Go with me now to Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43. That verse 3 and 4,
I believe it is, taken from this passage. The title and the subject
is passing through the waters and the fire. Isaiah 43. I wanted to read this whole chapter,
but I wanted to read Psalm 66. I wanted to read several places. But look at verses 1 through
3. But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and
he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed
thee. I have called thee by thy name,
thou art mine. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, Thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the
Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee, since thou wast precious in my sight.
Thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee. Therefore
will I give men for thee. and people for thy life. Fear
not, for I am with thee. I'll stop right there. All of
God's people passed through these waters and the fire. All of them. In Hebrews 11, it
says they did all pass through the Red Sea. They did all as
by dry land, which the Egyptians assaying to do or attempting
to do were drowned. All of God's people pass through
these waters and the fire. And he says in verse 2, when
thou passest through, not if, when. It's just a matter of when. They all go through. You must,
our Lord said, you must through much tribulation enter the kingdom
of heaven. Over in Revelation, I had two
or three places I wanted to read to you, but for the sake of time,
It says, they did all, these are they which went through much
tribulation. He saw a people as the sands
of the seashore. And then John asked, who are
these people? He said, these are they that went through great
tribulation, and they've washed their robes in the blood of the
Lamb. All of them. Isaiah 43 begins
this way, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O
Jacob, he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed
thee. This is written to, the promises
are to, the redeemed. I have redeemed thee, you're
bought with a price. He said, you're mine. Don't you
like that? Oh, I love this passage. You're
redeemed, you're bought with a price, and that price is the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as of a lamb without spot.
All the chosen, all the elect, all the redeemed of the Lord
pass through the waters and walk through the fire. Now, what are
these waters? Well, very simply, it is the
world and everything that's in it. Egypt represents the world. The Red Sea represents the world.
The River Jordan represents the world. Look at Exodus 14. Let's look at this story again
of the children of Israel, the Hebrews, passing through the
Red Sea, Exodus 14. This story of them passing through
the Red Sea and also going through the River Jordan, it's throughout
the Scriptures. You've read the Scriptures and
you see how it's just everywhere. Over and over it's repeated,
even in the New Testament. written over and over. And the
song of Moses, you know, the song of Moses in Exodus 15, right
after that is the story of them passing through the Red Sea.
And he says in Revelation, that's what they're singing. That's
what they're singing right now, Revelation, the song of Moses,
them passing through the Red Sea. And that was thirty five
hundred years ago. But every single person has gone
through these waters. They all know this song. They've
all gone through the same things. Same thing. The story of them
passing through the Red Sea and the River Jordan, and that's
what our Lord said there. He said, the rivers shall not
overflow. It's the story of how all of
God's people passed through this world of tribulation to reach
the promised land. You can't get there otherwise.
How? How did they make it? How will
we? He said, I will be with them. Didn't he? I will be with them
because I'm your God. You can't make it alone. You
can't swim. You can't part the waters. The
Lord made a way, didn't he? The Lord Jesus Christ is the
way. He always has been the way for the Old Testament saints
as well as the new. The way. No man cometh unto the
Father. by him, salvations of the Lord,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, I am with thee.
Isn't that the last thing he said to his disciple? Lo, I am
with thee, even to the ends of the world. Same God, same Christ. Though we go through the waters,
though we go through the fire, and David said, though we walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me. So this is how we make it through. Look at the story. The Lord spake
to Moses and said, speak to the children of Israel that they
turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth and Migdal the sea over against
Baal-ziphon and for it you shall encamp by the sea. They were
all camping. Not for fun. But they were passing
through. They were in tabernacles. They
were in tents. And these dwellings our temporary
dwelling, their tents, okay? And we're passing through this
world. Hebrews 11 talks about that, doesn't it? They're all
passing through. And they were coming out of Egypt,
passing through the wilderness and the Red Sea, and Moses was
their deliverer. Moses was called of God to speak
to them the gospel. and to bring them through. He
was their Deliverer. Well, Moses represents Christ.
Christ is our Deliverer. He tabernacled among us, didn't
He? Didn't Moses? Whatever the people
did, Moses did, didn't He? They were with Him. He led them. Like Joshua. I wanted to go to
Joshua 3. It says Joshua rose up early
in the morning. You remember that story? They
all passed clean over. Joshua tabernacled with them.
He lived in tents with them. Our Lord tabernacled among us.
He said in our text, when you pass through the waters, I will
be with you. Like Noah, remember? We just
looked at the story of Noah and his ark. Everyone in the ark
was with Noah. Noah represents Christ. Christ
is all. They all pass through with Moses.
