Big God - Faith Winning

Hebrews 11:23-29

What’s this?

It’s a section of this Stack that reflects the content of a weekly small group Bible study that I lead. These posts primarily consist of a sermon outline used as notes during the meeting. A longer description can be found on the About page. If you subscribe to this Substack but don’t wish to receive notifications for this section, select Manage Subscription from the upper-right menu and turn the notification off there.

Audience

These outlines are prepared for and presented to an on-campus small group audience, adding explanations and additional questions during the meeting itself. Members of the group vary in their understanding, but are familiar with the Bible, can find references fairly quickly, and tend to believe what they read there. The beliefs we hold vary individually.

I have no particular expectations with regard to an online audience. Curiosity is enough, and perhaps patience if you understand things differently. The same goes for visitors to the church itself.

Questions and comments are encouraged.

Small Group Setting

Meetings are informal and conversational, although there is structure. We begin by taking time to arrive and connect, open in prayer, and then review a portion the message from the previous Sunday. There isn’t time to go through everything, but we go where we are drawn, following the outline or not.

There is considerably more to each message than what appears in the outline, and I suggest viewing it if you have the time and interest. Sermon videos typically run about 30-35 minutes. Take a few notes. Comment below.

Toward the end of our time we look at the “fill-in” sermon points, published with blanks in the bulletin but presented in full within the message and here. We also may glance at the questions for reflection (also from the bulletin) if there is time, and we close with extended prayer.

Note About This Series

This “Big God” sermon series is based on the book Big God — What Happens When We Trust Him, by Britt Merrick.

Note About This Post

When I create these summaries, I start with the sermon video, any notes I already have, and the slide deck texts when available to me¹. I listen to the video, taking notes, and pausing or backing up when necessary, a luxury I don’t have during the service itself. With this post, I am experimenting with, as I proofread the result, expanding the wording from abbreviated to sentences. Hopefully this will make it more readable without altering the message.

Pre-Sermon Anthem

I Love You, Lord

Sermon Video

Optional but recommended.

Sermon YouTube Livestream Link
Full Service YouTube Livestream Link

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Sermon Summary

(“Slide: …” indicates that the text following is projected on the sanctuary screens and displayed at the bottom of the livestream.)

1. Scripture Reading
   Hebrews 11:23-29 - 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

   24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 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. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

   29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

2. Introduction

   1. (Comments about scripture reading)

   2. Talking about victory, winning. Some feel the world is losing this battle. Offers comfort & hope talking about the victory we can have in Jesus Christ.

   3. (Series review)…

3. Slide: Abel was faith worshiping      
   Enoch was faith walking
   Noah was faith working
   Abraham was faith willing

   Sarah was faith waiting
   Abraham was faith well-tried
   Moses is faith winning.

   1. Each builds upon the previous ones

   2. Faith winning: Means we are connected to the one who already has victory, has already won, the person Jesus Christ.

4. Slide: Romans 8:17 - 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

   1. Paul is saying we belong to Christ, co-heirs with him in what we will receive from the Father. Because he has victory, we have victory.

   2. Is about putting our trust in him, connecting ourselves to him. In doing so…

5. Slide: Romans 8:37 - 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

   1. We have victory through our relationship with Christ.

   2. We put our trust in him, listen to his message, trust in the promises he has for us. We don’t give into the things of this world. We pursue the things of Christ so we don’t give up on Christ, on the things God called us to do.

   3. When we do this, we know we have victory.

6. Slide: Three things we can have victory over by faith:
   (1st) By faith we win against fear.

   Hebrews 11:23 - 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

   1. Victory over fear doesn’t mean fear goes away, but we can have courage to face our fears and do the right thing. Can be difficult. The enemy uses natural agents to create fear in us, to prevent us from doing what God asks us to do. Or to do things God told us not to do.

   2. The enemy created fear in Pharaoh, through growth of Israelite nation. Pharaoh lashed out, attacked to create fear in them. … Issued the v.23 edict. … Moses’ family was at great risk. Required great faith. Their trust was in God, overcame their fear. Moses survived.

