Watch “Made For More: Passion, Zeal, and Worship” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel.
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[Music]
if you have your Bible I’d like for you
to open it with me and I want to go for
a few moments to the book of first John
chapter 2 and just a real simple message
tonight but I wanted to get in our
hearts when we’re talking about being
made form or made for a purpose God’s
hand is on us all and I want you to see
in first John chapter 2 and verse 14 and
he found in the temple those who sold
oxen sheep doves and the money changers
doing business when he had made a whip
of cords he drove them all out of the
temple with the sheep and the oxen and
poured out the changers money and over
turned the tables and he said to those
who sold the doves take these things
away do not make my father’s house of
merchandise then his disciples
remembered that it was written the zeal
for your house has eaten me the zeal for
your house has eaten me up and as we
talked about when you’re talking about
made for more I think one of the keys to
understand and why we’re here is to
vitally connect your life to the church
the local church is not something that
you can be passive about and discover
the purpose of God the local church that
you call your home in your church Jacob
put it like this when he found Bethel
which means house of God where he saw
the vision of angels ascending and
descending he said I have found speaking
of the house of God for his life he said
I have found the gate of heaven meaning
everything and most of the things not
everything but most of the things that
God will send down from heaven as he saw
the angels descending and angels
ascending much of the things that God
will do in my life will be will come
through the gate of heaven which is the
local church literally God said oh Jesus
said
build my church and the gates of Hell
will not prevail against it he was
saying if you attach yourself to the
kingdom of God and specifically to the
local church your life will prosper your
finances will prosper your joy will
prosper you’ll find your purpose you’ll
find God will use you for four reasons
beyond just here and now and it’s sad
that so many people just maintain they
just bump along they just bump along you
know in life they they they survive
until they die
serving God and especially serving him
through the local church is a vital part
of being a Christian and that’s why
Jesus said and they quoted the scripture
the zeal for God’s house has eaten him
up the word zeal means a passion the
passion for God’s house has eaten him up
Jesus was a passionate man you know we
see these pictures in art especially
historical art and and they they have
Jesus and you know he looks like a real
laid-back kind of hippie with a nap
snack type you know looks like he just
smoked a joint or something you know and
just real laid-back and and all the
pictures he’s just that he’s never
there’s no intensity there’s no there’s
no passion there’s no it’s just a you
know he’s just laid-back and he’s he’s
you know just calm and gentle and quiet
and sweet but that’s not the Jesus that
you read about in the Bible he was
passionate the Bible said he prayed with
many tears he cast out devils that
doesn’t sound like a laid-back life that
has no passion or zeal he confronted
Pharisees to their face and called them
snakes and vipers that doesn’t sound
like a Wallflower or a hippie you know
that’s just walking around in sandals
and roads saying peace everybody peace
Jesus was a man of passion in in the
text that I read he made a will did you
catch that he made a will it wasn’t that
he lost his temper when he saw him doing
business in the house and all of that
the the temple it wasn’t that it was a
momentary Jesus got out of control and
lost his temper uh-huh he made he this
was delivered
he went off got some leather put it all
together
he was the zeal the passion for the
house of the Lord things weren’t right
in there and it took how many of you
know it would take you a while to cut
the leather and all that and he he had
it ready he had probably practiced it
because when he went back into the
temple I read one time where they said
there would have been at least 200
people 200 temple guards I should say
200 temple guards and he ran all of them
out he ran the priest out he ran this
was not some man who just kind of was
laid-back about the house of God
he had a zeal and a passion for the
house of God and went in with that will
sweet Jesus had zeal and passion and
when we say I want to be like Jesus what
do you mean you want to be like Jesus
because one of the greatest passions and
zeals in Jesus life was for the church
we need to connect our lives to some
people think that they’re so spiritual
that they just need to float around and
they just follow after the spirit but
you need to be connected vitally to the
house of God because there’s something
there for you that is powerful that
