WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:03.520 I have never met a person who doesn't struggle with 2 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:04.679 an identity. 3 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:05.639 Crisis in some area. 4 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:08.279 You may not even be aware of the crises you 5 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:11.400 have in your life, but the issues of who am 6 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:13.439 I and what am I supposed to do with by 7 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:16.760 life are two of the most important issues you have 8 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:21.440 to settle. The greatest leader in the entire Old Testament 9 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:27.480 was Moses. I mean Moses in essence created the nation 10 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:29.920 of Israel. There was the family of the Jews, but 11 00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:33.640 the nation of Israel all came about because of Moses. 12 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:37.759 Moses was the greatest leader in the Old Testament. He 13 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:41.439 freed the Jews from four hundred years of slavery. God 14 00:00:41.479 --> 00:00:46.359 shows him to give the Ten Commandments to man, and 15 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:51.039 he wrote the first five books of the Bible Genesis, Exos, Viticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. 16 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.200 It would be hard to name somebody more important than 17 00:00:54.240 --> 00:01:00.479 the Old Testament than Moses. But it all started Moses 18 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:03.840 learned his true identity. Because this is a guy who 19 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:08.599 grew up with a confused or actually false, fake identity. 20 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:10.200 You know the story. 21 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:13.959 The Jews had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years, 22 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:17.959 and one day Farroh decided we're getting too many Jews 23 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:22.760 in this country. So he commanded that the firstborn boys, 24 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:25.920 all the young boys, be murdered, be put to death. 25 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:31.239 Moses' mother created a plan, said, I'm not going to 26 00:01:31.480 --> 00:01:35.280 kill my son, and so she put him in a 27 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:39.439 wove a little basket and put him in the Nile River, 28 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:44.239 right where Farroh's daughter went out to bathe. So you 29 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:50.319 can actually say Moses began as a basket case. So 30 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:53.239 there's hope for you, all right, there's hope for you. 31 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:57.280 Moses started off as a basket case. And as you 32 00:01:57.359 --> 00:02:00.959 know the story, she put the the baby in the 33 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:05.599 Nile River and posted his sister to watch over the. 34 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:08.879 Basket. 35 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:14.599 And sure enough, Moses was picked up by Pharaoh's daughter 36 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:18.520 and she took the baby home. He's a Jewish baby, 37 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:23.039 she's Egyptian. Here's a confused identity. She takes the baby 38 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:26.240 back to the palace and tells everybody it's her baby. 39 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:32.520 Moses grows up thinking he's the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 40 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:36.919 thinking he's an Egyptian royalty. Moses grows up thinking he's 41 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:43.280 the grandson of Pharaoh. He's not even Egyptian. He's got 42 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:47.400 a confused identity. And when he gets old enough, he 43 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:51.560 learns the truth about himself. And this story of lost 44 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:55.120 and confused identity and how he discovered his real identity 45 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:59.560 and how it changed his own life and changed history 46 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:03.639 is the story I want us to look at this weekend. 47 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:04.199 Now. 48 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:06.680 The story is summarized actually in the New Testament in 49 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:09.319 Hebrews chapter eleven, So pull out your notes. And in 50 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:11.599 Hebrews eleven, verse twenty three, we have the story. 51 00:03:12.879 --> 00:03:13.439 By faith. 52 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:17.919 Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was 53 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:21.479 born because they saw he was no ordinary child, and 54 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:26.039 they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith, Moses, 55 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:30.719 when he had grown up, refused to be known as 56 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:33.199 the son of Pharaoh's daughter. After he found out his 57 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:35.599 true identity, he refused to be known as the son 58 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:39.280 of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with 59 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:42.759 the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures 60 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:46.159 of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for 61 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:49.599 the sake of Christ as of greater value than the 62 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:55.000 treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward, 63 00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:01.360 and by faith, he left Egypt not fearing the king's anger, 64 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:06.800 and he persevered because he saw him who is invisible? 