Revisiting The Past: Children’s Stories Today (Part IX)

Sermon Title: Revisiting the Past: Children’s Stories Today—Saying “NO”

Good News Statement: God puts us in situations where “NO” is the best answer

Summary: Moses had it all – power, prestige and position. He was the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and was destined to be a man of prominence. But then he said no to all that. Why did he do that, and what can that mean to us?

Preached: Sunday, August 4^th, 2024, at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Hebrews 11:24-27 Today’s scripture reading comes from the “Chapter of Faith” found in the Book of Hebrews. This specific text focuses on an individual who said no to the life that he had so that he could pursue what God laid upon his heart. Sometimes in life we have to say “no” in order to truly focus on what God needs us to do. Let’s read Hebrews, Chapter Eleven, and Versus Twenty-four thru Twenty-seven. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

 

Book of Faith:

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.

 

The Word of God, for the People of God; And all God’s People said, “Thanks Be To God.”

 

 

Introduction:

Do you remember the first Bible story you were taught as a child? Were you taught about Adam and Eve? Did you read the accounts of Noah, the Ark, and the Great Flood? Were you in fascination of Daniel in the Lion’s Den? Were you caught up in the love story of Samson and Delilah? Did you ever find yourself wanting a technicolor coat like Joseph? Did you want to march around Jericho or use a sling-shot to take down giants? Did you want to build a basket and float down a river like Moses? Maybe you were curious about a tower that went by the name “Tower of Babel”? Perhaps, it was the story of Jonah and a whale that inspired you to dive into the Word of God? Or was it the story of Jesus feeding five-thousand people on the shores of Galilee with only two little fish and five loaves of bread? If you can’t remember the first Bible story you were taught as a child, maybe you have a favorite Bible Story that has helped you deepen your faith and strengthen your trust in God.

If you are trying to remember some of those famous Bible Stories you may have learned or heard about as a child, let me jog your memory of a few. According to Dr. Oliver Tearle of Loughborough University, here are the top twelve stories of the Bible that many people have been raised on: “Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah’s Ark and the Flood, The Tower of Babel, Moses in a basket, Moses parting the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Daniel in the Lions’ Den, Jonah and the Whale, The Nativity Scene, The Raising of Lazarus, and the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.” There are many, many, more stories that probably come to mind, but these are the twelve most popular Bible stories that most of us can remember learning as a child. But, what do the stories of back then teach us today? When was the last time you revisited the first stories of your faith?

Over the span of the next few months—June, July, and August—we are going to explore some of these early childhood Bible Stories. As we explore these stories, each of you will be encouraged to think about the first time you heard that story and what that story means to you today. Dr. Tearle notes, in his article titled 12 of the Best Stories from the Bible Everyone Should Know, “The Bible contains many well-known stories, but how much do we know about them? And what are the best Bible stories everyone should know? Many people, even those raised in countries where Sunday school and religious assemblies are a mainstay of many children’s education, may find they’ve misremembered, or got the wrong impression about, some of the iconic tales from the Bible.”

So, what do you remember about some of those “iconic tales” from the Bible; and what about them today can help deepen your faith and strengthen your trust in God as you strive to be the disciple and church Jesus needs you and us to be? We continue the journey by examining the life change of Moses…

 

Body:

Beatrice Barbazzeni begins her online article, titled The Power of Saying “No”, with these words, “Only those who know who they are can say NO with grace.” In her article, Barbazzeni articulates the power of saying “no” and why it’s so important to learn to say “no”, sometimes. She highlights her argument by focusing on three main topics: 1) Learning to say “NO” would boost your self-confidence while setting boundaries and rules in any relationship, 2) You can learn to say “NO” by showing a positive attitude and kind words, and 3) Learning to say “NO” is a gesture of self-care and respect toward yourself.[1]

How many times have you wished to say “no” to a situation? Whether it was a night out with friends after an exhausting day, or you were asked to complete additional tasks on top of your already full schedule, or someone pleaded with you to help with something when all you wanted to do was stay home and work on your own projects. Indeed, you wished to say NO, but instead, you said YES, compromising your time, energy, needs, and mostly yourself once again. I’m sure we have all been there. I’m sure each and every one of us has said “yes” when we really wanted to say “no.”

