Tending the Fire
Leviticus 6:8 -13
We have an altar in the human heart, on which burns a fire, kindled by the grace of God. On this altar rests the deepest allegiance of a life given to God. What ever else may be deferred, keep the fire burning. The flame must not go out.
There is a passage from the sixth chapter of Leviticus (6:8-13) which describes the duties of the priests of the tabernacle in handling the burnt offerings. These priests had many tasks, but among them stood one supreme duty.
The fire on the altar, the eternal flame on which sacrifices were offered to God, was to be tended with care.
Other duties could be postponed.
Other tasks could be deferred.
But the fire on the altar was to be kept burning because it was the visible symbol of God’s presence among his people.
This sacred fire, where God’s people offered their gifts and rededicated their lives, was not to go out.
I had a seminary professor who told us not to try to write everything down, concentrate on listening and just take notes on the important stuff. One student asked, “How do we know what is important?” the professor replied, “If I say it more than once, it is important.”
Three times in this passage God says the same thing. IT IS IMPORTANT!!!
We are far removed from those ancient days and customs. We don’t worship with burnt offerings. We don’t maintain an eternal flame in our churches.
But there is a sense in which this challenge... to keep the altar fire burning remains true and binding on all who believe.
For the Christian, the inner flame of devotion to God, which represents the consecration of our lives to his service, burns on the altar of the heart.
That inner fire of devotion must burn brightly if the outer life of the Christian is going to reflect, in word and deed, the light of God in the world.
Whatever else the person may choose to do or not to do, the sacred fire on the altar of the human heart must be tended and kept burning. It must not go out.
The Bible uses fire as a metaphor.
John the Baptist said, "/ baptize you with water...but he (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matt. 3:11)
Jesus said, "/ came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" (Luke 12:49)
The significance of all this is that Christians are supposed to be on fire, burning with enthusiasm, ablaze with vitality, and aglow about the things of God.
It is difficult to define that. A lot of things in life defy definition.
Someone asked Louis Armstrong to define rhythm, and he said, "Rhythm is what if you’ve got it, you don’t need a definition, and if you don’t got it, no definition is any good."
It’s the same with the fire of the Spirit—if you’ve got it, no definition is necessary, and to those who don’t have it, it is very difficult to explain.
Charles J. Connick was a craftsman who became famous for his stained glass windows. He tells about a time when one of his young apprentices came to him and asked if he could borrow his tools. Connick asked him why, and the young apprentice said, "I’m very dissatisfied with my work. I’d like to use your tools to see if I can do better."
In about a week Connick went back and said, "How are things going?" The young man replied, "Not so good, sir." One of the older artists in the workshop overheard the conversation and interrupted to say to the young man, "You not only need the tools of the master, you need his fire!"
John Wesley was asked why so many people came to hear him preach and he replied, "God set me on fire, and people come to watch me burn."
Unfortunately, in a world like ours, there are many threats to the interior life which, left unchecked, can extinguish the fire of our devotion to God.
1. One danger to the inner fire is EXHAUSTION.
No fire can burn without fuel. The priests in ancient Israel had to ensure a ready supply of wood, lest the flames be exhausted by a lack of fuel.
There is the story of a man who was restless and dissatisfied with his job. He explained his problem to a wise friend, who replied with a request. "Inhale and fill your lungs." The man did. "Now exhale as fully as you can." The man complied. The friend then said, "Now before you inhale, exhale again." The man tried, but couldn’t. Regaining his composure, the man asked the reason behind this silly request. The friend replied, "That’s exactly what you’ve been doing in your life, and that’s why you are all used up."
A person drained in body finds the interior life threatened as well.
Many Christians struggle against spiritual exhaustion. Their spiritual exhaustion really comes from physical exhaustion.
Resources are depleted and the flame of faith is quenched. In a culture that rewards "workaholics" and sneers at "underachievers," exhaustion is a very real threat. The problem emerges in the person who is chained to the hours, the job, and unreasonable inner demands for success.
