Biblical Faith Trusts in the Sovereign Hand of God
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Biblical Faith Trusts in the Sovereign Hand of God
Hebrews 11:23
September 7, 2008
Series 3 Sermon 54
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
Introduction
The king has issued an edict. Kill all the male children. Throw the helpless newborns into the
This is the morality of the world. From stem cell research to the rights of the not yet born we live in a nation where the end always justifies the means. If the outcome can be good as in finding a cure for cancer or heart disease or diabetes then who cares if a few thousand or even a few million fetuses are destroyed in the process. If a young man or woman’s future is at stake what is the harm of visiting an abortionist in order to take care of “the problem”? The morality of the world is not the morality that God’s people must have and for those so called evangelicals who think life is a side issue they need to repent of their worldly mindedness and pray for forgiveness.
The curse of God is on our nation for its lack of concern for the life of the most vulnerable. We live ourselves in a day not unlike the days when the Israelites lived under Egyptian bondage. What is right and good was viewed as damaging, harmful, and destructive. Children, the gift of God, were thought very little of and baby boys were expendable. As long as the outcome of what we are trying for turns out well then we can get there by any means necessary even if it means the death of many, many infants.
Right is wrong and wrong is right. The world is morally turned upside down. Sin is celebrated and righteousness has all kinds of false accusations thrown against it.
How dare you stand up for the unborn? What about the rights of the parents? How dare you protect the most vulnerable among us when the world knows only the strong are worth anything. The handicapped or the mentally deficient or just those who were conceived at the wrong time make our lives more difficult and certainly people can not change their lifestyle or sacrifice by doing the right thing. Self sacrifice everywhere other than in a sport in our society is thought very little of. This is what the world and the false Christian believes. This is what is being forced down our throats from the media. This is what the church is swallowing hook line and sinker.
Context
We live in a world that is upside down. We live in a world where there is not much true biblical saving faith exemplified. Even in the church today biblical saving faith is rare. Which is why I am personally very thankful for Hebrews 11. So far in this chapter we have made our way to verse 23. Along the way we have seen what Biblical saving faith looks like, acts like, and is like. So what have we learned about biblical faith? This is very important because there is so much false faith in our day.
It is of the utmost importance, it is imperative that we see and understand what true saving faith is and to see if this true and saving faith abides in us. Hebrews 11:3 showed us that biblical faith is a faith that trusts in God’s revelation. We were showed that saving faith believes what the Bible says about creation and if we deny those things then we do not have real faith. Verse 4 showed us that real, biblical faith is more concerned with what God desires in worship than what we desire. We saw how Cain was rejected and Abel was accepted because of Cain’s disobedience and Abel’s obedience. In verse 5 we saw in the example of Enoch that real saving faith is a God pleasing faith. Verse 7, in the example of Noah, showed us that saving faith is an obedient faith even when we may not have all the information. That quality was exemplified in the life of Abraham as well in verses 8 through 12 as we saw that biblical faith is not only obedient but also looks forward to what God has in store for His people. We saw that we should not let our roots go down too deep here because our home is in Heaven. We saw in verses 17-19 that saving faith is a tested faith and that we are called to lives marked by sacrifice. And the last time we were in Hebrews 11 which seems like a year ago but was only three weeks ago we saw in verses 20 through 22 that saving faith is a multigenerational faith.
This morning our text could have a number of directions. The first direction could be that saving faith is concerned with life. And I believe that is true. But what I want to do this morning is show you the big picture of verse 23 and then flesh out some true life application that will drive this very important theological truth home.
PNP
From our text this morning, Hebrews 11:23, I want you to see that biblical saving faith clings to the truth of the sovereignty of God. In our verse this morning that clinging is fleshed out in two ways.
1. Clinging to the truth of the sovereignty of God will cause you to cut across the grain of what society tells you for the truth of what God tells you.
2. Clinging to the truth of the sovereignty of God will cause you to correctly defy ungodly leadership.
So what about this sovereignty of God? Is He truly sovereign over everything? Listen to Psalm 24:1-2 says this:
1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers.
God is the Creator and Sustainer of the world and therefore is the ruler of this world and the universe which He has created.
