Somebody or Nobody (Exodus 7:1-7)) Nick Kennicott

Can a life of extreme poverty mold a literary genius? Join us on a captivating journey through the life of Charles Dickens, who turned his early hardships and factory work into a treasure trove of timeless novels like "Oliver Twist" and "A Christmas Carol." We discuss how Dickens' keen observations of social injustices and personal struggles were transformed into stories that still resonate deeply today. By reflecting on Dickens' rise from obscurity to fame, we highlight the underlying theme of grace and providence that guided his extraordinary path.

We then turn our attention to the biblical saga of Moses and Aaron confronting Pharaoh as described in Exodus 7. God's display of supreme authority through Moses and Aaron serves as a dramatic prelude to understanding Jesus Christ's divine mission. Explore how Christ fulfills and surpasses the Old Testament roles of prophet, priest, and king, and how believers are invited to share in His priestly office through spiritual sacrifices and union with Him. We delve into the idea that God's grand purposes often unfold through seemingly unlikely individuals, drawing fascinating parallels between Dickens' life and the biblical narrative.

Lastly, we tackle the profound interplay between God's sovereignty and human choice using Pharaoh's hardened heart as a case study. We examine the Reformed doctrine of double predestination, discussing how God's will remains supreme, even over the most powerful rulers. This segment encourages deep reflection on our spiritual condition, urging humility and a sincere quest for salvation in Jesus Christ. We wrap up with a heartfelt prayer, asking for the Holy Spirit to soften and transform hearts, guiding us towards a path of everlasting life. Don't miss this compelling blend of historical, biblical, and theological insights that promises to inspire and enlighten.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Now. Most of you are likely familiar with the author, charles Dickens. What you may not know is that he faced severe poverty and adversity in his early life. His father was in prison for debt. When Charles was a child, he was forced to leave school and work in a factory to support his family, and Dickens experienced firsthand the harsh realities of Victorian England for the poor. It was a tough life for a young boy, it was a life that very few people ever escaped. But despite the challenges before him, dickens realized in time that he possessed a remarkable talent for storytelling and a keen observational eye for the human condition.

Speaker 1: 0:50

He began his literary career as a journalist. He wrote for various newspapers and magazines. However, it was the serialization of his first novel called the Pickwick Papers in 1836 that catapulted Dickens to literary fame. The novel's humorous and satirical depiction of contemporary English life struck a chord for readers, making Dickens' name a household name virtually overnight. He went on to write a series of acclaimed novels, and you've probably heard of many of them Oliver Twist, david Copperfield, great Expectations, a Tale of Two Cities and, of course, a Christmas Carol, among many others. All excellent stories, all worth your time and your effort to read. Dickens' writing cemented his reputation as one of the greatest novelists of the Victorian era.

Speaker 1: 1:47

Now to the world, charles Dickens was a nobody and he had a life that in most cases would lead to nothing. But by the grace of God, he was plucked from obscurity. He was given a gift that made him who he was obscurity. He was given a gift that made him who he was and made him in such a way that we are still talking about him and still reading his books today. But this is how God works. So often he takes a nobody and he shows that through that person he is really the somebody that is behind it all. Yes, dickens worked hard. Yes, he achieved great things, but had it not been for God giving him the experiences he had in life, giving him the gifts that he possessed, he never would have achieved anything. It was the Lord who ultimately did it, and that's the same for you and for me. Anything that we do that is worthy of any recognition, anything we accomplish that others might applaud, it is all by the grace of God, and as Christians, we must have the mentality and we must wholeheartedly believe that it's all to the glory of God. The Lord has done some of the most amazing things throughout history with people who were nobodies, and he pulls them from obscurity to accomplish his purposes.

