The Importance of Passion
Nehemiah 8:1-6
How many of you like to eat? It is no secret that I am one of those people, but there is one particular type of food that I love to eat. I love to eat a delicious meal that I cooked on my own. Does anyone else love to cook? When I have the time, I love to create new and exciting dishes that my wife and I get to be the guinea pigs for. You see, I love to cook, but I never use a recipe. Out of all the meals that I have ever cooked, I have probably only used a recipe a handful of times. When you cook like this, you have an opportunity to create a unique dish that is all your own; however, you also run the risk of creating a disaster.
Now, I must say that the disasters are few and far between. There certainly have been some flops, but there have also been quite a few successes. One thing has become abundantly clear however. I hardly ever get it perfectly right on the first try. Almost always, as I eat a newly created meal, I utter the phrase, “It’s good, but there is something missing.”
You know, when I look at the church as a whole in the United States, I come to the same conclusion. It’s good, but there appears to be something missing. Even though I am a young man by most people’s standards, I can still remember back 20 years ago and see a marked difference in the church as a whole. And, when I look back even further as we take a look into the Old Testament this afternoon, I see even more evidence that something is missing. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Nehemiah 8:1-6.
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all whop were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women, and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
As you read this Scripture, do you begin to see what is missing in our churches today? Maybe you see a bunch of things missing, but I think they can all be linked to one particular trait. I believe that we are missing the passion that the Israelites displayed here. How do I know they were passionate people? All you need to do is look to see what they were doing before they had this meeting.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, but the king knew that Nehemiah was not happy about something. Nehemiah was downcast because his hometown of Jerusalem lay in ruins. So, the King sent him off to rebuild the walls and gates of the cities. Nehemiah rounded up the people of Israel who were in and around Jerusalem and in 52 days, they finished construction on the entire wall and all the gates despite the fact that they had no heavy equipment and were under threat of attack at all times. Things were so bad that the workers wore their swords as they worked and held a spear in one hand while they worked with the other. How were they able to accomplish all of this? Verse 6 of chapter 4 holds the key when it tells us that “the people worked with all their heart.” Isn’t that what passion is all about? But, somewhere along the line, I think we started worshipping God with our heads instead of with our hearts. We replaced a zealous shout and a joyful noise with a stoic look and a nod of understanding. Pastors know what I am talking about here. Instead of receiving an “Amen” when the preaching is good, you look around and see heads nodding. We look to stay in control instead of letting our bodies and souls truly worship God spontaneously by letting them react to the holiness and goodness of Jesus Christ. We’ve lost the passion, and according to this passage, that leads to losing other things that makes church so great. Let’s take a quick look at the three E’s that come when passion returns. Before we do, let’s ask the Lord to lead us in this time.
Passion gives you endurance.
I am going to pick on the men a little bit. Don’t worry ladies – I will get to you soon enough. Men, if I were to have given you tickets to last years Super Bowl, along with money for travel and lodging, how many of you would have taken me up on the offer? And, since you had the tickets, you probably would want to get to the stadium as soon as possible to see the players practice and all of the pre-game hoopla. Then, I am guessing you would watch the entire game, and you would only leave your seat during a break to get another hot dog or go to the bathroom. And, since the Steelers won, you would stay there to watch the trophy presentation and the celebrations of the players. All in all, you could easily spend six hours there and not be upset about how long it was taking. Why? Because you have a passion for football and the Steelers. After all, some people even go to watch the Steelers practice and stand in line for hours just for hopes of an autograph. Why – because they are passionate about football and the Steelers.
