The Maturity of Faith
Hebrews 11:23-29
October 7, 2001

 

Faith is an active word. It does have foundation in a construct of belief that regards certain things as true. Faith looks at the revelation of God and believes. Faith trusts in whom God is and in what He has done on behalf of all who believe.

 

But faith also does something. It cannot remain idle as though faith is a passive belief in God. It demands decisive action based upon the revelation of God in Christ. When a man embraces faith his whole life is affected. J. C. Ryle wrote, "A faith that does not influence a man's practice is not worthy of the name" [Holiness, 143]. And he adds, "A man will go just so far as he believes" [144].

 

That is the point of our study in Hebrews 11: Faith always gives way to action. No better example can be offered than the one of Moses, the lawgiver, who was a man of faith. Each of the five statements related to Moses' faith remind us that his faith led to action. There was no conflict between his belief and behavior, for what he did was rooted in what he believed. 

 

I would submit to you that this is what happens as faith matures. It grows in belief, satisfying the believer in the rich truths concerning the Triune God and one's relationship through Christ. And this belief will inevitably permeate the believer's behavior so that he learns what it means to walk by faith. 

 

What does a maturing faith do? Consider the example we find in the life of Moses of a maturing faith.

I. Faith acts 

 

There are those appropriate times that a Christian simply rests in his faith in Christ. He glories in Christ, worships, and finds peace in the midst of trying times because his faith is centered upon Jesus Christ and his redemptive work. But even that kind of faith is active. For worship is never passive since one's whole being engages in adoration, awe, and contemplation of the living Lord in worship. Peace brings the believer to a consciousness that he is justified before God through faith in Christ. But even that kind of peace enables the believer to carry on in the midst of life's demands. Peace leads to worship, witness, and service. 

 

Too often we mistake passivity as trusting the Lord whereas it may instead be presumption or even laziness. For instance, we may say that we trust the Lord to bring spiritual awakening to our area. Faith takes action upon that sense of trust by praying, exhorting, distributing literature on spiritual awakening, calling for Christians to repent and seek the Lord. The person who does nothing toward what he claims to believe the Lord to do has no claim on being more pious than the one who believes and acts.

 

The story of Moses' parents gives clear illustration to this. "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's
edict."

 

1. Takes action

 

The children of Israel had multiplied in Egypt, so much so that the king of Egypt feared that they might overthrow his government. So he enslaved them, appointing taskmasters over them to ensure that they continued working aggressively on Pharaoh's building campaign. Even with the affliction heaped on them they multiplied. So Pharaoh instructed the Hebrew midwives to put the sons to death at birth; but fearing God, they refused Pharaoh's command. In maniacal fashion to rid his land of potential threat, Pharaoh declared to all
of his people to cast their newborn sons into the Nile River.

 

Moses' parents refused to follow the tyrannical command of Pharaoh and took action to keep their newborn son alive. "They saw that he was a beautiful child," a phrase that goes beyond simple outward appearance. With few exceptions, parents always think their children are beautiful. This phrase indicates that they saw something striking about little Moses. Some of the ancient Jewish commentators suggest that Amram, his father, had a vision that predicted a divine purpose for the boy. John Calvin pointed out that mere physical beauty could not be the real issue at hand for God judges not by outward appearance. Calvin remarked, "The parents of Moses were not induced by his beauty to be touched with pity and save him as men are commonly affected, but there was some sort of mark of excellence to come, engraved on the boy which gave promise of something out of the ordinary for him" [quoted by Kent Hughes, An Anchor for the Soul, vol. II 117]. 

 

Having a sense of God's hand upon the boy, "when he was born, [Moses] was hidden for three months by his parents." As you read the story of Moses' birth in Exodus 2, there is no evidence that his parents brazenly walked in the open with the baby, claiming that since they were trusting God to take care of him then there was no need to hide the boy. Instead, they took every precaution to hide the fact of his birth, doing all they could to muffle his cries in the night. They engaged in stealth for three months before coming up with the plan to hide him in a wicker basket among the reeds along the Nile. 

