Nuts Passion
2/10/2002 Psalm 116 Mark 14:3-9
I want to thank Leonard Sweets for his message given at the Beyond All Limits Pastors Conference for the inspiration behind this message. I hope to expand and make five additional messages out of this one as we are adopting the theme of NUTS for our church year. Thank you Leonard.
Tracy, was a little girl who was listening very closely to the preacher during the morning worship service. But she left service puzzled. She said, Mommy, didn’t our pastor say today that God is bigger than we are? Her mother was pleased to see her daughter was listening in service and said, “Yes, honey.” Tracy then proceeded on with her second question, “And didn’t our pastor say today that God lives inside of us.”
Her mother could sense a big question coming forth and she said, “ yes honey”. Tracy then put her points together and said, “well if God is bigger than us, and God is living inside of us, then shouldn’t God be popping out all over so that others could see God when they look at us. The great challenge for each believer in Christ is to have Christ popping out all over.
You know the greatest story ever told is that God so loved the world that that He gave His only Son that anyone who believes in Jesus should not perish, but have everlasting life. This is God’s story. The second most important story is that Jesus loves me and He changed my life. Saints, what is it that keeps these stories from popping out all over our lives. What is it that keeps people from seeing God in our lives.
Have you ever been to a basketball game and been on the side of the team that was behind by 15 points. Everybody’s head is just sort of going from side to side. But the moment the other team makes a few sloppy plays and your team scores on a few quick turnovers and hits 3 3 point shots, all of a sudden the entire side comes alive with a passion that you can feel.
Everybody is of one mind cheering the team on. People who were quietly sitting down, all of sudden are jumping up and down. They have passion, because they have a story to tell. There story is “look where we were, but now look where we are.” They are expecting to win.
The crowd that lacks passion is obviously behind in the game. A lack of passion will make others think you’re boring, you’re losers, you’re simply wasting your time. Few things have hurt the greatest story ever told than people trying to tell it with no passion about them or trying to live it with no passion. Do you know how people who never have entered the church, think about the church. Now part of their view is determined by how the church is portrayed by tv, and in part to how we live for Christ.
People view the church as being hypocritical, boring, and judgmental. How often do we help confirm what they think about it? We talk about God is love, but if they greet you do they think God is a grouch. We talk about being on fire for God, but do we sing praises in worship as though God has died and it’s the most boring thing to do is sing about God’s goodness. We talk about loving everyone but do we judge a person by how dirty they may look when they come into a church.
In a recent survey on churches, 75% of churches are declining or dying. 24% of churches are growing, but they’re basically getting members from other churches sort of a like a saints musical chairs. 1% of all churches are growing by reaching people who have never heard of having a relationship with Christ.
Jesus said he came to seek and to save those who were lost. The challenge before us today is, do we want to be a part of the 1% club that’s doing what Jesus commanded His church to do. In order to do it, we are going to need a passion for God. And not just any old kind of passion, but a crazy kind of a passion.
One day a pastor’s little four year old daughter was walking around the house singing, “crazy the Lord, crazy the Lord.” He was offended that his daughter was singing such a song. He said, “Sandra, what song is that you’re singing.” She said, “Crazy the Lord.” He said, “well where did you learn that?” She said “in Sunday School.” Shocked to find out such songs were being taught in his church, he said, “well, what’s the rest of the words.” She said, “Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Crazy the Lord.”
He laughed, and he almost started to tell her, “it’s not crazy the Lord, but praise ye the Lord.” But then he thought about it and said to himself the Lord is kind of crazy when you think about it. Isn’t it crazy to love somebody, who spent all their lives in rebellion against you. Isn’t it crazy to forgive a person time and time again for doing the same stupid thing. Isn’t it crazy to give a person another chance, have them blow it, and give them another chance anyways.
Isn’t it crazy to know somebody has blown it big time, but you still choose to make them your servant with a wonderful plan for their life. Aren’t you glad that God is kind of crazy when you think about it.
Not only is God crazy, God expects us to be crazy. He expects us to be nuts. God is looking for people who are willing to be crazy nuts. One thing about crazy nut, is every time you have been with one, you know it, and it is a long time before you forget that you met him or her.
One of the mistakes we make is that we think people who are outside of the church are crazy, and that we who follow Christ are normal. But that’s not true. People who do not know God, are actually the normal people. I can prove it. If you hit one of them, what will they do, the normal thing, they will hit you back. If you curse one of them, what will they do, the normal thing; they will curse you back. If you borrow money from them, what will they do. Demand that you pay them back. Isn’t that all normal.
