Sermon Tone Analysis

FIRE: Ministers of fire

He makes his messengers winds, and his ministers a flame of fire Psalm 104:1 - 4 “Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.

3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 104:1–4.

If you look at the scope and breadth of the word of God, you find that God likes to show up and communicate with us, his creation, in different ways.

Fire has been called “the chosen symbol of the holiness of God, as indicating “the intense, all-consuming operation of his holiness in relation to sin.”

He walked and ate with Abraham, he wrestled with Jacob, he met with Moses in the Tent of Meeting, etc.

At times God used animals to communicate or accomplish his will (Balaam’s donkey and the ravens who brought bread and flesh to Elijah).

Then there were the times that God used the elements: he spoke to Job out of the whirlwind, one verse from the Lexham English Bible calls him the cloud rider Psalm 68:1-4 “God will arise; his enemies will be scattered, and those who hate him will flee from before him.

As smoke is driven off, you will drive them off.

As wax melts before fire, the wicked will perish before God.

But the righteous will be glad; they will exalt before God, and will rejoice with joy.

Sing to God, sing praises to his name.

Lift up a song to the rider on the clouds—his name is Yah— and rejoice before him.”

Here as a “cloud rider” it is a polemic (a theological attack meant to convey a point).

This polemic was against the Baal, because to those that worshipped Baal, he was the “rider on the clouds” or the “cloud rider”, Baal worshippers believed that Baal brought the rain.

This list is not a complete, yet there is one other element that God uses on a regular basis: fire.

Fire - protects and inspires

Fire by day and a cloud by night - fire protected and stood in the way Exodus 14:24 “And during the morning watch, Yahweh looked down to the Egyptian camp from in the column of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian camp into a panic.”

Fire shut up in my bones Jeremiah 20:9 “But if I say, “I will not mention him and I will no longer speak in his name,” then it becomes in my heart like a fire burning, locked up in my bones, and I struggle to contain it, and I am not able.”

2. Fire exposes the past but gives power in the present -

a. Paul on the island of Malta: Acts 28: 1 - 10 “And after we were brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta.

And the local inhabitants showed extraordinary kindness to us, for they lit a fire and welcomed us all, because of the rain that had begun and because of the cold.

And when Paul had gathered a large number of sticks and was placing them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

And when the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Doubtless this man is a murderer whom, although he was rescued from the sea, Justice has not permitted to live!” He, in turn, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

But they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly to fall down dead.

So after they had waited for a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god.

Now in the regions around that place were fields belonging to the chief of…”

Fire tests - Job 23:8-10 ““When I go forward, he is not there, or backward, I cannot see him.

When he works on the left, I cannot perceive him; he turns to the right, but I cannot see him.

But he knows the way that I take; he tests me—I shall come out like gold.”

Fire causes new growth - the Sequoias in Kings Canyon.

It used to be that when fire was caused by lightning they would race to put out the fire, What they found was that in doing that, they were actually killing the trees and not allowing for new trees to grow.

Because, the giant sequoias (redwoods) of Kings Canyon are highly resistant to fire and the heat of the fire causes the green cones that contain seeds to open up and drop the seeds on the ground and then new sequoias can grow.

Acceptable sacrifice - Fire shows what is acceptable to God.

Fire from heaven to burn the sacrifice - from drought, to fire to rain.

400 prophets of Asherah (a goddess in the Canaanite religion), these were the prophets of the groves we read about in the King James Version, these weren’t just a bunch of tree huggers, they were the leaders in an organized religion that opposed the God of Israel and his people, then you have and 450 prophets of Baal, the cloud rider, the one who was supposed to make it rain and the one true God, the God of Israel called down fire and made it rain. 1 Kings 18:36 “It happened at the offering of the evening oblation, Elijah the prophet went near, and he said, “O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all of these things by your words.”

1 Kings 18:41 “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the noise (abundance) of rain.””

Acceptable sacrifice - Calvary and Pentecost.

The fire of Pentecost - still burns today.

Fire from heaven to fill his people and empower them - Acts 2:1 - 4 “And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place.

And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out.”

Passing on of the fire (torch) - ?

Psalm 104:4 “who makes his messengers the winds, his ...(ministers) a flame of fire.”

Here comes Elisha, after seeing Elijah carried up on chariots of fire - BOOM!