Hebrews 11 – Faith, Wisdom, and life lessons. It is by faith we find wisdom and by wisdom we place our faith. What does that mean and why does it matter? The following verses from Hebrews 11 give us that answer.
Hebrews 11 v 22 – 28
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they were not afraid of the Kings edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. [25] He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. [26] He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. [27] By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. [28] By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
Lets unpack this as understand what’s actually being said here.
Pray
“Heavenly Father, grant us the sight of your Holy Spirit. That we might see things through your eyes. That we might learn how to navigate through life wisely. Receiving both encouragement and warning. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”
My wife LOVES Taco Bell. Every time we go to town. You can guarantee, we’ll end up in Taco Bell. Having seen their product placement in various movies over the years. In the film Demolition Man and the more recent Taladega Nights. Im convinsed its going to be a fabulous experience. Dazzled by the beautiful colour scheme. commanding visual demonstrations of success. They have my trust that im going to be satisfied with this. The reality is very different. Its more of a snack. As a adult human. The portion size fit for a cat just doesnt cut it. Yet time and time again, we find ourselves back.
Me and rebekah are at odds as to if Taco bell is a wise choice or not.
So the focus of today is ‘Wisdom’. Hebrews 11 – Faith, Wisdom, and life lessons.
The definition of wisdom is this. – The act of combining and applying both information and experience to produce a positive outcome.
We all want positive outcomes dont we? We all want good things.
Id like to make 2 main observations which help us to recognise the presence of wisdom in our decisions. To help us recognise wisdom, navigate into wisdom and ultimately be encouraged to apply wisdom. As we unpack these verses. We will see the presence of both encouragement and warning.
The first things id like us to think about is this.. the first observation.
“It is by faith that we are able to enact wisdom. And by wisdom we choose where to place our faith”.
What does that mean?
With this talk being all about wisdom. I was finding it difficult to not just make it another talk on faith. But the more i tried. The more it was clear. You cannot have wisdom without faith. They are synonymous with one another. They go hand in hand. It is by faith, that we are able to enact wisdom. And by wisdom we choose our faith”.
The enphasis is on ‘by faith’. Why? Why had the writer gone to such great lengths to repeat this phrase ‘by faith’.
The decisions themselves are the embodiment of wisdom. But also, these statements are pointing us to something. That is, where we place our faith.
The writer isnt making some throw away comment that its a coincidence all these kindgom heros lived by faith. Not even simply that they had a faith in the way we refer to people ‘of faith’.These statements are weighty. They are universally established principles. Like a natural law. The law of gravity for example. There is wisdom in their very DNA. It is the very mechanic of the decision making process.
‘By faith’.
Every decision by everyone in the world ever, is made by faith. (I believe this is true for the believer and the unbeliever alike). Id like to qualify why that is true and why it matters.
We can ask ourselves where we draw our wisdom from. We all have wisdom. Its one of the ways we are all made in the image of God. But the degree of wisdom rests on where our faith is placed.
Where do we source our information. And whos information do we value?
Our job is simply to choose where that faith, that trust is placed.
When reading the red cross website news stories i came across a story which shows wisdom being outworked.
Leanne, a mum from swindon
Found her 18month old baby having a seizure after putting her down for a nap. She was able to take steps to save her life. When asked how she said
“Im greatful that i attended a baby a child first aid course which meant i knew what to look out for and how to deal with the seizure”
Another…
Healthy 50yr old Tony was found in a secluded office room having a heart attack by his work collegue Tim. After taking all the right steps that saved his life Tim said “without the first aid skills id learnt, i dont know if i would have been so level headed when this happened”
__________________
The first thing is they had faith in the services that offered the information. In the experience of those offering the information. They trusted it. As a result of putting their trust in good information. They acted. They sought to aquire the information. A wise choice. Looking to the future. Investing in a possible scinario and it proved fruitful. They valued human life so much. They spent themselves to prepare to preserve it. Even at a time there was no certainty it would even be needed. They spent themselves. Their time, perhaps their money investing in where they placed value. As a result, choices made in the setting of stress, worry, anxiety maybe panic. But a positive outcome.
