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We turn to Exodus, chapter 11
and those 10 verses.

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And this morning, we come to
the final plague upon Egypt, the

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death of the firstborn in all
the land.

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And these 10 verses of chapter
11 give us an overview of the message

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given to Moses, but also tells
us the response of Pharaoh.

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Now, we don't actually hear
from Pharaoh, but we're given a brief

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report of how he responds.

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This is now the moment when
Israel gets ready to leave Egypt

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after 400 years and make their
way out into the desert and into

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the wilderness.

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Now, so far, Pharaoh and the
Egyptians have faced the water being

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turned into blood, making it
completely unusable for everything

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that they needed.

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And remember, they worshiped
the Nile.

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They believed it to be a deity
and a source of life.

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And what do you do when that
source of life becomes unusable?

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And so even the first plague
was a huge shift in the mindset for

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these Egyptians.

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Then came the plague of frogs,
the amphibian that the Egyptians

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worshipped as their deity for childbirth.

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How their society kept going.

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And all of a sudden, these
frogs were everywhere, making a mockery

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of the one they worshipped.

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Then came the gnats, leading
Pharaoh's magicians to declare that

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it was an act of God.

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And remember, these magicians
couldn't do anything to stop them.

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They could only add to the troubles.

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And initially, this was a
demonstration of their power.

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Well, we can do what your God
can do.

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But as they went on, well, no,
we don't want more of these problems.

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We want less.

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But these magicians of Pharaoh
could never, could never do away

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with them.

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And so they had to declare
that it was an act from God.

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The fourth plague brought
flies on the land that covered everything

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except the land of Goshen,
where the Israelites lived.

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And here was God making that
distinction between his people whom

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he would rescue, and the
Egyptians who had enslaved them.

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Then came the plague on the
livestock, crippling the economy

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and the food chain.

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And again, worship of a sacred animal.

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The sixth plague was the
plague of boils that broke out on

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humans and animals.

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And this was the last time we
heard from Pharaoh's magicians.

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They couldn't do anything more.

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They had had enough.

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The next two plagues hit the
harvest of the land with the heel,

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decimating the flax and barley
crops, and then the locusts devouring

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the wheat and the spelt, along
with the trees and fruit crops.

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Egypt was the breadbasket for
the region.

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That's why Israel went in the
first place.

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And now what they based their
power on was completely gone.

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It's probably the ninth plague
that was the most hurtful of all

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and the most fearful of all to
the Egyptians, because the ninth

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plague brought darkness on the
land, not only defying the sun, which

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the Egyptians worshipped as
the greatest of all gods in creation,

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but it also meant that they
couldn't do anything for three whole

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days walking around in the
darkness, unable to work, unable

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to really communicate well
with those around them.

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This darkness brought fear
into the land.

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But in all these plagues of
punishment brought on Egypt, no matter

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how bad it was going, no
matter how much the economy was tanking

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and people were starting to grumble.

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Pharaoh, the king of Egypt,
the ruler of all his people, refused

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to let the children of Israel go.

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If only he had, the plagues
would have stopped.

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And so now we come to the
final and most impactful plague,

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that of the death of the firstborn.

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Now, I want to just say
something here, because in our modern

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society, we can become a
little bit uncomfortable that this

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would be one of the plagues,
that this would actually be a punishment.

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And yet isn't that the eternal
punishment that falls on those who

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do not receive Christ?

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And so what we're seeing here,
as we've seen throughout these plagues

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in Exodus, is, is a
foreshadowing of what is to come

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for all those who reject what
God requires of us, requiring us

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to worship him as our true God.

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And today, in these New
Testament times, through his son,

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Jesus Christ.

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See, the punishment of our sin
is death, but the gift of God is

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eternal life.

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Pharaoh refused God.

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He decided he was better, and
he never changed.

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And so his punishment would
come, as is the punishment of those

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who reject God.

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It is death.

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Eternal death.

