Introduction:Good morning. It is exciting to come before you today in a different role than I normally serve in. I would like to thank Jen Jones for leading us in worship this morning, and what a blessing it was to be able to sing with you in the congregation for a change.As several of you already know, Pastor has been taking us on a “Journey Through the Old Testament” by focusing on many of its major events. So far, we have studied the accounts of:• Adam and Eve, and how they were instrumental in the entrance of sin in this world.• Noah and flood, and how Noah was instrumental in the preservation of humanity.• Joseph, and how he was instrumental in the continuation of God’s people the Israelites.In each of these accounts so far, we see two major aspects at work, regardless of the account. We see humanity in its continuation of sin and disobedience to God. But we also clearly see the evidence of God’s hand at work according to His plan. In every situation, there is always this common denominator: the hand of God is at work in every circumstance regardless of human motivations.Today we are going to continue our study through the Old Testament, but we will be focusing on a small passage in the middle of Exodus. So, if you have not already, go ahead and open your bibles, or turn them on and find your way to Exodus 11. While you find your way to our passage for today, I would like to give you a quick overview of what has happened in Exodus 1-10.• Exposition: The people of God (Israelites) had been living and thriving in the land of Egypt for some time because of Joseph’s “placement” in Egypt.• Conflict: Upon Joseph’s death, a new pharaoh, out of fear and intimidation enslaved the Israelites and forced them to hard labor, leading them to cry out to God for deliverance.• Rising Action: Amidist these circumstances, Moses was raised up by the hand of God to be the instrument of Israel’s freedom. But, due to the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart, a series of plagues were unleashed upon Egypt with God’s intent being the liberation of His people.Our passage today picks up in the middle of a heated exchange between Pharaoh and Moses, which began in the previous chapter. This exchange not only marks the end of the ninth plague to afflict Egypt, it also marks the beginning of the circumstances surrounding the final plague that would be unleashed up Pharaoh and his people. So, let’s read our passage for today, and then we will discuss some truths that are present in this passage.(Read Exodus 11)For those of you taking notes, you will find blank spaces in your handout as we progress through our message. So, takes notes as you see fit. With that, our first point is: Point I: The Sovereignty of God’s Plan (10:27-11:3)Our passage today begins with what Bible scholars call a “parenthetical statement”, or a statement that qualifies or gives further clarity to something that has already taken place. Before we discuss the parenthetical statement, I want us to look at the conversation we came into the middle of just so we have some context about this exchange. Look with me at Exodus 10:27-29.“27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.28 Pharaoh said to him, “Leave me! Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”29“As you have said,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”.”(Stop at v. 27) Before we go any further into our passage today, I want to address the bottom line of everything we are going to discuss today.• Immediately, we see the hand of God at work, but not, as one would naturally assume, in the lives of His people (at least not in this passage). No, we see God’s hand at work in the heart of Pharaoh, who is a tyrant with his grip firmly wrapped around the lives of God’s people. That is where we first see God’s hand at work in this passage. (cont. v. 28,29)• As humans, it’s easy for us to lose sight of what God is doing around us simply because our circumstance