Getting close to the end here.
I'm not sure where we'll be next. Either 1st and 2nd Samuel or
James. I'm not sure yet. Deuteronomy 31, I'm not going
to read all 30 verses. Suffice it to say that it's basically
divided into three sections. Three sections. The first eight
verses, verses 1 through 8, we have the promises of God. Verses
9 through 13, Moses' declaration of the gospel of God's grace,
obviously. He repeats it. He's coming to
the end of his life, which he states in verse 1. And then verses
14 through 27 and 31, or first 14 through 30, there's a warning, he issues
a warning, which is kind of frightening, but we're not under law, we're
under grace. So just remember that when I
get to that section. So verses one through eight,
and I will read these verses. It begins with the promises of
God. 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 come out and go
in. Also the Lord has said unto me,
thou shalt not go over this Jordan. The Lord thy God, he will go
over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before
thee, and thou shalt possess them. And Joshua, he shall go
over before thee, as the Lord has said. And the Lord shall
do unto them as he did to Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites,
and unto the land of them whom he destroyed. The Lord shall
give them up before your face, that you may do unto them according
to all that the commandments which I have commanded you. Be
strong. and of good courage. Fear not,
be not afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, it is he it is
that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee. And Moses called unto Joshua
and said unto him, in the sight of all Israel, be strong and
of good courage, for thou must go with this people unto the
land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them,
and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 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 how can Moses, being a man,
just like us, born in sin, how can Moses, how can any believer
speak with such confidence? Well, the Lord had given him
promises and we've seen this earlier in Deuteronomy. and in
Genesis, or in Exodus, we've seen these things where the Lord
said, I'm going to take you out with a high hand. Not only did
he take his people out of Egypt, but the enemies of the grace
of God, the enemies of the people of God, he caused them, he turned
their heart, like he says, he can do it with the king, whatever
he wills, he turns it one way, the other way, they obey his
command, they obey his will, He made those people give them
everything they needed to make that journey. He gave them gold
to build the altar and all these different things. The Lord, and
he gave them, and he said, they're not even a dog. And you know
how sovereign God, how sovereign is God? He says, not even a dog. He's gonna open his mouth, he's
gonna bark at you. Not even a dog. So how can we believe in this
day, and now here we are in this place, Jackson. The world's still
the world. The depravity is still depravity. Sin is still sin. We try to be
friendly, kind, and polite, and maybe get it back, maybe not.
We have to deal with our own temper, our own anger. But God
says, God says, and these are the promises of God. And we know
from this New Testament, we know from the scriptures, all the
promises, not in me, not in this church, not in doctrine, all
the promises in Christ are yes, Amen, so you look at these promises
and take them as Spurgeon said would say take them take them
to yourself Take them for yourself in any given situation These
promises are for the people of God so they are sure and steadfast
and most certain and Now Moses in verse one, he says, I'm 120
years old. I can't go in and out. It doesn't
mean physically because we know, uh, earlier on that the Lord
gave him the site. He was like a 20 year old man.
He could see he brought him up to the mountain. He could see
over the promised land and it said he would, you know, he would
had the strength still of a young man. So he's not talking about
physical strength. He's talking about what he says in context,
uh, thou shalt not go over in this land. He's, he can't go
over. He can't go over into the promised land. He can't go over. He can't take Israel over. Joshua
was going to do that. And that's simply if you want
to look at the typology and the pictures. Moses is a picture
of the law. Joshua, which means Savior, is
a picture of Christ. The law can never take you in
to glory. The law was given that sin may
abound. The law was our schoolmaster.
It can never bring us to Christ. It pictures Christ. It points
to Christ. We can preach the gospel out of all, as we can
do with the old scriptures. But Moses can't bring us in.
