Renewal of Gods promises

Renewal = bring back to the original state
Since God never changes, that means we have to come back to God’s promises in our lives.
Which leaves me with the question “why do they need renewing”?

I’m warning you, I may make you sad before I make you happy...because we need to repent, turn around, return to something…look at…2 Cor. 7:8-11

2 Corinthians 7:8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. NIV

All these words say to me “Passion”

A fast fire generation - The Microwave Oven

Microwave ovens are now very popular. It was invented by Percy L. Spencer in 1945 when he discovered that he could cook with radio waves. The principle was: When microwaves enter food, they cause the liquid or moisture molecules to vibrate 2450 million times a second. The resulting friction causes the food to heat up. The first microwave oven weighed ca. 300kg and stood five feet, six inches.

Shook up from the inside till it gets hot. (My goal today)

Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. NIV

Never be lacking in zeal (passion) For life

Don’t be without it, ever!

Zeal

Eagerness and (fiery) interest in and pursuit of something

Keep your spiritual fervor for spiritual things

Something is trying to take it away, don’t let it happen!

Fervor

1 : intensity of feeling or expression

2 : intense heat

serving the Lord

So we don’t lose the ultimate focus for the fire.

Phil 3:6 Paul said he was zealous at persecuting the Church.

synonymy passion, fervor, enthusiasm, zeal means intense emotion compelling action.

All of us need passion in life. Without it, we become apathetic and unproductive. We were made to dream big.

That's probably why we get so excited about the sports events and heroes.

I'm amazed that I am interested whether a person I do not know wins a medal or not.
It affects me when someone who has trained long and hard has a bad run and misses his or her chance.
I'm excited when another person achieves his or her long-awaited goal.

Why does it matter? I think we all are thrilled at seeing their passion.

The apostle Paul understood this underlying need for passion,

It's easy to feel the passion momentarily; it's another thing to make it a way of life. Most of us come to Christ passionately, but have trouble sustaining it.

How many of us have started something, like piano lessons, or a sport, or something else with the dream of being the best. On stage, the super bowl, the Olympics, world cup Soccer or Hockey, concert pianist, etc…?
The Danger is letting others live passionately for us. We would rather watch someone else burn than build our own fire.

This is the reason for the boom on reality shows. People living and us watching!

Is there anyone that wants to be more passionate about Life and the things of God?

How do we get more fire in our lives? Firewood and fire

· What is the firewood?

§ You’re Life is the fire wood

· Bring the firewood closer to the fire.

· The danger being that only the eternal things will burn and not be consumed. All other things will be burned up.

o Maybe this is a reason some do not want more fire?

§ Whatever you want to burn. (want to have on fire)

· You’re marriage?

· You’re Family?

· You’re Job?

· You’re Christianity?

· You? (spirit, soul and body)

· What and where is the Fire? (who)

· The fire of His Presence (come closer to God)

o Exodus 13:21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. NIV

o Exodus 3:2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. NIV

o Exodus 19:18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, NIV

· The word of God is like fire (zeal alone is not enough)

o Jeremiah 20:9 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. NKJV

It is important that the church have a balanced ministry of the Word of God and prayer. The Word instructs the church; prayer inspires the church to obey the Word. The church that has an abundance of Bible teaching but little prayer will have “much light, but no heat.” (Flashlight no fire) It will be orthodox but frozen! The other extreme is the church that has much prayer and religious enthusiasm, but little teaching from the Word; this may produce a group of people with zeal but no knowledge.

· The Ministers of God (follow his ministers, be imitators)

o Psalm 104:4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. NKJV

o Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. NIV

· All true spirit filled, fire baptized believers (be imitators of those on fire)

o Matthew 3:11 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. NKJV

o Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. NIV

Learning to make fire is one of the oldest practices of man; let’s learn to do it again today.