Time To Start A Fire
Illus by sermon central: The Fire
H. A. Ironside told the story of pioneers who were making their way across one of the central states to a distant place that had been opened up for homesteading. They traveled in covered wagons drawn by oxen, and progress was necessarily slow.
One day they were horrified to note a long line of smoke in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie, and soon it was evident that the dried grass was burning fiercely and coming toward them rapidly.
They had crossed a river the day before but it would be impossible to go back to that before the flames would be upon them. One man only seemed to have understanding as to what could be done.
He gave the command to set fire to the grass behind them. Then when a space was burned over, the whole company moved back upon it.
As the flames roared on toward them from the west, a little girl cried out in terror, “Are you sure we shall not all be burned up?”
The leader replied, “My child, the flames cannot reach us here, for we are standing where the fire has been!”
There’s a sediment in the country in which we live to where we feel like we are headed down the road, to where our freedoms are in Jeopardy!
Those of us who know the true origin of this country, have read about the men and the women who braved the elements and gave us the rich heritage of freedom we have enjoyed our entire lives.
Things like freedom of speech and freedom of religion and the right to defend yourself! So many things, so many people died in the process of obtaining, to ensure freedom for every man woman boy and girl. For whosoever would ever set foot onto the soil of America!
I think we have all read about people who have inspired us, who overcame great obsticles and have done amazing things.
It’s a sad fact of life today, but there are a lot of discouraged people out there in this world.
But I’m telling you today, if you know and I mean truly know the Son of God, you have a reason to sing! It’s time we sang the praises of our Savior louder and clearer than we ever have! Why? Because the demons in hell and every mouthpiece the accuser has on earth is screaming his message at the top of their lungs!
We have been told dark days lie ahead. I guess the writer of that speech forgot the most important day in history when Jesus defeated and conquered the master of all dark days!
There is truly nothing to be discouraged about in this life that we live. Oh sure, things happen, problems come and go, there is nothing though in any of our lives that can’t be overcome with the Lord’s help.
He is an overcoming, death defying, problem solving, grace giving, all forgiving, Amazing Good God! We have been made in his image, and have been given every good thing to also be an Overcomer, just like our creator!
As Christians, we of all people should be happy about our lot in life. We should be ecstatic! We have been forgiven of all sins, we have ever done or will do, by the precious grace of Jesus, God sent to us so long ago.
Have we forgot the heritage we have been given? Have we become so preoccupied with technology and achievements, which God has also given to us! To even remember where ideas, inventions and every good thing come from in the first place?
We have what we have in this world because of a gracious God and the fact that God Loves humanity enough, to give and keep giving!
It makes you wonder Why in the world, aren’t more people able to get their hands around this, Life giving, Life changing message, Jesus brought us?
A message, that was so important for God to get to us, that He was willing to give up His one and only Son, so we could have it! And by doing so, His death on the cross, would forever pay the price for the forgiveness of sin and provide the path of relationship and God’s blessings to us!
Everything that we have, every benefit we enjoy, everything good that’s ever happened in our lives, we owe to the selfless act of Jesus sacrifice of His life on the cross, for all who would believe He did it for them!!
Not dependent upon us being worthy to receive such and important gift, because we are all unworthy and unqualified to receive such goodness!
We don’t fight for victory today, we fight from victory! I’ll say it again we don’t fight for victory today, we fight from victory! Far too many in this life have forgotten, that Jesus has already been victorious for us, in every situation we will ever encounter.
The pilgrims and those who braved the elements, to come and seek the place where they could worship the one true living king. Had no modern luxuries, no cars, laptops, planes, microwaves, electronic banking, fed ex and I could go on and on, could have even been imagined back then.
What they had was a burning desire for more of God and a place where they could freely pursue that desire!!
Yet we find, they faced many of the same things we still encounter today, discouragement, loneliness and fear.
Discouragement Defined; to make somebody less optimistic: to make somebody feel less motivated, confident, or optimistic.
Discouragement in the world today, is probably almost at an all time high. Fueled by the propaganda machine of the devil continually spreading his message of steal, kill and destroy!
So many people don’t even realize how numb they really are, from what the world and the accuser has told them and done to them.
Oh, if we could just get back to normal! We need to erase that line of thinking from our mentality and never be willing to settle for normal again!
“LISTEN UP” We weren’t created to be normal, we are not of this world, we are over comers because Jesus has equipped us for such activity of OVERCOMING ALL ADVERSITY BECAUSE WE FIGHT FROM HIS VICTORY NOT OURS!!!!
The answer to all the worlds problems, seems obvious to me, it’s Jesus!!
When we have problems with the things in our lives, the first thing we do, is to look to the wrong person or entity, to fix or correct the problems we have.
Again to many have forgotten God is the maker of everything and everyone! God is the only one who can fix this messed up world in which we live! One moment of God’s Grace and Favor , can and will turn any situation around!
God has made promise after promise to His Children and to all who will listen and dare believe! In fact there is not one promise God has made and not kept. For those who say are you sure, I would tell you if there was a time God did not keep his word, the whole world would know about the event!
Jerm.29:11 NKJ
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
God has always had the very best plans for anyone willing to except his son and believe that the plans are for them!
The answer is right there for the whole world to see, its always been there and always will be. The answer is to start seeking God instead of ourselves and our capabilities!
