What are you passionate about?
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There are certain times in every persons life when staying true to Jesus demands the deepest sacrifice, and the greatest cost. That’s when we find out if we were really committed to Jesus or if we were only along for the ride.
Follow God regardless of the cost
Passion is a word we hear used in many different ways. It can describe marital intimacy, to excel at work or an intense commitment in any pursuit. It’s a strong feeling about a person or a goal. It is an emotion that motivates us and drives to go the extra mile when it comes to the object of our passion.
A true disciples gives up everything so that nothing can get in the way of the love power and effectiveness that comes from obeying Christ
Some people fool themselves by saying you know I’m not really passionate about anything, i am just not an emotional kind of person. You are lying to yourself. God created you with passions because you were created in the image of God and He is emotional. He loves He becomes angry, He grieves. God is your creator and you were made in His image, therefore you are by nature a passionate person. The only question is what is the object of your passion?
For example when your cotton picker breaks down and you are running out of daylight Im pretty sure Dennis doesn’t say, Oh heavens I guess we will just try tomorrow. No he probably gets irritated and begins trying to fix it. Why? Because it is crucial to His success it is vital for his livlihood.
(rich young ruler)
All of us have at least one thing that captures out hearts and as a result everything in our lives revolve around.
Consider the things we give our time attention and money toward. If you’ll notice I am dressed a little funny The things I am wearing today represent the things which dominate most our passions. You can find out what a person is passionate about when you consider the amount of time money and energy is spent on a thing.
Take hunting for example:
Rent Land
Buy equipment
Buy seed (food plot)
Wake up before daylight
Sit in the freezing cold
Buy ammunition
Pay the processor (or buy the equipment to process yourself)
Fishing:
Buy a boat
Buy a lakehouse
Insure the boat
Gas up the boat
Buy the equipment
Get up before the sunrises
Fish all day long
When the big one gets away you dont say Shucks I sure hope I get him next time......
Shopping:
Go to buy one thing, end up with 5
Spend all day getting you nails done, hair done
Buy clothes that you cant afford to impress people you dont even like
hair dyed
I’m not saying these things are wrong I am just trying to help you understand that you are passionate about things you love and enjoy.
Some of us are passionate about our families, getting to the next position in our careers, or cheering for our favorite teams. Others are consumed with the thirst of revenge, or to escape the pain and emptiness of their lives. Our passion is our pursuit of that which consumes our hearts and choices.
Our highest goal and our biggest dream always pushes its way to the front of our minds. Before I trusted in Christ I was a passionate sinner I lived to drink and party and tried to do anything I wanted to do. I was also passionate about the game of baseball; if you were to talk to my mother she would tell you something.
I ate slept, and breathed baseball. I watched it, studied it, had a diet that helped me achieve some level of success at it. Worked tirelessly to be the best athlete I could be. Even after I got saved I pursued my dream of playing in the major leagues with everything I had inside of me. My time, money, and energy was consumed with my pursuit of being a major league baseball player.
It was what I wanted more than anything else in this world, and that was the issue, I wanted that so much that when it came to my life everything else came second even the Lord. Which is why I believe the Lord took it from me, it was the idol of my heart.
When I began to follow the Lord as a disciple Christ put Himself in the center of everything in my life and i became a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. I realized some of those things, money, my dreams, and baseball. Needed to become secondary others were distractions that needed to go (drinking, girls, drugs)
I also realized really fast that their weren’t many people inside the church that were really passionate about Jesus. Every week I stood next to people who if they sang at all, only mumbled the words of praise to our great God. During the sermon they looked like they were thinking about anything but God’s amazing truth.
My guess is when they walked out the door each Sunday they didn’t think about God until the next Sunday morning. So what is it that turns a bored and self-absorbed believer into a passionate disciple of Christ?
Last week we looked at 10 differences between believers and disciples.
1. Pleasing God takes priority over pleasing men
Today were going to look at 3 of those and let the Bible show us the difference.
Remember if you live as a believer and never follow you will never enjoy the adventure that awaits for you by being a follower of Jesus Christ.
“When Christ calls a man He bids him come and die”
To do this were going to look briefly at one believer and one disciple, and notice the differences in mindset, and heart and see how they approach following Jesus, and the spiritual reality behind these biblical accounts.
