Moses ranks along with Abraham, David, and Daniel as one of the truly great men of Old Testament times. His shadow lies on 1500 years of Hebrew history. His influence is felt in our courts of justice in the western world to this day. It all stemmed from a choice he made when he was "come to years."
Moses was fortunate to have believing parents. For them to hide their baby son where they did was act of faith. It took faith to hide their son in the very place where other babies were drowned. The parents of Moses took him to the very last spot which carnal reasoning would have suggested.
Now whether you think of Moses as the liberator, or Moses as the law-giver, or Moses as the leader, you are confronted with man whose greatness increases the more you know about him. The key word is Moses life is the big word “refused” found in verse 24. Moses knew how to say NO.
Temptation comes from three sources: world, flesh, and the devil. There are three words to remember when facing temptation: Flight, Faith, and Fight.
To Overcome The Flesh We Need FLIGHT - The key to defeating fleshly temptations is to flee them. This is what Joseph did.
To Overcome The World We Need FAITH. In the prodigal son we see a young man overcome by the call of this world. In Moses we observe one overcoming the temptations of the world.
I. Moses overcame the THE THRONE of this world by faith
Moses had been found, in his little toy ark of bulrushes in the reeds along the banks of the Nile, by no less a person than the princess royal of Egypt. She had adopted him and taken him into the palace to be trained to rule. Moses was "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,” the Holy Sprit declares in Acts. Moses was trained in the arts, sciences, religion, history, and the craft of war of the Egyptians. Moses excelled in them all.
When he was a grown man, the throne itself appears to have been offered him. A life of luxurious ease, of command over men, accompanied by the half deification which in those days hedged a new king were his for the taking, and Moses refused them all.
How did he overcome this temptation? The answer is found in verse 24. Moses walked by faith. By faith he declined the offer of the throne. He went further. He "refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter.”
Doubtless the tempter whispered: "You can use the throne to relieve the sufferings of your fellow Hebrews in the ghetto in Goshen. You can even settle them in Canaan as allies of Egypt.”
Moses, gave up the throne of this world by faith. Moses "refused” the throne of this world. The word “refused” in the Greek literally means to reject, to deny, to totally disown. Moses cut himself off from a promising career as an Egyptian.
Moses said by faith, "I’d rather be a slave fulfilling God’s purpose than be the king of Egypt.” God’s purpose was more valuable that position to Moses.
II. Moses overcame the THRILLS of this world by faith
Moses refused the “pleasures of sin” by faith. Life would have been much easier for him had he remained a leader in Egypt, except for one thing: to remain in the palace would have been sinful. To stay in the palace would have meant ease and affluence as compared to the trials and suffering of his people.
By faith Moses refused to enjoy his life in his own way and chose to employ his life in the will of God. By faith he chose to live his life for the eternal and not the temporal.
Men of faith don’t waste their lives on that which is passing, but rather they build their lives on that which is permanent. He knew he was not going to be satisfied with things that would last only “for a season.” He wanted that which was eternal.
Moses had correct values. You have to settle this issue, "What is really important?" This is not something you decide haphazardly. You give it serious thought. You give it consideration. "What is really important to you?" This is the thing that Moses did. He clarified his values. He thought it out.
God’s people were more valuable to Moses than the world’s pleasures.
At this point in the life of people of God, they were used as slave labor in Egypt, building the pyramids. Given this situation, how would you react? Moses chose pain over pleasure. He chose discomfort over ease. Why? Because he contended people are more valuable than pleasures.
Moses heard the cries of the people of God, and he reckoned people were more important than pleasures. Moses he knew that pleasure, like position, does not last forever.
There is pleasure in sin for a season -- a short time. There is pleasure in sin. No doubt about it. But then you reap what you sow, and the payoff is not worth the pleasure. It’s not worth it.
If you don’t avoid the bait, you’ll end up on the hook.
Moses by faith decided he would go with the people of God because people are more important than pleasures.
III. Moses overcame the THINGS of this world by faith
Look at verse 26o and observe the word "esteeming.” The word literally means "to weigh in the balance," "consider the options," "evaluate the worth,” and "consider the value.”
This says Moses considered God’s will of greater value than all of the things in Egypt. The very things that people spend their lives trying to get, Moses rejected. He rejected the treasure in Egypt because he had realized that God’s peace was more valuable than possessions.
There are a few things in life that are more important than things. There is a wonderful peace of mind that comes about you, a satisfaction, a sense of fulfillment when you know you’re in the will of God. You can’t buy that peace of mind. It is priceless.
You cannot purchase lasting happiness. I will admit to you that you can buy temporal happiness. You can buy it for a short time. Say I go out and buy a new truck. Am I happy? You bet I am. I have just bought me some happiness. I’m having a great time, driving around having a great time. But after about six months, I will see a better truck. So I go buy another truck. Have I bought happiness? Yes, I have. I’m very happy again.
We buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, and all to impress people we don’t like!
You can buy happiness but it is a temporary happiness. It doesn’t last. The things you’ve thought, "I’ve just got to have!" where are they now?
That’s why Moses said, "I don’t want pleasure. I don’t want possessions. I don’t want position. They don’t last." He was taking the long look. The problem is, so many of us have so much to live on and so little to live for. Jesus said in Luke 12:15 that a man’s life did not consist of the abundance of things that he possessed.
Yet we spend all of our lives acting as if that’s not true. Should you sell everything and go live in poverty? Not at all. Wealth in itself is neutral -- neither good nor bad. A lot of the great Christians and saints in the Bible were extremely wealthy people.
It’s a matter of values. We should love people and use things. What happens is we get those reversed, and we get into trouble. When we start loving things, we will start using people to get things. Things are to be used, not loved. That’s the proper value system.
Moses realized that God’s peace was more valuable than possessions.
Moses gave up the very three things that most people spend their entire lives trying to accomplish and achieve. Why? Why did he do that? Why did he reject position, pleasure, and possessions?
Verse 26 tells us. He was looking ahead. He was living by faith looking to eternity.
Your life is built on character, and character is built on decisions. Decisions are built on values, and values are built on vision - what you have your eyes on.
Moses had his values right because he had his vision right. Moses never took his eye off the goal.
Conclusion:
If Moses had not refused the offers of the world by faith, we wouldn’t be here talking about him tonight. He’d be some mummy in King Tut’s tomb in Egypt and we would be saying. “Moses who?”
I. THERE WAS FAITH WHICH SURROUNDED HIM AS A CHILD
II. THERE WAS FAITH WHICH SEPARATED HIM FROM THE CROWD
III. THERE WAS FAITH WHICH SUSTAINED HIM IN HIS CONDUCT