   3. We can overcome our fears as well, putting trust in God. The enemy can use different attacks to create fear, such as the passions of our soul (acceptance, significance, and security). When we don’t have them, we do whatever it takes to get them.

      1. Security: Fear of sharing the gospel. Fear of giving, no time to serve.

      2. Significance: The job we are given to do is not important enough. Get ahead climb the ladder, gain influence. Can only do anything in this world from a position of power.

      3. Acceptance: Don’t share the gospel. What will people think? Lose friends?

   4. The enemy wants us to look at these things rather than pursuing the things of God. But when we put our trust in God, we have a different spirit…

   5. Slide: 2 Timothy 1:7 - 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

      1. This is who we are in Christ.

   6. Slide: Psalm 34:4 - I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

          he delivered me from all my fears.

      1. When experiencing fear, seek the Lord. In good times as well. Can only overcome fear by trusting in Jesus.

   7. (Personal story of difficult time & resolution @13:57)

   8. By faith we can win against fear. By faith we can also win against the flesh.

7. Slide: (2nd) By faith we win against the flesh.

   Hebrews 11:24-27 - 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 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. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

   1. Moses (in Egypt) had everything the world could offer him, including “the fleeting pleasures of sin”. Vv. 26-27 show how he was able to overcome the flesh, looking ahead to his eternal reward, knowing God, putting his trust in Him. In doing so, he overcame the flesh.

   2. What is “the flesh”? Mentioned in v.25, sin is anything we do apart from God. In Jesus’ rich young ruler encounter (Mt. 19:16-22²), the man was invited to give up everything and follow Jesus, but he declined. Eternal life is possible only through God. It is a work not of ourselves but of God.

   3. We all have a sinful nature. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, all have been born into sin. We are “totally depraved,” not the worst possible sinners, but every area of our lives is affected by sin. There is no way to glorify God without him doing a work of the Spirit in our hearts, and the work Jesus did on the cross, to open our eyes & hearts so we can trust in him and can win against the flesh.

   4. Bad news: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23³). Apart from Christ, we are doomed to commit sin over and over again. Good news: Jesus paid the price of sin for us. Trusting in him, we can overcome the flesh.

   5. We don’t deny the flesh so that we can “get Jesus”. Because Jesus gave himself for us, we are able to deny the flesh. It is not a gospel of obedience but a gospel of grace, the grace of God, through the gift of Jesus Christ. Our faith in him is what saves us.

   6. Putting our faith in him, not a faith that stands alone, but a faith that leads us to action & obedience out of response to what God has done for us. We want to live holy and righteous lives, but that is only possible by putting trust in Christ and allowing his strength, the Spirit, to lead and guide us. We can’t do this on our own.

   7. We receive the gift of love and grace from Jesus, and can then deny & have victory over the flesh and pursue Christ. When our faith is in Jesus, we recognize that the things of this world do not compare to the person of Jesus.

   8. When we open the Word and read, we see that the Christian life will be hard. Not always comfortable, not always riches and worldly blessings, but with an eternity to look forward to. Our faith is worth more than all the gold in the world put together. We pursue Jesus knowing that he is our life, he is our everything, and look forward to the eternal reward in Christ.

   9. By faith we win against the flesh, against fear, and finally against the foe.

8. Slide: (3rd) By faith we win against the foe.
   28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

   29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

   1. Two stories, the Passover and the Red Sea moment. In both we see that the Israelites are spared. They have victory over their enemy because they are saved from what the enemy tried to take from them. We see they are able to step into life, and the enemy is destroyed, and that the enemy will suffer.

   2. Refocus from worldly enemies to spiritual enemies (Eph. 6:12⁴). The enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (1 Pet. 5:8), prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he will devour. Eph 6:13⁵ doesn’t say to find strength within. It says to put on the full armor of God. Not our strength will defeat the enemy, but God’s strength. We are not capable; on our own we will fail. Putting faith in Christ, we can win against the foe.

   3. Moses was victorious, and we can be too.

   4. Slide: 1 John 3:8 - 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

      1. We can look at the enemy and become caught up in his power and in fear thinking about how to defeat him. We will lose that battle.

