God, Sovereign Over Our Heart

What are your inalienable rights? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Of course, being Americans, or better yet, citizens of Mr. Jefferson City, you already knew this. As Americans, we cling to our rights. We refuse to give up our rights. There's two ways in which I think we typically misconstrue, the way we typically misinterpret and misunderstand our rights. There are two common problems. The first problem with the way we think about rights is that we're more focused on our rights, and we don't realize that other people's rights are protected as well. The rights are for everyone. It's not just our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's everyone's right. And so we can be a bit selfish about these inalienable rights. The second problem is really focusing on most of today, though. And that is we typically think about our horizontal rights, the rights we have among one another, and we apply them as if we have those same rights vertically with God. We oftentimes think that our rights among one another, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, Also are the same rights we have with God, but to think about this, let's let's not think about the Declaration of Independence. Let's think about the Ten Commandments. The first three commandments protect God's right to be worshiped along. The last commandments protect other people's rights, thou shalt not murder, that protects your neighbor's right to life. Thou shalt not steal that protects your neighbor's law, your neighbor's right to property. Thou shalt not lie that protects your neighbor's right to the truth. Notice what's missing in the Ten Commandments and all of Scripture is any declaration that declares that we have rights in relationship to God. Nowhere in Scripture can we see that we have rights. When it comes to our relationship with God, he has rights. He has the right to be worshipped alone, to be worshipped as the one true God. But we have no rights. We used to have privileges. We used to have the privilege of knowing God personally, we used to have the privilege of having peace with God, but that's not a right. We have the privilege of being friends with God. But we lost it because we rebelled. We're going to look this morning and see that we have no rights before God or better yet, God is sovereign. God is sovereign. Our message this morning is this. God acts for his glory, God acts sovereignly and God acts righteously. God acts for his glory, God acts righteously. And God acts sovereignly. I apologize. I mix those last two up again for his glory, sovereignly and righteously. We're going to continue through Exodus and we're ending our mini series here on the plagues. We've been looking at the plagues that God sent to Egypt. And we've been the first series, the first sermon was focused on the main purpose of those plagues. And we're really coming back around to that this morning. The main purpose of those plagues were to make God's name known, to make it clear to Egypt, to Israel, to Pharaoh, to all the nations that Yahweh alone was God and that Yahweh alone was worthy of worship. The second thing we saw last week was that God is faithful to his people. Just by meditating on a few verses, let my people go that they may serve me. He makes a distinction between Israel and Egypt. He is faithful to his promised people. We've seen thus far that God is sovereign over creation. He's sovereign over the nations. This morning, we're going to go a step further, a step that makes many of us feel a bit uncomfortable. We're going to look and see that God is sovereign over the heart. He's not just sovereign over everything around us. He's sovereign even in what takes place inside of us. We're not going to read the last three plagues due to time because we're going to be reading a lot throughout Genesis and Exodus this morning regarding the heart. I'm going to trust you to read that aloud at home. Emphasis being allowed to begin, I want to. Walk through a number of passages, there's some background passages that we're going to start looking through all the different instances where God hardens the heart, Pharaoh hardens his own heart, or Pharaoh's heart is hardened. To really understand the hardening of the heart and what's going on with Israel and Egypt and Pharaoh, we need to go all the way back to Genesis 12. So we're going to go back to Genesis 12. And then we're going to start flipping pages and looking at different verses. So you're going to need your Bible in hand. If you do not have a Bible, there are Bibles at the end of each pew. Just nudge your neighbor and they will pass a Bible down to you. Genesis 12, this is the Abrahamic covenant. This is God beginning his redemptive plan through Abraham. And I really just want to focus on verse three. where God says, I will bless those who bless you and curse those who dishonor you. What God is doing in the Abrahamic Covenant is saying this is my people over against and opposed to all the nations. They're a special people over against all the other peoples. And God is committed to these people. And if any other nation oppresses God's people, he is going to oppress them. