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Voddie Baucham - The Fourth Plague_Flies · Voddie Baucham Sermons

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Speaker 1: If you have your bibles with you, open them. Please
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Speaker 1: to Exodus chapter eight. Exodus chapter eight, we'll begin in
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Speaker 1: verse twenty Exodus chapter eight, beginning in verse twenty. In
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Speaker 1: this section, we've come to the fourth plague. And as
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Speaker 1: we've learned, the plagues are divided into really four parts.
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Speaker 1: There are three sets of three plagues, and we know
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Speaker 1: the difference between the sets of plagues because of the
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Speaker 1: pattern that is repeated three times. We know that first
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Speaker 1: Moses is told to go to Pharaoh in the morning
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Speaker 1: when he is in the water, probably some act of
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Speaker 1: worship when he wakes in the morning and he worship
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Speaker 1: at the Nile. And in the second of the plagues,
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Speaker 1: he is told to go before Pharaoh, probably in his
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Speaker 1: capacity as Pharaoh, probably there in his chambers. And then
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Speaker 1: in the third plague, in each of these three rounds
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Speaker 1: of three plagues, the plague just comes. He doesn't even
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Speaker 1: go before Pharaoh, the plague just comes. So we've seen
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Speaker 1: the first set of plagues. Now we see the second
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Speaker 1: set of plagues. So plague number four starts series number two.
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Speaker 1: Now you know that the number is not twelve plagues.
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Speaker 1: So you have three sets of three plagues. And then
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Speaker 1: you have the tenth plague, which stands apart all its own.
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Speaker 1: It is the culmination of these plagues. This second set
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Speaker 1: of plagues is unique in that in this set of plagues,
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Speaker 1: God makes a clear distinction between Egypt and Israel. It's
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Speaker 1: amazing the kind of things you see when you slow
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Speaker 1: down and begin to pay attention to these sections of scripture.
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Speaker 1: How many times have we read through this section Exodus
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Speaker 1: and not recognized that three sets of three plagues, And
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Speaker 1: how many times have we read through and not recognized
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Speaker 1: that It is not until this second section, this middle section,
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Speaker 1: that God makes this clear distinction between Egypt and Israel
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Speaker 1: in the plagues that he brings. So look with me.
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Speaker 1: Beginning in verse twenty, then the Lord said to Moses,
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Speaker 1: rise up early in the morning and present yourself to
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Speaker 1: Pharaoh as he goes out to the water, and say
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Speaker 1: to him, thus says the Lord. Now again, we know
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Speaker 1: that this is the first plague in the series, because
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Speaker 1: we started again early in the morning at the water.
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Speaker 1: Thus says the Lord. Let my people go that they
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Speaker 1: may me or else. If you will not let my
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Speaker 1: people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on
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Speaker 1: you and your servants. And your people, and into your houses.
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Speaker 1: And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with
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Speaker 1: swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
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Speaker 1: But on that day I will set apart the land
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Speaker 1: of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms
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Speaker 1: of flies shall be there, that you may know that
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Speaker 1: I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.
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Speaker 1: Thus I will put a division between my people and
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Speaker 1: your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen, And the Lord
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Speaker 1: did so. There came great swarms of flies into the
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Speaker 1: house of Pharaoh and into his servants houses throughout all
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Speaker 1: the land of Egypt. The land was ruined by the
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Speaker 1: swarm of flies. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said,
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Speaker 1: go sacrifice to your God within the land. But Moses
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Speaker 1: said it would not be right to do so, for
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Speaker 1: the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God
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Speaker 1: are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings
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Speaker 1: abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not
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Speaker 1: stone us. We must go three days journey into the
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Speaker 1: wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he
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Speaker 1: tells us. So Pharaoh said, I will let you go
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Speaker 1: to sacrifice to the Lord, your god in the wilderness.
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Speaker 1: Only you must not go very far away plead for me.
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Speaker 1: Then Moses said, behold, I'm going out from you, and
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Speaker 1: I will plead with the Lord that the swarm of
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Speaker 1: flies may depart from Pharaoh for his servants and from
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Speaker 1: his people tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by
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Speaker 1: not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.
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Speaker 1: So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.
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Speaker 1: And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the
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Speaker 1: swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from
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Speaker 1: his people. Not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart
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Speaker 1: this time also, and did not let the people go.
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Speaker 1: I have to admit, having read this time and time
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Speaker 1: and time again, if I'm honest, every time I read
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Speaker 1: that last phrase in each of these plagues, my heart
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Speaker 1: is saddened every time I read that last phrase that says,
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Speaker 1: but Pharaoh hardened his hard It says, though I'm surprised
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Speaker 1: every time I read this that Pharaoh again hardenness. I
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Speaker 1: know the story, I know what happens, But when you
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Speaker 1: read it, and when you recognize what happens and who
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Speaker 1: it is that's doing these things I guess there's something
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Speaker 1: on the inside of you that knows how a story
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Speaker 1: is supposed to go, and so when you read it,
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Speaker 1: that part of you that knows how a story is
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Speaker 1: supposed to go is still a bit surprised and saddened
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Speaker 1: when you read. And yet again Pharaoh hardened his heart.
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Speaker 1: But this is only plague number four. This will happen
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Speaker 1: five more times the exact same way, and nothing will
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Speaker 1: change in terms of Pharaoh until the tenth plague, and
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Speaker 1: even then he eventually hardens his heart for the final time.
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Speaker 1: And so the question is why are these plagues? We've
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Speaker 1: had an answer to that question, We've had several answers
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Speaker 1: to that question. But today we get another piece of
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Speaker 1: the puzzle. Today we see the connection between redemption and worship.
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Speaker 1: That God is redeeming his people for worship. We see
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Speaker 1: this because of at least two things. One because of
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Speaker 1: this separation that he makes, and we'll look at that
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Speaker 1: more carefully. But secondly, we see this also because of
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Speaker 1: the words that he uses. First of all, let's remind
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Speaker 1: ourselves of what this is not. This is not a
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Speaker 1: personal vendetta. This is not Moses coming back and challenging Pharaoh.
