[Reading passage]
Hebrews 11:24-26
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, [26] esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.』
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This time is the 11th session of goodness, and I will preach about that of Moses.
3,500 years ago Moses led the people of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt into the land of Canaan.
Korea was in bondage to Japan for 36 years, and it was not easy to become independent on its own.
The nation of Israel had been in the bondage of Egypt for 400 years. They had to recover not only their emancipation as a people from domination of the country of Egypt, but they also had to liberate and secure their own territorial lands.
God wanted to stand by and guarantee the promise He had given Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them the land of Canaan, and when the time came He wanted to fulfill His plan for their descendants.
God chose one man to thoroughly obey God’s commands and lead the people of God. That man was Moses.
How was it that Moses was chosen to accomplish such a historically significant task at such an important point in time?
He had an inner most being by which he could fully trust and obey God, and it was possible for him because his inner heart was so good.
So, now let me explain to you about the goodness of Moses. I pray in the name of the Lord the goodness of Moses will come upon your heart and you will be invaluably used at time of this world.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The first goodness of Moses that God accepted was that he chose to suffer the afflictions with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin.
He was born when the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians and severely persecuted.
The number of the people of Israel was more numerous and they were more powerfully increased than the people of Egypt. The King of Egypt was afraid of it and proclaimed a statute to destroy the Israelites.
He gave an order that every newborn of Israel was to be killed. Due to this order, Moses was inevitably to be put to put to death as soon as he was born.
But according to the word in Hebrews 11:23 NASB, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
Moses’ parents were not afraid of the king. They relied on God in faith and concealed Moses.
But three months later they could not hide their child any longer because the child’s crying became loud. The mother put the child into a wicker basket and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
Rather than letting their baby be slaughtered by the sword of an Egyptian soldier they chose the way of expecting God’s deliverance for their people.
At that time the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile and saw the basket among the reeds. And she had it brought it to her.
Moses’ sister, Miriam had watched everything and introduced the daughter of Pharaoh to Jochebed, Moses’ own mother, as a nurse. Then, Moses was raised in a royal palace as a prince.
By the exacting work of God, Moses was rescued brought up under the beliefs and in the faith of his own mother so that he could learn of the LORD God of Israel and the people who had been chosen by God,
In addition, he heard of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the promised land of Canaan that God had promised them.
At the time, Egypt had a highly developed civilization and princes of that country had great power and authority.
Moses could have continued to enjoy the riches, honor and power for the rest of his life as an adopted prince at the royal court.
Every day he could have enjoyed the best of all food, best dresses, and the best life of royal family. He would have lived in a magnificent palace decorated with gold and jewels. A single word of his could cause many servants to obey, and he was treated the best wherever he went and assured of comfortable and stable life all his remaining days.
Because Moses lived in such conditions, one thing always remained unforgettable in his mind.
That was the idea that he never felt suited to that kind of living conditions.
He had heard of God from his natural mother and the fact that his own people suffered greatly in the bondage to Egypt, and her words never left his mind at all.
That’s why he was neither delighted nor joyful even though he lived in luxury and riches. Instead, he felt seriously troubled.
He knew the law of God, and he felt each day’s life in that royal house was sinful.
Meanwhile, an incident happened involving him in which he had to abandon the palace of Pharaoh and flee into the wilderness.
One day he found an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people, and felt the furor in his heart. So, he beat that Egyptian to death. As a result, he had to flee from there into the desert.
If he had been easy going and cared only for himself, not caring about anybody else, he could have tried to pass through the incident or pretended not to have seen the beating for fear of someone seeing him strike down the Egyptian.
But as said in the Bible, he chose to suffer the afflictions with the people of God rather than to receive the passing pleasures of sin.
That’s why he could not ignore it when he found his kinsman being beaten even though it meant he would lose all his fame and honor given as a prince, the son of the daughter of Pharaoh.
