There's a lot more contained
in this chapter, in this, even this first part of chapter seven
than what we'll talk about tonight. I just want to really look at
one, one aspect of this and we'll almost certainly, Lord willing,
come back and talk about Aaron's rod and the other rods of the
wise men and magicians. But tonight I just want to talk
about how the Lord said before Moses and Aaron ever went to
Pharaoh, the Lord said in verse 3, and I will harden Pharaoh's
heart and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. And then Moses and Aaron having
gone and done this miracle, this sign that the Lord told him to
do, gave Pharaoh the message from the Lord. It says in verse
13, and he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not
unto them, as the Lord had said. God hardened Pharaoh's heart. There's nothing complicated about
it. It's not difficult to understand, is it? You know what a heart
is and what this hardening is, and we'll talk about both. You
know who God is. You know what a sinner is. There's
nothing complicated really about it. It's just simple revelation
from God. God revealed to us that he hardened Pharaoh's heart.
Unless you have some preconceived ideas about God and about man
that precludes you from just simply believing what the scripture
says here, then it's not difficult. God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Proverbs 21.1 says, the king's
heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water, he turneth
it. Whithersoever he will, he turneth
it. It served God's purpose for Pharaoh
not to let the people go until a certain, specific, set, preordained
time. And God made it happen that way.
And part of God making it happen that way was to harden Pharaoh's
heart. So much for free will. Why would
anybody ever again talk about it or claim to have one? God's
will is free. Yours is not. Mine is not. There have always been two reactions
to clear Bible truth. Clear. And the truth of God is
clear, isn't it? They kept saying to the Lord
Jesus Christ, just tell us plainly. And what was his response? You
remember, I told you. I told you. And he did. He did. What wasn't clear and
plain was not the message. It was the heart of the sinner.
It was the ear of the sinner. It was the mind that has these
preconceived ideas about God and about man. And trying to
reconcile the clear truth of God with your preconceived ideas
gets real complicated and real muddled and real confusing. So
cast off, let us cast off our preconceived ideas of God and
a sinner and how God saves a sinner and just believe what God said.
That's grace and that's what grace does. It just simply enables
us, gives us a heart to believe what God said. Two reactions
to clear Bible truth. Reaction number one, that's not
fair. We talked about it for a long
time the other day, didn't we? That's not fair. Did God tell
you not to eat of every fruit of every tree in the garden?
That's not fair. When Cain was punished, I got
my punishments more than I can bear. That's not fair. Sinners,
evil, has been saying that's not fair from the beginning.
That makes man a puppet. God hardened his heart. Pharaoh
wasn't enabled to do what he wanted to do. That makes man
a puppet. I'm not a puppet. I have a free will. Ergo, that
doesn't mean that. You see how the natural mind
reasons. How many times have you heard
someone say, that doesn't mean that? That's where they end up. You see, when they can't bear
the simple truth of God, that doesn't mean that. It doesn't
jive with what I think, and so it can't mean that. Well, it
says that, so I reckon it means it. I think God can say what
he means, don't you? In other words, reaction number
one, when it comes to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, some harden
their hearts about the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. They just
say, I'm not going to believe that. That's exactly what Pharaoh
did. He refused to obey God. He refused
to believe God. He refused to bow to the sovereign
God. Reaction number two, let God
be true and every man a liar. This is the reaction that's born
of a heart made new by the grace of God, a new heart given by
God's grace, the heart of a believer, a believing heart, a heart that
bows to the sovereign God. God does as he pleases according
to his will. He does in the armies of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his
hand or say unto him, what doest thou? That's reaction number
two. I will bow and I will worship
the sovereign God. Such as I am, I will worship
him as he is. That takes grace. That doesn't
happen naturally. That's a regenerated heart that
speaks such. Now, God's hardening of Pharaoh's
heart, I could try to qualify this now and make excuses for
God. I've read after men that have
done that. I didn't read after them long.
I could say, well, he simply allowed Pharaoh to do what Pharaoh
was going to do anyway. But I'm not going to try to defend
God. I don't believe God needs for
me to defend his character. Let's just declare what God said.
Let's just simply look at what God did here and wonder and worship. When objection is raised to God's
sovereignty in Romans chapter 9, Paul didn't presume to defend
God. You're familiar with this. But
let's turn there and look at this together, because this should
be our reaction. When we're speaking to someone,
God gives an opportunity for us to speak to someone about
the sovereignty of God, about the God whom, like David, he
had an opportunity to say something, didn't he? Because the heathen
said, where's your God? He said, oh, well, I'm glad you asked.