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Speaker 1: As a personal vendetta because of the life that they
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Speaker 1: shared together when they were younger. This is also not
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Speaker 1: class warfare. This is not God on the side of
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Speaker 1: the poor and disenfranchised. This is not the deliverance of
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Speaker 1: the oppressed. This is not God on the side of
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Speaker 1: the oppressed. As liberation theologians would have us believe this
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Speaker 1: idea that what we see in Israel is a picture
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Speaker 1: of God as he is always on the side of
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Speaker 1: the oppressed and against the oppressor. We know this is
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Speaker 1: not true, first and foremost, because Israel is not the
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Speaker 1: only oppressed people in the world at the time. Amen,
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Speaker 1: if this was merely God acting as God always does
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Speaker 1: on behalf of the oppressed and against the oppressor, then
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Speaker 1: this would have been true all over the world at
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Speaker 1: the time. But it wasn't. It wasn't. We also know
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Speaker 1: that there are times when God sends the oppressor to
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Speaker 1: oppress Israel. So when they go into captivity in Assyria
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Speaker 1: and when they go into captivity in Babylon, it is
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Speaker 1: God who orchestrates this. So we know that it is
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Speaker 1: not in the character of God to always be on
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Speaker 1: the side of the oppressed and against the oppressor. We
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Speaker 1: also know this because the world is not reduced to
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Speaker 1: the mere sin of oppression and all other sins being
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Speaker 1: relegated to secondary status. This is not the way God
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Speaker 1: views the world, nor should we view the world this way.
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Speaker 1: This is also not ethnic favoritism. God is not acting
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Speaker 1: on behalf of Israel because they are his favorite ethnicity.
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Speaker 1: In fact, the ethnicity of the Israelites and the Egyptians
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Speaker 1: is not very different. Remember, Abraham is the first Jew.
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Speaker 1: He is from er in the Kaldis. He is not
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Speaker 1: of some special magical ethnicity that's never existed before. God
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Speaker 1: takes him out of the ethnicity that is his and
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Speaker 1: creates a people group. So this is not some pure race.
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Speaker 1: If you will, what is this? Then this is the
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Speaker 1: redemption of God's people for the purpose of worship. This
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Speaker 1: is the redemption of God's people for the purpose of worship.
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Speaker 1: That is what this is all about. We see that
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Speaker 1: there as every time Moses comes, we have to remember
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Speaker 1: and we have to remind ourselves, have to say this
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Speaker 1: again and again and again. Don't tell part of the story.
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Speaker 1: Moses came to Egypt, and what did he say? Let
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Speaker 1: my people go? There's songs about it. Moses came to
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Speaker 1: egypt Land. Let my people go, right. You know the
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Speaker 1: problem with that song, It only tell us part of
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Speaker 1: the story. He says, let my people go so that
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Speaker 1: they may worship, not just let them go. There's a
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Speaker 1: difference between let them go, because let them go means
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Speaker 1: what's wrong here is that they're in captivity. What's wrong
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Speaker 1: here is that they're not free. And all God is
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Speaker 1: about is people not being in captivity and people being free.
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Speaker 1: If that's the case, just let them go so that
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Speaker 1: they can be free. But the issue here is not captivity.
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Speaker 1: The issues here is not freedom. The issue here redemption
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Speaker 1: for the purpose of worship. That's the issue here. God
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Speaker 1: is redeeming a people to worship him. This is also
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Speaker 1: a picture of the redemption of God's elect, of all
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Speaker 1: of God's elect Here we see Israel as God's elect.
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Speaker 1: But we understand even from the establishment of Israel as
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Speaker 1: a people, that the election of Israel was about all
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Speaker 1: of God's elect in all the world. That is why
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Speaker 1: in the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis chapter twelve, Jesus says
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Speaker 1: and you, or God says to Abraham, and you, all
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Speaker 1: the nations of the earth shall be blessed in other words,
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Speaker 1: the calling of Abraham and the establishment of the people
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Speaker 1: of Israel was only a part or peace of the
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Speaker 1: puzzle of God calling and establishing his elect throughout all
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Speaker 1: of the earth and from every tribe and tongue and
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Speaker 1: kindred and nation. And so as a result of this,
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Speaker 1: when we look at God's people being redeemed so that
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Speaker 1: they might worship, we have to understand this as part
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Speaker 1: and parcel of what God is doing as a whole,
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Speaker 1: because Israel is being redeemed because they're part of God's
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Speaker 1: plan of redemption. Amen. The redemption of Israel was never
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Speaker 1: and end in itself. The redemption of Israel was always
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Speaker 1: and must always be seen as part of the broader
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Speaker 1: picture of God redeeming all of his elect Why is
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Speaker 1: Israel important? Israel is important because the promise Seid is
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Speaker 1: going to come through the nation of Israel. That's why
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Speaker 1: Israel is significant. So when we view Israel being brought
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Speaker 1: out of Egypt, we must view it in light of
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Speaker 1: our redemption in Christ. And so we look at the text. First,
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Speaker 1: we see that God is setting Israel apart for himself.
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Speaker 1: We see that in that this is the first of
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Speaker 1: the selective plagues verses twenty two and twenty three. But
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Speaker 1: on that day, I will set apart the land of Goshen,
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Speaker 1: where my people dwell, so that no swarming flies shall
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Speaker 1: be there, that you may know that I am the
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Speaker 1: Lord in the midst of the earth. Thus I will
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Speaker 1: put a division between my people and your people. The
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Speaker 1: word that he uses here for setting them apart is
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Speaker 1: a word for redeeming. I am redeeming the land of Goshen.
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Speaker 1: I am redeeming my people in Goshen. This is what
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Speaker 1: God is doing. God is redeeming Israel. He is not
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Speaker 1: just making them a free people. Here's a newsflash. You
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Speaker 1: don't have to be free to worship God. Amen, somebody.
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Speaker 1: You don't have to be free to worship God. You
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Speaker 1: can worship God as a slave. You can worship God
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Speaker 1: as an incarcerated prisoner, you can worship God as a
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Speaker 1: captive somewhere. You can worship God anywhere. However, you must
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Speaker 1: be redeemed. What this is about is the redemption of
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Speaker 1: God's elect people. And he makes it clear that I
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Speaker 1: am setting a boundary between Egypt and Ghoshen. I'm setting
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Speaker 1: a boundary between the Egyptians and the Israelite I'm setting
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Speaker 1: a boundary between you and my elect redeemed people. I
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Speaker 1: am redeeming them, I am setting them apart. And he's
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Speaker 1: setting them apart for at least two purposes. One so
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Speaker 1: that he can demonstrate who he is as God, and secondly,
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Speaker 1: so that these people can worship him as his redeemed people.
