1 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:17,600 I wonder, are you familiar with the words practice and habit? 2 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:24,000 Practice and habit are good friends because they talk about repetition 3 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,520 and particularly when we try to learn new skills. 4 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,520 And if you want to master a way of doing something well, you 5 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,620 need to be doing it regularly so that the practice becomes ingrained 6 00:00:34,620 --> 00:00:39,460 in your mind and it starts to become something that's natural for 7 00:00:39,460 --> 00:00:40,060 you to do. 8 00:00:41,100 --> 00:00:46,140 I remember when my father was learning to use a computer. 9 00:00:46,220 --> 00:00:50,300 He did this in his late 60s, sorry, late 50s. 10 00:00:50,380 --> 00:00:54,380 And in his early 60s, he attended classes and had a notebook 11 00:00:54,380 --> 00:00:56,540 of everything that he was supposed to do. 12 00:00:56,700 --> 00:01:00,100 He would sit down at the computer, at the desk, and he would 13 00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:04,280 try to repeat what he had learned the week before, but he wasn't 14 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:05,040 able to remember. 15 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,720 And so a holler would go up and I would be summoned. 16 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:15,000 And of course, I had the patience of a saint, or not to teach 17 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,720 my father the things that he hadn't learned. 18 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,880 And he admitted that he should have been sitting down at the computer 19 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,840 every day to practice what he had been taught. 20 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:31,160 Being in front of a computer was one thing, but put him back in 21 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,470 the bakery where he worked every day from four or half four 22 00:01:35,470 --> 00:01:35,990 in the morning. 23 00:01:36,310 --> 00:01:38,070 He didn't need a recipe book. 24 00:01:38,070 --> 00:01:40,550 He didn't even need to weigh out flour. 25 00:01:40,710 --> 00:01:46,390 He knew exactly what was needed baking day in and day out. 26 00:01:46,550 --> 00:01:50,390 He was so familiar with the job that he was doing that he boggled 27 00:01:50,390 --> 00:01:54,910 many with how he would do it without paper and how he would be 28 00:01:54,910 --> 00:01:58,430 able to just put flour and sugar together and make whatever 29 00:01:58,430 --> 00:01:59,910 he intended to make. 30 00:02:01,060 --> 00:02:05,140 Habit and repetition are good friends. 31 00:02:07,380 --> 00:02:11,540 And so whenever we practice things well, then they're embedded 32 00:02:11,540 --> 00:02:12,260 within us. 33 00:02:13,140 --> 00:02:16,380 We embed the skills and the knowledge we need to complete whatever 34 00:02:16,380 --> 00:02:18,180 job or task we're doing. 35 00:02:19,620 --> 00:02:24,900 And as we come to Exodus, we now have for a third time, a repetition. 36 00:02:25,870 --> 00:02:29,950 It's a repetition towards Moses and Aaron as to what they're 37 00:02:29,950 --> 00:02:31,070 called to do. 38 00:02:31,870 --> 00:02:37,070 God reminds them of the task before them going back to Egypt, 39 00:02:37,150 --> 00:02:40,390 so that they will fully comprehend just how important this 40 00:02:40,390 --> 00:02:41,070 job is. 41 00:02:41,790 --> 00:02:45,630 Verse 28 picks up the story that was left off from verse 12. 42 00:02:45,630 --> 00:02:49,190 Remember, it was interrupted by the genealogy of the family of 43 00:02:49,190 --> 00:02:49,630 Aaron. 44 00:02:49,790 --> 00:02:52,870 And that genealogy was important so that we would see the 45 00:02:52,870 --> 00:02:56,790 future purpose of Aaron and his family as the priests of Israel 46 00:02:56,790 --> 00:02:59,450 who would lead the people, people in the worship of God. 47 00:03:00,570 --> 00:03:04,050 And so now, as we come to the end of chapter six, we're told that 48 00:03:04,050 --> 00:03:09,050 the Lord speaks to Moses and tells him again how this rescue mission 49 00:03:09,050 --> 00:03:10,810 of the Israelites is going to work. 50 00:03:11,210 --> 00:03:13,050 And we're told in verse 29. 51 00:03:13,930 --> 00:03:16,490 God said to him, I am the Lord. 52 00:03:17,450 --> 00:03:21,690 Tell Pharaoh, King of Egypt, everything I tell you. 53 00:03:23,540 --> 00:03:27,060 In these simple words, Moses is reminded of the task that's set 54 00:03:27,060 --> 00:03:30,820 before him, the task that he's been called to by God. 55 00:03:31,220 --> 00:03:35,660 And in stating who he is, God is telling Moses two key bits of 56 00:03:35,660 --> 00:03:35,940 information. 57 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:40,100 He's already told him this before, but like all humanity, we 58 00:03:40,100 --> 00:03:41,140 need to be reminded. 59 00:03:41,780 --> 00:03:44,900 And so here he is, first of all, reminding Moses who he is. 60 00:03:45,860 --> 00:03:48,820 The Lord is the covenant God of his people. 