Joshua, and we see in verse 7 and 8 telling Joshua, you're going
to take these people in. So Moses is not, it's not a sad,
other than humanly, which is where we are in funerals today
and all these other things, we miss people when they leave,
but there's no sadness. But Moses has a confident expectation,
and that's what Hebrews talks about hope. That's what the definition
of hope is. It's not what we think today,
oh, I hope this will happen, or I hope that'll happen. No,
biblically, hope is a confident expectation, relying on the promises
of God. He is confident of his reward,
and Christ Jesus is our reward. He is confident of his end. He knows he will be with Christ
and completely enter into Christ's rest. So he's saying, when he
says, I'm old, I'm 120 years old, I can go in and out, he's
not You know, oh, this is a sorrowful time. No, it's a joyful time.
And so is the death of every believer. Though, humanly, we
got those ties. That's the difficult thing. But
faith looks through all that and has a confident expectation,
has an eternal hope in Christ, as is ours. We're speaking of
Moses, but take it to us, applies to us today, our hope. If we
hope, trust, and rest in Christ, We can have a confident, be confident
expectation. Now some folks would say, well,
that's pride. You're presuming. No, it's not. God said it. We believe it by his grace. We
believe it. So our hope is is Moses's hope. as God, as he will keep us evermore
under the blood and of his everlasting arms of our dear redeemer friend,
we will be kept. We can lay hold of these promises
like the like the brethren did of old, just as God promised
to be with Moses. So shall we be with his chosen
people? Verse three, the Lord died by
God. He will go over before us. He will destroy these nations.
He will do this. And Joshua, he will go over before
thee, as the Lord has said. Verse four, you shall do unto
them as you did to Sihon and Og. Verse five, the Lord shall
give them up before your face. Be strong, of good courage, fear
not. That's the exhortation. Exhortation
is thus because of the promises. He's basing his confidence and
hope on what God has told him. And so he's telling the people.
He's speaking to the people. Well, God who cannot lie, he's ever
faithful to his own word and his own words to sinners like
us. We don't go beyond the scriptures. We don't add as revelation. We
don't add from them. We don't take away from them.
They're finished, the canonization is done, and it's for us, it's
for his people. And so we simply rest on this
word here. In this context, historically,
Israel, it's momentary, it's a momentary, they're gonna go
into Canaan and they're gonna struggle and they're gonna do
all these different things, but with his people, with us, these
promises are eternal. They're not, they're not, We
don't have to qualify them, they're simply so. Their success, these
promises are, their success is based and because of Christ and
he cannot fail. He cannot fail. Now verses nine
through 13, Moses teaches or preaches or declares, he has
declaration, the gospel once again, once again, verses nine
through 13. forward about 9 through 13. Moses wrote this law and
delivered it unto the priests, the son of Levi's, which bear
the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and then to all the elders
of Israel. And Moses commanded them saying,
at the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year
of release, in the feast of tabernacles. Now we looked at this earlier,
this year of release, What a wonderful picture of the gospel of the
grace of God. And he's reminding them. He's
again declaring unto them this year of release. When all Israel
is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place that
he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in
their hearing. Gather all the people together,
the men, the women, the children, the stranger that is within thy
gates, that they may hear They may learn and fear the Lord your
God and observe to do all the words of this law. What is the
year of release? Briefly, we look at this. He
reminds the people once again of that blessed year of release,
which you can look at it in Deuteronomy 15, I believe. This is the year
that debts were forgiven. If you had debts, I just can't
imagine what a society, what a beautiful thing, what a beautiful
thing being in debt and then having it after seventh year,
you're released. You're free from bondage. If
you wanted to be a slave, if you wanted to remain a servant,
you had to go before the elders and they would bore your ear
and show commitment to that person, but if you wanted to just go,
and property and everything, it was released. If you had your
property confiscated, that seventh year, you were free from bondage,
free from debt, free, free, free. Why do we dwell on free grace?
Why do we dwell on free, sovereign grace? Because that's the only
grace there is. Any other grace, if you've got to work for it,
it's not grace, it's works. And as Paul said to Timothy,
in 2 Timothy 2, keep bringing these things up, keep bringing
these things up. Let me read to you what Paul said to Timothy. Chapter 2, I charge thee, therefore,
before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick
and the dead at the appearing of his kingdom, preach the word.
