A Heart Checkup

Rev. Shine Thomas

Introduction

When I recently walked into a heart hospital in Bangalore I saw a board titled ‘Complete Heart Checkup.’ The board further said - undetected heart failures can lead to death. My thoughts immediately went into the condition of our spiritual heart and I thought to myself, “undetected spiritual heart failures can lead to spiritual death.”

Today we are going to have a spiritual heart checkup.

Scripture: Exodus 7-12

This morning we will have a test of hardened hearts, we will look at how a hardened heart responds, and we will see the consequences of a hardened heart.

When we see Exodus 5-12; 16 times God is demanding Pharaoh to release Israel (children of Israel) for worship. The first 9 times Pharaoh hardens his heart and subsequently the next 7 times God hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

If you decide to reject God and his ways for long enough and harden your hearts, ultimately God will allow you to go in your own ways and harden your heart but it will finally end in destruction.

In Exodus 5 Moses is requesting Pharaoh for the first time to let Israel go see how Pharaoh responds: Exodus 5:2 2 Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."

1. A hard heart absolutely disobeys God.

• Pharaoh denied knowing God.
• Instead he increased the slavery of Israel.
• People blamed Moses and Aaron for their hard labour.
• Moses took the burden to the Lord. See what the Lord says to Moses:

Exodus 7:2 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.
Exodus 7:10-13 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

Now Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he never lets Israel go. God started judging Pharaoh with plague after plague. It took 10 plagues for Pharaoh to finally let Israel go.

Plague 1 – Waters of river Nile turned into blood.

Exodus 7:20-22 ''20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.''

Pharaoh’s heart hardened and God decides to send another plague.

Plague 2 – Plague of Frogs

Exodus 8:6-7 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
v8: 8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."

When the times got tough Pharaoh yielded to God but only to change his mind when things got better.

Exodus 8:13,15 13 And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

This is the picture of some of us. In real life they put off God. In times of difficulty they put off God and turn for every human solution. Finally without any hope they turn back to God for a solution. When God relieves them of their trouble they again forget God. Pharaoh was the same because his heart was hard.

2. A hardened heart is a heart of insincerity towards God.

Such people never keep the promises they make to God in the time of difficulty. When God blesses them they tend to forget God. God had to send another plague for this disobedience.

Plague 3 – Plague of Gnats.

Exodus 8:17,18 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals.

The Egyptian magicians could not produce these gnats for the first time. The power of Satan can equally work with the power of God. Satan can also do miracles, signs, and wonders. The fact is Satan has a limit to its power but God’s power and his wonders will never end.

V19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.

The magicians revealed to Pharaoh it is the finger of God. If a finger of God can do so much how privileged we are because the Bible says we are engraved in the palm of our God. Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart and God had to send yet another judgment, plague.

Plague 4 – Plague of Flies.

Exodus 8:24 24 And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials, and throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

Pharaoh summons Moses & Aaron and see what he says:
V25 25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land." He starts bargaining with God’s demands.

3. A hard heart bargains with God’s demands.

What was the bargain. V25 25 Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.

a. Serve God but stay in Egypt.
You can worship God but it is okay if you do not go to church. Maybe you can go for a party on a Saturday night and spend time with the TV Sunday morning.

See the next bargain: Exodus 8:28 28 Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the desert, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me."

b. Do not fully commit yourself.
You can go to the church but do not get fully involved. You can attend the service but be on the border so that you can still see the world from the church.
God was angry with Pharaoh’s hard heart and bargain. God decides to send more plagues.

Plague 5 - Cattle got sick and died.

Exodus 9:6 6 And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
V7 ''7 Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.
God sends another plague.''

Plague 6 – Boils (Sores) on both animals and man.

Exodus 9:10 10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals.
V12 12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.

God sends another plague

Plague 7 – Plague of Hail

Exodus 9:23-26 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

Exodus 9:31-32 31 (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

God still cared and provided for Egypt in spite of Pharaoh’s disobedience. God is gracious and kind hearted that is why God is preserving the earth in spite of the high amount of wickedness in the world today.

Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart and see how he is reacting.

Exodus 9:27-28 27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he said to them. "The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't have to stay any longer."

In verse 27, we see a great conviction. He believes he is on the wrong and Lord is right. Pharaoh is finally agreeing to release the people. Moses prays to God to stop the hail.

Exodus 9:34-35 ''34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35 So Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
Finally Pharaoh’s heart hardened and he retreated from his words.''

4. A hardened heart is convicted of sin without commitment to change.

Pharaoh was convicted of his sins but he never changed his decision.
Being convicted of our sins is not the same as being changed from our sins. When we hear the Word of God the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin but it is up to us to change. If we do not change our ways after being convicted we have the symptom of a hard heart.
Conviction happens in our heart, commitment to change has to come from our mind.

By now Pharaoh’s officials come to know that the Lord is the true God and they are being judged because of Pharaoh’s rebellion.

Exodus 10:7 7 Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?"

Pharaoh finally because of pressure calls Moses & Aaron but he continues his bargain.

Exodus 10:11 11 No! Have only the men go; and worship the LORD, since that's what you have been asking for." Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh's presence.

c. You can go but do not force your faith/belief on your family.
The devil still today is trying this plan again God’s people. Do not impose spirituality to your children. If your spouse is not serving God it is okay. He/she may later become a believer. Do not get your children to church; after all it is the only day they get to rest.
God sends yet another plague

Plague 8 – Plague of Locusts.

Exodus 10:13-15 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the LORD made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; 14 they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

Now Pharaoh finally realized his sin and asks for forgiveness.

Exodus 10:16-17 16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the LORD your God to take this deadly plague away from me."

Pharaoh hardened his heart again. God sent another plague.

Plague 9 – Plague of darkness.

Exodus 10:22-23 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

Again Pharaoh hardened his heart. God sends the final plague

Plague 10 – Plague on the first born.

Exodus 12:29-30 29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. God destroyed the firstborns

See the response of Pharaoh. Exodus 12:31-32 31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."

Pharaoh finally lets Israel go for worship.

God struck Egypt with destruction for not obeying God’s commands. God judged them terribly and finally they let Israel go. Never ever think that Exodus is an old story and is not relevant for you and for me. The book of Revelation speaks about those plagues which are going to coming back again. But this plague will come after the second coming of our Lord and we will be taken up with our Jesus. But for the wicked ones who are left behind, for the people whose hearts are hardened towards God now the plagues will hit and ultimately they will be destroyed.

Revelation 16

The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath
1Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." 2The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.
3The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.
4The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
8The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
10The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony 11and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

17The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

Conclusion

Child of God. A hardened heart is sure for destruction. Pharaoh hardened his heart for his own destruction. God destroyed everything in Egypt and finally when God destroyed the firstborn of Egypt Pharaoh let Israel go. Let us repent from our sinful ways and ask God for a soft heart to listen to his voice today.

Let us repent of our hardened hearts and turn to God in prayer.