Passionate Savior

Series Explanation

The Passionate Christ!

We are going through the passion week and looking at the things that Jesus was passionate about!

As we evaluate His passion for us and this world, our aim every week is to inherit some of His passion and introduce it into our daily lives.

As Christians, we aim to be “like Christ” and we want to be passionate about what He is passionate about!

Introduction

Today we will be talking about the culmination of Jesus’s passion for us.

I believe the moment we will be reading about in scripture is the single most important and passionate moment revealed to us about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

All of Jesus’s life was leading up to this event.

What was it?

His crucifixion [on the cross].

His crucifixion on the cross.

We probably know most of the events that had lead up to this moment.

Jesus was first betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas.

He was then brought before the high priests and was mocked, lied about, spit on, and beaten

He was then brought before the Roman governor Pilate and given the unjust punishment of being flogged and beaten.

He was then exchanged for the murdering thief Barrabas because of the cries of the mob.

And then sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Lets read what happened on that fateful yet glorious day of passion.

Matthew 27:33–54 NASB95

And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. “He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Matthew

So why would Jesus endure all of this?

Why would the Son of God go through such pain and suffering at the hands of people who hated Him?

He could’ve stopped it all.

He could’ve shut them all up and

He could’ve jumped right off of the cross and vaporized everyone there.

But He didn't!

He willingly gave himself up to them.

He went to the cross as a sheep before the slaughter

So why did He endure the cross?

He did it because He is passionate about you and me!

He did it because of His great Love for us!

JESUS LOVES YOU

Romans 5:6–10 NASB95

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Jesus sacrificed life for us on that cross even though we will never deserve it.

And there is no way we could ever repay Him for what He did.

He sacrificed His perfect body and His perfect life so that through Him we might have access and right standing before God!

Without Jesus

Even though we are sinners, who are messy, bad, and sometimes just downright evil...

God sent his Son to die for us so that we might have access through Him to eternal life.

We now do not have to bear the guilt and shame of our sins.

Or reap the ultimate consequence of them. HELL

But instead we receive the Lords grace and mercy over our lives.

This is the gospel message!

The Good News!

In fact, it is the best news we could ever hear.

And I know that many of you have probably heard it before...

I know I sure have.

And grew up hearing it over and over again.

So much so that it just became, here we go...

“Another Gospel Message”

I accepted it, but wasn’t definitely wasn’t passionate about it.

I hadn't ever let it truly transform me.

I lived in a cycle.

Live a life trying to be good because I’m a “Christian”

Mess up.

Feel bad.

Mess up more.

Feel less bad.

Mess up even more!

Go to church.

Feel really bad. (Shame and guilt)

Pray for forgiveness.

Leave church.

Repeat the cycle.

I lived in that cycle for years and never let the Passion of Jesus and his Gospel message actually TRANSFORM my life from the inside out!

I lived this way until I was 21 Years 1 month and 17 days old.

It actually was sitting in the seats of main sanctuary.

It was on that day I truly understood the passion of Jesus for us and let him radically transform my life from the inside out.

Pastor Mark brought to my attention this scripture in his sermon:

Galatians 5:16–26 NASB95

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

I realized in this moment that if I had truly let the Gospel message transform my life...

If I was truly passionate about Jesus…

If I was going to profess to people I was a Christian

I should be displaying the fruit of the Spirit.

BUT INSTEAD

I had allowed my cycle of destruction

OF SHAME

AND GUILT

Take me into a life of the desires of the flesh.

One that had destroyed me and left me feeling like I was worthless and alone...

That day I chose to do what it says in verse 24

I nailed all of my sins, all of my shame, all of my evil desires to the cross with Jesus.

AND HE TOOK THEM FROM ME!!!

This is why Jesus died!

This is His passion for you!

That today you can be one person...

And tomorrow someone completely different!

Because of Jesus Christ we can change.

You may not think that you could ever change.

That you are stuck in your circumstance

That you are stuck in your sin.

That you are trapped in the cycle I was stuck in!

Today Jesus wants you to know that He died for that!

He loves you so much and wants you to put all of that junk on Him.

Give your life completely to Him like I did and I promise you, you will find change

Because I made that decision on August 17, 2011 the trajectory of my life has been forever changed.

God has restored my mind, my body, and my soul.

He has taken me places I never though I would go

And He has healed me so deeply I can never let Him go.

So please, If you feel trapped

IF you feel like you cannot change

If you feel alone and consumed by darkness

Give Jesus a shot.

Dive into the gospel message with reckless abandon and I promise you

YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER EVER BE THE SAME.