Our scripture reading this morning is Exodus chapter 13. Exodus chapter 13. The text for the sermon is the last two verses of the chapter. Exodus chapter 13, and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn. Whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast, it is mine. And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place. there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which he swear unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month, Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days, and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. Thou shalt shew thy son in that day saying, this is done because of that which the Lord did unto me, when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth. For with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he swear unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, that thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, the womb, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast, the males shall be the lords, and every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb, And if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck, and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? That thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt from the house of bondage. It came to pass when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix being males, but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon mine hand and for frontlets between thine eyes. For by strength of hand, The Lord brought us forth out of Egypt. And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in Etham in the edge of the wilderness. Now the text for the sermon, And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people. So far we read. God's holy word. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, did you ever wish that God would give us a physical, visible representation of himself that we could look at so that we would see something of his glorious majesty so that we could bow before that representation of God, God's own presentation, and be conscious of the fact that we stand in the very presence of the holy God, and add to that a visible manifestation of God who would lead us through our own lives day by day, Through the trials, through the problems, God showing us this is the way you ought to go. This is the path that I have chosen for you. A manifestation of God that would always be there in our troubles so that we would know God led us right into these troubles. He will lead us out of them. He will strengthen us. A manifestation of God that would reassure us in times of doubt. Is God really with us? Oh, yes, there is that representation of God. He is with us. Some concrete evidence that we could point to in times of doubt and even to say to the unbelievers, you see, God is there. He is with us. Israel had that. Israel had a visible manifestation of God's presence and glory dwelling in their midst. A pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Exodus 13 is the first time that this is mentioned in the text we consider As God led Israel out of Egypt, out of their cruel bondage, he went before them, leading them out of Egypt. And then for the next 40 years in the wilderness, God would be leading them and being present with them with that cloud of that pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. All Israel could see it. Would that be nice to have something like that? Perhaps, perhaps it would, and yet none of us would want to trade the kind of freedom that we have and the way we live as we make choices. As we face a new year, it is especially tempting to want to have that kind of a visible manifestation of God in our presence. The future is unknown. What will happen to us in this year is unknown. What difficult decisions will we face where we will want to know what is God's will for me in this situation? What major changes might we encounter that would be very unsettling for our lives and we want to react properly to the changes that God brings into our lives. Judging from the past, this year will no doubt bring some joys and some sorrows, some trials, and some very good things. The problems and temptations that we faced in the year 2025 will stare us in the face in 2026. Going forward, how can, how should a child of God go forward? People of God, you face the new year with the certainty that God will be with you. That's how we face it. It will not be with a visible manifestation of His glory and presence with us. That's not how God manifests it today. Nonetheless, He is with us and He will go with us through the new year. And that's what we take as the theme for the sermon this morning, Facing 2026. The Lord going before the Lord going before. Notice in the first place, infallible or rather unfailing leading, unfailing leading. Secondly, infallible guidance, infallible guidance, and finally, gracious presence. The unfailing leading is from God himself. God himself. That's what Israel had. And the Lord went before them. Lord, there is all capital letters, so it's the name Jehovah. And that, of course, is important. God uses that name specifically as he gives us these verses. The name Jehovah is I am that I am. God said when he went to Moses at the burning bush, before all these events of the plagues, I will manifest myself as I am that I am. I will show Israel what that is. So what is involved in that name? Recall, well, first of all, it says God is absolutely independent. He needs no one. No one gave God existence. gives God joy or takes joy away from him. God is absolutely independent. He always was, he always is, ever will be. He has life within himself and he needs