Fire from Heaven
Kingdom Life Church
Steve Flanagan – 10th March 2013
Today is Mother’s Day!
My Mum is amazing. The most treasured memories come from my childhood.
Mum:
• Looked after me and kept me clean and presentable
• Prayed for me every day – sometimes with tears
• Waved goodbye to me every day when I left the house
• Listened to me speak
• Loved my pictures
• Laughed at my jokes
• Forgave me when I messed up
• Made my meals
• Taught me to tie my laces
• Patched up my wounds
• Washed and ironed my clothes
• Gentle with my feelings
• Encouraged me to follow my dreams
• Told me to be careful when I set out on adventures
• Trusted me to tell the truth
• Advised me when I needed guidance
• Taught me to respect and honour women
• Bought me a Bible at a tipping point in my life
• Loved me unconditionally.
And so much more…..
This is why we love our mothers!
What mothers do is similar to what the Holy Spirit does in our lives.
When I am afraid He is my COURAGE
When I am alone He is my COMPANION
When I am confused He is my COUNSELLOR
When I am challenged He is my CONFIDENCE
When I am hurting He is my COMFORTER
When I am broken He is COMPLETE
We’re coming off the back of The Father’s Heart Conference. What a success!
So good to re-visit that subject.
I know I received such a blessing when I went up for prayer – how about you?
Father reminded me that I am a son to Him. That I am Royalty. That I am loved and wanted!
Well, this is my seventh speaking engagement this week!
5 Assemblies (two spontaneous rounds of applause from teenagers)!
Spoke at C4 on Wednesday evening on “The Centrality of the Heart” in our relationship with God.
But this morning I feel different – there is a force behind this message that is unique.
God wants me to share this today.
FIRE!
I don’t know what your experiences with fire are!
I come from a family with a confirmed Pyromaniac in it! My dad’s Uncle Ken was told that he faced Prison or the Armed Forces at 17. Set fire to all sorts of things!
I recall experimenting with matches in the garden shed as a teenager – very unwise!
Fire took hold and I had to extinguish it quick!
School friend experimented with gas canisters in his dad’s garage after watching a James Bond film. He had to have skin grafts and was disfigured by the fire!
You don’t mess about with fire!
Fire is very quick to catch hold and burns ferociously when fuel, heat and oxygen combine.
This is not a flippant message about the “Fire” of God this morning. There is real power at work.
In recent years we have experienced the “Fire” of the Holy Spirit in this place.
It has consumed us, excited us and clothed us – but what for? There’s always a purpose.
The Elijah Anointing for Northamptonshire is an exciting move of God in this Town and County.
When we had the two Prophets here, David Devenish said that we may be looking for the wrong thing. That what God does here may not look like revival normally does!
I believe that God wants us to receive new Fire.
But this fire will not be just to get us worked up and therefore bold to share the Good News!
It will do that.
However, this new Fire is going to be to release into our community and worlds.
This Fire is going to be directed at strongholds in our lives, families, workplaces and neighbourhoods!
This Fire is for the Prayer Warriors!
1 Kings 18 v 20-39
The Prophets of Baal Defeated
20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long (A)will you go limping between two different opinions? (B)If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, (C)“I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are (D)450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who (E)answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and (F)cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of (G)the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been (H)thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, (I)“Israel shall be your name,” 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs[a] of seed. 33 (J)And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and (K)pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
36 And at the time of (L)the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, (M)God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that (N)you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that (O)I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 (P)Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, (Q)“The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”
Elijah called for Fire to fall from Heaven for a purpose.
To demonstrate the Lordship and Sovereignty of God
The Prophets of Baal are like the strongholds of our society. The secularism, selfishness and worldliness that define the age we live in.
Those Gods are going to be shown to be worthless, in the light of what God will do through us.
Joshua 24 v 15
15 (A)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, (B)choose this day whom you will serve, whether (C)the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or (D)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. (E)But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
You see The Lord is calling us to make choices.
CHOOSE WHOM YOU WILL SERVE…
We set ourselves and our households apart from the moral standards of the world around us.
We are in this world, but we are not of it.
Don’t be ashamed of our God. His Kingdom is here and is coming.
Matthew 6 v 24
24 (A)“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and (B)money.[a]
Chasing money, flash holidays, expensive cars and the celebrity lifestyle is not what our lives should be focused on.
God wants our Hearts to be his.
Matthew 6 v 20-21
20 (A)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I spoke on Wednesday about the Heart.
I’m sure that everyone here has given their whole heart to Jesus. We’re not holding anything back in reserve.
Back to Elijah – what happened next?
1 Kings 18 v 41-46
The LORD Sends Rain
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. (C)And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, (D)a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to (E)Jezreel. 46 (F)And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, (G)and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of (H)Jezreel.
This is a model for us to follow.
Elijah saw what God wanted to do and then he went to the top of the Mountain called Carmel and he did this:
Kneel and face between knees!
The hand of the Lord is going to be with us.
We will call the fire and rain to come.
The Fire will consume things that we know are from the enemy.
The Rain will water the soil for the new lie to spring forth!
James 5 v 16b-18
(AE)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[b] 17 Elijah was a man (A)with a nature like ours, and (B)he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for (C)three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 (D)Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James shared this as a model for us.
We must PRAY!
Note: “The earth bore it’s fruit”. We will pray good things into place.
Jesus said:
Luke 12 v 54-56
Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the crowds, (A)“When you see (B)a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And (C)when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be (D)scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! (E)You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
You know I wonder if we’ve been guilty of reacting badly to what’s going on around us?
Have we criticised and argued when we could have prayed in faith?
Have we been offended morally and spoken out against it – but failed to pray?
Have we been railing against the darkness in our own strength (like a match) when prayer could switch a light on?
HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?
Hannah’s Prayer:
Hannah's Prayer – 1 Samuel 2 v 1-10
2 And Hannah prayed and said,
(A)“My heart exults in the LORD;
(B)my horn is exalted in the LORD.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because (C)I rejoice in your salvation.
2 (D)“There is none holy like the LORD:
for there is none besides you;
there is (E)no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 (F)The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
(G)The barren has borne seven,
(H)but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 (I)The LORD kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 (J)The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
(K)he brings low and he exalts.
8 (L)He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
(M)to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
(N)For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's,
and on them he has set the world.
9 (O)“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 (P)The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces;
(Q)against them he will thunder in heaven.
(R)The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
(S)and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
Hannah was a woman of great faith and she was the mother of Samuel the Prophet.
Mothers – my plea to you this morning is to pray for your children. Even if they’re old now!
Solomon Prayed:
1 Kings 8 v 54
54 (A)Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had (B)knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven.
Solomon was King but he knew what his position before God ought to be.
Elijah Prayed:
1 Kings 18 v 42
And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. (C)And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.
Elijah humbled himself before his God.
Hezekiah Prayed:
2 Kings 20 v 4-6
4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah (A)the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: (B)I have heard your prayer; (C)I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, (D)and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.”
Hezekiah needed that encouragement!
How about 15 years added to your life?
This is evidence that God sees our tears and that He cares.
Check this out!
2 Chronicles 7 v 1-3
Fire from Heaven
7 (A)As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, (B)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, (C)and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, (D)for his steadfast love endures forever.”
It goes on to say:
V 14
14 if my people who are called by my name (O)humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
God wants to demonstrate this today.
2 Chronicles 5 v 13
13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, (A)with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD,
(B)“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever,”
the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
I want you to think of two things:
One thing you want to see finish.
One thing you want to see start.
We will ask God to send us fresh fire and then to rain on the ground.
