This morning, I invite you to turn to Deuteronomy chapter 31. Deuteronomy chapter 31, for those of you who were here on Thanksgiving morning, we considered a portion of Deuteronomy chapter 8. So, some of the history that we will hear this morning is a bit of a reminder from Thanksgiving morning. Deuteronomy chapter 31, as we read together the first eight verses, The focus, our text being verse 6 of Deuteronomy chapter 31. So we hear now the Word of God. Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel, I am now 120 years old, and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, you shall not cross the Jordan. The Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites whom He destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them. For the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them. And you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Verse 6 again, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Beloved, today is the first day of the rest of your life. How true, huh? Something we can say every morning when we wake up. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Yesterday is past. It's never again to be repeated. And as far as the rest of today, well, that is the future. And we know that with each new day, we also face something of an uncertainty. We don't really know what is going to happen. What does your future hold? What will take place in your future? Every day we face something new. Maybe even something uncertain. And that's true with even certain exciting events in lives that we face. We enter them with a certain amount of uncertainty. Maybe as we begin a new year, or as we have a child, the first or the third. We enter with great expectation. Maybe a bit nervous. As we go forth on our wedding day, looking forward to that married life ahead. Starting a new job. But you see, beloved, no matter what has happened in the past, we don't know the future. You don't know if you're going to be rich or poor. You don't know if you're going to be healthy or sick. You don't know whether you are going to enjoy success or whether you are going to face tragedy. Indeed, as we look back, the saying is true, hindsight is 20-20, isn't it? Because it's already happened. We can tell you what has taken place. But when it comes to the future, we don't know what is going to take place. Yet as Christians, we are called to walk by faith and not by sight because we know who holds the future. That's, you see, one of the last messages that Moses gave to the Israelites. As we know, again, from this past Thursday morning, Israel was standing in the doorway. They were standing on the threshold of the future. They were standing in that amazing first day of the rest of their lives with the promised land before them. Right before their eyes. Across the Jordan River. And again, it was familiar. They had been here before, 40 years before. And the question we might have for them, have they learned from their mistakes? Have they learned their lesson? Yet now, as they stand at this doorway once again, it's different. It's different because this time, Moses is not going to go with them. And therefore, the people were nervous. They were scared. And they weren't sure if they even wanted to stick their big toe into the river, as it were, to test the water. And therefore, Moses, as the shepherd he was, as the shepherd he had been so many times before, he gave them encouragement. He gave them the encouragement as He gave them the commission to move ahead. He gives them the commission to move ahead, first of all, with proper confidence. And secondly, in certain care. First, move ahead with proper confidence. And He gives them this commission, of course, after a history lesson. Deuteronomy, we know, is a series of speeches or messages that Moses gave rehearsing Israel's history from the time they had left Egypt to the time now that they stood at the doorway. And indeed, what a history that was. And as He gives them this history lesson, He reminds them of all that they had been through. Complete with the ups and downs of their travels as well as their obedience and their disobedience, He tells them again that they were God's chosen people, that they were God's covenant people. He explains to them exactly what that means. He reminds them of the commandments that God had given to them and that those commandments of God were to have priority in their lives and for their conduct. He makes no mistake about it to them that God expects them to follow His commands, to keep His commands. In fact, in Deuteronomy 28 and 29 and other places, He shows how serious God takes His commands as he gives a clear reminder of God's blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience. But throughout this history lesson, Moses helps them to see that indeed, indeed they were a privileged people, indeed they were objects of God's grace. And therefore, this history lesson was to be an encouragement for the children of Israel. So now with this text, he gives them the commission to move ahead with proper confidence and that confidence was to include boldness. They were to have boldness against their current enemies. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them. The word them there is a reference to the nations that were living in the Promised Land, those nations that were to be conquered, that were to be wiped out. And against them, Moses says, be strong and courageous. Now, it's hard to tell from our English translations, but there's a certain kind of emphasis here. Sometimes the same word is repeated for emphasis. It's a little bit different here. There are two Hebrew words used that both can be translated as strong and courageous. You see, it's possible to be strong, but not have the courage. It's possible to have the courage, but not have the strength. But they are to be strong and courageous together. Moses is boldly telling them just how bold they are to be. Be firm, be steady, be confident. Be brave and solid in heart and mind, not looking to the left, not looking to the right, as was their history. And the very opposite is to be afraid and terrified. He says, do not be afraid and terrified because of them. The same