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Speaker 1: This is part of a pattern for the second series
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Speaker 1: of plagues. Go to chapter nine, verse four. The first time,
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Speaker 1: they always go down to him when he's worshiping. By
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Speaker 1: the way, this is significant as well. He is there worshiping,
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Speaker 1: and as he is there worshiping a false God, Moses
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Speaker 1: comes to him and says, let my people go, so
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Speaker 1: that they can worship the true God. The second one
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Speaker 1: comes to him in his capacity as he's ruling, and
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Speaker 1: verse nine. But the Lord will make a distinction between
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Speaker 1: the live stock of Israel and the live stock of Egypt,
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Speaker 1: so that nothing of all that belongs to the people
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Speaker 1: of Israel shall die. Why so that Israel can have
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Speaker 1: livestock after it's over, and Egypt won't. What is that
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Speaker 1: going to do. They're slaves. The Egyptians will just take
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Speaker 1: the livestock. Amen, It's not like you're gonna say, oh,
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Speaker 1: our livestock is dead, but yours is still alive. Too
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Speaker 1: bad for us, Give me that cow. That's what they're
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Speaker 1: gonna say. But what's the point. The point is He's
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Speaker 1: redeeming Israel in the third Plague in this section, in
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Speaker 1: Plague six, the hail look at verses twenty five and
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Speaker 1: twenty six. The hail struck down everything that was in
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Speaker 1: the field in all the land of Egypt, both man
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Speaker 1: and beast, And the hail struck down every plant of
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Speaker 1: the field and broke every tree of the field. Only
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Speaker 1: in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were,
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Speaker 1: was there no hail. God is redeeming his people. What
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Speaker 1: are the implications. There are several implication implications for this.
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Speaker 1: Number one that is, this is not a natural phenomenon.
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Speaker 1: This is not a natural phenomenon. You've already heard as
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Speaker 1: we've gone through this, there are those individuals who have
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Speaker 1: argued and continue to argue that what we have here
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Speaker 1: is no more than a series of natural phenomenon. And
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Speaker 1: these natural phenomena proceed one after another, and this happened,
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Speaker 1: and therefore that happened, and that happened, and therefore that happened.
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Speaker 1: It's all a set of natural phenomenon. Well, here's where
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Speaker 1: that argument doesn't hold water, because it's not natural for
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Speaker 1: flies to go everywhere but Goshen, Amen, somebody, that's just
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Speaker 1: not natural. It's not natural that the livestock would die everywhere,
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Speaker 1: but in Goshen they don't die. It's not natural that
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Speaker 1: hail and fire would fall down everywhere, but not in Ghost.
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Speaker 1: And that's not natural. These are not natural phenomena. This
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Speaker 1: is miraculous. Secondly, this is not an indiscriminate series of circumstances.
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Speaker 1: This is not an indiscriminate series of circumstances. There is
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Speaker 1: order to this, There is timing to this. Moses says
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Speaker 1: it's gonna happen this morning. It happens this morning. He
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Speaker 1: says it's gonna happen tomorrow. It happens tomorrow. Thirdly, this
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Speaker 1: is not a mere curse on the land. This is
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Speaker 1: not a mere curse on the land because it doesn't
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Speaker 1: touch all the land. It doesn't touch Ghoshen. Four. This
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Speaker 1: is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob demonstrating his
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Speaker 1: might and his intentions. His intentions are to redeem Israel.
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Speaker 1: You have to understand how the ancient Near East worked.
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Speaker 1: You have to understand, for example, that before people went
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Speaker 1: to war against one another, they would consult their oracles
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Speaker 1: in order to see whether or not their God was
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Speaker 1: with them. And when they went into battle, they would
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Speaker 1: fight against one another. And when they fought against one another,
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Speaker 1: the victor was seen to have vanquished these people and
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Speaker 1: their god. This is why, for example, when Israel is
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Speaker 1: carried off into Babylon, Nebekazar takes the objects of their
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Speaker 1: worship and brings them to Babylon. You see, for the
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Speaker 1: most part, these gods were seen as regional gods who
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Speaker 1: were gods of the particular peoples. So the most devastating
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Speaker 1: thing I could do to you was not just to
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Speaker 1: defeat you, but to defeat you and then take your
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Speaker 1: gods with me back to my place so that they
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Speaker 1: could be subjugated to my gods. So the most powerful
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Speaker 1: nation in the world world was seen as the nation
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Speaker 1: who served the most powerful god in the world. So
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Speaker 1: Israel here is slaves in Egypt, which to the Egyptians
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Speaker 1: meant their god is not as powerful as our god.
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Speaker 1: If their god was as powerful, they wouldn't be slaves
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Speaker 1: to us. So now Moses comes and speaks on behalf
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Speaker 1: of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. By the way,
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Speaker 1: he's a god who doesn't even have an idol. What
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Speaker 1: kind of god is this? Ask the Egyptians to see
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Speaker 1: their gods. They can take you to them and show
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Speaker 1: them to you. Ask Moses to show you as God.
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Speaker 1: Moses can't show you as God. What is that? That's ridiculous.
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Speaker 1: You have a God that you can't show me or
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Speaker 1: I can show you. So when the plagues come and
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Speaker 1: the God of Israel attacks at every point the gods
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Speaker 1: of Egypt and the things that they provide, beginning with
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Speaker 1: the Nile, he is saying I am God, and there
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Speaker 1: is no other God. And when he attacks Egypt and
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Speaker 1: says I am going to redeem and make a distinction
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Speaker 1: between you and my people, he is saying I am
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Speaker 1: not just God, I am not just the God, but
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Speaker 1: I am their God. This doesn't make sense. By the way,
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Speaker 1: they're slaves. How can they have a god who stands
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Speaker 1: up to our gods. They're slaves who don't even have
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Speaker 1: their gods with them. You can't even see their gods,
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Speaker 1: you can't hold their gods, you can't bow down before
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Speaker 1: their gods. How can these slaves who don't even have
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Speaker 1: quote real gods stand before Pharaoh, who is God of gods.
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Speaker 1: You got to remember that too. Pharaoh doesn't just worship
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Speaker 1: the gods. He is one. He is God of gods.
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Speaker 1: So God is redeeming his people, he's setting them apart
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Speaker 1: for himself. This is important in another way as well.