Be instant, in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust, shall
heap up unto themselves teachers having itching ears. Now this
is, he's warning them back then. It's very obvious today. But I know everybody knows what
a preacher should do. Everybody knows what a pastor
should do. And I've told a few folks that said something to
me about, well, shouldn't you be doing this? Shouldn't you
be doing that? And I've listened to this for years. And finally,
I just came up with, how would you know? How would you know?
Are you a pastor? Are you a preacher? My main responsibility
is to be faithful to you, faithful to the Lord, and therefore faithful
to you, in proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not
to talk about politics, not to talk about stuff that doesn't
matter, that cannot save. He says he saves by the foolishness
of preaching. And yes, visit and help and this
and that, but that's where a lot of preachers will get in trouble,
meddling and doing this and doing that. Preach the word, be instant
in season, out of season. And obviously I don't have all
the understanding of it. I still feel like I'm young,
but this is what Moses is doing. If it was good enough for Moses,
and he's 120 years old, wouldn't it be good enough for every person
who is called to stand behind the pulpit and proclaim the gospel? The year of release. The Lord,
he's finished the work of justice. He's fulfilled all things necessary
for us to enter in. He releases us. To enter into
his promise, his rest, his grace and mercy. The gospel, the truth,
is to hear and rehearse and proclaim the rest is already complete. Now when you, at the seventh
year, The rest is complete. You just believe it. And I know
you can't do that by anything you do, but he'll give you grace
to repent, believe, and ask for mercy. He does all this. The
year of the release is done. They didn't do anything. They
are to experience. You cannot work your way. How
can you do that? You know, when another preacher
comes in, they have rules. You know, they have their rules.
And then these guys, another guy comes, has his rules. No.
The rule of life is Christ. He has, he has satisfied the
year of release. We just experience it by the
grace of God. We trust him. We worship him.
The rest is already complete. It's not unto completion. It's
not if you believe, then you make salvation effectual. No,
that's works. I don't care if it's 99.9% grace
and then somebody adds that point. No, it's works. And Paul says,
if it's one, it's the other. If it's one, you can't mix them.
It's oil and water. It's very clear about this. We
don't, we have the horse pulling the cart, not the cart pulling
the horse. God's done everything, but you
have to repent. You have to believe. I know you
do, because God doesn't have to repent. God doesn't have to
believe. But to do so is not a work. Faith has already been
imparted, imputed, And you simply believe. Psalms 110, he makes
his people willing in the day of his power. Well, I came to
Christ. Were you willing? Yes. Who made
you willing? God. You didn't do anything by
your own? I figured it out. We're not near as smart as the
Pharisees or the Sadducees. They knew the scriptures. So,
I take Moses' lead and simply proclaim the year of release. Christ has died, yea rather has
risen. The work is finished, set before
him. We simply are the recipients
of what he has accomplished. Now, there is an exhortation
to parents. I think most of us are parents
here. Verse 13. And that their children,
which have not known anything, not known anything, may hear
and learn to fear the Lord your God. It's a way to responsibility. Teach your children. Teach your
children. I've said this time and time
for years. You probably noticed as I say
it, if the only time your children are hearing the word is here, you're failing. You're
failing. Actually, most writers I've ever
read, they say children learn more by example,
what they see, than necessarily what they hear. So it's the parent's
responsibility. It's the preacher's responsibility.
The elder's responsibility. But I'm not gonna follow you
home. I'm not gonna be like they say in the Old Testament, the
elders that peep. I think that's ridiculous. I don't have that
authority, I don't have that responsibility. It's not my responsibility. It's the responsibility of the
parents to teach the children, rehearse, and live what is being
told them by example. I didn't say it was easy. As long as you live, as long
as you live in the land, whether you go over to the land. So,
keep telling them. Keep telling them. I've used
this example a hundred times. The rain comes, and storms, sun
comes out, there's a rainbow, there's a teaching opportunity.
