return again in your bibles please
to the passage we read in the first verse of chapter 4. Lamentations
chapter 4 and verse 1. Lamentations chapter 4 and verse
1 reads, How is the gold become
dim? How is the most fine gold changed? stones of the sanctuary are poured
out in the top of every street the precious sons of zion comparable
to fine gold how are they esteemed as earthen pictures the works
of the hands of the potter how is the gold become dim how is
the most fine gold changed throughout the word of god we um we often
read of gold and gold is very much used in in the Scriptures,
particularly in the pictures we read of in the books of Moses
to do with the law and the priesthood and the offerings in the Holy
of Holies at the mercy seat. Gold is spoken of much there. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid
in gold. The mercy seat was made of gold. Aaron, a number of things that
he was dressed with in gold he had a gold crown on him and gold
is used in the scriptures in this respect and it is particularly
used to speak of the holiness of God and it is used as a picture
of the of the church as presenting how holy the church is and how
the church is separated unto God how it is a holy thing and
the gold which is spoken of in the Old Testament passages regarding
how the priest should dress and how the items within the worship
places should be covered in gold. They are made of gold because
they speak of the holiness of these things and the purity of
these things. We read in chapter one of Revelation,
Revelation in chapter one when John is given this revelation
of jesus christ to be sent to the churches we read in chapter
one there of the of the the seven golden candlesticks and he sees
he sees seven golden candlesticks and it says in chapter one and
verse 20 the mystery of the seven stars which are saurus in in
my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks the seven stars
are the angels or the messengers of the seven churches the seven
candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. So we
often have this picture of the churches and the church of God
being pictured by gold and it being a pure thing. If you turn
to exodus and chapter 39 we have this pointed out very very clearly
chapter 39 where he's speaking of the various breastplate, the
robe of the ephod, the coats, the various things which the
priest should should wear an errand the priest should wear
there. It says in chapter 39 and verse 30 and they made the
plate of the holy crown of pure gold and wrote upon it a writing
like to the engravings of a signet holiness to the lord and they
tied it they tied onto it a lace of blue to fasten it on high
upon the meter as the Lord commanded Moses. So they actually wrote
an engraving on this crown holiness to the Lord and this gold speaks
of the holiness which is seen in the things of God and in his
church. The church in God's eyes is a
holy and a pure thing separated unto himself It's a glorious
thing. There's a glorious picture throughout
the word of God of the church which he brings in and he brings
it in in his son. All the priesthood and the offerings
and the things which were done, which were instructed of Moses,
how the priest should dress, how they should make the tabernacle,
how they should make the mercy seat. the offering should be
offered up, how blood should be offered up, how the blood
should be taken into the holy of holies and sprinkled upon
the gold of the mercy seat. All these things speak to the
purity of God, the holiness of God and how God is a holy God
and how sin cannot come into his presence and how for a people
to be made acceptable under him, how a people could come and worship
before a pure and a perfect and a holy God that there must be
an offering for their sins and that offering must be through
the death of a sacrifice made for their sins and that that
sacrifice offered up the blood of it should be taken in into
the holy of holies into this pure perfect place in which no
sin may enter the priest had to take in blood and he had to
sprinkle that blood upon that mercy seat that gold perfect
pure holy picture of holiness that only thing that could come
upon that mercy seat would be blood and it was only when that
blood was sprinkled that God's wrath was propitiated against
the sins of the people and that there could be a entering in
into his presence and of course these things speak to us in type
and figure of the glorious work of that one sacrifice for sin
who would come that one offering offered up once and for all once
forever all the people of God that one offering for sin even
Jesus Christ. Yes Aaron the priest adorned
in much fine clothing with gold with gold breastplate and a gold
crown upon his head with that engraving holiness to the Lord. He was a picture and a type and
a figure of that priest who would come even the Lord Jesus Christ.