Speaker 1: 3:16

We see this very thing with Moses as we continue to look at the book of Exodus in chapter 7 this evening. So let's read together, beginning in verse 1. And the Lord said to Moses See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment, the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. Moses and Aaron did so. They did just as the Lord commanded them. Now, moses was 80 years old and Aaron 83 years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Speaker 1: 4:26

Well, this passage marks a pivotal moment in the narrative of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. We're beginning the prologue to the plagues that are yet to come, starting in chapter 7, we see what is going to unfold over the next several chapters as we work through this tension between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Through this specific encounter, we witness the drama of God using supernatural signs to display his power and his authority through Moses and through Aaron, and we see Pharaoh's hard-hearted response as we move along in these next few chapters. Now the question as we go along, not just tonight, but in the future, as we continue to look at this, lord willing, I hope all of us will think about this, that all of us will work this out in our own hearts what do I do when I am confronted with a reality that is contrary to my long-held beliefs or desired outcomes? Now, next time, we will really get into that, but I think it's important for us to begin thinking about that now. Do we simply say okay, lord, you've shown me. So now, I believe, regardless of what may come embarrassment, ridicule, loss of notoriety or resources or influence if it's true, and even if it doesn't work with what I hope the outcome would be. It's the truth, so I have to accept it. Is that our response? Or are we more like Pharaoh who says it doesn't matter what the facts are? I have an outcome that I want and I will harden my heart to resist it. What is your typical response? And I hope you will keep this in mind through the next several chapters? This will be a major theme Now.

Speaker 1: 6:20

In these early chapters of Exodus, pharaoh is presented as the great villain, and rightly so. He is the human instrument that works out his evil intentions that have a detrimental effect on the people of God. But behind the human interaction of Moses and Aaron with Pharaoh is a bigger, even more important reality that we will watch unfold. This is a great conflict, not ultimately between Moses and Pharaoh, but between Yahweh, the great I Am, and the false gods of the Egyptians. This is where this is all headed. Remember what is the most important question that we have seen so far, and that question has been raised by both Moses and Pharaoh who is the Lord? Remember, moses asked that question. He encountered the angel of the Lord in the burning bush and he said who are you when I, when go, when you send me to the Israelites and they ask me who has sent you to us? Who do I say that you are. And then you remember when Moses confronted Pharaoh for this first time. What did Pharaoh say? He said who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and, moreover, I will not let Israel go. And so the entire story of Exodus is about a God who makes himself known, and he does so, sometimes in a dramatic and powerful way.

Speaker 1: 7:58

We are actually clued into this objective right here in our text. In verse 5, god explains why he's doing what he's doing. You see, look at verse 5. He says the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. In other words, listen up, egyptians. You have a powerful, tyrannical Pharaoh who demands your obedience. You have many gods that you worship and adore. You don't know who I am, but you're about to find out who is deserving of your worship, who is worthy of your devotion and your adoration, who is deserving of praise and honor and glory. It's not Pharaoh, it's not your false gods. It is I am. It is Yahweh. It is the one true and living God, and that's the aim, that's the trajectory of all of this as it takes place. So, to that end, let's look, beginning in verse 1, and work our way through these verses, and the first thing we see in verses 1 and 2 is that God can use a nobody to show that he is somebody. Look again, verse 1. And the Lord said to Moses Now, at this point, verse 7 tells us that shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. Now, at this point, verse 7 tells us that Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83.

Speaker 1: 9:35

These guys were not spring chickens. They were in good biblical language, advanced in years, in good biblical language, advanced in years. Now, for some context, the average male life expectancy in the United States today is 77.3 years old. In ancient Egypt, it's believed that the average age of a male before he died was between 23 and 25 years old. In other words, these guys were what most people would consider past their prime. But Moses is only just now beginning the third part of his life. It's been marked out in 40-year increments.

Speaker 1: 10:20

He spent 40 years in the house of Pharaoh in Egypt. We talked about that already. He spent 40 years in the house of Pharaoh in Egypt. We talked about that already. He spent 40 years in Midian. We don't have a lot about his time there, but we have discussed that and now he's going to spend the next 40 years leading the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness until he is 120 years old. It seems clear that this wasn't Moses' retirement plan, but it's where the Lord wanted him. Dl Moody commented on this, writing. Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody. Then he spent 40 years on the backside of the desert realizing he was nobody, and finally he spent the last 40 years on the backside of the desert realizing he was nobody. And finally he spent the last 40 years of his life learning what God can do with a nobody. Now, of course, god could have said Moses get moving. I've told you the plan. Now you need to execute. But, as we've considered previously, god doesn't go after Moses like that. He's loving, he is gracious, he is patient with him, he's teaching Moses and Aaron how to serve in the way that God wants.

