1 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:17,040 In 1984, American musician Ray Parker Jr. 2 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,640 Penned a song that would become a classic of its generation. 3 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,800 It was the title song of a hit movie, and that movie would be second 4 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,630 highest grossing movie of that year and in the uk. 5 00:00:28,590 --> 00:00:31,950 And the theme song for it in many ways became the advertising 6 00:00:32,110 --> 00:00:36,350 jingle of the fictional business in the movie, but quickly 7 00:00:36,350 --> 00:00:39,790 caught on and is simply one of those songs that you can't get out 8 00:00:39,790 --> 00:00:40,430 of your head. 9 00:00:41,070 --> 00:00:44,030 So I apologize for what you're going to hear in a moment. 10 00:00:44,910 --> 00:00:50,390 Its lyrics offered a service that no one else could in dealing 11 00:00:50,390 --> 00:00:55,760 with paranormal Activity, a topic that was much a talking point 12 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:57,200 in the 1980s. 13 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,840 And this is where I need a little bit of congregational engagement, 14 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:04,640 because the song went something like this. 15 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:12,360 If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna 16 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:12,640 call? 17 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:14,720 Roastmasters. 18 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:22,660 If there's something weird and it don't look good, who you gonna 19 00:01:22,660 --> 00:01:22,940 call? 20 00:01:23,340 --> 00:01:24,620 Ghostbusters. 21 00:01:26,220 --> 00:01:31,820 That's gonna be in your head all day and you'll see Spotify charts 22 00:01:31,820 --> 00:01:34,060 going high as people go home and listen to it. 23 00:01:35,020 --> 00:01:35,980 Ghostbusters. 24 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:42,140 Three movies out of it, a cartoon out of it, and now a new 25 00:01:42,220 --> 00:01:46,540 invention of it if you go onto Netflix and see the latest incarnation 26 00:01:46,540 --> 00:01:48,150 for a next generation. 27 00:01:48,550 --> 00:01:51,350 But the Ghostbusters were offering a service to deal with things 28 00:01:51,350 --> 00:01:54,310 that you simply couldn't explain happening in your homes. 29 00:01:54,790 --> 00:01:59,150 And as scientists, the main characters developed a way of trapping 30 00:01:59,150 --> 00:02:03,110 and storing ghosts that were bringing havoc to New York City. 31 00:02:03,110 --> 00:02:05,630 Now, if it is your favorite movie, I don't want to pick holes 32 00:02:05,630 --> 00:02:07,350 in it, but why just New York? 33 00:02:07,990 --> 00:02:08,950 But there you go. 34 00:02:09,590 --> 00:02:13,350 The film centered around the concept that if things weren't going, 35 00:02:13,590 --> 00:02:16,180 or if things were going on and you just didn't know what to do, 36 00:02:16,180 --> 00:02:20,580 then there was one number you could call and these guys would come 37 00:02:20,580 --> 00:02:21,940 and they would sort it out. 38 00:02:23,460 --> 00:02:24,580 The Ghostbusters. 39 00:02:25,540 --> 00:02:28,460 When things were happening around you that you didn't know what 40 00:02:28,460 --> 00:02:30,900 to do with, who were you going to call? 41 00:02:31,380 --> 00:02:33,380 And they said, call us. 42 00:02:34,900 --> 00:02:38,700 As we now go into the seventh plague of Egypt, we're not looking 43 00:02:38,700 --> 00:02:43,500 at some fictional act from a story a long time ago. 44 00:02:44,540 --> 00:02:45,580 The plagues of. 45 00:02:45,580 --> 00:02:51,060 Or the plague of Hail falls on Egypt comes to them because of their 46 00:02:51,060 --> 00:02:53,340 constant wickedness of heart. 47 00:02:53,580 --> 00:02:56,700 And it was a wickedness of heart, not just of their ruler, Pharaoh, 48 00:02:56,700 --> 00:02:57,980 but also of his people. 49 00:02:59,020 --> 00:03:02,740 And of all the mighty blows that God has brought on Egypt so 50 00:03:02,740 --> 00:03:02,980 far. 51 00:03:02,980 --> 00:03:06,300 This plague, as I said earlier, gets the longest account 52 00:03:07,030 --> 00:03:08,630 to understand what's going on. 53 00:03:09,270 --> 00:03:13,030 And once again, Moses is told to go and confront Pharaoh early 54 00:03:13,030 --> 00:03:14,630 in the morning, possibly again. 55 00:03:15,030 --> 00:03:15,910 At the Nile. 56 00:03:17,590 --> 00:03:21,590 And there he was to demand Pharaoh to let God's people go to 57 00:03:21,590 --> 00:03:23,790 worship him as he had done before. 58 00:03:23,790 --> 00:03:27,750 But this time, listen to what the consequences will be if Pharaoh 59 00:03:27,910 --> 00:03:28,870 will refuse. 