Title: Live Pationately
Text: Matthew 9:36
Date: 6/13/09
Location: Sulphur Spring
Intro. A few weeks ago I challenged you to live the month of June as if it was the last month you had to live on the earth. This morning is June 14th, which means the month is almost half gone. I challenged you to live your life by the same 4 principles that Jesus lived by. Let me remind you of those 4 Principles this morning, (1) Jesus lived passionately, (2) Loved Completely, (3) Learned Humility, (4) Left Boldly.
This morning I want us to take a closer look at this first principle. I want us to discuss how you can live your life with more passion than you ever thought possible.
Passion is one of the most powerful motivating forces known to man. Passion is what separates a good musician or athlete from those that are great.
A group of us went to Bowling Green last Tuesday night to watch a minor league Baseball game. I’ve always enjoyed playing baseball, and in my younger years I was quite passionate about it. I wanted to be the best pitcher that I could possibly be. My dad had never played baseball, so he Boys and girls you have to understand this was 30 years ago and there was no such thing as a Training DVD or VCR tape you could just put in and watch it on TV and we certainly didn’t have a place in town where you could go and get private lessons on pitching.
So I went to the Library and bought a book about pitching. I read it from cover to cover. I was especially interested to learn that most pitchers held the ball differently when they wanted to throw a curve ball than they did when they were throwing a baseball.
I also watched Major League Baseball and listened closely to the commentators when they were talking about the pitcher’s mechanics. I became a student of the game and wanted to learn everything I could about it.
But you know there was only so much I could learn from reading a book or watching television. I also had to get out there on the field and throw a few pitches. I didn’t always throw very hard so I had to learn how to control the ball, and throw strikes, which I did. But every now and then I would throw one up there too good and someone would hit a home run off of me. But even then I learned from that mistake, and did my best not to make the same mistake again.
I guess you could say I was passionate about baseball, although I guess you could also make a pretty good argument that I was obsessed by it. I can remember sitting in the living room at my mom and dad’s house watching television while throwing a ball into my glove. You see I threw a knuckle ball, and in order to throw it well you have to use your finger nails. So I would sit there for hours throwing a ball into my glove.
In my opinion Passion is one of the things that’s missing in our world today. I didn’t see it the other night at the Bowling Green Ball park, I don’t see it in the business world, and I certainly don’t see much of it around the church.
Jesus lived passionately and as His disciples so should we. That’s what I want to spend some time talking about today.
I. Jesus was passionate about people!
Martin Luther King, Jr. was passionate about a the Civil Rights movement. His I have a Dream speech is filled with that passion.
Some people are passionate about a hobby, and spend all of their time, energy and money on it.
Jesus on the other hand was passionate about People.
Matthew 9:36 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
A. Jesus was passionate about people, all kinds of people. Rich, Poor, Jews and Gentiles, alike, He didn’t play favorites. He loved men and women, boys and girls.
B. The little children: In the gospel of Matthew it tells us about a time a group of Parents brought their children to see Jesus, but the Disciples tried to turn them away and keep them away from Jesus. But Jesus somehow realized what was going on and said, “Let the Little children come to me,” and then He blessed them and reminded His disciples that the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are as innocent and pure as children.
II. Secondly, Jesus was passionate about serving people!
In Matthew 20:28 Jesus said, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
His First miracle was done at the request of His mother Mary at a wedding in the small village of Cana of Galilee, where He turned water into wine so the bride and groom wouldn’t be embarrassed because they had run out of wine.
His last act of humility was to serve his disciples by washing their feet before they shared the Last Supper together.
III. Next, Jesus was passionate about teaching people!
A. The Jewish people considered Him to be a Rabbi or Teacher.
In the 3rd Chapter of John, Nicodemus a member of the Sanhedrin came to Jesus at night and in his conversation with Jesus, he said, “"Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
When the Jewish people heard him teach they were amazed. In Mark 1:22 it says, “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”
B. Word spread quickly about Jesus and before long, people from all over Galilee wanted to see Jesus and listen to him teach. In fact in the 13th chapter of Matthew it tells us that so many people were crowding around Jesus that He climbed into a boat and sat in it to teach the people who were standing on the shore to listen to him.
C. Jesus also taught in the Jewish Synagogues.
In Matthew 13:54 it tells us that Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth and taught the people on the Sabbath day. It says, “Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed.”
In Luke 4:31-32 it tells us that Jesus was in the city of Capernaum on the Sabbath day and went to the Synagogue and began teaching them. Verse 32 says, “They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.”
D. Jesus was passionate about teaching people, especially His Disciples.
He took advantage of every opportunity He could to teach them about the Kingdom of God or about faith. For instance, in the 12th chapter of Mark we read that Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, and went to the Temple to worship. “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.
But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." Mark 12:41-44
IV. Jesus was also passionate about meeting the needs of people!
A. Feeding of the 5000
B. Peter and the fish / tax.
C. Breakfast on the shores of the Sea of Galillee for his disciples.
V. Jesus was passionate about healing people!
A. In the 5th chapter of Luke we read about a man who had a skin disease called Leprosy. He came to Jesus fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” The Scripture says that Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man (which was unheard of- Leprosy was very contagious so you never wanted to touch anyone who had it.) Not only that but He would have also been considered unclean by touching the man and would not have been able to enter the temple or synagogue. But that doesn’t stop Jesus, remember Jesus was passionate about people, he was more concerned about people than about their rules and regulations. He reached out and touched this man and said “I am willing” and immediately the leprosy left him.”
B. Later in this same chapter we read about the man who was a paralytic. He couldn’t walk, so His four friends brought him to see Jesus. You remember the story, when they arrived the house where Jesus was teaching was already crowded with people, so they climbed up on top of the roof, cut a hole in it, and lowered their friend down in front of Jesus. Jesus knowing the man’s greatest need was forgiveness said, “Friend your sins are forgiven.” This bothered some of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law who were present so Jesus turned to them and said, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven, or to say, ‘get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…He said to the Paralyzed man, “I tell you get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.”
C. On another occasion Jesus and His disciples were leaving the city of Jericho when two blind men who were sitting beside the road started crying out to him and saying, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The Bible says, that the crowds rebuked them and tried to get them to be quite and stop bothering Jesus. But Jesus stopped and asked them men what they wanted him to do for them. They told Jesus that they wanted to be able to see. Matthew 20:34 says, “Jesus had compassion and them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”
D. In the 5th chapter of Mark we read about a man who was possessed by Demons. He was so wild the Bible says that he behaved more like a wild animal than a human being. He was so strong that no chain could hold him, the people were all afraid of Him. But Jesus had compassion on this man and cast the demons out of him and into a heard of pigs, who were grazing on a nearby hillside. The pigs immediately ran down the hillside and threw themselves into the Sea of Galillee. The man on the other hand begged Jesus to allow him to go with him, but Jesus refused to allow him to do so. Instead he said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” According to Mark 5:20 the man went away and began telling everyone in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him and all of the people were amazed.
Jesus was passionate about People and as His Disciples we should be as well.
It’s okay to be excited about other things from time to time but we must remember that our primary focus should be on people. About meeting their physical and spiritual needs.
