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Well, we're staying with
Exodus this morning.

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And in chapter seven and
verses 14 to 25, living overseas,

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we were used to something that
happened on a regular basis.

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And we would often face
periods of the shortage of fuel,

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petrol and diesel for our vehicles.

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And you'd start to see lines
of vehicles form at petrol stations

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as word would get out that
there wasn't enough money in the

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country, not enough foreign
exchange in the country to buy the

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needed or to import the needed
fuel for filling cars and trucks

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and everything else.

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And so people would start to
form these queues, initially orderly,

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and then they'd get quite
chaotic, wanting to fill their cars,

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wanting to fill their jerry
cans with petrol and diesel, so that

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their lives wouldn't be
impacted by what would be then a

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shortage of fuel.

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Now, I personally can't
remember sitting any longer than

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an hour in a queue for petrol,
but at certain points during these

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queues, they would be lasting
for days.

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I think the most was four days
of sitting in a queue waiting for

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petrol.

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Now, perhaps you think that's
shocking, but let me remind you of

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25 years ago, because it's not
only something reserved for African

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nations, because back in 2000,
the UK faced its own fuel shortage.

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It peaked in the September of
that year and was caused by organized

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protests by truckers, farmers
and other hauliers against high fuel

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prices, leading to blockades
of oil refineries and depots.

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And it resulted in widespread
petrol station closures, panic buying

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and severe disruption to
essential services like the NHS and

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supermarkets.

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Now, I'm going to show you a
picture here, and 25 years on, you're

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going to laugh, you really
are, because look at that picture

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and it'll tell you that a
litre of petrol was 80p.

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Wouldn't you love to go back
to those crisis times?

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But of course, the reason why
there was a crisis was that it had

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jumped from 59p to 80p in that year.

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And what that crisis did, it
halted the country for about a week,

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until the government, under
pressure, negotiated with the protesters

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and they agreed to lift the
blockades after promise to review

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fuel duty.

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And what it did was it
highlighted to us our complete vulnerability

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to supply chain disruptions.

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We couldn't cope when there
was no petrol and no diesel, not

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just at the forecourt of a
local filling station, but in depots

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where supermarkets would fill
their delivery trucks to get food

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to us.

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It's estimated that up to
3,000 petrol stations ran dry or

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closed, leading to those long
queues and leading to rationing.

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And so the root cause was that
laughable EDP per litre.

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But back then, that was a jump
of about 21p, and that was a huge

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jump in just a matter of
months of petrol.

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And so we identified that,
indeed, we cannot live without the

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fuel that is pumped from the
filling stations.

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And I use this illustration
because it gives us some idea of

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what the Egyptian faced
whenever their river turned to blood.

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It's very hard for us to
comprehend what does it mean for

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a whole river, a river the
size of the Nile, to be red with

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blood?

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What does that look like?

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And we may not think, because
it's so long ago, but of how that

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would impact a society.

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So the closest we can think
of, if you can remember it, is that

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fuel crisis of September 2000.

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You see, just as petrol and
diesel means so much to us, well,

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the Nile meant everything to
the Egyptians.

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It was their mode of
transportation, it was their source

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of nourishment, their standard
for measurement, and it was even

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an object of their worship.

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And so there was no better way
for the God of Israel to show that

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he was also the Lord of Egypt
than by turning the Nile into blood.

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And what we've read this
morning is the first of the 10 plagues

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that will come to Egypt that
they would face because of Pharaoh's

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refusal to let the Israelites
go and worship God in the wilderness.

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And with each passing plague,
Pharaoh's heart was would only harden

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as his pride would not allow
him to relent.

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But it's not just his pride,
because it's even his own advisors

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who they kind of prop him up
in that thinking, as we'll see this

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week in the text that we have,
but also in the first Sunday back

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after Christmas or in the new
Year, we'll see how they do that

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again.

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But just as we considered last
week, so we must remember again that

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God said this was what was
going to happen, that Pharaoh's heart

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would be hardened, because at
the burning bush, God told Moses

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In Exodus 4:21, when you
return to Egypt, see that you perform

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before Pharaoh all the wonders
I have given you the power to do.

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But I will harden his heart so
that he will not let the people go.

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So how this event plays out,
along with plagues two to nine, should

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come as no surprise to us that
Pharaoh isn't going to relent.