A powerful and gifted preacher of the last century, Robert Murray McCheyenne, died before the age of thirty, a physically broken man. Never strong in physique, he drove himself mercilessly in his work. A year before his death, with signs of his impending collapse clear, he remarked to a friend, "God gave me a horse to ride and a message to deliver. Alas, I have killed the horse and will not be able to deliver the message."
The response to exhaustion is simple, but hard for those who are shackled to the treadmill of overwork.
In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is surrounded by a pressing crowd. People have submerged him in their needs. In fact, so many people had been coming and going that there was not time even to eat.
Jesus notices another group whose resources are being depleted—his disciples. So he says to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place to rest awhile." So they get in a boat and withdraw down the lakeshore to relax.
There are at least twenty-seven instances where Christ insisted that time be taken to get away from the burdens of the work.
In his wisdom, he recognized that when a person is used up, that person is on the shelf for further service to God.
The small, carping voice that accuses us when we seek rest and renewal does not speak with the accent of God.
Isaiah quotes the Holy One of Israel as saying: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15)
2. A second danger to the inner fire is NEGLECT.
It was a constant threat to the priests in ancient Israel. There is nothing terribly exciting about watching a fire for hours at a time, especially at night.
When people fall away from the faith, it doesn’t happen in an instant. They don’t say, "I’m not going to have any more to do with God, the Bible, or the Church." No, it doesn’t happen instantaneously. It happens slowly, through disregard of the inner life.
The flame simply AND SLOWELY dies out.
Living things die through neglect—a houseplant, a garden, a friendship, or a marriage gradually withers when they are not nourished.
People give greater attention to beginning a relationship than they do to cultivating the relationship once begun.
Neglect is understandable. The Bible is hard to read. There are times when prayers seem offered to an unresponsive ear. Public worship can be tedious.
So, we neglect them. And, in time, the fire dies.
The best thing to do is to center on one area and make a conscious effort to do something to revive it.
A prayer life may need nourishment, or daily devotions may need sustenance, or consistent attendance at public worship may need encouragement.
You have to make it a PRIORITY
Speaking of priorities...Former small-town lawyer John Grisham. a bestselling author,. But some letters show the Tennessee novelist’s popularity might just be getting out of control. A couple wrote that they had made the mistake of taking a single copy of The Pelican Brief with them on their honeymoon. They got to arguing over the book and never consummated their marriage.
Taking one of those predicaments at a time, and rebuilding, "line upon line, precept upon precept," can achieve practical results when dealing with the problem of neglect.
3. A third danger to the inner fire is COMPROMISE.
When deeply held convictions are bartered away, the flame of inner devotion to God is dampened.
When values are sullied in trade-offs for power, acclaim, or security, more is lost than is gained.
Jesus asks, "What will you gain by winning the whole world, at the cost of your soul?" (Luke 9:26)
That question is a call to fight with all our powers to retain integrity and character regardless of cost.
We may lose much we honestly desire. We may find praise or promotion going to another. The issue is deeper than what is gained or lost in some surface sense.
The issue of compromise touches what we are, what we are before God and what we are when we stand before the mirror of conscience.
Compromise can quench the flame, dimming both the vision and the desire for God. But character and courage, can kindle anew our devotion and dedication.
In the November 2, 1998 issue of Newsweek magazine, reporter Kenneth L. Woodword described Bill Clinton as "a believer whose faith leaves plenty of license."
Compromise here leads to compromise there.... Soon there is nothing left.
Conclusion
We have an altar in the human heart, on which burns a fire, kindled by the grace of God. On this altar rests the deepest allegiance of a life given to God. What ever else may be deferred, keep the fire burning. The flame must not go out.
WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR FIRE?
Has it burned out... or nearly out because of... EXHAUSTION?
NEGLECT?
COMPROMISE?
What will you do about it TODAY?
This sermon is built on one by the same name from Ward Williams.