Jesus comes along looking for disciples. He says look now, “if somebody hits you, turn the other cheek. If they curse you, do something to bless them in return. If they borrow from you, don’t expect to get anything back.” Do you realize Jesus is telling us you can’t be normal. Jesus is trying to make us crazy. He wants to turns us into a bunch of NUTS. Have you ever heard a singer singing, “I’m crazy in love with you.” Well the more we love Jesus, the more of a crazy nut we become.
God wants us to become NUTS because God has a plan. Do you what Christian NUTS are. They are people who Never Underestimate The Spirit. You see there is a reason behind our craziness which will produce our passion. We know that God is doing something in a situation that we may or may not understand. We simply choose to never underestimate the Spirit.
People today are crazy in love with their football teams. You go to stadium after stadium where it’s freezing cold, and some people are there with paint on their faces and bodies and no coats or jackets. People look at them and say, wow now those are some truly dedicated fans.
They go through all of this, just to cheer on some players trying to push a ball back and forth on some green carpet with lines on it. When the game is over, there is no reward given to them at all. Part of their joy is simply being a fool for their team. Their passion causes them to endure the pain of the freezing temperatures.
Every now and then you run in to someobody who loves Jesus, a little more than Joe Shmoe loves the Browns. We are all fools for something. Because everything we do is taking us closer to the grave. If we get to the end, and our foolishness has not prepared us to meet God, we really have been a fool.
Paul said look, if I’ve got to be a fool in this life, at least let me be a fool for Christ. 1 Cor. 4:10-13 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
Paul is willing to be crazy for Jesus. Paul is saying here, “I’m really more nuts than you know, but I’m trying to be sane as I can for your sake. Saints, Paul is willing to be passionately crazy for Jesus. Passionate people are sometimes sort of scary to us. They remind us that their commitment to their cause often puts our commitment to Christ to shame. They can go nuts over all kinds of things, and we consider what they are committed to, to be just a waste of time.
Yet at times we admire passion because we know the world is not going to be changed by people who just lazily take things as they come, the bitter with the sweet and lazily lounge around. We admire passion, intensity, burning hot within someone’s soul, but also reaching out and drawing others. Passion gets things done.
Let’s be honest, what do you feel deeply about. What really grips your heart that you’re willing to yell and scream for when given the opportunity? What are you saving for and holding on to that you think is really going to make you happy. Sometime we’re not passionate about Jesus Christ, because Jesus is not where our heart truly is. Oh he may be around our hearts, but He’s not seated on the throne calling the shots for our lives.
Let’s look at a person who went NUTS for Jesus. You can find the story in Mark 14:4-9. Jesus has a week left to live, and he stops in the tiny village of Bethany, just a few miles from Jerusalem. It’s the night before he will march into the city of Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. Now if you knew you only had a week to live, what would you do to spend it. Some of us would truly be willing to go NUTS for Christ if we knew were going to die this week
Well Jesus chooses to go to a party that was being given by Simon the Leper. Jesus enjoys, the food, the conversation, and the fellowship with his friends. As Jesus is reclining and just sort of taking it easy, a woman emerges from the crowd. John’s gospel tells us that it was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.
Mary was crazy in love with Jesus, and you never know what a crazy person might do. She has this very expensive jar filled with very expensive perfume, and she goes over to Jesus, and breaks the jar and pours this very expensive perfume on Jesus’ head and feet. Immediately the whole house is filled with the smell of the perfume. Many of the people around had never smelled perfume of this quality. They knew it was the real thing.
Some of the people realized immediately that Mary was NUTS. The poor girl had lost her mind. John tells us that Judas Iscariot was the ring leader in criticizing Mary as others said amen. Judas said, “This is crazy. Is this woman nuts? Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” They really ripped into her and dogged her something awful. These were the original haters.
Jesus told them, “Leave this sister alone and why are you bothering her. She has done a beautiful thing to me.. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
Why did Mary give up a year’s salary to show her appreciation for Jesus. Because she was NUTS. She was crazy. Jesus had made her crazy. She remembered how her brother Lazarus had died, and Jesus raised him from the dead. She remembered how she had been lost, but now she had a story to tell of what Jesus had done for her. A year’s salary was nothing compared to what she felt she owed Jesus for her life and salvation. She had a passion, a nuts kind of passion.
Have you ever stopped to think how dramatically God could use the saints at Glenville and New Life if we were as enthusiastic about God as Mary was? She had no hesitation or reservation about what others might say or think. Didn’t I tell you that God did not call us to be normal.
