HOLY FIRE | NCYA GATHERING | 3.25.26

WELCOME TO THE NCYA PODCAST ---
A Christian podcast for young adults having real conversations about Jesus, life, and becoming who God created you to be. Thanks for listening :)

🎧 This Episode:
Jesus isn’t just the focus of our passion—He’s the source of it. In this message, we explore how He fuels, ignites, and sustains a fire in us that doesn’t burn out.

⚡️About NCYA
NCYA is the Young Adults ministry of New Covenant Church in Statesboro, GA. We are a WILD, Jesus-loving, gospel-preaching group of young adults desperate for a real move of God in our city. Our mission is to reach and equip college students and young adults to become followers of Jesus through small groups and monthly gatherings.

❓ Got Questions?
We want them. The real ones. 
Submit your questions here:👉 https://newcov.online/ya-podcast
Faith, doubt, suffering, theology, life, church hurt—we’re here for all of it.

📲 Stay Connected:
Let’s hang out beyond YouTube!
Instagram: @NewCovenantYA
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4VaMz5b...
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Website: https://newcov.online/ya-podcast

If This Helped You:
👍 Like the video
💬 Drop a comment
🔔 Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes
It helps more than you think.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

God, why haven't I seen this breakthrough yet? It's because every time it gets hard, you stop. God, why am I going through this test again? God, why am I going through this trial again? Why am I going through this tribulation again? Because you didn't pass it the last time. But in Jesus' name, you will. Because you have found your passion again tonight. And that passion's name is Jesus Christ. Oh, hold on. Let me gather myself real quick. Because God's just been wrecking me like the last two weeks. And today I've He's just kept wrecking me. And I'm trying not to cry. I was crying during worship. Um I'm not afraid to cry. I'll say that up front. I'm a man, but I cried. Jesus cried. So I'm not manlier than Jesus. But as you could tell already, like this church, this ministry, this room is filled with passionate people. I don't know if y'all felt that during worship. You felt passion. Right? You felt passion. And I want to tell you something that that passion has a name. And his name is Jesus. Passion isn't passion if it's not about Jesus. That's true passion. Let me pray real quick so I can gather myself even more. Okay. Dear Lord, we just invite you into the space. Holy Father, we ask that you do what you need to do. Open our hearts, open our minds. Open our ears. Speak to us. Speak through us. Lord, reveal new things to us. Work through things that need to be worked through, Lord. Break chains that need to be broken. Lord, soften our hearts so that we could receive. We thank you because you're our passion. We love you so much, Lord. Lord, I ask personally as well that every word that comes out of my mouth is from the Holy Spirit and not my own. Use me as a vessel. Thank you for a night like this. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So the sermon title is Holy Fire, the source and direction of passion. Okay. So the Lord has kept touching on this topic for a while with me. And I've actually preached about it once to a Spanish church youth. And it was about passion. Because if you know me, you know I'm a passionate guy. Sometimes my passion we're in the wrong places. And I'll touch more on that in a little bit. But I'm a passionate guy. I really am. If you know me, you'd know that. I want to ask the room how many people are passionate about something in here? Raise your hand. Okay? Anybody passionate about basketball? Okay? Who's your favorite basketball?

