(Hebrews 11:24-27 NLT) It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to look at the life of Moses. I could continue to teach on the life of Moses for the next few months, but I believe most of you know what happens next and I have made my point. Moses was no superhero, but He was used of God by grace. However, it is interesting that a few of you have commented to me about the fact that the Moses I have described thus far in this series does not match your recollection of Moses. Why? Because many remember Moses from Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 motion picture entitled, “The Ten Commandments.” DeMille’s epic film dramatized the Biblical story of the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt. Even though I was born in 1972, I have vivid memories of film and I agree that Demille’s portrayal of Moses seems nothing like the man we have been learning about in this series.
In the film Moses (played by Charlton Heston), is portrayed as a strong, courageous, champion of a man, who confronts Pharaoh Rameses II (played by Yul Brynner), with zeal and conviction. No one who has seen the film will forget the magical moment when Moses is standing before the Red Sea as it opens up like a part in a woman’s hair. The Moses we see at that moment seems far from the man at the burning bush. Part of the reason why our memory of Moses seems disconnected from the questioning, babbling, fearful, and insecure murderer we have been learning about in this series, is because of the way the Father chose to portray Moses in the New Testament.
If you read the passage I provide for you this morning you quickly notice that the Holy Spirit, through the writer of Hebrews, put a very positive slant on Moses’ life. The same can be said of Abraham. We all know of the many mistakes he made, but if you read Romans 4 or Hebrews 11 Abraham is made to seem like a faith giant. Nothing is mentioned of his mistakes. Why? I believe it is simply because God is a Dad. Not only is He God, the Creator of all things, but He is also our loving, caring, and sharing heavenly Father. Think about it. If you have teenagers, or if your children have already been through their teenage years, you know how often kids can make mistakes. However, when asked how their kids are doing, parents don’t lead off into a rant of all their children’s blunders. No, parents always ‘talk their children up’ and speak of all the good things they have done; even putting a positive spin on the not-so-good things.
So what does this mean to you today? A couple of things:
1. You don’t have to be perfect to be used of God. That should be clear by now. God uses humans by His grace.
2. When the Holy Spirit leads others to talk about your story, you can rest assured that He will always portray you in the best positive light. As a loving Father, God loves to brag on you.
I will close with the words of Jude. Closing out his letter, Jude wrote, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before his glorious presence great joy.” Notice, you are not faultless, but the Lord is able to present you faultless. Jesus was faultless and you clearly are not, but when God looks at you, He sees Jesus, because Jesus’ righteousness has been put on you. You are presented faultless, not because of what you do or fail to do, but because of what Jesus did. And that, my friend, is grace. Not just any grace. It is the grace of God, and yes, it is amazing!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for being so gracious to me. I don’t deserve what You freely give me. I am nowhere near faultless, but Jesus was faultless and His righteousness has been imputed to my by faith. Jesus willingly put my sin on Him, so that His righteousness can be put on me. I am now righteous, not because of what I do, or fail to do, but only because of what Jesus did. When You look down on me You see that I am covered by the Blood of Your dear Son and You choose to present me in the best possible light. When telling others about me, as a loving Father, You willingly ‘talk me up’ and highlight the good I have done, while conveniently choosing to leave out the bad. Thank You Father for being such an Awesome God and loving Father. I enter this day knowing that I have Your love, Your grace, and Your favor. This reality gives me a confidence that cannot be shaken. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
