“The Fire of God’s Love” (Acts 2:1-21)

Acts 2:1-21

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Pastor Tom Johnson, May 15, 2016

John the Baptist baptized with water but the one coming after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Both water and fire are very good things. Both water and fire can also be destructive especially when they are out of control. Just as John used water in his hands to renew individuals’ lives, so Jesus will use the Holy Spirit and fire to transform the lives of God’s people. Both water and fire are cleansing agents.

A few ago, a young boy talked about his younger brother’s “bath-tism.” I still don’t know why I had not heard that before. Out of the lips of babes God ordains strength—bath-tism—by the water and the Word, his younger brother was washed of all his sin, adopted into God’s family, and sealed in the Holy Spirit. We use water all the time to wash and clean our bodies, our dishes, our clothes, and our cars. We use fire to clean the really difficult stuff. How do you purify metal? How do you take gold and silver that is contaminated with other elements?

God is like a refining fire, the Hebrew prophets tell us. He refines and purifies his people just as a goldsmith or silversmith bring metal to a high temperature by fire. He melts it down. The part that is not gold rises to the top. The worker slowly removes the foreign particles and what remains is more pure gold. This is what it means to “try” gold—to extract gold from gold ore and then slowly refine it until you have the pure metal that can be used for artwork and jewelry. In the same way, Jesus will try his people. His baptism is a like a refiner’s fire to draw gold out of the rock of the earth and then purify us into a holy people. The fire is not there to destroy. God’s fire will not rage out of control. It is out of our control; but it is not out of his. This is the fire of God’s love revealed to us through his Son Jesus. It is an awesome fire, yes, but it is a cleansing and renewing fire.

That is what happens on Pentecost. The fire of God’s love finally comes in its fullness. What Jesus promised comes to pass—his early Church is gathered in the Temple and the water, the Word, the Holy Spirit, and the fire are poured out on his people. Divided tongues, as of fire, appear and rest on every believer. It happens just as the prophet Joel said it would. God will pour out his Spirit on all people—no matter their place in society, their gender, or their ethnicity. Blood and fire and smoky mist will be the sign that God’s love is being poured out. Nations of people will be washed in the blood of the Lamb. A multitude that no one can number will be refined by the fire of God’s love. What began on the day of Pentecost is relevant today because love for us is still burning in God’s anthropomorphic heart.

There is still cleansing and cleaning that we need in our lives. God still calls us to holiness. He still calls us to repentance. He still wants to draw sin out of our hearts, minds, and lives like a goldsmith removing dross from his fiery stew. The Apostle Paul describes our journey as Christians like passing through fire. The work that we do that is sinful, selfish, or faithless is like the hay, stubble and straw that goes up in smoke in an instant. The work that God does in our lives that is holy, good, and faithful will remain. We don’t really do it. He does his good through us. We simply get to participate in God’s work. It is part of God’s ongoing pouring out of his Holy Spirit and fire of his love. He pours out his love through his people. In his letter to Timothy (1 Tim 1:6), Paul reminds his brother pastor to fan into flame God’s gifts into his life. He wants to see the fire of God’s love blaze, burn, and shine to those around him. The prophet Isaiah says Messiah will come as gently as he does powerfully. “A smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (Matt 12:20). He will blow the wind of his Spirit to bring life to the spark of God’s love in our lives. What great fires we have seen even recently that begin with a mere spark. That is the way of God’s love. God’s presence in our lives may seem infinitesimally small. But as the Scripture says: “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

The rush of the Spirit’s wind blows into our lives through his Word. It brings air for God’s fire to be renewed and glow brightly. Our gathering here to confess our sin and celebrate the good news of him who died and rose again ignites it into flame. For just as the life of Jesus and the hope of the world seemed snuffed out when Jesus dies on the Cross, so there are times when our lives seem to have descended into the deep and the darkness. And the flame seems to have gone out. But early that Sunday morning, just before the break of day and morning light, the light, the heat, and the flame of God’s love was rekindled in that empty tomb. Christ burst from the grave in a dazzling light. The fire of God’s love continues to bring heat, light, and cleansing. The fire of God’s love transforms our lives. It is the transformation of our lives that we need. The fire of God’s love burns brightly in us and through us. Jesus ignites his work in us to bring the fire of God’s love to the whole world.