A Prepared Walk

By Pastor Peter Linnecar

The foundation that God has made will result in things being done for his glory. This short story in the Old Testament about Jonah has so much in it that it could be placed in the New Testament. It's all to do with the power of God that can change a life. God's heart is for you and for me to come and be reconciled to him. There needs to be a change in an individual. It could be that you're in a Christian country, but you wouldn't say you were a Christian. You may have postponed your dealing with God. There are elements in this story that are completely relevant to you and me right now.

Jonah 1:1-3 (show/hide)

1 Now the word of the LORD came unto 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come up before me.

3 But so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

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Nineveh was an evil place. I'm not sure what the modern equivalent would be, but I suppose it was the red light district of any major city. It was also the capital city of Assyria, the enemy of Israel. Jonah knew that God was asking him to go to the very place where he thought the people needed the judgment of God. In his heart, as far as Nineveh was concerned, they were going to get what they deserved under the law, and there was no way they were going to change. When God told him to go to Nineveh, he could not bring himself to do what God said.

It's imperative that we are open to who God wants to reach in his mercy and love. We must not write anybody off. As far as Jonah ws concerned, in his heart there was prejudice, racism, everything against the people of Nineveh. In this book we can see something of God's heart and how he views people.

Isaiah 42:1-10 (show/hide)

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

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It wasn't just the Jewish nation, it was the Gentiles as well. He has a heart of love for mankind. He doesn't want us to be going nowhere, or to be gripped with sin inside. What God wants us to look at is something which will release you inside to be the person God wants you to be.

When Jonah was told to go to Nineveh, he knew that God's heart was to speak to the people of Nineveh, and he could not cope with it. It says that he went from the presence of the Lord; that's not a good thing to do. God sovereignly intervenes in people's lives. Jonah would rather have been a nobody in Tarshish than someone in God's ministry in Nineveh.

Do you know what God has spoken to you about? Are you pushing him away? Would you rather be a nobody?

Jonah 1:4-6 (show/hide)

4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

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Jonah thought that by going in the opposite way to God wanted, he could flee God's presence. What he didn't realise was that God by his spirit had spoken inside him, and he was taking that voice with him. It's not possible to hide from God, because his love is greater than you.

Psalm 89:9 (show/hide)

9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

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Matthew 8:23-27 (show/hide)

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

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God controls everything. He has the power to organise things so that he will get your attention because of his love for you. As far as Jonah was concerned, he thought that he was just sailing away from what God wanted. There was a niggle inside even yet.

Are you asleep, spiritually? Did you get involved with God at the start, but have now stepped back? It's not good for any of us to be going away from what God wants us to do.

Jonah thought that once he was on the ship, he would be on his way to Tarshish and as far away from God as possible. But he didn't know what God was going to do out of his love not only for Jonah but also for the people of Nineveh.

Jonah 1:5-10 (show/hide)

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon 8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

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He was open about the fact that he was running away from God. He thought he had done his bit in speaking to Jereboam, and that was it. When the lots were cast and sailor by sailor was eliminated, it narrowed down to Jonah. He knew that it was God who had nailed it.

Jonah 1:11-12 (show/hide)

11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

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Jonah didn't fully clock into the idea that he was going to fulfil God's will for him. He knew the only answer for these people was that he was thrown into the sea. He expected to die. He was prepared to die for the sailors in the ship because he wanted the ship to be saved. He knew the storm was because of him. He was prepared for them to be saved but he didn't want Nineveh to be saved. They were beyond being saved, in his mind.

We should never harbour things against someone or a group of people. We shouldn't resent people and think they should get what they deserve to get. That's not the way of God.

Jonah 1:13-15 (show/hide)

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

15 So they took up and the sea ceased from her raging.

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Sometimes the things in life that we experience is God trying to get our attention. He loves you. Sometimes we are so asleep and outside of things that it takes trials for God to get our attention.

When they threw him in the sea, they knew that was it.

Jonah 1:16 (show/hide)

16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

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Acts 27:22-25 (show/hide)

22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

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He was totally in communion with God. The storm was raging all around, but Paul related to the crew his faith in what God had told him. He knew that they would be safe.