65 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:09.800 Now in this passage that we've just read, there's so 66 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:13.039 much material we can actually spend the entire series just 67 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:16.759 on this passage. But I want this weekend for you 68 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.680 to just see four things that knowing who you are, 69 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:27.480 Knowing who God made you to be, Knowing your true identity, 70 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:31.759 not the identity your parents gave you, not the identity 71 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.279 that society has given you, Not the identity that an 72 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:37.879 ex husband or wife, or boyfriend or girlfriend has given you, 73 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:41.319 Not the identity that teachers gave you in school. 74 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:45.680 Knowing your true identity does. 75 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:49.000 Four things in your life, And that's why we're going 76 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:50.600 to do this series. I want you to see this 77 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:58.920 Number one, Knowing my identity demonstrates spiritual maturity. Knowing my 78 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:06.240 identity demonstrates my spiritual maturity. Now, Moses, like all the 79 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:08.720 rest of us, growing up, asked the same questions we do, 80 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:11.360 and when we grow up, we ask questions like who 81 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:15.040 am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? 82 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:17.959 What am I supposed to do with my life? What 83 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:21.959 is my purpose? Does my life matter? Does my life 84 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:22.639 have meaning? 85 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:26.319 What am I? And who am I? 86 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.600 You know if I held up an object up here 87 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:32.040 and you had never seen it, and I said, what's the 88 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:36.800 purpose of the object, You wouldn't know, because the only 89 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:38.480 way you would know if I held up something you'd 90 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:41.360 never seen for is you'd either have to talk to 91 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:45.720 the owner who created it, the inventor some new invention, 92 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:47.839 or read the owner's manual, and then you know, oh, 93 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:51.079 that's the purpose of that device. The same thing is 94 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:53.800 true with you. You're not going to know who you 95 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:57.759 are until you talk to the creator who made you. 96 00:05:57.759 --> 00:05:59.639 You're not going to know what you're supposed to do 97 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.720 with your life until you read the owner's manual. And 98 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:08.079 so we start with God Hebrews eleven twenty four. 99 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:11.439 Look at that verse again. By faith, Moses. 100 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:15.839 When he had grown up, refused to be known as 101 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:18.800 the son of Pharaoh's daughter, a circle of the phrase 102 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:23.079 when he had grown up. The road to spiritual maturity 103 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:26.000 is also the road to personal identity. In other words, 104 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:28.319 the closer you get to God, the deeper you're going 105 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:32.079 to understand you. Let me say that again, the more 106 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:35.439 you understand God, the more you're going to understand you. 107 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:37.720 The reason why we have so many people going through 108 00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:40.240 life in an identity crisis, not knowing who they are 109 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:41.839 or what are supposed to do with their life? 110 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:43.240 Is they don't know God? 111 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:48.920 Now, when Moses grew up, it says he refused circle. 112 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:52.480 That word refused. That word in Greek is ore. 113 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:56.959 Now it means to reflect on and then disown means 114 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:00.279 no turning back. What we got here is a use, 115 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:04.959 a clear example of an identity crisis. Moses is born 116 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:09.839 a Hebrew slave, That's one thing, but he is raised 117 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:16.000 as Egyptian royalty. Which one is he? What's his true identity? 118 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:20.560 And at some point he has to decide what am I? 119 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:24.120 Am I a poor Jewish slave or am I a 120 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:33.079 rich Egyptian royalty. Now he's got true choices very important. 121 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:36.600 I can pretend to be Pharaoh's grandson, and if I 122 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:39.040 pretend keep on pretending to be Pharaoh's grandson, I'm not 123 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:41.199 really his grandson. But if I keep on pretending to 124 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:44.360 be Pharaoh's grandson, I will have fame, I will have fortune, 125 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:45.079 I will. 126 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:47.959 Have luxurious lifestyle, and I will have a great, great career. 127 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.480 On the other hand, if I admit what I really 128 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:54.600 am and who I really am son of Jewish slaves, 129 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:57.959 then I'm going to be disgraced. I'm going to be humiliated. 130 00:07:58.000 --> 00:07:59.399 I'm going to be thrown out and I'm going to 131 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:01.399 do slave for the rest of my life. Now, which 132 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:07.680 one would you choose? Would you fake it the rest 133 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:11.279 of your life? Which one would you choose? 