Good to be with you again. I
know your pastor has just begun an exposition of the book of
Exodus, and I don't think he will mind if I jump ahead of
him a little bit. Turn to Exodus, if you will,
and let me bring you up to chapter 4. God appeared to Moses in chapter
3 in the burning bush, and Moses later refers to that which the
Lord revealed to him in the burning bush has the goodwill of Him
that dwelt in the bush. That is the goodwill of our God. The goodwill of our God, that
by which God rules the universe all the time, is the salvation
of His people for the glory of His name. Moses had the goodwill
of God revealed to him in the bush. And God sent him back to
Egypt to deliver his people out of the hand of Pharaoh and out
of the hand of the Egyptians. And Moses now was 80 years old. When he was 40, he was anxious
to do it. When he was 80, he learned a
few things, and he said, I'm not fit to do it. And the Lord
gave him three great miracles signs of deliverance by which
he would demonstrate his power through Moses. And still Moses
wasn't satisfied and he said, I'll give you Aaron to go with
you, to be your spokesman. And then he commands Moses to
take his rod in his hand, the rod of God, and go back to Egypt
to deliver his people Israel according to the promise he made
to Abraham in the covenant way back in Genesis chapter 15. Now
look with me if you will at the word God gives to Moses as Moses
is leaving to go down to Egypt. He says in verse 21, Exodus chapter
4 verse 21, And 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's a good way to send a fellow
down to Egypt. He told Moses when he sent him,
I will harden his heart. Back in chapter 3 he said, I'll
be with you and you'll bring my people out of Egypt and you
will come to this mountain and worship God, but Pharaoh will
not let you go. Here he sends him down to Egypt
and says to him again, his last word as he's leaving Jethro on
his way back to Egypt, he says, I will harden Pharaoh's heart. And he did so repeatedly. Now this is not some insignificant
thing that happened. This fact that Pharaoh's heart
was hardened is mentioned specifically nineteen times between here and
chapter fourteen. Nineteen times. The Holy Spirit
tells us that Pharaoh's heart was hardened. Three times we
are told that Pharaoh hardened his heart. Sixteen times the
Spirit of God tells us that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. He
hardened Pharaoh's heart by giving him up to the hardness of his
heart in judicial reprobation. Now turn with me to Romans chapter
1. I want you to look at a few passages of Scripture with me
tonight. Giving him no grace, leaving Pharaoh to the corruptions
of his own heart, to the corruption of his own evil nature, and to
the power of Satan who takes men captive at his will, and
then sending him strong delusions by the hand of his Egyptians,
God Almighty gave Pharaoh over to a hard heart. You say, well,
that was in the old Bible. That was in the book of God,
of which this just happens to be the second chapter. Don't
ever think about the Scriptures in terms of the old Bible and
the new. The Old Testament and the New
Testament are but one word from God, and God has not changed. hardens the hearts of men. Romans 128, Paul is writing to
a society much like ours. I had a repairman at the house
today, a religious fellow, and he was talking about this age
in which we live, this morally degenerate, perverse, godless,
reprobate age. And he said, What do you do?
I said, I fall back in the arms of an absolute sovereign God
who does all things well. Even as Paul does here in Romans
chapter 1. He writes to a society just like
ours with all the moral perversity of our society in the day in
which he lives. And he says in verse 28, even
as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, Didn't
say they were ignorant. They didn't like to retain the
knowledge God gave them. You see, man by nature, all men
by nature know that God is. I know folks say, well, I don't
believe in God. You're a liar. You're an absolute
liar, whoever it is that said so. You're just trying to lie
to yourself because in your heart God stamped his knowledge. You can't escape from it. His
law written on your heart. Men hold the truth, suppress
the truth in unrighteousness, but they can't silence God's
voice. Not going to happen. They didn't
like to retain the knowledge of God, God in their knowledge,
so God gave them over to a retrograde mind to do those things which
are not convenient. He's talking about the kind of
things we see promoted in our Society today, homosexuality,
and the promotion of homosexuality is nothing on this earth but
the promotion of pedophilia, rape, incest, every kind of moral
degeneracy you can imagine. That's what he's talking about.