      2. When our faith is in Christ, we look and acknowledge that Jesus came into this world to destroy the work of the enemy. Satan is powerful; Jesus is more powerful. The power, life & hope we have in Christ overcomes the work of the enemy.

   5. The enemy cannot stand against the name of Jesus. Has already lost the battle, at the cross. A final battle is coming where the enemy will be completely destroyed. With the Israelites at the Red Sea, the Egyptians come after them but God splits the sea and they walk across on dry land. They turn around and see the enemy pursuing them.

   6. Slide: Exodus 14:26-28 - 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

      1. God took care of his people in a miraculous, powerful way. Not through their strength, but through what God did for them.

   7. In the same way, we will see our enemy totally defeated.

   8. Slide: Revelation 20:10 - 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

      1. A day is coming when we will see the enemy completely defeated. Thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. By faith we put our trust in Christ, the conqueror, the King, who overcame the enemy. By faith we can overcome the enemy as well.

   9. Two things are mentioned in Hebrews 11, the Red Sea, and before that, the Passover. Most here are familiar with the story. The final plague was the death of the firstborn sons, except households that obeyed by sacrificing the lamb & puting the blood of the lamb on the door frame. The Destroyer would pass over. It was not about who was inside, but the blood of the lamb covering the door.

   10. When we put our trust in Jesus, and then stand before the Father in eternity, he is not going to make sure we did enough good things, or find too many sins. Did the blood of the lamb cover us? Did we allow it to wash away our sins?

   11. We cannot earn our own righteousness. It is freely given by the grace of God. Putting our trust in Jesus, our sins are washed away, and we are clothed with his righteousness. The Father sees Jesus covering us, and we are welcomed into eternity.

9. Conclusion

   1. What we have to look forward to…

   2. Slide: Revelation 21:1-4 - Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

      1. This is the life we have to look forward to, the eternity God offers us through the gift of his son Jesus. When we put our trust in Jesus we receive victory.

   3. Slide: 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 - “Where, O death, is your victory?

          Where, O death, is your sting?”

      56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

      58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

      1. We have victory in Christ. Putting our trust in him, we receive his reward, becoming co-heirs with him, knowing we have eternity to look look forward to.

   4. When our faith is in Jesus we can overcome our fear, conquer the flesh, and defeat the foe or watch the foe be defeated, and step into life, receiving all of this because we have joined ourselves and have union with Jesus Christ. This is the gift that God offers to us.

   5. For those having received the gift, stand firm & stay strong in the faith. Keep pursing Jesus in good times and bad. Remind yourself of his goodness, truth, and promises.

   6. For those who have never put their trust in Christ, let today be the day that you experience ultimate victory in him. Give yourself completely and totally to him. Trust in Jesus. Turn your life over to him.

10. (Prayer of Salvation - All⁶)

[Closing Prayer]

Sermon Points

Moses was faith Winning.

Three things we can have victory over by faith:
1. By faith we win against fear. (Hebrews 11:23)

2. By faith we win against the flesh. (Hebrews 11:24-27)

3. By faith we win against the foe. (Hebrews 11:28-29)

Questions for Reflection

1. What are some ways that fear or the desires of the flesh have prevented you from doing what God desires?

2. How does faith help us to have victory over fear, the flesh and the foe?

3. What is something you can do this week to strengthen your faith in Jesus and/or trust Him for victory?

1. I am one of the screens operators, and I often have the pastor’s notes available to me from which the sermon slides are created. I do not otherwise incorporate those notes into these summaries, however. I work only with my own notes that I take. I also usually can make a copy of the sermon slides themselves, depending on where we meet. These are time savers that help make it possible for me to create these summaries each week.

2. Matt. 19:16-22 - Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

3. Rom. 3:23 - “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

4. Eph. 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

5. Eph. 6:13 - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

6. Slide: Prayer of Salvation:

“Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me, even when I’ve ignored you and gone my own way. I realize that I need You in my life and I’m sorry for my sins. I ask You to forgive me. Thank You for dying on the cross for me. As much as I know how, witty your help and the work of Your Holy Spirit in my life, I want to follow You from now on. Please come into my life and make me a new person inside. I accept your gift of salvation. Help me to grow as a Christian. Amen