The sermons ofPeter McKnight

Don’t Quench the Spirit’s Fire

The Holy Spirit1 Thessalonians 5:19 (approximate)Erindale Bible Chapel, Mississauga, Ontario

in the summer of 1988, Yellowstone National Park was devastated by forest fires. Huge areas of that beautiful forest simply went up in flames. Left behind were the charred and blackened stumps of once mighty trees.

Many people were outraged that the U.S. Forest Service hadn’t done more to prevent the catastrophe from happening. They felt that this was a tragedy, a disaster that forever destroyed that wonderful forest. But they were wrong.

When you go to Yellowstone now, you can still see large areas of the park that were untouched by the fires, still as magnificent as ever. But that’s not where the real miracle took place. In the blackened areas, new growth has come in. Saplings sprouted, wild-flowers have bloomed every spring in a riot of color. Young trees have taken hold and begun to grow rapidly, out from the shadow of the older trees that were destroyed.

And over these past 14 years, the portions of the forest that were devastated by the fire are actually healthier than the areas that escaped.

The fire was a good thing – a severe thing, but a good thing. I want us to hold that thought in our minds.

In the Bible, fire is an image that is often used to describe the presence of God. In the OT, God revealed himself to Moses in a burning bush. When God led the children of Israel out from Egypt to the Promised Land, he went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When Moses received the Law of God on the mountain, we read that…

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, Ex. 19:18

To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Ex. 24:17

Even in the NT, this image is reinforced. John the Baptist announced the coming of Jesus the Messiah in these terms…

But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matt 3:11

Jesus himself said in Luke 12:49…

I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were altogether in the upper room when…

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:2-4

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Thessalonica, sought to comfort them because they were suffering persecution and trials. And he assures them that everything will be made right when the Lord Jesus returns. He says…

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 2 Thess.. 1:7

The author of Hebrews says…

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29

So all the way through the OT and NT, you have this image: “God is like fire”

Fire is to be feared & respected God is to be feared & respected

Fire changes things God changes things

Fire purifies God purifies

Fire gives light God gives light

Fire warms us God warms us with his presence

It is a very appropriate image.

But we come to the first book of Thessalonians to find a strange little verse addressed to Christians – people who are followers of Jesus Christ. It is found in chapter 5 in the middle of a list of closing exhortations that Paul gives the Thessalonians, just as you might give your son or daughter when you drop them off at camp.

  • Don’t’ forget to take your medication.

  • Brush your teeth.

  • Remember where you put your flashlight

  • Make sure you change your underwear.

Only with Paul it’s…

  • Be joyful always

  • Pray continually

  • Give thanks in all circumstances

And then he says in v. 19: Do not put out the Spirit’s fire. KJV- Quench not the Spirit. The word in Greek means to extinguish, to snuff out, to quench.

Do not quench the Spirit’s fire? What does that statement mean? Well, in order to understand it, we need to look at who the Holy Spirit is.

The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is therefore personal, because He is God. He is not an “it”; not some impersonal force. He has all of the attributes and characteristics and personhood of God.

The Trinity is a mystery. How can God exist in three persons, yet be one? Muslims and Jews accuse Christians of being polytheists, of worshiping more than one God. But that is not what we are – we worship God as one being, who reveals Himself to us in three persons. The truth of the Triune nature of God appears all the way through the Bible, from the very first chapter of Genesis to the very last chapter of Revelation.

At the risk of being simplistic, the Holy Spirit is that person of the Godhead who is most closely and intimately involved with us. God is our Father; Jesus is our Saviour; the Holy Spirit is our comforter and counselor. He is not God ‘way up there in heaven, or ‘way back there in history – he is God right in here – in our lives, in our hearts. He is God dwelling in us.

The Bible is quite specific about the ministry of the Holy Spirit; about the role he plays in the drama of redemption. Remember when Jesus was preparing his disciples for his crucifixion? They were quite concerned that he was going away, and it didn’t seem that they were ever going to see him anymore. But in John 14, 15, and 16, Jesus assured them that he was not going to leave them alone – he was going to remain with them in the person of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16-19 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.