He didn't say that, I added that. What I would have said, I'm glad
you asked. He's in the heavens. He hath
done whatsoever he's pleased. And when you have opportunity
to speak about the sovereign God, Romans 9, 17, look at that.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose
have I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee. Isn't
that what he said to Moses and Aaron? He said, I'm gonna harden
his heart because I'm gonna do my wonders in Egypt. He's gonna
harden his heart. He's gonna refuse to let my people
go. And then I'm gonna show my glory,
my power, in Pharaoh and in the land of Egypt, and that my name
might be declared throughout all the earth." People like to
have their name declared, don't they? God's name is going to
be declared, and there's going to come a day when the Lord alone
shall be exalted in that day. His name is going to be declared
throughout all the earth. The inhabitants of this earth
are his grasshoppers, but our God is mighty. in word and deed,
and his name is declared. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. He withholds
his mercy and he hardens him. Thou wilt say then unto me, And
they do, they will, won't they? They sure enough will. Why does
he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
How can you say Pharaoh sinned in that if God made him do it?
He didn't resist God's will, he just did what God willed for
him to do. How can God find fault with that? Nay, but oh man. Paul
could have tried to explain that, what God hasn't revealed. I've
heard men do that for an hour, try to explain something. that
God hadn't revealed. You know what Paul said? He said,
who in the world are you to question God? That's a good answer, isn't
it? My goodness. Shall a piece of
clay say to the potter, why did you make me this way? Hath not
the potter power over the clay authority of the same lump? to make one vessel into honor
and another into dishonor. He could have thrown the whole
stinking vile lump into hell. But what he did instead, if you
read further on there in Romans chapter nine, is he made some
vessels of mercy. Why, in order to show the riches
of his glory. And he dumped Pharaoh in hell
in order to show his power, his authority, his wrath. Is your
heart hardened toward the truth of God? I have to ask. It may
well be someone here has a heart that's hardened against the truth
of God. Pharaoh's heart was rebellious
against God's will. That's what it was, wasn't it?
What is hardening of the heart? Well, here God imposed his will
upon Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said, nobody imposes
their will on me. Who is God that I should hearken
unto him? I'll do what I please. And he
refused to submit to the will of God. The hardening of his
heart was a matter of the will. There was God's will and there
was Pharaoh's will. And there's my will and your
will. I don't deny that man has a will, but there's nothing free
about it. The word heart is defined this
way in the Hebrew. This Hebrew word means this,
the inner man, the mind, the will, the heart, and the understanding. And this is an important definition. It helps us understand what happened
here. The hardening of the heart is
not a medical condition. It's a spiritual condition. It's
a sin condition. The inner man is hardened, not
a blood pumping organ, but the spirit, the soul, the inner man,
who you are, who you really are. I don't look at who you really
are. I look at the outer shell. God
looks on the heart. God looks at you as you are. He sees you as you are. I can't. I can't. And you can't
see me that way either. Nobody can see but God. That's
what was hard. That's where Pharaoh's problem
was. It was down on the inside. What he did was just the symptoms
of the problem. It's the rebellion in his heart.
that was the root of it. The word harden has to do with
strength, courage, and resolve. Well, that doesn't sound bad,
does it? It isn't necessarily. There can be a good hardening
of the heart. Turn to Daniel chapter 11. I
want you to turn to some scripture tonight and look with me. Daniel
chapter 11 and verse 32. I think it helps in some cases
to look at the scripture. And then other times I just want
to mention them in passing, but scripture that you are familiar
with sometimes. But let's look at Daniel 11,
32. And such as do wickedly against the covenant, shall he corrupt
by flatteries. But the people that do know their
God shall be strong and do exploits. That word strong there means
hardened. The people that know their God,
they'll be hardened and do exploits, like the ones in Hebrews chapter
11, the exploits of faith that we talked about. Those who are,
like Paul said, I'm committed, I've committed everything Myself
and all that I am and have unto him I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him Paul was hardened I'm
persuaded I'm strong Courageous even didn't he say we come boldly
before the throne, but not presumptuously But we rejoice in Christ. We're
bold in him not in us not in the flesh. I But in Him, and
because we know Him, we're not afraid of this world or what
it can do. The Lord is my rock, whom shall
I fear? Courageous, strong, bold, hardened. Hardened in the Lord. That's
a good thing. So there's this hardening. And by the way, These ones who,
it says, they that know their God shall be hardened. Who do
you think hardened their hearts? The same one that hardened Pharaoh's
heart. You weren't born with a hardened heart, with a courageous,
strong, bold heart for the Lord. He hardens the heart, doesn't
he? Either in grace or in wrath. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened
in his rebellion against God's will and God's command. And if you say that doesn't mean
that because I have a free will, then your heart's just like Pharaoh's.
