The PassionS Of Christ
I Want To Know Christ!!! – week three
THIS MORNING – I want to start off our time together by reading a several New Testament passages that are basically doxologies… NOW - the word doxology comes from a combination of the two Greek words, doxa meaning glory, honor or praise, and logos meaning to speak…
In the NT a doxology is a short – sudden outburst of praise to and about God… OKAY – here is what happens, someone (let’s say Paul) is writing about some great attribute or thing that God has done… and as He thinks about it and reflects on it - he just has to shout out some praises.
NOW – I want to do two things before I read those doxologies, that should cause each of us to want to shout out some praises to and about Jesus.…
FIRST – I want to read a passage from Colossians about who Christ is, and then I want to show a video, called The Great I AM… (now, this video has scenes from
The Passion of The Christ)…
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. – Colossians 1:15-20
NOW – the video… The Great I AM
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. – 1 Timothy 1:15-17
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. - Jude
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. – Revelation 1:5,6
9 I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. 10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit.[f] Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. 11 It said, “Write in a book[g] everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man.[h] He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. – Revelation 1:9-18
Prayer…
THIS MORNING – is week 3 (day 15) of our message series, ‘I Want To Know Christ!!!’
TODAY – we are going to talk about The Passions of Christ.
UNDERSTAND – when you uncover the things that people are passionate about… we you discover the things that they ‘willingly’ give their – time, energy, resources and efforts too, you will learn a lot about that person.
I MEAN - whether it’s; hunting; fishing, golfing, hiking, video-gaming, gardening, boating, collecting OR biking..
When people are passionate about a hobby, they go FULL throttle.
YES – we all recognize passion when we see it (and we all know when it’s lacking)…
AND LISTEN – people who are passionate about something… HAVE CONCLUDED – that; cost, time, money, weather and comfort are all irrelevant. BECAUSE – if you are passionate about something you are willing to suffer for it. IN FACT – the word passion comes from the Latin word, ‘passeo’ - which means to suffer.
When I lived in Atlanta there were some people in my subdivision who were passionate about biking… (they were willing to suffer for it)… I remember one Sunday morning heading out to church… THE - temperature was in the teens. THE - wind chill was approaching zero. A - steady freezing rain was coming down. AND – there ‘they’ were. 10 ‘perfectly sane’ guys passionate about bike riding in their spandex were heading down the road… I just smiled to myself, turned my heat up a notch and drove on…
Michael Phelps for instance… winner of 16 Olympic medals (14 gold and two bronze, 8 gold in Beijing alone, competed in Sydney at age 15)… Checkout the diet and training routine that enable him to accomplish all of that.
Phelps began serious training at the age of 11. He trained six hours a day, six days a week, without fail for 12 years. Even if Christmas day fell on a training day, he still did a full day of training.
He swam approximately 50 miles each week, which is over 8 miles per training day. That’s 2600 miles per year and 31,200 miles since age 11 (around the world at the equator with 6000 miles left over). Plus weight training and stationary bike training.
That’s a passion for swimming… and the diet he ate to fuel this passion was insane.
Phelps did not have a strict menu to follow. He actually ate what he wanted to eat, whenever he wanted it. ON – a normal day, here is what he usually ate (10-12000 calories a day, normal is 2000-2500):
• Breakfast: 3 fried egg sandwiches with cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; three chocolate-chip pancakes; 5-egg omelets; 3 sugar-coated slices of French toast; a bowl of grits; 2 cups of coffee
• Lunch: 1 pound of enriched pasta; 2 large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks
• Dinner: 1 pound of enriched pasta, a large pizza; energy drinks
YES PASSION – is an amazing, inspiring, motivating & powerful thing. AND LISTEN - nothing great ever happens without it. UNDERSTAND - the driving force behind ALL GREAT: art, music, literature, drama, architecture, technological advances… relationships, churches and ministries…
Passion IS what makes great things happen.
Passion propels athletes to break records. Passion pushes scientists to discover new cures for diseases. Passion causes musicians to keep playing in smoke filled night clubs until they get that big break. Passion is what motivates people to drive on to this campus Sunday after Sunday to serve… to pour out with energy and enthusiasm their gifts and takents for the benefit of others.
