Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20090802.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part I: God's Deliverance Of Israel From Egypt, Exodus 1:1-15:21
H. God's Glorifying Himself By Egypt's Plagues, Exodus 7:14-12:36
10. God's Exalting Himself Over Falsely Deified Man By The Passover
(Exodus 11:1-12:36)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    In 1 John 5:21 KJV, the Apostle John urged Christians to "keep yourselves from idols."

    At first, that sounds like an unnecessary command, for Christians historically have not bowed down to pagan graven images!

    However, idolatry is much more than that: Ephesians 5:5 calls covetousness idolatry, and Exodus 20:17 reveals this sin includes lusting for a neighbor's house, spouse, servant or pet!

    (1) One of the biggest realms of idolatry is the placing of another human entity on a pedestal in place of God Himself:

    (a) The July 25th-31st, 2009 issue of The Economist, p. 32 ran an article, "The Obama cult" stating "(p)eople scream and faint at [Mr. Obama's] rallies. Some wear T-shirts proclaiming him 'The One' and noting that 'Jesus was a community organizer' [as he was touted in his presidential campaign]. An editor at Newsweek described him as 'above the country, above the world; he's sort of God.'"

    This article observed that "because the Obama cult has stoked expectations among its devotees to such unprecedented heights, he is especially likely to disappoint", but that "(i)f Barak Obama disappoints his supporters, they will have only themselves to blame." (Ibid.)

    (b) Similar idolatry occurs even in Christian circles: some years ago, a group of believers in our state traveled to California to attend the Church services of a preacher they admired so they could sit in awe under his ministry! However, when they got there, they were stunned to discover carnal people in his Church! They didn't know that this was possible under the ministry of such a fine man!

    (c) Several times this year believers have told how shocked they were to find another Christian they had presumed to be relatively godly and a role model for them badly sinning in private!

    (2) The worship of one's self is another rampant form idolatry today: Paul C. Vitz, a professor of psychology at New York University, in his book, Psychology As Religion: The Cult Of Self-Worship claims "that contemporary psychology . . . has devoted itself to a religion of self-centeredness which refuses to acknowledge reasonable limits and responsibilities." (www.narth.com/docs/vitz.html)



    Need: "In view of the expansive temptation today to exalt a human party in God's place, how do we keep ourselves from such idolatry?!"