The normal thing to do would have been to open the expensive jar, and let a drop or too hit Jesus on the head, and a drop or two hit him on the foot. The people would have said, “Oh my what a wonderful act of devotion. Why didn’t I think of doing that.”
Saints, the church has way too many “drop or two” saints in it. What would you think of a boyfriend who brought you a bottle of your favorite perfume for Valentine’s Day, but as soon as you opened the package he took the bottle out. Put a drop of two on your neck and hands, and then took the rest back to hold it for another day.
Well he probably wouldn’t be your boyfriend for long. You want somebody that’s going to be crazing in love with you. Not only do you want the whole bottle of perfume, you’re hoping he’s got a necklace or bracelet to go along with it.
Mary expressed her love with a total commitment. She could have poured it all out, but saved the jar so that it could have been filled again. Some people could have accepted that as a tremendous act of devotion. They would have said, “My how generous and loving.” But Mary did not see it that way. Mary broke this jar so that it would never be used by anyone on anyone else again. She was saying, “Lord I’m nuts for you and I’m never turning back again.” That which had a claim on my heart as my treasure, has been given to you and shared with all. Jesus, you alone are lord of my life.
Some people have visions of climbing mountains. Some people have visions of winning Olympic medals. Some people have visions for sailing around the world alone. They spend tremendous amounts of time, energy, money, and sacrifice, to make it happen. But Mary had a vision, of entering into as close of a relationship with Jesus Christ as she could get. That’s where her passion was. She did not want to be normal any longer.
Saints, there are some things in life that we are going to have to be NUTS over if God is to be poking out of our lives for Jesus Christ to be seen. The only way for this church to be a great church is to be a NUTS church. What does it mean to be NUTS. It means Never Underestimate The Spirit, when you try to tell your co-worker about Jesus and invite them to come to church. You do not know it, but you may be talking to one of the great elders that God is going to use in this church.
It means Never Underestimate The Spirit, when you tell classmate what a difference God has made in your life. You may be winning one of the greatest singers this church has ever had to the cause of Christ.
It means Never Underestimate The Spirit when you volunteer to teach in Youth Worship or Pioneers. You may be shaping the life of the next mayor of the city or president of the United States. It means Never Underestimating The Spirit, when you feel your life is worthless and you can’t go on. It may just be, that what God has for you is about to be revealed to you in a way you never thought possible.
It means Never Underestimating The Spirit in the way you live because somebody is looking at you. You are the last chance they have given God, and if you don’t live right, that’s all they will need to say, “I knew the church was full of hypocrites. I don’t want anything to do with it.”
To be NUTS on Sunday morning means coming to church determined to convince the world that church is not a boring place to be. You Never Underestimate The Spirit when you reach out to greet somebody. You see somebody came to church thinking, nobody cares about anybody, but your smile when you greet them says I care. To be NUTS for Christ, means you’re willing to sing with as much passion for God, as you do with your friends singing your rap songs, or as you do cheering for your team.
To be NUTS for Christ, means you make way for your tithes and offerings, before premium cable, designer this, living in that neighborhood, or you new gadgets whatever they are. NUTS Passion is a passion with a reward to it. For the Scriptures tell us, in Hebrews, “Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence Which has a great reward.
Saints, our goal for Glenville and New Life Fellowship is to become a Nut House For Jesus Christ. There are all kinds of nuts in a mixed nut can. We need all kinds of nuts in the church because God has given us all something to offer. You may say, but I’m just a little peanut. Remember all the things George Washington Carver made out of the peanut. Don’t you know that God can do a whole lot more with peanuts that George Washington Carver could.
You can say I’m Crazy and You Can Call Me A Nut But I want You To Know I’m This Way Because I Still Believe That
Jesus is the Answer ----For The World Today
Jesus Is The Sweetest----Name I Know
Because He Lives----I Can Face Tomorrow
My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less----Than Jesus Christ And Righteousness
There’s A Sweet Sweet Spirit In This Place------And I Know That It’s The Spirit
I’ve Got A Home IN Glory Land---That Outshines The Sun
Soon & Very Soon-------We’re Going To See The King
What Can Wash Away My Sins-------Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus
Paul Simon, sang a song a number of years ago. The refrain in the song went, “still crazy after all these years, yes I’m still crazy after all these years.” Let it be said at my funeral, “There lies a nut who was still crazy after all these years.” Amen. Let’s pray.