Things not convenient. Being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters
of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient
to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural
affection, implacable, unmerciful, who, knowing the judgment of
God." What? Knowing the judgment of God,
that's what he said. Knowing the judgment of God,
that they which commit such things are worthy of death, yet holding
the truth in unrighteousness, suppressing everything known
by nature, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that
do them. Back here in Exodus. God talks
about hardening Pharaoh's heart, just as Paul describes him hardening
the hearts of men today. You might ask, well, Brother
Don, how do these things apply to us? What are we to learn from
them? How do these things speak to
us about our God, about ourselves, about God's grace and God's salvation? Those are the questions I want
to answer in this message. And here's the very first thing
to learn. The picture God the Holy Spirit gives us of Pharaoh
in the book of Exodus tells us in glaring terms that the human
heart is a heart of stone. A heart of stone. But I know people who are so
compassionate, emotional. My grandson's a tender-hearted
fellow. with regard to me and himself and sister and mom and
dad and you, but not to God, not before God. Hear me. Every son and daughter of Adam
is born in this world with a heart of stone, cold, dead. hard, unmoved, unmovable, insensible,
without life, in all things spiritual, in all things with reference
to God, the heart of man is a heart of stone. Our Lord Jesus, when
He explained to His disciples, when He told them about not putting
away their wives. Well, didn't Moses in the law
allow for men to put away his wife for any reason? That's just
how they understood it. If you don't like her, just throw
her away. Do you know what the Lord explained that law as being?
It's found in Deuteronomy, I think it's chapter 26. He said the
reason God gave the law was because of the hardness of your heart.
Why did God give the law to start with? Because of the hardness
of man's heart. So you wouldn't, rather than
put her away, I said you can't put her away, got to stay with
her till you die. Well, all right, that isn't killing her, I'll
let you put her away. That's the hardness of man's heart,
his hardness. The fact is the human heart,
whether it's the heart of a child, a man, whether it's the heart
of one who is learned or a barbarian, Whether it's the heart of one
who is a morally upright, respectable, productive citizen or the heart
of a rapist, a murderer sitting in the prison somewhere. The
human heart is so hard that it cannot be governed except by
terror. Cannot be governed except by
terror. Hold your hands here in Exodus
4 and turn again to 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy. The believer That man who's been
made new in Christ, the love of Christ constrains him. He's
motivated, governed, and ruled by the love of Christ revealed
to him, made known to him in the experience of grace. But
the natural, the unregenerate man, his heart can only be ruled
by law. Can't be ruled by anything else.
The reason our society is in such utter chaos is because there
is no terror of punishment. The only way man's heart can
be restrained from erupting in all the corruption that's in
us by nature is by fear. Nothing else will do it. Let's
see if it's what the book of God says. I don't care what the
sociologists say or the psychiatrists say, let's see what God says.
