SET US ON FIRE!
Luke 3:15-16 (KJV)
“15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 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.”
If you have listened or read the news you have heard about forest fires in many different parts of our country. These fires have destroyed thousands of acres of forest, homes, business, animals, and human lives.
Many of these fires burned out of control for days, or weeks. Forest Fire Fighters were called in from many different locations to fight these fires. These fire fighters had the latest in modern fire fighting equipment, but the task before them was very difficult.
A fire broke out in 1988 around the Yellowstone National Park. This fire destroyed 1.4 million acres of beautiful forestland.
The local residents and thousands of trained National Guard fire fighters with all of the modern fire fighting equipment found it to be an impossible task to put this fire out.
Many years of fallen limbs and trees, undergrowth, winds, temperatures, and draught made conditions favorable for the destruction of this devastating forest fire.
They are uncertain of the cause, but it was assumed that lighting from a thunderstorm might have ignited this fire. The fire started out small but grew rapidly. If this fire had of been discovered sooner it might have been contained to a smaller area. It only took a few minutes for this fire to become a huge destructive forest fire. The winds drove it into a burning inferno. It destroyed everything in its path because of its intensive heat.
Many of these trees, which were very tall and huge in diameter, exploded from inside out before the flames reached them. The fire fighters hoped that the fire would burn itself out by reaching areas where the surface was covered by rocks.
As we read of these stories of fires of today and years gone by, it should help us to remember one of the greatest fires ever ignited. This fire was not a fire that destroyed structures, forest, animals, or lives, but it was a fire that set the hearts of men, women, boys, and girls ablaze everywhere it went. This fire started about 2,000 years ago and it is still burning today in the hearts of those who will let it.
•It was prophesied in the Bible that this fire would come.
•This fire was not created by man, or by the technology of their day.
•It seemed everyone in the path of this fire was consumed.
•This fire is still burning today.
•Luke 3:15-16 (NIV) “15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, "I baptise you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
•It was prophesied many years earlier in the Old Testament that it would happen.
•Joel 2:28-29 (KJV) “28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”
•The Lord promised to pour out His Spirit on all people.
•That includes us.
•He promised to pour out His Spirit on men, women, and children.
•The people were in expectation. (Luke 3:15)
•Jesus had promised that He was going away, but He would not leave them comfortless. (John 14:16-18)
•Jesus promised that this comforter, the Holy Ghost would be sent in His name. (John 14:26)
•Jesus promised that He would leave His peace and give unto you His peace. (John 14:27)
•We are living in a troubled world with lots of pain and hurt, but Jesus wants to give us inner peace by giving us His Spirit.
•The Holy Ghost is a gift from God.
•Acts 2:38 (KJV) “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
•The Holy Ghost is a gift available to you.
•Acts 2:39 “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
•Jesus made a promise, and He never takes His promises back.
•We serve a God that cannot lie, and it is not possible for Him to lie. (Hebrews 6:18)
•The Word of God shall stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
•Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
•The Holy Ghost will lead you unto all truth. (John 16:13)
•The Holy Ghost gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
•The Holy Ghost will bring all things to your remembrance. (John 14:26)
•God promised that He would put His Spirit within you.
•Ezekiel 36:25-27 “25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
•God wants your life to be clean.
•He wants to wash your sins away.
•He loves you beyond measure, and He died for your sins.
•He wants to forgive you of your sins and remember your sins and iniquities no more. (Hebrews 8:12)
In Acts chapter 2 about 120 people including the disciples, some men and women were gathered together in an upper room and the Holy Ghost fell on each of them. Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
•They all began to speak in a language that they did not know.
•They spoke in tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.
•It seemed that everything and every person in the path of this mighty fire was consumed.
•The heat was very intense and very hot.
•It was a God sent fire and consumed everything that it touched.
•In Acts 2:41 we read about 3,000 souls being added to the church that day.
•It was not just for the disciples or those in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.
•It did not stop there, but it is for you today. (Acts 2:39)
•Acts chapter 2:16-18 tells us that this was what Joel prophesied would happen in the last days.
•He promised to baptize us with Holy Ghost and fire. (Luke 3:16)
•Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost comes on you. (Acts 1:8)
•We need to allow God to baptize us with the Holy Ghost today.
•If you have never had it, you can have it today.
•If you are a backslider, and you once had it you can have it right now.
•If you have it, God wants to refill you to the brim with His spirit.
•The Baptism of fire that the early church had could not be put out.
•Satan tried to stop the fires of the Holy Ghost, but the fire got hotter, brighter, and spread quickly.
•The fires of revival broke out everywhere the disciples went.
•I believe that God wants to light a match and ignite a great fire in us today.
•I believe that He wants to pour our His Spirit in a greater measure than ever before.
•You can be a recipient of this outpouring today
•The conditions needed to start a fire are:
1)You must have a flammable substance or something that will burn.
2)This fuel must be heated to a kindling temperature.
3)There must be oxygen.
•If there is not enough oxygen you can fan the fire to move the air into it.
•If you perform this process you will have a blazing fire.
•These things were present on the day of Pentecost.
1)The fuel, or substance that could burn was 120 people.
2)The kindling for heat was fervent prayer and worship to God.
3)The oxygen was the mighty rushing wind.
•The cloven tongues like as fire sat upon all of the 120 people in the upper room. (Acts 2:3)
•This spontaneous combustion took place that ignited a worldwide revival.
•The Fire of the Holy Ghost was uncontrollable, unpredictable and irresistible to those who felt its power.
•This huge raging fire could not be quenched.
•The devil could not stop it, and nothing can stop it today.
One of the old time preachers of years gone by said he wanted God to set him on fire so that people would come from miles to watch him burn.
God please set me on fire and Abundant Life United Pentecostal Church on fire. Let the blaze be so huge that people from all over this community will come to see this fire burn and spread into their lives.
•Today is your special day.
•God wants to ignite this special fire in your life today.
•Please don’t turn Him away, but say yes to His call today.
•Jesus is reaching His arms of love and mercy out to you today
•He wants to pour His Spirit out on you and let you blaze in the Spirit today.
•God make us ministers of a flaming fire that the devil cannot put out.
