A Passion of God — Gayle Erwin

Here is session number one of the 2011 Southeast Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference, and now with a message entitled, The Passion of God, here's Gail Irwin.

Well, it's good to see you again. Some of you I have seen in the interim, others of you have managed to escape my eyesight, but it's a delight to see you. I feel like I'm home. I don't know if this happens to you, but I've lived long enough to develop some routines in my life, and I don't even know I'm doing the routine.

It just happens. You know, I can remember when I was, oh, maybe 11 or 12, and I was driving, I was in a car with my Aunt Doris, and back then they didn't really have automatics, especially on the farm, you know, and I was watching as she drove, and I said, Aunt Doris, I want you to teach me how you drive, how you do this, what do you press first, and what do you do second, and so forth, and she just got real frustrated, and said, I can't tell you, just watch me, and I realized that she had developed such a routine that she didn't even think about it anymore.

It was just something that you did. Often when I would leave, when I was last a pastor, and that's probably prophetic, and I needed to go by the post office before I went to the office, I would back out of my driveway and kind of wake up at the office, and realize, wait a minute, I meant to go to the post office first.

Does that ever happen to you, you know, where you just, you're on automatic pilot, you don't see anything on the way, you know where you are, but, you know, there are times when there'd be a place, there's one in my neighborhood now, where they put a stop sign, and my wife would ask me, do you realize you just ran a stop sign, where?

There's something about routines that cause you to miss a lot of things that normally you would see. In fact, actually, this is one of the things that causes culture shock, because when you go into some places, you don't have the routines that you're so comfortable with.

When you're at home, you have to think about everything. See, you don't think about, oh, I'm thirsty, there's the fountain, go drink a water. But some places, you don't think that. You got to think about water.

And you know where the restroom is, man. Oh, where is the restroom? Here. And all of these kinds of things, and I've been in a number of countries like that, where not one of my routines worked, and I had to think about everything that I did.

And that's one of the main things about culture shock, you know, when you and I see each other, I've enjoyed, as I say to you, I'm a fellowship junkie, man. I come to things like this just so I can see your face and get a hug from you and so forth.

And we don't even think about that, but in some places, you don't do that. In fact, I've got to tell you this story, because this was appropriate for this church. I was in what was then Rhodesia, speaking at the first renewal conference that they had that was totally integrated.

Well, totally is not quite the right word. But because of some things I had said about how God had literally dealt with me and my own racism, after it was, I had finished speaking at a banquet, and I go backstage, this precious British brother comes up to me, and he says, you're not going to understand this, because you're an American, and you don't understand what this means to me.

But I love you. So I messed with his mind. The rest of that conference would hug him every time I saw him, you know. But this is kind of the problem of life. The routines that we have and the things that we see often, we don't see them anymore.

The Passion of God Revealed in John 3:16

Now, my subject is the passion of God for us. I think that's what it is. Is that right? I hope so. That's what I prepared. And there is a verse of scripture that we are so familiar with that we miss it.

And you know what it is. In fact, and they've controlled this guy now. I guess they have, because I don't see it anymore. But you know how often at football games, when they come to kick a field goal or something behind the field goal area, would unfold John 3 .16, you know.

And probably to the average guy there, they're wondering, he's seeing John at 3 .16. I need to know this. But to us, oh yeah, John 3 .16, John 3 .16. But aren't we so familiar with that? Every last one of you can quote that thing just at a snap of a finger, except recently.

Because it's one of those familiar things that we really don't see anymore. But listen to it, brand new, if you will. It starts with an incredible statement, for God, oh, wonderful. I'm glad it didn't say for man.

Because if it had said for man, the next words would be somehow knowing that there was an avatar or something inside him, some kind of a divine thing that needs to be brought out and he needs to go through these exercises, climb this mountain.

No, wait a minute, this is Florida. And stare at his navel for a month, you know. Then maybe, then maybe, you might get somewhere spiritually. You know, it is amazing to me, the requirements of man-made religions.

That's the way to tell. Ask, what are the requirements here? And there will always be some, always be some. Rarely is it, we're just glad you're here. I happened to be at the service where in Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, way back in 1970, I think, 69 maybe.