Now, let’s take that analogy and compare it to church for a moment. How long does church last? Or, should I say, how long can it last before it must be over? Maybe it is an hour. Maybe it is an hour and a half. It might be two hours, but chances are it is one of the first two options. And, if it is not over by its proper time, what happens? People either leave, or they start to grumble. So, what’s the difference? If you are able to stick it out for six hours at the game, why is it impossible for us to stick it out for more than an hour and a half on Sunday morning? It is a lack of passion. I want you to look back at our Scripture. How long does Ezra read from the Scripture? Verse 3 tells us that he read from daybreak until noon. This did not include the singing or a sermon. He was reading from the Bible. Now, did the people leave or get upset? No, they stayed and it resulted in praise being lifted up to God. They were passionate about God, and this led to them being able to endure long times of hearing about God. This should make sense. After all, how many of you love to spend extended periods of time doing the things that you love? We all do, and so did the Israelites. They loved spending time with God and were passionate about it, and this lead to endurance.
Passion gives you enthusiasm.
OK ladies, it is your turn now. How many of you have a passion for shopping? And, to break it down even more, how many of you have a passion for shoes? I don’t understand it, but ladies love to go shoe shopping. Recently, my wife needed to buy a new pair of shoes. She had exact specifications laid out for this shoe, so I thought this would be easy. We go to the store, she sees a shoe, and she buys it. That is how it works for guys. However, something else entirely happened. We went to Clarion. We went to Cranberry. We went to four different Pittsburgh area malls. We went to Grove City. This process took over a month, and I have to admit that I was sick of it after the first trip. But, my wife always had a smile on her face because she found it enjoyable.
At Grove City, we found a store described as a shoe warehouse, which it was. There were shoes everywhere. There was a section for guys and kids that was about the size of the chapel, and the rest of the store, about the size of Whitehall Camp, was filled with women’s shoes. You should have seen the expressions on the women’s faces in there. They were all smiling. Some were humming and whistling as they searched through the aisles. They were talking and laughing with each other. Why? Because they were enthusiastic about shopping for shoes.
According to our Scripture, not only were the Israelites able to endure 4 plus hours of reading the Law, but they were enthusiastic about it. After all, the people were raising up their hands and shouting Amen. It wasn’t too long ago in our congregations when you could hear Amens ringing through the church. You see, their passion for God led to more than just endurance. It led to enthusiasm. They were happy to be together. They were excited to have the opportunity to worship God. They were not going to just sit still and be silent. How could they? Their passion for God was so great that it led to shouts and the lifting up of hands. May God help us regain some of that enthusiasm again.
Passion gives you esteem.
Finally, when you have passion, you gain one more thing. You gain esteem for God. Basically, all I am saying is that reverence for God because very important in your life. Think back to your dating years. When you became passionate about that one person in your life, you truly held them in high esteem. You would hold the door, send notes, call them cute little names, and do nice things for them. How did that passion come about? It came about by spending time with them. As you got to know them better, your passion grew and so did your respect for them.
The same is true with God. The more you get to know Him, the more passion you develop for Him. And, the more you get to know Him, the more you see Him for who He truly is. You begin to see how holy, awesome, and mighty He is. Then, you start to see how far away you are from these things in your own life, and yet, He still chooses to have fellowship with you. Then, this realization will lead you to hold God in high regard and will give you humility.
Our Scripture tells us that this was the case with the Israelites. After all, they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. That sounds pretty reverent to me. They had such a passion for the Lord that it didn’t matter what those around them would say or think. All that mattered was that they would worship God with the proper esteem and respect that they should. They saw no other option than to fall on their faces and worship. We need that passion again.
This afternoon, I know that some of you are missing that passion. Maybe you never had it. Maybe you had it when you first became saved and it has faded over the years. I don’t know your personal story, but the Holy Spirit does. Right now, just close your eyes and clear your minds. Let the Holy Spirit work in your hearts. Are you missing that passion? Do you want it back? I can think of no better time than at a LIVE service to birth a new passion into your life. Do you want it? Is the Holy Spirit telling you that you need it? As the piano plays, if you want this passion in your heart and lives that leads to endurance, enthusiasm, and esteem, come now to the front and let me pray with you. We are asking for the passion to be in your lives. Don’t wait – come now as we pray and the piano plays.