60 00:03:29,190 --> 00:03:33,150 Because verse 14 tells us, this time I will send the full force 61 00:03:33,150 --> 00:03:37,030 of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, 62 00:03:37,740 --> 00:03:42,540 so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 63 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:46,740 Now, we could take half an hour on this verse alone of what 64 00:03:46,740 --> 00:03:49,820 God is trying to do and what he's saying about himself. 65 00:03:50,780 --> 00:03:54,180 Because this is now a pivotal moment in this whole account of these 66 00:03:54,180 --> 00:03:58,500 plagues upon Egypt and what will eventually lead to the exodus 67 00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:00,860 of his people from Egypt. 68 00:04:02,060 --> 00:04:06,060 God is demonstrating that he is the one true God. 69 00:04:06,890 --> 00:04:10,890 And no more so in this plague than any that have gone before. 70 00:04:11,690 --> 00:04:15,010 Because what we read here in verse 14 is no empty threat from 71 00:04:15,010 --> 00:04:15,530 the Lord. 72 00:04:16,890 --> 00:04:19,650 He is telling Pharaoh exactly what is going to happen. 73 00:04:19,650 --> 00:04:22,970 But by now, Pharaoh, his officials, and the people, they already 74 00:04:23,050 --> 00:04:25,210 know the full extent of the Lord's power. 75 00:04:25,770 --> 00:04:28,650 And so words like this should not be ignored. 76 00:04:30,410 --> 00:04:34,990 That's what verse 15 tells us, but it also demonstrates what we 77 00:04:34,990 --> 00:04:35,910 know about God. 78 00:04:36,230 --> 00:04:39,710 He tells Moses to tell Pharaoh that the whole land of Egypt could 79 00:04:39,710 --> 00:04:43,350 have been wiped out by now, but it hasn't been. 80 00:04:44,390 --> 00:04:48,070 And so he explains the purpose for why that is. 81 00:04:49,030 --> 00:04:53,510 And verse 16 says, But I have raised you up for this very purpose 82 00:04:53,510 --> 00:04:57,790 that I might show you my power, and more than that, that my 83 00:04:57,790 --> 00:05:01,140 name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 84 00:05:02,740 --> 00:05:04,740 So tie that in with verse 14. 85 00:05:05,060 --> 00:05:07,940 And what God says to Pharaoh. 86 00:05:08,260 --> 00:05:13,220 He now gives the reason for why Pharaoh's heart is hardened by 87 00:05:13,220 --> 00:05:15,380 the way Pharaoh's heart was naturally hardened. 88 00:05:15,780 --> 00:05:17,420 He believed he was divine. 89 00:05:17,420 --> 00:05:21,140 So he's not going to submit to the God of Israel, as he calls him. 90 00:05:21,940 --> 00:05:25,900 And what God is doing time and time again is to prove who he is 91 00:05:25,900 --> 00:05:30,070 so that Pharaoh can be left without shadow of doubt that this 92 00:05:30,070 --> 00:05:32,190 is the one true God. 93 00:05:33,470 --> 00:05:37,390 See, in this verse 16, God is telling us that he is the one who's 94 00:05:37,390 --> 00:05:38,830 put Pharaoh on his throne. 95 00:05:39,390 --> 00:05:41,950 It's God who has allowed Pharaoh to stay there. 96 00:05:42,430 --> 00:05:46,670 And he did this for the specific purpose of showing Pharaoh 97 00:05:47,390 --> 00:05:48,110 his power. 98 00:05:49,470 --> 00:05:52,070 That the Lord would demonstrate how more powerful, in 99 00:05:52,070 --> 00:05:54,830 fact the only one who holds the true power of the universe. 100 00:05:56,550 --> 00:05:59,510 But this was not simply for Pharaoh's benefit. 101 00:06:00,390 --> 00:06:02,870 The plagues had global implications. 102 00:06:03,670 --> 00:06:06,390 God wanted to be worshipped around the world. 103 00:06:06,870 --> 00:06:10,270 And what better way to make that happen than to send the Egyptians 104 00:06:10,270 --> 00:06:13,110 plague after plague, as the world's superpower? 105 00:06:13,190 --> 00:06:15,430 And by doing so, to save his people. 106 00:06:15,670 --> 00:06:17,110 This would be told and known. 107 00:06:17,110 --> 00:06:20,350 The Egyptians believed that Pharaoh's heart was the foundation 108 00:06:20,350 --> 00:06:23,830 of their society, and they believed his heart was the source 109 00:06:23,830 --> 00:06:25,350 of all human progress. 110 00:06:26,310 --> 00:06:29,430 Therefore, they were not worshiping the one true God, but 111 00:06:29,430 --> 00:06:31,190 a false God of their own making. 112 00:06:32,230 --> 00:06:35,030 This was not how humanity was to act. 113 00:06:35,990 --> 00:06:39,710 And so this will be demonstrated now through this seventh 114 00:06:39,710 --> 00:06:40,150 plague. 115 00:06:40,790 --> 00:06:44,070 Well, history does show us that the plagues have achieved God's 116 00:06:44,070 --> 00:06:47,590 missionary purpose, that his name would be known throughout all 117 00:06:47,590 --> 00:06:48,150 the earth. 118 00:06:48,630 --> 00:06:51,230 Because if there had only been one plague, well, then it might have 119 00:06:51,230 --> 00:06:51,990 been forgotten. 120 00:06:52,730 --> 00:06:57,530 But 10 plagues, well, 10 plagues were 10 times more likely 121 00:06:57,770 --> 00:06:58,970 to be remembered. 