great high priest and that offering which that great high priest
even Christ would bring even his own blood. He would offer
himself up for his people by offering up his own blood in
their stead. By offering up his own blood
he would make a way into the Holy of Holies. Aaron went in
into a figure of the Holy of Holies upon the earth but the
Savior who was to come of whom he was a figure would come and
he would be offered up upon a tree, and be offered up in the place
of sinners, in the place of transgressors, and God would take him, and would
bruise and beat his own son, laying upon him the sins of his
own, and causing him to die in their stead. That he might offer
up his blood, and he might take that blood, having died, having
answered the justice of God against the sins of his people, he might
take that blood and go as it were into the Holy of Holies
in heaven. Having ascended, he would go into the Holy of Holies
and enter into that place where there's that mercy seat and he'd
sprinkle his own blood upon the mercy seat. That he might make
a people holy, that he might make them separate and pure and
perfect and bring a great company into the presence of Almighty
God. great company. And that company would be the
church, the church of the living God, whom God gave as a people
unto his son, whom his son offered himself up as a sacrifice for,
and whom the spirit brings in under the preaching of the gospel,
preaching that good news that a sacrifice has been offered,
that blood has been shed, that an offering acceptable unto the
justice and the wrath of God for their sins has been made.
that they might be able to be brought in and to be made pure
because of that blood which is shed for them. And that this
church should be seen as gold, as gold. Oh what a glorious picture of
purity, of preciousness, of holiness. When God looks upon his church
he looks upon his people that rebellious wayward dead vile
corrupt people that people who were once not his people that
people who once lived in the corruption of their own sins
that people who had gone afar off that people who had no thought
for their maker when he looks upon this people who despite
their sin despite their rebellion he chose and upon whom he set
his love, upon whom he fixed his love from eternity past and
everlasting love. When he looks upon this people
whom he loved and whom he loved so much that he gave his own
son for, when he looks upon that people he sees them in Christ,
he sees them as washed, he sees them as redeemed, he sees them
as clean, as pure, as precious he sees them as gold as gold
he looks upon his church and he sees it as gold as as precious
as his son is precious he loves that people as much as he loves
his son they're gold gold and he dwells in such a people. For he will only dwell in a place
which is holy and which is separate and which is perfect. He can't
dwell in wickedness. He will dwell in the company
whom he has perfected and whom he has purified and whom he has
washed from head to toe. He dwells in a holy place. his church is gold. I guess it says in 1 Peter chapter
1 verse 18 how is such a vile and such a corrupt such an evil
people no different to any other has gone off and astray as far
as any other people who have sinned as much as any other how
can such a people redeemed. How can such a people be brought
to be so pure? Peter tells us for as much as
you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things such
as silver and gold. We were not redeemed with the
natural things of this world. We weren't redeemed by paying
a price with the earth's money We weren't redeemed with works
or with the riches that are in this world but we were redeemed
with something far greater. We weren't redeemed with corruptible
things such as silver and gold from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers but we were redeemed with the
precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot. precious blood of Christ. Redeemed
the people. Redeemed the people who were
verily were foreordained before the foundation of the world.
