We bid you welcome in the Savior's precious name to God's house today, as you worship with us at Hebron. And today has a special significance for us as a church because we are saying as a congregation, now in a more personal way, farewell to David and Rachel and their family. And if we're going to have sort of any kind of emotional hymn we're gonna do at the start, just to get that over with, But here's a hymn that we sang when Noreen went to the mission field all those years ago. Be not dismayed whatever be tide, God will take care of you. Beneath his wings of love abide, God will take care of you. And we know that he shall. He'll take care of this family. Let's all rise to sing. Let's worship the Lord. of you. God will take care of you, through every day, for all the way. He will take care of you. ♪ God will take care of you ♪ ♪ There is no time when heart are free ♪ ♪ God will take care of you ♪ When dangers meet your path, I say, God will take care of you. God will take care of you. take care of you. God will take care of you. All you may need, he will provide. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. Through every day or all the way, He will take care of you. Amen. all the way. He will take care of you. God will take care of you. But first, no matter God will take care of you. God will take care of you. Through every day, toward all the way, He will take care of you. Let's read together the Psalm 92, our psalm for today. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High, to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery, upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thy Lord has made me glad through thy work. I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works, and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed forever. But thou, Lord, art most high forevermore. For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for lo, thine enemies shall perish. All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered, But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn. I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ear shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be fat and flourishing to show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him. We'll bow together and seek the Lord at the throne of grace. Prayer will be made particularly at the end of the service for David and Rachel and their children as they leave for Uganda, but we'll come to that later on. Let's just seek the Lord as we pray for His help, His blessing upon our worship service. Our Heavenly Father, In the light of Your Word, we come before the presence of God today. We thank You for the Scriptures of truth and for the encouragement they are to us. And Lord, we come this day to worship our God, to praise His glorious name, to seek for His favor, His blessing, and His help as we walk our Christian lives here in this world. We pray that thou wilt help us to let our light shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. We thank you for our brother and sister and their family as they have had the call of God in their life to go to Uganda. And so, just very simply, we commit David, Rachel, and their children into the hands of the Lord as they do your will as they obey God in the call that He's given to them. And we rejoice, as we've sung today, that God will take care of them. We're certain about that. We're confident every step of the way the Lord will be there to guide them, to protect them, to keep them in all their ways, and to bless the ministry that thou hast given to them. We rejoice in an open door, an effectual door, that has been granted to your servants, and we thank you for the missionary team that they will join as they serve the Lord together, make their way prosperous. We pray for the congregation here likewise, that thou wilt enable us to take this family upon our hearts in prayer, to remember them often at the throne of grace, as we say farewell that will not Forget them, we know will not, but Lord, put them into our minds often as we come to pray that we might just intercede on their behalf and lift them up before Almighty God. Remember the students who have been licensed and now have received calls to various congregations as those calls will be presented in Presbytery on Friday night. We pray that you will bless those who receive them, bless the congregations who have issued them. And if it be in the mind and the will of God that everything comes together and these calls are answered positively, that you will bless these young men in the ministries that you're opening up before them. Pray especially for our brother Greg, that you will direct his way, and Rebecca, too, and the family, that you will keep them in your hand and give them certainty in their heart as to their future. Guide them with your eye. and make them a blessing in the will of God through the place where you've called them. Remember the sick today, not unmindful of Nigel and his ongoing condition, the need of the touch of God in his life to restore him to health and strength. Lord, we pray that you'll be with him right now, that you'll bear him up in the arms of love, that you'll draw him close to the Lord and give him assurance in his heart in the midst of his illness. Remember our sister Joanne as well, as she continues to battle with illness in her life. May she also prove the sufficiency of God as she has done for so many years. Uphold her and strengthen her and help her and bless her and her family as well. But remember Raymond Wilson, and Lord, you know, the ongoing condition of his body and all that's happening with him in hospital. We just hand him over to the Lord today, and his wife and his family, that thou will grant them great grace, and that you will bless your child and give him the sweet assurance of the presence of Christ, who has promised, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Looking back to the high school mission, we want to acknowledge your goodness to us for souls that were dealt with, for people that were brought to a saving knowledge of Christ, and for the lady that was restored and the other young man that sought counsel. And Lord, we believe the mission will go on. We know that where there is concern, the Lord will continue to work. And we know also the danger of such a time because that kind of soul concern can go one of two ways. It can deepen, it can bring a person on right through for the Lord to a moment of conversion and salvation, but