Sermon Audio: LINK

Series Introduction: 

Today, we will explore the account of the Passover from the Book of Exodus. Through the devastating plagues, culminating in the death of Egypt’s firstborn, God not only punishes injustice but also sets the stage for His people’s dramatic deliverance. This act of judgment is also an act of mercy, preparing the Israelites to understand and embrace their relationship with God as their Savior and Lord. We will also see that this theme of deliverance is echoed in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, whose life and sacrifice offer us spiritual freedom and salvation. Let us begin with the reading of God’s Word. 

Scripture Reading: 

Exodus 11:1-12:30 (ESV)  “The LORD said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

So Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’S Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.”

Opening Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts open to receive Your Word. Reveal to us anew the depths of Your sovereignty, justice, and mercy. Help us to understand the significant ways You have demonstrated Your power and presence throughout history. May the Holy Spirit illuminate our minds and stir our hearts as we explore the divine declarations of Your character and covenant. Guide our thoughts that we may grasp the fullness of Your redemptive plan, mirrored so perfectly in our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is in His holy name we pray, Amen.

Introduction:

Last week, we saw how the plagues on Egypt were designed to be both judgments and revelations. Each plague was a powerful display of God’s sovereign capability intended to communicate His identity both to His chosen people and to their oppressors.

In Exodus 6:7, God declared to the people: 

“I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:7, ESV)

This covenant promise wasn’t just about deliverance; it was about establishing a relationship where God’s people would recognize and respond to Him as the one true God. This recognition was essential for the Israelites, who had lived under Egyptian deities and Pharaoh’s rule for centuries.

Similarly, Exodus 7:5 extends this revelation to the Egyptians: 

“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” (Exodus 7:5, ESV)

Here, we see that the plagues were not just about demonstrating God’s power to His own people but also about proving His supremacy to a nation that had long enslaved them under the guise of divine right by their gods. God’s actions were thus a challenge to the false deities of Egypt, a public declaration that He alone is God over all the earth.

These plagues also demonstrated that no one, neither slave nor king, is beyond the reach of God’s sovereign power. In this way, God was not only liberating His people physically but also freeing them from the spiritual and ideological shackles of Egypt. 

You Shall Plunder Egypt

In Exodus 11, the Lord gives the Israelites unmistakable signs of His favor. In Exodus 11:2-3, the Israelites, once marginalized and abused as slaves, were told that they would receive treasures from their Egyptian neighbors.

“Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.” (Exodus 11:2-3, ESV).

Notice that this plundering of Egypt is both an act of restitution and divine justice. God instructs the Israelites to acquire these items as a sign of a transformation in their identity, from degradation to dignity and from poverty to provision.

 Likewise, Moses undergoes a remarkable transformation. Once a fugitive with a faltering voice, he is now not only recognized and revered by his own people but also respected and feared by those who previously scorned him.

If any Israelites feared that plundering Egypt would come back to harm them, we read God’s promise that; 

“…not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (Exodus 11:7, ESV). 

In the ancient world, a dog’s growl was a bad omen. God’s assurance that not even such a minor threat would disturb His people that night underscores the completeness of His protection.

It is also worth noting that the treasures obtained from Egypt would later be transformed into sacred objects used in the Tabernacle. The gold and jewels would become more than symbols of God’s justice and the Israelites’ liberation; they would be crafted into instruments for worship. How amazing it is to think that what was once part of a system of oppression would be repurposed for divine service.

In Exodus 25, God instructs Moses on Mount Sinai about the construction of the Tabernacle: 

“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood… And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you shall overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it” (Exodus 25:10-11, ESV). 

Where did recently freed slaves wandering in the wilderness obtain the gold and jewels necessary to build the ark, the tabernacle, and the instruments of worship? They received them from Egypt’s treasury. This Ark of the Covenant, covered inside and out with gold, served not only as a physical manifestation of God’s presence but also as a reminder of His promise and protection. The very materials that symbolized Egypt’s wealth and power were transformed into symbols of God’s covenant and presence among His people. 

Salvation Under The Lamb

The Passover lamb, mandated to be a yearling without defect, represented the pure, unblemished sacrifice necessary for redemption. When the Israelites applied its blood to their doorposts, it was a testament of their faith and obedience to the Lord. This act, detailed in Exodus 12:7, shielded them from the devastating plague, manifesting God’s mercy interwoven with His justice, a demonstration that while justice demanded a sacrifice, mercy was extended to those marked by the blood.

