This year, God wants to re-ignite our passion for Him and for the life that He has given us. We’re journeying through a message series entitled, “Fire of God.”
We started with the two negative aspects of the fire of God learning how it can bring destruction as well as punishment for sin. We also learned about God’s refining process. When placed in the furnace of affliction and the pressure of life is turned up, God reveals both issues that need to be removed as well as the valuable and pure person that He created us to be.
As God reveals our sin, If we repent of it, which is confessing it to God and turning away from it in the future, God will forgive us and cleanse us of all of our unrighteousness. God is faithful! This begins to remove the dross from our lives that weighs us down and trips us up so often. This removes the dross that prevents us from reaching our full potential in life.
As God refines our lives, we are set apart, made holy. It’s nothing that we can do on our own. It is a work of God’s Holy Spirit within us. It’s not that we’re any better than anyone else, just that we’re then better than the person that we were before being refined.
We’re set free! Not only are we being set free for our own good, but also for the glory of God!
Our God is a consuming fire and His Holy Spirit within wants to set us ablaze so that our zeal and passion for living this life entrusted to us never grows dim. He wants us to be lights on a hill that cannot be hidden as we shine God’s glory into the lives of those around us. He wants us to be lighthouses drawing and guiding people to Him and His salvation and His living hope within this ever-darkening and wicked generation.
As the fire of the Holy Spirit burns away the dross in our lives, we are set free from shame and condemnation. Sure, we still have temptation and weaknesses, but our past sin is forgiven and no longer a part of who we now are. This gives us boldness and confidence before God. It transforms us!
Much like Isaiah who entered God’s Presence broken and ashamed, but with just a touch of the blazing coal taken from the altar before the Lord, his sin was atoned for, and his guilt was removed. Then, what Isaiah proclaimed changed. It changed from “Woe is me!” to “Send me, I’ll go!”
His brokenness was transformed into boldness and shame into confidence.
How many of us are still moping around miserable in life; discontent, dissatisfied, and feeling like a victim? We whine and complain right along with everyone else? What we say and how we speak is no different than those around us?
Like Isaiah, all that we need is a touch from the fire of God. All that we have to do to receive it is to approach Him and ask for it. God wants to burn all of that away and refine us from it so that we are set free and transformed from victims to victors in life!
When Isaiah walked away from that encounter with God, he still lived among unclean people with unclean lips. However, he was changed in the Presence of God! He now no longer spoke as they spoke. He had a message from God who wanted those people to gain understanding and turn back to God so that they might be healed. God was going to refine His people.
Sadly, most of those people continued on their path to reject God and only few were left and found faithful. They were going to cling to their misery instead of repenting of it. After God gave the word to proclaim to those people to Isaiah, he asked:
Isaiah 6:11-13
“For how long, Lord?”
And the Lord answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
This sounds like a really depressing word. What a call to ministry! From a worldly perspective, prosperous cities laying in ruins and deserted by everyone is not a success story. What God was doing was revealing a reality. A tenth of the people were actually His. The rest may have said that they were, but their actions didn’t match their words.
They were religious, but did not have a relationship with God. God described them this way:
Isaiah 29:13
The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
God was about to refine His people. God was about to rebuild a foundation. There may have only been a tenth of the people to work with. They may have just looked like stumps and not mighty oaks. However, they were exactly who and what God needed to work with.
When that holy seed grows and bears fruit and spreads, the refining is worth it!
It may only begin with a spark, but once the flames grow, they are unstoppable!
Countless thousands followed Jesus and His ministry from town to town, but in the end, there were only 120 left still seeking Him. It was enough to begin a world-wide movement that would endure until Jesus returns again!
It can be really hard for us to let go of things. None of us enjoy experiencing loss. However, if our focus is not on what we are losing, but what we will be gaining in its place, the loss is worth it. Our grief in loss is accompanied with hope of what is yet to come. What God has planned and prepared for us is far better than anything that we could lose in the process!
We are refined for a purpose.
As Lisa shared last week, less is more. God loves decluttering and rightly organizing our lives. If we’re honest, we’re not the biggest fans of it. Letting go is hard.
The refining process helps rid us of all of the things that are weighing us down and preventing us from filling our lives with the things that really matter. It removes sin and worldly things that leave us always needing more so that we can fill our lives with Kingdom things that satisfy us.