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Now, I remember watching the
1956 epic by Cecil B. DeMille, the

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Ten Commandments, starring
Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner,

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and it ran for three hours and
40 minutes.

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It is the epic.

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I have thought about watching
it again, but I just haven't had

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the time in this series.

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And it told the story of
Israel's exodus from Egypt.

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And I can't remember much
about how it started, but it took

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the audience from the first
finding of Moses in the bulrushes

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on the Nile and concluded with
Moses receiving the two tablets of

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stone containing the Ten Commandments.

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But the scene I remember most
in the middle of the film was the

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angel of the shadow of death
that moved through the land on the

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night of the Exodus.

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Exodus, that first Passover.

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The scene was dark, but the
scene was silent.

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And the camera focuses on one
Egyptian official running through

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the streets as this cloud of
smoke, that was the best way DeMille

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could could picture it.

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This cloud of smoke came
behind him, quite literally enveloping

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everything that it passed.

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And eventually the silence is
broken as cries and wails go up as

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the Egyptian households
discover the death of their firstborn

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sons.

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The Hebrew families are all
gathered in their homes, sharing

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the Passover meal, waiting for
the time to leave, waiting for that

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moment of redemption.

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And darkness had once again
come over the land of Egypt.

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We saw that darkness for three
days in the ninth plague.

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But here in the tenth plague,
it would come on the land of Egypt,

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and God's punishment on a
sinful people would be complete.

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Now, this image is the
outworking of what we're told in

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chapter 11, because chapter 11
is simply that similar format we're

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used to, where Moses is told,
and he then passes it on to Pharaoh

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so that Pharaoh might have the
opportunity to do the right thing

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and let God's people go.

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And so, after these long weeks
of plagues, the final one is communicated.

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And God is exact and precise
in revealing it to Moses.

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And he says in verses 4 and 5,
this is what the Lord says, about

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midnight, I will go throughout Egypt.

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Every firstborn son in Egypt
will die, from the firstborn son

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of Pharaoh who sits on the
throne, to the firstborn son of the

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slave girl who is at her hand
mill, and all the firstborn of the

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cattle as well.

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So verse four picks up where
we left off at the end of chapter

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10.

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Remember, Moses said he would
never see Pharaoh's face again, but

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yet he has to communicate this
to Pharaoh.

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So we believe that it follows
on from where we left there in chapter

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10.

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And Moses declares to Pharaoh
this final announcement of judgment.

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And in the middle of the
night, the Lord will go out into

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the midst of Egypt and.

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And all the firstborn will die.

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And this will happen at all
levels of Egyptian society, from

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Pharaoh's firstborn to the
slaves, firstborn into livestock

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as well as people.

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All Egypt will experience this
judgment in one way or another.

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And a cry of unprecedented
suffering will be heard throughout

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the land, as verse six
confirms to us.

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Now, the word cry here is in
fact the very term used to give the

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expression to Israel's misery
under Egyptian enslavement in Exodus

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3.

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This is the cry the Lord God
heard from his suffering people.

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And it will now be echoed as a
cry of punishment on the Egyptians.

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The only ones accepted will be
the Israelites, who will face no

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hardship.

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Their cry has already been
heard, and their prayers will now

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be answered.

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But it is The Egyptians who
refuse to turn to God to cry out

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to him as the Israelites did.

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And so it is the Egyptians who
will be punished.

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And verse seven tells us, but
among the Israelites, not a dog will

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bark at any man or animal.

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Then you will know that the
Lord makes a distinction between

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Egypt and Israel.

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The image given here of not a
dog barking tells us that there's

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a difference in the land of
Goshen compared to the rest of Egypt.

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The result of God's action
will be that Pharaoh and his servants

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will know that the Israelites
are his people and so experience

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his protection and love.

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They've seen something of that already.