sort of emphasis here. Two words that can both be translated as afraid or terrified or tremble. But the idea there is that Moses is talking about being afraid, being apprehensive because of knowing one's own weakness. We can all identify with that. If there's something we're called upon to do and we know that we have a weakness, we become afraid, we become apprehensive. It causes us to shake and to tremble because we are completely scared. But this being afraid and terrified is not to characterize God's people. Instead, God's people are to stand firm like a rock, to be strong and courageous, to stand in strength with courage. Now, why this command? Because no doubt, as Moses rehearses, as he recites this history, it becomes clear again to the Israelites, especially, that they had always proved to be afraid. They were always trembling with fear. But now, he says, move ahead with proper confidence. Even as he rehearses their past weaknesses, even though they were the objects of God's grace, it was clear they had been filled with a lack of confidence. They had proven over and over and over again that they were scared of men. They were terrified of particular situations. They had no sooner left Egypt, and there they were, trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army. Oh, what are we going to do? We know that they complained when they ran out of food. They complained when they had no meat. They complained when they had no water. They complained when Moses was camping up on Mount Sinai for 40 days. We don't know what happened to him. For all we know, he's not coming back. They were always afraid that they were going to die in the wilderness. And they always wished that they could go back to Egypt. And they are reminded of their weaknesses as now again they're standing at that door as they had been 40 years earlier. And we recall the 12 spies that Moses sent to spy out of the land. Joshua and Caleb come back and say, let's go. Let's go. Come on, what are we waiting for? We go in the strength of the Lord. Let's go. But the other ten said, you're crazy. We can't do it. They're going to squash us like bugs. They eat their enemies for lunch. I don't care what you say. We're not going. We're not going. And we know the people listened to the ten, not the two. And the response is Numbers 14 says, they wept. They complained. They said, if only we had died in the land of Egypt or if only we had died in this wilderness. And they are reminded here that that was the beginning of their 40-year desert hike until all those complainers, all those doubters had died. but that was their past that was their track record they had been scared stiff with no confidence and that's because they had no confidence in their covenant God oh they had seen what He had done they had seen with their own eyes what He had done yet they had no confidence in their covenant God or in those whom God placed over them it's no wonder that they are described as a stiff-necked, a stubborn people. But yet, Moses gives them this encouragement to go forward. To move ahead with proper confidence and to do so even in the face of the present fears that they still had. They were still afraid. Moses was not going with them. And that was frightening to them because they knew, believe me, they knew that Moses interceded with God for them. Over and over and over he had done that. And they remembered in particular the battle with Amalek when Moses raised his hands unto victory. Remember that? As long as Moses' hands were raised, they were winning. They were defeating the enemy. But as soon as he got tired and his hands dropped, boys and girls, the enemy started winning. And therefore, they held his hands up. They knew that Moses interceded with the Lord for them. And now as they were standing at this door once again, they knew God's promises. They knew God's promises full well. But, you see, the enemies that they could see, the enemies hadn't changed. Oh, for sure it was a land flowing with milk and honey, but in order to get to those goodies, they would have to travel the road of bloodshed. Moses, we can't do it without you. We need you. But Moses commissions them to move ahead with proper confidence because in the second place he says, you go in certain care. You go in certain care. You go with a new mediator, a new leader. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you as the Lord said. Joshua was God's choice. He was a good man. He was trustworthy by the grace of God. He had proven himself. Yet Joshua was not to be the reason for their confidence. Joshua was not their certain care. They were not to put their trust in man. As the psalmist says, do not trust in princes and mortal men who cannot save. Because man will fall and crash as fast as the stock market. Joshua was not their certain care. But Moses says you go in certain care with the same unfailing covenant. God, he says in verse 3, the Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you and you will take possession of their land. And the text, for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. We can almost hear Moses say, People, people, people. What is going on with you? After all these years, you ought to know by now that it doesn't matter if I go with you. It doesn't matter if Joshua goes with you. It doesn't matter if the most powerful king on this earth goes with you. It is the Lord your God that you need to go with you. And not only does He go with you, He goes before you. He will make the path plain. He will make you peaceful there. It is the Lord your God who has brought you this far. It's not me and my staff that brought the plagues upon the Egyptians. That was the Lord your God. It wasn't me who parted the Red Sea that you could cross through on dry ground. That was the breath of the Lord your God. It wasn't me who was before you in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. But again, that was the Lord your God. Where have you been? it wasn't me who sprinkled the manna on the ground every morning for you and made the quail fly right into your hand. The Lord your God did that. And beloved, sadly, as we know, even the heathen, they knew that these mighty works were from