61 00:03:49,620 --> 00:03:53,740 So all the fears of Moses can be put to rest as Moses puts his 62 00:03:53,740 --> 00:03:55,620 trust in the Lord Almighty. 63 00:03:56,740 --> 00:04:00,340 And so this is an important thing for Moses to remember. 64 00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:04,340 He needs to know that he's doing the Lord's work, not his own 65 00:04:04,340 --> 00:04:07,220 work, but the Lord's, and he can trust him. 66 00:04:07,540 --> 00:04:11,060 The second thing is that the Lord's reminding Moses here is that 67 00:04:11,060 --> 00:04:12,500 he is the only God. 68 00:04:13,060 --> 00:04:17,140 Pharaoh may consider himself divine, he may be worshipped by his 69 00:04:17,140 --> 00:04:19,739 people, but he is just a man. 70 00:04:20,699 --> 00:04:22,699 But God is the maker of all things. 71 00:04:23,499 --> 00:04:27,019 And it is God who is telling Pharaoh what to do. 72 00:04:28,619 --> 00:04:33,219 But this reminder only brings Moses back to his standard reply 73 00:04:33,219 --> 00:04:36,939 by way of excuse to God as to why he can't do this job. 74 00:04:37,579 --> 00:04:41,459 Moses sees himself as one unable to speak well, and now puts 75 00:04:41,459 --> 00:04:45,579 a question to God by way of reply in verse 30. 76 00:04:46,690 --> 00:04:49,730 But Moses said to the Lord, since I speak with. 77 00:04:49,730 --> 00:04:52,290 And here's this term again, faltering lips. 78 00:04:52,450 --> 00:04:56,130 And that was the excuse that he used back in chapter six. 79 00:04:56,290 --> 00:05:00,850 But now he extends it by posing a question, why would Pharaoh 80 00:05:00,930 --> 00:05:02,770 listen to me? 81 00:05:04,770 --> 00:05:08,290 See, it was in verse 12 that we heard of these faltering lips. 82 00:05:08,850 --> 00:05:12,370 But now Moses, based on his belief of his inability to communicate 83 00:05:12,370 --> 00:05:16,590 well, comes back to God questioning why Pharaoh would listen 84 00:05:16,590 --> 00:05:17,110 to him. 85 00:05:18,070 --> 00:05:22,350 And this faltering lips is perhaps a way of talking about not 86 00:05:22,350 --> 00:05:25,390 being able to string words together or getting so nervous not 87 00:05:25,390 --> 00:05:27,190 being able to get the words out that's needed. 88 00:05:27,270 --> 00:05:31,950 So the problem for Moses isn't really actually the words that God's 89 00:05:31,950 --> 00:05:34,630 asking him to say, because God will give him the words to say. 90 00:05:35,270 --> 00:05:38,150 The problem for Moses is he's not really listening to God. 91 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:44,400 And by not listening to God, then he's not trusting in God because 92 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,160 the Lord has assured Moses that he will give him all that he 93 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:47,440 needs. 94 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:53,520 But Moses focuses on his humanity rather than the Lord's authority 95 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,600 and poses the question that basically speaks of his inability 96 00:05:57,600 --> 00:05:58,480 to do the job. 97 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,400 But as we've seen throughout this story in these six chapters 98 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:09,840 so far, God is gracious and God is patient and he is this way 99 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:10,800 with Moses. 100 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,720 And as we come to verse one of chapter seven, we read the firmest 101 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,480 assurance from God yet of how he will use Moses. 102 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,800 And maybe as we read this verse, you'll be quite shocked at 103 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:22,560 what it says. 104 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:28,640 Then the Lord said to Moses, see, I have made you like God to 105 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,080 Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 106 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:35,920 Now, here's two categories that we know from Scripture. 107 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,240 And yes, a little bit later on in Scripture, perhaps, that really 108 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:40,960 we would question what God's doing here. 109 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,800 He's making Moses like God to Pharaoh. 110 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:50,120 And then he's making Aaron, who is going to be a priest, a prophet, 111 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,120 but not a prophet of God, a prophet of Moses. 112 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:58,800 And what's going on here is that the Lord is giving Moses a firm 113 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,400 answer to the question, why would Pharaoh listen to me? 114 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:08,400 And so this answer in verse one is, by God giving Moses divine 115 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:13,280 authority, Moses would be like God to Pharaoh. 