10-25-04

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. [2] We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven.

We want to see the power of the Spirit move in us.

Matthew 7:23

But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.'

The Word works if we use it regardless if we believe in Him.
Don’t be a believer because it is right. I must know God and have a passion for God.
Passion – strong motivation, drives me towards

God’s passion for ME

Ephes. 1:3-14

How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. [4] Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. [5] His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.

[6] So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. [7] He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. [8] He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

[9] God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. [10] And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. [11] Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. [12] God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. [13] And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. [14] The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.

God chose me. Acts 17:22-31
So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, [23] for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it—'To an Unknown God.' You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him.
[24] "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, [25] and human hands can't serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. [26] From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
[27] "His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. [28] For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, 'We are his offspring.' [29] And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. [30] God overlooked people's former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. [31] For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead."

We live in a world that is longing to be loved and treasured. World gives us an identity. God has an identity to give us.

God doesn’t need me.

God desires us and were are being pursued bc of His love. The Bride is the Church. God is pursuing us as bridegroom pursues his bride.

God isn’t going to hide himself from me. He gave it all up when He took our sins.

Hosea 2:14

"But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.

Hosea 2:19

I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion.

· God is passionately in love with me.

Psalm 8:4-9

what are mortals that you should think of us,

mere humans that you should care for us?

[5] For you made us only a little lower than God,

and you crowned us with glory and honor.

[6] You put us in charge of everything you made,

giving us authority over all things—

[7] the sheep and the cattle

and all the wild animals,

[8] the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,

and everything that swims the ocean currents.

[9] O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!

· God desires to empower, equip, protect us and then gives us these things.

1 John 4:19

We love each other as a result of his loving us first.

· We think that we have to work to receive his love. That’s a lie. He loves us no matter what we have done.

· God perusing me like a dam being busted and Tree (ME) getting washed over with the flood waters. Then birds come kissing the tree and the tree smiles and is knocked into the waters.

· Must learn to cultivate our passions and grow.

· Jesus was always in the presence of God.

John 17:26

And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them and I in them."

· Great prayer to pray.

· Jesus wants me to love him as much as the Father loves him.

· I need to pray that I love the Father more today than I did yesterday.

· What do I desire and love the most is what I will get? What am I chasing after?

· Don’t just need to be obedient; but be passionate and have devotion as well.

· God wants our love.

· Out of love obey. Not out of obedience will I love.

· Love God with everything that I have.

Philip. 1:21

For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.

· Everything to Paul was to do out of love for Jesus.

· Rich young ruler. Nothing to do with money. What did he love in his heart the most was the issue? Wasn’t willing to give everything to God.

· Its not sin problem, it’s a love problem.

Mary, Martha’s Sister, had passion for God

Passion moves God

I am not moved by need but by passion. –GOD

Mary smelled like Jesus bc of the perfume. She gave out of passion and left smelling like Jesus. They didn’t see just her, but also Jesus. Jesus last days he went and hung out at her place.

John 11:17-44

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. [18] Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, [19] and many of the people had come to pay their respects and console Martha and Mary on their loss. [20] When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed at home. [21] Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask."

[23] Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again."

[24] "Yes," Martha said, "when everyone else rises, on resurrection day."

[25] Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. [26] They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?"

[27] "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God." [28] Then she left him and returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, "The Teacher is here and wants to see you." [29] So Mary immediately went to him.

[30] Now Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. [31] When the people who were at the house trying to console Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus's grave to weep. So they followed her there. [32] When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell down at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

[33] When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and was deeply troubled. [34] "Where have you put him?" he asked them.

They told him, "Lord, come and see." [35] Then Jesus wept. [36] The people who were standing nearby said, "See how much he loved him." [37] But some said, "This man healed a blind man. Why couldn't he keep Lazarus from dying?"

[38] And again Jesus was deeply troubled. Then they came to the grave. It was a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. [39] "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man's sister, said, "Lord, by now the smell will be terrible because he has been dead for four days."

[40] Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you will see God's glory if you believe?" [41] So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. [42] You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so they will believe you sent me." [43] Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" [44] And Lazarus came out, bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!"

Both asked Jesus, Martha and Mary. Martha got a theological response bc she called him teacher. Mary got relational answer bc she said Lord and was weeping.
Passion Moves Jesus.
God is a respecter of faith and passion.

3 Things to Keep our Passion for the Lord Alive

Can’t love a person that we don’t know. Must know Jesus. Set a time aside to spend with Him. Time with God is very important. Talk to God and hang out with Him. Get Mary’s passion by hanging out with him at His feet. Done consistent throughout the day. I want to turn the head and heart of God. Prayer time should be the most exciting time. Jesus said my sheep know my voice. Even read the Bible and not know God. Pharisees did this in John 5:37.
Can’t have barriers in my life. Must repent of sin and remove the barrier. Can’t believe that God want forgive me. Must not be in condemnation in my life. Righteousness – stand upright in the presence of God. Only Jesus can’t take away the barrier of sin when we ask him to remove it. Mary ran to Jesus and broke the bottle over his feet. She didn’t even ask him and he loved it. We must too when we sin. We must run into the presence of God with out guilt. If guilt is present, must give that too the Lord. Must come boldly before his thrown. John 1:9 God will cleanse us from our sins.
Ask for passion. Must acquire passion from Jesus and consistently ask for it. Have to desire to love God. Have to see a vision of God’s love before we can have love. Perfect practice makes perfect. Must pray for passion in my life. Have to understand the passion of God first. He is love sick for ME. The more love I have for the Father, the more love I’ll have for others.

John 13:23

One of Jesus' disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table.

I have to trust the Lord in everything. What I buy at the grocery story, ect.