Over time, society has associated a negative valence with the word “no”, mostly making people feel uncomfortable and intimidated. Barbazzeni shares, “We often refuse to reject an offer or a favor because we fear that this behavior would be inappropriate and socially unacceptable.” “But here is the truth,” states Barbazzeni, “learning to say no, where needed, is a way of promoting psychological well-being and mental health by respecting those values that matter to you.” Consequently, this has the effect of boosting your self-esteem and love for yourself. Considering the practice of loving ourselves, Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, but truth be told we can’t really love our neighbors until we learn to love ourselves. Maybe what is holding us back from truly loving ourselves is the fear of saying “no”? Again, “Only those who know who they are can say NO with grace.”

Today, we encounter a famous biblical character that has a fascinating story. He was placed in a basket, sent down the Nile River to escape being killed, was watched over by his sister, Miriam, was rescued by the Pharaoh’s daughter, taken care of by his birth mother, and was raised as an Egyptian until he fled to the wilderness and encountered a burning bush that informed him that he was going to save God’s people from slavery, who had been enslaved for 400 years. This person is Moses; and he teaches us a valuable lesson about the power of saying “NO.”

Let me begin by sharing a story. Henry Ward Beecher was a well-known preacher and evangelist during the 2nd Great Awakening—a religious revival in the early 1800s that shaped America’s morality for decades.

They say that when Beecher was a boy, one of his teachers asked one of the other students in the class a question. The student stood and answered but the teacher became angry and said he was wrong… then commanded the boy to “Sit down!” Shocked, the boy sat down. Several students were asked the same question—they all gave the same answer and were rebuked in the same way. Then the teacher called on Beecher, and the boy stood up and gave exactly the same answer as the other children had gotten. When the teacher shouted at him to “Sit Down!” Beecher said “NO, I am not going sit down,” and insisted he was right. Even when the teacher kept criticizing and even shouting at him, Beecher held his ground and insisted his answer was correct.

Finally, the teacher smiled and said: “Well, boys, you were all correct. But Beecher was the only one sure enough to stand up for it.” Henry Ward Beecher said “NO!” to a teacher. (I bet some of the teachers out there have been in similar situations.) I’m sure he did so respectfully, but he still said “NO.” Why would he do that? Well, he did that because he had FAITH in the RIGHTNESS of his answer. He understood who he was at that point in his life: therefore, giving him the confidence to stand up for himself. He found power in his “NO.”

Our text tells us that there came a day when Moses said “No!” “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused (he said “no”) to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26, NIV).

 

Movement One: Leading up to the “NO”…

As the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter Moses would have been trained in the religion—the faith—of Egypt and learned of their many gods, including the Pharaoh. Moses would have been taught to worship his step grandfather as if he were the son of the gods who brought favor to Egypt. In fact, it’s possible that Moses was being groomed to be the next Pharaoh, and to be a god himself. But, even if he wasn’t going to be the next Pharaoh, then unquestionably, he would have become a man of prominence and power.

Josephus (a Jewish historian) speculated that Moses was a very handsome and educated prince and a mighty warrior in Egypt. He tells us about Moses leading Egyptians against the Ethiopians in taking one of their major cities. Of course that’s all pure speculation because the Bible doesn’t tell us that, and even history is a bit sketchy on this. But the one thing we can be sure of is that Moses was destined to be a leader in Egypt.

But then (one day) Moses said “No! I’m not doing that!” There came a day, when he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses said “NO” to living a life which everything was given to him, provided for him, and groomed for him. Moses said “NO” to earthly wealth. Moses said “NO” to being a future Pharaoh—leader and commander of a great nation. Moses said “NO” to luxury and comfort and well sought out education. Moses said “NO” to the family that raised him. Would you be able to say “NO” to such a luxurious and provided for kind of life? There are people all over the world that dream about that kind of life, but truth be told it might not be the life they need to enjoy the life that God has given them already.

If you think about it, it’s almost as if the story of the rich ruler from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke was resting on Moses’ heart. Luke wrote about the rich ruler, “A certain ruler asked [Jesus], ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.’’ He replied, ‘I have kept all these since my youth.’ When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when he heard this, he became sad, for he was very rich” (Luke 18:18-23).The rich ruler wasn’t ready to say “NO” to the life that put him above everyone else. He wasn’t ready to say “YES” to Christ.