 

What does the biblical writer call this action? Faith. Faith does not presume upon God but takes appropriate action, trusting the Lord to bring forth his purposes and all the while continuing in wise action. Moses' parents believed God while taking action, and the biblical writer calls this faith. Are there areas in your own exercise of faith that you have taken a passive posture when perhaps, in light of this passage, you need to pursue a right course of action? There is no contradiction between trusting the Lord and taking appropriate, wise, well thought out action. 

 

2. Defies fear 

 

I think this is seen even more so by the fact that by faith "they were not afraid of the king's edict." Fear paralyzes activity. That was not the case in Moses' parents. They faced two fears: the fear of killing their own son and saving their own necks, which would mean standing before a Holy God with the blood of their innocent son on their hands. The second was the fear of saving their son and thereby risking their own necks, thus facing the king's wrath but demonstrating unselfish love. Their faith in the Lord would not allow them to do what was morally wrong, not to mention their love for their son. So they were willing to risk everything to do what was right before God. Their action was spurred by faith, a confidence in the Lord that is willing to be courageous and risk everything to honor the Lord through one's actions. As they exercised faith they had no guarantee that the king would not discover their actions and punish all of them. But faith, while pursing wise action, trusts in the sovereign pleasure of God.

 

Here is what we must see. Wise action does not cancel out God-dependent faith; instead it gives evidence that one truly believes the Lord. We have faith that the Lord will protect us in our homes at night but this does not mean we contradict faith by locking our doors when we go to bed. Suppose you were called by the Lord to step out in faith and serve as a missionary in a Muslim nation. You are not going to announce that you are a missionary; instead you will be doing something else in that nation so that you can carry on a gospel witness. Your hiding your missionary status is not a lack of faith but a wise action so that you might fulfill your ministry by faith. It would be presumptuous to cast care to the wind under the guise of faith, and announce to the locals that you are a Christian missionary living among them for the purpose of evangelizing Muslims! A biblical faith takes wise action in dependence upon the Lord, defying fear and courageously honoring the Lord. 

 

II. Faith decides

 

The decisiveness of faith can be seen by Moses' decision to identify with the people of God at the cost of no longer being called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He illustrates for us that real faith requires decisive living. Far too many claim to have faith in the Lord but they lack decisiveness when dealing with sin or matters of obedience. Moses' decisiveness in faith can be seen in a three-fold fashion in vv. 24-26. 

 

1. By refusing 

 

Faith draws the line. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter." For forty-years, Moses lived in the court of Pharaoh, having all of the worldly privileges possible in that era. Historians point out that every imaginable desire was lavished upon the royal family. Moses had the finest education available. He dressed in the best clothing. He ate the finest foods. And if some of the Jewish scholars are correct, he stood in line to inherit the throne of Pharaoh and be king of all the Egyptian empire. At very minimum he would have been in the upper realm of governance and held powerful sway over the empire. Would you give up something like that to cast your lot with a group of impoverished slaves? That is exactly what Moses did. 

 

At this point in Moses' life he understood something of why God had spared him through the faith of his parents. He knew that he was to be a deliverer for the people of God. Though his early attempt at deliverance met with opposition, the die was cast-Moses would no longer be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. All of the temptations of Egypt for power, wealth, prestige, and popularity stood before him. And to all of those Moses exercised faith in the Lord and refused to give in. "To a mind blinded by carnality, the choice of Moses will appear fanatical and foolish; but it was not so," wrote Andrew Fuller. "Faith and right reason are not at variance" [The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller, vol. I, 427]. 

 

Faith still does the same, acting decisively by refusing to give into temptation and sin so that as a believer one might walk faithfully before the Lord. For Moses it meant refusing a crown. For you it might mean refusing a promotion that would require you to compromise your convictions, or refusing a social engagement that would lead you into sin, or refusing to give your energies and finances to things that dishonor Christ even though it means you will be ostracized by others. Faith refuses those even thrones for the sake of living like a Christian. 