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who dishonor you. If God is for us, who can be against us? That's a background that's very important for us to understand what's taking place in Egypt with Israel. Well, right after the Abrahamic Covenant, a famine strikes the land, and Abraham's still faltering in his faith, and he fails. Where does he flee? He flees to Egypt. He goes down to Egypt and he lies about his wife saying she's only his sister. What happens to the king? God sends plagues upon him, verse 17. There's a foreshadowing of things to come here. Israel and Egypt always have this unique, interesting relationship. And we already see foreshadowing that Israel is going to go into Egypt. and that plagues are going to fall upon Pharaoh and his house. We can look at Genesis 46 and 47. We looked at this last week. God told Jacob, I am going to send you in. I'm going to bring you out. Look to Exodus 1. Exodus 1 introduces us to a new king over Egypt. He doesn't know Joseph. He doesn't know How and why these Israelites have grown to be so prosperous? All he sees is that these people could really cause trouble in his kingdom and could start warring from within. And so this king enslaves Israel. Israel, they were a free people in the most choiced land of all of Egypt, Goshen. But this king, Rozob, he didn't know Joseph. He didn't respect Israel. He didn't respect their God. And so he begins oppressing them. Hoping that that would keep them from multiplying and growing strong. Well, of course God's purpose is for them to multiply and grow strong. So they multiply more and grow stronger. Then the king, well his plan becomes more disturbing. Start killing the male children. He's trying to kill off Israel. He's oppressing them. He's dishonoring them. So, of course, God is going to curse him. In Exodus 2, 23, a new Pharaoh rises. That Pharaoh that died, a new Pharaoh comes. And the people cry out and God hears them. Really, the summary for this background is this. God is for Israel. Pharaoh is against Israel. Therefore, God is against Pharaoh. God is faithful to his people. Before we get to the plagues, there are warnings. God tells Moses what's going to happen. Look at Exodus 319. But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it. After that, he will let you go. God already sees that Pharaoh is going to have a hard heart. God already sees that he's going to have to stretch out his mighty right hand to bring Israel out of Egypt. Exodus 4.21 explains it further and with even more clarity. On Moses' way back after God has finally convinced Moses, you're the man I'm calling. I'm going to fulfill my promise. Go back to Egypt. The Lord says this to Moses, Exodus 421. When you go back to Egypt, see that you do it for Pharaoh, all the miracles I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. Then you will say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son. And I say to you, let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son. God is making his plan very clear. God is declaring what is going to happen, and we know if we have read the story, this is exactly what happened. We're going to focus on here is that God is sending Moses to perform signs and wonders as a demonstration that he alone is God and that Pharaoh should respond to these signs and orders and let the people go. Notice says go and perform these signs, but I will harden his heart. God's purpose is not to help Pharaoh. God's purpose isn't to allow Pharaoh to let Israel go at this point. God's purpose isn't to save Pharaoh. So what is his purpose with Pharaoh? We'll have to wait and see as God's word continues to reveal more later. Moses goes before Pharaoh, Exodus 5.1. Afterward, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. But Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go. We see the promise coming to fulfillment. He refuses Moses. He refuses God. He's resisting God. Well, then he goes and he makes the punishment and the harsh treatment for Israel even harsher. He takes away straw from the brick making and Israel refuses God. They reject God themselves. And Moses even goes up to God and says, how have you done this evil? You have not delivered your people at all. And God gives him a very important response. Look at Exodus six one. But the Lord said to Moses, now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand, he will send them out. And with a strong hand, he will drive them out of his land. God is declaring that he is going to use Pharaoh like a puppet. You'll see what I am going to do when you see Pharaoh Doing my will. We have one more warning that makes it even clearer what's going on when Moses begins his mission before he goes up to Pharaoh to demonstrate the first kind of introductory sign. Exodus 7-1 And the Lord said to Moses, See, I have made you like God the Pharaoh and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart. And though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my host, my people, the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them." Moses and Aaron did so. They did just as the Lord commanded. God's not working against his plan here. Because God's plan is to make his name known. That is the main mission and the main focus of all of Exodus. That's the main mission, the main focus of all of Scripture and all of God. So by hardening Pharaoh's heart, he's actually fulfilling his mission. Moses is going to continue to resist, and God is going to continue to make his name known. It's very important here. God has said, I will harden his heart. Let's look at the plagues. After the staff became a serpent in our introductory plague, our introductory sign, After Aaron's staff became a serpent and swallowed the other serpents. Verse 