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[0:00] The theme for this message is revival fire. Revival fire.

[0:14] ! And in Hebrews 12, 29 it says, Our God is a consuming fire. Fire. At camp, sometimes you have campfires and it's something you gather around, isn't it?

[0:27] And fire is the symbol in the Word of God of God's presence with His people. We see that in Exodus 3, verse 2. When the Lord revealed Himself to Moses, He showed up in a flame of fire.

[0:42] In Exodus 3, verse 2 it says, 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 burnt with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

[0:57] Fire is a symbol of God's presence. God showed up in that flame of fire with Moses. And fire is a symbol of God's provision for His people. As we see, as the Lord went ahead of the children of Israel.

[1:12] In Exodus 13, from verses 21 through 22. It says that the Lord was manifest in this form of fire. It says in Exodus 13, verse 21.

[1:24] And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night.

[1:37] He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people. So we see again, God's provision in being there with His people.

[1:49] By day, by night. God's presence, God's provision. In the daytime, it was a cloud. You could imagine it's a shade from the sun. In that wilderness time, in that desert place, as the sun would have beaten down, the cloud was there, overshadowing His people.

[2:06] And at night, as that pillar. At night, you can imagine the cold fire is warm. And again, it was His provision. And His direction was provided too, as He led the way.

[2:17] So the people weren't directionless, wandering aimlessly, but the pillar was there. The fire by night and the cloud by day. And He provided direction for their pathway.

[2:29] Day after day, night after night. So the fire, as it represented God, as it pictured His presence, it showed that He was present. It showed His provision.

[2:40] And it gave His protection as well. As we read in Zechariah 2 verse 5, when God's presence was as a fire, it says there in Zechariah 2 verse 5, For I saith the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

[3:02] So God's fire was a surrounding presence as well, giving protection. A wall of fire round about. We heard about walls in the previous message. It's a sense of protection, isn't it?

[3:14] And there's a divine protection from our God as He is present, as He's providing, and He's protecting His people. He's keeping us safe. He's watching over us. And He's at work in us, firing us, firing His people to be that consuming fire for our lives.

[3:33] He is present, He provides, and He protects. And just some effects of the fire of God, as it were. The effects of His fire in us and about us, and of how He works through us as we fight up for Him.

[3:50] It's a common expression, we should get fired up, isn't it? And we should have the fire, as it were, as a zeal for God. I know it was really timely. I was just checking emails before I left, actually, and it was almost coincidental.

[4:07] Maybe it's a God incident. I got this little devotional that I get mailed sometimes, and it says this, Beloved, are you in the fire?

[4:18] And in Isaiah 24, verse 15, it says, Glorify the Lord in the fires. And this is what the writer says, The fires are afflictions. These are intended to try us, to purify us, and to endear us to the Lord Jesus.

[4:35] Every saint must pass through the fire, and our only concern should be to pass through honorably and usefully. Beloved, are you in the fire? Is the fire in your business?

[4:46] Is the fire in your family? Is the fire in your body? Is the fire in your soul? Wherever it is, let it be your one desire to glorify God in it.

[4:58] You may do so by patiently enduring, by trusting the Lord's word, by speaking of his character and love, by expecting his support and supplies, by holding fast your integrity.

[5:11] Beware that you do not lose the benefit of the affliction, but cry mightily to God that it may be sanctified. Have you never been in the fire? If you belong to Christ, you will be.

[5:23] He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Malachi 3, verse 3. They who are not purified in the furnace of affliction on earth will be cast as reprobate silver into the fire of hell forever.

[5:41] It's an interesting thought, isn't it? It just seemed more than a coincidence that we'd get there. It's one of the last emails I checked before coming here. And I know I've been talking to some people just over the refreshment time, of testing times, of times of stress, at times of fire, as it were, and how the Lord helps us in such times.

[6:00] And I know Julie in particular has been through some of that of late. And even on the way to the camp, we had some stressful occasions of late. It's a time of fire, isn't it?

