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*The Prince of Passion, Part IV*
*January 23, 2005*
* *
*Scripture Reading:*
*Introduction:*
When we think of what God desires from us we think of passion.
Or do we?
Passion is the inner fire that keeps the soul alive.
It is the best evidence of a purposeful life.
It is the spiritual connection between a man and his Creator.
A life without passion is a life without joy, without focus, without direction or purpose or peace or prosperity.
When we think of passion we are reminded that passion is the power behind the Word of God, the love of God, the Spirit of God and the Son of God.
He came with passion – a passion to sort out mankind, to save the children of God, and to solidify them into a population of passionists – like Himself, the Prince of Passion.
Christ is our best example of what godly passion looks like and acts like.
If you want new life you must look to him for it because he is life itself.
Passion comes from knowing him, and if you truly want to know him you must embrace his passion.
It is his passion for God that brings true spiritual life.
Without Christ you cannot know real passion.
And life without passion is a living death – so much so that you might as well go out a buy yourself a shovel and begin to dig your own grave.
But then, how far could you get since it even takes a certain kind of passion to dig?
So we learn from the Master.
He came with a message of passion that divided the world.
It was a message of repentance, but I dare say this is repentance from not having his passion.
It is repentance from not having a passion for the rule of God, or for communication with God, or for trust in God, or for fellowship with God, or for serving God, or for those in need of God.
In the previous message in this series we saw what having a passion for the ‘rule of God’ looked like in Jesus and that we must also make this our own passion.
But it doesn’t end there.
In this message on /The Prince of Passion/ we will look at one of the other passions we find perfected in Jesus that round out what real spiritual life looks like.
And isn’t true spiritual life what we all really want?
Isn’t this why we keep coming to him?
We keep coming to him because this is why he came to us.
Let us come to Jesus now through his Word to passionately perfect our own lives through the passion we find in him.
*(1) Jesus had a passion for prayer.
*
His passion for prayer collided with the prevailing religionists of his day.
They made prayer out to be a public performance – a display of repetitious self-righteousness, devoid of meaningful communion with the Father.
ILLUS: When I think of meaningful communion with the Father I think of prayers like my grandson, Mikey, who talks to God like God is his friend.
The passion of the religionists looked good on the surface but it reeked of self at the core.
A passion for self is not a passion for God.
They prayed to a distant God they didn’t know.
They were spiritual frauds who deceived everyone around them, even themselves.
“"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men— robbers, evildoers, adulterers— or even like this tax collector.”
(Lu 18:10-11 NivUS)
“"Beware of the teachers of the law.
They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.
Such men will be punished most severely."”
(Lu 20:46-47 NivUS)
It would almost seem that their zeal for prayer was not for prayer at all but for money.
They wanted to look good.
Perhaps this is why Jesus said what he did.
“Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.
"It is written," he said to them, "‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’"”
(Mt 21:12-13 NivUS)
To be robbed of a true passion for intimacy with God in prayer is like being robbed of your money – it leaves you destitute and without resource, spiritually penniless and bankrupt.
His instruction about prayer led to the riches of a real intimacy with God.
“"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.
I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
(Mt 6:5-7 NivUS)
The passion of Jesus for prayer was a passion for private places with God where passion cannot be misled into pomp and circumstance.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
(Mr 1:35 NivUS)
“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone,” (Mt 14:23 NivUS)
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."”
(Mt 26:36 NivUS)
“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.
Yet not as I will, but as you will."”
(Mt 26:39 NivUS)
"He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."”
(Mt 26:42 NivUS)
“So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.”
(Mt 26:44 NivUS)
This was a passion of earnest truth and substance – even agony.
“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
(Lu 22:44 NivUS)
Do you ever have a longing for that kind of passion in your life – a passion that is your very lifeblood?
This passion for prayer by Jesus was true spiritual power.
It was the power that provided the strength and the will for the cross.
It was the power that renewed his strength to heal and minister to so many.
“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
(Lu 5:15-16 NivUS)
It was the power of wisdom in the will of the Father to choose his disciples.
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:” (Lu 6:12-13 NivUS)
It was his assurance that those disciples were actually the right choice.
“Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."
"But what about you?" he asked.
"Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God."” (Lu 9:18-20 NivUS)
Is there a place for prayer with others?
Most certainly as we see in his transfiguration on the mount with his three closest disciples.
“I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.”
(Lu 9:27-29 NivUS)
There is a time when we can legitimately allow others into the passion of our private place with God where they, too, might be transformed by the passion of God that falls upon those with a passion for him.
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