Scripture: Acts 1:1-13 and Luke 16:19-31
Theme: Pentecostal Fire or Hell Fire?
INTRO:
Good morning!
A few years ago, the story goes that a certain pastor asked his congregation as rather particular question on Pentecost Sunday. He asked all those sitting in the sanctuary, “How many Pentecost cards did you receive?” 1
The crowd no doubt looked around and wondered what their pastor was asking them. After all, no one that they knew had received any Pentecost cards in the mail. In fact, I am sure many had never heard of anyone even creating or making a Pentecost Greeting card. However, did you know this morning there are Pentecost Greeting cards that you can buy and then send to your friends? All you have to do is go to http://www.printeryhouse.org/ and for around 15.00 they will send you a box of 10 Pentecost Cards that you can then give to your family and friends. Each of the cards has a wonderful picture on the front of the Holy Spirit falling down upon the 120 disciples.
You would think at some point the church would have made it a tradition to send cards. It seems like it would have been a great way to promote the season of Pentecost. After all, where you are aware -
Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year. Annual retail sales of greeting cards are estimated between $7 and $8 billion.
The most popular Everyday card-sending occasion by far is Birthday, followed by a number of secondary occasions that include Sympathy, Thank You, Wedding, Thinking of You, Get Well, New Baby and Congratulations.
The most popular Seasonal cards are Christmas cards, with some 1.6 billion units purchased (including boxed cards). This is followed by cards for Valentine’s Day (145 million units, not including classroom valentines), Mother’s Day (133 million units), Father’s Day (90 million units), Graduation (67 million units), Easter (57 million units), Halloween (21 million units), Thanksgiving (15 million units) and St. Patrick's Day (7 million units).
Women purchase an estimated 80% of all greeting cards. Women spend more time choosing a card than men, and are more likely to buy several cards at once.2
So while we annually purchase over 1.6 billion Christmas cards we can rest assured that there are probably only a few thousand Pentecost Greeting cards that are actually purchased sent across our world.
I wonder why that is the case? I wonder why industry has not attempted to commercialize Pentecost like it has Christmas or Valentine's Day? Perhaps, it because Pentecost is difficult to market. Just think about it, how would you go about marketing the season of Pentecost?
1. Would we give out little stuff little toy doves as gifts or attempt to sell pictures of a dove coming down upon the 120?
2. Or would attempt to sell "fans" - promoting those that could really move the air like the wind of the Holy Spirit?
3. Perhaps you could market "rose petals" as the ancient church made use of to apply to symbolize the tongues of fire? Could you market Holy Spirit roses?
4. Perhaps you could market "Pentecost Matches" that would light up your life?
It would be silly. Seriously, however, I think the most difficult thing to market would be first of all the idea of Pentecost itself. There are so many people that just do not understand what the season of Pentecost means or its importance. Even in our age of knowledge there exists a great deal of confusion, misunderstanding and lack of understanding about Pentecost.
So, let's do some review then:
+ Historically, Pentecost has its roots as Shavu'ot. Shavu'ot, or what we call Pentecost, was an annual Jewish feast that was to take place some 50 days after Passover. Usually it was a weeklong celebration that was also called the Festival of First Fruits (Hag ha-Bikkurim ). Pentecost came during the beginning of wheat harvest and was a time when people would come and present their first-fruits to the LORD in thanksgiving and praise. Before they would partake of any of the harvest themselves, they would come and make sure they had honored God.
And Pentecost for the Jewish disciple was much more than just a harvest festival. It was a time when the people of God celebrated the giving of Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah). (See Exodus 19ff)
One can find all the rituals and regulations about Pentecost by simply reading Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28. Rabbi scholars are quick to point out that it is the giving of Torah that is celebrated, not the receiving of Torah. It is their belief that we continually celebrate the receiving of Torah every day of our lives. But during the week of Pentecost we celebrate the giving of Torah. For Torah is a gift from YAHWH Himself. It is the gift of GOD that redeemed the Jews spiritually from their bondage to idolatry and immorality.3
But you say, we don't celebrate Pentecost as an ancient first fruit harvest. At least not in the same fashion as our Jewish friends. Instead, we celebrate it as the day that the LORD poured out His Word via the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate it as the "birthday of the Church".
However, there are some similarities between us and our Jewish friends. For, we too see Pentecost as a day of giving and receiving. Only instead of God's written word being placed on tablets of stone, we believe God's written word is placed upon the hearts and minds of all who receive Jesus as Savior and LORD. We believe that God Himself comes down and takes up communion with our spirit. God lives within those who have been reborn through the Holy Spirit.
