Once again, this evening, I can honestly say that it's good to be in the house of the Lord this Lord's Day. And I hope and pray that you've had a blessed day in the Lord and that you're here and you're ready to taste and see. Taste and see what the Lord has. See that it is truly good. That's what the Bible says, tells us to taste and see. I make mention tonight, before we get started into the message tonight, to continue to lift up Sister Reeve in your prayers. She's not feeling well. continue to lift up also sister Mary she's not down with her back right now she's down with fever not feeling well so do be in prayer for her and Nancy this evening is also not feeling well so be in prayer for her as well sister Bradley wanted me to let you all know that she had to work this evening so that's where she's at this evening so keep her in your prayers as well Now tonight we will be beginning a new series and really this series is just a continuation of a series that we started at the end of last year that we called Songs in the Night. Since I've been here at Grace, this is actually one of my favorite series that we've been into because it better acquaints us with some of these old hymns that we hold so dear to us, just like the one that we just sung. And it helps us to take a closer look at the actual words that we sing. You see, so often whenever we sing these songs, we pay attention to the chorus a little bit, but we sing right along without really focusing upon the words that we're singing. And when we sing praises to God, we need to know what we are singing about. Because when we truly are singing from our hearts, That's when we're truly blessed, not just as a person individually, but as a church itself, when we lift up our songs to heaven. So, tonight we are going to be looking into our Old Baptist hymnals, and I would invite your attention to song number 58. Song number 58, and the title of the hymn here is, He Leadeth Me. He Leadeth Me. Brother Randy opened up in song about the Lord leading. And we'll close tonight with the Lord leading. I think that that's very proper. Before we get into the depths of the song here, I'm going to read to you a very familiar piece of scripture from Psalms chapter 23. Psalms chapter 23, beginning in verse 1, says the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness. For his name's sake, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." This is the chapter that inspired the words to the song that we're going to be looking at tonight. The story behind the song goes like this. Joseph Gilmore, the composer of the words that will be reading tonight, was a young Baptist minister. He had recently graduated from school in 1862, there in the midst of the Civil War. So it was a very troublesome time for the nation, also very tough times, to say the least, as well. And this young preacher was doing exactly what many young preachers do. He was filling in the pulpit for someone else, and he was going to preach for a couple of Sundays and then the midweek service in between. And during the midweek service, he had chosen to preach from this chapter an expository type of sermon. And he had done this on several other occasions as well in other churches where he had expounded upon this chapter. But this night, as he was talking and preaching, he never made it past the words, He leadeth me. He began to realize the significance of those words in his lives and the lives of the saints. And that night, as he had retired to another room, he was talking with one of the church members about the message that he had preached that night. And there, just as he was speaking with the person, he penciled the words to this song that we're about to read tonight. Just that quickly. He then continued his discussion and reached the words to his wife, and never thought another thing about the words. His wife, though, took those words and mailed it to the newspaper that was there in Boston, where it was published in the paper. Now, the words came upon the eyes of William Bradbury, and Bradbury sent the words to the music that we have today. You might recognize Bradbury's name. In fact, he has composed the music to several of the songs that we sing. In fact, we sang the song Sweet Hour Prayer tonight. That was one of the songs he composed the music to. Other songs include Just As I Am and the ever popular Jesus Loves Me. Joseph, the writer of the song, however, though, never knew that his words had ever been seen by Bradbury and didn't know that it was even sent to music until a few years later when he was once again filling in the pulpit for some preacher and he says that he opened up a hymn book to find his place and there he saw the words he wrote along with the music that we see now. So that's the story behind the hymn. Now, let's turn our attention to the first stanza of this precious hymn that we've sang so many times in our life. The words begin with the words of David, the psalmist. He leadeth me. David spoke of how God was leading him through his life during the times when things were peaceful and even when things had become a little bit scary and fear had set in. No matter where he leads, we know that he is with us. Joseph found comfort in that phrase that night, and he followed those words, He leadeth me, with, O blessed thought. O words with heavenly comfort brought. Truly, these words, He leadeth me, are wonderful words for us to meditate upon. Meditate upon daily, even. Wonderful words to lay hold on. You know, there are many times in our lives when it seems like we just don't know what direction that we should go. We don't know if we should turn to the north, to the south, to the east, to the west. We go to school and we wonder what we're going to major in. We go out into the workforce