Divine Judgment and Grace: Trusting God’s Protection in Times of Trial

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.
[00:02:59] Let's pray.

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Good morning, Watermark.
[00:04:54] Let's stand and sing thanks and praise to our Lord and Savior.
[00:04:55] Wandering into the night Wanting a place to hide this weary soul
[00:04:58] This Vagabond Now I try with all my might But I just can't win the fight I'm slowly drifting A Vagabond
[00:05:18] And just when I ran out of rope I met a man I didn't know And he told me that I was not
[00:05:33] He picked me up and turned me around He placed my feet on solid ground I thank the Master, I thank the Savior Because He healed my heart He changed my name Forever free I'm not the same I thank the Master, I thank the Savior I thank God Oh I thank God
[00:06:02] Now I can't deny what I see Got no choice but to believe My doubts are burning Like ice shitties in the wind So long to my old friends Burden and bitterness You can just keep it moving Nah, they ain't welcome here
[00:06:32] From now till I walk the streets of gold I'll sing of how You saved my soul This wayward one has found the way back home
[00:06:46] You picked me up You turned me around You placed my feet on solid ground I thank the Master I thank the Savior Because He healed my heart He changed my name Forever free I'm not the same I thank the Master I thank the Savior I thank God Oh I thank God

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I am free, oh I am free, have lost another one I am free, oh I am free, yes I am free, have lost another one I am free, oh I am free, oh I am free, have lost another one I am free, oh I am free
[00:07:53] I am free I am free I am free I am free I am free

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
I thank the Master I thank the Savior Because He healed my heart He changed my name Forever free I'm not the same I thank the Master I thank the Savior I thank God

[00:09:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
What a fun song!
[00:09:07] Thank you Praise Team!
[00:09:08] That was lovely!
[00:09:09] Good morning Watermark!
[00:09:11] It is so good to be here with you this morning.
[00:09:14] My name is Sarah Stapleton and I've got a couple of announcements for us.
[00:09:18] First up, today is the last day to bring in Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and I spoke with the Bannons at the beginning of the first service, and we were about 50 shoeboxes shy from our goal.
[00:09:34] So, if you forgot it at home today, or honestly maybe just forgot all about them completely, that's okay.
[00:09:39] You have time to run home, grab it, and bring it back today.
[00:09:43] The youth will also be packing shoeboxes tonight too, so here's to hoping that we meet that goal.
[00:09:49] Also today, after this service, it is time for us to deck the halls of Watermark.
[00:09:54] We will be decorating the church, just totally transforming it for Christmas.
[00:10:00] If you have not been around Watermark at Christmastime, if this is your first Christmas season with us, be prepared.
[00:10:06] It is a spectacular view, a vision of just Christmas wonderland.
[00:10:11] Next up, the Secret Sisters, your end of year reveal is coming up on December 6th at noon.
[00:10:19] So if you participated in that, be sure to bring your final gift.
[00:10:24] And then you'll get, of course, the reveal to see who has been encouraging you this year through gifts and prayer.
[00:10:30] That will sure to be a good time.
[00:10:32] So that is December 6th at noon.
[00:10:35] Also, speaking of Christmas, we haven't even made it to Thanksgiving yet.
[00:10:38] Happy Thanksgiving, folks.
[00:10:40] We'll get there this week.
[00:10:41] Speaking of Christmas, we have our Jingle Mingle on December 7th.
[00:10:46] This is sure to be a fun night of Christmas carols and just fun holiday cheer.
[00:10:51] We are asking that if your last name starts with A through M, that you bring an appetizer to share with the rest of us.
[00:10:59] And if your last name starts with N through Z, then bring a dessert.
[00:11:04] And that is how we will have good yummy food together, we'll sing, we'll have a good time.
[00:11:09] It'll be great.
[00:11:11] and that'll be December 7th.
[00:11:13] Lastly, Christmas Eve services will be on December 24th, Christmas Eve.
[00:11:19] We're gonna have two services, one at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and one at 4.30 in the afternoon.
[00:11:25] Come, bring your family, bring your friends.
[00:11:27] It's sure to be a sweet, sweet service of just reflecting on what this season means for us as Christians and the love that we have within the Lord.
[00:11:36] Alright you guys, that wraps up our announcements.
[00:11:39] Let's continue in worship.

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Deliverance, the exodus of my heart
[00:12:06] You found me, You freed me Held back the waters from my release
[00:12:31] You have torn apart the sea You have led me through the deep Hallelujah, Hallelujah Half by day it's as high as You are with me
[00:12:58] You found me, you freed me, held back the waters from my release, oh Yahweh You're the God who fights for me, Lord of everything
[00:13:30] You have led me through the deep, Hallelujah, Hallelujah You're the God who fights for me, Lord of everything
[00:13:55] You have led me through the deep, hallelujah
[00:14:39] You stepped into my Egypt You took me by the hand You marched me out in freedom Into the Promised Land Now I will not forget you I'll sing of all you've done Death is swallowed up forever
[00:15:02] You stepped into my Egypt You took me by the hand You marched me out in freedom Into the Promised Land Now I will not forget You, God I'll sing of all You've done Death is swallowed up for me

[00:15:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
You're the God who fights for me Lord of every victory Hallelujah, Hallelujah You have torn apart the sea You have led me through the deep Hallelujah, Hallelujah You're the God who fights for me Lord of everything

[00:16:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Hallelujah You have torn apart the sea You have led me through the
[00:16:57] You took me by the hand You marched me out in freedom You came to the promised land Now I will not forget You, God I'll sing of all You've done Death is swallowed up for me
[00:18:04] I am an instrument of exaltation And I was born to lift a name above all names You hear the melody of our creation But there's a song of praise that only I can bring Who else is worthy?
[00:18:35] Who else is worthy?
[00:18:39] There is no one, only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:18:49] Who else is worthy?
[00:18:53] There is no one, only you, Jesus
[00:19:08] And yet you chose to make my heart your dwelling place And you healed my brokenness, showed me your glory So I have songs of praise, not even angels sing Who else is worthy?

