I was talking to one of the brethren in the study
a little while ago. He said, I really enjoyed the
message this morning that you preached from Psalm 130. And I said, well, thank you.
I'm so happy that it was a blessing. It would be all right if I strike
out tonight, wouldn't it, since you got a blessing this morning. You'll forgive me if I don't
have much to say tonight. Brother Eskridge said, you can't
strike out preaching on Hebrews, just read it. And that's true. But you forget what you prepare.
They said Spurgeon had a photographic memory. He could read something
and it never left him. I read it. It's gone in just
a short time. I don't know whether you suffer
with that or not, but my memory is getting very, very bad, very
bad. I spend Friday preparing my Sunday
school lesson. I wrote the lessons, but I still
have to go back and study them over again. I've forgotten what
I wrote. And then I spend Friday working on Sunday morning's message,
and Saturday is spent working on Sunday night's message, and
Saturday night spent reviewing the three of them, and Sunday
morning reviewing the two of them, and Sunday afternoon reviewing
this one, and sitting up here looking at it while you're singing,
I still forget what I want to say. That's right. Someday we'll
have a good mind. Someday. I thought about that
fellow that went down to the golf course to play golf, He
told the starter, he said, I'll need a caddy that is a good ball
spotter. He said, I can't see well, and
whoever caddies for me will have to be good at spotting ball.
And the starter said, well, I've got an old gentleman here that's
got eyes like an eagle, 69 years old. He said, he'll be your caddy.
He'll spot the ball for you. So the fellow got up and hit
the ball. And he and the old caddy walking down the fairway
turned to him and said, did you see where it went? Yes, sir.
He said, I'm the best ball spotter in this whole club, in this whole
country. You saw where it went? I saw
where it went. You saw where it'd go? He said,
I forgot. I forgot. But you'll forgive
me. Jerry, if I strike out, you will
forgive me, won't you? I know what I wanted to say anyway.
Anyway, this 11th chapter of Hebrews, somebody called it the
Hall of Faith. The Hall of Faith. Abel, by faith,
Abel, you read it while Jim was reading a moment ago. By faith,
Enoch. By faith, Noah. By faith, Abraham. By faith, Sarah. By faith, Jacob. By faith, Joseph. By faith, Moses. I rejoice in the faith of these
men. Don't you? I love to read about
believers. People who believe God. Somebody
said their faith was a living faith. They walked with God. They talked with God. Their walking
with God was a real living experience. Somebody said one time, the disciples
didn't just preach the doctrine of the resurrection, they walked
with a living Lord, experienced a living faith. And their faith
was a loving faith. They loved the Lord. David said,
I love the Lord because He heard my voice. That's what John said,
we love Him because He first loved us. Not having not seen,
but we love Him. And then you read the song of
Solomon, you'll know how Solomon loved the Lord. He said, I am
my beloved's and my beloved's mine. He's altogether lovely. Theirs was a living faith, a
loving faith, and a lasting faith. Look at verse 13. They died in
faith. That's the reason this chapter
means so much. These men had a living faith. It determined their course of
action. They had a loving faith. They were devoted to Christ.
And they had a lasting faith. They died in faith. They died
in faith. And we can thank God for that
same guilt. Their faith is no different from
ours. Look at Romans 4 a minute. You've
read this. Many a time, Romans 4, talking
about Abraham, he's the great example of faith in the Scripture.
But we have the same faith. Probably not to the degree that
he believed, but we believe. Here in Romans 4, verse 23, it
says, now, this was not written for Abraham's sake alone, that
righteousness was imputed to him, but for us also, shall be
imputed if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead. We have the same faith they have.
Same faith. You see, these things weren't
written for us to admire, but to imitate. You see that? These things were not written
for us to admire, but to imitate. Look at chapter 12. When you
go through the 11th chapter and read about Abel and Enoch and
Noah and Abraham and Sarah and Jacob and Joseph and Moses, then
it says in chapter 12, verse 1, Wherefore, seeing we are compassed
about, we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight. and the sin which doth
so easily beset us. And let us run with patience.
