YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN FIRE
Acts 2:1-4
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: SONG LEADER SABOTAGE
1. I heard about this pastor who was finishing up a fiery sermon on self-control. He said with great passion, a). "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd throw it in the river." b)."If I had all the wine in the world, I'd throw it in the river"...at the top of his lungs, c). "If I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd throw it in the river."
2. He sat down. The song leader came up and said "For our closing song, Let's sing Hymn 365..... Shall we Gather at the River."
B. TEXT
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” Acts 2:1-4.
C. THESIS
1. GOD HAS GIVEN EACH ONE OF US RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN FIRE!
2. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came into the upper room with a rush of fire. Then an interesting thing happened; the Holy Spirit fire subdivided into 120 separate flames, resting on the heads of the disciples.
3. EACH PERSON GOT THEIR OWN PIECE OF HOLY SPIRIT FIRE! What they did with that fire after that was up to each individual. Either they could keep it burning brightly or let their fire die down and go out. WE ALSO FACE THE SAME DECISION. That’s the subject of this morning’s message, “You Are Responsible For Your Own Fire.”
I. HEAVENLY LIFE – A DERIVED LIFE
A. SIN SEPARATED US FROM GOD
1. A study into your family's history and your ancestors can be a very inspiring and surprising. You may come upon a horse thief or a bootlegger. If we follow our origins back far enough, we’ll all end up at the Garden of Eden.
2. We learn from Gen. 1-3 that our first parents heeded the hissing of a snake and committed high treason against God Almighty. This began a domino effect touching every man, woman, boy, and girl ever born.
3. The result is that a separation has formed between us & God, as Isa. 59:2 says, “Your sins have separated between you and your God.”
B. INHERENT FALLEN NATURE
1. This isn’t a mere outward blemish; all mankind was infected with the “germ” of sin – we have a fallen nature, a “bent” toward evil.
2. EXAMPLE: THE CULTURED PIG
a. Henry Moorhouse, as a boy, was walking down the streets of Manchester, England. His attention was arrested by shouts, "Come see the Great American Pig." He paid his fee and saw, "the most Wonderful pig, which could perform feats (he could spell "good pig") and exhibited intelligence, unlike other pigs. He was washed and scrubbed, and dressed in fine clothing. He walked on his hind legs and could shake hands. But nevertheless, he was only still a pig.
b. Moorhouse watched as, after the pig’s performance, it was loosed from its accessories; it immediately ran back to the mud hole and wallowed in it as before. All its superficial "culture" hadn't changed its basic nature."
3. So it is with us. We can be sincere, religious people – but that isn’t enough. Jesus met with a great teacher of the Jews named Nicodemus and told him that he needed a HEART-CHANGE; he needed to be “born again.” Jeremiah pointed out that, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jer. 17:9.
C. THE ONLY HOPE – BEING BORN AGAIN!
1. The only way we can be saved is to surrender our old life to Christ & let Jesus begin a new life inside us.
2. The Apostle John said that when the “seed of God” (1 Jn. 3:9) is implanted in us, the DNA of God will begin changing us into the Image of Christ. That seed of God is the new life of Jesus we receive by repentance and faith in Jesus. He puts His Holy Spirit inside us & the Holy Spirit begins to do a “remodel” from the inside out.
3. “Therefore if any man/woman be in Christ, they are a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” 2 Cor. 5:17;
4. HUMOR: Hiccups:
a. A mother had been telling to her 4-year-old daughter about how God had come into her heart.
b. Later, the girl got a case of hiccups. When she had an especially big one, the girl exclaimed, "Mom, God almost got out on that one!"
5. Earlier we read about the Early Disciples receiving the Holy Spirit from God. Let’s look at...
II. WHY DO YOU NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT?
A. BENEFITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. POWER OVER YOURSELF. All of us have difficulty with our anger, our impatience, our frustration, discouragement, emotional strength, doing the right thing, resisting temptation, etc. WE NEED POWER OVER OURSELVES! God said, “And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” Ezek. 36:27. The Holy Spirit gives the believer power to overcome our fallen nature. Through God we CAN beat our tendencies!
2. POWER OF COURAGE to stand up to opposition. The “Spirit of the Lord came upon” fearful Gideon and he became bold to lead an army against the Midianites (6:34). The same thing happened with Jephthah (11:29) and King Saul (1 Sam. 11:6). Courage filled the apostles again & again in the Book of Acts (4:8; 2:14; 13:9). We also can receive courage to overcome peer pressure to share Christ & live for Him.
