We are, once again, looking at the Spirit. I hope that these sermons have been helpful to you. I know that I am seeing more clearly the importance of the ministry of the Spirit as a result of thinking about these things. Our progress as a church - not to mention as individual believers - depends on our understanding and then submitting to the ways of the Spirit as He moves among us. We have much to learn. But I am confident that the Spirit will continue to patiently teach us. I am very optimistic about our future.
Let's start today by considering this key word: quench. A quick look at other places this word shows up in the New Testament is helpful. If you were to do that you'd see that it shows up in contexts dealing with fire. So, Jesus describes hell as a place, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' And Paul exhorts us to take 'the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.' And so, I think that you can see why the NIV translates our text, 'Do not put out the Spirit's fire.' This imagery of fire fits. You'll remember that on Pentecost - the day of the coming of the Spirit - there were tongues of fire over the disciples. Elsewhere, the Bible is peppered with references to fire. There's the burning bush. Sacrifices are offered to God by means of fire. The book of Hebrews tells us that our God is a consuming fire. And John preached that one would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. In our text Paul is talking about the fire of the Spirit.
Imagine yourself standing near a large fire. What's going on? There's lots of heat and light. Whatever is burning is being changed. Sparks erupt from time to time. That's the Spirit doing His work in you. He is busy in your soul and the result is heat and light and change, sometimes to the accompaniment of sparks. The Spirit is busy working in you. This is the assumption of the text, and it is important that you see it. Paul doesn't tell these Christians to try to start the fire of the Spirit. He knows that the fire is already there. The Spirit is already at work. The Spirit is already at work in you. This ministry of the Spirit in your life is a basic part of the Gospel that Jesus created. Having ascended to the right hand of the Father as the risen Savior, Jesus has sent the Spirit to erupt into flames in your life. He has sent the Spirit to complete His work of salvation on your behalf. The Spirit is in you, finishing what Jesus started. That's one thought that you should take home and relish. Tell yourself, 'Jesus has given me the Spirit of God, and He is like a fire at work in my life.' That's a fact, a fact that you can enjoy.
Behind this is an important implication. I've just told you that Jesus has sent the Spirit to you. Why did He do that? Here's one big reason why. He wants you to thrive. When He found you, your life was filled with sin. The outside might have looked nice enough to impress others, but both you and He know what the inside was like. What a mess! To be sure, part of His saving you is about forgiveness. Because of Jesus your sins are all forgiven. All of them. That is, by itself, astounding. But there is more to what Jesus does for you. Another part of His saving you is that He frees you from sin. He forgives you and then He frees you from the power that sin has over your life. He frees you to be the person you were intended to be. That's why He sent the Spirit. Sin has erected many obstacles to your enjoying this freedom. And these obstacles aren't little things that you can fix. It will take the power of God Himself to remove them. And that's exactly what you have; the power of God. Jesus has sent you the Spirit to remove all of those obstacles. All of them. So, when you think of the Spirit, think of Him as fulfilling Jesus' intentions for you. Jesus wants to see you thrive; but not in some narrow 'religious' sense. He wants to see the beauty of being a whole person reflected in your life. And so, He sent the Spirit.
All of this helps to explain the point of the text. Jesus has given His Spirit to each of His saints. And yet, it's possible to dampen His ministry, to quench Him. When that happens, instead of the large bonfire that He wants to set in someone's life, there might only be a barely lit matchstick. Big difference. That's why we read, 'Do not quench the Spirit.' Instead of the experience of the power of the Spirit at work guiding from one victory to another, there's struggle and even of defeat. 'Do not quench the Spirit.' Instead of a growing communion with Father, Son and Spirit, God seems so very far away, so very uninvolved. 'Do not quench the Spirit.' Instead of a glorious joy, a love that overflows and a peace that quells all fears, life is just a matter of blah. 'Do not quench the Spirit.' Jesus wants you to thrive. So, be careful here, so that you might enjoy all the good things of the Gospel. Be careful here so that the Spirit might generate a bonfire in your life. 'Do not quench the Spirit.'
