Zeal
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary:
Preliminary:
Invite to Titus
Thanks
Titus 2 - The Book of Titus is another of Paul’s Pastoral Epistles.
As I mentioned before the “Pastoral Epistles” are addressed to pastors not churches, but much of it still applies to all Christians.
Such is the case of our text this morning.
Titus as the Epistle is addressed, was a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul and was left to oversee the organization of the church in Crete.
In 2 Timothy 4:10 the last appearance of Titus in the scriptures, he is with Paul during his second imprisonment at Rome.
Titus was sent from Rome to Dalmatia according to church tradition where he died in AD 107 about 95 years of age.
In the Epistle to Titus we are given:
The qualifications for elders
The exhortation that False teaching and teachers are to be confronted
Special instructions for various groups within the church
A call to godly living based on a living hope
and an admonishment to live exemplary lives.
The text for this morning fits in those last two points.
Chapter 1 dealt with leadership and false teachers.
Now in chapter 2, Paul turns to Christian behavior as a witness to sound doctrine.
Its really a transition to practical outworking of theology.
Lets look at it Titus 2:13-14
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Paul has just exhorted Titus in verse 1 to teach sound doctrine
Sound doctrine means - correct, healthy, conceived as being free from infirmity or disease.
For doctrine to be sound or healthy, it must be in line with the teachings of “the faithful word”
He then in verses 2-10 delineates how the different groups in the church should behave
older men
older women
young women
young men
slaves
A common thread is self-control, integrity, and behavior that "adorns the doctrine of God our Savior" (v.10).
Titus is ministering to the Island of Crete a place known for its moral laxity. Here is the description we have in the Bible of Cretians:
Titus 1:12 “ One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.”
History records thy were a self-indulgent, gluttonous, belligerent, wild, immoral society where sexual promiscuity and all other forms of deviant behavior were the norm of the day. - Sound awfully familiar to our current situations.
This is why Paul admonishes Titus on how to lead the people - if the older people get it, there’s a chance the younger people might get it too.
He culiminates with this great doctrinal truth:
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Classic passage that everyone receives grace Titus 2:11 ALL MEN
This Grace of God is important because it brings salvation - provides forgiveness and enables righteous living
Paul continuing this theme mentions a couple of other important truths -
Titus 2:13 “13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
Something as filled with hope as this is should not bring feelings of doom and gloom!!! - But that is a whole other message for another day
This Savior Jesus Christ - we are told in verse 14 did three things
Gave himself for us
Redeem us from all iniquity
Purify unto himself a peculiar people (I’ve told you before that word peculiar means to make a people that is exclusively HIS)
This redeemed, purified, and exclusively owned people we are told - WOULD BE ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS.
Then Titus is told to in the last verse, to speak and exhort these things and rebuke those who don’t follow with all authority - not letting any man despise him.
So if I may point out that a major part of holy living is not just abstaining from some things, avoiding going to some places, not saying certain words, dressing certain ways, or any other myriad of things that has been designated as holy living-
It is being zealous of good works
having Real Zeal
zeal has been disproportionately looked on as a negative characteristic
We talk about people having “more zeal than wisdom”
or
“Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning.” Frederick William Faber
Zeal is fit for wise men, but flourishes chiefly among fools. John Tillotson
And I do understand completely that a “Misdirected or inappropriate zeal can degenerate into fanaticism.”
We should establish a working definition for what zeal is at this juncture
What is zeal?
Dictionary of Bible Themes 8370 zeal
A single-minded desire, characterised by enthusiasm and devotion.
"Zealous" comes from the Greek word zēlōtēs, related to zēlos (zeal, fervor, earnestness). It implies burning desire or intense devotion.
It is categorized by some Bible scholars as being a Christian grace.
As a Christian grace, zeal must be grounded on right principles and directed to right ends and act in accordance with the Word of God.
To be "zealous of good works" means to have an eager, passionate commitment to doing what is right, beneficial, and pleasing to God.
This isn't a passive or reluctant obedience—it reflects someone deeply stirred in heart to actively pursue righteousness, mercy, and service in the name of Christ.
In the Biblical Sense - zeal as a noun is “an excessive fervor to do something or accomplish some end”
in the verb tense - to be zealous — means to be or become marked by active interest, passion, and enthusiasm for something, often a cause or faith.
The phrase implies not just doing good works occasionally or out of duty, but pursuing them eagerly as a defining mark of Christian life.
We have for far too long allowed Christianity to be synonymous with passivity.
God save us from mediocrity
God save me from passionless worship and service.
Zeal is not the same as legalism
legalism, does good works to earn favor with God.
A Christian who is zealous of good works does them because he/she is already redeemed—out of love and gratitude.
It is the fruit not the root.