nothing outside of himself. He is totally independent. I am that I am. Second, the name tells us that God changes not. Simply He is what He is, unchangingly. His plans do not change. His mind does not change. His love, His power, nothing changes. God is the unchanging, infinitely glorious, but unchanging God. Independent, unchanging, therefore He is absolute sovereignty. No one can oppose God. No one can influence God. He is absolutely sovereign. Anyone who stands opposed to him cannot stand because God has all power. He is simply, I am that I am, that is the God who would be leading Israel. The Lord went before them. That's His covenant name. The independent, unchanging, sovereign God is the God of the covenant. And that's so beautiful because all the promises of God, therefore, in His covenant that He gives to His people are unchanging. They are faithful. You never have to doubt, never may doubt that any one of God's promises isn't real, will not be kept. God is unchanging, the faithful covenant God, the love that he has displayed to his people changes not. He doesn't love you one day more than another day. He doesn't love you more because you've done something good. He doesn't love you less because you have done something evil. God's love does not change. That's his covenant name for his people. I am that I am. He establishes a covenant with believers and their seed. a beautiful relationship of friendship. That's the God who would lead Israel, leading them as a covenant God, leading them obviously to greater and greater blessedness as his covenant people. And he led them by a pillar of cloud by day, in a pillar of fire by night." The Hebrew word for that is shekinah. You may have read that or heard that word before, shekinah. It is significant that God used a cloud and fire to represent His presence among Israel. A cloud, first of all, obscures. It covers. covers the sun, the cloud obscures so that when Israel looked at that cloud, they saw no form. They would never be justified in making some kind of an image of God because they had seen the form of God. No, there was a cloud there that obscured anything that they would imagine. God has no form. He is infinite spirit. The cloud also implies that the full glory of God was not revealed to them. If God would come to Israel in all his glory, they would be terrified. They would run away as they would later at Mount Sinai. The Psalms speak of God clothing or covering himself with a thick cloud. You cannot see the full glory of God. Clouds also point to the exalted nature of God. He is not of the earth. He is far exalted above us as the clouds are high above the earth. All of that is implied in that pillar of cloud that represented God's presence among them. Fire. Fire points to the purity of God, the holiness. God is a consuming fire, a jealous God, too pure to dwell with iniquity. The holiness of God burns hot against sin, and he is a consuming fire to his enemies, whether it's the enemies outside or the enemies even within the church. Within Israel, fire, on the other hand, is also light. We talked about that Sunday night, the importance of light, knowledge and life and joy and fellowship. All of that is included. God gave light to his people in the darkness of night. Imagine in the wilderness where there wasn't a light for miles and miles and miles. Except for this one. burning light that gave Israel light throughout their wanderings, a picture of his favor and of fellowship, a pillar, a column. And God was in that column. God was in it. We read that If you go to the next chapter, Exodus chapter 14, verse 24. Exodus 14, 24 says, and it came to pass that in the morning watch, this is when Israel is going through the Red Sea. In the morning watch, the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud and troubled the host of the Egyptians. Now, God is everywhere present, of course, but in a special way, God was there in that column and looking with wrath at the Egyptians, and they knew it. They knew it because God was there with the angel of Jehovah. Again, in Exodus chapter 14, verse 19, we learn of that. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them. The angel of the Lord was in that cloud. The angel of the Lord is the Old Testament Christ. And how significant now to think that that pillar of cloud and of fire represented and contained even the angel of the Lord, Jehovah, salvation. That puts everything in a different light. This is God leading his people with a view to their salvation. Now, we know all that is typical. Those are all pictures for us to learn, because we, too, are under the bondage of sin and death, as Israel was in the bondage of Pharaoh. We have been delivered by the cross of Jesus Christ. We have been baptized into Christ as Israel was symbolically baptized in the Red Sea. We have been baptized into Jesus Christ. And by that baptism, we've been separated from the ungodly as Israel was separated from the Egyptians. Now we are in the wilderness of this world. On our way to heaven, As Israel was on its way to the land of rest to Canaan. So we are in the wilderness of this world and God is with us. God is with us leading us through Jesus Christ who is present with us by his word and by his spirit. We have it far better than the Israelites had. Though we might sometimes envy them that they had this physical representation of God and could say, God is among us. See, we have the spirit and the spirit lives within us, never leaves us, never forsakes us. The spirit who applies the word to our hearts, the spirit that illuminates our mind and gives us understanding. It is far better. And the Israelites were their shekinah, their column of fire and cloud. The