[6:11] A time of affliction, a time of testing. But God will help us through that testing time. And some of the effects of God's fire, as it were, in our life is three I could put to you today.

[6:23] It's firstly, the fire cleans. Fire cleans. I know sometimes we, I know if you've got a splinter and you want to make that needle clean, you'll put it under very, very hot water or antiseptic of some kind.

[6:41] And fire cleans. The heat cleans. And brings a cleansing to that which it is applied to. And in Malachi 3 verse 2, in part it says, He is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap.

[6:56] He is like a refiner's fire. Think of a refiner. Someone who's having a furnace there with molten metal, trying to refine out the dross and the rubbish that is mixed together with that metal.

[7:11] And I know Julie and I lived in Mount Isa at one time near the great big mine. And every night, every night, or more than once a night, they would bring out this great big train with a great big huge, like a huge bucket, like a huge dish, a huge basin on the back of this truck.

[7:33] And it would pour out the dross into a big pit that was in the ground. And to us, it looked like pure metal, but really this was the rubbish they were throwing out.

[7:44] And you could just see it pouring out. And you had to be careful they didn't park too close because if there was a bit of water in the ground, it would go, and there would be explosions. And this molten metal would be thrown up into the air.

[7:56] And I'm told that if people parked too close, the roofs of their cars would have holes in them from the molten metal, cascading down upon their cars. And there's a picture of molten metal.

[8:09] It was a gripping picture. And it's a picture to us of how God is the refiner's fire. He's like a refiner's fire. He cleans us. He refines us. Why?

[8:20] So we can know Him. So we can become more like Him. He purifies us. As it says in Zechariah 13, verse 9, likewise it says of this refining, I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried.

[8:39] They shall call on my name and I will hear them. I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God. Fire consumes waste matter.

[8:50] Fire burns out the impurities in the gold and the silver. That's why they have to put it through the fire as it would then melt out and the dross would float and be washed away, brushed away so that the pure metal is left behind.

[9:08] And that's what God does in our lives sometimes. There's a refining process. And in the Word it says much about fire and how it was used. For example, when there was a leprosy in a home, when anything was affected by leprosy, this is Leviticus 13, 52, it was burnt by fire, that which was affected by the leprosy.

[9:29] And leprosy in the Bible speaks to us as a type of sin. It's a picture of sin. Idols were burnt with fire. They were burnt in the fire, destroyed.

[9:41] The spoil of the enemy was to be burnt. In Deuteronomy 13, 16. So there's a sense where the fire was used to destroy that which was unholy. And God's fire, likewise for us, as God moves and works in our lives, He does a refining work.

[9:58] He does a refining, a cleansing, a burning out of impurities, of unholiness. In Isaiah 48, verse 10, it says, Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver.

[10:11] I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Who's ever been there in the furnace of affliction? I'm sure at one time or another, we all have had some experience of that.

[10:21] In Isaiah 54, verse 16, the Lord says, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work. He's created that blacksmith, as it were, to blow the coals in the fire, to create that instrument for his work.

[10:39] He forms us and he fits us in the fire. He makes us for his service, what he wants us to be, so that we can be more used by him. He fires us as those holy vessels in the temple were formed and fashioned by the fire that made them, those pure metal objects to be used for God's glory.

[10:59] And if you are to be used by God, if you want to be used by God, don't shy away from the fire. Don't shy away from the refining work. Submit to it. Surrender to it.

[11:09] Surrender to his melting. Surrender to his moulding. Surrender to his making of you. He is like a refiner's fire. And so fire cleans. Fire cleans.

[11:19] And secondly, fire consumes. Fire consumes. We've heard already of how our lives are not meant to be compartmentalised, where God's got some fraction of our life or some moments of our life or some lists that we make that we've got to satisfy him.

[11:37] But our life should be consumed by him. Our life should be consumed as a living sacrifice, as we're told to be in Romans 12. We're meant to be all consumed by him.