1 Timothy 1, verse 8. We know that the law is good
if a man use it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made
for a righteous man. If others were righteous, they
wouldn't need any. You don't have to tell a man who loves
his wife not to kill her. You don't have to tell a man who's
honest not to steal. The law is not made for a righteous
man, but for the lawless. and disobedient for the ungodly,
for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and
murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that
defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars,
for perjured persons. That's what man is. That's what
man is. He's talking about our hearts,
the very nature of humanity. And if there be any other thing
that's contrary to sound doctrine, well, what's that got to do with
doctrine? Sound doctrine's the gospel of God's grace, and all
that we are by nature is contrary to it. Man's heart's so hard
that though terrified of God and His wrath, though tormented
in his conscience by the fear of everlasting damnation, Though
his very heart is horrified at the thought of hell, so hard
is the heart of man that God the Holy Spirit declares this
of all men, after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest
up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation
of the righteous judgment of God." You mean men will not be
moved by anything toward God? Nothing will ever change the
heart of man except God himself. You who are here without Christ,
you young people, some of you I've known since you drew your
first breath, nothing's going to change your heart unless God
changes your heart. The pleadings of parents, fall
on deaf ears. The pleadings and tears of folks
who love you fall on deaf ears. Have no movement at all on your
heart. Oh, they may stir your emotions,
but not your heart. Nothing can touch the heart but
the hand of God. Nothing else. Let's look in Ezekiel
chapter 11. If ever we are saved, it will
be by God the Holy Spirit Taking away our hard heart of stone
and giving us a new heart. Called in the book of God a heart
of flesh. Isn't that a strange thing? Look
here, Ezekiel 11, verse 19. God's talking about covenant
grace. He says, I will give them one heart and I will put a new
spirit within you and I will take away the stony heart out
of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh. The heart by nature is inhuman. The heart by nature is not as
God created man in His image. The heart by nature is hard with
death. Hard. I'll give you a heart of
flesh. In the new birth, God gives chosen,
redeemed sinners a new heart. Here called a heart of flesh. Tender, penitent, a heart of
faith, sanctified, spiritual hearts. This new heart, this
heart of flesh is the heart of Christ who is formed in you. That new man in you, created
in you by the Spirit of God in righteousness and in true holiness.
And it is only by this mighty operation of God's effectual
grace, the irresistible, omnipotent power of God's free grace, that
men and women are called to love Christ, to believe Christ, to
love God and love one another. Unless God does that for you,
you will live and die and spend eternity with a heart of stone,
just like Pharaoh. It's only when Christ is revealed
in us that our hearts are melted and broken before Him. Only when
Christ is inside. Folks often talk about the Lord
Jesus, you know, how you invite Him in. Let me tell you something. When Christ comes to a sinner's
heart, He doesn't just come to you, He comes in. And the first
time you know he's around, he's already on the inside and he
brought his welcome with him. He made himself your friend from
the inside out. That's how grace works. He comes
to the sinner who's dead and knocks down the door of his heart,
bolt and bar and sets himself on the throne and makes you glad
he did. That's what grace is. It's altogether
his work. But until he does that for you,
your heart's hard. I don't know why we can't get
over lying to our children. We tell them from their infancy,
talk to them about being Christians, talk to them about God loving
them and them loving Jesus. No. No. There's no reason for you to
even be suspicious that maybe God loves you until Christ is
revealed in you. This book declares the wrath
of God abides on you. And don't ever imagine that there's
any love in you for Jesus. We love God. People love what
they think God is and ought to be. But the natural heart, the
carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can it be. Why? Because it's hard
and dead. Hard as man's heart is toward
all things good, the heart burns with lust and enmity against
God. And this lust, this enmity of
the carnal heart erupts most glaringly, most quickly, by the
revelation, the declaration, or the display of two things,
God's judgment and His sovereignty. Did you happen to notice, I'm
sure you did, that after they had that flood down in New Orleans
last year, some religious folks actually dared to state publicly
that it was judgment. Did you notice how folks jumped
on that like ducks on a june bug? I mean, oh, how could you
say that was judgment? God wouldn't do that. God wouldn't
do that. Men are enraged at the thought
that God actually judges ungodliness and enraged at the declaration
that he's sovereign in everything he does. This fact is set before
us in increasing Pharaoh's hardness of heart continually. As Moses
was sent to God to perform miracle after miracle after miracle after
miracle, the more Moses said and the more Moses did, the more
God revealed to Pharaoh by the hand of Moses, the harder his
heart became. With every increasing revelation,
with every increasing act of judgment, with every increasing
declaration of God's sovereign purpose, Pharaoh's heart became
harder and harder and harder and harder. And that's the way
it is with men and women without Christ. The same heat, someone
said, that melts the wax hardens the clay. Turn to Isaiah chapter
6. Isaiah chapter 6. The Lord Jesus is revealed to
Isaiah. He saw Christ crucified in His
glory, sitting on the throne, sitting on the mercy seat, sitting
upon the throne of grace, as our Lord Jesus describes it,
having power over all flesh to give eternal life to as many
as God the Father has given Him. Isaiah saw him in his glory.
