THE HOLY SPIRIT'S DOVE and fire
SERMON STARTER
Fifty days after Easter, Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season. Because of Pentecost, the church is imbued with power to spread the Gospel. The Dove is the Symbol for the gentle Spirit of Jesus. Tongues of Fire is the symbol for the Holy Spirit's power. Each pictures the influence of Jesus in our lives.
This morning I am sharing the third in a series of sermons about the coming of the Holy Spirit with power.
Today, I explore two analogies the Bible uses to help us grasp that which cannot be grasped. Scriptural analogies, metaphors and similes are meant to help us wrap our finite minds around the infinite. We are physical, fleshly with a human spirit residing within us for a time. God, however, is Spirit and Fire. Jesus said in John 4:23,24:
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
The Old Testament revelation of God was fire and judgment. In Deuteronomy 4:24a it is written,
"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire. . ." (See Hebrews 24:29)
In Exodus 24:17 God reveals Himself as Fire and Judgment.
"The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel."
Fire purges, cleanses and produces heat and light. When God's fire moves upon and within us, we are purged and cleansed. Our God reveals Himself in two beautiful ways through the Dove and Fire. Both ways are amazing and awe-inspiring.
Pastor Phil <><<
PENTECOST Sunday, June 8, 2014
Sheepfold Ministries - Pastor Phil Roland
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S DOVE AND FIRE
WHY DOES THE DOVE AND FIRE REPRESENT THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Genesis 6:5-8 - Genesis 7:1-6
"Fifty days after Easter, Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season. The church is imbued with power to spread the Gospel. The Dove is the Symbol for the gentle Spirit of Jesus. Tongues of Fire is the symbol for the Holy Spirit's power. Each pictures the influence of Jesus in our lives." Pastor Phil <><<
NOAH - Hebrew - נֹהַ - NO'-AKH - "The Rest of Peace after a War"
Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."
I. THE DOVE IS SEEN IN THE FLOOD STORY OF GENESIS 6
A. The Raven
1. The Raven is a Carrion eater
2. He was released after Flood and never returned
3. Fed on the Carrion of decomposing flesh
4. The Raven didn't return because of plenty of "food"
B. The Dove
1. The Dove is a seed eater
2. The Dove returned because it will not eat Carrion
3. The Dove returned with an Olive Leaf
a. Olive Oil used for lighting Temple Menorah
b. Olive Oil used for anointing Prophets. Priests / Kings
c. Olive Branch /Symbol of Peace in the midst of conflict
II. THE DOVE IN THE LIFE OF JESUS
A. The Dove shows up at Jesus' Baptism
1. Same event recorded in all 4 Gospels - Matt. 3:16,17
"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the
water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw
the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
2. Mark. 1:10
"And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens
parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a
voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased."
3. Luke 3:22
"And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him,
and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S DOVE AND FIRE, cont., p.2
Son; in You I am well pleased."
4. John 1:32
"And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from
heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him."
B. The Dove is like the Holy Spirit
1. White - Purity / Righteousness - Rev. 19:8
"And to her (Martyred Saints of God) it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of
the saints."
2. Comforts its young and expresses contentment in soft sighs
3. Never retaliates against enemies, has no teeth or claws
4. The Dove "Coo's" when contented or soothing its young
5. When young are attacked, the Dove cries out in distress
Romans 8:26 - "Unutterable groanings" are the Holy Spirit
6. The Holy Spirit's Dove's distress cry when we are troubled
7. Dove returns to Ark 2X but does not return 3rdX- Gen. 8:8-12 - a. Easily startled by sudden movements or loud noises
b. The Dove may never return
8. The Holy Spirit's Dove is like Noah's Dove - Genesis 6:3a
"And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever. . ."
9. The Holy Spirit will eventually Depart - 1 Sam. 16:14
"But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing
spirit from the LORD troubled him."
C. Nine main feathers on the Dove's Right and Left wings
1. There are Nine initial Gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 12:7-10
2. There are Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit in Gal. 5:22,23
D. There are Five main Tail Feathers on a Dove
1. They can represent the Five-Fold Ministry Leadership Gifts
a. Apostles
b. Prophets
c. Evangelists
d. Pastors
e. Teachers
2. They are like a Ship's Rudder, giving Balance and Direction
4. They bring Balance and Direction to the Body of Christ
III. THE DOVE BECOMES FIRE AT PENTECOST - Acts 2:1-4
"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
A. God's Fire of Judgment cleanses and purifies
1. We must offer our repentant hearts to Him for cleansing
2. The stubborn, willful, hardened heart doesn't burn well
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S DOVE AND FIRE, cont., p.3
B. Unproductive Branches are cut off and cast into the flames
1. Jesus calls "unfruitful branches" who do not abide - Jn. 15:6
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is
withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and
they are burned."
