Fiery Trials the Wayfarer 11/4/16
Fiery Trials
11/4/16
11/4/16
1 Peter 4:12-14
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that,
when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit
of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but
on your part he is glorified.
Peter, that staunch rock upon whom
Christ said He would build the church, wrote as though writing the headlines of
the day in which we now live, a time of fiery trial of that very church, a
trial of each individual within the body of that church, predestined for the
process of purification just as the necessity for the smelting and purification
process of fining precious metal to separate gold from the accompanying dross
that would devalue it in the eyes of the purchaser.
Revelation 3:14-22
King James Version (KJV)
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of
God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue
thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked:
18 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, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as
I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
Gold is purified through a fining
process, a process in which the dross is removed after floating to the top to
be discarded, worthless impurities removed in order to make what remains of the
quality acceptable to the refiner.
That fining process began for the
church the day of the crucifixion and continues today, with the heat increasing
to the point of burning away the smallest of those impurities that will occur
at the end of the process on Christ’s return.
Gold must be subjected to this
process, melted, separated from the dross, yet throughout the process, remaining
gold despite its liquid state that becomes all the more precious once
solidified again.
The dross that floats to the top also
solidifies, that solidity allowing it to be seen, its lack of usefulness apparent
as the substance crystalizes and crumbles eventually to worthless dust fit only
to be discarded.
The gold has no fear of the fining
process, simply undergoing the process that it is subjected to, drop by drop
eventually bonding to the others of its kind until formed into bars for further
use as it is remade into coins, precious jewelry, chains to hold that jewelry
enhanced by the jeweler with the addition of valuable stones such as diamonds,
each of those stones undergoing its own process to increase the value of the
finished product.
So too must the individuals that
comprise the church undergo that refining process, as the dross is removed and
each facet of value is cut while the dross is removed.
That process begins with the removal
of the dross that devalues each portion of the gold that remains behind, the
sin that once removed allows the true value of each individual to be seen by
the Refiner.
Gold, once refined, clings to gold,
dross clinging loosely to dross!
Unlike gold, which has no choice in
the fining process, the individual has and makes choices of what is to be clung
to, those choices determining the final value, whether that of pure gold, or
that of impure and crumbling dust.
As Jesus told John in the dictation
of all seven of the letters to the churches, the Finer knows where the dross
lies and where the gold lies, the separation of the gold from the dross is
inevitable, just as is the separation of wheat from chaff on the threshing
floor spoken of by John the Baptist.
Matthew
3:10-12
King James Version (KJV)
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every
tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after
me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and
gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with
unquenchable fire.
Like the gold, the wheat has no fear
of the purging process, but undergoes it as what is useful is retained and what
is useless is removed completely and eternally from the chaff that corrupts
that usefulness.
Each of the letters to the churches dictated
to John are concluded with the admonition that comprehension be given to what
is being said.
Revelation 2:7
King James Version (KJV)
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which
is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:11
King James Version (KJV)
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Revelation 2:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man
knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Revelation 2:29
King James Version (KJV)
29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
Revelation 3:6
King James Version (KJV)
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
Revelation 3:13
King James Version (KJV)
13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
Revelation 3:22
King James Version (KJV)
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
Throughout the gospel given us
throughout the New Testament one continuous message is preached, that of
redemption through repentance. It is the same message preached by Christ Jesus
from the Jordan to the cross as well as the message given in the entirety of
our final book of Revelation. The final chapter of that book is reminder of
what is at stake, both for gold and dross, wheat and chaff, and what that gold
and wheat consist of.
That message of promise and warning
should be more easily read and heard now than ever before as the Fining process
becomes evident to the gold, while ignored by the dross, accepted by the wheat,
while mocked by the chaff.
Yes the dross floats ever more
abundantly to the top as the volume of the gold decreases, yes the chaff is far
more plenteous than the wheat, yet the separation and valuation continues.
Matthew 4:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand.
Revelation 22
King James Version (KJV)
22 And he shewed
me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the
throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was
there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her
fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light
of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever
and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord
God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things
which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the
prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and
seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these
things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant,
and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this
book: worship God.
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book:
for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let
him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and
he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the
churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning
star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of
this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the
plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the
holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even
so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
In conclusion I remind all once more,
most adamantly, with all positivity, with all faith in the TRUTH that has been
presented to us:
Revelation 2:7
King James Version (KJV)
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which
is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer
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