Guarding your passion for Jesus
Introduction
Ever since the Camp Meeting God has been dealing with me about my walk with him.
This was confirm through the ministry of Bro. John Arcovio, The Tenneys’ .
The Lord was showing me that He wasn’t looking for just a group of Christians but rather a group of Christian that WILL PASSIONATELY SEEKING HIM.
He is not just looking just for prayers but He is looking for passionate prayer.
Mark 12:29-30 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: ’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
What is passion?
According to Sis. Tenney, “Passion is an intense desire”
Why is passion so important?
Rev. 2:1-7 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: [2] I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; [3] and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. [4] Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. [5] Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. [6] But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. [7] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." ’
Background: In the first three chapters of Revelation, the apostle John has an amazing vision: He sees Jesus walking in the midst of the seven New Testament churches of Asia.
Jesus appears among the seven churches, he begins to judge them according to both the good and bad he beholds.
Now, these seven churches were actual congregations, in real localities--the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Laodicea, and so on. Yet John hears God’s voice speaking not only to these particular churches, but to the church universal--indeed, to every believer who looks for Jesus’ soon return.
Jesus begins his judgments by listing the many good things about the churches that bless him. And he compliments each church on these things. But he also sees several things that grieve him deeply--and he issues a warning to each church.
His first message is to the Christians at Ephesus--a church founded on the godly teaching of the apostle Paul. Jesus’ judgment of the Ephesians is,
Rev 2:4
[4] Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
When Jesus uses the words "first love" here, he isn’t speaking of the immature love we experience when we’re first saved. Rather, he’s talking about exclusive love. He’s saying, "I once occupied first place in your heart. But now you’ve lost the exclusivity of your love for me. You’ve allowed other things to take my place!"
So what was the Church in Ephesus like?
As I read through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we find that the apostle Paul compliments them at length. He addresses them as
"...the faithful in Christ Jesus... blessed...with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ...chosen...before the foundation of the world...predestinated... unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will" in Ephesians 1:1-5.
Paul adds that they are a forgiven people, having the revelation of the mystery of Christ and being
"...sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (verse 13).
He further prays they would have
"...the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know...the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe..." (verses 17, 19).
These Christians had been made alive,
" . .. quickened ...with Christ. . . (who) hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (2:5-6).
Paul calls them Christ’s
"...workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works...(and) are made nigh (near) by the blood of Christ" (verse 13). He says that by God’s grace, they are "...grow(ing) unto an holy temple in the Lord...through the Spirit" (verses 21-22).
Conclusion: What we have here is a description of a blessed, holy people!
In the book of Revelation
And now, in the book of Revelation, Jesus also compliments the Ephesian Christians. He tells them in Rev 2:2,
[2] I know your works, your labor, your patience,
In other words: know all the good things going on in your lives. You patiently labor for me without complaining. And you’ll do anything for others. You’re diligent in your good works--and that is very commendable!"
Jesus continues to compliment them, pointing out in the same verse:
and that you cannot bear those who are evil.
He’s saying, in essence, "You hate sin with a passion! You don’t tolerate it--in your life, your home or your church. You have ::good moral standards. And that also is commendable!"
And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
Jesus is saying, "You’re rooted and grounded in sound teaching. And so you haven’t been tossed about by all the latest teachings of the flesh. You’re able to rightly
judge false teachers and false prophets. And you expose them as liars, for the benefit of everyone among you. I commend you for this as well!"
[6] But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
In other words: "You reject the doctrine that says simply having faith allows man to do as he pleases. Indeed, you hate all doctrines of easy believism that say God overlooks the deeds of the flesh. You faithfully stand up against unholy lifestyles, and you cling to righteousness. This also is highly commendable!"
It quickly becomes evident in this passage that the Ephesians are not just a bunch of novices or lukewarm saints. No, Jesus is examining the hearts of a people who are well-grounded in the truth of the gospel--and who work to prove it in their lives, by sacrificing, laboring and standing up for truth.
