Committing to Growth - Part 1

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Vision.all day should burn strong in the early days of a relationship but can easily fizzle as life goes on as it happened with your passion for growing Turning Point. Dr. Jeremiah has just limited to rekindle depression and ignore the desire to grow stronger in your fight hard and loves of life from the life God blesses his David message committing the growth. Thank you for joining us.

We are studying the life God blesses and today when you talk about a passage of Scripture that is my life worse. My life versus Colossians 323 and 24.

In this lesson talk about what it means to live your life with passion. We live in a politically correct culture, but sometimes in that culture. It seems like it's inappropriate to be passionate about your faith, sports faith, no, so Christians live their lives on the defensive and sometimes even passively, God is not passive and he does not want us to be where to live our lives with everything we have let nothing behind that we wish we had done so to talk about that and I can't tell you how excited I am to teach this passage I try to do it at least once a year, both to remind myself and my listeners how important it is that whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord.

Well, let's go to our study for today committing to growth. Colossians 323 and 24. I'm sure all of you have seen this accessories stores that have cropped up in recent years, and all of the shopping centers of our country.

In case you haven't these stores feature beautiful plants in books and greeting cards and plaques that all have motivational sayings on them and I love going in the stores because they're so filled with motivation and encouragement and hope, for instance, their motto in all that they do is our goal is simple to help you reach yours as their models and example of their presentation is this one on excellence, it says excellence always indoors.

It remains long after cost is forgotten over the years.

This accessories stores have produced thousands of these motivational products and on little sticky notes and cards and you see them everywhere I've actually seen them in studies and offices and hallways all over the United States will not to be outdone as an attempt to capture the spirit of apathy in much of today's workplace. Another organization has emerged as a mirror of success rates and this organization is called despair, Inc. on their website they promote their models and plaques to underscore their value from over 50 creations, despair, Inc. here are some of my favorites theocracy takes a lot less time than most people won't notice the difference until it's too late. Mistakes it could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others being if we don't take care of the customer maybe. Yes, procrastination hard work pays off after Time but laziness pays off now this. The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you. It's amazing how much easier it is for a team to work together when no one has any idea where they're going and clueless mass. There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots well with tongue in cheek these people have grab hold of something that I'm afraid really is and is funny as we make it out to be that is the spirit of indifference and apathy that seems to run throughout our culture and if you listen to the sociologist and the experts. It apparently is getting worse not better. Unfortunately, as you all know whatever happens in the world.

If we are not careful begins to spill over into the church and so the whole issue of commitments and passion for ministry is something that needs to be revisited often before going to stay on track. I was asked to review a book by Irwin Raffaella McManus Erwin McManus is the lead pastor of Mosaic, a uniquely innovative international congregation of believers in Los Angeles, California. Irwin's book is entitled seizing your divine moment and it is one of the most motivating books I have read in a long time. About halfway through the book there is a section that I believe adequately describes one of the major problems were facing his questions today. Let me quote from seizing your divine moment in 1887 Elisha Hoffman wrote a song that is become part of classic American church life songs name is leaning on the everlasting arms. In the course goes like this, leaning, leaning safe and secure from all alarms, leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. Urban McManus as well.

I am certain that these words have brought comfort to countless millions over the years. It is at the same time. An example of the direction we've been leaning for too long. The imagery that this great him gives us is one of leaning back it tells us if we lean on the everlasting arms of God. We will be safe and secure from all alarms.

The implications are obvious. If you lean back into God's protective arms. He will not let anything hurt you. I absolutely want to affirm, says McManus, that we should lean on the arms of God that I want to both challenge the direction of that leaning out when you lean on the arms of God.

You may find yourself in the most alarming situations not safe from alarm and even more important when you begin leaning on God. You begin leaning forward rather than backward. McManus goes on to describe a sociological study, which describes how people lean the bell-shaped graph basically tells us that 50% of the population leans forward and 50% of the population leans backward in its more specific breakdown tells us that about 2% are called innovators, 13% are early adopters 34% are described as early majority, 34% as late majority 13% is late adopters and 2% are described as laggards.

In other words, listen carefully about 15% of us are on the balls of our feet ready to move forward, and 15% of us are on the backs of our heels, digging them in not wanting to go anywhere. Manus concludes the little section in his book by saying in my years as both a student and a professor.