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Who else is worthy?

[00:19:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
There is no one, only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:20:02] Who else is worthy?
[00:20:02] There is no one, only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:20:03] Who else is worthy?
[00:20:07] Only you Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:20:34] Who else is worthy?
[00:20:34] There is none Only you Jesus There's only you Jesus
[00:20:46] Holy Jesus We sing now of God anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above
[00:21:10] Jesus Christ we lift it up, Holy, Holy, Let the proud anointed one, Who was and is and is to come, Sing it all from above,
[00:21:45] Jesus Christ is worthy.
[00:22:10] Who else is worthy?

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Who else is worthy?

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
There is no one, only you Jesus.

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Who else is worthy?
[00:22:12] Who else is worthy?

[00:22:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
There is no one, only you Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:22:39] Who else is worthy?
[00:22:43] There is no one Only Jesus Who else is worthy Who else is worthy There is no one Only Jesus There is no one
[00:23:07] Only in Jesus there is none.

[00:23:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Only in Jesus.
[00:23:21] There is no one worthy like you Jesus.
[00:23:25] There is no one else who could have done what you have done for us.
[00:23:31] Today we live in the proof of your goodness to us.
[00:23:36] God we thank you so much that we can be here before you that we can worship you that you are a relational God that invites us not just allows but invites us to come before you to get to know you better to learn who you are as our first love as you always intended for it to be and just how everything falls into place when you are our first love
[00:24:06] God we know that as we enter into this time of holidays that for some of us it may be a time of tension and for others a great break from work but God we know that you are with us in it that it is an opportunity to talk about the gospel that it is an opportunity to invite someone to our church to be Jesus to another as you've called us to do
[00:24:29] Thank you for this morning.
[00:24:31] Thank you for the opportunity to set our hearts right through the songs we sing of gratitude, of thanksgiving for the God that you are.
[00:24:40] We love you, Lord, and it's in your name we pray.
[00:24:42] Amen.

