Faith to Choose | Pastor Daniel Ethridge

Devotional

Day 1: Refusing Pharaoh’s Title for Christ’s Reproach

Moses faced a defining choice: cling to Egypt’s power or embrace God’s call. He rejected Pharaoh’s palace, trading temporary comfort for eternal reward. His faith saw beyond wealth’s illusion, valuing Christ’s reproach over worldly validation. This decision required spiritual maturity—a willingness to grow beyond cultural complacency. Every believer confronts similar crossroads, where identity in Christ clashes with earthly allure. True faith chooses suffering with God’s people over sin’s hollow promises. [03:52]

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 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. (Hebrews 11:24-26, ESV)

Reflection: What title, comfort, or identity have you been clinging to that distracts from wholehearted devotion to Christ? How might embracing reproach for His sake deepen your eternal perspective?

Day 2: Eyes for the Unseen: Faith Beyond the Mundane

Moses’ perseverance flowed from seeing the invisible God amid life’s deserts. While others saw only barrenness, he noticed a burning bush—a holy interruption. Spiritual sight transforms ordinary moments into divine encounters. Like Moses, believers must cultivate awareness of God’s presence in routine rhythms. Faith isn’t blindness but sharpened vision that discerns eternal realities behind temporary circumstances. [26:42]

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” (Exodus 3:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: Where has familiarity dulled your ability to see God’s activity? What “burning bush” moments might you be overlooking in your current season?

Day 3: Blood on the Doorpost: The Distinguishing Mark of Faith

The Passover lamb’s blood wasn’t a ritual—it was a lifeline. Moses obeyed God’s strange instruction, trusting blood markings would deflect death. This foreshadowed Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, where His blood alone spares believers from eternal separation. Faith acts on God’s promises even when logic protests. Our security rests not in moral performance but in the Lamb’s applied redemption. [37:51]

On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals. I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. (Exodus 12:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: Are there areas where you’re relying on self-protection rather than Christ’s finished work? How does the blood’s assurance free you from performance-based spirituality?

Day 4: Fear of the Lord: The Fountain That Drowns Earthly Fears

Mosis’ courage before Pharaoh revealed inverted priorities: fearing God nullifies human intimidation. True fear isn’t terror but awestruck allegiance that displaces lesser anxieties. When believers grasp God’s holiness and nearness, earthly threats shrink. This holy reverence becomes a wellspring of wisdom, anchoring decisions in eternal realities rather than temporary pressures. [35:26]

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly fear (failure, rejection, instability) currently outweighs your reverence for God? How might embracing His sovereignty recalibrate your concerns?

Day 5: Perseverance Fueled by the Unseen Reward

Mosis left Egypt twice—first in panic, later in triumph. What changed? He stopped seeing Pharaoh’s frown and fixed his gaze on the Invisible King. Faith’s endurance comes not from willpower but from sustained focus on God’s faithfulness. Like Moses, believers walk forward not because the path is clear, but because the Rewarder is certain. [24:51]

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:27, ESV)

Reflection: What present challenge requires you to fix your eyes on the Unseen rather than visible obstacles? How does eternity’s promise reshape your capacity to endure?

Sermon Summary

Hebrews 11 sets Moses front and center as a man who, by faith, made defining choices. The text says, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” The refusal names the first fork in the road: the world or God. Egypt offers status, wealth, and power, but the text calls that offer “the fleeting pleasure of sin.” Sin can thrill, but it cannot satisfy. Moses chooses identity with the people of God and embraces reproach, because he “considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt,” with his eyes fixed on a better reward. The contrast is not simply between bad and good; it is between cheap sugar and a feast, between a glow that fades and a glory that lasts.

The text then presses the second fork: the present or the future. “By faith he left Egypt… for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.” Faith gives eyes. The bush that burns and is not consumed trains those eyes in the ordinary. God discloses himself as “I AM,” the One who has always been, who is right now being, and who forever will be. That Name answers Moses’ stutter and every lack. Weakness becomes the theater of divine strength so that no one mistakes deliverance for charisma. When the fear of the Lord fills a person, the fear of Pharaoh drains away; fear becomes nearness, worship, and guardedness, not terror and distance.

Finally the text names the third fork: life or death. “By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of blood… By faith they crossed the Red Sea.” Both scenes are life-or-death obedience. The blood on the doorposts marks a household as spared. That mark anticipates the Lamb of God, whose blood “speaks a better word.” Salvation is not earned by pedigree or performance; Moses the murderer is covered, and so is anyone hidden under the blood of Christ. Broad is the road to destruction, but faith finds the narrow road to life. Hebrews 11 shows Moses choosing the narrow road again and again: God over Egypt, the unseen future over the visible now, the blood-bought life over the undertow of death. The text calls the church to grow up into that kind of choosing, to count Christ of surpassing worth, and to live as those who see the Invisible.

