Text: Exodus 13:1–3a, 11–15
Theme: Remember
Other Lessons: Psalm 111; Colossians 3:12–17; Luke 2:22–40
(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen. (B) The Epistle reading serves as our sermon text for this morning. (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (D) Memory verse! Exodus 13:3 (NASB95) 3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. (E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray: LSB 352:1 Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord Let the earth now praise the Lord, Who has truly kept His word And at last to us did send Christ, the sinner’s help and friend.
Introduction
(A) Frohe Weihnachten! (B) Feliz Navidad! (C) Kala christougenna! (D) Merry Christmas! (E) No matter how you say it, it still is Christmas. (1) Oftentimes, the 1st Sunday after Christmas is seen as the “oh-hum” Sunday: (A) the gifts have been exchanged. (B) the radio stations have stopped playing Christmas music. (C) Let’s move on to the next commercialized event! (2) Though much of the world has already moved on and many of you may have gone back to your regular routine, it is still Christmas. (3) And let Christmas continue to be on our hearts and minds! (4) We should never forget the work of God coming to His people to redeem them. (F) It’s good to remember. (1) Remembering brings the past into the present. (2) Remembering brings back all those emotions of the past. (3) Remembering resets your heart and mind to know that in all things, God is working. (4) God continues working to: (A) uplift you, (B) forgive you, (C) and guide you into the fulfillment of His promises. (G) In our sermon text for today, Moses instructs Israel to remember God’s strong arm and mighty work that purchased their salvation. (1) Let the past dictate your present and future, Moses says. (2) In all things, commit your way to God, who has overcome Pharaoh. (3) Entrust your days and burdens to God, who will fulfill His promises. (4) Worship him and remember His work of salvation in your thoughts, words, and deeds. (5) In all this, God, through Moses, instructs His people—including each one of us: (A) This Do in Remembrance of Me. (I) God has done a mighty work of redemption. (A) The very end of Exodus 12 reads: Exodus 12:50–51 (NASB95) 50 Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that same day the LORD brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. (B) Through His chosen servants, Moses and Aaron, God led the people of Israel out of Egypt. (1) It was the Lord who did this. In confident trust that the Lord’s Word was good, so the people did. “The Lord said to Moses: Exodus 13:2–3 (NASB95) 2 “Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.” 3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. (C) God acted. (1) Moses relayed the Lord’s message. (2) The people did. (3) And this was good. (4) At the price of the firstborn of Egypt, both man and beast, God redeemed His people. (5) What better way to be reminded of his mighty work than by doing the same? (D) To consecrate or sanctify means to set apart. (1) The firstborn of both man and beast were to be viewed as a gift from God. (2) Unless the Lord had redeemed them, this child or animal would exist not in freedom but in slavery. (3) In this act of remembrance, there is thanksgiving. (4) Every birth proclaimed God’s mighty deed! (5) In the ritual God supplied for them, the people of Israel remembered what He had done for them. (II) Christmas is a time to remember. (A) Christmas is a time of remembrance; at least it should be. (1) God: (a) sent His own Son, (b) born of a woman, (c) born under the Law, (d) to redeem you. (2) At the price of His own Son’s body and blood, given over to death on the cross, the mighty hands of God overcame the slavery of sin. (3) And in Jesus’ rising again, His strong, pierced hands have brought you out of the place of slavery, that is, the grave. (4) But how many of your Christmas celebrations were done in remembrance of the death of the firstborn for your redemption? (a) Probably not too many. (5) Perhaps you become so caught up in everything else that you forgot? (B) Gifts are good to receive, but do you remember who gave each one of them to you? (1) Celebrations and parties are good to attend, but do you remember who all attended? (2) Worshiping our God who broke into human history, being born as a child who would be the redemption price for all, is good. (3) Did you worship Him on Christmas, or something else? (4) Are you worshiping the same something, whatever it might be, other than God, today? (III) There is a real danger in forgetting. (A) The great thing about our worship here as the people of God is that we don’t have to come up with it all on our own. (1) God said, “Do this,” and so we do it. (2) By doing it His way, remembrance will occur. (3) Yet Israel, in the very next chapter of Exodus, forgot. (B) The