:44.150 --> 00:29:50.069 was familiar to him. How could he do that? And 00:29:50.069 --> 00:29:53.930 not be afraid, but he did it in faith. and his 00:29:53.930 --> 00:29:59.349 faith overcame his fears. That faith in Moses 00:29:59.349 --> 00:30:02.150 produced a courage, same kind of courage that 00:30:02.150 --> 00:30:05.009 it'll produce in us. And of course, as we see 00:30:05.009 --> 00:30:07.589 in the life of Moses and we see in the life of 00:30:07.589 --> 00:30:10.109 our contemporaries, it encourages and inspires 00:30:10.109 --> 00:30:15.309 the people around us as well. He endured as seeing 00:30:15.309 --> 00:30:18.250 him who is invisible. What does Paul say in 2 00:30:18.250 --> 00:30:21.630 Corinthians 5 verse 7? For we walk by faith. 00:30:21.869 --> 00:30:26.210 and not by sight, right? You see, the principles 00:30:26.210 --> 00:30:29.009 by which Moses lived his life are the same principles 00:30:29.009 --> 00:30:31.609 of faith that we need to live ours by. We walk 00:30:31.609 --> 00:30:34.730 by faith and not by sight. It goes on to say 00:30:34.730 --> 00:30:36.609 he kept the Passover, and of course we remember 00:30:36.609 --> 00:30:39.329 that. That last night in Egypt, God had said, 00:30:39.349 --> 00:30:41.130 I'm gonna bring the 10th plague upon the people 00:30:41.130 --> 00:30:43.509 of Egypt, and unless you do what I tell you to 00:30:43.509 --> 00:30:45.809 do, everyone's in danger. You need to slay a 00:30:45.809 --> 00:30:48.799 lamb. You need to spread the blood over the doorposts 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:50.940 of your homes and when the death angel sees the 00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:52.940 blood he'll pass over you. And of course the 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:54.940 next morning we know that there was a great outcry 00:30:54.940 --> 00:30:57.880 of anguish in Egypt because every firstborn throughout 00:30:57.880 --> 00:31:01.519 the land of Egypt was dead. Even the livestock. 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:08.059 But the Israelites who were covered by the blood 00:31:08.059 --> 00:31:12.279 were safe. Moses led them out of the city and 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:15.279 of course he led them to the Red Sea and of course 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:19.119 There we think they're trapped again. Pharaoh 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:22.559 has changed his mind. He gathers his troops together, 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:24.519 his chariots, and he comes after the people of 00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:26.400 Israel, and Moses stands there on the banks of 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:28.339 the Red Sea, and he tells his people to be quiet, 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:30.920 to simply believe, and they'll see the wonders 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:33.099 of God, and of course God parts the Red Sea. 00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:35.160 The Bible says they walked across on dry land, 00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:37.519 and then as the Egyptian army tried to come across, 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:41.359 as the scripture tells us right here, they didn't 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:48.650 do so well. They were drowned. God did this great 00:31:48.650 --> 00:31:51.329 thing, performed these great miracles through 00:31:51.329 --> 00:31:55.470 his great man of faith, Moses. And for these 00:31:55.470 --> 00:31:58.390 early Christians, the point was very, very clear. 00:31:59.190 --> 00:32:01.730 What the writer of Hebrews is trying to illustrate 00:32:01.730 --> 00:32:04.130 through the life of Moses is that to fall back 00:32:04.130 --> 00:32:08.470 on Moses, to fall back on the old way of doing 00:32:08.470 --> 00:32:12.400 things, To fall back from Christ would be to 00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:15.200 abandon the very means of salvation by which 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:18.799 Moses and the Israelites were delivered. So don't 00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:22.299 do it. Again, whatever sacrifice you have to 00:32:22.299 --> 00:32:24.160 make, it's worth it. Whatever suffering you have 00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:26.960 to endure, it's worth it. Even if it costs you 00:32:26.960 --> 00:32:29.640 your life or the life of your children, it's 00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:34.819 worth it. Can't even be compared to the glory 00:32:34.819 --> 00:32:43.470 that awaits us. By faith, the people crossed 00:32:43.470 --> 00:32:45.690 the Red Sea on dry land. The Egyptians, when 00:32:45.690 --> 00:32:47.630 they attempted to do so, were drowned. By faith, 00:32:47.710 --> 00:32:50.049 the walls of Jericho fell down after they had 00:32:50.049 --> 00:32:52.190 been encircled for seven days. By faith, Rahab, 00:32:52.250 --> 00:32:54.329 the prostitute, did not perish with those who 00:32:54.329 --> 00:32:56.410 were disobedient because she had given a friendly 00:32:56.410 --> 00:33:00.710 welcome to the spies. The last point is prevailing, 00:33:00.750 --> 00:33:06.609 prevailing by faith. Where is the victory in 00:33:06.609 --> 00:33:09.190 this life of sacrifice, suffering, and even death? 