The wisdom produced good things in them. Calm, knowledgable. Insightful.
Its encouraging to know that we have access to good information to make wise choices.
These are the fruits of their labour. Bearing good fruit. The image of God in all of us.
For the non believer, we might say this life is the most precious thing. The fact in their view it will end and there is no sequal. It begins and ends with them. Their efforts, their fruits. But is there more to life than that? We know that we also have access to Gods wisdom. Eternal wisdom. If so, what does that mean for us where wisdom is concerned here and now?
Outside of the concept of the unbelievers life begining and ending is a void. An empty space which we know is Gods eternity. But it doesnt stop the seeking to fill that space for the unbeliever. They too are made in the image of God. Clinging on to ideas of eternity. The aspect of being made in the image of God that the unbeliever is yet to determine. If we are unable to see or fail to seek out Gods eternal wisdom. Other wisdoms replace that space. Those ways can effect us too.
There are all kinds of marketing to fill that void. In 1947 during the great depression, De Beers marketing campaign slogon ‘A diamond is forever’ changed the worlds relationship with diamonds. Offering a sence of eternity. At a cost of course. Now almost every engagement is accompanied with a diamond as a result. We trust what they say is true. So we part with our time and money to aquire it. A purchase to satisfy a sense of eternity in some all way.
Another way is by fighting against time and age showing.
There are endless creams promising age defying elixir. Hair replacement surgeons. Command our trust that they can give us a comforting sence. They love to remind us of the passing of time. Promising solutions to keep looking young.
You too can aquire these at a cost.
Taking of our money and time, to prevent time from showing? What kind of wisdom is that? Is that where we should invest our money? Our time spent working?
There is a hunger for wisdom too, and you too can buy that. Apple’s 1997 campaign slogan ‘Think Different’ though criticised as being gramatically incorrect. Convinsed us that their presentation of assumed wisdom ‘Think Different’ was to put our trust in their product. That if we purchased it. We too would be a wise, as their products are wise choices. After all, they ‘think different’. And we should trust them.
Have you been working all day, you must be exhausted. Have a break, have a kitkat. Its wise to take a break. To have rest. But you need to do it with our product.
Theres a warning here. Does what we plow our time and money into yeild wisdom? Peacefulness? Or is it a short term pleasure?
But what about for the believer? What do we value? All these things can captivate us too. We can be swayed by campaigns promising these short term pleasures.
We know who to go to for our information on maintaining our physical bodies. Its wise to seek medical information. But in the whole marketplace of ideas, not all information our their is benificial or helpful. So how do we navigate this?
Where is wisdom to be placed. And what implications does that have on us today? Whos information can we trust?
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the begining of Wisdom.
In other words, take ‘seriously’ the Lord. Thats where you will begin to find wisdom.
In the journey of faith, exemplified by the narrative in Hebrews 11:23-28, we witness a profound demonstration of wisdom intertwined with courageous choices. Far beyond the wisdom of this world. Or of medical intervention. Moses’ mother, undeterred by the king’s decree, was informed by holy spirit fruit bearing information, her faith rooted in the God of Israel. Her life took him seriously. Knowing him. Her wisdom found in his wisdom in the eternal reshaped her worldview, illustrating the fruit of seeking wisdom.
It may or may not have informed the spacific decision to place Moses in a basket. But it brought her the peace to trust God with the ultimate outcome. She experienced the fruit of wisdom. In the midst of a hopeless situation that no other wisdom can offer. This is why we should value wisdom. Nothing else in this world can offer Gods wisdom. The wisdom that produces love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (Galatians 5)
Are you facing hopelessness? Where do we place our faith? Our trust?
Moses mum got it. She lived her life by it. So that when the time came. She was ready. She entrusted the life of her child to it. And God honoured it. It ultimately proved fruitful.