UNDERSTAND - God created you to be a passionate person. YOU - were made with the capacity for passion because God is a passionate God (and you are made in His image). LISTEN - regardless of your personality, God made you to be a passionate person. YOU - may be an extrovert or an introvert, it doesn’t really matter. God made you to feel things deeply. To live life passionately.
REMEMBER – God’s intention for your life and mine is that we live our lives just like Jesus lived His. AND JESUS – lived… Fully. Abundantly. Passionately.
AND THAT – is what we are going to talk about today.
THE – first point in your notes is;
I. The Portrait
OKAY – what I want to do here is to give you several snapshots of Jesus living passionately. AND LISTEN – one thing that is evident as you look at the life of Christ, IS THAT – He was not one who lived His life: “simply going through the motions, listless and discontent, wondering if this is all life has to offer.”
NOW – there are many snapshots that I could show you this morning of His Passion. IN FACT – there are not enough photo albums in the world to hold them all. SO WHAT – I want to do is to look at just 4 snapshots that I think kind of capture Jesus’ overall passion.
A) Snapshot #1 “The Father’s Word” – Joseph and Mary have just celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem. THEY - along with tens of thousands of other people are heading back home. A couple days into the journey they noticed that they left something back in Jerusalem… (Their 12 year old son, Jesus). SO – they hurry back to the city to find him (YEAH - I bet that was a fun trip).
AND – you know since Jesus had 4 brothers and a couple of sisters I wonder if any of the younger siblings were traveling in the Grand Camel Cherokee with them? (THAT – would have made the trip back even more fun – this was before the days of DVD players, ipods and computer games) Three days later they find Him. (MAN – think about that parents ‘ 3 days’. They had to be flipping out… Mei-Leigh in China). LUKE – records these words…
The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt. His mother said, "Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you." He said, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?" - Luke 2:46-49
DO – you see Jesus’ passion in this snapshot? DO – you see His passion for His Father’s word. PICTURE – that scene… PICTURE – a 12 year old boy sitting at the Temple with the leading teachers of the day (with men who had studied and taught God’s Word their entire lives). EAGERLY – listening and asking them questions. PICTURE – Jesus sitting on the edge of his seat at 12 firing off question after question (how, why, when, where) and answering the tougher ones. DO – you see His passion for His Father’s word & teaching.
AND – by the way His passion for the Word did not end at age 12. Throughout His 3 year ministry Jesus read the word, quoted the word, taught the word, explained the word, planted word, fought the evil one with the word, and built His life on the word – by the sea, on the hillside, along the road and at the temple…
For the next snapshot we need to fast forward about 18 years…
B) Snapshot #2 “The Father’s House”
(the place God’s people gather to worship each week)…
Jesus is in the early stages of His ministry. It’s only a few days before the Jewish Passover. Once again Jerusalem is flooded with people flocking to the city to Celebrate the ‘great’ feast of deliverance.
Jesus was in Capernaum (the city that He called His home during His 3 year ministry) along with His mother, His brothers and disciples. When it was time for the Passover Jesus went to Jerusalem. The Apostle John writes…
14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (they were ripping people off…) 17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” - John 2:14-17 (NLT)
DO – you see His passion in this snapshot? DO – you see the fire in His eyes. CAN – you hear the thunder in his voice? Get these things out of here… DO YOU SEE – His passion overflow as he turns over table after table and cracks the air with the whip he just made.
PASSION – for His father’s house (being what it was meant to be) consumes Him. NO – there is no “simply going through the motions, listless and discontent, wondering if this is all life has to offer” - here.
