Is Today Judgement Day?
Notes
Transcript
No, the Lord will not wait on you forever
No, the Lord will not wait on you forever
It was a hot summer day in the 1960’s.
School was out and all the kids were looking for things to do.
My friends and I were riding our bicycles - one of our most favorite things to do.
A group of teenagers decided to play baseball in my granddad’s front yard.
We called it the ball field - it was shaped like a ball field.
Granddad didn’t mind - generations of boys played in that field.
They came in the morning and played until the sun became too much.
Hot and sweaty they climbed into the junker that was one of their’s car.
All except one.
He was so hot and the car was so crowded, he decided he’d ride on the back.
Bumpers were big and chrome and had plenty of room for feet.
The windows were open affording the boy something to grab onto.
Laughing and carrying on, they took off up Magnolia Drive right in front of my house.
He passed my house doing about 30 - 35 miles per hour.
They thought it would be funny to swerve back and forth, to make like he was going to throw the boy off the back.
Only the boy’s sweaty hands couldn’t hold onto the window.
One swerve threw him off the car.
He landed on his head - his crew cut didn’t give much cushion.
He laid motionless on the hot asphalt, bare backed and in short pants.
The terrified teenagers rushed into Ricky’s house and grabbed Merthiolate and Vick’s Vap-O-Rub
Things their mama’s used on them when they didn’t feel good.
The ambulance came.
Back in the day an ambulance was just a hearse with a rotating bubble gum machine on top.
They carried him to the Austell hospital - a bare 5 or 6 room clinic really.
He died there.
That morning had been a morning like any other.
He got up - mama got him some breakfast.
The boys came over and decided it was a great day to play ball.
They drove down Magnolia Drive and parked on the side of the road.
When it was over, they headed home for drinks and lunch like they had done time and time before.
Only this time, one of them didn’t make it - and he never got to see his mama ever again.
His time had expired.
Our scripture today covers a lot of territory.
Let’s start with Exodus 11:4-10.
These are Yahweh’s final words to Pharaoh through Moses.
Austin led us through the Passover last week and gave us the really good news of Chapter 12.
Today we’ll end Israel’s time in Egypt with Exodus 12:50-51.
Kids, I need to tell you something special before we start.
What we are going to discuss today is very scary to me.
To some people it won’t be and that makes me very sad.
But many of us will understand why it’s scary.
God loves you so much and He wants so much for you to follow Him.
You know He made a way through Jesus.
And He’s very patient with you, especially when you are young, to lead you and teach you
So you can know Jesus and choose to follow Him.
But, the Lord will not be patient forever and that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
If you listen close, you might have questions when we are finished.
Make sure to ask your dad and mom about them.
The three words you are listening for to help you stay focused are: Pharaoh, wrath and Jesus.
The truth we are dealing with today is, you may not have tomorrow to be saved.
Hear now the Word of the Lord from Exodus 11:4-10
So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,
and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.
But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’
And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.
And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Let’s recap the story.
God’s people through no fault of their own ended up in slavery in Egypt.
The entire middle east was suffering through a famine.
Joseph and his family ended up in Egypt and were a great blessing to Egypt.
But time passes and things go on - Joseph and his family all died as did everyone who ever knew Joseph.
But their descendants stayed in Egypt and were living happy lives.
Until they weren’t.
A new government took power led by a new king - a new Pharaoh and he was afraid of the Israelites.
They didn’t look like him and weren’t from around here.
So Pharaoh set out - not to run them off - but to exterminate them.
This is called genocide.
Contrary to what you are hearing in the news, this isn’t what is happening right now to Hamas in Israel.
This is what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust.
And it is what Hamas and Iran and all like them would like to do to the Jews today.
Exterminate them - wipe out the Jews.
Commit - honest to it’s definition - genocide.
Pharaoh started by having every Hebrew boy baby killed.
First, he wanted the mid-wives to do it and when they balked, he told his soldiers to take the boys and feed them to the alligators in the Nile.
Then, he took away any freedoms they had and he made them work making bricks.
All day - every day - for decades in the hot, Egyptian sun.