The obvious question at this point is this: What do we do so that we don't quench the Spirit? Paul answers that. Listen to the next sentence. 'Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.' Things are happening within you and around you. Some of the things that are affecting you being done by the Spirit. But there are other sources as well. And so, Paul tells the Thessalonians - and us - that we need to evaluate these things. We need to ask the question, 'What is the Spirit doing in me? In what ways is His flame changing me, empowering me so that I might thrive?' These are the things that we need to hold fast. Whatever else there may be we dump.
There's something in Proverbs that helps to answer our question of what to do.
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls.
The main point isn't difficult. The farmer needs to know what's going on with his flocks and take care of what needs tending to so that when the situation changes, and it will, he'll be prepared and able to deal with it. That's pretty straightforward - except for this. I'm not a farmer. I don't have flocks or herds, and I never will. So, how does this speak to me? As I've pondered that over the years, a couple of thoughts have come to mind. The first had to do with the proper care of my own household. But here's another. If it is important for a farmer to look to his flocks and to care for them, how much more important is it for me to look to my soul and care for it. Life changes. There are bumps in the road, and some of them are quite severe. If you would see the fire of the Spirit grow in your life so that you will be able to face the inevitable ups and downs with joy, know well the condition of your heart and give attention to the health of your soul. This is part of what Paul means when he tells us to test all things and hold fast what is good. As you do that, you won't have to worry about quenching the Spirit. Instead, you will find yourself thriving because of what he is doing in you.
Now, there may be someone who is still thinking, 'Yes, but what do I do?!? In one sense, that's a good question. But I have prayed and thought about whether I should answer it. You see, I have a concern here. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of trying to achieve spiritual growth by formula. 'If I follow these three steps, then I'll be set. I'll make it in good shape.' There are all kinds of assumptions at work here. And the worst one is simply this: 'I am in control. If I play my cards right, I can assure myself of success in this or any area of my life. I am in control.' In control? In control of what? The Spirit?!? Who could possibly be in control of the Spirit of God? He is the Sovereign One who does whatever He wishes, whenever He wishes, however He wishes, being limited only by His holy nature. We do not control the Spirit. And just putting words to these notions shows the foolishness of such thinking. There is no formula that will produce spiritual growth. The Sovereign Spirit produces Spiritual growth. He controls the process. Beware of coming even close to such a trap.
Though I am wary of answering this question, it seemed right for me to say something in response. The Spirit has told us of some tools that He uses so that the fire within can become a great bonfire for His glory. I'm just going to mention three. Two are quite familiar, but one is less so. First, read your Bible. There is nothing that the Spirit uses more than His Word, whether read, preached or listened to. That is His major tool when it comes to His ministry in your soul. Too many of the saints have, in fact, quenched the Spirit, at least to some extent, because they neglect their Bibles. Don't be one of them. So, read your Bible. I think that you can predict the second item on the list. Say your prayers. Now, by that I'm not talking about some merely 'religious' activity that we're supposed to do. Prayer is communing with God. It's a conversation with Him. Communing with God in prayer is something that you learn. But you won't learn it out of a book. You learn to commune with God by communing with God. It takes time, but it is so worth it. So, let me re-phrase that second tool: commune with your God. Make that a regular habit of your day. The third item on our list is, I suspect, not so familiar. Talk about Spiritual things. The Spirit can use what others have to say to make clearer to you some things you need to understand. And He can use you to benefit others. The Spirit uses community to free you from your sins. Talk to others about what you've read in your Bible, about the things that you see the Spirit doing in your life, about some of the joys of your communing with God. This is the kind of thing that you can do during dinner or after worship or at the monthly luncheon or while you're taking a walk. Talk about what the Spirit is doing in your life. Talk about Spiritual things. If you do these kinds of things - reading your Bible, saying your prayers, talking about Spiritual things - you will put yourself in the place where the Spirit commonly works. And then simply wait, patiently and confidently, for the Spirit to act. He will.
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