Introduction

• Galatians 5:22
• Philippians 2:29
• James 1:2-4
• We can develop joy. We can work on this!

There will always be negatives in your life, so focus on the positive.

• Genesis 3:14-19
• We don’t live in the Garden of Eden. There will be problems in our lives.
• Hebrews 11:16
• There will be negatives until we get to Heaven.
• Philippians 4:4
• Joy is not the absence of negatives.
• Philippians 3:1
• Exodus 16:2-3
• Exodus 20:2
• Ezra 3:10-13 – Two different reactions to the same event!
• Haggai 2:8-9
• Ezra 6:15-16
• If you tend to lack joy, make a change!

It’s not wrong to be ambitious, but remember to be thankful.

• Philippians 4:10-11 – Paul learned to be content.
• I Thessalonians 5:14-18
• The devil can trap us into thinking joy is always coming tomorrow. Be thankful today!
• Try gratitude journaling!

We’ll enjoy some temporary pleasures, but spiritual blessings are the endless spring of joy.

• I Peter 3:9
• Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:1, 10-11, 18
• Isaiah 29:13
• You can grow joy in your life!

God offers encouragement

• Exodus 6:1-6
• God reiterates all He has promised
  • Appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
  • Gave no Name until now
  • He remembers His covenant
  • Tell Israel, “I WILL deliver you …”
  • You will be Mine
• Moses tells the people, they don’t listen
• God repeats His mandate – let my people go

Genealogy of Moses and Aaron

• Exodus 6:14-30
• Genealogy shows Levite lineage of both
• God’s mandate repeated (Exodus 6:26-29)
• Moses’ objection restated (Exodus 6:30)

Back before Pharaoh

• Exodus 7:1-14
• “I will make you as God to Pharaoh”
• Will harden Pharaoh’s heart – why?
  • Multiply signs
  • Great judgments
  • Egypt will know
• They did what God commanded

Staffs to snakes

• Exodus 7:7-13
• Moses was eighty, Aaron eighty-three
• Staff thrown down, Pharaoh’s snakes eaten
• Pharaoh’s heart hardened
  • Who hardened it?
  • As God had said

First plague – Nile to blood

• Exodus 7:14-25
• God let Pharaoh sleep on his own stubbornness
• Next day
  • Nile struck with staff
    • Water to blood
    • Everything in the Nile dies
    • River stank of death
    • Not only the Nile, bu tall standing, flowing, and stored water
  • Magicians replicated (but could not end the plague)
  • Pharaoh unimpressed
  • Went on for seven days

Second plague – frogs

• Exodus 8:1-15
• Same request, new threat
  • Smite the land with frogs
  • From out of the Nile to everywhere
  • No respecter of people
• Moses struck, magicians replicated
  • Pharaoh asks Moses to relent
  • Moses – choose a date
• God performs, but plague not over!
  • Land stank of frogs
  • Pharaoh unmoved

Gnats – stretching magicians’ limits

• Exodus 8:16-19
• Third plague
  • First one the magicians could not mimic
  • Magicians’ confession
• Pharaoh still not impressed

Flies, flies, flies, flies, flies

• Exodus 8:20-32
• Fourth plague – starts early in the morning
• Met Pharaoh as he came to the water
  • Plague to be one of flies
  • Goshen will be unaffected
• Negotiation begins
  • Go sacrifice, but inside Goshen
  • Nope, three days’ journey
    • Exodus 8:26 – The animals they would be sacrificing were an abomination to the Egyptians. The ox, bull, and cow were all considered holy by the Egyptians.
  • Go, but not far away, and pray for me also
  • Flies withdrawn
  • Pharaoh hardens own heart

Number five – livestock die

• Exodus 9:1-7
• All livestock in the field to die
  • If you don’t let the people go
  • Includes horses, donkeys, camels, herds, flocks
  • Again, Goshen is exempt
  • “Tomorrow” was the day
  • Happened as described
  • He knew it happened, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened

Boils from soot

• Exodus 9:8-12
• Toss handfuls of soot toward the sky
  • Became boils on man and beast throughout Egypt
  • Magicians effected also
  • God hardened Pharaoh’s heart

Killer hail – seventh plague

• Exodus 9:13-26
• God’s message to Pharaoh
  • Has been lenient to this point
  • Wanted to show His power, proclaim His Name
  • You exalt yourself by your defiance
• Plague to start next day, this time
  • Heavy, unprecedented hail
  • Fire flashing continually within it
  • Killed everything in the field – people, animals, plants
  • But not in Goshen

Hail’s effect

• Exodus 9:27-30
• Death and damage overwhelming
  • Pharaoh “repents” of sin against the Lord
  • Declares self and nation as wicked
• Moses knows better (Exodus 9:30)

God’s foresight

• Exodus 9:31-32
• Still wheat and spelt
• Both good for bread
• Also good for locusts

