Sermon Tone Analysis

Passover and The Lord’s Supper?

Sometimes we forget that not everyone sitting here grew up attending church.

When you grow up in church and go to Sunday School you end up learning all these stories in the Bible.

A lot of these stories then get neglected as we get older.

For that reason I want to tell you the story of the Passover today.

Well that and I just had to write a research paper on Passover so it’s all fresh in my mind.

Well that and Pastor Mark is on vacation and we normally would shift the Lord’s supper to the next Sunday but we realized as Elders we should probably all rotate through overseeing the Lord’s supper for our congregation and things fell into place this Sunday to do just that.

We are also going to learn what Passover means for us as we observe the Lord’s Supper.

First things first, story-time.

We start our story in Egypt thousands of years ago.

At one time the Israelites were welcome in Egypt when Joseph made himself invaluable for keeping the country from crumbling under famine.

Right at the beginning of Exodus it tells us Exo 1.7-8 “But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.”

He didn’t know how Joseph’s wisdom from God saved Egypt.

Instead what he sees is this flourishing people group that is different and sees them as dangerous.

They must be oppressed and not allowed to become a threat!

The people of Israel are treated worse and worse until finally after given harsh labor made into slaves yet still prospering and multiplying Pharoah has had enough.

Instructions go out for all the male children to be murdered at birth.

The Hebrew midwives feared God more than Pharoah so they didn’t do that and lied to Pharoah about it.

Now an Israelite man descended from Levi had a son.

The mother hid the son for three months before hiding him would no longer be an option.

At that point she made an ark.

Yes… an ark… I know most of your English translations don’t say that but it is in fact the same word ark just like Noah was told to build.

This ark along with the baby is placed by the river.

The Pharaoh's daughter happens to find the baby and takes pity on him, he’s crying, and in a God ordained turn of events the child’s mother get’s hired to become his nurse maid.

His name is Moses.

Moses is adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter.

After moses grows up he is out walking among his people and sees one of them being abused by and Egyptian.

Looking around and not seeing anyone he kills that man and hides his body in the sand.

The next day he sees two of the Hebrews fighting and stops them asking why they’re fighting each other?

They indignantly say “Who put you in charge?

Are you gonna kill us like you killed that Egyptian?”

This freaked Moses out.

He was thinking to himself, “Nobody’s gonna know | They’re gonna know | How would they know | They’re gonna know” And he flees to the wilderness.

In fact Pharoah did find out and did want to kill Moses for it.

Moses spends 40 years outside of Egypt.

He gets married has a kid… Well Pharoah dies and a new Pharoah arises.

Then the people of Israel cry out for rescue to God because they are still oppressed and enslaved.

God hears them and remembers his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Now Moses is still out in the wilderness but he is out with his flock when he comes across this bewildering sight.

A bush is burning but not burning up.

He approaches it to see what’s going on.

God calls to him from the bush “Moses, Moses” “Here I am” he replies.

God tells him not to come any closer without taking off his sandals because the place where God is, is holy ground.

God tells him that He’s the God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Moses covers his face because he’s afraid to look at God. God details how he’s aware of the affliction and suffering of His people and that He’s come to set them free.

He’s going to send Moses in fact to deal with Pharoah.

Now this is not going to thrill Moses.

He’s already tried to save the Israelites remember?

He killed that Egyptian… How’d that turn out?

Well Moses comes up with a lot of excuses but God ain’t puttin’ up with it.

God does eventually allow his brother Aaron to step in and for him as a mediator to the people.

He sets up a few miracles Moses can use to convince people he’s been sent by God.

Moses finally returns to Egypt.

Things do not go as well as Moses probably hoped but they do happen exactly as God planned.

Moses asks for his people to be able to go to the wilderness so they can sacrifice to God.

Pharoah tells them they’re distracting the people from their work.

Then Pharoah makes conditions worse for the Israelites.

The Israelites complain to Pharoah and Moses about getting the short end of the stick.

God replies to Moses’ concerns that everything has only gotten worse and assures him that Pharaoh will be dealt with and he will even send out the Israelites from the land.

Moses goes before Pharaoh and they had been told by God when Pharoah challenged them to prove they were sent by God with a miracle the staff gets thrown down and becomes a serpent.

Now Pharaoh's magicians are able to duplicate the same feat but their snakes were eaten by God’s snake.

Pharaoh’s heart was hardened though and did not listen, just as God said.

1) God sends Moses and Aaron back to Pharoah in the morning and has them strike with water of the Nile with the staff.

This is the first Plague.

It turns the Nile into blood, fish die, the smell is atrocious.

2) Seven days later God sends Moses back to say “Let my people go.”

There is also a warning with this one that if Pharaoh doesn’t a plague of frogs will come.

The people aren’t let go and frogs are called up.

Pharaoh's magicians also are able to duplicate this plague… which seems a little dumb because they already have too many frogs.

Pharaoh asks for moses to ask God to stop and he’ll let the people go.

Moses asked for God to stop the frogs.

Once the frogs were dealt with though… Pharaoh hardens his heart and won’t let the people go.

3) So with no prior warning the staff is stretched over the dust of the earth and gnats or you might call them lice cover everything.

The Pharaoh’s magicians try to duplicate this but they can’t.

They even declare this is the finger of God!.

But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he wouldn’t listen.

4) God sends Moses early in the morning to Pharaoh and says “let my people go.” and tells him this time if he doesn’t, God’s sending flies except in Goshen where the Israelites live… The Lord did bring the flies in and Pharaoh says to Moses they can sacrifice but not go… Moses explains that they need to go… Pharaoh says okay… just don’t go too far.

Moses petitions God again to remove the flies.

This time again Pharaoh hardens his heart and does not let the people go.

5) Moses again is sent before Pharaoh saying “Let my people go” and again he threatens, this time if Pharaoh does not release them their herds will die off, but not the Hebrews theirs will live.

And the next day the Lord did it and the livestock of Egypt died but none of the livestock of the people of Israel died.

6) The Lord instructs Moses and Aaron to take soot and throw it in the air within the site of Pharaoh.

Boils broke out among all the Egyptians and even the magicians of Pharaoh couldn’t stand before Moses because of all the boils.

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and so he didn’t listen to them just as the Lord told Moses he wouldn’t.

7) Moses is again told to go early in the morning to Pharaoh and tell him to “Let my people go.”

This time it will be hail and you’re warned don’t be caught outside, or your livestock because the hail will be so bad that anyone outside will die.

There’s also a note here from God.

He says “Hey, I could have easily just killed off all the Egyptians with a plague but I didn’t.

I am doing this because the purpose here is to show my power and so that my name will be told all over the world.”

So the hail comes and anyone caught outside is killed, man or animal.

All the crops are flattened even the trees in the field are knocked down.

That’s a serious hail storm.

Pharaoh responds now and tells Moses he’s really done it he’s sinned and the Lord is right.

He asks for the hail to stop and Moses tells him he’ll stop it but he knows that Pharaoh doesn’t fear God.

Sure enough when the rain and the hail cease Pharaoh sins again and hardens his heart against God and did not let the people go, just like the Lord told Moses.

8) This time Moses goes to Pharaoh and tells him there will be locust that devour everything if you do not let my people go.

Pharaoh, despite his advisors pleading to just let these people go the land has already been ruined don’t make it worse!

Pharaoh wants to negotiate like only let the men go.

This being unacceptable Moses and Aaron were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.