THE GOD WHO NEVER FAILS

TEXT: Joshua 1:1-9

INTRODUCTION:

Joshua was chosen by both God and Moses to complete the work of leading Israel into the Promised Land. God had made a promise over 400 years earlier to Abraham that his descendants would receive the land that Abraham lived in for an inheritance, as a homeland. Time had gone by, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, went to Egypt with his family. Including Joseph and his sons, they numbered only about 70 people. However, God’s blessings were upon them and soon they begin to multiply. The Egyptians became afraid of them and soon enslaved them, but still they multiplied. The taskmasters make their work hard, they cried out to God but God’s promise seemed far away.

Finally, God sent them a deliverer, named Moses, who, under the hand of God brought out the children of Israel. Moses was God’s man. He brought to the Israelites the laws of God, he spoke with God, as if face to face. Yet even Moses grew discouraged with his people. They constantly seemed to fall into unbelief and disobedience toward God, even to the point of desiring to stone Moses and return back to Egypt. They even reached the edge of the Promised Land, to again fall back in unbelief and spend 40 more years wandering in the wilderness. Not everyone that day was willing to give up their faith. We know that the Bible tells us that two men stood on the promise of God, saying “…Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it (Numbers 13:30).” These two were Joshua and Caleb. Let me ask you a question, how do you suppose they must have felt during the upcoming 40 years? They spent 40 years, still waiting on the promise of God, yet I don’t believe they were willing to give up for they knew the faithfulness of God, that God could be counted on.

One of my favorite hymns is “How Great is Thy Faithfulness”.  The chorus reads

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided –
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

This great Hymn of the church was written by Thomas Chisholm. He did not write this hymn because of something great, or even miraculous that had happened in his life, no, rather he wrote it because as he looked back over his life, he learned to see the great faithfulness of God. At age 75, he wrote these words;   “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.”

It is important to see the faithfulness of God in receiving His promises in your life. Moses had now passed away, but just because Moses had died, it did not mean that the plans of God were dead as well. God pulls down and God raise up. It has always been His work. Joshua is raised up to continue the work of God. God gave him three assurances, that He is that God who never fails…and I believe that every believer needs to be aware of these assurances for they help us in receiving our inherited promise as well.

1. 1. GOD NEVER FAILS IN HIS PROMISES

What exactly is a promise? The dictionary defines it as “a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified.” The word promise comes from a Latin word that means to “set forth.” God sets forth what He will do. Genesis 17:8 “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

God had made a promise. He had told Abraham that he and his descendants would receive the land of Canaan for an inheritance. Even though over 400 years had passed, the promise of God was still real and genuine.

Here we find in Joshua chapter one that God spoke to Joshua and told him that “Moses My servant is dead.” Then He tells him to arise, or get up, and cross over Jordan to the land that He is giving them.

We know, according to Deut. 34:8, “…That Israel mourned for him 30 days.” I imagine that there were many among the Israelites that felt everything was lost, that what was the use of going on for Moses, God’s man was dead. Maybe even Joshua himself felt that way. Maybe they wondered how they could continue onward after the death of Moses. But God spoke and told them to continue on and restates the promise He made to Abraham 400 years before.

He reminds Joshua of a very important truth that we too need to be reminded of, THAT HIS PROMISE ARE NOT DEPENDENT ON MAN, BUT ALWAYS DEPENDENT ON HIM…

He reminded Joshua that He is the BLESSER. In verse 2, God says, “unto the land which I do give to them”. In verse 3, God says, “that have I given unto you”. He wants Joshua to see that He is the GIVER, not Moses, nor anyone else.

Twice He declares to Joshua that He is the divine Giver. I want you to see this evening, that God’s great promises are bound up in His divine nature. God is the Giver and God is the source of our blessings.

Just because Moses had died, did not mean that the work and promise of God would die out. Far too often we tend to view our job, our boss, or our own ability as the key to what we have. NOT BECAUSE SOMEBODY FAILED YOU, IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT GOD’S PROMISES ALREADY FAILED! God wanted Joshua to see that He was the Giver, not Joshua. We too need to see God as our Blesser. He is not like a man who would give promises that they can never back up.

Illustration:

Here’s an interesting story for you: A man named Russell Edward Herman left trillions of dollars to thousands of people he’d never met. What was the catch? Russell Edward Herman didn’t have trillions of dollars. He was just a simple, poor carpenter.  While the wild, wild will of the late Russell Herman never paid off for his “beneficiaries,” it certainly enlivened conversations.  Take the tiny Ohio River town of Cave-In-Rock, for example. Herman bequeathed $2.41 billion to them.  Cave-In-Rock’s mayor, Albert Kaegi had this to say, “It’s an odd thing to happen, isn’t it?”  While the will would never pay off, the mayor had no trouble imagining uses for the willed imaginary monies. Russell Edward Herman had great intentions, but he lacked the resources needed to make them a reality.

The greatness of God, however, stands in sharp contrast. God not only has made great and precious promises, He has the ability, I mean all the power, to follow through on every single one of them, to back up all His promises for you and for me.

Like Israel, we too are on a journey, a journey to receive the fullness of God’s inheritance, a journey that will have ups and downs, just as theirs did. But like Israel, God wants us to see that He is the One that will help us make it through.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (CEV) Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.

What James is saying is that God doesn’t change. It is in the very nature of God to give. Throughout the Bible, you will find God giving,

• the promise to Abraham-Gen. 28:4,
• the law to Moses-Exd. 31:18,
• rest to Israel-Jos. 22:4,
• wisdom, honor, and wealth to Solomon-1 Kings 4:29,
• the kingdom to David-2 Chr. 13:5,
• peace and rest to Jehoshaphat-2 Chr. 20:30,
• knowledge to Daniel-Dan. 1:17.

You can’t not read the Bible and not see the giving of God. We need to realize that God is our Source, He is our Blesser, and He will be faithful in His promise to us to supply for us as we too receive our inheritance, our victory in life.

1. 2. GOD NEVER FAILS TO BE PRESENT.

