Fresh Fire

Jeremiah 20:1–9 ESV

Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.” O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

Introduction

Series Recap

Series

A couple weeks ago we started a new series entitled, “What the church needs today.”

and through this series we have been looking at a few different elements that the body of christ at large is in need of today if we are going to see Gods will accomplished in the earth.

Faith

the last two weeks we spoke about how today, more than ever, we need a renewed faith..

And we talked about how our faith is an active weapon for us and a protective shield for us..

How faith is required for both seeing God do the impossible and extinguishing the attacks of the enemy in our lives..

Last week we were encouraged to raise our shields against the enemies attacks once again..

Today

today were going to take a little different direction and talk about another element that is vital for the church and our relationship with God.

and that is,”fire”

Jeremiah

When we come into Jeremiah 20, Jeremiah is at the end of his rope..

Called

Jeremiah has been given the task of being the prophet of God

Speaking for god to the people of israel..

Jeremiah was called by God himself to this position at a young age..

Only

In these days, the prophet was basically the only one through whom God would speak ..

They were the voice of authority and direction for the people..

before Israels first king, king Saul, we see men like the prophet Samuel leading the entire nation..

Corruption

but now, that Israel has a king.. they have diminished the authority of the prophet and the importance of their voice..

and even have gone as far a raising up prophets that spoke.. not of god.. but of what they wanted instead

So we see wicked prophets arise..and speak and do evil..

In this way, Jeremiah, Though the only righteous voice, was not the only voice speaking..

and since the other voices were speaking for what the people wanted instead of what God wanted.. He was honestly was not a popular voice..

Israel

Jeremiah had the task of speaking to the people of Israel in a time where Israel was going astray and doing great evil..

So his message to the people was that God was fed up with their evil and was about to do something about it..

in the final verse of chapter 19, Jeremiah comes to the house of god and tells the people..

Jeremiah 19:14–15 ESV

Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.”

He says..

Gods fed up with it..

disaster is coming..

Angry

of course this made the people mad..

and the first verse of chapter 20 tell us that the PRIEST HIMSELF..

Beats Jeremiah..

and throws him in the stocks for the night..

Catch that..

THE PREIST HEARD THE WORD OF THE LORD

AND TOOK HIS ANGER OUT ON THE PROPHET..

THIS IS THE PICTURE OF WHAT ISRAEL IS LIKE IN THIS MOMENT..

EVIL AND CORRUPTION..

Over and over..

This kind of thing happens to Jeremiah over and over again.

The word of the lord comes forth..

and the people of the lord dont like it..

and they take it out on him..

Discouraged..

and in verse 7 we see a prophet who is at the end of his rope..

Hes discouraged..

he’s frustrated..

He’s tired..

He’s been beaten..

and ostracized among his people..

He frankly ready to give up and throw in the towel..

look what he says in verse 7-8..

Jeremiah 20:7–8 ESV

O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.

He says.. You got me god!

You roped me into this..

and i didnt know what I was getting into..

so I came along..

but look at me know..

im the laughing stock..

Your words have made me a reproach..

Shift

But notice in verse 9 there is a shift..

Some translations aptly begin verse 9 with the word but..

Jeremiah.. says.. IM FRUSTRATED..

BUT …

look at verse 9..

Jeremiah 20:9 ESV

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

Jeremiah says..

Im frustrated..

but I cant stop

If I try to hold it in..

Its like.. FIRE….in my bones..

And I cant hold it in..

The desire to give up..

JEREMIAH WANTED TO GIVE UP.

HE WAS FRANKLY TIRED OF THE SUFFERING..

BUT IT WAS THE FIRE THAT WOULD NOT LET HIM..

The church Today

I think there are a lot of churches, pastors and church people who are right where Jeremiah was..

at the end of their rope..

Crazy world..

Were living in a crazy world that gets crazier every day..

lawless and godlessness runs rampid through the streets..

logic and sanity has gone out the window in favor of feelings and progress..

Wiery

and I see a church who is weiry..

pastors who are tired..

because they stand.. and they stand .. and they stand for whats right..

but the world has beaten them down..

and mocked them..

and ostracized them..

and called them radicals..

and extremists..

And even imprisoned them for truth..

simply for being bold enough to stand on gods word..

THE CHURCH IS TIRED..

AND THE DESIRE TO GIVE UP IS CLEAR..

TO SIMPLY GO INTO HIDING AND WAIT FOR THE RETURN OF JESUS IN SOLITUDE..

Still

BUT IVE COME TO TELL YOU THIS MORNING..

ITS NOT GODS DESIRE FOR US TO GIVE UP OR THROW IN THE TOWEL..

ITS NOT HIS DESIRE FOR US TO SHUT UP AND BE SILENT..

ITS NOT HIS DESIRE FOR THE CHURCH TO HIDE BEHIND THE CLOTHS DOORS OF THE BUILDING…

RATHER

ITS STILL HIS DESIRE FOR HIS CHURCH TO GOD INTO ALL THE WORLD AND MAKE DESCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS

BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER THE SON AND THE HOLY GHOST..

AND TEACHING THEM TO OBEY THE COMMANDS OF JESUS..