What has God put his finger on in your life recently? Each one of us, if we look in the circumstances of life that we're in, behind them is a God of love and a God who communicates with us.

We need to reach out. When was the last time that you brought someone to church? God is changing our heart to reach out more than we have ever done before. For each person, we need to learn from the experience of Jonah. Stop running away from what you know is right. God has his hand on your life. What he wants to do is to reach through you to others. In our hearts, if we harbour bad attitudes towards people, we have blocked everything that God wants to do.

Ephesians 2:10 (show/hide)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

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Individually, and as a group, we need to be awake, alert and sensitive. Be open to people you work with. It could be that there is someone who needs the answer that you have in Jesus Christ. Are you open? Are you awake? Or are you in the depths of the ship being carried to goodness knows where? God has prepared good works for you and I to do. They are before ordained, that we should walk in them.

Have No Doubt (Part 2 of 2)

For many of us, this marks a time when God has brought us out of the old and into the new. He has made provision for us all through our lives, and now as we face our new circumstances, we can be confident of His continuing care and provision.

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We had a dedication just now. Many parents here can look back to a similar event. It’s good to remind children of the faithfulness of God.

Joshua 4:19-25

The stones were there as evidence of what God had done, taking the children of Israel out of the bondage of the Egyptians. They crossed Jordan because it was God’s purpose to take the land. The people in the land did not want God. It is of concern when someone does not want God. And sin is something which keeps you from God.

It was a case now of fulfilling the purposes of God in taking the land. They weren’t far from Jericho, and he could see the fortified city a little way away. Joshua could have opted simply to press forward. But God knew that something else had to be done first. In chapter five, God initiated some things to put things right. The siege of Jericho was to be postponed until later.

If you’re stirred up in your heart, it’s because God is trying to get hold of your heart, and He will. You may sit there mocking at what God is speaking about. But He loves you and your mocking is only a prelude to the time when you will embrace Jesus Christ as your saviour.

Joshua 5:1

The kings thought “We’d heard about the Red Sea, and now it’s Jordan. We thought with the death of Moses the threat had gone, but now Joshua has taken over.”

Joshua 5:2-6

Joshua 5:8-10

This thing had to happen so the children of Israel realised that Egypt had no place in them, and the reproach – the mockery – of Egypt was gone.

Exodus 32:12

That’s an example of what the Egyptians were saying. They hurled mockery at the children of Israel. “Call yourself a Christian? What about this? How can Christianity be true if these things happen?” There’s a spirit of mockery in the world. And the Egyptians hurled it at Israel – “They’re going into the wilderness, and they’ll be dead within a few years. Who can you trust? What is there to believe in?” And the mockery goes deeper, and as you feed on mockery it goes deeper until you get caught up in that spirit.”

“He’s taken them out of Egypt, but you wait. They’ll be dead in the wilderness.”
And here Joshua was able to report, “This day have I rolled the reproach of Egypt off you.”

Colossians 2:10-13

Egypt is the flesh, and by the operation of God – His faith in your heart – the sins of the flesh are forgiven, and the power of sin in your flesh is broken. Some people have the ability to pull down and destroy.
Sometimes I see people getting very stirred up and I know that deep down God is speaking to them. Outwardly they put on a front, but inwardly they know they have to sort things out.

“We’re at the start of the next stage, children of Israel.” In your patience posses your souls. God takes us, circumstance by circumstance and changes us from glory to glory. He initiates faith in our heart. He does that, and changes us from glory to glory until we see Him face to face.

Back in Joshua, there was something else which had to be put right before hostilities could commence.

Joshua 5:10

When they left Egypt, the blood was put round the doorway, and they ate the lamb. Only once in the 38 years since then had they done so again. And now they went back to it. It was as if they resumed where they left off. The youngsters would have heard of the Passover, but had never taken part in it.

