Our Primary Purpose

Our Primary PurposeExodus 7:25-8:15 | Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions   The second plague is a graphic and tragic portrayal of what it looks like for human beings to dedicate their lives to anyone or anything besides God revealed so graciously through Jesus Christ.    I. Glorify God On the one hand, God struck a severe blow against Pharaoh and the Egyptians because they were giving glory to other gods which belonged to him alone. On the other hand, they brought this blow on themselves by attempting to live contrary to the order of God’s creation. Even if it is necessary for God to strike you with a severe blow it is always conditioned by his mercy. It is intended to save you from yourself and bring you into real life with him. The frog was worshipped in Egypt as a god. By making frogs misery for the Egyptians, God demonstrated that anything we glorify before him will only make us miserable and will never fulfill.    II. Enjoy God When you completely give over your life to Christ, you get it back in an infinitely more joyful form. The Egyptians imitated the miracle by producing more frogs. It doesn’t matter how they did it, either by witchcraft or trickery, the point is they made things even worse. A real miracle would be to remove the frogs, but sin and the devil always exacerbate misery. When we insist on living for ourselves rather than “lose ourselves” for Christ and the gospel we irrationally choose a life of misery rather than joy.    Discussion Questions Was there anything specific from the sermon that resonated with you? Glorify God: a. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other.” How does God demonstrate that he will not give his glory to anything/anyone else through this plague? b. How is it good news for Christians that God acts in this way? c. Are there any ways in which you sometimes seek the glory that belongs to God for yourself? If yes, how so? Enjoy God: a. In what way(s) did the Egyptians try to retain control in this passage? How did God show those ways were futile? b. Are there any things in which you struggle to give control to God? Do you truly believe God can and will give you joy in it? c. What good news is there in Psalm 16 regarding joy?