Lit 81119

“Lit”

8/11/19

Matt 5:14-16 LB “You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.”

Acts 2:1-3 LB “Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived. As the believers met together that day, 2 suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit...”

Jesus told His followers in Matthew’s gospel that they were the light of the world, anointed and appointed to shine into the night of a sin-darkened world.

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Then in the Book of Acts we’re told that when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the fledgling church of Jesus Christ, He manifested His presence in two forms—first as the sound of a rushing, violent wind that filled the house.

Then immediately following the sound of rushing wind, what looked like flames of fire fell upon every one of those gathered in the upper room.

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Luke records that the wind of the Spirit that filled the room where the early church was gathered was heard like a “mighty, rushing wind,” which means it was powerful, like the howling of a hurricane.

God seemed to be saying, “No man or devil will be able to withstand the power of my Spirit when it blows upon a person or place!”

Jesus told a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus, “So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit” (John 3:7-8).

Just like the natural wind blows indiscriminately and cannot be controlled, so the Holy Spirit also blows indiscriminately, unpredictably, and cannot be controlled...

He touches whom he desires, and often touches people we would never expect!

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But the arrival of the Holy Spirit also manifested as FIRE, and that’s my focus today.

Fire is often a symbol of the Spirit and Presence of God in the Bible.

God called Moses out of a bush that was on FIRE, but wasn’t consumed.

He led Israel across the Wilderness with a cloud by day, and a pillar of FIRE by night.

John the Baptist told his followers, “I indeed baptize you with water, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11 NKJV).

This prediction of John’s dovetails with what happened on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God fell in the form of fire, resting in the heads of Jesus’s disciples.

The meaning is that the fire of the Spirit, when it falls upon a person, will melt their cold heart, and cause them to burn with enthusiasm, zeal, conviction, and a burning love for God.

In other words, when the Spirit of God falls upon you, you become LIT!—Lit by God’s Spirit, God’s life, God’s presence.

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Christians are meant to be set on fire by God with zeal and spiritual power!

It only makes sense that if the Spirit that manifested as fire dwells in us, He will make us fiery like Himself!

The psalmist said that God, “makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire” (Ps. 104:4 NKJV).

Before the Spirit fell, the disciples were fearful, cowardly, full of doubts, and hiding behind closed doors.

After the Spirit fell, they were transformed into men on fire with burning hearts, burning boldness, and a burning message that set Rome on fire.

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Now, in the book of Leviticus we have a beautiful, vivid picture of this powerful truth.

As the Children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, God directed them to build the Tabernacle, which resembled a large, rectangular tent.

This is where they were to meet with God.

Located in the front of the Tabernacle God directed them to build an altar where they would offer up various offerings, such as the atonement offering to cover the sins of the people.

Now, God gave a very specific command to Moses and Aaron regarding the altar:

“The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out” (Lev. 6:13 NIV).

The fire burning on the altar was NEVER to be extinguished by day or night!

The Tabernacle altar is an OT symbol for NT hearts—the hearts of the redeemed are to burn with holy fire!

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Now, Scripture reveals that the fire at the altar was first lit by God Himself.

Lev. 9:24 records that, “fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering.”—NIV

God lit it, but He instructed His servants to keep it burning...they were to NEVER let it go out!

God’s part was to light it, their part was to keep it burning.

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Now, when Israel moved from the Tabernacle into the beautiful new Temple built by Solomon, God again lit the fire on the new altar!

The Bible records, “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (2 Chr. 7:1 NIV).

Amazingly, that flame lit by God in Solomon’s Temple was kept burning for 400 years!

It finally went out because the nation of Israel had fallen into sin and the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians when they were carried off into captivity.

The application for we Christians in the NT is that:

We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, our hearts are the altar, and like Israel, we are tasked by God with keeping the fire burning that He himself lights when we’re saved!

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There are those listening to me today that used to burn red hot for God but the fire has ebbed into a flicker.

Perhaps sin has thrown cold water on the fire.

Or busyness with other things has caused you to neglect the fire.

Or some offense or hurt has happened that has quenched the fire.

My message to you today is that you can burn for God again!

Even Timothy, Paul’s son in the faith, experienced an ebbing of the flame in his heart, causing Paul to say to him:

“I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6 NIV).

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So, how do we keep the flame burning?

First,

I. Remove anything that hinders it

We see that the priests in the OT removed the ashes from the altar each and every day because they piled up and hindered the flame.

For us, those ashes represent fleshly things, sin, and things that grieve the Spirit and hinder the flame from burning brightest!

So repentance may be needed...

But as soon as you say, “Lord forgive me,” the peace of God comes and the flame is rekindled.

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Then secondly,

II. Feed the flame

The priests went out daily and gathered the firewood necessary to keep the fire burning that day.

Likewise, we must FEED the fire every day with the fresh kindling of the Word of God, and FAN it into flame with prayer.

ILLUS: Coal fed steam engine—the man appointed to feed the flame was called a “stoker.”

Conclusion: Every Christian must be his own stoker—feeding the flame daily to keep the fire of first love, the fire of zeal, the fire of enthusiasm for the things of God burning!

It must never go out!

We can’t allow the filth of the world to CHOKE it out.

Or the pressures of life to DOUSE it out.

Or doubts from the enemy to PUT IT out.

Or worldly comforts to SMOTHER it out.

Or the deceitfulness of riches to BLOW it out.

Or the tragedies of life to SNUFF it out.

The flame must burn until the Trumpet blows and Jesus calls us home!

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Do you need to rekindle the fire of first love and spiritual zeal?

Has the fire that used to roar become a struggling, flickering flame?