Joshua 5:11-13

The circumstances of your life may have changed radically recently, and you can’t see how God will make provision for your life. But no matter what the circumstances, God is your provider. These people had been wandering in the wilderness, and for forty years God had provided manna, day after day. God kept them. And now we are the point where the manna ceases. They had taken of the Passover and eaten of the lamb, and would do so again every year from then on. The manna ceased, and they ate of the fruit of the land instead – a land flowing with milk and honey.

Are you going to defy God to bless you; or will you say that you know your God?
You can set yourself as though to be miserable, as though to defy God? Why? Because the enemy of your soul wants to you to be defiant. Are we afraid of Him? No. Whether it’s between husband and wife, or whether it’s someone who is leading their family and doesn’t know how things will work out.

Why set yourself like that? What’s the example to your children? “I used to find it easier to trust God, but in this circumstance I can’t.” Yes, you can.

God did fulfil His promises. He did, and He always will.
We’re looking back now at what Jesus Christ has done for each one of us in this room.

The people needed to know that the mockery, the reproach of Egypt, was gone forever. They needed to know that their new situation would prove the faithfulness of God. And God told Joshua that they needed to partake of the lamb. And as you do that, the manna will cease and you will eat of the fruit of the land. There is a sequence in God’s time, for everything.

He’s a God of love. He’s a righteous God. You can’t just mock God. He’s holy, and He’s real. Joshua now was on his own. He went up to look at Jericho.

Joshua 5:13

Joshua is on his own. He’s at a place where He doesn’t know how God will give it into their hands. It may that in the night, your thoughts are “I don’t know how this will work out.” You’re on your own. God specialises in making His presence real to you at exactly the right time.

Put yourself in Joshua’s place, because whatever you are looking ahead to, think of yourself like Joshua. He saw this person and didn’t know who he was, and asked whose side he was on. He didn’t get an answer.

Joshua 5:14

Strange. A man standing with his sword drawn, and yet there was no battle going on. Joshua wondered whose side he was on. “No – I’m come as captain as the host of the Lord am I come.” And look at the impact on Joshua – he fell on his face and worshiped.

Joshua 5:15

“Do you mean, in my life you’ve been there all the time?” “Yes, I do.” He’s been there all the time. He’s seen every thought, has been aware of every thought, and knows all about you.” And at the right time He comes and makes you aware that He is the provider and loves you.

One impact on Joshua would have been the realisation that this wasn’t his battle – he didn’t have a sword. But the man did. God had sorted it all out. And there is one who has gone before us and sorted it all out. He sorted out your sin, and He has sorted out how you will get through your circumstances.

Hebrews 2:9-11

How does God unmake things perfect through Christ? Via you. The sufferings of Christ are made perfect by the fact that many sons are being brought to glory. When Jesus died for sin, took your sin into Himself and was raised, the perfection of it was that He brought many sons to glory. His sufferings are made perfect through the Bride of Christ.

Hebrews 2:11

Hebrews 4:12

This Word of God is like a sword. This morning, it’s as though a sword is coming to your heart and life. Clarity is coming – different times for different people – over the fact that you are responsible to realise who He is: that He rewards those who diligently seek Him and is mighty. And yet you go around with a long face, willing people to trample on you. Quit you like a man. If anyone is caught up in mockery – and you know it’s crazy – quit you like a man.

Hebrews 4:13

That can be taken in two ways. He knows your situation and will make provision for you, and the trial of your faith is no more than that – you still have faith and at the end of the trial, your faith will be stronger. To another person, the knowledge that God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart makes them realise – you can’t mess around with God, you can’t sin and merely assume that He will forgive. A willfulness to think wrongly or to get involved with people who will make you go the wrong way ... you can’t con God.

Hebrews 4:14-17

Jesus is telling us He went through all the same things as us, yet without sinning. So when He died on the cross, it was a valid sacrifice. And now we’re in a situation where we look at the Passover Lamb. He didn’t sin, and so He had the right to be able to give His life as a sacrifice so that the power of sin could be broken, so that the penalty would be taken away. He conquered sin and then death. Why? Because He wants you to have His life inside you, to change on the inside. He wants you to realise that your future is no more sin, no more mocking, but an acceptance.

We dedicated Philippa that this might happen for her. When? Don’t know? But is He faithful? Yes.