and we wonder, you know, should I take this job or should I go somewhere else? Should I move to this place? Should I move somewhere else? Life is just full of all these decisions that sometimes we just don't know the answer to. And when we face those kind of decisions without the direction of the Lord, those kind of decisions can be overwhelming to us. But you know what? If we turn these decisions over to the Lord, he will lead us just as he leads all of creation. Undoubtedly, you have already this year, if you've paid any attention at all, you've seen the flocks of birds that are in the sky making their way further south. When we go out to visit my wife's family there in Illinois, one of the highlights of the trip is if you get to spy an eagle, a bald eagle. Especially if you go down to the river, you'll see them feasting there on the fish in the river. And that's always something to see. You didn't get to see that this year, but you did get to see one fly over top. And, you know, we certainly love that. But, you know, they've made their way further south for the winter already. I think about the monarch butterfly. A butterfly that actually migrates south. They have never been where they are going. But year after year, they show up in the same place, in the same trees, to winter, where they will have children, that the next year will begin the trip north once again. Or you think of the great salmon that you, you know, we see the images of fighting their ways up the river. But you know, they were spawned in the river and they go out and they live in the ocean and they become quite large. And then, after traveling sometimes thousands of miles, they return right to the very river where they were spawned and make their way up once again. You see, it is God's hand that guides the eagle. It is God's hand that guides the butterfly. It is God's hand that guides the salmon. It is God's hand that brings them goodness and mercy. all the days of their lives. And if I will let him lead, if I will let him have his way, yes, it is God who leadeth me. Joseph realizes that fact as he writes the words, Whatever I do, where'er I be, still tis God's hand. that leadeth me." Yes, God's unseen hand is working and orchestrating through our lives when we don't see it, when we don't understand it. You know, it's easy sometimes for us to take a look at the book of Esther. You know, the little girls this morning, they studied Esther. Sarah was telling us about that after church this morning. You know, it's easy to see how God took this little Jewish orphan girl and brought her up to be the wife of the king for one very purpose, to stand up for her nation who was about to be destroyed. And that's easy to take a look at that story and say, that's God's unseen hand. It's easy for us to take a look at the book of Ruth and to say that the character of Ruth and how she went out into the fields of Boaz to glean. And folks, she didn't go there looking for love. She went there looking to survive. Just grain off what was left. But God had other plans, didn't he? Because God's unseen hand was leading her. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we forget to look back at our own lives and see just how the unseen hand of God has taken us to exactly where we're at right now in our lives. We said that this morning, you're not here by chance. You're not just here by circumstance. You are here because it is God who leadeth you. So let him and take comfort. Take comfort in that blessed thought. Then the chorus rings out with its sweet melody. He leadeth me. He leadeth me. By his own hand he leadeth me. His faithful follower I would be. For by his hand he leadeth me. Let's turn our attention to verse number 2. It begins here and says, Sometimes mid scenes, mid scenes of deepest gloom. David in Psalms 23 there spoke of the valley, the shadow of death. Those are some pretty gloomy times. And the fact is that we don't have to be the one that's actually going or experiencing death to go through those times of gloom. It's not always just death either. Sometimes the greatest times of gloom in our lives can come at the death of a grandparent, you know, like Brother Randy was talking about this morning as our grandmother passed away. It was a time of gloom. Or the death of a parent, or the death of a spouse, or God forbid, even the death of a child. Sometimes these valleys of shadows come upon us because of disease that sets in, diseases like cancer that just people have to battle with sometimes for years upon years. Sometimes it's the onset of diseases like Alzheimer's. Sometimes it's the realization that we can no longer take care of ourselves. And we have to submit ourselves to our children or to a nursing home or to a rest home while we watch our homes be taken and everything that we've ever worked for just taken away. Yes, life is full of tides to the deepest of bloom. And I think of Paul. I think of Paul a lot, but I think of his final days as he was there in that cold, dark prison And he was waiting to die? Put yourself there. How we might at that time get caught up in the gloom and think that God was not leading anymore. That God couldn't possibly care for us if this was the end that we would come to. But Paul continued on with great words of encouragement, knowing that it was God's hand that led him through all those times of suffering and all those things that happened to him in his life. And he saw that it was God who had been with him then, and it was still God that was with him now. It was still God that was leading him. You know, his final words concerning himself there in 2 Timothy 4.18 says, And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Why? Because he knew that it was God who leadeth him through even those times of greatest gloom. Now, notice this next phrase here. It's a very interesting phrase. Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom. Now a bower is a wooden area, just a little wooden area, recluse if you would call it that. But here we are taken back to the Garden of Eden, a place of perfection, a place of rest. And certainly this is in stark contrast to those periods of gloom in our lives. as we think about the times of perfection, seeming perfection in our lives. We like to call them the hilltops of our lives, when it seems like everything is just going great, where it seems like we're as close to God as we can possibly get. Things are well with our families. Things are well in our church. And you know what? You can look back on those times and just smile, knowing and realizing just how much God's blessings were pouring down upon you during those times. You know what, I thank God for those times of rest. Those times when life seems perfect. And we would all certainly rather be in those times rather than those times of gloom. We all know that. We'd all rather be there. But you know what, as I read here about Eden, I think there's something else here. Maybe deeper than Joseph was alluding to here. You see, Eden was a wonderful place. It was a beautiful place. And it was a perfect place. But it also represents a time for us of man's great fall. It was there in the bowers that Adam and Eve took of the fruit. It was there in that recluse that they hid themselves away, covered in the fig leaves. It was there at Eden when everything changed. Now, did God lead Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit? Well, no. They did that of their own free will. But you know, God did not abandon His creation either. He didn't destroy them and start over. God continued to lead them in their lives, show them their need for atonement, for the covering of their sins. In fact, he was the one that made them the coats of skins, showing them the need for sacrifice. God never leads men to sin, but God will for the servant who will repent, lead them out of sin, and he will provide for them all along the way. And for those who aren't saved, those that are lost, God will lead them to the cross. And there He'll work the works of salvation in their hearts. Joseph then goes on to say here, by water, steel. Of course, that's drawing our attention to Psalms 23 very vividly. A time of rest for the sheep of God. Then he says, O troubled sea, Still tis his hand that leadeth me." You know, as I read that phrase, Lord troubled sea, I can't help but to think of the time that Jesus told his disciples to cast themselves out into the sea as he went up on the mountain there to pray, told them basically that he would catch up with them later on the other side. Christ sent them out on the sea that night. Christ knew what was ahead of them. That night, a great storm came up. Scripture tells us that they were out in the midst of the sea, in the middle of the night, and they were rowing and rowing and rowing and getting nowhere, scared that they may perish. And these people were, for the most part, a lot of them fishermen. They'd been out on the water, they knew what to expect, but they were scared to death, maybe even felt it could be the last night of their life. And then, there in the darkest hour, when all hope seemed to be lost, it was in the midst of that troubled sea, those troubled waters, that Jesus Christ came walking out on them, came walking to them. We know the story that follows, but you know what? When he entered the boat, what happened? Everything settled down and the sea was still. Yes, God led them right into those troubled waters. And you know what? He led them out as well and gave them those periods of rest. God will never, ever put more on us than what we can bear. That's His promise to us. And when the trial is over, He'll always provide rest. When the trial is over, He'll always provide rest. And understand that what is the trial for? The trial is for our perfecting. To mold us in the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. It's not there to tear us down. It's not there for our destruction. It's for the building up of the soul. Then the chorus rings out again, he leadeth me, he leadeth me. By his own hand he leadeth me. His faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me. Now look at verse 3. Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine. You know, I really like the image here of holding the Lord's hand. But we know it's really the Lord who holds our hand, right? It works that way. But you know what? There's nothing that can take us out of that hand either. But there is certainly no better way of thinking of leading than the holding of one's hand. You know, it's one of the first things that a child learns after it learns to work is to reach out and to take the hand of the parent to let them lead them on the journey wherever the journey might be. And, you know, even now as maybe Sarah is a little bit older, you know, she's eight years old now, but even now we're out in a crowd or wherever it might be, at the mall or amusement park or wherever, you know, all I got to do is just drop my hand just like this and she reaches out to take it. Why? It's security. It's security. She knows as long as she has my hand or whether she has my wife's hand that there's nothing that's going to happen. She's not going to get lost. Nobody that's going to take her away. Though we may not physically see his hand, it is indeed God's hand that leads us through the way. Reach out and clasp his hand tonight. Reach out and clasp it, because he's already clasping yours. Now look here at these next words, nor ever murmur nor repine. Murmuring is something that is certainly not looked upon well in God's