“THE FIRE COUNTS!”
TEXTS: Acts 2:1-4; Lev. 9:23-24; 10:1-3; 2 Chron. 7:1-3;12; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Heb. 12:28-29; Eph. 5:18
INTRO: Every Saturday afternoon the church I pastored in North Dakota had to have started a fire in the boiler in order for the Sunday am service to be warm enough to worship in, it was a coal furnace. There were times when the sanctuary was as cold as -12° in the sanctuary when I got there! Once a fire had been started it soon warmed up to the cozy 72° everyone liked. Without the fire, the church would have been too uncomfortable. No one would have continued coming to church without a fire to warm it up! This is still true - only in the spiritual sense!
The reason so many mainline churches are dying today is because they have neglected the fire of God's Spirit. The day of Pentecost reminds us of a most important truth: WE NEED GOD'S FIRE, THE HOLY SPIRIT!
No church, or believer for that matter, can truly live out Christ's commands without the power of God's Spirit resident within them!
PROP. SENT: God's Word teaches us that the church must have the "fire" of God's Spirit burning to accomplish the tasks of living the life of faith and reaching the lost for Christ. No substitute fire will do!
I. THE DAY OF PENTECOST AND FIRE Acts 2:1-4; Lev. 9:23-24; 2 Chron. 7:1-3;12
A. God’s Approved Dwelling Acts 2:1-4
1. Ball of Fire in the room with the 120 believers as the Spirit Baptism begins
a. They were together in one place.
b. Suddenly both the sound of wind and a fireball appear in the room. (Both wind and fire were symbols of God’s Spirit in Old Testament) Acts 2:2-3a
c. The fireball then separates into individual tongues of fire that moves over the heads of each individual believer gathered there. Acts 2:3
d. THEN, they spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance; they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4
2. The wind and fire were not repeated events in other baptism of the Holy Spirit accounts in Acts, only speaking in tongues were mentioned occurring again.
B. God’s Accepting Decision Lev. 9:23-24; 10:1-3; 2 Chron. 7:1-3,12
1. In the Old Testament supernatural Fire fell once on each dedication day of two buildings:
a. The Tabernacle Lev. 9:23-24 God clearly says He will dwell here, He has accepted this place to meet with them.
b. The Temple (Solomon’s original temple) 2 Chron. 7:1-2,12 When Solomon had finished praying the dedication prayer supernatural fire fell immediately and filled the Temple, so much so that even the priests could not enter it. It only fell this one time, and they were to keep that fire going.
c. The purpose of this event of supernatural fire on the dedication of the Tabernacle and the Temple was to indicate God’s willingness to dwell here, God approved. 2 Chron. 7:16
d. It only fell on the dedication, after that they were to keep the fire going without letting it go out.
2. Meaning of Ball of Fire on the day of Pentecost
a. The fire first appeared as a large fireball (Acts 2:3a) and then split up as tongues of fire on each believer (Acts 2:3b). The appearance of a ball of supernatural fire on the Day of Pentecost was the same as the dedication of Solomon’s Temple: supernatural fire fell from Heaven, God was now pleased to dwell in His new Temple, the Church!
b. And like the Temple in the Old Testament, it was not a repeated event, it happened only on the day of Pentecost to show that this was God’s new Temple to dwell in, His Church!
c. Notice in 1 Cor. 3:16 Paul states this: “Don’t you know that you (plural-the Church) yourselves are God’s Temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
d. So, this was a very important event to share from the day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit baptism happening. It was the birth of the Church that day.
3. Meaning of the Tongues of Fire on each believer on the day of Pentecost:
a. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness which was portable was covered over with supernatural fire from the day it was dedicated – a fire sent from Heaven. Ex. 40:33-35; Numbers 9:15-23; Lev. 6:12,13
b. This clearly indicated to Israel that God was pleased to dwell among them as they traveled with the portable tabernacle, the fire stayed over the tabernacle constantly. In fact, when the fire moved from over the tabernacle it meant that Israel was supposed to break camp and move with it. Ex. 40:36-38
c. Having fallen once on the Old Testament Temple and now once on the New Testament Temple (The Church) it was not necessary to repeat this sign.