Chosen in Christ foreordained before the foundation of this
world but manifest in these last times for you. Christ was manifest
as their Redeemer for them. by him do believe in God that
raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith
and hope might be in God. God redeemed a people with the
blood of his son, the blood of his son precious and pure. Gold is precious and pure as
a natural thing in this world but God didn't just give natural
gold to purify his people. He gave something greater than
the gold of this world. Gave even the blood of his own
son. By his own blood, by his own
blood, he redeemed the people. He slew his own son. He beat
him, he bruised him. He made him sin that they might
be made the righteousness of God. He cut him off that they
might be brought in. He struck him, he cast him out,
that they might be saved. A great price had to be saved
to save such a people. A redemption price had to be
saved. And that price was found in none
other place than his own son. There was only one price which
was good enough. Only one price which could pay
the price. There was a huge debt huge debt
of sin mounted up and that debt had to be paid and only the blood
of a sacrifice acceptable could pay it and only the blood of
his own son was acceptable and christ redeemed his people with
his own blood and he made them pure for as hebrews says in chapter
9 of hebrews verse 11 but Christ being an
high priest of good things to come Aaron typified him but Christ
is that great high priest and high priest of good things to
come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands
that is to say not of this building neither by the blood of goats
and calves but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy
place having obtained eternal redemption for us the blood of
bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean
sanctify after the purifying of the flesh how much more shall
the blood of christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself
without spot to god purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living god for this cause he is the mediator of the
new testament that by means of death for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament they which
are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Oh what a sacrifice and what
an offering. Those transgressions under the
old testament under the old covenant against the law Christ came as
the mediator of the new testament that he might take them away
he might bring in a new testament that he might fulfill it by by
his own death and that having brought in that fulfillment of
the new testament by dying in his people's stead the inheritance
of that testament might be theirs and those who were just filth
and vile and base and sinful might be made pure and might
be made gold. what a glorious picture this
gold is not just natural gold but in God's eyes we're seen
as it were of what gold typifies we're seen as pure and perfect
and holy in his son washed in his blood not a blemish left
every blemish every transgression every sin every spot and wrinkle
has been washed away Oh the church is gold, it's pure, it's pure. And oh what love is seen, that
God loved that church so much that he gave his son, that he
might wash it and make it holy. What a holy thing the blood of
the Son of God is, what a holy thing. What perfection it brings
in. And we should never lose sight
of what he's done. make us pure and perfect if we're
his before him. Oh it's a glorious truth the
gold. The precious sons of zion comparable to fine gold our passage
says. Oh all who are saved by God's
grace sons of zion chosen in Christ from all eternity saved
at the cross washed by his blood brought to faith by the spirit
Born again by God the Spirit, made sons and daughters of Zion. They're comparable to fine gold.
But our text tells another tale. That's what we are in Christ,
gold. That's what the church is, gold. But our book we're considering
is a book of lamentations. As Jeremiah looks upon the professing
people of God of his day, upon his own heart and upon others. He looks upon that which should
be thought of as gold. He looks upon the priesthood.
He looks upon that outward gold. He looks upon the tabernacle.
He looks upon those Levitical priests. He looks upon the holy
things. These outward pictures of gold
and he sees anything but gold. they had the pictures and the
form they had the outward gold they had the priesthood they
had the form these things should have pointed to that which was
pure but the conduct and the worship and the hearts of the
people was anything but gold and he cries out with this lament
how is the gold become dim how is the most fine gold changed
stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.
There's so much dross, so much dross. He sees the people who
worship in vain, the people who come before God with their lips
when their hearts are far from him. He sees that few come to
the solemn feasts, that his apathy has come in, that the worship
of God is treated as an optional, a light, an unimportant thing. Many don't come. Those that do
come, come with their hearts far from God. They come for the
motions. They come into his presence with
their hearts set upon worldly and fleshly things. And there's
this dross and this filth and this varnish. And though they've
got this form, the gold isn't seen. And whether the gold is
there or not, whether there's true believers there or not,
it's become so dim. It's become so dim. How has the
gold become dim? The children come, those that
should be fed, those that should hear the truth of the Lord God,
those that should hear the gospel. And those that should feed them,
give them no food. The young children's are spread,
and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed delicately
are desolate in the streets. They that were brought up in
scarlet embrace dunghills. Oh, what a horrible scene. The
gold has become dim. it's the same in our own days
friends, it's the same in our own days. We can look upon professing
Christendom all around us, that which should be gold, that which
professes to be the church of the living God in our day and
it's become dim. We've seen what the gold is,
the gold is this purity, this holiness which is seen in Jesus
Christ and in his blood shed for sinners. gold is that glorious
message of the gospel of his salvation, the message of Christ
and him crucified, of a glorious gospel of that glorious precious
blood of Jesus Christ shed for his own, that blood which has
washed them from head to toe, of what a glorious message this
gold of the gospel is, how it should be sounded out in every
place of worship that God has done a perfect and a wonderful
work upon the earth that he has a company whom he has chosen
he has a sacrifice that he has made to save them that he has
sent forth his son to save such a people and that he has offered
up a one offering for sin forever he has done everything necessary
to save and to bring this people in and to bring them out of darkness
into light to bring them out of death into everlasting life
to take that which was filth and which was dross and which
was basin to make it gold, to make it holy. And he has chosen
to meet with sinners in such a place where the gospel is proclaimed
and to dwell in the hearts of those in whom his spirit dwells,
those whom he has quickened unto life unto such a gospel. He meets
in their hearts, he gathers them into one place and he is worshipped
in such a place where he meets and where the gospel is proclaimed.
