If I Was a Preacher
I would say

Good Morning, Today I would like to talk about Jesus. Jesus is recorded throughout this Holy Book, the Bible. Let me begin with a text from the book of Exodus chapter 12 verses 1 through 14.
1: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2: This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3: Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5: Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7: And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8: And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9: Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10: And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11: And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.
12: For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13: And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14: And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.
            “God’s people, the children of Israel, had sojourned in Egypt for four hundred years. Now it was time for God to call them home to the Promised Land. A new pharaoh had not known Joseph and was concerned about Israel’s numbers. God was ready to bring about this final plague on the land. The first born of every home including their live stock would be smitten.
            “Now God remembered His people. He spoke to Moses and Aaron and instructed them to have all the men of Israel take a lamb into their house on a certain day. They were to keep it in the home for fourteen days, at which time they were to kill it. They were instructed to roast it with fire using no water. They were to put its blood on the side posts and upper door posts of the houses. With their loins girded, their shoes on and their staff in their hand they were to eat it quickly with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, If there was any left in the morning they were to burn it. The lamb had to be completely devoured. If this was carried out to the letter that household would not be smitten.
            “Think about it, the lamb was kept in the home for fourteen days. That’s enough time for the people to become attached to it. It would become a pet, precious to them. Not only did that event serve God’s purpose and is to be remembered as God ordained, but serves as a shadow of things to come.
Much time, and many stories came to be before Moses got the people to the banks of the Jordan, across from the promised Canaan. Moses died there and God called Joshua to lead the people into Canaan. Now remember this. The name Joshua in the Hebrew language meant deliverer.
            “Let us jump ahead in time to the end of the time of Malachi the prophet. After this time there would be a period of four hundred years when all of the tribes would have no prophets or teachers to guide them. I see a familiarity with the four hundred years in Egypt,
            “This was a time in Palestine when all the people were looking for the Messiah. All the young women in the land were hoping to be the one chosen.
            “There was a young virgin in Nazareth, Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph of the house of David. Suddenly the angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to her. He said ‘fear not.’ You know, if I’m allowed to have a favorite angel I’m sure it is Gabriel.  He always brings good news and as awesome as he is he has that gentle demeanor that keeps you calm.  This is the same angel that came to Zacharias six months earlier and foretold the birth of John the Baptist.
            “Gabriel approached Mary and said ‘Hail thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ Mary was troubled, and didn’t understand that salutation. Gabriel said ‘fear not, Mary for thou hast found favor with God’. Gabriel went on to tell her that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her and she would conceive in her womb. He told her that she would give birth to a son and that he would be called Jesus Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be great and the Lord God would give Him the throne of David, and that He would reign over the house of Jacob forever. He told her that His kingdom would have no end.  He told her that her son would be called the Son of God. Now Mary remembered all those things and pondered them in her heart.
            We have read and heard so many wonderful stories of His life, growing up and of his ministry. Of His preaching and teaching as He walked among man. We read of his crucifiction and of His resurection to complete God’s plan for our salvation.

         Once after His resurection  before He asended back to the Father, He was talking with the disciples, telling them what would become of them. John was bringing up the rear of the group. Peter asked what would become of him. Jesus as much as told him it was not his concern, even if John lived until He(Jesus) came back.

      John did live longer than the other disciples. He continually preached the Gosple, often being arested.  At a point he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, off the western coast of Turkey.

      There in his soltitude John had a vision. A window of Heaven was opened up to him. In the glory that God allowed him to see there were four beasts. there was a great host of angels, there were twenty four elders. There was one on the throne that held a book with seven seals on it. There was call went out to find someone worthy to take the book from Him on the throne and open the seals. In all of Heaven, nor in the Earth nor under the Earth no one was found worthy. John began to weep bitterly. He remembered being a young disciple an d hearing all of Jesus’ teachings. He had cared for Mary, the mother of Jesus in her waning years. He had heard her tell stories of Jesus’ birth and of his growing up. Now no one found worthy to take the book. John’s heart was breaking. One of the Elders stepped forward and said, “Don’t weep John. I can immagine him leaning forward slightly with a careing expression. He said the Lion of the tribe of Juda,the Root of David Has prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof.  Revelations 5:6,7 says “And I beheld and in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the eldersstood a Lamb as it had been slain,having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of Godsent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.

       Praise the Lord the Holy Lamb of God endureth forever.

        I would like to close with a personal note if I may. If I have one goal, one thing above all else that I would like to become it is like the man Jesus was speaking of in Jn.14:23. Jesus was talking with some of His followerr about some of the things they could expect after He went away.  Judas, not Iscariot asked him how it would be that he would manafest himself to them and not unto the world. I verse 23 Jesus answered and said unto him,”If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will lovehim, and we will go unto him, and we will make our abode with Him.”  To me that is the sweetest, most intimate invitation to fellowship with God I have ever read. This is the Son of God asking us to go home with Him.