[00:25:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Well, good morning.
[00:25:11] Hey, it's great to see y'all today.
[00:25:14] Let me be among the first to wish you a happy Thanksgiving.
[00:25:18] Who's excited for some turkey this week?
[00:25:20] Yeah.
[00:25:21] All right.
[00:25:22] You guys are turkey eaters, right?
[00:25:24] Let me ask you how you're going to cook your turkey.
[00:25:26] I always like to do this survey, informal survey.
[00:25:29] Who's going to bake your turkey this year?
[00:25:32] yeah okay good many who's gonna fry that turkey this year in the oil or air fryer anybody all right there's some of you brave ones I used to always fry ours what else you do smoke them anybody smoking a turkey yeah is there any other way to cook a turkey that's about it
[00:25:53] Oh, rotisserie, that'd be kind of cool, yeah?
[00:25:56] Over an open fire.
[00:25:57] Anybody doing that?
[00:25:58] That sounds pretty aggressive.
[00:26:02] Anyway, hey, I'm looking forward to it.
[00:26:05] Always love Thanksgiving.
[00:26:06] Love the food.
[00:26:07] Also love getting into the Christmas spirits right on the back end of it.
[00:26:11] We'll be thinking about it on Black Friday.
[00:26:13] Used to shop a lot on Black Friday.
[00:26:15] Now I don't know if that's a thing anymore.
[00:26:17] But next Sunday we'll be starting our Christmas series.
[00:26:20] I'm excited about that.
[00:26:21] We start Advent, for those of you who understand what that is, kind of the preparation for the birth of Jesus.
[00:26:27] We'll be focusing on that for Sundays leading up to Christmas Eve.
[00:26:32] We'll have that service on Christmas Eve, two of them.
[00:26:34] So I hope you'll plan to come be a part of all of that.
[00:26:37] It's going to be a special time in our church.
[00:26:39] And then of course we're thinking, you know, a lot about Christmas today.
[00:26:42] We talked about Operation Christmas Child.
[00:26:44] We're bringing a bunch of shoeboxes full of goodies for kids that we'll ship around the world to share the good news, the gospel, with children.
[00:26:52] In every country that you can think of.
[00:26:55] So if you have not yet brought your Operation Christmas Child box back, you can do that.
[00:27:01] You can do it anytime today.
[00:27:03] Just have it out here in front of these doors.
[00:27:05] In fact, if you have it there in front of those doors by 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, it will go.
[00:27:09] I assure you of that.
[00:27:10] If you didn't get a box yet, get one and bring it back.
[00:27:13] We'd love for you to be a part of this.
[00:27:15] We're going to shatter our record, our previous record and goal here.
[00:27:19] So I hope you'll be a part of that.
[00:27:21] So guys, today we're continuing our series in Moses, his life.
[00:27:26] We're going to be looking at when God judges and it's powerful and it's thorough.
[00:27:32] You'll see that this morning.
[00:27:33] We'll take a break again after this morning for a few weeks and then we'll pick it up in the new year for the second half of this series.
[00:27:40] So when we last left Moses last week, he had been through the ringer
[00:27:45] God had instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go.
[00:27:51] But Pharaoh wasn't having it.
[00:27:53] The Israelites had been in Egypt for 400 years.
[00:27:57] And the Egyptians and Pharaoh had come to appreciate and need their slave labor.
[00:28:04] So he wasn't going to let them go.
[00:28:05] In fact, he made life even harder for them when Moses said to let them go.
[00:28:10] He said, here's what I'm going to do.
[00:28:12] I'm going to require you to gather all of the raw materials that you need to make these bricks.
[00:28:18] I'm not going to provide any of that for you anymore.
[00:28:21] So that kind of almost doubled their workload.
[00:28:24] So their jobs at that point went from being formidable to impossible.
[00:28:30] It was a tough season.
[00:28:32] And the Israelites blamed Moses for that because he had been the one that went to Pharaoh and asked that the people be released.
[00:28:41] So that, of course, hurt Moses deeply to the core that the people were angry with him.
[00:28:48] So he poured out his heart to God.
[00:28:50] He said, God, why?
[00:28:52] Why did you leave me here?
[00:28:53] Is this why you sent me?
[00:28:55] To make trouble and more trouble for these poor people?
[00:28:59] This is not what I wanted to do.
[00:29:01] I wanted to help them.
[00:29:03] And God responded to Moses in a very powerful way.
[00:29:07] He made very clear who He is and what He will do.
[00:29:12] It's a reminder we all need when we're going through a bad day or a bad week or a bad season.
[00:29:19] So today, as we continue Moses' remarkable story, we're going to peer deeper into Pharaoh's hard heart.
[00:29:25] We're going to witness the mighty power of God, His righteous judgment on full display.
[00:29:32] We're going to see how God deals with Pharaoh and these plagues that He uses to get Pharaoh's attention.
[00:29:38] But the most important part of this message is a life-changing application that will come at the end of it.
[00:29:46] The vital truth about our God who judges and the graciousness that He offers to all who believe.
[00:29:54] You know, here's the truth.
[00:29:56] Some of you, you never heard this part of Moses' story.
[00:29:59] You don't know how God dealt with this remarkably hard-hearted king, this Pharaoh, the calamity that he brought on his own people.
[00:30:08] You'll see the thoroughness of God's judgment today.
[00:30:12] Some of you, you've never thought much about God's judgment.
[00:30:15] You've lived your life carefree, oblivious to Him or His expectations for you.
[00:30:23] Some of you, maybe you have friends or family members who are living in that danger zone today.
[00:30:28] They're flaunting God's goodness, God's graciousness.
[00:30:32] Others of you, let's be honest, you have a fickle relationship with God.
[00:30:38] Your actions don't always align with what you claim to be your convictions or what you claim to believe.
[00:30:45] Some of you,
[00:30:47] You're living in the light of righteousness today.
[00:30:50] You're thankful for the relationship you have with Jesus and beyond measure.
[00:30:57] Here's the truth.
[00:30:58] No matter where you are in life's journey,
[00:31:00] No matter where you are in your faith journey, I don't think you're here today by accident.
[00:31:04] I don't think you're tuned in today by accident.
[00:31:07] I think God has you here on purpose.
[00:31:09] He has you here for a purpose.
[00:31:11] He has you here to understand who He is.
[00:31:14] That He is a God who judges, who thoroughly judges the hard-hearted, those who walk in the darkness of sin.
[00:31:21] But that He also graciously blesses those that He calls His own through Jesus Christ.
[00:31:28] But before we dig into His Word today,
[00:31:31] Let's pray.
[00:31:33] God, I thank you so much for this opportunity to be in your house together with my friends.
[00:31:39] To have an opportunity, God, to sing these praises to you.
[00:31:42] Lord, you deserve them.
[00:31:43] You are worthy of our worship.
[00:31:46] Father, as we open your word now, we dig into a story that many of us have probably heard many times.
[00:31:52] God, I pray that you'll open our eyes to a fresh and new idea today about who you are and about who we are in relationship to you.
[00:32:02] I pray, God, that you will open the hearts of those who are hard-hearted today, that you would soften them toward you, that they would see who you are.
[00:32:12] God, I thank you for what you're going to do in this place today.
[00:32:14] I thank you for what you're going to do for all those who are watching today.
[00:32:20] God, we pray all of this in the holy and precious name of Jesus.
