His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be glorified in every aspect of every single person's life. God himself would glorify Jesus through the salvation of his people for which he died on the cross. And God would also glorify Jesus through his righteous judgment upon those who wholeheartedly harden their hearts against his goodness and hate his son. So in Exodus 7, 7 and 8, we'll only reference those two. We see the Lord commissioning Moses and Aaron to be his prophet and to stand before Pharaoh and command him to let God's people go. God tells Moses in verse four, chapter seven, that Pharaoh will not listen to you. He goes on to say that I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people, the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the people out of Israel from among them. The Lord tells Moses his plan before he goes out because God is trustworthy. And God wants Moses to remember he must rely upon him for every single word that proceeds out of the mouth of God and not to focus on the fact that he can't speak very well. Right? We always have a reason as to why, well, Lord, I can't do this because whatever. Right? And so too many times we focus on what we can't do as opposed to what the Lord has already done. I know that for a fact in my life. So the Egyptian, oh wait, excuse me. Let's see here. All right, Moses forgets who makes his mouth and he forgets that God is the one who does all things and has enabled him to do things. So in verse 13, Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said. We see the progression of the plagues that God continues to tell Moses that Pharaoh's heart is going to be hardened because he refuses to let the people go. So because of this, the Lord continues to bring judgment upon Egypt. And I'm not going to go into all the plagues, but God brings upon Egypt the plagues that you're familiar with. But the reason things keep happening is because Pharaoh refuses to humble himself before the Lord. You see a continual progression in these plagues continuing to get worse because he continues to harden himself. Pharaoh's position is, obey? I will not obey. That is not something I do. I do not listen to commands. Now, another question for you. As the Lord is calling you, have you been hardening your heart? You may be a believer this morning, and you're going through tough providence, and it may be hardening your heart this morning. Are you possibly in a condition that may lead you down the road to apostasy, believer? Brothers and sisters, let us not be deceived because we have been saved. We must always be vigilant and ready to give an account of the hope that lies within us, right? So we must remember that our enemy, the devil, He wants to have you, and He wants to cause you to slip, and He wants to kill you. He wants to, if He could, take away your salvation from you, which He can't. So this morning, don't harden your heart before the Lord. Do not do this. I warn you, and I urge you, and I plead with you. Fall on your face before Him while He may be found, and repent, and keep that short account with Him. In verse 4, we're going to see God's faithfulness. So the Lord is righteous. He has cut the cords of the wicked. Okay. And continuing with the idea of being oppressed and having a taskmaster or being whipped, we must also think about the aspect of what it is that pulls a plow. So has anybody in here ever pulled a plow? Okay. I got one person, right? All right. So Sharon's been a part of that before. All right. Typically, you have a beast of burden who is going to be the engine And then you would have a person who is strapped to that engine. And they're holding on for dear life this plow, which is digging in the earth and excavating a row in order that you may plant seeds in the earth. This is very difficult. It's tough. As you have this picture in your mind, maybe you have even driven by a plow and you can speak firsthand as to what we're talking about here. You may know what it looks like. So as this person is plowing, they're using the reins to get the beast to move. So they're smacking these reins, so they're beating that beast to get him to move. And these reins are wrapped around you, and so they're digging into you, and you're holding on for dear life with this shovel, or this plow, digging in the earth. OK, we got the picture. So they're doing this in an attempt to keep it in a straight line. Right? And, sorry, let's see. So they want to keep it in a straight line in order that they can have straight rows. So, in this process, you have an animal that's being whipped, which is then tied to you and the pressure is all over you and attempting to hold, and you're attempting to hold strongly with your hands and your arms and this plow as your beast of burden progresses in furrowing the earth. Okay, we get this process. It's a little difficult. So because the Lord's word is sure, those who are oppressed and afflicted know that they can, the fear that's on their face on a daily basis, it'll come to an end. Every day they get up and they know they're going to be beaten. Every no they know they're going to get a new lash. They're going to, most likely. but they have hope in their heart and they know that this won't last forever because they know that they can rely upon the Lord. So when the Lord gives you his heart, he begins to work in your new heart. He begins to cultivate the soil. He begins by planting new seeds in you, which will develop new fruits. He cultivates our hearts through giving us the fruits of his spirit. He plants the seed of the very fruit of him in us. His very spirit, he plants that in us. As the Lord uses his people to work in and through his people's lives, as we work and live together, the Lord provides shepherds for us to help us along our way. He provides insight to us in order that through other believers, the word of the Lord would sharpen one another as they grow in grace together. So this is a very good thing, why we need to remember the word of the Lord so that we can encourage one another and we can hold each other fast and hold us to account according to God's word. So as we mature in our faith, the Lord grows us from babes who need the milk more into more mature Christians who can now enjoy the meat of the word. I don't mean that in a way of getting away from the basics. I don't mean that. I just mean