I want to talk about a couple of examples in the Bible that give some meaning and color to the word zeal.
Perhaps the two most prominent example of zeal in the Old Testament is that of Phinehas and of Jehu
The story of Phinehas can be found in Numbers 25:10-13.
Phinehas is the grandson of Aaron the priest and was commended to Moses by God as having “turned God’s wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake.
What were Phinehas’ actions? he slew Zimri who was having an affair with a Midianitish woman
His actions stopped the plague from God.
Now the application drawn from this is not that we go around thrusting spears into people who are living in adultery - I wouldn’t advise that -
But I do believe we have been far too quiet on the sinfulness of breaking God’s commandments and pursuing the things of the world.
Jehu - oh Jehu - is another example of zeal
The zeal of Jehu, mentioned most famously in 2 Kings 10:16, is a striking moment in the broader theological narrative of Israel’s kingship, prophetic justice, and divine judgment. The verse reads:
16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot.
This statement is made by Jehu, who has only recently been anointed king of Israel, to Jehonadab son of Rechab, a man known for his devout loyalty to the Lord (cf. Jeremiah 35).
Historical and Narrative Context
Historical and Narrative Context
Jehu’s rise is recounted in 2 Kings 9–10, a pivotal turning point in the northern kingdom of Israel.
Anointed by a prophet sent from Elisha (2 Kings 9:1–3), Jehu is commissioned to destroy the house of Ahab, fulfilling the judgment previously prophesied by Elijah (1 Kings 21:21–24) for Ahab’s idolatry and the murder of Naboth.
Jehu then carries out a violent purge, killing:
Joram (Ahab's son),
Ahaziah (king of Judah),
Jezebel (Ahab’s wife),
the entire royal household of Ahab,
and later, the prophets and priests of Baal (2 Kings 10:18–28).
When Jehu invites Jehonadab into his chariot, he essentially says, “Witness how deeply committed I am to Yahweh.” It is a performative statement: Jehu wants not just to act in the Lord’s name, but to be seen doing so.
The word translated “zeal” in this passage is closely related to the word “jealous” it can mean jealousy, zeal, or fervent passion.
It's a word often used to describe God's own passionate commitment to His people or His holiness (e.g., Exodus 34:14; Isaiah 9:7).
So we see, Jehu is claiming to mirror God’s own zeal in executing divine justice.
Very similar to Phinehas, who also acted with zeal for the Lord (Numbers 25:11),
Here in the New Testament we are exhorted to be “zealous of good works”
But the reality around us is far too often...
We are not willing to do anything risky, or drastic for the cause of God anymore
We are too afraid of being thought a fanatic and an extreme or a radical
I realize it must be tempered with Christian love and truth
But God give us some valliant stalwart soldiers of the cross who are willing to fight sin and be zealous for God.
Now we find a problem with Jehu’s zeal - it is ultimately found wanting.
It wasn’t whole hearted - he lacked wholehearted obedience.
God does initially commend Jehu:
“Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” (2 Kings 10:30)
But the narrative does not end there. The very next verse (2 Kings 10:31) states:
“But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.”
This provides the interpretive key: Jehu’s zeal was partial and politically convenient.
He eliminated Baal worship, but allowed the golden calves at Bethel and Dan to remain—the very sin introduced by Jeroboam I to consolidate political power (1 Kings 12:26–30).
Jehu removed one form of idolatry but preserved another that served his control of the kingdom.
We find the fulfillment of zeal and zealous of good works in the New Testament in Jesus
In John 2 we find an interesting and controversial story - where early in Jesus’ ministry - in John’s Gospel it immediately follows the miracle of turning water to wine
Jesus goes to Jerusalem and around the time of Passover goes into the temple and finds “those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:”
John tells us that Jesus ...
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
Jehu had zeal but not follow through, stick-to-it-iveness
Jesus not only cleansed the temple but also spent three years trying to open the eyes of the blinded Pharisees.
Halford Lucock says, "I was impressed several years ago when I read the Eugene Ormandy dislocated a shoulder while directing the Philadelphia Orchestra. I do not know what they were playing, but he was giving all of himself to it! And I have asked myself sadly, “Did I ever dislocate anything, even a necktie?'"
I’m not asking us to do anything stupid, or rash, or obnoxious
But I do think God is calling us to be bold
Bolder in our Christian service
Bolder in our giving
Bolder in witnessing
Bolder in our good works
Do commanded things with fervor and enthusiasm
Operate with a passion thrust that gets things done.
There is time for Research and development - but there is also a time when you put all that away and go to work -
Zeal is as needful for a Christian as salt for the sacrifice or fire on the altar.
Thomas Watson
John Wesley defined zeal as fervent love - love is an action word - you do
And God’s People are redeemed, pure and zealous of Good Works
God help us to live up to that description.
