The name of the message tonight
is, The Lord Goes Before His People. The Lord Goes Before
His People. Now God had appointed Moses. He had appointed that Moses would
not cross over into the Promised Land. Would not cross over the
Jordan. And tonight we'll see that although
he could not go over, he encourages those who will go over the Jordan
into the Promised Land. Turn, if you would, to Deuteronomy
chapter 31. Deuteronomy chapter 31. Now the inability of Moses
to go over to Jordan and the ability of Joshua should be something
we notice when looking at this passage. Moses' natural strength
was not diminished, but the Lord had just said to him, thou shalt
not go over this Jordan. The Lord had told him that. We
need to remember that Moses is typical of the law in picture
and Joshua is typical of the Lord Jesus Christ. in his gospel. Then we see how impossible it
was for the law to bring souls to God. The law can never bring
a sinner to Christ. It shows us our desperate need
for him, but it can never bring us to Christ. Joshua, being a
picture of Christ, brings God's people over the Jordan into the
Promised Land, and we know that that was all by the power of
God. All by God's power. The scriptures declare, for the
law made nothing perfect, but a better hope did, by which we
draw nigh unto God. Let's read here in Deuteronomy
chapter 31. Start in verse one, and we'll
just read the first eight verses. And Moses went and spake these
words unto all Israel. And he said unto them, I am 120
years old this day, I can no more go out and come in. Also
the Lord hath said unto me, thou shall not go over this Jordan.
The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee. Now take note
of that little phrase right there. He will go over before thee. He will destroy those nations
from before thee and thou shall possess them. And Joshua, he
shall go over before thee as the Lord hath said. And the Lord
shall do unto them as he did to Shion and to Og, king of the
Amorites, and unto the land of them whom he destroyed. And the
Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto
them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be
strong and of a good courage, nor Fear not, nor be afraid of
them, for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee. Again, we're told that he goes
with them. He will not fail thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee. Moses called unto Joshua and
said unto him in the sight of all, Israel, be strong and of
a good courage, for thou must go with this people. into the
land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them,
and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And here's our text
in verse 8. And the Lord, he it is that doth
go before thee. And the Lord, he it is that doth
go before thee. He will be with thee. He will
not fail thee, neither forsake thee, fear not, neither be dismayed. Oh, what words here before us.
And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee. He will be with
thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee, fear not,
neither be dismayed. Now each day we rise, not knowing
what the day has in store for us. We have no idea, do we? We rise up each day. We don't
know if we have tomorrow. We're not promised tomorrow,
are we? We don't know if we have tomorrow. Man makes lots of plans,
thinking, well, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that.
But really, none of us have our promise tomorrow. But we do know who holds our
very life. We do know who holds our very
life in his hands. We know who holds tomorrow, don't
we? We who are the people of God, we know. We know that our
great, sovereign, almighty God has us in his hands. We know
that. So whatever tomorrow may bring
or whatever the day may bring, we know that we are in his hands. Now, the child of God can rest
in this precious fact. But for those outside of Christ,
the uncertainty of life often leads them to worry or be anxious
and sometimes fill them with dread. Now, even the child of
God is susceptible to those things, aren't we? If we're honest, we
are, because we're still sinners. We're saved sinners, as we sung,
we're sinners saved by grace. But see, the world doesn't have
hope like the believer has. The world doesn't have Christ. But oh, what words of comfort
are found here before us. Verse 3, the Lord thy God, He
will go over before thee. And then in verse 8, and the
Lord, He it is that doth go before thee. He will be with thee. He will be with thee. He will
not fail thee, nor neither forsake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed. The lost person is concerned
with what lies before them. But the believer in Christ, oh,
we look to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the blessing, the privilege
to be occupied while we're going through this world with he who
is our guide. our captain, and he's our forerunner. He's gone before us, beloved.
He's gone before us. Look at who is our guide. Look
at Deuteronomy 31.8, the Lord. He it is that doth go before
thee. Again, when we see the word Lord there, it's Jehovah,
the self-existent one. The self-existent one. So what
a difference this can make in the believer's life. To know
that God goes before us. He's gone before His people in
the grand decree of predestination. And think upon this, beloved.