the hand of God. Remember Rahab? In Joshua chapter 2, she says, We have heard what happened at the Red Sea. We heard all about that. How the Lord your God parted the Red Sea that you might walk through in safety and in those same walls of water that gave you safety, He used to crash down upon the Egyptian army to destroy them. We heard all about Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, how they were destroyed. We've heard it all. And Rahab says when we heard it, when we heard it, our hearts melted. No courage remained in any man any longer because of you. For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven and on earth beneath. Amazing, isn't it? Not that the enemies believed. Not that they had true faith. But when they heard about all that Israel's God had done, their hearts melted. No courage remained in them. But Israel's hearts melted when they saw the enemy. They had no courage left when they saw man. and they should have been filled with courage. When we compare the history of God's people and their covenant unfaithfulness with the words of the enemies, it's clear that in a sense, the enemies had a better vision. They had better confession. And most of them, unless they had been affected themselves by the hand of God, most of them hadn't even seen these wonders with their naked eye. But they saw correctly, they understood correctly where Israel's strength came from. And Israel had to be reminded again and again and again that the Lord their God had never failed them or forsaken them even as He disciplined them in the desert for 40 years. And beloved, you and I must ask ourselves as well, when has God failed you or me? When? When things don't go just according to our liking or the way we think they ought to go, we tend to blame God. Where have you been? Why have you stopped loving me? Why don't you care about me anymore? But even our spiritual hindsight is 20-20, isn't it? And we must confess that He never fails to do what's best for us. And the message of Moses to the Israelites is the Lord God is the only one they needed. all others fail, man fails. That's why Moses wasn't going with them. He had failed. God had proven in the past that their care is certain. No enemy could stand against Jehovah or His people because He is on the side of His people, those whom He has visited with His grace. They had seen His mighty acts. They had heard His voice. They knew the truth of what Moses said in Deuteronomy 4, verse 7, for what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? And the answer is none. There is none. They are to go forward in certain care with great expectation. Beginning at verse 3 again, the Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites whom He destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. They could expect that. And there was even more that they could expect as Moses said in Deuteronomy 6 that God would give them great cities that they did not build. He would give them full houses that they did not fill up. He would give them wells that they didn't even dig. He would give them vineyards and olive trees that they didn't even spend time planting. But their great expectation, beloved, was not to be in themselves. Not at all. As we consider on Thanksgiving morning, Moses warns them throughout Deuteronomy that when they have received all of God's blessings, don't forget Him. Don't forget Him by failing to keep His commands. Because if they forget, they would be tempted to say, My power and the strength of my hand have produced this wealth for me. No, their great expectation could only be one place, and that is only in God. He was to be their proper object of their confidence, because He alone is their certain care for the Lord your God. goes with you. And again, it's undeserved. Israel didn't deserve God's care. God's blessing upon them was not because of their righteousness, but it was because God is faithful to His covenant promises. Moses says in chapter 9, verse 4, After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, the Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness. No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. God acts because of His righteousness against the unholiness and the wickedness that is committed against Him. He acts in spite of their disobedience. You see, Old Testament history teaches us that Israel failed. Israel did all that Moses commanded her not to do. Israel forgot the Lord their God and even though they were punished. Yet, beloved, the ultimate faithfulness of God to His covenant promises and His righteousness is seen in Jesus Christ. God continued to bless Israel over and over again that He might bring forth from her His only begotten Son, their Savior, and ours. The Lord Jesus Christ who remained faithful, who remained perfectly obedient to all the commands of God in your place and mine. And beloved, with the eye of faith, we have seen the mighty acts of God. By faith, we see the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. We see all that He has done on our behalf, that which we could not do for ourselves, that which we needed to be done. Like Israel, though, we still grumble and we complain. We disobey Him over and over again. We do not deserve God's mercy. Be it, God is merciful. He has kept His promises to you and me in Christ Jesus. And that's why we can enjoy and celebrate the sacrament of baptism knowing that God's promise is faithful. That promise signified and sealed in baptism. He will do what He has said He would do. By faith we have seen the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, and we have seen God's hand in our lives, guarding us, guiding us, protecting us by His Word, with His Word, by the power of His Holy Spirit. He has given to us His Word, beloved, to lead us and guide us in this life, to prepare us for glory. If you have not seen Him working in your life, it's because you're not looking. and maybe, too, it's because you have forsaken His commands. You see, with each new day, we face the future in the midst of a changing world globally. We know there's unrest among the nations. Even today, there are nations out there who really don't care about the other nations