Evangelical Passion Series

“EVANGELICAL PASSION”

TEXT: Luke 14:15-24;Luke 15:1-32;Acts 8:26-35

INTRO: Today we will continue to look at the attributes of an Authentic Christian.

So far we have discovered the importance of having a “Righteous Lifestyle”. An authentic Christian understands that they are not the same. That they have allowed the Holy Spirit to “transform their way of thinking”. Understanding that we are no longer slaves to our old self, and selfish desires, we are now to be slaves to righteousness. This is good stuff Church!

We are looking at being REAL Christians!

· R- Righteous Lifestyle

· E- Evangelical Passion

· A-

· L-

Evangelical Passion. Now there is a fraise, a label that many believers may not consider a must for every believer. However, Passion for Evangelism, IS a must for every believer.

Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary defines evan•gel•i•cal adjective1 : of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels; emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual

related words ardent, fervid, impassioned, militant, zealous; missionary, propagandizing, proselytizing

Passion on the other hand is simple to define: Passion is anything that you invest time, thought, energy and money to.

Matthew 6:21 Jesus tells us: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

You are passionate about what you treasure the most:

I for one am passionate about :

· My Wife Julie- she is always in my thoughts, I day dream about her, I treasure her, I am passionately in love with her.

· My children- Reagan, Allison, Hunter and Jack- again, they are all, always on the forefront of my mind.

· During their respected seasons, I am passionate about certain sport teams.

But all these things take a back seat to the most important thing on my mind. My relationship with Jesus Christ!

You can easily tell what a person is passionate about- Just listen to them for a while, what do they talk about, what is on the forefront of their mind, where is their treasure?

For the REAL Christian- Evangelical Passion is a MUST! What we talk about the most, will define what we are passionate about.

ILLUS: Did you read about the little boy who returned home after his first Sunday school class? His mother asked, “Who was your teacher?” and the little boy answered, “ I don’t remember her name, but she must have been Jesus’ grandmother because she didn’t talk about anyone else.” Does our conversation reflect our love of Jesus? Would our words give away our relationship with him? James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 490.

PROP.SENT: The Bible teaches us that the things we are passionate about will be the things we act upon. Evangelical Passion is the sign of a true believer, because he or she is busy telling everybody they meet about their faith.

I. PASSION’S REASON

A. Salvation that saves!

Ephesians 6:17a Take the helmet of salvation…

More than anybody or anything on the face of the earth, those of us who are truly saved, have a reason to be passionate. Because of our Salvation.

Until we really understand what salvation means, we will never understand it’s importance. When we talk about Salvation, we are not talking about some intellectual knowledge of whom Jesus Christ is. We are talking about a saving knowledge.

· Salvation covers the PENALTY of sin (Justification - past experience).

· Salvation covers the POWER of sin (Sanctification - present experience).

· Salvation will also cover the PRESENCE of sin! (Resurrection - future experience) Pastor Dennis Marquardt

Paul tells the Roman Christians to- Take the helmet of salvation. It is a very important piece of armor for the soldier. A head wound is very serious in combat. Paul likens our salvation to this helmet the Roman soldiers put on everyday.

We must protect our thoughts; surround our minds with the protection of our salvation.

Understanding:

· our past sins are forgiven-Justification

· we have power over the temptation of sin- Sanctification

· the presence of sin will one day be gone- Resurrection

This should give us ample reasons to be passionate. There is not one thing that you can experience on this earth that is worthy of more of our thoughts, time and energy.

B. Souls to save!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

In this passage, God shares his passion for souls. Lost souls matter to God!!

If this were not the case, God would of just wipe the slate clean after Adam and Eve sinned. He would have started all over. But his love for sinners, his love for every souls compelled him to passionately do something to save them.