116 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,920 In fact, the Bible is even more emphatic because what the Hebrew 117 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:21,040 literally says is not, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, but 118 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,800 I have made you God to Pharaoh. 119 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,960 Moses was God's representative, his chosen prophet. 120 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,880 So when he stood before Pharaoh's throne, he spoke with real 121 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:34,640 divine authority. 122 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,760 God himself was speaking and acting through Moses. 123 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,680 Now, this doesn't mean, of course, that Moses was divine. 124 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:44,960 He certainly wasn't. 125 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:46,720 There's only one God. 126 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,800 And Moses was simply his prophet, a man of flesh and blood. 127 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:56,000 Yet Moses did represent God before Pharaoh. 128 00:07:58,170 --> 00:08:01,850 And here's where we encounter a great mystery in this story with 129 00:08:01,850 --> 00:08:03,930 regards to our humanity. 130 00:08:05,210 --> 00:08:08,890 Because in his divine sovereign will, God has chosen human 131 00:08:08,890 --> 00:08:12,090 instruments to carry out his divine work. 132 00:08:12,730 --> 00:08:16,010 This was God's plan for the human race from the very beginning, 133 00:08:16,250 --> 00:08:18,890 when Adam and Eve were commissioned to rule over the world 134 00:08:18,890 --> 00:08:19,930 that God had made. 135 00:08:20,730 --> 00:08:23,810 And since our first parents were created in God's image, His 136 00:08:23,810 --> 00:08:26,330 deity was expressed in their humanity. 137 00:08:26,490 --> 00:08:30,550 And so they were capable of representing God to the world. 138 00:08:31,750 --> 00:08:33,790 Now, they didn't do that very well. 139 00:08:33,790 --> 00:08:36,310 Whenever we look back at Genesis 3. 140 00:08:37,990 --> 00:08:41,430 But as we move on to Moses, we see that he has the same responsibility 141 00:08:41,430 --> 00:08:41,790 here. 142 00:08:41,790 --> 00:08:44,910 He was not God, but he was God to Pharaoh. 143 00:08:44,910 --> 00:08:46,470 He spoke with divine authority. 144 00:08:47,830 --> 00:08:52,830 And whenever we are in that relationship with Jesus Christ, we 145 00:08:52,830 --> 00:08:56,310 must understand that we are not only saved by his grace for all 146 00:08:56,310 --> 00:09:01,630 eternity, but we are instruments in his hands, just like 147 00:09:01,710 --> 00:09:02,350 Moses. 148 00:09:03,710 --> 00:09:06,630 We have the ability to bring the good news of the gospel. 149 00:09:06,630 --> 00:09:10,830 The good news that Moses was bringing for the people to be rescued. 150 00:09:11,230 --> 00:09:13,910 Yes, it was a message that would be ignored, but it was still 151 00:09:13,910 --> 00:09:14,510 good news. 152 00:09:16,190 --> 00:09:19,350 And so in Christ, we become instruments. 153 00:09:19,350 --> 00:09:22,910 And that's what we're told later in the New Testament, that 154 00:09:23,310 --> 00:09:26,870 we're his workmanship created for good works that he has planned 155 00:09:26,870 --> 00:09:27,470 in advance. 156 00:09:28,810 --> 00:09:30,650 God does have a work for us to do. 157 00:09:30,650 --> 00:09:31,610 Does he need us? 158 00:09:32,010 --> 00:09:32,330 No. 159 00:09:32,330 --> 00:09:33,010 He is divine. 160 00:09:33,010 --> 00:09:33,850 He is sovereign. 161 00:09:33,930 --> 00:09:36,250 He will not give away any of his glory. 162 00:09:37,050 --> 00:09:42,530 But he chooses to use us so that in our humanity we can be his 163 00:09:42,530 --> 00:09:43,969 instruments to the world around us. 164 00:09:43,969 --> 00:09:46,170 And I wonder, do we take that seriously enough? 165 00:09:48,010 --> 00:09:51,010 We haven't got quite there yet to the end of the month where we'll 166 00:09:51,010 --> 00:09:54,100 start seeing on television all those programs of what happened in 167 00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:55,940 the year that has gone by. 168 00:09:56,500 --> 00:09:59,500 But I've started to think about it because I've had to write 169 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:01,700 a few bits and pieces for different things. 170 00:10:01,780 --> 00:10:03,300 I've been forced to think back. 171 00:10:04,420 --> 00:10:08,140 And it not surprise you that the mission was the big thing to 172 00:10:08,140 --> 00:10:08,700 look back to. 173 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:11,900 But not just a week of mission, but what lay before it and 174 00:10:11,900 --> 00:10:13,140 what happened after it. 175 00:10:13,700 --> 00:10:17,820 And how God used us, whether we realize it or not, but how God 176 00:10:17,820 --> 00:10:21,610 used each and every one of us to be his instruments in this place. 