Transcription
Have a seat, Passion. Hey, you ready for a great time? Come on. Are we fired up or what? I know I am. I cannot believe we have the chance to gather together like this. It is so amazing and wonderful to see each and every one of you.
If you are here at Passion for the first time, like we saw a bunch of you are, uh we welcome you and we love you and we cannot wait to see what God's going to do in your heart. And those of us who have been here uh before, you know that God is going to meet you in a mighty and a powerful way. I have my expectations incredibly high.
Hey, one more time though, would you mind? Cuz this whole thing does not happen on accident. There are over 2,000 door holders, people that took time off of work to be here to serve. Can we thank them? Can we thank Louis and Shelley Gigglio for their leadership over the years? Can we thank the Passion team for all of their leadership? Come on, put your hands together. We're going to say thank you that these individuals laid out the red carpet for us.
Hey, uh last night uh New Year's Eve, uh we had like uh not we did not have like we had a New Year's Eve worship night uh at our church and um something really really special happened that I wanted to share uh with all of you. Uh, our 10-year-old little girl actually got baptized last night. Y'all, [cheering] I don't want to turn and look at the picture cuz I'll probably start crying. It was a holy moment. Her name is El Grace. She's my favorite child. Okay, she's my favorite child. We've got three. And uh I got to hug her afterwards. Her her mom and I baptized her and then we took a family picture afterwards. to uh my beautiful wife of 28 years, still my sexy piece of dark chocolate, uh my best friend. We uh we all gathered together as a family with my son and my new daughter-in-law cuz my son just got married, Les Co, my mom in the picture, our 15-year-old son. So, last night uh was a huge night. So, thank you so much for uh enjoying that with me.
But if you have your Bibles, I want you to open with me to the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke. Who's ready to dig into God's word today? You guys ready? I was so proud of everybody. I saw you walking in, driving in, people had their Bibles in hand. Is there any other place you go where there's 45,000 college students that have their Bible in their hands and ready to grow in their walk with God? Here we go. Luke chapter 3, beginning in verse number 15. It says, "The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah." John answered them all, "I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I will come. The straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor to gather the wheat into his barn. But he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Verse number 18. And with many other words, John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.
If you like to take notes, uh the title of this talk today is fresh fire. Fresh fire. I love this text. Actually, the gospel writer Luke is is my favorite gospel. Um, but here in the text that we begin with, verse number 15, it has these words that they were waiting expectantly. I I I like that it says this uh there there's like an anticipation, not like an entitlement, but but an excitement, a a a joy. It it's kind of like when you're maybe waiting, ladies, for the guy to pop the question. You're ready for him to say, "Uh, will you marry me?" You're waiting for that moment when he's on the knee. And you might be elbowing somebody right now or texting somebody like, "Hey, I thought it was going to happen at Christmas, but it didn't happen." But you keep on waiting expectantly. You You always have your nails done. you're always Instagram ready, always ready for the moment when it might just happen or or when you're applying uh to your first job and and you've done all the interviews, you're waiting for the email to come back. You you you keep on checking your Gmail over and over and over again. You're waiting expectantly. You're you're looking for something to happen here. This is how the people are coming to John. They are coming with anticipation in their hearts. They're coming with a yearning and a desire in their hearts. They are wondering, "Is this the Messiah? Is this the one that's going to get Rome off of our backs? Is this the one that's going to take away the shame and the problems and the difficulties that we've been navigating? Is this the one that's going to make everything right? Is this the one that is going to fix all the brokenness in the world? Is this the one that we've been waiting for? And they are all waiting expectantly, wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah."
I love that they have the anticipation. I love that they have the expectation. They just misdirected it a little bit or a lot of it. They thought that it was John that John would be the one to fix all the problems that John would be the Messiah that John would be the savior. Good expectations just wrong placement of those expectations. Can we say uh uh and me on behalf of all the people who are going to be speaking and they are wonderful and all the worship leaders that'll be leading and all the people that'll be on panels and all the door holders and all the churches that have been praying. Can I say we are so so glad that you are here. We are glad that you have come. But there might be some of us that you are coming to passion and you are wondering if passion will be the savior in your life. You might be wondering if passion if they sing just the right song or the speaker shares just the right message if that will be the thing that saves you if that will be the thing that will make everything right in your life and we would say we're glad that you came with expectation but please do not put that expectation on us. We are not the ones that will be able to save. We are not the ones that will be able to fix. We are not the messiahs in anybody's life. But we are here. Every door holder, every speaker, every singer, every tech person, all of us are here to lift up one name and one name alone. And he is the only one that can save. And his name is Jesus. That's the only name that can save.