Moses understood, somehow—maybe remembering what his birth mother taught him those first few years of his life—that maybe wealth and saying “YES” to an earthly ruler was not the way of life if he wanted to experience the treasures of heaven, if he truly wanted to be set free himself. We read in Exodus 2:11, “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to HIS PEOPLE and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of HIS PEOPLE.” Moses was given a sign from God that it was time to say “NO” to Pharaoh and “YES” to God because his, God’s people, were being mistreated.

Are God’s people being mistreated today? Are there people who have chosen to follow God who have been looked down upon, shunned, neglected, out casted, and ignored even though Christ lives in their heart? Are there God fearing people today who struggle, who struggle, to say “YES” to God because they feel like if they do people will continually tell them “NO”? God’s people are everywhere—going through more than we can fathom—but how did Moses know that it was “his people”—God’s people—being mistreated?

Well, more than likely—he knew who his people were all along. Exodus 2:5-9 tells us “the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.’ Then [Moses’ sister] (Miriam) said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Go.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman (Moses’ mother) took the child and nursed him” (NIV).

You see, Moses’ mother got to raise him. She got to teach him. She got to influence him. Now, was it a coincidence that Moses’ mother got to raise her own child? Well, Albert Einstein said, “Coincidence, is God’s way of working anonymously.” I suspect that Moses’ mother was there all through his childhood because God WANTED her there. He wanted her to teach him about her faith, about the faith that would one day set him free. Romans 10:17 tells us “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV) and Hebrews 11 tells us Moses made his decision because of faith. So where did Moses hear the word of God and learn about his people? Well, he heard it from his mom. Moses’ mom told him all about God’s promises, and all about how God had brought the Israelites into Egypt, and all about how God had protected Moses when he was born. Jochebed—Moses’ mother—would have repeatedly driven home to her son that she believed in a mighty and powerful God, and she made her faith come alive for Moses.

But now, wait a minute. If that’s true—if Moses caught his faith from his mother, how come it wasn’t until he was 40 years old that we read that NOW he thought of the Hebrews as being “HIS PEOPLE?” Well, here’s what I think happened. Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house… for 40 years! For 40 years he is taught all about Egypt and its power. For 40 years he is surrounded by power and prestige. For 40 years he lives in luxury and comfort. For 40 years he said “YES” to Pharaoh. He’d been born a Hebrew… but he was raised an Egyptian, and it would have been hard to leave that old world. Hard to say “NO.”

But Hebrews 11:25 tells us Moses chose “to be mistreated with the people of God (rather) than to enjoy the FLEETING PLEASURES of sin.” You see, I think Moses found it PLEASURABLE being in Pharaoh’s house. I mean he knew he was a Hebrew, but He’d grown content with the advantages of that life. He’d learned to walk and talk and live like an Egyptian. And he liked it! Until now…until he witnessed his people being tortured. Moses may have enjoyed the luxurious life as an Egyptian but deep down God was preparing him to say “NO.”

 

Movement Two: The “NO” That Changed Moses’ Life…

One day Moses realized that this worldly life was not going to work with his mom’s faith. And when he made that realization, it now became HIS faith. My point is—there will come times in your life when you will have to make those choices. Times when you realize that BY FAITH you will have to say “no” to what the world demands and begin to say “yes” to what Jesus demands. You will have to say “no” in order to better your life. For example, a Christian man told me of a hard choice he’d made. He’d made good money working as a salesman for a major soda company, and it was his job to convince large companies to buy their product. Apparently, part of that job required him to take prospective customers to bars and buy them as much alcohol as they could drink. He said he liked the money and he liked the job, but one day he took a good hard look at what he was expected to do and he realized he couldn’t do that anymore. BY FAITH he said “no.” He said NO to a good paying job.

Now, I don’t know what you’ll have to say NO to in your life or what you have said NO to so far, but you’ll know it when you see it. You’ll know it because you’ll realize that you can’t be a Christian and live like that anymore. And then you’ll have to make a choice! It won’t be easy, but you’ll know it’s the RIGHT choice because it gets you closer to Christ; because it encourages you to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, body, and soul; because it motivates you to begin to love yourself so that you can love your neighbor and come to know their heart—their way of life (as Exodus 22:21 and Exodus 23:9); and because it inspires you to say “NO” to what pushes you further from the mission and message of Jesus Christ as you “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20).