There are those who would not agree with that statement. They have a god who is not in control and can do nothing about any situation. Their god is helpless and harmless and has left many things in control of humanity. Therefore all decisions are up to humanity and evil and good exist because of choice. In this theology this god has left the building and has decided to wind the earth up like an old alarm clock and let it run until it runs down. This is modern day deism in effect where this god stands back and does not intervene in the affairs of man.
But this is not the God of Scripture but rather an image that amounts to further idolatry. Scripture presents the God of Heaven as the One in full control. Listen to Proverbs 21:1.
1 The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD;
He turns it wherever He wishes.
The king, the sovereign over a kingdom, has his heart moved in the direction that the real King of kings and Lord of lords decides that heart is going to go. Which is why we are commanded to pray for our leaders and those in authority over us.
Listen to Exodus 9:13-16. Keep in mind that Pharaoh is the most powerful man on earth at this time.
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 "For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 "For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. 16 "But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain , in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.
God is in ultimate control of all things. Even the evil people are used by God for His ultimate purpose. Is that helpful to you to know that our God is ultimately in control of all things and there is absolutely nothing that happens that is outside His sovereign control? Whether it is sickness or injury or some other kind of discomfort that comes our way, those who are anchored to the solid rock of God’s overarching sovereignty will not be moved away from the truth.
Listen, you can hold on to all kinds of things in difficult times. You can hold on to all kind of things that are not really helpful. But to hold on to God’s sovereignty in the most difficult time is the only way you will get through without failing spiritually.
Romans 8:28 is often quoted to those who are experiencing great difficulty and we can see that this is the case for the family of Moses. All things do work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
God had a calling and a purpose on the lives of Amram, Jochabed, and Moses as well as the rest of the family. But that calling would be lived out in the midst of great difficulty.
Think back on how the children of
Through the interpretation of a dream he is thrust into the spotlight and given the opportunity to go from prisoner to second in command of all of
Do you know God that way? Do you understand that when the Lord takes you through the fire or into the deep water of affliction and difficulty that He is teaching you that He is sovereign over all things? Can you walk through the most difficult days of your life thus far calling out to God and trusting Him as He guides you through that time?
Or have you been so mislead by the false theology of our modern day that tells you that only when everything is going well and you have a healthy body with plenty of money that God is blessing you. But when it stops and your job goes away and your health leaves and the ravages of time take its toll on your body do you wonder, “Has God forsaken me?” Or is your faith so real and grounded on the bedrock of Christ and His Gospel that you can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil for Thou art with me? Can you look in the face of oppressive pervasive evil and say, “Oh that the Lord slay me, yet will I serve Him”?
Purpose
This is my purpose for preaching this morning. Here we separate the real believer from the false believer. I want to show you what real faith acts like when God’s sovereignty is truly believed and the theology is lived out in the midst of the most difficult times.
What do we know about this church that is receiving this letter that we have been studying called the Epistle to the Hebrews? They were an oppressed and persecuted people that needed desperately to hold on to God and trust in His sovereign will. And so do we.
RPNP
So look with me at the two ways this clinging to the truth of the sovereignty of God is fleshed out.
1. Clinging to the truth of the sovereignty of God will cause you to cut across the grain of what society tells you for the truth of what God tells you.
Look with me at verse 23.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
There was a pharaoh who knew Joseph and through Joseph knew his God. But Exodus begins by telling us that there arose another Pharaoh that arose that did not know Joseph and therefore did not know the God of Joseph. What this man saw in the Israelites that had lived among them for so long was a threat. They were becoming more and more numerous. So in fear of losing his kingdom and position he told the midwives that assisted with the birth of the Hebrew babies to kill all the male children. Exodus 1:17 says, But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of
Because of this obedience to God of at least two women, Shiphrah and Puah, God blessed them with households as well even in the midst of defying the order of the Pharaoh for the Law of God. So Pharaoh sees his plan is not working and orders the
I am sure it must have been a horrid sight. There were countless infant sons thrown into the river only to be the food of the crocodiles. In obedience to the wicked and evil order of a wicked and ungodly man many would have lost their sons.
