I want to say that is my pleasure to be.
Here and be part of this weekend.
Meeting that would you prepare as a Kang gradation here in
Bakersfield? And it's an honor in underserved
privilege to stand before you and be your preacher during this
weekend meeting, we hope and pray that what we're going to
study these three days will help us to be the kind of Christians
and children of God that we are To be that is our goal or
challenge that we have to face in a daily basis.
Tonight, we're going to talk about passion.
Yes, we need to be passionate people.
That the only way to succeed if you don't have passion.
Partly you going to succeed. So we need passion and we're
going to talk about the word passion, but we don't care only
about this word this word. Many people have passion for the
wrong things and means nothing. But we're going to talk tonight
about passion for God, our heavenly father.
So we're going to talk about passion for God tonight.
But we're gonna try to Define what that word passion me.
Is the basis for less than is found in Romans.
Chapter 12 and verse 11, the Bible says not lagging.
In diligence fervent in spirit serving the lord.
Passion is defined as intense drive, or overmastering feeling
or conviction, hey, strong desire for or Devotion, to some
activity, object or concept. Passion is synonymous of Ferber
hate to see Assam and seal which fuels or motivates to are
compelling. Auction nothing.
Nothing great is ever accomplished live without
passion nothing. Great.
He severed sustain in life without passion.
Passion is what energizes life passion is, what causes
explorers to boldly go. Where no man has gone before.
Passion is what causes scientists to spend late night
out? Out trying to find the cure to a
dreaded disease. Passion is actually the deciding
factor between successful or unsuccessful people in every
field of work. The fire that is inside affect
every everything on the outside, doesn't way it is.
If you have passion inside, everybody Gonna Know.
It's okay. If you don't everybody gonna
know his do cows say same same drool.
The writer William Ward said, enthusiasm and persistence in,
persistence can make an average person.
Superior indifference and letter, G letter G can make a
superior person, average. Of course, of course, success.
Of course, success does not depend on passion alone.
You can be passionately doing the wrong things and you are
going to get nothing positive. Nothing good.
But the truth is that without passion you can hardly succeed.
Nothing great. He's ever accomplished with it.
It is not lack of talent. Skilled or lack of training,
their lack of fire, Trevor. And seal is the problem.
If you want to succeed in any area of life, if you want to
accomplish goals in life, if you want to be a successful person,
never forget the passion is the ingredient that causes piece.
Tonight we're going to talk about passion passion, for God,
passion for God. We as Christians hip-hip to
realize that we cannot be the kind of children that God wants
us to be without passion. Passion gave David a reason to
get up in the morning and said, This is the day that the Lord
has made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it the same passion that met David say this words could make
us get up in the morning and say I'm going to be the best
Christian that I can be. Today I'm going to serve others,
wanting nothing in return. I want to be the best, huh?
Or I'm going to be the Christian.
I, I can be, I'm going to share the great news of Salvation with
my co-workers, classmates, neighbors, friends, or enemies.
Yes, I'm going to enjoy today doing the vest for the Lord.
There is another scripture and Psalm 40 to 1 and 2 As the deer
pants for the water Brooks. So pants, my soul for you.
Oh God, my soul, thirsts for God for the Living.
God, When shall I come and appear before God.
Psalm 82, 84 and births to my soul Longs.
Yes. Even faints for the courts of
the Lord, my heart, and my flesh cry out for the Living.
God, what we can see in this tree scriptures, we can see
passion for God, passion for God.
Well we're going to talk for a few minutes about this tonight.
Going Talk to the first verse. It says not lagging in
diligence. Diligence fervent in spirit
serving the lord let's consider this verse and see what we can
learn from it. What Paul, what Paul is saying,
is keep the fire going in your life.
Yes, you are not passionate by natural.
This is something that you have to choose to do that.
You, you get distracted in everything in life, conspires to
keep you from being passionate about God, there are so many
distractions in this world for young people and old people.
Like me. So we need to keep in mind that
we need to keep passionate for. For God serving is not enough.
We need to be fervent in serving the lord fervent in spirit
serving the lord, not only serving everybody serves, but we
need to serve fervent in spirit serving the lord.
And that's what the Bible says in dark burst, it is more than
just a question of talent skill that desire, strong, desire to
serve, God, and do your best and serve him with all your heart.
With all your mind, we're gonna talk more about these later in
the lesson, passion has to do with our heart.
It is par that burns within us that in.