It's hardened against the clear revelation of God. And then the
mind is included in the definition of the heart. The inner man has
everything to do with how you think. What think ye of Christ? As a man thinketh in his heart,
so is he. You see, the mind is integral
to this. He hardened his mind. God said,
your thoughts are not my thoughts. Our thinking is wrong. The will
is included, as we've already mentioned. Christ said to those
those Jews that despised him and rejected his word. He said,
you believe not because you're not of my sheep. He said to them,
you will not come to me. You search the scriptures because
you think in them, you have life. You think you'll go to heaven
when you die because you know the Bible, but the Bible testifies
all through of me. And you won't come to me. You
will not come to me that you might have life. We're all a
bunch of pharaohs by nature. We're all sitting on our own
little thrones. And we're incensed at the idea
that God would impose his will upon us. The understanding is
also part of the heart. The mind itself being hardened,
the conclusions drawn by that mind are contrary ones. Contrary that is to God's clear
truth. Paul describes those who are
such this way in Ephesians 4.18. Let me just read this one to
you. Ephesians 4.18, having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is
in them. because of the blindness of their heart. You see the heart. They're ignorant. Their understanding
is darkened because of their heart condition. Hardening of
the heart. And courageous. The word hardened
means strong and courageous. Pharaoh was courageous against
God. What a fool. What a fool. But we are, aren't
we? That's the way we are by nature.
God had already told Moses now in Exodus 4.21. Don't turn there,
let me read you that, Exodus 4.21, just a couple of chapters
back from our text. The Lord said unto Moses, when
thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders
before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand, but I will
harden his heart that he shall not let the people go. And he
said it again in our chapter at the beginning of it, didn't
he? I will harden his heart." And we'll see throughout the
next chapters the playing out of what God promised there, time
after time, over and over again, plague after plague, sign after
sign, Pharaoh's heart was hardened in the face of miracle after
miracle and plague after plague. Now let's consider what the Bible
teaches for a little while about a hard heart, a hard heart. Number one, Pharaoh was responsible
for his own actions. While the scripture is clear
that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it's also clear that Pharaoh
hardened his own heart before God. Exodus 8, 15. Listen to
that. But when Pharaoh saw that there
was respite, relief from the frogs, He hardened his heart. He had said, I'll let them go.
I'll let the people go and win Pharaoh tomorrow. Whenever anybody says they'll
do something tomorrow, that's not good, is it? Especially I'm
gonna do what God said tomorrow. Well, tomorrow rolled around
and the frogs were gone and he hardened his heart and hearken
not unto them as the Lord had said. Now, some have tried to
qualify this by saying that God hardened Pharaoh's heart because
Pharaoh hardened his heart. God was just responding to what
Pharaoh did. That's not what the word of God
says. The Lord had said, I will harden his heart. And Pharaoh
hardening his heart is the fulfilling of that. That word from God. God promised, he said, I will
harden his heart. And then we read, Pharaoh hardened
his heart as the Lord said. You get that? It took me, I had
to look at that for, wait a minute, God didn't say, Pharaoh will
harden his heart. He said, I will harden Pharaoh's
heart. But then it says, Pharaoh hardened
his heart as the Lord had said. God said, I'm gonna harden. It's
the same thing. It's the same thing. God is always
the cause. Pharaoh didn't cause God to do
something. That's not how it worked. God
is the first cause of everything. Pharaoh hardened his heart because
God hardened his heart. We love him because we come to
him because he came where we were. Lamentations 5.21, turn
thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned. That's how
it works. God wills it, purposes it, causes
it, and we do it. If God hardens, you will be hardened. You will harden. Willingly, actively,
positively hardened. Not with a free will, but you
will will it. You will do it willingly. Exodus
10.3, listen to this. Pharaoh didn't get off the hook
here. You can say, oh, well, how can God find fault? Who has
resisted his will? I don't recommend that approach. Exodus 10.3, and Moses and Aaron
came in unto Pharaoh and said unto him, thus saith the Lord
God of the Hebrews, how long Will you refuse to humble yourself
before me? Let my people go that they may
serve me. This is Pharaoh's problem. And
let me say this, God hardening Pharaoh's heart here does not
mean that Pharaoh would not have been sinful otherwise, if God
hadn't hardened his heart. You know, that's the excuse that
we wanna make. That's why we object to God's
clearly revealed word. is we want to make an excuse
for our sin. Well, if God hadn't hardened
his heart, he would have done the right thing. Nonsense. We had never done the right thing
ever, ever. God simply hardened his heart
so that he wouldn't obey God. That's not what made Pharaoh
evil. When he did let the people go, was he righteous then? Whatever decision Pharaoh makes,
Pharaoh is an evil wretch. Your decision on any given matter
doesn't determine that. If Pharaoh had let the people
go the first time he was commanded to, he still would have gone
to hell without Christ. You deciding to obey God or not
obey God, it's not the will of the will of man. It's not of
the will of the flesh. It's of God that shows mercy.