Speaker 1: 11:34

Verse 1 is God's response to the question that was posed at the end of chapter 6. Remember, in chapter 6, in verse 30, moses asked God behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me? We've heard that before and if you haven't been here before or heard this. What he's saying is I can't speak, I'm not quick on my feet, I don't know what to say, I freeze, I'm just sort of there. I don't have a silver tongue. Lord, how am I supposed to do this in a way that the most powerful man in the world is going to listen to me? But instead of rebuking Moses, the Lord explains. Verse 1 literally says in the Hebrew I have made you God. To Pharaoh Moses is God's chosen man. He is God's representative. So when he stood before Pharaoh to speak, he did so with divine authority. It was the words of God through the servant of God, a nobody being used, to show that God is somebody.

Speaker 1: 12:50

Now, all this makes better sense when we understand the dynamics at play in Pharaoh's mind and in the minds of the Egyptian people. The ancient Egyptian pharaohs all considered themselves to be divine. In essence, the pharaohs were one of their many gods incarnate. We can use the most famous of all, the Egyptian pharaohs, as an example. This isn't who is written about here in the Exodus. We're about a century off here, but it will help us to grasp exactly what would be going on in everyone's mind.

Speaker 1: 13:19

Most of you are familiar with the name King Tut, king Tutankhamen. His name Tutankhamen means the living image of Amon. That tells you a lot, right there. Amon was one of the major Egyptian deities who was fused with the sun, god Ra. So perhaps you've heard of Amon Ra. He became the most important national deity, and King Tut was assumed to be the living image of this God to the Egyptian people, and so they would worship him. So hopefully this gives us a little more understanding of the exchange that's taking place here.

Speaker 1: 13:58

God is showing Pharaoh do you think you're a god? I will show you and everyone else that you are not God, and I will be doing this by making Moses as God to you. So if Moses is like God to Pharaoh, then Pharaoh himself must not be God. Now, of course, if Moses is as God, he must have for himself a prophet, and the Lord tells Moses in verse 1, your must have for himself a prophet. And the Lord tells Moses in verse 1, your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. So Moses hears from God, he communicates to Aaron with the authority of God and Aaron communicates to Pharaoh as Moses's prophet. And if you'll recall from chapter 6, when we considered the genealogy of Moses and Aaron. You'll remember that God was showing them that this was what he had determined for them. Aaron, especially, is of the right pedigree to do this exact job, and so now, whatever Moses says will come to pass in the exact way that he says it.

Speaker 1: 15:03

Pharaoh's own custom was to have spokesmen on issues of his commands. This preserved a sense of distance between himself and his people, and it reminded them of his supposedly divine status. So when Moses spoke to him through Aaron, he would have recognized that Moses was indeed claiming divine authority. By calling Moses God, yahweh is beating Pharaoh at his own game. It is not the king of Egypt who is God. Rather, it is this shepherd and leader of slaves who is God, and this Moses, god, defeats Pharaoh in a manner that leaves no doubt as to the true nature and the true source of his power. He controls the elements, bugs and livestock, and fire from heaven and the water of the sea. He even has authority over life and death. Moses is not simply like God to Pharaoh. He truly is God to Pharaoh in that God is acting through Moses.

Speaker 1: 16:10

Now, of course, we know Moses is not divine, but God chose him as a human instrument to carry out this divine work. He was not God, but he was God. To Pharaoh, god was using a nobody once again to show that he in fact is somebody. Now, while we're engrossed in the narrative drama, let's think about the bigger picture, the much bigger picture and, in fact, the most important picture. God is using Moses and Aaron to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the truly divine God-man, whose divine work was perfect in every way. Jesus is the image of the invisible God and the exact representation of his being.

Speaker 1: 16:58

God's great work of redemption was accomplished through the Lord Jesus Christ, when he died on a cross and is raised from the dead, a real man with a real body, who was and is the real God. Jesus was a lowly carpenter from a nothing town. In the eyes of everyone around him, he was a nobody, but he turned out to be the most. Scripture clearly identifies Jesus Christ as our great high priest. Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession. Heavens, jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession.