This kind of heart of Moses was deemed to be good in the sight of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, suppose a poor man meets a difficult situation. But he is able to overcome it because he has experienced poverty. On the contrary however, if a rich man begins to experience poverty and financial ruin, it is not easy for him to overcome it because of the mental sufferings that oppress him..
Moses had lived as a prince in the royal court for a long time, 40 years, so he had to have had a very firm determination for him to give up the position of a prince.
Not only would he lose his own royal home but there would not even be the smallest cottage for him. He also had no idea where to go.
He immediately had to worry about daily food.
He had to flee as a refugee who would have been arrested and killed if he was found by soldiers.
Nonetheless, he chose to go that way of suffering to be with the people of God.
The Book of Hebrews describes Moses’ sufferings the equivalent of the kinds of disgraces Christians experienced.
So, Hebrews 11:27 says, “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
What would you do if you were in the same situation as Moses?
Can you give up everything that you have stored up without hesitation?
Can you say, “Amen”, joyfully when you have to abandon every possession you have for the sake of Christ?
What would you do if you were to be scorned and neglected and suffer shame for the sake of the Lord rather than to be honored and praised by many people?
Can you obey if you had to leave your home and your beloved family and go to a foreign country where you cannot anticipate a time when you could return home?
Some missionaries make every effort to repay the cost of the blood of the Lord with that kind of love and faith.
A pastor serving the Lord in Africa has counted it as more valuable to lead countless souls than to enjoy the honor of a university professorship. He has preached the gospel without resting a day where culture, climate and environment are unfamiliar.
From early morning until late at night , some women missionaries, who were sent to far and unfamiliar countries, evangelize and make visitations every day to as many souls as they are able, not even taking the time to properly care for themselves.
If they had remained where they were, they would have lived easy religious lives with high social position and comfortable living conditions. They would see their loved people as they wanted and live happy lives with them. However they would not dare to turn their face from dying souls, and our Lord’s burning love for them, so they obeyed His calling and came forth as missionaries.
God the Father will surely remember their dedication and efforts and comfort them with enormous rewards in heaven that cannot be compared with hardships on this earth.
However, some people prefer enjoying the pleasure of sin in the world although they have crossed from death to life in the great grace of the Lord.
They neglect the worship services and prayers that are fundamental to our faith because they want to gain the wealth and glory of this earth.
Those who have that kind of heart should realize they have no true faith or hope and they are far too far away from the goodness of Moses who willingly selected the way of sufferings.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The second goodness of Moses was that he gave thanks to God from the center of his heart when he suffered trials.
Moses suffered trials after he left the palace of Pharaoh and tended the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law who was also a priest of Midian.
God the Father let me know what kind of heart Moses had as he lived there for that time.
When he hurriedly departed from Egypt, he was at a great loss.
After he settled down in wilderness, the trials for Moses started in his heart when he looked back to his past.
What do you think was painful to his heart? He considered himself as something, but in reality he realized he had nothing and began to feel vanity and frustration.
He once lived in luxury at the royal house, but now, when he found his hands empty, he thought of the vanity of human life.
He came to understand that everything he had enjoyed was not by his own will but only by the grace of God, so he could gain nothing unless God permitted.
Unlike when he was in the royal place, when he found nothing was gained by his own will, he considered himself as nothing and had no choice but to thoroughly humble himself before God.
But he was never gloomy or pessimistic about his situation. He never abandoned himself.
He never missed the past and the luxurious life. He never regretted his choices. He did not look at his life negatively.
He was neither frustrated nor sorrowful. Instead, he had a new viewpoint of himself in finding his true self.
He was never disheartened thinking, “I’m nothing,” but had a firm assurance of the existence of God, saying to himself, “I’m nothing but God is great.”
When he found nothing was fulfilled on his own, he fully realized that he could possess nothing and carry out no plan without the power of God the Almighty
He gave thanks to God from the center of his heart. He was thankful for his breathing, survival, and daily food.
He was grateful for a place to lie down. Sometimes he had to sleep in the desert in the midst of the cool dew for a short time, but he was thankful even for that brief rest.