The people cried out in pain
At the back breaking work, at the beatings, at the death
They begged God for help.
Exodus 2:24–25 “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.”
So God chose Moses and Aaron to go tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go.”
Only Pharaoh didn’t - even after 1 sign and 9 plagues.
The sign was the staff turning to a snake.
Then there were 9 plagues where Pharaoh had a chance to believe God and do the right thing.
But He didn’t.
And this is where we get a bit squeamish.
After the sixth plague - the plague of boils, we hear Exodus 9:12 “But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh...”
And we say, “That’s not really fair.”
This is where we need to dive deep.
We are going to have friends die and go to hell because we think God wasn't fair, but
Pharaoh had every chance to repent and follow the Lord
Pharaoh had every chance to repent and follow the Lord
We know from Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
That includes Pharaoh - but what sins did the Lord point out to us that proves Pharaoh’s guilt.
First, Pharaoh claimed to be a god himself.
Egyptian culture said their king was a god come to life and he did nothing to contradict there.
Yet we know there is only one God.
Second, Pharoah enslaved the Hebrews.
Because why? Because they didn’t look like them and might join with an enemy and overthrow them.
Although the Hebrews had not been any trouble nor were giving any signs of making trouble.
Third, Pharoah sought to eliminate the Hebrews future by killing every boy.
No Hebrew boys, No Hebrew babies.
Finally, Pharaoh sought to work them so hard they all died.
Pharaoh wanted to commit genocide against the Hebrews.
With all of that, we still fall back on, Exodus 9:12 “But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh...” and think it wasn't fair but we are missing something.
If you go back and read the plague stories closely, you’ll notice something.
Starting with the snakes and going all the way through the fifth plague where the livestock died
Each scene ends with one of two phrases:
Either we hear like at the end of the frogs, “he [meaning Pharaoh] hardened his heart,”
Or we hear like at the end of the livestock dying, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened.”
Both of those was Pharaoh doing the activity.
It’s not until the sixth plague, the plague of boils that we hear Exodus 9:12 “But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh...”
For the sign of the snake and the first five plagues, Pharaoh could have repented and followed the Lord.
He and his country could have been saved.
But Pharaoh refused.
Pharaoh had six giant opportunities to see God’s hand and to repent of his sins.
And six times he refused.
The Lord never gave Pharaoh another chance.
“Pastor Randy, the Lord will always allow someone to be saved until the very last breath they take.”
Yeah, you are wrong.
2 Chronicles 36:16 (ESV)
But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.
For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Now is the favorable time, now is the day
Because there may not be another day.
The Lord may call time on you.
We don't believe it but it's true:
God’s patience will run out
God’s patience will run out
Proverbs 29:1 says “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.”
That’s not simply a wise observation of human behavior.
That’s a wise observation of how the Lord operates.
There are a couple of things we can count on.
First, Judgement will come.
The scripture is very clear about this.
There will be an ultimate judgement.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That’s not an idol threat - judgement will come.
The second thing we can count on is this: At some point in our lives, repentance may be impossible.
You heard 2 Chronicles 3:16 - the wrath of God rose up against the people, until there was no remedy.
The Lord’s patience had ended - He had taken all He wanted to take.
From that moment on, repentance for those people was impossible.
The Lord hardened their hearts.
Listen, we have recreated God in our image.
We’ve taken the new rules of child rearing and applied them to God.
He doesn’t do anything to injure our self esteem.
He might put us in time out but he’ll never raise a hand to us.
He’ll give us everything we need and hope against hope we see how good He is so we will follow Him.
We have created a society of soft, rebellious brats that way
And because of our belief that God is like us, we’ve become rebellious brats.
People preaching that the Lord wants you to have health and wealth and happiness.
That’s not the Lord of the Bible.
The Lord of the Bible says Psalm 37:38
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
Sinners will be destroyed.
Not placed in time out.
Not given a 500th chance.
But destroyed - ruined - forsaken - rejected.
Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
Rebels and sinners shall be broken, shall be consumed.
Well, yeah Pastor Randy, but Jesus, but the New Testament, the Lord will knock until we die.