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He is going to be the one
who's going to be forthright in his

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determination to not let the
people go.

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But as we get into these
plagues, we need to note something

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about the purpose of them.

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The plagues are not simply
sent to Egypt to cause an annoyance

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to the Egyptian people.

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They're not used to be a
display so that pressure would mount

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on on Pharaoh from the
Egyptians to let the Israelites go.

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That's not their purpose.

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We need to understand that
they were directed against the gods

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and goddesses of Egypt.

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And they were intended to show
the superiority of the God of Israel

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to the Egyptian gods.

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There were about 80 major
deities in Egypt, all gathered about

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the three great natural forces
and focuses of Egyptian life.

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The Nile river, the land and
the sky gods in each of these natural

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areas.

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And it should not surprise us
that the plagues that God sent against

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Egypt in this historic battle
follow against these three forces

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to which the Egyptians worshiped.

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The first two plagues, that is
of blood and of frogs, are against

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the gods of the Nile.

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The next four were against the
gods of the land.

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And then the final four
plagues were against the gods of

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the sky.

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And that culminated, as we
know, in the death of the firstborn.

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And so, having demonstrated
the Lord's power through the staff

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that turned into a snake in
the earlier parts of this chapter,

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and of course, that snake then
proceeded to eat the other snakes

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that were conjured up by
Pharaoh's wise men and the Egyptian

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magicians.

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Now Moses receives instruction
in verses 14 to 19 to return to Pharaoh

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and once again demonstrate the
power of God.

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And one of the reasons Pharaoh
was so hard hearted was that his

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heart belonged to other gods.

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And that's what we must
understand about this most powerful

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man in the world of his time.

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He worshipped other gods, as
well as believing himself to be a

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God to be worshipped.

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And again, notice that God
told Moses to wait for Pharaoh on

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the banks of the Nile.

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And so God knows how Pharaoh
works, He knows his heart.

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And by his heart he knows his
routines, he knows where he'll be.

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And so Moses instructed to be
at a certain place at a certain time

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and to simply wait.

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And so Pharaoh, as is his
custom, goes every morning to the

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banks of the Mana.

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Now, the Bible doesn't tell us
why he goes there, but maybe he goes

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to bath every morning and to
wash, like his daughters had done,

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as we saw in chapter five.

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Or he enjoyed taking an early
morning swim.

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But it perhaps is more likely
that he also went there to pay homage

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to the gods of the Nile.

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If you are the leader of this
land, and it is the Nile to which

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you worship, to provide for
all your water, for your transportation,

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and for that nourishment of
your foods, not only in the water

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provides, but that annual
flood that caused all the silt to

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go across the land so that the
fields would be filled with nutrients.

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Well, then you're going to do
everything you can to worship the

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gods of the river to keep them happy.

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And so it is easy to imagine
Pharaoh blessing the waters in the

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name of Hapai, the God of the
flood, or giving thanks every morning

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to Khnum, the guardian of the Nile.

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And so perhaps he used the
words of an ancient Egyptian hymn

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that has been discovered.

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Heal to thee, O Nile, that
issues from the earth and comes to

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keep Egypt alive.

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See, that's what this body of
water meant.

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This was how important it was
to them.

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They could not survive without it.

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And so when we understand the
Egyptian association with the Nile

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and the gods that they
believed controlled it, we can see

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then why this plague would
have caused great concern to the

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people of Egypt.

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It's in verse 17 that we're
told what the Lord tells Moses to

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say.

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By this you will know that I
am the Lord.

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With the staff that is in my
hand, I will strike the water of

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the Nile and it will be
changed into blood.

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Now, this miracle would cause,
as verse 18 goes on to tell us, the

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fish in the water to die and
make the water of the Nile undrinkable

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for all the Egyptians.

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Fish were a major food source
for the Egyptians.

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And can you see the chain
that's happening here?

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The water goes to blood, the
fish die.

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The fish then can't be
consumed, and neither can the water.

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And so this is all
encompassing in terms of the life

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of the Egyptians.

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But I also wonder, can you see
the irony in this first plague that

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is brought to Pharaoh and to
the people?

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Where have we heard of the
Nile before?

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Go back to the first chapter.

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And the very water in which
the Egyptians were told to kill the

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Israelite baby boys in Exodus
1:22 now becomes the water with which

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the Egyptians can no longer
depend on to sustain their life.

