Sermon – “All the Way My Saviour Leads Me”
The Question
“All the way, my saviour leads me. What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt his tender mercy, who through life has been my guide?
Heavenly peace, Divinest Comfort, Here by faith in him to dwell.
For I know whatever befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.
Just a few moments ago, we that great hymn, written by Fanny J. Crosby. Fanny Crosby is an amazing woman. When she was just six weeks old, an incompetent doctor took away her sight. When she was one, her father died. When she got married in 1858, both she and her husband were forced out of their jobs. And yet, every biography I have ever read of this woman keeps saying that everybody that ever met Fanny Crosby was always praising God.
Contrast her story, if you will, to that in our scripture , and there is a question that begs to be asked- How is that a blind woman can see joy so clearly- a joy that a freed slave people can not? More importantly, I’d like to know why I think my life is so miserable, and why don’t I know the joy that I hear about in this song. The key to answering this question is to examine what the Israelites didn’t see and what our blind songwriter did.
Basically, I boil it down to three differences- Fanny Crosby was forever talking about all that God had done for her. In fact, she is quoted as saying “
Secondly, Ms. Crosby continually kept her eyes on Jesus, and saw that he was right there with her. The Israelites had a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. And, in response, they basically say, “Where is God in all of this?”
Finally, Fanny Crosby knew that God was not finished providing. On her tombstone she has the words to another hymn she wrote- “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of Glory Divine!” Contrast this to the Israelites who had seen the Red Sea parted, saw God himself manifest every day. What do they say to all of this? “God- You are going to let us die right here aren’t you.”
That’s all and good as a story, but I want to go a little deeper into each of these responses. Because as much I pick on the Israelites, I fall into each one of these ways of thinking on a regular basis.
Reason I – Forgetting what God has done – or not acting on it
I want to start by looking about forgetting what God has done for us. I read through Exodus or Numbers, and sometimes I wonder- Could anybody in Israel remember anything more than three days? Its as though they all suffered some kind of genetic amnesia. First, they ask for someone to get them out of Egypt. God sends not just anybody- but the very adopted son of the Pharaoh. Pharaoh says, “No, you can’t go.” God kills of the firstborn boys in Egypt. Now, the Israelites get to the Red Sea, and a small contingent (of not firstborns) is closing in on them. What do they say “I’m gonna die.”
They get out in the wilderness; they build a golden calf. Somehow, they seem to think that a cow parted the Red Sea. Two years ago, I didn’t realize that a cow doesn’t have the brain power to walk through a silly little gate to milk it- and yet somehow it can part the Sea. Yeah.
Let me ask you a question, though. What has God done ever done for you? I’m not just talking about salvation here. Think about it for a minute or two. I guarantee you that you can remember at least one instance where God has supernaturally provided for you.
For me, it was in Poland.
Reason II – Not seeing what God is doing – or being angry that he is the one leading, and not me.
Still, I do want to point something out here- I can’t live on that story. In many ways, I tried, and for two years, I think I went to Church once. My spiritual life became a complete wreck. The problem, I found out, was that I was trying to live in gratitude, rather than faith. Gratitude says, “God thank you for what you’ve done for me.” Faith says, “Thank you for what you are doing for me, and what you will continue to do for me.”
Turn with me for a second to Hebrews 11:6.
And, how often do we say, “Yeah, but what has he done for me lately? After all, I didn’t get that Lotto ticket I prayed for, did I?” In all seriousness- how often do you catch yourself saying “Those stories in the Bible happened a long time ago. God doesn’t work that way any more.” Susan knows that that was my excuse all through College. It took a lost passport to shake me off that one.
It’s just as Peter said, there would come a time when we say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation ”
To be honest, I do that a lot. I heard someone remind me recently, however, of the difference between Providence and miracles. Miracles are clearly observable lapses in natural laws.
We know that if you drop a pen, it will fall. But, if that pen were to suddenly fly around the room, that would be a miracle. Now, if that pen just happens to be put to a piece of paper by, lets say, the Governor- and it pardons a man who is about to be executed, there is no miracle there. But, God could very clearly be working behind the scenes to accomplish something great. And, if you don’t think God is behind it, go back and read Esther. Did you know that Esther is the only book in the Bible where God’s name isn’t used? And yet when you read it, you clearly see God at work.
If my bag had magically appeared on that train- that would have been a miracle. When I just “happen” to run into someone who will put me up for the week and get me back on my feet- that’s Providence. But why is it that one is “God at work,” and the other is just “coincidence.” God is in both.
With that in mind, I have to ask- what is it that holds you back from seeing God at work in your own life? In my everyday life, I believe it takes just as much faith to believe in luck than it does to believe in God. Luck didn’t die on a cross for me.
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“All the way, my saviour leads me, Cheers each winding path I tread.
Gives me grace for every trial, Feeds me with the living bread.
Tho’ my weary steps may falter, and my soul athirst may be.
Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo, a spring of joy I see.
How often do we forget that He is coming back? It’s tough. Society teaches us that you are only as good as your last game.
Let’s start with the Israelites- they were focused strictly in the present. Very simply, there was a problem, and they didn’t know how it was going to be solved. Never mind that there is a pillar of fire right in front of them- there is a problem; they need an answer. In some ways its ironic that its water they’re missing- After all, isn’t that what Christ always present himself as?
What all of this boils down to, however, is simple. On the one hand, there is pride that says “I can provide,” and on the other is the fear that God will not.
