Well, back to Hebrews chapter 11 and back into the life of Moses. Who, along with Abraham, are the only ones in this chapter on the hearers of faith. to whom a number of verses are devoted. The last time we looked at Hebrews 11:23, which says, by faith, Moses when he was born. Was hidden three months by his parents because he was a beautiful child.
and they were not afraid of the king's command. And so the first mention of faith in relationship to the life of Moses actually is the faith of his parents. who exercised amazing faith in God. To take the risk of their own lives to protect their child, and God blessed those efforts and preserved Moses. And the God obviously had chosen Moses for a special purpose.
Purpose. To deliver the children of Israel. And that purpose began with his parents in their willingness to protect him and hide him. And to keep him. from the edict of a murderous king.
But then the text goes on. And it goes on in verse 24: By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. choosing, rather, to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. esteeming the reproach of Christ. Greater riches than than the treasures in Egypt.
for he looked to the reward. And that is our text for today, but beyond that, we see By faith. He forsook Egypt, verse 27. By faith he He kept the Passover, verse 28. By faith they, that is Moses and the children of Israel, passed through the Red Sea.
as on dry land and so forth. Faith. The whole chapter. No! Hebrews chapter 11.
is about faith. And what it is. and how it operates. And what it has accomplished in the lives of others in years gone by.
Now, in our text for today, we find that Moses had a very difficult choice to make. And he made the right choice. And the explanation is not his wisdom, but His faith in God. By faith. He chose chose rather to suffer affliction with the children of God than the pleasures of Egypt for a season.
And so we can learn from this, and I trust that God will help us to do that. As in this episode from the life of Moses, we find in verse 24 his refusal. Verse 25, his decision, and in verse 26, his calculation. His refusal, back to verse 24 once again. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
He rejected something. And it tells us in general terms what that was, but we need to consider that for a moment. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. The son, that is, of a royal princess. And the greatest royal family in all the earth at that particular time in history.
There had been given to him Bye. They operation and And the direction of God Almighty, there had been given to him a position. that virtually anyone and everyone in all the world would have envied greatly and would have embraced as strongly as they possibly could. A position of honor. and prestige.
and luxury. and privilege and wealth. All of that was granted to Moses. But he chose to turn from that. and to rather suffer with the people of God.
Moses had the finest education that it was possible to have in his day. We actually learned quite a bit more about this episode. In Acts chapter 7, the sermon that Stephen preached to the Sanhedrin, And he went over several of the elements of the history of Israel. And he spent quite a bit of time talking about Moses. And let me read.
Verses 22 through 29 of Acts chapter 7 at this time. And Moses was learned or learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. and was mighty in words and deeds.
Now when he was forty years old, It came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. and seeing one of them suffering, He defended and avenged him who was oppressed. and struck down the Egyptian, For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand. But they did not understand. And the next day, He appeared to two of them as they were fighting.
and tried to reconcile them saying, Men. You are brethren. Why do you wrong one another? But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?
Then at this saying Moses fled, and became a dweller in the land of Midian. where he had two sons.
Well, this account tells us, among other things, that Moses was mighty in words and deeds.
Some, who know a little bit more, about the culture and Education And the climate in Egypt in the day when Moses was there. They're quite certain that Moses had been instructed to be fluent in a number of languages. He could Not only did he speak the language of the Egyptians and the Israelites, but of several nations around him. He was mighty in words. Certainly, the evidence of his.
His prowess in words is before us in the first five books of the Bible. The books of Moses, the Pentateuch, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. All penned by Moses under the direction of the Holy Spirit of God. We do learn in studying the life of Moses That he did not consider himself eloquent. In fact, he considered himself to be.
Um What should I say, inadequate in regard to his speaking ability. And actually, used that as a reason why God should send someone else to be the deliverer of Egypt, the deliverer of Israel out of Egypt, rather than himself. And God Made provision for him. He said, Okay, I'll give you Aaron, your brother, to do the public speaking. You tell him what I said, and he can tell the people what you said.
That's an interesting episode. But from this description, it would appear that Moses had more fluency in speaking than he gave himself credit for. He may not have been a polished orator, but he was Mighty. not only in words, but also in deeds. He was known for somebody who could get things done.