unknown 3:04

LeBron.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

LeBron? Okay. So, is LeBron the reason why you started playing basketball as a kid? There's always a who. There's always a who. Always. There's always a who. The other titles I was thinking about titling the sermon was The Passion That Saves Passion. Because that passion's name is Jesus, right? The Passion That Saves Passion. Another sermon title I almost named this was Misplaced Fire. Because the wrong type of fire will burn a forest now. The other one I thought about was from infatuation to devotion. And just being really vulnerable with y'all. When I first learned the word infatuation, I used it to hit on a girl once when I was younger. I'm so infatuated with you. And I don't even think she knew what that meant either. I know I kind of didn't, but I thought it meant like love, but that's not the right kind of love. And she was like, oh my goodness, I've never had something so sweet told to me. That is not the right kind of passion. That's not passion, it's infatuation. Okay? But if we go to Luke 24, verse 32. Says, and I read an NLT for anybody who's kind of confused when I start reading. They said to each other, Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the scriptures to us? A little backstory to this verse. There's these two disciples on the on the road to Emmaus. And I think it says it was about what six miles? Seven miles. So seven miles, which is eleven kilometers. This is a a big walk, right? So they had the time to walk and talk. But Jesus himself showed up. And he walked those seven miles with them. And he was like, they were like, Oh, have you heard about Jesus? We thought he was the one. We thought he was the one. I guess he wasn't the one. He's just another prophet. And then Jesus was like, Have you not read the scriptures? Don't you know? And he started explaining to them the word, because he is the word. And they felt this fire in their hearts. It says, Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the scriptures to us? He loves us so much, he'll take the time to walk with us. Even if we didn't get it right the first time. Did y'all feel a burning sensation during worship? I did. I was getting wrecked. Do you get a burning sensation when you read the scriptures? Or did that feeling kind of fade away? Did that passion kind of fade away? But this passion that we feel, basically everybody raised their hand when it asked who's passionate about something. God created the human heart to burn with passion. That's a real thing. The question is never if we will be passionate. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has several definitions for passion. I'm sure y'all have heard this on a TikTok before. I know I have. That's not the reason why I put it in this. Okay. The first definition says a strong feeling or enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something. For example, she has passion for music, which isn't wrong. It's okay to have passion for music. A strong or powerful emotion such as love, anger, or desire. Now they're talking about emotions. But emotions are fleeting, right? We know that. Feelings are fleeting. An intense, striving devotion to a cause, activity, or person. That one's a little better, right? That's the truth. We see a lot of people in this generation passionate about something. When my older sister talks about this a lot, it breaks my heart. Because Gen Z is very, very passionate. But a lot of their passion is in the wrong things. Their source for their passion is in the wrong place. The next definition for passion in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is the suffering of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death on the cross. Passion has a name. His name is Jesus. That's true passion. Passion endures pain. Passion endures difficulties. When you're actually passionate about something, you don't quit when times get hard. I used to be really, really passionate about basketball and playing basketball. Playing basketball specific, specifically. If you would have asked me during that time, I would have told you. I love playing basketball. This is my passion. If I was truly passionate about basketball, I'd still be playing basketball today, even if it wasn't on a team. But it wasn't true passion. It was an obsession. I don't think we like to hear that word. We get obsessed with things sometimes. But it's not true passion. Passion is not just emotion, it involves the heart, the will, and the direction of one's life. It reveals our highest love and allegiance. What are you allegiing to? What are you bonding yourself to with this passion that you speak of? And again, it's not bad to be passionate about basketball. It's not passionate. I mean, it's not bad to be passionate about music. But if you're not careful, it could become an idol. My question for y'all tonight is what is our passion burning for? The Lord had to rewire what the word passion meant in my brain. When I was a very, very lukewarm Christian, I thought passionate meant like, I don't know, uh impulsive, being impulsive, doing things in the moment, in the wind of it, physical things, sexual things, passion. I'm very passionate. Y'all know Hispanics are very passionate about things, right? Especially Cuban men. But that's the thing. My passion was in the wrong places. And for the wrong reasons. It wasn't passion, it was infatuation. It wasn't passion, it was obsession. It wasn't passion, it was persuasion. What is our passion burning for? Because the truth is, something is always fueling the fire of our hearts. What is fueling that fire? Every decision we make, every thought we even entertain, every place our attention runs to when no one is looking. That's where your passion is. And if it's not in the right places, you have to reanalyze where your passion is. Is it burning for comfort? Approval, success, even relationships, endless noise of the world, popularity, wanting to felt seen, which is not a wrong thing, but you're looking for it in the wrong places. Or is it burning for the one who gave his life for us? Tonight is a moment to slow down. The Lord does this to me all the time, guys. Like no one outmatures this. We all have to be slowed down sometimes by the Lord, and we had to like reanalyze our lives and be like, okay, Lord, I'm doing this for you. Or is it burning for the one who gave his life for us? Tonight is a moment to slow down. Look inward before the Lord like we did during worship. Worship is the way we live before the Lord. And honestly ask ourselves, what is really sitting on the throne of my heart tonight? Because whatever fuels our passion will ultimately shape the direction of your lives. The gym. I'm still passionate for the gym. But when he makes you look at it from a different lens, from spiritual lens, instead of just the physical lens, let me tell you something. If you think you fell in love with a hobby before, if you give that hobby to Jesus, you're gonna fall in love with that hobby all over again. Because it's the true passion. When I started to learn that the gym isn't just to look good or back then to look good for girls or to look good for myself, which isn't bad. And I started to look at the gym as a place where I could work on the Holy Spirit's temple. My passion for the gym and working out changed. Now the fire isn't a physique I'm chasing. The fire is the man I'm chasing. It's Jesus. It's no longer myself in that mirror. It's Jesus. That's who I'm chasing in the gym. If you were to grab one of my AirPods out of my ear at the gym, it's gonna be worship music, or it's gonna be Christian rap, it's gonna be Christian EDM. It doesn't matter. There's a bunch of really good Christian music out there. That's not secular, that's not feeding the flesh. Right? There's if even if you don't even realize it, those subtle things in disguise will feed the flesh, and then you'll catch yourself looking at the wrong things.

