(Mal 3:1 KJV) "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."

(Mal 3:2 KJV) "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:"

(Mal 3:3 KJV) "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness."

(Mal 3:4 KJV) "Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years."

(Mal 3:5 KJV) "And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts."

(Mal 3:6 KJV) "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

(Heb 12:28 KJV) "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:"

(Heb 12:29 KJV) "For our God is a consuming fire."

Introduction:

The Old Testament is full of many references to the fire of God. In fact, one of the primary ways He dealt with mankind was in the demonstration of His fire. Sometimes it was protective; sometimes it was judgement; sometimes it meant life; sometimes it meant death.

But …. one reality was undeniable - He always made certain that the people recognized that it was His fire. Even the enemies of Israel came to fear the fire of God.

HIS WRATH IS LIKE FIRE

(Psa 89:46 KJV) "How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?"

HIS ANGER IS LIKE FIRE

(Isa 30:30 KJV) "And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones."

HIS WORD IS LIKE FIRE

(Jer 23:29 KJV) "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"

Today, I want to speak about 4 types of God's fire and how they minister to us in our lives today.

• I. THE FIRE OF GOD'S PRESENCE DEMANDS OUR ATTENTION.

(Exo 3:2 KJV) "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed."

Moses was pre-occupied with his job. He was a sheep tender before he became a deliverer. You may be living a boring, mundane, unexciting life. But, wait till you see the fire! You'll never be the same as before. The fire of God's presence prepares you for the fire of His anointing.

Never underestimate what God can do with you after He's gotten your attention. It may take a while before you notice the bush is burning and not consumed - but you will notice!

The desert bushes which God has ignited in your life will always take your mind off of your troubles and inspire you to greatness. When you see God in the fire you will become full of anticipation.

You may be in a desert experience right now - look for the fire!

You may be discouraged - look for the fire!

You may be overwhelmed with troubles - look for the fire!

You may be lonely and misunderstood - look for the fire!

For when you see the fire, you'll know God is there. He's ignited a bush in your desert to start you toward the promised land!

• II. THE FIRE OF GOD CONSUMES OUR SACRIFICE.

(1 Ki 18:38 KJV) "Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench."

God knows when you have truly done the best you can do in fighting the devil and your enemies. Like Elijah, you eventually have to stand your ground.

Like Elijah, you may have to put up with the devil's nonsense, his boastings, and his pitiful attempts to mimic God. But, when the fire of God comes, it separates the true believers and the phony gods and pretenders.

Don't hesitate to offer your sacrifice in the presence of your enemies. Don't be afraid to declare your faith in the living God. Don't be afraid to believe God for a miracle. Don't be afraid to pray in the face of your adversary. Your God, after all, is the same God Elijah called out to in prayer. He is the same God who answered by fire and consumed the sacrifice, putting to flight the enemies of Israel and making possible their defeat.

Pile your sacrifice high upon the altar. Make it plain for everyone to see. Declare your devotion to God and your complete dependence upon Him in the face of your adversaries. Don't hide your sacrifice … be brazen - declare it loudly. Let everyone know you are not afraid to trust in the Lord.

What will God do? He will answer you by His consuming fire just like He did for Elijah. You may not have a bullock upon an altar of stone and a trench full of water, but He will still answer you just Like He did Elijah.

It was not the mere animal sacrifice which God was honoring - it was Elijah's faith to declare the name of the Lord in the presence of His enemies. It was his courage in the face of insurmountable odds. He was outnumbered by 950 false prophets yet he stood his ground, confident that God would answer.

Does anyone really think that God wouldn't respond to such a display of genuine faith? There was no way that sacrifice wasn't going up in flames!!

God will do the same thing for you when He sees such faith and faithfulness.

• III. THE FIRE OF GOD'S GLORY DEMANDS REVERENCE.

(2 Chr 7:1 KJV) "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house."

(2 Chr 7:2 KJV) "And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house."

(2 Chr 7:3 KJV) "And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever."

Solomon, was dedicating the new Temple when he prayed this prayer. The people of Israel had worshipped the Lord in tents and other portable structures. This was to be the place where they met God.

They weren't prepared for the glory of God. We usually aren't. We get too involved with the buildings and furnishing and are usually caught off guard, unprepared, for the glory of God to come down.

This scene is striking to me. The glory of God was so great, the preachers couldn't go in the church - they obviously were not fit to be in the Lord's presence. And, the people, when they saw the fire of God's presence, got down on the ground and bowed in submission, worshipping and praising the Lord.

It was both wonderful and frightening.

How would you feel if when you walked up to the church this morning there was a great fire over the building and it was not smoking or destroyed? And then you realized that it was the glory of God. Would you, could you enter? Would you fall on your face in reverence and worship God in the parking lot and the entryway? I know I would!!

But, here's the good word for us today. He doesn't want us to stay outside in fear - He wants us inside full of praise and worship. Our reverence of Him is not meant to distance us from God but it is to bring Him closer to us. In fact, the scripture promises that He abides in us by His Holy Spirit.

It is a fact that we need to check our attitude and behaviors to be certain that we are not practicing irreverence toward the presence of God. It is also a fact that when you really understand His presence and the reality of His glory, you will not be irreverent because your very spirit will bow in humble recognition of His glorious fire and power.

John the Baptist, forerunner of Jesus, prophesies of the mighty fire of God which would fall upon the believers at their Holy Ghost baptism.

(Mat 3:11 KJV) "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"

(Acts 2:1 KJV) "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."

(Acts 2:2 KJV) "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting."

(Acts 2:3 KJV) "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."

(Acts 2:4 KJV) "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

We Pentecostals love this text. We preach it; we sing about it; we revel in it's uniqueness; we celebrate it's doctrine. The big problem is that we don't practice it. Oh, some do, a little. Most don't, a lot!

In reality, this is one of the most glorious texts in the whole Bible. In almost all other occasions, God's fire only appeared before the people, or it destroyed the enemies of God, or it brought judgement upon the Israelites for some sin or disobedience.

But, this is different … real different! Now, God has deemed to actually put His fire upon the people in an anointing which would bring them into the greatest spiritual reality they could ever know. This is a powerful departure from the norm! This is a NEW purpose for the fire of God.

Now, He will no longer be an external God. His Holy Spirit will be resident in the believers and will be a source of power, anointing, instruction, and communication. This is most wonderful!

The Apostle Peter declares, quoting the Old Testament Prophet Joel,

(Acts 2:16 KJV) "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;"

(Acts 2:17 KJV) "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:"

(Acts 2:18 KJV) "And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:"

God has chosen to take up residence in His people through the Holy Spirit. Isn't that tremendous? Unbelievable? Unfathomable? Yet, IT'S TRUE!

(1 John 4:4 KJV) "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

I urge you to get to know God in these various aspects of His glorious fire and power. It is not His plan that any of us who believe in Him and His Son Jesus be weak and powerless. He Has sent His Holy Spirit to bring to fulfillment all of the very reality of God to our lives.

As the song says, "Trust Him and see, He's got all the power you need."

I close with this dynamic scripture:

(Eph 1:17 KJV) "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:"

(Eph 1:18 KJV) "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"

(Eph 1:19 KJV) "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,"

(Eph 1:20 KJV) "Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,"

(Eph 1:21 KJV) "Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:"

(Eph 1:22 KJV) "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,"

(Eph 1:23 KJV) "Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."