C) Snapshot #3 “The Father’s Plan”
NOW – this snapshot is actually made up of three 3 images… kind of overlaid on top of each other…
IMAGE 1… Jesus has just fed the 5000 with only 5 loaves and 2 fish. Peter has just made that great confession as to who Jesus is, The Christ the Son of the Living God. AND THEN JESUS – turns to them and says; (talk about a buzz kill)
"The Son of Man must (it’s got to happen, there is no other way, there is no turning back) suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." - Luke 9:22
IMAGE 2
(of the Father’s plan)… JESUS – has just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration. THE MOUNTAIN – where Peter, James and John saw Him transformed before their very eyes as He was praying. THE MOUNTAIN – where the heavens once again opened up and The Father spoke encouraging words to His Son… “This is My Son. My Chosen One. Listen to Him.” AFTER THIS – Jesus came down from the mountain, and Luke records these incredible powerful & passionate words…
When the days drew near for him to be taken up (to suffer, to die, to rise again), he set his face (He resolved, He determined, he made up His mind) to go to Jerusalem.
– Luke 9:51
IMAGE 3 of His Passion for the Father’s Plan…
IT’S – late Thursday night in the garden. Jesus is praying. HE – knows exactly what the next few moments will bring. HE – knows that all of the prophecies and predictions about His suffering, His death… AND - separation from the Father are about to become reality. HE KNOWS – that his body will soon be beaten, His flesh torn, His blood shed, His friends scattered… AND – His hands, feet, brow and side pierced.
Father if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done not mine. – Luke 22:42
DO YOU SEE – His passion for His Father’s plan?
• It must happen
• There was no other way
• He couldn’t turn back
• His face was set.
• His path was chosen
• His eyes were fixed
“Abba, Father – more than I want a path away from this suffering – I want your will to be done, your plan accomplished in and through my life…
D) Snapshot #4 “The Father’s People”
NOW – this snapshot also consists of a couple of images…
IMAGE 1
God is wearing human flesh. HE – is just beginning His ministry and He as does He looks out at a huge crowd of people created in His image… AND – His heart breaks because things are not as they should be…
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Mt 9:36
AND – this compassion drove Jesus to action! It drove him to: touch them, help them, heal them, feed them, love them – be with them…
IMAGE 2
IT’S – dark. THE – night air is still. His heart is racing. The time is short. The suffering is about to begin… QUESTION - where is His focus? Who is he thinking of, himself? Hardly.
1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
– John 14:1-3
DO YOU SEE – His passion for the Father’s people…? UNDERSTAND – ever since the garden, God could not wait to come near to His people. AND – when the Christ did show up 2000 years ago. He showed up in the flesh as one of us… HE - did not come thundering on the top of a distant mountain.. He did not come issuing decrees from some ivory tower… He came near. He got close.
I MEAN - everywhere we turn in the Gospel we see the Christ hanging out with people. Why? BECAUSE – He cared about their hurts. HE – cared about their hassles…
AND - His greatest desire was to be with them forever. “(TIM) I’m coming back to get you – I want to be with you forever!”
OKAY – that’s a brief portrait of Jesus living passionately. AND – did you notice that when you boil it all down… The focus of His passion was all about the Father… Everything Jesus did was for the Father… for His glory! LIFE – was not about Him it was about the Father and His glory. Jesus wanted people to know the father, see the father, understand how great and awesome he was…
I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
-John 17:4-5
THE NEXT – point in your notes is…
II, The Power
QUESTION - what was the power… WHAT – was the fuel that both ignited and sustained the Passion of the Christ? I MEAN - how was he able to consistently live with such passion? REMEMBER – He wore the same flesh as you and me.
WELL - there are basically 2 things that kept the flames of His passion burning. THE FIRST ONE – takes us back once again to the upper room on the night of His arrest.
TIM – as I read these 2000 year old words written by the hand of John and breathed by the Holy Spirit, see if you can uncover anything in them that would keep Jesus’ passion burning.
THE – food is cooked. THE – room prepared. THE – disciples gathered. THE – table set. THE – candles lit. THE – the time is short. THE – betrayal is in motion. THE – devil is prompting. THE – arrest is imminent.
YET - Christ is confident. Christ is passionate. How? What is fueling His passion?
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; - John 13:1-3
SO – did you see it? A 2 word phrase that is repeated 2 times…
Jesus Knew
Understand…
The Power (The Fuel) For His Passion Came From What He Knew
QUESTION - what did Jesus know?
