note; your bible verses for this lesson is under the paragraph it goes with. read carefully so you will understand it. learn to pray about your problems and any help you need that the doctor cannot give. he tells the doctors what to do for you.
How Is the Holy Spirit Like Fire?
The Holy Spirit is the primary agent in the sanctification of the people of God. Today, the Lord uses the Holy Spirit to grow the people of God in the grace of God to refine and cleanse them from indwelling sin.
Fire is a Wonderful Picture of the Work of the Holy Spirit
Fire provides a helpful picture of the work of the Holy Spirit as fire in three critical ways as He brings the presence of God, the passion of God, and the purity of God to Christians.
The Holy Spirit and the Presence of God. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God as He indwells the hearts of all Christians In the Old Testament, the Lord showed His presence to the Israelites by filling the tabernacle with fire
Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
Numbers 9:14-15 A foreigner residing among you is also to celebrate the Lord’s Passover in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for both the foreigner and the native-born.’ “
The Cloud over the Tabernacle
15 On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire.
The fiery presence in the temple provided light and guidance. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit guides and comforts the people of God dwelling in them as the tabernacle and “temple of the living God”.
2 Corinthians 5:1; For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”[1]
The Holy Spirit Creates a Passion for the Lord in the Hearts of His People. On the road to Emmaus, the resurrected Lord Jesus talks with two disciples who describe their hearts as “burning within us”. After the apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they had a passion for the Lord that lasted a lifetime and compelled them to speak the Word boldly.
Luke 24:32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked.
with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
The same is true today for Christians who have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus. Christians are indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work of an evangelist by proclaiming the good news
Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
2 Timothy 4:5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry and to make disciples.
Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
3. The Holy Spirit Produces Purity in the People of God. One of the main aims of the Holy Spirit is to produce purity in Christians, and the Church, since God’s purpose is to purify them. The Holy Spirit is the primary agent in the sanctification of the people of God.
Titus 2:14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
A silversmith would use fire to purge the dross from precious metal. Today the Lord uses the Holy Spirit to address indwelling sin in Christians and to grow the people of God in the grace of God to refine and cleanse them from indwelling sin
Psalm 66:10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
The Purifying Work of the Holy Spirit and the Christian Life
The purifying work of the Holy Spirit begins at the moment of salvation for the Christian. The Holy Spirit works on the people of God in their times of adversity which the Lord promises to use for His good purposes.
Isaiah 43:1-7 But now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush[1] and Seba in your stead. 4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth- 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
When Christians face trials, they have an opportunity to demonstrate the reality of their faith and confidence in the Lord. Take heart this day if that’s you, dear Christian friend, and consider now that the Lord is purifying you and growing you in grace through this season of life.
Dear Christian, you have been signed and sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ. What that means is you are already indwelt with the Holy Spirit and baptized by the Holy Spirit as a Christian. You have already been empowered for ministry through the Holy Spirit.
If you know today what your spiritual gifts are then you are responsible for using them for the good of others and our society. If you don’t know what they are, you are responsible for discovering them by talking with your local church pastor and elders, and mature Christian friends who can help you discern and identify them.
Wherever you are at today on the journey of walking with the Lord, dear Christian, the Lord is at work in you. His purposes are not to harm you but to conform you into the image of the Lord Jesus. Take heart at the promises of His Word which are for your good and find their apex in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:28-30 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[1] have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”[1]
2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
So be encouraged today, you may not know your gifts or talents or ability even, but God can you use in the lives of others if you are growing in grace, godly character, and aiming to be faithful to Him and His Word.
Comments; Fire is a good thing because sometimes your body has something in it that should not be there, and the holy spirit will use a fire to remove something or heal it. When you have pain, or have been told by a doctor that something cannot be cured. go to your heavenly father and he will use a fire to get rid of the problem. Our Heavenly father will not use the fire that much unless they need it for purpose, but you need to be aware of it. he uses it for your good. do not be afraid of it. if you feel warmth suddenly; this is our heavenly father using his fire to fix something. this is something we mentioned yesterday and we would get into it more. but this method just so you know, is more frequently used by the orthodox. we will use this lesson
to reference things through other lessons, so you get to understand them.
closing prayer; Heavenly father we pray that although we are giving knowledge about your holy fire we also pray that people get to understand what they are supposed to do as a christian, and start doing if they have not already. that they also get stronger during the end times. we pray this in the name of jesus. amen.
those who wish to become a child of our Heavenly Father or wish to be stronger in his eyes, please say the following prayer below.
Heavenly Father: I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”
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