The Lord's Jealousy

Is God a jealous God look at the biblical text we see over and over again. This word jealous associated with the god of the Bible and Exodus 20 inverse pie says You must not worship any Idols because I the Lord your God and a jealous God and Deuteronomy 4 verse 24 before the Lord your God as a consuming fire a jealous God sacrifices to their own Gods. He says in 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 22, or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy from scripture. We clearly see that God is in fact a jealous God, but wait a minute. Y'all can't be jealous because she's assuming there's no sin in God to the contradiction in the Bible or is this a flaw in a perfect creator? Proverbs 23 verse for Galatians 5 19 through 21 and over and over again. We see something jealousy is something that we as Christians should have no part in because of its sinful nature. And so this morning I think it's an important topic that we need to talk about because the non-believer the person arguing against go here and say you can't believe in God because God sends and the right we can't believe in a holy God who sends and so we need to have an answer for that. And so I think this morning we just start by establishing a difference between the jealousy of God and the jealousy described elsewhere in the Bible. The jealousy of God isn't like man's jealousy jealousy driven by hate and envy he got team captain. She made Honor Society. He got the job. I didn't I saw the jealousy of God the jealousy of God isn't driven by hate and envy But love in a desire for something that is due him. I heard it described this way by Norah gentleman one time we were talking about the jealousy of God and he said this imagine you see your wife eating romantic dinner with another man, and you see this and you become jealous, but not jealous because she simply eating with another man. Will you become jealous? Because you know, that is a spiritually condemning relationship and you love her. And I think this in the same way God sees us and he loves us and he wants what's best for us and he wants us to be in a relationship with him. He is jealous for devotion because he wants us to spend eternity with him in heaven. When we take time to really think about our creator being jealous for us, it really shows us how much we are loved and wanted I was reading an article in preparation for this lesson and the author wrote this we are casual about loyalty. We as humans are casual about loyalty God isn't we feel slightly guilty of betraying a trust for God everything in the Covenant relationship is based on him on us doing what he requires first and foremost in our lives. Everything is dependent on loyalty and Trust. I like how this author talks about the loyalty and God his Covenant God told the Israelites. If you love me if you put me first and you keep my Commandments, I will bless you. He tells King Solomon 1st Kings 3 that again if you keep my Commandments in my statutes, I will prolong your days God promises us that if we follow him that we put him first we keep his Commandments. We will have a home with him in heaven for eternity. Our God in heaven is jealous because we give away something that ain't to reality is nothing in comparison to what he continually offers us I turn my back on God I choose to do my own will I take further and further steps away from God I turn back my back on him. But no matter how many steps I take away from him over did I become no matter how many years I go with my back turned to God. Never turned his back on me.

He wants me and we know that because he paid the price as we Remembered at the Lord's table the price of his son Jesus Christ dying on a tree for the sins of the entire world, and he now continues and continues to offer a Grace and forgiveness that we don't deserve every single day. The world will say, how can you serve a God who is jealous and I would respond by saying how can you serve a God who isn't jealous a guy who could care less if you worship him or not a guy who doesn't want a relationship with his people. But we serve a God that is so jealous. He gave up his son so we could be within an eternity some things that could cause him to become jealous and let's do that by setting the stage and focusing our minds with the passage from Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 32. This will be our theme passage this morning Deuteronomy chapter 32 and while you're turning their let me say how thankful. I am to be here and be with you and such an encouraging congregation a group of people that want to grow and learn in God's word and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be with you and I hope the words I have to say this morning or a defying and will uplift this congregation and Deuteronomy 32 beginning in verse 15 through Deuteronomy 32 beginning in verse 15 Jessa run another name for Israel grew fat and kicks filled with food. They became heavy and Sleek. They abandoned The God Who made them and rejected the rock of their savior. They made him jealous speaking of God with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable Idols. They sacrificed to false gods Gods which are not God God's they had not known gods that recently appeared God your ancestors did not fear. You deserted the rock who fathered you you forgot the God who gave you birth the Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his Sons & Daughters. God says, I will hide my face from them. He said and see what they're in will be for they are perverse generation children who are Unfaithful they made me jealous by what is no God and anger me with their worthless Idols. I'll make them envious by those were not my people. I'll make them angry by nation that has no understanding. Language of this text the children of Israel have abandoned God they have rejected God. They have angered him