Discipleship – reckoning with the reality of the invisible God
Moses followed his God. He believed that he meant well for him. He decided against his privileges as a member of the elite and instead opted for a life of hardship and suffering. He did this steadfastly because he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the one who is invisible – his God in heaven. For him, the worst of discipleship (suffering) outweighed the best of the world.
We have now dealt with Abraham a few times in the sermon. He is a great example of faith. This is particularly emphasised in the letter to the Hebrews. In addition to Abraham, there are several other examples of faith. This morning I would like to pick out one of them and embark on a journey with you to discover how this person reckoned with the reality of the invisible God and how this shaped his life. The person in question is Moses. He gave his name to the first five books of the Old Testament and was responsible for writing them.
Poor starting position
Moses was born into a very turbulent time. He belonged to the Israelite people. They had come to Egypt a few centuries earlier as refugees and stayed there. They multiplied rapidly and this led to Pharaoh’s fear. To prevent this people from growing even more, he decided that every newborn male should be killed. The letter to the Hebrews writes retrospectively about Moses» parents: «By faith, Moses» parents hid their child for three months after the birth. They saw that God had given them a beautiful child and were not afraid of what the king might do to them» (Hebrews 11:23 NLB). What an expression. Moses was a beautiful child! In times of distress they saw the beauty that every child radiates. But the parents had to think of something, because they could not hide their son for long. So they abandoned him and Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him. In earthly terms, Moses had landed at the top. Egypt was the world power of the time and he was not only a member of it, but even belonged to the elite. He had a rosy future ahead of him. A life of abundance. But Moses knew that he belonged to Israel. He saw how the people were being oppressed and wanted to take the fate of the people into his own hands (Exodus 2:11–15). When he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, he killed the Egyptian when he thought no one was watching. But this did not have the desired effect. He only meant well, but this action came to Pharaoh’s attention and ultimately led to him wanting to kill Moses. So he fled to Midian.
Moses is described in the letter to the Hebrews as a model of faith. But what made him such a role model? It was not his earthly status. From an earthly perspective, Moses was probably better off than almost anyone else. He belonged to the elite, but this did not make him a role model of faith. Nor did his self-reliance. He wanted to do something about the oppression of his people himself and use his earthly position to do so. But this ultimately led to persecution by Pharaoh. Moses is an example of faith because he did what the letter to the Hebrews describes as faith. «So what is faith? It is the confidence that what we hope for will come true and the conviction that what we do not see exists» (Hebrews 11:1 NLB). Moses could have taken a different path. There were all kinds of possibilities. He would also have had many excuses as to why something could not work. Later in his calling, he goes back and forth. For example, he mentions that he is not a good speaker. But this is where the crucial element of faith comes into play. Faith is not dependent on my circumstances, but on the fact that God exists.
Suffering as wealth
In a commentary on the letter to the Hebrews, the faith of Abraham and Moses is described with images. Abraham’s faith was like a telescope. It brings things into focus that he would otherwise not have seen. With Moses, faith has a function like X‑rays. It brings things to light that lay beneath the surface. «By faith, Moses, when he was an adult, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He preferred to suffer with the people rather than submit to the flüPleasureüof the Süto the end. He endured the suffering that Christ also took upon himself.ür better riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward to the great reward that God would give him» (Hebrews 11:24–26 NLB). Moses realised that the wealth of Egypt was not worth striving for. He looked to the reward that God would give him. But this attitude does not correspond to our zeitgeist of more, bigger, better. The biblical message is diametrically opposed to this. Moses chose to suffer with his people instead of enjoying the benefits of the court. He chose to suffer with his people instead of enjoying life for a short time.
Moses is a sign of Jesus Christ. He suffered on the cross and left all his privileges behind for our sake. Moses considered suffering and hardship to be better riches than the treasures of Egypt. He lived this in advance, as Jesus Christ later put it. «Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; your soul is beyond their reach. Fear only God, who can destroy body and soul in hell. Whoever clings to his life will lose it, but whoever gives it up for me will find it» (Matthew 10:28, 39 NLB). Discipleship means putting everything in Jesus Christ, just like Moses and his parents. Following Jesus Christ means believing that such statements are true, but not falling into fear, but trusting God and relying on the fulfilment of God’s promises (Hebrews 11:1). The crux of Moses» action is this: The worst of discipleship (suffering) weighed more for him than the best of the world (riches)! This is also the case today! That is the central point and if you only take this with you from today, all is well.