He had apparently already accomplished a number of things in his position in the royal family, in the courts of Egypt. And so Moses had the things that most of this World, most of the people in this world long for, strive for, and in most cases do not achieve, at least. in complete measure. In fact, these are the kinds of things that people can never get enough to fully satisfy them. earn a put aside a million dollars, they need to have two million.
And if they have two million, they need to have five million. And if they have five million, they won't be satisfied until they have ten million. And thus it goes with wealth and with other matters like this. But many people would have given almost anything to have been in the privileged position of Moses, who had the command of people around him, servants to do whatever he requested, ability to accomplish things in the land of Egypt. And think of this.
It didn't really strike me at first, but it came to my attention as I was studying this passage. it would seem probable that Moses had an appropriate affection for his adopted mother. She who had taken him Out of the waters of the Nile River that had destroyed so many of his brothers. Fellow Israelites. She who placed him in the palace, reared him as her own, gave him all of these privileges, it would seem likely that a strong bond of affection had grown up between them.
And maybe the most difficult thing for Moses to do at this juncture in his life was to disappoint his adopted mother, who had done so much for him. How can you do that, Moses? How can you disappoint me? How can you turn your back on me? But you see, the claims of Christ are greater than any earthly tie, no matter how close it may be, and Moses understood that.
and made the difficult choice. He refused. to be called. the son of Pharaoh's daughter, how painful it was for him to make that choice. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
How difficult Pharaoh's daughter must have found that choice to be. But what he rejected was all of the privileges of Egyptian royalty. And when he rejected that, We are told, is when he became of age, back to verse 24. By faith Moses, when he became of age. refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Now on the surface, this tells us that it that Moses was a grown man when this decision was made. On the surface, therefore, it would tell us that this was a mature decision, not a youthful decision, not a childish decision, not a foolish decision, but a mature, well thought out decision, no doubt. In fact, we learned from the passage we read in Acts This information not given to us in Exodus. But we learned that Moses was actually 40 years of age when he made this decision. Think about how many years now he had lived in the courts of the king.
Probably thirty years by this time he had lived and become comfortable and become influential in the palace. of Pharaoh. And he was 40 years old when he did this. But our text is a little more ambiguous. than what the English would indicate.
By faith Moses, when he became of age, says My translation. By faith Moses Why aren't it? Hey. had grown up. is another translation.
that I consult regularly. But more literally, the Hebrew says, by faith Moses, when he became great. Which Opens the door for other possibilities besides. His age. It certainly can refer to his age when he became great in.
In years, I guess, is the one that most people choose to translate this particular word. But it could mean something else either In addition to that, or even in contrast with that. But when he was great, Great in the development of his abilities, great in his potential, great in his position, the peak of his potential would be what that word would probably indicate. When he was at the very height of what was available to him and what he could do with what was available to him, at that very juncture, he chose. to go another route.
B. F. Westcott tells us that the verb tenses indicate a crisis when the choice was made.
Now unfortunately, Westcott did not explain Exactly what he meant by that, so I don't know. I don't understand the language well enough to be able to see that particular nuance in it, but I do have a lot of confidence in. the scholarship of West Scott, and if he says that, I think there must obviously be something substantial to underscore that. And so this shows sheds another bit of light into the situation. There was some crisis that developed at this time in Moses' life.
When Moses became great, when he reached the peak of his potential, when he reached some particular juncture in his life, Again, it's only possible to speculate, but it would seem to me likely that when he reached a place where he was about to be promoted to a new position of authority and responsibility that would have ingrained him completely in the Egyptian government and iron s irreconcilably He knew that he couldn't stay there any longer. A choice had to be made. Am I going to stay here and continue to enjoy all this? Or am I going to take another route? And so, probably on the verge of a new position of authority and power.
Moses went another direction. When he became of age, he refused to be called any more. the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
So that's what he rejected. The privileges of being Pharaoh's daughter That's when he rejected it. It's when he became 40 years of age, and apparently, a significant. change was taking place in his position. But why he rejected these privileges is more important than anything else.
And the answer to that question is because of his faith. Why did he do this? Why did he reject all of these things, turn his back upon them? Because of his faith. By faith, Moses when he became of age.