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And all this will be a sign,
so that Pharaoh, who earlier boasted

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that he did not know Yahweh,
will know clearly that the Lord Almighty,

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the Hebrews God is Lord of
heaven and earth.

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And again, that's what verse
17 tells us.

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And so once again, Aaron is to
use his staff so that this sign will

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take effect.

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But it won't just be for the Nile.

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Did you see how it extends?

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Because all the reservoirs,
the ponds and the canals of Egypt

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will turn to blood.

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No body of water, large or
small, will escape the plague, forcing

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the Egyptians to be unnerved,
as they wouldn't be able to Wash,

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they wouldn't be able to cook
and they wouldn't be able to drink

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even the water in their wooden
buckets and their stone jars that

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they would have stored water
in at their homes wouldn't escape.

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So it would be the waters of
the Nile and the waters in the homes

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that would be equally impacted
by this.

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And Moses and Aaron are
obedient to God.

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It's taken time for Moses to
get on to the right level of where

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God is at in all of this.

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And he faithfully goes and he
waits for Pharaoh.

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And, and this is what we're
told in verse 20, Moses and Aaron

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did just as the Lord had commanded.

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He raised his staff in the
presence of Pharaoh and his officials

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and struck the water of the Nile.

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And just as God said, all the
water was changed to blood.

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Now we have to remember
Pharaoh's watching this.

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He's standing on the banks,
he's maybe looking for answers as

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to, well, where are the gods
of Egypt in all of this.

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So he is watching on as this
first plague takes hold.

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And so the king with his
officials see that water change before

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their very eyes.

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But as we know, it wasn't just
the water, as verse 21 confirms,

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it was also the fish that died
and so contaminating the water, causing

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it to smell and to be undrinkable.

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No one in Egypt was going to
ignore or miss this.

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And this last we're told in
verse 21 for seven days.

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And the section or verse 21
concludes to tell us that the blood

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was everywhere in Egypt.

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So this was a plague that had
deep impact and would have caused

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Egypt to really totter in its
own self belief that it was in control

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of everything.

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But it's not only Pharaoh who
is watching this unfold, because

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remember who he has around
him, the Egyptian magicians.

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And as they did before and
will do again, these sorcerer priests

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imitate the sign as well.

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But again, there's another
irony here, because all that the

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magicians can do is make
matters worse.

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What did they do the last time
they tried to imitate?

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Well, they simply created more snakes.

233
00:14:07,660 --> 00:14:08,740
And now what do they do?

234
00:14:08,740 --> 00:14:11,420
Well, they simply make more
water, become blood.

235
00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:13,860
And what would they go on to
do with the frogs?

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00:14:13,860 --> 00:14:16,940
Well, they don't get rid of
them, they make more frogs.

237
00:14:17,500 --> 00:14:20,700
And so by them thinking that
they're demonstrating their power,

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00:14:21,260 --> 00:14:24,180
they're actually not helping
the matters, they're only adding

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00:14:24,180 --> 00:14:24,700
to it.

240
00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:29,460
You see, these magicians, we
must understand, can't reverse the

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00:14:29,460 --> 00:14:33,970
catastrophes, they can only
increase them and inadvertently they

242
00:14:33,970 --> 00:14:37,210
end up contributing to the
Lord's fight against Pharaoh.

243
00:14:38,250 --> 00:14:40,810
But Pharaoh misses the irony completely.

244
00:14:41,290 --> 00:14:46,810
His heart remains hardened,
using the sorcerer priest's deeds

245
00:14:46,890 --> 00:14:48,090
as an excuse.

246
00:14:48,250 --> 00:14:50,570
Look at what my men can do.

247
00:14:51,370 --> 00:14:55,850
But he never asked the
question, can you get rid of these?

248
00:14:56,330 --> 00:14:59,290
And defy the living God of the Israelites?

249
00:15:00,590 --> 00:15:03,750
Whether he knew deep down he
couldn't do that or not, we don't

250
00:15:03,750 --> 00:15:04,030
know.

251
00:15:04,910 --> 00:15:09,470
But all we do know is that the
men he depended on only added to

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00:15:09,470 --> 00:15:11,950
the problem and did nothing to
its solution.

253
00:15:12,910 --> 00:15:17,950
Verse 23 tells us instead he
turned and went into his palace and

254
00:15:17,950 --> 00:15:20,510
did not take even this to heart.