[00:32:24] Amen.
[00:32:26] So we're going to walk through the first nine plagues today.
[00:32:30] There are ten.
[00:32:32] You may say, well, why aren't you doing the tenth one, right?
[00:32:35] We'll get to the tenth one in the new year, right?
[00:32:37] You've got to come back to hear the rest of this story.
[00:32:40] And there is a lot to go in this journey, as you might know.
[00:32:44] But today we're going to look at the first nine plagues against Pharaoh and against Egypt.
[00:32:48] And I'll walk very quickly through these.
[00:32:51] You need to see God's judgment on Pharaoh for his disobedience.
[00:32:55] But before we unpack them I want to share with you three
[00:32:58] I think it's important that you write these down.
[00:33:05] And so if you're taking notes, and maybe you are, you'll be served by these three central truths about these plagues.
[00:33:12] The first is this, that God strategically predicted these plagues.
[00:33:17] These plagues are not reflexive.
[00:33:19] They're not reactionary.
[00:33:21] They're strategic.
[00:33:22] God knew that Pharaoh wasn't going to let his people go.
[00:33:25] He wasn't going to do it.
[00:33:26] He had warned Moses about that way back at the burning bush.
[00:33:29] Do you remember that?
[00:33:30] In Exodus chapter 3, 19 and 20, just as a reminder,
[00:33:34] But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him, God said.
[00:33:40] So I will stretch out my hand and I will strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them.
[00:33:46] And after that, he'll let you go.
[00:33:49] You better believe it.
[00:33:51] And God knew that the plagues would be necessary because of Pharaoh's hard, unyielding, stubborn heart.
[00:33:59] These plagues were part of God's plan from the very beginning.
[00:34:01] God has a way of getting the attention of those who are hard-hearted.
[00:34:07] Note this.
[00:34:08] Here's a second
[00:34:09] Important truth that Pharaoh stubbornly required these plagues.
[00:34:14] Pharaoh was one obtuse, obstinate, pig-headed dude.
[00:34:18] He just was.
[00:34:19] His heart was made of iron.
[00:34:22] He made the Grinch look like a choir boy, right?
[00:34:26] And I'm not sure how it could have been any harder than it was.
[00:34:29] The only way that God was going to get this guy's attention was by these plagues, as you'll see today.
[00:34:35] And even these first nine, as effective, as thorough, as complete as they were, they couldn't penetrate his rock-hard heart.
[00:34:45] There's a third truth I don't want you to miss here, and that is Moses' query prompted these plagues.
[00:34:51] Moses asked God a question, and God's answer came in the form of these ten plagues.
[00:34:58] Here's what Moses said in Exodus 6, verses 10 and following.
[00:35:01] Then the Lord said to Moses, Go tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.
[00:35:08] But Moses said to the Lord, The Israelites will not listen to me.
[00:35:13] Why would Pharaoh listen to me?
[00:35:16] That's a good question.
[00:35:18] Moses knew he was in a bad place, right?
[00:35:21] He protested, Lord, I can't even get these Israelites to listen to me now.
[00:35:25] How in the world am I going to get this stubborn, hard-hearted, powerful king to pay any attention to me?
[00:35:32] But God had an answer, right?
[00:35:34] Don't worry about this, Moses.
[00:35:36] I have a few tools up my sleeve, at my disposal.
[00:35:40] Pharaoh may not know me yet, but he's about to get to know me, up close and personal.
[00:35:47] Don't worry, I'll get his attention, and he will.
[00:35:52] Something to think about, right?
[00:35:55] There are two observations about these plagues I want to share with you before we dig into them.
[00:36:00] And the first is this, that God's thorough and complete judgment escapes no one.
[00:36:06] It escapes no one.
[00:36:07] Again and again, as we read through these plagues today, you'll see this word, all.
[00:36:13] You see, all the people of Egypt, all the livestock, all the crops, all were impacted by this ruthless, hard-hearted, stubborn man.
[00:36:23] Kind of leads us to a passage in the New Testament that's very important for everyone here today and watching today.
[00:36:30] Everyone in the world today.
[00:36:32] Hebrews 4, 13.
[00:36:33] Nothing.
[00:36:35] In all creation is hidden from God's sight.
[00:36:39] Everything is uncovered.
[00:36:41] It is laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
[00:36:49] You see that?
[00:36:51] In other words, there's nothing that happens in this world that God doesn't know about.
[00:36:54] There's nothing that happens in your life that's happening in your life right now that God doesn't know about.
[00:37:00] And that includes your sin.
[00:37:04] These passages cover the plagues and they deliver a powerful and vital message that demonstrate the thoroughness of God's judgment.
[00:37:14] You know, some people, some preachers will steer clear of texts like this, choosing instead to focus on the feel-good passages.
[00:37:23] You know, I like those passages too.
[00:37:25] But I also don't fear going where Scripture leads me.
[00:37:30] And these passages don't paint a happy picture, but they are true to life.
[00:37:34] To be clear, this is the God to whom we must all give an account.
[00:37:40] I'd be derelict in my duties to avoid a message like this one.
[00:37:44] I care far too much about you to do that.
[00:37:48] There's something else I want you to see here.
[00:37:51] That is that Pharaoh's stubbornness serves as an eternal example of what it means to resist and to reject God's goodness.
[00:38:00] From the beginning of these plagues to the very end, Pharaoh never relents.
[00:38:04] As I read this week in my study, his heart is encased in a cement shell of indifference.
[00:38:10] He'll ultimately let the Hebrew people go, but not because he wanted to.
[00:38:15] His heart would stay rock hard to the bitter end.
[00:38:18] He stubbornly resisted and rejected God's goodness again and again, which led God to say, let the plagues begin.
[00:38:29] I think this is important for us to note, right?
[00:38:33] And when God judges, He is thorough and He is complete.
[00:38:39] So we're going to look at these one by one.
[00:38:40] You might take some notes along the way.
[00:38:42] I just, I think, gave you a blank to fill out for each plague.
[00:38:45] Plague number one, the blood.
[00:38:48] Beginning in Exodus 7, verses 14 and following.
[00:38:51] Then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is unyielding.
[00:38:55] He refuses to let the people go.
[00:38:58] Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he goes out to the river, confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake, and then say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, Let my people go.
[00:39:14] So that they may worship me in the wilderness.
[00:39:17] But until now you have not listened.
[00:39:20] This is what the Lord says.
[00:39:22] By this you will know that I am the Lord.
[00:39:25] With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile and it will be changed into blood.
[00:39:32] The fish in the Nile will die.
[00:39:34] The river will stink.
[00:39:36] The Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.
[00:39:40] Understand this never had to happen.
[00:39:43] It didn't.
[00:39:43] Pharaoh could have relented.
[00:39:45] He could have let the people go.
[00:39:47] The Egyptians would have prospered even without that free labor, slave labor, but Pharaoh wasn't having it.
[00:39:56] So the Lord's first punch was to the core.
[00:39:59] It was a gut punch that impacted everyone in the land.
[00:40:03] The Nile, understand, was an important resource for these people.
[00:40:07] It provided fresh fish to eat.
[00:40:09] It provided clean water to drink, to wash clothes, to bathe, to cook.