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Now, let me remind you and myself once again. What is faith? We've talked about it throughout this chapter. Faith is believing. The revelation of God.
And acting according to that revelation. That's what caused Moses to make this decision. He believed the revelation of God and acted accordingly. He believed the promises of God that related to the. The nation of Israel.
To their future, their purpose in God's plan for this world. He believed those promises that had been made to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob and to Joseph, and how the faith of all of these patriarchs had rested firmly in these promises. most of which lay still in the future, yet to be fulfilled. God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, and right now they are languishing as slaves in the land of Egypt. God had promised Abraham a huge progeny that would encompass the world, and right now they are encompassed.
And in bondage, and without the freedom to leave the land of Egypt and to impact the world in any way. But these promises had been made, and though hundreds of years have gone by, They have not been fulfilled, and yet Moses believed the truth of them just as strongly as did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. He believed the word of God. If God said it, I believe it. And therefore, he acted in accordance with that truth, that revelation.
Furthermore, It becomes clear in reading all of the available evidence. that he believed that he had been chosen by God to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. That takes us back to what we read in Acts 7:25. He said. to his Hebrew brother He supposed, rather, that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand.
But they did not understand. Well, if he supposed that they would know. that he had been appointed by God to deliver them to deliver them from the Egyptians. Moses had to know that. He thought others would probably know it as well, and they didn't.
But he couldn't have even said this if he didn't have some understanding of that. God had revealed to Moses that he was designed by God for a special purpose in. Furthering the promises that God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the nation of Israel. Moses knew that he had a special assignment in that plan. He realized, therefore, that he must reject Egyptian privilege in order to fulfill God's revealed will.
it would be impossible for him to carry this out continuing to live as an Egyptian. When God had designated that he must live as an Israelite and to lead them. into the future promises of God. And so that explains, number one, his refusal, verse 24. But we learn a little bit more about this in verse 25 as we consider his decision.
Choosing He made a choice. choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. What were his choices? On the one hand, The pleasures of sin. a number on the other hand, the afflictions of righteousness.
What a choice. The pleasures of sin. or the afflictions of righteousness. That doesn't sound like a very Wonderful choice. To most people, And most people, given those two choices, Are you going to go in which direction?
Why should I? Choose. to put myself in a place of affliction. Why should I choose that which is hard and difficult and painful? Why should I choose affliction if I can instead have a life of ease?
But Moses made that choice, and he made the right choice, choosing. rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Choice number one: the pleasures of sin. That was available to him. The question might be: what was the sin of remaining in the palace?
and living a life there. Was it the sin of sensuous activity?
Well, certainly that was Available to Moses, to anyone in a royal situation like this, though there's no indication anywhere in Scripture that he had gone down that route. He probably had nobly rejected that. But the sin is clinging to temporal pleasures and refusing to give them up. in order to obey God. That's the sale.
Loving. The delights of this world, even the what we might call the innocent delights. of this world. Loving those so much loving them more than we love God. Loving them so much that it keeps us from obeying God.
That's what Moses understood. On the one hand, the pleasures of sin required. That he refuse. To obey God. And two Take his position.
As the one that God had designated to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. The pleasures of sin would not lead down that path, could not lead him in a direction of obedience to God's claim upon his life. On the other hand, he had the choice of the afflictions of righteousness to suffer afflictions. To suffer affliction. with the people of God.
And what was this affliction?
Well, it was poverty. It was social stigma. to be looked down upon. by the people of Egypt. It was injustice to suffer injustices at the hands of the Egyptians without any possibility of finding justice for your cause.
It was cruel treatment. Painful. It was slavery. Who would choose that? But that's what Moses had to choose in order to obey the call of God upon his life.
Either the pleasures of sin, which would not permit him, To fulfill God's call upon his life, or the afflictions of righteousness which are necessary in his case. If he's going to fulfill God's call. And what insight did Moses had that enabled him to make the right decision? Of course, we know it was by faith. But what did faith reveal to him?
Faith is believing the revelation of God.
So, what exactly did he understand that led him to make the right decision?
Well, he understood that the benefits of his royal position were only temporary. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy. The passing pleasures I'll sell. Yes, there was great pleasure. But it was only Temporary.
