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It's often been said that
humanity doesn't learn from itself

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or from its history.

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Over a hundred years ago, the
Great War, now known as World War

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I, was supposed to be the war
that ended all wars.

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The reasons behind it and the
ferocity of its impact, along with

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the number of people killed,
should have taught humanity a lesson

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in what the descent into war
does to itself.

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Yet following the war between
1939 and 1945, the Great War did

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have to be renamed, because a
second World War, largely based on

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the same reasons as to why the
First World War began, took an even

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greater toll on humanity.

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And still, over 80 years
later, we see conflict after conflict

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because humanity has the
inability to learn from its past,

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and ego and political ambition
take over as the lead drivers for

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continued conflict.

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In fact, when you look at our
history of war and conflict, you

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can see some of the lessons
that we should have learned from

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them coming out in the story
of Exodus.

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Because the ten plagues of
Egypt may not have been to the extent

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of the world wars or any
conflicts that we see around us today.

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But the king of Egypt
certainly was repeating what humanity

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has failed to do in this past century.

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He wasn't learning from what
had gone before.

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And today we come to the fifth
and sixth plagues against the land

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of Egypt.

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And there is no stopping these
plagues or the punishment that is

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falling on the Egyptians.

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Even though Pharaoh could
easily have ended it all with one

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decision.

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That's all it would take, one decision.

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That decision being, let God's
people go.

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But Pharaoh simply couldn't do
it because he thought he was better

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than God.

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Pharaoh basically ignored the plagues.

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And you'd wonder, how could he
do that?

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Well, he may have seen them
physically, and he may have been

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impacted by them.

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Remember the frogs in his bed?

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None of us would have liked that.

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But you see, he ignores the
plagues because he ignores the challenge

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that it is to everything the
Egyptians believe in, including himself.

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And as we come to the final
plague, the 10th plague, we will

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see that even he cannot save himself.

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And so the plagues that came
were to the Nile, that source of

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all water for Egypt, and all
of the sources of water turning to

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blood and becoming unusable.

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That was the first plague.

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Then the plague of frogs that
fell on the land, demonstrating God's

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authority over the God.

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They worshiped for childbirth,
and it was too much for all the people.

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Then the third plague of gnats
from the dust meant that there was

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discomfort for all the people
and animals.

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We then moved into the second
round of three plagues, beginning

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with flies, that filled the
houses of all the Egyptians.

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But what was interesting in
this second set of plagues of 1 to

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3, and then 4, 5, and 6 is
that this plague of flies didn't

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fall in the land of Goshen,
the land that had been given to the

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children of Israel and where
they lived and had settled for hundreds

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of years.

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And so now we see the plague
on the livestock and the plague of

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boils.

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And yet Pharaoh does not
change his mind towards the Israelites

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and and their request that
they can go to worship their God

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in the wilderness.

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And so, as we turn to chapter
nine, we see that the request is

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once again to go to Pharaoh.

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Moses and Aaron are to go to
ask that he let the people go to

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worship God.

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And verses two and three tell
us of the consequences if Pharaoh

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once again refuses.

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We're told there that if you
refuse to let them go and continue

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to hold them back, the hand of
the Lord will bring a terrible plague

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on your livestock in the fields.

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What will that include on your
horses and donkeys and camels and

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on your cattle and sheep and goats?

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So this fifth plague that's
going to descend on Egypt will completely

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decimate their livestock,
meaning that animals used for work,

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for royal service, for war,
and for food will be impacted.

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And as he's done before, the
Lord warns Pharaoh that he will distinguish

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between his people and the
Egyptians in his judgment through

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this plague.

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So we're plague plagues 1, 3
didn't mention about the separated

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children of Israel.

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Now plagues 4 and 5 do mention
that they will not face this.

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God is marking out who his
people are, that he has the ability

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and he has the power to send
on those whom he wishes to send upon,

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and he can protect those whom
he wishes to protect.

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And so once more, Moses is to
demand that Pharaoh release the Israelites

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and so that they may go and
worship the Lord.

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If he refuses, then this
severe plague will completely devastate

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the farming and the military
industry of the Egyptians.