Speaker 1: 17:42

The Old Testament whispered and hinted about the priestly office of Christ through types and shadows, like Aaron, israel's first high priest, and the Levites. As the Old Testament progressively unfolded God's plan of redemption, the prophets revealed that the Messiah was the ultimate sacrifice. No longer would Israel have to look to the blood of bulls and goats, but the blood of the Messiah, who would be pierced for our transgressions. He would be crushed for our iniquities and bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. No longer would the scapegoat bear Israel's sins, but rather Jesus would, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. The Messiah would be both sacrifice and priest. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then, through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy place, carry out this threefold office of prophet, priest and king. And likewise we who are in union with Christ share in this same anointing. Through Christ's outpouring of the Spirit upon his church, through Christ's priestly office, all believers who are united to him share in this anointing.

Speaker 1: 19:14

First Peter, chapter 2, and verse 9, says you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, and within the context of Peter's statement the context of Peter's statement, he rests the church's identity as this royal priesthood that we are, this priesthood, we are the people of God in this priestly office. So our priestly office finds its fount and its source in Christ's priestly office. Revelation 5.9 says and they sang a new song saying Worthy, are you to take the scroll and to open its seals? For you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And what does he accomplish by his shed blood? Many things, but one thing the Bible tells us is in the very next verse you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. And so believers united to Christ share in all that he is and all that he does, and in this case they share in the priestly office.

Speaker 1: 20:31

Unlike the Old Testament priests who offered sacrificial animals, new Testament believers rest in the finished work of Christ, the one true sacrifice. Now, as Peter writes, we proclaim the excellencies of God, who called us from the darkness into the light, and offer spiritual sacrifices to God through Christ, spiritual sacrifices to God. Through Christ, the sacrifices of our bodies as living sacrifices and praise to God. That is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Now, not through other beings, not through other men, not through ceremonial passage, but through Jesus Christ alone, we have union, we have communion, we have fellowship with God. When Christ uttered his last breath on the cross, he tore into the temple veil that shrouded the Holy of Holies. Christ's priestly work opened a new and living way through the veil of his flesh, so that all believers had immediate access to God, who is in the heavenly holy of holies. So we see the witness of scripture.

Speaker 1: 21:40

At the right time, god sent Jesus Christ into this world and Luke 24, 19 says he, like Moses, was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he passed this prophetic ministry on to the apostles, who were commissioned to preach this gospel to the nations. And the apostles said we are ambassadors for Christ, god making his appeal through us. Today, god continues to communicate his word and he does so through His church. We have the final word of the prophets and the apostles and Christ Himself in the Bible, but it is the church's responsibility to announce the truth of the Scriptures to the world. This is the work of the preacher. And when a preacher communicates the Word of God truthfully and faithfully, his voice is as the work of the preacher. And when a preacher communicates the word of God truthfully and faithfully, his voice is as the voice of God.

Speaker 1: 22:42

But since Christians are a priesthood of believers, we are all God's messengers. Now Every Christian, man, woman and child, is called to share the gospel and to speak the truth of Scripture. In this sense, every believer has an office in the church, the office of witnessing for Christ, and it is the highest, most honorable, most useful office in the world. We may be the only genuine Christians that some of our family and friends may ever know. We may be nobody to them, but their whole understanding of Christianity depends on our testimony. Therefore, we are Christ to them In the same way that Moses is God to Pharaoh. And we should not only take on that responsibility with humility and with seriousness, but we should also take it on with great urgency because of what we see.

Speaker 1: 23:41

That follows in verses 3 through 5, that God will judge a hardened heart. Look again verse 3,. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my host, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. Moses had no reason to worry about his stammering tongue. He was God to Pharaoh. He spoke through his prophet Aaron. But we see Pharaoh had no interest in learning or listening to him.

Speaker 1: 24:32

Over the next few chapters we will see this repeated theme Moses is going to announce a coming judgment, generally in the form of a plague. Pharaoh will harden his heart, god will harden Pharaoh's heart. And after each plague, if this is the first time ever for you I assume it's not for most, if not all of you reading through the book of Exodus, but if this was the first time, you might come to the end of every plague and think what now? Maybe Pharaoh will stop now, maybe he will finally give in and realize this is not working. But no, it goes on far longer and in far more devastating ways than Pharaoh would have ever imagined. He was the perfect picture Of the unbelieving heart. You know the type, the man who says there is no God and I hate him. But in Moses's Understandable reluctance we see that it is all Part of God's sovereign plan. Moses said repeatedly it's not going to work, this isn't going to happen, this will not work. And now God is saying yes, moses, in fact that's correct I will harden his heart so he will not listen to you. Imagine being called to that task. I want you to go and do this thing. I want you to do it exactly as I tell you to do it. But I want to let you know that I've already set the stage to make sure that you won't be successful. Eventually it's going to work out in the way that I'm going to tell you. It's going to work out, but it's going to be a while and it's going to require a lot of terrible things along the way.

