Sermon Tone Analysis

Burning in My Soul

We're asking the fire to fall and we're expecting God to do beyond what we've seen in days gone by.

People on fire, a church on fire is a mighty weapon in the hand of God.

Because when revival comes and the fire gets started, the church goes.

In fact, we're told in Acts chapter 1, verse 8, as we saw in last week's message, that the purpose of the filling of God's Spirit is that we would go as witnesses to the world.

So the Spirit comes and the church goes.

The Spirit comes that we might have revival; the church goes that we might have evangelism, bringing people to faith in Christ.

So let the fire fall.

Here's how it happens.

In Acts chapter 2 beginning in verse 1, "When the day of Pentecost arrived".

Now Pentecost means fifty, and this was fifty days after the celebration of the Passover.

Also let me relight your fire regarding what happened in the life of Jesus.

He was born of a virgin, He lived, performed miracles, ministered to people and with His perfect life, the Lamb of God laid His life down upon the cross.

He died on a cross, our substitute, taking the place for our sin.

He died in order that we might live and have eternal life.

Jesus died on the cross and gave Himself.

Romans 5:8, "God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us".

And then, on the third day, after He was buried in a tomb and the stone was rolled in, the stone rolled away, and Jesus came out of that grave.

And He spent, according to the Gospels and according to Acts chapter 1, He spent 40 days talking with His disciples, teaching His followers.

And with many proofs, He demonstrated that He was alive.

And then, having been alive for these 40 days on the earth, on the fortieth day He ascended into the presence of God and He now lives to pray for us and live in us and He said to His disciples, "You go to Jerusalem and you wait for the promise of the Father, you wait for the promise of the Spirit to come".

He had given them many promises regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit would produce His life in them.

He even made the bold claim that greater works than I have done will you do in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So the disciples were gathered on this feast day.

And by the way, the Christian life is not a funeral; it is a feast, it is a celebration.

And what we are about to see is the celebration of the birth of the church and the life of the church.

So: "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together (God's people, they were praying together, they were waiting together, they were worshiping together).

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

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

And they were", watch this, "all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages or tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance".

We see and hear the promise of the Spirit fulfilled.

And if you want a fire burning in your soul, receive and respond to the work of the dear Holy Spirit who lives in every believer.

Let me remind you of the profile of the Holy Spirit.

Don't be afraid of the Holy Spirit.

I know because of some ex-isms, excesses and extremism some of you have seen some stuff that is crazy and bazaar all in the "name of the Holy Spirit" and you're saying, "If that's what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, count me out.

I don't want any part of that kind of craziness".

And I don't blame you.

There's a lot of misunderstanding regarding who the Holy Spirit is.

The Holy Spirit is not an "it"; the Holy Spirit is not an influence, but the third person of the Deity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

He is the person of Christ.

He is the person of God.

He is the presence of the Lord in the life of the believer.

Now the Holy Spirit has always existed.

He didn't just begin to exist on the day of Pentecost.

No! The Holy Spirit breathed on the waters at creation.

The Holy Spirit moved throughout the history of God's people in the lives of Israel and appeared from time to time, but now this is all together different, all together different, because the Holy Spirit is now going to live in the lives of all believers.

Sometimes people think what we need today is another Pentecost.

No, we don't need another Pentecost.

The Day of Pentecost was a day acted in history.

We don't need another Pentecost anymore than we need another Bethlehem or another Calvary.

What we need to do is to receive what God has given and the promise that is not only to us as Peter says in this passage, but to our children and to our children's children, and to all who call upon Him!

Bethlehem is God with us.

Calvary, the cross is God for us.

Pentecost is God in us!

And the Holy Spirit resides in us, makes Christ real in us.

The Holy Spirit comforts us.

He's our Helper.

There are various multiple names of the Holy Spirit given to us in Scriptures, and one of those is the Helper or the Comforter.

The Holy Spirit is our prayer partner.

Do you know the Holy Spirit enables you to pray even when you hurt so badly that you don't even know what to say or how to pray.

The Holy Spirit, according to Acts chapter 8 enables you to pray and takes your feeble words and broken heart to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit gifts His church with spiritual gifts so that we can serve Christ and do it effectively.

The Holy Spirit comforts us in times of suffering.

The Holy Spirit illuminates the Scriptures to us so that when we read God's word we begin to understand as the Spirit speaks to us.

The Holy Spirit is the witness of our salvation, bringing us assurance of our salvation.

How do I know that I'm saved?

There are a number of reasons but one of the primary reasons that I know that I know that I know that I know that I'm going to heaven, not because of what I've done but because what Christ has done is because of the witness of the Holy Spirit.

You say what is that?

Well, deep within the life of the believer, I can't explain it, I can't describe it, but I know because of the Spirit's witness in me that I belong to Jesus Christ!

That's one of the roles and responsibilities of the Holy Spirit.

I could go on and on, but I hope that I'm making the point that the promise of the Father, the promise of the Spirit is for all of us, not just for some of us, but to all who have received the Lord Jesus Christ.

What happened on that day at Pentecost was the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord poured out His Spirit, baptized them with His Spirit and power on that day.

Now, check in right now, what is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is when we are placed into the body of Christ.

We have this new identity now in Christ.

Water baptism, is when we are submerged in water, immersed in water, placed underneath the water.

It's actually a term baptizo which means to dip or submerge.

It was used in New Testament days when they would take a piece of cloth and dye it and dip in the dye; it would come up another color.

That's the idea here.

The baptizo is the baptism, the immersion of the believer in water.

Believer's baptism is a symbol of our spiritual baptism when we are placed into the body of Christ.

When we go down into Christ and come up alive in Him.

And you cannot be saved apart from the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of the Spirit is not something that happens in addition to receiving Christ.

It's not a second work of grace.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not something that is subsequent after salvation.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is salvation!

In fact, you cannot be saved apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.

You say, how do you know that?

Well, for one thing in Romans chapter 8, verse 9, Let me show you a scripture on the screen.

"You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him".

So if you belong to Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus came into your life, His Spirit indwelled you with His very presence.

And so baptism of the spirit is for all believers.

Here's another scripture 1 Corinthians 12:13: "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (That's talking about the church), Jews, Greeks, slaves and free, (and how many?) all were made to drink of one Spirit".

So we are in this body of Christ because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and this produces spiritual power in our lives.

Not only should you receive not only the promise of the Father, the promise of the Spirit, but respond to the power of the Spirit.

What happened?