• HE – knew who He was… The Christ the Son of the Living God
• HE – knew where he was going? Back home to the Father
• HE – knew His purpose (why He was here)… UNDERSTAND - Jesus had a vision for His life… A PASSIONATE VISION TO: defeat sin, conquer the grave, fulfill God’s plan, finish His work and bring God’s people back home.
A) His passion was fueled by what He knew.
NOW THE SECOND – thing that kept the flames of Christ’s passion burning hot is found in these 8 words written from hand of Luke… Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. – Luke 5:15,16
UNDERSTAND – the power to keep the flames of his passion burning came not only from what Jesus knew… BUT – from what He did…
B) The Power Came From What He Did
QUESTION – what did Jesus do? HE – constantly maintained His connection to the Father. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. – Luke 5:15,16. LISTEN AS – you flip through the pages of the Gospel… YOU SEE – image after image of Jesus intentionally maintaining this connection…
YOU SEE HIM – connecting when:
• He began His Ministry
• He was attacked by the evil one (in the wilderness)
• His schedule got demanding
• Before making big decisions in His life
• He was disappointed & broken hearted
• He was worried about his friends
• He was concerned about the unity of the church
• He faced his ultimate challenge.
Luke 22:39 says, that on Thursday night (of His arrest)… "Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives as usual." Intentionally maintaining ‘His’ connection with The Father… when life was at it’s darkest and most difficult places.
THE – Portrait, THE – power… NOW – the Promise…
III. The Promise
QUESTION – what is the promise?
THE PROMISE – is that we (that you & I) CAN live the same kind of life that Jesus lived… YEAH – I know it’s hard to believe and to get our brains around this promise, BUT – it’s true!
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. - Romans 8:29 (Msg)
God wants us to grow up… like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. – Ephesians 4:15 (Msg)
In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. - Phil 2:5
LET – the truth and the incredible promise of those passages ‘really’ sink in…
We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.
God wants us to grow up… like Christ in everything
In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus
AND IF – those passages blew you away check out this one, from John 14, it ABSOLUTELY blows my mind.
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
– John 14:12 (NLT)
SAY – what? NOW – that’s crazy, I don’t care who you are... (me and you) the same. NO (me and you)… - greater things then Jesus did... BECAUSE – Jesus is going where? BACK – to the Father. AND – when He goes back to the Father he is going to send who? His Spirit.
LISTEN – we have everything we need to live a life just like Jesus lived including Living Passionately. BECAUSE – those of us who are saved (those who have surrendered to Jesus in faith/repentance and baptism – have the Spirit of the all powerful, never confused or taken by surprise God living inside of us!
AND – let me tell you what on of those Greater things is? Sharing the Gospel of Salvation.
LISTEN – the potential for you & I really living this kind of life is real! BUT UNDERSTAND – this kind of life doesn’t come rolling in on a tray (it didn’t for Jesus). NO – we have to work at living passionately like Jesus. That’s why Paul wrote these words…
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord
- Romans 12:11
CIRCLE – the word “keep.” LISTEN – the reason Paul tells us that we need to keep it is because passion is something that you can lose passion leaks. You can lose your passion for the Lord. You can loose your passion for His church. You can loose your passion for your ministry. You can lose your passion for life.
YES - God did create every one of us to be passionate people, but the problem is, life just tends to beat the passion right out of you. The problems, pressures, stresses, failures and the every day busyness of life can just suck the passion right out of us.
SO – how do we keep it? THE – same way Jesus did…
Hang with the Father…
By remembering and believing what we know…
UNDERSTAND – the power for living a passionate life…
Comes From ‘Remembering’ What We Know
(Tim…) - like Jesus we also know some things… THE PROBLEM IS – the thief knows them to and he is going to try to steal these things from us… That’s why we have to intentionally remember what we know! AND – I might add actually ‘believing’ what we know!
UNDERSTAND – like Jesus we know…
We Know Who We Are… The Apostle John wrote some of the most amazing life changing and passion igniting words about who we are in the 3rd chapter of his first letter…
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! – 1 John 3:1
Who are we?