3. HEIGHTENED POWER TO PRAY. Believers, when baptized in the Holy Spirit, are given special ability to pray. Paul said, “We do not know what we should pray for...but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us” (8:26). The Holy Spirit aids us so effectively that Paul says it “builds us up” in the spiritual realm (1 Cor. 14:4; Jude 20). You need that ability to pray!
4. SPIRITUAL POWER OVER THE DEMONIC
a. The Lord Jesus said, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” Mk. 16:17-18.
b. The Lord Jesus said we need the Holy Spirit’s power to live as Christians. That ought to be enough for us to seek His infilling!
B. THE DANGER OF COMPLACENCY. Many people come to church on Sunday and they want a FAST-FOOD style of service – 3 McHYMNs and a McSermon. We need more than that! God is depending on us to represent Christ to a lost world! They must see Jesus in us!
C. ILLUSTRATION
1. One time Leonardo da Vinci worked on a great masterpiece for a long time. He had a young student who stood next to him to learn his technique of painting.
2. Just before finishing the painting, da Vinci turned to the student and gave him the brush saying “Now, you finish it.”
3. The student backed away and protested that he wouldn’t dream of touching the Master’s work, but da Vinci said, “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”
4. That’s what Jesus has done with us; He started spreading the Life of God to others, then He stopped and handed us the brush and said, “Now, You finish it!” Will we? Do we have enough of Jesus for them to see Jesus in us?
III. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN FIRE!
A. PARABLE OF THE 10 VIRGINS
“Ten virgins...went out to meet the groom. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones...took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming....6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up.... 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No...go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matt. 25:1-13.
B. A LAST DAY PICTURE OF THE CHURCH
1. In this parable Jesus described the last-days Church as 10 Virgins waiting for the arrival of the Groom & his attendants (Jesus & the angels at His 2nd Coming).
2. To participate in the wedding, the Virgins (church) had to stay up all night and keep their oil-lamps burning. Half of them ran out of oil and had to leave to buy more oil.
3. While they were gone, Jesus came and everyone went away to the Father’s house for the wedding. The doors were shut. The 5 missing virgins were later denied entrance because they hadn’t been ready.
4. This is an exciting description of the Rapture but it’s also a warning. THE KEY CHARACTERISTIC WAS WHETHER THEY KEPT THEIR GOD-GIVEN FIRE GOING!
C. THE SPOTLIGHT ON US
1. How’s your prayer life? Are you walking with Jesus? Is He #1 in your life? Are you still ‘holy to the Lord’? Dedicated to His kingdom?
2. Are you trying to reach the lost? What excitement would there be in a ship's crew if a man fell overboard and remained unrescued? Or among a fire department crew if a person still remained unrescued from a burning building? Why are we not disturbed?
3. When Jesus comes, half of the church won’t be ready. You're either on fire or you're not. You have to get your own oil -- which is intimacy with Christ.
4. When the Midnight Cry comes (Rapture) it’ll be too late to...
a. Get your relationship with God back in order;
b. Rescue any of your family members;
c. too late to obey Christ’s commands. You'll be left behind. It will be too late.
5. NOW IS OUR ONLY CHANCE! The parable says, “AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT.” For those not ready: it will be too late; Shut out; Grace is withdrawn; Salvation is no longer available. People will be surprised & shocked they’re excluded from Heaven.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. James O. Davis writes, “When I was a little boy, my brother and I were riding on a country road with my father.
2. Our mother was following behind us in another car. My dad asked if I would like to ride with my mother. I thought that was a good idea, so my father stopped the car and let me out on the side of the road.
3. My mother was probably two or three miles behind us at that time. So, I waved goodbye to my father and brother and began watching for my mother to arrive.
4. Soon I saw her car in the distance and I began jumping up and down and waving my arms. Suddenly, for some unknown reason, she passed me by.
5. My first impulse was to begin running after her car. Soon, I found myself standing there in tears.
6. I have never forgotten how it felt to be left behind. When Jesus Christ comes back again, many people are going to be left behind.”
B. THE CALL
HOW IS YOUR FIRE? Is it burning brightly? How many know you need a change? You need more fire? Come stand at the front and let’s ask God to relight our fire and fill us with His Holy Spirit. PRAYER
C. THE LORD’S SUPPER
