Forged by God

Introduction

Hi everyone. Welcome to the “Forged by God'' blacksmithing demonstration.  My name is Keith.  I’ve only been interested in blacksmithing for a few years.  If you're familiar with the TV show “Forged in the Fire”, I don't think that was how I got interested in blacksmithing, I honestly can’t remember watching an entire episode.   I think I got interested in blacksmithing mostly by happening upon YouTube videos.  Then one time I heated up a bent lawnmower blade in a bbq and used my wife’s blow dryer as an air source and straightened it out.   I thought to myself, “this is cool”; I’m going to try this out.

Later, during our Thursday evening men’s life group I mentioned I’d built a forge out of an old bbq and found out Ben is a real, honest to goodness bladesmith.  I think he suggested maybe we could do a blacksmithing demo, and I thought this might be an opportunity to involve the church, and preach the gospel. So here we are.

It isn’t something you’d normally think about in a church setting, but blacksmithing is actually mentioned in the Bible Isaiah 44:12 (NKJV) The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms...

Hopefully I can make some practical application to our lives using forging as a springboard to the scriptures.

There are four main things involved in blacksmithing:

1. A source of heat
2. A source of pressure (hammer and anvil)
3. A source of skill and strength (the blacksmith)
4. A source of material (metal stock)

A Source of Heat (Fire)

Obviously fire is a huge part of the forging process.  There are two categories of fire:

1. A destructive fire that consumes, burns, maims, injures.
2. A productive fire that softens, purifies, and illuminates.

In the Bible, fire is used to convey these same two ideas.

The first mention of fire in the Bible is Gen 19:24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.

God consumed them with fire. Our God is a consuming fire.  He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, with all its inhabitants for the wickedness the people were involved in.  It’s as if God said, “so you guys are consumed with evil, I’m going to consume you with fire.”    Bible trivia, scholars believe the Dead Sea, which is the lowest point on planet earth, was sodom and Gomorrah.

Contrast that story with the story where God reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush, when Moses was shepherding his father-in-law Jethro’s sheep in Midian. God was calling Moses to deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt.

Exodus 3:2 (NKJV) And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush [was] not consumed.

Here the fire neither consumed nor destroyed the bush. This fire was meant to catch his attention and draw him to God.

I also think of how tongues of fire came upon the followers of Christ on the day of Pentecost.  The tongues of fire representing the Holy Spirit.    Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV) 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and [one] sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

In Greek, the word for spirit is pneuma, from which we get our words like pneumatic, having to do with air or wind or breath.  It amazes me how dramatically you can intensity a fire by forcing air into the flame. Likewise, when the Holy Spirit (the breath of God) comes into our life, turbocharges our faith and our boldness and our fervor and zeal for the Lord.

A Source of Pressure (Hammer Anvil)

My favorite thing about blacksmithing, to be honest with you, is smashing hot metal. I’m not good at it. The only things I’ve actually made were some primitive blacksmithing and gardening tools. I have a couple different hammers and a couple of different anvil shaped objects.  There are other kinds of tools used in blacksmithing, like presses, power hammers, grinders, etc.    As far as the types of operations a blacksmith can perform; he can do things like:

• He can planish, which means to smooth out or flatten.  
• He can draw out, which means to stretch.  
• He can upset, which means to force the metal back into itself to cause a bulge; riveting is an example of this.   
• He can hot cut with a chisel.  
• He can also punch a hole through hot metal, no need for a drill. 
• He can even weld two pieces of metal together in a process called forge welding.

Again though, the basic principle is applying pressure to hot metal.   It really does take some experience and technique to get the metal to go where you want it.   Think about how the Lord can turn up the heat and the pressure in our lives, to mold us and shape us into His image.   2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NKJV) 8 [We are] hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Forging actually transforms the internal structure of metal and makes it stronger.

1 Peter 4:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
It certainly does not feel good to go through the pressure and stress of trials, but the results will be to God’s glory and for our exceeding joy.

The Source of Skill and Strength (Blacksmith)

Let me take a few moments to talk about the Lord.  I want to think of him as our heavenly blacksmith…

2 Peter 3:8-10 NASB 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.
Forging takes patience.   It is slow going, if you’re doing work by hand.   And The Lord has great patience with us, and He works in ways that instill patience in us.

John 4:34 Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.

Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.
God is not finished with us yet, but be sure, He will finish.   My bad habit in life is to leave tasks in an unfinished state.   There is no glamor in washing the dishes and leaving a few dishes in the sink for later.   God is banking His reputation on the fact that He will not leave us in an unfinished state.   God said “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
One thing you’ll notice about the products of a blacksmith, is that hand working an item produces uniqueness and character.   God works uniquely in each of us to produce character.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
We are being forged into the image of God we were meant to be for His glory.

A Source of Material (Metal Stock)

• So what kind of material are you?
• Are you brittle or flexible?   
• How do you respond to stress?
• Are you being moved in the direction God desires, by the pressures of life?
• How do you respond to heat?  
• Are you being hardened or tempered?
• Is God working and fashioning your life?
• Do you see God’s purposes in your life?   
• Do you see God’s hand on your life?
• Do you know how God is customizing you to be His representative (in His image)?
• Do you know God, our heavenly blacksmith Himself?