Discover The Word

Thursday, April 5, 2007, Part 2

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:23-26).

IDEA: Although faith may be nurtured in a family, individuals must make that faith real in the decisions they make.

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that whether or not they grew up in a Christian family, they are responsible for making their own choices about serving God.

Do you think Christians make too much or too little of the family today?

I. Your family is important, but it is not determinative.

Are you concerned that many young people today grow up in dysfunctional families? Why?

Would you agree that some people are more sinned against than sinning? Is that possible?

Can the disadvantage of growing up in a bad family be overcome?

Moses had the advantage of having believing parents (Hebrews 11:23), but he didn’t grow up in an atmosphere of faith. He was reared by the daughter of a Pharaoh with the presuppositions of Egyptian culture.

What do you think his growing up was like? Did it instill the values of faith?

II. Although we are influenced by our backgrounds, we are still shaped by our own choices.

Moses made a critical choice when he was 40 years old (Acts 7:23) that determined the direction of his life (Hebrews 11:23-26, see above).

Karl Barth contended that being “saved” is not a simple once-for-all decision to accept a particular doctrinal statement, but that making a deliberate decision is the key to becoming a Christian. Having made the choice of Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you find that specific decision plays out in all that is said and done from that moment forward.

How did Moses make that decision? Exodus 2:11 states, “Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren . . .”

What do you think his decision was like? Was it a dramatic conversion?

How do people make that decision today?

Whether it’s going forward to an altar after a church service or getting down on one’s knees alone in a room, there is a moment to decide.

“It’s not my brother or my mother, but it’s me, O Lord, standin’ in the need o’ prayer.”