Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among
their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them
everything I command him.

 Let me give you just a little bit of historical background on this text.
 The book of Deuteronomy is a book of preparation.  It is for the most
part, the last address of Moses to his people, his last set of
instructions and encouragement.  If you look at the end of this book you
will see that it ends with the death of Moses.  So it could be said that
Deuteronomy is the last testament of Moses.
 But it is also an encouragement.  What Moses does is recount for the
generation of Israelites before him just how they got to be where they
were.  They were in the Sinai Peninsula getting ready to enter the
Promised Land of Israel.  But this account does not start at the Exodus
rather it starts just 40 years previously.
 It starts as the previous generation of Israelites is standing at the
border of the Promised Land but instead of trusting in God and going into
the land they are fearful and refuse.  The Lord simply tells them that
for their lack of faith (and this in spite of all the miracles they had
seen) they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the
generation that refused to trust in God had died out.  So here is Moses
with the new generation, preparing them to do what their parents should
have.  Here is Moses, before the Lord takes him away, trying to do his
best to help this generation stay faithful and true to the Lord.
 So what Moses does is rehash the Law of God in its entirety.  He reminds
this generation of the commands of the Lord.  Of the civil commands that
would govern them in their new land. He reminds them of the ceremonial
commands, those commands on how, when and why they should worship the
Lord and give him praise and thanks.  He reminds them of the moral
commands of the Lord that they should keep their hearts, minds and bodies
faithful to the Lord and His ways.  That's why this book is called
Deuteronomy.  Deuteronomy means, "the second giving of the Law."
 It is during the course of this rehearsing of the Law that something
else happens too.  God not only points out what His law was and is, but
God also points ahead to the Christ who was to come.  God points this
generation of people to the Savior and what the Savior would teach.  It
is a prophetic section of God's Word of great importance.  It reminded
these people of Israel that the Law and its rituals is only temporary.
It was temporary in the sense that the rituals, sacrifices and offices of
this people would all come to an end once the promised Savior, the
Prophet had come.
 Isn't that interesting to know?  Before the Jewish people had even made
the promised land their land, they had it pointed out by the Lord that
their ritualistic faith was supposed to end.  So why are they still
around?  Why do they still claim to be God's people?  But perhaps the
most important question for all of us is this, "Why do people,
Christians, today seem to think that Moses and His law are more important
than Jesus and His gospel?"
 Let's learn from our text the wonder of our faith.  Our theme will be:
ANOTHER PROPHET.  1st. He is Like Moses.  2nd. He is Greater than Moses.
3rd. He is the Lord.
 This really is such a wonderful section.  Here in the midst of all the
rituals, commands and demands of God's law is this section that directs
our attention to "The Prophet."  Our text says, "I will raise up for them
a prophet like you from among their brothers."
 God has revealed through Moses that there was a new prophet coming.
This prophet would in many cases be like Moses.  He would be a brother,
literally a descendant of Abraham.  This prophet would be a man, but a
man who would have God's seal of approval in the sense that God clearly
says, "You must listen to him."  In other words, the Prophet who was
coming would have the authority, the wisdom, the complete backing of God.
 We today realize that this prophet is none other than Jesus the Christ,
the very Son of God.  Jesus has the authority of God.  Jesus is God.
What Jesus has said and revealed is the Word of God.  What Jesus has done
and accomplished is the work of God.  There is no doubt that Jesus,
descendant of Abraham, true man and yet true God is the Prophet this text
speaks of.
 Recall that when John the Baptist was conducting his ministry the people
came and asked him who he was.  They asked: "Are you the Christ...are you
Elijah...are you the Prophet?"  The people asked because they recognized
that the Prophet was to be listened to and heard.  Why don't we grasp
this today?  How is it that you have people who deny God's Word, deny
what Jesus says and yet will claim Jesus as their Lord?  I know of a
situation where a person denied that Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for
sins, denied the physical resurrection of Jesus and yet still claimed
Jesus as the Lord of my life.  How?  God says that this prophet, that
Jesus was to be listened to.  Clearly the prophet like Moses is
important.
 But notice that while Jesus is like Moses in another regard he is quite
different from Moses.  He is different because of what this text says.
God proclaims of this prophet, "If anyone does not listen to my words
that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account."
Here are words that must be clearly grasped.