that we're able to understand more substance. But see, those basics are built upon the rock of Christ. And that foundation, it stands because of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And those are the things to which we need to hold. He is the one who cuts away the areas in our life which are unprofitable and lead us into sin. He is the one who removes those old seeds and those old fruits. And it's difficult and it's painful for us because that's what we know. And we love that stuff, and that's why it's hard for us. We know that we love our sin because John is clear about that. Now, this is a process that we're going to go through until we die. And because this is such a great truth, those who have humbled themselves before the Lord be of good cheer because he will exalt you one day in that due time. Now, in Isaiah 14, we see the heart of King Nebuchadnezzar being in tune with the heart of Satan, as Satan was thrown out of heaven. Nebuchadnezzar says that he will be like God, and because he does this, the Lord places a curse upon Nebuchadnezzar. In chapter 4 of Daniel, we see the humiliation and the restoration of King Nebuchadnezzar. So, I'm juxtaposing Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar because initially they both had the same heart and heart, right? They both had the, they both had the idea that they would be like God and that they would be higher than God and I will be, you know, like him. So, at the end of, so let me read this little passage for us here. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of 12 months. He was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. And the king answered and said, is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven. O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, the kingdom has departed from you and you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox and seven periods of time shall come over you until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men, ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagle's feathers and his nails were like bird's claws. At the end of these days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me. And I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand. or stay him. What have you done? At the same time, my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lord sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are right, and his ways are just, and those who walk in pride he is able to humble, Daniel 4, 28 to 37. So I find it fascinating that we see these two dominant world rulers both initially with the same type of heart, but we see a dramatic transformation of how the Lord humbles and radically changes his enemies. The Lord is constantly working out his plan for his people. He always uses his people's sin, excuse me, he always uses people's sin as judgment or discipline. Our response now, ought to be that of the same response that Job gave when he said, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. As we've considered Pharaoh and now Nebuchadnezzar, let us consider the parable of the sower. Matthew 13, beginning in verse 18. I want you to consider what type of soil your heart is. As we consider this passage, take a moment to examine your own heart and see where you are this morning. Ask the Lord to search your heart and test your mind. So, here then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what's sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself. but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of the riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what's sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields. And in a case, a hundredfold, another case, 60, and another 30. So consider that this morning. Which soil are you? Are you one that is desiring to be cultivated, to be made more rich in him? Or do the cares of this life just seem to choke you out. So, verses five through eight, we're gonna see Israel's enemies. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward. Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand, nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, the blessing of the Lord be upon you. We bless you in the name of the Lord. So, verse 5 is a summary of all those oppressors and the afflictors in verses 1 through 4. So, the psalmist asks the Lord to put shame upon and cause to turn backward those who hate the Lord and his people and his purposes. He understands that vengeance belongs to the Lord. And it sounds like he understands that God is doing something bigger than what he's dealing with in his own personal difficulty. It seems as though this seasoned believer trusts God in a very big way. He understands that his own strength is vanity, and seeking retribution is futile. But he knows that the Lord will execute his perfect judgment, even as the pilgrims went to Jerusalem singing these songs of ascent, There were still those people who hated them, and oppressed them, and afflicted them that were all around them. The enemies of God continued to flourish, but the believers knew that God does not change, and they knew that He is faithful, and they knew that they could fully rely upon Him. They asked the Lord to put the shame those who would oppress them, and he references that they would be like the grass on a housetop that withers before it grows. And he says, with which the reapers does not feel his hand, nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say anything good to them. So personally, as a person who has dealt with anger, bitterness, resentment, and other such wonderful traits as these, I have struggled in reading the Psalms to find a way to put myself in the shoes of these people during the Old Testament and how they were oppressed and how they lived life in slavery and captivity and bondage and utter living hell. I don't understand how they felt. It doesn't make sense to me. We're in a free country. We're too free. And so there are certain things I don't understand. And sometimes I have a hard time understanding how to ask the Lord to destroy those people who are unkind to me. And the reason I have a hard time with that is because the Lord has shown so much kindness and tenderness towards me that I struggle with these types of passages. So bear with me, because I want to understand His Word. So I struggle with asking the Lord to send someone to