Consuming Fire

(shifJV's message from last week)

Segment 1:

To me there are few things more wonderful in life than sitting in front of a roaring fire. Whether it’s in the fireplace in my home or out on a starry night while camping out, I really enjoy a fire. The warmth, the light, the dancing flames, it’s all part of an incredible experience.

Can you imagine life without fire? You may think for a moment, yes, but the reality is that it is one of the primary essentials for existence. Fire is necessary for life just like oxygen and water. If we did not have the perfect amount of warmth, half the world’s population would freeze to death. Without fire there would be no cooking (gasp), no gold or silver jewelry (double gasp), really, no hewn tools of any kind, no glass, no sunlight, no manufacturing. We’d never enjoy a s’more over a campfire or feel the warmth of the sunshine on a cool winter day.

Fire is essential for life.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:29 that our God is a consuming fire. In the Old Testament, in the temple where God’s presence dwelt there was altar that had fire buring on it. God gave the Israelites these instructions; “Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.”

We remember that when Jesus came He fulfilled the Old Testament and tore the veil from the Holy of Holies. Meaning that we no longer have to have a priest work on our behalf. And when Jesus went to heaven, He promised the helper, the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we have the very presence of God in us. And it’s our job now, just like the priests in the Old Testament, to never allow the fire of God in our hearts to go out.

If you have ever tended a fire, you understand it’s tendency to go out. In order to keep it burning, you have to pay close attention to it. Add wood, push the coals together.

The same is true with us. We need to fuel our relationship with God with our bible reading and prayer and worship. Like pushing the hot coals together, we need to stay close to other Christians to stay passionate and on fire for God.

When you put a hot coal near something, what happens? It sets it on fire, right? The zeal, and the passion is contagious. God wants to use you to light the fire in others. I love what John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist church and a spirit-filled man; “God sets me on fire and men come and watch me burn.”

Just like the campfire, we need to regularly have encounters with God to keep our hearts on fire for Him.

Segment 2:

So we have a fire in our hearts. We need to keep it burning. One of the ways we do that is by throwing another log on the fire. Let me give you an example.

I have a little story for you. There was a lumberjack contest. Two lumberjacks, one from Alaska and one from Canada were participating in an all day championship competition. They both were to cut wood from 8am to 5pm. Whoever cut the most wood at the end of the day won the competition. The starting bell sounds, and they start sawing. An hour in the lumberjack from Alaska stops what he’s doing, and disappears for about ten minutes. The Canadian wonders if the Alaskan lumberjack has a nervous stomach. After ten minutes, the Alaskan returns to sawing. At 10am, the Alaskan leaves again for another ten minutes. This continues throughout the day. The Canadian is confident in his ability. By the end of the day, the Alaskan has taken 90 minutes worth of breaks. The Canadian is sure that he has won and is planning his victory speech when the bell rings to signal the end of the contest. The Canadian is just giddy as they are counting the pieces of wood, absolutely confident that he will be declared the new world champion lumberjack. He is astounded when they determine, that the Alaskan has in fact, won by a considerable amount. The Canadian is furious, demanding to know how that could be when the Alaskan was so lazy, taking a break every hour on the hour. The Alaskan replied, “I wasn’t resting on my break, I was sharpening the saw.”

This story serves to show us that we are always more effective when we’ve spent time preparing for the work before us. As Christians, we sharpen the saw by reading God’s word daily. It is crucial that you are familiar, and eventually fully knowledgeable of the Bible. You need to hide it in your heart so that you are prepared for whatever comes your way. Deuteronomy 11:18 “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds”

Reading God’s word has so many incredible benefits. One of them is that when we read the Bible, it produces humility. You get a sense of who you are in the grand scheme of things, and what you can do to honor God and serve Him within your world.

The Bible also clearly dictates right from wrong.

Deuteronomy 30:14 the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

As you spend time in the Word, you will get a clear sense of God’s leading in your life. You will know in your heart when you have sinned and fallen short, and you’ll feel the thrill of victory when succeed over temptation.