Of course, there's pleasure in sin for a season, as the Bible tells us. Don't ever Try to mislead someone by saying That there's no pleasure in sin. There's a lot of pleasure in sin, but it's temporary, it's short-lived, and it has serious consequences that always follow the pleasure. Moses apparently was given the insight to understand that. The benefits of the royal position are temporary, they're only passing.
To refuse to let them go when duty demands that he do so is sin. And that's not a good choice for a follower of God. To choose sin. Rather than suffering. But Moses could have said, and maybe even did say while he was reasoning this in his heart.
But remember Joseph? Joseph used his royal possession to serve God, to help the people of God. Why can't I do that? Because the circumstances are different, and God is calling upon you to turn. from them.
When Joseph used that position, God's people were honored, remember, in Egypt. But now the circumstances have changed, and God's people are being greatly afflicted, and therefore you cannot remain as one of their oppressors. and accomplish God's purpose and call upon your life. Moses knew. that he had a God-appointed assignment.
They could only be carried out if he turned his back upon the pleasures of Egypt. and was willing to accept the afflictions of the people of God. He could not fulfill his call of God upon his life from the palace. He could only fulfill that as he. joined with the people of God.
And therefore, his decision was the correct one. Choosing rather To suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing. Pleasures of sin. But we go one step further into the next verse to learn more about this calculation which he made. Here's Calculation.
First, his refusal, secondly, his decision, and third, his calculation. What was it? esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches. than the treasures in Egypt. For he looked to the reward.
His calculation involved weighing the true value Of these worldly treasures of Egypt, which were vast and in the eyes of most people were. overwhelmingly the most valuable of the two choices before him. But Moses understood what a lot of people don't, and that is that these things, no matter how wonderful they may be for a while, are only for a while. A little while. in the light of eternity.
They are temporal. Not eternal. They are fleeting. They do not last. the f treasures of Egypt.
are therefore not as valuable. Aya's the afflictions with the people of God who have something greater at the end of that period. And thus he must weigh the value of the reproach of Christ. They type of reproach that Christ himself suffered as Documented in all four of the Gospels how he was ridiculed, how he was scorned, how he was. was eventually beaten and finally crucified.
How he was not honored or esteemed by the society of his day. There's no question about the afflictions that Christ endured during his earthly sojourn. But there is often a forgetfulness of the words of Christ Himself, who on several occasions in the Gospels told His disciples, You are called upon to suffer the same, the same kind of afflictions that I have suffered, you must suffer. Matthew chapter 10. Jesus said, A disciple is not above his teacher.
nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple. that he be like his teacher. and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, How much more Will they call those?
of his household. If Christ was called Beel's above, that's a word that means worthless scum. Evil If the sinless Son of God who never sinned, never did anything wrong, never did any evil, could be called by the people of this world by the leaders and shakers and movers of this world, If he could be called nothing more than scum. Nothing more than evil. Why should disciples of Christ think that such abuse should not be heaped upon us.
It rankles, of course. When God's people are considered to be Less valuable than other members of society. It rankles when God's people are considered by some to even be a problem in society. It rankles when people are so convoluted in their thinking that they call those who stand for truth and righteousness evil and call those who commit the unrighteousness good. And the Bible has something to say about that.
Woe to those people who turn things upside down and call good evil and evil good. But that's what happens in a sinful world, and that's what happens to people who are followers of Christ. We get that kind of abuse heaped upon us. Do we enjoy it?
Well, no. Are we indignant about it? We shouldn't be. Have you counted the cost? If what is required to be A follower of Christ?
Are you willing to bear the cost? Is it worth the cost? That's the kind of things that Moses was weighing. What's the value of all this luxury and wealth And position and power I have in the courts of Egypt.
Well, in the final day, it's not worth much. What's the value? Of suffering the afflictions with the people of God.
Well, in the final day, that is worth a lot. He had. His eye on, we're told here, the reward. He looked. to the reward.
That was the calculation. What has the greatest value? Temporal delights. or spiritual pursuits. What brings the greatest satisfaction in the long run?
Temporal delights. When they're gone, they're gone. When they fade, they're gone. Oftentimes, they're quickly gone even in this world, and they're certainly all gone when we leave this world. We all have heard various ways to describe that.
