Passover Prequel

Spared from Certain Death

Ira Sankey, who for years led the music for D.L. Moody’s evangelistic meetings, was traveling by steamboat on Christmas Eve in 1875. He was recognized by some of the passengers, and they asked him to sing. Sankey agreed, and began singing “Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us.” When the song was done, one of the listeners stepped forward and asked, “Did you serve in the Union Army?”

“Yes,” Mr. Sankey answered.

“Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?”

“Yes,” Mr. Sankey said again.

“I was serving in the Confederate army. When I saw you standing at your post, I raised my gun and took aim. I was standing in the shadow, completely concealed, while the full light of the moon was falling upon you. At that instant, you raised your eyes to Heaven and began to sing that same song. ‘Let him sing his song to the end,’ I said to myself, ‘I can shoot him afterwards.’ I heard the words perfectly: ‘We are Thine; do Thou befriend us. Be the Guardian of our way.’ I began to think of my childhood and my God-fearing mother who sang that song to me. When you finished, it was impossible for me to take aim again. I thought, ‘The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty.’”

The Fourth Plague

2nd set just like first…early morning warning by the water

He negotiates again

Sacrifice in the land

Moses says an abomination

Go into the wilderness, but not too far (still in sight of the army)

Moses warns not to cheat

Moses pleads and God removes the plague

Pharaoh’s heart is hardened

Pharaoh wanted obedience on his own terms…he wanted to be the power broker in the deal.

Sometimes we’re no different

I’ll do X if you do Y

Minimizing sin

Redefining terms

The gospel frees us from obedience on our own terms

We aren’t saved by our works…we aren’t kept by them either

Christianity doesn’t automatically switch to a works-based system

Our relationship with God isn’t transnational like that

Not to say obedience is not important…it is…and we are commanded to obey

But, obedience is a fruit of sanctification…not the cause of it.

Paul Tripp’s apple nailing illus. again (so good to not use it again)

The Fifth Plague

Another warning is given

Note: in the field

Apparently not ALL

All kinds?

All in the field?

Next two plagues deal with animals too

Not only have Pharaoh’s people suffered, now too will their animals

Why do animals get sick and die?

Human sin…why? Because of our role in created order.

Dominion

The pervasiveness of human sin

In the United States, businesses use millions of wood pallets each year to haul products. After a pallet has borne heavy, sometimes crushing weights and taken abuse from truck travel and forklifts, eventually it can no longer be used. Now cracked and smashed, or loose and floppy, pallets are something businesses must pay other companies up to five dollars per pallet to dispose of. Disposal companies burn the pallets, chew them into wood chips, or dump them in landfills.

One nonprofit company in New York had a better idea, writes Andrew Revkin in the New York Times. Big City Forest in South Bronx takes other companies' junk and turns it into treasure. The raw material of pallets is valuable hardwoods like rosewood, cherry, oak, mahogany, and maple. Big City Forest workers dismantle the pallets, salvage the usable wood, and recycle it into furniture and flooring. Recycled wood chips are worth only $30 a ton. But when used as flooring the value of the recycled wood is $1,200 a ton, and as furniture $6,000 a ton.

Jesus restores all creation

Isaiah 11:6–10

[6] The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

[7] The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

[8] The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.

[9] They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

[10] In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. (ESV)

Revelation 21:1–8

[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

[5] And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [6] And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. [7] The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. [8] But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (ESV)

Jesus not only will restore all life and all creation when He returns, He is restoring lives every day.

While this plague reminds us the widespread devastating effects of sin even on nature…it should be a reminder to us of the widespread devastating effects of sin in our lives. There is not one part of our lives that is not tainted with the presence of sin.

Sin in us is pervasive. We’re never perfect in any of our actions, never have a completely pure thought. Even as Ray from Ghostbusters reminds us…even so called innocent things can bring destruction…why? because nothing sinners do is innocent.

Even our own repentance is stained by sin. Does that mean we should not repent? Of course not…but we must never approach God thinking we’re completely pure in our thoughts…the knowledge and reminder that all of life is that of repentance is a constant connection to the merits of Christ. We can’t even repent without first being counted righteous by Christ’s work on our behalf....we are completely and utterly dependent on Christ…and there is no safer place in all the universe for us to be than hidden behind him.

God Makes a Distinction

No flies in Goshen

No dead livestock among the Israelites

God says “I will put a distinction” Hebrew: I will set redemption

God is Sovereign in Salvation

God determines

God acts

Israel receives

God has made a distinction

The mighty Niagara River drops 180 feet at the American and Horseshoe Falls. Above the falls there are violent rapids. Before reaching the rapids, where boats are still able to navigate, there is a bridge for pedestrians. There is a sign mounted to this bridge that says: “Do you have an anchor? Do you know how to use it?”

You know, there are many people racing down the rapids of this life so focused on knowing how to use an anchor that they forget they don’t even have one in the first place. Knowing how to use an anchor really makes no difference if there isn’t one in the boat.

What I mean by this illustration is that so many people are confident they know how to navigate life. They are confident in themselves, their support system, maybe even confident in whatever religious affiliation they have. They are set.

But, God has made a distinction…and one day the river drops over the edge. God’s Word reminds us that many people will reach for their anchor only to realize they have nothing on the end of the rope. Everything they have banked on their whole lives is just a loose end.

God has made a distinction. Like the sign on the bridge warns boaters, God has revealed himself in this world. He says in Romans man is without excuse. No one reaches the end of their rope only to find nothing innocently. Everyone who plunges over the falls does so condemned for their own sin. No one will ever be in hell accidentally.

You see, all of humanity is condemned. No one is righteous, not one. All deserve condemnation...

But God has made a distinction. God has in his grace chosen a people.

Ephesians 1:3–6 [3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4] even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (ESV)

Just as God spared Israel from these plagues…and as we will see he will spare them from the greatest one in the weeks to come…God too has spared his people from his wrath.

But, He did not simply ignore his wrath, no…he satisfied it…he poured it out on His son Jesus Christ that we who were sinners, alienated from God…ignorant haters of God running down life’s river without an anchor…could be redeemed…could be united to the Son…to be counted as sons…to be counted righteous…to be purchased…to be made alive.

Christ is our sure and steady anchor in the raging river of life.

God has made a distinction…what’s at the end of your rope?