And like our Jewish brothers and sisters we also do not focus so much on the receiving aspect but on the giving. For we believe that we continually receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. We believe that while we celebrate the day in which the Holy Spirit came fully in our world, we understand that in our walk of holiness, His Holy Spirit is continually purifying, sanctifying and justifying us. Pentecost is more than just a one crisis moment in our lives. Pentecost is an everyday walk with the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, we celebrate Pentecost as the Birthday of the Church. We celebrate the anniversary of that day when God's people experience purity, redemption and sanctification. Each time we read Acts 2, we are captured by the supernatural images of wind, fire and spoken languages. We are captured by the aweness, the holiness and the sacredness of Pentecost. We celebrate the day that the message of Jesus was preached, the hearts of men and women were convicted and over 3,000 new disciples were brought into the Kingdom of God!
All of that is a lot to take in on a solitary Sunday morning. Therefore, this morning, I would like for us to take one of the images of Pentecost and spend some time with it. In particular - THE IMAGE OF FIRE.
The image/metaphor of fire has always been a powerful image to mankind. This is spelled out through ancient writings4, ancient scriptural texts and even in life today5. There is something about fire that is magnetic and alluring. We love to feel its warmth, to watch its glow and to be mesmerized by its power.
For the Jews, the metaphor of fire spoke of creation, light and of the powerful presence of Jehovah God. God speaks to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3), Mt. Sinai is covered with holy fire (Exodus 19) and the Prophet Elijah pulls fire down from heaven multiply times (1 Kings 18/2 Kings 1). In the New Testament we read where John the Baptist tells us Jesus will baptize with fire, (Matthew 3) Paul refers to the Second Coming using the metaphor of fire ( 2 Thess. 1) and John in Revelation speaks of Jesus having eyes like a blazing fire (Rev. 1, 2).
All of those examples are fire in its positive light. However, the Bible uses the metaphor of fire in a negative fashion as hell/hades/gehenna is described as that place where the fire never goes out (Mark 9:42-44). Hell is further described as a lake of fire (Rev. 21) with Jesus, Himself, describes it with the image of a fiery furnace (Matthew 13:50).
Therefore, fire can be used either as a positive metaphor or as a negative one. And in our passage this morning we see that fire is used in the most positive way - the Fire of the Holy Spirit. But we also know Jesus warns us about the fires of damnation and hell.
What is important about all of this? The importance is this - one of these fires is in our future - we will either experience the Fires of the Holy Spirit or the Fire of Hell. Each one of us here this morning will either be cleansed and sanctified through the continual fire of the Holy Spirit or we will be cast everlastingly into the lake of fire called Hell.
And while the latter does not sound pleasant to our ears, nor is it political correct in the 21st century, it does not change the truth. Both fires exist. Both the fire of the Holy Spirit and the fire of Hell exist.
So, let's look for a moment at both fires and see what each fire contains:
1. The 1st thing that we can notice about both fires is that while one points to a failure while the other points to a fullness.
The fires of Hell points to a failure - a failure of accepting and receiving God's amazing grace. The fire of the Holy Spirit points to a life of fullness, a life where a person is both one with God and with other disciples.
The Bible clearly tells us that Hell was not created for humankind. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:41, that hell was built for the Devil and his angels. Hell was designed for those angels who had rebelled against God and who had made the choice to leave God's heavenly kingdom. It was built for those who did not want anything to do with God or with holiness.
Hell was never to be an everlasting abode for humans. John 3:16 makes it crystal clear that God has done everything He could to keep man from experiencing the fires of Hell. God sent His only Son Jesus so that all of us could escape the fires of Hell and enjoy the fires of the Holy Spirit.
Today, the truth is this - People choose either to go to Heaven or to Hell. They do not get there by accident. They get there because when they were offered the free gift of salvation through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit they rejected God's offer. They rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior. They rejected salvation, purity and sanctification.
However, you and I know that we do not have to experience the Fire of Hell - the fire of failure. Instead, through the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit we can enjoy the fires of fullness. We can enjoy the fire that brings cleansing, purity and wholeness. A fire that will remove all of our sins and our guilt. A fire that will purify us and sanctify us wholly.
We can experience the oneness Jesus prayed for in John 17 - a oneness with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and a oneness with fellow disciples. This is the fire that was poured out on Pentecost so long ago and it is the same fire that can be ours this morning.
II. Secondly, both fires focus on "I" - the "I" of selfishness or the "I" of indwelling.
That is to say, the fire of Hell focuses on the "I" of selfishness while the fires of the Holy Spirit lead us to focusing on the "indwelling" connectional presence of the LORD.
