"Fire In The Hole"
June 4, 2006

The Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 104: 1 - 4
The New Testament Lesson: Luke 3: 15 - 17

To get people to invite the holy Spirit into the lives!

I.  The image of Fire is apt for the work of the Holy Spirit
   A. Fire has been a very useful image for many different things.
        1. Sports teams have used it
        2. businesses have used it.
        3. Heck, the Camp fire girls used it.
        4. It is a frequent symbol in the Bible.
            a. It is used in many good ways.
            b. The pillar of fire that guided the Israelites, The fire of the Word.
            c. But it also makes its appearance as a destructive force
            d. Fire falls on Sodom and Gemorah and on the prophets of Baal.
            e. It is an image of great power-primal power!
        5. Many denominations use this powerful image in their symbol.  Why?
   B. It has become one of the primary ways to talk about the Holy Spirit.
        1. Refers to the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost to empower the church
            a. The disciples are told to wait from power on high.
            b. When the Spirit descends and fills them, tongues of fire appear.
            c. That was a visible sign of the Spirit’s presence within.
        2. From that point on, they were a different group.
            a. The presence of the Spirit gave them boldness and courage.
            b. It made them effective witnesses for Jesus
        3. But this isn’t the first we heard of the promise of the Spirit.
   C. Prophet John the Baptist said this is one of the main Jesus’ purposes
        1. when he admitted he wasn’t the Messiah, he told of the one to come.
        2. Said Christ would baptize his followers with the Holy Spirit and fire.
        3. The image of baptism is that of immersion!
            a. The will be submerged in the Holy Spirit.
            b. The Spirit will fill every nook and cranny of their lives.
            c. No area of their lives will remain untouched.
        4. The result will be power that can only be described as FIRE!
            a. Remember that Fire is not always safe.
            b. In fact, part of the job of fire is to rid the world of chaff!
        5. Being filled with the fire of the Spirit is anything but safe!    6. But it is necessary!

II.  It may be dangerous to play with fire, but it is essential for Christian life!
   A. As Christian’s we can’t hope to live abundantly without the Sprit’s fire
        1. The Spirit is active in our lives in many different ways, all powerful.
        2. The Spirit is our Great Teacher.
            a. Every lesson that Jesus taught is applied by the Spirit.
            b. When we are convicted of our sin, it is the Spirit
            c. When we are convinced of the Truth of God, it is the Spirit.
            d. When we are compelled to witness to salvation, it is the Spirit.
            e. Jesus’ teaching has many wonderful aspects to it.
            f. But the application is impossible without the Spirit.
        3. The Spirit is also the voice of God, speaking to us.
            a. We have more than just the general lessons Jesus left behind.
            b. We also have the voice of God whispering in our ear.
            c. God continues to communicate with us as individuals.
            d.  Every time we hear Jesus speaking to us, it is through the Spirit.
        4. The Spirit is also the comforter who helps us in trouble.
            a. We offer our best witness to the work of the Spirit in hard times.
            b. When things are going great, anyone can be joyful.
            c. In the midst of trial we have opportunity to show how we’re made
            d. And that’s when the Spirit does her best work.
            e. Because that’s when we ask for help!
   B. The trouble is that many Christians are unwilling to let the Spirit in!
        1. Most of us have nice comfortable lives.
            a. Have all the material we need to survive.
            b. Have steady jobs, pensions, health care, friends.
            c. We don’t have many radical needs we can’t meet.
        2. The result is that we don’t open ourselves fully to the Spirit.
        3. Perhaps we realize that the Spirit is also an agitator.
            a. The Spirit is not willing to let things alone!
            b. The Spirit wants to arrange things to God’s satisfaction, not ours.
        4. So we hold the fire of the Spirit at arms length so we don’t get burned
   C. That is not what God wants from us!
        1. God wants to baptize us in the fire of the Spirit.
        2. God wants us to let go of our tight hold on normal life
        3. Only then can the Spirit fill us with abundant life.
        4. Then, the spirit burns up the chaff, the waste material. of normalcy.
        5. replaces it with the light that says, God open for business in our lives.

Some years ago, the military coined the phrase “Fire in the Hole.”   It came from cannon fire.  They would charge the cannon first with gunpowder and then the cannon ball.  Still the gun wasn’t going to be effective.  When they lighted the fuse, they’d shout that phrase “Fire in the Hole!”  That was to warn everyone that the fire had been applied to the breech and it was about to go off.  Get ready, here it comes!  You better believe people took that seriously and got out of the way.

In some ways, the church is like the loaded gun.  It’s got a lot of potential.  But it’s not really ready for business until we apply the fire of the Holy Spirit.  That’s when things start happening.  Today, I’m challenging you to open your breech to the real power of a Christian.  Let the Spirit burn in you and ignite the potential with which God has filled you.  Then, watch people’s amazement at what God can do with a surrendered life! 

Pray with me:  Lord, we are tired of being safe.  We no longer want to be ignored as ineffective by the people around us.  We want the look of boredom to be replaced with amazement when people see what happens to people who are filled with the Spirit.  Send your fire upon us today, we’re ready to burn for you!

And as you go from this place, may you walk in the way of Christ Jesus and May God always find you faithful!