13 of Chapter 7 says, Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said. Now, all we have to go by here is that God said, I will harden his heart. And here it says his heart was still hardened. Let's go to the first plague. The Nile turns to blood. God tells Pharaoh what he is doing and why. Chapter 7, verse 16. And you shall say to him, the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you saying, let my people go that they may serve me in the wilderness. But so far you have not obeyed. Thus says the Lord, By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, with the staff that is my hand, I will strike the water that is in the Nile and that shall be turned to blood. Just go down to verse 22. The magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. Pharaoh's heart remained hardened. He would not listen to him as the Lord had said. The second plague, it changes slightly here. This introduces the first change, the first two, it just simply says God did what he said he's going to do. Just as the Lord said, Pharaoh's heart remained hard. God sends frogs from the Nile, magicians cannot. Well, they do, they do duplicate it, I apologize. Exodus 8H. After the frogs are over everywhere in his house and his bed, in his kitchen, Pharaoh calls to Moses and he says, Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people and I will let the people go to sacrifice the Lord. The first play, we did not see a pleading. Here we see Pharaoh pleading. We see him strike some humility, able to muster up some humility. Moses, this is ridiculous. They're in my bed. Plead with me. Plead to God. for me." Then look at Exodus 8.15. Whatever hope we had of a soft heart is diminished. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite after the frog's head died, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them as the Lord had said. Now, this is the first time that Pharaoh makes a plea. He asks Moses to plea for him. It's the first time we see a brokenness, some humility. And it's the first time we see that Pharaoh hardens his own heart. So throughout the 10 plagues, there's a number of different ways it's said his heart was hardened. God hardened his heart. Here it says Pharaoh hardened his own heart. And it's interesting, the only time that says Pharaoh hardened his own heart is after he asked Moses to plea for him. The only time he hardens his own heart is after he's actually made a plea. I believe that the purpose of saying fair hearted his own heart is that there was a glimpse of humility, there was a glimpse of of repentance, of recognizing sin. But then he quickly, as soon as the curse is over, hardens his own heart. The third plague, the biting flies. Exodus 8, 19, then the magician said to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. The Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them. As the Lord had said here, the magicians cannot duplicate. They're able to see this is God. This is the finger of God. We need to recognize him and repent. The Pharaoh's heart was hardened. The fourth plague, the swarming flies here again, we see Pharaoh pleading in verse 25. First says, all right, Israel, just make a sacrifice in the land. And Moses says, we cannot make the sacrifice in the land. Our sacrifices are an abomination to your people. They'll stone us. So he says, please go out three days. So Moses goes out of the gates representing the exodus is supposed to happen, and please, and the curse is removed and Pharaoh hardens his own heart again. Verse 32. The plague of the livestock, the fifth plague. God sends a plague on the livestock of Egypt, Israel's left protected their livestock, they're not cursed, they stay alive. Pharaoh is so interested in this, he sends people out just to make sure that it's true. Israel's livestock are not plagued, Egypt's are. Still, he hardened, his heart was hardened. Boils come as a sixth plague. And this is the first time it says God hardened his heart. Now, God said, I will harden his heart twice already, but this is the first time in the plagues that God hardens his heart. Chapter nine, verse 12. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he did not listen to them as the Lord had spoken. One of the most important plagues, one of the most important revelations in this series is the seventh plague. It's the hail. Three of the most important verses in this section, verses 14 through 16. For this time, I will send all my plagues on you yourself and on your servants and on your people so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up to show you my power so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." Notice every verse ends with earth. There's a repetition here that draws your attention. I want you to know that I am sending my plagues upon you so that you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth. I am the one true God, Yahweh says. Verse 15, I could have sent one plague, one pestilence, and I could have stripped you off the earth. I could have wiped you out from the face of the earth. Verse 16. The verse we heard Paul quote in Romans 9. But for this purpose, I have raised you up to show you my power so that my name may be glorified. God has chosen Pharaoh. God rose him up to power. God hardened his heart. Not to save him, but to show the name of God. Pharaoh here confesses he has sinned against God, verse 27. He promises, I'll let you go. Just just stay, just just let these plagues end. Here, Moses stands outside