Waters Which do not Drown and Flames which do not Burn 2
Back to J. C. Philpot Sermons
II. RIVERSalso are spoken of in our text. Now "waters" burst out occasionally; but "rivers" are ever flowing. Thus "the rivers" spoken of in our text may be applied to thosecontinual streams of grief and trouble which seem the allotted portion of some of the Lord's people. In the case of some, troubles come in gushes; now a cessation; then another gush. But in the case of others, troubles are continual; they never seem out of them, but, like the Psalmist, their "sore runs in the night and ceases not;" and, as Job complains, "the Almighty does not allow them to take breath," or "let them alone until they swallow down their spittle." (Job 7:19; 9:18.) If the former are "waters," the latter are "rivers," for the first break out in gushes, but the last flow in unceasing streams.
C. But we read also in our text of "the FIRE."The figure is changed, because the Holy Spirit will not limit himself here or elsewhere to one comparison. He seizes figure after figure to convey his mind and meaning; plainly and distinctly. Fire shall try the saint of God as well as water, that his power may be as much seen and his grace be as conspicuous in flame as in flood, in the hot furnace as in the deep waters. Several things in Scripture are compared to fire, and singly or in combination constitute "the fiery trial" spoken of as intended to try the Church of God. (1 Peter 4:12.)
1. Thus the Lawis spoken of as a fire; for it is called "a fiery law which went from God's right hand." (Deut. 33:2.) It was given with thunders and lightnings; and the Lord himself descended upon Mount Sinai in a fire. (Exod. 19:18.) The apostle, therefore, calls it "the mountain that burned with fire" (Heb. 12:18), as distinct from Zion, the city of the living God. All this fire and smoke with these terrific thunders and lightnings were figurative of God as a consuming fire. For there is a fearful curse attached to the law– "Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." And this dreadful curse will burn up and consume all found under it. Now when this holy and righteous law is applied to the conscience, its curse comes in through the breach, and this curse being the fire of God's indignation against sin, it burns up all our fleshly righteousness; for it consumes everything which is not in strict accordance with its demands and its spirituality.
2. But as the figure of fire may be extended to all that burns, it may comprehend the workings of our vile heart, the corruptions of our base and fallen nature. These are fires, because they tend, except as restrained by the grace of God, to consume both body and soul. There is a fire of lust, of pride, of rebellion, of enmity, of daring determination, and unbending obstinacy, which all, when "set on fire of hell," like the tongue of which James speaks, would destroy us here and hereafter, unless the Lord were with us as with the three children in the hot fiery furnace.
3. Then there are also the grievous assaults of Satan, what the Scripture calls "the fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:16), which Satan, himself consuming in a perpetual fire, casts into the mind, and which seem to inflame all that is there combustible.
III. But the Lord PROMISES– and this brings us to our third point– that when Israel passes through the waters, he will be with her, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow her; when she walks through the fire, she shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon her. Who can support the soul when it is passing through afflictions and trials except the Lord himself? There is everything in nature to sink and give way under the afflicting strokes of God's hand. There is no patience in the human mind– no resignation– no submission to the will of God. When his afflicting strokes come, they find in us nothing but rebellion, peevishness, and discontent.
A. The Lord, then, must manifestly, by his presence and grace, be with his saints when they are passing through the waters and through the rivers, that they may not give way to that rebellion, peevishness, and discontent that their hearts are full of. They need the Lord to be with them, that they may feel submission to his afflicting strokes. For when he is with them, by speaking a word home with power to their heart, by manifesting his presence, shedding abroad his love, and revealing his goodness and mercy, strength is communicated to the soul, so that when it passes through the waters it finds that secret and sacred support which bears it up and preserves it from sinking into, and being carried away by them. In fact, the promise– "I will be with you," embraces everything that God can give in a way of sensible support; for if he is with the soul, he is with it in all his grace and love, in all his presence and power. There is, there can be, no greater blessing, no stronger support than this. Nor is there a single trouble, grief, or sorrow, which cannot be borne when the Lord is sensibly present, and lays his everlasting arms underneath the soul. And this he has pledged himself ever to do when his beloved Jacob and redeemed Israel pass through the waters, however high they may rise, however loudly the waves and billows may roar.
But again the promise runs– "The rivers shall not overflow you." The natural tendency of these rivers is to sweep away, drown, and overwhelm. Let sinonly be allowed to break forth out of the depths of our carnal mind in its dreadful depth, in its dreadful extent and unmitigated fury; let only one lust or one evil passion burst forth in all its magnitude and to the utmost extent of its capabilities; and what would be the consequences? Such as any person of the commonest feeling of morality would shudder to think of. For whence come all those horrid crimes which shock society but from the depths of sin and evil which exist in every heart?
Or let temptation be permitted to assail us in any or all its various forms, and let it meet with the sin that lies in our nature as so much ready-laid material, and the consequence would be that we would be swept away into destruction and perdition. We would commit the unpardonable sin, cast ourselves upon the rocks of despair, or be swept away by the stream into such an abyss of rebellion and alienation, that return to God would almost seem impossible. Our very character would be gone; we would disgrace our families and our own religious name, and concerning faith make utter shipwreck.