134 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:13.480 Moses is a. 135 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:16.839 Man of integrity, and he refuses to live a lie. 136 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:19.839 So he makes a decision that only changes his destiny, 137 00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:24.279 it changes history. If Moses hadn't made that decision, friend, 138 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.639 you wouldn't be sitting there right now. You wouldn't be 139 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.560 watching online or in any of our campuses. Because if 140 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:33.080 Moses hadn't made this decision, there would be no nation 141 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.440 of Israel, there would be no Messiah, there would be 142 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:36.399 no Jesus, there. 143 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:37.519 Would be no Christian Church. 144 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:40.240 None of this would be going on right now if 145 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:44.000 Moses hadn't decided his true identity. 146 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:45.399 So he makes a decision. 147 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:47.759 It changes his life, and no amount of peer pressure 148 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.440 is going to persuade him otherwise. Let me say this, 149 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:55.600 so much of the stress comes in your life when 150 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:58.320 you don't know who you are. When you don't know 151 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.080 who you are, you let us other people push you 152 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:06.519 into molds and into expectations that you weren't meant to fulfill, 153 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:11.120 and you mold yourself to them. Now, when I understand 154 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:15.600 who my identity is in and what I am, then 155 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.159 that is the mark of spiritual maturity. Notice it says 156 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.279 when Moses had grown up, it's the mark of maturity. 157 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:25.720 Then the most mature person, spiritually mature person who ever 158 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:29.480 lived was Jesus, And that is what it says about 159 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:33.000 Jesus John eight fourteen. Jesus said, I know where I 160 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:37.039 came from and where I'm going. That's what you call 161 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:40.679 a clear idea. There was no doubt in Jesus' mind 162 00:09:40.679 --> 00:09:44.440 who he was. He knew exactly who he was. And maturity, listen, 163 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:49.080 is having an accurate view of you. That's maturity. Have 164 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:51.440 an accurate view of you. You know who you are 165 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:54.600 and you know who you're not. You know what your 166 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.559 strengths are and you know your weaknesses. You know what 167 00:09:57.600 --> 00:09:59.960 you're called to do, you know what you're not called 168 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:02.320 to do. You know the purpose of your life and 169 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:04.240 you know what's not the purpose. 170 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:04.600 Of your life. 171 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:08.639 You know your past like Moses did, but you don't 172 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:09.360 run from it. 173 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:13.879 I want you to write this down on your outline. 174 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:16.960 I am a product of my past, but not a 175 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:17.720 prisoner of it. 176 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:21.000 You might write that one down. 177 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:25.200 I'm a product of my past, but I'm not a 178 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:29.200 prisoner of it. I don't know what's your past involves. 179 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:32.320 You may not even know all your past. But you 180 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:36.639 are a product of your past. But it's not your 181 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:40.519 destiny because your past is past, and you can make 182 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:46.080 choices and you're not a prisoner of your past. Now, 183 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:49.840 what I'm talking about is so important because if you 184 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:52.559 don't understand who you are, you're not gonna have confidence. 185 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:54.200 You said, why do I need confidence? 186 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:56.279 Because if you don't have confidence, you can't be what 187 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:59.120 God made you to be, and you won't serve other people. 188 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:03.159 Let me show you. Verse John thirteen three to five. 189 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:07.919 Says this Jesus knew that he had come from God. 190 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:10.279 That means he knows his identity. 191 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:13.559 He also knew that the Father had given him complete power, 192 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:16.720 so he's very confident in who he is and what 193 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:19.960 he can do. Notice as a result of his knowing 194 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:23.759 his identity, it says he got up, wrapped a towel 195 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:28.519 around his waist and began washing the disciples feet, which 196 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:30.639 is a mark of ultimate service. 197 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:33.360 I mean slaves did this in those days. 198 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:37.399 Now, the Bible says Jesus was able to be a 199 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:41.200 servant to others because he knew who he was. Insecure 200 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:47.799 people cannot serve others. Insecure people cannot minister to others. 