Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

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Sermon Notes:

I. The Fairness of God’s Judgment

A. Our concern for fairness

• We instinctively ask: “Do they deserve judgment?”

• Judgment must be fair, just, and true.

B. Pharaoh and Egypt’s guilt

• Pharaoh’s policy: murder of Hebrew boys (Exodus 1).

• Enslavement and oppression of Israel.

• God’s response: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7 ESV)

• The death of the firstborn = not random, but reaping what was sown.

C. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart

• Sometimes Pharaoh hardens his own heart; other times God does.

• Pharaoh’s rebellion becomes irreversible — God confirms his self-chosen path.

• God’s judgment is never arbitrary, always morally deserved.

II. The Realms of God’s Judgment

A. Judgment in both visible and spiritual realms

• Exodus 12:12 — God executes judgment “on all the gods of Egypt.”

• Not only Pharaoh and Egypt, but their false gods are judged.

B. The spiritual dimension

• Each plague confronts an Egyptian deity (e.g., darkness = judgment on Re, the sun god).

• Ephesians 6:12 — our struggle is not just “against flesh and blood.”

C. Implications for us

1. Conflict perspective: our true enemy is spiritual, not human.

2. Ultimate justice: final judgment must also occur in the spiritual realm — and that belongs to God alone.

3. Christ’s victory:

   • The cross = God’s judgment on “principalities and powers.”

   • Revelation 20 — final judgment, evil cast down forever.

III. Protection from God’s Judgment

A. The universality of judgment

• Both Egyptians and Israelites were under threat.

• Only protection: homes marked with the blood of the lamb (Exodus 12:13 ).

• Not ethnicity, morality, or family — but faith in God’s provision.

B. The necessity of faith and obedience

• Belief must lead to action.

• They didn’t discuss the lamb’s symbolism — they applied the blood.

C. The principle of substitution

• The lamb dies in place of the firstborn.

• “One life for another.”

• God’s mercy through a substitute.

D. Fulfillment in Jesus Christ

• John 1:29 — “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

• Jesus = true Passover Lamb — spotless, no broken bones (John 19:31-33), slain for sinners.

• His blood is the believer’s protection from judgment.

• God’s justice is satisfied; His mercy extended.

Conclusion: The Cross Is Our Passover

• God is both Judge and Savior.

• To our sins he says: “this kind of offense cannot be tolerated in my Kingdom.”

• Yet God Himself provides the way — through the blood of His Son.

• At the Cross, justice is satisfied, grace is extended.

• Because of the Lamb, God’s judgment passes over us forever.

Discussion Questions:

1. Does a God who judges evil make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?
2. In what ways does it help us to understand that God executes judgment in the spiritual realm?
3. What is the difference between making moral judgments and being "judgmental"? How does the idea of humanity being universally under God's judgment eliminate judgmentalism?
4. How does the Cross of Christ bring together God's judgment and grace?
5. Should we fear God's judgment - why or why not?

Questions?

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Randy Forrester (

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