[00:40:14] Look at verse 20 and following.
[00:40:16] Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.
[00:40:18] He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, and he struck the water of the Nile.
[00:40:24] And all the water was changed into blood.
[00:40:28] The fish in the Nile died.
[00:40:30] The river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water.
[00:40:35] Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
[00:40:39] Imagine that.
[00:40:41] You know, how miserable would that have been for these Egyptians?
[00:40:45] They lose a major resource that was left nasty and smelly.
[00:40:51] This went on for a week.
[00:40:53] Yet it wasn't enough to even budge Pharaoh.
[00:40:56] In verse 23, instead he turned and went into his palace and he did not take even this to heart.
[00:41:03] That was plague one.
[00:41:05] Here's plague two.
[00:41:07] The frogs.
[00:41:09] Exodus 8 verses 1 and following then the Lord said to Moses go to Pharaoh and say to him this is what the Lord says let my people go so that they may worship me if you refuse to let them go I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country when you look at that you say well
[00:41:26] That doesn't sound so bad, right?
[00:41:28] I mean, frogs, they're kind of fun.
[00:41:31] You know, they're kind of cute.
[00:41:32] Every kid loves a frog, right?
[00:41:35] You remember when your kids, we could never handle them because my parents always said, they give you warts, right?
[00:41:41] Is that true?
[00:41:42] I don't even know.
[00:41:43] I guess we need to ask AI.
[00:41:45] Don't do that now.
[00:41:46] We'll do it later.
[00:41:47] Every kid loves to handle a frog, whether they give you warts or not.
[00:41:51] Some people like to eat frog legs.
[00:41:54] They're a delicacy, right?
[00:41:55] Anybody in here ever eaten frog legs?
[00:41:59] Oh, a lot of you have.
[00:42:00] How about that?
[00:42:01] I've never had them.
[00:42:03] What do they taste like?
[00:42:05] That's what I thought.
[00:42:06] I've always heard that.
[00:42:07] So why would you eat frog legs?
[00:42:08] Just eat chicken.
[00:42:11] What's the point?
[00:42:13] But if you gave me a plate, I'd try them.
[00:42:16] Some of you are going to do that, I bet.
[00:42:18] But let's be clear.
[00:42:19] You know, this wasn't just a few frogs, you know, for the kids to come home and play with or for folks to enjoy a plate of.
[00:42:26] Look at verse 3.
[00:42:27] The Nile will teem with frogs.
[00:42:30] They'll come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people and into your ovens and kneading troughs.
[00:42:40] So when I read this, for whatever reason, I just started thinking about Dr. Seuss.
[00:42:44] And I thought, what would he say about this?
[00:42:48] Frogs, frogs, and more frogs to dread.
[00:42:51] Frogs in your bed, frogs in your bread.
[00:42:54] Frogs even on top of your head.
[00:43:00] Right?
[00:43:03] I read way too many Dr. Seuss books growing up.
[00:43:06] Thank you.
[00:43:07] Thank you very much.
[00:43:08] That's it.
[00:43:08] Good night.
[00:43:13] I didn't know y'all loved Dr. Seuss that much.
[00:43:17] You know, here's the thing though.
[00:43:18] You know, people couldn't even take a step without crushing one of these things beneath their feet.
[00:43:25] I mean, it's gross to think about.
[00:43:27] And no one was sleeping either with all this croaking going on.
[00:43:31] So the frogs seemed to get Pharaoh's attention.
[00:43:34] So he called Moses and Aaron in and he offered to let the people go if God would just take these frogs away.
[00:43:41] So look at verse 12 and following.
[00:43:42] After Moses and Aaron left,
[00:43:44] Let Pharaoh Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh and the Lord did what Moses asked the frogs died in the houses in the courtyards and in the fields they were piled into heaps and the land reeked of them but when Pharaoh saw that there was relief he hardened his heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron just as the Lord had said so with the pressure off
[00:44:12] Pharaoh wasted no time going back to his old ways.
[00:44:17] His old heart was tougher than a $5 steak.
[00:44:22] This will become a pattern with Pharaoh.
[00:44:25] He was not a man of integrity.
[00:44:27] You know, I was talking with someone between the services and we were just kind of, you know, thinking about this.
[00:44:32] I said, you know what?
[00:44:35] Some people are more like Pharaoh than we care to admit, right?
[00:44:39] Some of us are more hard-hearted.
[00:44:41] When the pressure is off, when God has relieved the pressure, we go back to our old ways.
[00:44:46] God often does that to test us, right?
[00:44:48] To see if we're authentic or not in what we believe.
[00:44:51] Now, Pharaoh was not a man of integrity.
[00:44:55] Plague 3, the gnats.
[00:44:57] Now, this plague, unlike the first two, is unannounced.
[00:45:00] It seems that every third plague that the Lord...
[00:45:04] Every third plague is a surprise.
[00:45:09] Sometimes God announces what's about to happen, and then sometimes He reserves the right to launch a surprise attack.
[00:45:16] Why would He do that?
[00:45:17] To get our attention.
[00:45:19] To get our attention.
[00:45:21] In verse 16, Then the Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron, Stretch out your staff, and strike the dust to the ground, and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.
[00:45:32] Now we know what gnats are right?
[00:45:34] I mean you walk around sometimes they'll you know you get in a patch of those things you go like this try to get them out of your face so you kind of picture that but understand in the original language the gnat that's described here is more than that it's a biting stinging insect that penetrates the nostrils and ears of its victims yeah
[00:45:55] Now, if that doesn't make you squirm a little bit, I don't know what would, right?
[00:45:59] It sounds awful.
[00:46:00] This would be enough to drive people nuts.
[00:46:04] In the first couple of plagues, they were bad, but people adapted, if you read.
[00:46:08] But in this one, this is the first one that begins to cause physical pain on the people.
[00:46:15] And could you imagine?
[00:46:17] And by the way, we get a vivid picture of just how many of these things there are.
[00:46:21] Look again at verse 17.
[00:46:23] When Aaron stretched out his hand with a staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals.
[00:46:30] Note this, all the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.
[00:46:36] Now think about that.
[00:46:37] Have you ever noticed a sun ray, you know, the sunlight come through a window in your house?
[00:46:45] And you catch that ray and captured in the ray is all the dust in the room at that point.
[00:46:50] Have you ever noticed that?
[00:46:52] And then you look at that and you think, oh my gosh, I didn't realize there was that much dust in the air.
[00:46:57] And that much dust in my house, right?
[00:46:59] So now you figure out how that stuff gets settled on your stuff so you have to dust all the time.
[00:47:05] Well now think about ancient Egypt.
[00:47:08] It was a pretty dusty place.
[00:47:10] That every piece of dust, every particle of dust became one of these stinging, biting gnats.
[00:47:18] Of course it would be maddening for man and beast.
[00:47:22] And note this, that Pharaoh's magicians at this point even grew quiet after this very surprising admission.
[00:47:31] Look at verse 19.
[00:47:32] The magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God.
[00:47:38] That's a powerful testimony.
[00:47:40] That's a big deal coming from these guys.
[00:47:43] And yet still the gnats, not enough to soften Pharaoh's heart.