201 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:50.480 Only when you know who you are. He said, I 202 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:52.000 know who I am, and I knew where he came from. 203 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:54.080 I'm from God, and I know what power of God. 204 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.799 And with that confidence he could get on his knees 205 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:57.840 and do humble work. 206 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:01.840 Most people can act like servants. 207 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:05.720 Because they're too afraid that people will think they're less 208 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:08.919 than they are. They're worried about the feelings and others. 209 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:14.159 Knowing your identity gives you confidence. Now, success in life 210 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:16.840 comes from being who God made you to be. You're 211 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:19.120 never going to succeed trying to be somebody you're not. 212 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:22.919 You can only be who God made you to be. 213 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:26.720 And success comes from accepting who God made you to be, 214 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:30.159 and then mastering who God made you to be and 215 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:31.960 multiplying who God made you to be. 216 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:34.879 This is spiritual maturity. 217 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:37.000 And so really the series we're going to go into 218 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:41.960 is really a spiritual maturity series, because maturity means I 219 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:44.200 don't need others' approval. 220 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:45.200 To do what's right. 221 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:49.000 I can do it regardless of what you think. And 222 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:51.200 the fact is a lot of times at work you're 223 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.240 afraid to do the right thing because of what other 224 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:55.919 people think. You're afraid to say the right thing because 225 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:58.720 of what other people think, at school, or in your neighborhood, 226 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:01.919 ornywhere else. But when you're mature, you don't try to 227 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:06.440 be somebody you're not. Number two. The second reason we're 228 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:10.360 doing this series is because knowing my true identity not 229 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:18.600 only demonstrates spiritual maturity, it defines my responsibilities. Knowing who 230 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:23.200 God made to me me my true identity defines my responsibilities. 231 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:26.679 In other words, it clarifies what God expects me to do, 232 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:29.600 and it also clarifies what God doesn't expect. 233 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:29.679 Me to do. 234 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:34.480 I'm going to shock you, but God does not expect 235 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:39.919 me to be an opera singer. Why how do I 236 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:43.279 know that? Because I'm not wired to sing like an 237 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:46.840 opera So I know that God shaped me to do 238 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:49.360 what I'm doing and didn't shape me to do a 239 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:53.600 lot of other things. What I'm saying is this, God 240 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:56.879 created you to do some things, but he did not 241 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:01.480 create you to do everything. Some of you are under 242 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:07.159 stress because you're trying to do everything. If you were 243 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:11.480 always under stress over your to do list. Then you're 244 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:13.879 doing things God never intended you for do because God 245 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:15.960 would give, never give you more to do than He 246 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:18.759 gives you the time to do it. You have just 247 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:21.720 enough time to do the will of God. So God 248 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:24.000 created you to do some things, but not do everything. 249 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:28.120 And that's a stress reliever when you realize that, I'm 250 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.399 glad that God isn't going to hold me responsible for 251 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:34.360 talents I don't have, and God isn't going to hold 252 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:38.639 you responsible either. But you are responsible to be who 253 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.279 God made you to be. And that goes back to identity. 254 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:46.720 Knowing what true identity defines my responsibility. Now, let's think 255 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:53.200 about this. God's goal for Moses was that he become 256 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:57.879 the national deliverer of the Jews. God planned it a 257 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:01.519 thousand years before Moses was born. That's what he wanted 258 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:05.679 Moses to do with his life, and so God orchestrated 259 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:10.960 everything so Moses could be that become what God wanted 260 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:16.480 to become. He orchestrated who Moses' parents would be so 261 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:18.799 he would have just the right DNA to be the 262 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:23.159 leader God wanted him to be. But then he orchestrated 263 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:28.320 that Moses' parents would not raise him. That was part 264 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:31.799 of the plan too, that he would be born by 265 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:34.200 one set of parents and he would be raised by 266 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:38.480 another set, so he would get exactly in the position. 267 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:41.759 That God wanted him to be. Hm. 268 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:47.519 Maybe you weren't raised by your parents. Maybe you were 269 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:54.399 raised by a relative or a step parent, not your 270 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:57.759 birth mother or your birth father, or you were raised 271 00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:03.519 by somebody in societ. Maybe you were orphaned as a child. 