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Speaker 1: Remember the whole idea is God is redeeming his people
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Speaker 1: so that they might worship him. But know this, we've
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Speaker 1: just finished Genesis. We have no worship cult. And by
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Speaker 1: the word the word, by the way, the word cult.
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Speaker 1: When we talk about the worship cult, we're not talking
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Speaker 1: about like a cultic religion. When we say worship cult,
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Speaker 1: what we mean is we don't have worship practices. We
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Speaker 1: don't know who's supposed to do what. We don't have
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Speaker 1: a priesthood, we don't have any of that. Coming out
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Speaker 1: of Genesis and coming into Exodus, we have none of that.
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Speaker 1: So there are no established worship practices beyond the primitive
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Speaker 1: versions of these worship practices that were practiced by the patriarchs.
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Speaker 1: We don't have a temple, we don't have a tabernacle,
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Speaker 1: we don't have any of that. And so there is
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Speaker 1: no worship cult in the sense that there is no
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Speaker 1: prescribed worship practice for Israel. Why is this important? Well,
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Speaker 1: if there's no prescribed worship practice for Israel other than
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Speaker 1: a few things that have been handed down to them,
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Speaker 1: and they've been in Egypt for four hundred years, guess what.
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Speaker 1: The only thing they knew about worship is the pagan
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Speaker 1: Egyptian format. That's what they know about worship. They haven't
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Speaker 1: been able to exercise the worship of Yahweh for hundreds
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Speaker 1: of years, so this is all they know. Well, if
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Speaker 1: it's all they know, and God just opens the gates
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Speaker 1: and they walk out to worship, guess how they're going
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Speaker 1: to worship. In fact, we don't have to guess. Moses
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Speaker 1: goes up on the mountain and he's gone too long,
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Speaker 1: and what happens. They revert to the only thing they know,
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Speaker 1: the worship of Egypt. So understand this. In these ten plagues,
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Speaker 1: these ten plagues are not to convince Pharaoh. God doesn't
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Speaker 1: need to convince Pharaoh. He can kill him. Amen. God
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Speaker 1: doesn't need to convince anyone. God is not running for God.
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Speaker 1: These plagues are not designed to convince Pharaoh. Secondly, these
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Speaker 1: plagues are not designed to break Pharaoh's will. The last plague,
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Speaker 1: all by itself, could have done that. All by itself,
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Speaker 1: it could have done that. These plagues are as much
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Speaker 1: for Israel as they are for Egypt. God is showing
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Speaker 1: Israel that the only gods that they have known for
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Speaker 1: the last several hundred years, these gods that they have seen,
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Speaker 1: this worship that they have watched and witnessed and probably
26:34
Speaker 1: even participated in. More than likely they participated in it.
26:38
Speaker 1: That's how they knew what to do with the Golden calf.
26:41
Speaker 1: God is saying to Israel, you are coming out to
26:44
Speaker 1: worship me by the way. You do not worship me
26:48
Speaker 1: the way Egypt worshiped. You do not worship Egypt's God.
26:52
Speaker 1: I will not accept that. And so in these ten
26:55
Speaker 1: plagues he crushes every vestige of Egyptian worship. Through he
27:01
Speaker 1: is one on one, face to face confrontation and demolishing
27:08
Speaker 1: of every Egyptian superstition. God is redeeming his people, and
27:14
Speaker 1: he is redeeming his people in part by crushing their idols.
27:21
Speaker 1: Hear me, saints, this is exactly what God does with
27:25
Speaker 1: you and me. You and I lived in the world
27:30
Speaker 1: before we got saved. Amen, Praise God for children who
27:35
Speaker 1: grow up in Christian families, children who are catechised and
27:38
Speaker 1: who are taught, and who have all these sorts of things.
27:40
Speaker 1: I praise the Lord. Praise the Lord for kids. When
27:43
Speaker 1: you ask him when they got saved, they look at
27:44
Speaker 1: you and kind of go I'm not really sure. I
27:48
Speaker 1: was raised, catechised, taught, and one day I just realized
27:55
Speaker 1: that I had been believing. Amen, Hollelyah, Praise the Lord.
28:01
Speaker 1: Most of us, however, did not come to faith that way.
28:06
Speaker 1: Most of us lived in the world, and some of
28:09
Speaker 1: us lived in the world for a long time. And
28:14
Speaker 1: there are things that we became comfortable with. There are
28:17
Speaker 1: things we became convinced of. There are things that we
28:21
Speaker 1: began to delight in. There are things that we knew,
28:25
Speaker 1: there are things that we yearn for. And all of
28:28
Speaker 1: a sudden we come to faith in Christ, and we
28:30
Speaker 1: are redeemed, and we are delivered from our sin, and
28:34
Speaker 1: we are delivered and saved. How many of you know
28:42
Speaker 1: that that doesn't take away the idolatry in your heart.
28:47
Speaker 1: How many of you know that you need to learn
28:50
Speaker 1: how to worship God properly. How many of you know
28:54
Speaker 1: that you need to learn how to mortify the idolatry
28:57
Speaker 1: that was in you. How many of you know that
29:00
Speaker 1: you bring those things with you and in some instances
29:03
Speaker 1: struggle with them for years, because there are churches around,
29:08
Speaker 1: and you may have found one of them early on
29:10
Speaker 1: that major in providing for the idolatry those things with
29:16
Speaker 1: which He is familiar and those things which he craves
29:20
Speaker 1: and so worship that looks and smells and feels and
29:24
Speaker 1: taste exactly like the spirit of the age. We'll give
29:30
Speaker 1: it to you because it's what you crave. And we
29:36
Speaker 1: see no distinction whatsoever between what we are doing in
29:41
Speaker 1: the worship of God and what we did when we
29:42
Speaker 1: were in the world. No distinction whatsoever between what you
29:50
Speaker 1: used to do on Saturday night when you got your
29:52
Speaker 1: party on, and what you began to do on Sunday morning.
29:57
Speaker 1: Same light, same smoke, machines, same everything. There are vestiges
30:09
Speaker 1: of idolatry in every last one of us. And part
30:15
Speaker 1: of what God does when he redeems us is that
30:19
Speaker 1: he crushes that and he kills it. And this is
30:25
Speaker 1: what He is doing for his people. He is crushing
30:30
Speaker 1: the idolatry of Egypt. As he is calling them away,
30:34
Speaker 1: He is making a distinction between them and the Egyptians.