You've never seen. a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer, have you. The treasures of this world are not going to follow you to the grave. When you die, they're gone and gone forever.
So, what has the greatest value, temporal delights or spiritual pursuits? What earns the greatest reward? That's what Moses calculated here, didn't he? He looked to the reward, we're told. What earns the greatest reward?
Temporal achievements and acquirements or spiritual. Achievements. Matthew Henry has an interesting Quote at this point. He says Moses acted Rationally as well as religiously. What does that mean?
Well, when he says he acted religiously, it means he made the right choice, spiritually speaking. He made the right choice in his relationship with God. He made the right choice as to what really has eternal value and spiritual value. But Matthew Henry points out that even if that were aside, he still made the right choice because. even to an unconverted person, If he thinks these things through, he can often tell that the delights of this world are not worth the consequences.
Many an unconverted person has realized that pursuing a life of drunkenness is not smart. It has It's not worth the pleasure, the temporary pleasure you get out of that drunken feeling. It's. ruinous in the long run. It's ruinous in the short run, even before we're talking about eternity.
It's ruinous in this life. Or pursuing a life of drugs. Oh, they feel so good. You take those drugs, and I feel so good about it. Yeah, and then what happens?
A few months down the road and a few years down the road when you're hooked on them and you can't get rid of them and they're ruining your life and you can't uh hold down a job and you can't um maintain your family and you you see your life falling apart. Were were the the the pleasures, the good feeling you had for a little while with those drugs or alcohol worth the consequences? Over time. Even an unconverted person can make Those kinds of calculations and say it's not wise, it's not worth it. It's better to refrain from those things and live a steady life.
You'll even enjoy life more. then you will if you pursue some of these Pleasures. for a season. And that's the truth. That's not the whole truth, but that's part of it.
In other words, even if you're not a Christian, you're going to enjoy life more if you stay away from a lot of these pleasures of sin than if you pursue them. Pursuing them. Is going to be a short-term delight and a long-term headache. that you may never get rid of. And so Staying away from those.
And living a Steady, orderly, upright life will give you more enjoyment even in this world, but if you Do that apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, it won't benefit you. Ten seconds after you've drawn your last breath, will it? Because eternity is waiting, and that's the most important calculation. What of these two choices is going to matter five minutes after I die. That I had wealth.
And power And luxury And prestige. And authority. And honor had people looking up to me and obeying me. And all of the delights of this world, or that I was willing to suffer the afflictions that come with being a child of God. Which of those two choices is going to be known to be the right one five minutes after you die?
And forever after that. Forever. That. was Moses' calculation. That's Why he made the choice he did.
He esteemed, he reckoned, he decided. that the reproach of Christ was greater riches. Doesn't sound like riches, but it was and is. The reproach of Christ is greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked. to his reward.
Now, let's draw some lessons out of this passage. Number one, Let's talk a little bit about human will. Moses made a choice. Moses exercised his will. Moses made a choice.
And sometimes people have trouble. When they come to a better understanding of the the biblical picture of salvation and The sovereignty of God in salvation and the the inability of human will to bring about Salvation.
Sometimes, when this truth dawns on people, then they have trouble sorting out: well, where does free will, where does human will fall into the equation? And some even foolishly deny that there is such a thing as free will. But actually, there is, when you understand what that means. It doesn't mean free of any. persuasion or constraints or desires It means free to make choices based upon what you desire.
And the problem is, when we're talking about salvation, That apart from the grace of God, people don't desire truth, they don't desire righteousness, they don't desire Christ. Those things don't seem desirable to them. They make a free will choice, but their will has been affected by sin, so that they can't make. The right choice, a good choice. We do have will.
Human beings have a God-given will, have an ability to choose. We do make real choices. Moses was faced with a choice. Continue? And the pleasures A position in Egypt, that would have been the easiest course.
In so many ways. Or Make the hard choice. to leave all that and be identified with the people of God. And we do make real choices based upon our desires. And our choices have real consequences.
The choices we make determine. The future.
Sometimes in dramatic ways. And what we are learning here is that Moses could not identify both with the Egyptians and the Israelites. He had to choose one or the other. He couldn't have both. And neither can you.