00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:11.779 Well, it's in faith, our faith. Faith is the 00:33:11.779 --> 00:33:15.720 victory, right? These victories that we are reading 00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:17.980 about and will continue to read about in Hebrews 00:33:17.980 --> 00:33:24.519 11 were the people of God's by faith. It was 00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:26.559 by faith that the people crossed the Red Sea. 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:29.859 It was by faith that the walls, can you imagine 00:33:29.859 --> 00:33:34.079 Joshua leading his army? These well -trained 00:33:34.079 --> 00:33:38.160 soldiers. against this great walled city of Jericho, 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:41.880 and his military strategy is we're going to walk 00:33:41.880 --> 00:33:46.500 around the city six days, and we're gonna shout, 00:33:46.660 --> 00:33:48.400 and on the seventh day, we're gonna walk around 00:33:48.400 --> 00:33:50.240 seven times, and then we're gonna blow horns 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:56.319 and shout, and that oughta do it. Sounds a little 00:33:56.319 --> 00:34:00.559 ridiculous, doesn't it? But the walls of Jericho, 00:34:00.619 --> 00:34:07.859 the scripture says, fell down flat. Faith, by 00:34:07.859 --> 00:34:14.760 faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they 00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:17.320 had been encircled for seven days. And then you 00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:20.300 can't forget Rahab, right? We learn of Rahab 00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:22.440 as Joshua sends spies into the city to kind of 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:24.260 do some reconnaissance and they meet this woman 00:34:24.260 --> 00:34:27.260 of the night and she welcomes them and she protects 00:34:27.260 --> 00:34:29.119 them and she hides them from the authorities 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:30.820 and she lets them down in the middle of the night 00:34:30.820 --> 00:34:34.039 so they can escape a capture. and she asked them 00:34:34.039 --> 00:34:37.760 to do one thing for her in honor or in gratitude 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:40.380 for my service to you. Will you protect me and 00:34:40.380 --> 00:34:43.440 my family on this day that you conquer Jericho? 00:34:43.860 --> 00:34:45.719 Rahab was absolutely certain, you can read the 00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:48.039 story, she knew that Jericho was gonna be defeated. 00:34:48.920 --> 00:34:52.440 That impregnable city was gonna be defeated. 00:34:52.500 --> 00:34:54.340 She knew it because she had come to believe, 00:34:54.559 --> 00:34:59.340 to have faith in the God of Israel. Of course 00:34:59.340 --> 00:35:01.420 the scripture tells us here, reminds us here. 00:35:02.150 --> 00:35:05.530 She didn't perish with those who were disobedient, 00:35:06.090 --> 00:35:08.630 because by faith she had given a friendly welcome 00:35:08.630 --> 00:35:12.690 to the spies. She had trusted in God. And so 00:35:12.690 --> 00:35:15.230 this great victories, and the victories that 00:35:15.230 --> 00:35:18.369 would be won in the days ahead, were won by faith. 00:35:18.429 --> 00:35:21.349 And let me tell you church, victory in our life 00:35:21.349 --> 00:35:24.769 is gonna come as a result of our faith. Faith 00:35:24.769 --> 00:35:28.389 in our Heavenly Father, faith in His Son, Jesus 00:35:28.389 --> 00:35:33.269 Christ. Faith in the Word. of God. By faith, 00:35:33.269 --> 00:35:36.349 we too will prevail. So the question I want to 00:35:36.349 --> 00:35:41.889 ask you is this. Is your faith in Christ? Are 00:35:41.889 --> 00:35:45.829 you trusting in Him and Him alone? Do you see 00:35:45.829 --> 00:35:48.690 Him as more valuable? And even do you see the 00:35:48.690 --> 00:35:51.309 reproach of Christ, the persecution that comes 00:35:51.309 --> 00:35:53.550 with following Christ as a greater treasure than 00:35:53.550 --> 00:35:55.869 anything this world could possibly offer you? 00:35:57.190 --> 00:35:59.530 If so, let me tell you, your future is bright, 00:35:59.789 --> 00:36:04.659 victorious. triumphant, but only if you're in 00:36:04.659 --> 00:36:07.260 Christ. So if you've never trusted Christ as 00:36:07.260 --> 00:36:08.739 Savior and Lord, I want to invite you to come 00:36:08.739 --> 00:36:10.519 in just a moment when we finish this service. 00:36:11.099 --> 00:36:13.300 Come down here to the front and let's talk about 00:36:13.300 --> 00:36:13.880 your future.