Sermon Quotes | "Why the Prelude?"

“Magic was a main element in the Egyptian religion at this time, and those who mastered these powers were held in high esteem. The priests, belonging to the highest officials of Pharaoh, possessed secret knowledge and were skilled in all sorts of mysterious rites. By casting spells, they could allegedly overpower humans and control gods and thereby attain dominion over the world of nature and the world of the gods, realms which could not be separated since some animals were regarded as divine. Through magical formulas, the magicians claimed to exercise the power of the gods. The master of magic therefore became a player in the world of the gods.” Goran Larsson

“Pharaoh had heard God’s Word and seen God’s sign and the only appropriate response was to fall down at God’s feet.” Phil Ryken

“Pharaoh represents all who arrogantly oppose God, dismissing his authority as irrelevant while promoting their own importance.” Desmond Alexander

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” Psalm 95:7-9

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test…” Hebrews 3:7-9

“If Pharaoh had realized how hard his heart was he would have been terrified…Pharaoh’s hardness of heart is a warning to anyone who has witnessed God’s power but refuses to receive God’s grace.” Phil Ryken

“How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit?...It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:29-30

“Evil frightens me. It’s meant to. I am meant to be humbled by supernatural evil so that I know-deeply know-that it is too strong for me, that I cannot resist it on my own. Death and the one who hold the power of death-that is, the devil-are too strong for me. But my response is not meant to end in terror…The Lord does not merely permit evil but commands it, controls it, and uses it for his good purpose…This God who knows how to use supernatural evil to serve his purposes of ultimate good can and will use the darkest invasions into my own life for his definite and invincible plans for my good in Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!” Christopher Ash

“You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.” Exodus 15:12

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Col. 2:15

“Death is swallowed up in victory...thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:54, 57

“His power over sin was vanquished through the crucifixion. His power over death was swallowed up by the resurrection.” Phil Ryken