Sermons
A Fire Within Us
A Fire Within Us ( No accompanying audio file - We apologize for the inconvenience)
Lk. 24:32 They said to each other, “Wasn't it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (GNTB)
2 disciples of Jesus on the road to Emmaus, after they realized it was Jesus they had been talking to. Exciting (Emotional) time for everyone in Jerusalem, esp. Jesus' disciples. 1. Events of Betrayal 2. “Trial” 3. Judas' Suicide 4. Beating/Crucifixion/Burial 5. Mourning 6. Resurrection 7. Realization of Resurrection Maybe easy to see why a fire was burning in them. Fires in us? • Sports • Entertainment • Hobbies • Work • Charity • Gospel of Jesus? What causes a fire to burn in us? • first-hand/first-time experience (“first time I saw/did it, I was hooked”) • knowledge • time spent with/in subject/involvement • passion I. First-hand/first-time experience A. Remember the first time you really experienced the word of God? 1. Maybe you just heard about it 2. Maybe you visited an assembly 3. Maybe you were raised in a Christian home, and it's always been in your life B. Bible examples 1. Ethiopian Eunuch: Acts 8:39, “The official did not see him again, but continued on his way, full of joy.” (GNTB) 2. Cornelius: Acts 10:48; They were baptized and asked Peter to stay a while longer II. Knowledge A. How much do you know about God's word? 1. On a scale of 1 – 10? 2. Just the basics/“enough to get by?” 3. There can be no fire with no knowledge B. What does knowledge do for us? Proverbs (last in Jeremiah) 1. Pleases; Prov.2:10 “For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” 2. Disciplines; Prov. 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge” 3. Humbles; Prov. 12:23 “A prudent man conceals knowledge” 4. Guides; Prov. 13:16 “Every prudent man acts with knowledge” 5. Rewards; Prov. 14:18 “The naive inherit foolishness, but the sensible are crowned with knowledge.” 6. Strengthens; Prov. 24:5 “a man of knowledge increases power.” 7. Feeds: Jer. 3:15 “ I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge” C. The greater the knowledge, the greater the fire III. Time spent with/Involvement A. How much time do you spend with God's word? 1. Daily? 2. Weekly? 3. “Church” only? B. Internet search “time spent reading Bible” 1. Headline: “Poll: Americans love the Bible but Don't Read it Much” 2. “Evangelicals admit struggling to find time for daily Bible reading and prayer” 3. “Less Than 20% of Churchgoers Read the Bible Daily” 4. American Bible Society, “State of the Bible 2017,” research by The Barna Group a. 32% of adults “non-Bible Users” b. 16% say they read daily c. Average reading per sitting: 30 min. (so the readers are at least spending time) d. Teens daily Bible reading: 3% (SoB 2016) C. How often do you eat? Mat. 4:4, Jesus, “Man doesn't live on bread only, but on EVERY word of God” 1. Words in the Bible: ~800,000 2. Avg. words per chapter: 679 3. IF you read 1 chapter per day, it would take you 1189 days, or 3.25 years to read EVERY word. D. Ps. 1:2, “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in [it] he meditates day and night.” E. Deut. 6:6, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” F. Leads to other types of involvement 1. Prayer 2. Group studies 3. Assembly 4. Personal study (as opposed to just reading) IV. Passion A. Do you have a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for God's word? (def. from Dictionary.com) B. Within you at all times C. Differentiate from “fire burning within” (ongoing passion will spark the “fire within” regularly Conclusion: Are there ever times, or has there ever been a time, when you were able to say about God's word that a fire was burning in you? Need to have regular fires Fire caused by spark Spark needs Progression of previous points • first-hand/first-time experience (“first time I saw/did it, I was hooked”) • knowledge • time spent with/in subject/involvement • passion • being near Passion = pilot light Turn it up by engaging in conversation of intense meditation/study
