 The reason why God hardened Pharaoh's heart. See if you can figure out where I'm going. Cause somebody asked a question. This is a good question. This is a good question we can end on. Why does God hardened Pharaoh's heart throughout the plagues in Exodus? Doug, act as a good question. It's so good of a question. Now you're gonna, I don't know if y'all recall me going over this and ended up preaching this thing. Why does God hardened Pharaoh's heart? It's by the way, do any of you guys know why God hardened Pharaoh's heart? And your pastor, your pastor should be able, if your pastor can't do it like this, don't, no I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. But your pastor should have an answer to this. But the reason why God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Well, let's back up. Let me see if someone said to prove a point to demonstrate God's glory. The reason why God hardened Pharaoh's heart. See if you can figure out where I'm going. Cause somebody asked a question. Yeah, God answered Pharaoh's heart. I mean hardened Pharaoh's heart because somebody asked a question. Well, who asked the question? Well, let's back up for a second. The reason why Pharaoh's heart is hardened is because he doesn't wanna let the Jews go. Well, why are the Jews there? Well, the Jews are there because there was a famine in the land. And then Joseph goes and he becomes the number two man. They're why? Because somebody had a dream, not Martin Luther King, but somebody had a dream that required him to interpret while he was in the lowest place of his life. While he was locked up, somebody had a dream. Matter of fact, too, somebody's had a dream. Joseph interpreted. One of them had a good outcome. The other had a bad outcome. And Joseph said, when you get restored, can you please remember me? Have you ever been somewhere where you just wanted somebody just to remember you? And so he says, remember me. And the man didn't. He promised to, but he didn't. Meanwhile, somebody else had a dream. Somebody had a dream and nobody can figure out or interpret what this dream was. But the man that was restored, I know a man who can interpret your dream or tell you what your dream is. His name is Joseph. Well, where is he? He's in the dungeon. He's in the jail cell. Go get him. And he interpret the dream. And so he gets placed in a prominent position. Why is he in a prominent position? Well, the reason why he's in a prominent position not so much because he interpreted that dream because that king or Pharaoh had a dream, not even because the two guys prior in the prison had a dream. It's because Joseph himself had a dream. Yeah, Joseph had a dream about himself being lifted up, not necessarily in an egotistical way, not about promoting him, but Joseph had a dream and his brothers did not like that dream. Well, in the meantime, while Joseph is in jail and then he gets promoted a famine comes because he's interpreting that person's dream, the Pharaoh's dream. He interprets that dream. Now, why is he interpreting that dream? Well, because God gave him that dream, gave him the ability to interpret it. What's happening? Well, also there's a famine going on. And the famine is hurting not just Egypt, but it's also affecting those in Israel. Well, who's in Israel? Joseph's family. Joseph's family, that is Jacob and his brothers, are there also. And they're growing. They're getting promoted. They've got a little bit of money and so forth with it. But it's a famine. And folks, I don't care how much money you got. Your money can't make it rain. And so they need to get somewhere. So what happens? Well, they end up coming to Egypt. Well, why are they there in the first place? What goes back again to Joseph having a dream? Why is Joseph having a dream? Well, the reason why he's having a dream is so that they can eventually make their way to Egypt. Remember, after all is said and done, Joseph is confronted with his brothers. His brothers are saying, please forgive us. Don't mistreat us. Daddy's dead. And what was Joseph's response? I'm paraphrasing. But Joseph says, did you not know, don't you know that even though you meant it for good, God, I mean, for evil, God meant it for good to bring about, to bring you here and that I can preserve, or you can be preserved. Well, why would we have to be in the first place? Well, the reason why they're all there needed to be saved, why they have to be in Egypt to be saved, I said before, because somebody asked a question. Well, who asked a question? A guy named Abraham. Abraham asked a question. Remember, God tells him in Genesis 12 that he is going to make him a great nation. Bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you and even through you, because of you, all of the families of the earth shall be blessed. But the Bible tells us something kind of odd. He didn't really fully believe that, at least not to the point to where he would be credited with righteousness. It is in Genesis 15 that God tells him again and he says after he shows him this, he is, wow, now I believe. The problem, though, that he asked a question. The question was, how will I know that these things are going to be so? And because he asked those questions, God said, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Tell you what I'm going to do, Abraham. Matter of fact, on that very same day, I'm going to cut this covenant with you. But on that very same day, he tells him, shows him all the land and so forth, that he's going to occupy his family. He said, but know this, since you want to ask a question, Mr. Know for sure that you'll die at a good old age and be buried with your people, but your people will be enslaved. They're going to be soldiers in the foreign land for how long? 400 years. And when they come out, they're going to come out with great wealth. So why are they that? But Corey, that didn't fully explain we know why they're there. Remember, he says, I'm going to bring them out with great wealth. How's that going to happen? Well, I need Pharaoh not to just take my word for it in the beginning. I am, I sent you, but I need you to see that I am, is that sent me? But also more to the point, I need you not to know that I am and I am, I am, but I also need you to know that I can do what I want to do to you. I will need to harden your heart to the point that you are going to give me what they need. In other words, I could, I could, I could make it so that Pharaoh would let them go on at the first attempt. No, I want to punish Pharaoh because what does he also say when he tells Abraham about his question being answered, he says, I'm also going to punish them and you're going to come out with, with great wealth. And so after hardening his heart and after hardening his heart and then show him this miracle and harden his heart again and show him this sign and harden his heart again. What happens? You know what? I'm sick of these Jews. Get rid of them and give them what they want. So Pharaoh's heart is hardened for a couple of reasons. One, to eventually let them go with wealth but also harden again because he got hardens their heart one, his heart one last time, one last time. Cause Pharaoh said, you know what? Wait a second, I got to go back and get them. I can't let them go. So he pursues them again and he destroys their army. So bottom line, he hardens his heart one to bring Israel out. Remember, even when Israel is disobedient, Israel keeps getting blessed even in spite of their disobedience which tells you if God is for you, okay, nobody be against you. But Israel is blessed. Even in spite of this, they come out with great wealth of a million, at least a million people come with him not just the Jews, but they also have soldiers coming with them. People who aren't even Jewish are coming with them and they have this wealth and then he's going to destroy this army. Why does he harden Pharaoh's heart to show everybody that I'm God? I can harden hearts, I can soften hearts, I can close wounds, I can open rooms, I can set you free and I can kill you. But above all else, I need you to know one thing. The reason why Pharaoh's heart is hardened so that I can get glory, why? So that you can know for a fact that I am God. Amen.