unknown 14:36

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

The Lord says, guard your heart above all uh above all other things. We have to guard our hearts, guard our minds, guard our ears, guard our eyes. Passion for photography, that's not a bad thing. But then when you rephrase or reword what photography means to you, I love photography because I am capturing what the Lord has created. I am looking at it between at a different lens from a different perspective. Look at the detail at what the Lord has created. Look at his creation. I see his hand in it all. That's so beautiful. And he could get even more passionate about it than ever before. And then it becomes a form of worship. It's no longer just a hobby, it's a form of worship. How beautiful is that! My first point of the night is passion is part of God's design. It is. And that's gonna end up working against you. That's gonna end up working against God. Because God only wants the best for you. Well, let's go to Mark now. Mark 12, verse 30 says, And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. That sounds like passion, right? That's passion. The greatest commandment is not casual. That's total devotion to God. Being passionate for God and everything in all your mind, your soul, your body, your spirit. Not just reading the Bible. You're getting to read the holy word of God. When you're worshiping, you're getting to worship the Lord of Lords. The one who goes before us. Guys, it's not casual. Those things are supposed to excite you. It's supposed to build this fire within you. Maybe there was a time where you're really, really passionate about the Lord. But the Lord is saying tonight, tonight is the night that you return to me. That you return to that passion. Some of us will think about maybe, I don't know, when you got saved at a church camp, right? That maybe some of us will think about when you got saved at a YA night. And then like the weeks that followed that were amazing. They were so passionate. You were in your word. But then you grew cold. And that passion faded away. I'm gonna tell you something. It's because you stopped doing those things that you once first did. That's why the scripture says, go back to what you once did. Go back to your first love. Go back to that first passion you had. That passion's name is Jesus. When you start to feel apathy, or when you start to feel numb, my first question to you is have you been reading your word? Have you been praying? Have you been worshiping the Lord? All of this sounds elementary, but it's the basics, and sometimes when we look over the basics because we think we're too mature. I'm in my 20s, I'm in my 30s, I'm in college, I'm working full-time already, I'm not a kid anymore. I know all this stuff. I know the story about Noah's Ark. The moment you stop to look for Jesus and everything is the moment you're gonna start feeling no. Because it's his fire that keeps you warm, it's his fire that makes you burn. It's his fire in you that draws others near him. Or his hands and his feet. Let us never grow cold. His fire is his warmth, it's his love. God did not design humanity to love him halfway. Biblically, passion means wholehearted affection and devotion. If you tell your wife in the future or your future husband, I'm just not passionate about you anymore. You know what they'd say? Like, okay, what? Right? That's basically what we tell God all the time. When we're like, I just don't feel like reading the Bible anymore. I just don't feel like it. That's okay, read it anyways. I just don't feel like praying. That's okay, pray anyways. Don't take the easy way out. And guess what? When you do start reading that Bible again, the holy Bible, the holy word of God, when you do start praying to the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, that fire will come back. And even brighter than ever before. The Hebrew idea of the heart refers to the center of desire, will, emotion, and decisions. Isn't that kind of crazy? That's what the heart wants. That's what people say. That's why scripture says we have to guard our hearts. I'm not trying to get too ahead of myself. I really want to. But God commands our entire being to be directed towards Him. Everything. Not just your physical body on a Sunday morning of service. Your heart and your mind. While you're there too. He doesn't want you to just come and sit in the seat on a YA night. He wants your heart, he wants your mind, he wants your soul. He wants your life. You know why? Because he loves you more than you love yourself. You don't think anybody loves you? He loves you more than you love yourself. He sent his only son to die for you. And this isn't like a guilt trip thing. This is a he I love him because he loved me first thing. The problem is when passion is detached from its creator. When you detach where passion came from, passion starts to lose its flavor. You start to use the passion for the wrong things. And then you ask yourself, well, how did I end up here? It's because you've detached yourself from the one who designed you. You're his creation. And if you want the answers, go to the creator. So the first point was passion as part of God's design. It's just something that's driven humanity since the beginning. Passion. My parents oftentimes, my dad would be like, you know how many miles I want to cross the island of Cuba to go see your mom? That's passion right there. You know how many times I've you know had a ride this bus and then this bus and then get walked to this. Right? We hear these older generations talk about this stuff. And their passion endured the test of time and the test of distance. But I think you know the reason why this generation struggles with passion is because we're addicted to instant gratification. And when something gets a little hard, we don't push through. We don't. I'm the first to say that. I got really, really, really into running at one point, I think it was like two years ago. And I was I was even running like half marathons basically. And then I stopped. Life got really busy. It did. But I stopped. But I knew I was just like this close from like actually starting to finally see like my goals in running or my physical health or my physical appearance. But I stopped. But if I really wanted it that bad, I probably could have kept going. Because we make time for what we love, right? We make time for what we're passionate for. We make time we're supposed to make time for Jesus. God, why haven't I seen this breakthrough yet? It's because every time it gets hard, you stop. The reason why you haven't seen that breakthrough yet is because every time it gets hard, you stop. You ask yourself, God, why am I going through the same test again? And a lot of my guys in my spa group have heard me say this exact phrase. I'm gonna say it again. Right? God, why am I going through this test again? God, why am I going through this trial again? Why am I going through this tribulation again? Because you didn't pass it the last time. But in Jesus' name, you will. Because you have found your passion again tonight. And that passion's name is Jesus Christ. And I'm gonna tell you the reason why we so easily detach our passion from the Creator. You want to know why? We struggle with submission. We struggle with submission as humans. This is why people throw around the words, he's just legalistic. He's a legalistic Christian. That's why he slaps the name of Jesus on everything. No, brother, it's because I love Jesus that much. He's slapping the name of Jesus onto everything. It's because I love Jesus that much. I told this to the men's ministry for Spanish Church. I was like, what you love and what you have passion for? You're gonna ultimately talk about it all the time. You love your daughters a lot, right? You talk about your daughters all the time. You love baseball? You're gonna be talking about baseball all the time. But let's say you're around a group of Christians for like a whole day. Do you hear them talk about Jesus?

