Spending Time In The Furnace
George Muller once said: “God likes to test the faith of His children in order to make them stronger so that they can eventually be winners! Yes, persecution, trials and tests, even sometimes suffering defeat, are spiritual food for our faith and helps us to grow into spiritual giants!”
Even God's own Son passed His test with flying colours and is our perfect example of obedience,…even in the most severe trials and tests!
This is what is said about Christ in Hebrews 5v8-9, “Even though Jesus was God's Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. In this way, God qualified Him as a perfect High Priest, and He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him.” (NLT).
“Should we expect anything less then?”
…and that’s what I want to talk about this morning,…spending time in the furnace of sufferings.
God says that we will go through trials and tests.
You know,…so often we forget that it’s tough to proclaim the Gospel,…- its tough extending the Kingdom of God,…- handle problems,…- heal the sick and free the sinner from bondages.
…and this is often very tiring.
…but if we just look at life in general,…It’s tough when the finances run out.
It’s tough when we have no job.
Its tough when we can’t send the kids to study further after school.
Its tough when the food on the table is running low.
Its tough when you have to deal with a life threatening illness all the time.
Its tough when a lifelong marriage breaks up.
That’s when life feels like it’s getting too much to handle sometimes.
That’s when we feel as if we’re in a race on foot against fast running horses.
“Ever felt like that?”
You just want to stop the world and get off.
…but that’s often part of the testing of our faith God says.
It’s often part of God’s way of building our character through hard times.
Here’s what God says about it in Romans 5v3-5, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” (NLT).
Look at the connection between our trials and tests and God’s love!
You know,…it only takes a short time on the educational ladder before a first grader realizes that testing is a normal part of life in school.
After three or four weeks,…they’re starting to get the hang of how life works in first grade.
A year or three later they have already experienced a full menu of tests: arithmetic, spelling, geography, etc.
As a result,…very young children are no longer surprised when they encounter a test or examination.
They have come to realize that tests are normal and expected as part of climbing the educational ladder.
…and for us its almost the same thing.
Our heavenly Father sees to it that every believer,…- whether they realize it or not,…- also has a ladder to climb,…but it is not the same ladder that we spoke of just now.
One of the primary ladders in the lives of believers is the character ladder.
In other words,…just as we ascended the educational ladder through various stages of schooling, designed to increase our knowledge,…God wants us to ascend His character ladder through various stages of learning,...so that we might be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Here’s how its described for us in 2 Corinthians 3v18, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” (NLT).
…and so God has a goal for each of His children.
He wants us to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ more and more!
The problem is that from our side,…it’s going to require massive changes!
It’s going to require that we go through the furnace.
Generally speaking,…the average five year old can't read,…can't write,…can't do maths, …can't understand quantum physics,…can't design computer software,…and can't understand our country's tax code.
…but the reason that we have children climbing the educational ladder over a long period of time,…is so that they might eventually be educated properly and can hold their own in society.
…and for us its very much the same as well.
Our heavenly Father wants us to emotionally and spiritually grow and develop to full maturity.
He does not desire for us to stay in the spiritual kindergarten.
He does not want us to stay on the same spiritual level we were at last year.
He wants to see us realize our potential in Christ.
That is why it is His desire to see us climbing the character ladder,…- for the higher we climb, …the more we become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ and to the calling of being a servant in His Kingdom here on earth..
Therefore, “Should we then ever be surprised that testing is such a major part in the believer's life?” …No,…
Thing is,…there are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity.
There are no fast-tracks to spiritual maturity.
…and God knows that we cannot continue to mature in Christ without our faith being tested on a regular basis.
That’s how God often is at work in our lives.
That's why some of us hearing these words are currently in tremendous pain and turmoil! From our perspective it may seem that things have never been this bad before in our lives. “Where is God in all this?”
“Has God forgotten all about us?”
“Has He abandoned us?”
It may seem that way in the middle of an arduous test.
…but No,…when things are bad,…it does not mean that God has stopped doing good.
It means that He is shifting things around to get them in place for more good.
If only we will go on loving Him.
The testing of our character and the maturing of our character through suffering is the process God often uses to get the character lines of Jesus more apparent in our lives.
It was the process God used in David’s life, Peter’s life and Paul's life,…and is still using today!
Here’s what is said about that testing in Psalm 11v4-5, “The LORD is sitting in his sacred temple on his throne in heaven. He knows everything we do because he sees us all. The LORD tests honest people,” (CEV).