We are refined so that we can go further and deeper into God’s Presence. We are refined so that we can explore the riches and secrets of God’s Kingdom. As we are faithful with even the smallest of revelations of those Kingdom secrets, we are entrusted with more.
Jesus said:
Matthew 13:11-12 (NIV/NLT)
11 The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.
He also said that by this, the prophecy of (guess who) would be fulfilled. Isaiah!
And then Jesus quoted the prophecy of Isaiah that is fulfilled in this way.
Guess what He quoted.
The word that the Lord gave him to speak to the people!
We are refined so that we can seek out and be entrusted with the greatest treasure that exists!
This treasure affects every single part of our lives!
This treasure is the key to success in every area of life!
Job 28
1 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
11 They search the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”;
the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction and Death say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”
Scholars debate, but generally believe that the book of Job is the oldest book of the Bible written as far back as 2,000 BC. Yeah, mining is a really old and ancient profession. Regardless of what year BC this was written, it was obviously before electricity. So what were they using to see this underground treasure that they were seeking out? Fire.
Likewise, the refining fire of God purifies us so that we can boldly and confidently dwell in the Presence of God. Proverbs 1 tells us that this is fear of the Lord is just the beginning, though. It’s just turning over the shovel once and revealing what is hidden beneath the sod. However, there is far, far much more to explore!
We can go deeper and further into the Presence of God and explore the treasures of His Kingdom!
As this chapter reveals, there are treasures that not only far exceed the value and worth of anything found on or under the earth, but they also cannot be mined or found on the earth. They can only be found in the Lord.
Wisdom and understanding are the two treasures revealed here. These two treasures impact every single area of our lives. AND every area of our lives that we release them into is improved. Wisdom and understanding only make things better and you can NEVER have too much of them.
A little salt on our food draws out the good flavors hidden within those foods. However, too much salt drowns out those flavors so that all that we only taste salt. Wisdom and understanding are not like that. The more of them that we possess, they just continue to draw out good things.
If those are just the beginning, consider what other treasures and revelations await us! Paul told an interesting story about a guy who went on such an adventure.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know – God knows. 3 And I know that this man – whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows – 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
All of us know the feeling that we get when someone starts to tell us about something, but then changes their mind and chooses not to share it with you instead. It consumes you. You just have to know! What is it? What is being hidden from me? What could be so huge that it can’t even be shared?
We should have that same degree of passion in our pursuit of God. Jesus often spoke of how His Kingdom is like a treasure worthy of surrendering every earthly treasure to gain. Paul wrote to the church in Colossae:
Colossians 2:2-5
2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Mining the earth requires discipline and hard work and perseverance and hope. It is a dangerous and risky venture in every way. There is a chance of losing your life and ending it all in your pursuit. There is no guarantee that what will be found will be valuable enough to outweigh the high cost of mining for it.
Mining in God’s Kingdom also requires discipline, hard work, perseverance, and hope. It is even more dangerous ad risky than earthly mining. When we mine the earth, we may lose our lives. To mine in God’s kingdom, we must lose our lives; it is the beginning requirement. We must daily crucify our old selves. We must daily take up our cross to follow Jesus. We must surrender all that we are and hold nothing back. As Jesus said, we must lose our lives in order to find them.
It is encouraging and refreshing to sing, “I Surrender All.” It is hardcore to stop and think about and consider what it really means to surrender all. I surrender my emotions, my will, my opinions, my everything; ALL to Jesus. It is inspiring when someone stops singing about it and talking about it and thinking about it and actually does surrender all to Jesus.
THAT is the narrow gate and path that Jesus referred to that few find. Well, let’s rephrase that. THAT is the narrow gate and path that Jesus referred to that many find, but few are willing to follow.
However, for those who do, it comes with a guarantee of receiving what was promised. Living by faith and not by sight. That is when we get to begin the adventure of freely exploring God’s Kingdom mining for Heavenly Treasure that will never rust, spoil, or fade. Treasure that no one can ever steal away from us. Treasure worth more than anything of this earth.
Let’s stop talking about it and let’s go mine God’s Kingdom and search out the many treasures that await us! Jesus said:
Matthew 13:44-46
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.