Sermon Tone Analysis
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Good Morning,
It was in 1985 that English farmers first noticed they had a problem.
Some of their cattle were sick, and as thee cattle weakened physically, they also deteriorated mentally.
It was a strange disease.
Infected cattle behaved erratically becoming either fearful or aggressive.
They seemed to be going mad, which is how the disease got the name “mad cow disease”, more properly known as bovine spongiform encephalophathy .
The last stages of mad cow disease were frightening.
Cattle staggered arounf the farm until finally they stumbled to the ground and died.
But the disease became even more frightening in 1995 when doctors discovered that it had spread to humans.
Individuals who had eaten contaminated beef lost their minds.
Their brain tissue was gradually eaten away until it came to resemble a sponge.
Since there was no treatment and no cure, mad cow disease started a panic in Europe, becoming one of the most terrifying plagues of postmodern times.
It naturally reminds us of one of the Biblical plagues.
In the days of Moses, God struck Pharaoh with 10 mighty blows.
The fifth was a plague on their livestock.
Much like mad cow disease, it was an infectious disease that spread from one cow to the next.
It not only infected the cattle however, but also the horses, donkeys, camels, sheep, and goats.
The plague was a deadly contagion- epidemic in its onset and lethal in its outcome.It swept across Egypt like a wildfire.... but WHY?
God
God sent 9 plagues to prevent Egypt from entering the 10th
When we view the plagues we often think that the first 9 plagues were the judgment of God on Egypt… they were.. but more than that they were opportunities for the nation to repent and turn to the Lord.
The 10th plague would be the mother of all judgment, a vicious crescendo of death and destruction…
God didn’t want His enemies to suffer through that so he sent these “lesser” plagues as warnings to submit to the One True God.
Within the land He was striking, lived His people whom He loved and cared for but God knew that to deliver His people he must first break the will of the wicked king.
In as we continue on in our study of the book of Exodus.
We have been learning that God not only hears the cry of His people but we serve the God who takes action and delivers His people out of harm.
He is the God of rescue, the God of Salvation, and he is a refuge for those who find themselves in times of great trial, and struggle.
We have watched as God has given Pharoah chance after chance to release his prisoners and set Gods people free, and we have seen that due to the hardness of His heart, he refuses time and time again.
Seeing that the wicked pharoah will not respond God begins the process of divine judgment in order to humble the pride filled leader into releasing His children.
God begins he process of judgment when a leader, nation, or individual refuses to acknowledge Him and refuses to submit to His authority.
God begins by striking the Nile, then he sends in frogs by the thousands, the frogs were worshipped by the Egyptians and now God has sent them in swarms into the land.
God then strikes their comfort sending swarms of gnats, the gnats were so terrible even the Pharaohs magicians were saying: “This is the finger of God.”
God commands Moses in
Exodus 8:20
However there would be one distinction
Though the flies would swarm throughout, though the judgment of God would fall upon the nation of Israel.
God would give special grace to the Israelites who were there, and spare them from the hardship of the judgement HE would be sending.
Exodus 8:22-
The torment was so incredible that the Pharoah begins to buckle.
Exodus 8:
Everything began to look like Moses and the children of Israel were going to be able to leave, but right as they began to make preparations, something happened.
Exodus 8:
Just when you think your free from something Satan has been tormenting you with.
He comes back more ruthless than before.
This is what is on display, God is on a mission to free His people and Satan keeps using the Pharoah to block that from taking place.
Have you ever been in a situation that has been a torment to you?
Did you pray for the Lord to remove you?
When things started to get a little bit better, did it all come crashing back down worse than it was before?
Thats because the ENEMY desires the children of God to be kept from the joy, blessing, and future that God has prepared for them.
So what do you do when the rug is snatched out from under you?
What do you do when you feel like your down to nothing?
What do you do when you feel like the joy of the Lord has lost your address?
YOU PERSEVERE IN FAITH
Moses was discouraged the first time he went into Pharoah, he ended up sitting down in a heap and crying out to God complaining.
But not this time!
The firs thing Christians must do is realize:
God is ALWAYS on Time
Let’s take a look at what takes place next...
Pharoah has renigged on thier agreement so what will God do now?
Exodus 9:
This plague would be devastating causing a struggle to eat, and a struggle for trade.
It also struck once again at the heart of the Egyptian problem.... false gods....
The Egyptians worshipped: The Nile, Frogs, Cows.... hence why the Israelites after all these years worshipped a golden cow when they were stuck in the wilderness.
Imagine the scene with me:
The stench of the dead fish from the Nile filled the air, the carcasses of dead frogs everywhere filling kneading bowls and homes.
Now with the stench of rotting animals still fresh God begins to strike the cattle.
The Symbol Behind The Strike
With God every act of judgment is meant to convey an idea to the one upon whom He inflicts it.
For example when God struck the Nile which the Egyptains called the “fountain of life” He was trying to how them that He was the true living water.
When He struck with frogs it was symbolic of God giving them too much of what they once deemed good.
reptile worship.
So behind every blow there is a symbol....
This is common...
We have a day in our country that we remember annually.
It doesn’t have an official holiday status, but it is a National day of remembrance.
The day 9/11.
The goal of the terrorist wasn’t to defeat the nation of America, but to strike at the heart of what has made us the most powerful nation in the history of the world.
Our money… When they struck the towers their goal was to hit us in the source of our strength and prosperity, and also our worship.
By in large in our nation.... we worship… our wealth.
In our passage the Egyptains had cattle which was a source of their wealth.
Back in these days there was no bank, there was no treasury and a nation, was considered wealthy or poor based on the livestock that they owned.
Job 1:
Job was mentioned as the greatest because of his wealth, meaning the amount of livestock that he possessed.
Now in God’s divine Judgment the Egyptians are stripped of their national wealth, and are hammered by pestilence.
Notice God’s judgment struck at the heart of their pride.... their money…But also notice that God’s divine Judgment has a schedule.
The Schedule of God’s Judgement
Exodus 9:
God sets a specific time in which He will send this terrible plague that would cut the heart of the wealth and worship of Egypt.
He says TOMORROW the Lord will do this thing in the land.
God gives specific instructions when He is going to pour out judgement.
Humanity is functioning right now on God’s divine timetable.
God’s word tells us very clearly in about the end of time.
Jesus paints a portrait clearly for us in this chapter and others.
These signs with be “lesser blows” that come before the great outpouring of His wrath.
Let’s look briefly at these “lesser blows”
Matthe 24:3
Jesus could have said… well theres no point in discussing it just trust in me.... HE could have said that’s not important just focus on the days you have...
But He didn’t Jesus laid out some “lesser blows” of judgment that will come first...
He tells us that there will be:
False prophets:
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