Israel knew that God was with Moses. Moses’ face literally shone with the glory that came from being in the presence of God so much that he wore a veil to cover it.

There was no doubt that Joshua now had a heavy responsibility laid on his shoulders. To be the leader of over a million people would certainly be a job.   Joshua had already seen the people’s response to Moses, even with the evidence that God was with Moses, the people often rebelled and spoke out against Moses, even to the point of desiring his death. He needed to know if God would be with him.

We too are like Joshua, we know the way is difficult, we know that it’s not easy, life itself is not easy. We know that we have oppositions; we know that we have trouble, and we know that we will face hardships. We too need to know in our Christian walk if God will be with us.

Note that God reassured Joshua twice, not just once but twice, that He would be with him. God told him in verse 5, and then again in verse 9, that He would be with him. Two things to note.

1. a. The strength of God’s assurance.

God told him in verse 5, as I was with Moses, so will I be with you, I will not fail you nor forsake you. There are two words I want us to see that are in the Hebrew.

• 1st, is the word “raphah” {raw-faw’} to be feeble, slack, to relax, or to abandon. It is translated as fail.

Illustration:

I remember when I was watching over Nia, as a father, there were times that perhaps while watching her, something would distract my attention and I would be slack, or relax in watching them to focus on whatever had attracted my attention. Then I would think, I better look out for her.

You see, regardless of how complex our minds are, we can still only focus on just a few things at a time.  God is telling Joshua and to us tonight, “I’m not going to fail you…My eye will always be on you, you will always be the center of My attention.” God is not slack, nor does He relax when His children are concerned.

• The 2nd word I want you to see is the Hebrew “azab” {aw-zab’} to leave, loose, forsake, or neglect. It is translated as forsake.

Illustration:

My wife will tell you that I have a problem with laying things down and forgetting what I do with them. My keys are the one thing that comes to mind. So then I want to tear up the whole house to try and find them. Many has been the time that I wished I could just bind them, or tie them to me, so I wouldn’t lose them.

May I tell you this evening that you are bound to the heart of God by cords of love. God was telling Joshua that I’m not going to let loose of you, I’ll not forsake you. I believe that same promise is available for us today. God’s presence is all around us, through good times and bad times for we are bound to Him. His attachment to you is so strong that you are bound to Him. The author of Hebrews reiterates this in Hebrews 13:5 “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

1. b. The scope of God’s assurance.

In verse 9, God tells Joshua that He will be with him “whithersoever thou goest.” The Hebrew is just one word which is “yalak” {yaw-lak’} which literally means to go or walk. In other words, where ever your feet are, where ever you step, God is saying, “I’ll be there”. May I tell you there has never been a time in your life that God hasn’t been there. OO MAY MGA MAPAPAIT NA SITWASYON NG BUHAY, OO MAY MGA PAGBAGSAK AT MGA PANAHONG HINDI MO MAUNAWAAN ANG MGA BAGAY, NGUNIT NAROON SIYA, SIYA ANG NAGBIBIGAY SA’YO NG KALINAWAN NG ISIP, SIYA ANG NAGBIBIGAY SA IYO NG LAKAS, SIYA ANG HUMIHIPO SA PUSO NG IBANG TAO UPANG TULUNGAN KA, AT SA PANAHONG HINDI MO NA KAYA, SIYA ANG BUMUBUHAT SA IYO…From the moment of your first breath, your first day of school, through out every moment of your life, God has been there.

What God is saying to Joshua and I believe to us as well, “Regardless of what you are going though, regardless of your circumstances, I’m not going to take My eye off you, I’ve bound you to Me, and every step of your life, I’ll be there”. That’s why we can receive our inheritance, not because of us, but because of God.

1. 3. GOD NEVER FAILS IN CHALLENGING HIS PEOPLE.

In verse 7, God told Joshua to be strong (rigid and hard) and courageous( brave and established), to observe or keep the law of God.

What’s the challenge that God is giving to Joshua, to obey His Words…Yes, God’s faithfulness is seen in His promises, His presence and also in His precepts. But God expected Joshua to walk in His word, to make His word/law a priority in his life.

God has not changed, He expected Joshua to be diligent in His law…God told Joshua to not turn from the right or the left regarding His word, to not let it depart from out of his mouth. In other words, he should speak the word, his speech was to be seasoned with the word of God. He told him to mediate on it day and night. In other words, God’s commands were to be the guiding focus of his life so that he could do what God desired of him to do.

(Illustration of buying a computer without an operating system, and then trying to install all of the necessary software. I could have saved myself hours of misery if I had simply read the instructions.)

Some of you have husbands like that too, don’t you?

Mistakes are made because we don’t read the instruction manual. That same principle is true when it comes to the Christian walk. Many of our mistakes could have been avoided if we had saturated ourselves in God’s word. What did God say to Joshua, be careful to obey my Word so that you will be prosperous and successful. You can never separate God’s blessing with obeying His Word…you can pray the whole day asking God to bless you, bless you, but if you know for a fact that you’re disobedient to His words, never expect anything from Him!

Joshua was successful because he paid attention when at the very beginning of his role as leader, God told him; “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it to the right or left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” And that is exactly what Joshua did.

Joshua was to Obey God’s Word In Its Entirety. This is an important element regarding God’s Word…Joshua is told that not only is he to know, speak about, and mediate on the word, he was to obey it. God said,   “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it to the right or left, .., that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” This may be the point at which much about our modern Christianity breaks down.  Most Christians know a lot more of the Bible than they are applying.

The promises of blessing and prosperity were contingent upon the Word. Just like Joshua, God expects us to be diligent as well. The word prosper is the Hebrew word “sakel,” which means to have “insight.” Our problems today as to why we don’t stand on the promise and we don’t feel the presence of God in our lives is closely related to what emphasis we place on the word of God, we don’t have enough insight to see God working in our lives for we haven’t spent enough time in His precepts.

Yes God is never fails in His promises, He never fails to be present, but He also never fails to call us to obey His words…Tell to the person next to you… “Obedience is a must.”