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Whenever Goshen, the land
where the Israelites lived, was protected

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from some of the plagues,
indeed, Pharaoh's own servants will

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come and they'll bow before
Moses instead of Pharaoh and plead

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with him to leave and all the people.

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An act that humbly recognizes
that the God who Moses represents

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is the true king.

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And this will be a complete
turnaround by these officials.

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Now, we've seen them concerned
before about the hand of God upon

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them, but now they respond in
the way that they always should have

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responded.

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But Pharaoh, well, Pharaoh is
a different person.

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He will be different in his
response to his officials.

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He will remain as obstinate as ever.

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It is at the end of verse 8,
where Moses leaves the presence of

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Pharaoh, that we are told he
does, so hot with anger.

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Now, we're not told here why
Moses leaves this way, but the context

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suggests that it is because of
Pharaoh's stubborn and rebell refusal

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to let the people go.

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As elsewhere, rebellion
against the Lord angers Moses.

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And you would think by now,
nine plagues later that have completely

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decimated the land of Egypt,
Pharaoh would take notice.

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You think after nine times
being told what's coming and happening,

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he would believe it?

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But verse 9 and 10 gives us
the account of Pharaoh's response.

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Verse 9 tells us that it is
God who tells Moses that Pharaoh

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will refuse to listen and let
the people go.

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Thereby, this most terrible of
the plagues will come to pass.

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And verse 10 tells us by way
of confirmation, Moses and Aaron

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performed all these wonders
before Pharaoh.

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But the Lord hardened
Pharaoh's heart and he would not

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let the Israelites go out of
his country.

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Even with all of this, even in
everything that has been going on

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for the weeks and months of
these plagues, nothing changes because

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Pharaoh believes he is still
in control.

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He will not let the people go,
even though he has one last chance

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to do so.

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You see, the Lord further
hardens his already hardened heart.

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And in short, the Lord is
sovereign over Pharaoh's disobedience,

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and he he uses it to make his
power and glory known in the earth.

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And so Israel need not fear
Pharaoh, but has every reason instead

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to worship the Lord.

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And this they will, because
the Lord will bless them as they

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leave the land.

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And this account of the tenth
plague is different than all the

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rest, because verses one to
three begins with telling us what

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the outcome of the final
plague will be.

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We're told there that the
people's release is would happen

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and they would experience the
favor of the people around them.

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And so we're told in verse one
that the people will be driven out.

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Pharaoh won't simply let them
go, he will drive them out to get

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rid of them.

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He wants them now to go.

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Rather than being hard hearted
against them, he now can't wait for

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them to leave.

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And as the people go, they're
to be expectant of blessing, because

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verse two tells us, tell the
people God says that men and women

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alike are to ask their
neighbors for articles of silver

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and gold.

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And this is not simply going
to be an impoverished people wandering

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in the wilderness.

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This is to be a people
prepared for the promised land.

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Now, of course, we know that
they used their gold and their silver

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of the Egyptians to make a
false God that they would worship

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because they perceived Moses
was taking too long.

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But nonetheless they would
leave a wealthy people, and it would

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be 40 years before they would
take possession of the land of promise.

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But they will enter it as
people who still have some of the

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wealth of the Egyptians with them.

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And as an aside, verse three
tells us the Lord made the Egyptians

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favorably disposed towards the people.

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And so this tells us that the
children of Israel get what they

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ask for as they leave in
haste, with the cries and wails of

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the people sounding all around them.

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And it's going to be in
chapter 12 that will confirm all

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of this as the 10th plague
takes hold.

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But in its warning to Pharaoh,
the people are prepared to leave

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and to witness the mighty hand
of God's salvation.

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And so reaching this point in
the account of God's people makes

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us stop to look back on all
that has happened, from the burning

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bush in chapter three to
looking ahead to the exodus of chapter

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12.

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And there are many things to
learn about God from His miracles

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in Egypt he sent the plagues
in order to demonstrate his power,

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his jealousy, his justice, his
mercy and sovereignty.