He has a message of such a such a gospel, such gold. He proclaims
how his church is built by him, how Christ builds his church,
and how this church is pure gold. This is his message, this is
the church, and yet as we look upon that which professes to
be this church, that up and down the nation, that around this
world, so many places that profess to be such a church, that take
his name and take the things of God, where's the gold? where is the gold? there's so
much dross you just can't see the gold it's so dim where's
the gospel? where's this message of this
precious blood shed to wash sinners from head to toe to wash the
sons of zion that they might be comparable to fine gold? where's the message gone? many things are said and done
in God's name many things are put in the place of the worship
of God many come to worship but there's no gospel and there's
no gold and the gold isn't seen it's become dim and the precious
blood of Christ that blood which takes this company this people
and makes them pure it is as it were counted as a common thing
as a something to which men have become apathetic and they've
substituted the preaching of christ and his gospel of christ
and him crucified with anything and everything but the gospel
doesn't matter what name it comes under doesn't matter how it's
packaged up if that message of the precious blood of christ
of a particular redemption a blood of blood that washes all those
whom God gave the Son that washes them pure if that message is
set aside slightly if it is obscured if it is dimmed if it is altered
if it is hidden then the gold is dimmed and the gold doesn't
shine and the pure fine gold is no longer seen pure fine gold is hidden it's
covered in dross how the pure gold has become dim and surely
we see that it doesn't matter what name people might give it
they can wrap this gospel up in so many errors it might come
under the guise of antinomianism it might come under the guise
of legalism under the guise of liberalism antinomianism arminianism
fullerism Amiraldianism it comes under many guises and many fashions
but what is common to all is that the message of the free
grace of God the message of the precious blood of Christ is obscured
and the gold is dimmed and the people are scattered but the writer of the Hebrews
has a solemn warning to those who would dim the gold and who
would bring into the worship of God unholy and common things,
who would turn to the world around us and bring in worldly things
into the worship, who would bring the music and the thoughts of
this world, who would turn aside from the pure gold of the gospel
and make it a common thing, who would make the blood of the covenant
a common thing. He says in Hebrews 10 and 29
of how much sore a punishment suppose ye shall he be thought
worthy who have trodden underfoot the son of god and have counted
the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified and unholy
a common thing and have done despite to the spirit of grace
of how much sore a punishment suppose ye shall he be thought
worthy and that's the state into which much the church that professes
to be the church that in which once the people of God the sons
of Zion were gathered those who could be counted as pure gold
they were gathered and the gospel was preached now they're scattered
now they're put out of the churches because their message that they
rejoice in is not welcome and another message is brought in
and the gold is dimmed and this is this is the sort of lament
that that Jeremiah has here in his day and it's equally true
of our day. The stones of the sanctuary,
those who are the redeemed of God are poured out in the top
of the streets. They're pushed out, the enemy
has come in like a flood. Other prophets have come in and
they bring another message, another gospel, another Jesus. And those
who love the truth of God are pushed out. The precious sons
of Zion comparable to fine gold, they're esteemed as urban pictures.