If we dont understand this truth we will always remain believers and not disciples.
When you are passionately pursuing something, when you have a passion, your time, energy and money go towards what you love. however if your passion is in the wrong place it can be a hindrance in your ability to follow the Lord.
This is why the greatest commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart soul mind and strength. Because if there is one thing that Jesus knew and that is WHEVER YOUR TREASURE IS YOUR HEART WILL FOLLOW!
If your treasure is in your hobby then all of your time and money will be given there, if your treasure is your children then your children will take priority over everything else in your life, if your career then all your time money and energy will go there. YOUR HEART FOLLOWS YOUR TREASURE!
This morning were going to look at the first PROBLEM the believer has which is THE PASSION OF HIS HEART IS IN THE WRONG PLACE....
Believers believe in Jesus but live to please themselves.
Believers believe in Jesus but live to please themselves.
Believers don’t have eternal life, because they have never followed Jesus as Lord!
Believers well intentioned people who believe (agree) with Jesus but are hindered in their ability to follow after Him because their passions are simply in the wrong place.
Consider quickly the rich young ruler
Just then someone came up and asked Him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”
Matthew 19:16
Consider his question....
His desire was for eternal life, he agreed, that if there was someone anyone who had the ability to tell him how to be saved, Jesus had to be the one.
This is a genuine question, this man was well intentioned and by what we can see in this story he must have been a pretty good individual. WHAT GOOD MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE
What an astounding question up until this point no person had come to Jesus and asked such a question. He was mentally leaning toward Jesus as his source for eternal life, which is where many people who are deceived fall. But Jesus would confront one flaw in his thinking.
“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” He said to him. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Now some people would say, well this is weird I thought we weren’t able to be saved.
You are correct, we are not able to keep the commandments, but Jesus wasn’t telling the young man this in order for him to actually do these things and inherit eternal life. Jesus was taking him on a journey through his own mind and heart to reveal to the man what was actually on the inside of him.
Notice the young man responds:
“Which ones?” he asked Him. Jesus answered:
Do not murder;
do not commit adultery;
do not steal;
do not bear false witness;
Which ones?
This man is getting his list ready he is ready to write down what to do, Jesus lists off some commandments.
honor your father and your mother;
and love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew
Watch what the young man says in response
“I have kept all these,” the young man told Him. “What do I still lack?”
WOW what pride, I have kept all of these. What do I still lack?
Now wait a minute he was so prideful, I have kept all of these..... why would he follow that up with WHAT DO I STILL LACK?
Because deep within the heart of the believer who has yet to fully commit to Jesus as Lord over their entire life is this
THEY KNOW THEY STILL LACK SOMETHING THEY WALK AROUND WITH NO ASSURANCE OF SALVATION, THEYLIVE IN DEEP FEAR OF GOD BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID THEY ARENT BEING GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE LORD TO LOVE THEM!
He knows that even though he has fought hard to keep commandments that he still lacks something, it is an inner knowledge that causes a fear to arise within him and so He asks what do I still lack?
Now Jesus who knows what is inside the very hearts of men, has this young man right where he wants him.
“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
Essentially what Jesus does here is move right to the heart of the matter, he goes right where this man did not want him to go.
GO SELL YOUR STUFF AND FOLLOW ME
Jesus knew this young man found his identity in his wealth, an if this young man was going to display saving faith, then he must be willing to deny himself, and actively follow Jesus Christ as His Lord.
The underlying principle, true saving belief always displays itself in sacrifice and action.
Matthew 19:
When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
The young man walked away from Jesus?
This is what happens when a persons passions are found in the wrong place, essentially what he was saying was that while salvation sounded great, he wasn’t willing to give up the thing he loved the most HIS MONEY.
YOU KNOW WHY?
YOUR HEART FOLLOWS YOUR TREASURE, IF JESUS IS YOUR TREASURE THEN YOU WILL FOLLOW HIM IN EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE HE BECOMES THE LENSE BY WHICH YOU LOOK THROUGH ALL OF LIFE. IF SOMETHING ELSE IS THEN YOU WILL FOLLOW THAT AND NEVER TRULY FOLLOW JESUS.