Another benefit of reading the Bible is that it empowers us to resist the devil. We’ve talked many times about how the devil is a devourer, a destroyer, a thief and a liar. Reading the Bible gives you strategies and power to overcome Him. It aligns your heart with Jesus, who has already promised us victory!

Temptation may come as a surprise, but sin is no accident. Satan is laying carefully placed traps for you. There is a way to find passage safely, but you will only find it in the Bible. It’s like a GPS. Let’s say that stands for that God’s Positioning Service. The thing is, you can have the GPS in your car but it’s no good to you if you never turn the thing on, or if you ignore it’s turn by turn directions.

Your Bible left sitting in your room is the same way. If it’s collecting dust on a shelf, one day soon you are going to find yourself somewhere you never intended to be. Just like every step in the directions to a destination is crucial for your GPS unit, so are the steps, ordered by the Lord in your Bible. The only difference is that your life destination is of far greater value than any place you might plug into your GPS.

Segment 3:

Remember our campfire example. When is a fire the hottest? When you first light it and it’s blazing and jumping with all the pretty colors?

No, it’s when the coals are stoked together. There is intensity when we burn together. There are other people in your world who know Jesus. Spend time with them. The Word tells us, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

This is Jesus’ way of saying – the coals get hotter when you get together. Get to work. Remember our commissioning and get in there and get after it. Jesus told us that with the Holy Spirit’s empowering, we would do even greater things. Greater things than what? Healing cripples? Restoring sight? Casting out demons? Walking on water?

God has great things in store for His church. Common vision, unity and spirit-filled seeking will impact our world. And we know that affecting our world is our purpose.

Fire is contagious. A piece of burning log will set another log on fire. The truth is, on fire people set others on fire. We are to passionately engage in the work that Jesus calls us to. We know our mission, to “make disciples of all nations.” We have a clear directive.

The word tells us “The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentence.” That all would know the saving work of Jesus. That all would reach heaven.

Jesus cares about the eternity of your friends and family just as much as He cares about your eternity.

So how do we burn in a manner that sets the world on fire? James tells us “God opposes the proud but favors the humble. So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come close to God and God will come close to you.”

We talked earlier about how the Bible will humble you. It’s a good thing too, because this verse tells us that God opposes the prideful. Pride was the sin that first took Satan, and then Adam and Eve. God doesn’t have a lot of tolerance for pride.

Jesus was the perfect example of humility. We just need to follow His lead. Reading about Jesus in the Bible is the best way to follow Him. Remember, the Bible is our GPS. God’s going to use the Bible to move you step by step, turn by turn.

The next step in burning is resisting the devil. We can kick him to the curb. We can say no to temptation and sin. I understand that this is tough stuff, but again, let the Bible be your guide. Romans 8:37 tells us we are more than conquerors. Overcomers!

The final step in this verse tells us to come close to God. This verse promises us His reaction.. He will in turn, come close to us. What an awesome promise from an awesome God! Yep, the guy who hung the stars in the heavens and set the continents in place, He, wants to get close to you? It’s a pretty exciting concept.

So tonight, I’m inviting you guys to burn for Jesus. Decide that living lukewarm is not for you. Normal is not enough. Like John Wesley, you want to burn for God so that men might see. If this is your heart, remember these steps.

1) Set your heart aflame for God. Commit to relationship with Him here and now. If you already know Him, throw another log on the fire tonight. Allow Him to kindle what may have grown cold in your heart. Commit to reading your Bible, praying and worshipping Him.

2) Spend time with other believers building your faith. Remember that coals stacked together burn hotter.

3) Humble your heart. Consider Jesus your example. Use the Bible as your GPS.

4) Resist the devil and draw close to God.

If any one of these areas touched your life tonight, I want you to come forward. Altar experiences are the perfect opportunity to grow the fire in your heart.