[00:47:48] By the way, going forward, the Lord makes very clear that none of these plagues are going to impact the Hebrew people.
[00:47:55] It will be as if there is a shield of protection over God's people, over the Israelites in Goshen.
[00:48:03] Note this in verse 22 of chapter 8, But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live.
[00:48:11] Let this serve as a reminder to you, if you're a believer, that God's hand of protection
[00:48:17] is over you.
[00:48:19] Here's this promise in Psalm 91 7.
[00:48:22] A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
[00:48:29] Amen and Hallelujah.
[00:48:32] Are you thankful for God's protection?
[00:48:34] If you're thinking, if you're looking for something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, there you go.
[00:48:41] Thank you God for your hand of protection over me.
[00:48:45] Plague number four, the insects.
[00:48:47] Verse 24 of chapter 8, And the Lord did this, dense swarms, and I would circle that word swarms, of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the house of his officials throughout Egypt.
[00:48:59] The land was ruined by the flies.
[00:49:02] Sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, doesn't it?
[00:49:05] Do you know who Alfred Hitchcock is?
[00:49:08] I asked this in the first... Marlena, do you know Alfred Hitchcock?
[00:49:11] Okay, good, good.
[00:49:13] I wasn't sure if that was a dated reference or not.
[00:49:16] So if Hitchcock had written about this, he would have probably named the movie The Flies or The Swarm or The Insects.
[00:49:24] This was no horror movie, but it was horrible for those who were enduring this.
[00:49:29] In the original language, understand this is more than flies, right?
[00:49:33] Flies are a nuisance.
[00:49:34] This is more.
[00:49:35] This word swarm means mixture.
[00:49:38] So the picture that's being painted here in the original language is this is a mixture of insects.
[00:49:44] Of all kinds, all manner of insects.
[00:49:47] Creepy, crawly insects that you hate.
[00:49:50] right spiders and beetles and cockroaches and palmetto bugs the worst millipedes which my wife hates fleas ticks hornets all over the place right dropping out of the sky off the ceilings crawling up the walls of people's legs digging into your skin surely this would get Pharaoh's attention right
[00:50:20] But even his hard-hearted self would not be softened seeing his people in such misery.
[00:50:26] He calls Moses in.
[00:50:27] He offers to let the Hebrews make sacrifices and to worship God in his land.
[00:50:33] But Moses refuses.
[00:50:35] He says they must go into the wilderness to worship God.
[00:50:39] And so Pharaoh says he's not going to allow them to go.
[00:50:41] And in fact, at this point, he even asked Moses to pray for him.
[00:50:47] But it was all just another ploy.
[00:50:49] Because as soon as the insects were gone, look at verse 32 in chapter 8.
[00:50:53] Pharaoh hardened his heart.
[00:50:55] He would not let the people go.
[00:50:58] And plague 5.
[00:51:00] The livestock.
[00:51:02] verses 5 and following of chapter 9 the Lord set a time and said tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land and the next day the Lord did it all the livestock of the Egyptians died but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died
[00:51:18] And now the other plagues were bad, right?
[00:51:21] But this one really hurts.
[00:51:23] I mean, no milk, no meat.
[00:51:25] Every animal owned by the Egyptians, dead.
[00:51:27] Sheep, cattle, horses, camels, donkeys, goats, all dead.
[00:51:34] Yet every animal owned by the Israelites, spared.
[00:51:38] Surely this would get Pharaoh's attention, right?
[00:51:42] Wrong.
[00:51:43] Verse 7, chapter 9, Pharaoh investigated.
[00:51:45] He found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died.
[00:51:49] Yet his heart was unyielding.
[00:51:52] He would not let the people go.
[00:51:54] Plague 6, the boils.
[00:51:58] at this point the Egyptians had to be wondering what else could happen what else right last week we're talking about Moses bad day but these people were having a terrible season a bad season and all because of this obstinate guy Pharaoh this plague was really gonna hurt literally verse 10 so they took soot from a furnace they stood before Pharaoh Moses tossed it into the air and festering boils broke out on people and animals
[00:52:27] Now, I don't want to get too graphic here, but in the original language, these boils are described as inflamed eruptions breaking forth into skin pustules.
[00:52:41] Now, I'm not looking for anybody to raise their hand here, but I'm guessing that most of you have experienced a boil at some point in your life.
[00:52:50] And if you've had one, you probably only had one, maybe two at a time.
[00:52:56] But these people had more than that.
[00:52:58] Understand, a boil is really tender to the touch, right?
[00:53:02] It hurts.
[00:53:03] These people had these things all over their bodies, right?
[00:53:07] It was all over.
[00:53:09] So what could be worse for them than that?
[00:53:12] How about saltball-sized hail crashing down on your boiled, ravaged body?
[00:53:19] Because that's what happens next.
[00:53:21] Plague 7, the hail.
[00:53:23] Look at verse 22 of chapter 9.
[00:53:25] Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that hail will fall all over Egypt, on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.
[00:53:36] And then a hell storm for the ages fell, unleashing fury on crops and trees and any livestock that remained or they replaced, not to mention the people afflicted with all these boils.
[00:53:48] Is it possible that this plague finally cracked Pharaoh's hard shell?
[00:53:56] No.
[00:53:56] Verse 27, Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron.
[00:54:00] He says, This time I've sinned.
[00:54:04] The Lord is in the right and I and my people were in the wrong.
[00:54:09] Pray to the Lord for we've had enough thunder in hell.
[00:54:13] I'll let you go.
[00:54:14] You don't have to stay any longer.
[00:54:16] What do you think?
[00:54:19] Has Pharaoh finally seen the light or is this just more of his counterfeit confessions?
[00:54:25] Moses agreed to stop the plague, but he wasn't buying Pharaoh's promises.
[00:54:29] In verse 30, But I know that you and your officials still don't fear the Lord God.
[00:54:35] And Moses was right.
[00:54:37] And when the hell stopped, Pharaoh hardened his heart yet again, and he would not let the people go.
[00:54:42] You seeing anything familiar?
[00:54:48] You know, sometimes people can be hard-hearted.
[00:54:51] They'll relent for a season, but then they'll go right back to it.
[00:54:54] Jesus told some parables about that.
[00:54:57] Reminds me of the seed that was scattered along paths.
[00:55:03] Plague 8.
[00:55:04] The locusts.
[00:55:06] In verse 12 and following of Exodus chapter 10, the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm everywhere.
[00:55:14] Over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left of the hell.
[00:55:19] They covered all the ground until it was black.
[00:55:21] They devoured all that was left after the hell, everything growing in the fields and the fruit of the trees.
[00:55:26] Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all of Egypt.
[00:55:31] Total and complete destruction.
[00:55:34] So you remember just over a year ago the natural disaster that we experienced, that many of our friends in the western part of our state experienced with Helene.
[00:55:44] Now multiply that times 100 or more.
[00:55:48] This is what the impact was on Egypt.
[00:55:51] Yet in the land of Goshen, again, all is well.
[00:55:55] No impact.
[00:55:56] God continued to bless His people.
[00:55:59] But for the Egyptians, it's hard to believe that there were still two more plagues.
[00:56:06] Plague 9.
[00:56:07] The darkness.
