Why Passion Matters
What are you passionate about? What do you care deeply about? Do you think other people know what you’re passionate about? How can they tell?
With the football playoffs, you can see what people who are passionate about football are willing to do: they buy their team’s jackets, jersey’s, shirts, and hats so everyone knows the team they support. They put stickers on their car or truck. They pay a lot of money for tickets and parking, schedule their week around the games, go hours before the main event to eat, talk, and be with friends and to talk about what might happen.
They’re willing to sit in below zero temperatures in Wisconsin and monsoon rains in New England. They’re willing to stand and yell and cheer themselves hoarse in Seattle where the crowd noise is comparable to standing 100 feet from a jet engine. Many stay after the game to eat and talk some more about what happened and they actually linger sometimes for an hour or more. Other people without tickets open their homes and invite friends and put out a great spread of food and beverages and share three to four hours together.
If we’re honest, many of us would have to confess that there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of football fans – whose passion for a sport puts our passion for Christ and for people to shame. How would America be different if Christians shared their money, time, passion, friendship, and homes in the same way as football fans? Are we as Christians willing to do what football fans do, for Jesus and for people who are far from God? Do we come a long time before worship even starts to tail gate and get ready and psyched up for it to start? Are we passionate about worship when we’re here? Would we be willing to open our home for a leisurely 3-4 hours for a meal and small group discussion? Are we truly passionate about Jesus, how can people tell?
January 12, 2014
Titus 2:11-14, Why Passion Matters
Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
[vimeo 84042990 w=500&h=375]
(Note: Doug refers to a baptism video.
You’ll find the complete video, with sound, farther down this page.)
[powerpress]
God and Jesus are very passionate about us and about people. How can we tell? Listen to what they were willing to do for us according to Titus 2:11-14:
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” Titus 2:11-14
God’s grace appears in the hope of bringing salvation, transformation, new life to all. Like athletes, as followers of Jesus we’re to train ourselves to live in a way that is disciplined, focused, and gives honor to God. When we’re really passionate about someone or something; we’re prepared to sacrifice a great deal, For example, the Winter Olympics will be starting in a few weeks, think about what Olympians been willing to do for years in terms of discipline, training, and sacrifice in order to pursue what they are passionate about – all in the hope of winning a medal that brings personal glory and national pride. What are we willing to do for Jesus?
As you think about that question, think about what Jesus was willing to do for you. He’s a Savior who gave himself for us. A Savior is somebody who rescues or delivers somebody or something from a present and/or future harm or danger.
Both Matthew and Luke share about Jesus’ role as our Savior in the stories of his birth. In Matthew 1:21 an angel tells Joseph about the child, “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
In Luke 2:10b-11, The angel announces to the shepherds “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Christ, the Lord.”
From the beginning of the good news about Jesus we are to understand that we can’t save ourselves from the consequences of our sins, but Jesus can. Jesus is our Savior because he forgives our sins and sets us free.
Titus 2:11-14 describes Jesus’ role as our Savior. Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all iniquity, to purify for himself a people of his own, who are zealous for good deeds. We are a redeemed people. We’ve been bought with a price, not because we were worthy of it, but because God’s love is so amazingly great.
When I hear or read critical comments stating that people who are Christians or go to worship think they’re better than people who don’t, I shake my head because the opposite is true. Those of us who have asked Jesus to be our Savior and become his followers understand we’re imperfect; that we seem to lack the ability to fix the areas in our lives where we repeatedly make the same mistakes. Rather than being arrogant, we’re humble enough to admit we need help from outside ourselves and we’re willing to accept that help and to share where we found it with others.
Paul notes in 1 Timothy 1:15-16: “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.”
When we hear passages from the Bible with words like “savior” and “saving people,” it’s clear that God is into saving, rescuing, and delivering people. The familiar words of John 3:16-17 remind us, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” It’s important never to forget that God sent Jesus to the world to save it. Louis Evely wrote in In the Christian Spirit:
“To believe in God is to believe in the salvation of the world. The paradox of our time is that those who believe in God do not believe in the salvation of the world, and those who believe in the future of the world do not believe in God.
To love God is to love the world. To love God passionately is to love the world passionately. To hope in God is to hope for the salvation of the world.
I often say to myself that, in our religion, God must feel very much alone: for is there anyone besides God who believes in the salvation of the world?
God seeks among us sons and daughters who resemble him enough,
who love the world enough that he could send them into the world to save it.”
I am happy to say I know a number of people who love God and the world and people passionately. One of them is Frank Destefano. Frank and I played church league softball together for more than a decade. Frank and his wife Tracie and their sons Gabriel and Frank Jr attend our early service. Frank has worked as a real estate agent for many years and in the last few years has become a leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes here in Massachusetts, including establishing a chapter at our high school, thanks to his whole family. Frank has a story to share with you this morning.
1.12.14 Sharing by Frank DeStefano about David Baker, BBC
This has been a memorable week in my life and in the life of David Baker.
