The Letter to the Hebrews
How To Resist Temptation
Hebrews 11:23-28
God’s Word says that there is a real Satan, and that Satan is prowling like a roaring lion seeking to devour those who trust Christ. And the way he seeks to devour us is by tempting us to sin.
· When you are tempted to lie or slander – that’s Satan seeking to devour you.
· When you are tempted to stay in your comfort zone and not share Christ with people -- that’s Satan seeking to devour you.
· When you are tempted with lust or greed – that’s Satan seeking to devour you.
And when we understand that, we can see why it’s crucial that we overcome temptation. But how do we do that?
If tomorrow you are tempted to lie to your boss – how would you fight that temptation?
If you are tempted to forget about lost people – how would you fight that temptation?
If you are tempted with lust or greed – how would you fight that temptation?
The good news is that God not left us on our own. God had given us a step to take that will enable us to overcome the temptations Satan sends our way. To see what this step is turn to Hebrews 11:23-28. If you need a Bible, raise your hand and we will bring one you can use this morning. In the Bibles we are passing out, Hebrews 11:23-28 is on page 1008.
In these verses the author focuses on the life of Moses – and what he says here answers four crucial questions. The first question is – how can we overcome temptation?
To answer that question the author tells us the story of Moses’ parents. The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, under the power of a brutal Pharaoh, who had them doing slave labor. But they still had babies. Lots of babies. More babies than the Egyptians. So Pharaoh was afraid they would have so many babies that they outnumbered the Egyptians. So he made a law that every Israelite baby boy had to be drowned in the Nile River.
But then Moses was born. A baby boy. A Hebrew baby boy whom Pharaoh had commanded must be drowned in the Nile River. Now they would have known God did not want them to do that. But if they didn’t obey Pharaoh, and Pharaoh found out, they’d all be killed. So they would have been tempted to obey the king.
But what did they do? How did they overcome this temptation? The answer is in v.23 --
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
How did they overcome temptation? The answer is – “by faith.” Because Moses’ parents had faith, they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
Now what does it mean that they saw that the child was beautiful? You could think it just meant they thought Moses was a cute baby. But it means much more than that. In Acts 7:20 we read that Moses was beautiful in God’s eyes. Which meant that God had a special plan for Moses.
So somehow God let Moses’ parents know that Moses was beautiful in God’s eyes, and that God had a special plan for Moses. So – by faith – they believed what God said about Moses, and they did not fear the king’s edict, so they overcame the temptation and did not obey the king. They did not drown Moses in the Nile River. Instead, they hid Moses in their home for three months. So what overcomes temptation is faith. That’s the point of v.23.
But how does faith overcome temptation? That’s the point of vv.24-25, where we read what Moses did when he was tempted. What temptation did Moses face? The author tells us in vv.24-25 --
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Here’s what happened. Moses’ parents hid him in their home for three months. But after three months that did not work any longer. So they hid him in the reeds by the side of the Nile River. And what God does next is amazing. God led Pharaoh’s daughter to find Moses. And when she found him, she decided to adopt him. But she needed someone to nurse Moses, so she hired one of the Israelite women to nurse him – and the Israelite woman she hired to nurse Moses -- was Moses’ mother.
But when Moses grew up he knew God was calling him to return to his people. But think of what that would have meant. He was a son of Pharaoh’s daughter. We’re talking the equivalent today of having a private jet and driving a Tesla on the Egyptian highways and having a water-front mansion on the Nile. He had a life of every earthly pleasure and comfort and luxury you could imagine.
But he knew God had called him to leave Pharaoh’s household – to leave the private jet and Tesla and water-front mansion and earthly pleasures and comforts and luxuries -- and join the people of Israel who were dirt-poor, abused, lowly slaves. So can you feel how strong that temptation would have been? It would have felt impossible to resist.
And some of you, right now, are facing temptations that feel impossible to resist. That temptation to lie or slander feels too strong to resist. That temptation to stop advancing the Gospel feels impossible to resist. That temptation to lust or greed feels too strong to overcome.
But if that’s how it’s feeling – then you are not alone. Moses is right there with you. He faced a temptation that felt impossible to overcome. And -- he overcame it.
You can see that in v.23 – he “refused” to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. “I’m a Hebrew – part of the nation of Israel -- and I’m leaving.” And notice in v.24 – he was “choosing rather” to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Good-bye private jet – hello slavery.
Wow. Moses overcame this massively strong temptation. And if we can understand how he did this – it could be life-changing for us. So how did Moses overcome this temptation?
We could think he compared the greater wealth of Egypt with the lesser wealth of being with God’s people – and by will-power he chose what was right – he chose what he was supposed to – and chose the lesser wealth of being with God’s people.
But that’s not what he did. What did he do? Look at the first two words of v.24 – “by faith.” He did not resist temptation by will-power. He resisted temptation by faith.
We can see what that meant in v.26 --
26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
“The reproach of Christ” is the author’s way of describing the suffering Moses would experience by joining God’s people. And he calls it the reproach of Christ to remind his readers that this is what followers of Jesus are called to do.