They all pass through the flood with Noah. They all pass through
with Joshua. And all God's people pass through
with Christ. Verse 3, Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel,
God said this. Pharaoh's going to say, they're
entangled in the land. I've got them. I've got them
trapped. They're not getting out of here.
They're mine. Oh no. We just read, God said,
no, they're not yours. They're mine. It may look like
they're entangled. And they were hemmed in. That's what the tribulation meant.
They were hemmed in. They couldn't go to the right.
They couldn't go to the left. One side was a deep gorge. The other
place was a cold forest. And then they had this vast gulf
fixed between them and the promised. They can't do anything. They
can't go back. The enemy's behind them. What
are they going to do? What did Moses say? He said,
stand still, see the salvation of the Lord. Pharaoh represents
the God of this world. Egypt is the world. Pharaoh is
the God of this world. Pharaoh is the most powerful
man on earth. And he represents the God of this world, whom God
raised up. Didn't God say, Pharaoh, I raised
you up, show my power? Why did God allow there to be
a devil? There would not be a devil. He's a created being. Right? You know what's up. He's a created
being. He's an angel that fell. Why
did God allow that? To show forth His power. That's
the only reason. That's what He raised up Pharaoh
to do. Show forth His power. And so Pharaoh said, they're
entangled in the land. I have them now. They're trapped.
They're hemmed in. Nope. It is true, God's people
are hedged about. We're going to see them pass
through, and the water is going to be a wall under them. But
as said, Pharaoh is the enemy, and he, verses 6 through 8, he
made ready his chariot and took his people with him. He took
600 chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt and the
captains ever wanted All that he could muster against these
unarmed Hebrews. They're no match for him, are
they? No, they're not. He's no match for their God. And so he pursued and he persecuted
God's people. And you know, Simon Peter said,
Satan as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Peter knew because the Lord allowed
Satan to sit him. Didn't he? For his good. But
like Job, he couldn't have him unless the Lord let him have
him. Right? And he can't have us either. He holds this world
captive. Those who are not in Christ,
those who are not found in him, those who do not believe him
and trust him, he holds them captive at his will. But God's
people, according to God's will, takes some of those captives,
takes captivity captive. a stronger than the God of this
world, spoiled His goods and took His people away from Him.
And He knows it. You know, we looked at those
clean animals in the ark. You know, every clean animal
on earth is a prey. Every clean animal is prey, meaning
that predators are after them. Every clean animal has something
that wants to kill them. Pharaoh, his captains, everybody. I wanted to tell you what these
captains represent. They represent Satan's ministers
who disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. But they can't have you either.
Our Lord said, a stranger's voice, they won't hear it. Can't have
them. So look at verse... Well, the
world is a pit of corruption. That's what this world is. It's
a pit of corruption. Turn with me to... Keep your
place there in Exodus 14. Turn with me to Luke 21. Luke 21. Luke 21. Our Lord spoke of Satan a good bit, more
than anyone. and this world and the entanglements
of it, the snares and the traps of it. Luke 21. You do well to
memorize where this is. I read it often. Our Lord speaking
this to His disciples. And He said in verse 34, Take
heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged
with surfeiting, that is, gluttony and drunkenness, the cares of
this life. Eating and drinking, he said
that's what the Gentiles, that's all they think about. Things
that are higher, things that are nobler, these should have
lured us in. And the cares of this life, so
that that day come upon you unawares, for as a snare shall it come
on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. snare,
thereby Satan, the god of this world, has everybody entangled,
entrapped in it. And he snares. He says, watch,
therefore. How are you going to keep from
falling into these traps? Watch, therefore. In vain is
the net cast in the sight of a bird. We mount up on wings
of eagles, not to fall for his traps. Watch, have your eyes
up. We're not in darkness as others.
And pray always. Why? Because without him we can
do nothing. That ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things
that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man.
So these traps, these pits, Thank God, go back to Exodus, thank
God it is written to God's people, sin shall not have dominion over
you. Don't you love that passage?
Thank God it's written in Proverbs 24, a just man may fall seven
times, but he'll rise up again. Thank God it's written in Psalm
37, though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. The
Lord upholdeth or picks him up with his hand. Sadly, we fall
into temptation. Sadly, we sometimes get in a
pit of corruption. But the Lord said, He'll pull
us out every time. Every time. All that fall, He
upholdeth all that fall. Yes, he does. Lord, save me. All that fall and all that call.