Marvel at how the Lord goes before you. Your future's been marked
out. You shall not tread a step which
is not mapped on the grand chart. of God's fordation and circumstances
of your life have been divinely ordered. Now, we know that God
is not the author of sin. We know that we know that. And
we walk in this world and we're sinners. But nothing ever catches
God by surprise. Nothing. Nothing. He is the God
of the universe, and he rules over all overall. Nothing ever catches our God
by surprise. Nothing. The world speaks of
fate and chance and luck. We'll have nothing of that. We'll
have nothing of that, beloved. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. And we know this only speaks
of Christ and those who are in Christ. Only speaks of Christ. The believer's lot, as one commentator
brings forth, is not one that has been decided by the whim
of fickle fortune, No, beloved, the God of infinite wisdom and
infinite love has arranged everything. And think upon this. God has
appointed the bounds of your habitation. The bounds of your
habitation turn, if you would, to Acts chapter 17. The scriptures
declare this truth. Paul brings us forth when speaking
on Mars Hill in Acts chapter 17. We'll read verses. 22 to 31, but take note of verse
26 when we read that. Then Paul stood in the midst
of Mars Hill and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in
all things ye are too superstitious, and all religious folks are superstitious,
and so is natural man. Very superstitious. Very superstitious. For as I passed by, and behold
your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the
unknown God, whom therefore ye ignorantly worship him declare
I unto you. God that made the world, and
all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Now note, Paul boldly
declares here, God made the world. He made the world. He made all
things visible and invisible. All things therein. And not seeing
that He's Lord of Heaven. He's Lord. He's King. He rules over everything. He
dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is worship
with man's hands, as though he needed anything. Does God need
anything? No, He needs nothing. And we
don't add anything to God, do we? We know that. He's unchanging.
We studied that this morning on the immutability of God. He's
unchanging. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. He'll never change. Never. Never. He doesn't need
anyone or anything. He's God. He's God. This is the God of the Bible. Oh my. He needeth anything. He doesn't
need anything. Seeing He giveth to all life
and breath and all things. Even the very people who curse
His name, He's given them breath and life. And hath made of one blood all
nations for man to dwell, on all the face of the earth, and
that determined the times before appointed, and look at this,
the bounds of their habitation. He's appointed the time when
we were born, and he's appointed the time we'll die, and he's
appointed where we'll live and where we'll be in this life.
He's God. He's God. That they should seek
the Lord, if happily they might feel after Him and find Him,
though He be not far from every one of us. For in Him, this is
speaking to the believers, we live and move and have our being,
as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also His
offspring. For as much then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is
like unto gold or silver or stone, graven by art and man's device."
So he's basically telling them, the God of the Bible isn't like
the idols you've been manufacturing. He's not like that at all. He
is so far above us, beloved. He is so far above us. In the times of this ignorance,
God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. The gospel preacher proclaims,
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Turn
to Christ, he's the only hope for sinners. And we know that
God, the Holy Spirit, when we're regenerated, grants us faith
and repentance to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. God commandeth
all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day
in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man,
that being Christ. The world will be judged in righteousness
by Christ, and we will all be found weighed and wanting in
our natural state. But praise God, the believer
is clothed in the precious, perfect, spotless righteousness of Christ.
Our sins have already been dealt with at Calvary's cross, already
bought and paid for, beloved. because he hath appointed a day
in which he will judge the world and righteousness by that man,
being Christ, whom he hath ordained, wherever he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And
when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked and
others said, we will hear thee again of this matter. So think
upon this, beloved of God. You may be thrust into the furnace
of affliction, and oftentimes we are. Oftentimes we are, and
yet the Lord will not desert you. He'll not desert you. He'll never leave you. He'll
never leave his people. You may be bought low, and yet
it'll be for your future blessing, beloved. Remember what Scott
Richardson said? The believer is either going
into trouble, in trouble, or coming out of trouble. But the
Lord will never leave us, nor forsake us. He's ever with us.
Think upon this. Has the Lord not gone before
you in the preparations of His providence? How do we know this
well? Our dear brother Paul penned
these words. Turn if you would to Philippians
chapter 4. Our dear brother Paul penned these words while he was
in prison. for preaching the gospel, he penned these words. And this isn't like the false
preacher word of faith guys bring out that if you, oh, you'll get
everything in Christ. The believer already has everything
in Christ. All that a sinner needs is in Christ. Everything
I need. And I am, and I, and if you're
a believer, you are far more wealthy than the wealthiest man
in the world in Christ. And has our God not proved this
to us? Look at this. My God shall supply all your
need. What's our need? The forgiveness
of sins. Forgiveness of sins. Philippians
4.19. My God shall supply all your need. How? According to
His riches and glory by Jesus Christ. By Christ Jesus. What
do we need? We need the forgiveness of sins.