unknown 26:53

Come on. That's good.

SPEAKER_00 26:57

That's the truth. The truth hurts sometimes. But the truth heals. You know why the truth heals? Because the truth's name is also Jesus. I'm the way, the truth, and the life.

unknown 27:12

So good.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

I said this in my last sermon, but I'm gonna bring it back. The truth divides because it defines. My second point is the source of passion determines the outcome. I'm gonna be honest with you. My source of passion was like I was a people pleaser. Joined a fraternity, I worked at a bar, I'm a people pleaser. The enemy knew I loved people. He knew my calling for people. So he took me in the wrong direction. And then my source became the people and not Jesus. And so the outcome became different as well. Proverbs 4.23 says, guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. What are you letting in here? What are you letting sway your decisions? What are you letting direct you in your day-to-day decisions, in your day-to-day walk? Whatever captures your heart will eventually direct your life. You become what you behold. You become what you behold, and we long for what we behold. You can have that longing, that burning passion for more. I want more of Jesus. I want more of Jesus. Guess what? The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you're gonna want of Jesus. There's no limit to him. There's no limit to Jesus that you could and take. There's no limit. There's no limit to the throne. We were just singing that just a second ago. And the reason why we we lose our passion for Christ oftentimes is because we stop beholding him. We stop just being just looking at him and just being mesmerized with how beautiful and amazing he is. And some of you are like, are you seeing Jesus' face? I see Jesus' face when I look at my sisters. I see Jesus' face when I see other believers in Christ. I see Jesus' face when I feel his love. When I read his holy word. Yes, I see Jesus' face all the time. Even when a random stranger smiles at me, I'm like, Jesus sent that smile my way. And guess what? You could be his face to other people too. You become what you behold. We stopped longing for Jesus because we stopped beholding him. It stopped being fun. You didn't push through it because it got hard. The human heart is worship-oriented. So whatever you place on the throne of your heart, you're gonna start worshiping. Whether that's money, people, anything. And I'm gonna tell you this, this is a hard truth. And eclassiestis, I'm not saying it's Spanish, eclesiastes. 311 says, He has, and this is I think like B and C of the verse, he has planted eternity in the human heart. But even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from the beginning to end. We were created with a longing for God Himself. And we don't see what all He has planned for us. We can't understand it. Because He is good, good, good. But we were born for more. Sometimes you're like, why do I feel like I'm stuck? Why do I feel like I'm not creating anymore? It's because you're tapping into the wrong source. Jesus doesn't have a battery life. Jesus does not have a battery life.