Some of us when we have this thought come to our minds, we might think of some weak Jesus. We might think of some anemic Jesus. We might think of a bedridden uh hobbling Jesus. We might think of a Jesus that is just limping along. Maybe we think of a Jesus that is ringing his hands and he's unsure what he's going to do with the problems that you're facing because your problems are so big. And maybe the Jesus that you see in your in your mind is a little bit overwhelmed because you're not sure how you going to get out of the thing that you're in. And is there even a way out? But I need you to understand the Jesus we're talking about. He's not ringing his hands and he's not in a hospital bed and he's not limping along and he's not trying to muster up a little bit of strength. The Jesus we are talking about is not someone who is weak or anemic. The Jesus we are talking about is the son of the living God. The Jesus that we are talking about is all powerful. And do you think he can get you out of the thing you're in? I promise you, he can because he is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the son of the almighty God. As a matter of fact, jot this down. We're going to write, we're going to look at some more verses. Colossians 1 verse number 15-17. It says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For from him and through him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. And he is before all things and in him all things hold together." That's the Jesus we are talking about. And this Jesus says about himself in Revelation 22. Jot it down. He's not just before all things. He says of himself, "I'm the alpha and I'm the omega. I'm the beginning and the end. I'm the first and the last." So, I need you to know tonight that the Jesus we are talking about and celebrating is an almighty, all powerful Jesus. And every single speaker and singer and leader who gets on this platform or you see in a hallway, our aim is to take every bit of expectation you have and say, "I'm glad you brought it. You should have brought your expectation." But don't you dare put that on us. What we're going to do is lift your eyes to the hills from where your help comes from. And the one who was lifted up and high and mighty, his name is Jesus. And he is going to break every chain, unloose [snorts] you from every single bondage, going to help you get to the place that God is calling you to be so you can be the man or woman of God that he always destined and called for you to be in this generation cuz he's not done with your life yet. No, not yet.
So this Jesus that John the Baptist is pointing to, he says, "I I I I he's so amazing. I'm unworthy to untie his sandals. I if he's wearing Jay's, I can't even touch him." Uh this Jesus that I'm talking about, he he he he's so magnificent and wonderful. He's more powerful than I is what John says. This power that he's talking about is not benching power. It's not his squat that he's talking about. He's talking about his divine authority. He's saying, "I have the ability to baptize you with water, but someone more powerful than I is on the scene, and he is going to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He's more powerful than I am." My I showed you that picture earlier of our family that I love so so very much. Our 15-year-old uh is now getting a mustache. Remember when you were 15, fellas, and you started getting that mustache and you thought, "Okay," you know, so now he's walking around the house without a shirt on either, right? You know, cuz now he's he's a man. Doesn't pay any bills, but he's a man. So, he's walking around with his mustache and his chest out, and every now and then, you know, he tries to bow up to dad a little bit. And, you know, I'm I'm kind. Hell, I'm not. Then I got to use that dad's strength. Come on. You you all know when your dad uses that dad's strength, you're like, "Man, what in the are you a moose dad? Who what are you doing? You You taking drugs, Dad? How are you this strong? I don't know what happens." But somehow when you become a dad, you get this extra strength. What John the Baptist here is saying, John the Baptizer is saying, I I uh I don't I need you to understand I I'm limited in my power. But the one that I'm talking about, the one for you to celebrate, the one that I'm pointing you to, he is unlimited in his power. And this Jesus that we are talking about tonight, John the Baptist, and rightfully so, ought to be celebrated for his humility. That's beautiful. But John's not saying this so that we look at his humility. John is saying all of this. So, we look at Jesus's superiority and we see him for who he actually is. This is our aim over these next few days that you would see Jesus for who he actually is. And as you see him in the correct light, you watch how your life begins to change from the inside out as a spirit of God begins to work in you and through you.
