“Power, Protection and Holy Fire”

January 10, 2010

Isaiah 43:1-7 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Acts 8:14-17

On Christmas Day, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam
to Detroit, Michigan. Having been given a bomb by al-Qaeda in Yemen, he carried the bomb aboard the
aircraft in his underwear. As the plane approached Detroit, he attempted to set off the bomb but was
stopped short of achieving his goal by vigilant passengers and crewmembers who tackled him and put out
the flaming explosives before they could detonate.

On September 11, 2001 terrorists took control of several airliners and crashed two into the World Trade
Center, another into the Pentagon and attempted to crash a fourth into the US Capitol building.

We have all grown up surrounded by a certain amount of violence, but as terrorism has reached the shores
of our nation, we have had to reevaluate our understanding of violence and indeed our understanding of
safety.

Up until four or five hundred years ago, safety was a little easier to describe. For thousands of years the
safest place was the place with the biggest, tallest and thickest walls. Small towns had walls, big cities had
bigger ones. The biblical city of Jericho had two walls, one inside the other each over six feet thick and as
much as 26 feet tall with the inner walls sitting on top of an embankment that was 46 feet above the outer
one. Medieval castles typically had walls that were ten to thirteen feet thick and got thicker after the
invention of gunpowder and cannons. Not too terribly long after the advent of cannons, castles stopped
being a really safe place to live and the concept of safety had to be rethought and redefined.

In an age of terrorism, its hard to describe anyplace as truly safe in the way that we have historically
thought of safety. The goal of the terrorist is to strike fear into people and the way that he typically does
that is by attacking places that we think of as safe, department stores, office buildings, airplanes, schools
and churches. So how can we be safe? Where can we be safe? Unfortunately, the short answer is that if
we are thinking of safety in the historical sense, no place is really safe anymore. The good news is that
there is another way of thinking about safety and, not too surprisingly, scripture can help us with that. In
Isaiah 43:1-7, the prophet proclaims the words of God and tells us that God is concerned about our welfare
and our safety…
1
But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.
4
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.

1
5
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6
I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
7
everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

God says “Fear not” because he has redeemed us, he has paid the price to rescue us from slavery and sin
and death. We don’t ever need to be afraid because we are his and we belong to God. He says, “When you
pass through the waters, I will be with you” and repeats this idea three times; when we pass through the
waters, when we pass through the rivers, and when we pass through the fire. In all three the clear ideas are
that we will never be alone and that God is protecting us every step of the way.

In verses three and four, God tells us that he has paid a ransom for us, that we are his sacred possessions
and precious children and then he again instructs us not to be afraid because he is with us. God declares
that his protection will even bring the families if Israel back together and will heal families that have been
broken. God declares that he will do this for “7 everyone who is called by my name” and that is all of us
who are followers of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are all called to be one family, we are
all adopted into the family of God, and we have all become brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Today is the Sunday that we traditionally take a look at Jesus’ baptism, and as we do so, I would like you
to recognize that as he introduces Jesus, John throws open a window that reveals a glimpse of Jesus’ great
power and authority. (Luke 3:15-17, 21-22)
15
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the
Christ. 16John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will
come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather
the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
21
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was
opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:
"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

For the first time in five hundred years, a prophet has appeared in Israel. John the Baptist is in the
wilderness, essentially in the desert, preaching and baptizing and calling all of Israel to repent and be
cleansed of their sin. People from across the entire region are flocking to see him and to hear him. As a
prophet of God, John is seen as, perhaps, the most powerful man in Israel, possibly among the most
powerful prophets ever. The people are so impressed with him that they ask him if he is the messiah that
God has promised. They ask if he is the one for whom Israel had been waiting for so many centuries and
John answers that someone is coming who is so much more powerful, that he is not worthy even to untie
his sandals.

Let’s pause for a minute here so we can understand what John just said. In the world in which John lived,
everyone walked, everyone’s feet got dirty but no one, generally, wore their sandals into a house. Sandals
were typically removed at the door as you entered someone’s home. If there were servants in the home,
this was the job, not only of a servant, but it was the job of the lowliest, least in seniority, however you
want to describe it, the lowest on the totem pole servant. So what John is saying, is that even though the
people of Israel see him as the most powerful man they have ever seen, possibly the most powerful prophet
2
that has ever lived, John says that another is coming who is so much more powerful, that in comparison,
John is not even worthy to perform the function of the lowliest household servant.