Now, I know that's what he's talking about in chapter 6, because
our Lord said so in John chapter 12. And then Isaiah heard the
Lord say, who will go for us? He said, here am I, send me.
And the Lord gave him a commission. I'd like to hear missionaries
sometime preach on it. Isaiah 6 verse 9. He said, go and tell
this people, hear ye indeed but understand not. See ye indeed,
but perceive not. Make the heart of this people
fat, make their ears heavy, shut their eyes, lest they see with
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their
heart, and convert, and be healed." What a strange missionary commission.
Isaiah, you go preach to Judah and Israel. You go preach to
them until they stick their fingers in their ears and cover their
eyes and harden their hearts and refuse to hear. And that's
exactly what happened. Turn to Romans chapter 11. Romans
chapter 11. When I was in Bible college,
both the schools I went to tried their best to convince me over
the course of Five years of theological study. They tried their best
to convince me that God had what they called Plan A and Plan B. If you've got one of those Bibles
that's been messed with, got notes down at the bottom, you
might read it in the Bible. The plan of God was for the Jews
to let Jesus pretty please be their king on that little piece
of land over in Palestine. But since the Jews wouldn't let
him be their king, God went to Plan B, and that's what we're
living in now. God Almighty doesn't have alternative plans. When
you read in the Old Testament about Israel and God's covenant
with Israel and God's works with Israel, understand that Israel
in the Old Testament is but a typical picture of the Israel of God,
His church, the church of His elect. And God cast off that
nation according to the goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush
back in Exodus chapter 3, right here in Romans chapter 11, Paul
explains to us why. Romans 11 verse 5. Even so then,
at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. Brother Clare read those same
words, almost identical, in the book of Obadiah back in the office.
God always, as long as time stands, has a remnant. A remnant according to the election
of grace. Now listen to me. Everything
He does is for that remnant. Everything He does. What about other things? There
are no other things. Everything he does is for that
remnant. Well, you don't. There's a remnant
according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then
it is no more of works. You ever notice when Paul speaks
of grace, he almost always speaks redundantly. He said, just in
case you didn't understand what grace is, works have nothing
to do with it. And that's what it says here.
If it's by grace, then it's no more of works. Otherwise, grace
is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more works.
The two are mutually exclusive. What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for. If you want to look back when
you get home at chapter 9, the very last three verses, he'll
tell you why. Because they sought it not by faith, but by works.
But the election hath obtained it. The election hath obtained
the righteousness of God. The election have obtained the
grace of God. The election have obtained the
salvation of God. And the rest were blinded. According as it is written, God
hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should
not see, ears that they should not hear, unto this day. And
David saith, Let their table be made a snare. Let their religion,
the table of shewbread, the altar, the mercy seat, the candlesticks,
the tabernacle, the temple, let it all become a snare to them,
a stumbling block, and a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened,
that they may not see, and bow down their way, their back all
way." And so is the work of God to this day. How do you explain
all that? Look at the ninth chapter of
Romans. What shall we say then, verse
fourteen? Is there unrighteousness with God? Because God hardens some and
shows mercy to others? Because God exercises judgment
upon some and mercy upon others? Because everything God does is
judgment to some and everything God does is mercy to others?