Joyce us to do. God's will weed out these
serving. God is boring monotonous and
routine. Their Christian life becomes
Dome Let's consider another passage.
Mark 12 28 through 31. Dave, one of the scribes came,
Hey Kevin heard the reasoning together perceiving that he can
answer them. Well, ask him ask him, which is
the first commandment of all Jesus answer him the first
complete. The first of all the
Commandments is he Hear o Israel.
The Lord. Our God.
The Lord is one. He you shall love the Lord.
Your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind. And with all your strength, this
is the first commandment. And the second like like it is
this. You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. There is no other commandment
greater than these As we see in this passage a teacher of the
law wants us, Jesus, which is the first commandment of all
Jesus answered. Love the Lord, your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength, What Jesus was teaching this scribe
is that? It is more than just love you.
Love God. Sometimes we said I love
hamburgers, you know you know you use the the work wherever
you. I love hamburgers that you eat
them. That doesn't make sense.
You know? It's not just love.
Is that just love know? It is.
How you love. God.
What does this involve? He did not just loving with your
heart, but the Commandment ads with your soul, hit with your
mind and with your strength, it is not one or the other.
It is one hand the other. All of them together.
Now we cannot love him with a portion of her heart, half of
her soul. A part of our mind or with
partial strength, according to the passage that we are,
considering we need to love him with all our heart, all of our
soul, all of our mind and all our strength, I think we get the
point. We must love, we must love God.
With all our being completely, that's what it is.
That passage says and teaches us.
He's not talking about just love, but the quality of our
love it must be a passionate love, not a whore, half-hearted
one, no one. That gives a service that is
purely external. He has no feeling behind it.
We must be passionate about God. Hid everything.
That concerns him and there is nothing more important than
that. It is the most important thing
in Christian Life. This is the kind of relationship
that we must have with God. Here is the amazing thing in
America. It is okay to be passionate
about anything. Except God, I can be passionate
about sports Fashion food, but I cannot be passionate about God.
People who are passionate about football game with child, his
heads off when their team scores.
In cry like babies. When they lose no one thinks
it's hard? No, no, no.
It's a die-hard fan, he's a real fan.
That's what the people think, okay.
But if you are passionate about God about your faith, About your
relationship with him. Then you are a fanatic.
That's the way America thinks about the spiritual passion.
The opposite, the opposite of passion is apathy or
indifference indifference or look form.
We have an example. What with one of the churches
and Revelations 2 & 3 Revelation 3:14. 2:16 says And the angel of
the Church of the laodiceans write these things says the
amen. The faithful and true.
Witness the beginning of the creation of God.
I know your works. That you are neither cold or
hot. I could wish I could wish you
were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm
and neither cold. Her heart.
I will vomit you out of my mouth strong statement.
But God never asked permission to say whatever he wants to do.
He can say anything. He wants, pay attention to this
scripture. when we are look warm, you know, Christians.
We had the risk that can be bonded.
From God, that's what he says. And Doctor scripture. so, it is
so important to realize, That we need to be passionate for God.
The law is there, but not with the same seal or passion.
This can happen in friendship in marriage Parenthood.
And in our relationship with God, we still serve God but no
longer with excitement or enthusiasm.
Someone described this attitude as serving God in such a way as
to not offend the devil both are happy.
Okay. The truth is that to be
passionate about, God is the most important thing in
Christian Life. Why why?
First because God loves us that way.
God is a is passionate about us. The proof is in the cross.
He gave us his only begotten son.
Jesus Christ, John 3:16 tells us, Jesus died for us and gave
his life for us. According to John chapter 10 and
verse 18. In second because love loving
God this way fulfills us completely.
That's when we become the most happy and satisfied questions.
When we are passionate about God, Now passion it is not
something that is static or stays the same all the time.
Our lobbies there, that our passion could decline Paul tells
Timothy and second Timothy chapter 1, him burst 6.
Therefore I remind you to steer up the gift of God which is in
you through the laying on of my hands.
He's not talking about a new thing that you Marty needs.
But reigniting the one he already had stood up.
Yes, yes. Re eat Hiding.
It is there but you need to keep it a place.
God the flame within you. Don't let the world or or Devils
win, blow it out. Hey roaring.
Fire will only continue if you steered the wood and called
already in fire. The Apostle Paul's passion was
threatenin times but he refused to let any sir.
Understands challenge or crisis, beat it out of him.
Protect your passion, this protect your passion for God.