who are possibly bigger and stronger than they are. All they want is power. They hunger and crave power. To do damage to others. We live in the midst of a changing world nationally. Political hatred. We begin to see it already with the elections coming up in a year. Even before that. We have a government that often is trying to take our parental rights away from us. Because that government thinks it can raise our children better than we can with the instruction of the Word of God. The cost of living is growing faster than our wages. We live in the midst of laws that favor alternative lifestyles and the practice of abortion. Laws that threaten our religious freedom. Any other system of religion is fine. But Christianity, true Christianity, is not to be tolerated. Our world is changing religiously. It always has been. Many, we know, claim the name Christian, but have no idea who Christ is. So many claim to be the church. But they blend in more and more with the ways of the world and less and less do they conform or are they transformed by the Spirit according to the Word of God. It's a scary time. And it often seems like we are losing the battle. And therefore, Moses' message is also for us today. Do not despair. Move ahead day by day throughout this life with confidence. Move with confidence as you raise your children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. As you seek to do your work as unto the Lord. And as you strive to live righteously. Move forward day by day with confidence because you know that for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, your care is certain. Because Jesus Christ is victorious. And He is victorious, beloved, over our sworn enemies, the world, the devil, and our own flesh. And He has promised to safeguard His people forever. He says, as we considered from Hebrews 13 a week or two ago, I will never ever leave you, and I will not, I will not, I will not forsake you. And again, that doesn't mean that we will never get tripped up or bumped and bruised in this life. That doesn't mean that we will never lose our possessions or our job or our loved ones. The world can take all of our temporary things of life away, but not our eternal riches. You see, the eternal Canaan is open. The door has been opened for good, guaranteed for the family of God. Jesus Christ will bring His people in. In order to know the future, beloved, you must know the one who holds the future in His hand. Those who don't know Jesus Christ, for them each day is uncertain. It is scary. No matter what they say, they can only enter each day with fear. Because without Him, there is only anxiety about tomorrow and one can only become weaker and weaker as they worry about who's around every corner and what's under every rock. Oh, there are many who have a false confidence, we know. But one day when they are looking death in the face, they will not be able to have confidence because for them there is no certain care. But for those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and this isn't just hypothetical, it's not just something good to hear, but it's the truth. Those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who look to Him in repentance and faith, they can be confident because their care is certain. He is your rock. He is your mighty fortress. He is your strength. And no matter what's in your past, your future is certain in Him. It's glorious. He takes away the questions. He removes all the uncertainties. And even when we don't have every detail of our life and our future figured out, He does. And it's for our good. And beloved, in Him each day is a day of grace. And we can face each day with humble yet confident hearts, beloved, knowing that we live because Jesus lives and He is victorious and in Him we are more than conquerors. Move ahead this day, tomorrow, the rest of your life with proper confidence in certain care. There's a song that speaks of that confidence. It was a favorite of my grandfather. He lived his life growing up in a Christian home, believing he was a Christian. Then it wasn't until he was about 60, 65 when he truly was converted. And this song was a favorite of his. It became a favorite of mine. And I was going to simply quote the words for you, but I'd like to sing it. Each step I take. Each step I take, my Savior goes before me. And with His loving hand, He leads the way. And with each breath I whisper, I adore Thee. Oh, what joy to walk with Him each day. Each step I take, I know that He will guide me. To higher ground He ever leads me on Until someday The last step will be taken Each step I take Just leads me closer home At times I fail Till my faith begin to waver. When up ahead I see a chasm wide. It's then I turn and look up to my Savior. I am strong when He is by my side. Each step I take, I know that He will guide me to higher ground He ever leads me on. Until someday the last step will be taken. Each step I take just leads me closer home. I trust in God no matter come what may. For life eternal is in His hand He holds the key that opens up the way That will lead me to the promised land Each step I take, I know that He will guide me to higher ground. He ever leads me on. Until someday the last step will be taken. Each step I take just leads me closer home. Let's pray. Father, we bow before You as Your children, as those whom You have filled with confidence. Confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ. Confidence of a certain future, certain care in You alone. Father, as we travel this life with its difficulties, with its bumps in the road, with the bruises that we may endure, help us to remain focused on that finish line, on our great Savior Jesus Christ and all that He has accomplished for us. Even as You went ahead to wipe out the nations before the Israelites, our Lord Jesus Christ has gone ahead to wipe out the torment of hell for us. And therefore, Lord, we look forward with great anticipation to the glorious gates of righteousness in heaven alone. Father, until that day, give us strength every step of the way. Uphold us, guard us, guide us, protect us and keep us in your care as our Heavenly Father. In Jesus' name alone we pray these things. Amen.