You can't decide your way to heaven. You can't do the right
thing and say, well, or do the wrong thing and say, well, I'll
blame that on God. No, it doesn't matter what you
do. You're going to hell unless God
has mercy on you. I don't claim to understand how
God does what he does or why. He didn't have to tell us anything.
I'm glad for what he has revealed. to us, aren't you? It's such
a blessing to have some light on what God does, but He's not
accountable to us. I won't try to explain what I
can't understand, but I'm not, by His grace, I'm not confused
about these two truths. God is sovereign, and I am responsible,
fully responsible for my sin. You can blame God for your sin.
You won't be the first to have done so, but I don't recommend
it. Number two, hardening. The hardening of the heart is
in spite of clear, clear revelation. Have you ever looked at God's
word and wondered how you could be so stupid? Is it just me? Has God ever shown you something
just clear and plain and simple? And you said, how could I be
so stupid that I've never seen that before? And before long,
I'll be looking back at the same thing and saying how stupid I
was before. That teaches me something. I'm
stupid now. I wasn't just stupid before.
I'm stupid right now. And I'm going to be stupid. I'm
just stupid. Oh, you foolish and slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets spoke. Have I been so long with
you and you still don't know me? Hardening is in spite of
clear revelation. Look at Acts chapter 4. With
me, please. Acts chapter 4, verse 8. We saw
this years ago when we went through The book of Acts, I remember
seeing this passage of scripture then in Acts chapter 4 and verse 8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Ghost, said unto them, ye rulers of the people and elders of Israel,
if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent
man by what means he is made whole, be it known unto you all
and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you all. This is
the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which has become
the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in
any other, for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved. Now, when they saw the
boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned
and ignorant men, they marveled. And they took knowledge of them
that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was
healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council,
they conferred among themselves saying, what shall we do to these
men? For that indeed a notable miracle have been done by them
as manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem. And we cannot
deny it. They couldn't speak a word against
anything they said. The scriptures are clear about
what Peter preached. And this miracle of God clearly
showed that God was with them, that God, by that sign, by that
miracle, Was giving evidence of the fact that this was his
gospel and his power that they preached with But that it spread
no further among the people let us strictly threaten them that
they speak henceforth to no man in this In this name did it they
couldn't say anything against it, but did they bow to it? No
No clear revelation God spoke from heaven in Matthew 3.17 and
said, this is my beloved son from heaven, he said it. And
they still called him an imposter. You remember what Paul said to
King Agrippa? We turn there just about every time I preach. So
I'll just read it to you. As he thus spake for himself,
Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you're beside yourself.
You're crazy. Much learning doth make thee
mad. But he said, I'm not mad, most noble Festus, but speak
forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth
of these things. I've spoken to people that know
these things are right. They see that what I'm telling
them is right there in black and white in God's word. They
could say nothing against it, but would they bow to it? No,
the hard heart bows itself up before God and is courageous
in its rebellion. I'm speaking forth the words,
Festus, of truth and soberness. And King Agrippa knows it, he
knows it. He knoweth of these things before
whom also I speak freely, for I am persuaded that none of these
things are hidden from him, for this thing was not done in a
corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that
thou believest. God clearly revealed to Pharaoh
who he was, and what he commanded of Pharaoh was not unclear in
any way, was it? That's how hardening of heart
is. Blind. Blind. Without God's mercy. Number three, God doesn't have
to give space to repent. He doesn't know it to us. He
could have tossed the lump right in hell without making a vessel
out of it at all. But he almost always does. Gives
space to repent. He's given it to you. How many
times have you heard his gospel preached? Pharaoh hardened his
heart. He didn't just do it once, but
over and over and over again. He rejected God and refused to
submit to God's righteousness. How many times have you hardened
your heart against the gospel? Turn to Hebrews chapter 3. Let's
look at this together. Hebrews 3. Let me just read you what God
says. Hebrews 3, 1. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of
our profession Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that
appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, and
as much as he who hath built the house hath more honor than
the house. For every house is built by some
man, but he that built all things is God. Who gets the glory when
somebody builds something beautiful? The builder. And Moses verily
was faithful in all of his house as a servant for a testimony
of those things which were to be spoken after. But Christ as
a son over his own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast
the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith today, if you will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation in the
day of temptation in the wilderness when your fathers tempted me,
proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore, I was grieved
with that generation and said, they do all way err. Where's
the problem? What did Pharaoh heard? What's
your problem? The air in their heart. In their
heart. And they have not known my ways,
so I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest. Take
heed, brethren. Lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God, take heed.