The race is set before us. Look unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith. So these things are not written
for our admiration, but for our imitation. Our imitation. These are examples. Examples
for us. As I read it and as I listen
to Jim again read it tonight, I'm awed by the faith of these
men and women. I want to learn from their example.
But I want to take just one example tonight for us to look at. One
example. Now, by faith Abel offered a
lamb. Well, I'm not called upon to
offer a lamb. I'm called upon to look to the
Lamb of God. Abel offered a lamb. That's what
it said, by faith he brought a lamb. And I'm not called upon
to offer a lamb. I look to the Lamb of God. It
says in verse 7, by faith Noah, being warned of God of things
not seen as yet, moved with fear and prepared an ark. Well, I'm
not called upon to build an ark, but to enter the one that's built.
Christ is my ark. delivers me from God's judgment
and wrath, and lifts me up above the overflowing scourge and flood
of God's wrath. I'm not called upon to build
an ark, but to enter the One who is Christ. And then it says,
by faith, in verse 8, by faith, Abraham was called to go out
into a place which he should receive for an inheritance. He obeyed, went out, not knowing
where he was going. Well, there's no use in me packing
up and leaving here. I'm not called upon to do that.
I'm not called upon to do that at all. Go, not knowing where
I'm going. Usually the Lord reveals to us
where we're going, and then I'm not called upon like Abraham
to offer a son. God told him to take his son
there in verse 17. By faith, Abraham when he was
tried, offered up Isaac. And I'm not called upon to do
that. I believe him who gave his son as a sacrifice for my
sin. But I'll tell you what I want
you to see, the example that I think is very applicable to us right
now. Verse 24. Let's look at this. Let me read a couple of verses
here now. By faith, Moses, when he was
come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing. Moses refused some things and
then he chose some things. Choosing. Rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God. and to enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt. He had respect under the recompense
of the reward. So by faith, he forsook Egypt,
not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing
him who is invisible." He saw someone who is invisible. And through faith he kept the
Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed
the firstborn, he should touch them." Now, several things. First of all, let's look at this
statement, Moses when he was come to years. Now, I'll tell you what I see
here, and it applies to us today, especially Religion today. When Moses was come to years,
how old would you say he is here? Forty. Forty years of age. That's his life was divided into
three sections of forty years. Forty years old, he left Egypt.
Came back and led the children of Israel out for forty years. Or rather, he stayed behind the
desert for forty years. Then he came when he was eighty.
and led the children out for 40 years. But he was nearly 40
years of age here when he was come to years. Now here's what
I'm saying. When this visit, when God visited
him in special grace, he was not an impulsive, impressive,
tender youth. I know God's able to save at
any age. There's no age as far as this
thing of redemption is concerned. Whatever age. But today there's
some kind of idea in people's minds that if you don't talk
a young person into a profession of faith when he's in his early
years, then you might as well forget him because they'll never
be saved. Well, that's not true. That's
just not true. The Apostle Paul was nearly 40
years old when God saved him. Moses was 40 years old when God
visited him in special grace. And people, God calls His sheep
when He's pleased to call them. It's not an age thing at all.
But you'd be surprised at the number of folks today who prey
upon children, who just like vultures, and trying to proselyte
children, and hurrying up making some kind of decision. I'd much
rather wait on God, hadn't you? If my son or daughter or grandchildren
are not saved till they're 20, 30, 40, 50 years of age, and
so be it. But I don't want to see him make
a false profession. Leave him alone. Preach to him,
pray for him, but don't... You see, Moses, he came to years. He wasn't a tender, impulsive,
impressive youth. He was a man who knew what time
the sun came up. He was aware of things. He wasn't
sick or dying. He was in the prime of life,
prime of health. Today, let somebody get in the
hospital. You know, folks rarely ever tell
me to visit anybody until they get in the hospital. Gets the
sick, they can't talk to them, they can't hear them, they can't
run down there and talk them into a profession, you know.