That rainbow is a promise that God, who can destroy the world
any way he wants to, He will not destroy it. And many other examples. Lastly,
verses 14 through 30. I'm not going to read all this
because it's scary, it's upsetting, but it's true. And the Lord said
unto Moses, behold, the day is approached that thou must die.
Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation
that I may give a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, presented
themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. And the
Lord appeared in the tabernacle, a pillar of cloud, and a pillar
of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. And the Lord
said to Moses, behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this
people will rise up and go whoring after the gods of the strangers
of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake
me and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my
anger shall be kindled against them in the day, and I will forsake
them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be
devoured, and many evils and troubles will befall them, so
that they will say that in the day, are not these evils come
upon us because our God is not among us? This is the whole thing
through the end of the chapter. And then he tells them, he says,
then I'm gonna write this song and you sing the song and sing
it in front of them. And the song will remind them
of what they're gonna do. Now, this is the warning. This
is the result. What you read here is the result,
always the result of living upon a conditional covenant This is the result. If you think
all I got to do is keep the Ten Commandments, this is what you're
going to do. Depravity will win out all the
time. We don't live by a conditional
covenant. This is just a picture of how
God had mercy on Israel. and the covenant that he did
from before the foundation of the world with his son. We weren't
even involved in that covenant. So let these warnings remind
you, oh, I didn't put in a full day's work. I robbed all. The Holy Spirit convicts you,
perhaps. What are you going to do about it? I'm not saying don't try it,
but I'm saying be careful. Be careful because when you get
your eyes off of Christ, whether it's on yourself or your neighbor,
if you get your eyes off Christ, this is what's going to happen
every time. You're going to fall. So what
does this mean? What does all this mean? And it shall come to pass verse
21 and many evils and troubles befell them this song shall testify
against them Them as a witness for it shall not be forgotten
out of the mouths of their seed for I know their imaginations
which they go about even now before I have brought them into
the land which I swear and If you come to church based on something,
any conditional covenant, and I know Jerry Lewis was real big
about this, the telethon. That's why he did so many years
of telethon. He made a promise to God. It was a wonderful thing he did,
but as far as salvation, absolutely not. Absolutely not. And how many people say, if I
get out of the hospital, if I get out of this war, if I don't get
shot, if I don't get killed, I will promise God. That's conditional. That's based on what you and
him know. Any covenant that God will be honored is a covenant
based on the son, not you or me. That's this conditional covenant
is meant to be broken. So what does this mean? How do
you get through this last section? Well, Galatians chapter two says,
by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. We can do, we can and do, They're
getting ready to go in. Are they not? Yes, they are.
Why? Because God did it all. He's done it all. So it can be
complicated, and it can get really complicated when you look at
the Old Testament stuff. But just remember, these are
all pictures, the propitiatory, substitutionary work of a covenant
God with his son. Don't get tied up and bogged
down with do's and don'ts. We preach, it's done. It's finished. Calvary so again, what does this
mean? God changes not if he's made
a covenant with his son on your behalf He will not it will not
be just a null secondly by grace You and I are saved not by what
we do because this is what we're gonna Read the rest of the end
of the chapter when you get home and there's no way out for us
and this is no way out in our flesh and Thirdly, God keeps,
we do not keep ourselves. If we stand today, it is only
by his sovereign, free, unchangeable grace. If you look to self, you're
gonna fall and fall again, and how many times we do, it's a
hard lesson to learn. Looking to Christ through his
promises, his word, Sure, steadfast, and rock solid. He keeps these
lessons, just keep, it's like, I can't, I can't, no, we can't. That's good, you're learning,
we're learning. You can't do it. Well, should I strive? Can you keep the law perfectly?
No. Flee to Christ. He has done everything. It's so simple, and we're not
to, Paul warns, he says, I'm not gonna deter you or turn your
eye from the simplicity that's in Christ. The gospel is a simple
message. God satisfied with one person,
Christ, and those who were in him. And how do you get in him?
By covenantal relationship, which was settled before the world
began. Now, who's that for? I don't
get into that argument. I don't know. Are you a sinner?
Are you a sinner? He's the savior. Trust in him. Bruce, would you close this?