BUT DID THE YOUNG MAN NOT GAIN SALVATION?
I mean where are you getting that preacher?
Look at what Jesus says next:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!
:
Why will it be hard Jesus?
Because their hearts are devoted to things of the world and not to Him and Jesus said unless your willing to give up everything family, money, houses, even their own lives then they are not able to be His disciples.
Everything we are passionate about are things that make us who we are. They are what gives us our identity this is the problem Jesus is the only ONE WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DICTATE WHAT HIS VERY CREATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE, so it is not the things themselves that are wrong it is only the place we give them in our hearts that makes them hinder where we stand with Jesus.
Let’s take another quick look at someone who was on the right track but still lacked what Jesus was looking for and it cost him.
The next man will be very familiar to us.
He was close to Jesus, He served Jesus. He walked with Jesus, he was such a part of the group of disciples that he was given an official office.
He was the keeper of the money bag. He was in control of the Lord’s finance for ministry, any and every thing collected to provide for the disciples was held in a purse and was managed by this man.
His name was Judas and his story really was a shame.
This man saw the miracles of Jesus he heard the teachings of Jesus, but he was not a disciple. He might have held and office but he was not truly one of the disciples. Why?
This man loved money more than Christ.
This man sat at the last supper of our Lord and listened while Jesus predicted that someone at the table would betray Him.
He even looks over to Judas and said what you are going to do, do quickly.
Judas goes and strikes a deal, that would pay him 30 pieces of silver (the cost of a common slave for the betrayal of the Son of God)
Judas had the best chance to hear the truth from the very Son of God Himself and yet as soon as the opportunity arose to get something for himself Jesus was expendable.
Listen to me, there are so many men and women just like Judas when they need Jesus they are willing to listen to His teaching, when their relationship with other disciples get them into an office within the church or gain them noteriety within the community they are found right there in church.
But the moment the opportunity arises for them to do something for themselves they are reayd and willing to sell Jesus out.
They gain what they want, and then feel the guilt as a result.
Notice what this bold man does:
While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. His betrayer had given them a sign: “The One I kiss, He’s the One; arrest Him!” So he went right up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Matthew 26:47
This man comes to Jesus and had a signal to alert the authorities who Jesus was. This sign was none other than a symbol of love, he kisses Jesus on the cheek
The believer may agree with Jesus may even hangout with followers of Jesus but when it comes down to gaining material things, relationships, or status or gaining closeness with Jesus, they choose themselves every time.
I am telling you this is why so many within the church of Jesus Christ fall away.
They are merely believers who have never truly followed Christ as their Lord or master.
it is happening all over the country and has been for sometime now, people are leaving the church in droves but why?
IT IS BECAUSE WE NEVER MADE DISCIPLES ONLY BELIEVERS
IT IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE SIGNS THAT WE ARE IN THE LAST DAYS:
John tells us
THIS IS HOW WE WILL KNOW IT IS THE LAST HOUR
They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.
LISTEN TO ME I CANNOT BE MORE CLEAR THAN TO SAY THIS, We have entered into an age where the churches are filled with believers those who agree with the teaching that Jesus is Lord but have never made the transition to proclaim Him Lord over their life and as a result they have a life that appears no different and have not been changed within.
Disciples believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and live to serve Him, because they love Him.
Disciples believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and live to serve Him, because they love Him.
Disciples love the Lord Jesus and understand that they are not their own they were bought at a very steep price the price was the blood of the Son of God.
Now that they realize what Christ has done in their place even though they did not deserve it they now live and nothing and I mean nothing makes them feel more alive than serving the Lamb who died on Calvarys tree.
Lets look at a famous woman
She was Notorious for what she did in the gospel of John
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.
John 12:
Here is Jesus eating with a man he resurrected from death having a meal. When all of a sudden a disruption occurred.
Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
John 12:
Now heres what you need to understand this was not just some essential oils you could buy from the local town market. This was what was called a dowry, this woman’s entire livlihood rested upon this perfume.
It was custom in those days that if a woman was to be married she would have something to bring to the table. Some times it would take the form of a coin, that would be placed within a headband the women would wear on their heads.
