New Life Family Church
Sunday July 4, 2021 AM
  • America the Beautiful
  • Bring Your Vessels Not a Few
  • O The Blood
  • Soon And Very Soon

  • The Necessity of Fire

    Back on Mother’s Day I spoke from Isaiah 66 about mothers who comfort.
    I didn’t say it then, but I believe that for a woman to be able to offer the comfort that God wants to give through her, she needs to be full of the Holy Spirit, the Presence of God, the power of God — the fire of God.
    And we live in a world of SUCH brokenness that needs the comfort mothers can give — the comfort that women of God can give — women under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
    I’m not trying to stereotype women or be a sexist, but it seems there is a gifting that God gave women.
    A gifting to be able to comfort the brokenhearted, the burdened, the grieving, the hurting.
    I am so thankful to God for it.
    I’m thankful that His gifting of comfort is fully released under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
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    God has gifted men in unique ways, too.
    And, like women, to fully operate in their gifts, men need a supernatural anointing of the power, the Presence and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit.
    They need to be set on fire with the Spirit of God.
    As we sang earlier: “Holy Spirit, fall like fire ...”
    I am so thankful for Holy Spirit fire on our lives to accomplish the things critical to our world today.
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    Men, if we would be the husbands that God desires us to be—
    That He describes in His Word
    That God needs in this world of unfaithfulness
    That our wives need
    We will need the power, the Presence, the infilling and anointing of the Holy Spirit — the fire!
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    If we would be ministers of the Gospel that God desires and this world needs
    And yes, God calls men AND women to serve in ministry
    But ministers, male and female alike will HAVE to have the anointing to be able to accomplish God’s calling on their lives
    The fire of God burning inside them, like Jeremiah spoke about:
    Jeremiah 20:9 NASB95
    9 But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.
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    If we would be the Biblical male role-models this world needs
    We will need the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn away anything not of God.
    To burn the selfish, destructive, worldly role models out of us.
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    This is Father’s Day. If we men would be the fathers God needs in this day — both physical fathers to our children and grandchildren — AND spiritual fathers to the fatherless ...
    We will need the fire of the Spirit burning inside us to grant us knowledge and wisdom
    To grant us influence
    To give us the words to speak
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    Because being a man in today’s world is tough.
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    According to research by the Barna Group...
    Given a choice between two words that describe the state of masculinity today, Christian men are far more likely to choose the negative option. They’re more likely to say masculinity is: · Threatened rather than hopeful (44% vs. 31%), · Endangered rather than thriving (39% vs. 28%), · Confused rather than vibrant (47% vs. 26%), · In crisis over stable (40% vs. 30%) and . Regressing over progressing (41% vs. 32%).
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    The only way for men to survive the assault on Biblical masculinity is to be set on fire by the Holy Spirit.
    Nominal Christianity was never sufficient to sustain people.
    But today that is made even more clear.
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    I am so thankful for all the men who have the fire of God burning in their lives!
    We need more of the anointing, the Presence, the Power of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives.
    We need a fresh fire to fall upon us like it did on the 120 on the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago.
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    God Manifests Himself in Fire

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    So, isn’t a great thing that our God is that fire we desperately need?
    More accurately, He is a consuming fire.
    Hebrews 12:28–29 (NASB95)
    Therefore, since we [are] receive[ing] a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
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    There are a couple of quotes attributed to John Wesley (maybe not?):
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    Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.
    Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.
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    May God ignite the men of today with His fire so that we are equal to the challenges we face.
    May we be men on fire who will shake the gates of hell and advance the Kingdom of God.
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    May we be men on fire because God has manifested Himself with fire from the beginning.
    He kept fallen humanity from the Tree of Life with fire.
    Genesis 3:24 NASB95
    24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
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    God met Moses through a manifestation of fire.
    Exodus 3:2–5 NASB95
    2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
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    God protected and guided Israel with a Pillar of Fire:
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    Exodus 13:21–22 NASB95
    21 The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
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    Exodus 14:19–20 NASB95
    19 The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
    God’s fire illuminated Israel in its journey across the Red Sea while His cloud shrouded the Egyptian army in darkness that kept them from knowing which way to go.
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    After delivering Israel God met with them in fire.
    Exodus 19:18 NASB95
    18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
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    When Israel instituted Tabernacle worship, fire was a big part of that worship. In fact Israel was commanded in:
    Leviticus 6:12–13 NASB95
    12 ‘The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13 ‘Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.
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    When the first offerings were made at the Tabernacle we read:
    Leviticus 9:22–24 NASB95
    22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23 Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
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    Over and over again throughout the scriptures we see God coming among His people with His fire.
    No wonder John the Baptist prophetically spoke the words in:
    Luke 3:16–17 NASB95
    16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 “His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
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    Again, let us remember our text:
    Hebrews 12:28–29 NASB95
    28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
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    Let It Fall on Us!