If there is any message that shouts to us from the Parable of Jesus in Luke 16:19ff it is the selfishness that consumes the Rich Man before he is condemned to Hell. More than anything in this parable we see the portrait of a man consumed in selfishness. He is what we would call a megalomaniac. His whole life is frenzied with meeting his own needs over those of anyone else's. His primary focus and philosophy of life seem to be captured in the words "I", "me" and "mine."
He arrogantly lives his life only for himself. He needs no god, for he is his own god. He is self - absorbed and haughy. Anyone and anything he believes exists only to serve him and meet his wants and desires. He could well have been the star of any modern day fast food commercial that promotes the philosophy of "Have it Your Own Way," or "You deserve a Break today."
While it is true that we all are allowed to take a break and we all can perhaps at times even have it our own way, the truth is when that becomes our primary focus in life than we are in danger of the fire of Hell. Hell, sadly is the final abode for those who choose to love only themselves. The fires of Hell are for those dedicated to making sure that their happiness, their life is only spent on themselves. Self-centeredness leads us to the fires of Hell.
Whereas, when turns to the fires of the Holy Spirit we witness the exact opposite. Instead of a life dedicated to selfishness we see a life dedicated to communion and connection. The fire of the Holy Spirit fulfill an internal thirst for belonging to a community. The fire of the Holy Spirit creates a community of believers around the central goal of living out a life of holiness.
That is the beauty of the image of tongues recorded in our passage. While we don't have the time to delve into this image in detail we can quickly see that through the Holy Spirit we are brought together. One of the largest and most difficult barriers in our world is understanding one another. How many of you have suffered from the "communication problem."
But in the fire of the Holy Spirit, everyone was brought together. Everyone understood and everyone was connected. No longer was there a separation. Instead, there was this gathering of heart, minds and souls. Language was no longer a barrier, instead it was a magnet used by the fire of the Holy Spirit to bring unity and harmony.
Part of enjoying the fires of the Holy Spirit this a continual communion and connection with God and others. The fire of the Holy Spirit allows us to commune with God, our Creator and Savior. The fire of the Holy Spirit becomes one of the building blocks to bringing about a community of sharing love and life.
I remember as a child there were a group of men that would take some of us boys camping. Some of our fathers did not have the time or the expertise in camping so they would design a camping trip and invite us along. They wanted us to enjoy the taste of the outdoors. But looking back they wanted more than just to teach us about the great outdoors.
One of the great moments of those times together was when we would sit around the fire listening and sharing stories. While the fire would crackle and pop, we would sit for hours as they would teach us about God and about life. Around that fire we would share life and bond together. Something sacred would happen around that fire. We would connect with one another and form deep friendships and love.
The same is true when we experience the fires of the Holy Spirit. We see that there is no selfishness and no self-centeredness in the "indwelling" presence of God. Over and over again throughout John 14-17, Jesus teaches and prays for this constant communion between God and man and man and man.
Jesus came to do more than just save our souls. Jesus came to bring us community. He shows us every time we read about him and his disciples sharing life together. He shows us that as we see him taking people from vastly different walks of life and forming a community of love and fellowship. He does that by pouring out His Holy Spirit fire which is able to burn away a spirit of selfishness and replaces it with a spirit of compassion and agape love.
The choice is clear - we can either choose to live for ourselves and in the end we will experience eternal dying in Hell. Or we can choose to allow the Holy Spirit to commune with us and we will live the glorious life in Heaven. We can everlasting experience the life of being in harmony with God, with others and with His creation.
III. Thirdly, we see that while one fire focuses mainly on memory (the fire of Hell) the other fire focuses on renewal and restoration (Holy Spirit fire).
While the Rich man lost his all his riches and his chance of redemption, he did not lose his memory. He remembered how pleasant his life was on earth. He remembered his family and he even remembered prayer. However, it was only as memories for no longer could he communicate with his family and no longer was answered prayer an option. All he had was his memories.
All of this lead us to a rather surprising item to think about. It appears from Jesus' parable that one of the groups of people most interested in leading others to salvation are those suffering in Hell. And while some groups choose not to believe in a literal hell, no one had to convince this man. He knew Hell was real for he was there enduring its pain and suffering. For him, Hell was not a theological debate. He was there, he could remember life on earth and he wanted no one else to come to that place.
Praise the LORD, we don't have to live that way - instead, we can through the fire of the Holy Spirit experience renewal and restoration. Nothing with our God gets old or stagnant. Our God is a God of renewing, reviving and restoration. Our God is a God of amazing creation.