Also James 1v2-4. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (NLT).
Also 1 Peter 1v6-7, “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (NLT).
In other words,…this theme permeates through Scripture.
…and that’s why we send our kids to school,…so that they can accumulate the knowledge, skill and expertise to be the best they can be in life,…and these skills are often accumulated through tests.
We parents send our kids to school,…because when they are born,…they are born without literary skills,…- so we send them off to school to be educated children,…- and by schooling them we believe they will eventually be transformed into someone who is literate and educated and who can handle the problems of life.
…and the same thing happens to us as well when God sends us through the school of suffering,…when He sends us into the furnace.
Therefore the trials and tests we go through are there to test and strengthen our faith,…to show that it is strong and pure.
It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.
…and if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials…then it will bring you
much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Well,…I came across an illustration that will explain it all to us.
In fact,…students who study Metallurgy 101, 201 and 301 can tell us all about it.
They get to understand the whole process of steel making.
Let me tell you about it the best I can.
I am no expert on this at all.
Steel making starts by first getting the iron out of the ore.
“How is that done?”
The iron ore (hematite) is placed in a furnace with limestone, together with coal in an atmosphere of oxygen.
Then heat is applied and everything is melted at 1500'C.
The pure iron flows to the bottom,…while the limestone acts as a catalyst and gathers all the impurities at the top which is called slag.
The iron is then tapped and cooled down in ingots of one cubic meter.
The process is quite expensive for it takes incredible heat (1500°C) to produce and the end product is called cast iron or pig iron.
Only now the process of steel making can follow.
This totally depends on the orders placed from the different companies needing different types of steel of course.
Steel is an alloy of pig iron,…where carbon and other special metal additives are required,…- is then added together with even more heat than in the process of pig iron making.
Steel is not only stronger than pig iron, but is also more flexible,…and can be shaped into and used in a various number of products.
Let's have a look at some of the different kinds of steel being produced.
We have tensile steel where a precise amount of extra carbon (up to 1,5%) is added to pig iron and heated up to 1650°C.
Then we have stainless steel where chromium is added to pig iron and heated up to 1890°C.
Then we have special hardened tungsten steel - where tungsten is added to pig iron and heated up to 3410°C.
…and finally we have special vanadium steel where vanadium and molybdenum are added to pig iron and heated up to 4800°C.
Now,…in order to understand why we have these different steels,…we need to know where they are normally applied and used.
Tensile steel is known for the tensile stress it can handle and is used in steel structures such as bridges etc.
Stainless steel is known for its anti-corrosive qualities and is used in corrosive areas where ordinary steel will rust away.
Tungsten steel is heat resistant and is used in the making of tools and drill bits.
Vanadium steel is known for its high temperature stability and is used in the teeth and blades of earth-moving equipment.
As heat is produced through friction,…the steel hardens even more and minimizes wear and tear!
Question is, “What would happen if we supply an inferior type of steel to the client?”
Or say, we don't apply the right type of steel to the required situation?”
Well,…if we use pig iron instead of tensile steel to build a bridge,…it will collapse during the first storm.
If we use tensile steel instead of stainless steel,…the petrol or milk tanker will rust and start leaking within the first month.
If we use stainless steal instead of tungsten steel,…we will not be able to build equipment that can press the necessary body parts for a car or drill a hole through steel.
If we use tungsten steel instead of vanadium steel,…the big earth moving equipment will break down within the first ten minutes of using them.
So even while we might be using steel,…unless it is the right steel for the right application in the right construction with the right construction plans,…we are going to have total failure!
God has a special –place for you to be like tensile steel or tungsten steel or stainless steel or vanadium steel.
But there is another interesting fact about steel making.
When one would examine the different types of iron and steel under the electron microscope,…it is interesting to note,…that the more precious the steel becomes,…the harder the steel becomes, the finer the grain - character - of the steel crystals becomes.
Pig iron as such has a coarse grain with big crystals.
At the other end of the scale we find,…that in case hardened steel where vanadium was added,…the grain of the crystals is very fine - not only giving it more strength,…but also has more flexibility with the quality to harden as it gets hotter.
In other words,…the higher the quality - character - of the steel,…the higher the temperature necessary to produce it and the more costly the steel becomes.
Needless to say there is no steel without fire and heat!