255
00:15:23,310 --> 00:15:27,790
So we're told here in the
language that we use all around us

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00:15:27,790 --> 00:15:28,150
here.

257
00:15:28,230 --> 00:15:29,830
This is a thran man.

258
00:15:30,870 --> 00:15:32,310
He's not going to take notice.

259
00:15:32,710 --> 00:15:39,350
Even when the life source of
Egypt turns to blood, he chooses

260
00:15:39,430 --> 00:15:40,230
to ignore.

261
00:15:41,750 --> 00:15:45,110
In witnessing this first
miracle, Pharaoh doesn't apply his

262
00:15:45,110 --> 00:15:46,790
heart to learn what he should.

263
00:15:47,430 --> 00:15:51,920
And so we see that Pharaoh
clearly, as we saw last week, clear

264
00:15:52,150 --> 00:15:53,190
has a heart problem.

265
00:15:53,910 --> 00:15:58,310
His hardness of heart leads to
hard work for the Egyptians, because

266
00:15:58,310 --> 00:16:02,430
verse 24 tells us, and all the
Egyptians dug along the Nile to get

267
00:16:02,430 --> 00:16:05,950
drinking water because they
could not drink the water of the

268
00:16:05,950 --> 00:16:06,310
river.

269
00:16:06,630 --> 00:16:10,030
Now, digging along the Nile is
exhausting work that lasts at least

270
00:16:10,030 --> 00:16:12,950
seven days, as verse 25 tells us.

271
00:16:12,950 --> 00:16:14,950
But no word from Pharaoh comes.

272
00:16:14,950 --> 00:16:17,590
So the Lord prepares to strike
Egypt again.

273
00:16:18,350 --> 00:16:21,350
And this is where we leave
Exodus until the new year when we

274
00:16:21,350 --> 00:16:24,870
come to the next plague
against the Nile, that is the plague

275
00:16:24,870 --> 00:16:25,790
of frogs.

276
00:16:26,670 --> 00:16:29,350
And so, as we think about this
text and what we've learned from

277
00:16:29,350 --> 00:16:33,070
it, we once again have been
shown who Pharaoh truly is.

278
00:16:33,869 --> 00:16:38,790
He is a man whose heart is for
the things that are around him rather

279
00:16:38,790 --> 00:16:42,550
than, as is now visibly
demonstrated to him, submitting to

280
00:16:42,550 --> 00:16:44,840
the one true God.

281
00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:50,920
He would rather be focused on
the things of self, I.e.

282
00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:55,400
self worship, self
determination and self righteousness.

283
00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,720
He'd rather do all of this
than on paying attention to the one

284
00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,160
who made the world and the one
who sustains it.

285
00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:08,240
Here we have a man whose eyes
are on what he can get out of the

286
00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:12,360
world rather than on the one
who can save him from the effects

287
00:17:12,360 --> 00:17:13,409
of the world.

288
00:17:14,209 --> 00:17:17,409
And if Pharaoh had simply
admitted who he was dealing with,

289
00:17:18,289 --> 00:17:20,929
then the whole thing would
have been a lot different.

290
00:17:22,849 --> 00:17:27,329
And so as we look back, as we
look back on these thousands of years

291
00:17:27,569 --> 00:17:31,769
of this event happening ago,
we have to say it's a little bit

292
00:17:31,769 --> 00:17:32,329
true of us.

293
00:17:32,329 --> 00:17:37,729
Or perhaps it's a lot true of
us because we too are like people

294
00:17:37,729 --> 00:17:42,450
who are like Pharaoh, because
we think of Self, rather than thinking

295
00:17:42,450 --> 00:17:47,130
of God, our hearts, it turns
out, can be very much like the ancient

296
00:17:47,130 --> 00:17:48,130
king of Egypt.

297
00:17:48,850 --> 00:17:53,970
We too worship false gods that
cause our sight of the true God to

298
00:17:53,970 --> 00:17:55,970
be blurred or to be darkened.

299
00:17:56,930 --> 00:17:59,650
Now, whenever we think of
false gods, we're normally thinking

300
00:17:59,650 --> 00:18:02,130
of a statue that we bow down to.

301
00:18:02,130 --> 00:18:03,410
That's not what we're talking about.