The children who come, those who would come to hear the gospel,
who want food, they come and they're left hungry. They come
to worship, they come to feed on the word of God and they're
left hungry because they're given chaff and they're because they're
given dross. And all through this passage
we read of these sort of things, the hunger of the people and
there's no food and the gold has become dim. the gold isn't
doesn't just become dim in that in those professing churches
which have turned aside to error and in those places where the
true believers are scattered and they're pushed out and they
become isolated and there's two or three perhaps in this meeting
and two or three go out and they don't know where to go and there's
a few here and there's a few there and the brightness of that
gathered company the brightness of that holy gathered company
under the purity of the gospel is dimmed It's not just in the
collective sense, but the gold which is in us can so easily
become dimmed. If we're the sons of Zion, if
we're the sons of Zion, that which is the work of God in us
is to bring forth the life of God in the heart of man, where
the Spirit comes to indwell his people, where Christ dwells in
his people by his Spirit. And there's this new life within,
there's this inner life born of the spirit and it's gold
because it's of God it's not of our doing it's not of our
work and it's that which God brings forth by the preaching
of his word where he preaches the word and the spirit quickens
under life and the spirit comes to indwell his people and it's
gold but that gold is found in urban pictures there's nothing
in us in the outward sense that marks us out as any different
to our fellow man we're all made of clay, we're all made of dust
and we're all earthen and we've all got this flesh and God does
a work in us to bring us to faith and he puts within our hearts
pure gold Christ dwells in us and he dwells in holiness but
there's so much flesh in us and there's so much sin in us and
so often that gold is dim So often it's dimmed and we lament
over it. We love the things of God but
the flesh wars against the spirit and it causes us to fall, causes
us to stumble. So easily the flesh rises up
and we become taken up by the things of this world. So easily
the flesh wars against the spirit and it hides the work of God
as it were in us. so easily the fruit of the flesh
is seen our impatience our worldliness our selfishness our anger our
grumbling our complaining our seeking after this world's pleasures
and this world's things we look after we seek for ease our bringing
our carnal mind to the things of God our carnal mind to the
scriptures our carnal mind to our circumstances We reason and
we think this has happened and that has happened and we try
to put things right by our own strength. We try to do this and
we try to do that. And there's all this dross. And
there's all this dross in us that bubbles up to the surface
and the gold becomes dim. Becomes dim. How is the gold become dim? How
is the most fine gold changed? God comes and he does a work.
He comes and he saves us. He comes and he preaches the
message of redemption. He points us to Calvary's cross.
He points us to the one who saved us. And for a time we're taken
up, our love is kindled to the saviour who died in our stead.
This spirit does such a mighty work in our hearts and we're
full of praise, we're full of worship. But then the cares of
this world come and that which has sprung up, that seed as it
were, which grows up into a plant, it becomes, things of this world
come and they try to chew at it the weeds wrap around our
legs and they pull away and the dross comes in and the flesh
comes in and that which once burned strong that love which
burns strong it grows cold and the hardness of the way and the
few of number that would meet with us and the trials and the
temptations that come it becomes dim the goal becomes dim and
here's the lament of jeremiah But it's still gold. And that
which is the work of God does not fail. It doesn't matter how
much dross is there, it's still gold. If we're born again of
God by the Spirit, that gold never goes. It's always there
because it's not of us. And the same which is true in
us is true in the church, is if God has sent forth his gospel,
if he saved the people, they're still his. And though some places
may cease to preach the gospel, he still has his people. And
he may raise up the gospel where they are again, or he may bring
them out and gather them into another place. But he loses none
of his own. He loses none of that which is
gold. And he will work his purposes out. But why does he allow this
gold to become dim? Why does it become dim? Well,
there's nothing that is robbed of our God. is nothing which
is outside of his providence. He rules over all and this pathway
is not one of which he is being thwarted. It is not as it were
that the world assaults that which he has done and tries to
cover it up and tries to dim the gold and the world gains
in the battle a bit and God fights back and makes the gold shine
a bit and then the world comes again and God is struggling to
make the gold shine. No, God is provident God is behind
all providence. God is almighty and over all
and there is nothing that happens to his church which is not of
his doing. He allows the gold to become
dim because he's working his purposes out. He will have his
gold to become tried. He will try the gold in the fire
and he will do his work in such a way that he will show to his
people and show to all people that the work is not of man and
it's not of man's doing and it is not of man's sustaining and
it is not of man's perfecting but the work is all God's from
start to finish. What he begins he completes. He puts gold in the hearts of
his people and he will purify it. He will burn the dross off
and he will bring it forth a refiner he finds gold in the fire he
will try that gold in the fire and he may have to keep putting
that gold back in the fire he might bring it out and it shines
and then it becomes dim again and you'll put it back in and
he'll bring it out and he'll put it back in but all the time
he does the work because he will make it shine forth as gold and
all the time he's glorified as he makes it shine forth as a
holy and a pure thing All the time our flesh was against it,
but all the time God will bring us forth as gold. God does it. He's the purifier. If we were
to look through the passages that we have read in recent weeks
in Lamentations, you only need to look through chapters 2, chapter
3, and how often you will read the word, the Lord did, the Lord
did. Chapter 2, verse 1. How doth
the Lord cover the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger?