Well, that's not right. Who do you think you are to challenge
God's righteousness? to set in judgment over the Almighty. Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. For He saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
winneth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
Now watch the connection. All this was told back in the
book of Exodus. For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will he hearteneth." Pharaoh's
heart was hard from birth, just like yours and mine. We read
of the hardness of his heart all the way back in Exodus chapter
1. This man, to protect his position and power, to protect his position
and power, he was the ultimate consummate politician. Let's
murder every Hebrew baby that's born. All men wouldn't do that. A man
whose heart is hard will. Any man. whose heart is hard
will, unless God stops him, any man. Pharaoh's heart was hard
by nature, and yet it grew harder and harder and harder. In Exodus
7, 14, we read the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is
hardened. Quite literally, you'll notice
the word is there, is in italics because it's added by the translators.
Pharaoh's heart hardened. Verse 22, the New King James
translates it, Pharaoh's heart grew harder. And that's very
accurate. As God dealt with Pharaoh in
judicial reprobation, he hardened his heart increasingly. And let
me talk to you about that for a little bit. Learn this and
be sure you learn it. Pharaoh's heart was hardened
by God in judgment. It was not a capricious thing.
It was not an arbitrary thing. It was not something that just
happened. but rather it was an act of divine
judgment upon this man particularly because of his ungodliness, because
Pharaoh refused to bow to Christ, because he refused to bow to
the revelation of his will as given by his servant Moses, because
he refused to bow to the Word of God. God Almighty calls his
heart to hearten. Look at chapter 7, verse 3. God
said, I will harden Pharaoh's heart
and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. He said, this is what I'm going
to do. And I'm going to do it by multiplying my signs and wonders
in his eye. Look at chapter 7, verse 13.
And he hardened Pharaoh's heart that he hearkened not unto them. as the Lord had said. And the
Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. He refuses
to let the people go." Now, throughout the Scriptures, throughout the
Scriptures, judgment is always, there is no exception from the
first line in Genesis to the last line in Revelation. Judgment
is always an act of justice. It is always that which comes
upon ungodly men because of their ungodliness. In other words,
if you go to hell, you fully deserve to go to hell. And that
applies to everybody. To everybody. I shudder. I shudder to think of it. But if you go to hell, you go
to hell because it is just as good a hell. No other reason. No matter who you kid to. No
matter what you've experienced on this earth. Pharaoh's heart
was hardened because of his unbelief. How come Adam had a hard heart? He wasn't created that way. He
wasn't created that way. But God hardened him in spiritual
death because of his disobedience. And so it was with Pharaoh, and
so it is with men today. Brother John, why is this so
important? I'll give you two reasons. Understand this. God Almighty is not the author
of sin. You say, well, I can't understand
how you can declare God absolutely sovereign and be predestined
to all things, purposed to all things, and then say He's not
the author of sin. You know what? I can't understand that either.
But I can flatly believe it because this book says so. God tempts no man to evil, but
man is tempted when he's drawn away of his own lust and enticed. God didn't cause Pharaoh to disobey
His Word. He didn't cause Adam to disobey
His Word. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart
required nothing positive on God's part. What does it take
to harden a man's heart? Leave him alone. That's all. Just leave them alone. Just leave them alone. Do you
know how I got this shiny spot on top of my head? I used to
have thick head of hair. Do you know how I got that? Nothing. I didn't do a thing. I washed
it every day. I didn't do a thing to it. Just leave it alone. It's going
away. It's the nature of degeneracy. Hear me. What does it take? For God to hearten your heart,
Ephraim is joined to his idols. Leave him alone. Oh God, have mercy on you and
never pass such judgment upon you. If God leaves you alone,
you're as good as in hell. as good as in hell. As surely as the removal of the
sun would cause every ocean on earth to freeze over immediately,
so the removal of the light of God's grace from a man causes
his heart to freeze hard in rebellion. In the hardening of Pharaoh's
heart, Our Lord didn't harden a heart that would otherwise