CONCLUSION:

I have already mentioned the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. Thomas Chisholm wrote over 1200 hymns, such as “O to Be Like Thee” and “Living for Jesus”. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” was not written, nor I believe could it be written in his youth, but only after being able to look back over life and by having the insight from God’s Word to see the faithfulness of God.

CASUAL OR EXTRA-SPECIAL?

TEXT: Mark 11:1-11

INTRODUCTION:

Opening Illustration:

A preacher was riding on a plane filled with people and cigarette smoke. (Of course, this had to be some time ago since we know that smoking is now banned on airplanes.) The preacher knew he would have to take a bath, and send his clothes to the cleaners. He felt like he had been charcoal-broiled, Burger King style.

Suddenly he turned to a woman and said, “Would you like to chew my gum for awhile?” The lady was insulted. “What in the world do you mean?” she snapped. The preacher calmly replied by saying, “I’ve been smoking your secondhand smoke ever since we left the city. I thought you might want my secondhand gum.”

Brothers and sisters, that is what I call “indifference.” Many people are completely indifferent to those around them. They don’t know and they don’t care. They don’t know who they are and they don’t care who they are. And they don’t care if their smoke gets in someone else’s face.

Indifference is bad. It’s a bad trait in anybody. It’s a bad attitude. If Scripture teaches us anything at all about life it teaches us that we are to be considerate of the people around us: at home, at work, at play, etc.

Rom. 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” We are not quick to do that, but we should be.

Indifference is bad when it is aimed at people. It’s worse when it is aimed at God.

Our text deals with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The words “triumphal entry” indicate a good response to Jesus, but it wasn’t always that way.

Most people respond to Christ in one of two ways: Casual commitment or Extra Special commitment.

1. CASUAL COMMITMENT/ATTTITUDE

This was the kind of commitment that the people surrounding Jesus had demonstrated…they were just there in Jerusalem, not to see Jesus but to see Lazarus who had been raised from the dead.  They followed Jesus in a certain degree and about certain teachings, but not really yielding to His will, not really committed to Him.  When it comes to the hard teaching of Jesus, they would say, “Take it easy Lord.”

Dr. Margaret Mead, distinguished anthropologist and author, made a very interesting observation in an address some time ago. She pointed out that for a long time it was the universal custom to say on parting: “Good-bye,” which is a shortened form of “God be with you.” Today it is quite common instead to say: “Take it easy.”

Many people have the “take it easy” attitude about a lot of things in life. Don’t take it seriously. Take it easy.

This is also the attitude, the casual attitude that many people have toward God and Christ and the church. Don’t worry about it. Don’t take it seriously. Take it easy! And that attitude has been demonstrated not only by the crowd but also by the Pharisees and Teachers of Law at the Triumphal Entry of Jesus!

They have not responded positively to Jesus…And even today, a lot of people are not always responding positively to Jesus, to His life, to His ministry, to His love.

John 6:66 “From this time many of his disciples (followers) turned back and no longer followed him.”

Some disciples stopped following Jesus because they didn’t like or receive His teaching. It’s easy to have an indifferent or casual attitude when you don’t like what is being taught.

Illustration:

The young preacher thrilled his congregation with his first sermon. But the next Sunday he preached the same message. And the third Sunday he preached it again. Finally, one of the deacons was getting concerned. He went to the young minister and asked, “That’s a great sermon you’ve been preaching, but don’t you have another sermon you could preach?”

The young preacher replied, “I’ve got quite a few sermons, and as soon as you do something with the one I’ve been preaching I’ll preach a new one!”

Brothers and sisters, I try to make my sermons as interesting and as clear as possible. I want to bless and benefit people, not blister or bust them up. I want to help people.

But even in my sermons there are things that I present for you to do and to respond to. A lot of people when they hear preaching about Blessings, Prosperity, Success, Hope, etc., wow, you’ll hear them say a loud, “Amen!”  With matching clapping of hands…But when the preaching is about commitment, giving, attitude, character, etc…wow, people are looking at you as if they are going to eat you up!

Illustration:

Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, “Look, I’m going to leave. And while I’m gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I’m away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip.”

Everyone agrees. He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess–weeds flourishing in the flower beds, windows broken across the front of the building, the gal at the front desk dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered a great loss. Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, “What happened? Didn’t you get my letters?” You say, “Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We’ve even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have ‘letter study’ every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters.”

I think the president would then ask, “But what did you do about my instructions?” And, no doubt the employees would respond, “Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!”

And I have noticed that many times our response is not overwhelming. In fact, often it is ho-hum. It is casual. It is “take it easy, preacher. Calm down. Cool it. We’ll do it if we want or when we get around to it.”

But that is the wrong attitude to have toward the Lord and His Word, toward the presentation of His Word. IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE TAKING EASY IS COMMITTING SIN!

John 14:23 Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” I say, “Come on in, Lord! Make yourself at home! Here, have my recliner! I’ll sit here before you!”

Brothers and sisters, a casual attitude is not kosher. It is not condoned in Scripture nor by the Savior.

2. EXTRA SPECIAL COMMITMENT/ATTITUDE

And that’s what we have seen in the life of some Greeks in the Triumphal entry of Jesus…they said, “We want to see Jesus.” They traveled and squeezed in to the crowd, not to see the Festivity but to see Jesus…that’s really an extra special commitment…  A few rare souls become committed in their action to a cause or a person.

Illustration:

In 1873 a group of women at Hillsboro, Ohio, met and prayed and then read the 146th Psalm. Then they prayed and pleaded with the saloon keepers to give up their business. Church bells tolled simultaneously with the crusade of prayer and persuasion. On the second day one saloon keeper gave in. He gave his entire stock to the women saying, “Do as you please with it.”

At the end of eight days, every one of the eleven saloons in the town closed. The brewers of Cincinnati offered $5,000 reward to anyone who would break up the movement. One unusually courageous man tried to do so. In four days he threw up his hands and surrendered to the women. This crusade of prayer and persuasion led to the formation in 1874 of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

I call what those women did “committed action.”  Their commitment is EXTRA SPECIAL! They were committed to their cause and they acted strongly on their commitment. We need more people like that in the Lord’s church.

