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When
the fire is lighted
As I
said during our service Thursday night, we need a
revival. We need to stop being conformists, we need to
leave our comfort zone, and we need to begin laboring
for the Lord the way that He wants us to labor. How of
you here today would like to comply with God? How many
would like to light the fire of the Holy Spirit that now
dwells is us to full blast? I know that the answers to
these two questions are always positive; when asked
these questions people always give a quick AMEN! But do
we really know what we are saying amen to? This is the
theme that I want to explore today. I want us to
realize what happens once that fire is lighted and
begins to burn with force. Lets now turn to the Word
of God.
Acts 28:1-6
And when they were escaped, then they knew that the
island was called Malta. 2And the barbarous
people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a
fire, and received us every one, because of the present
rain, and because of the cold. 3And when Paul
had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the
fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened
on his hand. 4And when the barbarians saw the
venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among
themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom,
though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth
not to live. 5And he shook off the beast into
the fire, and felt no harm. 6Howbeit they
looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead
suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and
saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and
said that he was a god.
As I
always say, to have a better understanding of the
message that our Lord has for us today, it will be
necessary to conduct a brief review of history. When we
read about what has happening to Paul prior to what is
occurring in these verses, we see that he was a prisoner
on his way to Rome to be judged by Caesar. In chapter
25 we find that the high priests and the most
influential Jews of that time were against him, and were
planning his death. This is something that is clearly
illustrated in Acts 25:1-3
when we read Now when Festus was come into the
province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to
Jerusalem. 2Then the high priest and the
chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and
besought him, 3And desired favour against
him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying
wait in the way to kill him. We also find that
although they all wanted him dead, none of them could
say anything about him that would merit the death
sentence. This is very well reflected in
Acts 25:17-21 when we
read Therefore, when they were come hither, without
any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and
commanded the man to be brought forth. 18Against
whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none
accusation of such things as I supposed: 19But
had certain questions against him of their own
superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom
Paul affirmed to be alive. 20And because I
doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether
he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these
matters. 21But when Paul had appealed to be
reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him
to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.
Afterwards, in chapter 26, we see how Paul defended
himself in front of king Agrippa, and how his testimony
almost causes the king to convert; look carefully at
Acts 26:28 when we read
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest
me to be a Christian.
In
all reality, they had no reason to detain Paul, he had
committed no crime. This is something that is clearly
stated in Acts 26:30-31
when we read And when he had thus spoken, the king
rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that
sat with them: 31And when they were gone
aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man
doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. The
only thing that Paul was guilty of was preaching the
gospel of Jesus Christ. But because he would not
compromise his faith, because he would not deny Christ,
because he would not fail God, he now found himself a
prisoner in that world full of wickedness and evil.
This more or less brings us to this point in history; in
the verses that we are studying today we read that Paul
had been sent to Rome to be judge by Caesar. But the
trip had not been easy, a clue about the difficulty of
the voyage is found in Acts
27:14 when we read But not long after there
arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
This storm caused the ship to wreck and they had to swim
ashore. They were cold, they were more than likely
exhausted, and Paul was trying to star a fire. It was
at this time that they were met by the natives, and it
is here where our lesson begins.
Many
of you are probably thinking that what happened to Paul
is too much; first he was imprisoned without reason or
crime; second, he was sent to Rome to be judged by
Caesar; third, the sip he was traveling in sank; fourth,
as if all of this was not enough, the poor man was in
the process of lighting a fire to keep warm, when
suddenly a viper jumped out and clung to his hand. This
is something else, isnt
it?
If
we compared what happened to Paul back then, and what
happens in the life of most people today, we will find
that there is a parallel. I say this because just like
Paul found himself in that island, exhausted, cold, and
in need of a great deal of things, the world is full of
people that find themselves in the same position. We
will find that there is a very large number of people
that are out there without course or direction; we find
that there is a large number that look to fill that
emptiness that they fill, but not in the proper places.
People look to fill the emptiness they feel in things
like drugs, alcohol, vices, lewdness, and avarice. But
the sad part is that although these are all things that
many in the world seek, these things are not limited
only to those that live in the world. Unfortunately
these types of attitudes can also be found within the
body of Christ. Why does this happen? This happens
within the body of Christ because many of us allow
ourselves to be intimidated.
Please pay close attention to what occurred here when we
read And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks,
and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the
heat, and fastened on his hand. Without a doubt
all of us here can say that what happened here was
something intimidating. Fleeing from the heat a viper
clung on to Pauls hand; this is something that was
designed not only to intimidate this servant of God, but
it was also designed to kill him. This is a tactic that
our enemy continues to use constantly. The fire of the
Holy Spirit, the fire of revival, begins to burn with
fervor in us, but then suddenly vipers jump out to
attack us. The devil does not pay too much attention
when we are cold and indifferent, he does not care when
we become complacent and we take form granted the
blessings of God, but when the fire of revival comes to
us, when we feed the fire of the Holy Spirit, the powers
of darkness will attack us. The power of darkness will
attack us with the purpose of causing our death. I want
to stop here for a brief moment and clarify something.
When I say that they want to cause our death, I am not
referring to our physical death, there is only one that
has the power over life and death and His name is Jesus
Christ. This is very clearly states in
Revelations 1:18 when we
read I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold,
I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell
and of death. But if we allow it, the powers of
darkness can kill us spiritually which is something far
worse. Our enemy does have the power over the things in
this world; this is something that is clearly stated in
Luke 4:6 when we read And
the devil said unto him, all this power will I give
thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto
me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. Therefore,
the enemy can and will tempt with the purpose of
dividing us from the presence of God. Our enemy will
offer us the pleasures and needs of the flesh which is
his kingdom here on earth; kingdom that is not
everlasting. In fact, it is a kingdom that has been
defeated already, and of this we can be sure. Look at
how our Lord states this in
Revelations 20:10 when we read And the devil
that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
But this will not stop or prevent him from attacking
us. He will continue to attack us with the purpose of
separating us from God; it is like the venom from a
viper, a poison that will kill our relationship with
God.