Lord went before them. As the shepherd goes before his sheep. God did not get behind Israel and drive them, then the sheep scatter. No, the Lord went before them. God did not simply issue commands to Moses from heaven. Moses go south for a couple miles today and now stop here and set up camp. And I'll let you know later when I want you to go. That's not how God operated in the time of the Old Testament. He was there to lead them, to guide them and to protect them. That's what Moses reminded Israel of in Deuteronomy chapter 1. When they came to the door of Canaan the second time, then Moses reminded them of what he had told them long ago. Listen to what Deuteronomy 1, 29 and 30 and following says. The Lord, your God, which goeth before you, shall fight for you. according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where thou hast seen that the Lord thy God bare thee as a man doth bear his son in all the way that ye went until ye came unto this place." And now he says, the Lord your God went in the way before you to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and a cloud by day." God was there to protect, to fight for them. So at the door of Canaan the second time in Deuteronomy 31, Moses could confidently say, be strong and of a good courage, fear not. Do not be afraid of them, the enemy in Canaan, for the Lord thy God, he it is which doth go with thee. He shall not fail thee, nor forsake thee. You think those promises are just for Israel? Those are promises for us. The Lord thy God doth go with thee. He shall never fail thee, nor forsake thee. The same promise is found in Isaiah chapter 63, a beautiful promise of God, where God says, I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord and praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us. And then, He talks about God's loving kindness. Surely they are my children, my people, children that will not lie. So he was their Savior. Now listen to verse 9, Isaiah 63, 9. In all their afflictions, he was afflicted. He was right there. He was right there with them. And the angel of his presence saved them. The angel of the Lord. In his love and in his pity, he redeemed them and bear them and carried them. All the days of old, looking back on the time in the wilderness, that's what God was doing, carrying them. And he was present with them, with his angel. That God was doing this for the salvation of Israel should be very obvious. as God leads them and the places where God led Israel out of the land of Egypt. The cloud led them out, out of their bondage, away from Pharaoh, away from the death of Egypt, and led them forth to the Red Sea. But that's because they would there be baptized unto the Lord, and there they would be separated from their enemies. Their salvation would come in the destruction of their enemies. That's what God was teaching them as He led them through the Red Sea. And then into the wilderness, deliberately, not directly to Canaan, the chapter we read, God said, they will not go there. They're not ready to fight. So we led them into the wilderness through the Red Sea, and there cared for them with manna and water and even quail into the land of Canaan. God led them there. He went before them. He drove out their enemies. This is Jehovah Salvation. And even the man that led them into the land of Canaan was Joshua, whose name means Jehovah Salvation. All of this is pictures. Israel is the church. God was with them. He preserved them. He fought for them. He never, ever forsook them. And so today, Jehovah God is with us, leading, guiding, until he brings us to heaven. That guidance of God, which we examine in the second place, is infallible guidance, infallible guidance. Surely that was for Israel, the pillar of cloud by day, by it God led them in the way that He determined for Israel. The exact path through the wilderness was determined by God as He led them at night to give them light. Most striking, that is, in their deliverance in the Red Sea, how when Israel was going through the Red Sea, being led by this cloud, by the pillar that was fire for them at night, how it went behind them and then separated them from Egypt. And it was darkness to the Egyptians and it was light to the Israelites to give them to know where they ought to keep walking. Light is favor and life. Darkness is death. God was very clearly giving to his people that indication. I am saving you. I am destroying your enemies. all through their wanderings, God was their light. The pillar determined life for Israel. When they were at rest, that pillar was always above the tabernacle. If the cloud lifted, then Israel knew God had determined that they were to move that day. They saw the cloud go up, pack up the tent, pack up your belongings. It's time to get ready to march. If the cloud did not lift, they did not move. God determined their lives. As it traveled, the cloud was there leading them. When it stopped, Israel stopped for the night. As long as the cloud moved, Israel traveled on. God himself led them. And he led them in such a way that he was teaching them and saving them. That's clear when you think of how God led them to the Red Sea, deliberately led them there, that he might destroy the Egyptians and deliver his people in this marvelous way. Or how he led them next to Mara, where the water that people went to was undrinkable, bitter water, and it had to be cured As God instructed, with a tree put into it, now the people could have water. And now He led them next to Elam, where there were palm trees and wells of water, and there they could rest and enjoy fellowship God provided for them. But God also led them out into the wilderness, where there was not enough food for