So we learn that we need to have passion passion for God.
That's the only way that we are going to succeed as Christians
as children of God. And that's the only way that we
could enjoy this Abundant Life, that Jesus brought to house
according to John, 10:10 in at the end everlasting life him
heaven with God. No.
How can we stay passionate for the Lord?
How, well, first of all, we must avoid passion.
Kidder's, you know, why we sometimes lose passion?
Because there are passion Killers, Satan Jews.
This passion Killers to kill our passion, then to be contempt
doing whatever, you know, almost nothing when you have time
tomorrow, you know? Let me talk about several
passion killers that we need to avoid in order to be passionate
to God, number one, and on the Lance schedule.
That means either if you are overworked or you are on the
work, you're going to lose your passion for God, you need
balance in your schedule. Look what it says in 1st,
Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7. He exercised yourself to our
godliness. Yes, make exercise practice
living the Christian life growing in the knowledge of God
and the will God practice it live it share it.
You know, you need to know Jesus.
Not only fact about Jesus. You need to have a relationship
with him in the databases. He intimate relationship.
That's what it means. Knowing Jesus.
You need to leave it. Yes, you need to live it.
When you live for Jesus, you smell like Jesus.
That's what Paul says, writing to the Corinthian Brethren.
Yes, we smell like Jesus. When we are in a work place or
School neighborhood, they smell. Hmm.
This is Mel different. Yes, with mail as Christians as
a children of God, that's what The Bible tells us we're not
talk about this in another day and you and all that you need to
smell like Jesus. And the Bible says that, yes, we
smell like Jesus, when we leave Jesus.
And then, what else? Sure, share, Jesus, there are so
many people that are dying around us.
They know, they don't know any, anything about Jesus the Jesus
of the Bible. Okay, co-workers, classmate
friends, neighbors, friends or enemies.
You know and we need to share Jesus.
Let me give you five purposes for your life in order to keep
balanced schedule. Spiritually, there are five
areas five areas. Number one, you need to have
time to worship. God number One, never forget.
That Hebrews 10:25 is very clear, okay?
Not forsaking the assembly, you need to have time.
Each time that the church is called, as a church to get
together to worship. God, you need to be here.
Not only Sunday morning. No, no.
Not only Sunday morning Sunday evening.
What about midweek Services? What do you do?
And we look weak Services. Worship God for.
What's the difference? So, think about it.
You need to have X to fellowship with other believers.
This is so important. You need times to read God's
word, then to grow as a Christian.
You need to have time to serve others with your abilities.
Your abilities are not for you. Are for the benefit of others,
okay? A number five, you need times to
share your faith, your faith with others?
Yes. That what it means exercise
yourself toward godliness. What happened?
If you study the word of God and, you know, I'm not about the
knowledge of the will of God. And you don't share that word of
God with others or what happened.
If you, you know, you can have a lot of knowledge about God and
don't live it. C comes all together all
together, okay? That's the only way.
If not you're gonna lose your passion for God.
And on Jews talent and on you Stalin will cause you to lose
your passion for God. Look what he says in First Peter
chapter 4 verse 10. As each other one has received a
gift Minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God. What Peter is saying is God
gives you Didn't then abilities use them.
Well now Those talents that you have that you have received from
God, are not for your benefit. They are for the benefit of
other people. Your talents are for my benefit.
My abilities are for your benefit, you have to use those
abilities and the service of other people.
God has given you a special role in this world.
He want you to make a contribution with your talents.
Remember, if you do not use your talents and Is you're going to
lose your passion for God. And all clear purpose, while
you're here for, we are here on this Earth, I'm 65.
Okay, why I'm here for 65 years? Well, you know, I went to
school, got married. I have children and
grandchildren. That's my purpose in life.
No, no, no, no. That is not the purpose for my
life here. Nope.
No. Well to have a good job.
A good job and have a good home. No.
That is not the purpose. No.
Sometimes we have our own clear purpose, why we are here.
That's why we lose or passion for God.
Can we forget of, we don't know the purpose of our lives here on
Earth. We're going to lose our passion.
Look what it says, and I say 49, and for then I said, I had labor
in vain. I kept spend my strength for
nothing and in vain, no purpose. You don't know what your
purpose, why you are here? If you don't know the purpose
for your life as Christians, or if you are only living for
yourself, why? Why?
I get up in the morning. Why put forth the effort life
without purpose is activity without Direction, it is motion.