Lord, save me. Deliver me from going down into
the pit. What's he say? What's he say
about those keeping from going into the pit? What's the answer?
I found a ransom. You see, and I'm getting way
ahead of myself, but our Lord came down here and became It
came down in this sinful world. Let me go back to Exodus 14.
This is good. Moses said in verse 13, Fear
not. Our Lord Jesus Christ kept saying
that over and over again. Stand still. See the salvation
of the Lord, which He will show you today. I hope He shows us
tonight. We already have. The Egyptians
whom you've seen today, you'll see them again no more forever.
The Lord shall fight for you. and you'll hold your pea. If
you're not, look at verse 21. Moses stretched out his hand
over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong
east wind. The waters were divided. Our
Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, stretched out His hands, and
they nailed His sinless, pure hands to the cross. And in doing
so, He separated He divided our sins from us as far as the east
is from the west. Like Moses. Look at verse 22. And the children of Israel went
into the midst of the sea upon dry ground. The waters were walled
unto them on their right hand, on their left hand. Dry land.
What's that? Christ, the solid rock. On Christ
the solid rock I stand. All other ground is what? Sinking
sand. The sands of this world are sinking.
The sands of time are sinking. Shifting. A shifting sand. You
can't build your house on this earth. It's trembling. The Lord's shaking it. He's going
to shake this earth, Scripture said. He's going to shake it
that only the things that cannot be shaken will remain. Dry land. We walk through. We
walk by faith. And our faith is on the foundation. Christ is solid rock. There is
no other foundation. Christ is solid rock. Waters
are a wall. The Lord held back these waters.
The Lord held back His wrath against His people in the Ark
of Noah, didn't He? Well, who bore that wrath? The
Ark did. Verse 26, so they, the Lord said
unto Moses, stretch out thine hand over the sea. And the waters
came again upon the Egyptian, their chariots and their horsemen.
And the wrath of God is going to fall on every single person
outside of Christ someday. And all our enemies will be vanquished. Scripture says. Drowned. Look at verse 29, the children
of Israel. They walked upon dry land amidst
the sea. The waters were a wall under
them. On their right hand, on their left. The Egyptians tried
to go through and they didn't make it. They were overcome. The waters represent this world. Look at Psalm 69 with me. Psalm 69. Now we're going to
get into this. Psalm 69. The waters are this
world. and everything in it. Do you
remember in the beginning when God created the heavens and the
earth? What does it say about the world? The earth. Waters. Covered with water. It's without
form. Void. Doesn't it? It says that darkness
was over the face of the water. But God created life, said He'd
let there be light. And He separated the dry land
from the water. Well, you know what? This world
is right back into darkness again. It's covered with iniquity and
sin. That's what he said to Noah right
before he destroyed the world by water, by flood. He said, the whole earth is corrupted
in my way. It's full of violence and iniquity
and filth. It's in darkness. Romans 1. It's
in darkness. We're not in darkness. Like there
in Exodus 14. He said they had a cloudy pillar
and a pillar of fire and children of Israel light in their dwellings
when it came between them and the world. The Egyptians were
in darkness, but not the children of Israel. They always had light.
How could you walk through the Red Sea? It was all night long.
You know, they're walking all night long. It wasn't in the
daytime. It was nighttime. How could they see where they're
going? Christ is our light. That's how. We walk by faith. We can't see
Him. Our word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
We walk by faith, not sight. And it's dry land. It's solid
rock. You won't sink. If you follow the advice and
the words of this world, you'll sink. If you follow our Lord. Look
at Psalm 69. What are these waters? Look at
Psalm 69. Save me, O God, for the waters
are coming to my soul. I sink in deep mire where there
is no standing. I am coming to deep waters where
the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying. Verse
4. They that hate me without a cause
are more than the hair of my head. Oh my. Look at verse 14. Deliver me out of the mire, let
me not sink. Let me be delivered from them
that hate me. And out of the deep waters, let
not the water flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow
me up. Let not the pit shut her mouth
upon me. Is that not your cry? Deliver me from this sinful world. Our Lord said, remember this
now, He said, when thou passest through the waters, They're not
overflowing you. Because I'm with you. All right? David wrote this. He wrote it
from his heart. Pleading with God to not let
him drown in sin and this world. Okay? But these are the words
of Christ on the cross. You know that? This is a messianic
song. And someone said, they all are.