them to eat, so that He might provide for them manna day after day. And then he led them to Rephidim, where there was not a drop of water for miles. And the people rebelled, and God instructed Moses to strike the rock and give the people the water that they needed for their life. Or the Amalekites that attacked them, and Moses had to hold up the rod of God's power above his head, and God gave them the victory. God did all of this deliberately. He led, he guided, he was teaching them spiritual lessons. They were object lessons, saving them by his power, preparing them for Canaan. God leads. How does this apply to us? God leads us too. He leads us by Jesus Christ, the mediator, our prophet, priest, and king. God is guiding. Not by a figure of a cloud or a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire, but by the reality of Jesus, who came into the flesh, who saved his people by his atoning death, on the cross, was then exalted to the right hand of God and is now executing the counsel of God, which includes every detail of our lives. Jesus very really leads us through the wilderness of this life by his word and spirit. He is still sovereign Lord, as we saw when we examined the catechism. He directs your life. There is no detail that is outside of his control. Sovereignly, he rules over everything that happens in this world. But he's also teaching us. We have his word. We have the written word that we can read. We have the preaching of the gospel that opens the word and explains it and applies it to us in our life. He never leaves us. Day after day, the Spirit lives in us. This is so much better than Israel's pillar of cloud and of fire, that Jesus is with us in this way. Maybe some days we think it would be nice if we could just follow the cloud Just let God tell us exactly where he wants us to go and how to handle this difficulty. But that's the figure. Christ is the reality. He was the angel of Jehovah in the cloud. And the reality is always better than a mere picture. And so it is for us. In the cloud, God generally did not speak. He did not instruct with words. He only led them physically. Israel was like servants or little children as God led them. He did not let them in on his plans. He did not explain to them why he led them to the Red Sea, why he led them to Mara or Elam or to Rephidim. He didn't explain anything to them. They didn't have to know. They wouldn't understand. They were like children. They only had to learn. Trust me. Follow my way. That's all. If God did speak, it was through Moses who would then give the word to the people, but that was rare. But we have God's word. that we can read day after day. We have the preaching of the gospel, which explains the word of God to us. The word of God is infallible. As God's leading of Israel was infallible, so is his leading of us in his word infallible. The problem is not the guidance. It's there. But it's our ability to understand or our willingness to follow. We sing Psalm 43, verse 3, O send out thy light and thy truth, let them lead me. Send out thy light and thy truth. And now that's not a cloud of light, but that's the word of God. Let them bring me into thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles, thy light and thy truth. But then the spirit, listen, as we sing Psalm 143 verse 10, teach me to do thy will. Teach me for thou art my God, thy spirit. is good. Lead me into the land of uprightness. The word, the spirit, teach, lead, guide. That's our prayer. God is doing that. He treats us as adult children, not little children, but as children who've come into their adult years. He tells us how we are saved specifically through the cross of Jesus Christ. He doesn't really give us pictures to look at. He says, this is the reality. Jesus died for your sins. That's why you are saved. He gives us responsibilities. Learn my will, study this. What is my will? Generally, what is my will for you? Study the word of God, learn from it, follow it. He gives us the spirit, the spirit that applies the word of God that gives us understanding so that we can begin to follow what God teaches us. He does this regularly. In the Old Testament, Israel only occasionally would hear from God through Moses. God comes to us weekly and speaks to us and daily we can and may study his word. This is our pillar of cloud. by which God is pleased to lead us through our lives. This is our pillar of fire that lightens our way and our understanding so that we can do God's will. Oh, it's true that a pillar like Israel had was majestic. It was glorious to look at. There's no question about that. But that's only a picture. The preaching of the gospel sets forth the glory of God even more brilliantly and vividly as it shows us Jesus Christ, the revelation of the glory of God. Maybe sometimes when we read the Old Testament, we wonder how Israel could commit such horrible sins. There is God. There is that cloud where God was clearly in their midst. Didn't they know that God could hear what they were saying and see what they were doing? And yet they murmured, made a golden calf, worshipped it. But what of us? We hear the word of God every week. And we have the Holy Spirit with us constantly. Do we think that God doesn't know what we're thinking? Do we think that God doesn't know what we're doing? What we're saying? He's ever with us. We're always in His presence. And He's even living within us. Our sins are far worse than Israel's. Far worse. We're not little children. We're adults. We know the Word of God. The husband doesn't have to struggle about, how should I treat my wife? He knows. The wife doesn't know, doesn't struggle, how should I submit to my husband? She knows. Children do not