“Dad, what is the meaning of these stones?” “There’s one for each tribe, and each one was put there so that you would remember what God did for us. That’s what God did.”

“There’s the cross and what Jesus did. The Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. It’s brilliant.” Why? Because without God in this world, we are of all men most miserable. Without Hi, our destiny is death and hell, eternity without Him.

“But you can’t tell me what to do.” I’m not. I’m simply pointing out that there comes a time in a life, as it did for Joshua, which confirms your destiny.”
Joshua’s destiny was to possess the land. Yours is to posses your soul. As you go forward

We’ve partaken of the Lamb. He’s cleaned us up. “I don’t need anyone to clean me up.” Anyone who says that knows deep down that they do. In God’s timing, everything is so wonderful. He is made perfect through bringing many sons to gory. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may find mercy and grace in time of need.

Is this a defeatist approach to life? Absolutely not. Jesus Christ has gone on before. The work has been done. We are following in the train of His triumph. So there is no reason to doubt. It doesn’t matter how old we are. I’m going forward in God. He’s forgiven me everything. He’s changed me inside, changed my thought life and made me clean. No one else can do that.

What’s your profession when it comes to Jesus Christ and who He is and what He means to you?

Have No Doubt (Part 1 of 2)

I want to talk about me and you possessing our souls. We are going to look at Joshua but I want to look at a few verses in the book of James.

James 1:1-5

The trying of your faith; the trying of my faith, tries patience, which is a fruit of the Spirit. And we need to let patience have her perfect work.

In other words, if there’s something that is coming across my path that is contrary or tests my faith, the best thing is to acknowledge that it’s a testing. It’s not something that I have an emotional reaction to in which I become destabilized. “Let patience have her perfect work”

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Luke 21:15-20

So there’s a sense in which in your Christian life and in my Christian life, the circumstances that come into my life are there. My reaction to those circumstances and what it will do in my life, I can determine. I can let patience have her perfect work. I can become more of a complete person in terms of my steadiness, my faith, that God has placed in me because he is the author of my faith, and causing my faith to grow as

I let each circumstance in my life. I want God to prove more and more to me his love for me. I’m not going to ignore or get round it.

In your patience, Jesus said, “possess ye your souls.” In the Old Testament the soul is portrayed in the same way that Joshua took possession in the world. We will see parallels here in our lives.

Deuteronomy 34:12

Joshua1:1-9

Categoric, clear as day, God put it in front of Joshua’s eyes: I will not fail you, don’t be dismayed, you are to possess the land and it will become yours. Whatever you do, Joshua, meditate on the law day and night; keep your focus.
We need to read the word of God.

I know there are some people tonight who are thinking that the way God brought you here, you know was true and yet somehow, this point in time, you’re asking yourself, what’s next? And some f you are in the position where you need God to speak to you. “Be strong and of good courage. Have I not commanded you, Joshua.”

You will see that God was at the centre of Joshua’s thinking and transmitted that to the people. “Whatever you want us to do, that’s what we’re going to do,” said Joshua.

“You will show me.”

Joshua 1:10-12

Joshua 3:1-4

“For ye have not passed this way heretofore.” That’s true of you and me. Not passed this way heretofore. Who has brought us thus far? God has. Who is leading us forward? God is. In your life, the provision that you need at this time, God will provide. It might not be in a way that you expect. I know that in your circumstance some of you want the answer now; he’s heard you. He has been patient with you and now, in the circumstance you are in, he knows that you have not passed this way heretofore.

Joshua 3:5-7

The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God in their midst. They were to follow after the ark.

Joshua 3:7-12

Joshua was careful to point out to the children of Israel, that the covenant represented the Lord God.We’re not talking about some whipper snapper, we’re talking about the Holy one, the one who created everything. “Keep your eyes on the ark of the covenant,” Joshua was saying.

Joshua 3:12-18

What did the priests do? They stood firm. The were standing holding up the ark of the covenant, the presence of God. In your life, in your trial that you’re facing, what God wants you to do is focus your attention on the one who has brought you thus far.And what he wants you to do is stand firm in your faith that he’s given you. He doesn’t want you to worry. He’s your loving heavenly father.