unknown 31:43

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

You're tapping into the wrong source. I just gotta brainstorm again, and I'll come up with something. I'll come up with something. No, go sit down and pray for a little bit.

unknown 31:58

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 32:00

Go sit down and read the Bible for a little bit. And guess what? Those ideas are gonna come flooding in. I I just told a couple people like last week, pray for me. I feel like I'm struggling with my creativity. And then God slapped me in the face, like, son, you know I'm the creator, right? Tap into me and I'll make you creative. We were created with a longing that only God Himself can satisfy. Trust me, I've tried it all. I've tried drugs, I've tried women, I've tried parties, I've tried just being with the boys, I've tried status, I've tried popularity, I've tried it all. I really have. But it's like when a little kid tries to fit a square into a triangle game. It just doesn't work. No matter how hard you try, it's not gonna fit. But it's because we were made in the image of God, so the only image that's gonna fit in that hole is the image of God. We're created with a longing that only God Himself can fill. But when Christ is not the source, people try to fill that eternal longing with temporary things. I'm about to start stepping on some toes. That's why we wear my boots, okay? Common false sources in today's society. Y'all ready? Relationships. That other person does not complete you. God completes you. And when you're both completed through God, their relationship will stand the test of time. Sexual desires, they are not a source. Social media validation. That is not a source. Identity movements, that is not a source. Your identity is in Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Your purpose is Christ. And you won't ever find your purpose if you don't find it in Christ. You'll be running around the world looking for it, traveling countries, you'll be making all this money. That's why all these artists and these actors they kill themselves because they were never fully satisfied, and one will look from the outside and say, he had it all. But he did it. And that's why they took their life. Identity comes from the Lord. And your purpose is Christ Himself. And you know what your calling is? How you make, and this is personal. Your calling is personal. We all have the same purpose, and that is Christ. But your calling is how you make Christ known. And that's personal. That is so personal, and it is so beautiful. And you gotta walk into that calling. But you know how you walk into that calling? To call something, you need to hear something. And the Father is speaking. It's his word. He will reveal himself to you. And he will reveal to you how you need to reveal him to others. Some other false sources are political outrage on both sides. On both sides. It can't be a source. It can't be a source because then you're never satisfied. No matter what the outcome is, you're never satisfied. It could be for good reasons, but then if that's your source, you're never satisfied. Because then it's on to the next thing. Money and success. Money helps, but it's never enough. There's always something someone who has something more than you. And comparison is the thief of joy. Personal ambition. Whoa. Whoa. Because we're taught that personal ambition is good, right? It's not bad. But when you're more ambitious about making your name known than the name of Jesus known, you just made yourself an idol. These things promise meaning, but cannot sustain the soul. They are depleting. They deplete your soul. You won't ever feel like enough. There's always another standard that you're following. There's always another standard that you're pursuing. There's always another standard or an image that society puts in front of you. He's like, you have to reach this, and then you'll be happy. And they keep moving the bar, and it's this rat race that you're just in, and you can't escape it. It's because you're running in the wrong race. My race looks like a cross. I'm not running against, I'm running for him. It's not about who makes it there first. It's about making it. It's about carrying your cross daily, making your flesh die daily. That's what carrying your cross means. Saying no to this thing. Whatever this thing wants. My next point is wrong sources produce dangerous outlets. Wrong sources produce dangerous outlets. We're about to read James. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. Temptation comes from our own desires. It does. Because we're born into sinful nature. But that is why we need to be born again. And set our eyes on Jesus. It is a constant battle between our flesh and us, and sometimes you're your worst enemy. The devil, let me tell you a secret. He's not omnipotent. He's not omniscient. And he's not omnipresent. He can't be everywhere at the same time. Sometimes the things that you're struggling with is your own flesh. Sometimes the only thing that you're struggling with is your own flesh, and you just have to learn to say no. And then you'll see the breakthrough. Passion. Passion. Passion. His name is Jesus. Wrong sources produce dangerous outlets. If your sources for passion is in sinful nature, it's only going to cause death. Literally. Spiritual death, physical death, mental death, spiritual death. When passion flows from the