122 00:06:59,610 --> 00:07:03,210 The Israelites retold them to their children, and that's recorded 123 00:07:03,210 --> 00:07:04,650 for us in Deuteronomy 6. 124 00:07:05,450 --> 00:07:08,449 We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out 125 00:07:08,449 --> 00:07:10,650 of Egypt with a mighty hand. 126 00:07:11,050 --> 00:07:14,850 Before our eyes, the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders, great 127 00:07:14,850 --> 00:07:19,060 and terrible upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 128 00:07:19,700 --> 00:07:23,780 So the children of Israel were telling this story to their people, 129 00:07:23,940 --> 00:07:26,500 to their children, so that it would never be forgotten by their 130 00:07:26,500 --> 00:07:26,820 people. 131 00:07:27,700 --> 00:07:31,820 And this is also retold in the account of the plagues in a song 132 00:07:31,820 --> 00:07:35,804 that the people would sing later by the psalmist in Psalm 78, 133 00:07:35,996 --> 00:07:38,340 47 and 48, speaking of God. 134 00:07:38,420 --> 00:07:42,020 He destroyed their vines with heel and their sycamore figs with 135 00:07:42,020 --> 00:07:42,500 sleet. 136 00:07:42,820 --> 00:07:48,000 He gave over their cattle to the heel, their livestock to bolts 137 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:48,960 of lightning. 138 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:56,520 God's people never forgot, and still do not forget God's triumph 139 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:58,320 over Pharaoh through the plagues. 140 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,120 And neither did the other nations, because both the gibeonites 141 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,440 in Joshua 9 and the Philistines in 1st Samuel chapter 142 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,210 4 make reference to what God has done generations before to the 143 00:08:11,210 --> 00:08:11,770 Egyptians. 144 00:08:13,130 --> 00:08:18,250 And so we now see that what God says in verse 16 did indeed occur 145 00:08:18,490 --> 00:08:23,330 as his acts were remembered and they were feared throughout all 146 00:08:23,330 --> 00:08:23,930 the earth. 147 00:08:25,530 --> 00:08:27,930 Pharaoh may not see it. 148 00:08:28,250 --> 00:08:30,970 In fact, Pharaoh may be choosing to ignore it. 149 00:08:31,930 --> 00:08:36,450 But what God said would happen, did it would not be ignored 150 00:08:36,450 --> 00:08:37,770 throughout all the earth. 151 00:08:39,119 --> 00:08:42,359 And so we come to the plague of hailstones, and it's detailed 152 00:08:42,359 --> 00:08:46,079 there for us in verse 18, describing it as the worst hailstorm 153 00:08:46,159 --> 00:08:49,839 to have ever fallen on the land of Egypt since its foundation. 154 00:08:51,119 --> 00:08:55,119 And I do want to make one comment that I read about this by 155 00:08:55,119 --> 00:08:56,559 Philip Graham Ryken. 156 00:08:56,719 --> 00:09:00,039 And he says the demonstration of God's praiseworthy power always 157 00:09:00,039 --> 00:09:01,359 demands a response. 158 00:09:01,999 --> 00:09:05,439 One is to believe that the Lord is God and to obey what he claims. 159 00:09:06,070 --> 00:09:10,030 The other is to doubt God's power, refusing to praise him, and 160 00:09:10,030 --> 00:09:12,310 then to wait and See what happens. 161 00:09:13,270 --> 00:09:15,350 You see, that's what verse 18 is all about. 162 00:09:15,990 --> 00:09:17,830 God says, this is what I'm going to do. 163 00:09:18,150 --> 00:09:20,830 And Pharaoh then has the choice of how he's going to respond. 164 00:09:20,830 --> 00:09:22,310 And it can only be one of two ways. 165 00:09:22,310 --> 00:09:26,710 Either following God's way or rejecting God's way. 166 00:09:27,110 --> 00:09:31,030 And so, in order to show how Pharaoh would respond, God devised 167 00:09:31,030 --> 00:09:31,590 a test. 168 00:09:32,420 --> 00:09:35,980 And this is then recorded for us in verse 19, where he says to 169 00:09:35,980 --> 00:09:38,820 Pharaoh, give an order now to bring your livestock and everything 170 00:09:38,820 --> 00:09:42,140 you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the heel 171 00:09:42,140 --> 00:09:46,660 will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought 172 00:09:46,660 --> 00:09:50,580 in and is still out in the field, and they will die. 173 00:09:51,940 --> 00:09:55,700 This was not the first time God had given Pharaoh advance warning. 174 00:09:56,260 --> 00:09:59,700 However, it is the first time that he had given the Egyptians a 175 00:09:59,700 --> 00:10:02,000 chance to to protect themselves. 176 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:09,200 Will they listen to the word of God or will they reject it? 177 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:12,480 A killer hailstorm was on its way. 178 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:14,720 They could do nothing to stop that. 179 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,640 And Pharaoh's magicians had proved that they can't stop it. 180 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:19,840 They can only add to the problems. 