2. What about us? Are our Hearts "abiding in Him?"
3. There is ONE initial Infilling of the Holy Spirit with Fire
4. There are many "Re-Fillings." We are "Leaky Vessels."
5. There is ONE initial Baptism of the Holy Spirit
6. There are many fillings. We are "Cracked Earthen Pots"
C. The Real Fire is Power to Spread the Gospel w/Results
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and
you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
ON THE WINGS OF A DOVE (Robert Duvoll)
When Jesus went down to the waters that day
He was baptized in the usual way
When it was done God blessed His Son
He sent down His Love On the Wings of a Dove
CHORUS:
On the wings of a snow-white Dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above (sign from above)
On the wings of a Dove (wings of a dove)
When troubles surround us, when evils come
The body grows weak (body grows weak)
The spirit grows numb (spirit grows numb)
When these things beset us, He doesn't forget us
He sends down His love (sends down His love)
On the Wings of a Dove
CHORUS:
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S DOVE AND FIRE
Genesis 6:5-8
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 7:1-6
1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;
3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.
4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made."
5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.
LOIS and THE DYING DOVE
Of the many memorable things that occurred to Lois and me in the Spring of 1995, one incident stands out strongly. It was early May, and Lois was taking advantage of the warm sun of early Spring, planting some flowers in our front flower bed. It was the kind of day you dream of in the cold, icy days of winter: the warm sun on your back, your hands in the moist soil, the vibrancy of living plants that you are liberating from their plastic cup prisons, and releasing to the freedom of the warm, moist earth.
Suddenly, Lois heard a fluttering sound to her left. Incredibly, a dove descended and dropped a few feet from where she was working with the flowers. The bird seemed to be in some kind of distress. Not wanting to disturb the small creature, Lois went on working the soil. Gradually, Lois began to understand that something was fatally wrong with the bird.
When I came by Lois on one of my work projects, she pointed out the little creature's dilemma to me. I thought at first the animal was having trouble swallowing. No, Lois said her belief was that the creature was having trouble breathing and was probably dying.
The thought of death on such a beautiful spring day caused a shudder to go down my spine. I thought out loud. Maybe we could rush it to the veterinarian, and avoid death. But no, the creature couldn’t stand my touch or the trip. And the veterinarian would probably think I was mad. Thousands of birds die every day. Why should we be concerned with just one little creature?
I went on my way. About a half hour later, I came back to Lois’ area and she once again pointed out the little creature to me. It had slowly crawled to a lamb lawn ornament, tucked its head under its wing and died. When I saw what had happened, I felt that something significant had transpired. I felt like taking off my shoes in the presence of something sacred. There was a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as I viewed this scene.
It was later in the afternoon when it occurred to me what had happened. The lamb is God's universal symbol of love. We love Jesus Christ, God’s Lamb that takes away the sins of the
world. The dove is God's universal symbol of peace. There was also something special that the little creature honored Lois by trusting her with its dying presence.
Every day, Lois and I work with the spiritually dying in our Ministry Center. Every day we feel ourselves hopeless, because there are so many hurting and in pain all around us. But what followed this Spring and Summer was an incredible outpouring of God's Presence, peace and love. In this instance He sent a dying dove to remind us that He is always near us.
http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/supernatural/17431-the-code-of-the-dove-and-the-holy-spirit
When Noah had drifted on the flood many days
He searched for land (he searched for land)
In various ways (various ways)
Troubles, he had some but wasn't forgotten
He sent him His love (sent him His love)
On the wings of a Dove (wings of a dove)
CHORUS:
ENDING:
On the wings of a snow-white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above (sign from above)
On the wings of a dove (wings of a dove)
On the wings of a dove (wings of a dove)
On the Wings of a Dove
Good graphics - No words
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=UTUBE%3a+On+the+Wings+of+a+Snow+Whate+Dove&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=D4E90516A6E9518C358ED4E90516A6E9518C358E
On the Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
Poor Graphics - Good Words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8661f-CcMzg
On the Wings of a Dove -
Native American Graphics
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=UTUBE%3a+On+the+Wings+of+a+Snow+Whate+Dove&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=348841FDB7928BC980ED348841FDB7928BC980ED
On the Wings of a Dove -
Daniel O'Donnell
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=UTUBE%3a+On+the+Wings+of+a+Snow+Whate+Dove&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=E3CA69B0A66D3AB5FE79E3CA69B0A66D3AB5FE79
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