…and that’s how it works in our lives as well.
But of course there is another well-known steel that is still being made - the steel from Golgotha's Hill outside Jerusalem.
These are the people with a steel character - the spiritual steel - after the character of Jesus.
These are the men and women who bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
You see,…the Lord Jesus Christ is saving men and women and then makes and forms them after the image - character - of His Son through the fiery workings of His Spirit!
…and as there is a certain process required in making quality steel,…so is there also a certain process required in making a Godly men and women.
They are very similar,…and like the high tensile steel or stainless or vanadium or tungsten steel,…God desires to produce a strong, sure, and flexible character in the lives of His people,...but it means, God will have to take us to higher temperatures in the furnace,…and that’s sometimes very painful.
In other words,…just as is the case with steel,…this also involves tremendous heat and fire to melt His nature into ours so as to produce the right character.
In other words,…God wants to shape us into men and women who could be used in very specific situations for His glory.
This fusion of His and our natures,…specifically requires a process of fire and heat for a reason,…so that the impurities - sin, disobedience and unrighteousness - will come to the surface and be burnt away,...leaving a Godly character behind in us,…- one that has been separated unto the Lord!
…and just like the steel maker,…God also wants to prepare us for a specific goal,…a specific place,…specific conditions,…specific people,…and for all this our character needs to be changed by the Holy Spirit through the heat of adversity, so as to resemble that of His Son,…enabling us to do His will.
Remember fire was necessary to produce pig iron from raw iron ore,…and more heat was necessary to produce higher quality steel.
Maybe today you find yourself in the furnace of pain as your hopes and dreams are burned up before your eyes.
…but please remember this,…that your hardship is not by chance, but by a sovereign design.
God,…- who has created you,…- saved you and called you and has something very unique for you to do.
…but first He must purify you,…allowing the impurities that we’ve brought with us from our previous lives without Christ,…to come to the top where it can be skimmed away.
…and that can only occur in the heat and flames of adversity where the Holy Spirit can really purify us.
Therefore,…don’t think that all is lost if you find yourself in God’s furnace.
God is simply getting us ready to fulfill the specific purpose for which we were created.
Remember,…without this we would definitely not finish strong!
So then,…your ministry may be to build bridges in circumstances where ordinary iron would snap - hurtful relationships - then God will put you back in the furnace and add a little carbon so that you can fulfil your specific calling and restore relationships.
Your ministry may even be to operate under severe testing circumstances where ordinary tensile steel will just rust away - then God will put you in the furnace and add a little chromium so that you can fulfil your specific calling.
Your ministry may even be to open up new ministries where you would need exceptional tensile qualities - then God will put you back in the furnace and add tungsten so that you can break the powers of the evil one in people’s lives and fulfill your calling.
In your ministry you may be rejected by the world,…- sometimes even by the church,…- as God's servant and voice - ,…and where you can only rely on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide you in these adverse circumstances - then God will put you back in the furnace and add molybdenum and vanadium so that you will be able to carry on even when they ask you to leave and still fulfill your Godly calling.
Here’s what God says to us this morning in Isaiah 43v2, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (NLT).
…and in this whole process our character gets refined until it resembles the character of Jesus.
And here is the warning!
Our main problem is not being tested in God's furnace - He knows the order book and knows what type of quality is required for us to fit in and be a success – our maim problem is our handling of the testing that proves in some cases to be too much for us and we might react to the testing by rejecting the furnace experience!
“Why is it then that when God thinks we can do it,…we sometimes react and protest and bail out and accept something easier?”
When we accepted Christ into our lives,…the Bible takes it for granted that we have lost all our rights and privileges.
A man of God belongs to God!
God wants to remove the slag in the furnace.
Remember,…you will find no slag - impurities - in high quality steel!
Therefore we need to spend time in His furnace to get rid of all these impurities,…for God will also first work in us before He works through us.
I’ve gone through a few of these furnace experience already,…and I’m sure you have as well.
They’re not in our lives all the time,…but they appear in our lives from time to time.
Many times I thought that I was not going to make it.
I never thought I would make it through the furnace.
…but God wants to change our character to conform to His character by being in the furnace.
“Are you in the furnace of God this morning?”
Don’t leave this morning until someone has prayed with you and for you in your situation.
“If you know someone is going through the furnace of life,…won’t you just walk over to them and lay hands on them and pray for them?”