302
00:18:03,730 --> 00:18:08,790
The false gods of our age are
all around us and they're so subtle

303
00:18:08,790 --> 00:18:11,030
because that's how crafty the
devil is.

304
00:18:11,670 --> 00:18:14,190
He will say that there are
things that are okay and in and of

305
00:18:14,190 --> 00:18:14,630
themselves.

306
00:18:14,630 --> 00:18:18,750
They may be there is nothing
wrong with them, but he will use

307
00:18:18,750 --> 00:18:23,470
them to be false gods so that
we will be taken away from where

308
00:18:23,470 --> 00:18:28,310
our true focus should be on
the living God, the Lord Almighty.

309
00:18:29,590 --> 00:18:34,450
But we have to remember that
these false gods are just that they

310
00:18:34,450 --> 00:18:35,330
are false.

311
00:18:36,370 --> 00:18:42,050
But what they do is they
consume our time, they consume our

312
00:18:42,050 --> 00:18:45,650
thoughts, and they consume our money.

313
00:18:46,690 --> 00:18:51,370
So much so that they allow
little time to take seriously the

314
00:18:51,370 --> 00:18:57,010
one true God who will love us
and who is the only one who can save

315
00:18:57,010 --> 00:18:57,330
us.

316
00:18:59,420 --> 00:19:03,900
This morning I'm asking you to
be a doctor of your own heart because

317
00:19:03,900 --> 00:19:06,300
I want you to look honestly at it.

318
00:19:06,940 --> 00:19:11,420
And I think that when we do,
we will see that there is a hardness

319
00:19:11,500 --> 00:19:11,900
there.

320
00:19:13,260 --> 00:19:16,780
See what is it that is taking
you away from God.

321
00:19:18,460 --> 00:19:21,700
We've thought of the things
that happened to Pharaoh and so we'll

322
00:19:21,700 --> 00:19:23,180
think of them for ourselves.

323
00:19:24,060 --> 00:19:26,840
Is it first of all self worship?

324
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,480
Is your hardness of heart in
that you want to worship self where

325
00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,840
everything must revolve around you.

326
00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:39,560
You follow the things you
want, whether they be right or wrong,

327
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:43,560
because they make you happy
and they make you satisfied.

328
00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:50,000
And so rather than God being
the center, you push him and you

329
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:54,170
take over the center so that
almost you expect him to worship

330
00:19:54,170 --> 00:19:58,210
you because you will want
things your way.

331
00:19:59,970 --> 00:20:04,090
Now, of course, none of us
would ever admit to that, but if

332
00:20:04,090 --> 00:20:08,130
we actually become a doctor of
our own hearts and look closely,

333
00:20:08,770 --> 00:20:11,450
we will discover that there's
aspects in our lives where we're

334
00:20:11,450 --> 00:20:15,330
saying, well, you know what,
God, I'm just going to do it my way.

335
00:20:15,970 --> 00:20:20,440
Therefore it's worship of self
and not worship of him.

336
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:22,760
What does that look like?

337
00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:25,800
That might look like some of
our business practices.

338
00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:30,400
It might look like some of our
integrity where we say one thing

339
00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:32,920
to someone and turn around and
do the exact opposite to someone.

340
00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,800
So we're not living a life
that is of integrity of following

341
00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:37,880
the standard of Christ.

342
00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:39,160
We're double minded.

343
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,920
It might look like that we
think that we're more important and

344
00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,920
therefore what I want I get
rather than actually what God tells

345
00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:48,600
us to do.

346
00:20:49,530 --> 00:20:53,490
And so as a doctor of your
heart today, is self worship an issue?

347
00:20:53,490 --> 00:20:54,970
Because it was for Pharaoh.

348
00:20:55,370 --> 00:20:58,650
He expected everything to
revolve around him.

349
00:20:59,450 --> 00:21:00,490
And did it work?

350
00:21:01,690 --> 00:21:02,650
Absolutely not.

351
00:21:03,130 --> 00:21:07,010
There's only one God to be
worshipped and he will not share

352
00:21:07,010 --> 00:21:07,770
his glory.

353
00:21:08,570 --> 00:21:09,930
It is to him we look.

354
00:21:09,930 --> 00:21:12,810
And so our hardness of heart
must be inspected.