177 00:10:23,450 --> 00:10:29,610 Now God just doesn't use us as and when he calls us to serve him 178 00:10:30,410 --> 00:10:31,610 every day that we live. 179 00:10:32,490 --> 00:10:36,810 And so the challenge here is this great mystery that God has chosen 180 00:10:36,810 --> 00:10:41,010 his people, those found in Jesus Christ, to be instruments to 181 00:10:41,010 --> 00:10:42,410 carry out his divine work. 182 00:10:43,290 --> 00:10:45,370 My question this morning is, are we seeing that? 183 00:10:46,850 --> 00:10:48,090 Do we see that in our homes? 184 00:10:48,090 --> 00:10:49,690 Do we see that in our places of work? 185 00:10:49,690 --> 00:10:54,450 Because we cannot detach our faith from some other aspect of life. 186 00:10:54,770 --> 00:10:55,730 It is all one. 187 00:10:56,290 --> 00:10:59,450 And we are called to be his instruments wherever he has placed 188 00:10:59,450 --> 00:10:59,730 us. 189 00:11:01,570 --> 00:11:02,410 Well, moving on. 190 00:11:02,410 --> 00:11:06,450 Thinking about how Moses was made God to Pharaoh. 191 00:11:06,450 --> 00:11:09,490 One way that Pharaoh would recognize Moses divine authority 192 00:11:09,810 --> 00:11:11,810 was that Moses had his own prophet. 193 00:11:12,500 --> 00:11:15,620 And so the second half of verse one tells us that when Moses 194 00:11:15,620 --> 00:11:19,540 told Pharaoh to let God's people go, Aaron would do the talking. 195 00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:22,420 He was the prophet's prophet. 196 00:11:22,740 --> 00:11:25,580 And a prophet is someone who speaks on someone else's behalf. 197 00:11:25,580 --> 00:11:28,740 And Aaron spoke for Moses, just as Moses spoke for God. 198 00:11:28,900 --> 00:11:32,060 And earlier, God had made Aaron a prophet to the Israelites. 199 00:11:32,060 --> 00:11:36,060 He said to Moses in chapter four, in verses 15 and 16, you shall 200 00:11:36,060 --> 00:11:38,660 speak to him that is iron and put words in his mouth. 201 00:11:39,070 --> 00:11:42,910 I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 202 00:11:43,070 --> 00:11:47,030 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he 203 00:11:47,030 --> 00:11:50,670 were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 204 00:11:51,870 --> 00:11:55,230 And so now, in addition to speaking to the Israelites, Aaron 205 00:11:55,230 --> 00:11:58,750 would be speaking to Pharaoh who immediately would have understood 206 00:11:58,750 --> 00:11:59,630 what this meant. 207 00:12:00,510 --> 00:12:04,710 Pharaoh's own custom was to have a spokesperson issue all of 208 00:12:04,710 --> 00:12:05,550 his commands. 209 00:12:06,430 --> 00:12:10,030 This preserved a sense of distance between himself and his 210 00:12:10,030 --> 00:12:14,910 people and so reminded them of his supposed divine status. 211 00:12:15,550 --> 00:12:19,230 So when Moses spoke to him through Aaron, he would have recognized 212 00:12:19,230 --> 00:12:23,550 that Moses was claiming divine authority not on his own merit, of 213 00:12:23,550 --> 00:12:23,670 course. 214 00:12:23,670 --> 00:12:26,310 Pharaoh wouldn't have realized that, but because God had given it 215 00:12:26,310 --> 00:12:26,750 to him. 216 00:12:27,390 --> 00:12:31,950 And so now in chapter seven, verse two, we have the confirmation 217 00:12:31,950 --> 00:12:33,310 that the message is simple. 218 00:12:33,770 --> 00:12:38,090 They are to go to Pharaoh and Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let God's 219 00:12:38,090 --> 00:12:39,850 people leave Egypt. 220 00:12:41,050 --> 00:12:44,690 But we're reminded of how this is going to play out, because from 221 00:12:44,690 --> 00:12:48,970 a human perspective, it will look like a defiant Pharaoh who is 222 00:12:48,970 --> 00:12:50,170 in charge of everything. 223 00:12:50,890 --> 00:12:55,570 But from a divine perspective, we see God in charge, as he says 224 00:12:55,570 --> 00:12:59,250 in verse three, but I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though 225 00:12:59,250 --> 00:13:03,880 I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, and he will 226 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:05,320 not listen to you. 227 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:06,840 And in fact, this is the case. 228 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:12,200 Pharaoh will not listen to Moses and Aaron, because at the very 229 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:16,520 end, it is Pharaoh who will go to them, having witnessed God's miraculous 230 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,840 works, and tell them to leave. 231 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,560 So Pharaoh's heart will be hardened right to the very end, because 232 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,520 God will be in control of the entire situation. 233 00:13:29,260 --> 00:13:33,620 And he's telling Moses what to expect from the great conflict that 234 00:13:33,620 --> 00:13:34,540 is about to begin. 235 00:13:35,660 --> 00:13:39,780 But God will be the one who will act to bring the freedom of 236 00:13:39,780 --> 00:13:40,300 his people. 237 00:13:40,780 --> 00:13:44,420 And in doing so, the Egyptians will know the God as the Lord Almighty. 238 00:13:44,420 --> 00:13:47,900 Now this doesn't mean that they will become believers in him. 239 00:13:48,300 --> 00:13:51,140 They'll not believe in him as their savior, but they will recognize 240 00:13:51,140 --> 00:13:56,750 his authority and his power over their divinity, over their Pharaoh. 