In prayer, in serving God, in our desire to follow Christ, we must be fully committed…And even in our finances, the Lord must be LORD, amen!

Illustration:

Dr. R. E. Neighbour was in the baptistry with a railroad engineer. The pastor was ready to proceed with the baptismal service. “Wait!” whispered the engineer; “I forgot something. I want to return to the dressing room, and get my billfold and let you baptize it with me!” that all the aspects of my life is surrendered to Christ!

That’s committed action! That man recognized the importance of surrendering his whole life to the Lord, finances included. MARAMI KASI ANG NAGSASABI, “LORD, I GIVE MY ALL…BUT DON’T TOUCH MY MONEY, MY FINANCES…”

Illustration: (Bro. Balong, about money, said… SOMETIMES GOD IS TELLING ME TO GIVE MORE THAN WHAT I WANT TO GIVE…THE ONLY REASON WHY I’M ABLE TO GIVE IT IS BY SAYING TO MYSELF THAT I’M JUST A MANAGER OF GOD’S RESOURCES…SA KANYA LAHAT ITO!”)

Generally, if you can get a person to surrender his finances to the Lord, you’ve got his heart and his whole life. Money is the mover in most people’s lives. It moves them in one direction or another: toward the Lord in appreciation or away from the Lord in selfishness.

• Now in the area of loving others, this is what the Bible is telling to us:

John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Demonstrating love for one another sounds so simple, but it is sometimes hard to do. Especially, when we think in terms of loving people like Jesus loved them. Even those people who are not lovable…(Mga nagtatapon ng basura sa tapat mo…you pray for them, hindi para kunin na ni Lord kundi sila din ay maligtas.)

Illustration:

An experienced surgeon addressed a question to a young intern assisting him during an operation. “Young man,” he asked, “Whom do you consider the most important person in this room?”

The intern groped for an answer. He thought of responding, “You are, Sir,” but he couldn’t believe that his mentor would be that self-serving. Finally, thinking he would sound gracious, the intern replied, “Well, I suspect it would be the nurses who assist you in such an efficient manner.” The surgeon shook his head. “No,” he said, “The most important individual in this operating room is the patient.”

One of the major things that Jesus has been trying to teach us in life is that the patient is most important.  People are important…All the more those people that hurting people are most important. That we should love them as He loved them.

And we should not be casual about it. We should be committed to them with loving actions.

• In the aspect or area of serving God, I want us to analyze what Jesus asked from His disciples at:

Mark 11:2 Jesus said to his disciples, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there….untie it and bring it here….”

Mark 11:4 “They went and found a colt outside in the street…”

I realize that what Jesus commanded his disciples to do regarding His triumphal entry was extremely simple, but still, they did what He said. Sometimes it’s is the so-called simple stuff that we fail to do. A lot of times we hear preaching about serving God and using our life in service to Him, it’s so simple to understand, but we find it difficult to do, why, maybe because our commitment or attitude towards God is just casual and not extra special…Simple to understand, but difficult to do.

I want us to understand today that you were shaped For Serving God.

The Bible says this, let’s read it together in Eph. 2:20, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. The word workmanship means we were designed and molded by God for a purpose. We were made to make a contribution in life. God made us to make a difference. How we live is much more important than how long we live.

Is there anybody here who wants to live to be a 100? And how many of you would like to live that long and look back over their lives and say, after 100 years, I still have not made a difference for anybody? We’re all meant to give something back. We’re all meant to make a contribution. The Bible says we’re created to serve, we’re saved to serve, we’re gifted to serve, we’re shaped to serve. Brothers and sisters, we don’t do these things to serve the Lord because we want to be saved, but because we are saved! We’re commanded to serve God in response. Good service is evidence that something good has happened in our hearts and lives! We all should make a deep thinking of giving an extra special commitment this year in serving our God…We all need to think about what we can do to serve the Lord in 2010!

Now whenever God gives us an assignment to do something, He never gives it to us without equipping us first. And in the next verse Job says, “Your hands shaped me and made me.” (Job 10:8). God uses five things to shape us. Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. That spells ‘SHAPE’. Those five things make you, and God uniquely shapes you, different from anybody else in the world, for a purpose. And that purpose is to serve Him.   I do want you to notice this, God made you unique and your uniqueness is not for your benefit.

Let’s read this verse aloud: 1Pet. 4:10, “Each of us should use whatever gift he’s received to make a lot of money”. Oh! That’s not what it says! It says we’re to use whatever God’s given us to do what? Serve others! Your talents are not for your benefit. Do you remember what I said before with our life’s purpose… That “It’s not about us, but it’s all about God.” Your purpose in life is to be what God made you to be. And He gave you gifts and talents and abilities and background and experiences and all these things for the benefit of other people, to be used by serving others.

One of the important purposes that a Christian must accomplish in his life is serving God and serving others. We were put here to serve God and the way we serve God is by serving other people. Now, some people want to serve God; they just don’t want to serve others. But you can’t do that. The only way you can serve God is by serving others. Do you see why the purpose of fellowship is so critical. We need each other in order to serve each other.

Now the Bible has a word for serving others, it’s called “ministry.” When people hear the word minister, what do they think of in their minds? A priest or a pastor? But the Bible says every believer is a minister. Now, not every believer is a pastor, but every believer is a minister. Ministry simply means using my life to help somebody else in the name of God. Any time you use your talents, your abilities, your background, your experiences to help somebody else, you know what that’s called?  Ministering. And you know what you are? You’re a minister.

In the Bible the word “service” and “ministry” are the same word. And in the Bible “servant” and “minister” are the same word. So all of us are called to ministry. You don’t need a title to be involved in ministry. You simply need to be actively doing something. If you are called to salvation, you are called to serve.

Turn to the person next to you and say “You’re a minister”.

• Cite some examples in the areas they can serve God…

But the truth is every Christian is a minister. Any time you use your talent to help somebody else, you are ministering. You are serving. All women are ministers. All men are ministers. All little kids, all old people, if we’re believers, we’re all called to serve Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION:

Casual attitude or committed action? Which characterizes your life in relation to Christ?