The
venom or poison in our life could be represented by many
things. In Pauls case we read And when the
barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they
said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer,
whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance
suffereth not to live. As we can clearly see, the
venom from this viper is not any different from that of
the vipers that are attaching themselves to the
believers in our time. It is not too different from the
poison that is affecting the life of many people in the
world and in the church of today. What venom am I
talking about? I am talking about the venom of fear. I
am taking about the fear of what could be said about us,
I am talking about the fear of what people will think.
In my opinion, these are the two most common fears
shared by many that prevent them from carrying out Gods
plan.
I
want us to pay close attention to something here,
immediately after these people saw that the viper was
hanging from Pauls hand, just like we read, they all
reached their own conclusions, and they all expressed
their own opinions and none of them were any good. At
the very moment the viper clung on to him, Paul could
have cried out in pain. He could have attempted to
obtain their sympathy, but this was not the case. If
Paul had not been string in his faith, then the
commentaries could have prevented him from continuing.
But nothing of what was said stopped him, nothing that
might have been said or thought, not the pain that he
was feeling, the scriptures tell us And he shook off
the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Why was
Paul able to do this? The reason is simple; he
knew very well where he had placed his trust. When we
trust God and when we remain faithful to His word, He
will not abandon us. This is something that is clearly
stated in John 14:21
when we read He that hath my commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him. And in
1 John 3:24 when we read
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in
him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth
in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Our
enemy does not want us to know this; our enemy wants us
to think that we are all alone. Our enemy wants us to
think that there is nothing that we can do, that there
is no one that can help us, but I say to you today,
REBUKE THOSE THOUGHTS IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Bind those
lying demons that want to influence our thoughts and
poison our faith. Lets bind and rebuke those demons
with the authority that has been given us as told to us
by Jesus in Luke 10:19
when we read Behold, I give unto you power to tread
on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Lets bind, rebuke, and cast out of our life those
demons that look to separate us from the presence of
God, and lets do it knowing that there is no one more
powerful than our Savior. Do you want proof of His
power? Then read Philippians
2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth; 11And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. There is no one more
powerful than our Savior, and all have to submit to
Him. Here is further proof of it
1 Peter 3:21-22 The
like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us
(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22Who is gone
into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and
authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Christ died on the cross for us, He died so that we
could be liberated, and in His death we received
liberation, health, and peace. This is something very
well reflected in Matthew 8:17
when we read That it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. He left us
the fire of the Holy Spirit that dwells in every
believer so that it could devastate all of the evil
things that may reside in us. But vipers will flee from
that fire, and if we are not attentive, those poisonous
vipers will attack those that surround us. Those vipers
will begin to spread that venom in our homes, our
families, sons, daughters, husband, and wife. If we do
not stand fast on His word, if we do not stand fast in
our faith, then sooner or later the forces of our enemy
will return, only that time the attack will be much more
powerful. Look carefully at how Jesus said it in
Matthew 12:43-45 when we
read When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man,
he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth
none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my
house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he
findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45Then
goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits
more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell
there: and the last state of that man is worse than the
first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked
generation. All of those poisonous vipers will
flee from the Fire of the Holy Spirit, but if we are not
paying attention, if we are not vigilant and in prayer,
if we are not completely trusting Christ, then those
vipers can very well cling on to our hands.
In conclusion, I now ask; have you been bitten by
the viper of discouragement? Have you been bitten by
the viper of impotence or despair? Have you been bitten
by the viper of religiosity? Have you been bitten by
the viper of indifference or apathy? Have you allowed
yourself to be intimidated by the vipers that have fled
the fire, but are slivering around you? Do you have a
viper clinging on to your hand right now? If you have
answered yes to any of those questions, then I have some
very good news for you today. Today I want to tell you
that the same God that allowed Paul to shake the viper
from his hand is present here right now so that you can
shake from yours. The poison from a viper is not
typically the type that will kill a person instantly;
normally this poison has to spread over the entire body
before death occurs and this could take several
minutes. Why am I saying this?
I
say it because perhaps there are some of you out there
right now that have been suffering with something. I
say it because perhaps you have been suffering right now
with a bitter root or prick that is stuck in our heart.
I say it because perhaps there is a poison spreading
through your body right now but today Christ tells you Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and
ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew
11:28-29). This is the God we serve, the God
that loves us, the God that protects us, the God that
has forgiven our transgressions, as we find in
Colossians 1:13-14 when
we read Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his
dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
The Lord has individually called us out of the world, He
has guided us to the place where we can best serve Him
as reflected in Psalms 40:1-3
when we read I waited patiently for the LORD; and he
inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2He
brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the
miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established
my goings. 3And he hath put a new song in my
mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and
fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
The
Lord wants to guide us to where we need to be, He wants
to guide us to the joy and peace that living in His
kingdom represents. He wants to give you that peace
that we find in John 14:27
when we read Peace I leave with you, my peace I give
unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
He brought us together here with a purpose. He brought
us here together so we may have fellowship with Him.
When we seek God, the Holy Spirit fills us up
completely. When we seek God, the Holy Spirit liberates
us. Are you suffering right now? Then, shake the viper
from your hand!
© Jose R. Hernandez |
Christian
sermons