“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” Hebrews 11:24.  

We have spoken of the early years of Moses but when by God’s marvellous grace he was rescued from the river Nile and raised in the palace as 'the son of Pharaoh’s daughter’. But in God’s time that changed!  

1. There came a time when Moses had to break that link with the palace and Pharaoh’s daughter.  

* The time when this happened. “When he was come to years,” verse 24. It occurs at different ages for us all. Samuel, David, Daniel, Timothy - all young men when they were saved. Never too young to be a soldier of the Lord. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,” 1 Tim 6:12. Lord Jesus was 12 when he was about ‘His Father’s business’, contending with the ‘doctors’, Luke 2:41-49. “It came into his heart . . ,”Acts 7:22-23. The heart of Moses was touched and moved. True religion is a matter of the heart. “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens,” Exodus 2:11. He became concerned for God’s people and realised his link with them. They were ‘his brethren’!

* This was faith at work! ‘By faith Moses . . . ‘ The words spoken by his mother were having an impact and bearing fruit. 

* He became aware of that he needed to ‘refuse’ to be called her son. He had to come out on the Lord’s side! He “denied” the link with Pharaoh’s household and began to consider the distresses of Israel.  

2. The breaking of the link was attended by strife.   

He acted in defence of an Israelite and as a peace-maker between quarrelling Israelites and was rejected as not being genuine.  Exodus 2:12-15. His ‘quiet’ life was over!   Serving the Lord entails warfare! Romans 7:23 - Within! Genesis 3:15, Matthew 10:22 - Without!