By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26

Many years ago, some men were surrounded by flames while fighting a forest fire. An airplane flew over and dropped weighted notes down to them warning, "You are surrounded and will perish unless you take action immediately. There is one narrow corridor of escape, and before long it will be cut off." They received a message from above telling them something they could not know down in the smoke and the furor. Thankfully, they did not question the authenticity or the reliability of the notes but acted on them and were saved.

That's very much like our society today. We are surrounded by an inferno of problems, and God is saying, "There is one way to escape." The Bible sends us a message from above about Moses who lived in a desperately wicked land. By faith, he had victory in the land of Egypt. And he has become our example.


Moses Made a Firm Decision.
The first thing Moses did was to decide, and his decision was made up of three parts. Hebrews 11:24 says Moses "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter." He was a prince, but he turned his back on that. Verse 25 says he chose "rather to suffer affliction." So he refused something and chose something, and verse 26 tells us why: Moses had been doing some figuring, and he esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt." He chose the eternal and not the temporal reward. Do you want to have victory in an x-rated society? Like Moses, you must begin by making a firm decision.


Moses Made a Full Departure
Hebrews 11:27 tells us that then, "By faith he forsook Egypt...." He checked out of Egypt. Pharaoh, who is a picture of the devil, didn't want Moses to leave, so he offered him some clever compromises — compromises we still face today.

1. "Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land" (Exodus 8:25). Pharaoh said, "Be religious, but just make your sacrifices right here in Egypt." The devil says the same thing today: "Just tack Christianity on to your life. Stay in the world, and then go to church on Sunday morning."

2. "I will let you go...only ye shall not go very far away" (Exodus 8:28). Moses didn't waiver, so Pharaoh said, "Don't be an extremist. Live on the borderline. Then, if you want to take a little excursion back into Egypt, you can." Many today are saved but still in the suburbs of sin. They want to see how close to the world they can live.

3. "I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. Not so: go now ye that are men..." (Exodus 10:10). Pharaoh was not finished yet. He suggested, "You men go, but it's dangerous. Don't take your kids or your families. Leave them here!" The devil hates family religion. He will let you be religious as long as you don't take your kids to heaven with you." It's a strategy of Satan to get the kids of God's people.

4. "Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed" (Exodus 10:24). Pharaoh tried one more time. He wanted Moses to leave the livestock in Egypt. Many have bought this compromise: "Go ahead and be a Christian, but don't bring your business into it." The devil knows that if he can get your treasure, he has a part of you because "where your treasure is, there will your heart be" (Matt. 6:21).


Moses Discovered a Faithful Deliverance
Moses was resolute, and he left. He then discovered God's faithful deliverance. Hebrews 11:28 says, "Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood.... By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned." There was a dynamic deliverance. It's not enough just to make a decision; we cannot escape sin unless God gives us deliverance. Only through Jesus are we free from the power and the punishment of sin! And only through faith in Him, can we overcome and live in victory in an x-rated world!