181 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:23,680 But there was still time for these people to seek shelter. 182 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,750 Will Pharaoh warn his people now? 183 00:10:28,750 --> 00:10:31,830 Pharaoh had every reason to follow God's advice. 184 00:10:32,470 --> 00:10:36,230 He had already seen what God could do right in his own palace. 185 00:10:36,950 --> 00:10:40,550 He also had a huge cattle operation to consider because his 186 00:10:40,550 --> 00:10:43,670 servants specialized in the cultivation of quality livestock. 187 00:10:44,870 --> 00:10:50,150 But Pharaoh was not about to take any orders from Moses, so he 188 00:10:50,150 --> 00:10:53,590 refused to bring his cattle in from the fields. 189 00:10:55,380 --> 00:10:58,420 But Pharaoh wasn't the only person warned, because he had his 190 00:10:58,420 --> 00:11:01,700 courtiers or his advisors around him. 191 00:11:02,260 --> 00:11:05,620 And verse 20 and 21 tells us of their response. 192 00:11:06,340 --> 00:11:09,700 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried 193 00:11:09,860 --> 00:11:12,660 to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 194 00:11:13,220 --> 00:11:16,860 But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and 195 00:11:16,860 --> 00:11:18,660 livestock in the field. 196 00:11:19,470 --> 00:11:22,590 And so, on hearing the warning of the plague, the Egyptians officials 197 00:11:22,750 --> 00:11:25,870 had to ask themselves, who were they going to call? 198 00:11:26,910 --> 00:11:30,230 One option was to take their chances with the gods of Egypt and 199 00:11:30,230 --> 00:11:30,790 call on them. 200 00:11:30,790 --> 00:11:33,950 And by the way, there were plenty of gods for them to call upon, 201 00:11:34,590 --> 00:11:38,230 because many of the Egyptian gods and goddesses were personified 202 00:11:38,230 --> 00:11:39,470 in the elements of nature. 203 00:11:40,350 --> 00:11:43,670 So Pharaoh's officials could have turned round and said, we trust 204 00:11:43,670 --> 00:11:47,480 in Shu, the God of the atmosphere, who held up the heavens. 205 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:49,080 He's going to sort it for us. 206 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:54,360 They could have prayed to Nut, the sky goddess who represented the 207 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:55,560 vaulting sky. 208 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:57,280 She could have sorted it for them. 209 00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:58,040 They could have said. 210 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,040 They could depend, they thought, on Tefnut, the goddess of 211 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:06,520 moisture or unseth who was present in the wind and storm. 212 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:10,600 And maybe, just maybe, there was something that one of their gods 213 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:11,880 could do to save them. 214 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,360 But in reality, as we read this passage, we see that some of 215 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,480 Pharaoh's officials were starting to have their doubts in 216 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:21,720 the gods of Egypt. 217 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,280 They didn't need 10 plagues to convince them of God's power. 218 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:27,800 Six were more than enough. 219 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:32,960 So as soon as they could leave the palace without being rude, they 220 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:36,440 followed the safety instructions and ran for cover. 221 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,400 They were listening, even if Pharaoh wasn't. 222 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:47,720 And they decided to call on the Lord by taking God at his word. 223 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,040 And as we've seen before, the Lord did what he said he would do. 224 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,479 He stretched forth his hand and reigned. 225 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,400 Hail on the land of Egypt, along with lightning and thunder. 226 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,240 And this is confirmed for us in verse 24 and again as the worst 227 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:05,800 storm ever to fall on the land of Egypt. 228 00:13:06,150 --> 00:13:09,550 And verse 25 tells us of the damage throughout Egypt. 