think, oh, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do here in this life. Obey my parents? No, children, no. And all through our life, we know the will of God. He's clearly revealed it to us. And he reminds us Sunday after Sunday, the problem is we just don't want to do it. We do not want to do what God says. We want to go our own way. The guidance is not the problem. God gives infallible guidance to us. He does. Just as he did Israel. God is present with us. He's leading. He's guiding. And He will throughout the coming year. In the face of all that, the third point clearly is important to us. Gracious presence. Gracious. A beautiful chapter in Isaiah 63 talks about God's loving kindness and His love and His pity toward His people And when you think of it, no other nation in the world has ever had what Israel had, a God who manifest himself this way, who led and guided them and fought for them and protected them, provided for them. Why did God do that? Because he loved Israel. There was no other nation like them. He never forsook his people, that's Verse 22, he took not away the pillar of the cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people, but literally to their faces, always in front of their face. They deserve to have God believe them. They often rebelled even at the door of Canaan when God said, the land is in front of you. I will go before you. I will destroy those enemies. And they said, no, we are not going in. God remained with them graciously. He kept his promises. He led them, he fed them, their clothes never wore out. He provided for them. He brought them ultimately into that promised land as he had sworn. Note the pillar was before the people. It was not merely among them. It was in front of their faces. Before they went to bed at night in the darkness of night, they could look at the tabernacle and there was that cloud of fire. When they got up in the morning, they came out of their tent and looked toward the tabernacle. There was that cloud again. God was there. They didn't ever have to say, is the Lord among us? He was there, always. Because God kept the pillar in front of them by day, leading them on the right path, at night giving them light. He was their covenant God. He was their friend. He was bringing them to their salvation. People of God, the same is true of us. The same is absolutely true of us as we face another year. Israel didn't know what was ahead of them in the wilderness and neither do we know what's ahead of us in 2026, what troubles, what temptations, what sorrows await us. God will lead some of us through a very difficult way. maybe the entire congregation, we do not know. Some will be tried with fire. We will be tempted sometimes to murmur against the will of God or his way with us. We may face very difficult decisions and struggle. What is God's will for me, for my life, or for me in this situation? What is his will? It may require great sacrifice. It may bring tears. To that in the darkness of night we wonder, has God forgotten? Doesn't He love me anymore? Doesn't He care? Has He forsaken me? But the answer is no. He will not. He abides with us graciously. Absolutely. He doesn't approve of sin. He chastised Israel. He chastised them. But He abides gracious, and He's with us. If you ever dealt that, then you have to look at the cross of Jesus Christ and recognize God's love there and His determination to bless us through Jesus Christ. And then think of the fact that he poured out his spirit upon the church and he lives within us, never leaves us. The word of Christ is our pillar of cloud. The word of Christ. He will be leading us. He will be using the word. He will be using preaching, infallibly leading. giving direction, giving us truth, giving us light, continually reminding us of the love of God in Christ and the promises of salvation, all these things working together for our good. That's God's promise. We do not know what the year 2026 holds. We do not want to know. It would not be good for us. But one thing we know, we must know, Jehovah will not forsake you. He will not forsake you. In mercy, in grace, He will lead you and go on before us as He did with Israel. Thank God for that. Amen. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy abundant goodness, for the demonstration of Thy presence and Thy guidance and Thy care for Thy people seen in Israel of old. Those are mere pictures. We have a reality that far exceeds that. Give us the eyes to behold this, to understand Thy Word, to be guided by it. then to seek with the whole of our life to do, to follow where thou dost lead. Forgive the sins that we so easily commit in this regard. Keep us, Lord, from sin, for Jesus' sake. Amen. We sing Psalm 23d, one of the selections of the 23rd Psalm, the Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23d, we will sing all the stanzas. ♪ God's my shepherd, I am one, He makes me whole ♪ Wee, wee, wee, wee, wee, wee, wee, wee. ♪ A prisoner of man ♪ ♪ Weary to walk of faith ♪ ♪ In a battle of righteousness ♪ ♪ Before his own name ♪ O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, Me and my love, best have become, born still. Forever live, me and my love, best have become, born still. I am the last day of the month, and I come home at last. I am the last day of the month, and I come home at last. ♪ Tell us who he can only be ♪ ♪ And in God's house forevermore ♪ ♪ Thy blood we place down for evermore ♪ ♪ And in the towns forevermore ♪ ♪ Thy dwelling place shall be ♪ ♪ With heaven's sweet accord ♪ ♪ Joy to stop Jehovah's praises ♪ ♪ Tell the glory of the Lord ♪ ♪ Alleluia, alleluia, praise ye the Lord ♪ The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen. you