Let’s continue. John says that while he is baptizing with water, the one who is coming will baptize with
the Holy Spirit and with fire. John is emphasizing that his baptism is with water because his baptism is
about preparation. John’s ministry and his baptism was a call to repentance so that humanity could repent
and be purified so that they might stand before God, ready to accept the coming messiah, ready to accept
Christ. The ministry of Jesus was to bring a baptism of the Holy Spirit and with fire.

First, a baptism of the Holy Spirit, an indwelling, a filling of God’s own person into the hearts and souls of
his people and second, a baptism of fire. The people knew that God’s Spirit was an active force in the
world, but what the scriptures had recorded up until that time was nothing in comparison to what John was
describing. Periodically in the history of Israel, God’s Spirit would enter into a person for a short while
and allow them to prophesy or to perform a miracle of some kind. What John was describing was
something different, a baptism of God’s Holy Spirit such that God himself would perform the act of
purification, that God himself would be at work in us to cleanse us from the inside, out.

Secondly, John describes a coming baptism of fire. Fire historically represented only a few things.
Scriptural references to fire represent purification, vengeance and power. I think all three of these can be
seen here. John is talking about one who will come that will far exceed what John has begun, so, combined
with the idea of purification contained in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, fire as a means of additional
purification easily fits into the story. Purification and vengeance together can be seen in John’s description
of the Messiah’s destruction of the chaff that are the unbelievers. Finally, when John is describing how the
one who is coming is so much more powerful than he, we can see how the contrast of John’s baptism by
water and Jesus’ baptism by fire would represent a significant difference in power. Water is known to have
great power, but we have always feared the power of fire even more. Much more than water, fire is a
symbol of strength and power and so again John points to the Messiah and proclaims his amazing power,
authority and strength.

Having said all that, Jesus shows up, is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends bodily in the form of a dove and
the voice of God is heard from heaven declaring that Jesus is the Son of God.

In Acts 8:14-17, Jesus has ascended into heaven and the disciples continue his ministry of baptism.
14
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and
John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because
the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the
Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The believers in Samaria were believers in God and they had been baptized in the name of Jesus, but had
not yet received the Holy Spirit and so Peter and John laid hands on them and made their baptism
complete. You can see here, at least a part of why we still baptize in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. You can also see that the baptism of the Holy Spirit continued even after Jesus
returned to heaven and continues still today. The Spirit of God continues to enter into those who believe in
God’s Son Jesus Christ, the Spirit continues to take up residence inside of us, he continues to perform the
act of purification, God continues to be at work in us to cleanse us from the inside out, and God continues
to take up residence inside of us, to walk with us and to perform mighty acts of power through us.

With the advent of gunpowder and cannons the people who looked to castles and stone walls for protection
and safety had to reevaluate and to redefine what safety meant. With the arrival of terrorism, and with
today’s economic uncertainty, once again we find ourselves reevaluating and redefining our understanding
3
of protection and safety. With all due credit to our law enforcement agencies and the incredible and
thankless job that they are doing, terrorists are likely to continue to penetrate our defenses from time to
time. Whether it is in a major city, or an airport or even in rural communities or schools, acts of terror are
likely to happen. Each and every day we are faced with this danger and a thousand others but whether we
are looking to be safe from terrorists or from common thugs or from demons and the spirits of hell
themselves, our safety does not come from building thick walls, or wearing body armor, or even the local
police force.

John the Baptist tried to let it sink in, Jesus is far bigger and far more powerful than any of us can ever
imagine. Jesus has the power to create the stars at his fingertips and his Holy Spirit lives inside of each and
every person who has put their trust in him. With that kind of protection and safety, what do we have to be
afraid of?

Hear again, God’s own words…

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
5
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

And among the last words of Jesus before he ascended into heaven were these:

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, New Living
Translation)

We were looking in the wrong place all along.

Safety has been redefined and it’s not a place…

…It’s a person.

4

You have been reading a message presented at Johnsville Grace and Steam Corners United Methodist Churches on the date
noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor of the Johnsville Parish. Duplication of this message is a
part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and
donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Johnsville Grace UMC or Steam
Corners UMC at P.O. Box 205, Shauck, Ohio 43349. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of
membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by
contacting us at subscribe@johnsvillegrace.org. If you have questions, you can ask them in our discussion forum on
Facebook (search for Pastor John Online). These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John
Partridge and audio podcasts at http://www.sermoncloud.com/ (type the church name in the search box)
All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.