229 00:13:09,550 --> 00:13:13,510 Hail struck everything in the fields, both men and animals. 230 00:13:13,910 --> 00:13:18,550 It beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped 231 00:13:18,550 --> 00:13:19,510 every tree. 232 00:13:20,630 --> 00:13:25,870 This was truly a harsh event that impacted Egyptian life more 233 00:13:25,870 --> 00:13:27,830 than any of the other plagues so far. 234 00:13:28,470 --> 00:13:30,550 The other plagues have simply been annoyances. 235 00:13:31,110 --> 00:13:35,240 Frogs, gnats, flies, water turning to blood, that it went back 236 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:36,240 to being water again. 237 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,480 But here we have crops and livestock decimated. 238 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:45,120 And as we'll discover in a few weeks time, this was at the time 239 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,280 when things were growing and ready for the harvest. 240 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:52,000 So here was a year's worth of food wiped out in one hailstorm, 241 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,840 as well as any livestock that they were seeking to use for that 242 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:56,400 year ahead. 243 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,480 This is complete and utter devastation. 244 00:14:01,790 --> 00:14:07,030 But notice in verse 26, where the heel does not fall, it doesn't 245 00:14:07,030 --> 00:14:08,510 fall in the land of Goshen. 246 00:14:08,990 --> 00:14:12,830 And this is now the second time where God sets his people apart 247 00:14:13,150 --> 00:14:16,829 so that they do not suffer from the plagues because they live 248 00:14:16,829 --> 00:14:18,190 in the land of Goshen. 249 00:14:18,670 --> 00:14:20,670 God again protects his people. 250 00:14:20,830 --> 00:14:22,030 And why is he doing this? 251 00:14:22,030 --> 00:14:24,350 It's not just for their good, but he's demonstrating something 252 00:14:24,350 --> 00:14:28,540 to Pharaoh that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, is, 253 00:14:28,690 --> 00:14:33,930 is truly the God in the land of Egypt, where he can make hail 254 00:14:33,930 --> 00:14:38,690 fall where he wants and where it won't fall where he doesn't want. 255 00:14:39,410 --> 00:14:43,250 And jumping ahead to verses 31 and 32, we see to the extent of this 256 00:14:43,250 --> 00:14:43,650 damage. 257 00:14:43,650 --> 00:14:46,210 And we'll be coming back to this verse in a few weeks time. 258 00:14:46,210 --> 00:14:49,610 We're told in brackets because it's just part of a little insert 259 00:14:49,610 --> 00:14:52,690 into the stories that we know that the flax and barley were destroyed. 260 00:14:52,770 --> 00:14:56,010 Since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom, this was 261 00:14:56,010 --> 00:14:56,970 their time for growth. 262 00:14:56,970 --> 00:14:59,010 This was the excitement of the harvest coming. 263 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,840 But the wheat and the spelt, however, were not destroyed because 264 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:04,080 they ripen later. 265 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:06,040 They weren't big enough to be destroyed. 266 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,960 But as we know, with the plagues that will come, anything 267 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:10,760 that was left will be destroyed. 268 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,880 So with this amount of devastation, we turn to Pharaoh and 269 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:16,440 we await his response. 270 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:17,920 And this is perhaps why. 271 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,480 It's one of those longer accounts of the plagues. 272 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:22,040 What is Pharaoh gonna do? 273 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:23,240 We're told everything. 274 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,540 Is he going to call upon the name of the Lord, or is he going 275 00:15:27,540 --> 00:15:29,340 to call upon himself once again? 276 00:15:30,620 --> 00:15:34,140 But he had the opportunity to call upon the Lord when the warning 277 00:15:34,140 --> 00:15:36,380 was given, but he chose not to. 278 00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:39,980 And now, as we return to Pharaoh, we see him humbled. 279 00:15:40,220 --> 00:15:43,380 And he now says to Moses and Aaron that he has sinned. 280 00:15:43,380 --> 00:15:45,660 Look what he says in verse 27. 281 00:15:46,140 --> 00:15:47,980 This time I have sinned. 282 00:15:47,980 --> 00:15:53,680 Pharaoh said to them, the Lord is in the right, and I and my people 283 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:55,600 are in the wrong. 