Be warned. but exhort one another daily
while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of
Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto
the end, while it is said today, if you will hear his voice, harden
not your hearts." As in the provocation. What did Pharaoh need? Number
four, what did he need? Ezekiel 36, 26 says this, a new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,
and I will give you an heart of flesh. I was interested in
what that word flesh meant there in that verse, Ezekiel 36, 26. I'll take away that stony heart,
the hard heart. I'll give you a heart of flesh.
I know he's not talking about sinful flesh. We're born with
that. He's talking about something
else. That's the old heart, the heart of sinful flesh. So what's
this heart of flesh? This word translated flesh here
is from a root word, basar. Do you know what that word means?
To gladden with good news or to receive good news. This is what God does when he
saves a hard-hearted sinner. He gives him a new heart to receive
the good news. In Matthew chapter 13, our Lord
told that parable of the sower. In verse 23, after talking about
those who received the seed into stony ground, the hard heart,
the stony heart, and the son baked the seed and it died, and
those Once he received the seed and then the weeds choked the
seed, the cares of this world choked out the seed. And then
in verse 23, he says this, but he that received seed into the
good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it,
which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some in hundredfold,
some 60, some 30. were born with stony hearts. And the only thing that will
naturally grow in the sinful human heart is weeds that choke
out the word of God. The gospel, the good news, is
told forth that God is God. God is God. Well, that's so simple. Everybody knows that. No. Oh,
be still and know that I'm God. God is holy and sovereign. The gospel declares God as he
is, and the sinner with that stony heart, unable to receive
the good news, says we will not have him to reign over us. He can do things for us. He can
bless us. He can heal us, but not reign
over us. The gospel says that man is sinful
and vile, not just in what he does, but in his heart, what
he is, in his nature. And the hard heart replies like
Pharaoh and like the Pharisee, I'll do what I will. The Pharisee
said, I'm not like other men. I've done some bad things before
I knew better, but now, you know, I have a free will, I'll do,
I'll, Believe, I'll make a decision, I'll serve. I will, I will, I
will. I've done some wrong things before,
but I'm not basically and incurably corrupt, like that preacher said. That's offensive. Until God gives
the new heart, the heart of flesh, a heart that receives the good
news. That's strange good news, Chris. It's good news that you're
a sinner. It's good news when you find
out about it. It's good news that God reveals our sinnerhood
to our hearts. And it's good news also, you
see, the gospel declares that Christ came into this world to
redeem his people, to save his people from their sins. And that's
good news. He came to save sinners, not
the righteous, but sinners. And the gospel says that he did
just that. That he came to save and he saved.
He came to redeem and he redeemed. He came to die and he died. And his precious blood obtained
eternal redemption for his people. And man with his stony heart,
He says, that's not fair. Everybody deserves a chance.
What do you mean he died for his people? What do you mean
he has mercy on whom he will? That's exactly what I mean. That
God who owed every sinner hell, determined to have mercy on some,
and declares to every sinner, come to me and I'll give you
rest. declares to every wretched, vile,
sinful worm, believe on me and you'll have eternal life. The
good news comes, it's offensive to the stony hearted, but he
gives a heart of flesh, a heart that receives the good news of
the gospel. And my prayer as I studied this,
And now tonight, as I've so feebly delivered it, is that God might
be pleased to give everyone here a heart of flesh, a heart to
receive the good news of Christ and Him crucified, a heart to
believe, a heart of faith, to believe on Christ and to rest
in Him. We're all born pharaohs, aren't
we? sitting on a self-made throne and shaking our fist in the face
of God Almighty. And there's just one remedy.
God said, I'll have mercy on whom I will, and whom I will,
I'll harden. But the ones upon whom he has mercy, what does
he do for them? He gives them a new heart. He
takes away that hard heart, that heart that says, I will. and
gives a heart like he did to Saul, a heart that says, Lord,
what would you have me do? And my prayer, as I said, is
that he would give everyone here that heart. And by his almighty
grace, let's bow in prayer.