Yet Jesus points out something else in the hearts of these Ephesians as well--something he notes is deeply wrong. He says, "I see all your works--your hatred or sin, your love for truth, your righteous courage. And yet somehow in all your labors, you’ve allowed your first love to wither. Your affection for me is dying!"
[4] Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Now, I would like to think I’m an Ephesian-type Christian, someone who’s a faithful laborer. I want to believe that my suffering is for Jesus’ sake, that my good works glorify him, that I practice righteous living, that I’m seated with him in heavenly places.
But when I read of Jesus walking among such well-taught believers as the Ephesians and telling them, "I have something against you"--it grips my soul! I have to ask my Lord: "Jesus, do you have something against me? Have I also lost my affection for you?"
Christ’s Warning Isn’t Just For Christians of a Bygone Era--But for Us Today!
I believe this warning to the Ephesians is intended for me personally--as well as for every Christian living in these last days!
Simply put, the Lord is telling us,
"It’s not enough for you to be a caring, giving, diligent servant who grieves over sin and preaches truth. It’s not enough for you to uphold moral standards, endure suffering for my sake, or even be burned at the stake for your faith. This is all part of taking up my cross.
"You can do all these things in my name. But if in the process of doing them your affection for me does not increase--if I am not becoming more and more the one great delight of your heart--then you have left your first love! If your affection for me is no longer a matter of great concern to you, then I have something against you!"
Consider David’s words:
"Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" (Psalm 73:25).
David is saying, "There is no one I love exclusively in my heart as I love my Lord. I desire him above all others!"
David also writes,
"O God...my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (63:1).
"As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God..." (42:1-2).
David says, "I thirst deeply for the Lord, the way a deer thirsts after it has been chased. A deer will go past the point of exhaustion to find the water it seeks!"
Likewise, Jesus is telling the Ephesian Christians,
"You no longer seek me as the deer does. I’m no longer the chief object of your desire. You may be willing to do things for me--but I’m not at the center of your heart anymore! "
WHY SO SERIOUS?
Some believers might respond, "What’s so serious about this matter? Maybe I’m not as intense for the Lord as I was when I was younger. And maybe I’ve slacked off in my affection for him. But, so what? Jesus knows I still love him."
No! Jesus takes any lack of affection very seriously. Indeed, he says such a lack constitutes a fall:
In verse 5
[5] Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.
You might answer, "I can understand how an act of adultery is a fall. And I can see how falling back into drugs or alcohol is a fall. But how can losing an intense love for Christ really be a fall?"
When Jesus warns, "...repent, and do the first works..." (same verse), He’s saying:
"Think back to what you were like when I first saved you. You rejoiced that I came to live in your heart! You couldn’t wait for church on Sunday, just to tell people how much you loved me. And you spent all your free time digging into my word, learning about my love for you. You never considered prayer a burden, because I meant everything to you. You loved me more than life itself. "But now you’ve fallen away from all that. I get so little of your time now, so little of your attention. You’ve grown cold toward me. Something else has your heart!"
Jesus attaches a serious warning to this verse:
"...repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (same verse).
Jesus is saying to us:
"If you claim to have the fire of God, and yet I am no longer the delight of your heart--I will take away every bit of light you have! No matter what good works you do for me, you will no longer be my witness. I simply won’t recognize anything you do--because you’ve lost your love for me!"
Some people minimize our need for passion for Jesus. They tell us that our feelings aren’t really important as long as we walk in obedience. Obedience is wonderful, but the problem with this definition is that you can do the right thing without loving Jesus very much at all.
Doing the right things with the wrong motives.
A son can obey his father for reward or for fear of punishment, and actually neither like nor love his father much at all. A husband can be a faithful and kind provider to his wife without having much love or passion for her. What wife would settle for a relationship like that?
Why do we think God would be willing to settle for an obedience that is not accompanied by a consuming passion for Him? After all, isn’t the greatest command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength?