[00:56:09] Verse 21 of chapter 10, Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt.
[00:56:17] Darkness that can be felt.
[00:56:20] That's dark.
[00:56:22] A darkness that can be felt.
[00:56:24] This was a darkness that even the light of a lantern couldn't penetrate.
[00:56:29] It was a kind of darkness that you could feel on your skin.
[00:56:33] That's close.
[00:56:35] and I'm sure that those who were living in darkness were terrified by the way we'll answer the question in the next series for those living in darkness what God would do for them or what he even does for us because there are many living in darkness today would this finally be the plague to loosen Pharaoh's grip on the Hebrew people sadly it was not and there would be one final plague
[00:57:03] which we'll cover in the new year so you'll have to be back on the first Sunday in January and I hope you will you know offering an overview but we're not done of these plagues it's eclipsed most of our time but I'm convinced that these plagues are more than just an exercise in God's creativity and punishment here punishment toward those who would defy him
[00:57:26] They offer more than just a raw display of God's mighty hand, of His righteous response to a remarkably stubborn man.
[00:57:34] There are two truths here I don't want you to miss when God judges.
[00:57:38] And the first is this.
[00:57:40] It is a fearful thing to be judged by a righteous living God.
[00:57:44] And secondly, when God judges, He is thorough.
[00:57:51] So I'm going to get straight to the point here.
[00:57:53] I'm going to make this very personal.
[00:57:55] Some of you are in a danger zone in your life right now.
[00:58:00] You played hard and fast with God's warnings again and again.
[00:58:04] You've chosen to do life your way, stiff-arming His commands and His direction and His will for you.
[00:58:11] Your heart has grown hard and it's getting harder by the day.
[00:58:15] Some days you claim to believe, to say you want to follow His will, to honor Him.
[00:58:22] But it doesn't last.
[00:58:24] Your words are cheap.
[00:58:26] Your commitment counterfeit, inauthentic.
[00:58:29] They offer only a temporary solution for a long-term problem.
[00:58:34] You see, sin continues to rule your life and the truth is, given time, it will ruin your life.
[00:58:41] If you're brutally honest, your life has become dark, so dark no light can penetrate it.
[00:58:48] Your heart is rock hard today.
[00:58:51] So you stand at a crossroads.
[00:58:53] You can continue down this path and face God's very real judgment.
[00:58:58] And when it comes, make no mistake, it will be thorough and it will be complete.
[00:59:04] If you choose to reject Him in this life, He will honor that decision for all of eternity.
[00:59:10] For you will spend it far from Him in a place where He is not, a place the Bible calls hell.
[00:59:17] The truth is, He is righteous and none of us is.
[00:59:21] The Bible says in Romans 3, 10, there is no one righteous, not even one.
[00:59:28] Maybe the Lord has brought you here today for the sole purpose of reminding you that you are far from righteous, that He is God, that He is a God who judges and your sin separates you from Him.
[00:59:42] It hardens your heart toward Him.
[00:59:44] Is there an answer?
[00:59:46] Oh yes, there is.
[00:59:48] And it is good news.
[00:59:49] You see, thankfully, God has provided a solution for our unrighteousness.
[00:59:54] The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, that God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
[01:00:07] Here's the truth.
[01:00:09] For the wages of sin is death.
[01:00:11] That's the bad news we're told in Romans 6.23.
[01:00:14] But here's the good news.
[01:00:16] The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[01:00:21] You can commit today to Jesus Christ.
[01:00:24] You can admit that you're a sinner in need of a Savior who is Jesus Christ.
[01:00:30] You can turn from your sin.
[01:00:32] You can surrender your life to Him today as Lord.
[01:00:37] You know, there's a bright side in this amazing story.
[01:00:41] That not only is God thorough in His judgment, but understand this, when God blesses, He is also thorough.
[01:00:50] That's the way it was for the Hebrew people in Goshen.
[01:00:53] As dark as it got in the land of Egypt, the light was always bright on the Israelites.
[01:01:03] If you're a believer today,
[01:01:05] An authentic, committed follower of Jesus.
[01:01:07] You have much to be thankful for.
[01:01:09] You see, you walk in the light of righteousness.
[01:01:13] You're redeemed by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
[01:01:17] There is nothing better in this world.
[01:01:21] Amen?
[01:01:23] But here's the truth.
[01:01:26] God judges.
[01:01:28] And when God judges, He is thorough.
[01:01:30] And He is complete.
[01:01:32] And you and I, we must give an account to Him for who we are and for what we've done in this world.
[01:01:40] If you are not yet right with God, if God would not declare you righteous today, then you can get right with Him, but your righteousness comes not in what you do, not in what you say, it comes in what you believe about Jesus Christ.
[01:02:00] There is nothing that you could ever do to earn your righteousness for He's already done it for you when He gave His life on Calvary's cross.
[01:02:10] You see, He died there that your sins might be forgiven because the penalty for sin is death.
[01:02:19] And Jesus died that we might have life and have it eternally in God's heaven.
[01:02:25] God loved you that much.
[01:02:26] Do you understand that?
[01:02:29] Some of you here today are here today not by accident but because God wanted to capture your heart today.
[01:02:39] Your hard heart.
[01:02:40] He wanted to soften it today.
[01:02:43] He wanted to let you know how much He loves you.
[01:02:47] How dearly He wants you to know Him in a real and personal way.
[01:02:51] And you can and will today through Jesus Christ.
[01:02:55] I want to invite you to stand on your feet and I want to pray with you and for you in this moment.
[01:02:59] Our Father, I thank You so much for Your Word.
[01:03:03] I thank You for the power of Your Word.
[01:03:06] God, I thank You that though You are a God who judges, You are a God who loves dearly.
[01:03:13] And God, You want a right relationship with each of us.
[01:03:16] And God, You've made that possible through Your Son, Jesus Christ, the sacrifice that He made for each of us on Calvary's cross.
[01:03:25] God, we thank You for that.
[01:03:27] And God, if there is one in this room today or one who's watching today who has not yet surrendered their life to Jesus, I pray in this moment they would be honest with you to say, God,
[01:03:39] I'm a sinner in need of a Savior who is Jesus Christ.
[01:03:44] I don't know everything it means to follow Him, but I know what He did for me.
[01:03:48] And I know I'm a sinner who needs Him desperately.
[01:03:51] And so God, I commit myself to Him as Lord of my life.
[01:03:56] I ask Him to save me now.
[01:03:58] Lord, thank You for saving me.
[01:04:00] Jesus, thank You for giving Your life for me.
[01:04:04] God, guide me now.
[01:04:06] Teach me everything it means to follow You.
[01:04:09] Father, for all of us in this room who are believers, who have committed our lives to you a long time ago, thank you for your protection.
[01:04:16] Thank you for your guidance.
[01:04:18] Thank you for your leadership in our lives.
[01:04:19] God, where we failed you, forgive us.
[01:04:22] Where we've gotten hard-hearted, forgive us.
[01:04:25] God, help us to walk in your way.
[01:04:28] We just give it all to you.
[01:04:29] We don't have much to offer you, God, but we give you our lives.
[01:04:34] We worship you.
[01:04:36] For you are worthy.
[01:04:38] We pray it in Jesus' name.