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    Men, let us cry out to God in desperation that His fire will fall on us.
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    And make us better men.
    That the fire will fall and burn away anything not of Him.
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    I think that’s what God did in the Babylonian furnace.
    Nebuchadnezzar had his fiery furnace,
    so hot that it killed the men who threw Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah into it
    but it couldn’t touch these three Jewish men who declared they would not bow down to him as God.
    They were alive with the fire of God on their lives that was hotter than Nebuchadnezzer’s furnace.
    And the fire that burned away the bindings that had been on these men? I believe it was God’s fire.
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    That’s what God’s fire will do.
    It will burn away those things that limit us.
    That keep us from being what God wants us to be.
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    But like these 3 men, we have to fully surrender we have to surrender to God’s consuming fire.
    We have to allow His fire to burn up the impurities in us.
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    The fire will lead us to continually experience the fourth man — Jesus, the Son of God.
    The One who burns brighter than any furnace of affliction we face.
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    I am so thankful for men of God today who are on-fire with the fire of God on their lives.
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    Because that fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit makes them better husbands.
    Husbands conform to pattern that Jesus set for us:
    Ephesians 5:25–32 NASB95
    25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
    The only way men can be that better husband is when the fire of God’s power and presence fall on us and we burn bright with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
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    God’s fire make men better employers and employees.
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    Ephesians 6:5–9 NASB95
    5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. 9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
    I know this scripture talks about masters and slaves, but i think we can understand it in today’s modern workplace.
    A workplace where I know that living for Jesus can be hard.
    In so many workplaces evil speaking, evil acting are not just condoned, they are encouraged.
    The fire of God helps us to be different, to speak differently, to do better.
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    Most of all, on this Father’s day 2021, I am thankful for the fire of God that is falling on men to make them better fathers.
    We know:
    Ephesians 6:4 NASB95
    4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
    Colossians 3:21 NASB95
    21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.
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    Like everything else, it is a fight to be a God-following, God-honoring man.
    To be a God-honoring father may be one of the hardest challenges men will ever face.
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    But the fire of God gives fathers the wisdom to avoid provoking our children to anger, that keeps us from exasperating our children.
    The fire of God gives us the strength to bring up our children, grandchildren, spiritual children — in the nurture and admonition of the Lord — encouraging them to not loose heart.
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    And when we fathers, who are on-fire with the Holy Spirit fail (and we WILL fail), when husbands who are on-fire with the Holy Spirit fail, when men who are on-fire with the Holy Spirit fail —
    the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to get back up again — to do better, to speak better, to go all the way to the finish line.
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    God, let Your Fire Fall!

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    So, men, are you walking in the fire of the Holy Spirit?
    It begins with repentance and surrender.
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    I speak not just to men this morning — but everyone.
    As I said at the beginning, women need to burn with the fire of God, too.
    Does the fire of God characterize your life?
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    If not, I invite you to come forward.
    To repent, surrender, receive the fire.
    Other on-fire men and women will come alongside you to pray.
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    Call for all men to come forward for prayer.
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New Life Family Church
pastor@newlifeblairsville.org
(706) 781-6142
http://www.newlifeblairsville.org
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