That's not the time. That is not the time when a person
is sick and dying, That's not the time to bring pressure upon
them and pull faith out of them. That's not the time. Moses was
in full health. He wasn't sick. He wasn't a tender
youth. He wasn't sick and dying. Nor
was he in jail or in trouble. You know, that's
when a lot of people get religion, when they get in trouble, when
they get in serious trouble. Somebody said one time, a refuge
that's hurriedly built during a storm will be abandoned when
the sun comes out. Mr. Spurgeon said one time, the
only thing wrong with deathbed religion is it doesn't last when
people get well. That's right. So Moses here,
he says when he was come to years, when he was a man who knew, he
was in good health, He wasn't in trouble. He wasn't sick or
dying. He was a man who considered some
things concerning his relationship with God. Oh, and what happened?
Well, look at the next line. He refused. He refused some things. Moses refused. He turned away
from some things. Actually, he turned away from
the three things that people covet the most. I want you to
look at this. The three things. What would
you say are the three things that the average person covets
more than anything else? The three things. If he had these
three things, humanly speaking, materially, naturally, he'd be
totally happy. You know what they are? The three
things. Recognition. Fame. Recognition. Pleasure. Joy. Happiness. and pleasure, and
riches. Those are the three things. Look
at this now. Moses, number one, refused to
be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. You know who Pharaoh's
daughter... You know what he refused? He
refused to be called the grandson of Pharaoh. Pharaoh, the most
powerful, powerful ruler in the entire world. Moses was his grandson. and heir to the throne. You talk
about fame. Pharaoh was king of the greatest
nation on earth. Moses was standing on the threshold
of greatness, power, recognition, fame as no other human being
could claim. Look at the pyramids built, which
to bury the Pharaohs. That's what he refused. That's
what he refused and took his shepherd staff and walked out
in the wilderness. He refused totally the fame,
recognition of this work. Secondly, verse 25, choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season. I want you just to think about
Moses being Pharaoh's grandson, favorite, court favorite. son
of his daughter, anything he wanted, as far as
food, delights, pleasures, luxuries, materialism, you just name it,
anything he wanted, any pleasure he wanted would never be denied
him socially or any other way. His wish was the command of all
the people. Turned his back, he refused it.
Walked out in the wilderness. Read the next verse. Esteeming
the reproach, that word of is for Christ. The reproach for
Christ, or the reproach that comes because of our relationship
with Christ. He esteemed it greater riches
than the treasures of Egypt. Now you talk about riches. Can
you imagine the treasures of Egypt? The riches of Egypt? That
would belong to Him? Fame, pleasure, and riches, he
refused. And these things didn't leave
him. He left them. They didn't leave him. He left
them. You know, really, I think sometimes
about these popular singers popular all their lives and then
they get old and they're not in demand anymore so they turn
to gospel singing and sing for Jesus, you know. I'd be more
impressed if they'd turn when they were at their height in
demand and riches and power and start singing for Jesus then.
It'd impress you a whole lot more. or these ex-politicians
or somebody else that spent their whole lives, you know, in fame
and riches and luxury, and then when they get old and useless,
they turn to Jesus, you know, not Moses. When he was at the
top of the ladder, standing on the threshold of the greatest
fame and recognition, the greatest years of pleasure and riches
that a man could possibly imagine, he refused it. He refused it. Oh my, true faith
turns to God from our idols. Alright, now what's the next
thing? Go back to verse 25. Moses refused those three things.
