The Fire of God's Presence

Series Big Idea: God is preparing Powerhouse for a journey in which we love God and one another more passionately than ever: where we actively embody His truth and hope within our community.

Talk a bit about fire, in general...

The fire we need, as believers, is found in God’s presence as we seek Him and invite Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit. This is the only way to serve God consistently and victoriously in a world full of inconsistencies and many opportunities for personal disaster.

Big Idea: Acquiring the fire of God’s presence ignites your faith and sheds light on your path

Interrogatory: How can we maintain the fire of God in our lives?

Transitional: In God’s presence you will find your source of strong faith

GOD’S FIRE IGNITES YOUR FAITH (Genesis 22:6-8)

Genesis 22:6–8 (ESV)

And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Isaac was the son of promise…the one through whom God would begin to fulfill His promise to Abraham many years before

Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 – We cannot underestimate how much they loved Isaac

Abraham’s faith in God was firmly established…long before this day of fiery trial…

Hebrews 11:8–10 ESV

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

In the face of a fiery trial, Abraham’s faith burned strong!

Fiery trials strengthen your faith

Abraham faced the trial of waiting many years for the promise to come to pass…but he kept believing even though he had some moments of second-guessing God

When God tested Abraham, Abraham faced the test by bringing the fire of God with him

That day God intervened…Isaac was spared

The fire of God’s presence keeps the fire burning

6b and he himself carried the fire and the knife

The only way Abraham was able to face that day was because He was already in a right relationship with God…the fire of God’s presence was already burning within him

Illustration

You cannot spend time in God’s presence without getting exposed to His heart…His passion…His fire. I remember when I got serious about following Jesus, at about 12 years of age. I begin to worship and read the Bible at night. At church and youth group, I was all in, hungry for more of God. Because I was seeking Him, I found Him and He filled me with His Spirit. The fire of God’s Holy Spirit and holy presence literally ignited my faith. I was a different person. Bold, sold-out, ready to do anything God called me to do.

Do you get mad at God and resent Him when you go through difficult times?

Change your perspective: God’s word shows repeatedly that He will gladly use those seasons to deepen our faith and cause us to be more effective representatives of His in this world.

James 1:2–4 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The key to keeping that fire burning is to pursue Him relentlessly every day

The more difficult the trial the more stubbornly you press into His presence

Transitional: When your faith is strong, your heart’s cry is to please God

GOD’S FIRE LIGHTS YOUR PATH (Exodus 3:2ff; 13:20-21; 19:18ff)

Exposition (zoom ahead of Abraham’s life several hundred years)

Moses was God’s chosen instrument to bring the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage and to the Promised Land (Abraham’s Promise/Covenant)

He fled Egypt at 40 years of age and lived the quiet life of a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian for another 40 years…until one day, the fire of God changed his life – God’s interrupted his life!

...God’s fire lights your path, even when it’s…

Unexpected fire lights your path

Exodus 3:2–5 ESV

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Here we have Moses, tending his father-in-law’s flock in the wilderness…minding his own business, when the fire of God’s presence shows up-- unexpected fire

Long story short – God made sure Moses knew who He was and then informed him that He had chosen Moses to deliver the people

Moses’ future path was illuminated by the unexpected fire of God’s presence.

God’s life-saving fire lights your path

Life-saving fire

Exodus 13:20–21 ESV

And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

Without God’s constant presence guiding them over the next 40 years…they would not have survived as a nation – would have been splintered and diffused into the surrounding culture. The fire of God’s presence kept them on the path.

...God’s fire lights your path, even when it’s…

Terrifying fire

(Exodus 19) Three months after the Israelites were rescued from Egypt, God led them to the Desert of Sinai, and they set up camp there in front of the mountain. This is when Moses climbed up to a place on the mountain and heard from God

…if you obey me fully and keep my covenant…you will be my treasured possession…

God instructed Moses to have the people prepare themselves: in three days He would visit them at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 19:16–18 ESV

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.

The only reason we can approach our holy God freely is because of Jesus’ death burial and resurrection.

Application

What will you do when God shows up in some unexpected way and challenges you to follow His call?

He chooses whomever He chooses, not based upon the logic of man but based upon His own perfect plan!

God’s presence in your life is how you will make it to the destination He has laid out for you

You need His cloud by day and fire by night

His Word, Prayer, His Spirit, His Family

There will be times that His presence feels tangible, and you will feel like you are on holy ground

Challenge

God’s presence is represented well by fire – He is holy, dangerous, empowering, warming, and enlightening…unmistakably God!

The purifying fire of God’s presence will ignite your faith

The fire of God’s presence will shine a bright light on the path ahead of you

What kind of attitude of heart do we need to stay in God’s powerful presence?

James 4:7–10 ESV

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

What are some areas where you need to exercise faith and believe God?

The fire that builds faith is found as you seek God and pursue His presence in your life

What are some areas where you need clear direction?

The fire of God’s presence in your life will shed light right where you need it

The first step in having the fire of God’s presence in your life is to surrender your heart and life to Jesus by repenting of your sins and asking Him to be the Lord of your life

Then walk with Him one day at a time