The Ten Plagues: The Passover

The Ten Plagues: The Passover

Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. We have finally made it to the last and final plague. For the Egyptians, this is the plague of death. The taking of the first born. For the Hebrews, this event would be commemorated as the Passover. It is remembered as the Passover because of what happened, the passing over the homes of the Israelites of God, sparing the lives of their first born children.

For the last 10 weeks, we have been engaged in a sermon series entitled “The Ten Plagues”. By the way, most scholars have surmised that the plagues could have lasted as long as a year or as short as a month. It seems that most people believe that the plagues lasted for 4 to 5 months. We have been examining closely the 10 plagues that God brought against Egypt which led to the release or liberation of God’s people from slavery. God chose Moses, a Hebrew who was adopted into the house of the Pharaoh, to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Moses, being educated by the finest teachers Egypt had to offer, would have been the perfect choice to lead the people. He understood the political landscape. He understood better than most the nature of Egyptian religion. He already had a relationship with the siting Pharaoh. He knew how to read and write when most of not all of his people were illiterate. Moses would have been taught leadership tactics that would have benefited him in establishing a government for his people while they were in the desert. He would have been taught military strategies which would have granted him a leg up on opposing armies that the Hebrews would encounter in their travels. When God called Moses, Moses initially declined stating that there had to be someone better, someone more qualified. In truth, Moses was the absolute perfect choice.

The plagues of Egypt are a collection of some of the strangest, weirdest, most bizarre miracles in all of the Bible. Water transformed into blood, wave after wave of frogs, dust remade into lice, boils-no where else in the Bible do we see such a peculiar display of divine judgement.

Over the past several weeks we have tried to ask and answer the question “why”. Why did God move in this way? Why didn’t God just wipe the Egyptians off the face of the planet? He could have snuffed them out with a simple word or the snap of His finger. Remember friends, He didn’t send the plagues to merely free the Israelites or to punish the Egyptians. In Exodus 12:12, God says, “against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord.”

Egypt, at least at this time, was the world’s dominant power. The people of Egypt worshipped within one of the most complex and comprehensive religions on Earth. God brought the plagues to warn and punish an entire religious and political system. He also sent the plagues to free an entire civilization of people from slavery and false religion.

Something that I have not discussed until now is life for the Hebrews before the plagues. Recall that the Hebrews had lived among the Egyptians for 400 years. During that time, many of them had forgotten about God, taking up the gods of the Egyptians. Exodus 3:13 actually states that many of the Israelites had completely forgotten about God. Know this, God was not just making Himself known to the Egyptians but He was also making Himself known to the Israelites. The Israelites experienced the first three plagues alongside the Egyptians because they needed to know who God was.

Do me a favor this morning, fill in the blanks under “Today’s Thought”. The Passover is a picture of God’s preservation. God used the passover and all the plagues to preserve His people. God would be their salvation. He would be their liberation.

Today’s Thought:

The Passover Is A Picture of God’s Preservation!

God used the plagues not just for Israel’s preservation but He would also use it as a picture of sanctification. God would show His people what it would take for salvation to come to their home. An unblemished animal would have to be sacrificed, its blood spread over the door of the home, in order for them to receive salvation. Christians who are spiritually attuned see the clear picture of the perfect Lamb of God dying on the cross, His blood painted on the beams of the cross. If we put our faith in Him, we too are saved from Death. One of my favorite authors and theologians recognized the same truth. I was reading his book entitled “Old Testament Words for Today” which is a great devotional. I ran across this quote that was super insightful.

“The Passover lamb’s blood protected the Israelites from the Angel of Death. Similarly, it is by the blood of Jesus that we find shelter and safety from God’s judgement. The Passover teaches us that God’s promises are trustworthy. Just as He fulfilled His promises to the Israelites, He will fulfill His promises to us through Christ.”

Today’s Quote:

-Warren Wiersbe

Today we are reading from Exodus 11. The entire chapter. We will also read some sections from Exodus 12.

In Exodus 11, God speaks to Moses and tells him that one final plague will be unleashed upon Egypt: the death of the firstborn. The severity of this plague would finally convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites.

