Righteous Zeal
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
the one who leads, with zeal
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 12:8.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Softball zeal illustration
Dear church, today we will be looking at the biblical concept of zeal. Zeal can best be described as a burning. Perhaps we could even use the word passion. I will warn you against a Christless zealousness. I will show you in the scripture and by the power of the Holy Spirit what is a true Godly zeal. Zeal like many words used in the scripture or even in our own language could have different words to define it. Different words to say it. In the same way, I could use the words “anger, rage, or fury” and there are some nuances in these words but we know that we may be speaking of the same concept. In our verses for today you may the word “diligence” in the place of zeal. Just know that we are speaking about the same word or concept here. This sermon will be friendly to the thesaurus this morning. The task for today is to warn against slothfulness and encourage a passionate energy for the things of God. My task is to as the book of Hebrews says to provoke you on to love and good deeds. That word “provoke” itself much like zeal can carry either a negative or positive meaning. The word can be to irritate. It is not my end goal to irritate but much like waking up a sleeping teenager because there is school or work to do, there may be some irritation.
Our God is a zealous God.
‘For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of Yahweh will do this.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.
We have many verses that speak of God’s jealously for His glory and for His people. God is not apathetic.
In the New Testament we see the zeal of Jesus.
And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;
and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”
Jesus was consumed with a zeal for the house of God. Scripture says they made it from a house of prayer for all nations into a den of robbers.
Zeal of Leaders
If we look back in Romans 12 to verse 8 we see that leaders are to lead with zeal. This applies first to the pastors/elders of the church. They are commanded to lead with zeal.
Pastors must have a zeal for teaching right doctrine and rebuking those who contradict it.
For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,
namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, who are not accused of dissipation, or rebellious.
For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain,
but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,
holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict.
False teaching leads members astray.
For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain.
One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,
not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
It is important to realize here that false teachers or deceivers are not primarily the atheists of the day. They were those who blended the gospel and the ceremonial law of the Jews. The Judaizers were one of the biggest threats to the church.
They taught that to truly be a Christian you had to be circumcised first and follow all of the Jewish rituals. To be put plainly this speaks of what we would call legalism. Legalism is best defined as an attempt to be justified by the law.
nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident, for The righteous shall live by faith.”
Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees:
“Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch”?
Which deal with everything destined to perish with use, which are in accordance with the commands and teachings of men;
which are matters having, to be sure, a word of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
But Pastors must also be zealous in teaching against lawlessness of licentiousness.
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you exhorting that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
These are the type of men who think they can sin all the more so that grace may abound. This concept exists first in accusation against grace.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
Paul here is addressing those who are pushing back against grace and are saying. If grace is freely given by God and “where sin abounded grace abounds even more” should we continue in sin?
What is Paul’s answer?
May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Pastors must have a zeal for these things. They are to be devoted to the word and to prayer for the true knowing and teaching right doctrine is their calling.
But what if you are not a pastor? Is there any where you are called to lead? Should you lead with zeal? Fathers, listen you are called to lead your families with zeal.
Of course as a Husband you are to imitate Christ in how he loved His bride.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
Do you desire your wife’s holiness? Do you do everything you can to teach and lead her into right doctrine and right practice?
We get even stronger into our discussion of zeal when read Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
This verse should make us think of Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!
“You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes.
“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
You shall teach them diligently.
The word for teach diligently is to sharpen. When should you teach your children the gospel and all of scripture and right doctrine. When you sit. When you walk. When you lie down. When you rise up.
People may say, “you’re saying Christians should indoctrinate their children.” To that I say “Yes”. Teach your children as if God is the ultimate standard. That His word is true. That His way is not one of a million possible equal opinions. No. Biblical Christianity is the only true religion. You don’t have to consider all of the lies of the world to know the truth. That’s not to say we can’t know what the false religions teach, for how else could we refute it? But as it says in 1 Peter 3:15
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear,
Zeal of members.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.
This is a trustworthy saying. And concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be intent to lead in good works. These things are good and profitable for men.
Gospel presentation. We are not saved by good works. But those who are saved are saved unto good works.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