This Old Testament narrative foreshadows the ultimate redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, our true Passover Lamb. Apostle Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 5:7,

 “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7, ESV)

This passage isn’t just a theological statement; it embodies the foundation of our faith, illustrating God’s unwavering commitment to our redemption.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:23, ESV). 

Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross not only parallels but completes the symbolism of the Passover lamb. As declared in John 1:29 by John the Baptist, 

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, ESV).

Jesus’ death provides a comprehensive deliverance from the ultimate bondage of sin and death. This act of divine justice, tempered with unfathomable love, is also captured in Hebrews 9:22, which states, “Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Moreover, as believers, when we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we engage in a living tradition that mirrors the Passover. When Jesus inaugurated the Lord’s Supper during the last Passover Feast, He drew a direct link between himself and the Passover Lamb,

 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28, ESV)

The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, which is both the supreme act of justice and the ultimate display of love, is also our steadfast hope and our salvation.

Remembering Our Deliverance

In Exodus 12:14 we read, 

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” (Exodus 12:14, ESV))

Here, the Lord commands Israel to remember the day of their dramatic rescue from Egypt, the day the angel of death passed over the houses marked by the blood of the lamb. The passage that follows links the celebration of Passover with a feast of unleavened bread. The lamb and the bread thus became symbols of salvation for all Israelites. The Israelites were commanded in verse 17, 

“Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.” (Exodus 12:17, ESV)

Here, the unleavened bread, made without yeast, symbolized purity and haste, there was no time to wait for the bread to rise, as liberation came swiftly. Both elements (Passover lamb and unleavened bread) teach us about the urgency and preparedness required in the journey of faith. They remind us that our redemption is costly and deserves continual remembrance.

Just as Israel observed these days devoted to the Lord, we, too, are called to set aside times of reflection, worship, and gratitude. These are not just historical commemorations but opportunities to renew our commitment to God and reflect on His provision and protection.

Today, we stand as the beneficiaries of an even greater Passover: the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins. In Him, we find the ultimate deliverance, not from physical bondage, but from the bondage of sin and death. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8,

“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8, ESV)

Conclusion:

As we reflect upon the divine narratives of Exodus and the sublime sacrifice of Christ, we are beckoned to a moment of decision and response. The same God who demonstrated His power and love through the plagues of Egypt and provided a way of escape for His people through the Passover lamb extends His hand to us today through Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb.

Let us, therefore, come to Him with hearts ready to embrace His mercy. If you have been standing at a distance, observing the faith but not yet stepping into the embrace of God’s saving grace, let this moment be the turning point. Just as the Israelites applied the blood of the lamb to their doorposts and were saved, so too are we called to apply the blood of Christ to our lives by faith. It is a simple act of trust, a recognition of our need for His saving grace, and a commitment to follow Him.

For those among us who have walked with the Lord, let this message rekindle the awe of what God has done. May it stir us to renew our commitment, to live not as people bound by sin but as those freed to serve our God with joyful obedience. Let the treasures of our lives (our time, talents, and resources) be dedicated anew to His service, transformed from worldly gains into sacred offerings.

And to all, let this truth echo in our hearts: we are deeply loved, fully forgiven, and richly blessed through Christ. As we stand in the shadow of such a great salvation, may our lives be a continuous response to His call. Let us worship with gratitude, serve with relentless passion, and proclaim with boldness the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who has brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Come now, let us respond to His unfailing love with every fiber of our being. Let us draw near to God with sincere hearts, fully assured of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22). For our God is not only a God of justice, but of immense mercy, and in Him, we find our true freedom and everlasting peace. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

Closing Prayer:

Gracious God, our Deliverer, and Redeemer, we thank You for the precious time spent in Your Word today. Thank You for the truths we have uncovered about Your acts of deliverance and Your ultimate sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb. As we leave this place, let the lessons of faith, redemption, and divine favor resonate within us and reflect through our lives. Empower us by Your Spirit to carry this message of hope and salvation to a world in need. Protect us, guide us, and use us as instruments of Your peace and agents of Your promise. We ask these things in the powerful and precious name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who, with You and the Holy Spirit, reigns forever in glory. Amen.