it can also lessen as a person rejects the Lord and turns away from the Lord. Lord, don't let that happen. but continue to be merciful to those that came and listened to your precious word. And through it all, may God be glorified. Remember the schools ministry. We thank thee for opportunities already and more opportunities this week and this term. Go before us, prepare the way, and sow the good seed of the gospel into the hearts of the children. We pray for the warring countries today. Lord, we know that things are heightening in the land of Israel and what's going on in Lebanon as well. And we just pray that you'll be with your ancient people and that you will bless that land. And Lord, speed that day when terrorism is dealt with and war comes to a conclusion. We pray that those that are suffering today in Israel and even in Lebanon, that God will remember them for good. We know there's God's people among them and seeking to be a help and an encouragement at this time. They need a lot of wisdom and they need your protection. And so we pray that God will be with them in these days. Remember the land of Ukraine and Lord, we just look again to Thee for a cessation to this war, that You will step in, that You will deal with wickedness and evil, and that You will bring peace to that land. Remember those that mourn today, comfort them, we pray. Very aware that there are those who listen into the services here in Hebron and, Lord, are mourning the passing of their dear one this very day, minister to their needs. All these things we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 423, I must have the Savior with me, for I dare not walk alone. I must feel His presence near me and His arm around me thrown. Then my soul shall fear no ill. Let's rise to sing. That's wonderful. I must have a Savior with me, for I dare not walk alone. I must be in His presence nearing, and His armor I may throw. Let him lead me where he will, I will go without a worry, And his princess all to see. and rest his feet. He can whisper words of comfort, and the water voices speak. Then my soul shall fear no ill. Let him lead me where he lives. and his presence all the still. The final verse. I must have the Savior with me, and this I the way must guide, till I reach ♪ Till I cross the rolling tide ♪ ♪ Then my soul shall fear no ill ♪ ♪ Let it lead me where it will ♪ ♪ I will go with light unburdened ♪ Good to have you in God's house today, and we give you a very warm word of welcome in the Savior's name. May God bless you as you come here to worship Him. And if you're joining us on the internet, welcome to you also. May you be blessed at home or wherever you are. Our gospel service is at seven o'clock tonight, preceded by the time of prayer at 6.30. Refreshments will be served. And then tomorrow morning is the Hebron Tots at 10 o'clock. Tomorrow, God willing, there will be outreach to the schools for Youth Challenge. Youth Challenge will be recommencing this week, and we want to try and get around all the schools and give out the leaflets. They've been very helpful in the past, distributing these to the children and inviting them to come to our Tuesday night meeting. So pray for us as we seek to do that. The school's ministry this week, we are in Carrarae tomorrow morning, and the Laney on Friday. We'd appreciate your prayers. Tuesday, David and Rachel and their family, they leave for missionary service in the land of Uganda. We'll say something more about that later, but we wish them well as they travel. As you know, they're traveling with a lot of luggage, not just about, I don't know, 10 suitcases or whatever it is, but the other luggage, that's the children and the burden that will be on the flights. But we will be remembering you as you go. Tuesday morning is the senior fellowship at 11. If you're a senior, we would love to have you on a Tuesday morning. You'll be made most welcome. It's a wee informal time when you'll get the opportunity to have a chat to each other and something served to you by way of food and a time of fellowship generally. Tuesday night recommences the youth challenge at seven o'clock. We want you to be much in prayer for the children's work as it gets underway for this term. Wednesday night is the Hebron Ladies' Meeting. The speaker is our sister, Anne McCauley, and the singers are Naomi and Sophie. Please pray for all who participate that they will know the help of God. Thursday night is our midweek at 8 o'clock. And recently I brought what, compared to this Thursday, an abbreviated form of a busy church I was just looking through some of the photographs, and you know I like to take photographs. And if you don't know, you know now. But just seeing what has happened over the past three or four months or so, I realized how busy the church is here, serving the Lord and reaching out in so many ways. And I'm going to just talk about a busy church to you on Thursday night before we pray. Friday night is the Youth Fellowship at eight o'clock. Friday is also Presbytery in Cookstown for our elders. Saturday morning is the open air in the centre of our town as we preach the gospel to our people. Next large day, the prayer meeting is at 8 o'clock. Sunday school, 10.30. So delighted to have new children in Sunday school this morning and last week. We rejoice in that. And the Bible class is at a quarter to 11. The wonderful Word of God is the subject, and Phil will be bringing that message to the youth. The worship service at 12 noon, the gospel meet, oh, after that, better not forget the Lord's Table as we come to remember the death of Christ in His own appointed way. That will follow, the worship service. Before the evening service and before our prayer meeting, we meet as a session of committee, the office bearers of a church at 5.30 on the day of the Lord's table. So that will also be next week. Family night is at seven and Mrs. Rebecca McLean will be singing. If you don't know who that is, she used to be Rebecca McCauley, now you know who will be singing. I'll be preaching the Word of God. The prayer meeting will take place beforehand. Supper will be served. And the ladies, please bring half a loaf of sandwiches and a dozen buns. Looking forward to the following weekend, it's the Harvest Thanksgiving Services. Saturday night, the 12th of October, 7.30, the Hebrew Enquirer will sing and the Reverend Ian Harris will be here to minister the Word. On the Lord's Day, At 12 noon, the Hebron Choir will sing again and the Reverend William