This document contains the text of a sermon given at the Jackson Street Church of Christ. The sermon discusses making good decisions by looking at examples from the life of Moses as described in Hebrews 11. It outlines four fundamental decisions that Moses made that led to a good life: 1) Choosing God's plan over his own. 2) Choosing authenticity over prestige. 3) Choosing self-denial over pleasure. 4) Choosing heavenly rewards over earthly riches. The sermon encourages the congregation to make similarly wise decisions in their own lives by following God's will rather than their own desires.

1. PLEASE TURN OFF CELL PHONES
WELCOME TO THE JACKSON STREET
CHURCH OF CHRIST

2. (Heb 11:23-28) By faith Moses, when he was born,
was hidden three months by his parents, because
they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not
afraid of the king's command. {24} By faith Moses,
when he became of age, refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh's daughter, {25} choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the
passing pleasures of sin, {26} esteeming the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt;
for he looked to the reward. {27} By faith he forsook
Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured as seeing Him who is invisible. {28} By faith
he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest
he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

4. DECISIONS
A. Decisions. Do they ever come hard to you? Are you
like the man who had to fill out a job application.
One question said, “Do you have trouble making
decisions?” The man replied, “Well, yes and no.”
B. Everyone I know wants a both a peaceful and
fulfilling life.
1. Life is not cooperating with their desire. Life keeps
setting up barriers.
2. The only way to get peace and fulfillment is to
make the right decisions about how we are going
to conduct our life.
3. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can
determine the principles we live by.

5. DECISIONS
C. The fact is, our life is the sum total of our
decisions.
1. Some decisions are momentous and some are
trivial.
2. Some are easy and some hard.
3. Every day of our life is filled with decisions.
D. How can we make good decisions?
1. Let’s look at the life of Moses as summarized
in Hebrews.
2. Fundamental decisions will determine the
quality of our life.

6. I. LIKE MOSES, WE MUST CHOOSE
GOD’S PLAN OVER OUR OWN.
Heb 11:23 BY FAITH Moses, when
he was born, was hidden three
months by his parents, because
they saw he was a beautiful child;
and they were not afraid of the
king's command.

7. I. LIKE MOSES, WE MUST CHOOSE
GOD’S PLAN OVER OUR OWN.
A. The plan of our own making may please us
more.
B. The plan of our own making may even seem to
make sense.
C. Trying to improve God’s plan by substituting
our own is ultimate futility.
D. However difficult for us, our plans must yield to
his plans.
E. Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your
thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says
the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than
the earth, So are My ways higher than your
ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

8. II. Like Moses, we must choose
authenticity over prestige
Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when
he became of age, refused to be
called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter,

9. II. Like Moses, we must choose
authenticity over prestige
A. From a worldly perspective, it appears he was giving up
everything: all the prestige of the royal family.
B. The things that count greatly in this world are of little
concern to God - (Luke 16:15) And He said to them,
"You are those who justify yourselves before men, but
God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
C. Ultimately we all have to settle the question of our
identity. Who are we? The answer is that we are God’s -
(1 Cor 6:19-20) Or do you not know that your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you
have from God, and you are not your own? {20} For you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God's.

10. III. Like Moses, we must choose
self-denial over pleasure
Heb 11:25 choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of
God than to enjoy the passing
pleasures of sin,

11. III. Like Moses, we must choose self-
denial over pleasure
A. Sin is fun.
1. That may sound shocking, but it is true.
2. Otherwise people would not sin.
3. It is fun but only for a season, and the price
we pay later is no fun at all.
B. Sin is usually the easiest choice,
1. But the path of least resistance is often a
deadly road.
2. Many lives have been ruined by the inability
to say no to that which is dishonorable.

12. IV. Like Moses, we must choose
heavenly rewards over earthly
riches
Heb 11:26 esteeming the
reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt; for he
looked to the reward.

13. IV. Like Moses, we must choose
heavenly rewards over earthly riches
A. In Pharaoh’s house, he would have all the riches a
man could ever want.
1. Look at the magnificance of the pyramids.
2. Moses could have had that kind of wealth.
3. Moses could have been buried there in one of
those magnificent tombs.
4. Instead, he is buried in an unmarked grave on a
lonely hill in the desert.
B. Still, he made the right choice. He looked to the
reward!
1. The reward was Heaven.
2. He saw the invisible God - By faith he forsook
Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

14. IV. Like Moses, we must choose
heavenly rewards over earthly riches
3. (Heb 11:13-16) These all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off
were assured of them, embraced them and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on
the earth. {14} For those who say such things declare
plainly that they seek a homeland. {15} And truly if
they had called to mind that country from which
they had come out, they would have had
opportunity to return. {16} But now they desire a
better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is
not ashamed to be called their God, for He has
prepared a city for them.

15. YOUR DECISIONS?
A. All of us are faced with choices.
B. Jesus told us that. He said “Whoever finds his life
will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake
will find it.”
C. He also said, “Seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness and all these things will be given to
you as well.”
D. (Josh 24:15) "And if it seems evil to you to serve
the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you
will serve, whether the gods which your fathers
served that were on the other side of the River, or
the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the
LORD."

16. THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

17. THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

18. THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

20. TONIGHT’S SERMON
ARE YOU A RELIGIOUS NUT