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In a word, God did it to show
his glory.

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And his glory is the sum total
of all his perfections.

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The history of the plague so
ends with the summary in verse 9.

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The Lord had said to Moses,
pharaoh will refuse to listen to

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you, so that my wonders may be
multiplied in Egypt.

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See, all of these plagues, all
of these plagues that we've taken

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time to look at were all part
of God's plan to reveal his glory

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in the salvation of his people.

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Even Pharaoh's opposition was
part of the plan.

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Each time he hardened his
heart, God performed another miracle

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so as to multiply his wonders.

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And God did it all for his glory.

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And the same is true of
everything that God has ever done.

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It is all for his glory.

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Why did God make the world?

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00:15:22,290 --> 00:15:23,450
It was for his glory.

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That's what Psalm 19:1 Tell us.

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The heavens declare the glory
of God proclaimed the work of his

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hands.

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He made human beings for the
same reason.

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And we know in the Genesis
account we are the only part of the

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creation that he records as
saying, being very Good.

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Well, Isaiah 43, in the second
half of verse six and verse seven,

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God says, bring my sons from
afar and my daughters from the ends

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of the earth.

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00:15:48,510 --> 00:15:54,590
Everyone who is called by my
name, whom I created for my glory,

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whom I formed and made.

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00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:01,760
Therefore human beings are the
crowning glory of God's creation.

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But knowing that we would fall
into sin, God made a plan for our

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salvation.

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And this too was for his glory.

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The Apostle Paul confirms this
in Ephesians 1:11,12 when he says

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00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:18,320
in him we were also chosen,
having been predestined according

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00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:22,160
to the plan of him who works
out everything in conflict conformity

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00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:26,120
with the purpose of his will,
in order that we who were the first

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00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:33,000
to hope in Christ might be for
the praise of his glory.

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00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:39,280
This is what God has done,
everything from creation to the coming

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00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:39,760
of Christ.

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00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,400
And that salvation he offers
it is for his glory.

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That's why we say it is
nothing of ourselves.

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We cannot manufacture any of this.

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00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:52,400
Everything has been done,
including our salvation, just like

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00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:55,640
the salvation of the children
of Israel from Egypt.

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00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:57,560
It's for the glory of God.

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And of course, to accomplish
this saving plan, God sent His Son

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into the world.

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00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:09,120
God the Son came to glorify
God the Father in the salvation of

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00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:09,640
sinners.

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00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:13,600
And when his work was almost
finished, Jesus Christ said In John

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00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:18,760
chapter 17 and verse 4, I have
brought you glory on earth by completing

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00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:20,440
the work you gave me to do.

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00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:25,520
So the work that finished
redemptive work of Christ here on

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00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:30,320
earth that will be fulfilled
in all of eternity was the glory

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00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,799
of God so that we can know a way.

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This he did for you and for me.

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00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:42,600
So that we would not only see
the glory of God, but we would know

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00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:42,920
it.

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00:17:45,250 --> 00:17:49,890
I wonder how taken you are
with the God of our salvation.

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00:17:50,530 --> 00:17:52,290
I wonder, do you see his glory?

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00:17:52,290 --> 00:17:54,810
Oh, we often say we look at
the mountains or we look out at the

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00:17:54,810 --> 00:17:56,890
sea and we can see his glory
all around us.

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00:17:56,890 --> 00:17:57,810
And that is true.

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00:17:59,650 --> 00:18:01,410
But do you know his glory in here?

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00:18:03,250 --> 00:18:06,370
Does he capture your heart?

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00:18:09,340 --> 00:18:13,900
Does he mean more to you than
anything else in this world?

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00:18:14,780 --> 00:18:18,300
Now, he doesn't ask you to
give up the family and social responsibilities

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00:18:18,300 --> 00:18:23,780
you have, but he does ask you
to glorify him above all else.

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00:18:23,780 --> 00:18:26,300
And we can be so quick to say,
yes, we do.