the gates. The storm stops. And verse 34, when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart. Here we see God is giving an intention. My name is what he is revealing. His name, that he is the one true God. Let's look at the locusts. This plague begins with a an instruction for Moses, make sure you tell your children how I dealt harshly with Egypt. Chapter 10, verse 16, then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, I have sinned against the Lord, your God and against you now, therefore, forgive my sin. Please, only this once and plead with the Lord, your God, only to remove this death from me. Every other pleading, it responds with Pharaoh hardening his own heart. Look at verse 20. This time, the Lord hardens Pharaoh's heart. The darkness. The darkness falls upon Egypt. And again, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart. Verse 27. Let's continue. We're going to look at the firstborn. The tenth plague, Exodus 11, 9, the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh will not listen to you that my wonders may be multiplied in all the land. He had previously said that he's not as hard as hardened. The plagues are going to the wonders are going to multiply and he will still not listen to you. Here he's saying he will not listen to you so that my wonders may be multiplied. Moses and Aaron did all these wonders. Before Pharaoh and the Lord hardens for his heart. And he did not let the people go. We're going to see next week is that Pharaoh's firstborn son dies. That's the final play. That's the final play that breaks Pharaoh's spirit. God kills Pharaoh's firstborn son so that he can deliver his own firstborn son. God had broken him. Here, finally, to deliver his people. The climax of this keeps building, the tension keeps building. The difficulty with Pharaoh and his heart and God and his power, his battle against Pharaoh, it continues even to the Red Sea. After Israel has removed itself, has exiled from Egypt, the battle continues. God chooses to have a final triumph over Pharaoh. Look at Exodus 14.3. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, They are wandering in the land. The wilderness shall shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so. Let me try to summarize all those passages. We tried to cover all the passages that discuss Pharaoh's heart being hardened, Pharaoh hardening his own heart, and most of all, God hardening his heart. Notice there that at the end, it's all God hardening his heart. The climax, the heightening of tension, it builds up with God being the one that clearly is hardening his heart. What is the purpose here with the hardening of heart? We see clearly there in Exodus 14, 3. In Exodus 9, 16, he hardens Pharaoh's heart so that his name will be known and that he will receive glory. This takes us back to the primary and main mission of God. His glory. God is for his glory, that is the chief end of man. To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The reason that's our chief end is that's God's chief end. For Him to be glorified. Now, I'm sure this brings up many questions. How is God glorified by hardening Pharaoh's heart? Let's go back to our message this morning. God acts for His glory. God acts sovereignly. God acts righteously. Let's walk through and look at each one of these here. What God does is for his own glory. Everything he does is for his glory. Now, let me just summarize in case we got lost in all the Exodus reading there. This is the hard truth we're dealing with this morning. God hardens Pharaoh's heart for his glory. I don't want to pretend this is an easy truth to deal with. It's a hard truth, but it's what Scripture reveals. God hardens Pharaoh's heart for his glory. Again, Exodus 9.16 and Exodus 14.3 and a Romans passage make it clear. God did not desire to choose to save Pharaoh. Again, His primary purpose here is to glorify himself. If you're a Christian, as we spoke earlier, the most important truth when you first become a Christian, that the sweet truth that woos you into God's presence is that God is for you. That's how we typically know God first, the God who is for us, the God who sends his son to die for us, the God who gives us forgiveness, the God who gives us hope and comfort. We are first overwhelmed by his love and his intent to care for us. Another important doctrine that we have to learn is that God is for his own glory. If we simply leave it, that God is for us and that allows us to continue to think selfishly and it misses the bigger picture of God's plan. If all we think is that God is for us, that just fits our narcissism, that just fits our selfishness. No, God is for us. for His glory. The chief end is not us. The chief end is His glory. We are first wooed by His love, but then we become focused on His glory. We learn to love Him. We love Him because He first loved us. He first loves us, and then we desire to love Him. This principle, this truth, God is for his own glory. It opens up the God's word. It makes it all make sense. So let's think about the application of that. God saved us for his glory. We can go all the way back to the Abrahamic covenant again. Abraham was blessed to be a blessing. God's people were called out to serve. When God saves his people, it's not just for their own well-being, it's for his glory. We are saved for a purpose. Now, a common misconception is that we're saved once from sin and then we just do good works. That is dangerous. That is a