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Their income will dry up,
they'll go hungry.

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They'll get nervous about
their enemies wanting to come and

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attack because they know of
the weakness because of the death

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of the livestock.

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And so the plague will occur
because, as verse three tells us,

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the hand of the Lord will
bring trouble on the livestock, making

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clear that Israel's God, the
Lord is sovereign king, not somewhere

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over there, but sovereign king
in the midst of Egypt.

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Remember, this is a time where
geographically, deities ruled.

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There was no concept that a
deity that was somewhere else could

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have influence on where you were.

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But God's demonstrating who he
is, who we believe him to be, the

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God over all.

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And he's making this clear in Egypt.

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And so this will be evident
not only from the plague's severity,

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but again from the fact that
he will preserve the Israelites.

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And as before, Moses is to
announce that the strike will happen

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the very next day.

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And of course, as the Lord
foretold and forewarned, the next

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day the strike occurs.

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Verse 6 tells us the extent of
that plague.

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And the next day, the Lord did it.

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That's all we need to know.

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He did it.

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He did what he said he would do.

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All the livestock of the
Egyptians died, but not one animal

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belonging to the Israelites died.

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Now, this wasn't some sickness
on the animals as a plague we might

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think today that they would
get better from or could be treated

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for.

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This was death falling on the livestock.

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And it was a foreshadow of
what was to come in the 10th plague,

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of the death of the firstborn
in all of Egypt.

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And even though the words that
are all used here, this tells us

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that no type of animal escaped.

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But as verse nine will go on
to tell us, in the sixth plague,

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there are still some animals
alive that will be impacted by its

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event.

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So this blow in Egypt is widespread.

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It's devastating.

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They've worshipped so much of
the Nile, they've worshipped frogs,

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there's even sense that they
worship some of these animals.

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And so none of these things
that they worship and look to for

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the security is immune.

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And Pharaoh himself confirms
this in verse seven, because he sends

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out a team of his officials to
go and investigate.

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Well, did this really happen?

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He's able to see it around
wherever his palace is.

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But what about Goshen?

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Well, let's just test and see
if that's what really happened.

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And so he sends his officials
to see what is the extent of this

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plague.

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And they do discover that even
though the animals of Egypt have

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died, not one of the animals
of Israel have been affected.

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And so, for the second time in
this group of plagues, the Israelites

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are not impacted.

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But this time, Pharaoh
acknowledges it.

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Surely now he'll see the
powerful hand of the Lord and submit

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to his request, knowing that
the great Pharaoh can't stop whatever

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the God of the Israelites
chooses to do.

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Surely now.

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But no, sadly, even after
confirming the sign himself, Pharaoh's

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heart doubles down its
stubborn rebellion.

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The British commentator Ian
Dogood says hardened hearts do not

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seek truth, only self confirmation.

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And isn't this the truth?

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We need to pay attention to
when our hearts are hardened for

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any reason, we don't go after
objective truth.

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Rather we continue to look
inwards and on our own self righteousness.

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And this is exactly what
Pharaoh did in respons to this plague.

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He saw what happened and he
confirmed the word of the Lord to

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be true.

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Yet he ignored its truth
because he was only concerned about

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being right.

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And he was willing to
sacrifice the livestock and animals

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of Egypt to prove it.

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If he only had opened his
heart to the truth of God, then he

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would have brought an end to
the pain on the land.

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But he didn't.

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That's his heart.

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He doubled down in its
stubborn rebellion.

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Now what about our hearts?

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How are they doing?

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And I'm not talking about how
many beats per minute or the health

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of your heart that a doctor
might tell you about.

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What about your spiritual heart?

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What's it like?

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Because we all have one.

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We all have a heart that is
naturally, inquisitively inclined

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to God.

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We have a heart that knows he
is true.

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Pharaoh knew he was true, but
yet his heart was hardened.

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So do our spiritual hearts
have a callus on them?

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That means that we're willing
to sacrifice relationships because

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we won't allow the truth to
set us free.

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Well, that's what Jesus warns
us about in John 8, 31, 32 as he

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speaks to the Jews who had
believed in him.

