Talking Points:
- The passage we’re about to read, Hebrews 11, is known as the “Hall of Faith.” It goes through a long list of people from the Old Testament who, by faith, participated in God’s big story, even when it seemed unexpected or absurd. How did they do it? They said “Yes” to being active participants in God’s story. They said “Yes” to having faith in God above anything else. And they said “Yes” to obeying God’s call and purpose for their lives, regardless of their own plans. While the world encouraged pursuing power, wealth, and security, these people loved, trusted, and obeyed God. And that’s how ordinary people end up doing extraordinary things in God’s story! One of those people was Moses.
- Hebrews 11:24-28 – It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.
- Moses could have just accepted the life he was born into: a son of slaves, adopted into the Egyptian royal family, living a life of luxury. It sounds like a fairytale! But Moses, by faith, chose something that must have seemed crazy to the rest of the world: He left that royal life behind and chose to identify and suffer with the enslaved Israelites. Moses gave up life as he knew it, a life of privilege filled with the pleasures of sin, in order to participate in God’s big story. By faith, he trusted that although he couldn’t see the ending, and he didn’t know what would happen, God would be faithful to deliver.
- Philippians 3:7-14 – I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
- Like Moses, Paul’s life was completely shaped by his participation in God’s big story. Paul was once an elite, respected religious scholar. But an encounter with Jesus changed everything. All those things that Paul believed earned him honor and value were now meaningless. Paul left his past life behind to enter into a new life with Jesus! The only thing that mattered was pressing forward to the hope that was ahead of him: the hope of being reunited with God. Instead of striving to earn a place of honor in the world, Paul accepted that he was a participant in the drama of redemption and spent his life preaching the Good News about Jesus, inviting as many people as possible into God’s wonderful story!
- And like Moses and Paul, we can immerse ourselves in God’s big story. How do we figure out what role God wants us to play in the story? God reveals it to us over time as we encounter him in his Word. As we spend our lives reading and applying Scripture, the Holy Spirit uses it to shape our vision, desires, values, and goals, aligning the story of our lives with the story of God.
Discussion:
- What kind of story are you currently living in? How has this shaped who you are and where you see your life going?
- How do you feel when you think about fitting your life story within God’s story? Does that thought excite you, confuse you, or something else?
- Look back at Hebrews 11. How would you describe what it means to “live by faith?” What do you think it means to “keep your eyes on the one who is invisible”?
- Both Moses and Paul “looked forward.” What were they looking forward to? How did this affect the way they saw their present circumstances?
- What role does the Bible play in shaping your story?
- When you look back on your life story, can you see evidence of God’s plan working in you? How can reflecting on these moments help you trust him for your future?
- What are you doing to participate in God’s big story? Where does faith fit in? If you are not participating already, what steps will you take to join in?