241 00:13:57,790 --> 00:14:01,230 And verses 6 and 7 simply tell us that Moses and Aaron did as the 242 00:14:01,230 --> 00:14:02,150 Lord had commanded them. 243 00:14:02,150 --> 00:14:04,590 And highlights that these are not young men. 244 00:14:05,230 --> 00:14:09,230 They are now in their 80s and are going out to face a much younger 245 00:14:09,230 --> 00:14:09,550 man. 246 00:14:10,430 --> 00:14:13,790 But they go in the power of the Lord. 247 00:14:15,390 --> 00:14:16,270 Isn't it wonderful? 248 00:14:16,270 --> 00:14:18,430 There's no retirement from the Lord's service. 249 00:14:19,150 --> 00:14:24,120 Just in case anyone was getting any ideas, we tell ourselves 250 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,200 when we're young, age is but a number. 251 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:33,440 Well, here in Exodus 7 it's proved an 80 and an 83 year old going 252 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,320 into the greatest throne room the world knew at that time to meet 253 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,160 the world's superpower. 254 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:45,000 But not in their own strength, in their 80s, in the Lord's strength. 255 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:50,480 And so the scene now changes from that conversation with God to 256 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,640 now being in the palace of Pharaoh. 257 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,920 And before they go to meet with the Egyptian king, God gets 258 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:57,360 them ready for what is coming. 259 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,280 God knows that Pharaoh will ask for a demonstration of their 260 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,880 authority, But Moses has already been prepared for this. 261 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:09,040 Back in Exodus 4, just after the burning bush, when Moses questioned 262 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:13,120 God about whether he would be believed or not by the people, God 263 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,440 commanded him to throw his staff to the ground and it became 264 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:16,960 a snake. 265 00:15:18,070 --> 00:15:22,350 Now the same sign will be used, but it will have deep meaning 266 00:15:22,350 --> 00:15:26,270 in its display, because verse 10 gives us a summary of the meeting 267 00:15:26,270 --> 00:15:27,110 with Pharaoh. 268 00:15:27,350 --> 00:15:29,910 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord 269 00:15:29,910 --> 00:15:30,550 commanded. 270 00:15:30,550 --> 00:15:33,589 Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, 271 00:15:33,990 --> 00:15:35,910 and it became a snake. 272 00:15:37,110 --> 00:15:42,150 The serpent was the symbol of Pharaoh's authority, and so the staff 273 00:15:42,230 --> 00:15:46,150 that became a snake was a direct attack on his sovereignty. 274 00:15:47,030 --> 00:15:50,310 Pharaoh apparently sensed that some kind of challenge was coming 275 00:15:50,390 --> 00:15:53,030 because he asked Moses and Aaron to perform a miracle. 276 00:15:53,270 --> 00:15:55,830 And they were claiming divine authority over him. 277 00:15:56,070 --> 00:15:59,670 So in order to check their credentials, Pharaoh demanded that 278 00:15:59,670 --> 00:15:59,990 sign. 279 00:16:01,830 --> 00:16:06,350 And you know, there's something here for humanity as we 280 00:16:06,350 --> 00:16:07,110 read on in this. 281 00:16:07,110 --> 00:16:12,670 Because signs are asked for all the time, and not mainly by God's 282 00:16:12,670 --> 00:16:17,240 people, unbelievers often ask God to perform a miracle. 283 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,360 They say that they're willing to believe if only God will show 284 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:23,160 them some kind of sign. 285 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,400 And in many ways, they're simply repeating what we read in 286 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,320 Matthew chapter 12 and verse 38, when the Pharisees came to Jesus 287 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,600 and said, teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you. 288 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:39,640 It wasn't wrong for Pharaoh to make such a request for a miraculous 289 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:39,960 sign. 290 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,960 And strangely enough, he seemed to understand the true purpose 291 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:44,440 of divine miracles. 