And God had done such a wonderful thing and all of those critters that he had collected there. And every stage of dress just about and with hair, which I now envy so much. And I saw a sign and it broke my heart, bare feet not permitted here.

And I thought, oh no. Well only later did I hear the rest of the story because Chuck had not put that up, someone else had, because they were concerned about the carpet. Because the oils from your feet will, you know, it ruins the carpet.

And Chuck tore that sign down and said, we'll rip up the carpet then. I want any kind of foot here, even bare. But one other thing, somebody complained, well, you know, they put their toes in the communion cup.

Chuck said, well I wondered what other uses we might have. But you see, those kind of things just naturally begin to happen. And, well, the older we get too, sometimes, as a group of people who have decided to identify with each other, little requirements, little expectancies.

We would never say requirements, would we? But little expectancies go in and that happens more and more when it becomes for man rather than for God. Oh, I'm so glad it started off for God. And then the next word, you know them by heart, of course, so tolerated the world.

There are billboards all over the country now, there's several of them in my neck of the woods that have drifted into the God who's a bit ticked at the world. And the latest one I saw out on Interstate 10, which comes this way, doesn't it?

Sort of. Yeah. We live on the same street. Said, don't make me have to come down there. Have you seen that one? And I know that that whole billboard thing started off in a little bit different way and has drifted toward that kind of, alright, we're going to present the mad God at you now.

We've been good up until now. And sometimes I have watched people who started in preaching grace and what God has done drift into what you better do. And I think I know why. We panic because people aren't changing as fast as my preaching tells them.

And if I preach grace and you don't straighten up, I'll get you. I've watched this. But man, for God so loved the world. Now, this is a fascinating thing to me because every one of us have at some time or other thought, well, there's no way he could possibly love me.

He does tolerate me. A lot of people think that when their name comes up in heaven, you can see God's jaws. Who let him in? Please, folks, understand that this passion of God is such that he is what I call crazy about you.

He really is. And I'm amazed, you know, in my 35 years of life, I have observed that a lot of people really believe, even good Christians believe that God is basically not very happy with them. They think that he's just kind of saying, you know, I've told you a million times.

Are you going to be that way one more time? Did you hear what you just did? Now, am I telling you the truth? Does this happen to you? Do you ever go away from a conversation and then suddenly you realize, oh, man, I blew it.

Kill me now. And we don't realize that that hasn't even put a dent in his love for us. He still looks at you and he is absolutely crazy about you. And we've got proof in this very same verse. For God so loved the world.

Now, that's a fascinating thing because there's some people I wish he didn't love. You ever feel that way? Anybody like over in the kind of the Middle East that you would like to see a few bombs? You know, right now, and maybe they exist, I do not know of a single prayer group for Iran.

Not amazing. Not a single prayer group for Iraq, Afghanistan, except for our boys that, you know, God, you love those people. I don't like them. But see, this is this is where this gets to me. The passion of God exceeds my understanding.

And it's so great. And I have to come to grips with the fact. You really do love me, don't you? That's so wonderful. How can I handle this? And the question becomes, how much? Do you love me? Do you have moods?

If I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, do you kind of go, OK, Irwin, we'll see you tomorrow. I'm out of here. But no, I'm included in that world thing, you see. God so loved the world that he did something about it.

He did not strike a deal with us. OK, if you quit cussing today, I'll make your commute shorter. Which I think one of the billboards says. Or if you don't quit, I'll make your commute longer or something like that.

I'm thinking, come on, guys. This is in the for man concept. But for God, he so loved the world. And that's me. And that is you. And it doesn't say temporarily. It doesn't say comes and goes. It doesn't say I'm a little fickle.

But he did something about it that he gave. He didn't negotiate. Now, if you'll send me a seed offering to help keep me on the air. Forgive me. I might go after that theme again before this is over. I can remember.

You see, you guys miss so much being so stinking young. I can remember when the biggest problem we had in the world was communism here. I mean, we were so paranoid there was a communist probably in your attic.