But the Lord has promised that when we pass through the waters he will be with us, and through the rivers, however deep, however high they may swell, they shall not overflow us; we shall not be carried away by them far away from God and godliness; they shall not drown us in their rage and fury, dash us against the rocks, and leave our bleeding carcasses stripped and naked upon the riverbank. But the rivers shall be so restrained by the power of God, that though they may rise, they shall rise only to a certain height; though they may swell and roar, it shall not be with such extreme violence as to overwhelm and drown the soul.
How many of the dear saints of God, when they have been brought into tribulation and sorrow, have found the fulfillment of this most gracious promise! And is there not one of these waters through which all must go– that deep and rapid Jordan which everyone must pass through? How dark and gloomy those waters have appeared to the eyes of many a child of God, in whom is continually fulfilled the experience of the words– "Who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." But how often have these waters only been terrible in prospect, in anticipation. How different has been the reality. When he comes down to the river's bank and his feet dip in these waters, and it appears as though they would rise higher and higher, the Lord suddenly appears in his power and presence, and then the water sinks. He speaks a word of peace to his soul upon a dying bed– reveals Christ in his love and grace and blood– removes those doubts, fears, and disturbing thoughts which have perplexed him for years, and brings into his heart a holy calm, a sweet peace, assuring him that all is well with him both for time and eternity. Has he not then the fulfillment of the promise– "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you?"
Or there may be another saint of God plunged very deeply into and almost sunk under temporal troubles– who is afflicted in body, or distressed in circumstances almost beyond endurance, or bereaved of the tenderest object of his heart's affections, or passing through trials which almost madden him, and under which he is in daily fear of losing his very reason. In these waters, the Lord has promised to be with him; and how often he fulfils this gracious promise. He applies some word to his soul, or supports him by his felt presence, or enables him to look up and believe that "all these afflictions are but for a moment," and are "working for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." And thus he is sustained as he passes through the waters.
It is as if the Lord went through the waters with him step by step, and kept putting his hand under his head, or laid his everlasting arms beneath his shoulders. When he can feel this divine support he can lean upon the Lord, for he is manifestly supporting him. Is not this as if the Lord were whispering all the time into his soul– "Fear not; I have redeemed you; you are mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. The waters are deep, but they shall not overflow you." Now as the soul is passing through these waters and finds the Lord's gracious support, then it feels that so long as the Lord supports, it cannot sink or be overwhelmed; for his power is so great, his love so strong, his presence so sweet, and his promises so sure, that the waters lose all their terror.
And so through the rivers– "they shall not overflow you." The Lord says to them– "Thus far shall you go, and here shall your proud waves be stayed." As he held back the Red Sea that Israel might have its waters as a wall on their right hand and on their left; as he cut off the waters of Jordan which came down from above, that they stood upon a heap when the soles of the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in its brim (Josh. 3:15, 16); so as the saint of God passes through the rivers which lie between him and the heavenly Canaan, God, by his power and grace, prevents them from overflowing his soul. They may rise very high; dark may the flood appear, deep the stream, and rapid the current; but there is a restraint put upon them by the Almighty hand of God, that however "the waters thereof roar and be troubled," the soul shall not be drowned in or overwhelmed by them.
It is only as we are brought into great and overwhelming trials that we are enabled to realize the sweetness of these promises. We may look at them at a distance and believe them to be true; or we may witness their fulfillment in others; but we must be brought into personal afflictions, and not only see the waters spread before our eyes, but they must come nearer and nearer, until we cry, "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul" (Psalm. 69:1), that we may prove how faithful the Lord is to his word of promise. When, then, these waters gradually approach, or suddenly rush in, we look round and find that none can help us. Our dearest friends can do us no good. They may see us in great family troubles; or mourning under the most heart-rending bereavements; or stretched upon a bed of languishing and pain. They may pity our sufferings; but they cannot relieve them. Religious friends and spiritual ministers may visit us in great depths of mental distress; may see our conscience bleeding under the wounds inflicted by the chastening and rebuking hand of God. They may pity and try to comfort us, but all their words fall short; or, like Job's friends, they may sit wondering and stupefied, unable to speak a word, as doubting our case, distrusting our religion, or feeling unable to judge how the scale will turn. Then the soul possessed of life divine is obliged to go to the Lord, and look unto him and to him alone; as David, as Jonah, as Hezekiah, as Jeremiah, as Habakkuk, as Micah, and many other a saint of God has done, and again and again will do.
David beautifully describes the experience of the soul thus taught and led, thus afflicted and delivered– "The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears." (Psalm 18:5, 6.) Then what follows? "He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters." "He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me because he delighted in me." (Psalm 16:19.) May we experience this sweet deliverance when we shall be called to pass through the rivers which still lie between us and Canaan! At the bare prospect, as the river in the dim distance rolls on before our eyes, and we see that we must cross it– and, alas! there is neither bridge nor ferry, we may shrink with dismay. As a parent may come in and see his darling child stricken with mortal disease, and in the killing prospect of the dreadful issue, may cry out with torn heart– "I can never bear to see that child stretched before my eyes a pale and motionless corpse;" or as a husband, when his beloved wife, about to be a mother, sinks in nature's trying hour, stands trembling and appalled at the dreadful anticipation, so the very sight of these rivers, so deep and overwhelming, has filled many a child of God with terror and amazement. How deeply, then, he needs the application and the fulfillment of the promise; and that the Lord Himself should whisper into his soul– "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you."