moment Israel took their sights off God’s work for their salvation, trouble ensued. (1) Troubles from the outside: (a) The Egyptian army pursued; (b) the Red Sea seemed to hem them in; (c) Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! (2) Troubles from the inside: (a) They stopped remembering. (b) There was grumbling and anger. (c) There was distrust, disbelief, and a disassembling of their worship. (d) Their thoughts moved off the gifts of God’s promises of life, and with great heartache and bitterness, they began to forget. (e) God knew the weakness of their sinful flesh. (f) He knows the weakness of yours and mine. (g) Right away, God gave them instructions on how to remember. Exodus 13:11–13 (NASB95) 11 “Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. 13 “But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. (C) God gives His promise. (1) He will fulfill what he swore to Abraham, that the land of Canaan will be Israel’s inheritance. (2) He will give it to them. (3) God’s mighty arm had acted against their oppressors. (4) At the price of the firstborn, both man and beast, God carried them into freedom. (5) He purchased and won them with the blood of a lamb. (6) Therefore, with every firstborn, there is redemption: (a) a buy-back price so that the people will not forget. (7) They were instructed: (a) Do this, in remembrance of me. (D) The Passover feast was the main act of remembrance. (1) But a year is a long time. (2) A lot can happen to jumble up your thoughts. (a) Temptation abounds, with the devil desiring you to forget how strong God’s hand is. (b) He tempts you to look at the sweet baby Jesus and forget that, yes, these tiny arms of an infant are the strong arms that will purchase your salvation. (3) Israel did not know that it would be forty years of wandering, trial, hunger, and war. (4) Israel did not know that they would be oppressed for centuries. (5) Because Satan never takes a Christmas break, he will attack so that you: (a) forget God, (b) forget His work, (c) and forget His promises. (E) This ritual God lays out for Israel is His way of leading them out of temptation. (1) Each firstborn would be a reminder of their own redemption. (2) Each payment to buy back their own child from God with the blood of sacrifice would be a reminder of how God gave them the lamb of price for their own salvation. (3) They would do this, all in remembrance of Him. (IV) Let us remember frequently. (A) What do we have to help us remember? (1) We have Christmas to help us remember. (2) We have the Christ Child, the Lamb of price. (3) His blood purchased freedom for you from your sin. (a) He freed you from your own weak, sinful nature that is prone to forget. (4) Remember, Christmas is not over. (5) Christmas should never be over. (a) Celebrate it with remembrance and praise, that God has come to redeem His people with the price of His Firstborn. (b) Celebrate the coming of Christ weekly so that you do not forget. (c) Do this, He said, in remembrance of me. (6) Worship with praise and thanksgiving. (7) Speak back the promises of God to one another. (8) Come and remember our Lord on the night when He was betrayed into death and He especially called you to do this in remembrance of Him: (a) receive the Sacrament of His body and blood and remember all He has done for you. (b) He was given into death for your sins. (c) His strong arm conquered the grave. (d) Do this in remembrance of me; (e) to remember Christ is to remember all His benefits, now and in eternity.Conclusion
(A) Temptations will come. (1) A year is a long time. (2) So don’t let the next year go by without remembering Him. (3) Look to the manger scene and remember: (A) God gave His only Son so that you and I would live. (4) Worship each Sunday and remember: (A) Christ rose from the dead. (B) In him, we have the life He swore to our fathers. (B) By a strong hand Christ brought you out of hell, out of the house of sin and death. (1) When Satan stubbornly refused to let you go, Christ killed all sin and overcame death. (2) Therefore, sacrifice your day, your life, your all to Him in every thought, word, and deed. (3) As you remember: (A) Give thanks. (B) Do all things in remembrance of Him. (C) Be reminded: in Him I have forgiveness, life, and salvation to the praise of His glory. (D) Amen. (C) Let us pray: LSB 352:6 Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord Then when You will come again As the glorious king to reign, I with joy will see Your face, Freely ransomed by Your grace. Text: Public domain (D) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. (E) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly. All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed. The Lord continue to bless us, shine His face on us, be gracious to us, that He lift His countenance upon us, and give us His peace. (F) In the Name of the Father…Amen.
Categories