284 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:57,120 What an admission. 285 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:58,560 What a confession. 286 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:00,960 I am the sinner, says Pharaoh. 287 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:02,720 Does he know what he's saying? 288 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:06,320 And we perhaps now perceive a changed Pharaoh. 289 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:10,360 His own wealth has been seriously damaged with his own livestock 290 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:11,440 being killed in the field. 291 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:15,080 And he would now have to have solutions for his people who would 292 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:17,380 be looking to him to feed them in the. 293 00:16:17,450 --> 00:16:18,090 In the year ahead. 294 00:16:19,530 --> 00:16:22,490 It appears now that we have a Pharaoh before us who is a broken 295 00:16:22,490 --> 00:16:25,610 man, who perhaps for the first time in his life, sees through the 296 00:16:25,610 --> 00:16:30,690 lie of divinity that had been told to him and that he was a proponent 297 00:16:30,690 --> 00:16:30,970 of. 298 00:16:32,410 --> 00:16:36,970 But this is a false confession, as we've seen before. 299 00:16:36,970 --> 00:16:38,890 He only wants the plague to end. 300 00:16:39,690 --> 00:16:43,130 And so he says the right words to Moses at the right time. 301 00:16:44,610 --> 00:16:46,450 But Moses knows who he's dealing with. 302 00:16:47,250 --> 00:16:48,570 Moses responds once again. 303 00:16:48,570 --> 00:16:51,410 And prayers for the land and the plague will stop. 304 00:16:52,530 --> 00:16:55,570 But Moses truly knows the heart of the Egyptian king. 305 00:16:55,970 --> 00:16:57,770 And he confirms to us in verse 30. 306 00:16:57,770 --> 00:17:03,170 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord 307 00:17:03,570 --> 00:17:04,050 God. 308 00:17:04,930 --> 00:17:08,130 There's just been a confession that I'm the one that has sinned. 309 00:17:08,130 --> 00:17:10,130 But Pharaoh's not willing to do anything about it. 310 00:17:11,350 --> 00:17:14,430 His heart is still hard, and he doesn't truly fear the Lord. 311 00:17:14,430 --> 00:17:17,830 In other words, he's not fully understanding who this God is. 312 00:17:18,390 --> 00:17:23,230 The giver and the taker of life, now witnessed very evidently 313 00:17:23,230 --> 00:17:24,310 before Pharaoh. 314 00:17:24,790 --> 00:17:27,270 And again, this is confirmed then in verse 34. 315 00:17:27,270 --> 00:17:30,710 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, 316 00:17:30,950 --> 00:17:37,040 he sinned again, he and his officials hardened their hearts. 317 00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:43,320 As we come to the end of this seventh plague, what we're left with 318 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:44,800 is a sad reality. 319 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,360 Given the opportunity to respond, given the opportunity to 320 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:53,280 seek forgiveness, these Egyptians throw it back in the face 321 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:53,920 of the Lord. 322 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:55,880 Instead of calling on Him. 323 00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:00,080 When things happen they don't understand, they call on their false 324 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:01,360 gods to rescue them. 325 00:18:02,120 --> 00:18:03,240 They of course cannot. 326 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:07,600 And it is only by the ongoing common grace of God that Pharaoh 327 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:10,680 and his hard hearted people have breath for the next moment. 328 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,160 They don't simply understand the basic truths of who the God of 329 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:14,840 Israel is. 330 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:19,960 And so they are left now, having rejected God from a seventh 331 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:22,840 plague, to await an eighth. 332 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:28,910 And we too once again can become like Pharaoh his officials. 333 00:18:30,190 --> 00:18:33,710 We've been presented in scripture time and time again with 334 00:18:33,710 --> 00:18:34,990 the truths of God. 335 00:18:35,230 --> 00:18:39,990 And when we're confronted with this truth, we are confronted with 336 00:18:39,990 --> 00:18:44,590 a choice to return to where we began. 337 00:18:45,630 --> 00:18:46,590 With the choice. 