30:38
Speaker 1: He is showing them who he is as he redeems them.
30:44
Speaker 1: This is significant. God is also identifying Israel as his own.
30:55
Speaker 1: He is identifying Israel as his own. He is saying
30:59
Speaker 1: they are mine, they belong to me. By setting them apart,
31:13
Speaker 1: God is setting Israel apart for the purpose of worship.
31:18
Speaker 1: Worship is a main purpose for which man was created.
31:23
Speaker 1: A main purpose. One of the main purposes for which
31:27
Speaker 1: man is created is to worship God. The fall was
31:31
Speaker 1: a denial and misdirection of this worship, and as a
31:37
Speaker 1: result of the fall, man who is created to worship,
31:39
Speaker 1: continues to worship. It's not that man stops worshiping. We
31:43
Speaker 1: just redirect our worship. Romans one makes this very clear.
31:48
Speaker 1: Instead of worshiping God, who is to be praised forevermore,
31:51
Speaker 1: we worship the image of created things and even man. Therefore,
31:58
Speaker 1: God must redeem people to worship him. John chapter four,
32:04
Speaker 1: beginning of verse twenty one, the woman at the whale,
32:07
Speaker 1: Jesus said to her, woman, believe me, the hour is
32:10
Speaker 1: coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will
32:13
Speaker 1: you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know.
32:16
Speaker 1: We worship what we know. For salvation is from the Jews.
32:19
Speaker 1: For the hour is coming and is now here when
32:22
Speaker 1: the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.
32:25
Speaker 1: For the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
32:29
Speaker 1: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship
32:32
Speaker 1: him in spirit and in truth. And so here we
32:35
Speaker 1: see this picture even in the New Covenant of God
32:38
Speaker 1: seeking people who will worship him. God redeems people for
32:42
Speaker 1: the purpose of worship. He is redeeming a worshiping people.
32:46
Speaker 1: This is what He was doing in Exodus, and this
32:48
Speaker 1: is what He is doing today. He is redeeming a
32:51
Speaker 1: worshiping people. Worship is an intimate act between God and
32:58
Speaker 1: his people. It is not an indiscriminate act. Not everyone
33:04
Speaker 1: can worship. This is why Peter says that we are
33:07
Speaker 1: a peculiar people, that we're a royal priesthood. We've been
33:14
Speaker 1: set apart for this purpose, this purpose of worshiping God.
33:20
Speaker 1: Worship is the ultimate beginning and end of all creation.
33:27
Speaker 1: It was John Piper who said missions exist because worship
33:31
Speaker 1: does not Psalm forty six' Ten be still and know
33:39
Speaker 1: THAT i Am, GOD i will be exalted among the.
33:43
Speaker 1: NATIONS i will be exalted among the. NATIONS i will
33:49
Speaker 1: be exalted in the. Earth this is The Old. Testament
33:53
Speaker 1: he doesn't SAY i will be exalted In. Jerusalem in
33:58
Speaker 1: The Old, testament he SAYS i will be exalted among
34:00
Speaker 1: the Nations psalms seventy, two eight and, nine and then
34:04
Speaker 1: seventeen through. Nineteen may he have dominion from sea to,
34:08
Speaker 1: sea and from the river to the ends of the.
34:10
Speaker 1: Earth may desert tribes bow down before, him and his
34:14
Speaker 1: enemies lick the. Dust may his name endure, forever his
34:18
Speaker 1: fame continue as long as the. Sun may people be
34:22
Speaker 1: blessed in. Him all nations call him. Blessed blessed be The,
34:26
Speaker 1: lord The god Of, israel who alone does wondrous. Things
34:29
Speaker 1: blessed be his glorious. Name. Forever may the whole earth
34:33
Speaker 1: be filled with his. Glory amen And. Amen Even israel
34:41
Speaker 1: new that worship lay at the beginning and the end
34:51
Speaker 1: of the purpose for which the world was Created isaiah
34:54
Speaker 1: twenty four to. Sixteen from the ends of the earth
34:57
Speaker 1: we hear songs of praise of glory to The Righteous.
35:00
Speaker 1: One the prophet is foretelling the worship Of god throughout
35:05
Speaker 1: the World jeremiah three. Seventeen at that Time jerusalem shall
35:10
Speaker 1: be called The throne of The, lord and all nations
35:13
Speaker 1: shall gather to, it to the presence of The lord In,
35:15
Speaker 1: jerusalem and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own
35:19
Speaker 1: evil Hearts revelation five. Nine and they sang a new, song,
35:23
Speaker 1: saying worthy are you to take the scroll and open its?
35:27
Speaker 1: Seals for you were, slain and by your blood you
35:30
Speaker 1: ransomed people For god from every tribe and, language and
35:34
Speaker 1: people and. Nation this is What god is about in,
35:39
Speaker 1: redemption and we see the culmination of it before the,
35:43
Speaker 1: throne when people not just From, israel but people from
35:48
Speaker 1: every tribe and nation and kindred and tongue Worship god
35:52
Speaker 1: before the. Throne god is. Ransoming god is redeeming a
35:56
Speaker 1: people for the purpose of, worship setting them apart as his.
36:00
Speaker 1: Own pharaoh attempts to exercise his authority and Control israel's,
36:07
Speaker 1: worship and ultimately this is a butting of heads between the.
36:11
Speaker 1: Two whose people are? They pharaoh, says they're his. People
36:16
Speaker 1: First pharaoh said, no this is why the plague. Came
36:20
Speaker 1: remember what. Happened go back to the, Text look at verse.
36:23
Speaker 1: Twenty then The lord said To, moses rise up early
36:27
Speaker 1: in the morning and present yourself To pharaoh as he
36:30
Speaker 1: goes out to the, water and say to. Him thus
36:32
Speaker 1: says The, lord let my people, go that they may serve,
36:35
Speaker 1: me or. Else if you will not let my people, go,
36:40
Speaker 1: BEHOLD i will send swarms of. Flies the swarms of
36:44
Speaker 1: flies were conditional condition upon what if you don't let them?
36:48
Speaker 1: Go so if they had been let, go they wouldn't
36:50
Speaker 1: miss swarms of flies in the first. Place there were
36:52
Speaker 1: swarms of flies in the first. Place why Because pharaoh said.
36:55
Speaker 1: No pharaoh, said, no they're Not god's. People, well they're my.
