(Audio Sermon Clip) Love For The Person of Jesus
Francis Chan passionately calls believers to cultivate a deep, personal love and obsession for Jesus Himself, rather than focusing on external church experiences or preferences.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of expressing deep love and obsession for Jesus Christ, focusing on the need for believers to prioritize their relationship with Him above all else. It challenges the modern consumer-driven mindset in churches and calls for a return to a genuine, passionate love for God's presence and worship. The speaker highlights the disparity between the enthusiasm for worldly attractions and the lukewarm response to seeking God's presence, urging a shift towards wholehearted devotion and adoration for the Lord.
Full Transcript
And my biggest concern, and I hope it's a concern of yours, is I don't hear people talking about their love for Jesus, the person of Jesus Christ. I hear a lot of talk about churches, I hear a lot of talk about speakers, a lot of talk about different bands and songs and sermons, but where are those voices that are just saying, oh, I was with Jesus this morning, I love Him so much. This is the one thing I pray for all the time, is I just want to be in His presence.
Man, you guys know when one of your friends falls in love with someone, right? You know when they get obsessive about it, right? Some of you guys know exactly what I'm talking about, and some of you guys are in that world where you're just obsessed with this person, and you meet other people who, once they have a child, it's like all they can talk about is that child, and it's this obsession, this fascination. You know what it's like when someone is in love. My concern is I don't hear that kind of language when people talk about Jesus.
We're supposed to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, but just be like, oh man, I love being alone with Him. It's so good, it's so good, it's Him. Man, this is the great command.
Is that what we see coming out? I mean, that's kind of a big deal. The church was supposed to produce these devoted worshipers of God, where they can't get enough of Him, and there's something so wrong when, if we announce, hey, Hillsong's coming, and the place is packed, versus, hey, we're gonna have prayer tonight, and a handful of people show up. There's something really wrong with that.
We can't be okay with that. I mean, we're talking about this being up there, all those angels up there, just going, whoa, He's so amazing, and it should just be, I'm coming into His—who cares who's leading me into His presence? It's His presence that we're just obsessed with, right? So we know there's something desperately wrong when people walk out of these gatherings and go, oh, it was really good today, or I didn't really like it today. I didn't really like the worship.
It didn't really work for me. I didn't like those songs. I didn't like that band.
Like, somehow, we've lost sight of the—do you think those angels that are screaming out holy, holy, holy day and night ever go looking at you, I didn't really like it today? Do you think ever in human history? Man, seriously, man, we've got to understand how weird of a time we are living in, how consumer-driven everything's gotten. Like, it doesn't make sense biblically. You think ever in the Old Testament? I don't know if I'm going to go to the sacrifices today.
Who's sacrificing? Who's cutting the bull? Oh, I love it when—you know, it's just, it wasn't about that. How did we turn everything where it's perfectly normal to walk away from our gatherings and go, yeah, I don't know. I didn't really like it.
Did it ever occur to you that it wasn't for you? I mean, does it ever enter your mind?
Sermon Outline
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I
- Concern over lack of love for Jesus Himself
- Focus on external church elements instead of Jesus
- Desire for personal obsession with Jesus
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II
- Biblical command to love God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength
- Contrast between true devotion and consumer-driven attitudes
- The church's failure to produce devoted worshipers
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III
- The example of angels worshiping God continually
- Critique of modern worship preferences and complaints
- Call to prioritize God's presence over personal preferences
Key Quotes
“I just want to be in His presence.” — Francis Chan
“We're supposed to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.” — Francis Chan
“Does it ever enter your mind that it wasn't for you?” — Francis Chan
Application Points
- Prioritize spending personal time with Jesus to cultivate genuine love for Him.
- Evaluate your attitude toward church gatherings and focus on God's presence rather than preferences.
- Strive to love God wholeheartedly as commanded in Scripture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main concern Francis Chan expresses in this sermon?
He is concerned that believers lack a deep, personal love and obsession for Jesus Himself, focusing instead on external church experiences.
What biblical command does the sermon emphasize?
The command to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
How does the sermon describe modern attitudes toward worship?
It describes them as consumer-driven, with people focusing on preferences rather than the presence of God.
What example does Francis Chan use to illustrate true worship?
He references the angels in heaven who continually worship God, emphasizing their focus on God's holiness.