wrong source, the outlet becomes destructive. Look around our generation. People are passionate, but the outlets are often sexual immorality, addiction, anger, outrage, self-worship, constant comparison, chasing influence or fame. I'm gonna say this sin distorts the affection of the heart. Sin starts to distort what you long for. That's why we have to abstain. Abstain from sin. So instead of helping the very thing that you're passionate about, you end up idolizing that thing that you're passionate about. And then it only causes more pain instead of helping the thing that you're passionate about. I'm gonna be honest. I was dating this one girl, and I out of passion, I started playing house with her before we were married. Because I was passionate. I just want to be around you all the time. Playing house, that's not being passionate, that's covenant. And I was doing it at the wrong time. Wrong place. Even though my desires were good. But temptation comes from our own desires. I was placing myself in a place where I shouldn't have been, and it opened the door to many temptations, which I fell many times. And again and again I asked God, why, why, why? Because you haven't learned yet. It started distorting the affection of my heart. I started viewing it as not that bad because I was like, well, I love the girl. I'm gonna get married with her anyways. I'm not dating that girl anymore. It's been four years. I was wrong. Whoa. Guess who's never wrong? Guess who's never wrong? Jesus. And I would have saved myself a lot of heartbreak, a lot of heartache, a lot of suffering that I went through. If I would have just listened to my father. Jeremiah 17, 10 says, but I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards according to what their actions deserve. That's very deep. Wrong sources produce dangerous outlets. So if you have this bad desire in your heart, those come sometimes because we're in the flesh. Now, do you act upon it? That's the issue. Do you act upon it? No. You submit it. That's the issue that we have as humans. We submit it to Christ. We submit it to the Lord. Because with every temptation, the Lord will provide a way out. In verse 9, it says the human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? That's why we have to come face to face with the best. Mirror in the world, and that's his word. That's Jesus. And he will show us our reflection and he'll tell us what not to act upon. But I, the Lord, search all hearts. Who knows the heart? God does. Search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards according to what their actions deserve. So now you're placed in a position where do I act upon this or not? We get to choose our decisions, but we don't choose our consequence. And I think that drives us crazy as humans because we want to control everything. But then when the consequences happen, we're blaming God. But you could have chosen differently. Without Christ, our passions end up becoming disordered loves. They're out of order. Christ should be first. The early churches, you know what the early churches said? They said sin is loving the wrong things in the wrong order. Like loving, I don't know, my dog more than the church. Loving my dog more than Jesus. Loving my friends more than Jesus. Loving my job more than Jesus. But when you get it in the right order, things start flowing. My next point is the cross reveals true passion. Amen? We're coming up on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday. I couldn't talk about passion without talking about Jesus Christ, of course. And the passion that He demonstrated for us on the cross. The cross reveals true passion. As Good Friday approaches, we remember the passion of Christ. Remember how I started? About how, like, I don't know, older people above us were like, I had to walk such and such amount of distance to go and meet with this person, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And how we get so swayed off so easily because as soon as it gets hard, we stop. Christ didn't stop. Christ went to that cross. Christ died on that cross. Christ took all our sins. They pierced his hands, they pierced his feet, they pierced his side. They whipped him and flogged him so much. They couldn't see whether he was a man or a woman. How bad that they beat it up our Savior. That's passion. He not once regretted it. After walking the earth with his disciples for three years, he thought he had a best buddy with Peter. And he told Peter, you're gonna deny me three times. And even though Peter did, Jesus still loved him. And after Peter did deny him three times, right afterwards, scripture says they locked eyes. And I guarantee you, it's those eyes, those fiery eyes of Jesus Christ, which embodied passion itself, is what was engraved in Peter's mind for the rest of his life. And it is what motivated him to take the word of Christ throughout the world. Because he looked at passion in the eyes. Even after denying passion three times. And Jesus looked at him. I'm sure in those eyes he felt so convicted. But at the same time, so loved. Especially knowing that Jesus went through with it afterwards. And he did not stay on that cross, my friends. Let's go to John 15. Verses 12 through 14. It says, There is so much more. Sorry. That's 16. John 15, 12 through 14 says, This is my commandment. Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friend. You are my friends if you do what I command. You want to be the friend of Jesus? You want to be Jesus' friend? Do what he commands. It's that simple. And yet we hold on to that title that we give him, friend, more than we do Savior or Lord. And we use, oh he's my friend, to as a license to do some things and to sin. Because we don't hold the word friend above Lord. So we're just like, oh, he's just my friend. But if you want to actually truly call him your friend, you have to obey him. You have to obey his commands. And then you could call him your friend. He already calls you his friend. Jesus did not simply just talk about love. He is love. He embodied love. He lived love out. He demonstrated it. Romans 5.8 says, but God showed us his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. While each of us was still sinners before we were even born, knowing all the sins that we were going to commit, he still died for us. The passion of Christ is not merely emotional suffering, it's atonement for our sins. He paid for our sins. Earlier we read that the wages of sin are death, right? It says that sin gives birth to death. But guess what? He paid what sin was trying to do to you. He was trying to kill you. He paid for it. Jesus took the punishment for sin that we all deserve. Oh man, I I cried reading this. Let's go to Isaiah 53. I'm almost done. We all right? Amen. Let's say passion. Passion. Come on. Passion. Okay, let's say Jesus. Okay. What's the name of passion? Amen. All right, Isaiah 53. I'm gonna try not to cry. Verses four through eleven. This is describing Jesus. This is describing passion. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried. It was our sorrows that weighed him down. It was us. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins, but he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's path to follow our own, our own passions, our own desires. We have strayed away. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth, he did not complain like many of us do when things get tough. He did not make excuses. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream, but he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. And he had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone, but he was buried like a criminal. He was put in a rich man's grave. But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. That's us. How beautiful. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's good plan will prosper in his hands. And when he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. You will be counted righteous for he who was righteous. By he who was righteous. Because of what he did for us, the way he demonstrated passion. The cross shows us that true passion looks like sacrificial, obedient, God-centered, and redeeming love. My fifth and last point is the resurrection redirects our passion. We know what passion is now. What do we do with it? Right? That's the next step. We know what it is now. What do we do with it? Philippians 3.8 says, yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counted it all as garbage so that I could gain Christ. Everything else is garbage compared to Christ. Those friends that left you because you started following Jesus, they were not friends with you. They were friends with your sin. The resurrection changes the direction of our passion. When Christ becomes the source, you know what the outlet starts to look like: holiness, service, worship, evangelism, perseverance. And let me tell you something. You could show all these things, these outlets, through the passions that the Lord has given you as your calling, through your photography, through your art, through your music. You can remain holy. You can remain serving. You can remain worshiping. You can remain evangelizing through your arts, through your hobbies, through your passions, through your desires. You can persevere when things get tough. You won't just quit on it. You'll keep going. Romans 12, 11 is another slap to the face. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically, not with a yawn. No, I get to serve the Lord. I get to serve the Almighty, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. I get to serve Him. It's a privilege. Repentance is a privilege that we even have the option to go and repent. Where every other religion in the world will tell you, you're damned. You have to work your way up. When God said, I made a way for you, and his name is Jesus, he paid for your sins. He paid so that you could make your way up. It's not about what we could do, it's about what he did for us. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. And he'll bless you in everything that you do. I promise. Romans 12, 11. Again, but in NIV says, never be lacking in zeal. Zeal is like a holy jealousness. But keep your spiritual fervor, that fire. Serving the Lord. If you stop feeling that fire, recheck your heart. See how you're passing your time at home behind closed doors. Did you start listening to the music you used to listen to? Did you start looking at images that you used to look at? Did you start not reading what you started reading? Did you start not to pray anymore? Christianity is not meant to be spiritually cold. It is not. It's meant to be hot. Ha, ha, ha, like a fahita, sorry. I had to break the ice a little bit, okay? Y'all are a little tense on me. It is meant to be a life burning for Christ. We're supposed to burn. I don't know