Text: Heb 11:24-26, Title: Choosing Pain Over Pleasure, Date/Place: NRBC, 6.24.12, AM
A. Opening illustration: Judson was united in marriage to Ann Hasseltine February 5, 1812, and was ordained the following day. He had counted the cost of being a missionary. When asking Mr. Hasseltine for the hand of his daughter, he had written: "I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress, to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you?"
B. Background to passage: this text has the ring of Jesus’ call to to discipleship in Luke 9:23. Moses leaves an example and truth for us as we press on in a culture that disdains “the reproach of” anything. Even the evangelical southern culture promotes comfort and ease in Zion rather than the bloody seas of missions, ministry, and martyrdom.
C. Main thought: the path to joy is littered with sacrifice
A. Disown and Relinquish (v. 24)
1. He renounced all his privileges and inheritance. As a prince of Egypt, he would have been entitled to many excesses in life. He would have been among the most powerful people in the world, the richest people in the world, and the most pampered people in the world. He would have had access to wine, women, and song in their fullest capacities, only to be restrained by God himself. But he had a since of what was truly important. And upon that knowledge, he shamed the entire palace by siding with the slaves, killing an Egyptian, publically renouncing all, and fleeing everything he had ever known. The next verse speaks of the sin that came along with his privileged life.
2. Zaccheus, rich young ruler, disciples “left their nets and followed,” Deny yourself, take up the cross, follow Christ to save your life,
3. Illustration: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” –Jim Elliot, but what of Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCulley, Pete Fleming, who all entered the Gates of Splendor together? Justinian von Weltz renounced his title (Baron), estates, and income, and went to Dutch Guinana as a missionary. His body lies there in a lonely grave, forgotten by the world, but not by God. As he forsook all that he had he said, “What is it to me to bear the title of ‘well-born’ when I am born again to Christ? What is it to me to have the title ‘Lord’ when I desire to be a servant to Christ. What is it to me to be called ‘your grace’ when I have need of God’s grace. All these vanities I will away with and all else I will lay at the feet of my dear Lord Jesus.” “So long, self! Well, it's been fun, but I have found somebody else. So long, self! There's just no room for two, so you are gonna have to move. So long, self! Don't take this wrong but you are wrong for me, farewell. Oh well, goodbye, don't cry. So long, self!”
4. The world’s value system is incredibly different from God’s. Comparison as to some things that the world values that God may not hold in such high esteem – fame, earthly riches, position, power, education, family, gadgets and toys, awards and recognitions, talent, etc. And also some things that God values that the world disdains. And many times these issues are not only issues of sin, but good things that just get in the way of the best things. No one would argue that there is not some enjoyment to most sin; that’s its inticement. But also note that it is temporary and offensive to God. You must renounce your right to self-determination, to self lordship (Lord Me as I read this week). What have you turned your nose to this week for a greater treasure in Christ? What have you told yourself “no” about this week? What sacrifice have you made? What comfort or privilege have you lain down? What right have you given up?
B. Embrace and Pursue (v. 25)
1. He chose himself (reflexive), involving affections. This word means to join in with others what they are already suffering and being mistreated. He volunteered to be wronged! He got into the job know that people would do him bad. This is totally counter intuitive, counter cultural, counter human!
2. Job 36:21, Acts 20:24, Jeremiah charged that they will not hear you,
3. Illustration: Portia, a beautiful and wealthy heiress from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, had many suitors of noble birth who wanted to marry her. Her father said the choice was going to be determined by a test. There were 3 chests with objects in them and inscriptions on them, and the suitors must choose one. There was a gold chest with the inscription, “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire,” and inside was a skull. There was a silver chest with the inscription, “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves,” and inside was the picture of a fool. The winning chest was made of lead and it contained Portia’s picture. The inscription read, “Whoever chooseth me must give and risk at that he hath.” All the suitors except for Bassaino chose the first two. He was willing to give everything he had for the sake of one he loved; therefore he got the prize. “If we consider the greatness and the glory of the life we shall have when we have risen from the dead, it would not be difficult at all for us to bear the concerns of this world. If I believe the Word, I shall on the Last Day, after the sentence has been pronounced, not only gladly have suffered ordinary temptations, insults, and imprisonment, but I shall also say: ‘O, that I did not throw myself under the feet of all the godless for the sake of the great glory which I now see revealed and which has come to me through the merit of Christ!’” Martin Luther
4. Choosing things that are permanent versus things that are temporary. Do you value Christ more that personal comfort or personal gratification and enjoyment? Will you embrace a hazardous life? Will you be willing to be wronged, suffer injustice, sacrifice “joys” for the true joy? Will you count your life as nothing? Many of us would give some, but would we give all. Had a person in this church volunteer to me that they would consider giving all their money that they saved up for new furniture if they felt led. They would embrace a sacrifice for a cause of a building. How much greater is the person of Christ over the building that we are building! We must wage war upon our aversion to pain, suffering, and hardship. But the way that we do that is to allow our pursuit of happiness, be a pursuit of happiness in God. And if your happiness is first and foremost in God, we can embrace pain and suffering injustice because it becomes a means to get to our real goal: satisfaction, joy, happiness in Christ! We can make pain a servant boy to our happiness and pursue Christ through it not away from it!
C. Prefer and Gaze (v. 26)
1. It says that he considered or esteemed. It means that he made a thoughtful, calculated decision that the shame and suffering of the people of God AND OF CHRIST was of greater value that all the treasures of Egypt. It was not a split second crime of opportunity and passion, but a thoughtful, intentional assessment of values and action upon that reality. How could he do this? He was looking (imperfect tense) to the reward (the payment of wages). He was intentionally “distracting” himself with his attention focused on the wages that Christ earned for him.
2. Psa 84:10, 2 Cor 4:17-18, Rom 8:18, Phil 3:8-14,
3. Illustration: In 1939, Howard Guinness, one of the early founders of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, wrote a little book called Sacrifice. He was trying to do then what I am trying to do now. He wrote, “Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap, and be faithful even unto death, who will lose their lives for Christ’s, flinging them away for love of him? Where are those who will live dangerously, and be reckless in this service? Where are the men of prayer? Where are the men who count God’s Word of more importance to them than their daily food? Where are the men who, like Moses of old, commune with God face to face as a man speaks with his friend? Where are God’s men in this day of God’s power?”
4. With your eyes on the prize, you can not only risk it all, not only joyfully accept the pludnering of your stuff, or be sawn in two, or be crucified facing all of it unjustly, you can repair the relationships because you don’t have to be right! You don’t have to save face. You don’t have to get your revenge. You don’t have to punish others. You don’t have to harbor bitterness. You can just be wronged and know that 10,000 thousands of unjust acts against you pale in comparison to the joy that awaits you. You are free and the infinite value of the prize helps ease the pain of suffering, but moreso helps give strength to endure. We do not try harder to endure suffering, we believe better. We must change our value assessment at its core. Christ, and His shame ARE mor valuable; therefore when the situation comes, I will prefer pain to sinning against my Lord, against denying Christ, against becoming angry, against fearing men’s disapproval. We make a conscious decision ahead of time that the prize is better than injustice, and therefore prefer hardship over sin, and shine brightly for the King! With our gaze fixed on the beauty of the King of kings, we can lay down our lives on the mission field never to return, or we can lay down our lives in our marriage serving that unloving spouse.
A. Closing illustration: Story from 2 Macc 7, Piper sermon clip
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
● Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