The “NO” that Moses made changed his life. It was the right choice to make. When Moses said “NO” he realized who he was and who he belonged to. He was a man of faith who belonged to God. He understood that who he was raised to be was not who he was at heart. He decided to say “NO” to change his life. As much as we like to say “YES”—I’m guilty as well—sometimes saying “NO” is the best thing we can say because it reminds us who we are. And sometimes, when we say “NO” we begin to grasp “our place in this world”[2] (Michael W. Smith); we begin to see and hear God’s people, our people, longing to be set free. Moses was set free from his “NO.” Is there something in your life that you need to be set free from?

What is ironic and puzzling about Moses’ “NO” centers around the idea of fear. Hebrews 11:27 says, “By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.” The reason this may sound puzzling is because Moses was afraid. Moses saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew and he killed the Egyptian. But then we’re told that “Moses WAS AFRAID, and thought, ‘Surely the thing is known’ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses FLED from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian” (Exodus 2:14-15, NIV). So… what’s going on? Hebrews says Moses was not afraid of the anger of the king, but Exodus tells us he was!

Well, I looked long and hard at that passage in Hebrews 11 and it occurred to me that Hebrews was focused on Moses’ faith. “By faith” Moses did this, and “by faith” Moses did that! But notice, Hebrews does NOT say “By faith Moses struck and killed the Egyptian taskmaster.” Why not? Because he didn’t! It wasn’t faith that led Moses to kill the man. Exodus 2:12 says “[Moses] looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.” You see, it’s not faith if you have to look around to make sure no one sees what you’re doing. And it’s not faith if you have to HIDE what you’ve done. That’s not faith that’s guilt, that’s fear. Moses knew what he was doing was wrong, but he felt justified in doing it. But it was a bad choice and there were consequences. Moses started out strong: “By faith” he said “NO” to being the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, but then he messed up. And then he thought it was all over. God wouldn’t love him anymore.

But the repeated message out of Hebrews 11 is that almost all of them messed up. Almost every one of those great men and women of faith, mentioned in Hebrews 11, seemed to have gotten something wrong: Abel messed up, Enoch messed up, Noah messed up, Abraham messed up, Sarah messed up, Moses messed up, and David, Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Samuel messed up. But God loved them anyway. And used them anyway. God allowed them to say “NO” so that they could say “YES” to Him.

You see, Moses had made a decision to act by faith before he messed up. And though he may have run away from God, when the time was right God came looking for Moses. And that’s when Moses’ life changed forever. From that simple “NO”, God changed Moses’ life.

 

Movement Three: How Powerful is saying “NO”…

After realizing how Moses’ “NO” changed his life, I encourage you to think about the “NOs” in your life. And in doing so, think about these two questions offered by Beatrice Barbazzeni: 1) How can I say “NO”? and 2) Why should I say “NO”?

First, how can I say “NO?” Have you ever heard about the “sandwich method”? Saying no is hard, especially if you don’t do it that often. However, developing a natural way for you and that makes you feel comfortable is the right strategy to acquire this healthy habit. You can fit a negative statement between two positive ones through the sandwich method. For example, if somebody asks you for help, but you have had a busy day or you don’t have time to help right then, you can simply say: “Thank you for reaching out to me. I appreciate that you trust me with helping you! However, my schedule is pretty full right now. I am free Saturday, if you still in need some help.” Furthermore, by saying no you are automatically setting boundaries and establishing some limits. Setting healthy boundaries means defying the space needed to grow yourself, achieve your goals, and care about your well-being. Therefore, based on your individual needs and activities, you can start setting your boundaries. Do not be afraid to say “NO.” Allow your faith to guide you during this process; but don’t allow your “NO” to become harmful to others. If people around you understand your needs, they will not walk away from you, they will not view your “NO” as rejection or as destruction or even as an avenue for confrontation. They will respect you, they will understand that you can’t do everything all the time. However, boundaries can also be flexible and adaptable to situations. You have the power to say “NO.”