McRae will preach the word. And then in the evening at the 7 o'clock meeting, the Hebron Youth Choir will sing and the Reverend Samuel Murray, our moderator, will be the guest preacher. I want to extend our sympathy to Geoff and Colleen Harrison and the death of Colleen's mother. Some of you will know this family, connected to the martyr's memorial for many, many years. And I know that the family listened in often to the services here at Hebron. Certainly Colleen's parents did. And it wasn't that long ago that her father went to glory and now her mother. So our thoughts and prayers are with this family who grieve. Please continue to remember all the ones that we pray for regularly in the church who need the touch of the Lord's hand. I want to remember our students who have received calls, and these things have a great way of getting out. Anyhow, they will be officially presented on Friday night at Presbytery, and will be answered by those who have received them. So, three of our licensed preachers Greg, Jonathan, and Johnny have received calls respectfully to Corregari, Six Mile Cross, and Castle Derg. And we want you to remember these individuals in prayer, and of course, especially Greg, he's near to our hearts, and his wife and his family in this important time and decision-making time. We had a wonderful night on Thursday night at the sending forth service of David and Rachel. It was good to see the church packed almost to capacity, and so many representatives from our presbytery there as well, and just to be able to express our desire for this family as they go, and to hand over little gifts to them that we hope will be beneficial. May the Lord bless them as they travel on Tuesday. The schools ministry brought us this week on Friday into two schools. We were in Gary Duff in the morning and then in the afternoon over to Kilcrow. We also had a special visit on Friday night. Our young friend, member of this church, and worker in Asia came to speak to our young people, and we were delighted to hear from him as he related the work that he's involved in, in one of the persecuted countries of the world. Pray for God's servant. When we went to collect him and his wife and little girl, the little one fell asleep coming here. So, lovely little girl, want her congregation here to remember them in prayer. Thinking of missionary work, you will know the Hamiltons have gone to Kenya. They had their sending forth service the week before David's, and this is them arriving. This is a special reception of the Glory Bible congregation, Glory Bible Church congregation, as they receive them and welcome them to the land of Kenya. Remember Glenn and Emma before the Lord, please. You've heard of terrible flooding that has taken place in different parts of the world. And we have been in touch with some of our friends in Romania, very devastating scenes we've seen. And from Pastor Florine, he has said that 35,000 kilograms, almost 35,000 kilograms of help, of aid, loaded, transported, and distributed these days. It was really hard, but an awesome serving for the people in need. And thank you for your part in this ministry. And from our Hebron church, we were able to send a little gift to help with this. And so, they packed up One very large lorry, another van on the right-hand side, and two smaller buses in the middle, full of aid to help those people that are in great need at this time. So we just commend the work and the suffering people of Romania into your hands. On Saturday evening, we're able to do a little visit on the way down to Port Stewart, and so glad to see the testimony that is still born there and the texts of Scripture that are there, reminding people as they walk by. And it is a place where a lot of people travel past. The sea is His, and He made it. And then the word eternity, and you must be born again. Christ died for our sins. Those verses from the Scripture. Will you pray that the Lord will bless that witness? the night cometh when no man can work." So, as I stood there just at the play park area or just, you know, down towards the convent, you look to the right, you see the texts, you look to the left and you see this beautiful sunset reminding us there's coming a time when our work will be done. And we are reminded it's only what's done for Christ that will last. So get to it, brethren and sisters. Let's serve the Lord. Continue to pray as we have done for Ukraine and for the land of Israel, that the Lord will be with them in days of war and fighting. We bring our tithes and offerings to the Lord now in worship. As we do so, we sing together 537. Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the lamb? And shall I fear to own his cause or blush to speak his name? In the name, the precious name of him who died for me, through grace I'll win the promised crown, whatever my cross may be. We remain seated as the offering is taken. The power of the Lamb, and shall I give to all his cause, or rush to his name, his name? In the name, the precious name of Abraham died for me. O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? That's all the time we'll save. Next we'll find where to start school. Since I was blinded by the rain, in grace my courage borne, I've bared the joy and endured the pain, supported by the nerve. of Him who died for me. Through the great silent the prophets cried, O there my cross is laid. I'm going to turn to the lovely words, familiar words of Joshua chapter 1. This is what the Lord has laid upon my heart for this time, as we think of David and Rachel and their family departing from us. I thought it was better going here to the Old Testament than to Acts chapter 20, where Paul is taking leave of the congregation and, well, they just knelt on the seashore and they wept together. and it was a very, very emotional, moving scene. We don't know what the rest of the day has in store, of course, but anyhow, we're coming to this portion of God's Word, reading together the opening nine verses. May God speak to our hearts even in the reading. Now, after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now, therefore, arise. Go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I did give them, even to the children of Israel. every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of my life, As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage, but unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee, be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest." We were to pray, our