So what does the godly do? What can one under orders of a Pharaoh who also knows the Law of God do? To defy the orders of the Pharaoh was certain death. Amram and Jochobed had some tough decisions to make. So what did they do? Look again at verse 23.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful,
First they saw their child for what he was. A beautiful gift of God. So instead of throwing this gift into the river they put their whole family in jeopardy by hiding the boy for three months. One neighbor who threw their baby in the
They knew that their lives were in great danger. But who did they serve? Who did they know and understand the character of? They knew almighty God. And by faith in Him and understanding His overarching sovereignty in this situation and all situations they quietly trusted in the Lord to protect them.
The Bible is filled with those kind of people that exemplified faith in the evil days. Think about Noah and building an ark in the midst of a world of great evil and debauchery. And yet he endured trusting in God who would sovereignly protect him. Abraham traveled to a land that he did not know and lived among a people that could have killed him for being foreign and he trusted in God.
Trusting in the sovereign hand of God is a mark of all God’s people. The real Christian understands and believes that God is ultimately in control of all things and rests in that truth.
The greatest exemplification of this for us is in the life of the Lord Jesus. There was no question in His mind that He was put on this earth to be the propitiation for the sins of His people. He knew the day would come when He would go to the cross to suffer and die. He also knew that before that day not one weapon formed against Him would prosper. How many times did the Jews take up stones to kill Him and they were unable to do so? How many times did the Jewish leaders plot and plan to kill the Lord Jesus and He continued on His mission of proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to all who would hear? What Christ understood and exemplified is the same kind of trust and belief that we as believers must exemplify and that is faithfulness unto death regardless of the consequences knowing that God has not only numbered the hairs of our head but the very breaths we will take and the number of times our hearts will beat.
So how was this cutting against the grain of what society said was right for what the Law of God said fleshed out in the lives of Moses parents? What did they do to obey God rather than the wicked orders of a wicked king?
The Bible does not say this but if you will allow me to use my imagination for a moment I think I know what went on. Hebrews 11:23 says that Moses parents saw that he was a beautiful child. I am sure every Hebrew parent may have had this same idea. God had already promised the people a land. This was the land given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But a deliverer surely would arrive and maybe this baby boy would be the one God would use to bring the people to the land. But Pharaoh said to kill the boys. But God said not to shed innocent blood. The prayer that Amram prayed over this yet unnamed Hebrew boy must have gone something like this.
“Lord God, sovereign over the universe. You have graciously blessed us with this son. We now place him and his well being into your sovereign hands as we place him in this basket. Do to him and to us as You please.”
This is where we must get to in our level of trust in God and I know it’s hard and difficult. If God is sovereign that means we are not. Everything is under His control and authority. We are at His mercy and our lives are for His pleasure and whether we live for 100 years of relative peace and prosperity or we live 25 years of hardship and toil and suffering it is entirely up to Him and we are called by Him to walk before Him and be blameless.
You see when things are going well, it’s easy to trust in God. When you are making enough money and you are healthy and the kids are doing well those are easy times. But when it changes that is more difficult. It’s harder to cut against the grain than you think.
What do you hold on to when society makes such a rapid and drastic change that it becomes illegal to have more children, or home educate them, or worship publicly, or evangelize? What happens when those in control of society are so corrupt and evil that evil becomes good and good becomes evil?
I want you to listen to the prayer of the early disciples when Peter and John were arrested for proclaiming the Gospel in
23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord , it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, 25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,
'WHY DID THE GENTILES Rage, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? 26 'THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST .' 27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. 29 "And now , Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
So we have our understanding right at this point. We cut against the grain of societal commands by shunning them for the higher law of God’s standard because we understand the sovereignty of God. Even the hard stuff is in His sovereign hand and we are called to obey God rather than man.
So how do we do that knowing that our lives and families and well beings are put in jeopardy by this?
This is where we must understand our second point. I want you to see that:
2. Clinging to the truth of the sovereignty of God will cause you to correctly defy ungodly leadership.
Look again at verse 23.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
You correctly defy ungodly leadership when you understand that God is the sovereign One and the earthly leader is only there because God has ordained him or her to be in that position.