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Where he says to the Jews who
had believed in him, Jesus said,

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if you hold to my teaching,
you are really my disciples, then

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you will know the truth and
the truth will set you free.

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Jesus here is talking about
the truth of who he is.

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And when we understand that he
is our Savior and Lord and respond

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in faithful worship of him,
then this truth set sets us free.

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And it sets us free from
anger, it sets us free from regrets,

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it sets us free from hurt and
from guilt and from the punishment

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of sin.

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To ignore Jesus means we
double down, just like Pharaoh, on

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the hardness of our hearts.

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And we look to our own anger,
our own hurt and our own guilt to

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keep us and satisfy ourselves,
thereby making us self righteous.

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But we'll also take upon
ourselves the punishment that our

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sin deserves.

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Now this punishment isn't
something to delight in because it

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is a punishment that we cannot
save ourselves from, nor can we argue

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our way out of it.

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Our hearts can be so hardened
that we ignore the truth, a truth

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that sets us free.

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We close our ears to what
we're to do because we're content

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in our self righteousness.

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I urge you this morning to pay
attention to the wonderful offer

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that the Lord Jesus gives, as
he tells us in Matthew 11:28, Come

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to me, all you who are weary
and burdened.

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And what will he do?

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He will give you rest.

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He will show you what real
life is.

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Is.

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He'll take away the hurt.

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He'll take away the anger.

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He'll take away the guilt.

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And he will remove from you
the punishment that we all deserve

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from ourselves.

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You see, we are to find rest
for our weary souls in him, to know

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complete forgiveness, but also
to know complete joy in Him.

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So do you want to know healing
for the hurt?

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Do you want to know the
forgiveness from loved ones?

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Do you want to know the
freedom from guilt of hurt and pain

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that you've caused others?

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If so, then seek to have your
hardened heart softened by Christ,

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and he will truly set you free.

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That's all Pharaoh had to do,
submit to God.

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But he didn't.

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And what happened?

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His spiritual heart.

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Well, it doubled down.

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A callous grew over it, and he
fell into stubborn rebellion, like

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so many in this world still do today.

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And so now we come to the
sixth plague, which is the final

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one of the second set of these
sets of three.

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And so Pharaoh, as we saw with
plague number three, gets no warning

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about this one.

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00:14:03,550 --> 00:14:06,230
He's not told, change your
ways or this will happen.

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00:14:06,230 --> 00:14:10,030
This simply comes as quick and
divine punishment upon him.

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00:14:10,350 --> 00:14:12,670
And verses 8 and 9 give us the detail.

245
00:14:13,630 --> 00:14:17,510
Then the Lord said to Moses
and Aaron, take handfuls of soot

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00:14:17,510 --> 00:14:20,830
from a furnace and have Moses
toss it into the air in the presence

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00:14:20,830 --> 00:14:24,210
of Pharaoh, it'll become fine
dust, dust over the whole land of

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00:14:24,210 --> 00:14:24,610
Egypt.

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00:14:24,610 --> 00:14:28,210
And festering boils will break
out on men and animals throughout

250
00:14:28,210 --> 00:14:28,650
the land.

251
00:14:29,690 --> 00:14:33,610
So for this sixth plague of
punishment on Egypt, debilitating

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00:14:33,690 --> 00:14:38,330
sores now break out on people
and whatever animals still remain.

253
00:14:38,649 --> 00:14:42,090
And when the strike occurs,
the text here emphasizes its impact

254
00:14:42,170 --> 00:14:46,410
on the magicians, who are
clearly powerless to do anything.

255
00:14:47,210 --> 00:14:50,850
And so, in a punishment
corresponding to the crime, the Lord

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00:14:50,850 --> 00:14:54,490
himself then hardens fire
Pharaoh's already hardened heart,

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00:14:54,890 --> 00:14:58,970
giving him over to his
willfully proud rebellion.

258
00:14:59,930 --> 00:15:04,690
And so what we see
demonstrated in this plague of soot

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00:15:04,690 --> 00:15:09,690
that becomes boils, we see the
depths to which Pharaoh will go and

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00:15:09,690 --> 00:15:14,770
be content in himself as he
tries to keep his position that he

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00:15:14,770 --> 00:15:16,890
believes he is the true Divine One.