God, we thank Thee for Your precious Word. And Lord, we said, speak to us even in the reading, and you've spoken to us as we've read down these verses, some of them so familiar and yet coming with freshness and encouragement to our hearts this day, and we pray particularly for David and Rachel, that these words will be a real blessing and a strength to them as they embark upon the next stage of their ministry as the Lord takes them to the land of Uganda. I pray for wisdom, power, and grace in the preaching of Your Word. We pray for the work of the Spirit, that the Holy Ghost will come upon us and bless us now in Jesus' name. Amen. The title for the message is a word of encouragement in a new sphere of service. Joshua is having a new start, a brand new beginning. and challenge. In fact, this is the greatest challenge of his life. He had served the Lord faithfully under Moses for some 40 years. He had been mightily used of God during that time. The first time that we read about him, he is commissioned by Moses to select and command an army for their first battle. after exiting the land of Egypt against the Amalekites at Rephidim, and they were victorious. He later accompanied Moses when he ascended into Mount Sinai to commune with God and receive the Ten Commandments. He was with Moses when they descended from the mount, and they heard the revelry of the children of Israel in the camp below over the golden calf. Later, Joshua is identified as one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. Only he and Caleb brought back a favorable report, an encouraging report. And so what I'm saying in these lines already is that Joshua had proved himself over and over again. And more importantly than all this, Joshua was a man in whom was the Spirit of God. We're told that in Numbers chapter 27 verse 18, the most important quality in his life that would equip him for future service. Now here in Joshua chapter 1, he is appointed to be the successor of Moses, to become the leader of the entire nation of Israel, which now were about almost two million people. This was his highest calling. It was not going to be easy. We know how difficult the Israelites were. They were stiff-hearted so often. They were murmuring. Think of all that period of time in the wilderness that they'd just come out of. So, it would not be an easy task. It would be a massive undertaking. Moses is dead. Joshua succeeds him. And so, putting it in layman's terms, in a modern expression, the buck stopped with him. He had Almighty God with Him, and wonderful and gracious words of encouragement and exhortation are given by the Lord as His servant undertakes this mammoth task before Him. The chapter before us, especially these verses that we've read in the opening part of the chapter, outlines the message of God to Joshua. And that's what I want to look at with you today. The circumstances may not be exactly the same, but the words of comfort and challenge are. This is what God would have me to say today, particularly to you, David, and also to Rachel, and to your family. Here the Lord comes to Joshua with a very powerful message. He begins by saying, I want you to note it just in passing in verse 2, Moses my servant is dead, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thy and all this people onto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. David and Rachel, there is a very real sense in which now you are arising and you are going. not over the River Jordan to the Promised Land, but you are going across the Irish Sea, the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea, and quite a bit of North Africa to Uganda, the land of your calling. You're not bringing the children of Israel with you. but you are bringing your wee family, your own children with you on this journey, Eloise, Arthur, and Jude. And so, in a very real sense, you are going onto the land that the Lord has given you. We believe that. We're confident about that. And I want you to listen to what God is saying, what He's saying to you personally. May it do you good. And I want this message to be a help and an encouragement to your family as you part company for a little while in a physical sense on Tuesday. And I want the message to be a blessing and a challenge to all the congregation in the immediate context of this family going to Uganda, but also in the broader context of God's work. A word of encouragement in a new sphere of service. I want you to notice, first of all, and I'm going to tell you this before I start, and whether it's wise or not, I don't know. I have seven points today. I remember Dr. Paisley used to say, I have seven points, and my heart used to sink. I loved him preaching. But you know, when he took 15 minutes for the first point and 20 minutes for the second point, And maybe another 15 minutes for the third point, but then he used to rattle off the other ones very quickly. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go through this very, very quickly with you. But there is the possession of God. And here in verse 3 we read, every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you as I said unto Moses. Now this, of course, was a special promise to Israel about the land. Israel is always associated with the land, and God has given the land of Israel to His people. God promised this land to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, and to the sons of Jacob. The people of Israel had never possessed the land of Canaan except a burial place. for the patriarchs that we read about in Genesis chapter 23, verses 19 and 20, and that, by the way, was at Hebron. They had not lived in the land of Canaan for some 400 years, however it was the land that God had promised to His people, and He was now giving it to them. "'I have given unto you,' says the Lord." The whole land was given to Israel, but they would only possess that which they claimed. Do you see that? In the opening part of this verse, every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. And furthermore, they must fight for it. The land is yours, but there's going to be battles, and they must go in there and fight for the land. And they could only possess this land as God worked in and through them, They could never conquer Canaan in their own wisdom and in their own strength. And there is an application here, I believe, a very powerful one. The land that we possess nowadays as the church, as God's people, is a spiritual inheritance. It's a spiritual kingdom. We're talking here