Look at the end of verse 23.
and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
Amram and Jochabed had it right. We are to fear God not man. As believers we are by obligation to our Lord commanded to obey the laws of the land. That is why it is a sin for a Christian to speed or run a stop sign or steal or any other law. We are to obey the laws of the land that we are in and pray that God graciously gives us righteous laws.
But what about when the laws become unrighteous? Then we are to obey God rather than man. The midwives in
The early disciples had their marching orders from the Lord and were told to proclaim the Gospel to a lost and dying world and the rulers made it illegal. What did they do? They obeyed God rather than man.
How did they do this? Just like a long line of faithful people in Scripture they did not fear man but feared God instead.
You see, people who understand that God is sovereign over every situation and know that He has never spent one second in eternity wringing His hands over what is happening on earth know that within that sovereignty God is in ultimate control over everything and every person. And if he allows the wicked to prosper for a little while He is well within His authority as the owner of the world and the universe to do so.
And not only believing in the sovereignty of God but also being satisfied in His sovereignty. This is where we need to arrive at in our spiritual journey. Job said in Job 13:15, “Though He slay me yet will I hope in Him.”
Let me try to put flesh on this. It does not matter if Pharaoh finds you out and kills you and your whole family, God is still sovereign. It does not matter if the hurricane or tornado destroys your home and you lose everything you have, God is still sovereign. It does not matter if God calls you to sacrifice your only son on the alter and lets you go through with it, God is still sovereign. It does not matter if your body deteriorates and some disease takes your life early, God is still sovereign.
And this is our hope. Like Job, we must know God and His character so well that even when we have no idea what is going on our proclamation is this, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.”
Listen to Proverbs 14:26-27.
26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge. 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.
The fear of the Lord is strong confidence. It is a fountain of life.
Do you have that kind of fear of the Lord? Is that the kind of faith that you have that is exemplified in Scripture?
You see the original readers of this letter that we have been studying had to keep on fighting the good fight in what seemed like overwhelming odds. They must have thought at least a few times, “If I keep on being a Christian I am probably going to be executed by some crazed mob.” And I am sure some of them were. But who will you fear? The mob or the Lord? In the fear of a mob there is no strong confidence or fountain of life. But in the fear of the Lord there is.
You see those who trust in God and know that He is sovereign over every single detail including how many stones it will take to kill Stephen know that God’s plan is far better than their plan and whatever God has decided will happen to them is ultimately for His glory and their good.
There have been countless Christians who understood this. Are you part of this group? Could you walk into the throne room of the most powerful man on earth who believed himself to be a god and plead for your people as Esther did? Could you take up five smooth stones and confront a Philistine giant as David did? Could you walk right into a fiery furnace like the three Hebrew young men did because they refused to bow down to an idol? Could you go willingly into the lion’s den for praying as Daniel did? Would you live through the stress of not knowing if you will die today for preaching the Gospel and do it publicly anyway as the disciples did?
Would you stand before those who want to kill you for what you have written against false Christianity and refuse to deny what you have written is true knowing that probably the next sentence you here will be your sentence of death as Martin Luther did?
Can you go to your death saying that you have fought the good fight and you have finished the course and that you have kept the faith as the Apostle Paul did?
Can you go to
You see this is real faith. Real faith isn’t believing for a new car or a new job or some other temporal thing and then making it happen. Real faith is when it is all on the line and you must trust God and not man or even yourself. Real faith is understanding that God is ultimately sovereign over all even the number of beats your heart will have.
What do we need to understand to get to this place? Listen to what Martin Luther believed as he penned the great hymn of the faith.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
David understood it this way. “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. For though art with me.”
Shadrach, Meschach, and Abed-nego responded this way. This is Daniel 3:17-18.
17 "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
Is that the kind of faith you have? When you have this type of faith you can face all kinds of situations and circumstances knowing that in all things God is glorified and we are being shaped into the image of Christ.
Just a few weeks ago we saw in the life of Abraham the true secret to all of this. Its in Hebrews 11:13-16. Look at it with me as I close.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Those with real faith, who fear God and not man, are not seeking a kingdom here but are seeking a kingdom above. Which Kingdom do you have in your heart? The world or the
Let’s pray.
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