Speaker 1: 26:16

Martin Luther has a helpful comment on this reality. He wrote the question is why God bids Moses preach although he himself says Pharaoh will not listen to you. Is it not foolish for someone to say to another friend preach to Pharaoh, but be advised that he will not listen to you for I intend to harden him. I would refuse such an assignment from anyone and would say preach yourself. But the answer is we are bidden to preach, but we are not bidden to justify people and make them pious. This thought should comfort all preachers and Christians, and everybody should pursue his calling and faithfully perform his duties.

Speaker 1: 26:59

Only the word of God is entrusted to Moses, not the responsibility of making Pharaoh soft or hard by preaching. The word is entrusted to him. This is God's will and this word he is to proclaim even though no one may want to listen to him. This is done for his consolation, that he may not be frightened if nobody wants to follow and obey him. If I could be moved by the fact that my word and sermon are despised, I suppose I would stop preaching. But says God go on, moses, preach.

Speaker 1: 27:35

Now many pastors, many pastors, have left churches because the people of the church refused to listen to him. Many missionaries have left the mission field because people had no taste for what he was serving. But this is God's plan. Sometimes, as we see with Pharaoh, god plans to use Pharaoh's hard heart to prove that he is God and he alone has the power to rescue his people. So we should recognize that one of the principles here is that the only good preacher that exists is a faithful preacher. The only good preacher is an obedient preacher. Whether we preach to thousands or to some small group of vagabonds in the middle of nowhere, the primary thing that God demands from his servants is faithfulness to the gospel. When pastors die and go to heaven, their place isn't secured by the size of the church he pastored or the numbers of souls that were converted under his preaching, but rather according to his faithfulness and his steadfastness when it came to the truth of God's word.

Speaker 1: 28:42

Moses' concern seems evident. God, you remember I told you I didn't want to do this in the first place, but now you're telling me I have to do something. I'm just not qualified to do it. This has been his argument all along. But the reality is, brothers and sisters, nobody's qualified to do it. This has been his argument all along. But the reality is, brothers and sisters, nobody's qualified to do it. But we are equipped and carried along and strengthened and empowered by God to do what he calls us to do, even if the tangible external results don't look promising or successful in the eyes of the world.

Speaker 1: 29:17

But it's important to recognize an uncomfortable reality about evangelism and preaching. We think about evangelism and evangelistic preaching and every kind of ministry effort we undertake to tell others about the gospel in terms of our wanting to see people come to Christ, to be saved, to abide in Christ as he abides in us, and that's important and good and that should be our motivation. But we learn something here that is just as much a part of evangelism as seeking to save souls, and that is that evangelism and preaching are also used by God to confirm sinners in their unbelief. Remember what God told Isaiah when he was called to go and to announce the coming Messiah Isaiah 6.10,. He says Make the heart of the people calloused, make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn and be healed. This is precisely what Jesus said when he was preaching, in a way that the people around Him they didn't understand what he was saying and the disciples didn't get it and they couldn't understand. They thought Jesus' sole objective was to see that everyone who followed Him continued to follow Him, and if that wasn't the case, maybe His ministry is just one big failure. After all, in the end, there were only just a few who stuck around while he was hanging on a trot on the cross.

Speaker 1: 30:54

But the hard truth is that God's word works in two directions, not just one. Some hearts are made soft and supple, while others are made hard like diamonds. Some will believe and rejoice in the Lord, jesus Christ, and others will hate him until their dying breath and be lost forever. Now, from our vantage point as humans living on the earth, this is all a matter of human choice. Are we going to harden our hearts? Are we going to submit to God? This is why it says over and over again in Exodus that Pharaoh hardened his heart. He wasn't doing anything he didn't want to do. He wasn't under duress. He wasn't saying I really want to obey this God, I really want to listen, I really want to do the right thing, but he won't let me. No, this was his intention. His authority as the king was being threatened and he wasn't going to stand by and let his slave labor just walk off the scene. He had a nation to build and he was going to do it all on the backs of the Israelites.

