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God Pleasing Faith, Faith That Overcomes, Lesson 17, Hebrews 11:27-29
In our Faith study we continue to speak of Moses.
Hebrews 11:27-29, By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Paul, the Apostle whom I believe wrote this epistle, did not write of himself in Hebrews 11, not being led to include himself in such a listing but he did write of that which one might expect to come while living a life of faith for in:
2 Cor. 11:24-31 he wrote: Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
Paul wrote to preserve the Corinthians from being corrupted by false apostles so he gave them an account of his labors and sufferings.
This account, not out of pride, but to the honour of God who enabled him to do and suffer so much for the cause of Christ for he was indeed a man who lived by faith.
And here in our passage he does the same for Moses who forsook Egypt, not fearing the king, instead, enduring, for he saw him who is invisible, keeping the Passover, knowing that blood was prescribed by God as the covering that the death angel would not go beyond, and passing through astounding walls of water, knowing that he was in the will of God.
Think about what obstacles faith brought Moses to overcome but also think about his vision of the unseen God.
The lesson of course is that those who walk by faith see ahead on that walk by the light of the unseen God who always lights the way of the walk.
So the faith of Moses put him in opposition to powerful and dominant forces, but he endured for he kept his eyes on the God who is invisible.
Moses was but one man, but all the forces of God were at his call for he operated within the faith realm.
Remember that Jesus said having faith the size of a mustard seed would result in the removal of mountains for God put the mountains there and he can take the mountains away.
Moses knew, in spite of the almost godlike status of the Pharoah and his great armies of warriors with chariots and horses and weapons of all kinds, that his faith always gave him the upper hand for with God nothing is impossible.
Every man, woman or child who joins the throng of believers enters the same fray as did Moses.
None of us have been called to such a mighty venture as was Moses but each of us who walk by faith sign up with the army of God against the prince of the power of the air, the evil prince who commands forces who are intent on our corruption and destruction.
The truth of the Gospel is being born again, not into peace and serenity, but into the fight of battle and warfare.
Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:34, Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
So the message is clear, we are to walk by faith carrying a sword for the obstacles are many.
And the message is also clear we are to walk without fear for faith and fear are not compatible and will not walk together.
For when fear comes, faith departs, but when faith comes fear scatters.
We are told when Moses forsook Egypt he feared not the wrath of the king.
So this is the crux of the matter.
Fear or faith and the fear here is the fear of man for this kind of fear brings a snare.
But fear of God brings not a snare to trap but fear of God brings freedom to do God’s will.
It is almost a fixed principle when walking by faith to draw unto yourself enemies.
Those enemies may be of your household, they may be from those who in the past claimed friendship but whoever it is that your faith disturbs is there to apply pressure to you to walk from your faith-path onto the path of the world.
Remember the enemies of Moses, not only from his own family in Egypt but from those who had followed him out of Egypt for at every turn many revealed faithlessness for they were filled with fear.
We can read of their fear but also see the faith of Moses for the children of Israel only saw the Egyptians but Moses saw the invisible God and the salvation of the Lord.
For we read of this in: Exodus 14:10-14, And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
So fear is faith’s great enemy but Moses knew the weapon with which to banish fear for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Our study always seems to return to faith’s supreme need to focus on him who is invisible.
Abraham walked with God and his eyes were focused upon the city toward which his path led, the city of God.
We have quoted the song “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” many times for it’s message needs to be planted deep within our hearts that faith may be bolstered and not weakened by fear.
We are to keep on keeping on with this focus upon Christ for it will dim the glitter and appeal of this earth in the light of his glory and grace.
It is very easy to fear for we are in bodies of fear but God gives us faith to overcome fear.
In Moses’ time God gave him manifestations of himself for Moses heard God from the burning bush, he spoke with God face to face as a man speaks unto his friend.
God even allowed Moses to see his back which we can read of in:
Exodus 33:22,23, And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Yes, Moses was given these privileges which gave him eyesight to see the invisible God but Jesus told his disciples of old and his disciples of this time He who has seen me has seen the Father.
We do not have the burning bush, we have not spoken to God face to face as Moses but we have God’s Word with which to draw near to God.
