Expecting A Fire
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Introduction
Introduction
We have been hearing for weeks now about the things of the Holy Spirit; the fruits and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
It’s reported that a preacher in Redrock, Mississippi prayed this sermon: “Oh Lord, give Thy servant this mornin’ the eyes of the eagle and the wisdom of the owl; connect his soul with the gospel telephone in the central skies; ‘luminate his brow with the Sun of heaven; possess his mind with love for the people; turpentine his imagination, grease his lips with ‘possum oil, loosen his tongue with the sledge hammer of Thy power; ‘lectrify his brain with the lightnin’ of the word; put ‘petual motion on his arms; fill him plum full of the dynamite of Thy glory; ‘noint him all over with the kerosene oil of Thy salvation and SET HIM ON FIRE. Amen!”
Fire is amazing! Not many here tonight could honestly say that fire is of no interest to you. While you may not be a pyromaniac you are still fascinated by fire.
Fire has been around since the Angel drove Adam & Eve out of the garden with a flaming sword.
Fire warms us through a heater
it feeds us by cooking food
it cleans us by heating our water
it purges our forest
but most of all it purifies our soul in the form of the Holy Ghost!
Our text tells us about the order given by God for the Tabernacle.
A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Fire needs some things to be able to ignite. It needs oxygen, heat, and fuel.
When fires are fought they are fought from the back of the fire because the heat is too great in the front or the head of the fire and the wind can change its course in a matter of seconds.
Fire blockers are started around the fire in order to stop the fire.
When two great fires are burning toward each other they begin to draw each other and feed off of each other.
The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad!
Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
A fire goes before Him, And burns up His enemies round about.
Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
KINDLED BY MEDITATION
KINDLED BY MEDITATION
My heart was hot within me; While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:
“Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.
Jeremiah had become discouraged in verse 7 he said, Lord everyone mocks me.
I told them what you said, and they hate me.
Jeremiah had decided to just cool down, and keep his mouth shut.
He had sort of become like some have today, luke-warm.
Luke-warm.
No one likes to hear that word, do they?
But there is a lot of this going around.
Some of us have been there and we can tell you that it is no place to be.
Oh, you may still be going to church, you may even be reading a scripture once in a while, but there is no victory in it.
No power.
No excitement.
No fun.
You say, well, you can’t be fired up all the time!
THAT IS THE LIE THAT GOT YOU IN THIS CONDITION!
Jeremiah had something in his bones that would not let him cool down.
Paul wrote in Romans 12:11 that we should be fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. Fervent means to boil or to be hot.
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
One way to be fervent is to hang around with the Lord. The Bible says He is a consuming fire.
I have always found that if you get close enough to the fire, you are bound to get hot.
Some people are luke-warm because they are too far back from the fire.
People that spend a lot of time with the Lord are not up and down like a yo-yo.
I am not saying they don’t have trouble, but they meet them head on by the power of God and keep on going.
They have become convinced that, Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.
Now if you have been luke-warm, I have good news.
You don’t have to stay that way and be unhappy.
There is a fanning going on right now.
The Spirit of the Lord is fanning the fire of the Holy Ghost.
If you will just yield to the Spirit, you can feel like Jeremiah.
The fire began to burn.
Wood Stove Illustration
When it goes out at night things can get bitter cold.
After the fire gets going it brings warmth to the whole house.
Jeremiah had reached a place where he was ready to quit preaching, but the fire wasn’t out. When God began to fan, he just couldn’t help himself. He caught fire again.
Much of the church has been asleep and when someone is asleep, they are insensitive to what is going on around them.
Friend, the most exciting thing that ever happened could be going on right in your own back yard, but if you are asleep, you will not be excited by it.
This is also true of spiritual things. If you are spiritually asleep, then you won’t be excited by what is happening in the spiritual realm.
The Lord has called us to awake from our slumber, and fan the fire.
Add the fuel of the Word.
Check up on the company you keep.
Spend time with people that are excited about God’s Word.
Get up close to the source of the heat, and be fervent.
We must spend enough time in the Word, and enough time in prayer to stir up that resurrection power that is inside us.
If you have been Born Again then remember that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in you and able to quicken your mortal body.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
If you have been luke-warm, don’t spend another minute that way. It’s not fun. It’s not exciting and most of all it is not what God wants for you.
Get refired!
God wants you to know the excitement and power of the Holy Ghost.
Paul said, That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Why not spend some special time with the Lord today and rekindle that fellowship.
Those who desire the fire is broken for the lost.
O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.
The most anointed ministry is one through brokenness. Being broken for the lost means being vulnerable. This involves evangelism, servanthood, and intercession. We see from the beginning of this verse that Jeremiah is brokenhearted for the lost people of his generation. Are you willing to be brokenhearted for the lost people you know?
Those who desire the fire perseveres when the going gets tough!
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So then death is working in us, but life in you.
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,
knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.
For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
Those that desire the fire are compelled by the love of Christ!
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
If every Christian lived like this, we would likely shake the world!
Indeed love makes us do some amazing things.
Here is a truth: What you love the most is what fills your life the most! It is also what stands out the most in your life! Jesus said:
Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What is coming out of the overflow of your heart?
Where is your treasure?
When you are in love with God, witnessing is no longer an obligation, but like talking about someone you love!
The Bible is no longer a textbook, but a love letter!
Prayer is no longer a chore, but a daily conversation with someone you are in love with!
Giving to God is no longer like paying taxes, but like buying a gift for your beloved!
In avoiding sin, we are no longer motivated by fear of consequences, but fear of breaking God’s heart!
When we become passionate, people will notice and ask about the hope in us!
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
People will be drawn to us because of our love for Christ!
We become beacons of light in the darkness!
We become radiant with His presence!
They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among ten thousand.
Although Song of Solomon 5:10 pertains to Solomon and his lover, the principle behind this verse can apply to believers who are passionate about God! They are a rarity even among believers!
When we become excited about Christ, many lost will then become excited about Him!
Those in the darkness are seeking someone with light that will guide them to the ultimate Light! Are you willing to be that light? Will your life be one ignited by a burning passion for Jesus? Are you willing to let your passion shine for all to see?
CHRIST CAME TO IGNITE
CHRIST CAME TO IGNITE
“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!
Then he shall split it at its wings, but shall not divide it completely; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.
each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Spurgeon: “to put new converts into most churches is like putting live chicks under a dead hen.” They need the warmth of “the fire!”
“God never intended for the church to be a refrigerator in which to preserve perishable piety…He intended it to be an incubator in which to hatch our converts.”