nothing else in the world can offer you
it’s the truth
if you barely show up and you’re usually
late you know and just kind of lay back
hit skip and miss and your attendance
and your fire for the house of God zeal
for the house of God the word passion
means a focused energy what you focus
your energy on a lot of people get
passionate about football to get
passionate
about work they get passionate about
motorcycles they get passionate about
cars and hunting and hobbies and I’m not
against any of that we all ought to have
a balanced life but we better we better
understand that we don’t ever get to the
place that we lose our passion for the
house of God passion is a desire a
willingness to give yourself wholly a
willingness listen to this passion is a
willingness to go the extra mile when I
see the real Jesus I do not see boring I
do not see nerdy I do not see uneventful
when I see the real Jesus I see a man of
zeal I see a man of passion I see a guy
who turned the world upside down
I see a guy who had a vision to touch
the world and touch every city that he
walked into I see a guy who was not a
religious mouse and I can follow that
guy I can follow a guy like that I can’t
follow Jesus in sandals who walks around
and sits around campfires all day but I
can follow someone who has a vision to
change the world if you want to be like
Jesus the first thing that he had was
passion for God’s house listen to the
scripture Ephesians 1 in verse 22 the
church which is his body the church
which is his body the church is not
optional as many people view it Matthew
16 again I’ll build my church and the
gates of Hell will not prevail against
it do you hear the Passion of Jesus
Jesus looked at the devil and said bring
it bring everything you’ve got I’ll
build my church and the gates of the
Hell will not prevail against my church
take your best shot how you treat God’s
house is how he will treat your house
Malachi 3 said that if you bring the
tithes and offering into the storehouse
for food in the house that he would open
the windows of heaven and bless your
house he’ll build your house if you help
build his house it really is not a
gimmick it really does work that if you
pour and give yourself not just in money
but in in was laboring and doing what
you can do for the kingdom of God God
says I’ll build your house if you build
my house you know it’s not okay to talk
negative about the church love the Lord
I really love the Lord but I’m not
excited about the church you ever met
those kind of people I don’t go to
church anywhere I tell you it’s just a
bunch of hypocrites pretty much all they
want is your money and
ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba you you are a
cop-out it’s what you are Jesus was the
head and he said the church is his body
what if you went to your wife and you
said honey I really love your head but I
don’t like your body at all
[Applause]
that’s what you’re saying when you say I
love Jesus I just don’t need his body
the body is the church
[Applause]
somes 92 and verse 13 those who are
planted in the house listen to those
words those who are planted in the house
of the Lord shall one flourish in the
courts of our God look at the next verse
they shall still bear fruit in old age
they shall be listen to these words if
you’re planted in the house of God if
your family is planted in the house of
God if your marriage is planted in the
house of God if your teenagers are
planted in the house of God they shall
be fresh and flourishing families lives
marriages businesses if they’re planted
in the house of God dreams they will
they will be fresh and they will
flourish it’s so true I’m telling it mom
thank you for planning us in the house
of God you and dad planted us in the
house of God and our lives have been so
enriched and blessed because of God’s
house our whole world growing up rotated
around what’s going on at the church
churches if you’re if you’re planning
chizz not optional for you if you’re
planted you don’t just give God your
leftovers if you’re planted you you have
intimate relationships with other
believers so that so that you’re
encouraging one another and you’re
strengthening one another and you’re
checking up on one another and you’re
praying for one another and you’re
burying one another’s burdens and you’re
talking to one another on the phone and
something is missing if all you do is
show up and hear sermons that you were
made for more than that if you don’t
serve somewhere in in in the church and
meaning somehow doing something for the
Kingdom even if it’s the Ministry of
giving or whatever it is then you’re not
planted if you’re not sure it was the
pastor that you were just talking to at
the mall you’re probably not planted if
your kids come to church more than you
do if you love your dog your house your
harley-davidson or your condo at the
beach more than you love God’s house you
probably not that you can’t have all of
that god bless you but his house the