 

2. By choosing 

 

The decisiveness of faith is also evident by choosing, as we find Moses "choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin." The use of "the people of God" rather than "the children of Israel" indicates that Moses' concern was chiefly spiritual not political or racial. He chose to cast his lot and life with this much-maligned group of slaves that had no homeland, no political clout, and no financial power. Moses was skilled in administration while they were in complete disarray, with no sense of governmental organization. Moses had a home and an incomparable future with Pharaoh while they were beaten down and despairing. Yet he chose to "endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin." It would have been sin for Moses to remain with the idolatrous Egyptian throne, so by faith he chose to turn away from all the world offered him and face the deprivations of his people. He understood that all the things Egypt offered was temporal, "the passing pleasures of sin," and that to "enjoy" them temporally would be to miss God for eternity. 

 

We must not by-pass what our text is telling us: Moses chose "to endure ill-treatment with the people of God." Do we call him a fool for leaving the riches and luxuries of Pharaoh's house for mistreatment, suffering, and oppression? Moses made the choice before Pharaoh ever wanted his head. And it was a radical choice! But that is what faith leads us to do: to radically follow after Jesus Christ even at the cost of suffering for the sake of his name. 

 

Some among us are not Christians for this very reason, you are afraid of the costliness of being a Christian. You do not want anyone to think ill of you or to oppress you or to exclude you or whisper about you. You are more concerned for your comforts than you are your eternal soul. You are more inclined to receive the applause of men than the honor and glory of God. You cannot know Christ and follow after him while trying to curry the favor of the world. Faith calls for decisive choosing: you choose to believe in Jesus Christ; you choose to follow as his disciple; you choose to face the lot of the people of God living in a world that is hostile to God. Would you be a Christian? Then decisively choose Jesus Christ and the radical life that follows. 

 

3. By considering

 

A decisive faith considers those things that cannot be seen with the naked eye, things that are eternal. Such considerations lead to wise, God-honoring faith decisions. Moses was "considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward." Ancient Egypt was known for its treasures. There's even an exhibit in our city (in the Pyramid!) displaying some of the carvings, artwork, and  gold that was so common during Moses' day. The British Museum contains room after room filled with treasures from that same era. But Moses saw something more valuable: "the reproach of Christ." 

 

He did not have the revelation that we enjoy in the New Testament nor did he have the Messianic Psalms or the Prophets, but Moses looked for Christ. It was through the nation of Israel that the "seed" was promised that would bless the world. Thes seed of Abraham is Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah (Gal 3:15-18). He who would be rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, Moses chose to follow. Our writer tells us, "For he was looking to the reward." The phrase describes one who looks intensely as though gazing upon up an image to be painted or sculpted, seeing every detail to be reproduced on canvas or in stone. Moses looked at the eternal reward that comes through faith in the Messiah. He considered the costliness of following the Messiah in light of eternity and gladly chose to follow Christ.

 

There is a very practical issue set before us in this verse. We are either giving ourselves to the temporal pleasures the world offers or choosing to follow Jesus Christ whose reward follows into eternity. What is your choice? One may offer some brief satisfaction of sinful desires but ends  with no reward but eternal condemnation. The other may dish up suffering and opposition in the temporal but "an eternal weight of glory" that far outstrips any hardship in suffering. Faith decides by refusing the enticing pleasures of the world, choosing to identify with Christ and the people of God through the ages, and considering  the eternal reward rather than temporal riches. Are you a person of real, decisive faith? 

 

III. Faith endures 

 

But how does one hold out as a Christian in the midst of great difficulty and opposition? Some of you struggle with this very thing. Our text helps us to see that the same faith that brings you into relationship to Jesus Christ is the same faith that enables you to endure to the end. Keep in mind, as we have seen throughout Hebrews, that our writer is helping these struggling saints understand the need and power of endurance. So here was Moses who had the world by the tail, and who gladly gave all of it up for the sake of Christ. How did he endure? 