What we discover, John tells us, is Jesus wants to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Now, last year, uh, if you were at Passion, uh, we talked about the Holy Spirit, not the it, because he's not in it, the who, the third person of the Trinity. I don't have the time to get into that talk. You can go find that on YouTube somewhere. Tonight, I want us to talk about the fire for just a second. Um, some some of y'all might be Percy Jackson fans or Greek mythology fans. Uh, I'll put my picture of Prometheus up there on the screen if you don't mind. Uh, this is a live picture. Just kidding. Uh, this is chap GPT. Prometheus was in Greek mythology. He's one of the titans. And it goes that Prometheus uh had like this leaning and this caring for humanity where the other gods did it, Zeus and the others. So what Prometheus did is Prometheus went and stole fire from the gods. And when he stole fire from the gods, he then brought it to humanity. And this gave humanity the ability to do a number of things. One of the things we now could cook. Another thing that we could do is make weapons. Another thing that we could now do is stay warm. Uh, some would say this may have been the beginning of the age of enlightenment or technology because now it was as if when Eugene Peterson was talking about it, humanity no longer needed the gods because we could be our own god. So now this is what the Greeks are thinking about the fire. But you read the New Testament and you find out that fire is not stolen. That Jesus is the one that baptizes in fire. So in the New Testament, you see something different than what the Greeks believed. And that theology or or mindset or uh that understanding was in the culture because of Alexander the Great and when the New Testament was written, yada yada. So now you you have this in the air about the Greeks, but now John the Baptist is telling us, the baptizer is telling us, "No, no, no, no. This is not something that was stolen from the gods." As a matter of fact, the actual true God is coming. And when he comes, he is baptizing you with fire. So you find out fire is a few things. You can jot this down. I I worked hard to get some points for y'all. One, it's a gift. Fire is a grace and fire is also connected to the gospel. Again, it's a gift, a grace and connected to the gospel.
Now when I talk about fire, I I want to pause for a quick moment. Uh because some of us are thinking fire is for those who are really really charismatic and those who are really extroverted and those who have a ton of energy. Those are the ones that are quote unquote on fire. But I want to break that myth. I want to tell you that this is not just for the president of this club or the leader of that organization or the captain of this team. This is not who the fire is for. This is for the extrovert and the introvert. This is for those of us who are brand new in our faith and those of us who have been following Jesus from the time we were 5 years old. This is for those of us who were partying just last year and could not even imagine that we'd be at a conference like this at the beginning of the year, but God has so radically transformed our lives that we're no longer throwing back a bottle, but now we're lifting our hands and praise and glory to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is for those of us who know a whole lot of scripture and those of us who are still struggling to find where Genesis or Revelation is. It's for every single one of us. This fire is not reserved for some elite group of Christians. This is the gift that Jesus is bringing. He is the baptizer in fire. So for me, what I have decided is any time in scripture I see that Jesus is giving something. I want it. If Jesus is giving it, if Jesus is saying this is available, then Jesus I'm saying give it to me. I know maybe I feel uncomfortable. I might not understand all the ins and outs of it, but Jesus, IF YOU'RE BAPTIZING IN FIRE, then I want the fire. If you're pouring out fire, then I want the fire. And I don't want it to be emotions. I don't want it to be goosebumps. I'm not looking for a tear to go down my face. I'm looking for something so transformational to happen deep within me that I become the man or woman of God that I always that I was destined to be by your grace and for your glory. If you're giving it, Jesus, I want it. [snorts]
So, now we're looking at this text and you got to go, okay, what what was he meaning? What what what was he meaning? Because the Bible says in verse number 18, uh you can put it on the screen if you want to or look at it. It says with many other words he exhorted them and proclaimed the good news. So again this is how we can see that that this whole fire thing I always read it as something I ought to be terrified of. But now I'm reading that this is an exhortation and connected to the good news. So now I don't want to lean back. I want to lean in to what God is doing. So then you read in verse number 17, uh you see that it says he has his winnowing fork uh in his in his hand. I got a winnowing fork with me too. He's got his winnowing fork uh in his hand. Thank you. Um we bought this. They were like, "Why do you need this?" And we're like, "Well, there's 45,000 college students that we're going to be talking about Jesus and connecting and lifting up the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and that's what we need it for." He's like, "Oh." So that happened. This winnowing fork, uh, it wouldn't have looked exactly like this in Jesus's day. There would have been no craftsman, uh, on it at all. Um, but it says there that he has a winnowing fork in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his threshing floor, and the wheat he will gather into his barn, but the chief he's going to burn up with unquenchable fire. So, we find out that there's a winnowing fork. we find out there's a threshing floor and we find out that there's a place that stuff is burned up. Uh so in Jesus's day when they're going to grab uh the grain, whatever the grain might be, wheat or barley, they go and grab it and there's all these pieces and elements