June 22-28 Water Fire

transcript

God’s Power to SaveGod’s Power to Save

Take a journey with me back to times when God saved His

people. Then observe how He demonstrated later to people He is still in control. We are going to look at two polar opposites…Water & Fire

Genesis 6:13 NET So God said to Noah, "I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of

Now I am about to destroy them and the earth.

Genesis 8:13 NET In Noah's six hundred and first year, in the first day of the first month, the waters had

dried up from the earth,

and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.

14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the

earth was dry.

15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your

sons' wives with you.

God’s Power to SaveGod’s Power to SaveExodus 14:21 NET Moses stretched out

his hand toward the sea, and the LORD drove the sea apart by a

strong east wind all that night, and he made the sea into dry land, and

the water was divided.

22 So the Israelites went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming

a wall for them on their right and on their left.

Now jump forward with me and read what The Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to the

Christians in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 10:1 NET For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed

through the sea,

2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the

rock was Christ.

Read with me from the letter to the

Hebrew Christians.

Hebrews 11:29 NET By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but

when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed

So Christ was going with them. Parting the sea showed the people's

faith. They were in fact baptized when they

passed through the sea.

That is, they were brought under obligation to Moses’ law and

covenant, as we are by baptism under the Christian law and covenant. It was to them a

typical baptism.

Remember, God Is In ControlRemember, God Is In Control

We jump forward 40 years. Moses is dead and faithful Joshua is

now leading God’s people into the Promised

Joshua 3:13 NET When the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the

Lord, the Ruler of the whole earth, touch the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up."

14 So when the people left their tents to cross the

Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went

ahead of them.

15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of

the priests carrying the ark touched the surface of the water —

(the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time) —

16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. It piled up far upstream at Adam (the city near Zarethan);

there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). The people crossed the river opposite Jericho.

17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of

the Jordan.

All Israel crossed over on dry ground until the

entire nation was on the other side.

He did this so that all the people of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so

that they might always fear the LORD their God."

And the LORD did this to exalt Joshua in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that He was with

him as He was with Moses.

God’s people have settled in the Promised Land. A kingdom has been established, and sadly, due to disobedience, God’s people had been split

into two nations. God’s Prophet Elijah is at work.

2 Kings 2:7 NET The fifty members of the prophetic

guild went and stood opposite them at a distance,

while Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan.

8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of

them crossed over on dry ground.

It seems He parted the water of the Jordan River for the benefit of the 50

prophets and Elisha who were following Elijah.

2 Kings 2:11 NET As they were walking along and

talking, suddenly a fiery chariot pulled by fiery

horses appeared.

They went between Elijah and Elisha, and Elijah went up to heaven in a

windstorm.

2 Kings 2:14 NET He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, hit the water

with it, and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When

he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.

Then when God parted the water for Elisha this showed

Elisha that God was with him and also showed the 50 prophets that God was with

Elisha as He was Elijah.

The parting of the waters are recorded for our

benefit. He wants people to see His power. We

can know He is in Control.

We see His compassion for His children who were in need of

salvation. We see even in Old Testament times Christ was there. We see God reminds

His people that He is with them.

Just as God used water as a means of salvation, punishment, and to

demonstrate His control, He also uses fire to remind people He is in control and as a means

of punishment & salvation.

God’s Power to PunishGod’s Power to Punish

Gen 19:24 KJV Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and

upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out

of heaven;

Exodus 9:23 NET When Moses extended his staff toward the sky, the LORD

sent thunder and hail, and fire fell to the earth; so the LORD caused hail to rain down on the

land of Egypt.

24 Hail fell and fire mingled with the hail; the hail was

so severe that there had not been any like it in all the land of Egypt since it had

become a nation.

Exodus 13:21 NET Now the Lord was going before them by day in a

pillar of cloud to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire

to give them light, so that they could go day or night.

Leviticus 10:1 NET Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his

fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented

strange fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded

them to do.

2 So fire went out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them so

that they died before the LORD.

Numbers 11:1 NET When the people complained, it displeased the Lord.

When the Lord heard it, his anger burned,

and so the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the

outer parts of the camp.

2 When the people cried to Moses, he prayed to the Lord, and the fire died

3 So he called the name of that place Taberah

because the fire of the Lord burned among

Num 16:35 NET Then a fire went out from the LORD and

devoured the 250 men who offered incense.

Deu 4:24 NET For the LORD your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God.

1 Chronicles 21:26 NET David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt

sacrifices and peace offerings.

He called out to the LORD, and the LORD responded

by sending fire from the sky and consuming the burnt

sacrifice on the altar.

2 Chronicles 7:1 NET When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the

burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Lord's splendor filled the

temple.

Who can forget the great time in history

when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal &

Asherah?

1 Kings 18:24 NET Then you will invoke the name of

your god, and I will invoke the name of the

The god who responds with fire will

demonstrate that he is the true God." All the

people responded, "This will be a fair test."

1 Kings 18:38 NET Then fire from the LORD fell from the sky.

It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the

water in the trench.

2 Kings 1:3 NET Now the Lord's angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise and go up to meet the messengers from the

king of Samaria.

Say this to them: 'You must think there is no God in

Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub

the god of Ekron.

2 Kings 1:9 NET The king sent a captain and his fifty soldiers to

retrieve Elijah. The captain went up to him, while he was sitting on

the top of a hill. He told him, "Prophet, the king says, 'Come

down!' "

2 Kings 1:10 NET Elijah replied to the captain, “If

I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!"

Fire then came down from the sky and consumed him

and his fifty soldiers.11 The king sent another

captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah.

He went up and told him, “Prophet, this is what the king says, 'Come down at

once!' " 12 Elijah replied to them, “If

I am indeed a prophet,

may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!" Fire

from God came down from the sky and consumed him

and his fifty soldiers.

13 The king sent a third captain and his fifty

soldiers. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. He

begged for mercy,

"Prophet, please have respect for my life and

for the lives of these fifty servants of yours.

14 Indeed, fire came down from the sky and

consumed the two captains who came before me, along

with their men. So now, please have respect for my

life."

15 The LORD's angelic messenger said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Don't

be afraid of him." So he got up and went down with him

to the king.

Water & FireWater & Fire

We have seen how both Water & Fire were used to show God is in control, used to punish and save. Water first punished the wicked world in the flood and saved the 8 souls on the Ark.

Water & FireWater & Fire

The pillar of fire from God was used in

saving the Israelites as it showed them where

to travel at night.

Revelation 20:12 NET And I saw the dead, the great and the

small, standing before the throne. Then books were

opened, and another book was opened —

the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was

written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and

Death and Hades

gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was

judged according to his deeds. 14 Then Death and

Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death — the lake of fire. 15 If

anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown

into the lake of fire.

God’s Power of SalvationGod’s Power of Salvation

1 Peter 3:20 CEV They had disobeyed God while

Noah was building the boat, but God had been

patient with them.

Eight people went into that boat and were

brought safely through the flood. 21 Those flood waters were like baptism

that now saves you.

But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience,

because Jesus Christ was raised from death.

Which group are you going to be in? Those lost forever, thrown into the lake of fire or those who have passed

through the water unto salvation?

June 22-28 Water Fire

Spiritual