Address—Dave Spence
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I had desired.
Beloved friends, to express a little of what was on my heart concerning lessons from the life of Moses.
And a few short little talks. The first one has to do with his decision.
The second one has to do with his Commission.
And the third one that we selected has to do with intercession, a very important subject for us as believers, And in that particular one he is a picture to our hearts of none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who maketh intercession for us.
And the last one, separation. So first of all, let's turn to Hebrews Chapter 11.
For four short verses.
Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 23.
By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child.
That means that he was beautiful to God.
Do you ever look at yourself like that, beloved friends?
I know sometimes we may stand in front of the mirror and we think about how we look to other people and we're very much concerned about that in the day that we live. Perhaps maybe a little more overly concerned than we should be, but we're we're all like that. But have you ever thought?
How beautiful you are to God.
Just think about that as we read down through these few verses.
They were not afraid of the King's commandment.
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches.
Than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
Now let's turn to Acts Chapter 7, and then we'll turn back here in a few moments.
Acts Chapter 7.
Verse 20.
In which time Moses was born and was exceeding fair again second time repeatedly.
He was beautiful to God, and that does not necessarily mean in physical appearance. We believe that all babies are charming and lovely and beautiful in their own way.
This has something I think a little deeper.
To our hearts than just a physical appearance.
He was nourished up in his father's house three months and when he was cast out.
Pharaoh's daughter took him up and nourished him for her own son.
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
And when he was full, 40 years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel, and seeing one of them suffer, wrong, he defended him, and was avenged, and avenged him that was oppressed and smote the Egyptian. For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood not.
And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove.
And would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren, why do ye wrong one to another?
But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee A ruler and a judge over us?
Wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? Then Moses fled at the same, and was a stranger in the land of Midian.
Where he begat two sons.
The first verse that we read in Hebrews Chapter 11 has to do with a choice that Moses parents made. And it reminds me, beloved friends, of the choice that your parents have made for you.
And you know, I used to look back on at my life when I was young and and backwards as I thought of my previous experiences growing up in a Christian home as though I was being cheated.
And deprived of much that some of my friends and associates at school were not deprived of. And I think perhaps we've all felt some of those feelings.
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And Satan would like to make us feel that we have been cheated, we've been shorted, something that the world is enjoying.
But I look at it a little differently today.
And I know someday as you grow up, if we're left here, you will look back with Thanksgiving on the choices that your parents made for you.
Choices that were according to God and his will and word.
Not something they just felt that would be good for you or not something that they just felt that you wanted to do.
Choices that would affect your lives for not only time, but for all eternity.
And I know you look at them as sometimes fairly rigorous and legal as we might use the expression and very hard to deal with.
Some of those choices didn't make sense.
Well, Moses, when we read of the choices that his parents made for him, was too young to even realize what was going on. He was hid three months of his, of their parents, of his parents, and didn't really understand, of course.
He was hid from.
The king who was slaughtering all of the male children.
There is a lesson in that I think I would like to share with not only the young men but the young women here too.
In Scripture, the man speaks of testimony.
And Pharaoh wanted to take those boy babies and cast them into the river of Egypt.
You see, they would be lost, so to speak, to the to the to the world as we would look at it, do away with the male children.
And the testimony would be destroyed.
How many lives today of Christian young men and women are being lost to the world?
And the testimony thereby being destroyed and ruined and quenched.
I'd like to ask each one of you in my own heart this very searching question. Is this what's happening to you?
And is this what is happening to me?
Moses was exceeding fair. He was beautiful to God.
And he looked down upon Moses as he might, we might say, looks down upon you and me. We were reminded this morning that we've been chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world, that we might be holy without blame before him in love.
Brother Steve reminded us last night. I am my beloveds and he is mine and his desire is towards me.
He lives for you and me. His thoughts, according to Psalm 139, are towards us, are more than the sands of the seashore.
And he lives constantly, as we'll have a little later, Lord, willing to make intercession for us because he longs to have us in his company. And not just that, but to be a testimony.
A testimony individually and concerning the testimony of Christ in the Church in this world.
That our brother Doug is bringing before us the mystery.
The mystery We have a vocation, and many times we we put more concerted effort and time and energy into our vocations here, and there's nothing wrong with that beloved young people.
Than we do.
The vocation that we've been called to by God.