There was certainly behind the tree in your yard, man. And if you don't send me an offering, they're going to take over this country. OK, how much you want? I mean, you don't even realize the paranoia we went through and how many of those guys were supported by paranoia rather than by preaching the gospel.

It was just let's stop communism. Well, communism stopped itself. Things like that crash always. So, God didn't have to strike a deal with us at all. For God so loved the world that it was still, remember, for God.

He loved the world. We did not in any way deserve it or even demand it. You better love me, God, because we knew we didn't deserve it. But he so loved the world. Don't worry, this is just a gale. But look what he did about it.

He gave. This is his nature. He gave. God gives and he gives and he gives. Oh, I know it isn't Christmas, but can I give you a gift? Oh, yeah. What do you want to do with it? Here's the way my gifts are designed.

They are always used to bless others. Oh, well, I just kind of wanted to be proud of my gift. Can't you give me something that I can say, look what I have? But do you realize his gifts are not that way at all?

His gifts match himself in that they are designed for us to bless other people with, bless other people, bless other people. By the way, there's a bumper sticker called Others back in the bookstore. It's free.

Be sure you get one. If nothing else, you know, cover it over your eyes so you see it all the time. But that's the nature of God. He so loved us that he gave. And he didn't say, well, you know, I'm a little short today.

I'm not issuing gifts today. Come back and see me after the first of February. We'll have a fresh supply of gifts. But every gift that you see, you know, what is commonly called the fivefold ministries and Ephesians.

You know, he gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, pastors and teachers. What was this for? To equip the saints, to bless the people, to help them, to work ourselves out of a job.

Oh, because if you're working yourself out of a job, the job is big enough to handle all the people that you equip, see. But the very nature of our God is to give. It is what he is like, and it's what he wants us to be like, too.

And when you, as a pastor or a teacher, stand up to teach people, it is because God has chosen to give through you, to love people through you. And it isn't so that you can stand in front of a mirror and bless yourself with such an outstanding sermon.

Maybe your kids have heard you do that, and they're going, practicing for Sunday. But God gave. And everything that he gives to us, he wants it to be giving to other people, too. It's his nature. So love the world that he gave.

God's Gift and the Value of Every Person

Okay, what? You know, he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He could have had you win the lottery. But isn't it amazing that he didn't mess around with that? I don't know if any of you have ever had any experience with eBay.

You know, my wife and I are fairly serious. We used to be. We've had it now for a while. Collectors of a pottery called Francoma, which was made near where I was born. And the main stuff that we collect was made by a dear Christian friend of ours.

He was their main potter, and he got us started on it. And when we decided to check out, see what they have on eBay, you know. And, oh, we like that. And the price is right. And we knew how to do it, you know.

There's a minimum amount to bid. And we'd bid that just to kind of see, you know, stir the water and see what's out there. And maybe there were a few more bids. And then we thought right down to, because they have a time limit on it.

And we would then give a higher bid right at the last second where nobody could come back with a higher bid. But some jerk. And you know what? God doesn't mess around with eBay. He bid for you. Now hear this, for you.

A higher price than anyone else could pay. It wasn't even an auction. He starts off with that bid, and nobody can come near it. And that's how much he values you. They're all kind of little platitudes that you hear.

And one of them might be, if you were the only person in the world, Christ still would have died for you. And that's sweet, and that's nice, and you probably don't have that on your wall. But it might ought to be on the wall of your heart.

Because that's the value he placed on you. Now, my wife and I, the things we have in our house that are valuable, no burglar would have known that. He would pass them up. If you ever hear that our jewelry has been stolen, we are not going to announce the value of it, because it would be embarrassing.

That was all. I mean, we wouldn't even make a claim. But there are some things that are so valuable, you go to extra trouble to protect it. If any of you ever go to England, and it's a good thing to do.

But come back. Make sure you go to the Tower of London, which isn't really a tower in our sense of the word. But boy, it is history condensed. A thousand years plus of history there. But one thing they have there, I know of no place anywhere else in the world, anything like this is on display.