2. Meaning of tongues of fire on each believer:
a. On the day of Pentecost tongues of fire came and sat on each believer signifying the same message of God’s acceptance of this tabernacle, the individual believer. Now every believer was being accepted as a portable Tabernacle of the Spirit’s dwelling place!
b. Paul references this also in 1 Cor. 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies (each individual) are temples (or tabernacle) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”
c. Again, this was not a repeated event, once God indicated that individual believers were tabernacles or temples of the Holy Spirit by the tongue of supernatural fire it was not necessary to repeat this sign.
d. It only fell on the dedication, after that they were to keep the fire going without letting it go out. Lev. 6:9,12-13 This was truly unique to Israel, for other nations like the Hittites instructed their priests to put the fire out at night so their temples would not burn down.
e. The meaning was obvious, once God sent them His fire they were to never let HIS FIRE go out. This was true in the book of Acts as well, it only had to appear once, and we are instructed to constantly be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18b), to never let the fire of God go out. This is the meaning of 1 Thess. 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit’s fire” – the term for “quench” was usually used in the sense of “putting out a fire.” The Greek verb translated here “quench” comes from “sbennymi” (sbennumi) meaning “we must let the Holy Spirit burn in our hearts.” To “keep the fire going without letting it go out.” The Greek adjective of the same word is “asbestos” (asbestoj) to quench the fire.
3. They were to avoid “strange fire” or “natural fire” as well – only the Fire of God’s Spirit can bring honor to His Name. Lev. 10:1-3
a. 2 Of Aaron’s sons – Nadab and Abihu attempted to use natural fire against the very command not to, and it cost them their lives!
b. There is no substitute for the anointing of God’s Spirit!
II. THE DYNAMIC OF PENTECOST AND FIRE! Heb. 12:28-29; Eph. 5:18
A. God’s Acceptable Dynamic! Heb. 12:28-29
1. Thankfulness and awe are the responses we have of knowing God’s Spirit dwells in us!
2. This is a powerful dynamic, that causes the heart to explode in passion for Christ.
3. That the Spirit of God would dwell in us and by doing so, accepts us a proper vehicle for the dwelling on God’s own Holy Spirit is an awesome reality!
4. Living holy isn’t a result of following a bunch of rules, it is a heart so stirred by the awesomeness of God’s presence in our lives that we are compelled by His love and presence to want to live a holy life!
a. Living by rules simply becomes a man-made kind of righteousness, a legalistic way to live, actions driven from guilt and shame.
b. But living out the amazing sense of God’s Spirit indwelling you causes a joy in living a holy life, not compelled by rules, but compelled by love.
ILLUS: A man who drank heavily was converted to Christ and lived victoriously for several weeks. One day as he passed the open door of a tavern, the pungent odor drifting out aroused his old appetite for liquor. Just then he saw this sign in the window of a nearby cafe: "All the buttermilk you can drink - 25 cents!" Dashing inside, he ordered one glass, then another, and still another. After finishing the third he walked past the saloon and was no longer tempted. He was so full of buttermilk that he had no room for that which would be injurious to him.
5. It is very hard to be full of the Spirit and then be full of sin!
6. God has granted us His Spirit so that by dwelling in us we have the power, and the mind of Christ to help us walk in righteousness, not our own way.
B. God’s Active Dynamic! Eph. 5:18
1. The idea is to be filled the Holy Spirit daily, not just once! The verb here in the Greek is present imperative passive, “be constantly being filled” – this is no casual command, it is imperative. It is contrasted here by being drunk with wine which leads to being out of control, to the positive power of the Holy Spirit which enables you to be in control by the Spirit of God!
2. We are living in days when our culture is setting aside guardrails and allowing everything, this is not a day to live without Spirit controlled lives.
3. As natural fire consumes that which it is applied to, Spiritual fire can also destroy the life of sin which so easily entangles us. Be on fire for God!
CONCLUSION: The Bible teaches clearly that we are to be the actual temples of God’s Spirit, where ever we go we are to demonstrate that the fire of God’s Spirit is alive in us. This will not only help us, it will allow the Spirit of God to speak to others! We are dedicated to being the place where God dwells!