Let the Fire Fall

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This is the Truth Network. The resurrection power of Jesus Christ is absolute, transforming and restoring lives, healing hurt, and making all things new. This power set Michael Bowen free from the captivity, darkness, and hell of addiction, and delivered him back to God. This is Jesus Breaks the Chains. Hello, and thank you for tuning in to this podcast, which is a part of the Jesus Breaks the Chains series on Truth Network.

I'm evangelist Michael Bowen, and I pray that the Lord blesses you greatly, and you receive this word in love and in truth. This podcast is titled, Let the Fire Fall. I say to you right now listening to this podcast, Let the fire fall, let the wind blow, let your glory come down, now.

I love that. That's a song that I love to do my praise and worship to. Let the fire fall, let the wind blow, let your glory come down, Lord.

It is powerful, and I love it. I want to read you this word, this scripture in John 8, 31 to 32. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, If you abide in my word, and you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, I say to you, let the fire fall, let the wind blow, let your glory come down, let the fire of your truth be told, God. Now, when we talk about fire from a natural perspective, the definition of fire, the fire we can see, the fire of this world in the physical world that we live in, the space that we occupy here in this world, fire is defined as combustion or burning in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke. All fires release energy.

That's interesting to me. All fires release energy. Matthew 5, 14 through 16 says, You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. Didn't that definition say that fire gives out bright light? Is the fire of God that lights the lamp of man? It is the fire of God that makes that city on a hill shine, and it is the fire of God that gives light that shines in the darkness.

Hallelujah. I was in prison when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, and He set this captive free after being addicted to drugs for 25 years. And I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, and He set me free. God showed Himself to me, revealed Himself to me through Jesus Christ. And I'm in that prison when I surrendered to Jesus Christ. I began reading His Word.

I must have read the Bible three times through while I was there for a year. All day night, I was in the Word reading, and it was changing me as I was reading. And I read so many scriptures, and I love this scripture in John 1 that talks about God in the beginning, and the Word in the beginning. John 1, 1-4, it says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. And it was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. The fire, I say, was with God, and the fire was God.

The fire is life that lights up man. The fire is God whose light shines in the darkness. And we go on down to John 1, verse 14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.

The glory is the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. God became flesh and dwelt among us. The fire became flesh and dwelt among us, and His name is Jesus. I want to tell you three things we know happen when a substance, any type of material, comes into contact with fire. One, it is burned up and destroyed like paper or wood. Two, it becomes refined or purified like silver or gold or other precious metals. Three, it becomes stronger like steel.

Hallelujah. And this is great in knife or sword making. It's the fire that makes the steel in the blade stronger. Fire in the Bible is often used as a symbol of holiness and often equates the idea of God's presence with God's holiness. Fire was used to consume the burnt offerings and incense offerings and was to be continually burning upon the altar as a visible sign of the continuous worship of God. Leviticus 9, verses 23-24 speaks of this, And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Hallelujah. Kind of like I fell on my face in that prison on that prison chapel floor when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and the fire God moved upon me. In this scripture, they're talking about that ongoing fire and its importance. And the reason why it was important is because it was started directly by God. That fire was pure and consecrated.

It wasn't started by man in the physical realm. It was a spiritual fire started by God. It was pure, unadulterated, and consecrated. It was holy. The fire on the altar was a constant reminder of God's holiness and power.

It was a gift from heaven. No other source of fire was acceptable to God. When a sacrifice was placed on the altar, God always answered by fire. We are that sacrifice on the altar.

Brothers and sisters, friend of mine, everyone listen to this podcast. We, our lives, are that sacrifice on the altar. I made for myself an altar on that prison chapel floor when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. And I laid there and presented myself as the sacrifice, my life. And that's where the old man died and the new man came alive in Jesus Christ.

It's where I surrendered my life to Jesus. I'm asking you right now, surrender your life to Jesus. Let God fill you with his Holy spirit and fire because God always answers by fire.

And let me tell you, when you make for yourself an altar and you give yourself to God at the altar, you become irresistible to God. And he will answer you by fire. He will answer that sacrifice by fire. The fire of his Holy spirit will come upon you.

Hallelujah. First Kings 18, 22 through 24. Then Elijah said to the people, I alone am left a prophet of the world, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Therefore, let them give us two bulls and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.

And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods with a little G and I will call on the name of the Lord and the God with a big G who answers by fire. He is God.

First Kings 18 goes on 36 through 39. And this is the action of that verse. When in 24, when it says, then you call on the name of your gods and I will call on the name of the Lord and the God who answers by fire.

He is God. Well here in verses 36 through 39, God answers by fire. At the end of the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed, Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.