Fame, pleasure, and riches. Then it says here, he chose. Moses choosing. Choosing. He refused and he chose. I want to show you the things
Moses chose. I believe the things that He
chose are really as amazing as the things He refused. Somebody
might say, well, you know, to turn your back on what He left,
refusing the fame and pleasures and riches at His fingertips,
at His command, that's amazing. But listen, equally amazing is
the things He chose. He chose. And the natural man
It will be more amazing to him than it will to some of you because
many of you understand why he chose these things. But let's
look first of all in verse 25. Choosing rather to suffer affliction. To suffer affliction. Now my
friends, listen carefully. There is no virtue and no spirituality
in being afflicted by our own faults and failures. That's not
the affliction we're talking about here. Or depriving ourselves
of certain comforts and needs to appear religious. In other
words, having the plumbing ripped out of your house because you
want to appear to be simple, like the Amish and other people,
or the electricity out of your house, or not refusing an automobile,
riding an ox cart, and these things. That's not the affliction
we're talking about here. We're talking about the general
affliction of God's people, which is brought upon by their relationship
with Christ, which is the harassment and hatred and persecution and
ridicule for the gospel's sake. That's what we're talking about
here. That's the affliction of God's people. Turn to John 16.
Let me show you this. You know, a fellow quits his
job. He goes out into the woods and
lives in a cave and reads the Bible and sits cross-legged on
the ground freezing to death in the wintertime. That's not
the affliction that Moses chose. Moses chose to be identified
with God, with Christ, and with sin, with Christ. To be identified
with Christ and with grace and with mercy. And if you're going
to be identified with Him and His truth, you're going to be
ridiculed. In John 16.1, these things Christ
said to His disciples, have I spoken unto you that you should not
be offended. They'll put you out of the synagogues.
They'll put you out of popular religion. They'll put you out
of their temples and their churches and their synagogues for what
you believe. The time will come when whosoever
killeth you will think that he does God a service because your
beliefs are so strange and different from theirs. Affliction, that's
the harassment. That's the persecution. And they
do these things to you because they don't know the Father and
they don't know Me. They don't know His grace and
mercy and truth. That's the reason they do these
things to you. Verse 4, But these things have
I told you, that when the time comes, and when your dearest
friend turns his back on you, or a loved one or a family won't
have anything to do with you because of Whom you believe,
and what you believe, and how you worship, and how you teach
and preach. And when these come to pass,
you remember, I told you, I told you, I told you. And these things
I said not unto you at the beginning because I was with you, but now
I go my way to Him that sent me. You see what he's talking
about? This is the affliction. Moses knew the consequence of
faith. People called him a fool because
of what he left. They called him a fool because
of what he refused. They called him a fool because
he identified with the Israelites. Ridiculed him. Look at the next
thing, he chose to suffer affliction. And verse 25 says, he chose to
suffer affliction with the people of God. Now where was he when all this
started? elite circle. He was in the circle
of the great, and the worldly, and the rich, and the socialites,
and the powerful, and the educated, and the influential. And he left
them. To be identified with, where
did he go? To the poor, to the slaves, to
the persecuted people of God, who were hated mainly because
they were Israelites. That's right. Israelite. God's people. The poor. There's some mighty people in
the world today, mighty and noble and wise, who will occasionally
visit with the people of God. Or even make a contribution to
the people of God. But they hurriedly return back
to their circle. And back to their friends. Because
they do not want to be identified with those people. This is what
Moses chose. He refused what the world had
to offer. It's fame, it's pleasure, it's
riches. And he chose to be identified
with the gospel and its afflictions and with the people of God. I
want to show you something. Turn to the book of 2 Timothy.
I told the folks over at Wheelersburg last week, 2 Timothy 1, Many times as I preach from this
Scripture, I never did see this before until last week when I
was preparing a message to preach over there, that three times
in this first chapter of 2 Timothy, Paul uses the word, ashamed.
