The Passions of Christ - Seeking Lost People
Pastor Glenn Newton
March 20, 2005
Text: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
I haven’t figured it out yet, but everywhere I’ve been in my ministry the teenagers have always had a favorite game. On youth night we have always tried to have a balance… 30 minutes for the lesson….and at least 30 minutes for the fun and games…. But one game has always been the one they have wanted to play the most…… Do you know what game that is????/
Hide and Seek.
It was the first game played in the Garden of Eden, did you know that? Remember Adam and Eve? They were given strict orders that they could eat of any tree in the whole garden, except for one…… guess which one they just couldn’t stop thinking about? Eve with her womanly wiles tricked poor ole Adam into eating of that apple…… maybe it wasn’t quite like that… anyway, they both ate of the apple… they sinned against God, their creator, their friend…. The one whom the Bible says they walked with and talked with every day, the one who knew them best…. So guess what Adam and Eve decided to do?
You guessed it…. They decided to try and play the first game of hide and seek. Adam and Eve felt guilty, and they knew they had done wrong… so they ran and hid… well they tried to hide….. Crazy thing…. Maybe you have found this out… I know I have… It’s kind of hard hiding from God.. He seems to always know right where your at. Have you found that true?
For the past couple of weeks we have been looking at those things that Jesus was passionate about, those things that He cared deeply about… I don’t know if we could ever cover them all…. But one thing I do know from reading Scripture and from walking with Him….There is nothing He is more passionate about that what we will talk about this morning….
The Reason that Jesus Christ Came to earth, and died on the Cross, and rose again was so that Lost people could be found…. Jesus Christ… his mission, his life was to seek and to save lost people.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Does that speak to you this morning about how God feels for you? He gave his only Son, Jesus for you, so that He could have a relationship with you. All we have to do is stop hiding from Him, and ask Him into our hearts by faith, and trust in Christ to save us from our sins.
I want you to know this morning that God is still seeking the lost today…. This week has been one of the best weeks of my life… Why? We have had 5 people give their hearts to God, 5 people who put their faith and their trust in Jesus Christ… and Jesus has forgiven them of their sins…. And they are free today… Free.. Amen?
They were lost in their sins… bound up by those chains…. But today they are free… they have been found…. Because the spotlight of heaven never stops burning for you… God the Father never stops loving you… no matter your response to Him over the years… His love never fades… never tires…. Never waivers…. Isn’t that awesome?
There are a lot of things that can keep us from accepting Christ, but none of them make any sense to us after we come to Christ… Let me explain.
I used to think, and I’m sure some of you could testify to the same thought… I used to think once I accepted Christ into my life…. I wasn’t going to have any fun… life would be boring…. Did you ever have that thought?
I want you to understand this morning that Satan, no matter what lie that he would have you believe… he’s a liar… the Bible calls him the Father of lies… his only passion in this life is to drag you to the same destination that he’s headed…. Which is an eternal hell…
That might sound dramatic to you this morning… but it’s the truth… he is a defeated foe… he knows that he is going to lose this war, and he hates God, so the one thing he can do to express that hate toward God is to try and steal the one thing that means the most to Him….. You and me…. God’s creation, mankind.
So you need to understand that there truly is a battle raging in the Spiritual realms for your soul… but the good news is, you are the one who makes the choice where you want to spend eternity…. God have given you a free will… nobody will make your choice for you…. It’s our choice.
So Satan tried to convince me that if I gave my heart to God that all the good times would come to an end… I want to tell you…. I haven’t had any more fun in my life than I have this week…. Watching 5 people hearing the call of God on their lives, and being able to see Five people move from a place of spiritual darkness to a place of spiritual awakening…. Born new…. A new creature in Christ…. There has been a lot of partying going on in heaven this week … did you hear what the scripture said?
Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
For those who have turned to Christ this promise is for you… 2 Cor. 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
God makes all things new in your life… you get a clean slate…. And where ever you are in your life.. Now God is there with you, helping you, guiding you, teaching you, encouraging you, renewing you through His Spirit.
The great thing about living the Christian life is that you come to realize that God wants to use your life to make a real difference, He created you to leave a legacy…. It doesn’t matter if you think your too old, too young, It doesn’t matter if you think you’ve done too many bad things, not enough good things… none of those things factor into what God can do with you… The truth is… When you give your heart to God… He will begin to unfold His plan for your life little by little as you learn to trust Him……
And friends, what I want you to know is this… When you are doing the very thing that you were created to do… when you understand God’s will for your life and your being obedient to His will…. There is nothing better in this life than that… and everyone of us can know what that feels like… everyone of us can experience the joy and the peace that comes from living life to the fullest for God.
Where is you life at this morning?
Have you found your purpose in this life? Do you know why you’re here?
Let me tell you this morning…. You are not in this service this morning on accident.. It’s by divine appointment….. God has been seeking you…. He wants you to know without a shadow of a doubt this morning that He loves you… He’s always loved you… but He loves you so much that He won’t force you to love Him back… it’s your choice to choose Him.
I feel like I need to say this… because I know the kind of lies Satan has already planted in your mind….. But listen to the truth this morning…
There is no sin that can’t be forgiven… let me say it again.
There is no addiction that God through His awesome power can’t set you free from… That what He does… He sets people free from the things that bind us up…. You can be free today.
There is no relationship that is beyond repair…. God heals the brokenhearted…
There is nothing to big for God… so don’t let any lie keep you away from turning to God this morning…If you will seek Him, you will be found
Today can be your day of change… your day when by faith you can move from death to life… will you hear his voice right now? As we sing, as the music plays, come and pray, if you don’t want to come by yourself, ask a friend to come with you…. If your by yourself, I will be glad to pray with you…. Don’t let anything stand between you and God for another moment…… He loves you, He sent His Son to die so that you could be free.