Illustration:

Church members may be divided into three classes: wishbones, jawbones, and backbones. The wishbones are always wishing and hoping that their church will somehow grow but without their effort. The jawbones talk a lot, but do little. And the backbones do the work.

Casual or extra special? Which are you?

ENTERING THE HOUSE OF GOD

TEXT: Luke 18:9-14

INTRODUCTION:

To some who are confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’

I tell you this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself with be exalted.”

In Jesus’ time, the Pharisee would have been considered the good guy–he wore the white hat. He was a synagogue leader in his town. All Pharisees were super-religious men who were extremely careful about obeying the Torah, which is basically the first five books of the Old Testament. They also followed the Mishnah, which explained how to obey the Torah. There might be several chapters in the Misnah devoted to one single verse in the Torah. In addition, they followed the Talmud, which was a commentary on the Mishnah. These guys lived by the book!

However, a tax collector was considered the scum of the earth, the very bottom of the religious food chain in Israel. Hired by the pagan Romans, he could charge exorbitant taxes and keep most of the money for himself. He was considered the villain–he wore the black hat. If you had been a good Jew listening to Jesus, when he mentioned the Pharisee, you would have cheered, “Yeah! Hurrah for the good guy!” When He mentioned the tax collector you would have cried, “Boo! Hiss! Boo!” But Jesus is always full of surprises. He introduced a good guy and a bad guy, and by the time He finished the parable, the good guy had become the bad guy and the bad guy has become the good guy!

In case you still don’t get the picture, I’ve read a modern paraphrase of this parable, of which I changed according to the context that we have here in the Philippines…I call it “The Parable of Pentecostal Juan and Pedrong Makasalanan.”

Paraphrase:

As Pentecostal Juan walked into church one Sunday morning, he was disgusted to see Pedrong Makasalanan there, for Pedro was a drug pusher who had just gotten out of jail. Juan warned some of the ushers to keep a close watch on Pedro because he was a no-good crook.

Before the offering, it was Juan’s time to pray. He walked proudly to the microphone and began to pray using his religious tone of voice, “Heavenly Father, I thank Thee that I’ve been a deacon in this church for 20 years. I even remember when I built this building using my own two hands. And I thank Thee that I haven’t missed a single Sunday for over ten years. There were times, O Lord, when I was sick, but I came anyway. And Father, thou knowest I used to sing in the choir, until I was persecuted by the song leader who wouldn’t sing my style of music–but I can endure persecution just like Thou didest.

Thou hast blessed me financially so I’ve been able to give you much more than 10 percent. I Thank thee that I’m morally pure for I don’t drink, and I don’t cuss on Sundays, and I don’t smoke unfiltered cigarettes and I don’t use drugs or sell them–like someone who is among today. Lord, we need more people just like me in our church. And, Lord, help everyone to come out tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Amoranto Stadium to watch our church softball team beat the other churches again and bless the gift and the giver. AMEN.”

After napping through much of the sermon, Pentecostal Juan strolled out of church feeling good about himself because he made it through another Sunday. He liked leaving church because he didn’t have to think about God again until the next Sunday.

Meanwhile, Pedrong Makasalanan was slouched on the back pew. After hearing the message about God’s forgiveness, he slipped to his knees, and began to pray. Holding his face in his hands he sobbed quietly, “God, I’m the dirtiest sinner in this town. I’m so sorry. I don’t deserve it, but is there any way you can wash away my filthy mistakes? Please, God, I need you!”

I tell you, it was Pedrong Makasalanan, not Pentecostal Juan, who went home that day right with God. For he who strut his stuff before God will eventually be slapped down. But when you admit you are like dirt compared to God’s purity, He’ll pick you up and clean you up.

Are you more like Juan or Pedro in that story? Are we more like the Pharisee or the tax collector upon entering the House of God?  As we study these words of Jesus, I encourage you to answer three important questions, questions that must be answered upon entering the House of God:

1. 1. WHY DID I COME TO THE HOUSE OF GOD?

In the parable, both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector went to the temple in Jerusalem to pray. But when you examine their actions and attitudes, you discover they went for two different reasons.

1. a. The Pharisee – To be seen

Obviously, the Pharisee was at the temple for others to see how good he was. To him it was a public performance and his behavior at the temple was just part of the script. He had given much thought about what he would wear, and where he would stand, and what he would say, because there was an audience. When he arrived, he walked up to the front and stood up before the people in his flowing robe with the ornate prayer shawl the Pharisees wore. It just all part of the religious show for him. The words he prayed were not really directed toward God. He prayed to himself. He was there to be seen and to be heard by the other worshipers. Jesus warned about this kind of behavior in Matthew 6:5, “But when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”

Application:

When you are preparing to come to church, are you thinking more about who will be there to see you than you are about connecting with God? Do you choose what you’re going to wear based on what other people will think about you? I know you can’t believe it, but some people actually come to church because they think it will help them in their business, or in politics, or will improve their social standing. Answer honestly: Why do you attend church? Why do you come to the House of God?

We all struggle with the temptation of trying to please other people rather than pleasing God.

• Even during our prayer time;
• In singing songs of praise and worship;
• In listening to the Word of God.

We must all guard against praying so others will be impressed with what we say. Prayer should always be directed to God alone.

Illustration:

There was a little boy who was kneeling by his bed with his mom to say his nighttime prayers. He began to shout to the top of his lungs, “Dear God, I’ve been real good this year so please let me get a new bicycle for my birthday.” His mom said, “Son, God is not deaf; you don’t need to yell.” He said, “God’s not deaf, but Grandma is and she’s in the next room.”

That was the attitude of the Pharisee…now the tax collector represents another reason you might be here today. Did you come:

1. b. The Tax Collector – To seek God

The tax collector showed up because he was in trouble and he believed God could help him. His body language revealed his sense of unworthiness; he couldn’t walk to the front of the crowd, instead he kept his distance. He didn’t focus on the other people there, he focused on God.

Now let me ask you, “Why did you come tonight?”

