Lesson 9: Zeal

Review

Dominion: Watch & Protect

Four Domains: Flesh, Church, Home, Work

Gospel: Sin has enslaved you. God is pursuing you. Jesus came to redeem you. Salvation saves and restores you.

Identity: (Who Am I?) Servant, Son, Friend, Lover

Assignment: Identify, Prioritize, Embrace our God-given Assignment

be fully present, do what is in front of us, & embrace inadequacy

Authority: Passivity & It’s Subtle Assault

Kingdom Authority- Walking Under & In

Walking In Authority: Standing, Leading, & Protecting

The Right Weapons & Attitude

Character: Blamelessness, Self-Control, Courage

Doctrine: Deeply Rooted In God’s Word Letting Doctrine Shape Your Beliefs & Convictions.

Mission: Men Are Made To Be On Mission For The Kingdom.

Group Discussion

Question: What is something you would say that you’re zealous for?

Godly ZeaL

Zeal is synonymous with words like passion, enthusiasm, and fervor.

Zeal always has a cause & great passion towards that cause.

Zeal is a feeling, but it’s more than a feeling; it’s an overwhelming enthusiasm that leads to action.

Romans 10:2 “I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”

Zeal led Jesus to cleanse the temple. Zeal also led the Jews to crucify Jesus. Not all zeal is godly. Godly zeal is always rooted in the knowledge of God.

Romans 12:11 “Do not lack diligence (dont be slothful) in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.”

Godly Zeal is the opposite of slothfulness, it is boiling with passion. Zeal affects your spirit. Zeal consumes your emotions. Zeal takes over.

Zeal comes from a passion for the Word and a filling of the Spirit, just like Christ.

Revelation 3:14–20 ““Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent. See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Zeal is also manifested in action. Zeal serves. Zeal moves. Zeal is unable to stand still.

Zeal is not just something we passively hope for; it is something we aggressively pursue.

THREE PARTS OF GODLY ZEAL: A head full of knowledge, a heart full of passion, and a life full of action.

Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Christ, The Model of Zeal

John 2:13–17 “The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Question: Why is this moment so surprising? What do we see about Jesus that we don’t expect?

“The Messiah, having been led in apparent triumph into the city, enters the temple, arousing expectations of pro-Jewish, nationalist action against Rome. Instead, his attack threatens the sacrificial, worship center of Judaism itself.” -NAC Matthew

Question: What do you think made Jesus respond that way? Why were His actions so dramatic?

Question: Did Jesus Sin? So why do you think this was not only justified but also good and right?

The Zealous People Of God

Titus 2:11–14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.”

Question: What would it look like to be “zealous for good works”?

Question: Do you know any men that have a zeal for God? How does that manifest itself? Why do you think we see so little of that zeal?

Exodus 19:5 “Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine,”

Ezekiel 37:23 “They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols, their abhorrent things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.”

Question: Is there something or someone other than God that you are giving your zeal? What adjustments might you need to make? How can we help one another pursue God with a heart of gratitude for the grace that He’s given us?