SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS

Sermon Series: Exodus: From Slavery to Freedom #7 “BATTLE OF THE GODS”

Exodus 9:13-16 October 20, 2019 Sermon Theme/Concept: On this Commitment Sunday, we remember that the greatest spiritual danger in life is giving our loyalty and allegiance to anything less than the Lord God Almighty of Scripture. The plagues of the Exodus demonstrated God's power over Egypt and its gods. The gods were understood to be territorial, but the God of Israel displayed his power “on their turf.” The extent of the plagues left no doubt about the scope of God's power and authority. Application: We devote our lives and resources to the one and only Lord God Almighty. Charge: Confidently trust and joyfully serve the Lord God Almighty.

Icebreaker: 1. Has God ever surprised you by showing up in an unexpected place? Share your experiences with the group.

Reflections on the Sermon: Looking back at your notes from Sunday’s sermon, what point struck home with you? Scripture Passage: Exodus 9:13-16 (NIV) Background/Context: God spoke to Moses in the desert, commissioning him as the one God would use to free the Israelites. Here, Moses has already taken the message to Pharaoh, who refused to listen. God brought several plagues upon the Egyptian people, but still Pharaoh would not relent and release the Hebrews.

Exodus 9:13-16 (NIV) (Read this passage together as a group) 13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to

him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they

may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and

against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all

the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your

people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Breaking Down the Scripture: 1. For what purpose does God tell Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go? (v. 13) Is it because of their hard labors, or some other reason? 2. Why does God emphasize that there is “no one like me in all the earth” in verse 14? How is that different from the Egyptians’ view of their gods? 3. While we tend to focus on the harshness of the plagues, what about God’s character do we see revealed in verse 15? 4. What does verse 16 tell us about God’s sovereignty, even among those who do not claim his lordship? 5. Compare and contrast the territorial claims of the Egyptian gods and God’s assertion in verse 16. How would this have been received by Pharaoh? By the Egyptians?

Going Deeper 1. If someone you don’t know examined your life, do you think that person would be able to tell that you are devoted to Jesus? What do you think that person would find? 2. Following God’s instructions, Moses and Aaron demonstrate God’s power in supernatural ways, such as turning a staff into a serpent. Some of these same feats were mimicked by Pharaoh’s sorcerers (see examples in 7:11 and 7:22). Is it surprising that other “powers” are out there, seemingly able to duplicate these acts? Do such “powers” still exist today? 3. Some people who claim to follow God also dabble in things related to the occult, ranging in everything from horoscopes to palm reading. What does this passage show? (See also Leviticus 18:31, Acts 8, and Galatians 5:19-21.) 4. Taking a look at the preceding sections of Exodus that deal with the plagues, what change occurs in Exodus 8:18-19? What is the significance of this change? 5. Twice Pharaoh agreed to release the Hebrew people after Egypt was struck by plagues (Exodus 8:1-15,20-32), but as soon as the plague was lifted, he recanted and refused to let them go. Do we ever behave in a similar fashion when a problem is resolved, or we emerge from a season of difficulty? 6. Each of the plagues corresponded with an Egyptian god or gods, and the significance would not be lost on the Egyptian people as God demonstrated His power over these false gods. What are some of the “false gods” that are prevalent in our culture today? (Consider things like ideology, money, power, success, etc.) 7. The LORD sent Moses to free His people for the express purpose of worshipping Him (verse 13), and although we now live in a culture and community where we are physically free to worship Him, many times, we don’t enjoy that freedom. What are we worshipping instead of the Lord? What factors in our own lives keep us from fully, regularly, faithfully worshiping the Lord? 8. Is there an area in your life where you are longing for God to act with power and authority? How can we, as a small group, pray for you in this area? 9. Compare and contrast the “battle of the gods” here with the “sacrifice showdown” in 1 Kings 18:24. How did God show His power in that situation? How were the circumstances similar? How did they differ? How were God’s purposes similar or different? Pray:  For hearts fully devoted to the sovereign Lord;  For the Holy Spirit to show us areas in our lives where we need to relinquish authority to God;  For confidence that God Almighty will fight our battles.