Back to start

• Exodus 9:33-35
• Moses performed as promised – again
• Pharaoh’s heart was hardened – again
• Just as God had promised

Eight – inundation of locusts

• Exodus 10:1-6
• Not much left
  • Many animals, plants, people destroyed by previous plagues
  • Still enough to get by
  • Gives punch to the coming ultimatum
• Worst ever locust infestation coming
  • Will eat what’s left
  • Will cover the ground
  • Will even infest the houses

Frustration and defiance

• Exodus 10:7-11
• Pharaoh’s servants at tipping point
• Pharaoh decides to make a point himself
  • Moses and Aaron called back
  • Told to go and serve the Lord
  • Asks who would be going – everyone and everything
  • Pharaoh – “That’ll be the day!”

God releases the locusts

• Pharaoh loses this round also
• Moses immediately instructed to act
• Largest inundation ever, everything left was eaten
• Pharaoh “repents” again
• God hardens Pharaoh’s heart

Introduction

• Luke 1:32
• Ephesians 1:19
• I Peter 1:3
• Titus 2:13
• Hebrews 13:20
• God is great!

Greatness is striving to keep and teach every single part of God’s word.

• Matthew 5:17-20
• James 2:10-11 – We must keep all of God’s laws.
• Galatians 5:19-23
• II Peter 1:5-8
• We don’t want to fall into hypocrisy.
• There are many, many people who follow part of God’s law.
• Find your weakness and work on it!
• We might need to restore our conscience. We must grow it like a muscle.

Greatness is serving with humility.

• Matthew 18:1-4 – To God, the humble are great!
• Matthew 20:24-28 – Service is greatness!
• John 13:5, 12-17
• How can I serve my family with humility?
• Ephesians 5:25-29
• Titus 2:3-5
• Ephesians 6:1
• I Timothy 5:4

Greatness is going to Heaven.

• Luke 6:22-23
• Matthew 25:34
• Hebrews 10:35

I Corinthians 11:2-16 – Head coverings

First view – The covering is long hair and it does apply today.

• The passage starts by talking about God’s arrangement.
  • Notice that this goes all the way back to the beginning.
• What is the covering under discussion?
  • This seems to be referring to long hair – not some sort of clothing or artificial covering. I Corinthians 11:15 specifically says the woman’s long hair was given to her for a covering.
• Was Paul stating a universal truth or just referring to a Corinthian custom that doesn’t pertain to us today?
• When is this passage binding?
• What does nature mean in I Corinthians 11:14-15?
• What is meant in I Corinthians 11:16?
• How long should our hair be?

Alternate view – This covering is something placed on the head, and this passage applies today.

• I Corinthians 11:6 – This implies that two coverings exist – a symbolic covering and hair.
• This was not simply a Corinthian custom.
  • Universal truths are stated throughout the passage (I Corinthians 11:7-12).
  • I Corinthians 11:10 – Angels are not unique to Corinth.
  • I Corinthians 11:14 – “Nature” is not Corinthian custom, but human nature, which exists outside of Corinth.

Third alternative view – Whatever the covering was, Paul is talking about a Corinthian custom and this does not apply today.

• This is the only place in the whole Bible that talks about this, although the concept of woman’s subjection is found in numerous places.
• A man being covered or a woman being uncovered is a disgrace (I Corinthians 11:4-6). But why? Paul is not appealing to an established scriptural principle. Perhaps he is referring to it being a disgrace in their culture.
• “Nature” (I Corinthians 11:14-15) is not referring to a universally recognized principle (example: Samson).
• I Corinthians 11:16 – We have no such custom (of women being covered – this is what the context has been talking about).
• There is a difference between God’s law and a custom that is one way to fulfill that law.

Law	Custom
Holy greeting	Kiss (Romans 16:16)
Hospitality	Wash feet (John 13)
Subjection	Covering (I Corinthians 11)

Introduction

Bad news

• Romans 3:23 – We’re guilty of sin and lost.

Good news

• Luke 19:10 – Jesus is my savior!

Bad news

• Romans 1:18, 29-32; 3:21-24
• “sin is lawlessness” – I John 3:4
• Mark 16:15-16
• Acts 2:23, 36
• Ignoring the problem of sin is not a good option!
• Sin destroys our relationship with God.
• Matthew 13:47-50
• “the day of the Lord will be just like a theif in the night” (I Thessalonians 5:3)

Good news (“gospel”)

• John 3:16
• John 12:42
• We must do more than just acknowledge that God exists.
• Matthew 7:21
• Romans 3:23-24, 27-28
• “for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift ofGod; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
• Romans 5:1-2 (Romans 1:5; 16:26); Romans 6:3-7, 11-13
• “Peter said to them, ‘Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38)
• Matthew 25:31-33