No One Like The Lord
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
Sermon text: Exodus 7-8:19
It’s better to think of the plagues as:
“Signs and Wonders” (Exodus 7:3)
“Strikes” (more general translation)
God’s work begins with a heart change and obedience from His people.
Demonic power is real, but God is more powerful.
“Evil cannot make, it can only corrupt.” -J.R.R. Tolkien
Unbelief is a heart condition
Rom. 1:19-20 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
God sometimes hardens hearts for His glory
God’s will:
Will of decree: What God has ordained to come to pass.
Example: Eph. 1:11
Will of desire: What God wants to happen
Matt. 24:37 “How often would I have gathered your children together… and you were not willing!”
God not only knew that Pharaoh would refuse to let his people go, but he actually ordained it. This is the paradox of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, which is not a puzzle to be solved but a mystery to be adored. As human beings made in the image of God, we make a real choice to accept or reject God, but even the choice we make is governed by God’s sovereign and eternal will. - Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
Our hope is not in the good will of man, but in the sovereign will of God.
The very river that Pharaoh used as an instrument of genocide was turned to blood, and the first goddess to be humiliated was the one who governed labor and delivery. There was a connection between Pharaoh’s crime and God’s punishment. -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes,
We are in a battle
Eph. 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Lk 11:20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Discipleship Questions:
Sermon text: Exodus 7-8:19
It’s better to think of the plagues as:
“Signs and Wonders” (Exodus 7:3)
“Strikes” (more general translation)
God’s work begins with a heart change and obedience from His people.
Demonic power is real, but God is more powerful.
“Evil cannot make, it can only corrupt.” -J.R.R. Tolkien
Unbelief is a heart condition
Rom. 1:19-20 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
God sometimes hardens hearts for His glory
God’s will:
Will of decree: What God has ordained to come to pass.
Example: Eph. 1:11
Will of desire: What God wants to happen
Matt. 24:37 “How often would I have gathered your children together… and you were not willing!”
God not only knew that Pharaoh would refuse to let his people go, but he actually ordained it. This is the paradox of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, which is not a puzzle to be solved but a mystery to be adored. As human beings made in the image of God, we make a real choice to accept or reject God, but even the choice we make is governed by God’s sovereign and eternal will. - Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
Our hope is not in the good will of man, but in the sovereign will of God.
The very river that Pharaoh used as an instrument of genocide was turned to blood, and the first goddess to be humiliated was the one who governed labor and delivery. There was a connection between Pharaoh’s crime and God’s punishment. -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes,
We are in a battle
Eph. 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Lk 11:20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Discipleship Questions:
- Would you rather…?:
- Have your drinking water turned to blood
- Be overrun by frogs
- Be swarmed by gnats
- Why is it important to remember the plagues were actually “Strikes” and “Signs and Wonders”?
- In chapter 7, Moses finally resigned to God’s will and obeys without delay or excuse. Is there anything God has burdened you to do that you’ve not resigned to yet?
- Can people perform miracles through demonic power?
- How does demonic power differ from God’s power?
- Is the thought of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart difficult to process? Why or why not?
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