connected uh to this grain. Uh so what they want to do is they want to separate the good stuff from the bad stuff, but but they gathered the whole thing in. They brought it all in, but now they're going to go work on this this harvest to help this harvest actually become what they want it to be so they can make it useful for what the plan is for this harvest. But please notice this that they bring in the harvest with the good stuff and the bad stuff. What they do not do is say, "We're not harvesting. We're only harvesting good. Everything bad, you stay away." This is a this is a hopeful picture for us because you and I when we were harvested, when we were saved, when we were brought in, you and I had some good stuff and we had some bad stuff. And good stuff not meaning like um we were good in God's sight and we could make our own way to heaven. Not like that, but just meaning like God gave you gifts and talents and abilities and and some of that was the good stuff. Like some of you, you're so good. You're so so good with art. you're just a fantastic artist. It's beautiful to see what you can do with with a with a brush or with a pen or on a computer with your words or or something you can draw. It's amazing. But you also have like some pride in your life too. And the pride it makes you stink a little bit. You know, when people around you like, man, you're really good, but you just think you're better than everybody else. Uh so you got the good stuff and you got the pride stuff. And what what the process does is the process of gathering in everything is Jesus says, "Yeah, I'm I'm I'm bringing you all the way in. I'm bringing in the good and I'm bringing in the bad. I'm bringing in the stuff that you're really really proud about and the stuff you're like you wish you could hide forever. I'm bringing all of that in. And what I'm going to do now is I'm going to take it through a process and I'm going to take this grain and I'm going to put it on this threshing floor. And what I'm going to do on this threshing floor, it's usually up on a hill. And what I'm going to do is I'm going to put all this grain on the ground. And what happens is that somebody would either stomp on it or they would bring animals along. And the animals would begin to step on all this grain and would begin to break off the good stuff from the bad stuff. And then he would take that winnowing fork that I had and he would put it underneath all of that brush, throw it up in the air. The wind would blow away the chaff and then the good stuff would fall to the ground. And this process happened over and over and over. Uh let let me let you understand something. Uh and this helps me in my life because I used to think that when I felt like I was being walked on, when I felt like I was being thrown up in the air, when I felt like I I was I was being burned, [clears throat] I used to think that Jesus was nowhere in the process. But when I read this text, it has given me new hope to understand that Jesus is actually involved in the process of me getting this bad stuff taken out of my life so I can become the man that he's always wanted me to be. That I'm praying to God that he would make me the husband I've been called to be. And what he'll do is he'll grab a winnowing fork and he'll also grab a threshing floor and he'll also grab some fire and he'll use all of that to help me become who I've been called to be. So I ask you friends, do not quit when you feel like you are being stepped on. Do not quit when you feel like you're being tossed in the air. Do not quit when you feel like you're going through the fire. Because it's Jesus who is involved in that whole process to help you become the man or the woman that he called and destined for you to be. [singing] It's the process of sanctification. You being made holy, conformed to the image of Christ. This is what God does. I wish this wasn't the process. I wish the process was just I prayed a prayer and everything was fine, but that's not the process.
I remember when I told you my wife and I, we've been married now for a minute, like I said, 28 years, so she still looks like she's 28 years old. Uh cuz black don't crack. So we she is so so beautiful, heart of gold. But I remember the summer before we got married, and I'm working two jobs that summer. I I played basketball in in college, but there was no NIL back then. And I would probably would have got a lot of money anyway, but but so there was no NIL. So, I got to work these two jobs. In the morning, I'm working at a country club, and at night, I'm working at this um for this cleaning company, and and I'm working until 2:00 in the morning. And I still remember uh I love Jesus, and and and I knew was going to be my wife. and and and I I was planted in church and I'm I'm trying to become all that God has called me to be, but I still remember the struggle that I had with pornography. Not that the struggle that I was winning. I was losing this struggle night in and night out. I was losing this struggle. And here I am feeling called one day to to be a pastor. And I'm called to be a husband and I can't wait to one day be a father. And I still got this this chaff in my life. I still got this stuff that's not good in me. But I was thankful to have leaders in my life that God would use and a church family in my life that God would use to say, "Hey, let me help you get rid of that stuff." And at times it felt like I was being walked on. At times it felt like animals were walking on me. But it was what Jesus was doing to help conform me into the man I am today. And I AM FAR FROM PERFECT. BUT I'M SO THANKFUL for the fire. I'm so thankful that he was trying to burn some things out of my life so that I would not pass some things on to my kids. So that I can be a MAN THAT WOULD HONOR GOD NOT JUST UP FRONT BUT BEHIND THE SCENES as well. That I could be a man that would not have a bunch of secrets [music] BUT I COULD SAY, "GOD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE. THAT YOU LOVE ME IN SPITE OF MY SHORTCOMINGS." But then you did not allow me to stay that way. That's what the grace of God and the fire of God does.
