June 17, 2018

Faith and Suffering the Reproach of Christ (Hebrews 11:23-26)

Pastor: Ben Muresan Series: Hebrews: Christ Is Superior Topic: Hebrews Scripture: Hebrews 11:23–26

First Scripture Reading: Exodus 1:1-22

Second Scripture Reading: Exodus 2:1-25

Sermon Text: Hebrews 11:23-26

The author of Hebrews, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, presents Moses as an example of faithfulness in chapter 3, verses 1-6. Moses was “faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later” (v. 5). God called Moses to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, and Moses obeyed by faith. While Moses was an important figure in redemptive history, he was merely a type of Christ, who would come in the fullness of time to lead his people out of slavery to sin and to an eternal inheritance.

There is a remarkable statement in Hebrews 11:26 which says Moses “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.” What we learn from this verse is that Moses’ faith was in Jesus, and Moses chose to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Richard Phillips writes:

Acknowledging Christ is always costly; it means not just Yes to him, but also Yes to the affliction of his people, and Yes to his disgrace before the world. And it brings a No as well, for Jesus also said: "Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:38-39). Both the Yes and the No of faith in Christ will be richly rewarded, for in Christ there is greater wealth than all the treasures in this Egyptian world.

other sermons in this series