 While it is true that Moses was a prophet of God and that he did
miracles and such at the command of God the focus was never really Moses.
 The focus was the Word of the Lord, in Moses' case, the very Law of God
that God himself had given.  Even our text speaks of that fact.  When God
spoke directly to the Israelites from Mt. Horeb the fear that struck them
lead them to say, "Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see
this great fire anymore, or we will die."  It was only after that that
Moses went to the top of the mountain and thus became the mediator of the
Law.
 The prophet is different.  The prophet will speak "my words" that is the
very Word of God.  And God says that this will take place because of what
the Israelites asked on that day.  The prophet will speak with the total
authority of God and if anyone does not listen God says he will call them
to account.  In other words, the Prophet will speak words that will cause
the judgment of God to come.
 Isn't that true of Jesus?  What do we hear?  "Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved, whoever does not believe will be condemned."
Jesus himself points out in Matthew 13 that there are sons of the
kingdom, true believers who will be blessed with eternal life and
righteousness in faith.  He also points out that there are the sons of
the evil one who will be thrown "into the fiery furnace, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Believers are saved and unbelievers
are not based on Jesus.
 The difference between Moses and Jesus is the difference between the law
and the gospel.  Moses was the giver of the law, the does and don'ts of
God.  Moses gave that law to point out sin, to show the desperate need we
have of a Savior.  Never is there a declaration that the law can save
only declarations that the law condemns!
 Jesus brings the gospel.  Jesus shows how God punished the Savior for
the sins of the world.  On the cross Jesus took the wrath and anger of
God against sin upon himself.  Then to show that this is the fact, God
raised Jesus from the dead to declare our righteousness by grace through
faith.  In Jesus our sins are forgiven.  In Jesus heaven becomes our home
now and always.  We have eternal life and salvation because of what Jesus
has done.
 Doesn't it strike you as ironic that so many people don't grasp this
difference between Moses and Jesus?  There is a whole chapter (actually
2) in the book of Hebrews that hammers at this difference and clearly
states "Jesus is Greater than Moses."  So why do so many churches today
spend all their time teaching law?  Why do some churches even declare
Jesus the new law giver?  If the law that Moses gave could not save us
why do people today think that obedience to Jesus is the key to
salvation?  That doesn't make sense.
 Yet look around and listen.  Listen to how to how it is preached that
because of Jesus and his power in me I can do this and that, I have quit
this or that, changed here and there, yes, I have become more obedient, I
am closer to God because of what I do and how I live!  But isn't that
law?  I would rather preach one sermon about how Jesus won my
forgiveness, how Jesus paid the price, how Jesus by grace through faith
gives eternal life than 1,000 sermons on how we had better behave and
start obeying.  Jesus is my Savior because of what He has done for me.
He has won the victory.  He has given eternal life and salvation in his
name.
 Why can I say all of this?  Because of who Jesus is.  Listen to what
Hebrews says, "Moses was faithful as a servant in all of God's house,
testifying to what would be said in the future.  But Christ is faithful
as a son over God's house...So, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you
hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...See to it brothers, that none
of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living
God."
 There, there is the greatest thing to know.  Jesus is the Living God.
Or as Colossians 2:9 says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity
lives in bodily form."  Unlike Moses, a mere man, a servant of God, Jesus
is God, the son of God who reveals the Father's grace, mercy and love for
the sake of souls.  Jesus is God who offered himself as the price for our
salvation.  That's right that means that Jesus paid for sins: for yours,
for mine, for all sins.  He paid the price and all that the Father asks
is that we put our trust, our confidence in Jesus and his gracious gift
of salvation.  When we hear the message of sins forgiven in and because
of Jesus that is the Gospel, the good news of life.  That gospel has the
power to grant us faith, the power to turn our hearts from sin to the
wonder of Jesus.  No wonder God says that if you don't listen to the
prophet you will be called to account.  If you don't have the true gospel
of Jesus' redemption then the only thing there is before us is the Law of
God and under it we will be condemned.
 The message then is clear.  Jesus is the one that counts.  It is not
Moses and the law that counts for salvation.  It is Jesus that counts.
Jesus is the difference.  Jesus is the Savior.  Jesus is the Son of God
and our Lord now and always.  I pray that it is Jesus we hear and believe
in.  Amen.