In Exodus 12, God establishes the Passover feast, which would provide a means of protection for the Israelites from the impending plague. God gives specific instructions to Moses and Aaron regarding the selection and sacrifice of a lamb, the application of its blood on the doorposts of their homes, and the consumption of a special meal consisting of roasted lamb and unleavened bread. The blood of the lamb on the doorposts would serve as a sign for God to "pass over" those houses, sparing their firstborn from death.

The events of Exodus 11 and 12 bring about the final confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh, leading to the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt.

If you are thankful for God’s word this morning, would you please stand with me.

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, we are standing to show our reverence and respect.

Today’s Scripture:

Exodus 11:1-10 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. [2] 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." [3] 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. [4] So Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: 'About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, [5] 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. [6] There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. [7] 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.' [8] 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. [9] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt." [10] 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.

Lessons Learned As We Lean Into The Passover…

Lesson One: Redemption Through Blood (Exodus 12:12-13 ESV)

Clearly there are lots of lessons to learn from the story of the Passover. Our first lesson as we lean into the Passover is the value of redemption through the blood. There are clear allusions and foreshadowing to the death of Jesus Christ. Friends, make no mistake, our faith…the Christian faith, finds its meaning and definition in the Passover. Imagine the unblemished male animal brought forth, a male animal meant to symbolize perfection, and a lamb or goat set aside for one singular purpose…that being sacrifice. See that animal brought into your home where it stays with you and your children for 4 days. Why do you think that the Lord wanted to do such a curious thing? Why do you think that the Father wanted that unblemished, highly valued animal to live among the families for 4 days? Remember, the Hebrews were a very productive people. Meaning that they were blessed with numerous children. Households at this time would have easily had upwards of three to five children. Some families had more. Again, use your imagination, you have a perfect, unblemished little lamb or goat living in the home among your wife and children. What do you think begins to happen on this the first Passover? The children start becoming attached to the animal. The animal begins to hold meaning to them. Affections are stirred. If you are the father, the head of the household, you know what will be done to this animal. You share the grim news with your wife and you do the best you can to keep your children from becoming attached to this lamb. Nevertheless, attachments are made, feelings of love are stirred, only to have the animal sacrificed. Friends this gives us a small picture, a brief image, of what God felt like on the day that His precious son felt. The love that God had in His heart for His Son. That love ripped apart as Jesus’ hands and feet are nailed to the cross. The anguish of God as the blood of His Son poured out on the cross.

The day has finally arrived and the sacrifice is made. Notice the carve out for families that do not possess a sacrifice.

Exodus 12:4 ESV

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.

This outward show of hospitality to a poor family without the resource of an unblemished animal is an illustration of Jesus’ sacrifice being available to those outside the Jewish ethnicity. God knew, even back in the days of Moses, there would be those outside the boundaries of sacrifice. They too would need to be invited in and covered under the blood. Friends, those who were outside, who were to poor to provide a sacrifice of their own, a family desperately needing to be sheltered under the good graces of another household, brothers and sisters…that’s you and me. We were the poor, unfortunate, souls needing hospitality. Thankfully the blood of Jesus invites us into a larger family. His blood doesn’t just cover God’s people if they accept it, but is also covers us…if we accept the invitation.

That’s another thing to remember, God gives the instructions of what to do, when to do it, but does not make His people do it. They can face the darkness and try to survive the night on their own. He doesn’t force the decision on them. Much in the same way that He does not force salvation on to us today. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:13 that, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” The way to salvation is clear. Put the blood across the doorposts of your home. The way to salvation is clear, repent of your sin, trust in Christ, obey His commands. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. If you but confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead then you will be saved. Salvation is clear but salvation is not forced.