If you look at the heroes of our faith, you’ll find that they are men and women who were not only full of good works, but who were consumed by passion for God. The apostle Paul was so consumed by his affection for the Lord Jesus Christ that he came to the point in his life where living simply meant Christ to him –
"For me, to live is Christ!" (Philippi s 1:21 NIV)
What is eternity life?
Is it something that we get after we die?
John 17:2-3 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Knowing him is life eternal too that should be the reason why I repent and get baptize, and is being filled with the Holy Spirit is to enter into a covenant relationship with HIM and when I enter into life than I am really living abundant life.
Eternal life is really all about HIM GETTING TO KNOW OUR MAKER, OUR MASTER THAT IS WHAT THE BIBLE CALL IN CHRIST.
IS MY PASSION DYING
There are several signs and evidences of a dying love for Christ. I want to list three of these for you. I believe you can measure your love for Jesus by examining
1. Your Love for Christ Is Dying If You Spend More Time on the Things of This world and Less Time in His Presence!
What holds your heart right now?
Does your soul yearn for Jesus, or for the things of this world?
Luke 21:34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
Let me give you an example:
I am reading a letter written to a pastor in America
"My husband was once on fire for God. For years he gave himself faithfully to the Lord’s work. But today he’s all wrapped up in his new pursuit--horses! He bought several, and he has become absolutely consumed with them. Now, instead of getting into God’s word, he spends all his free time reading about breeding horses. He no longer has any time for the Lord, or for me. I worry for him, because he’s grown so cold!"
Of course, there is nothing wrong at all with owning horses or having an interest in them. But Jesus told a parable about his very kind of legitimate pursuit.
A wealthy man sent his servant to invite all his friends to a great feast he was holding. But, scripture says, the man’s friends "...all with one consent began to make excuse..." (Luke 14:18).
One friend told the servant:
Luke 14:18 ’I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
The next friend told the servant:
[19] And another said, ’I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
Yet another friend told the servant:
[20] Still another said, ’I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
This man had invited all his friends to enjoy an intimate time of fellowship with him. And he had made all the arrangements for their comfort and convenience. The table had been set, and everything had been prepared. But no one came. Everyone was simply too busy or preoccupied.
Yet each person had a good, legitimate reason for not coming. After all, they weren’t avoiding their friend so they could go partying or bar-hopping. On the contrary, the Bible commends everything these people were doing:
Buying and selling can provide security for one’s family. And testing a major purchase is a sound business practice. Finally, marriage is a blessing that the scriptures encourage.
Yet, how did this wealthy man react? Scripture says,
Luke 14:23-24
Then the master said to the servant, ’Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. [24] For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ "
Jesus is making a very clear point in this parable: Each of these good, legitimate things becomes sinful when it takes priority over the Lord!
Let me give you an example.
A favorite after-church activity for many Christians is to go to a hawker centre with friends. They’re able to sit and talk for hours about the things of God over lunch. It’s a time of wonderful fellowship for everyone. Yet, when asked, many of these same Christians claim they have no time to seek the Lord!
I had several godly friends whom I admired for their devoted prayer lives. They spent hours on their faces in God’s presence--and their sermons showed it. They preached with fire, unction, life!
Some of these men later went to seminary, seeking a deeper knowledge of the Bible. They dug deep into Hebrew and Greek studies, trying to know the scriptures better. And their studies demanded they read many outside texts.
In the end, however, many of these men lost their fire for Jesus. Why? They so much time reading legitimate things--literature, commentaries, textbooks--they neglected to study God’s word for themselves. Their pursuit of knowledge robbed them of their affection for Christ!
Any "good" or "legitimate" thing becomes sinful when it takes priority over the Lord!
2. You Can Measure Your Love for Christ by How Deeply You’re Affected by Anything That Robs You of Quality Time Alone With Him.
If you can go about your daily life facing all kinds of interruptions and demands, and yet not spend ten minutes in God’s presence--your love is dying!