We need our sins paid for, don't we? We need them. We need to
be redeemed. Can we pay for one of our sins?
Not one. Not one. But the Lord Jesus Christ,
when He died on Calvary's cross, paid for all the sins of His
people. All the sins of His people. And has He not supplied all our
spiritual needs, beloved? We have redemption in and through
the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have justification
before God in and through Christ alone. We are accepted in the
Beloved. Accepted in Christ. Accepted
in Him. We are chosen in Christ before
the foundation of the world. We are adopted by God in and
through Christ alone. We have forgiveness of all our
sins in and through Christ alone. We have an inheritance waiting
for us in glory, beloved, all because of what Christ has done
on Calvary's cross in our place is the great substitute. And
the law of God has no more demands on the believer, no more demands
on the believer. Christ has fulfilled them all.
And the justice of God has been satisfied. It's been poured out
on Christ for the believer. Are we not rich, beloved? Has
God not supplied all our needs according to His riches and glory
by Christ Jesus when we ponder these precious truths? Aye. Then we can all praise our God.
Every blood-bought child of God has full provision made for us
in Christ. Full provision made for us in
and through Christ as we walk through this world. Never forget the truth that's
proclaimed in this verse. Let's go back to Deuteronomy
31a. Never forget the truth that's
proclaimed in this verse. Hold it close to your hearts,
beloved. Hold it close to your hearts as we journey through
this world. The Lord, He it is that doth
go before thee. Jehovah goes before us. Goes before us. Nothing in our
lives catches Him by surprise. No situation can overtake Him
because the scripture declares no one unto God are all His works
from the beginning of the world. Absolutely nothing catches our
sovereign God by surprise. Nothing catches us by surprise.
Nothing catches him by surprise. And what comfort the believer
can draw from this. What a well this is for us to
draw from. Turn if you would to Isaiah 65
verse 24. Oh, the saint of God can take
great comfort Isaiah writes of our Lord in
regards to his people here in Isaiah 65 24 he says and it shall
come to pass remember this is God speaking it shall come to
pass that before they call I will answer and while they are yet
speaking I will hear it's wonderful let's go back
to Deuteronomy let's go to chapter 1 Have you ever considered that
before we reach a place God has provided for us? Have you ever
really pondered that? Wherever the road leads, all
has been made ready. Look at this in Deuteronomy chapter
1. We'll read verses 21 to 33. Deuteronomy chapter 1, verses
21 to 33. Behold, the Lord thy God hath
set the land before thee. Go up and possess it, as the
Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee. Fear not, neither
be discouraged. And ye came near unto me, every
one of you, and said, we will send men before us, and they
will search us out the land and bring us word again by the way
we must go and into what cities we shall come. And the saying
pleased me well, and I took 12 men of you, one of a tribe, and
they turned and went up into the mountain and came into the
valley of Eskil and searched it out. And they took of the
fruit of the land in their hands and bought it down unto us and
bought us word again and said, it is a good land which the Lord
our God doth give us. Notwithstanding, Notwithstanding,
you would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the
Lord your God. And you murmured in your tents
and said, because the Lord hated us, he had brought us forth out
of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the land of the Amorites
to destroy us. They just had this great deliverance
occur, and they're already murmuring at God. Oh, my. Whither shall we go up? Our brethren
have discouraged our hearts, saying, The people is greater
and taller than we, and the cities are great and walled up to heaven. And moreover, we have seen the
sons of the Anakins there. Then I said unto you, Dread not,
neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goeth
before you, he shall fight for you." There it is again. The
Lord, your God, which goeth before you, he shall fight for you. Oh my. According to all that
he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, remember the great
deliverance that had occurred? All by the power of God. All
by the power of God. And in the wilderness where thou
hast seen how the Lord Thy God bare thee as a man doth bare
his son in all the way that ye went until ye came into this
place. Yet in this thing ye did not
believe the Lord your God, who went in the way before you again,
who went in the way before you to search out a place to pitch
your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should
go, and in a cloud by day. He was ever with them, wasn't
He? He was God and He went before them, beloved. He went before
them. Note in verse 33, it says that
the Lord went in the way before you. Meaning Israel, which is a picture
of the church, to search out a place to pitch your tents in,
in fire by night to show you by what way you should go in
a cloud by day. If he did that for Israel, beloved,
he does the same for his people. He's ever with us. He still goes
before us, doesn't he? Still goes before his people
right now. Right now. And so what comfort the people
of God can glean from these verses? Our God is again the same yesterday,
today, and forever. He doesn't change. If he watched
over his people in the Old Testament, he'd watch over his people all
the time. He goes before us all the time. Oh my. Turn, if you would, to John chapter
14. And think of this, considering
this precious truth, that the Lord ever goes before us, ever
goes before His people, ever watches over His people, ever
provides for His people. He's the Great Shepherd. He's
the Great Shepherd. So think of that as we read these
verses when our Lord was talking to the apostles. And we know this is true for
us, too. John 14, verses 1 to 4. Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. What's he say here? I go to prepare a place for you.