Salvation cannot be earned. I have often wondered about the people of Israel during the days leading up to the Passover. Did they try to do more? Surely salvation must have work attached. Maybe they needed to do a series of good deeds. Perhaps they needed to pray 5 times a day facing what would be their homeland. There had to be more than painting your doors, sharing a meal, and wearing your clothing a certain way. More that had to be accomplished. More that had to be performed. The answer was “no”. Trust in the blood. Be obedient. Instead of death knocking on the door, salvation would be knocking on the door. Friends, salvation through Jesus cannot be earned. It cannot be willfully applied to your sin. There is no performative measures that will earn you grace. There is no amount of praying. No amount of church attendance. No amount of alms or giving. It all comes by way of the blood. Remember Matthew 7:13? Sadly the road to destruction is broad and most will travel that road. You know, I have often thought that those who travel that road are evil. They are the demonic. They are the haters of God. Certainly that is true. The road will be traveled by those who are going their own way, trying to be prideful little human versions of God. Do you know the saddest thing about the broad road? The saddest thing about the broad road is that it will be filled with highly religious people. People that mean well. People that believed that more had to be done. People that could not believe that Jesus was enough. People that believed that trusting in Christ was not enough.

Redemption though the blood. Several weeks ago when I started this series, we were looking at the plague of blood. I made the following comment, “the Bible is a very bloody book”. Blood is a continual thread woven through the pages of Scripture. Blood is mentioned 447 times in 375 verses. I stated that blood is symbolic of life and judgement. In the Passover narrative, blood is certainly symbolic of life and judgement. Blood painted over the doorposts of the Hebrews brings life but blood missing from the home brings judgement.

One last thing about blood. God gives the instruction to pick from their flock an unblemished lamb. That lamb is to live with them for 4 days. Why do you think that God would do that? Remember, this is the very first Passover. Number one. All other Passover celebrations would be a repeat of this first one. After this first Passover, everyone in the home will know what’s coming. They can prepare themselves for the sacrifice. They can prepare themselves mentally, physically…and EMOTIONALLY. Imagine that you are a child during the first Passover. Clearly children were there during this fateful day. The Hebrews were a tremendously productive bunch. They were celebrated for having lots of children. What do children do when any animal is brought into the home and cared for? They form attachments. This small, defenseless, beautiful, perfect lamb brought into the home. Cared for mainly by the children. Don’t you think that the children would have immediately formed special feelings for this animal? Of course they did. Soon and very soon, that animal would die. It’s blood poured into a basin and it’s blood spread across the door posts of the house. It’s blood bringing salvation to all in the home. God did this curious deed so that people in the home would understand an inkling what He would feel when His Son, His perfect Son, His spotless Son, died on the cross.

Oh friends, are you thankful for the blood of Christ.

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

I love what Paul says in Ephesians 1…

Ephesians 1:7-8 NLT

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. [8] He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Lesson Two: Remembrance of God’s Faithfulness (Exodus 12:14, 24-27 ESV)

So, our first lesson as we lean into the Passover is the reception of sin through the blood of the lamb. Our second lesson is to remember God’s faithfulness. Let’s skip forward to Exodus 12 verses 14 and verses 24-27.

Exodus 12:14,24-27 ESV

"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. [24] You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. [25] And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. [26] And when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' [27] 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.

This day shall be for you a memorial. That is what God said to Moses. But what is a memorial? What exactly is God commanding Moses to do and what instructions is he delivering to the Hebrews. First of all, you need to remember the audience that God is speaking to. He is speaking to Hebrew slaves. These people have been enslaved now for 430 years. That is a long long time. We can dervive a great deal how they were treated in Scripture. We know that slaves were often beaten brutally during this time. Moses himself witnesses a slave beaten. Not only were they beaten, their very lives were under daily threat. You never knew when Pharaoh would pass an edict that they were to be killed or their children put to death. Again recall that Moses was placed into the Nile River. A river teeming with dangerous wildlife and a river busy with traffic because his mother thought the river safer than being on land where his life might be snuffed out by the minions of the brutal dictator. The Hebrews were meaningless to the Egyptians. If a Hebrew slaved died while working, no matter, they would be replaced by another slave. Again, Scripture tells us that the Hebrews were numerous. We know that at the end of Exodus 12 and the start of Exodus 13 that the number of slaves departing Egypt was beyond 600,000 and that is only counting men. When you add women and children, you are climbing into the millions. We also see in Scripture that the Hebrews were routinely abused by their captors. The Egyptians took great delight in making their job difficult…even torturous. Oh, one last thing, the Hebrews were thought to work 6 days a week. Sun up to sun down. They were given nearly no rations and were supposed to provide their own water for drinking. The life of a slave would begin in childhood and would end upon death. Oh, before you go and google what slavery was like in Egypt, let me tell you what you will find. If you google that very phrase you will have results that tell you that slavery in Egypt was not really that bad. By the way, that is the title of an article that I actually found. Slavery in Egypt was not “not that bad”. Imagine if someone living in modern day America wrote that slavery in the south was “not that bad”. It would be a national story. They would be reviled as rightly so as being a racist. Isn’t it strange that history has tried to whitewash the captivity of the Hebrews in Egypt as being “not that bad”. First of all, trust the Biblical record over the record of archeology. Archeology has shown that the Egyptians expunged their history of the Hebrews. The Egyptians were not one to remember losses or defeats. No doubt the story the plagues and the setting free of the Hebrews was a massive blow that the Pharaoh did not want recorded.