A far more superior vocation than just a vocation in this world. So certainly the vocations that we all strive for and are being trained for and educated for our secondary to the vocation for which we've been called. And Satan is seeking to throw you into the stream of the world, to destroy and ruin the testimony in your life.
So that you will no longer reflect the glories of Christ and express them verbally to those that you live with and have to do within this world.
You remember that little donkey, that Jesus?
Rode into Jerusalem on, he told his disciples to go into a certain city, Bethpage, as I recall.
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And he told his own Tell the master of that little *** the ***** colt, that I have need of them.
Jesus has need of you.
And our brother St. Steve expressed that I believe quite well that he desires to have our company, to refresh his heart with our fellowship and our presence and our worship, and just to have us as companions not only in this life, but in eternity. Beloved.
How exceedingly fair you are to God. And your parents have looked upon you in that light, I believe, through the eyes of God. They've looked through his eyes at you.
And have sought the very best for you. And as I say, it seemed hard to me and it may seem very difficult for you.
To have tight boundaries and restraints and restrictions on your life as you grow up in this Christian environment.
And it doesn't mean that your parents haven't made mistakes. They they make mistakes. My parents certainly made mistakes.
But I believe when we put it all together, they are seeking your happiness and God is too.
Moses then of course, as we we well know here by reading this portion, was that full 40 years of age as we had before us too in Acts Chapter 7 when he made a choice, and I believe that his parents faith affected him. He had 40 years to think about it, but you don't have to be 40 years of age to make a decision.
You don't have to be 40 years of age to be happy. And some of us think, well, I'm going to grow up as a Christian and the older I get, the more I mature and the happier I'll be. And someday I'll be as happy as my grandfather when I get to be his age.
It really isn't true. Beloved young people. Some of the happiest young people of people that I have ever seen have been young people.
Whose hearts and lives have been glowing and burning with first love.
We had that brought before us at the sink last evening.
You know the world is not big enough to fill your longing heart.
But he satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. He is big enough, his love is great enough, His mercy, his glories are great enough to fill your heart to overflowing as our brother Doug brought before us this mornings person that's before us.
If we were to look at the New Testament person that is most prominent on the pages of the New Testament, it probably would be the Apostle Paul.
And he considered himself to be the wise master builder.
And he looked at the whole structure before it maybe was all put together, and looked at it by faith, and looked at this glorious building that God was going to make the church.
And he could label it with one word.
And it's only one word that we have to think about, and that is Christ.
In the Old Testament, if we were to be concerned with the great personality on the pages of the Old Testament.
As to.
A very prominent servant that God used. Who would it be? It would probably be this man that we're reading about today.
Moses.
The man of God says in Deuteronomy chapter 33, verse one.
He also was, you might say, an architect, because at the Mount Mount Sinai, God gave him instructions for building the Tabernacle and laws and and regulations to govern that structure and how it should be used. One word, beloved, could be written over that structure that he was so occupied with.
And that is Christ.
One word that can be written over our lives.
That would bring happiness, unspeakable joy, into our hearts and lives. And that is Christ oh Christ.
In thee my soul hath found and found in thee alone the peace, the joy I sought so long.
That happiness.
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Unknown. Unknown to the world.
But found in Christ if I gained the world and lost the Savior.
Were my life worth living for a day?
And you know that, beloved friends. And I knew it too. As I was growing up in a Christian home, I knew all about these things intellectually.
Very little did my heart lay hold of them and enter into them.
Little did I walk in the good and the joy of them, but you're not too young.
You're not too young.
Christ is enough to fill your heart to overflowing.
And you will find when he is everything to you and the object that is set before you, and you're in love, so to speak, with him, the world dissipates into insignificance. And you don't need those things that you really hung on to. I confess things that I hung on to, I really thought I needed that could make me happy.
The enjoyment, the enjoyment of the love of Christ is the secret of all true devotedness.
And it is a secret for separation from all that is around us. And once your heart is brought into that sphere of enjoyment, you will find.
No need for those things that you were once taken up with.
Moses came to a point in his life undoubtedly affected by the faith of his parents. We don't really know how old he was when he was taken into Pharaohs home or the home of Pharaohs daughter and adopted by her. We know that he was taken care of and nursed in his mother's home.
Providentially arranged by God, and all of our circumstances are. But maybe he was old enough to hear about the name of the Lord and to have that impressed upon his little heart. I don't know.
But as he went through life and all the training in the schools of Egypt.
And it was a good long while this man was an accomplished.
Middle-aged, as we would call him, Man ready for the service of Egypt.
