The Passionate God! | Jonathan Cahn Sermon

If someone gives you a treasure and you don’t truly value it, you won’t do anything with it. However, if you value it, you’ll treasure that treasure. One of the things the Lord calls us to do is to treasure salvation, which is a priceless treasure.

When I was in college, at a liberal university, they put on a show called Jesus Christ Superstar. There was an editorial about it where some writers claimed that Jesus invented passivity. They believed that Jesus was passive. This idea sparked my response in the college newspaper. I said there’s no way the Lord was passive. If He were passive, it would mean He didn’t act. But the fact that He came to Earth shows He was active. He is the light of the world, and being light is an active role. He told us, “You are the light of the world,” so we must act in the world, but not in a natural way—rather, in a supernatural way. We are empowered to act supernaturally.

In the book of Acts, it begins with the Holy Spirit empowering the believers. Everything flows from God and becomes life through Him. This power comes from God to us, but we are also active participants in it. The Lord commands us to love Him with all our heart, mind, and strength—this is the most active form of love. To love God with all our heart and strength requires total devotion and action.

If you attend a play or movie and the actors seem disengaged, simply reading their lines without heart, you would think they are bad actors. Good actors deliver their lines with passion, making it sound like their performance comes from the heart. Similarly, when we serve God, we should not be half-hearted. We are called to live wholeheartedly for God. If we don’t believe in something, we shouldn’t do it. But when we act, it must be with full belief and conviction.

Eastern philosophies often teach that salvation is about detachment—becoming indifferent to everything. But this is not the Christian faith. Our faith is based on a passionate God. If God is passionate, we, His people, must be passionate too. God didn’t simply say He liked us. He gave His life on the cross for us—that is true passion. In fact, we call it the Passion of Christ. It is not holy to be indifferent. Holiness involves total involvement. That’s when the Holy Spirit can truly move in our lives. If you are divided in your commitment, you’ll never be whole. But when you fully dedicate yourself to the Lord, the Spirit flows freely in your life.

Jesus said, “Strive to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Striving involves action—it’s not passive. Do everything with your whole heart.

Now, let’s look at Matthew 13:44. It says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man finds it, he hides it again, and in his joy, he goes and sells everything he has to buy that field.” The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. Upon finding a pearl of great value, he sells everything to buy it. This parable can be interpreted as illustrating Messiah’s love for us, as He gave up everything for us. However, it also speaks to us as believers, showing that salvation is our treasure.

The man in the parable didn’t pay for the treasure itself. He paid for the field in which the treasure was hidden. This highlights an important truth about salvation: the treasure, salvation, is free. However, even though it’s free, it requires a total commitment to gain it.