Key Takeaways

1. Choose God over Egypt’s glitter. Sin can sparkle, but it cannot satisfy. Identity with the people of God will cost status, applause, and ease, yet it gives a name and a home the world cannot touch. Faith learns to say no to what fades so it can say yes to what lasts. The choice is not between pleasure and misery, but between thin pleasure and deep joy. [16:57]
2. Prize reproach as greater wealth. Reproach with Christ is not a downgrade; it is a better economy. When the reward ahead is clear, loss in the present is re-labeled investment. Expect exclusion and insult, and count it honor, not failure. The valuation flips when Christ becomes the treasure. [20:24]
3. See the Invisible and leave. Faith grows eyes and then grows legs. With the Invisible before the heart, the present grip of Egypt loosens and real perseverance appears. The ordinary becomes a doorway when God is seen in it, and obedience becomes possible in hard places. Sight fuels the leaving. [24:27]
4. Let I AM fill your lack. Calling rarely waits for competence. God chooses stutterers so his power gets the credit, and his Name—“I AM”—answers the gaps in every servant with his sufficiency. Jesus owns that Name, standing before time as its Lord, and stands with the weak as their strength. [30:31]
5. Take shelter under the blood. Passover paints the gospel in red across a doorway. The only distinguishing mark that saves from judgment is the blood of the Lamb. Life opens where that blood is trusted, and every other boast collapses. Outside that covering, even brilliance drowns. [39:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Student Camp Invitation
[03:08] - From Moses’ parents to Moses
[03:40] - By Faith: the Refrain
[06:07] - The Faith to Choose
[10:02] - Time to Grow Up
[11:48] - Refusing Pharaoh’s House
[16:57] - Fleeting Pleasure vs Suffering
[20:24] - Greater Wealth and the Reward
[24:27] - Seeing the Invisible, Leaving Egypt
[26:42] - The Burning Bush: Turning Aside
[30:31] - I AM: God’s Name Revealed
[33:38] - Fear of God over Fear of Man
[36:58] - Passover and the Blood
[39:25] - Marked by the Blood
[41:23] - Life unto Life Invitation
[44:06] - Celebration and Close

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Hebrews 11:24-28 (ESV)
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

Observation questions

According to Hebrews 11:24-25, what two specific choices did Moses make when he "refused" and "chose"? How does the text contrast these choices?
The sermon describes sin’s pleasure as "fleeting" and compares it to "cheap sugar" versus a feast. What examples of "fleeting pleasures" were mentioned in the sermon that people might struggle to reject? [16:57]
Hebrews 11:27 says Moses "endured as seeing him who is invisible." What event in Moses’ life (referenced in the sermon) trained him to see God in the ordinary? [24:27]
How does the Passover blood in verse 28 connect to the broader biblical theme of salvation, as explained in the sermon? [39:25]

Interpretation questions

Why might Moses’ choice to identify with the Israelites’ suffering (Hebrews 11:25-26) be called "greater wealth" than Egypt’s treasures? How does this redefine what true value means?
The sermon states, "Weakness becomes the theater of divine strength." How does Moses’ stutter and Exodus 3:14’s "I AM" reveal God’s purpose in using flawed people? [30:31]
Hebrews 11:27 links Moses’ courage to his vision of the "invisible" God. How might fearing God (Proverbs 9:10) displace other fears, like the fear of human opposition? [33:38]
The Passover blood marked households for deliverance. How does this foreshadow the New Testament’s teaching on the "blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 12:11)?

Application questions

In what areas of your life do you feel pressured to choose "Egypt’s glitter" (status, comfort, approval) over faithfulness to God? What practical step could help you say "no" to what fades? [16:57]
The sermon says reproach for Christ is an "honor, not failure." When have you faced criticism or exclusion for your faith? How could viewing it as "investment" change your perspective? [20:24]
Moses saw God in a burning bush. Where in your daily routine (work, relationships, chores) could you intentionally "turn aside" to recognize God’s presence? [24:27]
The sermon emphasizes, "God’s name—‘I AM’—answers every lack." What current weakness or insecurity do you need to surrender for God’s strength to fill? [30:31]
How does trusting in Christ’s blood (not your performance) free you from guilt or shame? What habits could remind you of this truth when doubts arise? [39:25]
The "narrow road to life" requires repeated choices. What recurring decision (e.g., integrity at work, purity in relationships) feels hardest to navigate? Who could support you in staying faithful?

Sermon Clips

40s

#SatisfactionInGod

“``And God wants you to be satisfied. But satisfaction by definition has to be complete. something is satisfied, it's completely fulfilled. And sin is never satisfying. It's pleasurable but only for a moment. He chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. Why? Because he understood you could have the world but still lose your soul. Moses understood because of his faith in God that all the riches and all the wealth of Egypt could never satisfy him completely.”

42s

#SinIsFleeting

“Sin is pleasurable but only for a moment. Sin is pleasurable, but only for a moment. And I'm talking seconds. You want me to prove it to you? When's the last time you really ran into something, walked into a sin that you thought was gonna satisfy you? long did it last before you felt the guilt and the shame of it? Did you even get to go to sleep that night before you had to bear the weight of walking in sin? the pleasure of sin is so fleeting.”

42s

#BloodOfChrist

“There is really one distinguishing mark for every person as they enter eternity. you under the blood of Christ or are you not? See, John said, behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world when he saw Jesus for the very first time. Jesus is the spotless lamb. Sin has to be paid for. A sacrifice must be made. In fact, this one act for the rest of the Old Testament will set up the sacrificial system and how sin has to be atoned for. And there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.”

47s

#JesusPaidItAll

“But Jesus came and lived the life that you and I could not live. And at the end of his life, he died in our place. Just like the Israelites killed that lamb and drained its body of all its blood, Jesus was killed on a cross. All the blood drained so that you and I could be forgiven. Jesus' blood this morning speaks a better word. Moses wasn't saved from death because he was a perfect person. He was a murderer. And yet his his life wasn't defined by the worst thing he had ever done.”

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Faith to Choose | Pastor Daniel Ethridge | Liberty Live Church