chapter verse 2 the lord have swallowed up all the habitations
of jacob the lord does it the lord does it verse 7 the lord
have cast off his altar verse 8 the lord of purpose to destroy
the wall of the daughter of zion he has stretched out a lion he
have not withdrawn his hand from destroying verse 17 the lord
have done that which he had devised he have fulfilled his word that
he had commanded in the days of old he does the work he does
the work verse 20 behold oh lord we reply why does he do this
work because he will purify he will put that which he has brought
forth and he will put that gold back into the fire and he will
burn off the dross and he will put it back into the fire to
bring her forth as pure And the people will cry out, as it says
in verse 20, Behold, O Lord, and consider to whom thou hast
done this. Shall the women eat their fruits
and children of a span long? Shall the priests and the prophet
be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? But the Lord does it. And in
chapter 4, as we've been reading, chapter 4 and verse 11 we read,
The Lord hath accomplished his fury. It doesn't go on forever. takes
this gold and he puts it in the fire he'll try it by fire and
he pours his fury upon it to burn off the dross but it says
the lord have accomplished his fury he have poured out his fierce
anger and he have kindled a fire in zion a fire and it have devoured
the foundations thereof but he'll burn up that dross he'll burn
it up that he might bring forth the gold again in one peter We've
read in 1 Peter of how we're not redeemed by corruptible things
but by the blood of Christ. By the blood of Christ. And by
that blood his people are purified. They're purified. But 1 Peter
talks about their faith. And he says in verse 7 that the
trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth though it be tried with fire. might be found under
praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Oh yes he'll try that faith and he'll bring it forth as gold.
Revelations 3 18 says I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that
thou mayest be clothed that the shame of thy nakedness do not
appear and the night thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest
see. Oh as people they may go through fire but he'll bring
them forth pure. He wants gold tried in the fire. Zechariah again says, and I will
bring the third part through the fire. God does it, but he
brings his people through. And we'll refine them as silver
is refined and we'll try them as gold is tried. They shall
call on my name and I will hear them. I will say it is my people
and they shall say, the Lord is my God. We'll try them in
fire. and it's not easy you know it's
not easy it's hard it's hard to be tried in the fire we don't
like it we don't like to feel like it's coming we don't like
it when it's there but oh lord it oh friends it does us good
because that dross needs to go and the great hope for the believer
is that this is god's doing he does it for our good and he doesn't
leave us alone because that gold which is in us is Christ and
when we're put through put through the fire he's with us Christ
is with us it doesn't matter what we go through doesn't matter
what we're brought to suffer doesn't matter what waters we
have to wade through or what fires we have to go through he's
with us for Isaiah 43 says 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 burnt. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel.