He's gone before us, beloved. He's gone before us. And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And whither I go, you know, and
the way you know. It says there. He's gone to prepare a place
for us. He's gone before us. He's in glory. He's in glory. So think of how precious these
verses are Also, for the gospel preacher, knowing that the Lord
goes before the preacher, goes before every believer, every
message I preach, every message the gospel preacher preaches,
the Lord goes before us. The Lord goes before us. He gives
us the message to proclaim. He prepares the heart of the
saint to receive that message or the lost sheep to receive
it if he's regenerated by the Holy Spirit. And he prepares
the heart to receive the truth of salvation in and through the
Lord Jesus Christ alone. And the believer rejoices. We
love it. It's wonderful. It's absolutely
wonderful. Now there was a time in our natural
state when we didn't love it. Oh, what a change. When God the
Holy Spirit regenerates us. When we're born again in the
Holy Spirit of God. What a change happens. We become new creatures
in Christ, beloved. New creatures in Christ. Oh,
how we love the Gospel. Oh, how we love the Savior. The
Gospel's all about Him. All about Him. Turn back to Deuteronomy
38, if you would, and then put your finger in Hebrews chapter
2. Deuteronomy 31, I'm sorry, verse 8. And then put your finger,
though, in Hebrews 2. We'll go there shortly. Deuteronomy
31, 8, I'll read it again. And the Lord, He it is that doth
go before thee. He will be with thee. He will
not fail thee, neither forsake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed. So think of this. Our Lord knows
how frail we are, and He has gone before us. The Word became
flesh and dwelt among us. The Scriptures declare that He
was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He's bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh, and yet without sin. Yet without
sin. The Lord of glory became incarnate. The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us. He entered this world. He tabernacled
here for 33 years in the flesh. Why? That he might be the captain
of our salvation. Now turn to Hebrews chapter 2.
Hebrews chapter 2. We'll read verses 5 to 12. For unto the angels Hath he not
put in subjection the world to come, wherever we speak? But
one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou
art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou
visiteth him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels.
Thou crownest him with glory and honor, and didst set him
over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection
under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection
under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now
we see not all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was
made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. The whole reason he came here
was to save his people from their sins. That's what the scripture
declares. crowned with glory and honor,
that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For
it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things
in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings. And that is what he is for the
believer. He is the captain of our salvation. For both he that
sanctify and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause
he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare
thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the church, will
I sing praise unto thee. The Lord Jesus Christ ever goes
before his sheep. Ever goes before his sheep in
John chapter 10 verse 4. It says and when he put forth
his sheep he goeth before them He goeth before them and the
sheep fall him For they know his voice See the scripture. This is a constant theme both
in the Old Testament in the New Testament that the Lord ever
goes before us He's ever watchful over us. He's the great shepherd
and bishop of our souls below So what comfort again is found
in trials and tribulations, knowing that our Lord has gone before
us. The scriptures declare, for even here unto where ye called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example
that ye should follow his steps. As we journey through this world,
we are being conformed to the image of the Son. Shall we be called to pass through
the valley of the shadow of death? Well, the believer in Christ
has nothing to fear, for Christ has gone before him and extracted
its sting. The Lord has gone before you
and directs our steps by his word, and the word of God is
what? It's a lamp unto my feet, the
scripture says, and a light unto my path. What does the Word of
God, who does the Word of God point us to? Christ. Because
the book is all about him. All about his great redemption.