zeal for his house has eaten me up the
second thing that Jesus had was not only
a passion for God’s house but he had
when we’re talking about being made for
more you get a passion for God’s house
this is another big deal he had a
passion for excellence we need a passion
for excellence as the people of God I
really like this point because I wrote
it everything he said was planned and
purposed he he he had a passion for
excellence Jesus had a passion for
excellence this why Psalms 8 and verse 1
says O Lord our Lord how excellent is
your name I love I love anything that’s
done with excellence I appreciate it you
know I was thinking about this even
Jesus his clothes were excellent
he was just an excellent guy rather than
throw his clothes away after he was
killed
they started gambling for his clothes
cause his clothes were so sharp when you
die well anybody want your clothes
I’m just asking I don’t know we get so
sloppy we get so slack be excellent cut
your grass keep you don’t let your house
be the one that has the the car on
cinder box in the front and you and a
maid for more bumper sticker on it no
thank you
No
thank you Ephesians 5 says see that you
walk circumspectly not as fools don’t
big drunks lazy spaced out when I talk
about being made for more I’m talking
about living a life of excellence you’re
excellent we need to teach that to our
kids be excellent be leaders be strong
be winners do your homework get be
excellent in school be excellent in
education be excellent in sports be
excellent let’s preach excellence to our
families let’s say we were made for more
than average we were made for more than
getting by we were made for more than
just being like everybody else so what
if everybody else is partying and all
the other teenagers are getting high and
getting drunk well first of all they’re
not because God still has some who have
this thing on them that that they have a
realization of purpose listen they have
a realization of purpose that says I was
born for more than that stuff I was born
for the king and for his purpose and his
plan in my life and that is beneath the
place to which I have been called
[Applause]
excellence live purposely accurately
worthy live purposefully do not be vague
do not be thoughtless have an excellence
in your work the Bible said if it’s
expected for you to go a mile than go an
extra mile be excellent understand what
the will of the Lord is don’t be vague
you can know it and when you know it do
it with all of your heart whatever field
you’re in do it with all of your heart
let’s get a passion for excellence a
passion for God’s house here’s the deal
here’s why I’m saying all this when you
get a passionate about excellence for
God and for his house if you don’t the
opposite of that is boring and when life
is boring when you’re just kind of doing
that slow drift floating long
dead fish down the river the devil it
will set you up for sin because you were
not designed and made to be to live a
boring life you look in the Bible when
people messed up is when they got bored
they lost their passion for God’s house
they lost their passion for living an
excellent life unto the king the devil
will set you up for sin when humans get
bored our spirit and our soul are not
happy when we get bored our spirit and
our soul are not happy and you’re not
wired just to survive none of you in
this room are wired just to survive you
were made for more the next thing you
know if you don’t find that passionate
thing about God I’m talking about a
passion for excellence a passion for his
house and the last thing I’m saying is a
passion for God if you don’t get that
passion right then you get bored
spiritually you get bored with your life
you get bored with your relationships
you get bored with your marriage and the
Bible said when the Kings went to war
David stayed home and he was bored and
he’s watching ESPN on football Monday
night and he flips over in between and
there’s some pornography on his TV and
he sees Bathsheba because he should have
been out with some passion fighting the
good fight of faith that he was the
kings had gone to war but he had a
civilian spirit they said I’m just laid
back and when you get bored the enemy is
setting you up for sin some of you the
life that God brought let’s just be on
all of us the life that Jesus saved us
from we can’t afford to get bored we
need to stay on fire we need zeal we
need that we need the passion to be
burning in our soul for Jesus because if
knowing you and your past if you get
bored stir up the gift that is within
you stir it up and keep it stirred up
one translation said poke the fire
turn to somebody and say don’t let your
life get boring tell them this you can’t
afford not to live with passion and I
close with this but listen you know I’m
not here to make you feel good I’m here
to challenge you and stretch you and
tell you you were made for more come on
it’s time to stir yourself up how about
your marriage moving right along
revelation chapter 3 I know what I’m