  1. In the Exodus 11:1-12:36 Passover plague where God slew all of Egypt's firstborn, He exalted Himself over falsely deified man:
    1. Pharaoh's eldest son was a god, Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 126).
    2. Thus, the Exodus 11:1-12:36 plague of the death of the firstborn sons critiqued making a mere human being into a god! (Exodus 11:4-5)
  2. The Lord used this plague to achieve several Biblical objectives:
    1. This plague caused Pharaoh to let Israel go, Exodus 11:1; 12:30-33.
    2. It also leveled righteous judgment upon Egypt's effort to destroy all of Israel's male infants, Exodus 1:22! [This judgment was merciful, for Egypt lost only her firstborn sons where the nation's leader had once tried to eradicate all Israel by slaying all of her male infant sons!]
    3. Third, this plague completed all of God's judgments upon the various gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12), making God supreme deity in Egypt.
    4. Fourth, this plague precisely, powerfully fulfilled Scripture prophecy:
      1. God had told Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14 that Israel would (a) leave Egypt with great spoils (b) after a four-hundred-year stay.
      2. Well, Exodus 11:2-3 with 12:35-36 shows the (a) fulfillment of Scripture that Israel would spoil Egypt, and Exodus 12:30-33, 40-42 shows the (b) fulfillment of Scripture on the sojourn: Israel left Egypt the night of the plague 430 years to the day! To clarify, it was 430 years between God's Genesis 15 prediction to Abraham until the Exodus, but 400 years between God's Genesis 46:1-4 direction for Jacob and his sons to enter Egypt until the Exodus. (Bib. Kno. C om., N. T., p. 370 in citing H. Hoehner, "The Duration of the Egyptian Bondage," Bib. Sac. 126. Oct.-Dec. 1969:306-16)
  3. [Great Hort's view that many evangelicals have adopted (Ibid., p. 34) offers a natural explanation for this plague versus belief that it was a miracle, but scientific facts and Scripture counter her view:
    1. Hort held the plague was on the "'first-fruits'", that the Bible erred, R. Grigg, "The Ten Plagues of Egypt," Creation (v. 27, no. 1), p. 34-35.
    2. However, the textual data and context do not support her theory:
      1. No Hebrew manuscript reads "first-fruits" (becurim) anywhere in Exodus 11:1-13:16 (B. D. B., Heb. & Engl. Lex. of the O. T., p. 114; Kittel, Bib. Hebr. , p. 94-97, so Hort's theory is based on a faulty claim of the mistranslation of a single Hebrew word and a disregard for 2 1/2 chapters extensively describing the death of Egypt's and the saving of Israel's firstborns. (Ibid., Grigg, p. 36-37)
      2. Then, the loss of just the "first-fruits" of crops would be the least of all the plagues, hardly one to make a hardened Pharaoh free Israel!]
  4. Ultimately, God used the plague to REPLACE the WORSHIP of FALSELY DEIFIED MAN with the WORSHIP of JESUS CHRIST:
    1. The Angel of God slew the firstborn who lived in homes not marked on the door posts by the Passover lamb's blood, Ex. 12:21-23, 28-30.
    2. That Passover lamb thus prefigured the substitutionary death of Christ where He would die for our sins, that we by faith in Him would see God's judgment pass over us to save us from hell, 1 Corinthians 5:7b.
    3. Details of the Passover then richly typify Christ's cross and its effects:
      1. The lamb was to be without blemish (Exodus 12:5), picturing our Savior's sinless atonement for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24.
      2. No bone of the lamb was to be broken (Exodus 12:46b), typifying how no bone of our Lord was broken in His death, John 19:31-36.
      3. The moment when the Passover lamb was being slain by the people of Israel, Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary, cf. Harold Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ , 1979, p. 92.
      4. The speed by which Israel had to leave Egypt led her to cook her bread in an unleavened state (Ex. 12:31-33, 39), setting the stage for the Days of Unleavened Bread to be observed after Passover (Lev. 23:5-6), days that typify our need as Christians to live holy (unleavened) lives once we have been saved by God, 1 Cor. 5:7-8.
    4. So, ultimately, in the Plague of the Firstborn at Passover, God worked to REPLACE the WORSHIP of MAN, PHARAOH'S SON, with the WORSHIP of HIS OWN SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST!
    5. Then, the climactic false worship of man in worshiping Antichrist will God overcome at Christ's return, Revelation 13:11-15; 19:11-21.
Application: In view of the lure to exalt a human entity in God's place, may we (1) trust in Christ to be saved, John 3:16. (2) Then, may we EXALT JESUS CHRIST, looking to HIM for ALL of our fulfillment versus looking to ANY OTHER HUMAN PARTY for it!

Lesson: Through the plague of the death of the firstborn, God both fulfilled prophecy on moving Pharaoh to send Israel from Egypt with great wealth and He BEGAN to REPLACE the FALSE WORSHIP of MAN with the TRUE WORSHIP of HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST!

So, we may ask, "In view of the big challenge of idolizing a human entity today, how can we keep ourselves from such idols?!" Conclusion:

 (1) This message was beautifully illustrated in a recent wedding shower that was conducted by the ladies of our Church.

It was reported to me that several women gave the bride-to-be Biblical insight and suggestions on having a successful marriage. One of the ladies said something that caught my attention as it was reported to me, and it is worth repeating here: she urged the bride-to-be not look to her husband for the fulfillment she should receive only from the Lord Himself.

That is so very true. Far too often men and women alike enter marriage believing that their spouse has the capacity within their personality or character or abilities or charm to be all they need for their fulfillment in life. However, no human being who is a sinner can possibly come close to achieving such an objective, for making even one's spouse our all-in-all is a form of idolatry that cannot fulfill.

(2) However, Dr. Robert D. Culver, in his book, A Wake Up Call, 1993, warned of a problem of idolatry in another realm. He wrote of it on page 75, noting: "Pietistic and baptistic, orthodox Christians tend to suppose their history of commitment to pure biblical faith is sufficient to protect themselves against theological error -- or let us call it a doctrinal shift toward error. But history refutes them."

Why so? 2 Timothy 1:13-14 KJV informs us that it takes relying on the Lord, leaning on the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, to preserve the "form of sound words" given unto us in the ministry! We cannot make an idol out of our own spirituality or even out of our own good doctrinal statements to stay upright before the Lord. We need to lean upon God Himself for that, and as we do, He provides all the power we need to remain true to His Word!



May we trust in Christ as Savior, as our Passover Lamb, and ABANDON looking to MAN -- be it others or ourselves -- or to any other entity besides God as our Source of Fulfillment! Rather, may we keep JESUS CHRIST the SOLE FOCAL point of our TRUST and WORSHIP and SOURCE of FULFILLMENT in life!