No one can serve two masters. No one can hold on to the world and not let go, and still hold on to Christ. And have the benefits of Christ. Make A choice. Make a decision.
Hold on to the pleasures of the world. And Go to hell. Let go of the pleasures of the world and hold on to Christ. and have eternal joys. Forevermore.
We have choices. And our choices reveal our desires. The choice you make shows where your real true desires are. I choose this because I want this. I choose this because I desire this.
And our choices reveal what we truly believe. I choose this because I believe this will bring me the greatest happiness. I choose this because I don't really believe. What the Bible says. Because if I did, I'd make a different choice.
But beyond human will, there are also lessons here about. Christian rewards that we need to consider.
Some Christians foolishly diminish the concept of rewards as if it's not very spiritual to think about rewards. We don't serve Christ because of rewards. We serve Christ because it's right. What is faith? Believing The revelation of God.
Believe in what God has revealed. and acting accordingly.
Now if the Bible didn't reveal Anything about rewards? Of course it'd be foolish. To incorporate those into our choices. But if the Bible tells us, as it does here in our text for today, and as it tells us in many other places, that indeed God does reward those who serve Him faithfully, He's not required to, He's not obligated to, we don't really deserve it, but He does it, and He tells us He does it. And if we believe the Word of God, then we'll have to take that into account as well.
We are unbelieving if we don't. That's part of faith. There are great rewards. For people who make the right choice and are willing to suffer the hardships now, the afflictions now, the difficulties now, in order to hear, well done, thou good and faithful servant, and receive the rewards that are promised to those. who serve God faithfully.
And we'll do as Moses did. If we believe the promises of God. as Moses did. There's a third lesson here about Christian identity. Christians know that To be a Christian means to be identified with Christ.
Surely they know that.
Sometimes Christians have difficulty knowing. That to be a Christian also means to be identified with the people of God. Moses had to choose. Do I continue to be identified with the Egyptians? where all the wealth and power and influence and prestige are, or do I choose to be identified with the people of God?
And all the Negatives. that go with that. But Christians are taught in God's Word to identify with the people of God. including The imperfections and disappointing behavior that is, yes, sadly found among Christians. That was part of it.
Remember back in Acts 7? Moses was a bit disappointed. Got the wrong one here. Where's Axe? Moses was a bit disappointed.
He supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver. them by his hand, but they did not understand. And the next day he appeared to them as they were fighting. And tried to reconcile them, saying, Men, you are brethren, why do you wrong one another? But he who did his neighbor wrong What?
Someone who belongs to the people of God doing his neighbor wrong? Yeah. But he who did his neighbor wrong Pushed him away, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you did that Egyptian yesterday? And hearing that, Moses said, Well, if this is the way the people of God are going to act, I'm not going to have anything more to do with them.
Wrong decision. I've had a disappointment with people in church. If that's the way Christians are going to act, then I'm not going to have anything more to do with the church. Wrong decision. Of course there are people.
In the church that don't act the way they should. Read your Bible. Get a full picture of what's going on here. Redeemed people are not fully sanctified till they get to heaven. And there are sinful and carnal things that happen among the people of God, but they're still God's people.
God chose them. He did. God loves them. He does. God saved them.
He did it. God made them his people. That was his choice. God made them your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you are a Christian, God told you to identify with them.
And for you not to do that is the height. of disobedience. and rebellion against the God. who chose Fallen sinners. to make them His people.
and made promises to his people. And therefore, promises that belong to those who are part of his people. We tend as Americans to look at everything very individualistically. God has promised this to me. And I suppose if he's promised it to me, he's probably promised it to other individuals like me.
But maybe a better way to look at it is God has promised this to his people. If I am one of his people, I get in on the promises. But if I'm not willing to identify and love God's people, then what makes me think that promise belongs to me? He belongs to his people.
So, of course. I'm going to embrace the people of God. And love them. and learn from them. and grow with them.
and help them. and serve the cause of Christ. alongside them. And we'll stop there, shall we pray? Thank you, Father, for this portion of your word that speaks to us so eloquently.
Help us, O Lord. To make decisions that are wise based upon all the evidence. And based upon the truth that is revealed to us in your word, May we believe it. And may our faith be demonstrated. By how we act.
As we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