All those sacrifices in the Old Testament were but types and
pictures and shadows that pointed to the great Lamb of God. The
sinless, spotless Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we journey through this
world, we look to him. We look to Him. The Lord is gone
before us. Directs our steps. And this reveals
the scriptures, which are a lamp unto our feet and a light unto
our path. It reveals the way of peace with
God. The way of peace with God, which
is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. The scriptures reveal
the way of blessings from God, which again come only through
Christ and Christ alone, as we know that all spiritual blessings
come to us through Christ. It makes known the path of righteousness
and it reveals to us Christ who is our righteousness. Christ
who is our righteousness. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
37. Psalm 37. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ
is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Shepherd. And it is He who
guides and directs our way. We see this in Psalm 37. Let's
read verses 23 to 26. Look at this. The steps of a
good man are what? Ordered by the Lord. Ordered
by the Lord. And we know we're only good in
Christ. Outside of Christ, we're no good. This can only be said
of a believing man who's clothed in the precious, perfect, spotless
righteousness of Christ. That's all. Steps of a good man
are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. God's
people delight in the ways of Christ. We delight in his ways. Though he fall, he shall not
be utterly cast down. And we fall many times, beloved,
because we're sinners, aren't we? We're saved sinners, we who
are being born again by the Holy Spirit of God and our trust in
Christ, but oh, we fall. But look at this, he shall not
be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. It's the Lord who keeps us. It's
the Lord who keeps us. I have been young and now I'm
old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread. He is ever merciful and lendeth,
and his seed is blessed." Oh, Lord. Oh, beloved, our Lord ever
goes before us. He ever goes before us. He watches
over us. We stumble and fall, and He picks
us right back up, beloved. Oh, what comfort we can find
here. Now turn, if you would, to Psalm 73. The Scriptures declare
that our great God will guide his people. Ask wrote this Psalm
about our great God in Psalm 73. Look at this in Psalm 73,
we'll read verses 24 to 28. Thou shalt guide me with thy
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. And when does He
guide us? All the time, beloved. All the
time. Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. Remember
the bride and the bridegroom when we studied Song of Solomon?
Remember how the bridegroom was enamored with the bride, which
is a picture of the church? But the church, the bride is
also enamored with the bridegroom. Oh, we love our Savior, don't
we? We love Him. We love Him. There is none on
earth that I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For lo, they that are far off
from Thee shall perish. Thou hast destroyed all them
that go whoring from thee, but it is good for me to draw near
to God. I have put my trust in the Lord that I may declare all
thy works." Have you put your trust in the Lord? The believer
says, yay. Yay, he's everything to me. He's
everything to me. Oh my. If you don't trust the
Lord, I pray that God would make you willing. Oh, to trust Christ,
to turn to Christ. So think about how the Lord provides
for His people. And think of how the Lord has
gone before you, believer. You who are the beloved of God.
Think of, look back, we often say, look back and see what the
Lord's done. Marvel in what He's done for
you. Oh, He's gone before us in provisions
of His promises. And remember that all the promises
of God are in Christ, yea and amen. Through yea and amen. And again, all that a sinner
needs is found in Christ. All that a sinner needs is found
in Christ. And God knows our needs. And He knows what can
fulfill our needs. And Christ is the one, again,
who all our needs are fulfilled in. We're a needy people. We're a needy people. But all
our need is found in Christ. So look back, beloved, you who
are the beloved of God. Look back on your life as a believer
in Christ, and you will see evidence. You will see evidence of God's
faithfulness to you. Oh, my. Doesn't take long for
us to look back either, does it? Oh, my. And we even see stuff before
we're saved, how he preserves us, keeps us safe. Oh, my. Never forget God's faithfulness
to you. Never forget that whatever tomorrow
may hold the divine promises of God in Christ assure the Christian
that the Lord has gone before them. Before them. And he has
made every provision for his people. Again, remember what we read
in John 14. I'll read it again. Let not your
heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. Circumstances
often come up in our lives that trouble us. Oftentimes. But the scriptures declare there
in John 14, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. I know that he's not gone there
to prepare a place for himself. No, beloved, our Lord has returned
to where He's come from. He's returned to where He's come.