I don't know in this day and age like you so many people when they hear God loves them and God does love you. Romans chapter 5 verse number 8 says it clearly. Uh God demonstrates his own love for us in this that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. What a verse. We hear God loves us and we hear some things that is actually not being said. First John when it says God is love God that does not mean that that does not mean something like a good luck. Sometimes people say good God loves you. It's like good luck. That's not what that means. God loves you does not mean I'm endorsing your lifestyle and behavior. Come on. Don't get too quiet on me. God loves you does not mean remain how you are. you're good. That's not what God loves you means. God loves you. It means actually consider Jesus. Consider the cross. Acknowledge your sin. Acknowledge that he's the way, the truth, and the life. Acknowledge that there's grace for you to be transformed. That you don't have to be who you are right now. Because God is bigger than every bit of darkness and sin and every weight THAT IS ON YOUR SHOULDERS. AND THE GRACE OF JESUS IS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS TO HELP YOU BECOME THE man or woman you've been called to be. Don't run from that. Lean into it saying, "Jesus, baptize me in fire. I want it."
Now, I could spend a bunch more time uh unwrapping this in in in Luke chapter 3. Um because this is uh honestly, you know, explicitly what is said about the fire. But I also wondered if there were some implicit things being said about the fire. Because in the day and age, like I said, I think the idea of Prometheus and the gods that was in the air, but these Jewish people who are hearing John the Baptizer preach, maybe when they heard fire, they had a couple of other things pop into their heads. Maybe they had the law and the prophets cuz they didn't have the New Testament. They only had the Hebrew scriptures. So maybe what came to their minds was Moses. Can we go on a quick journey before we shut this party down? Go with me to Exodus chapter 3 real fast. Exodus chapter 3. It's the second book of the Bible. I want you to see this. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Everybody say from within. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight. Why, the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush. I think this bush here gives us a picture of what it looks like to be baptized in fire. For just one moment, let me share this with you. This bush is burning, but the Bible tells us it's burning from within. Can I tell you that we're not wanting you to have some facade change? We want this fire to burn from within. This is the deep work of the spirit. This is the stuff that takes time. This is the stuff that sometimes you got to go on a walk or you got to journal or you got to sit and be quiet. You can't just scroll your way to deep work. You got to sit. And I know that's counterultural. And I know it's hard for us to do sometimes, but it might mean we have to turn our phones over. It might mean we put it on DND for a while. It might mean, friends, from this time to this time, no one can call me. I'm unreachable because I'll be in my dorm room or in my apartment and I'll be on my knees. And I will stay there for the next hour asking for the spirit of God to work and move in my heart and my life. Not in some way that just changes me on the outside. I don't want a facade change. I don't want just A NEW OUTFIT. I WANT MY WHOLE SOUL TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. The bush burned from within. And then the Bible tells us it did not burn out. The Bible says actually didn't burn up. But I don't think this is too far a stretch to say it didn't burn out. The baptism of fire that the Holy Spirit is wanting to give you is not one that just will last for a weekend at passion. This is not the youth camp high. This is not Oh, they played my song. Yeah. No, no, no. This is not that. This is when you're baptized by Jesus in fire, you do not have to burn out. You don't have to de construct your faith. You don't have to leave the church. You don't have to leave the community of God. You don't have to throw the Bible to the wayside. You don't have to stop worshiping. You don't have to stop praying. You don't have to stop giving. You don't have to stop serving. As a matter of fact, I declare in Jesus' name that 18-year-olds will still be living for Jesus when you're 28 and you're 38 and you're 48 and you're 58. I'm praying that some 20somes right now, a couple of decades from now, we'll still find you. maybe being a door holder that passion, lifting up your hands, declaring that God is still good and his mercy still endures forever. That we would not be a people that just burn for a little while and then it fizzles out. No, I'm saying, Jesus, baptize me in the fire that can only come from you so it burns from within, but also I don't want to burn out. I want to last.
