Sermon Tone Analysis

Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and starting a new sermon series through another book of the Bible with you fine people: these are a few of my favorite things.

And this morning, we get to begin a study through the book of Exodus.

Our study in Exodus will mark the 22nd book of the Bible we’ve studied together over the last almost 7 years (between Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings)—all of them in their entirety (except Psalms—we only went through 20 of the Psalms at the time; and Mark which we just started on Wednesday nights a few weeks ago). 2

2 books down, only 44 books lefts.

We’re a third of the way through the books of the Bible; We’re chipping away at it!

This book, Exodus, is probably familiar to you whether or not you’re familiar with the Bible.

Charlton Heston took on the part of Moses.

Disney took a crack at telling the story.

As good as The 10 Commandments or The Prince of Egypt might be, God gave us a Book.

And this, not because He was bound by time or technological advancement.

He could have slapped this puppy on DVD or Blue-Ray if He had wanted.

Instead, He led Moses to write down this account for us, for our benefit: this inspired, dependable, and sufficient account, preserving it for us.

And then He set it in our laps.

It’s a really, really good story; it involves some incredible moments: burning bushes, plagues, the parting of the sea, manna from heaven, the giving of the Law, etc. It’s no wonder why Hollywood has tried to capture the story.

You are probably familiar with the story (at least parts of the story) even if you think you aren’t.

You might be wondering why Exodus?

Of all the 40-some books of the Bible I could have chosen, why Exodus?

Better yet, why not a sermon series on marriage or raising children or a set of topical sermons on current events of the day?

The reason I chose to preach through Exodus is because I believe our study in Exodus will inform how we relate to our spouses, our children, one another; I believe Exodus will help us to make sense of what’s going on in the world around us.

Let’s think about what led the people of God to this place.

As we open the book of Exodus, we are introduced to the sons of Israel.

Jacob is the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham (you know, Father Abraham?

He had many sons…many sons had Father Abraham).

The Lord had promised the land of Canaan to Abram and his descendants:

Now, in the fullness of time, Joshua and his troops ousted the Canaanites, per the providence of God.

But it took time—a long, long time before Abraham’s descendants realized the promise of God.

It happened generations after Abraham.

This long, long time from promise-to-realization was part of what the Lord spoke to Abram:

Strangers.

Slaves.

And mistreated at that.

Nowhere in Genesis or anywhere else in the Bible explains this foretold, 400-year exile and mistreatment.

There is never any suggestion that this banishment to Egypt was because of sin.

Nothing is said about why the Israelites were enslaved and mistreated in Egypt.

Was their enslavement in Egypt a case of ‘just the way the cookie crumbles’, as they say?

It’s been said: “Earthly life is, after all, a chancy affair.”

It would have been “nice” if Israel could have awaited its inheritance while being secure and prosperous, but that was not the way it worked out.

What happened in Israel’s case was all deliberate and part of a greater plan.

Jacob (Abraham’s grandson) was sent to Egypt by the will and word of the Lord, with loving assurances that he would see Joseph, his long-lost son at long-last.

Exodus 1:5 tells us that Joseph was already in Egypt.

And this, thanks to his jealous, murderous, greedy brothers who wanted to kill him, but then decided to sell him instead.

That’s almost sweet, really; “Let’s not kill him, let’s just sell him instead”.

Jacob and his family all went to Egypt, following the will and word of the Lord, looking forward to what God promised him:

God, in His providential grace, had sent Joseph ahead of Jacob & Family so that all their needs would be met upon their arrival.

But by traveling to Egypt, Jacob unknowingly embarked on a journey that would lead to the slavery, the suffering, and the attempted extinction of his descendants.

When the promise of rescue was finally fulfilled (Exodus 12) after all those years, no explanation was ever offered for the years of pain and loss.

No explanation as to why.

None.

The reason I chose to preach through Exodus is because, I believe our study in Exodus will help us to make sense of what’s going on in the world around us.

