Unprecedented Faith - "Moses: Keys To Effective Faith”

Unprecedented Faith

“Moses – Keys to Effective Faith”

Hebrews 11:23-29

Watch on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQBjsFRv6Wg

We are continuing our series, “Unprecedented Faith.” Now, in Hebrews chapter 11, or what is known as “God’s Hall of Faith,” we find ordinary people who achieved extraordinary accomplishments. These men and women weren’t perfect; in fact, they were far from it. They often failed, but they kept going by faith and reached their God-given potential and goals. The purpose of this chapter, then, is to encourage us and to give us the faith to keep moving forward on our own journeys. 

This morning, we will look at Moses, who in many ways was considered the greatest person in the Old Testament. Moses received the Ten Commandments and the Law from God, and he authored the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah. He led the children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt, which was the most powerful nation at the time. But he was also a person just like you and me.

And so, the question becomes, why was God able to use Moses so effectively? Well, according to the writer of Hebrews, Moses was able to identify and answer some of life’s most basic questions. Questions like, “Who are we?” “What are our choices?” “What is most important?” and “What are our goals?” And these are what I call keys to effective faith.

 Let’s begin by looking at this passage: Read Hebrews 11:23-29

From these verses, I see three Keys to Effective Faith.

Key #1 - Be Ourselves

In other words, we must become who God created us to be.

We should never try to be someone we’re not. God created us with a purpose. When we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we’re affirming that God has a plan and purpose for this world, and we have the privilege of being part of it. 

As you know, I often highlight key thoughts during some of my messages, and I’d like to do the same with these three keys. The first key thought is about being ourselves.

“There’s no one else who can do what God has called each of us to do, or to be who God has called us to be.” 

Moses had to face this issue right from the start. He experienced what we might call an identity crisis. When he was born, the Egyptians were executing male Jewish babies. So, his mother placed him in a basket and set him afloat on the Nile River; in other words, she put him in the hands of God, where soon Pharaoh’s daughter found him and raised him as her own son. 

Moses was born Jewish but raised Egyptian. So, he had to decide who he truly was. This was a crucial choice because it shaped who he would become. If he said, “I’m an Egyptian,” he would enjoy a life of ease, fame, and wealth as part of the royal family. 

If, however, he said he was Jewish, he would be humiliated, kicked out of the palace, and sent to live with his own people as a slave. But even though Moses saw how badly the Jews were treated, he made the decision and chose who God created Him to be.

The writer of Hebrews said, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.” (Hebrews 11:24 NKJV)

The word “refused” literally means to reject, deny, and disown. Moses cut himself off from a promising career in Egypt because he refused to live a lie. Instead, he wanted to do what God had created him to do and to be who God created him to be.

There is something freeing about being ourselves and embracing who God created us to be. If I may say so, the quickest way to develop an ulcer is by trying to be someone we’re not. Therefore, to live a faith-filled and effective life, we need to be true to ourselves. 

But you might be wondering, “What has God created me to be?” As a Christian, God created us all with a purpose and a plan.

The Apostle Paul said, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV)

And the greatest work any of us could do is to be missionary, that is, to be ministers of the gospel message—the good news of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are called to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, how can we love others as God calls us to? It’s by telling them about God’s love—how Jesus Christ came to this earth to die for our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him in heaven.