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00:18:27,740 --> 00:18:29,660
But in practice, no, we don't.

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00:18:30,940 --> 00:18:36,150
For we allow unimportant
things to take over our lives and

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00:18:36,230 --> 00:18:37,270
consume us.

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00:18:38,550 --> 00:18:43,990
That the glory of God we so
eagerly desire is pushed out and

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00:18:43,990 --> 00:18:45,670
never has a chance to take hold.

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00:18:47,430 --> 00:18:51,310
Pharaoh was given the glory of
God before him in all of the plagues.

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00:18:51,310 --> 00:18:52,310
And he refused.

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00:18:52,390 --> 00:18:55,750
And he faced the punishment he
deserved for that refusal.

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00:18:56,150 --> 00:19:00,430
But we have the opportunity
today to know God, to know his glory,

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00:19:00,430 --> 00:19:04,230
and to know that glory through
his salvation through His Son, Jesus.

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00:19:04,470 --> 00:19:08,090
For there is no other way to
be saved from the punishment that

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00:19:08,090 --> 00:19:09,490
our sins deserve.

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00:19:10,130 --> 00:19:14,050
Knowing Christ means knowing
God and living by the leading of

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00:19:14,050 --> 00:19:15,010
the Holy Spirit.

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00:19:15,890 --> 00:19:20,210
And this is what it means to
glorify God and enjoy him forever.

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00:19:20,770 --> 00:19:23,490
As Paul writes in Philippians 3:8.

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00:19:23,730 --> 00:19:26,850
What is more, I consider
everything a loss compared to the

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00:19:26,850 --> 00:19:30,530
surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for

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00:19:30,530 --> 00:19:36,720
whose sake I have lost all
things, I consider them rubbish that

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00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:45,800
I may gain Christ at least on
three occasions in this series in

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00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,000
Exodus I have asked you, are
you like Pharaoh?

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00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:52,760
I'm going to ask you again for
a fourth time.

344
00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:54,600
Are you like Pharaoh?

345
00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:59,910
Where you have seen the glory
of God displayed before you, yet

346
00:19:59,910 --> 00:20:01,390
you reject him again?

347
00:20:03,630 --> 00:20:07,590
Where you harden your heart
because you say, I'm good living

348
00:20:07,590 --> 00:20:08,590
and that's enough.

349
00:20:09,790 --> 00:20:12,510
None of us can ever be good
living enough.

350
00:20:13,950 --> 00:20:16,670
I can't be good living enough.

351
00:20:18,110 --> 00:20:23,070
We need Christ and we need
those hardened hearts broken down.

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00:20:23,710 --> 00:20:25,630
And let me also say, if you.

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00:20:26,420 --> 00:20:31,500
If you have someone close to
you whose hard is heart or whose

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00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:35,460
heart is hard, can I encourage
you to pray for them that their hardened

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00:20:35,460 --> 00:20:36,660
heart will be softened?

356
00:20:37,460 --> 00:20:38,260
Pray for them.

357
00:20:38,820 --> 00:20:40,100
Pray for that very thing.

358
00:20:40,100 --> 00:20:43,260
That they will see the glory
of God and be so taken by his glory

359
00:20:43,260 --> 00:20:48,340
that those hardened hearts
will soften and they too will share

360
00:20:48,340 --> 00:20:53,140
in that glory that you know
and that you desire them to see Christ

361
00:20:53,140 --> 00:20:53,660
alone.

362
00:20:55,100 --> 00:21:00,460
But this day can I also say to
the believer is the glory of God.

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00:21:00,460 --> 00:21:03,220
Your desire is the glory of God.

364
00:21:03,220 --> 00:21:08,380
Your desire above all other
things, because it needs to be.

365
00:21:09,340 --> 00:21:12,260
Because when we know his
glory, when we live in that salvation,

366
00:21:12,260 --> 00:21:13,420
it changes us.