Really?
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,
so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
So Jesus did all of His signs and wonders in front of all of these people
And they refused to believe He was Messiah.
So the Lord made it so they could not believe.
They had their chance - they had multiple chances
And they refused until the Lord said they would never refuse again
Because He would never give them another chance.
Listen to me - you don’t want to be here.
You don’t want to get to the point where you’ve been so stubborn that the Lord decides you aren’t worth His effort anymore.
I don’t want anyone there.
I worry about some of the people who I pray for their salvation - I pray that the Lord hasn’t removed the possibility of their salvation.
I take hope that if He keeps them on my heart that there is still a chance.
But good heavens, is this really where you want to be?
You really want to so stubbornly refuse to be saved that you’ve got your preacher or your friend or your mama or daddy
Or your child hoping, hoping it’s not too late for you?
I know that goes against a lot of what we’ve heard over the last 60 years - but we’ve made Jesus so cuddly that we’ve missed something very important.
God’s wrath is merciful
God’s wrath is merciful
Everything that happened in Egypt - the purpose of it all is summarized in
Exodus 12:50–51 “All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.”
The people did what they were commanded and the Lord delivered them.
What prodded them to do what the Lord commanded?
They saw the wrath of God being poured out on Pharaoh.
Remember, after the first turn down, they weren’t believing either.
Not until they saw God’s wrath - His absolute fury over sin
Who saw His prefect creation get wrecked because a man invited sin into the world.
And that sin acted like a cancer, spreading and growing and spreading unchecked through every man, woman and child.
Why wouldn’t the Lord be furious?
Why wouldn’t the Lord be enraged that the creation He loves
The creation that He did design to have health and everything they could possibly need for contentment and peace
Get turned into a cesspool of ghettos and graffiti
And a compound of mansions and expensive cars and more money than you can image
Where in each one of them, God is denied as the residents try more and more vile and destructive things
To make them feel something.
So God pours His wrath out -
We aren’t ready to receive it yet, but God’s wrath is being poured out on this nation right now.
I mean really, our two choices for president is a tottering old man who is slightly more aware than a turnip
And a narcissistic serial adulterer whose seminal motivation is simply to win because he hates to lose.
“We’re going to win so much we’ll get tired of winning.”
And you are telling me that this is the best America has to offer?
No, this is all a wrathful God will allow us to have.
The wrath of God is sure 1 Thessalonians 5:2
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
The wrath of God is only delayed because of the Lord - not us.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Don’t let the all fool you.
He doesn’t want any to perish but the all in that verse included Pharaoh.
And after 6 tries to save him, the Lord decided there would be no seventh.
Do you really want to tempt the Lord?
Do you really want to continue in sin so much you will risk losing your very soul?
Is being in control of your life so important to you that you would risk God turning His back on you?
You do realize that, if you are successful, that means you will burn for all eternity in Hell right?
When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The sons of the kingdom
Those who thought they were immune - God’s chosen - with plenty of time.
Will spend eternity in “that place where their will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Pastor Randy, you just want to scare me.
I wish I could - I wish I could scare you to death.
I’d love for you to see the wrath of God so clearly that it would scare the living daylights out of you.
I’d love to know that your dreams at night were haunted
And that you were seeing a demon in every shadow in the daytime.
If it would lead you to repent and follow Jesus.
That fear saved the Israelites and turned them into a great nation.
When you die refusing Jesus, He’s not sending you to some purgatory time out until you’ve learned better.
When you die refusing Jesus, you’re done.
You will not get another chance.
We’ll hear your screams as you are thrown into the lake of fire
And we’ll never see you again.
And the sad part it, if you keep refusing Jesus, one day you could lose your chance.
It’s Russian roulette, only every day you add one more bullet in the gun.
Please follow Jesus.
If the Lord is stirring your heart, follow Jesus.
If guilt is overpowering you, follow Jesus.
Please, for the love of everything holy, follow Jesus.
We’re going to pray and then we’ll sing.
Please come tell me you want to follow Jesus as we sing.
Let us pray:
