Sermons and Outlines

Exodus 8:1-15

JUST ONE MORE NIGHT WITH THE FROGS

Intro: At exactly 8:02 AM on May 8, 1902. Almost 30,000 people died instantly in one of history’s worst natural disasters. The immediate cause of their deaths was the violent volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee on the French colonial island of Martinique. It hurled millions of tons of rock, boiling lava and a terrible blast of super-heated air at the town of St. Pierre. The indirect cause of their deaths was a sordid record of human stupidity, greed and political opportunism.

     The volcano first began misbehaving a full week before the final disaster with warnings of what was to come in various degrees including a gigantic rock and mudslide, which killed several hundred people at a factory outside the town. But, with only a few exceptions, none of the person’s in authority made any effort to evacuate the town, which lay at the foot of the rumbling volcano.

     Procrastination! Some things can wait, some cannot! Our text speaks of the danger of delay. Ill. The context. The 10 plagues sent upon Egypt represent the great duel between Jehovah and the various false gods of Egypt.

     This passage concern the second of thee plagues, the plague of frogs. This was a direct attack on Heqet, the frog-headed goddess who was believed to breath life from her nostril into humans created by her husband, the great god Khnum, from the dust of the earth. This plague was clearly designed to show Egypt that Jehovah alone was God. In the midst of this scene sits a man named Pharaoh. His actions during this plague are of interest to me this morning. Here is a man who could have been delivered from the plague, yet he asked for Just One More Night With The Frogs. That is the subject I want to preach on this morning. Allow me to share some aspects of this story that teach us the great danger of delay, especially in spiritual matters.

  I. v. 1-7 A TRAGIC DISASTER

     A. A Disgusting Disaster – Frogs Everywhere! Illustrate the extentof this plague.

     B. A Disturbing Disaster – Frogs were considered sacred and, as a

result, could not be killed.

     C. A Devastating Disaster – There wasn’t a single person beyondthe reach of the frogs influence.

     D. A Defiling Disaster – The frogs filled all the temples and therebydefiled them and prevented the people from worshipping any of their other gods.

     E. A Descriptive Disaster – A clear picture of a plague that afflictsall men.

1. Sin Is Universal – 1 John 5:19; Pro. 20:9; It touches every

life, Rom. 3:10-23

           2. Sin Is Uncontrollable– (Note: v. 7, religion cannot handle it)

(Psa. 107:17; Pro. 13:15) (Ill. Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay!) (Ill. A man in Haiti wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted to buy it, but could only pay $1,000. After some negotiation, the homeowner agreed to sell the home for $1,000, provided he was allowed to retain ownership of one single nail just over the front door. After some years, the original owner wanted to buy back the house. The new owner refused to sell. So, the original owner went out and found the carcase of a dead dog and hung it over the front door on the single nail that he still owned. It wasn’t long until the house became unlivable and the new owner and his family had to move out of the house. Sin brings the same sort of corruption into a life. It is a constant downward spiral into depravity and increasing levels of sin, Eph. 4:22.)

           3. Sin Is Ungodly - It separates the sinner from God, Isa. 59:2;Psa. 66:18.

 II. v. 8-10a A TRAGIC DECISION

     A. An Understandable Desire – To be free from the frogs.

     B. An Unwanted Dilemma – To call on God would be to admit his

own helplessness.

     C. An Unwise Decision – He decided to put off until tomorrow that

which should have been done right then.

D. An Unerring Depiction – He pictures the lost sinner. Most lostpeople want a relationship with God. It gnaws at their souls. Their sins bother them and they know they need to prepare for the day when they will leave this world. However, before they can come to the Lord, they must confess their own sinfulness and inability before God. They must acknowledge God to be their only hope. As a result, they delay their coming to God and make up various excuses in an attempt to justify their indecision.

Some Typical Excuses:

  1. I love my sin – 2 Tim. 3:4 (Rom. 6:23)

  2. I am a good person – Pro. 20:9 (Matt. 5:20)

  3. I am too evil – Luke 19:10; John 6:37; Mark 2:17

  4. There is too much to give up – Ill. Hell – Mark 8:36

  5. There are too many hypocrites in the church – Better to sit

       with them in church than to fry with them in Hell!

  6. I just don’t understand the Gospel – Rom. 10:9

  7. I am waiting for a feeling – Eph. 2:8-9

  8. I can’t hold out – Not your job – 1 Pet. 1:5

  9. I’ll wait until I can live it – Can’t live it until you have. The

      power to live it comes with it, Gal. 2:20.

10. I’ve got plenty of time - Ill. Luke 12:16-20

What’s your excuse?

(Ill. I heard an old story about a king one time that had a court Jester who entertained him marvelously. One day he said to the court jester, "0, court jester, you are the biggest fool I know." He extended to him his royal scepter. He said, "Court jester, you are the biggest fool I know keep it until you find a bigger." For years, the court jester kept the royal scepter of the king. Then the days came when the king knew he was going to die. He found himself upon his deathbed never again to arise. He called for his court jester to come in and he said, "0 court jester, I am going on a long journey, never again to return." (Talking about death). The court jester said, "O, sir, what preparations have you made for this long journey?" The king shook his head and said, "Alas, I've made none." In that moment the jester extended to the king his scepter. He said, "Here sir, you are a bigger fool than I. I have jested about things in this life, you have procrastinated about things in the next life.")

III. v. 10-15 A TRAGIC DEVELOPMENT

(Note: Because of Pharaoh’s refusal to comply with the command of God, he and his people were required to spend another night with the frogs they so despised.)

A. The Reason For This Development– V. 10 – Pharaoh’s own      words decided his fate.

B. The Reach Of This Development– V.9, 11 – Pharaoh’s decision

affected more than just him. Every person and family in Egypt was affected.

C. The Relevance Of This Development– The consequences      of Pharaoh’s decision teach us a valuable lesson about the      dangers of delay in making spiritual decisions.

     1. The Dividends On Sin Are Always Paid – Gal. 6:7-8.

     2. The Damage Of Sin Is Always Pronounced - (Ill. Sin always affects more than just the sinner! (Ill. Pebble in a pond!)

(Ill. David and his sin with Bathsheba - 2 Sam. 11)

     3. The Dangers Of Sin Are Always Profound

a. The Danger Of Deadlines - Pro. 27:1; Gen. 6:3; Pro.

29:1; 2 Cor. 6:2. (Ill. German farmer who moved to Nicaragua. Returning to Germany who noticed his toe was sore and found that a nigua fly had laid eggs under his toenail. Wanting to show his family he allowed it to stay in his toe until he arrived home in Germany. By the time he arrived, his entire foot and legs we sore. His uncle was impressed and wanted him to wait until the rest of the family had seen it before he removed it. To make a long story short, he died! Delay is dangerous!)

b. The Danger Of Destinies - Eternity is a long time, and

there are only two possible destinations in eternity - Heaven and Hell! Where will you be? Those who repent and turn to Jesus will spend eternity in Heaven, John 3:16; Acts 16:31; John 14:1-3. Those who rebel and stay in their sins will spend eternity in Hell, Psa. 9:17; 2 Thes. 1:8-9. (Ill. Where will you spend eternity? It all depends on what you do with Jesus Christ - 1 John 5:12.)

Conc: Tomorrow! Will you choose to spend another night with the frogs, that is, in your sins? Or will you come to Jesus Christ for salvation today? There are consequences that follow each decision. What will you decide today? Will it be sin or the Savior? Will it be Heaven or Hell? Will it be forgiveness or the frogs? What will you do with the message you have heard this morning?

      Once a mighty eagle was seen to land on a carcase that was floating down a northern winter during a bitterly cold time of winter. As the bird feasted on the flesh of the dead animal, the river was taking the eagle and the dead carcase steadily closer to a great falls. The eagle seems to pay no attention to the fact that danger was getting closer by the second. Apparently, the eagle knew that with one powerful flap of its great wings, it could rise off the carcase at the last second and fly to safety. As the carcase finally reached the edge of the falls, the eagle spread its great wings and tried to fly away. However, because of the cold and the water, its talons had frozen fast to the dead animal. Try as it might, it could not lift itself free. In just a moment, both the dead animal and t he screaming eagle plunged over the falls and the eagle fell to its death, crushed by millions of tons of water!

     Friends, delay is dangerous! It isn’t the falls you have to worry about, it is the wrath of God, John 3:36. There is an antidote, but you must come to Jesus to receive it, Rom. 10:13. Will you come now?