Whatever we face, whatever it is we are going through; whatever hardship or illness, whatever trial or tribulation, whatever world-, political-, or current-events transpire—we know:

“This is the mystery of God’s control of history—whether on a national, domestic, or individual level: the great and loving God is in control.

And because He is truly Sovereign, He works out His purposes in His way, not our way.

He offers no explanations, but grants His people a sufficient insight into His ways, His character, His intentions, and His changeless faithfulness, so that, however dark the day, they can live by faith and be sustained by hope.”

This is why we are going to study Exodus: to be given insight in God’s ways, God’s character, God’s intentions, and God’s changeless faithfulness.

Our reason, then, for studying Exodus is theological.

That is, our reason to study Exodus is to learn about God—He is the Hero of the story.

God is the One who reveals Himself to Moses as the Great I Am.

God is the One who hears the cries of His people in bondage and takes pity on their suffering and raises up a deliverer to save them.

God is the One who sends the plagues on Egypt, who divides the sea and drowns Pharaoh’s army.

God is the One who provides bread from heaven and water from the rock.

God is the One who gives the Law, who maintains His covenant on the mountain and fills the tabernacle with His glory.

From beginning to end, Exodus is a God-centered book, a theological history.

We will meet God the Savior, God the Companion, God the Indweller—the God who will not fail those who so often fail Him.

—>This is a theological book, and a christological book.

That is, Exodus points us to and teaches about Christ.

Exodus finds its ultimate meaning and final interpretation in the person and work of God the Son: Jesus.

In one way or another, the whole Bible is about Jesus Christ.

Think back to this Easter.

We walked the Emmaus Road with Jesus and two disciples.

On this road, Jesus instructed His wakling buddies about what the Old Testament said about Him:

Jesus began with Moses—the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of our Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; Jesus explained to His two friends what those books had to say about Him.

I just know that Jesus spent time expounding the book of Exodus on that 7 mile walk down the Emmaus Road, explaining how the events of Exodus were about Him.

Because Exodus is about Him.

The Exodus, for Christians, is the gospel of the Old Testament, God’s first great act of redemption.

Exodus is the story that gives every captive hope of freedom.

Thus it was only natural from African-American slaves—many of whom were Christians—to understand their captivity as bondage in Egypt and to long for the day when they would be “free at last.”

The exodus shows that there is a God who saves, who delivers His people from bondage.

The Exodus is good news.

The Exodus is the gospel of the Old Testament.

As ‘the gospel of the Old Testment’, the Exodus’ connection to Christ is especially strong.

Jesus’ name may not show up in Exodus, but that doesn’t mean Jesus was absent.

Jesus, the eternally existing second Person of the Trinity, always has been.

He was, He is, He ever will be.

I didn’t draw your attention to it as we were going through Jude, but I will now.

In Jude 5, Jude (the half-brother of Jesus) writes:

Jesus saved a people out of the land of Egypt.

The God of the Old Testament is not merely God the Father, but is Father, Son, and Spirit— the Holy Trinity incognito.

The Old Testament refers to the one God as Lord of Hosts, LORD, God Almighty, Yahweh, Jehovah, and many other names.

Let us remember, though, that God is never less than the Trinity—the God who creates, calls, convicts, saves, indwells.

Jesus saved a people out of the land of Egypt.

In many ways, the exodus set the pattern for the life of Christ.

Like Moses, Jesus was born to be a savior and was rescued from His enemies at birth.

Jesus also spent part of His life in Egypt:

Like the Israelites, who wandered in the desert for 40 years, Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days.

Jesus went up on the mountainside to teach on the law (the Sermon on the Mount), just as Moses brought the law down from Mount Sinai.

The death of Jesus also follows the pattern of the exodus.

In Luke’s telling of the transfiguration, Jesus went up to pray on the mountain where He appeared to His closest disciples in dazzling majesty.

It’s significant that Moses was present.

And the word Luke uses for Jesus’ departure is the Greek word exodos.

Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about His exodus.