But anyway. This is Christ's crime because
the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, why? To save us from
drowning in it. Save us from wrath. How'd He
do that? Christ took on the likeness of
sinful flesh without sin. He became a substitute for sin. Yet God laid on Him the iniquity
of us all. God even made Him, and this is
a mystery, made Him to be sin. So this is Christ crying here. He cried on the cross, my God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? David said, I've never seen
the righteous forsaken. And Christ was righteous and
he hung on that cross and said, my God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? To keep from forsaking us. He
who was righteous became sin for us, that we might be made
the righteous of God in him. How are we going to get through
this sinful world? Christ. One way. Being made sinful. Christ and Him crucified. Christ crucified. The Lord Jesus
Christ made sin. So this was His cry on the cross.
Psalm 42. Don't you love Psalm 42? It says
there, all thy waves and thy billows have flowed over me,
passed over me. Just like that ark of Noah bore
all the wrath, the flood and the rest, so did Christ on the
cross that we might pass through this world without sin, without
being overcome. Faith in Christ is the way over. The waters are everything in
this world. This is what the Lord said about
this world. All that is in the world. What did He say? All that is in the world. It's
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life. He said that's all there is in this world. Did it? That's
why I said love not the world or the things of the world. Because
all that's in the world, that's all it is. Now God made everything
beautiful. And He made man without sin.
But man sinned. And so this world became full
of it. And these things, the things
of the world, God gives us all things richly to enjoy, but he
says, set not your heart on them. Because these riches are somewhat
in the power of the God of this world to use to tempt people
with. Which Paul said, beware of them. Riches and pleasure, they drown
men in perdition. That's what I said. People are
just overcome by it. Consumed by it. And that's why
we read Luke 21. Beware now. Beware now. We're
passing through. Drown men. The waters. Revelation
12. This is not going to be a long
message at all. Revelation 12. Turn over there.
The waters. What are these waters? These
waters are people. People. Pharaoh and his people were after
the people of God. And that started back in the
garden, sister. Satan, he said, he tempted a woman. And the great whore is a woman.
And our Lord said to Eve, because you've done this, well, anyway,
said to to Eve and Satan, I'm going to put enmity between thy
seed and her seed. Because there's a seed of Satan,
his people, and then there's a seed of the woman of Christ
and his people, and they're enemies. We're not the enemy of the world.
The world is the enemy of His people. The Hebrews weren't causing
the Egyptians any problem, were they? Who hated who? The Egyptians hated the Hebrews. Why? Without a cause. Because
as He is, so are we in this world. Just for the truth's sake. Revelation
12. Do you know this story? And Catholicism says this is
Mary. No, it's not. I read a man recently
said this is Israel. No, it's not. This is the church. This is the church. It says this
woman, verse 3, a wonder in heaven, a great red dragon, seven head,
ten horns, seven crowns, his tail drew the third part of the
stars of heaven. That's when Satan was cast down
to the earth. was ready to be delivered, for to devour her
child as soon as it was born, she brought forth a man-child.
Christ was born in the midst of the church. I've exalted one
chosen from among the people, who ruled a nation with a rod
of iron, and her child was caught up unto God and to his throne.
That's Christ, isn't it? And the woman fled, verse 6,
into the wilderness where she had a place prepared of God.
We live in this wilderness. We're passing through it. What's
the place that God's prepared of? He said, there's a place
that I've chosen to put my name there. That's His church. That's where God's people meet,
where two or three are gathered together. That's where He promised
to be. There's war against them. They
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their
testimony. Israel's not overcoming anything. They don't even believe in the
blood of Christ. Right? They don't believe in Christ.
This is a church. They overcame by the blood of
the Lamb, but whoa, verse 12, under the inhabitants of the
earth and the sea, the devil's come down with great wrath. He
knows he has a short time. So he persecuted the woman, verse
13, the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might
fly into the wilderness in her plane. We did a whole message
on that. This is God's Word. Where she's
nourished for a time, time and a half, it tells us without detail. The serpent, here it is, verse
15, the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood. after the woman. That he might cause her to be
carried away of that blood. Now what is it that has just
flooded this world that comes from the mouth of Satan himself? Lies. False religion. Have you ever, Nancy and I were
talking about this, have you ever heard and seen the things
you're hearing and seeing today? There's no end to it. You can't
shut it off now. It's everywhere. Who's doing
this? The father of lies. He started
it in the garden, didn't he? Didn't he? God allowed it. But
anyway, just lies and deceptions through people. People. These are the waters of the world,
the people of the world, their pursuits, their wisdom, so-called,
which is foolishness. Their ways, their words, their
lies. Don't listen to them. Don't listen to them. So the waters represent All the
sin and evil and everything that's in this world represents the
people of this world and all the lies that Satan's telling
through them. Doesn't it just boggle your mind
what you're hearing out of people's minds? There's no censorship
now. You can say anything you want
to say. And they're doing it. And people
are swallowing it. Look at verse 16. And the earth
helped the woman. The earth helped the woman. The
earth opened her mouth and swallowed it all up. How does that help
the woman? Because whatever the world is
swallowing, we run from it. Do you hear me? Whatever the
world is following. We started that with Noah's Ark.
