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The sermon teaches that God’s chosen people are often found in affliction, though suffering itself does not prove someone’s sonship. God’s sovereign covenant love precedes, accomplishes, and preserves salvation, while trials function to test faith, remove sin, and conform believers to Christ. Christ remains present with His people in the furnace and can turn persecution to their benefit. Those outside Christ face eternal judgment, but salvation is offered exclusively through trusting in Jesus Christ.
Theological center: Salvation rests on God’s sovereign electing grace, accomplished through Christ’s redemption, received by faith, and sustained through sanctifying trials.
Applications: Trust Christ for salvation · Bear sanctifying affliction · Affliction is not sonship · God’s covenant love is immutable
Primary texts: Isaiah 48:10 · Daniel 3:24-25 · Exodus 9:8-9
“I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10 WHEN traveling through the country, you have often noticed that in different spots the old rocks peep out from under the soil, as if they would let us know what earth’s bones are made of and what are the solid foundations of this globe. So in searching through the Scriptures you will find here instruction, here admonition, here rebuke, and here comfort, but very frequently you will discover the old doctrines, like old rocks rising amid other matters. And when you least expect it, you will find election, redemption, justification, effectual calling, final perseverance, or covenant security introduced, just to let us see what the solid foundations of the Gospel are, and what are those deep and mysterious truths on which the entire Gospel system must rest. So in this text, for instance, when there seemed in the chapter little need of the mention of the doctrine of God’s choosing His people, on a sudden the Holy Spirit moves the prophet’s lips and bids him utter this sentiment, “I have chosen thee.” I have chosen thee by My eternal, sovereign, distinguishing grace. I have chosen thee in covenant purposes. I have chosen thee according to My electing love. “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Well, it is a good thing that they are sometimes mentioned when we least expect it, for these are things which we are apt to forget. The tendency of the many in the present age is to slight all doctrinal knowledge and to say, “We care not whether a thing is true or not.” This age is a superficial one. Few ministers plough deeper than the top soil. There are very few who come into the inward matter of the Gospel and deal with the stable things of which our faith must rest. And therefore, we bless and adore the Holy Spirit that He so frequently pens these glorious truths to make us recollect that there is such a thing as election, after all. “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” However, I am not going to dwell upon that, but after making one or two preliminary observations, I shall proceed to discuss the subject of the furnace of affliction being the place where God’s chosen ones are continually found. And the first observation I shall make will be this, all persons in the furnace of affliction are not chosen. The text says, “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction,” and it implies that there may be, and there doubtless are, some in the furnace who are not chosen. How many persons there are who suppose that because they are tried, afflicted, and tempted, therefore they are t…