The Spirit Of Burning

The Spirit of Burning
Isaiah 4:3,4


Intro: This chapter is the final part of a powerful prophecy by Isaiah that began in ch. 2. It mostly concerns the time when God has finished his judgment upon Israel and begins to restore her as his chosen people. Isaiah speaks of God’s blessings upon Israel again; how his presence will dwell in Jerusalem and people will come from all over the world to worship the Lord and to learn of his ways.
The verses I read tonight speak of those who survived the attacks of the anti-Christ and the world’s armies; those who were delivered by Jesus Christ and his heavenly army; those who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and “purged” by the spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning.
It was that last phrase that caught my attention- the spirit of burning. That’s what I want to preach to you about- the Spirit of Burning- not just as a type of judgement but as a type or title of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God; for He is truly a Spirit of Burning.


I. The Burning of Refining
When I think of “burning” in regard to the Spirit of God, I think of His power to Refine our lives like Real Fire was used to refine Gold and precious metals. We are familiar with the process of refining. The ore would be heated to extreme temperatures until its elements began to melt. Then the impurities would rise to the top and be removed; after a number of times, the silver or gold would be PURE; without impurities and without imperfections.
So it is that the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, burns in our hearts and lives to Refine Us; to Purify Us; to make us Holy.
In Romans 1:4 the Holy Ghost is called, the Spirit of Holiness.
1 Peter 1:2 speaks of the Sanctification of the Spirit.
When the power of God fell in the OT for Elijah; it fell in the form of FIRE; fire that not only burned up the sacrifice, but the wood, the water, the rocks and the dust!
When the HG fell on the Day of Pentecost; there was a sound of a rushing mighty wind; and then there were Flames of Fire that sat upon the heads of each one there.
God’s Spirit of Burning will Refine our Lives. The Dross must be removed; The Impurities must be removed; That which is Unworthy must be removed.
Until those things are removed from metal it is NOT PRECIOUS.
Until these things are removed from our life, it is NOT PURE.
I know that the Blood purifies our spirit and cleanses it from all sin.
BUT, our mind is to be pure also; and the only way that can happen is to let the HG have his way in your mind. Paul said in Rom. 8 that to be carnally minded is death; and that the carnal or fleshly mind is the enemy of the Spirit of God. He says in vs. 5 that they that are “after the Spirit, do mind the things of the Spirit.” They that have the Spirit of God and follow his leading do not mind the carnal things of the world; they mind the Spiritual things of the Spirit.
He is the Spirit of Burning; he will Renew your Mind; he will burn out the carnal mind and Transform your mind so that you can Prove the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.
Has your mind been refined by the Spirit of Burning?
Is your mind Being Refined by the Spirit of Burning?
Are you allowing the HG to burn out the dross and impurities in your mind and in your heart and in your life?


II. The Burning of Remaking
In 2 Cor. 3:18 Paul says that “we all with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are Changed into the Same image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
This Spirit of Burning; burns the image of Jesus Christ into our life.
We LOOK at Him and To Him. We Behold him; we are captivated by Him; we love Him and long to be like Him. As we Behold the Lord in the Word of God; as we Behold the Lord in our times of Prayer; as we Behold the Lord in our Worship in the house of God; the Spirit of Burning remakes us; we are Changed; we are Transformed; we are Remade; the image of Jesus Christ is burned into our Heart and into our Life.
Rom 8:29 talks about our need to be “Conformed into the image of God’s Son.” The only way it can happen is by the Spirit of Burning; as we allow the HG to work in us, as we allow his fire to burn in us; he Refines us and Remakes us. Oh, the glory of this Change!
- Changed from a lower level of life to a higher level of life.
- Changed from “only human” to a partaker of the divine nature.
- Changed from Sinner to Saint; from a Child of Disobedience to a Child of God.
Are you allowing the HG to burn the image of Jesus into your life? Are you being Remade by the Spirit of God so that your character is like that of Jesus? Our attitudes need to be remade to be like Jesus;
Our actions need to be remade to be like Jesus; Our ambitions in life need to be remade to be like Jesus.


III. The Burning of Reflection
We all know that fire not only creates Heat but also Light.
When the Spirit of God burns in us to Refine us; and when the Spirit of God burns in us to Remake us; when it burns out the impurities and burns in the image of Jesus; We will REFLECT God’s glory.
How often are we told in the Bible that we are the Light of the world!
We are told to let our Light shine before men so that they will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.
We are told that we were at one time children of darkness; but Now we are children of the Light and we are to walk in the Light and to Reprove the works of Darkness.
We are told in Rom 13 to put on the armor of Light.
Yes, the Spirit of Burning will cause our lives to Reflect the Glory of God, right here in the midst of a dark and sinful world. In Phil 2:15 we are exhorted to “be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”
Are you allowing the HG to burn in your life & through your life? Are you being Refined? Are you being Remade in the Image of Jesus Christ? Are you Reflecting the Glory of God in your world? ​