Again, slavery in Egypt was terrible. God was speaking to people who were routinely abused. Their lives counted as nothing to their captors. They were constantly under threat. Scripture also tells us that the Israelites had forgotten about God. Many of them had taken up the idols of their captors. Now God is telling Moses that the Passover would be a day of memorial. The Hebrews did not have any days of memorial. They were always working. They did not even know how to stop working. They did not know how to remember. The Hebrew word for “memorial” is zik-rone’. The word actually means more than memorial or remembrance. The word actually means memento. A memento is a physical, tangible object that you keep on your person to help you remember something special. For us today it may be a picture. I had a pastor who kept a sliver cross in his pocket at all times to help remind him to be faithful to Christ. A memento could be a WWJD bracelet.

God was wanting this day, and the days that annually followed, to serve as a memento of His salvation. The only problem was getting His people to slow down long enough to actually remember. Remember, these are people who worked from sun up to sun down. These are people who were slaves.

You know we could learn a lot from this point. Many of us are slaves today. You are slaves to your schedules. Slaves to your calendars. Slaves to your email. Slaves to your phones. Slaves to your devices. You are held captive by the rat race of American reliance. You are a slave to materialism, chasing the next dollar. Happiness is just within your reach. The grass is greener and you are just mere steps away from burying your toes in a blessed future. Sadly, as you get closer to that future, it slips through your hands. If I can get that car, that boat, that home, that thing, then I will be happy. You chase and you chase and you are a slave not to the thing but you are a slave to the chase.

Maybe you don’t know that you are a slave to this world. Let me give you a test this morning.

Are you racked with stress?

Are you are having trouble sleeping?

Are you constantly worried about money?

Are your most important relationships suffering because of your inability to live in the moment?

Would it stress you out to put your phone away, locked away in a drawer for a day?

Is being a church difficult because you are thinking on Monday instead of enjoying Sunday?

Well friend, if you answered “yes” then you too are a slave. A slave to the American system. You see we think that slavery is over and thank God that what we often think of slavery is indeed over. That slavery was a blight on humanity. But Satan still has us enslaved. We are a slave to greed. We are a slave to business. A slave to the chase. A slave to money.

Part of the story of the Passover is the story of God pointing the eyes of His people away from their slavery and putting their eyes on Him. He will provide them a day, a memento, to help them stop. To help them slow down. To help them focus.

We may not celebrate passover annually, but we do celebrate salvation weekly. Each and every Sunday we come here to this place to slow down. We come to turn our eyes by to God with an understanding that we need to keep our eyes on Him daily. Here are a few more slavery questions for you this morning.

Do you have time to pray?

Do you have time to read the Bible every day?

Do you have time to praise God daily?

The answer is “yes” but sadly, most of us just don’t make the time.

We are more stressed than ever before. We are more lonely than ever before. We are more addicted than ever before. We are more medicated than ever before. We are more unhappy than ever before. Sadly, the generation that Josh pastors is the most unhappy generation in the last 150 years. They are also the most jaded and frustrated. Suicide rates are higher than ever before. What’s the answer?