They have the crown jewels of England. Now, let me tell you, you go through, you have never seen security like that. They look at you like, are we going to let you in here? And you go through big, several big, thick doors.

And finally, when you get to the most valuable of jewelry, some of it, I think the Hope Diamond is there. You ought to see it. And at one time, they had a diamond there about the size of your fist. And I looked at that, and I thought, what would I do if I owned that?

I mean, would I even walk around Merritt Island with it in my pocket? And say to my friends, look what I have. And you know what would happen, they'd say, zing, look what you have. Now, here's the thing.

Something so temporary as a diamond, all of the security they go through, and they protect it with such value, man. And oh, oh, if only I knew what it meant to view my brothers and sisters that way. You know, Jesus, in trying to explain to us the degree of this love, finally says to us, and you know this, a new commandment I give you.

Loving One Another Through Servanthood

Now, listen to this commandment. This is a different kind of commandment than what you would get from the world, that you love one another. All right? Does that mean feel really gushy? You know as well as I do, there aren't many people, even my wife sometimes does not feel gushy about me.

And she'll admit that. And there's probably a good reason. Because we human beings are such that not everybody, not even our spouses live up to our expectations. And gush sometimes turn into spit. So gush has nothing to do with this love of God.

When he says love one another as I have loved you. How had he done that? Well, this is in John chapter 13, just back up to the beginning of that chapter. Where you find him saying, or John recording, it was just before the Passover feast.

Jesus knew the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the end. Which means he showed them just how much he loved them.

Or the full extent of his love. Now, how did he do that? Did he line them up and say, you know guys, I've never said this to you. But I'm going to say it now because this is an important time. James, I love you.

John, I love you. Peter, I love you. Judas. Do you realize there was no record in there where he ever just said to them, I love you. You know, my wife likes to hear that every day. In fact, several times a day.

And I try to say that several times a day to her. We need to hear it. Wives especially need to hear it. It doesn't work for you to say, well, I told you 40 years ago. If it changes, I'll let you know.

But I don't have any record of Jesus ever saying that. And yet they knew. Now, how had he proved his love to them? Here we go back to a very other centered thing. He did the lowest slave job there. The one that they wouldn't do.

He got up and washed their feet. What an expression of his passion. That does not have the meaning for us today that it did back then. And that's kind of unfortunate. Because there was no lower job on the face of this earth than what he did.

And the apostles wouldn't do it. And I think, oh, Lord. If I had been there among those guys, I would have participated in the argument about which of us was the greatest. And I would be totally convinced that I was.

And I wouldn't want to get up and wash their dirty feet. They would know then I wasn't the greatest. So the greatest did. And then when he says, love one another as I have loved you. Oh, passion doesn't always have the gussy feeling, does it?

But it always has the love that says, I'm going to do for you what others can't or won't. Because that's how I value you. I had individuals in the last congregation I served who, you know, they weren't exactly the kind of people I had prayed for to come to my church.

You know, John, not John, but Paul tells us in chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, or 13, 14, I guess, when he talks about the, no, 12. He said, we give greater honor to the parts of the body that are, you know, kind of more shameful and so forth.

And I thought as a pastor, no, no, we don't. No, man, no. I have some people, I just pretend they're visitors. But I had a marvelous black pastor at a conference. You know, I had grown to love him when he and I were both speaking in South Africa.

He was an American. And I brought that up to him. I said, you know, there's an area of scripture I have a little difficulty with because we don't give the greatest honor to the least, to the more kind of unseemly parts.

He said, you're looking at it the wrong way. I said, what do you mean? Find out who you give the most honor to, then you will know who the unseemly parts are. I get the most honor, and my elders are next.

Now you know. That's scary. You know, and the simple fact is that's true. You get a bunch of us leaders together, and I know how I feel when I'm seated out there, and, you know, Bob Coy is up there. Oh, they should have had me do his scene too.

I can do better than that. That's not true, but, you know. But it's easy to think that because there's something about us in leadership positions that it affects our egos in ways that we, when we get together, are desperate to get others to think our way and do what we want them to do and let them think they wanted to do it.