That's the law. But what about the prophets? I'll honor my time here. So I the band can come on into their places, but I uh sec First Kings chapter 18. Let me show you this. First Kings 18. Elijah has this powerful moment with the prophets of Baal. People are not following God. God's kids have turned and gone their own direction. If you think today is crazy, it was crazy then, too. And Elijah thinks, I'm the only one following God. There is this moment. He tells everybody in a season of drought, go ahead and bring your water. Put it on this altar. And whoever is God, who whichever god answers by fire, he's the real God. The prophets of Baal come and they do their whole thing. You can read it later. All their chanting and their cutting and their dancing and God does not move because there is no God named Baal. These are demons being worshiped. of the true God, Yahweh. Elijah steps up and he says he prays this prayer. Verse number 36 of First Kings 18. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed, "Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord. Answer me." So these people will know that you are Lord our God and that you are turning their hearts back again. Verse 38. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned on the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God."
In Moses, we see the fire burning from within in that bush and it does not burn out. But then in Elijah, we see that the fire comes down. And when it burns, all the people see the fire and they fall to their knees and they begin to lie prostrate and they say, "The Lord Yahweh, he is God. The Lord Yahweh, he is God." Because what happens when they see the fire is God begins to turn the hearts of the people back to him. Can I tell you that when you and I are baptized in fire from the person at the highest point in this room all the way to the floor to the one who is brand new in their faith and the one that is trying to get their masters in theology. Every single one of us when we walk in this baptism of fire and people see this fire falling upon the sacrifice, we believe that what God wants to do is turn the hearts of a generation back to him. And we will see people fall prostrate on the on the ground and say, "The Lord, HE IS GOD. THE LORD, he is God." And there is none other.
I uh I wrestled with this text in Luke. I I I was trying to figure out, God, is is this what you want me to share? Because I'll do whatever you want me to do because it's not about me, it's about you. And all I kept hearing was the fire. Fire. The fire. All I kept hearing was Jesus baptizes. Fire. Fire. Fire. So, I'm praying that today we'd be able to set a course where our hearts are are not looking with expectation just at somebody on the platform, but we're looking to Jesus and we're saying, "Jesus, what do you want to give me? Cuz I want it. Even if it requires some being tossed in the air and some being walked on and some fire, I'm saying I want it. Can we agree that we've had enough candy in our generation? Can we agree that we have heard and it's been beautiful and we should not stop hearing it that God is love and now may that love so transform us and change us that we don't walk with a heaviness but we walk with anticipation and joy because we see that Jesus is wanting to baptize us in this
My last scripture, I'm just going to read it. It's found in Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 12 verse number 18 says you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire to darkness gloom and storm to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken spoken to them because they could not bear what was commanded. Verse 22, skip down there the sake of time. But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God the judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Verse 28 reads, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be [music] shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptedly [music] with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire." The text tells us here that you and I are being invited into a story that's a whole lot bigger than us. And you're not called to turn away in fear, but you are called to step fully into it. And there's a whole joyful assembly of angels and and to the saints of [music] the living God of all and and of times past and men and women who are Presbyterian and Methodist and Baptist and Pentecostal and all all different sorts of backgrounds. But all of them are [music] a part of this joyful assembly declaring the goodness and the fame and the majesty [music] of Jesus. And as we lift up the name of Jesus, who is the great mediator whose blood is speaking a better word than the blood of Abel, [music] you and I are coming into a kingdom that cannot be shaken. So even though your world might feel like it's being shaken, the kingdom of God [music] is not being shaken. You are on firm ground because you have been found by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And this Jesus [music] whom we celebrate tonight. This one and only savior [music] who got on that cross and went into a grave but then on the third day got out of that grave. [music] This Jesus is here amongst us today and we are celebrating that our God is a consuming fire. So, we're praying, [music and singing] Lord, baptize us [music] in fire. We're praying, [music] Lord, baptize us in fire.