He was learned in all the wisdom as we read together all of the wisdom of Egypt.
And he was mighty in Word and deed.
He was ready to serve, he was in line for the throne, and he have surveyed the world in all of its power and prominence in the position that he would occupy in it as something no doubt to be very important.
And, naturally speaking, incomparable with anything that anyone else in the Kingdom in his day could ever strive for. Here he was ready to step into that throne of power. Now stop and think of it, young folks.
Do you have an opportunity in the world like he had?
Do you have that power of control over your heart from the world and the opportunities that are presented to you from day-to-day to pull you away from the path of Christ like he had? Oh, I know there are things that do control our thought processes, the way we think and the way we act and the way we do things.
But here is a middle-aged man that came to his full senses and realized it was in the language of the Apostle Paul. It was done refuse.
He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Refusal means there was repentance and oftentimes we we speak of faith 1St, and in this case I think it's repentance.
Oh, it's true that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. So faith chooses. That's true. But in Hebrews it's refusal to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Identification with the throne of Pharaoh, so to speak, or even the home of Pharaoh was.
Immaterial any longer as he surveyed the great blessing that would be his and not material.
He had all the material world at his fingertips and he was no doubt a veteran as as far as martial arts were concerned.
His ability to stand up against he was eloquent, mighty in Word and deed.
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Learned in all the wisdom.
He knew about engineering, no doubt. Engineering feats and that day that makes some of our engineering feats today look very insignificant in building those monuments, the pyramids, tremendous engineering skills.
He was equipped, ready to go.
But he refused it all, beloved.
And there was one name that is significant in this verse brought before us, as we had in the few comments that we've made already.
He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, because he restrained he esteemed the reproach of Christ. There it is.
And yet the Lord had not come as Christ, the anointed of God the sent one of God. But yet the Scripture brings it out this way to show us the same person.
The Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New and vice versa, and he knew him by faith even before he came into this world.
It is faith, beloved, the gift of faith, that will deliver you from this world.
Even your faith which overcometh the world, and no matter what dispensation you live in, and where in the last before the Lord, comes the dispensation of grace.
It's the same faith that overcomes the world. Oh, we have far greater knowledge of Christ now and what He has done. We look back to see the burden that he bore for us on the cross and his resurrection, his living force and the glory, and the fact that he's soon coming to take us home.
We have it all, the mystery of God, of Christ in the church. What does that mean to us all? We trust that we might enjoy these things a little more.
And as we walk in communion with him, the enjoyment of his company, we will find our hearts starting to to burn within us about all the great things that have been done for us.
But he gives us the power to daily to live in the good of these things, and we'll talk about that in another.
Session.
But he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and that simply tells me that he looked into eternity.
Do you look into eternity, beloved, and consider the great contrast between time, the world, the material world that we live in, and all of your experiences that you could ever have here compared with eternity?
He did.
And he chose rather.
To suffer affliction with the people of God, than the pleasures of sin for a season. He chose rather to suffer. Now it doesn't say that he chose the blessings of God. There were blessings connected with taking a stand for the Lord. There's no question about that. But he said it to me. I would rather suffer affliction.
With the people of God, then, to enjoy all the pleasures of sin for a season. Sometimes we say, well, I want all the blessings of God. But he said, I'll suffer affliction, esteeming the reproach of Christ being persecuted and afflicted because of my Lord, so to speak. I would rather have all of that.
Than what the world has to offer me in my life. And he may have reasoned that through being the king of Egypt he could deliver his people. We've heard that before, I know.
He could deliver his people by being king and lead them out that way and all would be well. And I'm sure he thought about that perhaps for many long weeks, months and years.
But when faith is operative in your life and mind, what does it do, beloved? It separates us from the world.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Galatians chapter one, verse three and four, who gave himself for us that he might deliver us from this present evil world, and he was connected with an idolatrous world in that day, a world no doubt, that began to have a control over him and an effect upon his life. We don't know all the of the details, but he refused it because he chose by faith.
To follow Christ and to be identified with His people, no matter what persecution they went through. And He looked upon them, no doubt as he looked out in the land of Egypt and saw the taskmasters quipping those poor Israelites. And that's what led him to try to deliver one of his brethren being so maltreated.
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That he killed the Egyptian, buried him in the sand.
He saw his people suffer and it wasn't just sympathy. Oh, there was that, undoubtedly. But it was taking a position in the world that he lived of great opportunity and advantage.