I have been struck by how much of our human biology and theology has been informed by the backend of this continuum.

In other words, we cater to those who have their heels again. We talk about refugees and rocks and strongholds in caves and places where you can hide out so you don't have to move forward. When I started serving God tell you how many years ago, but a lot of years ago as a young student everybody had a life verse. I remember people standing up, but I think this is quite humorous to say my life verse for this year is well. I decided I wanted to get a life verse that was for more than this year I want to get one for my life and I remember one day as I was reading through the book of Colossians. I came across these words and they struck me as being what my heart was saying what I really wanted my life to be about. And even though these words were written about the relationship of a slave to his master.

I realize that is a member of God's family. I am the slave of Jesus Christ in these words speak about my heart's cry. Words are Colossians chapter 3 verses 23 and 24 I like for you to read them out loud with me if you would please. Let's read them out loud together with authority and whatever you do, do it. As to the Lord and not knowing from the Lord, you will receive the reward of the inheritance. You serve the Lord drives I claim these verses is my very own and I ask God to help me live like that in my life and I surely know I haven't lived like that throughout all of these years but they have been my goal in my standard.

Whatever I do I would do it heartily as unto the Lord.

Nothing held back nothing left for later limit out 100% with all of you got and never look back with regrets.

These words describe a passionate living.

They challenge us to move past our indifference and apathy and to lay hold of an energy that is fueled by our love for God and our desire to please him. This lifestyle is taken a hit in recent years as men and women of God had settled into a more comfortable zone. Don't know if you noticed it, we begin to worry about burnout and in the process. Many of us have copped out, or perhaps even rusted out, but we are living out what was the last time you saw somebody who was really on fire for God on fire with vision and passion and excitement for the Lord, perhaps in our brief time together. I can throw a few logs on the flickering embers of your life and get it laming up in the passion again for God.

Passion is Moses killing the Egyptian who was beating his fellow Hebrew and striking the rock twice when God told him to speak to it and it's Moses later on caring so much for his people that he asked to have his own name blotted out of God's book, God will not forgive the Israelites passion is David killing the lion and the bear with his own hands and the giant Goliath with a slingshot and it's David loving God with that same intensity, and writing about it in the songs as he vows to seek God with his whole heart and to obey the word with his whole heart and pray with his whole heart and in Psalm 138 verse one actually makes this pledge I will praise you with my whole heart before the gods I will sing praises to you passion is King Hezekiah of the Old Testament, about whom the Scripture says in second Chronicles 3121 and in every work that he began in the service of the house of God. He did it with all of his heart and he prospered all his heart, passion is Elijah, boldly confronting the profits of bail on Mount Carmel and calling down the fire of God upon the sacrifice passion is Nehemiah completing the project in a record 52 days even though there was opposition being pointed at him from all sides of the project. Passion is the prophet Jeremiah trying to retire from the ministry because nobody was listening to him preach and he was discouraged and wanted to give up. But in his own words. It says in Jeremiah 20 verse nine.

His room was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was wary of holding back, and I could not do it and couldn't quit.

Passion is Daniel continuing to pray when the decree has been given for bidding, prayer, and it's already been signed and Daniel is now praying, and later on its Daniel boldly proclaiming the king now says her opinion is finished passion is Jonah going to Nineveh to conduct the greatest revival that's ever been recorded in history after he had spent the same passion running away from God as fast as he could. Passion is James and John being so intense that Jesus called them the sons of thunder passion. Is Peter jumping out of the boat to go to Jesus on the water and later jumping into the water to swim to Jesus on the shore. It's Peter chopping off now Chris's ear when he comes to arrest Jesus in the garden and its Peter opening his big mouth and suggesting that three tabernacles be built on the Mount of Transfiguration, it's Peter promising Jesus to follow him even to his death and later denying him three times whatever you want to say about Peter.

He never did anything indifferently, even his mistakes were passionate. Passion is the apostle Paul before he met the Lord on the Damascus Road never made to the book of acts looking for you will see all of Paul's descriptions of the way he persecuted the church was reading in acts that he created havoc among the church and Paul was in zealous persecutor of the church, but when God got a hold of his heart that same zeal in that same passion was directed toward reaching the world and became the world's greatest missionary and he also was the one who was so passionate about his love for his people that he said on one occasion, I wish that I myself could be a curse from Christ for my brethren so that they might be saved. When we talk about passion talking not about a brand of perfume were not talking about the steamy nature of an explicit television show or a novel were talking about the burning drive that God puts within our hearts, to change the world were talking about the motivation that we feel to go about the work of God.

