Dont Let Your Fire Go Out

I don’t know about you, but my Bible tells me that I can make it. You can make it with Jesus but you need to know that Jesus is in the fire (Hebrew Boys). All I’m trying to say to you is that if you have no power, you have no beneficial solution to the issues that you will face in this life! If you’re truthful, you’ll admit that you have some issues. You might not be able to change the issue, but you can handle whatever you face if you have power… So what she dumped you… so what he left you… ok, so they fired you… alright the bank turned you down for a loan! Don’t you sit in pity and waddle in misery! Hurry up and get over it. It’s not over until God says it’s over!

Our text finds God giving Moses the laws concerning burnt offerings. God instructed Moses to command Aaron and his sons to make sure that the altar was set up for burnt offerings to be sacrificed on behalf of Israel’s sins. But the important factor here was that God commanded them to never let the fire go out on the altar because the altar needed to always be prepared to offer God the sacrificial lambs. They were supposed to offer a lamb in the morning and at night.

What is a sacrifice? A sacrifice is giving up something for the sake of something else… it is the shedding of blood so that we might have life. God accepted burnt offering sacrifices on behalf of the sins of Israel. God intended for Israel to offer sacrifices continually and to do that the altar had to always be ready.

God intends for us to do the same. That’s why Paul tells us in Romans 12:1 to present our body’s a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is our reasonable service. God accepts our living on behalf of our sins. I know you are wondering how God can accept a sinner in the place of sin. Allow me to ease your confusion. The fire of the Holy Ghost purges our sins on a continual basis so long as the fire is burning. Just like the altar of sacrifice, God does not want the fire on the altar of our hearts to go out. You can’t offer yourself to God if you don’t have any power… you can’t sacrifice to the Father unless the fire is still burning on the alter. I wonder if there is anybody here who still has a little fire burning in 2007?... Is there anybody here who has a little prayer wheel turning and a little fire burning? What are you offering God?

I wonder have you considered your level of power lately. Is your fire going out? Is there something or someone is draining your power. Who or what is plugging into you (ad-lib)?

We must be careful because the fire is exposed to substances that may cause it to go out! According to the text, the priest had the responsibility to remove the ashes daily. Look at verse 11. It say’s that the ashes were removed daily. These ashes represented what remained of what was burned and was a threat to the fire. If the ashes piled up, it could cause the fire to go out.

God is telling the church that everyday we have to rid ourselves of the ashes of life that affect the fire. Fire burns the unnecessary stuff out of our lives and turns it into ashes. Just as the priest of those days had to daily remove the ashes, we come to the church to help rid our minds of the ashes of the consumed because they threaten our fire… You’ve burned sin but left the ashes; in other words you left a possibility open to indulge again… you left the relationship, but held on to the emotion; you’ve still got the ashes… you left the job, but held on to the memory; you’ve still got the ashes… the fire is trying to burn up the drinking habit, but you hold on to the taste… the fire is trying to burn the gambling addiction, but you hold on the possibility… I hear God is saying today throw away the ashes. Somebody is holding on to ashes. Tell somebody to throw away the ashes!