A position with Christ.
He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches.
Than the treasures of Egypt we read together this morning in him, or in whom are found all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And the more you become acquainted with that blessed one.
The more you will find.
Your treasure above.
Where your treasure is, there will your hearts or your heart be also.
But he'll walk with you, beloved, through this world, a brother said. I would rather go over a rough Rd. with Christ.
Then a smooth Rd. without him, and that's the road that Moses chose.
And he had a rough Rd. He looked out upon his people that were enslaved.
By the power of King Pharaoh.
They were controlled by him, day after day in the hot, dusty sands of Egypt. There they were making bricks for Pharaoh, beaten perhaps, some days, coming home, bleeding and unhappy and thirsty.
Couldn't hardly go another day, but the next day, all over again in Moses heart went out to his people.
He had a burden for them.
And the Lord wanted to use him.
But he saw two of his own brethren striving, as we read together in Acts Chapter 7, and he tried to to make them at peace with one another.
And his brethren didn't understand how that he by by God would by his hand would deliver them. They didn't understand that.
And Moses did try to deliver his people, but it was through his own strength it came into his heart. It says in Acts Chapter 7 that he might deliver his people. You see, he was ready to decide for Christ. He made a decision because he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.
He chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
But he wasn't ready to deliver his people. It wasn't God's time. It was His time. It came into his heart. And the Lord wants to use you. But first of all, a decision is necessary. Beloved friends, and maybe you have really wanted to be happy in your life.
You have gone down a road that has LED you to unhappiness. You've tried to live on both sides of the fence and the scripture says a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Man or woman makes no difference. A double minded person unstable in all his ways. No man can serve 2 masters.
He will either hate the one and love the other, despise the one and hold to the other. You can't serve 2 masters. And Moses came to that conclusion and that's why he made a decision. He had to leave his home.
He left home.
He didn't want to be identified with Pharaoh's household any longer, no matter what great earthly treasures were in view, and that he was partaking of and the things that he had learned and all of that wisdom, He no doubt looked at it as a great opportunity at one time in his life to advance in this world.
Beloved friend, the decision time is now for you.
And me.
You will never be happy in this world.
If you don't make a choice.
For the Lord Jesus Christ.
No matter what talents and abilities you have, no matter what kind of an intellectual giant you might be and you might be.
Moses, no doubt, was that.
But he surrendered at all.
Surrender.
The king of Sodom came to Abraham, and you've read that story before in Genesis chapter 14. And he said to Abraham who had had conquered his army and took his people captives. He said, give me the persons and I'll give you the goods.
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Abraham said. I don't want the goods.
He said. I won't even take a thread to a shoe latch it from you, lest you will say that you have made me rich.
And in the very next chapter, chapter 15, the Lord said to Abraham, I am thy reward.
I am thy shield and exceeding great reward.
Joseph refused also. And you know the story of Joseph beloved young people.
And he was prompted by Potiphar's wife to enter into an illicit.
Relationship.
With her.
And he said, my master has committed the whole house to me, his whole home, home and household to me. And how can I do this exceeding great wickedness before God?
And it said she continued to speak to him day by day. And it's just like the world, just like the enemy.
It might be a relationship of one in your life seeking to bring you into that kind of an illicit relationship, I don't know.
But I know the enemy will never give up.
He'll never give up. Day after day, the feelings and those desires that are of the flesh and of our natures beloved young people do not change.
They do not change.
But it says of Joseph he desired to not even be with her.
In other words, separate yourself from that relationship young person that's going to lead you down the wrong Rd.
And spoil your life for Christ and your testimony.
Every sin that a man doeth, the scripture says, is without the body. But he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body. I want to tell you something, young people, that sin has a power over your life.
In most of those that Christians that I have seen and folks that I've met with in the world too.
It goes on and on and on.
You know what's been said We sow a thought we reap enact.
We sow an act.
And we reap a habit.
We sow a habit and we reap a character.
And we saw a character, and we reap a destiny.
And I have seen young people, and no doubt you have to raised in Christian homes in the assembly and they've gone with some of these sins and habits where their lives now are characterized by those very sins, look like a very minor thing in their young lives to go out with a young lady.
And to become involved.
They're still going on.
20 years later.
30 years later.
Because it's a character and I do not know if they belong to Christ or not.
I don't know if they could sing to him that we sing thine, Jesus thine.
They say they believe.
One brother married three times, raised in the assembly, and another brother I knew in the assembly married three times.