deserted him and forgotten him and because of that the word were talking about this morning appears in verse 16. It says they made him jealous and verse 21. God says they made me jealous his own people how have they come to this point in the relationship and their walk with God? It's because of idols. The people have abandoned gone and replaced him with worthless Idols that have left your home of God to worship the gods of their choosing nothing about this morning. Could we be guilty that the sons of Israel have committed against God to arouse his jealousy. Could we be guilty of forgetting God? The Reason God was jealous because the Israelites had forgotten him and I think we can be honest. If I think we're being honest we can be guilty of this as well. We forget God we abandon him. We are certain we were jacked him all because we forget what he has done primarily because we let Idols or not. I will come into your life and become the focus of it until this morning. I want to talk about three different titles that could cause us to forget got three different titles that could cause us to forget God and arouse is jealousy. I think we need to start here with well. I think we can all agree that money at what we have to do to keep it can cause us to forget. I think about all the times that I've personally forgotten God because of work. We're trying to earn a few bucks and you look at the statistics. It's not just me the average American Works about 40 hours a week about two thousand a year and you do some math 40 divided by 7 is about 6 a day. Plus I miss about 13 and then you got to sleep in the lunch break that gets to 15 and that our drive home on 280. Then you're looking at 16 16 out of 24 hours gone. Because of work I sure those numbers with you so we can put in perspective how much time we spend earning a living? I was doing some research and I was Googling the top 10 reasons marriages fail. Just trying to get a head start on that and every single list mentioned this one thing every single list. I researched it said one of the reason marriages failed was because one person wasn't they more in their career rather than in their spouse and their relationship with them one spouse's praying to God and she wrote this beautiful prayer online. She said dear God. I know I'm not the only one who begins to feel neglected when her husband's work too much. Although we know it's necessary for them to provide for our family. Is it still stings when quality time is overlooked as a priority break this Lord, please. And I think just like marriage and your relationship with your spouse. I think in the same way with God we can invest more in our careers rather than in a relationship with him causing him to become jealous in God or the idol of money. Listen to the words of Jesus. I'm heading to my Bible to Matthew chapter 6 if you want to join their Matthew chapter 6, why are turning their Lomira Matthew at some passages in Ecclesiastes 5 and whoever loves money never has enough whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless in a 1st Timothy 6 and verse 9 says those who want to get rich fall into temptation. Are there real 476 first night those who want to get rich fall into temptation into a trap in the many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction and Hebrews 13 and verse by verse says keep your lies free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said never will I leave you neither will I forsake you and then we get to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6 Matthew 16 verse 19. It says do not store up for yourselves Treasures here on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal in the first 20 Jesus says but store up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there. Your heart will be awesome and verse 24. Jesus says this no one can serve two masters. Brother, he will hate one and love the other or he'll be devoted to one and despise the other you cannot serve God. And well, the scriptures are very clear that God and money. God and our careers can be something that interfere with our relationship with him. Jesus tells us you can worship the idol of money but in doing so you cannot worship me.

So what are some practical applications to ensure that money and our careers? Don't be coming don't cause us to forget God. I think the first is this. Which are we investing more time in investing more resources more effort and money or in the relationship we have with God trying to serve and please him when we reflect on our lives. We see ourselves as workers of the kingdom of God was workers of self. Jesus says lay up for yourselves not Treasures here on Earth, but in heaven something that will last forever when we reflect on our lives will we see ourselves as workers of The Godly family looking to raise children the way God intended for them to be raised or would we be workers of the office staying late and going in early what we as children reflect on our time in the home and see ourselves as workers of The Godly family looking to respect our parents and to help where help is needed would be or will we be workers of the minimum wage looking to gain Financial independence from those who love us and lastly when we reflect on our lives we see ourselves as Where's the local body seeking to help and serve? Where they need servants in the lead and teaching the congregation were part of or would we reflect on our time and be more concerned about making it to the business flight on time rather than be 5 minutes late worship repeatedly, where are we investing time and energy to ensure that we don't arouse the jealousy of God. We must be considering the things we need to be working towards and for just like being a in a job being a Christian takes commitment, but it's not a nine-to-five is not an early shift being a Christian is something that we are and it takes time and energy.