Worship does involve an audience. But it’s an audience of one. When we come to church, we should be primarily concerned about seeking God’s face. You may receive the applause of man, but you should be deaf to it. You should be listening only for the applause of the nail-scarred hands.

Why are you here tonight? Is it just your habit, a part of your weekday or weekend routine? Perhaps you came because your parents or your spouse pressured you to come. Or maybe you feel guilty if you don’t come. Or did you come seeking to connect with the Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe? God says in Jeremiah 29:13, “‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.’ declares the Lord.”

Some people may come seeking God, but our half-hearted worship becomes a hindrance to them. I recently read a letter that was shared in a book, it was written by a teenager. Her words have haunted me. She wrote to one of her friends:

Illustration:

“Dear Kathy, I attended your church yesterday. Although you had invited me, you were not there, so I sat alone. After sitting down, a lady came up and informed me that I was in her seat. I was so embarrassed because I didn’t know some seats were reserved. Finally I climbed over some people hugging the aisle and found another seat. During the singing, I was surprised to note that some of the church people weren’t singing at all Instead, they looked around or just stared into space. The pastor’s speech was interesting, although some members didn’t seem to think so. They looked bored and restless. I recognized some of my classmates a few pews in front of me, but they were giggling and passing notes. I thought, “How rude!”

The speaker talked about the reality of faith, which I decided I didn’t have enough of. The message really got to me and I thought about walking forward, but I was unsure. I saw some people walking out before the service was over, so I figured it must not be too important to stay to the end, so I slipped out too. As I left I said good morning to one couple, but they were in a hurry and must not have heard me. My parents don’t go to church. I came alone yesterday hoping to find a place to truly worship and find some love. I’m sorry, but I didn’t find it in your church.”

When I read that letter, I simply said, “Please God, don’t let that be the impression people get when they come here!”  If you come half-hearted every time of worship, you’ll be a stumbling block to others, especially to the non-believers.

The next question I’d like for you to answer is:

1. 2. WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD?

In the parable Jesus showed two totally different attitudes people can display in worship. The Pharisee presented an attitude that said

1. a. I’m proud of my goodness

In some instances, pride can be good. It is okay to say you are proud to be Filipino, or that you take pride in your neighborhood. But the Bible warns against the dangerous kind of pride characterized by self-love, egotism, and arrogance. This kind of pride is revealed in the prayer of the Pharisee. He wanted others to know about his goodness, so he bragged that he fasted, tithed, and kept all the commandments. Here’s how you can recognize if you have pride in your heart:

• Pride loves to talk about “I”

In verse 11 the Pharisee used “I” and “me” several times. He said, “I thank you that I am not like other men…I fast twice a week, and I give a tithe of all I get.” Those are all good things to do. You should pray, you should fast, and you should tithe. But if you are doing it because you think it will get you into heaven, or make you appear to be a good person before others, those good things become dangerous.

The Bible says, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18). According to Isaiah 14 once the devil was a beautiful angel named Lucifer. Pride filled his heart and he developed an “I” problem. He said, “I will ascend and make my throne with God, I will be like the most high, I’m going up!” But God said, “No, Lucifer, you’re going down!’ That’s really what pride is, reflecting the ego of the devil. Here’s an acrostic for you to remember what pride is: It is the Perverted Result of Imitating the Devil’s Ego. Some people are the happiest when they can talk about themselves. That’s often a marker that they have a problem with pride. Someone has said, “Pride is the only sickness everyone can recognize except the person who has it!” God must get a little weary of listening to proud prayers full of “gimme gimme gimmee.” When some people pray it must sound like the lyrics to song: “I wanna talk about me, I wanna talk about I; wanna talk about number one; oh my me my; What I think; what I like; what I know; what I want, what I see; I like talking about you, God, occasionally; but mostly, I wanna talk about me!”

All of us should have an occasional “I” exam. If you recorded your conversation and your prayers for 24 hours, how much of your talk would be centered on the big “I”?

• Pride seldom admits a need

Pride gives a person a false sense of self-sufficiency. Have you ever heard the expression, “I’m too proud to ask for help?” When you are too proud to ask for help or admit you have a problem, you are too proud–period! When you ask a proud person how you can pray for them, they will often say, “Oh, I’m alright. There’s really nothing you need to pray for me about.” They say that because they are too proud to admit they have a need. They fear if they tell you where they’re hurting they’ll lose their facade of perfection and goodness.

• Pride sees the faults of others

Did you notice the Pharisee was quick to criticize and condemn the tax collector? Pride blinds a person to their own faults and magnifies the failures and faults of others. When you compare yourself to someone else, you’re using the wrong standard. God’s measuring stick is not the goodness or badness of another person; His standard is Jesus–how do you measure up to Him? Sure, when you compare yourself to some serial murderer, you look like a moral hero. God doesn’t grade on the curve. It doesn’t matter if you are a little better than average what matters is if you have personal relationship with Jesus.

Illustration:

I once read a story in which a man described a house in Scotland that was painted white. The house stood out clean and brilliant against the dark green backdrop of the grass-covered hills. One day it snowed and the entire country side was transformed into a winter wonderland. When the man looked at the cottage against the backdrop of the pure fallen snow, he noticed for the first time it was dingy and dirty. It was the same house, just a different backdrop.

When you compare yourself to a rapist, you may appear to be morally clean, but when you stand up next to the purity of Jesus Christ, you see a different picture.

There was another attitude expressed in church. The tax collector displayed an attitude that said:

1. b. I desperately need God’s mercy!

He couldn’t even lift up his head, he was so burdened. He pounded his fist on his chest, a spontaneous gesture of his agony over his sin. He uttered seven simple words with a voice broken with emotion: “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” He literally said, “Be merciful to me, THE sinner,” as if he considered himself the chief among all sinners. You don’t have to pray a long, eloquent prayer full of religious words. If you pray a simple prayer that comes from your heart, God hears you and He will answer you.