Ashamed. Moses wasn't ashamed to be identified
with God's poor, misused, mistreated people. He wasn't ashamed to be identified
with the poorest of the slaves. And here in 2 Timothy 1 verse
8, Paul says to Timothy, now Timothy, do not be ashamed of
the testimony of our Lord. Don't be ashamed of the gospel. Nor of me, his prisoner. He's
sitting up there in Rome in jail writing this letter to Timothy.
And he said, I'm telling you, son, when you start moving in
the world and among the people of the world and with your talents
and your gifts, you're going to have some temptations. They're
going to gloat over you and all these things, you know. Watch
out now. Don't be ashamed of the Gospel. Don't be ashamed
of me, His presence. up here with shackles on my wrist
for preaching the gospel. Don't ever be ashamed. Don't
be ashamed of your preacher, the one who taught you the gospel.
That's just bad, isn't it, to even think that a man would be.
Look at verse 12. He said this in verse 12, that
same chapter, "...for the witch cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed.
I know whom I have believed." I'm persuaded He's able to keep
that which I've committed to Him against that day. I'm not
ashamed. Ashamed of Jesus? Yes, I may,
when I'm no sin to wash away. No fear to quell, no soul to
save. But till then, nor is my boasting
vain, till then I'll boast, I'll brag on the Savior's slave. And
oh, may this my glory be. He's not ashamed of me. He's not ashamed to call them
brethren. He, the highest of the high,
the exalted above the exalted, calls me His brethren. And I'm
ashamed before some peanut of this world to own Christ? In
your business dealings, you know, He wasn't ashamed of you. Can
you just imagine being ashamed of him? In front of one of these
loud mouth, popping off, big talking, no count. You finish
it. And I want to show you something
down here, verse 16. He talked about a friend of his
called Onesiphorus. And he said in verse 16, The
Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus For he often refreshed
me, and he wasn't ashamed of my chain." He wasn't ashamed. Old Moses,
he chose to suffer affliction for what he believed. He chose
to be identified with and suffer the affliction of God's poor
people. And verse 26, look at this. Verse
26. I want to show you something
here. And I remind you that Moses,
before I read verse 26, I remind you that Moses was no weak sister. He was the meekest of all men,
but not weak. There's a difference in meekness
and weakness. Some religious people are fools by nature. Any
wonder that their theology is foolish. Moses wasn't one of
those weak sisters, no. And he wasn't following the crowd
either. He was going the other way from the crowd. He left the
crowd. He wasn't following the crowd.
He left the crowd. And then here's an amazing thing.
The Israelites didn't like him either. Did you know that? Yeah. They weren't seeking him
to join them. They were suspicious of him.
They really said, who made you a judge over us? They turned
him down. Think about this now. This man
believed God so strongly, he left fame, pleasure, riches,
chose affliction, chose to be identified with these people,
and even they turned on him. But it didn't change his resolve. He picked up his staff, walked
out in the wilderness. I'm going to tell you. I'm going
to sum this up. I'm going to tell you why. About four things.
Number one, by faith. He believed God. He believed
God. This is the reason all of God's
people back here did what they did. They believed God. They
believed God. And you really don't need any
other reason. They believed God. Old Abraham believed God was
able to do everything he said. He believed God. He believed
God. Secondly, verse 26, he not only
believed God, but he actually esteemed, now watch this, the
reproach of Christ, the reproach for Christ, greater riches than
the treasures of Egypt. He said, I had rather be afflicted
for Christ's sake than blessed with the world. Here's where
the treasure is. Let me show you that in Romans
8. In Romans 8, verse 18. He knew that his inheritance
wasn't on this earth. It was reserved in heaven for
him. And here's what he knew, what Paul knew in Romans 8 verse
18, I reckon, he said, I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time, affliction, Romans 8 verse 18, is not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. That's what Moses
is saying. The reproach for Christ and of
Christ is far greater riches and leads to far greater glory. and all the treasures of Egypt
put together. Let me show you another verse. 2 Corinthians. Listen to this. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Oh, this is beautiful. Listen. 2 Corinthians chapter
4, verse 17. For our light affliction, in
whatever form it may come, harassment, persecution, sickness, doing
without, poverty, whatever. Our light affliction is but for
a moment. Whatever we have to endure for
His glory and on this earth isn't but, it doesn't last but a moment
compared to eternity. And it worketh, all things work
together, it worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory Wow! We look not on things that are
seen, but the things which are not seen, or the things which
are seen are temporal. All of them are. The fashion
of this world passes away. Some of you older folks here,
you know exactly what I'm talking about here. There's just some
things that back county when you were, young and foolish and
didn't know God seemed so important. And now, they're so unimportant. So utterly, completely unimportant. These things are just temporal.