37:00
Speaker 1: PEOPLE i own these. People that's what this is. ABOUT
37:03
Speaker 1: i own these. People, Secondly pharaoh, said worship. Here he says.
37:12
Speaker 1: No when the flies, Come pharaoh doesn't like the. Flies
37:15
Speaker 1: he needs to do. Something, okay, Fine pharaoh, says you can,
37:20
Speaker 1: worship but just do it here in the. Land John
37:28
Speaker 1: courrd Says pharaoh does not call for his. Magicians he
37:32
Speaker 1: realizes they have been defeated and they are no use
37:35
Speaker 1: to him in the battle Against. Yahweh so The king
37:38
Speaker 1: Of egypt resorts to his own. Cunning at first, glance
37:42
Speaker 1: it appears That pharaoh has acceded acceeded to The hebrew's.
37:47
Speaker 1: Request but consider how The seed of The serpent replies
37:52
Speaker 1: as he adds the words in the, land you can do,
37:57
Speaker 1: it just do it. Here problem with, that that's not
38:01
Speaker 1: What god. Said god, said let him go so that
38:05
Speaker 1: they can. Worship pharaoh, says, okay, Fine i'll let them.
38:08
Speaker 1: Worship but his whole thing is they are. Mine god,
38:11
Speaker 1: says their. Mind let them go so that they can
38:13
Speaker 1: worship me as. Mine pharaoh, says, no they're not. Yours their,
38:16
Speaker 1: mind BUT i don't like the, flies So i'll let them.
38:19
Speaker 1: Worship But god does not. Negotiate moses' response in The
38:28
Speaker 1: hebrew was an apodictic. No this is the most emphatic
38:33
Speaker 1: form of negative in the Entire hebrew. Language it's the
38:38
Speaker 1: most emphatic way that you can say the word, no absolutely.
38:42
Speaker 1: Not that won't. WORK i won't it. Work, well just
38:49
Speaker 1: set aside the fact that that's not What god. Said
38:52
Speaker 1: if we worship, here the worship that we offer will
38:56
Speaker 1: be an abomination before The, egyptians and they'll put us
39:00
Speaker 1: to death because some of the things that The israelites
39:04
Speaker 1: were called to sacrifice were sacred to The, egyptians there
39:10
Speaker 1: could be no. Admixture it is obvious now that full
39:17
Speaker 1: separation is both necessary and. Imminent israel cannot Worship god
39:25
Speaker 1: In egypt the way That god demands to be. Worshiped,
39:30
Speaker 1: therefore the only Way israel is ever going to be
39:33
Speaker 1: able to Worship god rightly is if they are no
39:37
Speaker 1: longer Under egyptian control nor in the land Of egypt at.
39:42
Speaker 1: All this is the first time we see that Clearly
39:50
Speaker 1: god is also Redeeming israel and Rejecting. Pharaoh not only
39:56
Speaker 1: is he Redeeming, israel he's Rejecting. Pharaoh he's not, saying, hey,
40:01
Speaker 1: man you, guys go ahead and you worship any kind
40:03
Speaker 1: of way you want to worship. It just let them
40:05
Speaker 1: go over, here and you worship this other, way and
40:07
Speaker 1: you're doing the best you can with what you've, got
40:09
Speaker 1: and so on and So, no this is not the
40:11
Speaker 1: Way god views. Worship israel is a people set apart From,
40:18
Speaker 1: god and worship is a central expression of this. Reality
40:24
Speaker 1: it is a central expression of the reality that we
40:26
Speaker 1: are a people set apart For. God this is what
40:29
Speaker 1: it means to Be god's. People we serve, him we worship,
40:33
Speaker 1: him And him. Alone true worship must be practiced in
40:39
Speaker 1: accordance With god's. Command god is not satisfied with. Sincerity
40:45
Speaker 1: just because we really mean it doesn't mean that it's acceptable.
40:49
Speaker 1: Worship and that's the way we view worshiped. Today if
40:52
Speaker 1: anyone anywhere is blessed by, it then it's an acceptable
40:56
Speaker 1: form of. Worship and how dare you say it's not
40:59
Speaker 1: an acceptable form of worship because that person cried, No
41:09
Speaker 1: god will be worshiped the way he. Commands need to
41:14
Speaker 1: hab and abaye who could testify to this had they
41:18
Speaker 1: not been killed By god for bringing strange? Fire. Amen
41:25
Speaker 1: worship is a direct threat to human power and. Authority
41:29
Speaker 1: it has always been and it will always be because
41:34
Speaker 1: human power and authority, says these people are. Mine human
41:38
Speaker 1: power authority SAYS i control these. People human power and
41:41
Speaker 1: authority SAYS i. Dictate but true worship, says we belong
41:45
Speaker 1: To god and To god, only and we will Worship
41:49
Speaker 1: god the Way god commands that we will worship. Him
41:55
Speaker 1: and so we see clearly here That god is redeeming his.
41:59
Speaker 1: People but we also see clearly hear Why god is
42:05
Speaker 1: redeeming his. People he is redeeming his. People so that
42:11
Speaker 1: they might, worship so that they might worship in spirit
42:14
Speaker 1: and in. Truth by the, way it's, interesting let my
42:17
Speaker 1: people go so that they might worship. Me then he
42:20
Speaker 1: gives them The, law and any gives them the. Tabernacle
42:30
Speaker 1: god redeems us so that we might Worship. Him when
42:35
Speaker 1: we gather together in, worship we are doing the most
42:39
Speaker 1: authentic thing that we can do together as the people Of.
42:42
Speaker 1: God because this is why we are. Redeemed our worship is.
42:48
Speaker 1: Crucial our worship is. Essential our worship is not only
42:52
Speaker 1: what connects us to one another as the people Of,
42:54
Speaker 1: god but it also connects us To god as the
42:57
Speaker 1: people Of. God it is not something that we can
43:00
Speaker 1: just set. Aside it is not something that we can
43:03
Speaker 1: just pick up every now and then when we feel
43:05
Speaker 1: like we need. It, folks we need. It we need
43:08
Speaker 1: it like a hog needs. Slop we need. It we need,
43:11
Speaker 1: it we need, it we need. It we more than.
43:14
Speaker 1: Needed it is who we. Are we need it like
43:16
Speaker 1: the air we. Breathe we need it because As god's,
43:21
Speaker 1: people it defines. Us let me be, clear we have
43:28
Speaker 1: come to a time in our culture and in our
43:31
Speaker 1: age where we say crazy things like everything is worship.