When the tax collector caught a glimpse of the greatness and holiness of God, he realized how dirty and filthy he was. The Bible says, “All our righteousness is as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) Even the good things we do are dirty compared to the stark, brilliant holiness of God. When you see God for Who He is–holy, then you will be able to see yourself for who you really are–a fallen creature in desperate need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. That will humble you in a hurry.

Someone said, “After all these years, there are only two things I’m totally certain about: (1) There is a God; and (2) I’m not Him!”

C. S. Lewis wrote: “How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of God, but are all the time imagining how He thinks them far better than ‘ordinary’ people. They pay a penny-worth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound’s worth of Pride towards their fellow-men (or woman)…The real test of being in the presence of God is, you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether.”

Is that your attitude? Have you come to a place in your life where you know you can’t make it another moment without God’s mercy, peace, and forgiveness in your life?

The final question to answer is:

1. 3. HOW WILL I BE AFTER COMING FROM THE HOUSE OF GOD?

In the parable, but Jesus said only one of the two men went home justified. “Justified” is a great Bible word meaning to be “right with God.” The only way you can be right with God is to receive His mercy and forgiveness. Whenever I read the word “justified” in the New Testament, I rejoice that God treats me “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.

In verse 14 Jesus summarized the main principle of the parable: “He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Message paraphrase of verse 14 is, “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” The world says, “Promote yourself, look out for #1.” God says, “Humble yourself, seek Me first, and I will exalt you…”

Just like in Jesus’ parable, you’ll go home tonight basically in one of two conditions.

You may go home:

1. a. Unchanged–Religious and proud of it!

The Pharisee was so committed to his religious observance that he could be proud by his performance. So he went home unchanged. Thousands of people attend church Sunday after Sunday, but they leave exactly the way they come in. To them, religious observance is something they DO, so they can be proud about their conduct. God addressed the problem of superficial religion in Isaiah 29:13. The Lord says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

The problem with so many religions is that it is primarily concerned with outward performance rather than inward purity. Jesus criticized the Pharisees by saying they clean the outside of the cup, but the inside was filthy. He said they were like whitewashed tombs, shiny and clean on the outside, but on the inside, they were filled with rottenness. (Matthew 23:25-28) Religion cleans you up on the outside, but only Jesus can clean you up on the inside.

Having religion may give you a little more respectability in your business or in your community, but if you aren’t careful, religion can make you so proud and you may miss heaven. Dr. Ray Pritchard wrote some powerful words: “Without a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ, religion leads you to Hell while making you think you are going to Heaven.”

I hope you go home tonight the same way the tax collector did:

1. b. Unburdened–Right with God and thankful for it!

Jesus said the bad guy, not the respectable, religious Pharisee went home justified–right with God. He entered church so burdened down by his sin he couldn’t even lift up his head. But when he cried out for the mercy of God, he experienced the liberation of forgiveness. He hadn’t done anything to deserve it, so he couldn’t brag about it. All he could do was to thank God for it!

Maybe you are here tonight and you feel a little out of place because you aren’t really a religious person. In fact, you have done some dumb things and messed up your life in a big way. Congratulations! Like the tax collector, you are the best candidate for salvation! The hardest people to be saved are those religious people who think their goodness makes them VIPs with God. The easiest person to be saved is the one who will admit to God that he has sinned royally and has to have his mercy, or he is a goner.

CONCLUSION:

You must approach God in humility if you want to receive His forgiveness. You can’t strut into His presence bragging about how nice you are. In Bethlehem, The Church of the Holy Nativity is built over the place believed to be Jesus’ birthplace. It is a huge stone complex, but it only has one tiny door through which people can enter. It’s called the door of humility and it is less than 48″ high. Originally, there was a larger door, but when the Muslims first conquered Bethlehem, the soldiers rode their horses into the church to defile it. So the monks reduced the size of the door so only a person can enter. And every person must stoop and bow and enter alone. What a lesson! The doorway of salvation is open to you today, but it is a door of humility as well. You can’t approach God on the basis of your parents’ salvation–you must do it alone. And to receive His mercy and forgiveness you must humble yourself and bow down before Him.

Would you like to find God’s mercy and cleansing? Will you humble yourself and admit you are a sinner? 3,000 years ago, another man needed God’s cleansing and forgiveness. Even though he was a good, religious guy, he made a huge mistake. He was guilty of adultery and murder. If you need mercy, try praying the same prayer King David prayed in Psalm 51:1-2: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.”

A PASSION FOR GOD (PART 2)

TEXT: Romans 12:11

INTRODUCTION:

5.  AN UNSUPPORTED LIFESTYLE.

Sometimes you lose passion for God because you’re not spending time around other people who have a passion for God. You’re not spending time around other Christians. You’re not getting any fellowship. I love this incredibly practical verse in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, just common sense from the Bible. “Two are better than one… because if one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” We need each other. We all fall sometimes. We all stumble at times. So we all need people to help us up in our lives.

If you’ve been around Word of Hope for any amount of time you’ve heard what our Senior Pastor saying about hundreds of times, but I’m going to say it again because it’s so important, “You must be involved in Cell Groups!” This is why it’s so important. Those of you who have thought many times maybe, “I should do that,” maybe this is the day when you realize, “I’m going to do that!” Do not wait until the crisis comes to think, Now I need a small group. You’re not going to have time to get in a group then. We all fall sometimes. We all go through crises in life. So you find a cell group. You get the support system in your life so you can keep the passion alive even during the difficult times.

It’s not only for the difficult times. It’s also for the good times. Human beings were made for relationships. We’re made to live that way. In a prison, when they want to give somebody the ultimate punishment in a prison, where do they put them? They put them in solitary. Solitary confinement. Because we were made to be around other people. That’s how God created and made us. Whether you’re married or single you need relationships with others. Others who are trying to live with passion for God in their lives, to keep that passion for God real in life.

Having been a pastor for a while now, I’ve seen a lot of people continue with their passion for God and a lot of people lose their passion for God. Those that lose their passion for God there’s a predictable pattern. You can see it the same way almost every time. I’ll tell you where the pattern begins.

