Do not put out the Spirit’s fire. 1 Thess 5:19, (v12-28)
WBC 24.09.06pm
Introduction:
Joke/Ill: a man has been so touched by the HS that his dog can walk on water! Has a friend he wants to convince about this, so takes him to the beech and as they walk he throws the stick for the dog into the sae. the dog walks across the water, picks the stick and walks back. The friend says nothing. Next day he does the same again. No comment from the cynical friend. Eventually, over coffee, finally bursts out and asks him ’did you notice anything unusual about my dog?’. Friend replies- ’yeah, he can’t swim!’
Missed the fun! The walking on water!
- Christians can be a bit like that, sometimes.
- I wonder if you’ve lost the eyes to see the genuine working of God?
o May the Lord speak to us, tonight- because God says "do not put out the Spirit’s fire"
Illustrate:
- I’ve got two groups of friends. The names have been changed to protect the innocent (or guilty!)
o Rosie and Jim (K& H) (right wing Christian enthusiasts)
o Simon (used to be that- now just ’sedentary’)
- Maybe you’ve got similar groupings
o I wonder which you enjoy being around the most? Want to be like the most
" With me- I want what Rosie and Jim have got. Not ALL of it….as I’m not sure of SOME of it
" But their fire and GENUINE love for the Lord I want!
" Can’t gainsay that
Have you fallen into the second group?
o - "do not put out the Spirit’s fire"
How can this happen?
PUTTING OUT THE FIRE
Quite easily, I’m afraid
- that is acknowledged, here (isn’t that a relief?)
Because
- there are genuine disappointments
o things we don’t understand
o Christians can do wappy things
… but if you let it put out the Spirit’s fire it will put out your fire-
- and you will
o miss your purpose
o put a barrier between you and Jesus
o become a sedentary Christian- and the Spirit may have to bypass you to get His work done
Want that???!! No way
If you are not careful, as you go on you can
- lose it OR
- get caught in confusion - analysis paralysis
o ("I agree with this bit, but not that bit- what do I do?!"
o become double minded and useless- unstable in all
o OR
- Find a mature and balanced way through
And as a warning- please note that in the bible nowhere is enthusiasm condemned but coldness of heart, resistance to the Spirit IS
So- to help us- let’s get honest. What things might cause us to chuck a bucket of water on the fire? What things here?
The Lord’s coming.
- that was a… the?... problem here. Read ch 5 start
- It was a big problem for the early church as the lifetime of the apostles + Jesus’ generation came to an end
o "When’s he coming back?"
o (imagine what it was like when John died! All that false expectation dashed. They we tough days)
- It can be a problem to some, today. "2000 years, when IS He coming?!"
- It IS a problem… a stumbling block… for many today as there are those who are SO into this end-times stuff
o You just KNOW it’s going to end in tears!
How do you deal with this?
- Just because the Lord hasn’t come back doesn’t mean He won’t!
- It will probably be in a way and certainly a time we don’t expect
- He’s in no hurry (in His mercy)
"do not put out the Spirit’s fire"!
Leadership v12
Paul has to tell them to respect their leaders
- (now, I know that naturally, here, that happens automatically!)
maybe they hadn’t got it perfectly right?!
Illustr: Talking to a young lad (W) after Soul Survivor
- was wrestling with the confusion of ’humanness’ of leadership and leaders
- "There was good stuff happening, but there was hype, too- and the leaders were pushing it too far I reckon. And all these words of knowledge… and HAVING to have ministry after every event"
o it was a good discussion. He’ll come through okay
Yep- we quickly get locked into a tradition of ’having to do something’ very quickly. That’s wrong. Leaders sometimes push too hard, and that’s wrong too- but sometimes it’s necessary to get anything to happen
- truth is: if these young people don’t get an encounter with the Spirit they probably won’t make it past 17 as Christians. You know it’s true. There’s a lot at stake
But "do not put out the Spirit’s fire"
Prophecy
one of the main ones, here. "Do not treat prophecy with contempt"
probably linked with the end-time thing
that shows it is easy to treat it with contempt
- (and in so doing put out the Spirit’s fire!)
It’s noting new. In Ezekiel’s day the saying was (Ez 12:22) "Time passes making a liar of every prophet"
- they had experienced false prophecies
o all of us who’ve been Xians a few years have!
But "do not put out the Spirit’s fire"- there IS the real McCoy. Ezekiel was the real McCoy
Healing
Perhaps healing. Or lack of it. maybe that put out their… your… fire
- again, nothing new. Jeremiah 8:2 "The harvest is passed, the summer is ended and still we are not healed. Is there no balm in Gilead"
o now, I know it’s talking about more than healing- but the principle and the fire-dousing capability is the same
But "do not put out the Spirit’s fire"
- many are not healed, but the healer came, and some still GENUINELY are
You see- it’s so easy to enter ’glass half empty’ mode… enter a negative spiral…
- and it’s a choice NOT to. "Don’t put out the Sprit’s fire, chuck the baby out with the bathwater- grieve the HS and yourself
o because there are two people who are miserable if this happens
" God the HS. "do not put out the Spirit’s fire"
" YOU.
" YOU WILL FIND IT PUTS OUT YOUR FIRE
So what’s the answer?
It’s here
KEEPING THE FIRE
1TH 5:19 Do NOT put out the Spirit’s fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 TEST everything. HOLD on to the GOOD. 22 AVOID every kind of EVIL.
- test, hold, reject…. Discern
You see- we’re not allowed off the hook to simply imbibe or reject everything
- we have to engage with what’s happening AND STAY CLOSE TO JESUS
o engage brain and bible, discernment and relationship
- it takes work, effort, openness. Relationship
And we’re simply not allowed to switch off discernment… our ears… throw baby out with the bathwater or ’put out the Spirit’s fire’
- discernment is a great protection against greater disappointments
- you have to hear for yourself, know Jesus for yourself- and (1 Sam 17:38) ’wear your own armour’
Neither are we allowed to become cold to the real moving of God
- and you know- if you stick close to Jesus and are content with His face- very little of this stuff will bother you
- (I’m just not bothered or seeking gold dust, jewels or gold fillings. It just does nothing for me. Give me Jesus)
You will know when you have put out the Sprit’s fire when things start to get cold in your life/heart. Feel a coldness. Distance. Indifference.
- don’t do it!
o test, discern, hold fast… rejoice in the genuine article which God DOES give
Do you believe God is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or imagine?
- then let that be your anchor
- don’t LET other things put you off.
- Seek Jesus and His Spirit’s fire
IGNITING THE FIRE
So- I want to close in a way that can serve 2 groups of people, now:
We’re going to stand and sing some gentle songs and if your relationship with the Lord has grown cold, or you’ve put out the Spirit’s fire, become cold and cynical, lost your own fire…. You’ll know if this is you-
- get it sorted! Come to the front, say you’re sorry to the God, make a choice and get back in the fire
Then- we’ll finish the service. You can go and have donuts. But anyone who wants to discuss more, ask questions, work things through, ’but what about this, that’ can stay upstairs and we’ll have an open time
- if you’re ’sorted’ you may not want to stay for this
o may not even want to expose yourself to the questions we will need to address!
- OR, you may want to stay because you know you will be able to help a bit with the questions and answers
Sing + ministry:
- we bow down
- O Sacred King
- There must be more than this