gonna preach real soon I felt that
revelation 3 and verse 15 I know your
works listen to this listen to God now
you think they’re sitting a big deal
when I’m preaching with zeal and passion
listen to what he said I know your works
you’re doing stuff but you’re neither
cold nor hot and I wish you were cold or
hot so then because you’re lukewarm
neither cold nor hot listen this sweet
word of Jesus I will vomit you my mouth
Jesus does not want a bunch of people
coming to doing Church on the weak
WEA K weekends jesus said if you are if
you are lukewarm if you are milquetoast
if you are just kind of in it but you’re
not really in it I would that you were
out or you were red-hot on fire in but
don’t bring me this lukewarm passionless
Christianity it makes me listen to the
kind of it makes me sick in other words
you you won’t be in my mouth and the
mouth that’s where the word of the Lord
comes from you lose the word of Lord
every every letter that was written in
the book of Revelation to the church off
to the church off so if you’re not
connected to the church you lose the
word
stay connected to the church because God
has a word for your family and I’m
telling you especially and unknown in
church like this I’m not just say I
would come to this church if I were not
pastor that’s the truth if I lived in
Gainesville this is where I would come
to church because somebody you can come
in and this happened to me you come in
with stuff going on and if you are
connected to the church there would be a
word for that church and it’s funny how
it just filters down right into your
life and into your family and into
everything that’s going on it’s pretty
amazing
so I’ll close with this but he said you
know I know your works I wish you were
cold or hot but you won those mediocre
guys no passion God says I put a mirror
under your nose just to check if you’re
breathing and because you’re lukewarm I
will vomit you out of my mouth I have no
word for you because you’re half-hearted
about life and that’s something don’t
even be that way about life man this is
the day the Lord is made we can get all
down and depressed and live in fear and
worry or we get up every day and say I’m
gonna live with passion today this might
be my last day and I might as well enjoy
it and the mines will give it all I’ve
got with excellence passion for God a
passion for God’s house a passion for
excellence you were made for more and if
you’ll get those passions God will raise
you up and give you a life and give you
a purpose and give you his plan and it’s
good and it’s exciting and it’s
challenging and it’s powerful and it’s
never too late even now if you’re still
alive that means he has a plan for the
rest of your life
and you can live it at mediocre or you
can live it with passion and say God
whatever days I’ve got whatever you got
ahead of me I just believe that what you
have put in me and what you have for me
is greater than any tasks that that
face and if I’ll have passion for you
for your house and for excellence God
will bless you in astounding ways thank
you so much for joining us today and I
want to pray with you
Lord Jesus I pray for my friends that
are watching this telecast today I pray
for those who are sick that you would
heal them Lord I know you’re a healer we
proclaim you Jesus Christ the same
yesterday today and forever so touch
those who suffer and touch those who
need a miracle in their home touch those
who need a miracle with her family Lord
saved children sons and daughters and
grandchildren move in circumstances and
families that only you can heal stretch
forth your hand today and touch the
people maybe you’re watching this
program right now and you’ve heard the
message today and you don’t know Jesus
as your Savior ask him in right now say
these words say Lord Jesus I’ll give you
my life I believe you died and rose
again for me and today I receive you as
my savior in jesus name amen and amen
and one of the greatest things you can
do is tell somebody I really believe if
he got saved you got to tell somebody
and you need to tell some money that’s
why you can pick up the phone or you can
call a relative or tell somebody I was
watching Kingdom Connection we love to
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life we just want to sew it into your
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have you ever had that feeling there
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missing God has a perfect plan and
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[Music]
life is real vivid alive beating
breathing it happens behind closed doors
and out in front there’s joy there’s
laughter
and chaos
lifelong friendships are forged love is
found moments cherished and never
forgotten
life is a gift and together we are real
family real friends
real people
experiencing real life
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is free chapel
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you