[11:51] And that's what fire does. It consumes. It vaporises the sacrifice. And when we see the sacrifice that is on the altar, it wasn't part of it.

[12:01] It was the whole. It was consumed. And that's what God wants to do with your life and mine. Our whole life. That our whole life be surrendered. That not elements of our life, not that there's a division of secular and sacred, but when we're in the workplace, when we're in the day by day, when we're in the Monday to Saturday, that God is there too.

[12:24] God is very evident. God is very much centre stage. God is very much that first thought, that first love that we must have. God's fire.

[12:35] It's spoken of in the sense that it tries you, it tries your faith, it tries your work for God. As in 1 Corinthians 3, we read of the works of God's people, that one day they will be tested by the fire.

[12:49] In 1 Corinthians 3, every man's work shall be made manifest, for it shall be revealed by fire. One day it will be. Whatever you're doing for God, whatever you're hoping to give to God, whatever your intentions of serving Him, whatever your spiritual work that you offer to Him, one day it will be tested, and it will be revealed.

[13:14] And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built, thereupon he shall receive a reward. If any man's work be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.

[13:30] It's not that our works save us, but our works shall be tried. Our works shall be revealed by fire. Some will receive a reward, some will receive loss, but still be saved, yet so as by fire.

[13:45] In 1 Peter 1, it talks about the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold, that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

[13:58] That's 1 Peter 1, verse 7, the trial of your faith. It's much more precious than of gold. Fire consumes. Fire consumes.

[14:08] Don't we want to be consumed by him? Don't we want to have that refreshing of that zeal that we may have grown dim? That refreshing again, that refiring again, that revitalising again of that first love, that we consider what it is to be an all-consumed sacrifice.

[14:30] It means that we set apart for his glory. We separate it. As we put on the altar, our life, our loves, our all, we set it apart.

[14:41] We separate ourselves unto him. And as a living sacrifice, you are willing to be vaporised. You are willing to be consumed. As a sacrifice is consumed, you're willing to be made empty.

[14:53] You're willing to be made nothing. You're willing, as was said earlier, to be made selfless, to be made dust again, that he can be glorified, willing to be brought to nothing.

[15:03] That is what happens to a sacrifice. It's all-consumed. And God is our all. He has made our everything. He has made that one that should be our all-consuming desire.

[15:16] And his fire is such that it ought to burn up our lives. It ought to burn up the dross in our lives and make us pure and consume us and make us his. And so we see that fire cleans.

[15:29] It cleans us. It consumes. And it comes down. Thirdly, fire comes down. This is the all-important truth, really, I would put to you today that the fire comes down.

[15:43] The fire comes down. It's not worked up by fleshly effort and fleshly vanity, by man-made machinery and methodology. The fire must come down.

[15:55] Come down. As we read in 2 Chronicles 7, as the occasion of the temple dedication, the people were there. There was sacrificing. There was adoration.

[16:07] There was a separating of the people as they gathered together. And Solomon prayed. And 2 Chronicles 7, it says, Now when Solomon made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven.

[16:22] The fire came down from heaven. You know, there wasn't someone there with a cigarette lighter underneath the altar, as it were, or someone trying to rub two sticks together madly, or someone trying to pour a bit of petrol, or something flammable on this sacrifice.

[16:38] The fire came down from heaven. It wasn't coming from man and man's effort. And it says, The fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

[16:52] And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down and the glory of the Lord came 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 and His mercy endureth forever.

[17:19] Solomon made an end of praying. The fire came down from heaven. It's like that in 1 Kings 18. The context of the heathen priests slashing and cutting themselves and making a big show and dance to their idols.

[17:36] But nothing happened. Elijah poured water on the sacrifice and prayed. And the fire came down from heaven. That's the difference between all kinds of religion and true Christianity.

[17:49] It's Christianity is God visits. God comes down in His power and His presence in the person of Christ. God intervenes. The fire comes down from heaven.

[18:01] And in this occasion of Solomon and of Elijah, we see that prayer was the common element. Prayer. They prayed. And it was heaven sent glory. We must learn to pray.

