MY FRIENDS, DO WE KNOW OR HAVE WE EXPERIENCED THE PASSION OF CHRIST?

Feb. 29, 2016

MY FRIENDS, DO WE KNOW OR HAVE WE EXPERIENCED THE PASSION OF CHRIST?

Passion, is defined as a powerful or compelling emotion or feeling whether it is derived from love or hate, which if nothing else explains the great controversy between good and evil.

A Demonstration of the passion of love can be found in  Romans 5:7-8 (NKJV) “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

And of course the opposite of love is hate. And Christ gives an example in John 3:20 (KJV), when He tells us “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

Christ also tells us “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NKJV) So today my friends I would like to focus on the “passion of Christ.”

That passion which we should all seek and not what the god of this world defines as Passion. But that passion of Christ, which stayed focus on the cross and His “love toward us, in that while we were still sinners He died for us.”

Yes my friends, while we still placed other gods before our Lord and Savior, while we still worshiped idols of this world instead of the true God, while we still used the Lords name in vain, while we still broke the Sabbath his blessed and sanctified day.

In addition, while we still dishonored our mothers and fathers, and while we still murdered our brother and sister with hate, or committed adultery sometimes with only our lust, and when we stole and lied and coveted our neighbors belongings.

Yes my friends before we had broken any of Gods precepts he died for us. The abominations of a lifetime that occurs in our life against our Savior, He was willing to die for, so that we may live.

That is the passion we must seek through His Spirit daily. Each of us have probably had a Damascus road experience Like Paul where we had a passion for the opposing side.

But by the grace of God that all changed because our God saw something that allowed each of us a chance to experience real passion. Paul tells us “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:7-8 (KJV)

That text presents a path which starts with our willingness to deprive ourselves of all earthly gain for the “passion of Christ.” and a wiliness to give Him our time, talents and money for His will not ours.

So do we start by standing on a street corner screaming, give your life to Christ or die? Or do we set ourselves on fire all in the name of the Master. Throughout history people have done everything imaginable for a cause, and placed Christ name in front of it.

But the true passion of Christ, that feeling and attitude, of faith and endurance which, leads to a conviction and conversion through Gods word and Spirit is God’s process that leads to our salvation that begin from the foundation of the world, then Calvary, and it will continue throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.

Every excuse we may give as the reason we cannot serve Christ, was challenged and answered at Calvary.