Answer me, Lord, answer me. So these people will know that you Lord are God and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of God, then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also looked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried. The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God. That's what the scripture says.

They fell on their faces like I fell on my face in that prison. I'm going to tell you right now, let the fire of truth fall in Jesus' name. Our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12, 28 through 29, therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God, acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Verse 29, for our God is a consuming fire. The word of God says this, that our God is a consuming fire.

Exodus 3, 2 through 4 also shows how God is like a fire. Verse 2, and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, I will not turn aside and see this great sight why the bush does not burn. So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses.

And he said, here I am. God spoke to Moses from the burning bush that was not consumed or destroyed by the fire. Exodus 24, 16 through 17, now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it six days.

And on the seventh day, he called Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like, what was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So when the children looked at God, his presence on the top of the mountain to their eyes, it looked like a consuming fire. Here we have a firsthand account of God's people, the Israelites describing what the presence of God was like. Again, a consuming fire.

Numbers 11, one through three. Now, when the people complained, it displeased the Lord. For the Lord heard it and his anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses. And when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. So he called the name of the place Tibera because the fire of the Lord had burned among them. In this scripture, we see the consuming fire of God in action. His fire actually came down and burned outside the Israelites camp and destroyed some of the people that were doing all the complaining. Deuteronomy 5, 23 through 24, another representation of God as a consuming fire. Starting in verse 23, so it was when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. And you said, surely the Lord our God has shown us his glory and his greatness. And we have heard from, we have heard his voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man, yet he still lives. You see, God speaks to Moses as his voice comes out from the burning fire on the mountain. God also spoke to Moses as his voice came out from the burning bush.

Hallelujah. We know that the voice came out of what looked like a consuming fire. Our God is a consuming fire. Exodus 13, 21, and the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.

There it is right there. So as to go by day and night. Now, very interesting at the end of this scripture, by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. We know that fire gives light. The consuming fire gave them light so that they could travel by night.

Hallelujah. It is established in the Old Testament that God is a consuming fire, one by eyewitness, another by his action, and even another by the location of his voice and by the description of him leading the Israelites through the desert. The fire provides the light just as God the Father provides the Son.

Do you hear that? The fire provides the light just as God the Father provides the Son for our salvation. Hallelujah. Isaiah 9, 6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We know Jesus is the subject of this verse. He is the child who is born and the son who is given.

Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy by Isaiah. He is the child born, the son given. Jesus will also be called Mighty God, Everlasting Father. Jesus is the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father. Our Creator, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father became our Savior. He became our Savior in the Son, Jesus. God provides the Son. God the Father provides the Son like the fire provides the light. Our God is one God who has revealed himself to us as our Father in creation, as the Son Jesus in redemption, and as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration.

And we are filled with the Holy Spirit transforming us into the likeness of the Son. Let the fire fall. Let the wind blow. Let your glory come down.

Let the truth be told. 1 Timothy 3 16, And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. God was manifested, which means made visible in the flesh.

Colossians 1 15 states, Jesus is the image of the invisible God. God was justified, shown to be righteous in the spirit. God was seen by angels. God was believed on in the world. We believed in his name, Jesus Christ. God was received up in glory to the right hand of majesty and power on high.

How and when did all this happen? In Jesus Christ. God the Father is spirit. The Word of God says in John 4 24, God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. God the Son is both spirit and man. Jesus Christ the Son is both fully God and fully man. He has a dual nature, both divine and human.

Divine from the Holy Spirit that moved upon Mary when he was conceived and human from his mother Mary that gave him birth. Luke 1 30 through 31 says, Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. The son, the child who is born, the son who is given has a name and his name shall be called Jesus. It says in this scripture, Mary's child was to be called Jesus. Matthew 1 23 again, Behold, the version shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which is translated to God with us. Jesus, the name of her son is Jesus. The name of her son shall also be Immanuel, which means God with us. God with us.

Hallelujah. When the word became flesh and dwelt among us, that's Jesus. He was also called Immanuel, God with us. The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew name Yahoshua.

Yahoshua means Yahweh is salvation, and it was given to the son at his birth. God is spirit, and God is a consuming fire, like we've read about already. God is also the word. God who is spirit, fire, and the word became flesh, and his name is Jesus, the name above every other name of God.

John 1 1, In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. John 1 14 says, And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. We, you and I, those of us who have given our lives to Jesus Christ and made him our Lord and Savior, we have beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father. How was the glory of God the Father described by the Israelites? Let's go back to the Old Testament and Exodus 24 again. 24 17, the Israelites, this is how they saw the glory of the Lord, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father that's spoken about in John 1 14, where it says, And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Now in Exodus 24 17, let's go to that. The sight of the glory of the Lord, or the sight of the glory of the Father, was like what?