292 00:16:45,310 --> 00:16:51,110 But God doesn't perform random acts of his omnipotence, but instead 293 00:16:51,110 --> 00:16:56,630 displays his miraculous power in order to confirm his word and 294 00:16:56,630 --> 00:16:58,510 the truth of his word. 295 00:16:59,230 --> 00:17:01,590 And this was true in the Old Testament prophets who performed 296 00:17:01,590 --> 00:17:05,430 signs and wonders to prove that they were men who spoke from 297 00:17:05,430 --> 00:17:05,870 God. 298 00:17:06,590 --> 00:17:10,670 And in this particular case, Moses and Aaron claimed to be God's 299 00:17:10,670 --> 00:17:13,390 ambassadors, divinely commissioned to tell Pharaoh to let 300 00:17:13,390 --> 00:17:14,430 God's people go. 301 00:17:15,169 --> 00:17:18,889 And the obvious way for them to authenticate their claim was to 302 00:17:18,889 --> 00:17:21,009 perform this miraculous sign. 303 00:17:22,689 --> 00:17:27,089 But Pharaoh's servants immediately imitate this sign. 304 00:17:27,329 --> 00:17:30,769 And these servants are described to us as wise men and sorcerers 305 00:17:30,769 --> 00:17:33,169 and are described generally as magicians. 306 00:17:33,729 --> 00:17:35,569 But how do they perform the sign? 307 00:17:36,769 --> 00:17:39,329 Aaron's act is truly miraculous. 308 00:17:40,780 --> 00:17:45,620 But as for how the sorcerer priests initiate or imitate it, their 309 00:17:45,620 --> 00:17:48,780 imitation is performed either by means of illicit supernatural 310 00:17:48,780 --> 00:17:53,460 powers or by some sleight of hand or snake charming methods that 311 00:17:53,460 --> 00:17:57,100 make serpents stiff like rods, and then enliven them by throwing 312 00:17:57,100 --> 00:17:58,460 them onto the ground. 313 00:17:59,420 --> 00:18:04,540 However they do this imitation, it accomplishes what Pharaoh 314 00:18:04,540 --> 00:18:05,020 wants. 315 00:18:05,180 --> 00:18:08,620 The sorcerer priests present themselves as using their secret 316 00:18:08,620 --> 00:18:11,540 arts to access the powers of the Egyptian gods. 317 00:18:12,180 --> 00:18:16,100 And this makes the events of verse 12 even more significant, because 318 00:18:16,100 --> 00:18:19,140 we're told that each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. 319 00:18:19,460 --> 00:18:23,140 But iron staff swallowed up their staffs. 320 00:18:23,620 --> 00:18:28,180 And so, because staffs or sticks represent power and authority, 321 00:18:28,180 --> 00:18:32,860 this act shows that the Lord has superiority over the sorcerer 322 00:18:32,860 --> 00:18:36,100 priests and any Egyptian gods thought to empower them. 323 00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:40,820 Nonetheless, Pharaoh's heart continues in its stubborn rebellion, 324 00:18:41,140 --> 00:18:44,780 and he will not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord 325 00:18:44,780 --> 00:18:45,300 had warned. 326 00:18:46,260 --> 00:18:51,100 What we're told is that yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he 327 00:18:51,100 --> 00:18:55,540 would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 328 00:18:56,100 --> 00:19:00,220 And so when Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs, it was 329 00:19:00,220 --> 00:19:04,500 obvious that the God of Israel had supreme power over all the gods 330 00:19:04,500 --> 00:19:05,220 of Egypt. 331 00:19:05,770 --> 00:19:10,170 It was obvious to everyone, that is, except Pharaoh. 332 00:19:11,770 --> 00:19:16,170 What Pharaoh should have done was to get down from his throne and 333 00:19:16,170 --> 00:19:19,290 begin to worship the one true God. 334 00:19:20,090 --> 00:19:24,890 He had heard God's word and seen God's sign, and yet the only 335 00:19:24,890 --> 00:19:27,410 proper response was to fall down at God's feet. 336 00:19:27,410 --> 00:19:28,410 But he didn't do it. 337 00:19:28,730 --> 00:19:33,750 And the reason why Pharaoh didn't do this was because of a spiritual 338 00:19:33,750 --> 00:19:35,230 condition of his heart. 339 00:19:35,790 --> 00:19:38,110 It was a spiritual cardiac condition. 340 00:19:38,910 --> 00:19:41,470 His heart was hard. 341 00:19:42,430 --> 00:19:45,870 His heart was insensitive to true spiritual influences. 342 00:19:46,750 --> 00:19:50,350 It was not warmed his heart by love for God. 343 00:19:50,350 --> 00:19:53,310 It was in fact controlled by love of self. 344 00:19:55,150 --> 00:19:58,310 He had a heart that was neither sorry for sin nor willing 345 00:19:58,310 --> 00:19:58,830 to change. 346 00:19:59,950 --> 00:20:02,830 And so Pharaoh's heart could easily be described as being hard 347 00:20:02,910 --> 00:20:04,110 all the way through. 348 00:20:05,710 --> 00:20:09,470 And Pharaoh's hardness of heart is a warning to anyone who 349 00:20:09,470 --> 00:20:14,430 has witnessed God's power, but refuses to believe and receive God's 350 00:20:14,430 --> 00:20:14,830 grace. 351 00:20:15,710 --> 00:20:19,870 Few people have ever seen the miracles that Pharaoh had seen that 352 00:20:19,870 --> 00:20:21,470 demonstrated the power of God. 353 00:20:22,030 --> 00:20:26,190 He even had the opportunity to test that power by demanding a miracle. 354 00:20:27,060 --> 00:20:31,700 But even when God passed Pharaoh's test, Pharaoh still wouldn't 355 00:20:31,700 --> 00:20:32,020 believe. 356 00:20:33,220 --> 00:20:36,700 He was the kind of man who always acts as if God is the one 357 00:20:36,700 --> 00:20:40,660 who needs to be weighed in the balance, who has something to prove. 358 00:20:41,860 --> 00:20:45,460 He was like the atheist who was asked what he would say if he 359 00:20:45,460 --> 00:20:49,140 turned out to be wrong and really did have to meet God face 360 00:20:49,140 --> 00:20:50,500 to face for judgment. 