have become soft toward him. People argue with us and they
want to fuss about God's sovereignty and say, well, what if a man
wants to be saved? Okay. You know what God did when he hardened
Pharaoh's heart? He gave him exactly what he wanted. He didn't violate his will. He
gave him his will. Left him alone. Left him alone. And we're told in the Scriptures
that Pharaoh continually hardened his own heart in chapter 8 before
the Lord actively hardened his heart in chapter 9. When the
Lord God hardened Pharaoh's heart, he simply gave him what he wanted. gave him his desire. Now here's
the second reason this is important. God still hardens the hearts
of those who refuse to bow before his sovereign throne and trust
his darling son. Pharaoh's heart was hardened
as the just penalty of his willful rebellion before God. hardened
even to the everlasting damnation of his soul. And so God still
hardens the hearts of men. The wise man said, He that being
often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed,
and that without remedy. If you go to hell, It'll be your
fault. The wages of sin is death. You've got to earn it. But the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now having said all that,
understand this. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart
and the overthrowing of the Egyptian armies was exactly according
to God's sovereign, eternal purpose. Folks all the time say, well,
we ought not talk about God's purpose. The secret things belong
to the Lord. They do. And I'm perfectly content
to leave secret things to the Lord's secret. But the things
that are revealed belong to us and to our children, and they
are revealed to us for a good purpose. Nineteen times the Holy
Spirit said, Pharaoh, I will harden his heart. I will harden
his heart. I will harden his heart. I think
he means for us to set up and pay attention. This is according
to God's purpose, and these things are clearly revealed in this
book. God Almighty purposed the sin and fall of our father Adam
just as surely as He purposed our redemption by Jesus Christ,
the last Adam. Because the first Adam was a
type of the last Adam. God Almighty purposed the hardening
of Pharaoh's heart just as surely as he purposed the keeping of
the Passover by which Israel came out of Egypt. And God Almighty
has purposed all things from the beginning to the end for
these two reasons. The saving of his people to show
forth the glory of his own great name in saving them. If you can get hold of this,
I promise you, it will sail your boat through any troubled water. Whatever you meet on your way
out the door tonight going home, whatever you read in the newspaper
tomorrow morning, whatever comes to pass is for the salvation
of God's elect. and the glory of his name displayed
in the salvation of Israel. What did God say concerning Pharaoh? He said, I'm going to harden
his heart and I'm going to dump his carcass along with all the
armies of Egypt in the Red Sea. And when I get done, all Egypt
will know that I'm the Lord. And Israel, my people, they shall
know. that I'm the Lord to my praise
forever. You know what chapter 14 verse
30? And so the Lord saved Israel. And they're standing on the Jordan
side of the Red Sea. They look back and they saw Pharaoh
and his armies and his chariots and his horsemen all stuck in
the mud, swallowed up in the sea of God's salvation. Oh, that was a sea of God's wrath.
It was for Egypt, not for Israel. That Red Sea was the path to
salvation for Israel and the glory of God's name. And when
you get over to Revelation 15, you see God's people all on the
Canaan side of the troubles of Egypt. And they're singing a
song. Remember what they're singing?
Singing the song of Moses and of the Lamb to the praise of
the glory of His grace. I promise you. I promise you
on the authority of everything I've ever read in this book,
I promise you. I promise you as God's ambassador
to your soul, I promise you. When God gets done, you and I
will not look back upon one thing in time as evil. Not one thing. It's good. For it is the goodwill of God
our Father. His goodwill. But what about
Israel? Didn't they harden their hearts
down? They did, didn't they? Even more than Pharaoh. Even more than Pharaoh. They
sinned against greater light. Sinned more repeatedly, more
constantly, murmuring against God's providence. murmuring against
God's servant, rebelling against God's law continually. Why didn't
God harden their hearts? Because the Lord doth put a difference
between Israel and Egypt. As says Clare Sheridan, oh, how you hardened your heart
against him. and the man talking to you. Oh, how hard. And here we sit, believing God.
How come? Because the Lord doth put a difference
between Israel and Egypt. He has mercy on whom he will
have mercy. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? And I'll add two more words.
Hallelujah and amen.