Paul emphasized this in:
Hebrews 10:22, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
So we like Moses who endured, as seeing him who is invisible, are to be as Paul writes in:
Hebrews 12:2, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Faith, bolstered by looking unto Jesus, is built to overcome all obstacles and opposition by focusing on the unseen God.
And Moses’ faith led him to believe God in keeping the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Moses’ faith brought him to not fear the king, but it was the same faith that brought him to fear God for he heard God’s pronouncement that He would go throughout the land and kill every firstborn male in homes that did not have blood on the doorposts.
Moses feared not the wrath of the king but he feared the wrath of God.
The difference with Moses versus those of the world is simply faith.
Faith makes the difference.
Jesus said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God.
Moses sought first the kingdom of God and therefore kept the Passover.
The plagues were over, the exodus was near and God was to teach his people a spiritual lesson for with God without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
Abraham told Isaac when Isaac asked about the sacrificial lamb, God will provide himself a lamb.
So here in the first Passover that truth is furthered toward the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ who was slain once and for all shedding his perfect and acceptable blood for the remission of our sins.
The Passover perfectly brings one to this truth for it was the sacrifice of an unblemished male lamb.
It was to be taken from the flock, its throat cut and blood caught in a basin in order for that blood to be smeared on the doorposts and lintel of each household that believed God’s judgment word.
For God was teaching all that whosoever did not believe in God’s firstborn, God’s only begotten son, he would lose his firstborn.
For that night the death angel would only pass over houses protected by blood but in houses without blood on the doorposts every firstborn male of that household would be killed.
It was a simple command without complicated instructions difficult to interpret and it applied to all in Egypt, from the common laborer to the Pharoah himself.
It applied to the Egyptians and also to the Jews for it showed the Jews that they had no birthright to the salvation of the Lord for the salvation of the Lord required the shedding of blood.
It also shows that all have sinned and all have come short of the glory of God.
This edict of God announces 600 years earlier than what Isaiah wrote in:
Isaiah 64:6, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
This message of God is so despised by the world but my Bible is clear and the Passover message is clear that there is salvation in no other than God himself for every person born, with the exception of God’s lamb, Jesus Christ, is alienated from God because of Adam’s choice.
Adam was pro-choice but pro-choice is pro-death.
The first Passover was a demonstration of what Paul would later write in:
Romans 8:6-8, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
But thanks be to God that those who are in the faith can please God and Moses was in the faith for he kept the Passover not being excluded from God’s sovereign command even though he was appointed to deliver his people.
The just shall live by faith and Moses lived by faith by obeying God with blood.
God had given clear instructions as to how to keep the first born alive.
Logic and self-reasoning had no place in any argument against following God’s word.
Today is the day where all has to have an analysis before obedience is given. We live in a show me world!
Certainly there were many who questioned this edict to kill a perfectly good animal and sprinkle its blood on the doorpost to protect the eldest son.
But God’s word is given to not only believe but for action to be put into place that what is believed is carried out.
God was continuing with this first Passover, centuries of lessons pointing to His salvation plan totally centered on His Son, Jesus Christ who was sent by Him to the earth to be the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.
The world, if it at all believes in God, erects a God of love without any judgment and only thinks of a God of love and therefore who needs this crazy blood doctrine, a doctrine which is black and white, yes or no, good or evil.
But God, here in this faith passage, a passage given to those who wish to please God, reminds those of faith that Moses kept the Passover and we too must keep the Passover, our Passover being because of the shedding of the blood of our Passover lamb, Jesus Christ.
The philosophy of this modern world, a world of logic and reasoning using the world’s only tools, tools of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch rejects this message for faith has no validity in a world only of the senses.
But the person of faith sees the invisible God as Moses saw Him and knows that any man’s condition is grave in this world.
He knows that acknowledgement of his sinful condition must be made, while abandoning all trust in himself, all trust in good works, and a complete casting himself upon God’s grace to save him.
As it was in the days of Moses when every household had to seek the blood of the lamb and place it on the door post every man woman and child in this age of God’s grace must appropriate the blood of the true lamb of God for a covering for his sin.
God is holy and God has declared this to be absolute.
Peter, who walked Israel with the Lamb of God made this abundantly clear for in:
Acts 4:12 he said, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
The first Passover edict of God was simple.
God in Jesus Christ continues that simplicity for the message continues to be clear, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
For believing will bring his blood to cover your sin. |