Christ is the answer. Getting off the wheel. Putting the phone away. Living in the moment. Choosing the memento of remembrance is the answer. God gave the prescription to His people in Exodus 12. Stop. Recognize sacrifice. Surround yourself with family. Take time to worship.

Seriously, if you are slave this morning. Follow the plan that God gives to the Hebrews for a month and see what happens.

The prescription is in Exodus 12.

Take one day and stop. Rest. Take that time and focus on God. Spend time praying. Read His Word. Worship Him. Enjoy His creation. Take a nap. Preferably with your spouse. That’s right Im giving you permission to sleep. Forgive whoever needs to be forgiven. Even if that means to forgive yourself.

Next, celebrate. Eat. Feast. Drink. Do this with family. Do this with your children. Do this with your husband and wives. Enjoy yourself and enjoy your family. Enjoy your neighbors. Build friendships. Not acquaintances. Friendships.

Next, ready yourself for the week. Prepare your mind for the challenges that this world will bring your way. Spiritually, mentally, and emotionally give these circumstances to God. Trust Him with the outcome.

Lastly, carve out one day a week to do this. That day for most of us is on Sunday. For most of us our phones represents what keeps us enslaved. Put the phone away. Turn it off. Life will still happen. I had a pastor give me this advice years ago and I follow it. One day a week I try to turn the phone off. I put it away. Sometimes it is for the day, other days it is for a period of hours. I told that pastor friend of mine that I couldn’t do it. Do you know what that pastor told me? He said “Stuart, you are not that important”. He was right. Im not. Neither are you. Trust me the world will still spin. Work can wait. Your walk with God can’t. Your family can’t either.

2 Thessalonians 3:2-3 AMP

and [pray] that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not everyone has the faith. [3] But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one.

Take time this week to remember God’s faithfulness.

Lesson Three: Rejoicing in God’s Deliverance (Exodus 12:27, 31-33 ESV)

So, we are on lesson three. Lesson one, we have redemption of sins through blood. Our second lesson is remembering God’s faithfulness. Our last lesson comes from Exodus 12, verses 27, 31-33. Rejoicing in God’s deliverance.

Exodus 12:27,31-33 ESV

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. [31] Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. [32] Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!" [33] The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead."

A few sermons ago I stated that from the very beginning of our sin story, God has been seeking to free people. He wants them to be free physically. Clearly God is against any sort of slavery. Even more important than that is being free from the bondage of sin. God sends the Angel of Death or the Spirit of Death through the land of Egypt, killing the first born in every home not covered under the blood of sacrifice. The back of the Egyptian will had finally been broken. Enough was enough. Pharaoh was finished. The people were free to finally go and go they did.

What’s interesting about the Hebrews exit is how the Egyptians treated them as they departed. First off they were ushering them out quickly. You would think that they would hurl insults at the Hebrews. Maybe persecute them. Harm them. No. They were almost packing their bags for them. Strangely God had influenced the hearts of the Egyptians to look upon the Hebrews in a favorable way. Not only did the Egyptians help pack the Hebrews’ bags, they filled their bags as well. They gave them gold, silver, and other precious heirlooms. They even gave them the clothing for the road. Imagine what it must have been like to be a Hebrew. Imagine what it must have been like on year 429 and 364 days. A lot can happen in 24 hours. Oh, one last thing, we are told in Exodus 12:38 that a mixed multitude went up with them out of Egypt. Do you know what that means? It means that some Egyptians switched sides. They forsook their pagan gods in favor of what was clearly the One True Living God. They switched teams. Isn’t that amazing?

Friends, I want to conclude this message with a simple question. When was the last time you thanked God for your freedom? Some of you have been saved so long you have probably forgotten about what it felt like to be lost. You have forgotten what it felt like to be destined to be going to hell. You have forgotten what your life before Christ looked like. Maybe you were saved when you were a child. So you didn’t live without Jesus for very long.

Im curious, how many of you were saved after you were 18 years old?

How many of you were saved in your 20’s?

How many of you were saved in your 30’s?

How many of you were saved in your 40’s?

How many of you were saved in your 50’s?

How many of you were saved in your 60’s?

How many of you were saved in your 70’s?