Without meaning life. Without purpose is Trivial
painting in pointless. So what why we are here?
Why we are on this Earth? Well, Isaiah 43:7, it says
everyone who is called by my name whom I have created for my
glory. I have for him.
Yes, I have made him. Every one who is called by my
name. Whom I had created for my glory.
That's the purpose. That's the number one purpose.
Why you are here as Christians to bring honor and glory in
everything you say and do. And everything doing bold is to
bring honor and glory to our Heavenly.
Father, that's the number one purpose.
First Corinthians 10:31. Therefore, whether you eat or
drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
When you realize that everything you do this, he see, you know,
Sometimes people think that I work hard say no, I'm embarking
on my back, ations I enjoy, what I do.
This is my life for 44 years. So I enjoy these.
This is not work, they don't know what they're talking about,
you know, we need to realize why we are here, you being called to
the gospel, to be children of God, to have an Abundant Life,
had to do everything every day. For the glory of God, when you
know that everything piece of cake, everything is fine.
No matter what you're going to enjoy it.
You are going to enjoy it. Everything that you're going to
face. You are here to bring honor and
glory to our Heavenly Father, that's our purpose.
Bomb under nourish Spirit under nourished Spirit as another
killer of passion. You are going to have
distractions and disappointments.
You're going to have conflicts and you are going to have
changes and challenges. You are going to have problems
and pressures. You're going to have
frustrations and fears and failures in fatigue.
I'm talking about me. I face all these I copy all
these for me. Yes yes, yes, that's exactly
right. Yes.
All of these things for and you to shrimp shrivel to shrink your
spirit, so you must intentionally nourish your
spirit. That's what we need to do.
In order to wake up and be strong in the Lord, and continue
doing the will of God and bringing honor and glory to God.
Yes, that's how it works as you therefore have received Christ
Jesus, the Lord. So weak, what in him?
Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.
As you have been taught abounded in it with thanks, giving.
Yes, yes, we need to nourish our spirit.
This is an individual responsibility if you don't do
do it nobody, nobody else is going to do it for you.
I understand that the Evangelist has to do his best to keep
well-nourished the brothers and sisters.
He served and the congregation not steal.
This is an individual responsibility in order to keep
our passion for God. So is so it is so important.
Clutter lifestyle. Never mix.
Spiritual and Cardinals. No, no flesh and spirit.
Never never make a combination like that.
You gonna lose your your your passion for God.
Look what it says in Matthew 6:24.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and
love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God and money.
We need to be careful not to have a cover lifestyle.
We have to prioritize. How Matthew 6:33, but seek
first, the kingdom of God, hey, his righteousness and all these
things shall be added to you. That's number one priority,
okay? Matthew 6:33, but seek first,
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, then don't worry
about it. So anything else God is going to
take care of us? No dad, no doubt about it.
So it is so so important to realize all this So tonight we
talk for some time about passion, passion for God.
We need to be passionate Christians serving with all our
heart, all our mind, or our strength, every time under any
circumstance. Then we're going to please God
and we're going to enjoy an abandon abandon Abundant Life on
Earth. So think about your passion, Let
me give you the last thoughts that I have here.
There are some questions to finish this.
How are you? And your passion for God?
How are you and your passion for God?
Are you just going through the motions?
Are you Red Heart To God? Because he loves you that much.
The truth is that you are as close to God as you choose to be
you can have as much of God as you want and you can be as
passionate about God as you want, hope and pray that these
thoughts could really help us to realize what kind of Christian
we should be. if there is anybody in the audience, who
hasn't obeyed the gospel coal, Today, tonight is the time.
Today is the day of salvation. 2nd, Corinthians chapter 6 in
verse 2, says that today is the day of salvation.
What do you have to do? Well, obey, that marvelous Plan
of Salvation that Jesus left? And the New Testament, you need
to hear the word of God, according to Romans 10:17.
You need to have faith in God. You need to believe that Christ
is the Son of God. According to John 3:16, you have
to repent of your sins. According to Luke 13, 1 through
5, you have to confess that Christ is the Son of God,
according to Romans, 10:9, and 10 and be baptized for the
remission of your sins. According to Acts 2:38 and for
the Salvation of your soul. According to Mark 16:15 and 16
or perhaps there is Brother sister who needs to prayers of
the saint. Why don't you come forward while
we stand and sing the song selected?
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
would like any additional information or you would like to
receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
Please email us at info at True Church of Christ
Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays
at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
honored guest.