361 00:20:51,380 --> 00:20:55,410 The atheist thought for a moment and then said, I would say, 362 00:20:55,890 --> 00:20:58,930 not enough evidence, Lord, not enough evidence. 363 00:20:59,890 --> 00:21:04,130 In other words, the atheist would blame God for not providing 364 00:21:04,370 --> 00:21:06,930 sufficient evidence to make Him a Christian. 365 00:21:07,890 --> 00:21:12,370 But God has given us sufficient evidence and that evidence 366 00:21:12,370 --> 00:21:14,250 is all around us so that we may know Him. 367 00:21:14,250 --> 00:21:16,770 So don't tell me that he hasn't made Himself known. 368 00:21:17,090 --> 00:21:19,010 Don't tell me that he's uncaring. 369 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:21,360 Don't tell me that he doesn't exist. 370 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:26,000 God has given us everything we need to believe in him through His 371 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,040 Son, Jesus Christ. 372 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:30,400 It's the very reason that we celebrate Christmas. 373 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:34,200 And so all of a sudden this ancient text from Exodus becomes 374 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,960 an Advent one because it points us to the One whom God did 375 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,960 send so that our hearts would not be hard like Pharaoh's. 376 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:45,640 God has not left us guessing about how much he has done to make 377 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:46,400 Himself known. 378 00:21:47,230 --> 00:21:49,790 Jesus came and was born in human form. 379 00:21:50,270 --> 00:21:52,590 In the words of the hymn by Charles Wesley. 380 00:21:52,590 --> 00:21:55,070 Our God contracted to a span. 381 00:21:56,190 --> 00:22:03,110 The Maker of the universe becomes that he demonstrated the 382 00:22:03,110 --> 00:22:07,270 power of God as recorded in the Gospels, and He died an innocent 383 00:22:07,270 --> 00:22:07,510 death. 384 00:22:07,510 --> 00:22:10,670 But he rose again, proving victory over death and the grave, 385 00:22:10,830 --> 00:22:14,110 and now sits at the Father's right hand in heaven. 386 00:22:14,570 --> 00:22:16,810 And the question is, what more do you need? 387 00:22:18,410 --> 00:22:21,690 God has already provided more than enough evidence to persuade 388 00:22:21,690 --> 00:22:23,290 anyone to trust in Him. 389 00:22:23,690 --> 00:22:26,810 The beauty of his glory is declared in the heavens, as the psalmist 390 00:22:26,810 --> 00:22:27,370 writes. 391 00:22:27,690 --> 00:22:30,850 The gift of his grace is published in His Word, the very word 392 00:22:30,850 --> 00:22:32,410 that we have in front of us this morning. 393 00:22:33,050 --> 00:22:35,610 And the power of his love is shown through his people. 394 00:22:35,610 --> 00:22:39,570 They may not get it always right, but God's love grows deeper 395 00:22:39,570 --> 00:22:41,210 than the sum of their mistakes. 396 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,360 Anyone who has not yet believed in Jesus Christ cannot honestly 397 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:49,600 say that God has provided insufficient evidence. 398 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:53,200 The real problem is not intellectual. 399 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:57,440 The real problem is spiritual. 400 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,280 What is needed is a change of heart. 401 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:09,310 Hardness of heart Hearts is a cardiac condition that can only be 402 00:23:09,310 --> 00:23:13,390 treated by a complete transplant in which the hard old 403 00:23:13,390 --> 00:23:18,670 heart is replaced with a soft new one that is made righteous by 404 00:23:18,670 --> 00:23:19,070 grace. 405 00:23:22,590 --> 00:23:27,430 This morning, as I ask myself, I ask each and every one of us to 406 00:23:27,430 --> 00:23:29,390 look into our hearts. 407 00:23:30,270 --> 00:23:33,270 Oh, we know them to be the organ that beats and pumps the blood 408 00:23:33,270 --> 00:23:33,550 around. 409 00:23:33,950 --> 00:23:38,460 We see them on Valentine's Day's card as those big red heart 410 00:23:38,540 --> 00:23:39,500 shaped things. 411 00:23:40,700 --> 00:23:45,500 But I'm talking about not your physical heart, your spiritual heart, 412 00:23:46,860 --> 00:23:50,980 the one where we are to know God and to know that he has given 413 00:23:50,980 --> 00:23:51,740 us everything. 414 00:23:51,900 --> 00:23:57,660 We need to take away that hardness and to live only for Him. 415 00:23:59,340 --> 00:24:02,860 You see, if we're all honest with ourselves, unbeliever and believer 416 00:24:02,860 --> 00:24:08,100 alike, there's a bit of hardness in us all and we need to 417 00:24:08,100 --> 00:24:09,060 have that dealt with. 418 00:24:09,140 --> 00:24:12,620 We're to come before the Lord and we are to seek him so that we 419 00:24:12,620 --> 00:24:16,740 can know his forgiveness and we can know his healing. 420 00:24:17,700 --> 00:24:20,540 That is why we celebrate Christmas. 