A Passion for the World
A Passion for the World
I. The world consists of people
All kinds of people. Black, white, yellow, red, brown, smart, foolish, rich, poor, old,
young, strong, weak, happy, sad, loving, wicked. The world includes your spouse, children,
neighbor, co-worker, the grocery clerk and yes it even includes your enemies. It includes
each and everyone of us.
II. Jesus' passion for the world
There is only one person I know of who truly has a passion for the world. It is Jesus. He gave up the privileges of divinity for the world. He took on the very flesh of man. He was beaten and whipped for the world. He was mocked for the world. He died on the cross for the world. He experienced the second death for the world. He rose again and is seated at the right hand of the father for the world. Would it be safe to say that Jesus has a passion for the world? Or more specifically, a passion for people, the lost. Of course!
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
III. Christians' passion for the world
Guess what? We as believers should have the same passion for the world. We should have the same mind as Christ Jesus.
Philippians. 2:5 in the KJV it states
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. KJV
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. NIV
What attitude or mind did Christ have? He humbled Himself and died on a cross for the sake
of all mankind.
What can God do with a person who is born again, spirit filled, sold out to Jesus and
who has a passion for the world? But, before we answer that question, I want you to see
how God used a person who was a liar, gambler, full of pride, drunkard, womanizer, greedy,
a spy for Nazi Germany, and a counter spy for Hungary, but who had a passion for some
Jewish people. Do you know who I am talking about?
IV. Oscar Schindler
Oscar Schindler from the movie Schindler’s List. Did you know it is a true story? I have watched the movie four different times. I have read the book. I have read Schindler’s biography in the encyclopedia, and I just watched a documentary video of interviews with some of the Jews that were on Schindler’s List. Why? Because I was amazed at how God used a very selfish, greedy man.
The story of Schindler:
Raised as a Roman Catholic. He loved to party and gamble. He loved being the life of the party and rubbing shoulders with those who were in power. Had a wife and mistress, even after the war. He was a spy for Nazi Germany. It was his goal to become rich off the war effort. He started a plant making pots and pans. He was making large sums of money and doing quite well off the black market.
A few years into the war and Schindler seem to take interest in the fate of the Jewish people.
Deeds of Schindler:
Every Jew that was interviewed in the documentary stated that Schindler gave them hope.
When the work camp was being shut down, because the war was winding down, all the Jews were to be killed or transported to Auschwitz. This is when a list was made of 1100 Jews. These Jews would be shipped to Schindler's factory by his hometown. They would be much safer there. During this time he went to Hungary as a counter spy to let them know the truth about the holocaust that was happening in Poland.
The men on Schindler's List 'accidentally' got shipped to another work camp. He arrived personally to get their release. While Schindler was in jail, the women on the list were shipped to Auschwitz. He arranged for His women workers to be removed from Auschwitz. He had an absolute passion to save the Jews from Nazi Germany.
In the winter, a train load of Jews arrived. The SS was going to shoot all of them. Schindler intervened. The people were in terrible condition. His wife said it was the first time in her life that she could not tell if the naked people were men or women because they were so thin. Their bodies were frozen onto the inside of the cattle cars. Schindler rescued them.
Ultimately the war ended and the Jews were set free. On the day of Germany's surrender, the Jews at Schindler's plant gave him a ring with this inscription: "He who saves a single soul, saves a world entire".
How many of you believe that?
Do you know the starfish story?
A man was walking along the beach. The tide had gone out and left starfishes all over the
sand. A little boy was seen throwing the starfish back into the ocean. The man asked the
little boy what he was doing. The boy said he is throwing the starfish back into the
ocean. "Little boy, don't you see all these starfish, you can't make a
difference." "I can make a difference for this one", he said as he threw
the starfish into the ocean.
At the end of the war, Schindler never was very successful again in business. In fact, he died a poor man. He still was a drinker and womanizer. He still loved to get attention. In spite of this he was very important to the Jews? He is only the third gentile to go to Israel to plant a tree in the path of the righteous. At his funeral, the Catholic Church was filled with the Jews from his factory. Did you hear that?
Just before he died, Schindler was asked why he intervened for the Jews. He said, "in 1941 and 1942, there was evidence of pure sadism with people behaving like pigs. I felt the Jews were being destroyed...I had to help them. There was no choice."
He said "I had to help them, There was no choice."
IV. We have no choice.
Do we see what is happening in our world today? Do we see the wickedness? Do we see the hurting people? Look around you? What other choice do we have than to be a light in the darkness?
If God can use a person like Schindler, can he use you and me. YES YES YES. You see there was two things Schindler had going for him. First He was bold. Second he was faithful and obedient to the passion Jesus gave him. (I believe the passion he had to save the Jews came from God himself).
So my question is: What can God do with a person who is born again, spirit filled, sold out to Jesus and who has a passion for the world? Everything! We can help the lost, hurting, burned, bored, bypassed, and even "losers" of this world. Let me give you a couple of examples:
Maybe next door neighbors that are a gay couple. Maybe a co-worker who is going through a divorce. Or something novel, how about loving your wife?
Don’t wait until your good enough. There is only one thing you need to do to be "good enough". Need to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
As we hunger for God, He will fill us and we can walk in His anointing to reach a hurting, lost world.
And guess what? We can’t even hunger and thirst without the Spirit of God drawing
us. It is His work. Just be willing, faithful, and obedient. He will do the work
V. Don't wait until it is too late.
I want to close with a story from the Bible.
2 Chron. 33:1-3
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. [2] He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. [3] He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.
2 Chron. 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
2 Chron. 33:10-13
The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. [11] So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. [12] In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. [13] And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
2 Chron. 33:15-17
He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the LORD, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. [16] Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.
The nation served God for a short time, but ultimately went back to their idols. Not too long after this they went into Babylonian captivity.
Yes Mannaseh was saved. The problem was Manasseh's repentance was too late for the nation of Judah. The damage was already done. May it not be with us.
God used an evil man like Schindler. God changed a very wicked man like Mannaseh. God wants to change and use a person like me. A person like you. We can have a passion for this world. May we hunger and thirst for righteousness. May we be filled with a passion for this world.
VI. There are three groups of people
Whatever category you fall into I pray that God will touch your life and ultimately all of us will have a passion for the world. If God can use an Oscar Schindler or change a Mannaseh, He can change and use any of us.