338 00:18:47,070 --> 00:18:48,270 Who are you going to call? 339 00:18:50,910 --> 00:18:53,390 Are you going to call on false gods of this world? 340 00:18:54,540 --> 00:18:55,660 Because they're all around us. 341 00:18:56,380 --> 00:19:00,340 It's not just the false gods of Egypt or the false gods of Athens, 342 00:19:00,340 --> 00:19:02,380 as the girls and boys are thinking about today. 343 00:19:03,020 --> 00:19:05,420 There are false gods still around us. 344 00:19:05,900 --> 00:19:09,660 We may not know them by names that are here today. 345 00:19:10,300 --> 00:19:14,460 We may not even see shrines to them, as perhaps in Athens. 346 00:19:15,660 --> 00:19:23,470 But the false gods of this world are money, status, title and 347 00:19:23,470 --> 00:19:23,990 self. 348 00:19:25,750 --> 00:19:30,630 Or will you call on the one true God and Lord of all, who time 349 00:19:30,630 --> 00:19:35,270 and again has demonstrated through His Word who He is to us? 350 00:19:37,510 --> 00:19:42,990 So who are you going to call upon when the times of heartache 351 00:19:42,990 --> 00:19:43,270 come? 352 00:19:44,230 --> 00:19:48,830 Who's it going to be when we feel deep sorrow and betrayal? 353 00:19:50,110 --> 00:19:54,110 Who are you going to call upon when we have fears of the future 354 00:19:54,190 --> 00:19:56,270 for ourselves and our family? 355 00:19:57,470 --> 00:20:01,390 When we bear the weight of burden, as we think about money and 356 00:20:01,390 --> 00:20:05,350 job security, when the unexpected moments of ill health 357 00:20:05,350 --> 00:20:10,070 and death come our way, in the moments of great disappointment and 358 00:20:10,070 --> 00:20:10,990 uncertainty? 359 00:20:11,150 --> 00:20:13,230 To whom will you call? 360 00:20:16,020 --> 00:20:19,460 It's the same response that Pharaoh was faced with. 361 00:20:20,740 --> 00:20:25,700 Call on whatever gods we think around this world will save us, which 362 00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:26,260 they won't. 363 00:20:27,780 --> 00:20:34,380 Or to call and to look to the only living God who can indeed rescue 364 00:20:34,380 --> 00:20:34,660 us. 365 00:20:36,180 --> 00:20:41,000 I urge you today, each and every one of you, to set your mind 366 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,480 to Jesus, to call on Him. 367 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,920 Because that's what Paul tells us in Romans 10, 11, 13. 368 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,760 As the Scriptures say, anyone who trusts in him will never be put 369 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:51,240 to shame. 370 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:52,680 And then continues in verse 13. 371 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:57,240 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 372 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:00,280 Ultimately, that's what we all Need. 373 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:05,810 We all need saving from the gods of this world because we are 374 00:21:05,810 --> 00:21:10,810 so quick at times to put our trust in them with the number one 375 00:21:10,810 --> 00:21:13,250 God being self. 376 00:21:14,370 --> 00:21:17,970 That's why we often use the term self righteousness. 377 00:21:18,850 --> 00:21:24,570 Because we think our ways, just like Pharaoh, are better than 378 00:21:24,570 --> 00:21:25,490 God's ways. 379 00:21:26,610 --> 00:21:30,770 Our total salvation for all eternity and our assurance of hope 380 00:21:30,770 --> 00:21:35,170 everlasting in this life is and can only be Christ. 381 00:21:36,290 --> 00:21:38,850 And I want to tell you this morning, you can't fool him. 382 00:21:39,170 --> 00:21:40,290 Pharaoh tried. 383 00:21:40,450 --> 00:21:42,090 Pharaoh said I'm a sinner. 384 00:21:42,090 --> 00:21:45,010 But did he fully know and mean what he was saying? 385 00:21:45,010 --> 00:21:45,810 Of course not. 386 00:21:45,890 --> 00:21:48,970 He just wanted his circumstance to change enough so 387 00:21:48,970 --> 00:21:52,690 that he could just get on living his happy life as he sought. 388 00:21:53,410 --> 00:21:54,850 You can't fool God. 389 00:21:55,170 --> 00:21:58,170 And just as he knew the heart of Pharaoh, so he knows your heart 390 00:21:58,170 --> 00:21:59,410 and he knows mine. 391 00:22:00,450 --> 00:22:03,850 He knows when you say you're a Christian, but you don't live his 392 00:22:03,850 --> 00:22:04,210 way. 393 00:22:05,140 --> 00:22:07,540 He knows when you try to hide your sin. 394 00:22:08,100 --> 00:22:09,860 He knows when you're stubborn. 395 00:22:10,180 --> 00:22:13,540 He knows when you hold a grudge, and he knows when you won't 396 00:22:13,540 --> 00:22:14,020 forgive. 397 00:22:15,780 --> 00:22:18,980 But he does give you grace. 398 00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:25,500 Grace enough to turn and to seek the forgiveness, the assurance 399 00:22:25,500 --> 00:22:28,580 and the comfort we so desperately need. 400 00:22:31,390 --> 00:22:38,910 He gave grace to Pharaoh and Pharaoh ignored it to his peril. 