Sermons at Graham Emmanuel

God gives the second of three lessons to His people after delivering them from slavery in Egypt after the death of the firstborn. After giving instructions for who can and cannot partake in Passover, God now gives instructions on the Feast of Unleavened Bread and will conclude by giving instructions on dedicating the firstborn. All three lessons touch on an element of God’s salvation from Egypt, and point to God’s salvation from sin. In instructions on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, God explains that doing so is part of the process of consecrating the firstborn to Him. Join us and find out how the way parents lead their families impacts the spiritual future of their children.

After God has provided a sacrifice, and after God has saved His people, God now gives instructions on how that salvation should be shared with others. To do so, God calls for strict adherence to the Passover to ensure that His people set themselves apart from the rest of the world, while also allowing all nations of the world to be identified as His people. Join us to find out how this impacts the way the Church conducts itself in worship and missions.

With the Passover and the striking of every firstborn in Egypt, God finally gives freedom to the Israelites and delivers them from Egypt. But what does it mean to have freedom from God, and how does one receive it? The historical true story of the Exodus illustrates the spiritually true story of the Gospel. Join us and find out the true meaning of spiritual freedom, and how it only comes by responding to God’s grace with faith, and results in obedience.

As God prepares to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt, he gives them two festivals, each one intended to illustrate His spiritual work. The Feast of Passover illustrates God’s saving work through the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God, while the Feast of Unleavened Bread illustrates God’s sanctifying work as He now calls His people to live as saved people by rejecting the impurities of sin in their life. Join us for this fascinating study on a Jewish tradition that illustrates eternal principles.

After warning Pharaoh of the first nine plagues, God chooses to announce His final plague to the Israelites themselves. As a result of His Word of warning, God expects His people to respond with faithful obedience. Join us to see in Scripture how God used the Passover to point to His ultimate plan of salvation through His son Jesus Christ.

Pharaoh made a threat to Moses and failed to keep it, but as God shows through the ninth plague of bringing darkness over Egypt, whether to bless or to curse, God always does what He says, and His words should be treated with the full weight of reality.

Today, we talk about the concept of Zeal: The unquenchable desire to seek God and honor Him. We talk about how it was lost in the fall of man, how it’s regained through repentance, and ultimately how it’s seen in the childlike faith that Jesus calls us to have.

In the eighth of God’s ten plagues against Egypt, He brings locusts, but this time, not just so that Pharaoh can know that Yahweh is God, but specifically so that the Israelites and their families will know that Yahweh is God. This emphasis on the family shows how God has bigger things in mind than just proving His power to a pagan Pharaoh, but showing His sovereignty to His promised people so that they may share it with their families forever.

Before God unleashes His seventh strike on Pharaoh and Egypt, God takes time to explain exactly why He is bringing suffering to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Surprisingly, none of the reasons God gives concerns punishment. Instead, God explains that His plagues reveal His might and mercy and are intended to make His name known and revered in the nations of the world.

Pharaoh’s heart grows harder and harder, and in return, God’s plagues grow mightier and mightier. After showing His sovereignty over life and the animal kingdom, God now shows His sovereignty over bodily health and disease, as He brings pestilence to Egypt’s animals and boils on its people. In doing so, God shows that He does what He says, and that the sign of a soft and upright heart to God is one who not only hears what He says but responds accordingly.