Open Heaven 21 January 2023 TOPIC: Flames Of Fire I
MEMORISE: “And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.” – Hebrews 1:7 (KJV)
READ: Luke 6:43-45 (KJV)
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh..
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 17-20
MESSAGE:
This teaching series on ‘flames of fire’ is meant for everyone; however, I’ll encourage youths to pay extra attention.
There are four basic elements in the world – water, earth, air and fire, each of which is very important to human existence. As important as all these elements are however, it is interesting that God chose to make His ministers flames of fire.
Let us discuss some characteristics of fire. The first thing about fire is that it is distinct. When you see fire, you recognise it immediately. In (2 Kings 1:1-8), the king was sick and sent his servants to enquire from some idol worshipers whether he would recover or not, only for them to meet a man on the way who sent them back to the king with a message that he would die. Once the messengers described the man, the king said, “That is Elijah”. Fire is uniquely distinct and you cannot mistake it for anything else.
People should be able to see a child of God and say, “This is a child of God”. These days, many people say, “Oh, it’s not about the outward appearance; God is only interested in what is on the inside”. One day while teaching at the Bible College, I brought two oranges – one green and one yellow, and asked the students to identify the ripe one. They all pointed to the yellow one, explaining that, from the way it looked, it was clear that it was the ripe one.
Fire has a distinct look; when you see it, you would know it. Don’t believe the lie that God is not interested in your outward appearance – He is. While it is true that He cannot be deceived by your outward appearance as He said in (1 Samuel 16:7), His word says that what you are on the inside will show on the outside. Matthew 23:26 says:
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
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You cannot claim, as a minister, that you are a flame of fire when you don’t look it. You cannot claim that you are a child of God, yet dress and look like people of the world. If you need to tell people that you are a child of God before they believe it, you are not yet a flame of fire.
KEY POINT:
If you need to tell people that you are a child of God before they see you as one, you are not yet a flame of fire.
HYMN 20: Stand Up! Stand Up For Jesus
1 Stand up, stand up for Jesus
ye soldiers of the cross;
lift high his royal banner,
it must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
his army he shall lead
till ev’ry foe is vanquished
and Christ is Lord indeed.
2 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
forth to the mighty conflict
in this his glorious day.
Ye that are men now serve him
against unnumbered foes;
let courage rise with danger
and strength to strength oppose.
3 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in his strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
4 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next, the victor’s song.
To him that overcometh
a crown of life shall be;
he with the King of glory
shall reign eternally.