Moses» perspective
Why was Moses able to act the way he did? I would like to explain Moses» perspective and show how this can also be found in the New Testament. Moses was from a better background. He belonged to the chosen people of God. Moses could therefore not condescend to remain in the Egyptian royal house. Followers of Jesus Christ also belong to this people of God. They therefore cannot condescend to get into the same lane as people who are not followers. This is a blatant statement, I know. But since followers orientate themselves on Jesus Christ, this is a completely different lane.
Paul, a formative figure among the first followers of Jesus Christ, writes in his letter to the church in Philippi about the benefit of knowing him as follows: «I used to think all these things [earthly ancestry & human endeavour] were extremely important, but now I consider them worthless in light of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else seems worthless to me compared to the priceless gain of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. I have lost everything else and consider it as dirt so that I may have Christ» (Philippians 3:7–8 NLB). He considers everything else worthless compared to the priceless benefit of knowing Jesus. Moses has the same perspective. But Paul expresses himself even more strikingly here. He regards everything else as dirt or rubbish. This is not only something that is not beautiful, but also something that disturbs. As a rule, people want to get rid of rubbish or dirt as quickly as possible.
As long as we don’t have this perspective, we always deal with succession in something like this: How much is enough? Have I done enough? This is forbidden, but it is certainly still allowed. It can’t be that bad if I .… Is a follower of Jesus allowed to behave like this? God can’t have meant it that way! Such statements rather indicate that discipleship is perceived as disruptive or filth/trash. Jesus Christ must be our most important concern. If he is, then it is our concern to become more like him. Discipleship means that I put my focus entirely on God. If he is my most important concern, then I will approach questions differently. This was also Moses» perspective. He left everything behind. «Through faithss Moses the land Ägypt. He was not afraid of theöbut went unabatedütterally, because he fixed his gaze firmly on the one who is invisible» (Hebrews 11:27 NLB). He fixed his eyes on the one who is invisible. Focussed on God and convinced that he exists. His perspective was «everything I have around me is just dirt unless I keep my eyes firmly fixed on God!» The letter to the Hebrews writes about this kind of faith in Hebrews 11:1. We have read this verse before, but we want to do so again. «So what is faith? It is the confidence that what we hope for will come true and the conviction that what we do not see exists» (Hebrews 11:1 NLB). Such faith places trust in the fulfilment of hope. Therefore, this hope must be based on things beyond this earth. For earthly hopes ultimately fail. Such faith is a deep conviction in the existence of God. For the existence of God is better than anything this world has to offer. Therefore, the worst of discipleship is better than the best of the earth. As with Moses, discipleship means reckoning with the reality of the invisible God.
All people follow something or someone to a greater or lesser extent. The teaser lists 18 things we can follow. Sports, celebrities, careers, success, politics, opinions, family, friends, religion, beliefs, possessions, fame, science, technology, trends, traditions, social media, news. Following Jesus Christ means that I consider all of this to be rubbish in contrast to following Jesus Christ. Because the reason lies in this: «But this world is passing away with all its temptations. But whoever does the will of God will live forever» (1 John 2:17 NLB).
I would like to end today’s sermon with the text of the teaser. What is on your mind? Who or what are you following? Is Jesus on your list? Does he have your attention? Does he influence your being and doing? Let your heart catch fire from the one who says: Follow me!
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Hebrews 11:23–27, Hebrews 11:1
- What does faith mean to you? Does this fit the description of faith in Hebrews 11:1?
- What do you find difficult about the description of faith in Hebrews 11:1? Where do you struggle with this definition?
- The worst of discipleship (suffering) weighed more for Moses than the best of the world (riches)! Can you agree with this statement? Where not and why? What are you afraid of?
- What is the reward that Moses was counting on?
- Moses went on steadfastly because he kept his eyes firmly fixed on God. What would help you to do the same?
- Answer the questions in the teaser for yourself: What is on your mind? Who or what do you follow? Is Jesus on your list? Does he have your attention? Does he influence your being and doing?