And that egocentrism, we call it, is the exact opposite to the nature of Jesus. Isn't that amazing? So when I am blessing myself, I'm the least. I'm the shameful, the unseemly part. Well, if any of you have read my newest book, Not Many Mighty, you will discover that I make a claim in there.

God never reduces to the elite. The very fact that the first announcement of the birth of Jesus went to the lowest critters on the face of this earth is pretty typical of the way God operates. He could have, oh, announced this to the people who had control of the media.

But he takes it to the people who nobody would even trust their word, shepherds, the lowest people on the face of the earth. And he did that because, well, he had to, you see, because if he went to anyone higher first, shepherds would know it's not for me.

But because of that simple view of human beings, of people, and his love for them, he showed us in that one act how wide his arms were. He so loved the world that he gave, oh, my, his only begotten son.

God's Love in the Trinity and the Gift of His Son

Now, I have a son. He is my only son. There were times that I might have been willing, but not now. And it was never a case of, well, as I think I've told you, I believe in the Trinity. I don't understand the Trinity.

I don't think anybody understands the Trinity. How three separate and distinct persons can be one God and not be a committee that voted two to one to send Jesus, you know. Did anybody warn you about me, those of you?

But you see, the very fact that he who was also God was willing to be slain before the foundations of the earth, I am overwhelmed by that. He gave his only begotten son. Okay, well, what's the big deal?

I mean, what's the upshot of all of this? That whosoever, now who might that include? Are you a whosoever? Well, I don't know, you know, God's got, he's pretty selective. He's got certain ones he wants to save and the rest of you, tough.

You know what I'm talking about? There's a whole big theology out there. In fact, in one of the churches that I spoke at when I had, here in Florida, I had a strong Calvinist guy come up to me after I had talked about the fact that if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, all you have to do is ask according to Jesus.

He came to me and said, how can you say that? I said, well, Jesus said that, is that enough? Because if I receive because I ask, that means that it is not predestined in that sense of the word. I have the power of choice.

And he wasn't comfortable with that. I tapped him on his forehead and I said, you don't love God. You just love your mind. And if you can't reason it out, then they walked away. But the fact is, folks, this is a whosoever.

Now, this also brings up something about who we are. I believe that we are made in the image of God. You believe that? Okay. Does that mean that he's short, fat, bald, and ugly, and wears suspenders? No.

He's smarter than that. But when he comes in a way that we can see him, you still can't identify him. Even if you walk with him, you can't describe him. You've got to say, I'll just have to show you who he is.

As Judas did. But I believe the image of God in us is our ability to make choices, see. Which is why they had to put two trees in the garden about which a choice could be made. We happen to have blown it, and the world still does.

It doesn't matter who. If I had been Adam, I would have blown it too. Oh, no, maybe not. Maybe I'm spiritual. But God respects our ability to make choices. That's his image in us. And he says, whosoever.

So if we choose, if we choose, man, if we don't, it's a heartbreak. But he lets us not choose him. So whosoever believeth. Now, wait a minute, it's got to be more than that. Come on. You've got to at least be a Republican too.

You know, forgive me. This is probably the last time they'll ask me to come. But I want to say something here that probably nobody's thought of the logic of it. The Republican stance from the Christian standpoint is that them Democrats are just a bunch of sinners.

Then where should we be? Who should we be going after? Okay, I'll go after them. Just think about it. But I've never thought of it as an us versus them ever. Jesus didn't. The only people that he was versus were the religious leaders.

Don't like that. Whoever believeth in him. Isn't that wonderfully simple? Even when Paul was responding to the guy, the jailer, that Paul cared enough about the jailer that when he was free to run, and I would have been, man, I would have been...

Thank you, Jesus, every step. He stayed because he cared about the jailer. He knew that if he left, the jailer would be killed. So he hung around. And apparently something had happened with the other prisoners.

They said, we'll be with you, Paul, we'll stay here. And, man, when the guy who was the jailer heard the voice, do yourself no harm, we're still here, he comes in and he gives the altar call, I love it.