about gathering in precious souls unto Christ. Jesus said, you will be fishers of man. We're told that we'll bring forth fruit and that our fruit would remain, and a fairly sizable part of that fruit is garnering into the garner of God precious souls for the glory of Almighty God. By the gospel, we take territory from the enemy. We possess the ground for God. God has a spiritual possession for you. Of that we are certain, the children that He will give to you in grace. But you must claim it. You must claim it. David, when you go to Nassaloo and the surrounding area, you go out there and claim it for God. When you're walking up and down the dusty roads, you ask God to give you that land. Sometimes I've done that here. You probably don't know that, but I'll be maybe driving through some of the housing estates or walking through the housing estates, and I'll know that my souls are stamping out the ground of this particular housing estate or that area, and I'm asking God to give it to me. Sometimes I'll come into the church here when the church is empty and there's nobody here. I'll just bow in prayer over some of these pews and ask God to fill them, to bring people in and give me precious souls for the glory of God. And I say to you, go and claim the land for the glory of God. You too will have battles to fight in order to take this land. And you'll not be able to do it in your own strength. So pray continually for power from on high, the filling of the Spirit of God, the outpouring of the Spirit upon your ministry, the possession of God. He has a land to give you. Then there's the protection of God. Note what it says in the opening part of verse 5. You know, the servants of God are invincible until their work is done. That is certain. No man, no mighty general, no fierce soldier, no army could stand against Joshua, who was fortified and surrounded by the Lord and His hosts, the hosts of heaven. Or if you like, the armies of heaven round about His servant. And David and Rachel, in this sense, you are also invincible. God will surround you every day with His protection. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them. Psalm 34 and verse 7. We think of what we read in Psalm 91 verse 4, And you get the idea and the picture there of the Lord wrapping His arms around you or His wings around you and bringing you under His care, under your protection. Think of Daniel. in the lion's den. That was a humanly impossible situation. Those lions normally would tear to pieces those that were cast into the den, but not so with Daniel, because the Lord was there. The Lord was there to protect him. Not one mouse of the lion. Lions would bite Daniel. He was perfectly safe. Think of the three Hebrew servants in the fiery furnace that had been heated seven times more than normal. Even the very soldiers that brought them to the furnace, they died and they perished with the heat as they got near the furnace, but not so for the Hebrews that were protected by the Lord. And we think also of Elisha and his friends when they were in Dothan. It's a lovely piece of history tucked into 2 Kings chapter 6. Let me just remind you about what is happening. The army has come against the city. Elisha is there. They're looking for him. They're searching for him. They want to seek him out and destroy him. And when the servant of Elisha got up early in the morning, you remember, and he looked out, what did he see? He saw a host encompassing the city with horses and with chariots, and he was afraid. And he cried out, Alas, my master, how shall we do? And what did Elisha say? Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." This is God's host. This is God's army camping. themselves round about the people of God, and you will prove that to be so. You will have God's protection. No one will be able to stand against you. And then, of course, we think of the presence of God. We read there at the end of verse 5, as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, At the end of verse 9, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thy goest. What more could we ask for? God promised Joshua that he would be there every step of the way, every moment of every day. In the fiercest conflict, in the darkest valley, in the most trying circumstances, I'm there. I'm with you. And this is enough for anyone. who seeks to do God's will. The divine guarantee still stands today as sure as ever, as certain as it was for Joshua. All these centuries have passed by. It's still today for the people of God. It's still for David and for Rachel and their family. The Lord will be with them. As David and Rachel go to Uganda, the Lord will be there. He will surround them with His presence. It will be great to have each other. We know that. It's good in that sense that you're going out as a family, as you're going out as a married couple. And when you go in at nighttime and you shut the door and it gets dark early there, we know that. You've got yourselves together as a family. You'll have good time. It's good that you'll have Noreen. And Noreen has 24 years of experience in Africa, 17 of which were in Kenya, and the latter years we know in Uganda. And it will be good to have the other family, the Kurskadans, right beside you, and you will have each other in that sense. And the leaders of the local church will be there, and even the chairman of the district has been very supportive to the school and to the work there. But above all, you will need the Lord. And that's the guarantee here. And we must have the Savior with us in our service. As we sang earlier, I must have the Savior with me. For I dare not walk alone. I must feel his presence near me and his arms around me thrown. We feel like Moses in Exodus 33, when Moses said, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. If the Lord is not there, I don't want to go. But as you go, we know that the Lord will be there. David and Rachel are involved in the work of the Great Commission. And what does the Lord promise in that commission in Matthew chapter 28 and verse 20? Lo, I am with you all way, even unto the end of the world. And this was David Livingstone's model text. It is the word of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honor. So there's an end of it. said Livingstone to himself as he placed his finger for the thousandth time on the text upon which he had staked his life. He was surrounded at that moment with hostile and infuriated savages. During the 16 years that he had been in Africa thus