You would think after what has happened in the last 12 months, there would be lines, “Very Long” lines at every church in America, every time the doors were open, But are there?
No, there’s not. You would think with the economy for the ones who are hurting in the worst shape imaginable, they would be flocking to God, but their not!
The scary thing is, the world got into this mess without God and they still think they can get out of it without Him too.
It didn’t work for the children of Israel, when they were wondering around in the desert looking for the promised land for 40 yrs, on a journey that could have been completed in 2 wks.
It didn’t work then, and it still doesn’t work today!!
Christians all over this land are saying, “we need a revival”, and their right, we do need a revival, we need to get back to God!
Thing is, they don’t want to get involved in a revival until after it’s a full fledged movement. You know, nothing draws a crowd, like a crowd draws a crowd.
What they don’t realize is that it starts with one person who is willing to give a three lettered word, called ALL! All their soul, mind, body and spirit, every fiber of their being. That’s how revival will get started!
The anointing of one believer can start revival! Impossible some might say! Well I guess then they haven’t read chapter 10 of the book of Acts.
Acts 10:38 AMP
How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.
The anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit is what every believer needs to equip themselves with! That’s what Jesus did! And the miracles and signs and wonders that Jesus accomplished in 3 1/2 years, the Bible says not enough pen and paper exist to write down everything Jesus accomplished!
With that being said, Jesus told every believer who would dare believe, “greater things shall you do!”
John 14:12-14 NIV
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever (that would be you and me) believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Some have done exactly what Jesus said they could do! People like Smith Wigglesworth, Billy Graham, Amy simple McPherson, Oral Roberts, The Apostle Paul and there is still more room on that lists for whosoever’s name to added to it! Enough room for the name of every believer, in every generation and every generation till Jesus returns for His Bride!
TBS. in 2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJ
“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
The problem is, nobody wants to give their all, to see it happen.
There to busy, they don’t want to, they have other plans, they say there are others who are more qualified for the task.
The Bible tells us of an example of someone like that, someone who thought their agenda was more important than God’s.
Jonah 1-3 NKJ
1. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
3. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
There are a lot of Jonah’s in this world, each will give you a myriad of reasons, as to why they shouldn’t be the one to give there all for Jesus.
And just like Jonah, they’ve been slapped around plenty of times by circumstances and wrong decisions.
They fail to ever see what a difference, they could have made in countless numbers of lives, if they would have.
Oh, God will get someone else. Who me? What could I possibly do?, I’m just one person! I can’t do everything you know. If I did, I wouldn’t have time for you no who, ME!
There’s an old song that went like this,
“It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That's how it is with God's Love,
Once you've experienced it,
Your spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on”
That’s the problem, you see, no one wants to pass it on anymore, its just not cool. I’ll tell you what’s not cool, someone going hell is not cool!
Countless numbers of people all across this nation will tell you what one spark will do,
The state of California last summer, experienced the worst fires in their history, and it all started with a spark or small flame that got wind and took off.
Jonah, finally came to his senses, and what amazing results God was able to accomplish through him! Jonah found out exactly, with God in the mix, what one person was capable of!
Jonah 3:
1. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”
3. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.
4. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
5. So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
What did the people do because of one persons anointed faithfulness? “they believed” What did they do?, “they believed”
Jonah gave his all, and the rest, the results, were up to God. All of Nineveh experienced a great move of God! It’s high time we as Christians stop thinking we have anything to do with the results, of the things God ask us to do!
Jonah 3:10 NKJ 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
God did it then, and God is still willing and wants to do it today.
TBS. if the name of Jesus, will be lifted up, He will draw all men unto Him.
Jesus already did the hardest part, He willingly laid down His life and conquered sin and death, once and for all! All we have to do, is to lift up the name of Jesus, we have the easy part to do.
No one wants to keep a good secret, everyone wants to be the first to tell, except when it comes to the gospel. Its no wonder why the world doesn’t want what the church has to offer, as far as they know, they already have it.
There should be an excitement in the air when a Christian is around, a joy! The old song says, I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, Where?
That’s exactly what the world is saying too! Where?
The way we live and lead our lives is very important, it’s a very big part of our testimony. There should be something about us that should be inspiring, that says to a person, I don’t know what it is about that them, but whatever it is, I want what they have. And what we have to offer is Jesus!
TBS. the joy of the Lord is our strength, start to rely on Him and what He can do, instead of what you can do,
And I promise you, just like Jonah, you will be amazed at the results!
Time is so short, bible prophecy is happening every day, right in front of our eyes on the news. The only thing that matters in this world, is what we do for Jesus,
Help start a revival in the land, that will heal a hurting nation and bring countless numbers of people to know the Lord,
And let it begin with you this morning, let it be your prayer,
Lord start a revival in this land, and let it begin with me.
Amen?
Fellow Contributors,
If you have found this teaching helpful, I invite you to check other resources and books I have authored available at all online bookstores! Or you can follow me on Facebook at my Charlie Roberts Author page.
Available now:
I AM, I CAN, I WILL “all about exploring God’s Grace”
MY SCANDALOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD “all about exposing God’s Grace”
PARKING LOT FAITH “the realization you already have enough faith to move your Mountains”