[01:04:48] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[01:05:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
All my words were short I've got nothing new How could I express All my gratitude I could sing these songs As I often do
[01:05:39] But every song must end and you never do So I throw my hands and praise you again and again It's all that I have is a Hallelujah
[01:06:08] I know it's not much but I'm nothing else fit for the King Except for a heart singing Hallelujah, Hallelujah I've got one response I've got just one
[01:06:51] Praise You again and again It's all that I have is a Hallelujah Hallelujah And I know it's not much I've nothing else fit for the King Except for a heart singing Hallelujah
[01:07:36] I give my praise to you Jesus Come on my soul Oh don't you get shy of me Lift up your soul Cause you've got light inside of those lungs Get up and praise the Lord
[01:08:03] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[01:08:17] Amen.
[01:08:22] In Jesus' name we pray.
[01:08:36] Amen.
[01:09:02] I live to praise You As long as there's breath in my heart I live to praise You As long as there's breath in my heart I live to praise You
[01:09:35] So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again Cause all that I have is a Hallelujah Hallelujah And I know it's not
[01:09:59] Alleluia, Alleluia

[01:10:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
You know, when our hearts are soft toward Him, when we know Jesus in a real and personal way, we have a relationship with the Creator, the Father, the Almighty God of the universe.
[01:10:36] There's nothing...
[01:10:38] We are here today to give Him thanks for all He's done for you, amen?
[01:11:02] Not the least of which is the salvation that He's given you in Jesus Christ.
[01:11:06] And if you're here today and
[01:11:08] Thank you for watching today and for the very first time you surrendered your life to Jesus as Savior and Lord.
[01:11:14] Welcome to God's family.
[01:11:16] Amen.
[01:11:22] And you can share that decision.
[01:11:24] I pray that you will before you leave this place today.
[01:11:27] You can share with me.
[01:11:28] You can share with the Renewed Ministry Shepherd.
[01:11:31] We're the gold lanyards in the bridge.
[01:11:33] They'd love to talk with you, to pray with you, to encourage you.
[01:11:36] If you have other needs here today, we're here to lift you up in any way that we can.
[01:11:42] So see, one of us are Renewed Shepherds.
[01:11:44] We're glad to minister to you.
[01:11:46] Thank you for coming today.
[01:11:48] So glad that you were here.
[01:11:50] And I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
[01:11:53] You have much to be grateful for.
[01:11:56] Amen?
[01:11:57] Let's pray.
[01:11:59] Our Father, we love you.
[01:12:01] And we thank you so much for who you are.
[01:12:04] God, you are powerful.
[01:12:06] You are almighty.
[01:12:08] We saw your power over and over again in these stories.
[01:12:12] God, you are a God who judges.
[01:12:14] And when you do, it is thorough and it is complete.
[01:12:19] The God you are also one who is good and gracious that you love us that you want a relationship with us so thank you for saving us in Jesus Christ as we leave this place let us take that message of hope to a dark world shining light the bright light of Jesus on all we know that we would make an impression and leave a mark for him we pray it in the glorious
[01:12:45] The hopeful, the eternal name of Jesus and all God's children said, Amen.
[01:12:51] Blessings.