far, he had never been in such imminent peril. Death stared him in the face. For the first time in his experience, he was tempted to steal away under the cover of darkness and get out of there. But he prayed, leave me not, forsake me not, he cried in the depths of his soul. And the Lord kept him. The University of Glasgow conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. On such an occasion, the recipient of the honor is usually subjected to some banter at the hands of the students. But when Livingstone arose, bearing upon him his person, the marks of his struggles and his sufferings in darkest Africa, he received a reverential silence. He was gaunt. and haggard as a result of long exposure to the tropical sun. On nearly 30 occasions, he had been led low by fevers that stem from inland swamps, and these severe illnesses had left their mark upon his body. His left arm crushed by a lion hung helplessly at his side. And a hush fell upon that great assembly as he announced his resolve to return to the land for which he had already endured so much. But I return, he said, without misgiving and with great gladness, for I would, for Would you like me to tell you what supported me through all the years of exile among a people whose language I could not understand and whose attitude toward me was always uncertain and often hostile? It was this, lo, I am with you always, even under the end of the world. On those words, I staked everything. and they have never failed." My dear friends, we can stake everything on those words. The Lord's with us, wherever He calls you, whatever He calls you to do, no matter what, lo, I am with you always. Take this promise with you every day and confide in it implicitly. And then in verse 6, we have the power of God, be strong and of good courage. Joshua was told to be strong and of good courage. And you'll see how this is highlighted and emphasized. We have it here in verse 6. We have it again in verse 7, only be thou strong and very courageous. We have it again in verse 9. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage." And right at the end of the chapter, we have it again, only this time, it's not the Lord speaking, it's the people speaking to Joshua. Only be strong and of good courage. The fact that this is commanded so often suggests that he needed strong encouragement. I suppose you could say the work was not easy. Think of the battles that he must fight. Think of Israel's character that we have alluded to already. Think of the numerous congregation that he was in charge of, and think of the many problems that must have brought his way. Think of the dividing of the land to the various tribes. How was Joshua going to be strong? Well, not in his own strength. It would only be through the Lord. He would need God's strength and courage to enable him to conquer Canaan and distribute the land to Israel. Now, this resonates, I think, with every true servant of God, because the work of God is not easy, no matter where you serve Him. Sometimes, looking back, over the years of ministry, you wonder if you'd known everything that was going to happen during those years, would you have gone forward? And I think, of course, the answer is yes, you would go forward, but only in the Lord's strength. If all were easy, if all were bright, where would the cross be? Where would the fight? David and Rachel, the way will not always be easy. You know that. You will need to be fortified for the work. You will need to be strong and of good courage. In other words, you will need God's power. Some of the problems that you will face in Uganda might be similar to those that we have at home. There'll be battles in the gospel to fight. There'll maybe even be personality clashes with other people. There may even be awkward people that you'll have to contend with. There'll certainly be Satan's opposition to the work of the gospel. There may be sickness. There may be disappointment and discouragement in the work. And we have all those things and many others beside at home. Some of the problems that you will face in Uganda obviously will be different. You're going to a different culture that is so vastly different from the United Kingdom. You're going to a different climate, though the climate is reasonably OK, but there'll be some times when the rains will come far heavier than what you know at home. You have the language barrier to contend with. There's the learning of the language. You will have integrating with yourself and your family into a new environment entirely. There may be times of loneliness, even though you have each other. Maybe even homesickness, when you will miss your family, that's understandable. You'll have no leisure center to go to. I don't know whether you go to Joe Eden Lab or not, but I don't know of any leisure center that's handy to the work in Nassau. And you don't have the spa or Tesco's around the corner. So easy for us, you know, we take it for granted you have all these supermarkets that are near. Now you do have, is it called paradise? All right, but paradise could be a little bit misleading because it's not Tesco and it's not Sainsbury's or wherever it is that you might shop. And different food, interested that Rachel was saying the other day to our seniors how that shall have to make food from scratch. You know, the packets of stuff that you buy in the supermarket, all this ready-made stuff that you just add to your food? You don't really get that so much in Uganda. And then, of course, there will be missing the weather here in Northern Ireland. All those things will be difficulties that you will face. You know, some people have a strange, romantic view of the mission field, don't they? Out there must be such a wonderful life. and maybe even thinking, my, you're away from everybody breathing down your neck. That might be a lovely thing for a preacher to think about, getting away out there and you can just get on with the work. But, you know, that brings its own problems too. You haven't got your family, your immediate family beside you physically. You haven't got your immediate church to support you. Yes, you will have distant help. The mission board will be there to help you. You will have your home congregation here who will be doing what they can to help you, your pastor if and when we're needed, we're here to help as much as we can, and of course your family. And then right there, you've got Noreen, you have the Kerskadons as well. But Joshua would find his strength and his