He come from glory. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us. He's gone back home. He's gone
back home. He's preparing a place for us.
Oh my, He has. He has. He's speaking to His
people. He proclaims, I go to prepare
a place for you. Again, He's going before us.
He's going before us. And how this brings forth the
love that Christ has for His blood-bought bride. He left the
glories and splendors of heaven to come to this sin-cursed earth
to redeem His people from their sins. And he purchased his people
on Calvary's cross, beloved. He paid everything that God demanded
for the sins of his people. Everything. Everything. And how
did he do it? With his own precious blood.
And now he's risen and returned to glory and he's prepared a
place for us. So again, we see that our Lord
ever goes before his people. Deuteronomy again says, the Lord,
he it is that doth go before thee. And this brings real comfort
to the believer in Christ. This is why the preacher says,
fix your eyes upon Christ. Keep looking to Him, beloved
of God. Keep looking to Him, no matter what comes our way.
Looking unto Jesus. Looking unto Jesus. Believer by faith looked unto
Jesus, and we keep looking to Him, don't we? We keep looking
to him. If you're looking to him, you're
looking away from everything else. You're looking away from everything
else. Sometimes in religion, folks
get looking at one another. I know I was there. Start looking
at one another, and they got no eyes on Christ. Oh my, the
believer looks to Christ and Christ alone. We look to him. We look to him. We see our own
sinfulness, don't we? We see our own sinfulness. Oh,
my. We just look. We just look to
Christ. And if we're looking to him,
we're looking away from everything else. And if you are trusting
and looking to him, then you're trusting no other. The Lord is our guide. We follow
him. Remember, I mentioned John 10,
4, which says, And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them. And the sheep follow him, for
they know his voice. We looked at that this morning,
didn't we? We looked at that this morning. God's sheep follow the Great
Shepherd of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. And what does he
do? He makes us to lie down in green
pastures, beloved. He restoreth our soul. In goodness
and mercy follow us all the days of our life. All the days of
our life. Let's look at that verse one
more time, Deuteronomy 31.8. What a verse of help this is
during times of fear or anxiety to know that the Lord Jehovah
himself goes before us. Goes before us. Look at this
in Deuteronomy 31.8. And the Lord being Jehovah, the
self-existent one, he it is that doth go before thee. He will
be with thee. Notice it's not he might be. Oh, what a promise here for God's
people. He will be with you. And then it says he will not
fail you. And it just gets better, beloved.
Neither forsake thee. We know in the New Testament,
it said the Lord will never leave thee nor forsake thee. And the
word never in the Greek in that verse is in the triple name.
He will never, not ever, ever leave his people. Fear not. neither be dismayed."
So God goes before all his people. God's people's hearts are comforted,
knowing that we are guided and directed by him. This does not mean that all will
go smooth in our lives, no. We just need to read the Acts
of the Apostles, right, the book of Acts, and we can find out
real quickly that everything doesn't go smoothly for the believer.
But oh, what peace we can draw from a verse like this. Knowing
that he ever goes before us, no matter what comes our way.
Knowing that he'll never leave us or forsake us. Never. Believer goes through trials
and tribulations and suffering during this life. He will be with thee. He will
not fail thee. neither forsake thee, fear not,
neither be dismayed. So the comfort the believer can
find here is that despite all these things which occur in our
lives, beloved, we are never, never alone. And the Lord has
ever gone before us. Those before his people, guiding,
directing us in our ways, And how do we know that? The
Lord spoke these words to the disciple, and we know that these
are true for us too, and we're closed with this. Lo, I am with
you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee
for the wonderful truths which we find in Scripture, the wonderful
fact that You are ever with Your people, that you ever go before
us. O Lord, we pray for the work
here. This is your work. This is your
church, O Lord. And we know that you ever go
before us and guide us and direct us. And we know that each believer,
in our lives, you ever go before us, watching over us and protecting
us. And though we fall, yet you bring us and pick us right back
up, O Lord, taking care of us all by thy sovereign hand and
all by thy almighty power. Lord, may we think upon the things
which we've studied tonight. May they bring comfort to the
hearts of your people, O Lord. We glorify and magnify you. We're
quick to give you all the glory and honor and praise. In Jesus'
name, amen.