401 00:22:40,990 --> 00:22:44,030 We live in a time of God's grace. 402 00:22:44,830 --> 00:22:48,030 Not just common grace that gives you the very breath for this 403 00:22:48,030 --> 00:22:54,350 next moment, but special grace that is saving grace, where he calls 404 00:22:54,350 --> 00:22:58,870 all of us to turn from the false idols and false gods of the 405 00:22:58,870 --> 00:23:01,070 world and to draw near to Him. 406 00:23:01,070 --> 00:23:04,230 That's why the psalmist would write as a song for God's people. 407 00:23:04,230 --> 00:23:09,990 In Psalm 145, verse 18, the Lord is near to all who call on Him. 408 00:23:10,550 --> 00:23:17,350 To all who call on him in truth, turn to the Savior. 409 00:23:17,990 --> 00:23:19,910 Set your hope on him. 410 00:23:20,310 --> 00:23:21,350 Call on Him. 411 00:23:21,510 --> 00:23:25,870 He will see you through the harshest of storms so that you can 412 00:23:25,870 --> 00:23:28,870 know his love, forgiveness and glorious hope. 413 00:23:28,870 --> 00:23:32,730 Who would have thought of such a glorious sunrise this morning after 414 00:23:32,730 --> 00:23:33,970 the storm of yesterday? 415 00:23:33,970 --> 00:23:38,850 Yet the Lord is faithful, and he proves it to us in His Word. 416 00:23:38,850 --> 00:23:41,490 And he proves it to us in the world around us. 417 00:23:42,530 --> 00:23:43,530 And to ignore Him. 418 00:23:43,530 --> 00:23:47,250 And to think that you can hold onto resentment, to hate and to anger 419 00:23:47,250 --> 00:23:50,530 and unforgiveness means that you set your hope on yourself. 420 00:23:50,690 --> 00:23:52,850 And that is no hope at all. 421 00:23:53,010 --> 00:23:58,530 I am sorry to tell you there's only one place that we can go to 422 00:23:58,660 --> 00:23:58,820 where. 423 00:23:58,890 --> 00:24:02,410 Where we can know hope and is in Christ alone. 424 00:24:06,170 --> 00:24:09,930 So to begin or to end, where we began. 425 00:24:11,930 --> 00:24:14,650 Are there strange things happening in your life? 426 00:24:15,770 --> 00:24:17,690 And you don't know what to do with them. 427 00:24:18,890 --> 00:24:20,490 Who are you gonna call upon? 428 00:24:21,930 --> 00:24:23,290 Is there something weird? 429 00:24:23,850 --> 00:24:26,750 It's all out of place and things don't look good. 430 00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:27,140 Good. 431 00:24:28,420 --> 00:24:30,500 Who are you going to call upon? 432 00:24:32,260 --> 00:24:40,980 Call to Jesus, for He is near, as Psalm 145 assures us of. 433 00:24:41,540 --> 00:24:48,020 And he will truly restore your soul so that you can know his joy, 434 00:24:48,740 --> 00:24:53,660 you can know his forgiveness, and you can know that glorious hope. 435 00:24:55,900 --> 00:25:00,940 We started off talking about a movie that talked about the paranormal 436 00:25:00,940 --> 00:25:03,420 fictional story in New York. 437 00:25:05,420 --> 00:25:09,580 Our true living God, who demonstrated that he was the God 438 00:25:09,580 --> 00:25:13,740 in the land of Egypt, is the God who is ruling and reigning over 439 00:25:13,740 --> 00:25:15,100 all this world. 440 00:25:15,100 --> 00:25:17,980 And he cares about you. 441 00:25:19,210 --> 00:25:23,730 He gives you grace enough for this moment, but he gives you the 442 00:25:23,730 --> 00:25:29,930 opportunity of saving grace so that you can know him fully now and 443 00:25:29,930 --> 00:25:30,890 forevermore. 444 00:25:31,850 --> 00:25:37,850 I urge you, call on him and he will restore. 445 00:25:38,650 --> 00:25:41,930 He will save and he will keep. 446 00:25:43,050 --> 00:25:43,770 Let's pray. 447 00:25:45,010 --> 00:25:48,970 Our Father God, thank you that as we look to your Word, you speak 448 00:25:48,970 --> 00:25:49,970 to us through it. 449 00:25:50,770 --> 00:25:55,410 And these plagues of Egypt that perhaps we've simply read over 450 00:25:55,410 --> 00:25:58,850 before, not recognizing their full impact on us as we see their 451 00:25:58,850 --> 00:26:01,570 full impact in Exodus and on Egypt. 452 00:26:02,130 --> 00:26:03,490 Lord, help us to learn. 453 00:26:04,050 --> 00:26:07,290 Help us to learn of who you are and what our response should 454 00:26:07,290 --> 00:26:08,130 be to you. 455 00:26:09,090 --> 00:26:09,350 So. 456 00:26:09,420 --> 00:26:13,380 So that indeed we will know joy, we will know a contentment in 457 00:26:13,380 --> 00:26:14,140 our hearts. 458 00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:19,820 We will know you as the one who is truly great over all. 459 00:26:21,580 --> 00:26:23,260 So may we respond well. 460 00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:29,340 As we are confronted with Jesus today, may we call on him and 461 00:26:29,340 --> 00:26:34,700 know him as the one who truly brings rest for our weary souls. 462 00:26:35,430 --> 00:26:37,030 And we ask this in Jesus name. 463 00:26:38,070 --> 00:26:38,710 Amen.