courage in the Lord. not in himself, as Paul would explain later to the Ephesian church in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. And this is the pattern for all believers, but especially for those that are on the front line of the battle. Now, if Joshua needed to be strengthened, he who had proved the Lord over and over again in 40 years of wilderness experience, He who had Moses as his leader, mentor, friend, and encourager, you and I certainly do. Let me remind you, these words appear four times in the chapter. That's how important it is. Indeed, these are the most repeated words in the chapter. Of all that God needed to say to his child, these are the ones that he emphasized, to be strong and of good courage. Very quickly, there is what I'm calling the publication of God, and the opening part of verse 8 says, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein. God's book must have a priority in Joshua's life, since obedience to God's law was required For Israel's success, it was important for him to know and to value God's Word. Joshua did not only need to read the Word. It had to be on His lips, shall not depart from my mouth. It had to be in His mind, meditate therein day and night, and He had to do it, observe to do according to all that is written. And God's servants know how important the Scriptures are to them, not only for their own good, but for the good of those that they minister to. Know your Bible. Spend time reading, meditating, and living by God's Word, and don't let anything keep you from the Scriptures. Be a book man, a book woman, and that's so for all of you, by the way. Then there is the prosperity of God. There at the end of verse 7, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. And at the end of verse eight, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous. I want you to note that. God makes his people prosper in the work that he calls them to. And prosperity would only come to Joshua as he meditated upon the scriptures of truth and obeyed the Lord. And that's the secret to spiritual prosperity. And then the seventh little word, and we've moved quickly, is there in verse eight, at the end of it, thou shalt have good success. Here is the promise of God. Success is God-given. Some people tell us that you only need to be faithful. And I know where they're coming from, and I know what they're saying. When we stand before God, will not be told, well done, thou good and successful servant, will be told, well done, thou good and faithful servant. It's important to be faithful. But God also makes us successful in His work. And that's what He's talking about here. Then thou shalt have good success. There's nothing about financial success here. True success is the blessing of God resting upon your spiritual life, seeing progress in your Christian life and advancement in the kingdom of God. And I say to David, aim for it. Aim for it. As you serve the Lord, look to the Lord to bless the labor of your hand and to give you good success in the work of the ministry that he has called you to. So I believe this is a word of encouragement in a new sphere of service for David, Rachel, your family, for all of us even as we start the new term and have started the new term now in our Christian service here at Hebron. May the Lord apply it mightily to every heart. and use it for His glory. Now, we can all pray right now in the words of our closing hymn, 742. You want to pray for David and Rachel, pray down the words as you sing them. Father of mercies, bow thine ear attentive to our earnest prayer. We plead for those who plead for thee, successful pleaders may they be. So down through each verse, let's make it the prayer and desire of our heart. And when we come to verse 5, I think there's a 6th verse as well, but verse 5, if David and Rachel and their elders can come forward, we'll have just a very short little time of prayer as we commend them to God's grace and pray for them as a congregation. And that's all it's time to sing. Father of ever since I've been here, I've sent him to you, our earnest prayer. Bring me, Lord Jesus, to be your leader. leaders they may be. Love them with energy divine. Their words have led those worlds behind. Sacred Holy Name, suppress their fear, inflame their sea. Peace and thy chosen flock to thee. Peace and important souls to thee. Souls that will then be born again. ♪ Multitudes around, hear from their midst the joyful sound ♪ ♪ Give humble praise, thy praise implore, and feel thy gift ♪ Verse 5, here's the final verse. Great Lord, this sinner's past have changed. He makes a great salt for giver's feet. Let life through distant realms be spread, and Zion be There's different aspects of the work, obviously, over in Uganda. And therefore, so that each elder can pray, there's just one little aspect of each part of the work that these men are going to remember before the Lord, just as we commit them to God in prayer just now. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, as we bow before Thee at the end of our service this morning, We just want to commit David and Rachel, Eloise, Arthur, and Jude to thee in prayer. O Lord, we commit them into thy hands today. We think of the journey that they will make on Tuesday. We pray, Lord, that thou wilt be with them in every aspect as they travel. We pray that all the arrangements that have been made, all the travel arrangements, will go according to plan. We think of Eloise, Arthur, and Jude on that long plane journey. We pray that you will be with them. Lord, we pray that as they settle into their new home in Uganda, that they will know thy help and thy goodness with them. Lord, we think of the promise that you gave to Abraham so many years ago when he, just like David and Rachel, was leaving his home to go to a new country. Lord, you promised to make of him a great blessing and that all the families in the earth would be blessed through him. And so, Lord, we pray that there'll be many, many families in Uganda blessed through the ministry of David and Rachel. And Lord, that you will use them mightily to bring salvation, the message of salvation to many souls there. For we ask it for thy name's sake. Amen. Father in heaven, as we continue on before Thee, we do thank Thee for the households of faith that both Rachel and David were born into, children who were raised on the Word of God, children who were bathed in prayer. We thank Thee, Lord, for the hand of God upon their lives, for the call that You've given