The Furnace- Refine Reward
Matthew 3:11 (NIV) "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Acts 1:4-8 (NIV) 4 "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 2:1-4 (NIV) 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:14 (NIV) Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd.
Pentecost speaks of a second experience in the journey of God’s people.
Acts 19:2 (NIV) "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
MORE
1. More tangibles
2. More fervency & passion
3. More courage & boldness
Acts 4:31 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (See also Acts 4:12)
4. More Power
“The baptism of fire is not to simply enhance our experience to but to maximize our effectiveness.”
1. Exouisia- Authority-rights
John 1:12 (NIV) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
2. Dynamis: Ability: demonstration.
Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.
1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power
-Power to BE A witness.
-Power to overcome.
-Power to function like Jesus.
John 14:12 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
Acts 10:38 (NIV) God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
How to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
1- Open your heart
2- Ask, Seek & Knock!
Luke 11:13 Your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
3- Receive
Psalms 81:10 Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it…
Close:
Acts 19:2 (NIV) "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
The Furnace- Moldable
A. The Could: The Glory of God.
B. The Pillar of Fire:
Psalm 105:39 (NLT) The LORD spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.
“The Holy Spirit is the pillar of God’s leadership in our life.”
John 16:5-16 (NIV) 5I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. 16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
Parakletos: Advocate, Counselor. Comforter, Helper.
The Holy Spirit’s Leadership
1. Calms us down
Comforter: During the cold desert nights.
2. Confirms our identity
Romans 8:14-16 Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
3. Confronts our sin
God fathers us with correction.
Hebrews 12:8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.
“Correction does not condemn our identity it confirms it.”
Proverbs 12:1 To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire.
4. Counsels us
John 14:26 The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind* you of everything I have said to you.
(hü-po-mēm-nā’-skō) Quietly remind: remnant residue(a substance) being brought to remembrance
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth
4. Closeness
Exodus 13:22 And the LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.
John 14:17-18 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.
The Furnace- The Pillar of Fire
Malachi 3:2-4 (NLT) 2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.
Romans 8:29 (NIV) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…
How are we refined?
1- The Gospel
2- The Presence of the Holy Spirit(Jn 16)
3- Trails/Tests(Jam 1:2-4, 1 Pet 1:6-7)
4- Judgement.
2 Judgements
1st Judgment: Great White Throne Judgement (Rev 20:11-15 )
Based on Righteousness.
Romans 8:1 No condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2nd Judgment- The Judgement seat of Christ.
Judgement: (Krima) A decision resulting from an investigation.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Matthew 12:36 (NLT) And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15 (NLT) 13 On the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
The purpose is not punishment, the purpose is reward.
Mindsets that Enlarge in our Eternal perspective
“Heaven is not the finish line it's the starting line!”
1-He Is a Rewarder
(Genesis 15:1)
Revelation 22:12 (NLT) “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
Full Reward /Partial reward
2 John 1:8 (NLT) Watch out that you do not lose what we(You) have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.
“Our prayer is on earth as it is in heaven our reward will be in heaven how it was on the earth.”
2. He sees.
Matthew 6:4 (NIV) Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Ephesians 6:7-8 (NLT) 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do.
“Stop measuring success by the temporary”
3. Invest now.
Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT) 19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
________
1 Peter 1:17-20 (NLT)
17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.
The Furnace- The Fire of Calling
God chose a shepherd.
Acts 13:16-23 (NLT) 17 “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery. 18 He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. 19 Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ 23 “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!
Saul
1 Samuel 9:2-“Saul, An impressive young man without equal among the Israelites--a head taller than any of the others.”
Had a reputation of being “among the prophets” (I Samuel 10)
BUT THEN….
1- Presumption (I Samuel 13)
“Nothing will frustrate our purpose like trying to do something that was never ours to do.”
2- Disobedience
1 Samuel 15:10-11 (NLT) 10 Then the LORD said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.”
“God will only resist the resistant.”
1 Samuel 16:1,6-13 (NLT) 1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” ….6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the LORD has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the LORD has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on.
What cause David to catch God’s eye?
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
1- Devotion.
“God saw that he was willing to be great in the small moments and that he would remain small in the great moments.”
2. Desire.
1 Samuel 13:14 (NLT) …The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart.
Holy Desires are Discovered & Nurtured
3. Drive,
“We can maintain an obedient and yielded spirit and get it wrong at times. However when we have a prideful spirit we will always get it wrong.”
“Unlike Saul, David never let his purpose interfere with his identity because he found his identity in fulfilling Gods purpose.”
The Furnace- Baptism of Fire
1 Samuel 1:7-20 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat. 8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” 9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD. 11 And she made this vow: “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut.” 12 As she was praying to the LORD, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” 15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the LORD. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” 17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” 18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. 19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the LORD once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the LORD remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the LORD for him.”
1 Samuel 3:1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
There is always “Mother” in the midst OF Gods plan.
Mothering/Nurturing God’s Desires
John 3:3-6 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
1. Fertilization
Despise not small moments.
Matthew 13:31-32 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
2. Cultivation
“Our job is not to produce the seed . Our Job is to stay in & incubate the process.”
A. Maturity
B. Flexibility
You can bend or you can bust.
He is not just growing his desire, he is growing you!
C. Expectantly & actively getting ready!
3. Fruition
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
The Furnace- Incubators
“God is a consuming fire. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of fire. Jesus said, "I've come to bring fire on earth." There is no escaping fire” -Leonard Ravenhill
John 2:13-17 (NIV) 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Matthew 21:13 (NLT) “My Temple/House will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”
Zeal FOR the House
John 2:17 (NIV) His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Zeal: gk: zhlo" (zelos): excitement of mind | fervor of spirit.
“God burns with deep desire for what is his!”
Zechariah 8:2 (NIV)This is what the Lord Almighty says: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her."
1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
He wants us to reflect his desires.
Matthew 22:37 (NLT)“‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
Proverbs 20:27(NIV) The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD.
Leviticus 6:12-13 (NIV) 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.
Keep the fire burning
1. Obedience: Serving the Lord
Romans 12:11 (NIV) Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
2. Fellowship: Spending time with Him.
Fellowship with God ministers to God.
“Our heart is fueled when we fuel his.”
The Furnace- Zeal For The House
2 Samuel 11:1-7 (NIV) 1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." 6 So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David.
THE PROGRESSION OF SIN
1. David let his guard down.
2. David was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
3. David made room for sin.
James 1:13-15 (NIV) 13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
THE PENALTY OF SIN
1. Sin displeases God
2 Samuel 11:27 (NIV) But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.
2. Sin is Destructive
1. DESTRUCTIVE TO US:
Psalms 51:3 Sin is always before me!
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” -unknown
2. DESTRUCTIVE TO OTHERS:
PREVENTION OF SIN
1. Stay Ready
“Don't be hanging out on rooftops when you should be at war.”
“Don’t the victory in your past become the defeat of your future.”
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
2. Don't excuse “little” issues-
“You can't love God & Love sin and you can’t Love sin & love God.” -Mike Bickle
Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV) 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
3. Stay Tender
“Not feeling bad when you sin is far worse than feeling bad about it!”
Psalm 51:7-12 (NIV) Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
4. Be Redemption Focused.
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
Focussing on our Redemption is the greatest prevention against sin.
1 John 2:1 (NIV) My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
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