• The first thing that happens is the person stops coming to church. I’m not talking about the ritual of coming to church. I’m talking about they draw back from the relationships of being around other believers. There’s a lot of reasons we tell ourselves that’s ok. Summer… I’ll watch it on the internet… I’ve got other things to do… I’ll get back to it soon… but whatever the reason you start not spending time with other people who have a desire to have passion for God.
• The next thing that always happens is your heart starts to turn cold. You start to feel far from God. You start to feel like God’s far from you. What you really need is to be around other people who can warm up the love that you have for God in your life. It’s a need in all of us to be around other people to have this passion for God. If you have no inspiring contact with other believers your heart wills grow cold. It’s inevitable.

Illustration:

Greg Lauri was recently interviewing one of the women from the Survivor show, a Christian woman. She’d gone on the show and been told she could bring five things to the island or wherever they were. She said, one of them I want to bring is a Bible. They said, “No, you can’t bring a Bible. Somebody already did that. You’ve got to bring something different.” So she went to this island without a Bible, with no Christian relationships and watched what happened to her life. She fell right off the table. Her character began to change, the way she talked, the kind of words she used, the ugly words she used. The attitudes she had towards others, the jealousy, the hatred. All of it immediately came into her life. She told Greg, “I didn’t realize how weak I really was.”

I also need relationships with other believers to grow. We all need it! Tell to the person next to you, “We need it!”  I’ve grown as a believer is because I’ve been around other people who are growing as believers. That’s how God made all of us. We need relationships in order to grow. That’s what makes it happen.

Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let’s not give up meeting together and let us encourage one another.”

The sixth passion killer is…

6.  AN UNCLEAR PURPOSE.

When you forget the purpose of your life that is a sure way to kill your passion for life and for God. If you don’t know the purpose for life, why bother? Why get up in the morning? Why put forth the effort? Why get out of bed? Life without purpose is activity without direction. It’s motion without meaning. Life without purpose is trivial, petty, and pointless.

My guess is that the people at Word of Hope church know more about the purposes of God than probably any other church. We talk about it all the time. Our Senior Pastor always mentions it here in our church…But even still it’s easy to forget why we’re here on earth. We get distracted by budgets and bills and babies and boxing or basketball and all kinds of other things. We forget the five reasons God put us here on earth. Whenever you forget why God put you on earth you’re going to drift toward apathy and lethargy. Who cares? Why get out of bed if there’s no meaning, if there’s no purpose to my life. Maybe you’ve felt like Isaiah who said in Isaiah 49 “I’ve labored to no purpose and I’ve spent my strength in vain and for nothing.”

Passion and purpose go together. When you have a clear purpose it’s going to give you a lot of passion. But it’s got to be God’s purposes for your life. If you’re only living for yourself, that’s a pretty dinky purpose. That isn’t going to make you very passionate. In fact it’s pathetic. “I’m living for me.” That’ll give you a lot of energy to get out of bed in the morning! You need a cause greater than yourself. That gives life significance and gives life meaning. The more you understand God’s purposes for your life and the more you live those purposes the more passionate you’re going to be.

Hobbs wrote this about passion. He said, “Passion is waking up in the morning wherever you are and bounding out of bed because you know there’s something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that God made you for and you’re good at, something that’s bigger than you are and you can hardly wait to get at it again. It’s something that you’d rather be doing than anything else and you wouldn’t give it up for money because it means more to you than money.”

Nothing matters more than knowing and living the five purposes that God put you on earth to fulfill. Nothing else can compensate for not living those.

• Worship
• Bible
• Ministry
• Fellowship
• Witness

Not fame, not wealth, not success, not pleasure. Nothing can compensate for life without meaning. So whenever your purpose gets unclear and you tend to forget why we’re here in the first place you’re going to lose your passion.

An unclear purpose will kill your passion.

Finally,

7.  A MALNOURISHED SPIRIT.

Every day you face all kinds of circumstances that conspire to shrink your spirit and shrivel your heart. You’re going to get up tomorrow morning. You’re going to have distractions and disappointments. You’re going to have conflicts and you’re going to have changes and challenges. You’re going to have problems and pressures. You’re going to have frustrations and fears and failures and fatigue. All of these things fall in on you to shrivel your heart and shrink your spirit. So you must intentionally nourish your spirit. If you don’t do it nobody else is going to do it for you. Nobody else is going to nourish your spirit. So if you don’t take the time and trouble to do it, it’s going to shrivel up.

How do you do that? Through the five purposes. You need times of worship with God everyday, where you get to know Him — private worships. You need fellowship with other believers. You need to read God’s word and grow to be more like Christ. You need to have a ministry where you’re using your talents to help other people. And you need a mission in the world where you’re sharing your faith. If you just choose one of those purposes and forget the others you’re going to be imbalanced and you’re going to lose your passion. You need them all.

So how do I do it? How do I plug into God? How do I have this living, vital, daily relationship with God that keeps my spirit nourished?

The starting point is to remember how God feels about you. You know it but you forget it. Did you know that God is hopelessly in love with you? The reason that you’re not passionate about God is you have forgotten how passionate God is about you.

Exodus 31:14 “You must worship only the Lord, for He is a God who is passionate about His relationship with you.” Did you know that? Did you know that God is passionate about you? He’s got going, “Oh, yeah, another one of My creations… next!” No, He is passionate about you. He made you to love you. You were created as an object of His love. The more you understand how God is passionate about you, the more passionate you’re going to get about God. When you forget how much God loves you, you start blowing Him off and going, “Forget it! I’ve got other things. There’s a good movie on TV tonight.”

How do we know that God is passionate about us? The proof is the cross. Jesus stretched out His hands and they nailed Him to the cross and He was in essence saying, “I’d rather die than live without you. That’s how passionate I am about My creation. I made you. I love you. And I’d rather die than live without you.”

In fact, the suffering of Jesus on the cross- His Passion. You’ve probably heard about communities or towns that have Passion plays. What is a passion play? It is drama that depicts the suffering of Jesus Christ. Jesus never wanted us to forget what He did for us on the cross. So He gave us the symbol of communion. He said, “When you take communion I want you to remember My passion. I want you to remember how passionate I am about you.”