John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

And it was on the Day of Pentecost, in fulfillment of Jesus’ promise, that the Holy Spirit came to indwell the disciples. And they were filled with remarkable power because now God Himself was living in them.

Just a few days before that, the disciples were cowering in fear. Now, they were out there publicly preaching the Good News about Jesus. And they were doing it in a miraculous way, having received the ability to communicate in the native languages of the many foreign Jews who had come to worship in Jerusalem. Talk about a transformation!

Peter said “You wonder what has happened to us? You think we’re drunk? No, we’re not drunk – after all, it’s only nine in the morning. We haven’t had time to get drunk. No, what you are seeing today is what the prophet Joel spoke about long ago in the OT, where…

Acts 2:17-18 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

The disciples were totally transformed by the presence of God in their lives in the person of the Holy Spirit. Now you may be saying, “Well, that’s nice for them, but what about me? What role does the Holy Spirit have in my life?”

The Bible is very specific in describing the role that the Holy Spirit plays in the life of a Christian.

  1. He makes us alive spiritually, gives us a new nature and a new life, this is what it means to be “born again”. Theologians call this “regeneration”.

    1. John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

    2. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit Titus 3:5

  2. He comes to make his home in our life the moment we trust Christ for salvation. Theologians call this “indwelling”.

    1. 1Cor. 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

    2. John 7:38-39 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

    3. Rom. 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

  3. He places (baptizes) us into the body of Christ

    1. 1Cor. 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

  4. He seals us as belonging to God

    1. 2Cor. 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

    2. Eph. 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit

    3. Eph. 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

  5. He gives us the ability to understand spiritual truth and discern error

    1. 1 Cor. 2:10-12 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

  6. He serves as our comforter and our counselor

    1. Rom. 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

    2. John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

  7. He gives us the assurance that we are God’s children

    1. Rom. 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

    2. 1John 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

  8. He gives us power to witness and share our faith

    1. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

  9. He helps us to pray

    1. Rom. 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

    2. Eph. 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

  10. He distributes spiritual gifts for us to use in God’s service

    1. 1Cor. 12:11 All these (gifts) are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

    2. Heb. 2:3-4 This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

  11. He produces spiritual fruit in our lives as we yield ourselves to him

    1. Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

These are just some of the major ministries that the Holy Spirit has in the life of a Christian. And when you bring Christians together in a local church, you find that the Holy Spirit likewise has some important things to do.

  1. He produces unity in the church

    1. Eph. 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

  2. He ensures doctrinal purity in a spirit of love in the church

    1. John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

    2. John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

  3. He motivates the church to reach out in evangelism and mission

    1. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

    2. Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

    3. Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

To the extent that these things are happening in a church, we can see that the Holy Spirit is at work. And conversely, to the extent that these things are not happening in a church, the Spirit of God is, for some reason, not able to do his work there. There is a blockage.

Now getting back to our original question: What does the Bible mean when it says “Do not quench the Spirit’s fire”? That statement was addressed to a local church – the church at Thessalonica. God had been moving and working in that church – good things were happening. And Paul is saying “Let it continue”. The Spirit’s fire – the fire of God’s presence is burning here. Don’t put it out!

In many ways, I sense that that is also true at Erindale. God is at work here. Many people have sensed the Spirit of God and the presence of God in a special way in recent days. People are praying as never before. People are hungry for the Word of God as never before. People are caring for one another as never before. People are finding freedom to worship as never before. People are giving as never before. The fire of God’s presence is burning in our midst. And we don’t want to quench that fire.

You say, How can we quench the Spirit’s fire? It’s easy. A fire needs three things in order to burn:

  • Fuel

  • Oxygen

  • Temperature high enough for combustion to take place

If you remove any of these three things, you can’t have a fire. When you smother a campfire with sand, you are cutting off its supply of oxygen. When you pour water on a campfire, you are lowering the temperature so that combustion can no longer take place.

In a simlar way, there are things we can do to put out the Spirit’s fire in our church.

  • Apathy

  • Traditionalism

  • Sin

  • Fail to be in the Word (no fuel)

  • Pride in our spiritual accomplishment