Can the majority be wrong? It always is. It always is. There is a way that seemeth right
to man. Mankind. End is what? Destruction. Wide is the gate,
broad is the way that leads to destruction. Many, most, follow,
go therein. Straight is the gate and narrow
is the way. Few there be that find it. Who
are the few? They're the chosen few. The elect. That God has
showed one way. And the world is casting out,
through Satan, the world is casting out this flood of lies and everybody
just swallowing it up. And God's people know whatever
they believe, I'm against. Whatever they're swallowing hook,
line, and sinker is a trap of Satan himself. Are you with me? Is that clear to you, Tom? It
helps us. It helps us. Can all these people
be wrong? And a few people will be right. Let's ask Noah. Let's ask Noah. When our Lord left this world,
do you know how many people were in that upper room? Do you know
how many thousands followed Him? And in the end, they were all
calling out for Him to be crucified. Do you know how many were in
that upper room? 120 people. So, the waters represent people
and what they're saying and doing. And the waters represent deep
trials and troubles that all of God's people go through. Psalm 107, let me just read this
to you. It says in Psalm 107, that all of God's people go through
deep waters. It says those that go down to
the sea and ship. These do business in deep waters. All of God's people know the
fellowship of Christ's sufferings. They all go through deep waters. These see the works of the Lord
and His wonders in the deep. He's the one that commandeth
and raises the stormy wind and lift up the waves thereof. They
mount up to the heaven. They're on the mountain one day,
they go down into the depths. Back in the pit, their soul is
melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger
like a drunken man, but at their wit's end, then they cry unto
the Lord in their trouble. He brings them out. That's what
you spoke on, didn't you, John? He makes a storm of calm. Folks,
the troubles and trials you're going through are the storm before
the calm. All of God's people go through
that. These waters. Deep waters. Deep
troubles. Deep trials. All go through it.
God ensures that they do. Because it tests their faith
and it proves Him. Job is the oldest book. Job went
through it all. All at once. All at the same
time. How could a man possibly endure
what he endured? All at the same time. One thing
right after the other. He lost all his possessions.
All his possessions he worked all his lifetime for. He lost
it all. He lost all his children. Ten
children. Did he love those children? Did
he love those children? Do you love your children? He
lost all of them at one time. Who did it? God did it. The Lord took his health away.
He had open running sores from the bottom of his feet to the
top of his head. Who did that? Do you have some
virus? God did it. Imagine, try to imagine that. His wife. mocked him and his
pain and his suffering. Why don't you just cuss God? Your religion is no good at all.
You still believe it's God? What did Job say? How did Job
say that? How did Job get through that?
He said, the Lord gave all this to me and the Lord took it all
away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He said, I came naked. I came from my mother's womb
and naked shall I return. It's certain I didn't bring anything
in and I'm not taking anything out with me. Blessed be the name
of the Lord. And all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly. How's that, Job? How can you
believe such? Because he said in chapter 14,
I know my Redeemer liveth. And He's going to stand on this
earth someday. He's going to redeem me. I'm
waiting on my change. We're going to go through the
fire. You got time? You got five minutes to go through the fire?
Daniel 3. He said, When you pass through
the waters, I'll be with you. Through the rivers, the rivers
of woe shall not thee overflow. When you walk through the fire,
you'll not be burned. The flame won't kindle upon you.
Not even the smell of smoke. You love the story of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego? Hananiah, Mashiach, and Azariah. That's their real name. They
bear God's name. Daniel. I can't find it. Where
is it? Daniel chapter 3. The easy way
to remember this is there are three men. It's chapter 3. Okay? Daniel chapter 3. When you pass
through the fire, you won't be burned. Peter said, If need be, you go through heaviness,
through fiery trials. And if it be, it need be, or
it wouldn't be. And who caused it? God did. Fiery
trial, thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine. What's
gold? Faith, though it be tried with fire, might be found under
praise, honor, and glory. That's gold. Nebuchadnezzar. Here he is, another powerful
ruler, Pharaoh, Satan. Made this big image and told
everybody all over the world to fall down and bow down to
this image. What is this image? Most believe
it was in his image. But it was the image of a man.