The fires of Pentecost do not die out or at least they should not die out. Instead, they help you and me continually to be transformed into the image of Christ. Each day, the Holy Spirit burns away the dross in our lives. Each day through His transforming presence we are challenged and invited to be more like Jesus. Each day the very image of God is restored in our hearts, our minds and in our lives.
In Hell there is no growth. But in the power of the Holy Spirit there is continual growth. For where there is life, there is growth. John Henry Newman was right when he said - "Growth is the only evidence of life."
And while at times our growth may seem slow or even minute the reality is in the Holy Spirit we are progressing in Christ. Holiness is always a progressive walk. It may involves some ups and downs but the direction is always towards Jesus. Every day we can enjoy a progressive and life giving relationship with Jesus. Every day we can enjoy more of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. All it takes is obediently walking and be open, receptive and responsive to the Holy Spirit fire in our lives.
IV. Fourthly, both fires are everlasting (eternal)
One of the saddest things about Hell is there is no rental or visitor quarters. Hell is only for everlasting residents. There are no weekend stays or even motels where if we decide we can check out of hell after we get arrive. When it comes to both heaven and hell, there are only one way tickets.
Most of us at some time or other when we were traveling got stuck in a rotten hotel or in a rather unpleasant restaurant. We endured it only to promise ourselves that we would never be back. Once we left that establishment we planned never again to return. That will not be the way it is in Hell. Once a person is condemned to Hell there is no escape after this life. There are no exit signs in Hell.
Hell is this continual place of dying, perishing, pain and suffering. It is a place of everlasting sorrow and torment. Hell is final, there are no do-overs.
Heaven is everlasting as well. It too, has no weekend bungalows or vacation packages. It is only designed for everlasting residents. But unlike Hell, Heaven is a place where you would never want to leave. Instead of pain, decay, dying, suffering and torment, heaven is a place of peace, life, harmony and comfort. Heaven is where our Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit reside. Heaven is a place created by the very heart of God. It is a place full of agape love, purity and holiness. It is a place that one would never ever want to leave.
Heaven is more than you and I can visualize or imagine this morning. Even those who tried to share it (John, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul and others) could not find adequate words to describe it. Heaven is beyond our human imagination. Heaven is glorious in its beauty and in its blessings. It is a place of safety - no more division, no more sadness, no more sorrow and suffering. Heaven is home, it is that place that Jesus says He built for all his disciples. Heaven is for real and though the fire of the Holy Spirit is can be our everlasting home.
This morning, the Bible is clear that there exists two fires - there is the fire of the Holy Spirit and there is the fire of Hell.
The fire of Hell
+A fire that burns because of our failure to accept and obey our LORD
+A fire that speaks of self-centeredness and selfishness
+A fire that contains only memories - no joy, no peace - only pain and suffering
+A fire that never burns out - a fire of everlasting death
But there is another fire we can possess - the Fire of the Holy Spirit:
+A fire that brings fullness - a fire that brings purity, sanctification and justification
+A fire that brings the continual indwelling presence of a the LORD in our spirits, hearts and lives
+A fire that brings renewal, revival and restoration into the image of Jesus
+A fire that leads us home to Heaven
This morning as we close in prayer - which fire warms your soul right now? As you close your eyes and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you - which fire do you see in your life? Are you enjoying and rejoicing in the fire of the Holy Spirit or do you feel the fear of the fire of Hell.
This morning, do not allow the fire of Hell to dictate your life. Do not allow the fire of Hell to consume you. Instead, call upon the name of the LORD JESUS and ask Him to save you and baptize you with His Holy Spirit. Then allow the Fire of the Holy Spirit to continually purify, cleanse and sanctify your spirit, your mind and your heart. Allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to lead you into a progressive walk of holiness. As we pray allow the LORD to forgive you, redeem you, renew you and revive you. As we pray ask for the fire of the Holy Spirit to continually cleanse and purify you, continually sanctify you and lead you in your walk of holiness. Allow the Holy Spirit to help you be a light for others to find Jesus.
1(www.ptl2010.com)
2(info from Greetingcard.org).
3For more information see http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayc.htm
4Fire plays a major role in Zoroastrianism and Baal worship. Fire is seen as one of the five sacred elements in Hinduism. Greek mythology saw Prometheus as the god of fire. And Greek philosopher Empedocles believed that fire was one of earth's four major elements.
5There are many articles dealing with the positive element that fire plays in our world - see http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalFire/fire_2.php for an excellent short article.