When he looked at the vast land spreading before his eyes while tending the flocks, he was thankful for looking at that land and being able to walk here and there upon it.
He did not consider anything as his own possession.
From that moment when he realized the vanity of human life, deep thanks to God sprang out of his heart.
He gave thanks deeply for his stay. He professed from his heart that he could not even move nor possess even what he was entitled to have without God.
Let me offer you his profession (of belief) to God.
“O! Ruler of Heavens! God! I used to be foolish, so I did not have any understanding of You. Now, as I watch the setting sun, I believe most assuredly the omniscient and omnipotent God exists. I have nothing without You, and I can do nothing without You. I am nothing. I am in vain without value. But, You love me, a nothing, and You have called me. I believe the reality of You deep in my heart. You are there!”
He thought of God when He saw the sun rising and setting, and looked up to God when he saw countless stars in the sky at night.
Through that trial, he came to have the assurance that the God of Israel was not a mere character of a tale but the Living Sovereign.
He came to possess the faith in God from within his heart and his faith had improved year after year with the passing of time.
He became certain of the reality of God in the midst of his trials, and looked at his self with the assurance of faith, so he could be thankful in every kind of circumstances.
What did he say when God called him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt at the proper time?
From a human viewpoint, he hesitated to accept the command of God and seemed to have no assurance.
Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
He confessed this because he completely realized through the 40 years of trials that he was valueless and nothing. In that confession he meant that he was insignificant and worthless and nothing.
He had beaten a person to death because of self-righteousness, but had become perfectly humble and lowly through trials. Because he was so humble, he thoroughly lowered himself when God called him.
But he trusted God from the depths of his heart and soon changed his attitude and became obedient to the word of God.
You should remember that God deemed Moses to be good when he trusted God and was thankful for everything.
What kind of response have you showed to trials? Have you complained of your trials saying, “Why should I suffer this severe trial? How can I overcome this?”
Have you let your faith become confused and disheartened, or frustrated?
For 40 years, Moses had lived as a nothing tending the flock in the desert of Midian. He never became discouraged because nobody recognized him, but was humble and really thankful for all the circumstances and situations.
When he emptied himself thoroughly, God called him and gave him a great mission.
Is there anybody who is not thankful for trials given to you but envious and jealous of those who are used by God although trials continue because you have not been prepared as a useful vessel?
Trails are given to those who have not prepared themselves as vessels for blessing so that they can come forth as a vessel proper for blessing. If you complain and say the answer from God is too slow, you are turning over what is already a small vessel of yours.
When a blacksmith makes a tool, he heats a piece of iron in fire and takes it out and then hammers it to a proper shape.
If a piece of iron tried to avoid being hammered, that blacksmith could not make what he wants. The tool could not be made.
A blacksmith repeats heating and hammering until he gains the shape of a tool he wants.
When it is in proper shape, he puts it into cold water that sets its shape.
It is the same with our spiritual training.
It says in Proverbs 17:3, “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.”
If you are in trials to become a better vessel, you are to remember the goodness of Moses, thoroughly lower yourself and give thanks in everything. Then, you will be in the hands of God and become a good vessel soon.
Dear brothers and sisters, I have preached about two points of Moses’ goodness.
First, he chose to suffer afflictions with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin. It was considered good by God. Secondly, he was thankful for everything from the bottom of his heart while he was suffering trials.
Anybody would choose the way of goodness if he has a fundamental goodness in his heart.
However, if he doesn’t have goodness but understands what the goodness is and follows the way of goodness once or twice keeping it in his mind, his good deeds will be built up and his heart becomes “good” more and more.
When you receive trials to enter into spirit, the period of your trials will be shortened or be lengthened according to the attitude of your heart.
Therefore, I hope all of you accomplish the same goodness of Moses and be thankful in everything so that you can come forth as proper vessels before God.
May you be preciously used at time of the world and give great glory to God, in the name of the Lord I pray!
[Amen!]