But notice how Moses overcame temptation. He did not compare the greater wealth of Egypt with the lesser wealth being with God’s people – and choose the lesser wealth just because it was right. No. Moses looked at the wealth of Egypt and the suffering and slavery and poverty of being with God’s people – and saw that it was greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.
See, obeying Jesus Christ never means settling for lesser pleasure. Different pleasures, yes. But not lesser pleasures. Obeying Jesus Christ always means seeking the greatest pleasures.
But how is that true? How is making bricks with God’s people greater wealth than a water-front mansion on the Nile? It’s because of the last seven words of v.26 – “for he was looking to the reward.” What is this reward? It’s the same reward we read about all through God’s Word – it’s God Himself.
Moses knew that making bricks with God’s people was greater wealth than a water-front mansion on the Nile – because if he made bricks with God’s people – he would be walking in the path of obedience to God. And if he walks in the path of obedience to God, He would have God, He would know God, He would fellowship with God, He would behold God. And God Himself is infinitely more satisfying than private jets or Teslas or water-front mansions or anything else in the universe.
Now if you have not yet experienced God’s saving power – you’ll have trouble feeling that. You won’t feel that having God would make slavery greater wealth than earthly riches. But it’s true, and if you have been saved through trusting Jesus – then you’ve tasted that this is true.
The truth is that beholding God, worshiping God, fellowshipping God gives you infinitely more joy than anything else in the universe.
So Moses did not overcome temptation by saying – Egypt means wealth, and God’s people means suffering, but I’ll do the right thing and go with God’s people. He said Egypt means wealth, and God’s people means suffering – but it will also mean I have God who is infinitely more satisfying than Egypt’s wealth – so I’m going to obey God.
This is crucial for us to understand. Every temptation is giving you the same lie – that it will give you greater satisfaction than you can have in knowing God.
What you get from lying or slandering will satisfy you more than God will.
Neglecting lost people for the sake of comfort and ease will satisfy you more than God will.
What you experience with lust or greed will satisfy you more than God will.
That’s what every temptation promises us. But it’s all a lie. And so the way to overcome temptation is by faith – by looking to the reward of who God is until our hearts are changed so we feel and taste and experience – You ARE greater wealth than private jets, than pursuing earthly comforts, than lust could ever give.
So don’t fight temptation by just gritting your teeth and choosing a lesser pleasure just because you are supposed to. Fight temptation by faith – by praying over God’s Word until you once again taste and see that God is your all-satisfying treasure – and then you will gladly walk away from the wealth of Egypt and suffer with God’s people.
But there’s a problem. Temptations don’t just attack once and then stop. Every day there’s new temptations. Temptations continue. They hammer us relentlessly. So how can faith keep on overcoming temptation? That question is answered in v.27 –
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
Here’s what happened. Moses left Pharaoh’s household and went to the people of Israel. But as he was there he saw an Egyptian guard beating an Israelite slave. So he killed the Egyptian guard. But the word got out that he had done that – and when Pharaoh heard he said Moses had to be killed.
So Moses left Egypt and went to Midian – where he didn’t know anyone and didn’t have anything. And this would have meant more suffering. More hardship. More temptation. When you overcome one temptation – you will soon face another, and another, and another.
But notice what Moses did. V.27 says he endured. To endure means to stay the course of obedience no matter how many temptations, no matter how much the cost, no matter what the suffering. So how did Moses do that? How does faith keep enduring temptation after temptation after temptation?
Notice the last half of v.27 – “for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” What makes the path of obedience worth it – in spite of the costs, the suffering, the difficulties – what makes the path of obedience worth it is that you see that God is with you on that path – the God in whose presence is fullness of joy.
When you are tempted to throw in the towel – to give up on seeing Gospel-advance in your neighborhood – to give up resisting lust – to give up on your marriage – it’s because you are no longer seeing him who is invisible.
So what you need to do is do what Moses did – see him who is invisible. Take time to pray and ask for God to change your heart. And then pray over God’s Word until you once again see God’s reality, God’s glory, God’s goodness. And when that happens – you will once again know that the path of obedience brings greater wealth than any other path – because the path of obedience brings you God Himself.
But what if we fail? What if we sin? Is it all over? Let’s raise this one last question – If we don’t overcome temptation is it all over? And look at what we read in v.28 –
28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
You remember the story. The final plague was that the angel of death was going to go throughout Egypt and kill every first-born son. But God said that if people would kill a spotless lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of the home, the angel of death would pass over that home and their first-born son would not be killed.
So what caused God’s judgment to pass over the home was not how good the people had been, or how much they had resisted sin. What caused God’s judgment to pass over the home was the fact that the blood of the Passover Lamb was on the doorposts. That Passover lamb was a picture of what Jesus Christ would do on the Cross when he took upon Himself the punishment we deserved for our sin.
So here’s the point. Resist temptation. Fight against temptation. But if you fail – when you fail – it’s not all over. Look to Jesus by faith, look to the Passover lamb by faith, confess your sin by faith, and you will be assured that you are forgiven by God, reconciled to God, loved by God, and that now and forever God will be your all-satisfying Treasure.
And then get back in the fight.