Word, is it? Over and over we look back and see the nation of Israel there in the wilderness as they murmured against Moses and as they murmured against God. And what is murmuring? Well, that's complaining. That's what was going on, the complaining. If it wasn't one thing that they were complaining of, it was something else. The word repine, that's a word we don't use very often, but it means disappointed, to be disappointed over something. Joseph says, no matter where you lead me, Lord, may I not be disappointed over my lot, and may I never complain about what you've given me. You know what, that just flies in the face of most of us today. We are part of such a generation that just has got to have it. Got to have it. You know, I think of some of our brothers and sisters in the mission field. And when they go out into other countries, the conveniences that they give up here to go out into the field. You know, we take for granted having cars. We take for granted having homes like we do. We take for granted having a warm shower. And in many of these countries, there's no such thing as a hot shower. They don't have hot water tanks, things like that, that we just take for granted. Lord, help us not to murmur against our circumstance or to be disappointed at what His hand has provided to us. You know, when Christ walked this earth, he had no home of his own. He didn't even have a bed to call his own, a pillow to rest his head upon. And yet, how often do we complain about the most insignificant things in the world compared to that? Then Joseph goes on to say, content whatever lot I see, since it is thy hand that leadeth me. Let us be ever thankful in our lives for what God has given us. You know, we just came out of the Thanksgiving holiday and we've said a lot about Thanksgiving here in the last couple of weeks between me and Greg and probably others, but be thankful. Be thankful every day. Don't let Thanksgiving leave your heart. Thank God every day for what he has graciously given to us. Let's learn, like Paul, to be content. Be content no matter what state we're in. And then again, our chorus says, he leadeth me, he leadeth me, by his own hand he leadeth me, his faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me. Now let's look at verse four, the closing of our hymn here, and this represents as well the closing of our lives. It says, And when my task on earth is done, as sure as each one of us are living here tonight, unless the Lord would return and take us directly home, we shall all face an hour of death. As Ecclesiastes says, there is a time to be born and there is a time to die. Scripture says that man's life is like a vapor. It's here today, it's gone tomorrow. And even if the Lord would bless you to live a hundred years upon this earth, your life is still but a speck compared to the thousands of years the earth has existed, and even smaller than that compared to eternity. None of us know when our hour will come. It may be short, it may be long, but none of us know that hour or the day when the death angel may pass our way. You know what? That's why it's important to give every day, every day to the Lord, to serve him. That's our purpose here upon this earth, is to serve him, follow after his commandments, tell others about him, and do so to the very end, to the very last breath, if we can. I like it then, as Joseph goes on to say, it says, by thy grace the victories won. Now, what's Joseph doing here? He's playing off Paul. Playing off the words of Paul there. In 2 Timothy, as he talks about his, a lot of people call it his swan song, says that he's finished the fight. Finished it in faith. And certainly, we pray that we could have that kind of testimony when we come to our last days. But I tell you, I really love how he goes on to say, by thy grace. Because the victory, the victory in the end is only because God's grace has been extended to us as he leadeth me. Because we of ourselves, we can't do much at all. But you know what? Scripture tells me through Christ I can do all things. I have victory tonight only because he has already claimed victory. I have victory tonight over death, hell, and the grave only because of his sovereign grace that has been extended to me. Joseph then writes, in death's cold wave I will not flee. since God through Jordan leadeth me." You know, I really love those words. They not only remind me so much of Psalms 23, how the rod and the staff of God will lead us through that valley of shadow of death, but I'm taken back to Moses just for a moment. And I think that this is what this refers to, where this comes from in Scripture, what's referred to as the crossing over Jordan. You see, Moses in his disobedience to God, God told him, you're not going to go into the promised land, but you're going to die on this side. And Moses went out and told the Israelites in Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 22, he says, but I must die in this land. I must not go over Jordan. But ye shall go over and possess the good land. Crossing Jordan, then, has become a metaphor for passing from death to the other side, which is goodness, which is life, which is heaven. And for the Christian, we should not fear death at all. For we know that when we die, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We know that when we die, the angels are going to come and carry us into the presence of our Creator. And we know that Christ has promised that he's already gone and he's preparing a place for us to be. And there will we be forever with our Lord. The same God that leads us now is going to lead us to that final valley. Give us the grace for the hour as we pass from this life into the next. And you know what? It will be God who continues to lead us throughout eternity.