hell. And knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade those who sit and listen to our teaching. But in no way, in no way do I say that the wicked and the evil should not receive their punishment. But it's a difficult thing to say. So I do side with the Lord and those who stand opposed to him, they should receive the full reward for which they opposed him. And he must utterly destroy them for that is who he is. But I think sometimes we can be callous in the way that we teach certain truth. And I believe it's the responsibility of teachers of God's word to teach you in a matter of love. and nothing else. These truths are difficult, but we must say these things. All right. So that type of love can be difficult. It might be hard, but we should never be callous and without compassion. We must call sin, sin. but we must do it with love. There is no greater knowledge than the knowledge of God shining in the light, shining the light into the darkness, excuse me, shining the light into the dark recessed dungeons of the heart and with great power, making it live in the light of the glory of Christ. Now, as a sports fan and as a former athlete, I've heard many roars of many crowds. And as they erupt and celebrate some ridiculous, insignificant victory, I must say that the vanity of man is even in the exaltation of its minuscule achievements. I can only imagine the eruption and thunderous praise that takes place in heaven when the glory of Christ shines in the blackness of one wicked heart. I pray that if that is your heart, that that be the gift that he gives you today. See, looking back at Psalm 128 verse 2, we said we'd talk about that. The Lord speaks to those who walk in his ways by saying, you shall eat the fruit of your labor of your hands. You shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. But when we contrast that with Psalms 129, 6 through 8, he is asking that these people be brought to utter ruin, that they have nothing to show for the labor of what they do with their hands. He does not want them to be blessed. He doesn't want them, he doesn't want it to be well with them. See, this is a curse that he is praying that God would bring about on these people. And we see the reference to Boaz in Ruth 2.4. It's just a simple reference. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers, the Lord be with you. And they answered, the Lord bless you. So Boaz was an honorable man, and he was good to his workers, and he protected those who belonged to him. He made sure that everybody had what they needed, even made sure to keep his workers in line not to harass any of the ladies. See, Boaz is a foreshadowing of a type of Christ because he was their protection and he did everything that was needed for these people. He even allowed Ruth to go in and the last of the harvest, after everybody had reaped, she was able to go in and collect. So regarding the grass on the thatch roof, the reason why the grass could not grow long is because there was no depth of soil. It's on a roof. It's not in the earth, and there's no roots, and they don't have anything to grow deep down into and become strong. We need to remember that when we don't have roots, we're easily uprooted. And if it doesn't have roots, it won't last. So what are your roots in today? Are your roots sunk into the Lord? Are they grounded in Christ, going deep? Or are they superficial? Something for us to consider. So one last question. What's your soil like? I believe if we're honest, we could ask the Lord to cultivate our hearts more. And that's what he does through progressive sanctification. But I believe we need to ask for those things, because those are good things. And the Lord tells us to ask him for things. I believe that the Lord, or that those of us who know the Lord, know that the Lord is the one who provides the increase. And anyone who has been changed, know that they want more of that change. The more of that that we have is the more of Jesus. Remember, Jesus is not the way to get what you want. Jesus is what you want or who you want. Any other reason to come to Jesus is idolatry and it's evil. This morning, I want to encourage you to examine your own hearts. Remember, as Jeremiah said to the Lord, the Lord searches the heart and tests the minds to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruits of his deeds. I pray that the Lord would move in your heart this morning, that it would melt like wax. He would melt your heart of stone. And as you struggle with pride, that you would side with the Lord and say, yes, Lord, more of you and less of me. I pray that the Lord would soften your hearts. that you would not harden your hearts this morning against the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that it would offend you, and then you would ask the Lord to forgive you for being offended by him. He is the one who is doing the offending. I pray that you would see the doom that is sure if you continue in this path. I pray that you would see the grandeur of the cross and the strength of the broken. God is the one who rebuilds those who are broken. I want you to bear with me. And if you got your hymnal, your red hymnal, turn to 257 in the red. This is a familiar hymn. Stricken, smitten, and afflicted. And I just kind of want to read to you verse three and verse four. Ye who think of sin but lightly, nor suppose the evil great, here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate. Mark the sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load, tis the word, the Lord's anointed, Son of man and Son of God. Here we have a firm foundation, here the refuge of the lost, Christ's the rock of our salvation, his the name of which we boast, Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, sacrifice to cancel guilt. None shall ever be confounded who on him their hope have built. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the psalm this morning. We thank you for your faithfulness. We pray that you would continue to uphold us. We pray that you would continue to strengthen our roots that are in you. I pray that as you cultivate our hearts that you would uproot and discard the wickedness of the shaft that is in our hearts, Father. I pray that you would search our hearts and test our minds. Make us to be useful vessels for your glory, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. All righty.