Second, why should I say “NO?” Dan Rockwell once said, “Most people don’t enjoy saying no to their boss, colleagues, or employees. But a world without “NO” is filled with distraction, chaos, frustration, and burnout.” Therefore, saying No will change your life while promoting mental health. No means you are creating, following and protecting your priorities. Saying Yes when you should say No translates into a feeling of helplessness, misery, and dissatisfaction. It means you let others be in the power of your life and choices while managing your schedule and priorities letting you feel powerless. Being in charge of your own decision and feeling free to prioritize your needs is not rude, and learning to decline one’s request with grace and kindness would let you feel good about it without regrets. Thus, your “NO” is vital because it is just right, it values yourself, it is an opportunity, and it enables your decisions.

So how powerful is your “NO”? It is very powerful because it shows others that you care about yourself; and when you begin to care about yourself, you learn what it means to care for those around you. I will be honest, there have been times in my life—and I know there will be times in the future—when I have said “YES” when I should have said “NO.” At the time, I felt like I was doing the right thing—being there for others, helping others out, putting others first—but then I realized it probably wasn’t the best decision to say “YES” when I was only hurting myself in doing so.

It’s no wonder God took a Sabbath and tells us to observe a Sabbath, it’s no wonder Jesus takes time to rest. Both of them knew that resting and observing a Sabbath was the result of saying “NO”, of being mindful and respectful of their own needs. It’s okay to say “NO” if that “NO” means caring and loving yourself so that you can better take care of and love those around you. Through that “NO” you will begin to say “YES” to the person God has created you to be, you will begin to say “YES” to truly walking in the footsteps of Jesus without fear, and you will begin to say “YES” to seeing and hearing God’s people—whoever they are and wherever they are.

Saying “NO” is powerful because it can change your life and ground you in what truly matters, what truly draws you closer to God.

 

Conclusion:

Saying “NO” is not always easy. Saying “NO” could lead to rejection, ridicule, hurt, neglect, and at times suffering. But at the same time, saying “YES” could lead to being taken advantage of, creating a false image of yourself, burnout, weariness, and possibly vulnerability. When you say “NO”, say “NO” because you need to take care of yourself. When you say “YES,” say “YES” because you love yourself and you are ready to love others to the best of your ability.

Say “NO” so that you can begin to say “YES” to God, “YES” to Christ, “YES” to yourself, and “YES” to seeing and hearing God’s people—all of God’s people. Say “YES” to God knowing that uncertainties and doubts and confusion may avail. Say “YES” to Christ with the understanding that there are people of differing opinions but are part of the family of God. Say “YES” to yourself knowing that it’s through faith by which you come to trust the path below your feet.

The “NO” that Moses made changed his life. It was the right choice to make. When Moses said “NO” he realized who he was and who he belonged to. He was a man of faith who belonged to God. He understood that who he was raised to be was not who he was at heart. He decided to say “NO” to change his life. When we say “NO” we begin to grasp “our place in this world”[3] (Michael W. Smith); we begin to see and hear God’s people, our people, longing to be set free. Moses was set free from his “NO.” And from his “NO” he began to say “YES” to what God had in store for him.

Through Moses, we learn that there is power in our “NO” but that there is salvation in our “YES.” Are you willing to say “NO” so that you can love yourself so that you can love your neighbor?

I leave you with three quotes to ponder. The first one you have heard already: “Only those who know who they are can say NO with grace.” The second is from Pythagoras, “The oldest, shortest words – ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – are those which require the most thought.” And third, Paulo Coelho said, “When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself.” What would this world look like if you said “NO” so that we could say “YES” to Christ more often?

Let it be so…

 

Communion Transition:

 

Benediction:

The next time you say “NO”, consider how that “NO” is giving you more time to care for yourself so that you can better be prepared to be the best disciple you can be. The next time you say “NO,” think about how that “NO” can give you more opportunities to say “YES” to Christ and his mission. The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, may you care for yourself and all of God’s people. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] April 21, 2022, Beatrice Barbazzeni, The Power of Saying “NO”: From Psychology to Neuroscience, https://insight.openexo.com/the-power-of-saying-no-from-psychology-to-neuroscience

[2] “Looking for a reason/Roaming through the night to find/My place in this world/My place in this world/Not a lot to lean on/I need Your light to help me find/My place in this world/My place in this world.” Michael W. Smith, Place in this World (released 1991) by BMG Studio in New York City.

[3] “Looking for a reason/Roaming through the night to find/My place in this world/My place in this world/Not a lot to lean on/I need Your light to help me find/My place in this world/My place in this world.” Michael W. Smith, Place in this World (released 1991) by BMG Studio in New York City.