Speaker 1: 32:03

But behind the human intent, we see the sovereign will of God. Remember, all the way back in Exodus, chapter 4, verse 21,. God told us what he was going to do. The Lord said to Moses when you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I put in your power, but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. He told him that by hardening Pharaoh's heart, god was making a theological point. He was proving that he alone is sovereign over all things. Nothing is outside the purposes of his will, not even the heart of a king. Remember that come this November.

Speaker 1: 32:51

One of the most common questions about all of this is what some people call double predestination. In other words, if God is sovereignly working in the hearts of man and some hearts are softened and some are hardened, doesn't that mean that God is just doing what he's going to do and man has nothing to say or do about it at all? The view of hyper-Calvinists is that God's predestination is symmetrical. In other words, god decreed the election of some from eternity and, in the fullness of time, intervenes in their lives and creates saving faith in their hearts by his grace. Okay, good so far, but they will say, however, that in a symmetrical manner the non-elect are doomed for all eternity and God, in the fullness of time, intrudes into their lives and creates fresh evil in their souls, ensuring their ultimate damnation. That is not the historic reform doctrine of double predestination. It is not what our confession teaches. It is certainly not what I believe. The historic reform doctrine makes a very important distinction here Again.

Speaker 1: 34:02

In the case of the elect, god positively intervenes in the lives of his people to rescue them, to rescue us, from our corrupt condition. The Holy Spirit changes a heart of stone to a heart of flesh, a heart that is alive to the things of God. In the case of the non-elect, god works negatively insofar as he simply passes over them. In other words, god is leaving the non-elect to go their own way. In the mass of fallen humanity, some receive God's saving grace. God intervenes to rescue them from their sinful condition. He passes over the remainder. Those whom he passes over are not elect. That's what the very term election implies. Is it not To choose to take? Some are chosen, others are not. That doesn't lead to the conclusion that others must undergo some work of God to do the evil that they were already going to do in their fallen nature. They are judged because of the evil that is already present in them, without any intervention on God's part.

Speaker 1: 35:12

When Paul deals with all of this in Romans, chapter 9, he reminds us of what God tells Pharaoh, namely for this very purpose I've raised you up. Now we could rightly say that God's word to Pharaoh was I have appointed you to this task. In other words, god gave Pharaoh his seat of power over the Egyptians and the Israelite slaves. For what purpose? He says that I might show my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Now, as we've already said, pharaoh saw himself and everyone around him saw him as the most powerful sovereign on the earth. But God says no, pharaoh, I'm going to show you something. You think you're powerful, you think you're the greatest of all time, but I'm going to show you what real power is. I'm going to show you what real greatness is. That's why I have appointed you to this task. And so Paul writes he has mercy on whomever he wills and he hardens whomever he wills.

Speaker 1: 36:16

Now that sounds like a problem, perhaps, with what I've already said about double predestination. It sounds like Paul is saying that God really does actively consign the non-elect to damnation. That God really does actively consign the non-elect to damnation, doesn't it? So how do we reconcile this? Well, first, we have to remember that both Pharaoh and God are involved here in this interaction throughout. Yes, the text very clearly states that God actively hardens Pharaoh's heart, but how does he do that? We see this in several different places throughout the Old Testament, especially among the prophets, but this is very important if we were to understand this correctly. So take note of this.

Speaker 1: 37:01

When it comes to hardened sinners, god deals with them by giving them over to their sins. This is what it says in Revelation Let the evildoer still do evil and the filthy still be filthy. In other words, god's not creating new evil, it's already in the heart. God was hardening the heart of Pharaoh against the Israelites and against Moses' appeals, and so all that God needs to do for someone to act more wickedly is to remove his restraints. It's not that God's making them more evil. It's actually that he's moving the restraint that he already has in place. The reality is that God is merciful by not allowing us to be as sinful as we possibly could be, and when we abuse God's patience, our hearts become harder and harder and harder, and at any moment God can remove that restraint and give us over to our sin.

Speaker 1: 37:56

From Genesis to Revelation, we see that God's abandoning a sinner to wickedness is not an act of unrighteousness on God's part, but a manifestation of his perfect justice. It is as if he's saying you want to sin? Be my guest. I'm not going to strive with you anymore, I'm going to take the wraps off, I'm going to loosen the leash and let you do what you want, because I know that the desires of your heart are only evil continually. The desires of your heart are only evil continually.

