<TITLE>05. Par 15-18</TITLE>L-15 So with their hands tied behind them on the death march, when the king called for the most able-bodied men that he had in his army to push them into the fiery furnace... And on their death march with their hands tied behind them, standing firm on the promises, that cannot fail, they walked that plank up to the top of that furnace, when the intense heat was so great until the men that was behind them, it slew their bodies, who had been fed on the king's wine, and his beers, and all of his fatness of his land. And these people had pulse to eat; their little frail body wasn't nothing in physical match with the bodies that were behind them.
But man is not judged by how many muscles he's got; man is judged by character. I've seen men that weighed two hundred pounds and didn't have a ounce of man in them. Man is measured by character.

L-16 And as the reason that heat didn't scorch those little brown Jewish bodies, God was in them hearts a beating. That made the difference. The Word was anchored in their hearts. "In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us."
And as they walked that death march, one looking to the other, up at the top of the plank just before they was to step in, it looked like the darkest hour that they had ever come to. And just as their darkest hour come, that they made their final step down into the fiery furnace, then Jesus came along.
That's the way He does, just in the darkest of the hour. There's only one thing we have to do, and that's stand on God's eternal promises. Regardless of what comes or what goes, stand on the promise. Darkest of hour, and then Jesus come along.

L-17 It was one night, when a little ship was out in the middle of the ocean, or the Sea of Galilee, bouncing around like a bottle stopper out there. The winds were contrary. The oars had broken. And a bunch of little disciples hugging one another together for the last time. The little old ship would been soaked up and filled with water till it was water-logged.
That might be a great word for you Arizonians. Waterlog is when woods all soaked up, and it's about to make its last pitch. And as the little old boat rose each time, the next time it would go down surely. The devil was a setting on every wave and saying, "I got them now. They'll stop their preaching from now on."
They thought... Or he thought that they'd went off without their Lord. But what did He do? He had climbed up on top of a mountain and was setting up there watching that little ship, as she was bouncing in the sea.

L-18 Oh, I'm so glad tonight that He climbed the ramparts of glory and sets in the Majesty on high, and His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. And He watches you.
Just in the darkest of the hour, when every pitch seemed to be the last one, then Jesus come along, walking on the sea. I want you to notice: They were helpless, hopeless, despairing, and when they saw Him, they were scared of Him. The only thing that could help them, they were afraid of it.
May I say this tonight: In this great hour, and atomic age, when this world is in despair, when nations is against nations, and total annihilation could come within thirty minutes to the world, Jesus is coming, walking along in this darkest of hour, and the world's afraid of Him, and they are saying it's holy-rollers, and fortunetellers, and everything else could be called.


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