272 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:07.320 Do you realize that even then, that God had your 273 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:08.399 best interest at heart? 274 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:11.639 Do you realize. 275 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:14.080 That that God, you said, well, why didn't why don't 276 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:16.679 Why didn't even know my parents? Why did God choose 277 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:18.720 my parents to be my parents? Because they had the 278 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:22.679 exact DNA needed to make you, and God was more 279 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:26.600 interested in you than he was in the their parenting skills. 280 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:32.480 And so even if you never knew your parents, Moses 281 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:34.919 didn't know his parents for many, many, many many years, 282 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:40.039 And that was part of the plan, because God said, 283 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:42.919 I'm going to use all these circumstances to make you 284 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:48.320 use Now, when Moses learns his real identity, he immediately 285 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:49.279 knows his assignment. 286 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:49.919 He goes whit. 287 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:56.240 Minute, I'm really a hebrew An Israeli, I'm a Jewish slave. 288 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:59.639 But I was raised in Pharaoh's court, and so I 289 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:03.519 know all about algebra. I know geometry, and I know leadership, 290 00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:06.519 and I know geography, and I know architecture, and I 291 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:08.359 know all these things I wouldn't know if I were 292 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:12.599 a slave. Moses knew his assignment. He could not ignore 293 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:15.240 the cries of the people in pain. He accepts his mention, 294 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:22.839 He accepts his responsibility. Knowing my identity clarifies defines my responsibility. 295 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:24.519 Now here's what it says, verse twenty five. 296 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:29.680 As a result, Moses chose to be mistreated along with 297 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:33.960 the people of God, that's the slaves, rather than to 298 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:36.920 enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 299 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:38.480 Now here's an interesting thing. 300 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:42.240 In verse twenty four, God chose Moses as a baby, 301 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:45.359 but in verse twenty five, Moses had. 302 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:47.319 To choose God when he grew up. 303 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:52.400 See God chose you before you were even born, but 304 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:55.839 now you got to choose him as an adult. In 305 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:59.240 Verse twenty four we have Moses refusing. He refused to 306 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:03.079 be called called Fhroh's grandson, refusing, And in verse twenty 307 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:06.160 five we have Moses choosing. He replaces a negative with 308 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:09.359 a positive, following God in your life is going to 309 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:11.559 mean saying no to some things and saying yes to 310 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:15.079 some other things, a negative and a positive in your life. 311 00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:18.000 And in verse twenty four, it says when he had 312 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:21.720 grown up, when Moses was a little baby, it was 313 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:24.319 okay for him to live off his parents' faith, but 314 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:27.160 eventually he had to make his own decision. So we 315 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:29.759 find a couple more marks of maturity in this passage. 316 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:32.039 I want you to write these down. Here are two 317 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:35.680 more marks of spiritual maturity. Number one is I stop 318 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:38.720 blaming others for my life's direction. 319 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:43.359 That's a mark of maturity. Have you got there yet? 320 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:49.400 I stop blaming others for my life's direction. That's a 321 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:53.079 mark of maturity. Now, in today's culture, that's pretty hard 322 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:56.119 to do because in today's culture, in today's society, we 323 00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:00.400 are taught nothing is ever your fault. You are a 324 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:03.480 product of your environment. It's always somebody else's fault. It's 325 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.599 the government's fault, it's the school's fault, it's your parents fault, 326 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:10.400 it's society's fault. And we have a society and a 327 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:15.960 generation that is allergic to personal responsibility, particularly in the 328 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:20.880 areas of money and sex. We are allergic to personal responsibility. 329 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:23.319 Even bring it up, and people get upset with you 330 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:27.319 if you talk about being responsible and spending I mean 331 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:32.759 in the government or responsible in sex. I stop blaming 332 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:35.119 other people for my life's direction. Now, let me just 333 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:39.920 say this. Other people can hurt you, and they will. 334 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:42.079 Other people can hurt you. 335 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:45.680 Other people can harm you, other people can scar you. 336 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:54.279 But nobody can ruin your life without your permission. It's choice. 