God will see you through the circumstance that you are in at this time. He is the creator God who has done everything, to make it possible for you to go forward in your circumstance. And the faith that you have by the end, you will realise, has given you more confidence in what he is doing. “I knew that God has put that faith in me and somehow I knew he was going to bring me through. That’s how he has given me the ability to share with others. That’s how he has shown me his love for me. It wasn’t the way I thought it would be, but he got me through. And the end result is that he got the glory. I know it was God that brough me through.”

Joshua 4:1-10

As far as Joshua was concerned, they were going to keep to God’s timing. They weren’t going to make something happen that wasn’t at the right stage.

Joshua 4:11-18

That river Jordan that you are facing tonight, God is your solution and God has made the way for you. Whether it’s financial or marital provision; whether it’s something for your children in some way, who are we trusting? God. What are we going to do? Let patience have her perfect work. What does that mean? We are facing things face on. We realise that God is working out his purposes which will only bring glory to him. He loves you and he has prepared the way for you. And as we’ll see on Sunday, as they went on after this point, it was as if they came face to face that they came to that sense readily of God’s provision and Jesus himself.

He was the fourth man in the fire and here, just in a few hours from the time that we were talking about Joshua, Jesus will appear.

Make Your Stand for God

Are you in a situation where you know you need to make a stand for righteousness? Then do it, knowing that the God who was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace is the same God who will be with you as you do.

We will be looking at a familiar story, but it is relevant to us here today. We’ve been skirting amongst the minor prophets. Daniel is a major prophet, who was active while they the children in Babylon.

Daniel 1:1-3

We’re in the time of Nebuchadnezzar in this extract.

Daniel 1:8

Daniel took a stand. He didn’t want to eat unclean meat. And he was with three companions.

Daniel 1:12-16

Daniel 1:19-22

There was a team of four people, and they made a stand. Instead of eating the unclean meat, they ate vegetables – and they thrived far more than the people who ate the king’s meat. And the king promoted them. They took a stand for what they believed to be right.

I’m talking to two types of people – the first, those who are facing a question as to whether they will take a stand for Jesus Christ; and the second, those who have taken a stand and find themselves in the thick of it.

Daniel 2:27-29

During this chapter, Daniel refers to what the dream is about. The image’s head was of fine gold, for instance. Daniel told him what the dream was and what it meant.

Daniel 2:47-50

We have a team of four who are standing for righteousness, who know their God. We have a prophet who leads them. Daniel was the only one who could reveal the dream and the interpretation.

But despite what Nebuchadnezzar said in chapter 2 we now see the events of Daniel 3.

Note that although Nebuchadnezzar recognised who God was, he didn’t say he was his God. You can be in a church, without knowing God.

Are you going to stand for truth or not? And if you are standing for truth, you aren’t on your own.

God has brought things to light, and He will bring us through. He is building His church in His way in His time.

Nebuchadnezzar’s image was made of gold and gold again, it was 90 feet tall:

Daniel 3:1-8

The Chaldeans were amongst those who had been unable to match Daniel’s ability. He knew his God and his God was the God.

Daniel 3:9-13

Nebuchadnezzar had identified who God was. He knew who Daniel’s God was. But He wasn’t Nebuchadnezzar’s God. And his reaction ...

Daniel 3:13-16

“You can’t kid me that you God will deliver you. I’m in control. I am a despot. There is nothing you can do against what I have commanded.”

Daniel 3:17-19

“We won’t try to make out something which isn’t true. We aren’t deceivers. You can throw us into the furnace, but our God will set us free. And even if He won’t, we will not bow down to the image you have set up.”

There was a resolve in those people to say no. They could have had excuses to act differently. “What’s the point of doing this? It’s only once, and we’re in a foreign country, so no one will see.” “We have to think of our lifestyle, of the gifts we’ve been given, of the fact that we have a position to maintain. Maybe it will affect our standing and the material benefits we’ve had.” “Everyone else is doing it, so who are we to be different? We only have to bow down once, and we can carry on as before.”