367
00:21:15,180 --> 00:21:21,350
We lose our cantankerousness,
we lose our anger and our woe is

368
00:21:21,350 --> 00:21:21,670
me.

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00:21:22,550 --> 00:21:27,790
We completely change in who we
are because our identity is not in

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00:21:27,790 --> 00:21:30,870
any man made person or emotion.

371
00:21:31,670 --> 00:21:34,470
Our identity can only be in Christ.

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00:21:36,230 --> 00:21:40,150
And so I encourage you to pray
on for that glory in your own life.

373
00:21:41,030 --> 00:21:46,120
That as you know the glory of
God, so you will live it.

374
00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:54,280
That movie from 1956 was an
epic movie.

375
00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:58,560
And if you have time, those
three hours and 40 minutes or whatever

376
00:21:58,560 --> 00:21:59,560
it is, watch it.

377
00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:00,520
It's very good.

378
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:06,880
But how more epic is the truth
that we hear in scripture so that

379
00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:11,640
we can know we can be saved
for the glory of God for all eternity.

380
00:22:12,220 --> 00:22:13,860
This is what he's calling each
of us to do.

381
00:22:13,860 --> 00:22:17,260
To know his glory more this
day than anything else.

382
00:22:17,980 --> 00:22:21,860
So that we will live in the
joy of his salvation and be assured

383
00:22:21,860 --> 00:22:23,820
of that home in heaven.

384
00:22:25,660 --> 00:22:26,060
Why?

385
00:22:26,540 --> 00:22:26,940
Why?

386
00:22:27,180 --> 00:22:34,220
Why on earth would you want to
be a pharaoh when you can be a son

387
00:22:34,460 --> 00:22:36,860
and daughter of the living God?

388
00:22:38,470 --> 00:22:40,150
Come to him and live only for him.

389
00:22:40,950 --> 00:22:44,310
And indeed he will answer the
very prayers and cries of your heart,

390
00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:48,470
as he did for his people long
ago, so that he will make us ready

391
00:22:48,470 --> 00:22:51,670
for that day when Christ will
come and take us home.

392
00:22:52,790 --> 00:22:53,670
Let us pray.

393
00:22:54,390 --> 00:22:57,390
Our Father God, we thank you
that in your word you reveal to us

394
00:22:57,390 --> 00:22:59,870
who you are, but also what
your standard is.

395
00:22:59,870 --> 00:23:03,190
And that standard is to love
you and seek your glory and know

396
00:23:03,190 --> 00:23:05,910
that glory in our own lives so
that we will live by it.

397
00:23:06,460 --> 00:23:09,500
It's not our glory, it is
yours and yours alone.

398
00:23:10,060 --> 00:23:13,380
So Father, help us to be
people who are different from the

399
00:23:13,380 --> 00:23:16,820
world, where our attitudes are
different, where our hearts are different

400
00:23:16,820 --> 00:23:20,700
because they're focused on
Christ, where we do keep short records

401
00:23:20,700 --> 00:23:26,460
of wrong, where we're not
quick to jump and sound off, but

402
00:23:26,460 --> 00:23:29,740
rather we're people, Father,
who, as we were speaking with the

403
00:23:29,740 --> 00:23:31,660
girls and boys, measure what
we say.

404
00:23:32,430 --> 00:23:33,870
We measure our reactions.

405
00:23:33,870 --> 00:23:36,510
Because there, by the grace of
God, go any of us.

406
00:23:37,470 --> 00:23:41,830
So help us to live right by
you, that this day we will respond

407
00:23:41,830 --> 00:23:46,430
to your Word in a way that
draws us closer to you, so that we

408
00:23:46,430 --> 00:23:49,950
will know that delight of
salvation now and forevermore.

409
00:23:50,430 --> 00:23:52,270
And we pray these things in
Jesus name.

410
00:23:52,990 --> 00:23:53,630
Amen.

411
00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:09,270
Sam.