Passions & Pitfalls

Nathan Wicker

Real Love • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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Happy Engageversary!

February 16, 2014 - 4 years ago today, I proposed to Merinda.

Invited all the family

Had it photographed and recorded on video

Had a saxophone player there

There was passion that drove me to go above and beyond. I could’ve proposed to her alone, there’s nothing wrong with that. What I want you to understand is that passion drives us, whether we want it to or not, it drive us.

Ancient Times, Modern Problems

Last week we talked about Disco Evangelism, and I heard some of the ideas you guys came up with. I’m excited to see you guys get out there and do them!

But before we can go out and evangelize, we need to check ourselves and see what’s driving us…remember passion drives us.

Passion: a strong, barely controllable emotion

Passions are emotions, very intense emotions. We have good and bad emotions that can drive us.

How many have emotions?

Have you ever been driven by emotions?

Roman Passions

Romans 1:26–27 ESV

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Does this sound like the society we live in today?

Paul was writing to the Roman culture that has allowed their passions to overtake their discernment and thus created a new normal for them. Unfortunately this new normal was nowhere close to what God has as His standard.

Dishonorable Passions

vs 26 - God gave them up to their dishonorable passions

Consumed with Passion

vs 27 - they were so consumed with passion that they committed shameless acts

In The Pit, Not At The End

The Roman passions led them ultimately to a pitfall..

Pitfall: a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty

Wrong passions can drop us in a place where we find ourselves or others in danger because, “we just had to do it,” “everyone else is doing it,” “I just wanted to try it once, I couldn’t help it.”

Lamentations 3:46–47 ESV

46 “All our enemies open their mouths against us; 47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction;

Lamentations 3:46–48 ESV

46 “All our enemies open their mouths against us; 47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction; 48 my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Lam

Lamentations 3:46–48 The Message

46 “Our enemies shout abuse, their mouths full of derision, spitting invective. 47 We’ve been to hell and back. We’ve nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. 48 Rivers of tears pour from my eyes at the smashup of my dear people.

Have you ever followed a bad passion and found yourself here?

The good news is, you may had had bad passions and desires in the past, you may even have them right now…you don’t have to stay there.

Real•demption

How many of you would stay in a pit if you fell into it?

It is an absolute lie from the devil/enemy/punk, whatever you call him, that you would have to stay in the fallen state that you are in.

In fact, if you choose to believe that lie, you are choosing not believe in the power of the cross!

But, Pastor Nathan, you don’t know what I’ve done…and I don’t need to know!

Psalm 103:1-

Psalm 103:1–22 ESV

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Passion Fruit

In the end, we are only responsible for the choices that we make.

When a parent tells you that you’re in trouble for hitting your brother back when he started it.

Self Fruit

Galatians 5:16–21 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Spirit Fruit

Galatians 5:22

Galatians 5:22–25 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

What do you choose?

I can lay the fruit before you, but ultimately you will choose whether or not you want to eat it.

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Step 1: Seek God

Matthew 6:33 AMP

33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

Compartmentalized Passion vs. Central Passion

When we try and be passionate about many things, and one of those things it Jesus, we will never find balance.

When Jesus becomes the central passion that everything else revolves around, things start to come into alignment and balance.

Step 2: Allow God to Work

Philippians 2:13 AMP

13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

Step 3: Delight in God

Philippians 3:13 AMP

13 I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

Psalm 37:4 ESV

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

YTH RT

Youth Retreat is a great place to get away from the craziness of the world and renew your passion for God.

Our theme this year is going to be, Unleashed in the presence of God

You see, when we relinquish/get rid of the control in our lives, submit to God, we find ourselves actually more in control that we could be on our own.

We are going to have an amazing time playing some incredible games, throwing mashed potatoes at each other (when else can you do this), playing Gaga Ball, seeing each other’s beautiful faces in the morning when you just wake up, the fun is going to be non-stop.