Friday, February 3, 2012

By Faith... Moses, Part 24 of 54

TEXT: “Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother’s children; because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Psalm 69:6-9).

Idea: Christ identifies with His people when they suffer.

Purpose: To help listeners realize that any burden they bear for Christ, He bears as well.

Do you ever wonder how New Testament writers read the Old Testament?

They saw things that we might never see.

Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.” Then the next clause gives us the basis for his choice: “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:25-26 NIV).

I. What do you think it means when it says, “he regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ”?

What do you think Moses knew about Christ?

The people of God have always been Christ’s people because Christ is God. Christ appeared on earth 2,000 years ago, but He was always part of God in eternity past. Therefore the writer of the letter to the Hebrews is making the association that, whether he fully realized it or not, Moses suffered for the sake of Christ because it was for God’s sake.

II. Whenever anyone suffers for God’s sake, they suffer for God.

“Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers and an alien to my mother’s children; because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Psalm 69:6-9).