My favorite little justification has always been a little different- The Israelites saw God every day. God directly led them by a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night? Let; say it really did just “slip your mind” who was in charge. Any three-year-old boy could say, “Um, dad- what was that we had for breakfast this morning? Manna… And, where did that come from?” Or, “Um, yeah- so what’s that cloud we’ve been following for these last forty years again?” He was right in their midst. What excuse could they possibly have?
Truth be told, I think the real motivation is a little deeper than that. I think they’re thinking, “You know, I could have gotten from Egypt to Israel in three days, if we had just stayed up North. This God we’re following has less sense of direction than my husband! If I were leading…”
Once you uncover that nasty little motivation, I can understand the Israelites a lot better. Often I tell God how much better things would be if I were in charge.
I want to tell you a story about one month that I will never forget. In October 1994, I went to Germany to teach some computer classes. While I was there, I decided to see all of Eastern Europe. I spent weeks planning exactly what I wanted to see.
Reason III – We don’t believe in God’s continuing providence.
(Follow four words for me, if you would- water, pitchers, cisterns, and streams.)
Inviation – Use Isa 49:15-16 about How God doesn’t forget us, He is with us now, and if you will place your trust in him, he’ll never leave.
“All the way, my saviour leads me, Oh, the fullness of His love.
Perfect rest to me is promised, In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit clothed immortal, wings it flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages- Jesus lead me all the way.
Opening Hymn - Be Thou My Vision
Scripture - Numbers 20: 1- 11
Service Hymn - All the Way My Saviour Leads Me
1. Introduction
-Why is it that a blind woman (isn’t it ironic that a blind woman can see so clearly) can write of so much joy, and yet a slave people set free- being fed in the wilderness, and being led by the very form of God himself, grumble?
2. I think that there are three excuses that are immediately apparent-
-They’ve forgetten what God has done for them
-They didn’t see what was doing for them
-They didn’t trust his good grace to continue
3. They’ve forgotten what he has done for them-
Plagues, the Passover, the Red Sea - very tangible things that they could see
Are our lives so dissimiliar? Christ died for us.
This all just goes to show that we can’t just live in the past though - Hebrews doesn’t say "Without gratitude, it is impossible to please him"
4. They don’t see what he is doing
Manna every morning
Cloud & fire right there - just need to look over to see it.
How many times does God bless us completely unawares?
Frankly, seeing it so regularly blinds us to his provision- example of me in Poland, seeing God’s grace so regularly, and yet when I get back, what do I do? For two years, I’m never in Church. - I had thought that I had exhausted God’s love. I’m a proud man, I didn’t like the thought of not being in control either. In short, I didn’t like being led, at least not so overtly.
We like to think that we are in control, and when we are reminded that we’re not, it’s hard. And that is the first key to th difference between Crosby & the Jews- Fanny Crosby realized that God’s leading can be pleasant. There is another source of pride, however, that can be good- the pride that comes from being with one who is worthy of being followed. - Have you ever considered all those servants in Jesus’ parables?
5. The crux of it really is - They think that God’s good grace won’t continue
-Can we really exhaust God’s love? We all learned in Sunday School to give the pat answer- but it is so true.
-Faith is the conviction that God is who he says he is- an inexhaustible supply of love for us. Think of this- 4000 years after he promised Israel to be with them to thousandth generation, he still takes a people- despised throughout the entire world, brings them back home, and fights four wars on their behalf. Miraculous wars to say the least.
-As humans, we tend to thing of God in terms of blessings, and I’m sure everybody has heard the old analogy of the cup running over. Think with me for a second about that however- where is that water coming from? For a long time, I used to see a pitcher of water keep pouring into a cup. The fuller the cup gets, the more and more empty the pitcher gets. It took this hymn to remind me that God never once calls himself a pitcher- he is always a gushing spring- just like in Numbers. No matter how much you take from the spring, there always more.
6. Closing
It is very easy to think that we can do it all on our own. It’s very easy to think that we can exhaust his love. But the truth is we aren’t capable, and the truth is that God will never, ever forget us.
Final Hymn - And Can It Be?
More on the Pitcher / Cistern analogy-
The word pitcher is only used once the Bible, frankly I didn’t understand its context. The word cistern is used 37 times. Every single time it is used, there is a context of unbelief- The most famous being that of when Jeremiah was cast into a cistern by the Israelites who didn’t believe his prophecy. (look into that again!)
Isn’t it ironic that the Israelites are so concerned about water? After all, Jesus calls himself the Living Water… More than any other symbol he presents himself as water? (Is that true?)
To Do: Learn more about Fanny Crosby’s life (use the Net?)
Spread out how I read the hymn – Start with just one stanza (The Middle stanza should be read when I get to the Spring / Cistern analogy) Close on the final stanza- it makes a fairly good lead in to an invitation to the Gospel
Finally, add in something about the difference between faith and gratitude in section I – if I want to use that section at all… Consider that it may be five minutes not well spent. Assume I have half and hour. And yes, I probably will get to read the scripture.
Here’s the more important question though. How often do we forget what Christ has done for us? God himself became a man. He died on a cross. He rose again. His death actually paid the penalty for my sin. Its pretty amazing, but how often do we think about it? In fact, as Paul reminds me, I keep forgetting that I don’t have to sin any more- “I’ve been set free of the power of sin,” and yet I do.