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00:15:17,770 --> 00:15:21,690
And so, once again, he's not
learning from the past, and he thinks

263
00:15:21,690 --> 00:15:25,970
he is still in control of the
situation, when the reality is he

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00:15:25,970 --> 00:15:26,650
is not.

265
00:15:28,010 --> 00:15:31,330
And so, up to now, Aaron has
been performing the actions leading

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00:15:31,330 --> 00:15:32,170
to judgment.

267
00:15:32,570 --> 00:15:36,170
But from this Point onwards,
Moses will be in the lead role.

268
00:15:36,729 --> 00:15:39,450
And that tells us something
about Moses, because remember, his

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00:15:39,450 --> 00:15:42,610
earlier fears have not been
strong enough or eloquent enough

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00:15:42,610 --> 00:15:43,370
of words.

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00:15:43,690 --> 00:15:45,170
This has all been overcome.

272
00:15:45,170 --> 00:15:48,980
And so Moses now comes to take
that lead role before Pharaoh and,

273
00:15:49,290 --> 00:15:51,970
and in this case, he and Aaron
take the suit from the furnace and

274
00:15:51,970 --> 00:15:55,770
then Moses throws it up in the
air before Pharaoh.

275
00:15:56,410 --> 00:16:00,690
And so this suit will become a
dust, afflicting people and animals

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00:16:00,690 --> 00:16:01,610
with boils.

277
00:16:01,610 --> 00:16:06,170
And these boils are a painful
skin condition, and we're told something

278
00:16:06,170 --> 00:16:10,170
like it in Second Kings,
chapter 20 can be fatal.

279
00:16:11,610 --> 00:16:14,170
But appearing on the scene
again, we haven't seen them in a

280
00:16:14,170 --> 00:16:15,610
while, are the magicians.

281
00:16:16,330 --> 00:16:19,810
They have been absent from a
few plagues now because all they

282
00:16:19,810 --> 00:16:21,650
could do, remember, was add to them.

283
00:16:21,650 --> 00:16:24,730
They couldn't actually take
them away, they couldn't lessen the

284
00:16:24,730 --> 00:16:26,170
severity of these plagues.

285
00:16:26,330 --> 00:16:29,850
And so we're now told of a
different posture of these magicians.

286
00:16:29,850 --> 00:16:30,650
In verse 11.

287
00:16:31,370 --> 00:16:37,050
The magicians could not stand
before Moses because of the boils

288
00:16:37,130 --> 00:16:40,730
that were on them and on all
of Egypt.

289
00:16:42,340 --> 00:16:46,660
This is the final moment of
embarrassment for these magicians.

290
00:16:47,780 --> 00:16:50,020
Oh, they could turn water into blood.

291
00:16:50,580 --> 00:16:53,460
They too could create more frogs.

292
00:16:53,620 --> 00:16:54,860
They could do all of this.

293
00:16:54,860 --> 00:16:58,740
But when it comes to standing
before Moses with these boils on

294
00:16:58,740 --> 00:17:02,300
them, they know they can do
nothing to take these boils from

295
00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:02,740
themselves.

296
00:17:03,060 --> 00:17:05,700
And so, quite literally, they
give up.

297
00:17:06,900 --> 00:17:11,290
Everyone in Egypt, even the
magicians, are afflicted by the boils.

298
00:17:11,690 --> 00:17:17,090
And although they had told us,
or shown to us earlier signs that

299
00:17:17,090 --> 00:17:21,090
they could do something, well,
they're so afflicted by this one

300
00:17:21,090 --> 00:17:24,170
that they can't even stand in
Moses presence.

301
00:17:24,890 --> 00:17:26,650
And yes, we'll not hear from
them again.

302
00:17:27,370 --> 00:17:31,690
They and the gods that they
represent have been utterly defeated

303
00:17:32,330 --> 00:17:34,090
before the God of Israel.

304
00:17:35,620 --> 00:17:39,580
And this is their exit from
the story, demonstrating to us that

305
00:17:39,580 --> 00:17:44,100
their powers from the devil
are useless against the Lord God.