Think about it: If you love someone exclusively above all others, you’ll make that person feel he’s the most important being on earth.
Isn’t this how you first loved your spouse, when you were courting? If she called on the phone while you were busy doing something, you dropped everything just to talk to her. And if anyone intruded on your time alone together, you resented it! Your one desire was to develop the love between you. Everything else took second place.
Yet many Christians today go for weeks, even months, without spending quality time with Jesus. They may testify, love Jesus with all my heart"--but how can this be true, when they neglect him for days on end?
In Song of Solomon, the bride could not sleep because her beloved
"...had withdrawn himself..." (Song of Solomon 5:6).
This woman arose in the middle of the night, saying,
"...my soul failed...I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer" (same verse).
So she quickly ran into the streets, looking everywhere for her lover, and crying out,
"Have you seen my beloved?"
Why was this such a serious matter to her? It was because, she said,
"...This is my beloved, and this is my friend..." (verse 16).
“ That you tell him I am lovesick!” (verse 8)
I know a couple who are having serious marital problems. The wife told Huie, "My husband has never made me feel I’m important to her. I take second place to everyone else in her life!"
He is a taxi driver and has to work long hours never having time to cultivate their relationship. She told my wife, "He spends hours working. Yet every time I ask him for quality time, he says se doesn’t have any for me. This can’t be love!"
I ask you--how does Jesus feel when he spreads the table, anxiously awaits our company, and yet we never show up? The Bible calls us his bride, his beloved, his one great love; it says we were created for fellowship with him. So, what kind of rejection must he feel when we continually put others before him?
3. Your Love for Christ Is Dying If You Have Given in to a Besetting Sin!
I’m not speaking here of Christians who still wage warfare with their sin-- who are not yet free from it and continue to hate it. Such believers faithfully cry out to God, believing the Holy Ghost to empower them to victory over their lustful habits.
No, I’m speaking instead to those who think they can continue being a witness for Christ while giving in to their bosom sin. They’ve given up the spiritual war with their lust--surrendering to it completely!
I received a sad letter from a pastor recently. His wife had watched as his relationships grew worse and his ministry failed. Finally, as she was leaning one day, she found a stash of pornographic videos. She confronted her husband with them and threw them out.
But the man later sneaked out to the dumpster and retrieved the videos. He admitted he couldn’t let go of them! Now he wrote to me, saying, "Brother Dave, please pray for me. I’ve left the ministry and am teaching school--but none of my fellow teachers respect me."
Why doesn’t this man have any respect? It’s because his candlestick has been removed! He couldn’t be Christ’s witness on the job--because the Lord was no longer with him. No matter how many tears he sheds or confessions he makes, he will remain among the living dead as long as he holds onto his sin.
Yet how different it was when a young man came to me, weeping and confessing, "Pastor Dave, I fell back into sin! I got high and nearly overdosed. But as I stood at the brink of hell, I saw how my sin hurt Jesus. I can’t do this to him anymore!" As I prayed with him, he cried out in sorrow, "Lord, I’m so sorry for how I hurt you!"
That young man’s candlestick will not be removed. His light will again shine! You see, Jesus promises in this same passage, "...repent, and do the first works...To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:5, 7). God promises paradise to all who repent!
Is your love for Jesus exclusive? Do you regularly take quality time to be with him? Or have other things crept into your heart, taking up your thoughts and affections?
Jesus is asking you right now to repent and start all over again. He wants you to stop and realize, "Wait a minute--I see how this thing has crept into my life. And it’s robbing me of my exclusive love for Jesus! I can’t let this go on any longer. I’ve got to go back to my affection for him. Lord, forgive me! Light my candle anew!"
Go back to your first love today. Ask him for grace and strength to begin again to guard your affection for Christ!
Cultivating that kind of passion
Temple of Zurababbel
Story of Nehemiah rebuilding the wall.