AND – Paul wrote these words…
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
1 Cor 5:17
Who are we?
I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. – 1 John 2:12
Who are we?
(we need to be as passionate about accepting our forgiveness as He was in winning it)
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. – 2 Peter 2:9.10
Who are we?
GUYS – if we remember, if we believe
what we know about who we are
our passion will become a raging fire.
ALSO - like Jesus
We Know Where We’re Going
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." - Rev 21:1-5
WE ARE GOING – to the world we have always dreamed of living in. AND – we will live there forever. WHERE – are we going? “We’re going home” HOW LONG – will we live there? Forever!
Just like Jesus…
We Know Why We’re Here
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Eph 2:10 (NLT)
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world. – John 17:18 (Msg)
WHY – are we here? What are we TO DO and accomplish? THE - good things God planned for us to do long before we were ever born. THE – mission He gave us in this world.
LISTEN - we are Part of something MUCH bigger then us… WE – are part of a story that has been going on longer before we were born and that will STILL be going on long after we have left this earth.
A STORY – of a passionate God bringing His people back home one life at a time. YOU (Tim/Laurie) ARE – the hands, feet, voice and heart of Almighty God in this world!
YES, THE – things you do have eternal implications. GOD – wants to use your life to bring Him Glory and to turn as many hearts as possible back to Him.
UNDERSTAND - God has a vision for your life. The Great I Am, the Creator of all we see, the alpha and omega – has plans, thoughts, intentions and dreams for your life… THERE – are things he created you to do… THERE’S – a person He created you to be. IT’S – what you are designed for… IT’S – who you are…
YOU ARE – custom-made, carefully crafted, supernaturally shaped for a specific divine agenda. AND LISTEN GOD’S – vision for your life includes things that will not only radically change and impact your life… BUT IT WILL – also change and impact the lives of other people… IN his book “Wide Awake, The Future is waiting within you” a book about living the life you were created to live… Erwin McManus writes;
“Living Wide Awake is about realizing that the world needs you to live up to your potential. There are others whose lives and future depend on you stepping up and living big. The better world you keep waiting for needs you to accept your life’s calling and responsibility and then create it… when you live up to your greatness, the whole world is made better. The world cannot afford for you to choose the easy or average.
UNDERSTAND IT’S VISION – that gives significance to the otherwise meaningless details of our lives. IT’S - not always about what we’re doing, BUT - rather why we are doing it. I MEAN – you take the minute details of this very day and drop them into the boiling pot of a God-ordained vision and begin stirring them around. AND BEFORE - you know it there is purpose! Meaning! Power! Passion!
VISION – is the difference between filling bags with dirt… OR - building a dike in order to save a town. NOW - there’s nothing glamorous or fulfilling about filling bags with dirt, BUT - saving a city is another thing altogether. Building a dike gives meaning to the chore of filling bags with dirt.
THE SAME - is true of vision. Too many times the routines of life begin to feel like shoveling dirt. ANYBODY – feel like their shoveling dirt out there? BUT - take those same routines, those same responsibilities, and view them through the lens of vision (that’s what Joseph and Paul did when in prison) and everything looks different. NOTHING – ‘has’ to take that vision… Everything (every day, every activity) can become a part of fulfilling it.
WE KNOW –
who we are.
Why we are here.
And where we are going…
Remembering what we know is the power for living a life of passion and so is…
‘Maintaining’ Our Connection With God
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:1-5
BOTTOM LINE – the only thing all that we need to do in order to live passionately is to maintain our connection to God… (through prayer, his word, through our relationship with Him)
LISTEN – when we are connected to God we realize that it is all about Him. Not us.
HE – the ‘Great I Am’ is our source for life…
He is all we need.
UNDERSTAND – there is incredible life giving power in maintaining this connection…
To ‘I AM…’
Because I AM becomes the answer to everything.
I need help I Am
I need hope
What works
What lasts I need a fresh start
Nothing seems real anymore
I can’t hold on
I’m alone
I’m not sure why I’m here
I’m tired
I’m lost
I messed up
I can’t
I’ve given all I have and it’s not enough
Let's Pray