355
00:21:12,810 --> 00:21:18,000
And we must, as it were, take
the rough skin, the callous off so

356
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:23,240
that we will worship him and
him alone first and live by his standard.

357
00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:26,520
Well, what was the second
thing about Pharaoh?

358
00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:29,000
It was self determination.

359
00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:33,160
Well, what does self
determination mean for us?

360
00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,880
It means that you ignore the
teaching of Scripture because you

361
00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,720
think that it will stop you
having fun or it will tie you down

362
00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,870
from the real life you
perceive others are living.

363
00:21:44,510 --> 00:21:49,230
And so you focus, or your
focus is on money, more things and

364
00:21:49,230 --> 00:21:52,390
thinking that they will
satisfy rather than depending on

365
00:21:52,390 --> 00:21:55,230
God to provide for what you need.

366
00:21:57,470 --> 00:22:02,190
And this is really the self
determination is a problem of this

367
00:22:02,190 --> 00:22:05,510
generation and the generation
in which we live, the time in which

368
00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:08,670
we live, because we're told
there's an easy way to make money.

369
00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,400
I remember when the National
Lottery started, I couldn't tell

370
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:13,720
you how much a ticket is now.

371
00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:15,400
Hope that comforts you.

372
00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:17,080
But it was a pound.

373
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,040
I remember, I remember it all happening.

374
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,720
And so we thought for a pound,
well, we could become rich.

375
00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:27,680
And whenever we would become
rich, what did that mean?

376
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,920
Well then we were self
satisfied and self determined.

377
00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:33,640
We could do whatever we wanted
because we would have enough money.

378
00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:37,230
And so the love of money
became the root of all evil.

379
00:22:38,190 --> 00:22:41,070
Now you may not do the
lottery, but the principle is still

380
00:22:41,070 --> 00:22:41,630
the same.

381
00:22:42,350 --> 00:22:44,950
We'll do a wee bit this way, a
wee bit that way, more than what

382
00:22:44,950 --> 00:22:46,030
we need to survive.

383
00:22:46,590 --> 00:22:50,790
Because we think that
dependence on the money will be the

384
00:22:50,790 --> 00:22:51,790
thing that will keep us.

385
00:22:53,230 --> 00:22:57,390
The only one who can keep us
is the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

386
00:22:57,870 --> 00:22:59,710
He is the one who gave his
life for us.

387
00:22:59,950 --> 00:23:02,270
And so we cannot be self
determined people.

388
00:23:03,030 --> 00:23:07,150
We must follow his way and
trust in him and give no sense that

389
00:23:07,150 --> 00:23:10,550
we're trusting and relying on
self, but looking to him alone.

390
00:23:11,030 --> 00:23:14,430
It doesn't matter how many
things we think we need and eventually

391
00:23:14,430 --> 00:23:15,510
how many things we get.

392
00:23:15,670 --> 00:23:19,430
We will always need more and
want more.

393
00:23:20,870 --> 00:23:25,910
Or maybe our hardness of heart
is self righteousness where you always

394
00:23:26,070 --> 00:23:27,190
have to be right.

395
00:23:27,670 --> 00:23:31,270
And whatever determination you
make, it's always the correct one.

396
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:34,800
And your hardness of heart
will mean even when your error is

397
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,400
pointed out, you will never
back down.

398
00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:40,560
Are you Self righteous.

399
00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:44,360
Because you think that your
way is always the right way.

400
00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:49,240
You see, the problem is,
whenever we think that we are always

401
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,880
right, it means then we are
completely closed through hardness

402
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:54,920
of heart to the way that God
would lead us.

403
00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,840
We are not open to the Holy
Spirit challenging us and wanting

404
00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,640
to take us in ways that are
right and true.

405
00:24:03,020 --> 00:24:07,860
And so we have a heart problem
because the hardness of our hearts

406
00:24:07,860 --> 00:24:12,860
is demonstrated in self
worship, self determination and self

407
00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:14,060
righteousness.

408
00:24:15,020 --> 00:24:19,220
The problem is none of these
three ways bring you to God for saving

409
00:24:19,220 --> 00:24:19,660
grace.

410
00:24:20,460 --> 00:24:25,100
They instead will keep you
away, just like they kept Pharaoh

411
00:24:25,260 --> 00:24:25,660
away.