It is almost as if the Lord said– "Here are waters, and you must pass through them; they are not to be evaded, for they lie before you in the road whereby you must pass. Here are rivers, and there is no bridge over them– you must go through them. But," says the Lord, "I will not leave you to go through them alone, for they would drown you. I will go with you, and in passing through them I will take care so to restrain them that they shall not overflow you." Thus, the more the soul knows of the trials and temptations, the troubles and afflictions of the way, and the more deep and bitter its experience of their magnitude, the more it proportionally knows, and the more it wonders at and admires the exceeding riches of his grace. Nor is there any other way whereby the Lord's pity and compassion– for "the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy," (James 5:11,) can be experimentally realized, or his power and faithfulness manifestly be made known.
Nor is he less gracious or less faithful as regards the FURNACE. "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned." What! a miracle like this? Shall it be with the believing soul as it was with the three children, who were cast literally into a burning fiery furnace, and yet the Son of God was so with them in it that the very smell of fire had not passed upon their garments? Can the child of grace walk in the midst of the fires and not be burned? Yes, he can, because God has promised it. His gracious command to his people is, "therefore glorify the Lord in the fires." (Isaiah. 24:15.) But how can they glorify him in the fires if the fire consume them?
Thus he can walk through the fire of the law, and yet not be burned up by it; because Jesus has fulfilled the law, and has therefore taken away its damning penalty. It may blaze upon him, but it cannot consume him, for Christ has redeemed him from its curse, being made a curse for us. (Gal. 3:13.) He may feel the heat, but he cannot be destroyed by the flame; for that, so to speak, spent and burnt itself out when it exhausted its fury against the pure and sacred humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So with the fire of temptation. He may have to walk through it. Many vile and wicked lusts may strive for the mastery; a thousand sins may be tempting and engaging his carnal mind; and they may partly win the day– may partly gain upon him, so that he may feel or fear their burning heat. But he shall not be burned up by them; they shall not destroy body and soul; the Lord will keep the flame of lust, rebellion, and infidelity from consuming him utterly.
Satan, too, may cast his fiery darts; but the Lord will take care that they shall not destroy any one of his redeemed ones. They may set on fire the hay, wood, and stubble of the carnal mind; but they cannot destroy the gold, silver, and precious stones of the new man of grace. They may burn up a fleshly religion and consume the filthy rags of a more Pharisaic righteousness; but they cannot injure one member of the new man; they cannot touch any one part of God's gracious work upon the heart, or destroy anything that he has wrought in the soul by his own Spirit or his own power.
Bear in mind that there are two things essentially indestructible– the finished work of the Son of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. But both these works meet with all the opposition of earth and hell, and are borne, amid sighs and groans, sufferings and sorrows, to their triumphant outcome.
But the Lord further adds– "Neither shall the flame kindle upon you;" that is, so as to burn and destroy you. You may have had many fiery darts from Satan; but have they not all passed away, and you are still unharmed? You may have had many workings of wickedness in your wretched nature, many deep and foul corruptions oozing forth, but God did not permit them to break out so as to destroy body and soul. You may have many rivers still to ford, many furnaces still to endure; but the Lord having redeemed you, called you, and taken possession of you by his Spirit and grace, will be with you to the end, to bring you safe through every flood and fire, and set you before his face in glory.
Now the great thing is to have some evidence in our own conscience that the Lord has engaged to do these things for us. What we want is, to have some clear and sure proof that the promise is for us– to have some testimony that the Lord, by his Spirit and grace, has wrought that work of grace upon our souls which gives us a manifested interest in every promise made to Jacob and Israel. Now this we may know in some measure by comparing what we are and have as the work of God's hands, with what God has laid down in the words before us. He tells us that he has created, redeemed, and taken possession of Jacob and Israel. Has he created, redeemed, called, and taken possession of us? Have we any sweet persuasion or gracious confidence in our souls that the Lord has created us to his own honor and praise? Has he given us any testimony that he has redeemed us by the blood of his dear Son? Has he made us feel the bondage and slavery of sin, and given us to know anything of the value of the atonement, whereby alone we can be feelingly and experimentally redeemed from it? Have we any evidence that he has called us by his grace, put his fear in our hearts; and quickened us into spiritual life? Have we any testimony that he has taken possession of our breast by manifesting himself to our soul, revealing himself, and fixing our heart wholly and solely upon his blessed Majesty?
We must have some evidence in our heart that we have experienced these things before we can realize our interest in promises like these. But if he has wrought anything such as I have described in our soul, we may still expect to pass through waters and through rivers, to walk through fire and through flame; but we may also expect, as we pass through them, that the Lord will fulfill his gracious word, and that what he has said of promised help, support, and deliverance he will never leave void of full accomplishment.
Back to J. C. Philpot Sermons