dangerous idea. You are saved by Christ definitively and efficiently and sufficiently and perfectly. But we must always go back to the cross and the gospel looking for forgiveness, knowing that it will always be found there. We never mature beyond needing the gospel and the love of Christ that is for us. These are great high priests that we are continually in need of and that he is continually serving us. It's too simple to think that we're once saved and then we just do good works because I just build self-righteousness. No, we experience God's love and then we grow in love for him. And what happens is we start seeing how little we love God and how much we love this world. And then we realize as we realize how much we love this world, we realize how great God's love is. He loved us even while we were still sinners. He loved us when we were rebelling against him and rejecting him. The more we love, we are more recognized as love for us, the more our love for him grows. This is really our application from last week. We're supposed to worship God. We're supposed to glorify God. We glorify God by recognizing and knowing him more. Somebody asked for a little harder application on that. What it means to worship in a Well, I try to avoid do this and be that because I don't build self-righteousness. So let me try to give you some application on how one worships God, how one grows to worship God. First thing we need to do is recognize the things of this world and the things of God, and we do that by studying God's word. We need to look and know from God's word, what are the things of this world and what are the things of God? And we need to recognize the things of this world, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the lust of the eyes. And we need to recognize them for what they are. They are disgusting and dangerous sins. We need to repent of them. Then we need to look at the things that are of God, loving our neighbor, loving our enemy, Lifting our hearts up to worship the one true God and see him face to face, we need to focus on those things. And then for all those things that you don't really know where they are, here's what you ask yourself. Can I do that with the purpose being to glorify God? When I'm participating in that particular activity, is it to glorify God? Can I love God by doing whatever activity or thing you are questioning? If not, you're loving that thing and rather than God. So what God does is for his own glory, that's the main point of these this hardening. God is glorifying himself. Let's get into a harder question, a harder issue here. If we look at our second main point, God acts sovereignly. God is free to do what God wants to do. The only thing that restricts God's actions are God's own nature and will. He is free to do what he wants and he alone can do what he wants to do. Let's actually look ahead for a moment to Exodus 33. It's a very important passage. Moses finally gets the the bravery, the boldness to say, God, show me your face, show me your glory. And God responds. I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name. So God, we know that you can't see my glory, but I'm going to make my name known to you. I'm going to let all my goodness pass before you. And so you're anticipating, well, what is this goodness? Look at the next verse. I will be gracious to whom I'll be gracious. And I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. People were looking for what is something, how do we define that thing? How do we define his goodness? How do we define his name? It's that very next verse. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. You see, there's a name of God wrapped up in that. I will. His name is equated with his free choice to show mercy to whomever he wills. He is sovereign over all things. Now, we love the doctrine of sovereignty when we are suffering. We love the doctrine of sovereignty whenever there's trouble, when our circumstances are against us. We want a God who's sovereign and in control because he can remove those things. When there is a problem, we like God's sovereignty because we believe he can fix things. Here's the difficult truth. Our greatest problem is our own heart. Our greatest problem is our sinful heart. The greatest problem we have is our own flesh that wars against God still. The greatest problem we have is a heart that's still bent in and not bent perfectly towards God. This is when we realize God being sovereign of the heart is a great comfort. He can change us from being selfish, bitter and angry. He can remove that treason. He can stir up a new love. So he's not limited by our free will, he's not limited by our decisions, he uses them to accomplish his own. Let me walk through a few verses that talk about how God uses everything, even us, even our choices, even evil. You can listen, and I'll repeat the verse so you can write it down to look later. Ephesians 1.11, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. Now, we'll talk about predestination here in a second, but the real focus here is that he's predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything. everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. That's kind of your all-encompassing verse. He is able to work out everything according to the purpose of his will. There's some Proverbs that actually speak more directly to this. Proverbs 16.9. The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. That's Proverbs 16.9. Proverbs 1921 many of the plans in a man's heart, but the Lord's purpose, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. 