306
00:17:44,660 --> 00:17:49,260
And as much of a victory as
this may be that we know that Satan

307
00:17:49,260 --> 00:17:53,660
will no longer have his men in
the room, we also see the depth to

308
00:17:53,660 --> 00:17:56,100
which sin will pull us down.

309
00:17:57,140 --> 00:17:59,700
Verse 12 tells us this about Pharaoh.

310
00:18:00,700 --> 00:18:04,220
But the Lord hardened
Pharaoh's heart and he would not

311
00:18:04,220 --> 00:18:09,500
listen to Moses and Aaron,
just as the Lord had said to Moses.

312
00:18:10,860 --> 00:18:15,540
To this point in the story,
either Pharaoh has hardened his own

313
00:18:15,540 --> 00:18:19,820
heart, or the text simply
describes his heart as being hardened.

314
00:18:20,220 --> 00:18:23,180
But now it's very clear to us
in this passage that it is the Lord

315
00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:27,590
who brings his judgment to
bear by taking this heart hardened

316
00:18:27,590 --> 00:18:32,510
in rebellion and making it
harder still in other Words seconding,

317
00:18:32,590 --> 00:18:37,910
as it were, Pharaoh's earlier
decision to harden it against God's

318
00:18:37,910 --> 00:18:39,230
people and against God.

319
00:18:39,870 --> 00:18:43,790
As we saw in chapter four, the
Lord sometimes judges us by giving

320
00:18:43,790 --> 00:18:46,190
us over to our heart's evil desires.

321
00:18:46,750 --> 00:18:50,030
And this is a severe warning
against the danger of sin.

322
00:18:50,430 --> 00:18:56,120
Sin coats our hearts like
quick drying cement, making repentance

323
00:18:56,120 --> 00:19:00,760
increasingly difficult and
judgment increasingly certain.

324
00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:07,040
As you look at this story, we
could perhaps ask if there's any

325
00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:08,280
hope for Pharaoh.

326
00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:12,520
And the answer is both yes and no.

327
00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,760
Yes, if he would simply submit
to the Lord, he would know relief

328
00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,400
from the plagues that were
being sent on the land.

329
00:19:21,100 --> 00:19:24,820
But the answer is also no,
because he worshipped himself and

330
00:19:24,820 --> 00:19:25,980
he worshipped his sin.

331
00:19:27,180 --> 00:19:30,700
And this had led him down the
path of no return.

332
00:19:32,860 --> 00:19:36,460
I hope you're not casual about sin.

333
00:19:39,260 --> 00:19:42,220
I hope you don't have a
measuring scale in your mind where,

334
00:19:42,380 --> 00:19:46,870
well, there's these really big
sins, but these little ones will

335
00:19:46,870 --> 00:19:47,670
not worry about those.

336
00:19:48,550 --> 00:19:53,030
Nowhere in scripture are we
told that there's a difference in

337
00:19:53,110 --> 00:19:53,590
sin.

338
00:19:54,310 --> 00:19:57,030
All sin is rebellion against God.

339
00:19:57,750 --> 00:20:01,550
And the habitual sins that we
fall into, those sins that we simply

340
00:20:01,550 --> 00:20:05,470
cannot break away from, well,
they're the ones that, like quick

341
00:20:05,470 --> 00:20:11,350
drying cement, fall on our
hearts where our hearts become harder

342
00:20:11,350 --> 00:20:15,570
and harder, harder, less
likely for forgiveness and most certain

343
00:20:16,370 --> 00:20:17,250
for judgment.

344
00:20:18,770 --> 00:20:21,250
So let me ask you again, how
is your heart?

345
00:20:22,610 --> 00:20:28,690
Is it coated in quick drying
cement as sin has captured you?

346
00:20:30,770 --> 00:20:33,810
Because you see, we might
think we're so much in sin because

347
00:20:33,810 --> 00:20:38,650
of business practices, because
of personal habits, because simply

348
00:20:38,650 --> 00:20:43,780
of just doing things that,
just like Pharaoh, make us feel good

349
00:20:43,780 --> 00:20:46,260
about ourselves, self righteousness.