They're here today and they're gone. They're gone. But the things
which are not seen are eternal. And that's why Moses turned his
back on these things and turned his face. for all that he endured. By faith he believed God, and
he just knew that what he had restored, what he had reserved
and stored up for him, was worth any light affliction he might
be called upon to endure. And thirdly, watch this, I'll
tell you why he did this, he saw someone He saw someone, Jeff. He did. Verse 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ. No, verse 27. By faith he forsook
Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured,
as seeing him who is invisible. He saw the day of Christ, like
Abraham. Yes, he did. Yes, it did. Moses, Christ said, He wrote
of me. If you'd believe Moses, you'd believe me. Moses wrote
of me. He, by faith, He saw Christ. He saw the Messiah. He saw the
coming Redeemer. You know how I know that? Because
the next verse said He kept the Passover. Christ is our Passover. He kept the Passover. That's
the fourth reason why. That same sight of Christ and
faith in God's grace through Christ led him to slay the Lamb. You know, Abel typified the Lamb. Abraham prophesied of the Lamb. He said,
God will provide Himself a Lamb. Moses applied the Lamb. He slew the Lamb. Put the blood
on the door. He saw Christ, put the blood
on the door. And then when Moses, when God
gave him the dimensions and the blueprints for the tabernacle,
let me show you something. One thing, Deuteronomy 10. Turn
over here a minute. Deuteronomy 10. You know, He gave Moses that
law on the mountain. The tables of stone, God wrote
them. He gave them to Moses and he
came down the mountain with them. He saw the people. These laws
were for those people, desecrating them, worshipping idols. He just
threw them down and busted them. Threw them down and broke them
to pieces. Deuteronomy 10, I'll read this. At that time, the
Lord said to me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the
first. Come up unto me in the mountain. And you make an ark
of wood. And I'll write on the tables
the words that were in the first tables which you broke. You put
them in the ark. God took this law out of the
hands of Moses and put it in an ark with a mercy seat on top
of it. That's right. I'm glad the law
is not in the hands of Moses, aren't you? I'm glad it's in
the mercy seat, in the ark, covered by the mercy seat. And Moses
saw this. Watch. There's that broken law
that we can't keep. The law that curses us and damns
us and puts us in bondage. And God had Moses put it in an
ark, put a mercy seat over it, and kill the Passover and sprinkle
the blood. on that broken law. Moses said,
that's the reason Moses refused and chose. When he's come to
years, he had his faculties, and he wasn't in trouble. He
wasn't forced into this thing. Nobody was persuading him and
pulling him to join them. They all wanted to get rid of
him also. But God spoke to him. And Moses
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, esteeming
even the reproach of Christ and the afflictions of his people
to be greater glory and riches than all the treasures of Egypt.
He didn't fear the king. He saw Christ. He saw Christ
because he kept the Passover and saw the blood sprinkled on
the mercy seat. Puts away our sins. It makes
us righteous in the sight of God. I tell you, when we see
Him who is invisible, when we see Him who is invisible, when
we keep the Passover, there is no decision to be made as far
as this world is concerned. This world is not our home. This
world is not our people. The fame and pleasure and riches
of this world is not our goal. is to be found in Christ, to
win Christ and be found in Him, not having my righteousness.