fbpx
News Articles

Bible Study: Jan. 6, 2019


NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.

This week’s Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum.

Bible Passages: Exodus 7:14-18; 12:3-8, 12-13, 29-32

Discussion Questions:
— What are some ways God’s people question who God is and His authority over them?
— In what ways might you be living in open rebellion against God?

Food for Thought:

Read Exodus 5:1 — 6:27. When we read Exodus we typically identify with the Israelites, and that is good and right. But there is someone else in this account we should identify with — Pharaoh.

When Moses first addressed Pharaoh and said that God wanted the Egyptian to let His people go, Pharaoh’s response in Exodus 5:2 was, “Who is the LORD that I should obey him?” It was a response of open defiance against God, a posture of the mind and heart that Pharaoh would come to regret. When we read this, we are right to pause in disbelief.

How foolish of Pharaoh! But then, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit, we should be quick to recognize that in our sin, we are prone to echo Pharaoh. There are times when we stand before God in defiance, questioning His identity as we arm-wrestle Him for control of our lives.

When Pharaoh asked who God is, it was not rhetorical. Pharaoh may have been aware of the God of the Israelites, but he surely was not familiar with Him and He certainly didn’t worship Him. So Pharaoh said definitively, “I will not let Israel go.” And we need to take this to heart; this second statement of defiance should convict us.

We are not like Pharaoh; we know God. And yet even in our knowing, we continue to defy Him.

Even as we are in Christ, the temptation is always there to resurrect our old, dead, fallen selves and live in rebellion. Sometimes we choose to live as frauds rather than live out our new, true identity as children of God. But this is why the Gospel is such good news to us. This is why God’s unending mercy and grace are so critical, not just as the pathway to salvation but for the journey forward after salvation.

This is why it is so vital that we understand we are not saved by anything we can do, but because Christ has given us His righteousness.

The Gospel Project
The Gospel Project is a chronological, Christ-centered study for kids, students and adults. The Bible is not a collection of stories. It is one story of God’s plan to rescue His people from sin and death. It is the story of redemption, the gospel message of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at LifeWay.com/gospelproject .

Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores.

    About the Author

  • Staff/Lifeway Christian Resources