21 one. Is especially important with Pharaoh 21 one the King's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he wills. Proverbs 1633. The lot is cast into the lap, but it's very every decision is from the Lord is clear that God is in control of what we choose. He is not playing chess. He's not just looking forward. He's directing us. Now, the next verse is even clear. Genesis 50, 20, Joseph is telling his brothers, as for you, you meant evil against me. But God meant it for good in order to bring about the present result to preserve many people alive. You meant evil with your actions, but God was even there intending while you were doing evil to me, he meant good. And he even brought his people to safety through their evil actions. Finally, one of the clearest verses, Acts 4, 27 through 28, Acts 4, 27 through 28. For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate and along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. To do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. Even the soldiers casting lots For Christ's garments, God had predestined. We know that because it was prophesied in Psalm 22. Everything that we cling to, everything that we look to, the cross, all of that was planned. The evil intent of Herod, the evil intent of Pontius Pilate, the evil intent of the Gentiles, the people of Israel, all of it was predestined. He's in control of the storms. He's in control of his people. Now, we've already used the word predestined here. It's a strong, intimidating word. It's a difficult doctrine for us to think through. It's hard to hear. It's hard to talk about. But it's clear. It's hard because it's mysterious. One theologian who. Taught us much on the doctrine of predestination, he said it's a labyrinth. We must be careful to only talk about it according to what Scripture says about it. So do not go into ungodly speculation, be restrained by Scripture. It's hard to talk about it because it's mysterious, so you make sure we're restrained by Scripture. It's also hard because predestination says something about us we don't like. It says we can't help ourselves. That's why we don't like it. It says we can't fix ourselves, it says we're dead. It says we respond to God like a dead person responds to their name being called. There is no response unless God brings about new life. It's hard because it says we are completely and utterly dependent upon God alone. We can't help ourselves. Christian. Predestination. Has one clear fruit. It's humility. When we actually understand that God has mercy on whom he has mercy, that he chooses whom he chooses, that he loves one and hates another, when we receive that love, it's only humility because we realize there is nothing good about us that God calls God to choose us. We have to trust that he is in control of our greatest enemy, our own sin, our own rebellious hearts. Let's talk about evangelism and predestination. A leader for youth with a mission after 20 years experience. So, you know, when I first began, I thought predestination was a deterrent for evangelism. But 20 years later, after seeing the hardness of hearts, it's the only motivation for evangelism. Once you start sharing the gospel, you realize you can't convince anybody to believe Jesus Christ is their savior. You can't convince people their hearts are hard. You have to believe in a God who is powerful and brings new life and new ears. If you're not a Christian this morning. You have to ask, am I predestined? Am I chosen? It's a difficult question. Well, here's what we can know. If God works out everything, he's worked it out for you to be here right now to hear the gospel. He's worked it out for you to listen and hear the only hope you have. You're a sinner in need of forgiveness. God has provided that forgiveness. You're a sinner and the wrath of God is upon you. But Jesus Christ, God himself took on flesh to die for sinners. So the wrath of God is poured out upon him. that we deserve. A new life is given to us when we believe in Him. For all I know is that you have been chosen to hear the Word of God, the Gospel of God. Do not harden your heart. Repent. Finally, and lastly, whatever God does is righteous. Whatever God does is good. We can look back to that Romans 9 passage and Paul gets into his argument. He loved Jacob. He hated Esau. He chose one and not the other. And he asked the question, is God unjust? Is he unrighteous? And of course, no. Paul argues he chooses to have mercy on whoever he chooses. It takes it a step further by quoting Exodus 9. He says it's not just even that God chooses one, it's that God is just even when he hardens Pharaoh for his own glory. We can see that the connection in Romans 9.17 and Exodus 9.16. And the whole purpose is to demonstrate God's glory. Now we ask this question, is God righteous? Because it's a good question to ask. How is God righteous in hardening Pharaoh's heart? The first rule of this, when we think about this, we cannot in any way say that God is the author or cause of sin. That's the first rule as we begin this questioning. We cannot in any way believe that God is the author of evil. And this comes from James 1. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. God is not the cause of evil. He's in control of it, but he's not the cause of it. James makes it clear we are the cause of sin. So what does it mean that God hardens Pharaoh's heart? There's another place in scripture we can go to think about what does it mean for God to harden his heart. Let's go to Romans 1. At the very least we can interpret God hardening Pharaoh's heart along the same lines of Romans 1. He goes, Paul here is beginning his defense, his argument as to why everyone is a sinner. And one of the key verses is verse 22, Romans 1 verse 22, claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. We don't have these idols. We don't have idols like this. Well, no, but you have exchanged the glory of God for something else. We worship something other than the one glorious God. That's the main problem of all humanity. And then notice there's three times Paul says this. God gave them up. Verse 24. Verse 26. And verse 28, and they're all connected to that. They exchange the glory of the immortal God because they exchange the glory of the immortal God for images. Therefore, God gave them up in the lust of their hearts. Verse 26, for this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Verse 28, and since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind. At the very least, when we look at God hardening for his heart, believe we can say that God has given Pharaoh up to his own desires. Pharaoh was already hating Israel. Pharaoh was already against Israel. God simply removes the grace that Pharaoh requires to change his heart. There's only one cure for a heart that's set on sin. It's God's grace. Instead of God giving him grace to repent, God removes his grace that protects Pharaoh from his own sin. Really, what we see here is God lets Pharaoh have what Pharaoh already wants to be against God's people. This is what it means to harden the heart. There is no capacity now for Pharaoh to choose otherwise. We can even look and say this common sense by listening to his counsel. This is the finger of God. Is our Egypt in ruin? Can you not resist? Common sense would have looked out and said the livestock are still alive in Israel. Common sense would have seen that God had been doing all these things, but. Well, God gave them up to a debased mind. God gave them over to the futility of his own mind. He removes his ability to restrain his own sin. We have to realize that we have that same sin. We can look at Pharaoh and think, oh, what a bad guy, but the one that makes us better is God's grace. The only thing that keeps our hearts from imploding in upon us with our own sin is God's grace restraining us. That's why we sang, occupy my lowly heart, remove that sin, because that sin that God is restraining, it wants to destroy you. And it's either destroyed by God's grace or it destroys us. So how can God be in control of Pharaoh's evil by not causing it? Well, he's not the one who's causing that first desire to hate Israel. God is simply removing his grace and giving Pharaoh what he wants. There's a problem of evil, of course, where does the first sin come? How does a fall happen? There's a lot of philosophical questions we could ask about righteousness and sin and God and His greater glory. The problem of evil is daunting. I think there's good answers out there. I've tried to give some, even here. But here's the thing about the problem of evil. We all recognize it. We all recognize there is a problem of evil in the world. And it's not the philosophical problem. It's the real problem that we have inside of us, and it's the real problem that we have with one another. Jesus Christ actually offers a solution to the problem. We could all ask, why did this happen? Can you tell me why and how this happened? We don't have access to know why things have happened. All we have access to is the fact that God has said, this is how I'm fixing it all. It's the cross of Jesus Christ. It's the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Friends, there's a problem of evil and there's only one real solution. As we conclude, we began by thinking about our rights. As sinners, we have no rights before God. He has every right to do with us as he wants. He is the potter. We are the clay. We had privileges. We lost them because we rebelled against God. But we believe in Christ. We receive those privileges back and even better privileges. We have the privilege of knowing God as father. We have the privilege of having peace with God. We have the privilege and the opportunity to hear the words from the Gospel of the book of Hebrews enter boldly into the presence of God. We have privileges now. We have the privilege of not just worshiping here today in this building. We have the privilege of worshiping Every minute of every day as we go, we must seek to glorify him because that is his chief in for us. That is what he has saved us for. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. God, you are glorious. You are greater than our eyes. can behold now because of the taint of sin. Your word is more powerful and able than we can hear now because they are still covered with sin. Our hearts are still corrupt because we have not yet been made perfect in Christ. Lord, renew us. If anyone here does not know Christ, bring them life now. To have peace and joy in Christ. If anyone has been living in the entangling sins, show them those sins, call them out. Give them hope and your forgiveness. Help us all, Lord, to grow in recognizing you as the one God. Loving you because you first loved us and glorifying you as you have intended. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.