350
00:20:48,180 --> 00:20:50,780
And so as much as we ask the
question of Pharaoh, is there any

351
00:20:50,780 --> 00:20:51,380
hope for him?

352
00:20:51,380 --> 00:20:53,940
We have to ask ourselves, is
there any hope for us?

353
00:20:54,420 --> 00:20:57,940
Well, the answer is an
emphatic yes, there is hope.

354
00:20:58,180 --> 00:21:01,940
We may be like Pharaoh in our
response to God, our hearts indeed

355
00:21:01,940 --> 00:21:02,900
may be hardened.

356
00:21:03,940 --> 00:21:08,380
But God has provided a way for
us to know that there is hope and

357
00:21:08,380 --> 00:21:09,540
there is a future.

358
00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:13,080
Because what future did
Pharaoh see?

359
00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:14,800
There was no end to these plagues.

360
00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,440
Was this going to be continued
throughout all his days?

361
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,640
Of course we know that there
were only going to be 10.

362
00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:21,320
But Pharaoh didn't.

363
00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:27,240
So here was the world's
superpower and he had absolutely

364
00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:28,280
no hope whatsoever.

365
00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:30,760
But not so for us.

366
00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:32,920
Is there any hope for us?

367
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:34,600
Yes, there is.

368
00:21:35,890 --> 00:21:39,690
Because just as much as the
truth sets us free, as we saw in

369
00:21:39,690 --> 00:21:43,970
the last plague, so we're told
in Romans 5 and verse 8, but God

370
00:21:43,970 --> 00:21:48,530
demonstrates his own love for
us in this, while we were still sinners,

371
00:21:48,850 --> 00:21:54,570
Christ died for us, even
though our default position in life

372
00:21:54,570 --> 00:21:57,890
is sin, because we're born in
it and we're shaped by it.

373
00:21:58,290 --> 00:22:03,150
God provides a way of rescue
and a way of hope for us.

374
00:22:04,110 --> 00:22:07,670
This way is only through
Christ who died taking on himself

375
00:22:07,670 --> 00:22:11,910
the punishment of death that
we deserve so that we can know the

376
00:22:11,910 --> 00:22:13,390
only way of salvation.

377
00:22:14,830 --> 00:22:22,110
This is what heals us from
pain and from anger and from hurt.

378
00:22:23,230 --> 00:22:28,500
Because we look to the Lord
Jesus to satisfy us rather than our

379
00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:32,460
own determination of always
being right.

380
00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:39,980
This was Pharaoh's problem and
this was Pharaoh's downfall.

381
00:22:40,860 --> 00:22:42,780
But it doesn't have to be yours.

382
00:22:43,500 --> 00:22:47,300
Pharaoh didn't learn from his
history, and generally speaking,

383
00:22:47,300 --> 00:22:49,980
humanity doesn't learn from
their history either.

384
00:22:50,220 --> 00:22:51,420
But you can.

385
00:22:52,300 --> 00:22:56,380
You can learn about the living
Lord Jesus, who calls you today to

386
00:22:56,380 --> 00:23:01,240
come to him for forgiveness so
that you may everlasting joy and

387
00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:02,520
eternal hope.

388
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:06,360
And so the ultimate question
today is, do you want that?

389
00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:10,360
My answer is I do.

390
00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:11,600
I want that.

391
00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:15,240
And I will continue to look to
Jesus as the only one who can give

392
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:16,920
me this joy and this hope.

393
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:22,200
So when I fall into sin, I
will seek his forgiveness.

394
00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:27,320
When I'm foolish and say and
do stupid things, I will trust in

395
00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:31,620
him to restore me as I seek
the forgiveness of those I have hurt.

396
00:23:32,420 --> 00:23:37,140
And when I'm hurt by the
actions of others, I will look to

397
00:23:37,140 --> 00:23:42,580
Jesus to strengthen me to
forgive and not wallow in self righteousness.

398
00:23:44,020 --> 00:23:45,460
Will you do the same?