421 00:24:20,540 --> 00:24:23,380 As I shared with midweek on Wednesday night, one of the things 422 00:24:23,380 --> 00:24:26,540 that blew me away last year thinking about all of this was indeed 423 00:24:26,540 --> 00:24:30,380 that very line that I've just quoted, that our God contracted to 424 00:24:30,380 --> 00:24:30,980 a span. 425 00:24:31,140 --> 00:24:36,450 How hard was it for God to fit himself in human form as a baby and 426 00:24:36,450 --> 00:24:37,530 then even as a man? 427 00:24:38,330 --> 00:24:39,610 Yet he did it for us. 428 00:24:41,050 --> 00:24:46,130 He took himself and he poured himself into this human frame so 429 00:24:46,130 --> 00:24:47,210 that he would come near. 430 00:24:48,170 --> 00:24:49,210 And he is near. 431 00:24:50,250 --> 00:24:54,810 He is near to heal our broken hearts, to soften the hardness, to 432 00:24:54,810 --> 00:25:00,010 take away the arrogance so that we can live perfectly for him 433 00:25:00,820 --> 00:25:01,780 in all eternity. 434 00:25:02,660 --> 00:25:07,260 You see, the work that God does in our hearts is an eternal 435 00:25:07,260 --> 00:25:07,540 work. 436 00:25:08,180 --> 00:25:12,420 It's a work that will keep us now and forevermore. 437 00:25:13,780 --> 00:25:18,980 One of the verses that I often read at sad moments in Life is John 438 00:25:18,980 --> 00:25:23,140 14:1 where we're told, do not let your hearts be troubled. 439 00:25:23,140 --> 00:25:25,700 Jesus says, trust in God. 440 00:25:26,420 --> 00:25:28,340 Trust also in me. 441 00:25:30,100 --> 00:25:31,860 Our hearts need attention. 442 00:25:33,140 --> 00:25:36,500 And when we look at them and when we inspect for that hardness 443 00:25:36,980 --> 00:25:40,940 that is displayed to us in scripture in Pharaoh's heart, we 444 00:25:40,940 --> 00:25:42,180 need to know what to do. 445 00:25:43,140 --> 00:25:47,540 And we are told that we're not to let our hearts be troubled, but 446 00:25:47,540 --> 00:25:49,060 to believe in God. 447 00:25:49,220 --> 00:25:53,630 Trust in God and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. 448 00:25:54,590 --> 00:25:58,030 He's the one who's done it all so that our hearts can be healed, 449 00:25:58,750 --> 00:26:02,990 our hearts can be restored, and we can be his forever. 450 00:26:04,510 --> 00:26:05,710 You don't need to go to the hospital. 451 00:26:06,350 --> 00:26:07,789 You don't need to go to the doctor. 452 00:26:08,750 --> 00:26:12,390 You need to come before the Lord, the true Great Physician of 453 00:26:12,390 --> 00:26:13,070 our souls. 454 00:26:13,950 --> 00:26:16,470 And indeed when we cry out to him, he will heal us. 455 00:26:16,470 --> 00:26:18,350 So what are you waiting for? 456 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,600 Are you think you're going to stand on the day and say, lord, you 457 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:23,760 didn't give me enough evidence? 458 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:25,600 Because that won't wash. 459 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:31,840 He is looking heart change now as we trust in him, not letting our 460 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:35,840 hearts be troubled by the weight of this world, but knowing 461 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:38,160 him as the One who indeed will see us through. 462 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:40,000 Let me pray. 463 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,200 Our Father God, we thank you for your word that takes us this 464 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,380 day causes us to inspect who we are deep within. 465 00:26:49,420 --> 00:26:53,380 And we are a people who need you because we are people who have 466 00:26:53,380 --> 00:26:57,260 rejected you time and again we've gone after our own ways. 467 00:26:57,260 --> 00:27:00,580 And so in our own arrogance, we have thought ourselves better 468 00:27:00,580 --> 00:27:01,180 than you. 469 00:27:02,220 --> 00:27:03,980 So Father, forgive us for our sins. 470 00:27:05,340 --> 00:27:06,940 Forgive us for our waywardness. 471 00:27:07,420 --> 00:27:09,740 The hardness of hearts that we have. 472 00:27:11,030 --> 00:27:13,830 And Lord, may we come to Christ and to trust in him alone, 473 00:27:13,830 --> 00:27:16,710 as we trust in you, so that our hearts will not be troubled. 474 00:27:17,910 --> 00:27:20,270 And Father, for those who might think they have the argument 475 00:27:20,270 --> 00:27:22,630 that there's not enough evidence yet. 476 00:27:23,350 --> 00:27:24,870 Father, you've given us all we need. 477 00:27:25,510 --> 00:27:28,950 It's simply one more excuse because it tells our true spiritual 478 00:27:28,950 --> 00:27:31,670 state that we really don't want to submit to your way. 479 00:27:33,110 --> 00:27:35,870 So, Father, convict us and change our hearts. 480 00:27:35,870 --> 00:27:39,320 That indeed we will love Christ more, we will trust him more, 481 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:42,560 and we will have that wonderful assurance of being saved 482 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:43,960 for all eternity. 483 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,800 So, Father, hear us as we pray and as we respond. 484 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,040 In Jesus name, amen.