thy Saviour, I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Cebu
for thee, since thou was precious in my sight and has been honourable,
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 am with thee. Yes, we'll be
brought through the fire. Yes, we'll be tried. Yes, the
dross will be burnt away. yes the Lord will do this but
he's with us and we won't be consumed and the fire may burn
up the flesh it may be hard to the flesh but that's a good thing
let it be burnt up let us be brought forth as gold we have
a wonderful picture in the prophecy of Daniel where we read of the
fiery furnace a well-known tale such an encouraging one where
Nebuchadnezzar's fury was against those who wouldn't bow down as
he had commanded to their gods and where Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace and one would expect
them to be destroyed in an instant. But oh what a tale we read of
here, what a comfort we read of in this passage. In Daniel
3 birth 13 Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded that
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be brought forth and they brought
them before the king and he said is it true that you you do not
serve my gods nor worship the golden image which I have set
up if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the
cornet flute and so on you fall down and worship the image which
I have made well but if you worship not you should be cast into the
midst of a fiery furnace And who is that God that shall deliver
you out of my hands? So he puts this before them either
you worship my God or you'll be thrown into a furnace and
no one can deliver you from that he said. What sort of God is
going to save you from that he mocks them. But they say unto
him we're not careful to answer thee in this manner so if it
be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand O King but
if not be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve
thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
So in his rage he has them thrown into the fiery furnace and there they were thrown and
then these men were bound in the coats and hosen and their
hats and other garments and were cast into the midst of the furnace
and it was exceeding hot the flame of the fire slew those
men that threw them in and these men fell into the midst of the
furnace but then the king was astonished and rose up in haste
and spake and said unto his counselors did did not we cast these men
into the fire and they said true okay and he answered and said
lo I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire and
they have no hurt and the former the fourth is like the son of
god and he brought the three men forth and they saw that upon
their bodies the fire had no power nor was a hair of their
head singed neither were their coats changed nor the smell of
the fire had passed upon them there was a fourth man with them
in the fire like unto the Son of God and they were not consumed
and when we're brought into the fire though it hurt though it
try us we will not be consumed as Lamentations 4.22 tells us
Lord might put us through the fire for a time but it's for
a time and when he's done what he will when he sent that punishment
upon our iniquities for we bring it upon ourselves we deserve
it our flesh deserves it but when he's done that which he
will he says the punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished
O daughter of Zion it's accomplished Jeremiah could cry out of the
dungeon chapter 3 verse 55 he said I cried out of the dungeon
out of the low dungeon and thou hast heard my voice thou hast
heard my voice and the Lord says fear not fear not O Lord thou
hast pleased the causes of my soul thou hast redeemed my life
thou hast seen my wrong Thou hast redeemed my life. We may
be in the dungeon for a time. We may be put in the fire for
a time. But there's one with us. One who went through greater
fires than we will ever go through. One who suffered more than we
will ever suffer. One who suffered under the wrath
of God against the sins of his people. That he might make them
pure. Make them gold. Though they might
be brought through the fires. they will be brought forth as
gold. Brought forth as gold, and to what end? To be brought
into a glorious and everlasting place. Oh, to that great hope
of which we read in the end of Revelation. Revelation chapter
21, we read of a great hope. We read there of gold. He carried
me away into a high mountain and showed me that great city,
the holy Jerusalem. picture of the church of the
of gold descending out of heaven having the glory of god her light
was like unto a stone most precious even a jasper stone clear as
crystal she had great walls 12 gates names written there on
the names of the 12 tribes of the children of israel three
gates on one side three gates on another and the wall of the
city had 12 foundations and in them the names of the 12 apostles
of the land And he that talked with me had a golden reed to
measure the city and the gates thereof and the wall thereof.
And he measured the walls thereof. And the building of the wall
of it was of jasper. The city was pure gold like unto
clear glass. The foundation of the wall of
the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.
And the 12 gates were 12 pearls. The streets of the city was pure
gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein,
for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine
in it, for the glory of God did lighten it. And the Lamb is the
light thereof, and the nations of them which are saved shall
walk in the light of it. And the kings of the earth did
bring the glory and honour unto it. the gates of it shall not
be shut at all by day for there shall be no night there and they
shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it and there
shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth for it's
pure gold neither whatsoever work if it abomination or make
if a lie but they which are written in the lamb's book of life the
city is gold and god's people are gold and he may put them
through the fires now but he'll bring them forth pure, and he'll
bring them forth to that one city of God to which we have
as our great eternal hope, where there's nothing that stifles
it, and all that are in it are they which are written in the
Lamb's book of life, chosen unto salvation, redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ, a holy thing, a pure thing. Him who gave himself. for them, that he might make
them pure and holy, and bring them unto everlasting glory.
Amen.