about you, but I'm a little dumb sometimes as a kid, and I still do it sometimes. I just try to test myself. When you leave a light on for real long or like a lamp, you know that bulb is hot. And I still sometimes I'm like that's how God wants you to be. That when the enemy even gets close, when darkness even comes close, that they burn. That they can't even touch you because on how on fire you are for Christ. That they burn, that they flinch. Do not settle for just an infatuation with Jesus. This is my challenge for y'all. Do not settle for just an infatuation. Uh in the moment heat kind of thing. Infatuation is emotional. Infatuation fades. Instead, pursue something deeper. That's my challenge for y'all. I'm gonna tell you what. We should be utterly, indescribably, completely, undeniably in love with Jesus. And love him more and more each day. Be passionate for him more and more each day. Give him your hobbies, give him your passions, he'll he'll make them bear fruit for you. Because everything he touches bears fruit. Never grow tired of going back to him. Never grow tired of hearing the story of Jesus. Jesus? Just saying Jesus? That's the most prophetic word you could ever say. Just saying Jesus? That is the biggest revelation you could just say. Jesus, speak Jesus into your situations. Speak Jesus into your life. Speak Jesus into your heart. Speak Jesus into your mind. When you start to feel cold again, speak Jesus into your life. Never grow tired of going back to home. Because every time you return to the cross and the empty tomb, because he rose, your passion is purified again. The source becomes Jesus and the outlet becomes love. The outlet becomes love. So y'all don't have to do this if you don't want to. But if there is some type of thing that you want to be passionate about again, but give it to Jesus, or have you lost your fire, I don't know, and in a creative sense, you've lost your fire in the Word, you've lost your fire for Jesus. You've lost your fire for photography, you've lost your fire for music, and you want that to burn again. You lost your fire for your relationship that you're in, you lost your fire for, I don't know, fitness, anything. Come to the altar right now. It's a challenge. Come to the altar right now. Jesus will meet you here. Jesus will meet you here. Passion himself will meet you here at the altar. Passion has a name. His name is Jesus Christ. He wants to meet you here. He wants to give you a new fire. He wants you to burn bright for him, brighter than ever before. He wants you to go back home, talk to your parents about Jesus. He wants you to go and talk to your roommates about Jesus. He wants you to just feel his love. He wants you to feel his fire. He wants you to feel his warmth. He wants you to feel his passion. That name is Jesus. That name. That passion, it's Jesus. If you want Jesus in more areas of your life right now, if you want to surrender more areas of your life right now to Jesus, come to the altar. Don't wait. This is your moment. This is your moment. You kept praying, God, give me a sign. This is your sign. Come to the altar. Don't just wait. Don't grow numb to his holy fire. Don't grow numb to just waiting for the right moment. This is the right moment. Scripture says, as long as it is today. It is never tomorrow because tomorrow is never promised. It is never yesterday because yesterday is gone. It is always today, and the time is now. The time is now. Let's bow our heads. Let's pray. And those of you who are at you at the altar, God bless you. I pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit just rains on you right now. That the Lord blesses each and every one of you with a fresh fire, with the fresh passion. That you are reminded that you are loved. That you are loved so much. Lord, make them feel loved. Make them feel your fire. Make them feel your passion, your son Jesus Christ. Anything that they've lacked fervor and or zeal in, Lord, anything that they missed doing or that they used to do and that they stopped doing it, Lord. I speak life into that thing in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, any sins that they're repenting of right now, Lord, it is not stronger than the blood of Jesus Christ. It is under the blood of Jesus Christ, Lord. We thank you for that. We thank you, Lord, because you are so good. We thank you for our lives. We thank you because you're so good, Lord. We thank you because you're what passion is. We don't have to keep searching. Because you've we didn't find you, you found us. Lord, thank you for finding us. Thank you because you're so good. Lord, I thank you for all the people here tonight. I pray that you encounter them, that you meet them, that you shower them with your love. That they feel your love right now, Lord. That they feel your holy fire right now, Lord. That when they start getting numb again or or or anything, Lord, that they are reminded that you are the source and that you are also the outlet. Lord, we thank you because you're so good. We thank you for your son Jesus. And that he died and he resurrected for us. And we thank you because none of us, none of us are too far gone. We thank you for a fresh fire, we thank you for fresh oil, Lord. We thank you, Jesus. We thank you, we thank you, we thank you, we thank you, we thank you. We thank you. Thank you for tonight. Thank you because you're so good. In Jesus' mighty name, we say Amen.