I know there is a situation that some of you are facing, where that backbone needs to be there. It might be at work, with your neighbour, with respect to someone else here, where you know you have to make a stand. What are the excuses going through your mind? You’ve tried the excuses, but now God is saying, “Come on. We’re at the situation where you have to make a stand.”

God is faithful, and you know inside through your conscience and the preaching of His word what’s right and wrong. It’s not right to sit here praising God if you have something against your brother or your sister. There are things you have to put right. You know it.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew they had to make a stand – not just for appearances, but in their heart they knew they had to make a stand, irrespective of the consequences.

“Our God can take us through the furnace, and even if He doesn’t, we will not bow down.” In the New Testament, it says Jesus set His face as a flint to go to Jerusalem for you and me – and that was the same resolve.

You say you’re a weak individual, but it doesn’t matter. God is inside you, and as I preach this, you’re setting it in the context of the situation you need to address, and inside you’re making that resolve and determining to stand.

Isaiah 43:1-7

As we’ll see in a minute, if God puts in you – as He does – that uncompromising, straight-down-the-line, not deceiving, resolve to make that stand, it doesn’t matter what the opposition might be doing, what they may be saying, what the situation is, make that stand. At your school, at your employment, whatever the situation, make that stand.

“But God does it all.” Yes – He does. He gives you the resolve to make that stand.

Daniel 3:18-24

You can’t get more hopeless than this. They were bound. They were dropped into a furnace heated seven times. Sometimes we get to the point where we think things can’t get worse. You’ve made your stand. You’re not better about your situation, but you can’t see a solution. You know you’ve been clear before God.

Daniel 3:24-26

John 16:33

We sing, “He is”, going through the books of the Bible. In Daniel, He is the fourth man in the fire. Heaven organises things so you have a revelation, in your situation in life, where you reach such a point that you literally cannot see a solution. In a sense you’re not even looking for a solution, because you’ve made your stand and know you are clear before God. Well, God delights to provide a solution when we aren’t even looking for it.

When Jesus hung on the Cross, He organised it for us when we didn’t know Him, and when He knew we would push Him away.

And for those of you who have made a stand and are at your wits’ end, God is saying, “I have a solution.” And even in the impossible circumstances of a fiery furnace, God is there in the middle.

Daniel 3:25-27

Coats speak of character. They were the same coming out as when they went in. There wasn’t even a smell of fire. When God saves an individual, He saves you clean. He divides your sins as far as the east is from the west. You come out clean. And when you make a stand for God, He knows. He’s been with you throughout the week and is with you now.

Daniel 3:28-31

You would have thought that Nebuchadnezzar would then have acknowledged in his heart who God was. But within a few days he was eating grass. It’s easy to say things. Words are cheap. It’s easy to say people are Pharisees. But what’s the reality of where you are in your heart? If you know you need to take a stand, be encouraged. You’re not being asked to do the impossible, to do something God hasn’t already prepared.

Philippians 2:12-14

You’re in the mainstream of God’s destiny for you life, in the centrality of His provision. It’s God working in you this morning. He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. This church is His. You’re His. And it’s God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

I wonder what Daniel thought. He wasn’t in the furnace. He would have seen what was going on, would have seen them put into the fire. He probably thought that henceforth he would be on His own. Maybe he knew what God was going to do. But I know when he saw the three come out, He knew His God was capable of doing what He did, and we have acknowledged God for who He is.

This morning, make that stand. And realise that God is there right in the midst of your situation, and He loves you. You can’t figure out a solution. He’s already done that. He’s already figured out the way forward for this church. He knows what He’s doing. It’s His church. He has the resolution figured out because of who He is.

I wonder if they talked with the fourth man in the fire. They were dancing together. Did they speak? What did they say?

You know in your heart of hearts, when God comes inside, you know when He’s speaking to you and you know He loves you. It’s a tremendous privilege to declare that Holy Ghost is more than interested in your life. He in inside you, pulsating as the creator God, who redeemed you and wants you to fulfil His purposes for your life, which is the greatest thing for you.