The world understands this in their own inadequate way. If you look around in the business world and the world's fortune will find passion on display in almost every venue Jack Welch and some you guys in the business world. No built to the GE Corporation in one of the largest and best run companies in the world in a book called simply Jack writes these words about passion. He says for me, intensity covers a lot of sins.

If there's one characteristic all winners share. It's that they care more than anyone else. No detail is too small to sweat, or too large to dream over the years, I've always look for this characteristic and the leaders we selected doesn't mean louder flamboyant. It's something that comes from deep inside great organizations can ignite passion in another business book: lessons from the top there is the statement, no trait is more noticeable in the leaders on our list than the passion they share for the people and their companies. Quite simply, they love what they do.

I believe real passion comes from God. I know that he hates apathy and indifference. Did you know that in the seven letters that were written to the church of Revelation. The last letter. According to many, represents the church that's going to be on the earth when Jesus returns. This letter is written to a church called the church of Laodicea, and in that letter, the Lord of dresses that church in the skating terms, listen carefully. Revelation 315 and 16.

I know your works, that you are neither cold or hot.

I could wish you were cold or hot.

So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth will look warm. Attitudes make God sick. God says I'd rather you be cold but don't warm there only three temperatures that are mentioned in the Bible for the heart. Chapter 24 you remember when the disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus and they began to understand what was going on with Jesus.

They said, not our hearts burn within us when he walked with us on the way. So there's the burning heart that's the heart and Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 24 that in the last days man's hearts are going to wax there's the burning heart in the cold heart. And then there's this heart.

Jesus talks about in Revelation.

The lukewarm heart. You see, we have come to be so politically correct in what we do and so careful that we don't step over the line that we have become in many ways like the little warm heart of the Laodicean church. We are so afraid of being on fire for Christ. We do not want to be labeled as emotionless toward extremists and every other area of life. We are targeting what we do.

We are enthusiastic about entertainment were enthusiastic about sports and were enthusiastic about life, but much of our Christian experience is dead and closed without any zeal and without any enthusiasm. So let's get back to our verses again in Colossians and listen to what they say and whatever you do heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto men. Knowing that from the Lord, you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ and then let me add this Old Testament counterpart, which is kind of like the Colossians 3 of the Old Testament found in Ecclesiastes 910.

Listen to this. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there's no advice or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you going, so if you live life live it with everything you have. Because when you die you will get to live in the grave, soul and spirit lives, but your work for God is done to go back to this. First, let me just remind you what it says notice. First of all, this verse is about passion and he begins by teaching us something about the scope of our passion. It says what ever you do, do it heartily, and whatever your hand finds to do, with all your might. That means that nothing is outside of the boundary of this particular attitude. But God has called us as his people to do everything that we do with all of our heart. Everything you say will I teach school. By the grace of God do it with all your heart will I work in a factory, do it with all of your heart, I'm a business person in a business that I don't like the best you can but with all your heart, there's nothing outside of the scope of this. Whatever you do covers a vast territory of activity. That means that nothing falls outside of this instruction to the believer. God expects and intends for us to live passionately, not passively effective you ever noticed that God incorporated this magnificent truth into what Jesus said was the greatest command that it ever been given. On one occasion some people came to Jesus and they said teacher.

What is the right command, and in Matthew chapter 22 in verse 37 Jesus answered he said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Think about the fact that your relationship with God falls under the category of passion, but you should be passionately in love with God that you should love it with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind and so many of us, we just slip in the church on Sunday conveniently pay our dues and go back out into the world is God were dead, while we claim to be Christians where practical atheists because we live as if God were not a part of our lives when the great command. God is given to us is this love him with all your heart and soul and mind loving passionately.

Every part of who we are. Should be touched by that none of us have up to that standard perfectly but that should be our goal and once in a while, you discover that you have lived a day like that or a couple hours like that you realize the euphoria that comes into your heart you know what it's like to put everything you have on the table don't have anything left that you were going to give to this thing and just do it with all your heart seem right here tomorrow you for joining us today on the more information on Dr. Jeremiah's current series life go places. Please visit our website.

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