43:36
Speaker 1: Folks if everything is, worshiped then nothing is. Worshiped if
43:39
Speaker 1: everything is, worshiped then worship is. Nothing life is. Worship
43:45
Speaker 1: no worship is. Worship. Amen worship has implications for our.
43:53
Speaker 1: Lives our lives must reflect our. Worship but when we,
43:58
Speaker 1: worship we gat together and we Worship god in the
44:02
Speaker 1: ways That god has commanded that we worship. Him we
44:05
Speaker 1: gather together on a day That god has set, apart
44:08
Speaker 1: The Lord's. Day we gather together and we do things
44:12
Speaker 1: That god has set. Apart we read the, scriptures we,
44:15
Speaker 1: pray we sing, songs we confess things. Together we preach The,
44:20
Speaker 1: word we respond with the Corporate. Amen these are biblical
44:25
Speaker 1: acts of. Worship we have The Lord's, supper we. Baptize
44:29
Speaker 1: these are the things that we do when we gather
44:31
Speaker 1: together and. Worship and it's important that we make a
44:34
Speaker 1: distinction between this and the other things that we. Do
44:40
Speaker 1: you see the everything is worship. Crowd some of them
44:43
Speaker 1: today are off on the golf, course or they're off
44:49
Speaker 1: at the soccer, field or they're off on the motorcycle,
44:53
Speaker 1: ride or they're off with the, scouts or they're off wherever.
44:59
Speaker 1: Else and what they'll do is they'll take a few,
45:03
Speaker 1: minutes and they'll say a prayer and read a passage of,
45:06
Speaker 1: scripture and they'll, say, well we had our. Worship no you.
45:12
Speaker 1: Didn't you assuaged your guilt and appeased your, conscience but
45:18
Speaker 1: you did not gather with the people Of god in
45:22
Speaker 1: direct violation Of hebrews ten twenty. Five sure we. Worshiped
45:31
Speaker 1: we were out in nature today on a, hike beholding
45:35
Speaker 1: the glory Of god and Worshiping god because of the Great,
45:38
Speaker 1: no you did. Not that was not. Worship that is not.
45:45
Speaker 1: This it's different than, this and it is no substitute for.
45:52
Speaker 1: This it can never be a substitute for. This we
45:59
Speaker 1: gather and Worship god Because he redeemed us for this,
46:02
Speaker 1: purpose And he taught us very specifically what worship. Is,
46:10
Speaker 1: well does this mean that we can't have family worship
46:13
Speaker 1: or private? Worship of course you, can but it's no.
46:16
Speaker 1: Substitute saying that family worship or private worship is a
46:21
Speaker 1: substitute for this is like saying, that you, KNOW i
46:27
Speaker 1: can go sit down with a couple of instruments and
46:31
Speaker 1: say it's a substitute for the. PHILHARMONIC i mean it's.
46:34
Speaker 1: Not can you play? Basketball three on three sort, of
46:42
Speaker 1: but the game as it's defined is five on. Five
46:45
Speaker 1: can you play basketball half? Court, yeah sort, of but
46:48
Speaker 1: the game as it's defined is full. Court so you're
46:55
Speaker 1: doing a version of. It but it's not the. Thing
46:59
Speaker 1: it's a mere shadow of the. Thing when we gather
47:02
Speaker 1: together for family worship at, home that's, wonderful it's, Necessary,
47:07
Speaker 1: Amen but it's not, this and it's not a substitute for.
47:12
Speaker 1: This it must never be a substitute for. This this
47:22
Speaker 1: is what we do as the people Of. God and
47:25
Speaker 1: if we're somewhere where we can't do it, here then
47:27
Speaker 1: we do the people Of god's where we. Are. Amen.
47:33
Speaker 1: AGAIN i say this because it's become increasingly, common and
47:42
Speaker 1: it's common because we're squishy on what worship. Is and
47:49
Speaker 1: if it's anything and, everything THEN i can join the
47:52
Speaker 1: soccer league that plays on The Lord's, day because you,
47:56
Speaker 1: know soccer can be an expression of worship for, Me
48:02
Speaker 1: god help. Us that's not. Worship that's not. Worship nor
48:09
Speaker 1: is everything that happens in a church building on A
48:12
Speaker 1: sunday morning worship just because we do it in a
48:14
Speaker 1: church building On sunday, Morning. Amen because there's a whole
48:19
Speaker 1: lot of that that's not worship. Either god defines. Worship
48:26
Speaker 1: we don't define. Worship god defines. It and we continue
48:32
Speaker 1: in this practice as the people Of, god because that's
48:37
Speaker 1: Why he redeemed Us phesians two one to. Nine you're
48:50
Speaker 1: dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once,
48:53
Speaker 1: walked following the course of the, world following the prince
48:57
Speaker 1: of the power of the, air the spirit that is
48:59
Speaker 1: now at work in the sons of, disobedience among whom
49:03
Speaker 1: we all once lived in the passions of our, flesh
49:06
Speaker 1: carrying out the desires of the body and the, mind
49:08
Speaker 1: and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of.
49:16
Speaker 1: Mankind But, god being rich in mercy because of the
49:20
Speaker 1: great love with Which he loved, us even when we
49:23
Speaker 1: were dead in our, trespasses made us alive together With.
49:27
Speaker 1: Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us
49:30
Speaker 1: up With him and seated us With him in the heavenly,
49:33
Speaker 1: places In Christ, jesus so that in the ages to,
49:37
Speaker 1: Come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
49:41
Speaker 1: and kindness toward. Us In Christ. Jesus for by grace
49:44
Speaker 1: you have been saved through, faith and this not of
49:46
Speaker 1: your own. Doing it is a gift Of, god not
49:49
Speaker 1: as a result of, works so that no man can.
49:52
Speaker 1: Boast this is a picture of our. Redemption AND i
49:54
Speaker 1: want you to notice. Something we were in bon When
50:00
Speaker 1: god saved, us and in that, bondage we were not
50:06
Speaker 1: Offering god the worship that he was. Due israel's redemption
50:12
Speaker 1: is merely a, symbol a, sign a, picture and a
50:17
Speaker 1: necessary step in the progression towards our redemption as the
50:23
Speaker 1: people Of. God being saved From egypt was Not god's ultimate.
