Sermons from First Evangelical Free Church in Sioux City, IA

2:41-42 Faithful worship. Just as we have consistently seen from Joseph and Mary, Jesus, too, is faithful to the Lord.

2:43-45 Where’s Jesus? After celebrating the Passover, Jesus’ parents head back to Nazareth. Yet, on the way, they discover that Jesus isn’t with them. Where had He gone?

2:46-47 Here He is! After an extensive search, Jesus is located in the temple. He’s not there simply to listen, but is actually the one asking the questions and giving wise responses!

2:48-51 Did you not know? When asked why He had stayed behind, Christ’s response is to say that He had to be in His Father’s house – which means that Jesus is the Son of God!

2:52 Favored. Just as we’ve seen before (2:40), and had parallel examples of in the Old Testament, Jesus grew. He is fully God, yet He is also – amazingly – fully human!

The Point: Jesus is God in the flesh; He is the Son of God.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, how jaw-droppingly amazed we are to read that Your Son is our Savior! As many questions as we have, in all of our lack of understanding, work in our hearts and minds to believe what is true: that Jesus is God with us.

Application: Believe that Jesus is God – and respond with joy and worship. Be willing to trust the Lord to help your own doubts and questions as you wait on Him. Keep looking to Jesus in faith – and keep enjoying the adventure of knowing Him more each day.

Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________

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God’s blessing in Jesus matters more than our circumstances – it gives us joy now and forever.

10:1-2 Purpose. The plagues have a meaning that differs depending upon whether a person was an Egyptian rebelling against God or whether a person was a Hebrew in need of God’s rescue. God’s rescue of the Hebrews would end up being the origin story that gave identity and purpose to the people of Israel.

10:3-11 Hardness. Yet, that same rescue and blessing from God looked like – and ended up as – judgment for Pharaoh and Egypt. His absolute unwillingness to let God’s people go, his refusal to bend the knee and obey God, continues.

10:12-20 Repeat. What comes is exactly what God had warned Pharaoh against: utter devastation of the nation’s crops. Pharaoh made a half-hearted and deceitful effort at claiming to be repentant, but he would not truly turn from his sinful ways.

The Point: The God we trust is the God who uses all things for the good of His people – events which may be seen as hardships, even plagues, upon those who will not trust Him.

Prayer: Lord, so often we don’t know the answers to our questions. So often, we ask “why?” In our asking and wondering, let us not trust our own ideas, our own selves, more than Jesus. Instead, work in us to trust Him most of all.

Application: The temptations of Egypt are with us today. Is your life marked by obedience to what God has said and joy in Christ? Or by a pattern of life leading to God’s judgment?

Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________

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9:13-21 None like Him. The Lord pulls back the curtain, revealing His own mercy in being patient with Pharaoh and Egypt, even warning them of the coming plague of hail. Yet, Pharaoh’s heart is also revealed: heavy and rebellious toward the Lord, unwilling to even protect his own people and livestock.

9:22-26 Protecting His people. Once the plague of hail arrives, the Lord’s power is shown in that He protects all who trust Him – the Hebrews in Goshen specifically, but also any Egyptians who listened to His warning (v20).

9:27-35 That all may know. Pharaoh wants the hail to stop and will say anything to get to that point, but his heart isn’t genuinely repentant. Pharaoh will not bend to the Lord, just as God had told Moses beforehand.

The Point: The sovereign God of the all the Universe is the only one who can rescue and save from sins. He alone is to be rightly feared and worshipped – no other.

Prayer: Father, it is so easy for us to place our trust elsewhere – in ourselves, our skills, our money or technology. Anywhere else but you. But you are the only one who saves, you are the only one who can rescue us. Give us soft hearts, not heavy ones: hearts that delight in Christ alone.

Application: Who do you trust? If anyone or anything other than the one true God, you are setting yourself up for devastating loss. Trust in the Lord, call upon Him in faith.

9:1-7 Death arrives. The reality is that sin leads to death (Romans 6:23), and that truth is held out as a warning to Pharaoh in these verses. Sadly, even when the judgment is carried out upon the livestock of Egypt – even when Pharaoh has undeniable proof that the God of Israel has the power to both bring plagues and distinguish between His people and the Egyptians – Pharaoh continues to rebel against God.

9:8-12 Sickness comes. For the first time in the plagues, sickness comes and affects the Egyptians. Even Pharaoh’s magicians are afflicted by this plague and are unable to counter it in any way. Yet, Pharaoh continues in his rebellion. His hardness of heart has become such that he is unwilling to let the Hebrews free; he has become enslaved to his sin.

The Point: Sin leads to death. There is no getting around this simple fact – and it would be the end that every one of us receives had it not been for the Lord’s grace and mercy, offered to us through trusting Jesus Christ for salvation.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for rescuing us from ourselves. Teach us to trust you even as we suffer at the hands of those who embrace sin. Give us a faith and a hope that is larger than our circumstances, knowing and believing that you are the God who saves His people.

Application: Our world denies that sin leads to death, yet the God of the Universe says that it most definitely does. Who will you believe? Who will you trust and follow?

Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________

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8:16-19 Unique acts. Unlike the previous two plagues, we find that this one cannot be duplicated by Pharaoh’s magicians. The Lord is showing His unique power over and above Pharoah because He alone is the God of the universe.

8:20-24 Unique words. As the plagues progress, a further distinction appears: God’s people will not always suffer on account of Pharaoh’s rebellion and wickedness. The Lord has the power to distinguish between His people and the Egyptians and to limit and direct the effects of the plague.

8:25-32 Common hardness. Ultimately, despite clear and undeniable signs of God’s power which is greater than Pharaoh’s, the king of Egypt remains in his sin, he and his nation suffering on account of his rebellion.

The Point: But for the grace of God, each of us is every bit as sinful as Pharaoh and every bit as in need of the Savior. Praise God that Jesus Christ has given His heart in place of our sin-hardened one!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus – thank you for His heart toward sinners like us, rescuing us from ourselves and from the sinful world around us. Form us so that we would treasure Jesus and respond to Him in ongoing faith from this day until the wonderful day when He returns.

Application: Sin is worse than we think, yet God is better than we think. Do you trust Jesus? How will you live in response to Him? Who will you tell of this Savior?

Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________

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8:1-7 Again. On the one hand, almost everything seen in these verses follows the pattern that we’ve already come across with Pharaoh in chapter 7. Yet, as is common throughout the Bible, repetition helps us to see points that we may have missed the first time around. It also helps us to see when something does not match the pattern, which will be the case here.

8:8-15 Harder. Pharaoh seeks relief from the plague. The Lord, in his grace, does exactly as Pharaoh asks, and yet Pharaoh breaks his word and refuses to let God’s people go. His heart is hard even when God works a miracle for him!

The Point: God’s authority and power will, in fact, prevail over the hard heart of Pharaoh – and every heart that opposes him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, too often our own hearts are hard toward you. We think of ourselves as on the throne rather than wanting to see your Son rule over everyone and everything – including us! Change our hard hearts by your grace that we would enjoy and yearn for Christ’s rule. Help us to hope in him as we serve and suffer and wait for his return.

Application: Do you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior-King? There is no other way to enjoy eternity. And if you do embrace Jesus, how will you tell of his good plans to somebody else this week? How can you encourage a fellow Christian as they endure hardship for following after Jesus?

Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________

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