Principle for Bible Reading
Hebrews 11 calls us to look to God’s people who have gone before us to learn how to walk by faith. In this lab, John Piper highlights the life of Moses, who preferred the reward he had with God more than all the riches of Egypt.
An Unexplainable Exchange (00:35–03:33)
- Moses “refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter” (privilege and power). (Hebrews 11:24)
- Moses chose not “to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” (Hebrews 11:25)
- Moses turned down “the treasures of Egypt.” (Hebrews 11:26)
- Instead, Moses chose “to be mistreated with the people of God.” (Hebrews 11:24)
- Instead, Moses “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth” — better. (Hebrews 11:26)
A Greater Reward (03:33–06:56)
- Moses rejected power, wealth, and pleasure “by faith.” (Hebrews 11:24)
- What is faith? “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” (Hebrews 11:1)
- Faith also seeks a reward from God (Hebrews 11:6). This appears in our passage, “looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:26)
- Faith conquers our desire for privilege and fame (Hebrews 11:24); it conquers our craving for sinful delights (Hebrews 11:25); and it conquers our need for money (Hebrews 11:26).
The Reproach of Christ (06:56–08:34)
Wherever in the world someone suffers to embrace God’s people and to flee from sin, looking to the reward that Christ purchased, he is suffering with and for Christ. (Hebrews 11:26)
- Read Hebrews 11:24–26. Name everything in those three verses that Moses rejects or forgoes because of his faith.
- What does it mean that Moses refused, chose, and considered “by faith”? How does faith overcome these particular temptations?
- How might you explain “the reproach of Christ” in Hebrews 11:26? How did Moses experience the reproach of Christ long before Christ was even born?
Piper: “Walking by faith means defeating sin’s pleasures with the promise of a superior pleasure in God.”