Looking through the “Hall of Faith”

Hebrews chapter 11 has been called the “Hall of Faith.” It’s kind of like the “hall of fame” we have for sports or entertainment. In that chapter we find examples of great men and women of faith from the Old Testament. They stand as people who trusted God even in tough or unusual circumstances.

There are several things that stand out in Hebrews 11, one thing is, as we read about their lives, sometimes they lacked faith. They were people who doubted and some actually committed great sin. But in the New Testament, God brags about their great faith.

One of the heroes of faith is Moses. And one of the things God brags about Moses’ faith is how he decided to leave his old life behind and follow what God had for him. I like that model of faith because that’s exactly what happens to the Christian. The bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a New Creation, old things are passed away, behold all things have become as new.” In other words, if you trust in Christ, not only are your sins forgiven, but you actually become a new person, born of the Spirit of God, so things will be different.

Concerning Moses, Hebrews 11:24-26 says; “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s household, he had all the privileges of the elite but as he came to know the God of Israel, he chose to follow God rather than enjoy the sin of Egypt. So as you trust in Christ, your priorities become different, a true Jesus follower will no longer desire the things that God calls sinful, but seek the will and the ways of God. Why do people change? Because they are actually a new person, the old ways are gone and the new ways are now what they desire.

Did you notice what Hebrews said about Moses? He considered the reproach of Christ greater than anything that Egypt had to offer. You might be thinking, but Moses was in the Old Testament, he lived over 1,500 years before Jesus was born, how could he be thinking about Christ?

All of the Old Testament saints were looking to Christ in that they knew their sacrifices and offerings were not good enough to justify them before God. How did they know that? They knew that because they had to keep offering a sacrifice year after year. But Jesus offered himself once for all time, to become the forgiver of sins for those who trust in him.

Much like Moses, we have a choice to follow the treasures of the world, or the reproach of Christ. Which is your treasure? The reward of heaven or the fleeting pleasures of sin? If you have yet to trust in Christ, I encourage you to trust in Jesus then seek a church that believes God’s word and you too will become a new creation with the reward of eternal life.