And what people worship all over this world is man. They worship
and serve the creature rather than the Creator. They worship
and bow down and extol and honor man's will, and man's works,
and man's worth, and man's attainment. Without God, they couldn't do
anything. And all the glory belongs to God. But they all came and
they all had a big, sounded like a Pentecostal meeting with the
cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, the psaltery, the
dulcimer, and all kind of music, and fell down and worshipped
this image, free will. Sounds like modern religion.
And Nebuchadnezzar put out this edict, this command, that everybody
is to bow down. And that's what the God of this
world have us do. He tested the Son of God, didn't
he? If you fall down and worship me, I'll give you all of this.
And that's what false religion promises that. It's Satan's in it. Health and
wealth gospel, that's the gospel of Satan. His seat is in the
middle of religion. Well, three men said, we're not
going to do it. Three Hebrew children. Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. Their names are Hananiah, Moshiel,
and Azariah. That's their true name. Their
names have the name of God in it, but these Persians gave them
a name that didn't mean anything. Hananiah, Moshiel, and Azariah.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said we're not going to do it.
Look down at verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered
and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we don't have to stop and even
think about it. We're not careful to answer thee
in this matter. He said, if you don't, verse 15, if you don't,
I'm going to throw you in a fiery furnace. They said, we don't have to stop
and think about it. Go ahead. We're not bound down. And they said, I love this verse.
He said, if you do, if it be so, our God whom we serve is
able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. If you throw us
in the furnace, it'll be all right. We'll get through it.
But if He doesn't deliver us out of it, we'll be through with
you. Didn't our Lord say, don't fear
them that kill the body, and after that, nothing more they
can do. If whatever happens to you, dear
sister, God's the doer of it. And if He kills you, it's not
bad. It's the best thing that ever
happened to you. Because there's nothing more that can be done
to you. And it's all good from there. No more bad. No more furnace. No more waters. No more troubles.
Peace. Why would we fear that? You should
fear Him. Don't fear them. Don't fear things. And these three men didn't. They
believed God. We're not going to bow down to
what everybody else is bowing down to. We're just not going
to do it. If we go through the furnace, we'll be alright. If He kills us, we'll be even
better. Well, how'd they make it? They heated that furnace seven
times hotter. Just laid on the fire. And they
threw them in with their clothes on. And then they came to look in
that furnace, verse 24, and Ebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose
up in haste, verse 24, and said to his counselor, didn't we cast
three men bound in the midst of the furnace? Wasn't there
three men we threw in there? The answer he said, it's true,
O king. He said, I see four men. Loose! They were bound and now they're
loose. walking in the midst of the fire. How can people go through what God
puts them through without losing their faith and confidence in
God? Because as we began this thing,
as God did, He said, I'll be with you. You can't do it alone. You can't make it. It will consume
you. These trials will consume you.
Right? I'm looking around this room
and people have gone through fiery trials, deep waters. How did you make it? It wasn't
your faith. It's the one you believe. Tim,
he said, I will be with me. Was he? Is he? There's more fiery
trials in front of that. The Scripture says of Abraham,
after these things, he thought that they were over. He thought
all the troubles were over. He said, no. He was 115 years
old. He had a boy that he loved dearly.
He dearly loved. He said, Abraham, We've been talking about love
father, mother, son or daughter more than me. And the greatest
trial of all that Abraham was going to do was Abraham, take
your son and sacrifice him to me. What does that represent? Christ. But it also represents
a man that believed God. He said, now I know you love me.
Now I know. So the promise is, and God can't
lie, when you pass through the waters, they'll not overflow
you. The rivers will not overflow
you. When you go through the furnace, the flame won't kindle. It won't burn you up. You're
wearing clothes that can't be burned. The righteousness of
Christ. And it won't even kindle. Those
three fellas came out of that furnace with not even a smell
of smoke on them. Not a hair singed. Not a hair
of their head was singed. And the children of Israel saw
every one of those Egyptians dead on the seashore. All their
enemies smitten. And our Lord said, our sins,
your sins are nicked. I'll remember no more. There's
not one drop of rain in that ark. There will not be one sin
held on the account of God's people. Not one. No mud, no muck,
dry land. They passed over. No smell of
smoke. All right, stand with me.