399
00:23:47,380 --> 00:23:51,140
Because I believe what Paul
writes in 1st Timothy chapter 2 and

400
00:23:51,140 --> 00:23:51,940
verse 5.

401
00:23:52,340 --> 00:23:56,500
For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men.

402
00:23:57,150 --> 00:23:59,230
The man Christ Jesus.

403
00:24:00,030 --> 00:24:04,190
I only stand here this morning
before you because of Christ.

404
00:24:05,790 --> 00:24:11,150
The only way we can know that
cement cracked off our hardened hearts

405
00:24:12,030 --> 00:24:12,830
is Christ.

406
00:24:14,190 --> 00:24:18,270
The only way we can know the
forgiveness of our hurts and anger

407
00:24:18,270 --> 00:24:20,670
and foolishness is Christ.

408
00:24:21,870 --> 00:24:25,790
And the only way that we can
know reconciliation with God and

409
00:24:25,790 --> 00:24:28,760
with each other is Christ.

410
00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:36,280
Will you look to the mediator,
the one who gave his life for you,

411
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:42,120
so that your heart doesn't
continue to be hardened to an extent

412
00:24:42,839 --> 00:24:49,720
where forgiveness is
uncertain, but judgment more likely?

413
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:55,880
Will you look to the only one,
the mediator, the man Christ Jesus,

414
00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:02,080
to lift you out of the mire
and the bog and the weariness of

415
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:06,680
your soul so that you can find
rest in Him?

416
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:13,240
He is the only one before whom
we have a perfect plea where we cry,

417
00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,160
save us and he will rescue.

418
00:25:19,810 --> 00:25:26,210
So the plagues of Egypt, some
story to watch on a movie or to simply

419
00:25:26,210 --> 00:25:28,050
read and think that's it.

420
00:25:29,010 --> 00:25:32,170
Yet how much they challenge
and penetrate the very heart and

421
00:25:32,170 --> 00:25:36,610
soul causing us to look onto
Jesus, each and every one of us,

422
00:25:37,250 --> 00:25:41,410
so that each day we will be
certain of that hope and that joy

423
00:25:41,890 --> 00:25:47,100
that will see us through this
life, take us into the next.

424
00:25:49,980 --> 00:25:52,300
Do you want this?

425
00:25:54,540 --> 00:25:55,580
I hope you do.

426
00:25:56,380 --> 00:25:59,580
And the only answer is to come
to Jesus.

427
00:26:00,620 --> 00:26:01,420
Let's pray.

428
00:26:02,540 --> 00:26:07,100
Our Father, God, for your word
that happened, events that happened

429
00:26:07,100 --> 00:26:10,580
so long ago, we thank you that
they point us to the only one who

430
00:26:10,580 --> 00:26:11,660
can rescue us.

431
00:26:12,210 --> 00:26:14,050
May we not be like Pharaoh.

432
00:26:15,810 --> 00:26:20,090
May we not have hardened
hearts, hearts that are filled with

433
00:26:20,090 --> 00:26:25,250
resentments, hurt and anger
where we allow them to fester.

434
00:26:25,490 --> 00:26:27,330
That's not what you want for
your people.

435
00:26:27,970 --> 00:26:31,930
You want us to know joy and
you want us to know certainty of

436
00:26:31,930 --> 00:26:34,210
a glorious home in heaven.

437
00:26:35,250 --> 00:26:40,700
So, Father, help us to be more
like Christ, to look to him alone,

438
00:26:41,100 --> 00:26:42,700
to know him as our Savior.

439
00:26:43,020 --> 00:26:46,700
And from these obscure plagues
in Egypt that perhaps we've only

440
00:26:46,700 --> 00:26:51,260
casually looked at before, may
we know their true meaning, that

441
00:26:51,260 --> 00:26:55,020
it is only you who can rescue
us through the man, Jesus Christ,

442
00:26:55,500 --> 00:26:58,140
our only mediator and our only hope.

443
00:26:59,020 --> 00:27:03,020
So may we respond well by
placing our trust and faith in him.

444
00:27:03,020 --> 00:27:06,730
This day we pray in Jesus name.

445
00:27:07,530 --> 00:27:08,170
Amen.