BEYOND THE SERMON

It's Hell, But Heaven's Coming

Message 3: Fireproof

Pastor Rod Meyers  •  Covington Community Church  •  Key texts: Daniel 3:16-18; Isaiah 43:2; Romans 5:9 (NIV)

 

Message Overview

Over the last few weeks we have driven by hell and discovered that it is no party. This message closes Part One of the series with a single truth: in Christ, you can become fireproof. God does not just warn us about the fire — He provides protection through His Son.

In 1991, retreating Iraqi forces set more than 600 Kuwaiti oil wells on fire. The flames were so fierce the sky went dark in the middle of the day, and the desert turned cold under the black smoke. Pastor Rod was there; his call from God came in the Saudi Arabian desert during that conflict, looking up at what he can only describe as a hellscape. Firefighters from around the world faced those infernos with courage and special equipment. Rod wore a fire suit like theirs while working around fuel — and it guaranteed thirty seconds of life. Not even enough time to grab an extinguisher. What God offers through Jesus is fireproofing beyond any suit, forever.

Series Review: Connecting the Dots

 

Key Scripture

 

Word Study

 

Life Has Its Fiery Furnaces

Nebuchadnezzar's fire was not a metaphor either. It was heated seven times hotter than usual, and the soldiers who threw the three men in were killed by the flames (Daniel 3:19-23). Plenty of preacher stories and internet videos ask whether it could really have been that hot. The guards would tell you. Life has its fiery furnaces, too:

• Betrayal — anyone who has been betrayed knows it burns.
• Sickness — especially when it is terminal.
• Financial hardship — there is hardly a soul who has not been hit by it, and some are in it now.
• Persecution — for your faith, or simply for who you are. This church stands with one of the most persecuted groups of Christians on the planet, helping provide a hospital for victims of terror. That hospital was burned to the ground, and this church helped come to the rescue. You are firefighters.

When you are in the furnace, the morning cup of coffee seems to say, "Buddy, you're on your own today." But when it comes to hell, you really are on your own — only Jesus is your friend, and only He provides the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The Fourth Man in the Fire

The Hebrew boys did not have wishful thinking; they were way past that point. They had fireproof faith: "Our God is able to deliver us — but even if He does not, we will not bow." Nebuchadnezzar's threat was real, and a crowd was gathered to watch them burn.

 

Those three walked out of the furnace unbound and unharmed — not a hair singed, their robes not scorched, and no smell of fire on them (Daniel 3:24-27). They should have smelled like burning flesh. Instead, the king saw a fourth man walking in the fire, one who looked "like a son of the gods." That is Jesus. He shows up in fiery places. He is the fourth man in your furnace, the One who binds the three-strand cord (Ecclesiastes 4:12), the One in the midst wherever two or three are gathered (Matthew 18:20). You may feel the heat, and you may see others perish, but what God has preserved cannot be destroyed.

Covered by the Blood of the Rock

 

There is a fire; it is currently burning, and it gets worse at the final judgment. There is a judgment and a wrath to come — things that must be judged, and we are not able to do it ourselves. Nothing escapes God's notice. But through the cross we do not merely survive life's trials; we are separated from hell's eternal fire. His blood is a fireproof covering.

Remember asbestos? It fireproofed, and it was made of rock. The military fire suits were asbestos-lined and bought thirty seconds. Your suit is better than any rock fire suit: you are covered by the blood of the Rock, Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 1:18-19), and that covering is good for eternity. Think of salvation as the only fire insurance policy you will ever need — and the premiums are already paid in full at Calvary.

 

 

Stop, Look, and Roll

Everyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s learned "stop, drop, and roll." With Jesus it is a little different: Stop your sinning. Look toward Jesus. Know your name is on the roll because of the Rock (Luke 10:20; Revelation 20:15). Believe on Him, and He is able to make you fireproof.

Connecting the Dots

• The Hebrew boys show us that fire cannot destroy what God has preserved. What God keeps safe stays safe.
• Isaiah's promise shows us that trials cannot consume what God has covered.
• Jesus' promise in Matthew 16 shows us that the gates of hell shall not prevail — in your life, too.
• Romans shows us that wrath cannot touch those who are washed by the blood of Jesus.

The Gulf War fires eventually went out. The fires of hell do not. The only question is: are you fireproof? Say it — "I'm fireproof because of Jesus." You are standing clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:27). You have accepted His covering and placed your trust in the Son who walks with you every day through your fiery trials.

Application

• It is not enough to know about hell. Knowing is one thing — hopefully it keeps us from some things — but choose heaven. Don't just study the fire; become fireproof.
• You are a firefighter. Go tell somebody. Jonathan Edwards preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" for hours in a high, squeaky voice, and revival broke out. Delivery is not the point; the message is.
• Use the wisdom of God and His covering. You are fireproof in Jesus Christ.

 

 

Reflection Questions

1. Pastor Rod's call from God came in the middle of a hellscape — the Kuwaiti oil fires. Has God ever met you or spoken to you in the middle of a fire? What did that look like?

 

 

 

 

 

2. Read Daniel 3:16-18. "Our God is able to deliver us — but even if He does not…" Which half of that sentence is harder for you to say, and why?

 

 

 

 

 

3. Which fiery furnace are you walking through right now — betrayal, sickness, financial hardship, persecution, something else? Read Isaiah 43:2. What does it mean to you that God gets in the furnace with you rather than keeping you out of it?

 

 

 

 

 

4. The three men came out without even the smell of smoke (Daniel 3:27). Have you come through a trial where, looking back, you can see the fourth man was in it with you? How did you come out?

 

 

 

 

 

5. Read Romans 5:9. Paul argues "how much more": if God justified us while we were enemies, He will certainly save us from wrath. Where do you still act as if your covering could fail? What would change if you fully believed it is eternal?

 

 

 

 

 

6. "Don't just study the fire — become fireproof, and then go be a firefighter." Who in your life is standing in the fire without a covering? What is one thing you will do this week to tell them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further Study

• Daniel 3:1-30 — the full account of the fiery furnace, including Nebuchadnezzar's confession afterward.
• Isaiah 43:1-7 — the whole promise: "I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."
• Romans 5:1-11 — peace with God, justified by His blood, saved from wrath, reconciled while we were enemies.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 — not appointed to wrath but to salvation; sons of the light.
• 1 Peter 1:3-9 and 1 Peter 4:12-13 — faith refined by fire; do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal.
• Hebrews 11:32-34 — those who by faith "quenched the fury of the flames."
• Revelation 21:1-7 — a first look ahead to Part Two: no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.

 

This closes Part One on hell — but it's not the end of the story. Heaven is coming.