Scripture Reading: Heb. 12:29; Dan. 7:9-10; Luke 12:49-50; Rev. 4:5; Exo. 3:2, 4, 6; Lev. 6:13
Ⅰ
God is a consuming fire—Heb. 12:29; Deut. 4:24; 9:3:
A
As the burning One, God is holy; holiness is His nature, and whatever does not correspond with His holy nature He, as the consuming fire, will consume—Heb. 12:29.
B
In Daniel 7:9-10 the Lord's throne was flames of fire, its wheels were a burning fire, and a stream of fire issued forth and came out from before Him; the fire here indicates that God is absolutely righteous and altogether holy.
C
The Lord Jesus came to cast fire on the earth—Luke 12:49-50:
１
The release of the glory of Christ's divinity was to cast fire on the earth—John 12:24.
２
This fire is the impulse of the spiritual life, an impulse that comes from the Lord's released divine life.
D
The seven Spirits of God are the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne; these lamps of fire are for the carrying out of God's administration—Rev. 4:5.
E
The fire burning out of the midst of the thornbush was the Triune God, the God of resurrection—Exo. 3:2, 4, 6; Matt. 22:31-32.
F
The word of God is a fire that burns us and many of the things in which we have confidence—Jer. 23:29; 5:14; 20:9.
G
Those who have a desire to serve God must know that God is a consuming fire that burns and energizes; when God comes to the earth, fire comes to the earth, and when God enters into man, fire enters into man and burns in him—Heb. 12:29; Luke 12:49.
H
The fire that burned on the altar of the burnt offering came down from the heavens—Lev. 9:24:
１
After coming down from the heavens, that fire burned continually upon the altar—6:13.
２
The divine fire, the burning Triune God, enables us to serve and even to sacrifice our lives—Rom. 12:11.
Ⅱ
Every service to God must be based on the fire from the altar of burnt offering—Lev. 9:24; 16:12-13; 6:13; 10:1-2:
A
The service that we render to God must originate from the fire on the altar of burnt offering, and our service must be the issue of the burning of this fire.
B
God wanted the service of the children of Israel to be based on this fire; the burning of incense was their service to God, but the fire used for burning incense had to be taken from the altar—6:13.
C
Our service must come out of the burning of God's fire—Exo. 3:2, 4, 6.
D
Fire is a source of energy; in order for our service to be full of energy, our service must pass through the fire on the altar—Lev. 6:13:
１
This fire should be the energy, the driving force, the impulse, within us; if we have this fire, our service will be out of God, not out of ourselves—Luke 12:49.
２
The energy and the motivating power for the New Testament service began with fire from heaven; the fire that descended upon the Galilean fishermen became the energy and the motivating power within them—Acts 2:3.
３
This fire burns on those who love God, who offer themselves to God, who are willing to forsake everything for God, and who are willing to place themselves in His hand in order to be broken—Lev. 9:24.
E
The fire from the altar is the genuine motivating power of service—6:13:
１
What God does concerning our service is to send His fire to burn within us—Luke 12:49; Rom. 12:11.
２
If we offer ourselves to God sincerely, fire will descend from heaven and burn us; this burning will become the energy that moves us, and the issue of this burning will be our service.
F
The fire on the altar produces a powerful service:
１
The altar of burnt offering is the cross of the Lord Jesus, and the fire is the Spirit—Gal. 2:20; Acts 2:3.
２
The basis of genuine service is knowing the cross and placing ourselves on the cross in order to be gained by God and to allow the divine fire to burn within us; this produces service—Lev. 6:13; Rom. 12:11.
G
Those who experience the fire from the altar build with gold, silver, and precious stones—1 Cor. 3:12:
１
Such a work is full of the element of God, has the power of the cross, and expresses God—1:18; Phil. 1:20.
２
Only work that is produced through burning is of gold, silver, and precious stones; the work that is not produced through burning is of wood, grass, and stubble—1 Cor. 3:12.
３
The day will come when the work of each will be tested by fire; if our work is the issue of fire, our work will stand the test of fire—v. 13.
Ⅲ
We must not serve God with strange fire but with the fire from the altar—Lev. 10:1-2; 9:24; 6:13:
A
According to typology, strange fire is any fire other than that which burns on the altar—10:1.
B
The failure of Nadab and Abihu lay in their failure to use the fire from the altar.
C
Strange fire is fire of the self; it is fire that issues from the soulish life, the fleshly life, and the natural life—Matt. 16:24-26; 1 Cor. 2:14:
１
Strange fire means that the self-life interferes with the work of God.
２
Although the works are God's, the self-life wants to dictate the way the works are carried out.
３
Offering up strange fire is employing the self 's methods and wisdom and insisting on the self 's proposals in the service of God.
D
Nadab and Abihu were judged not because they did something that was not for God but because they acted according to the natural life and did something for God in a natural way—Lev. 10:1-2.
E
God pays attention not only to whether or not there is fire but also to the source and nature of the fire; our zeal must come from the altar—6:13.
Ⅳ
If we would serve God, we should not quench the Spirit but fan into flame the gift of God, which is in our spirit, and be burning in spirit—1 Thes. 5:19; 2 Tim. 1:6-7; Rom. 12:11:
A
The word quench in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 implies fire:
１
The Spirit is burning within us.
２
Because the Spirit causes our spirit to be burning and our gift to be flaming, we should not quench Him—v. 19.
B
There is fire in our spirit, and we need to fan our spirit into flame—2 Tim. 1:6-7:
１
The spirit in 2 Timothy 1:7 denotes our human spirit, regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit—John 3:6; Rom. 8:16.
２
To fan into flame the gift of God is related to our regenerated spirit—2 Tim. 1:6-7:
ａ
The fanning of our gift into flame is the fanning of our spirit into flame.
ｂ
Our God-given spirit is what we must fan into flame; we must fan our spirit, for the spiritual gift is in our spirit.
ｃ
If we want to fan our spirit into flame, we need to open our mouth, open our heart, and open our spirit and call on the name of the Lord—Rom. 10:13.
C
If we do not quench the Spirit but fan our spirit into flame, we will be burning in spirit, serving the Lord—12:11.