David Baker……. a fairly common name on Cape Cod and in our country. You may know a David Baker or perhaps even know my friend, David Baker, who is the reason I stand before you today. David isn’t a member of our congregation, doesn’t attend services here and hasn’t been attending any church services anywhere in quite some time. The David Baker I’m referring to was a strong, positive, successful business guy. A real estate investor, entrepreneur, athlete, a man who wasn’t afraid of risk or failure……….In worldly terms he had succeeded, failed and climbed back to economic success several times.
It was clearly God who introduced David Baker to me nearly 4 years ago. I didn’t see God there with David as he walked into an open house I was hosting at a luxury beachfront condominium ….and I didn’t sense God or the Holy Spirit in attendance at that time……but now, as David & I look back, we know that there was a spiritual presence and that David’s impromptu open house visit was clearly God’s hand at work.
Since I became a Christian 18 years ago the Holy Spirit has allowed me to better recognize an opportunity to share my faith and it is the inspiration of Acts 4:29 “enable your servant to speak your word with great boldness” that allows me to stumble less when those kinds of opportunities arise.
As I reflect back, God was working in our relationship for more than 3 years while the Holy Spirit was patiently grooming David & myself. One of the things I learned about David was that he loved to run and compete in road races all over the country. As an elite runner within his age group it was apparent that he was extremely focused on all elements of training, nutrition and keeping healthy.
David’s more consistent visits to my various weekend open house’s soon brought about a sharing of information unrelated to interior design, market conditions or the trending economy. Our conversations shared a common theme about loss, he with passing of his beautiful wife Marilyn after a courageous battle with cancer and I with the loss of my dear brother and father who in December went to be with the Lord. David would give me his intellectual description of how to cope with the mourning process and I spoke to him about the power of prayer and the ministry that I am associated with, The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
As busyness in life happens however, David’s visits became fewer over time and it wasn’t until months later when we did eventually re-connect again……but this time on a more serious note. I sat and carefully listened as David slowly explained how quickly the cancer had entered his body and had gotten to a stage 4 diagnosis. My mind was racing as the Holy Spirit spoke to me. There was work to be done as I reflected back in my head Acts 4:29 (enable your servant to speak your word with great boldness).
Because of the aggressive treatment in place for his cancer we began to meet in the comfort of David’s home. The spirit moved quickly as we spoke about a personal relationship with Jesus, about transgressions & forgiveness, worthiness & grace, about love and the peace that surpasses all understanding. I spoke about our church and our pastor.
It was the very next day that I received a very decisive voicemail….. “Hey Frank, this is David, I’ve been thinking about our conversations and this spiritual thing, do you think that your friend Doug could baptize me?”
My answer wasn’t “No,” as I high fived the Holy Spirit a number of times in my car while calling pastor Doug. I quickly made my way over to David’s home and it was then that he amazingly accepted Jesus as his Lord & Savior and we prayed together.
And now Pastor Doug for the rest of the story!
It was my pleasure to meet David at his house this past Tuesday and we spent almost ninety minutes together as I asked him questions about his life and his experiences and about his friendship with Frank and how God has been moving in his life and his responding in faith and accepting Jesus. It was my privilege to be able to baptize David right on his living room couch. What follows is a home movie video taken with a phone and obviously I wasn’t wearing a microphone so the audio isn’t very strong, but if you listen closely, hopefully you can hear what I am saying.
Hebrews 7:25, “He is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
Frank has been both a friend and an evangelist; he was a messenger, which we’re all called to be. The latest issue of Time Magazine has an article about the rise of CrossFit and it talks about people being “Cross Fit” evangelists. Are we as passionate about Jesus, our faith, or our church as some people are about their gym or workout? I’m so proud of Frank for the role he’s played in David’s life. I’m so happy for David, that he experienced God’s grace and accepted Jesus as his Savior. Titus says Jesus died for us in part to “purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” How highly committed are you to do “good deeds” for Jesus’ sake? How can other people tell?
At the end of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, when the Wizard is presenting Dorothy’s friends with the things they want the most he says to The Tin Man who longs for a heart, “Back where I come from there are men who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called…good deed doers.”
Wouldn’t it be nice for if we cared so passionately for Jesus, for people and for doing good deeds that people said about us: “Back where I come from there are men and women, boys and girls, who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called…Christians, they are good deed doers. And they’re even more passionate than football fans and Olympians.”
Blessing Jude 24-25
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Why Passion Matters Titus 2:11-14
Questions for Reflection or Discussion:
What are you passionate about? What do you care deeply about?
Do you think other people know what you’re passionate about? How can they tell?
God is passionately in love with and cares about people. How can we tell this is true?
When you really care about something, what are you prepared to do, what are you willing to do? For example, the Winter Olympics will be starting in a few weeks, what have Olympians been willing to do in order to pursue what they are passionate about?
How does Jesus demonstrate that he is passionate about people? What was he willing to do? Why did he do it? According to Titus 2:14, what did he hope his sacrifice would produce? What difference did he hope it would make?
How zealous, how highly committed are you to do “good deeds” for Jesus’ sake?
How can other people tell?