Speaker 1: 38:33

God did not look around in Egypt and try to find somebody to a point that could resist Moses, and in the process he stumbled across the poor, innocent, righteous man named Pharaoh and said I'll take this very benevolent guy, because he's just a really good leader, and I'll put him in a seat of power in Egypt and make him as evil as I can so I can get my will done and show my power to the whole world. That would be tyrannical. But what does God do instead? He hardened a man's heart that was already hardened. It was already wicked, already evil. Pharaoh could never make the excuse that God made him do what he didn't want to do already. And what will be the result? Well, it's not a pleasant one.

Speaker 1: 39:15

Verse four I'll multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt. By Now, friends, I know for some of you this may be confusing, it may make you a little upset, it may bother you to think in these ways because it might be contrary to what you've heard or understood about God. But I really hope you will take the time to hear what God's Word says and even take the time, perhaps, to look through the Scriptures with this in mind and start to think about the implications of what you heard If you're not a Christian. I pray that the very thought in your mind right now is that you don't want to be passed over by God, you don't want your heart to be hardened, but you want to have an answer to the most important question in the world who is this God world? Who is this God?

Speaker 1: 40:33

God's salvation of Israel and his vindication against Egypt has the same purpose to reveal his lordship. This was obviously God's purpose for saving Israel. Back at the beginning of chapter 6, he explained to Moses that he would deliver his people in order to prove that he is the Lord. But that is also what he wanted to prove to the Egyptians. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt with mighty acts of judgment and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.

Speaker 1: 40:59

The plague had an evangelistic purpose, in the very same way that, through the Lord Jesus Christ, he shows us that he is the Lord. And as a result of these mighty acts of judgment, some of the Egyptians would actually we'll find in Exodus, chapter 9, would actually believe God's word. But even the ones who didn't, including Pharaoh himself, would be unable to deny God's power. There was a time when Pharaoh claimed that he had no idea who the Lord was at all. But the time would come when somewhere in his heart, hard heart of hearts, he would know that the God of Israel is Lord of all. And in short, the purpose of the Exodus was the same purpose that God has for everything he does to reveal his glory in both salvation and judgment. God is doing the same exact thing through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is glorifying himself by demonstrating that Jesus is in fact Lord. God does this in two ways.

Speaker 1: 42:02

Some people receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord. They believe that he died on the cross for their sins, rescuing them from the pains and torments of hell. They confess that God raised Jesus from the dead to make him the ruler of heaven and earth and they will live in his glorious presence forever and ever. Praise be to God. But others reject Jesus. They're not interested in the salvation he offers. They're not willing to call him their Lord. But one day they will. They will Like the Egyptians. They will be judged for their sins and they will know that Jesus is Lord, unfortunately, not to their joy, but to their terror.

Speaker 1: 42:47

The Bible promises that on the day of judgment, every knee will bow In heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father, one way or another, whether you are a believer or an unbeliever. So the question is where do you stand today? Is your heart hardened toward God? As you sit there right now, I'm imploring you, humble yourself toward God. As you sit there right now, I'm imploring you, humble yourself, admit yourself a sinner in need of salvation and cling to the everlasting, great and sovereign God, the great I am. He will not cast you out, he will not turn you away, and so we implore you as God's people, we plead with you as ambassadors of Christ, all who are Christians, we look to you, our friend, our non-believing friend. Hope in God. There is no greater hope in this world than that which is offered to us in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Amen.

Speaker 1: 44:07

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you that, as your people, you have not passed over us. You have not allowed us to continue to harden our hearts against you to where you would harden us by turning us over to our sins and allowing us to go our own way. Lord, thank you for interrupting our lives. Thank you for pulling us out of all that we were headed toward and setting us a right on the narrow path that leads to everlasting life, taking us from the broad road that leads to destruction. Lord, I pray for any like Pharaoh in here tonight that you would not allow them to harden their hearts against you, but rather the great chisel of the Holy Spirit would come and break up that stony heart and reveal a new heart of flesh that loves and adores the Lord Jesus Christ alone. We pray you would do this for your glory and to strengthen and build up your church, that we might all rejoice together that indeed Jesus is Lord and the great hope of mankind, and we pray this all in Jesus' name, amen.