Similarly, Moses’ journey reflects a deeper wisdom, one grounded in faith in the unseen. Even the unknown. Reflecting again on Proverbs 9:10 that wisdom begins with reverence and obedience to God. It was this very moment for moses where the rubber hits the road. Where decisions matter. He wasnt raised with knowledge and experience of God. Yet the moment he found reverence and a respect for God. The moment he took God seriously. It reshaped his view.
In our daily lives, whether facing medical procedures or life-altering decisions, faith enables us to relinquish holding ultimate control and trust in his divine guidance/providence. In Gods wisdom. Just as a patient trusts in a skilled nurse during a blood test, we also trust in God’s sovereignty and eternal plan. Seeing from Gods perspective. Beyond our own. By focusing on one decision at a time, placing faith in God, we move deeper into wisdom.
Do you see that you dont have to have years of investment in God to get access to his eternal wisdom. For his wisdom to take effect and guide us in the here and now. But we can also invest our time and money and efforts into him. Do we value it? Is it worth our time and resources?
In essence, wisdom is not merely knowledge but the embodiment of faith in action. As we seek, value, and walk in wisdom, our very lives become a testament to the transformative power of faith. Producing its fruits.
Observation 2 – Wisdom is present in the absence of short term pleasures. Rarely accompanied by them. (Wisdom is most clear in the absence of short term pleasures. Rather than accompanied by them).
Each of these stories. We see these decisions of wisdom are far from the easy ones. They offer little reward in the short term pleasures. Im some cases, persued at a time when seeming offering very little if anything at all. Certainly where worldly value is concerned.
Moses himself, later in life, made wise choices by forsaking the treasures of Egypt for the greater value found in his faith. His decision to identify with the people of God, though fraught with uncertainty, reveals why its worth valuing wisdom. He was hungry for wisdom.
Some of you know my story. A time when i had nothing. A time in my life where i had no roof over my head. No one around me or for me. Empty and desolate in every way. Yet, i look on that time as one of my fondest memories as well as my most painful. Because ive never known a time where God was so clear and present. Why?
But its easy to see God when everything is taken from us. Its not to easy to part with things of our own volition in persuit of God.
This is beautifully expressed by Solomon in the book of ecclesiasties as he describes short term pleasures and gain as ‘meaninless folly.’ In other words ‘a fools persuit’.
Its not to say we never have nice things or enjoyable pleasures. God loves to bless us and give good gifts. But what do we place above all else? Where do we place our value? Where do we spend our energy and what do we persue?
Matthew answers this for us.
Math 6:33 – “seek first the kingdom of heaven and all these things will be given to you”
Id like to end with this…
Philippians 3:7-8 NIV
Pauls words regarding where ultimate wisdom and value is found.
[7] But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Friends, there is endless wisdom in persuing Christ. Knowing him, walking with him. Extending far beyond the reaches of this life. This world.
How much space does christ hold in our decision making today?
Is he a part of our decision making?
in the way we speak to people? Or how we handle finances? Where we invest our money.
What about the bigger decisions? Marriage choice, career choices. Where to move to? What church to attend? Are these decisions in line with what God calls us to be? In line with his mission?
Do we hunger for deeper wisdom? Do you thirst for faith? He is the bread of life. You need never to go hungry.
Whats God saying to you today? Where is he calling you in your faith?
Christ paid the price for us when he took up the cross. For moses, it was costly to follow God. But the reward was huge.
Do we love as God loves?
This stuff isnt complicated. But it is available. Its simple. Pray. Get into the presence of the one who calls you. Seek out his information. Wether its for an immediate situation. Or simply to build and grow in wisdom. To prepare for life ahead.
Desire it, value it, want it. Make time. If we can see the faith in the first aid courses fulfilled in this life. How much more the faith in our heavenly father in this life and beyond?
The world says, ‘I will believe it when i see it. = innaction
Faith says, i believe that i will see it. = action
I believe we will see huge growth right here in runcorn for his kingdom. What if like moses, we viewed our short term pleasures as meaningless. Could we give up everything for his kingdom? Try it. Start small? Faith as small as a mustard seed.
It is by faith, we are able to enact wisdom. By wisdom, we place our faith.
With clarity and certainly in the absence of the persuit of short term pleasures.