Intro:
It has been said that: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". And if that is true, then today is a day that God has ordained that there may be an encounter with Him that can forever change the way that you live for God!
Depending on how you came to this service and what you came for will be the determining factors on how you leave here, and to what extent that you will be affected! Because God’s promises to His children are not for a few special people, but they are for every hungry soul that longs to be a part of the Kingdom of God!
Opening Text: “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:“ (Luke 3:16)
Prayer: Lord baptize us with the Word tonight, we need the Fire of God to guide our lives.
Can I just talk to you for a minute or two about fire?
When I was in the boy scouts we had to learn a lot about fire safety. We had to learn how to stop fires and how to start them safely. We even got a card that proved that we were allowed to work with fire; this merit badge-like card is called the Firem’n Chit. I still have mine at home…..somewhere.
The first thing we would do when building a fire is start with tender. Tender is anything that can catch a flame quick and make a big flame, such as paper, saw dust, twine, hay or even dry moss; basically anything that burns clean. Then on top of that you would have to have some kindling, which is twigs and branches that you can add on gradually to make the fire larger if needed. And finally the most important thing to have before starting the fire is fuel. Fuel can be logs or branches in varying sizes, depending on how large your fire is. It is extremely important to always have a sufficient amount of fuel already stocked up so that you never have to leave the fire unattended. But most importantly about fuel is to use caution and not get in a hurry and place fuel that is too large on the fire, it may go out. You must be patient and allow the fire to grow in size very slowly. This is why the Bible says “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little,” we too need to grow gradually little by little growing in the Lord and always maintain a supply line with the source, which would be a daily devotional time with God.
According the encyclopedia, fire can destroy if not properly used. If you douse a campsite with gasoline, you will definitely get a fire really quickly, but you will also risk destroying the ecosystem by consuming all of its recourses with this wild fire. Now I won’t dwell here very long, but there are some wild fires out there in the so-called church world on tv, radio and even in local assemblies that are not using the right source….. they have fire but its not fire from the Lord its strange fire, and they are consuming “resources” as well, and destroying faith by spreading doctrines and traditions of men. We need to “study to show ourselves approved unto God a workman than need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” Now I’m not teaching against the Word, I’m trying to remind us that we NEED the Word of God to fulfill our lives and to further His kingdom and a little fire safety so that we don’t letting the fire go out of our lives and that we don’t get burned in the end. Let me show you a little about the positive side of fire.
When used properly it can be a source of power or warmth and a purifying agent. Almost every type of power we have today is based off of some form of fire, from the coal industry to the gas and electric company, fire is a key element to bringing power to the masses. If we are going to ever have power as a saint of God, we must and I say MUST have the fire of the Word in our lives, it is what powers us; IT IS OUR PASSION and what will drive us to victory. Jesus said to the devil “It Is Written,” we need the Word of God to be able to defeat the enemy. It’s the Word of God that teaches us to Love our neighbors as ourselves and to show ourselves friendly. It’s a proven fact that when the Word is in our hearts like it should be we will have God’s warming love. Natural fire is a purifier. You put gold through the fire and it will come out the other side with less additives. You see the heat of the fire eliminates other elements that aren’t supposed to be in the gold, bringing it closer to the state of perfection. God’s Holy Fire puts us through the test as well, the Word makes us look at our lives to see if we measure up and it will weed out the things in our lives that are holding us back from a closer walk with God. It’s the Word that gets rid of all the ungodly thoughts from the inside and even the ungodly forms of entertainment from the inside. It’s the Word that shapes and molds us into being the vessels that God has called us to be. Never should we try to live our own ways making the Bible apply only to what we want it to, but we should always strive to make our own lives a living testament to the Word and make our lives line up with the Holy Writ. For if we do not live by the Word now, we will be judged by it later.
Most of us have been baptized with water and have received the wonderful baptism of the Holy Ghost, but I wonder if any of us have sought to be baptized with the fire.
In his book, Frank Bartleman said “The present worldwide Pentecostal manifestation did not break out in a moment, like a huge prairie fire, and set the world on fire. In fact, no work of God ever appears that way. There is a necessary time for preparation.”
Every fire that has ever been started had to have a source of ignition and a continual source of fuel.
If we ever want our lives to be happy and meaningful, or to ever see the promises of God unfold, or even to take place in the upcoming revival, we NEED to be enriched by the Word so much that we are fire starters, We will need to have caution signs on us that read Beware of Flames. After all we are the Light of the World according to Jesus. A city set upon a hill that cannot be hid. We need to show forth the light of the Word. … We MUST have enough of the Fire in us that we can give it to others. The priests in the Old Testament were commanded to never let the fire go out in the tabernacle and also in the temple; they did this by sharing the fire!
Jeremiah wrote, according to the New Living Translation “And I can’t stop! If I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!”
GOD’S WORD IS THE FIRE!
Hebrews 12: 29 - "For our God is a consuming fire!"
* His fire tries and refines the purest gold!
* His fire consumes every acceptable sacrifice!
* His fire cleanses the unclean!
* His fire illuminated the burning bush for Moses!
* His fire led the children of Israel out of Egypt!
* His fire burned the fields of the Philistines for Samson!
* His fire kept Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego while they were in the furnace of fire!
* His fire approved Elijah in the face of the false prophets of Baal!
* His fire fell, and filled the 120 seekers in the upper room and then another 3000 after Peter preached Jesus Christ & Him Crucified, as John said it would when He would "baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with Fire!"
Two Types of fire: Chemical and standard wood.
Fire changes what it consumes. Coals eventually turn to ash, just as wood will become ash as well. As for us if we get consumed with the fire we too shall be changed. The Unholy will be holy, the unclean will be made clean, the worldly will become righteous. The author of 1 Corinthians put t this way. That this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. HEY death can become life and live ever lasting. Hate becomes love and sinner becomes saint IF we are consumed by His Word.
Closing: As the ministry comes. If tonight you are feeling cold, there is some fire here at the altar that will warm you. If You can’t see straight because of all of the darkness of this world, the light of the fire will show you the way. There’s enough fire at the altar to cleanse, purify, warm and baptize all off us afresh here tonight, if only you come seeking it.