Was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. Jesus is that same consuming fire. Jesus is that same glory. Jesus is God manifested in the flesh. Deuteronomy 6 4 says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. The one God became flesh, and his name is Jesus.

He became flesh in the sun. God sent his son, Hallelujah, as our Savior. Jesus is God with us.

The name Emmanuel. Jesus is God. Jesus is a consuming fire. Let the fire fall, let the wind blow, and let your glory come down.

Let the truth be told. In Isaiah 35 4, Say to those who are fearful hearted, Be strong, do not fear. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you again. This is about God the Savior.

Isaiah 43 10-11, Before me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides me there is no Savior. There is only one Savior, and that's God.

This is what Isaiah is saying in both Isaiah 43 and 35. There's only one Savior, and that Savior is God. God came to save us as he sent his son, Jesus Christ, the God against whom we sin.

He is the same God who forgives us and saves us, both fully God and fully man. God came in the flesh as a son to redeem the lost, you and me, all of humanity. The word became flesh and dwelt among us as the great I am in bodily form. Exodus 3 14, And God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you. So here God is giving Moses his name, and God tells Moses his name is I am. So God is I am. God the Father is I am. According to this scripture, according to the account in Exodus of Moses, God is I am.

That is his name. John 8 58. When Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.

There's that word again, I am. Jesus states here in the scriptures that he is the great I am. Jesus said he is I am in the flesh. This is what Jesus meant when he said in John 10 30, I and my father are one.

This is why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus, because he made himself equal to God. I'm here to tell you, Jesus is also the ancient of days spoken about by the prophet of Daniel in the book written about in the book of Daniel. You can go to Daniel 7, chapter 7, verses 9 and 10, when Daniel is describing the ancient of days.

And it is unbelievable about the comparison you can make from other scriptures when Jesus is being described later on in the book of Revelation, and we'll get there next. But in Daniel 7 9 through 10, Daniel says, As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the ancient of days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow, the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

A river of fire was flowing coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him. Ten thousand times, ten thousand stood before him.

The court was seated, and the books were opened. Hallelujah. I'm here to tell you, Jesus, the Son of Man, in the midst of the lampstands, in the midst of the seven lampstands, is the same as the ancient of days. Because in Revelations 1 12 through 18, listen to this description, John, what John saw. John saw almost the most, almost the identical thing that Daniel saw written about in Daniel 7.

In Revelation 1 12 through 18, John talks about it, and he says, Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool and white as snow. That's the exact same words used in the book of Daniel. Then it goes on to say, John goes on to say, and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, and if refined in a furnace, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars out of his mouth when a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw him, I felt his feet as dead, but he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid.

I am the first and the last. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. So, when you compare these two scriptures in Daniel chapter 7 verses 9 through 10, and Revelation chapter 1 verses 12 and 8, two different accounts from two different people, in Daniel 7 and John in Revelation 1, and Daniel describes ancient days exactly how John describes Jesus. Daniel and John were seeing the same God. Daniel and John were seeing the same fire. Jesus is God and his throne is a fire. Our God is a consuming fire. Our God manifested in the flesh is also a consuming fire, yet in the flesh. Same fire, both God the Father and Jesus the Son. There's only one God and there's only one fire, and that fire has a name, and that name is Jesus Christ.

Hallelujah. Luke 3 through 16. Luke 3 verse 16, John answered, saying, To all, I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to to lose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit is fire. It is the one fire that comes and dwells in us as Jesus makes his home in our hearts. Our bodies become the temple of God. Our bodies are the temple for his fire.

Our bodies are that light, lighted city on a hill and the lamps of the world. Let the light of God's fire in you so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven. I say to you, let the fire fall, let the wind blow, let your glory come down. Believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and receive fire. Give your life to Jesus and receive fire.

Jesus says, come to me now and I will give you my name. I will fill you with my spirit. I will give you, I will fill you with my fire. I will fill you with power so you can be my witness to the end of the earth. Become my ministers, my flames of fire that light up this dark and wicked world.

Jesus says, come, he says, come now, come to me. I say, let the fire fall, let the wind blow, let your glory come down now. Brothers and sisters, friends of mine, I love you all and I pray that you too can find the freedom that I've found in Jesus Christ, that I've found in the fire of God, consuming fire of God. Jesus breaks the chains. He is my Lord and Savior and his fire burned the addiction out of my soul and gave me power to live a life of faith in him.

This is the greatest life I've ever lived, living my life in Jesus Christ. God bless you all. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Thank you for listening. For more information on Michael Bowen's ministry, Sons and Daughters of Thunder, visit sonsanddaughtersoffunder.org. And remember, there is no addiction in Jesus Christ. Jesus breaks the chains. This is the Truth Network.