ITS STILL HIS DESIRE TO SEE THE TRUTH PREACHED IN EVERY CORNER

TO SEE THE CAPTIVE SET FREE..

TO SEE THOSE IN DARKNESS BROUGHT INTO MARVELOUS LIGHT..

IF WE WILL LET HIM..

THE ENEMY WILL DISCOURAGE US TO THE POINT OF FRUITLESSNESS..

BUT THATS NOT GODS DESIRE

THE CHURCH NEEDS A FIRE INSIDE ONCE AGAIN THAT REFUSES TO LET THE WORLD DIE AND GO TO HELL WITHOUT HEARING THE LIBERATING TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL!

Galatians 6:9 ESV

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

like Jeremiah..

we need a fire deep inside..

that refuses to let us give up and check out..

we need a fire..

What is the fire

what is the fire Jeremiah had?

what was it that at the end of his rope would not let him give up on obeying the voice of the lord and proclaiming his message?

The fire in Jeremiahs bones..

was a holy spirit given..

It was a passion and zeal for the LORD..

burning desire and urgency..

that gripped him and consumed him..

It was the fire of gods spirit working in him..

as God did the prophets of old..

to birth forth the will and word of God in the earth..

refusing to let him give up..

old testament

we see this through many of the prophets and even warriors in the old testament..

the spirit of god empowering the called people of god to do his work and will int he earth

New testament

But we see it in the new testament as well..

in the new testament

Johns proclaims the baptism of fire..

Matthew 3:11 ESV

“I baptize you with water for 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.

The fire represents the holy spirit..

and Jesus tells us that the holy spirit is for every believer..

because we are all called according to his purpose..

we are all a royal priesthood because of his sacrifice..

Peter

We see the same thing happen with peter in acts 2..

where a man.. who wanted to give up..

and wanted to hide..

is filled with holy fire and steps out on the balcony and preaches his first sermon

and thousands are saved..

more

All through the book of acts we see how this fire compels those it fills to be bold witnesses for christ..

to do signs and wonders..

to see people delivered and healed..

saved and set free..

without fear of reproach or personal consequence..

JEREMIAH HAD THE SAME FIRE THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU AND I TODAY..

HE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT!

AND HE EMPOWERS US TO BOLDY FULFILL THE WILL OF GOD IN THE EARTH..

THE CHURCH NEEDS TO FIRE ONCE AGAIN!

Three reasons the church Needs THE FIRE again today..

The Church needs the fire to purify us again..

Numbers 31:23 ESV

everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water.

Malachi 3:2–3 ESV

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.

The church needs the refining fire of the holy spirit once again..

a fire that will purify her doctrine..

purify her practice..

and purify her people..

A fire that will burn out the sin in our lives..

and makes us the spotless bride we are called to be..

We need the refining fire of the holy spirit..

but we we also need the fire in order….

The church needs the fire to embloden us again..

to passionately proclaim the gospel to the world..

Jeremiahs fire refused to let him be silent about the word of god..

Jeremiah 20:9 ESV

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

In acts 1 Jesus tells us a primary purpose of the fire of the holy spirit is to cause us to be witnesses..

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The church once again needs the fire of the holy spirit to compell us to boldy propclaim the gospel..

without fear of what will happen..

to stand for truth..

to stand for gods words..

regardless of what we may lose or what may happen to us..

we need the fire..

world

And the world needs a church thats on fire..

the hope for this world is not the church with programs..

its not the church with the best worship team..

its the church who has the purifying fire

liberating fire..

delivering fire..

saving fire..

of God..

WHO CAN PROCLAIM LIBERATING TRUTH AND SEE THE CAPTIVE SET FREE!

Finally.. we need the fire once again…

The church needs the fire to empower them again..

to see the miraculous again..

John 14:12 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

The miraculous nature of the holy spirit is not just a show to entertain the masses..

its not just an excuse for pentecostals to be emotional..

rather..

they are the proof of the reality and power of god..

AND THE WORLD TODAY NEEDS TO SEE THE REALITY AND POWER OF THE ONE TRUE GOD WORKING THROUGH HIS CHOSEN VESSEL THE CHURCH..

PEter

when peter preached his first sermon..

He said this..

Acts 2:22 ESV

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

He said HE WAS THE CHRIST..

YOU SAW THE WORKS HE DID!

John

Luke 7.. Johns disciples come and act Jesus..

Jesus .. John wants to know if your the messiah..

and Jesus answers.. tell him what you see..

the blind receive sight.. the leapers are healed..

Jesus was telling him look at the signs..

they are proof..

SIGNS AND WONDERS..

MIRACULOUS EVENTS ARE PROOF OF THE DIVINE INTERACTING WITH THE NATURE…

Did not end..

and im sorry to disappoint you..

but they did not end with the apostals as some would say..

infact if you search church history.

the baptism of fire and the accompanying signs have never left..

they have lived on through those bold enough to believe the word of god..

and now.. in the the great awakening

have spread the globe to empower beleivers to do the greater works jesus said we would do..

BUT THE CHURCH ONCE AGAIN NEEDS TO FIRE TO SEE THOSE THINGS COME TO PASS..

end

the church once again needs the fire of the holy spirit..

we need a fresh outpouring and fresh move of the spirit..

Do you need fresh fire in your bones today?