It’s funny, the older you are when you come to know Christ, the easier it is to be thankful for your salvation because you know full well what He has saved you from. You know full well the live that He has redeemed. If you were saved in your 40’s you had plenty of time to find purpose, meaning, joy, and fulfillment in other places. You chased after the world like Solomon only to discover that there is nothing out there, certainly nothing out there better than Jesus.

So, the Hebrews celebrated and have continued to celebrate God’s faithfulness during the event of Passover. This was an event that Jesus even participated in. If you remember, Jesus and His disciples went to the upper room to celebrate Passover on the night He was betrayed, the day before He perished the cross.

If stopping to celebrate God’s faithfulness is good enough for Jesus, perhaps it is good enough for us as well.

So, how? How do you remember God’s faithfulness? I’ll give you a little rhyme.

Stop. Take a break. Focus not on your blessings but on the One who delivered those blessings to you. Thank Him. Like I said in the second point, put the phone away. Limit distractions. Focus on God instead of focusing on yourself or anything else in the world.

Stop.

Next, drop. When is the last time you actually positioned yourself on your knees in prayer. There is something very meaningful about kneeling in prayer. Humbling yourself before an Almighty God. If you can’t kneel, then bow your head. Open your hands to God and reveal to Him that you bring nothing to the equation. Your open hands also symbolizes that you everything you receive, you receive from on high. He is in charge. He is the boss. Stop. Drop. Pray. Turn off the music. Find a place where you can enter into an attitude of prayer. Trying praying for 5 uninterrupted minutes each day. After you do that, go to 10, then 15 minutes. I will make you a guarantee, you will be blessed beyond measure by carving out time for daily prayer. You’ll have more focus. You will experience greater direction. You will become a more grateful thankful person. You will see bad habits fade. You’ll see your priorities change. You’ll become more happy, more joyful and more fulfilled. If you feel that you are courting burn out, then pray. Prayer, daily prayer, protects you from burnout. You’ll feel less stressed, less fatigued, and more ready to face those daily battles.

So, rejoice in God’s deliverance by stopping, then dropping, and the last word is mop!

That’s right, one of the greatest ways to rejoice in the Lord is service. A mop, at least to me, represents service. When we bring a mop to a rejoicing party it takes our eyes off of ourselves and places it on God. It places it on people. Did you know that the word “service” or “serve” is said over 1,100 times in the Bible. Jesus even said that He, the “Son of Man came to serve not to be served”. When you mop your problems become smaller and you grow a greater awareness of the suffering of others. Mopping grows a tender heart and a spirit that actually cares for others.

Serve in the nursery.

Show up to tutor.

Go out on a Harvest team.

Serve food at Stockton.

Come to the prayer room and pray for others.

Serving is a choice however. You’ll have to choose to do it but sadly we live in a culture that wants to be served rather than to serve.

Do you know what this is? That’s right, it’s a bib. A bib is for babies. As a pastor I deal with a lot of bibs. Spiritual babies that get hung up on all the wrong things. They are demanding. They see ministry that God has put in their path but want other people to do it instead. Bib Christians are complainers. They are whiny…like babies. Eventually Christians have to grow up. They have to put down the bib and pick up the mop.

How do you cultivate an attitude of rejoicing to God?

Stop

Drop

And Mop.

Just that simple.

Thankfully the Lord is faithful even when we are wrapped up in a bib. This morning, if you are thankful for God’s salvation, His deliverance, would you stand with me as I read this passage of Scripture over you?

Psalm 34:17 ESV

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

God bless you. Let’s pray.

Let These 3 Lessons Lift Your Eyes To Christ!

Bibliography

Websites:

https://armstronginstitute.org/329-against-all-the-gods-of-egypt

https://sermons.love/tony-evans/7459-tony-evans-jesus-the-lamb-of-god.html

https://www.historydefined.net/what-was-it-like-to-be-a-slave-in-ancient-egypt/

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2146/esv/wlc/0-1/

https://bible.org/seriespage/4-tenth-plague-and-passover-exodus-11-13

https://www.gotquestions.org/ten-plagues-Egypt.html