Other times based on financial situations of the family, it would have been an expensive oil much like this oil.
This woman burst through the door and smashes it on the ground.
If a woman had no dowry to offer her husband she would almost be guaranteed not to get one, which was a huge deal because if a woman in those days did not marry she was often left destitue.
This was essentially her life line. She comes in and smashes it on the floor and begins to anoint Jesus’ feet with oil.
What she was saying is this ALL THAT I AM AND EVERYTHING I HAVE IS FOR YOU LORD
IM NOT WORRIED ABOUT ME I ONLY LONG TO WORSHIP YOU PROPERLY BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
She threw her future out the window and focused soley on worshipping the Savior
She was a disciple, she was someone who followed Jesus with her whole heart and this act showed what was inside of her heart.
It also showed what was inside anothers heart who was there.
John 12:
But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,
John 12:
“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.
She had love for Jesus Judas had love for himself.
That is really the missing element for the believer they have no love for Christ because they do not understand fully the gospel. Judas betrays Jesus and only weeps because he felt guilt.
Peter failed Jesus by denying Him but he went outside the city and wept because he had failed someone he loved.
Let’s look at old wishy washy Peter
He answers the question for us
CAN A TRUE FOLLOWER OF JESUS PRACTICALLY IN THEIR LIFE EVER FAIL TO FOLLOW JESUS IN OBEDIENCE AND THE ANSWER IS YES.
We are sinners at the core and we need a Savior
Peter love Jesus with every fiber of His being, but he still failed him but notice what happens after Jesus was resurrected
When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”
“Feed My lambs,” He told him.
John 21:15
A second time He asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”
“Shepherd My sheep,” He told him.
He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.”
“Feed My sheep,” Jesus said.
John 21:17
Here Jesus by asking 3 times reminds Peter of his failure, and it grieves Peter hurts him because he knew he failed.
However Jesus didn’t remind Peter of HIs failure to leave him there He reminded Peter of his sin, so that Peter would understand and appreciate what was coming next.
Jesus was about to restore and recall Peter
YOU CAN DISOBEY THE LORDS CALL, BUT IF YOU ARE TRULY A FOLLOWER OF JESUS AS YOUR LORD HIS CALL WILL NEVER GO AWAY
No matter how you fail Him
We serve the GOd of grace and mercy, we serve the SOVEREIGN mighty Lord who stoops and bends down and lifts the head of his fallen children.
But notice what Jesus does
He tells Peter the time for living for himself is over
It is time to deny himself and do what Jesus had called him to do.
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”
John 21:
You used to live for yourself Peter but if your going to have a second chance you must understand you are not your own and the days for self indulgence is over.
You will die for my name Peter
He said this to signify by what kind of death he would glorify God. After saying this, He told him, “Follow Me!”
Peter would go on to ask about John in this text, and Jesus tells him again, follow me
LISTEN TO ME THIS MORNING TRUE SAVING FAITH CHANGES YOU, BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT CHANGES YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
IF YOU
The question still remains, are you a follower, a disciple who believes in Jesus not just savior but as master and Lord and you live your life accordingly....
Or
are you a believer who agrees with who Jesus is and like what Jesus stands for but you have never submitted to His Lordship?
OR
Have you gained eternal life through the Soverign work of the Lord but you have misplaced passions?
I wanna give you some bad news
If you live for self and never have experienced true genuine saving faith where you are emptied of who you are and filled with the Holy Spirit of God you have never been born again, and if you die today you will spend eternity separated from the God who loves you.
IF you are here this morningand you would say Kyle I have misplaced passions, and when I look at my life Jesus does not have first place.
Then maybe you need to come and repent and ask God for the grace to begin again.
HERES THE GOOD NEWS
WE SERVE THE HEAVENLY FATHER WHO WELCOMES HOME THE WAYWARD SON OR DAUGHTER
With open arms
Which one are you?
Which one do you want to be?
(Let’s Pray)
We wont discover what God has for us until we surrender our grip on our own plans
LIFE BECOMES EXTRAORDINARY
To be great be ;ast
Be set free by surrnendering
To save your life give it all over to Him