them, and for the gospel that is so precious to them. Lord, we know that they go with the greatest story that has ever been told to the land of Uganda, but we're very mindful of the family left behind. We do think of the Macaulays and the Crawfords. We think, Lord, of John and we think of Aline. We think of Shirley and we pray, Lord, that Thou wilt heal the hearts that hurt this day. We're very mindful, Lord, that they're going into the far country. And yet, Lord, we are so conscious that as a father, a mother, as grandparents, they feel the hurt this day. And Lord, we just pray that Thou, in Thine own unique way, will draw near, that You will comfort them, that You will bless them. We know, Lord, that it would be their desire that their sons and daughters would remain in the very center of the will of God. Lord, as they go forth with the glorious good news of the gospel, we pray that Thou will bless the parents at home, in the Savior's name. Amen. Our gracious God and loving Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for this occasion. Whenever we just bring before thee David and Rachel, we thank you, Lord, as they go out to the land of Uganda for the team that are already there. We thank you for Sister Noreen, who left this congregation many years ago to the land of Kenya and now ministering there in the land of Uganda. We thank you, Lord, for the Christ Gardens. We thank you for the Reverend Christ Garden and the burden he has there for the church. We pray, Lord, you'll build up that church. We thank you for. Mrs. Kerskaden and for the wee family they have there. We thank you for the school there that Noreen looks after as well. We thank you, Lord, for the love they have for Christ. And oh Lord, even as we see David and Rachel go over to meet that team, we pray, Lord, that you will go before them. Lord, you've said how good and how pleasant it is whenever brethren dwell together in unity. And oh Lord, we ask for that unity. We cry, Lord, that you will even go before them. O God, keep the devil far away from that place. And O God, that even they will have as a team cause to rejoice over sinners coming to thee. We pray, Lord, that you will bind them together with the cords of thy great love. Bless that team, Lord. Give them great things. Already each one of them has a different sphere of service. And O God, even as Noreen looks after that school, Reverend Kerskaden seeks to even establish and constitute that church, we pray you'll bless them. And as David even seeks to plant churches outside, even the compound, we pray, Lord, you'll bless and do them good. We pray this all in the precious and lovely name of our Savior. Amen. Our Heavenly Father, we are very mindful of our brother David and our sister Rachel and the family today. Lord, we thank you for the school that they're going to be part of there in Uganda. And we, once again, we thank you for the one who had the vision to open that school there in that land. We thank you for each of the boys and girls who attend it, for the families that they come from. We thank you for the staff members, for the teachers, for the security, for the administrators, and for all who come together to help teach the boys and girls there. And Lord, we pray that as they are taught that The Word of God will take root in the hearts of the boys and girls in that land and those in that area. We thank you for those that you have saved, for those that have been saved out of terrible backgrounds and from those who have been saved from backgrounds of darkness. And Lord, we pray that you will even continue to do that and you will save many more boys and girls and work in the families of those in that area. We pray that that school will be a beacon of light, that its light will so shine before men that they will see the good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Heavenly Father, we thank you as we just come before you this afternoon. We come to a God who hears and a God who answers prayer. I'd always used to pray for David and Rachel and the wee ones as they head out on Tuesday to Uganda. Lord, you know you are with us wherever we go. You never leave us and you never forsake us. Lord, we thank you for the church there at Emmanuel, where they're going to worship from now on. We just pray, Lord, for that minister there. We thank you for the Reverend Cascadan and his faithful labors there. And we pray for David, too, as he would go out there and be able to help out there at the church and to seek even to go around the district, even to seek to get other works maybe up and running in the coming days. Lord, we leave that all in your hands. But we pray for the church there, the mainstay there, and just pray, Lord, that you'll bless their labors there. And pray, Lord, even that many from the district, Lord, will come in, and that there'll be many, many precious souls saved there in that church. Pray, Lord, for each one of them as a family. Pray, Lord, that they'll integrate well into the church. And Lord, that even Rachel, Lord, will have a minister there as well. And pray, Lord, that you'll just bless them all. In order that there'll be an encouragement to the church, in order that we know the church will be an encouragement to them also, these things we pray in the Savior's name. Amen. the aspects of ministry there, and not least the outreach work, reaching out into Nassau, visiting the homes of the people there, the open-air ministry that is conducted. And we pray as this work continues that David will know a special anointing from God, and that he will meet many people and have great influence with them, and that You will give him power power with God and power with man, that He might see many, many souls brought to know the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior. And so, we commit David and Rachel and the little children into your care now, as a congregation, we covenant before God to take them upon our hearts, to pray for them, to support them in whatever way we can. Spread thy covering wings around us, till all our wondering cease, And that our Father's love abode, may each soul arrive in peace through the saving knowledge in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. We will give David and Rachel the opportunity to go to the door. Please don't linger too long with them. Just shake them by the hand, wish them well and go on. Remember there's people behind you. And they'd appreciate just the brevity of it all. So God bless you. All right. Okay. so