[18:12] I read this quote. It said, In the upper room, believers prayed for days and then preached a 10 minute message. We pray 10 minutes and preach for hours and wonder why the fire of God does not fall.

[18:27] It's so true, isn't it? I was in heart and that our brother was talking of prayer. And I know others have been praying from our fellowship for these meeting times. And prayer is so critical.

[18:38] It's so essential that prayer helps us to lean upon Him, doesn't it? Helps us to depend upon Him and to get that kind of priority right that we pray and the fire comes down from heaven.

[18:52] It does not spring from man, from man's effort. It's God's work. It's God's work. Salvation is God's work. Revival is God's work. It's God's grace.

[19:04] It's God's doing. It's nothing of our own fleshly endeavor. The fire comes down. It is not worked up. And yet we see it is often the case as men in their own maybe good intentions might try to work up a revival as it were and try to use some machinery or method of man some music or mystical things to try to bring revival but really and truly it's only as we surrender as that one cleaned as that one consumed as that one that is willing to be surrendering so here's fire from heaven that the glory can come that the revival is heaven sent it comes from heaven and there's a reverence there as the people bowed there's worship there as they praised the Lord and friends just think of it as we consider our own lives as we consider our own churches our own fellowships as we consider our own personal relationship with our

[20:12] Lord God think of how we long and hunger for his visiting us for his stirring us for his changing us for his igniting us that it is from heaven it's from him and the glory is his there's a refining there's a consuming there's a heavenly wonder and we are changed the word says that his ministers his servants he makes them a flame of fire that's Hebrews 1 verse 7 we're all servants of God every one of you here you are his servant he wants to make you a flame of fire he wants you to be vibrant and glowing and warm and on fire for him in zeal in earnest desire that you'll have the renewing of that first love you'll have that refreshing of that zeal unto him that you'll be ablaze for his glory by the spirit of God that you'll be a flame burning with a passion as you consider the lost that you'll have a passion for them that ignited in you will be his love ignited in you will be his desire will be his driving force the spirit of God that you'll have that intensity again you'll have that spark rekindled you'll have that flickering flame fanned back into life

[21:34] I know Paul spoke to Timothy of how he should stir up the gift and the sense of it is like a fanning into flame of the gift all of us have got gifts and callings abilities and talents that God can use you for his glory Paul says to Timothy stir it up stir up that gift fan it into flame again get those bellows out as it were and let that burn again that love for him that longing for him that reigniting that refueling that rekindling of our prayer of our witness of our fervor and as God's people he'll ignite you to ignite others too just to close Leviticus 9 verse 23 it says and Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation and came out and blessed the people and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people and they came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat and when all the people saw they shouted and fell on their faces again

[22:43]  God supplied the fire God supplied the fire it wasn't man lighting the fire God lights the fire God supplies his fire from heaven it's his presence it's his provision it's his protection right through the word of God and God's fire cleans it consumes and it comes down from above friends be urged today as we've been urged already to renew that first love to refresh that fire again that zeal that desire for him and he'll honour that as you surrender you can be that all consumed sacrifice you can be that living sacrifice as you live and walk with him let us pray dear lord we praise you for the glory of the lord that he came down the fire came down lord we want to be that sacrifice on the altar a living sacrifice help us lord when it be that we have to go through the furnace of affliction lord help us when it be that we have to go through the trial of our faith help us lord when it be that we have to encounter those times of testing that time of flame being applied lord then when that trying comes to our works let it be that they be gold silver and precious stones let it be lord that we'll be like gold tried in the fire lord we pray for any here present that they might be going through a furnace of affliction even today even at this time that you would be very close to us lord as we know you are as you are that present one protecting us and going with us leading us and providing that direction for our lives lord we we long to bow to surrender to be yours lord help us even in these moments of this camp that we might draw closer ever closer to you and to be more closely what you want us to be as you mould and shape us and make us those people those people that you want us to be in jesus name a