412
00:24:26,460 --> 00:24:30,060
And before any one of us sit
back and say that none of these impact

413
00:24:30,140 --> 00:24:32,140
you, I would caution you to
think again.

414
00:24:32,950 --> 00:24:36,950
The reality is I see aspects
of all three of these in my own life

415
00:24:38,070 --> 00:24:41,470
and I see them in my own heart
where actually I do want to be number

416
00:24:41,470 --> 00:24:41,830
one.

417
00:24:42,150 --> 00:24:42,870
Do you know what?

418
00:24:42,870 --> 00:24:44,710
I want to determine things my way.

419
00:24:44,710 --> 00:24:47,390
Because let's face it, if you
all did things my way, wouldn't the

420
00:24:47,390 --> 00:24:48,550
world be such a better place?

421
00:24:50,150 --> 00:24:51,190
Of course it wouldn't.

422
00:24:51,910 --> 00:24:53,030
And I know that.

423
00:24:55,270 --> 00:24:56,590
And self righteousness.

424
00:24:56,590 --> 00:25:01,400
Well, of course I always want
to be right, but I'm seldom.

425
00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:05,320
You see, our hardness of heart
infiltrates us all.

426
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,520
It's because of the world we
live in.

427
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:11,240
And it is the consequence of
this fallen world.

428
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:15,880
It's what we might call the
sinful condition of the fall.

429
00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:18,280
None of us are perfect.

430
00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:19,240
No, not one.

431
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,920
And so the devil will want to
go after our hearts.

432
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,160
And for some of your hearts,
he has a hold on it so tight that

433
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,360
you don't even know the risen
Lord Jesus because He's kept you

434
00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:31,300
in his way all of your life.

435
00:25:33,300 --> 00:25:35,860
See, the reality is this is
who we are.

436
00:25:36,820 --> 00:25:41,300
But the reality is that we
have one who can free us from this

437
00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:42,140
hardness of heart.

438
00:25:42,140 --> 00:25:44,700
Because yes, we must guard our hearts.

439
00:25:44,700 --> 00:25:48,460
And the only way to do this is
to trust in the Lord Jesus so that

440
00:25:48,460 --> 00:25:51,380
we can know his loving care
and his loving salvation.

441
00:25:51,540 --> 00:25:55,260
And that's what the writer of
Hebrews tells us in chapter 3 and

442
00:25:55,260 --> 00:25:56,420
verses 12 to 14.

443
00:25:56,900 --> 00:26:00,380
See to it, brothers, that none
of you has a sinful, unbelieving

444
00:26:00,380 --> 00:26:03,200
heart that turns away from the
living God.

445
00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:07,280
But encourage one another
daily, as long as it is called today,

446
00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:11,280
so that none of you may be
hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

447
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,000
We have come to share in Christ.

448
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:19,200
If we hold firmly till the end
the confidence we had at first, as

449
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:25,040
has just been said today, if
you hear his voice, do not harden

450
00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,080
your hearts as you did in the rebellion.

451
00:26:29,260 --> 00:26:32,420
You could preach a Sermon on
these verses alone, but will not.

452
00:26:32,420 --> 00:26:33,980
But look at some of those words.

453
00:26:34,540 --> 00:26:37,340
See, none of you has a sinful,
unbelieving heart.

454
00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:39,260
Because what does a heart like
that do?

455
00:26:39,260 --> 00:26:43,860
Well, it turns us away from
the living God and we must live as

456
00:26:43,860 --> 00:26:47,860
long as it is called today so
that our hearts will not be hardened,

457
00:26:47,860 --> 00:26:50,460
that is live for Jesus, so
that our hearts will not be hardened

458
00:26:50,460 --> 00:26:51,900
by sin's deceitfulness.

459
00:26:52,140 --> 00:26:54,620
And that's exactly what we've
just been talking about.

460
00:26:55,440 --> 00:27:00,480
Because all of those things of
self are a deceit of the evil one.

461
00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:02,640
But we have the hope.

462
00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:07,600
We have the hope that as we
come to Christ, he will hold us firmly

463
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:08,280
till the end.

464
00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:13,560
Because today, if you hear his
voice, please, please do not harden

465
00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:19,000
your heart, but come to him
and know him who will free you from

466
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:20,560
your self worship.