Another he became addicted to alcohol.
We could go on and on.
We say it's just a simple little thing. A habit, however, is formed out of those simple little things and relationships. Joseph refused it.
He walked away from it. He desired to have companionship with his God.
Daniel. Likewise he.
He turned away from the portion of the King's meat, and he purposed in his heart not to eat of it, nor the wine which he drank. He belonged to God. His life was for God. He was also a man greatly beloved of God, because he he he walked with God, and he desired to continue to walk with God and serve him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego the same. They refused to bow down to the idol, they said.
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We are not careful, O King, to answer thee in this manner.
They took delight to answer him. Our God is able to deliver us.
But if he doesn't, we will not bow down to thy gods, or to the golden image without which thou hast set up. And we know. We know what happened. They were thrown into the furnace, but they refused.
The idolatry that was so characteristic all around them that was going on. There was a young man here about 10 years ago and I'll just mention this for.
Relating to you the power of music, and I know something of that, some of you do too.
He said to me these very words, he said. Music has more control and power over my life.
Than Jesus Christ.
It's a powerful instrument. Satan uses, I believe, beloved young people to keep your mind and the horror of the world.
Keep your thoughts occupied with lustful world, earthly things that sensitize your heart and my heart to the things in the world relationships here that are wrong, the scripture says Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against God, bringing every thought into the obedience of Christ. That's where it all begins up here.
Our brother brought that before us the other evening.
Every thought Bring it into the captivity of the obedience of Christ. Don't even let that thought permeate you. If it's wrong, doesn't matter what it is.
And we know that in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's case, there was lots of music being played.
And they were to bow down and worship the image and the music that was associated with it. We don't have the idol today, I know that, But we have the music.
And we say it's OK because we don't have the idol. No, beloved.
It takes our hearts away from Jesus.
It's not that we have to go down the list and check off everything that we know that's wrong, but those are the things that are keeping my heart and your heart from walking with Christ.
As the Father hath loved me, Jesus said, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love, if any man love the world.
The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The love of the Father is not in him.
And these things sensitize our hearts. For the love of the world, make a decision for Christ in your life.
If you're not saved, make a decision for him to be saved and he'll blot all of your sins out from as far as the east is from the West, and they're gone in the blood of Christ.
But if you haven't been following him, walking in his footsteps, owning his lordship, do so today.
He wants your young wife.
Your heart.
You belong to him. You're not your own. You're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit. Oftentimes we think well as long as I keep myself outwardly clean and separate. No, it all begins in the spirit, the mind. Let this mind be in you. We need the mind of Jesus, the mind of Christ. While Moses had respect unto the recompense of the reward. And what was the reward, beloved young people, the reward was.
We see in Luke Chapter 9, Matthew chapter 17 where he was in the glory with Christ.
Where Jesus was transfigured and there was Moses and Elias, and there are only two men in Scripture that I know of whose lives are traced from babyhood all the way through manhood to the glory Moses and the Lord Jesus Christ.
You say, well, Moses was a great man of faith. You know, it doesn't take much faith to walk with Christ. It doesn't take much faith to be saved because it's who the faith is in.
And Jesus told his own faith is the grain of a mustard seed could remove this mountain and be cast into the sea. If you use the faith that you have, it'll overcome the world because it has Christ in view. Remember Christ.
In whom are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and enjoyment?
I believe some of us know little about.
Communion with the Lord Jesus Christ and the enjoyment of walking with him and the burning.
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Full heart that he can give as a result of that.
I've heard young people say I've never been happier in my life. My wife told me of a man who was striving to become a millionaire by age of 40, and in six months he lost everything.
You know what he said.
He said I've never been happier in my life because now he said I'm walking with Christ.
That's the answer, dear young people. Make a decision for him. Choose this day whom you will serve.
For Israel, it was bail. For us, it's materialism. The God of materialism and all of those things have such a tremendous magnetism in it and influence over our lives. We want to attain to a certain level of living in this life, and we'll do anything to get there.
And Moses had all of his fingertips, and he gave it all up.
And Paul said, whatsoever things were gained to me, I counted lots for Christ, and I count all things lost for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ. There he is, Christ Jesus my Lord, And to count them but dumb, that I may win him, that I may win his approval, that I may win his company, that I might be able to walk with him through this life. Then I have everything, because Christ is everything.
Could we sing?
In closing two 83283.
Perhaps just the last verse?