What must I do to be saved? And it was such a simple answer, wasn't it? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's it. Oh, come on, there's got to be more to this. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And send me a seed offering to help keep me on there.

I told you I was going to come back to that. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. That's so simple, isn't it? But, you see, that's the thing. Whosoever believeth on him... I love this next verse.

...shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Now, let me tell you, folks, life is where it's at. Have you noticed that everything that is alive wants to stay alive? Have you noticed that? When I lived in the deep south, I had a malady in my yard called Johnson grass.

I don't know if you're familiar with Johnson grass. You can't kill that stuff. You can mow it down and look behind you. You can poison it. And it does you more harm than them. I've fought with that. It likes to stay alive.

Bacteria. Any of you ever had to fight bacteria? Isn't that funny? You take this powerful stuff, and the bacteria says, Ha! You missed. And I wonder, I marvel at this, I really do. A bacterium doesn't have a brain.

How does it know that life is where it's at? You see, God created life. We chose death. Remember that in the garden? That wasn't God's choice. He created life. He took a handful of mud, man, and you ladies know this is true.

And he made a man. Just ask my wife. And he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And we became a human being. A living being. He's the creator of life. And since he is, life wants to go on. I don't know if you have noticed this, but recently, fairly recently, there were some famous people who, as I understand what I've read in the papers, had miserable lives.

But they also had a lot of money. So when they died, they had themselves frozen. I love this. They sent themselves to Arizona to be frozen. That's true. That's what they did. Now, why did they do this?

Even though they had miserable lives, they hoped that somewhere down the road somebody would figure out how to bring them back to life. And God so loved us that he said, Look, I want you to have life.

I really want you to have life. In fact, I want you to have so much life that you will never perish. I want you to have everlasting life. By the way, God seems to love that word everlasting. You guys with computers, look it up.

Those of you who don't have computers, find somebody who does. He loves that word. He even informs us in Jeremiah. He says, I've loved you with an everlasting love. In fact, Jesus even says, you know, in John chapter 10, verse 10, says, A thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and destroy.

But I have come that they, you, might have life. And you know, a pinch of it, no. Great gobs of it, that's my translation. Abundant life, that's his way. And that's how much he loves you. You've met people who are just mere survivors.

They're not abundant. I've had some and I've seen them. You can spot them a mile away, man. They're coming at you like, ah. You know, being a Christian's really hard. That's why not many people are Christians, because it's so hard to be a Christian.

Would you like to be a Christian, too? And you know, that's not exactly abundant living as far as I can tell. And actually, I've got enough problems now. I don't think I'll be. But you see, that's his passion for you.

God’s Everlasting Love Produces Abundant Life

He wants you to really, really live. And the secret of it all is loving one another as he has loved us. In fact, he says, that's the way the world's going to know you belong to me. And John, in 1 John 4, 7 and 8, Beloved, let us love one another.

Then he tells us why. Because love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. And he that loveth not knoweth not God. Boy, now that's too simple. For God is love. And you know what?

There are times that I just think, God, you are so good. I don't understand why you love me. I really don't. But you said that you loved us so much that while we were yet. You know the word, don't you?

Sinner. Democrat. I'm sorry. Christ died for us. He didn't wait for us to get nice. And I realize his passion is unfathomable. His love for us. Oh, Paul wanted us to know the height and width and depth.

But we can't, can we? Not in this body. Not on this earth. But someday I think we'll understand better. But let me tell you. I understand enough now to just bask in his love. And to rest in the knowledge that it starts with for God.

See, it doesn't start with my efforts and it will never be achieved by my efforts and will not end by my efforts. From the get-go, it is for God so loved and God who gave. And all he asks from me, really, will you believe?

Will you choose to follow? Yeah? Okay, wonderful. Now you won't perish. Really? Now you have everlasting life. Really? I don't have to take a pill. I don't have to get shots. I don't have to sniff anything, nothing.

You mean that does the trick? Yeah. Hey, Abraham, you know, the father of the faithful. God counted righteousness to him. Why? Because he was such a sweet guy? No. He would never be able to do a marriage retreat.