More than anything else, passion Jesus has to be guarded and cultivated or we will lose it. I find that almost every good thing in my life is all too ready to compete for my time and intimacy with Jesus Christ.
1.) Time to know Him
There are three simple but indispensable things we must do. First, we can’t love a person whom we don’t know. Therefore, we must set aside time to get to know the Lord Jesus Christ. If we do not spend time meditating in His Word, talking with Him, and listening to Him, we will never progress very far in acquiring passion for Him.
We must set aside a regular time for personal meditation in the scriptures and prayer. We must never allow this time to become mechanical or ritualistic. We must remember that it is possible to read the Bible like a Pharisee and never hear the voice of God (John 5:37). It is possible to let our prayer time degenerate into nothing more than taking a shopping list to God.
In our regular times of personal meditation and prayer we must remind ourselves that the purpose is to meet with a real Person. This Person speaks, guides, encourages, reveals, convicts, rebukes, discloses Himself, hides Himself, gets angry, can be grieved, and can rejoice. In that meeting we are capable of making Him angry or making Him rejoice. These are things that scripture teaches about this God with whom we have to do.
We are taught from the beginning of our conversion about the importance of spending time with Him. The problem isn’t that we don’t know it, the problem is that we don’t do it.
2.) Remove barriers
The second absolutely essential thing to passion for Jesus is the removal of barriers between us and Him. Our sins create a barrier between us and Jesus so that we cannot come into His presence and grow in our love and knowledge of Him. These barriers are removed when we confess our sins and God forgives us.
One of the most important teachings on forgiveness is found in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NKJV) We all know this, but all too often we don’t really believe it. It is sinful to live under condemnation and guilt. Too many of us confess sins and never feel forgiven because we are really not trusting in the power of His blood to forgive us of those sins. We will never be holy enough, disciplined enough, or anything else enough to get into His presence apart from His blood. Our good works, reformed lives, and best intentions will never take away the guilt of sin. The only thing that the Father has given us to take away sin and guilt His blood.
3.) Ask for passion
The third thing that we must do is to consistently ask for it - to labor for it in prayer. This is where John 17:26 comes in. As I said earlier, I have paraphrased John 17:26 and turned it into my own personal prayer. I pray it like this:
Most of my Christian life I’ve been making the same mistake over and over and over.
I keep putting my confidence in my discipline, in my good intentions, or in my knowledge of the Bible in order to produce love for God. I always end up in legalism and self-righteousness when I do this.
"If you ever hear me say to you, ’Well done, my good and faithful servant,’ it won’t be because you were a good follower, it will be because Jesus Christ is a good leader. Put your confidence in His ability to lead, not in your ability to follow."
That divine revelation pierced my heart. I realized why passion-robbing legalism and self-righteousness were able to consistently get such strongholds in my life. I’m not saying that we don’t need discipline, or knowledge of the Bible, or godly behavior - we do. Nor am I saying that we’re to be passive and simply let God do it all. I’m talking about our attitude and our confidence.
We must do the right things but never put our confidence in our ability to do those things. Our hearts are incredibly prone to deception Jeremiah 17:9) and our feet are equally prone to wander off the path of righteousness (Romans 3:10 ff). In light of this, how can we trust in our ability to follow Jesus?
I’ve come to realize that passion for Jesus Christ can’t be earned. It comes because He gives it as His greatest and most gracious gift. And after all, isn’t that how the greatest things come to us - as gifts? James says, "You have not because you ask not." James 4:2) The greatest gifts that God has to give us are ours for the asking. I encourage you, from this day forward, to spend more
time in your prayer life asking God to fill you with passion for Him.
Don’t be passive about acquiring passion for the Son of God. Make it the focus of your life. Put your eyes on the Son of God and leave them there (Hebrews 12:1 ff), and you will find yourself becoming like Him. You’ll find yourself falling in love with Him as you ask God day after day to consume you with passion for His glorious Son. And that passion, as it begins to occupy your heart, will conquer a thousand sins in your life. You will begin to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