337 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:58.319 Nobody can ruin your life except you. And maturity is 338 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:01.319 when I stop blaming other people for my life's direction. 339 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:05.160 Second market maturity we see here in Moses is this, 340 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:12.119 I stop living off others spiritual commitment. I stopped living 341 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:17.400 off of others spiritual commitment. As a baby, Moses didn't 342 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:20.039 have any faith, but his parents did, so they hit him, 343 00:20:20.680 --> 00:20:22.319 and then they had faith to put him in a 344 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:24.960 little basket, believing that even God was in control there. 345 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:27.440 And they had faith to believe that when their son 346 00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:30.279 was being raised by Pharaoh's daughter that it was all. 347 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:34.200 Part of the plan. It was all their parents' faith there. 348 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:38.880 But when he grows up, Moses had to accept responsibility 349 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:43.839 for his own life. I can stop living off other's commitments. 350 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:46.480 You know, sometimes hear people say, well my parents were Christians. 351 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:49.720 Well that didn't make any difference. You got to make 352 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:52.880 that person. My girlfriend loves the Lord. My boyfriend loves 353 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:57.119 the Lord. How about you? I stopped living off other's commitment, 354 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:01.079 Who were you blaming for the pain and the direction 355 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:04.920 of your life? And who are you using incas excuse 356 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:08.720 to live off their faith? While my wife's a strong believer, 357 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:12.039 well how about you, When are you going to stop 358 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:15.960 living off of her faith? It's time to accept responsibility 359 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:19.279 for your own spiritual condition. Romans fourteen twelve says this, 360 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:23.640 each of us will give an account of himself to God. 361 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.440 And when I'm standing for God one day, I'm not 362 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:28.200 going to say, but you know, Kay was pretty good 363 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:30.200 at prayer, and God's going to say, well how about you? 364 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:33.519 How about you? All right? 365 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:36.519 Number three in the back of your outline. Third reason 366 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:42.279 we're doing this series on creating a positive ID is 367 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:50.759 that knowing my true identity decides my priorities. It decides 368 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.880 my priorities. It helps me know what to focus on 369 00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:56.240 and what to ignore. 370 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:57.920 Knowing my true. 371 00:21:57.680 --> 00:22:00.200 Identity helps me know what's important in life and it's 372 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:03.599 not important in life. Knowing that true identity helps me 373 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:07.079 do what's valuable in life and what's not valuable, what matters, 374 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:08.759 and what doesn't matter. 375 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:15.759 Now, Moses born Hebrew slave, raised. 376 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:20.640 Egyptian royalty, confused identity, and at some point he goes 377 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:25.000 who's the real me? And what he decides on that 378 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:28.079 is going to affect the rest of his life. And 379 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:32.599 he's got plenty of excuses to ignore those in pain 380 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:34.400 all around him. He can look out there and see 381 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:40.839 all these slaves starving, being mistreated, being abused, dying in 382 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:43.640 the pits as they're building the pyramids and all these things. 383 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:45.960 And he could have made up all kinds of excuses. 384 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:47.880 He could say, well, you know, really, it's none of 385 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:51.799 my business. Do you ever say that when you see 386 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:52.440 people in pain? 387 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:57.319 It's none of my business. He could have said, besides, 388 00:22:57.359 --> 00:23:02.200 I have palace priorities, things to do. Here's Pharaoh's grandson. 389 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:08.519 He could have said, I'll work from the inside, I'll 390 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:12.599 work in the system. No, once Moses knows his identity, 391 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:15.880 it completely changes his priorities. 392 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:19.000 Things that he thought were important, they are not important anymore. 393 00:23:19.799 --> 00:23:22.119 Things that he thought weren't important, all of a sudden, 394 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:23.440 they're of utmost important. 395 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:24.359 We'll find that. 396 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:30.319 In verse twenty six, Moses regarded disgrace for the sake 397 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:36.920 of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, 398 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:40.200 because he was looking ahead to his reward now. 399 00:23:40.279 --> 00:23:41.720 Circle the word regarded. 400 00:23:42.680 --> 00:23:45.839 That word there in Greek means to evaluate. It means 401 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.319