Sunday Sermon: FIRE, October 18, 2020
Sunday Sermon at the Grateful Church in Phoenix (UPCI)
FIRE
Fire in the context of service to God is the rebirth of passion, zeal, love, and the desire to do God’s pleasure, to turn from sin, and direct our actions to carry out His will. To obey God is better than all the sacrifices we can give Him. God wants to dwell in our hearts, guide our steps, and help us to do His pleasures. This will require a new heart that leans toward God. The story of Apostle Paul provides a context to understand the zeal that burns in our hearts, the origin, and the purpose of the fire.
Acts 22:1,3-9,10
1 Men, brethren, and fathers hear ye my defense which I make now unto you.
3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
Rom 7:18, 22-24
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death
Rom 8:2
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The law reveals the curse of sin rooted in unbelieve. We transgressed the law to do our own things because we do not believe what God says about our situations. The unbelieve is what we need to repent from. There are baptisms of Repentance, water, and fire of the Holy Ghost that we need to set our hearts on fire to obey God and do His pleasure. Each baptism is distinct with its limitations:
John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance and its limitations
Matt 3:11 - I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
The law tells us what sin us but could not stop us from wanting to sin
Like Paul, we are helpless fighting sinful desires in our hearts. Even when we say we love God, we still struggle with the love of self, lust after material things, and power.
God’s plan is to transform our heart and desire to do His pleasure. The blood of Jesus washes away the sin and the curse of unbelieve from our lives
Peter preached the baptism of water for the remission of our sins.
The blood redeemed us from sin, the curse, brought forgiveness and the remission of sins, but could not take away the desire to sin and the lust from us. This is the war and dilemma that keep us restless and feeling helpless. The plan of God is to dwell in our heart to help us root out unbelieve in our heart and do His good pleasure
Isa 66:1 - Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
A new and fiery desire to do God’s pleasure comes from the Holy Ghost and not from us.
It is the woman that labors to birth the child. The child does not go into labor.
Ezek 36:26-27 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
The Spirit sat on them as fire:
Acts 2:2-4 - And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Christ in you the hope of glory: We receive a new spirit when God indwell our hearts
The Holy Ghost helps us to root out unbelief from our hearts:
Rom 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought …
John 16:8-9
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me
Phil 2:13 - For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Rom 5:5
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
2 Cor 5:13-14
13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us …
Magnificent obsession of fire of the Holy Ghost:
It is the constant and continuous light of the new life that keeps shadow and darkness burnished from eternity. Everyone in the New Jerusalem will be filled with the Holy Ghost – the light of the City will banish the concept of day, night, and time. Believers will have the Holy Ghost indwelling in their heart as God promised
Heb 4:11
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
John 7:38-39 - He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
Rom 7:6 - But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
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