Fire Power! Series

THE FILLING STATION #2: FIRE POWER!

(February 2006 – Filling Station Youth Conference)

OPENING: How many of you guys like to play with fire? Camping stories of boys & fire! Every boy, no matter what the age, is a pyromaniac. Camping @ Cultus Lake last summer, my son Austin (age 5) burned his hand playing in the fire, didn’t tell his mom who was right there, came down to the water where I was and told me. It’s a guy thing! (Some girls are, too!)

Spencer’s story – life of crime: He used to ‘steal’ matches from the local corner store until they said to him one day, “We know you’re taking our matches. They’re free you know.” He would start fires.

Youth lighter story – parent called me saying some youth were trying to burn down the portable – went and confiscated the lighters – Two different kinds – one only has a snazzy brand name, a spark, but no fire (fuel), the other has a HOT fire! I know – from first hand experience how hot it is - it burns!

TWO THINGS: To remember from this morning:

1. Jesus is the ultimate, original pyromaniac.

2. Jesus is looking for someone to become His firepower!

JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE PYROMANIAC!

Fire = mentioned over 500 times in the Bible

What is a Pyromaniac? Definition: omeone who has the irresistible urge to start fires. Look at the Word:

1. Genesis 3:23 - God sent an angel and a flaming sword to guard the Garden of Eden

2. Genesis 19:22 - set a couple of cities on fire (Sodom & Gomorrah)

3. Exodus 3:2 - set a bush on fire when He appeared to Moses

4. Exodus 19:28 - set a mountain on fire

5. Leviticus - God told his people to set things on fire (offerings)

6. Numbers - fire by night

7. Deut. 4:24 - “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire.”

INTERESTING NOTE: The only books in the Bible that don’t talk about fire = Ruth & Esther (girls books) See – boys are all pyromaniacs! (Side note - Ezra is one ’boy’ book of the Bible who doesn’t talk about fire, but he was just a nerdy bookworm! (Kidding of course, he was a great scribe!)

JESUS IS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BECOME HIS FIREPOWER!

Firepower Defined - the capacity, as of a weapon, weapons system, or military unit for delivering fire; the ability to deliver fire against an enemy in combat. Effective power or force.

God wants you to become a powerful weapon that He can use to deliver fire against the Enemy in combat. Anyone want to become a pyromaniac for Jesus, flamethrowers for Jesus?

KEY TEXTS:

“But John intervened: "I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama (Jesus), to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will IGNITE the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.” (Luke 3:16, The Message).

“I have come to cast fire on the Earth, and how I wish it were already kindled.” (Luke 12:49).

GET IGNITED!

Remember: Jesus is the ultimate, original pyromaniac, and Jesus is looking for someone to become His firepower!

I want to take you to a story in the Scriptures of an ordinary Joe who became God’s firepower.

BACKDROP TO THE STORY:

“Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” (Exodus 2:23-25).

- Doesn’t that sound like the world we’re living in, specifically our nation?

THE STORY:

“1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:1-5).

- Before God raised Moses up as a deliverer, He had to experience the FIRE OF GOD!