 

1. By seeing the unseen 

 

Moses saw what Pharaoh could not see nor could all the wise men of Egypt. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." We read in Exodus 2:14 that Moses was afraid and fled Egypt. Yet our text says that he did not fear the wrath of the king. Philip Hughes explains, "It was not personal fear of Pharaoh but the awareness of his destiny as the deliverer of the covenant people that caused him to take flight. Had he remained, at that juncture, this destiny would have been thwarted, humanly speaking, by his execution; and so, impelled by faith in the divine purpose for his life, Moses took refuge in Midian" [The Epistle to the Hebrews, 499]. A fearful man would not have courageously begun to single-handedly attempt to deliver God's people nor would he have returned to Egypt to demand the people's release from Pharaoh. It was not Pharaoh but the whole divine purpose that gave rise to Moses' departure and refuge in Midian. 

 

For forty years he remained in the desert lands of Midian before returning to face down Pharaoh by faith in the Lord. How did he endure for such a long time awaiting the unfolding of the divine plan and timing? "He endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." Moses saw the Lord, even as all who believe are to see Him with the eyes of faith. "Faith's eye saw what the physical eye is incapable of seeing" [K. Hughes 120]. We must not forget the supernatural realities of Christianity, and that our God is real and has made himself known to us by faith. Through the Word of God, through worship, through times of prayer and meditation upon the Lord, God makes himself known to us so that we see the unseen. That is how we endure. And this is the reason our writer tells us that in the race of endurance we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, to see Him, to see his endurance of the cross and his despising the shame, and how he is now exalted at the right hand of God (12:1-2). By faith, you endure through seeing the unseen. Do you see the unseen? 

 

2. By trusting the substitute 

 

The Old Testament ceremonies and rituals, as our writer has clearly shown, were shadows of which Christ is the substance. This is particularly true when thinking of the Passover. "By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them." After nine plagues that had brought Egypt low, God told Moses to have the people celebrate the Passover with a special lamb and prescribed ritual. The lamb was to be slain and then a branch of hyssop was to be dipped into its blood and then sprinkled on the doorpost and lintels of the Israelites home. The lamb would become a substitute for the people so that the Angel of Death might pass over them and not destroy their firstborn children. When the Angel of Death saw the blood he would by-pass that home and spare them destruction. 

 

But one might think that he could argue his way out of this foretold destruction. Or perhaps he might offer his own works of righteousness as being sufficient to withhold the hand of the death angel. Not even Moses attempted that. He needed a substitute just like everyone else. So as an act of faith, he obeyed precisely what God had instructed him to do regarding the Passover, and the Angel of Death passed him by. 

 

Jesus Christ is that Lamb that has become our substitute to bear all the wrath of God in eternal death for us. We stand under the curse of eternal destruction because of our sin. The day is coming when the "Angel of Death" will pass over us, and only those for whom the blood of the Substitute has been sprinkled will be delivered. 

 

That is critical to endurance. Just as Moses did not look to his performance before God to endure the time of destruction but looked to the  blood of the substitute, even so we are to look to Jesus Christ-our Substitute. Keep looking to the Substitute and find fresh courage to endure whatever the world throws your way. 

 

3. By pressing forward 

 

Though the plural "they" is used in verse 29, it was Moses who led the nation through the Red Sea to deliverance. With the angry Egyptians behind them and the Red Sea in front of them, the Israelites were trapped. How would they endure such dire circumstances? "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned." What worked for Moses and the children of Israel did not work for the Egyptians; and one reason is stated: faith. Actually, Israel was low on faith, complaining bitterly about their situation. But Moses rallied them by declaring, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever" (Ex 14:13). Moses raised the staff over the sea and God moved the waters back so that they could cross on dry ground. Moses' faith helped to sustain the whole nation, rallying them to press forward in obedience to the Lord. 

 

An enduring faith presses forward. It faces obstacles but looks to the might, promises, and declarations of our God to continue on. What barrier are you up against in your own pilgrimage? By faith, press forward. Trust in the  Lord to grant grace, and move forward.

 

Conclusion 

 

Faith matures, but just as with Moses, faith does not mature in a vacuum or in passivity, but in the midst of action as you seek to follow after Christ. 

 

The lessons of our text are quite simple, and serve to remind us that faith acts, faith decides, and faith  endures. That is a maturing faith.

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