50:28
Speaker 1: Plan god's ultimate plan is salvation from. Sin israel's redemption was,
50:35
Speaker 1: temporal but ours is. Eternal how sad that there are
50:42
Speaker 1: people who were In, egypt experienced the ten, plagues saw
50:46
Speaker 1: the powerful hand Of, god walked out, singing went through
50:51
Speaker 1: The Red, sea came on the other side where fed
50:56
Speaker 1: manna from heaven and drank water from, rocks and died
51:00
Speaker 1: and went To hell because they did not. Believe how
51:07
Speaker 1: sad is? That what good does it do you to
51:12
Speaker 1: be delivered From egypt only to die and go To.
51:15
Speaker 1: Hell this is why our redemption as the people Of
51:20
Speaker 1: god is superior To israel's redemption From, egypt because all
51:25
Speaker 1: those who are redeemed By christ are redeemed for. Eternity
51:33
Speaker 1: this is true redemption Because israel's redemption was, partial but
51:42
Speaker 1: ours is. Complete as we sang, Earlier jesus paid it
51:48
Speaker 1: all all to. HIM i owe sin had left a crimson.
51:52
Speaker 1: Stain he washed. It why the snow it is In
51:56
Speaker 1: christ that we find redemption that is and, Complete and
52:03
Speaker 1: make no mistake about. It it is because of this
52:06
Speaker 1: redemption that we can offer worship that is superior to
52:11
Speaker 1: anything That israel could have. Offered why because their worship
52:17
Speaker 1: was a mere. Foreshadowing every time they sacrifice, something it
52:21
Speaker 1: was a mere picture of the ultimate sacrifice That god
52:24
Speaker 1: would bring to the, altar the, spotless Sinless lamb Of, God,
52:29
Speaker 1: jesus the God man who would die for our, sin
52:32
Speaker 1: who would be a once for all sacrifice superior to
52:35
Speaker 1: anything that had ever been. Offered so that, now because
52:38
Speaker 1: we are In, christ everything that we offer To god
52:42
Speaker 1: is a fragrant, aroma far superior to anything that ever came.
52:46
Speaker 1: Before Praise god for our redemption and the true worship
52:59
Speaker 1: that is manifest it as a direct. Result Praise god
53:04
Speaker 1: for the people Of god who have been called out
53:09
Speaker 1: of darkness and Into his marvelous, light and who gather
53:14
Speaker 1: together an acknowledgment of this miraculous. Truth Praise god for
53:22
Speaker 1: the reality that our worship is, sufficient because our redemption is.
53:31
Speaker 1: Sufficient and it is only because we have been redeemed
53:35
Speaker 1: by a Sufficient savior that we are able to offer sufficient,
53:41
Speaker 1: worship and it is a privilege to do. So. Center
53:49
Speaker 1: if you're here and you've been trying to Offer god
53:53
Speaker 1: something that he will find acceptable merely because you're trying hard,
53:58
Speaker 1: enough let it. Go. Oh if you're here and you
54:05
Speaker 1: are somehow hoping that maybe Maybe god Will god will see,
54:11
Speaker 1: you and count the number of times that you show
54:13
Speaker 1: up here and be satisfied simply because you've done, That,
54:17
Speaker 1: oh let that. Go if you are here and you
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Speaker 1: are trusting in anything other than the finished work Of,
54:23
Speaker 1: christ if you are trusting in anything other than the
54:27
Speaker 1: wrath Of god ten times the ten plagues that have
54:30
Speaker 1: been laid On christ as your only, hope then let it,
54:36
Speaker 1: go whatever it is and in its, place cling to
54:40
Speaker 1: The cross in its, place flee To christ in its,
54:44
Speaker 1: Place run to the only one who can make your
54:47
Speaker 1: worship acceptable Because his sacrifice was. Acceptable christ is your only.
54:55
Speaker 1: Hope be found in. Him let's, Pray Oh righteous And Holy,
55:12
Speaker 1: god we bow before, you pleading that Through christ's blood
55:24
Speaker 1: you might receive us as a righteous and holy, People
55:28
Speaker 1: thanking you for the grace that makes that not just
55:32
Speaker 1: a possibility but a. Reality thanking you for the grace
55:36
Speaker 1: that allows us to worship you in spirit and in,
55:40
Speaker 1: truth confessing that there is idolatry that needs to be
55:47
Speaker 1: mortified in, us confessing that there are things that our
55:51
Speaker 1: flesh desires more than we desire, you and pleading with
55:58
Speaker 1: you that by Christ lists own, sacrifice we might be made,
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Speaker 1: whole and that our worship might be. Acceptable thank you
56:13
Speaker 1: for reminding us today that you are The god who
56:15
Speaker 1: redeems his, people not just so that they might be,
56:19
Speaker 1: free but so that they might be, yours and so
56:24
Speaker 1: that they might Worship you and worship no. Other grant
56:29
Speaker 1: by your, grace that we would flee all voluntary bondage
56:36
Speaker 1: that would keep us from offering you this. Worship grant
56:41
Speaker 1: by your grace that we might be found In. Christ,
56:49
Speaker 1: Father we thank, you and we rejoice in these ordinary
56:54
Speaker 1: means of, grace the opportunity to hear your, word and
56:59
Speaker 1: sing your, word and read your. Word the opportunity to
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Speaker 1: hear the word, preached the opportunity to make, confession the
57:09
Speaker 1: opportunity to see your word and the elements of The Lord's.
57:14
Speaker 1: Supper and as we prepare our hearts to partake of
57:18
Speaker 1: The Lord's, supper grant by your grace that we might
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Speaker 1: see therein the completed work Of, christ and it's great
57:28
Speaker 1: benefit to us as we place our faith In him
57:33
Speaker 1: and In him. Alone these things we pray because we
57:38
Speaker 1: believe them to be in accordance with the will and
57:40
Speaker 1: the nature and the authority of Our, Lord, Master, Savior, Redeemer,
57:48
Speaker 1: king And Friend, jesus who is The. Christ. Amen in a,
57:58
Speaker 1: moment will gather and we'll partakeu The Lord's supper. Together
58:03
Speaker 1: as we prepare ourselves to do, this a couple of
58:06
Speaker 1: things will. Happen, one we'll gather together for a time
58:10
Speaker 1: of prayer and. Response and then, secondly after that, time
58:17
Speaker 1: you'll have an. Opportunity those who have come prepared to
58:19
Speaker 1: give