467
00:27:21,220 --> 00:27:25,940
He will free you from that
self determination and he will free

468
00:27:25,940 --> 00:27:28,780
you from that self
righteousness because he is greater

469
00:27:28,780 --> 00:27:30,260
than the sum of our sins.

470
00:27:30,500 --> 00:27:34,980
And we will discover that our
hardness of heart is softened and

471
00:27:34,980 --> 00:27:36,819
healed and restored.

472
00:27:39,140 --> 00:27:43,220
This week I had to say to
myself, check your heart.

473
00:27:44,260 --> 00:27:48,070
And so I said to you this
morning, check your heart and know

474
00:27:48,070 --> 00:27:49,950
Christ as your only salvation.

475
00:27:49,950 --> 00:27:54,590
Because do not trust nor
depend in this world because it has

476
00:27:54,590 --> 00:27:59,390
never been able to and will
never save you from your sin.

477
00:28:00,190 --> 00:28:04,990
You must not trust in other
gods because they will not save.

478
00:28:05,710 --> 00:28:09,070
Do not try to go after the
idyllic life because it will not

479
00:28:09,070 --> 00:28:09,550
exist.

480
00:28:10,350 --> 00:28:13,510
Our only hope and security is
in Christ and in him alone.

481
00:28:13,510 --> 00:28:18,130
And so we look only to Jesus
Christ and know the wonderful assurance

482
00:28:18,130 --> 00:28:21,530
of his forgiveness, but also
his grace.

483
00:28:22,410 --> 00:28:26,010
Because it is his grace that
keeps us each and every day.

484
00:28:26,570 --> 00:28:31,050
However our hearts may be in
that day, he is the One who is there

485
00:28:31,050 --> 00:28:37,850
to welcome us back as we look
to him and as he ever keeps us rivers

486
00:28:38,090 --> 00:28:39,370
turning to blood.

487
00:28:40,810 --> 00:28:42,830
Next time it'll be frogs.

488
00:28:42,830 --> 00:28:49,270
Throughout the Nile the gods
of Egypt attacked and demonstrated

489
00:28:49,270 --> 00:28:54,430
too that there is only one God
to which we hold because ultimately

490
00:28:54,430 --> 00:28:56,510
his people will be saved for
his own glory.

491
00:28:57,150 --> 00:28:59,790
And that is the same for us today.

492
00:28:59,790 --> 00:29:04,390
We are saved for the glory of
God and for our good, so that we

493
00:29:04,390 --> 00:29:06,190
will know him forever.

494
00:29:07,230 --> 00:29:12,830
Check your heart, come to the
Savior and know him as your only

495
00:29:12,830 --> 00:29:13,190
hope.

496
00:29:13,830 --> 00:29:14,630
Let's pray.

497
00:29:16,230 --> 00:29:17,750
Our Father God this morning.

498
00:29:17,830 --> 00:29:23,510
These words from this old text
tell us something true for us today.

499
00:29:24,229 --> 00:29:28,270
For the gods of the world have
been around for generations and the

500
00:29:28,270 --> 00:29:31,950
gods that we see around us
today are just the latest incarnation

501
00:29:31,950 --> 00:29:34,790
of how the devil will try to
take us away from the Savior.

502
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,320
And we must be honest with ourselves.

503
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,440
Because if we're not honest,
then we have no hope.

504
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,200
And for some of us, it may
mean we have to change practices.

505
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:46,760
It may mean we have to change
our focus.

506
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:51,360
But for all of us, we need to
change our hearts so that each day

507
00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:55,600
they're warmer towards Christ
rather than colder, because the devil

508
00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:57,480
will want to make them frozen.

509
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,280
So, Father, help us to respond
well to your word, to live by it,

510
00:30:03,130 --> 00:30:06,730
so that we will know that we
are yours truly forevermore.

511
00:30:08,010 --> 00:30:09,930
So draw us onto the Savior.

512
00:30:10,410 --> 00:30:14,690
May we know his everlasting
love demonstrated to us on Calvary's

513
00:30:14,690 --> 00:30:15,050
cross.

514
00:30:15,690 --> 00:30:20,250
And may we respond to him this
day and be assured of that salvation

515
00:30:20,250 --> 00:30:20,810
forever.

516
00:30:21,290 --> 00:30:22,410
In Jesus name.

517
00:30:22,970 --> 00:30:23,610
Amen.

518
00:30:28,770 --> 00:30:29,010
Sa.