We need to ask ourselves Mi neglecting the time and energy into my relationship with God my spouse my friends my family for my career and for money to go into the office or wherever you work. There's always those dudes are always trying to seek to please their boss, maybe a little bit kissing up to them. So they get to work 15 minutes early. They're organized The Firm handshake maybe a little kissing up to him. As I said look the best stay in the office latest bring the coffee or the donuts. Learn. Everybody's name will spend a lot of time and energy kissing up for a boss. So we gain Financial Security and our job in a good standing with him. And I think if we put the same effort into that as we did with our relationship with God Just think about where would we be spiritually and the spiritual security we could have that wouldn't arouse his jealousy, but I think the next thing we need to brush on with this job because we need to remember where blessings come from God is The Giver of all things including our wealth. He gives and provides that we think for some reason it's our own doing. Were they for some reason that it's my own energy my own time that causes me to become wealthy in this life. Let's remember where the source of our blessings come from in Proverbs 13 verse 7. I would encourage you to mark this passage in your Bible in Proverbs 31 verse 7 The new century version of version of the Bible. That's a little bit easier to read it says this in Proverbs 31 verse 7 I ask two things from you Lord. Do not refuse me before I die speaking of Heaven. Keep me from lying and being dishonest help me to keep your Commandments and do not make me either rich nor poor give me enough food for each day. If I have too much God I might neglect you reject you and say I do not know the Lord and if I am poor I might steal in disgrace the name of my God. Do we have this attitude God give me enough and I'm okay with that because you are more important than anything in this world can offer me your more important than wealth and more important than property. Just get me to Heaven God. Are we praying that prayer? But that's not the only thing that could cause us to forget y'all. The next thing we need to talk about is our education and Sports in last we will talk about ourselves. School and Sport. I think this is the biggest problem facing Our Generation as a young person growing up decisions for myself and my family had to be made in regards to school and Sports in a 50 years ago. It wouldn't be the case that you're playing high school ball on Sundays, but in today's world, that's a normal thing the majority of tournaments and matches are played. In fact on the Lord's Day. We live in a society that challenges the Christian by making us decide how we spend our time. We teach young children. That Winning is Everything and that the team is everything we've been doing push-ups every night is more beneficial in saying and evening prayer. We as high school students see the trophy is more valuable than our time with our fellow Christians Sports can cause us to forget God but I think about a study showed that a person will spend 13.36% of their life in school by 8:18 13% of the person might as well spend their life in school and that doesn't include the long study night for waking up for the project but 13% a lot and then you think about the purpose of school is to get two more school and call it and that's between 2 to 8 Years Learning profession and these two things can cause us to forget God. I don't think there's any argument to that. That's cool. When Sports can come between us and God in a relationship with him causing him to become jealous. NFL player Anquan Boldin. He was a 49 football player and he said my life and his retirement speech. He said this one sentence. My life is bigger than Sports and he's absolutely right as a bigger purpose in school or lose him and to live by his standard. We've been given a gift of Salvation in a faith that is worth so much more than this world could offer us. We're so much more than a box score that could be recorded. We've been given the responsibility to tell the message of the Gospel, but we would rather stay there until the latest football score watch the Super Bowl on Sunday the Auto School in sports and be spiritually condemning whether we like to see that or not. That's why I said for me and my family we had to make decisions and some principles that got me through High School in regard to this temptation of the devil throws at us, but they were these principles to work. You have to realize something that God is more important and we can walk around and we can say that. Over this the work we need to live those words and realize that God is more important. We got to realize that name School's grade. Next semester when you're in a new class, you're going to forget about that day when we realized we had to realize that scoring the winning touchdown is great. But next season. 2 will be forgotten but something that won't be forgotten something that won't fail the test of time something that will always be fend of beneficial is us living the way God wanted us to and being with him and Eternity one day parents you face battles you live in a society that has all these factors like your job your money or friends Sports parties as acacian what happens if we fill our life so much and we slowly and slowly trickles out God in a relationship with him. The world wants you to have this mindset that does a parent my child needs to be involved. So what sign them up for football or soccer that made me missing a few wins days here and there but it's okay because my child's involved with is mine said that the ACT is more important than the BCL the Bible class lesson that my child's number one priority if they're not in sports is their education and getting that scholarship and going to heaven. I'm going to school I heard one parents say When I asked where their child was when Wednesday night, they said this you couldn't come to church because of school. You can't go to church because of homework. Do you expect your children to understand the importance of worship when the third grade third grade baseball practice makes the top of the list and they morning you think your children will understand the importance of knowing and studying God's word when you're more concerned about them getting a good ACT score then knowing how to defend their face. You think they will understand the plan from the very beginning to save their soul or they make more focus on a project that had no impact on their life and I'm not a parent. I can't say I fought these battles that you're facing but I can't say as a child. For this church that the time I spent doing what God wanted me to do was always more beneficial than what the world was doing James for its quick. It comes and goes in your impact on the sports field your impact on the classroom will mean absolutely nothing on Judgement Day there shouldn't be a need for us to preach and preach on the importance of God and worshipping him over these things be at we fall into the Trap that Satan lies to us every single day. We make other things God on our lives are reminded of a story that reminder the store in the gospel of Matthew 15, and for the sake of time off some it up, but this woman comes to Jesus in Matthew 15 and verse 21, and she comes to Jesus asking that she he might save her daughter. And this woman wasn't a Jew and so Jesus almost testing her says I can't do this for you because I'm here just to save the juice. And that won't that answer wasn't enough for this woman. Jesus tells her hey, Jesus said this I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel in a woman know before I'm saying Lord, please help me and he replied it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs. It's not right for me to give you this, but that wasn't enough for the woman. She said Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs off the master's table. This woman comes to Jesus seeking Mercy for the sake of her dying daughter and she knows without Jesus her daughter will die. This woman is desperate for the Salvation Jesus offers hers. officer and Astoria tone with me because this woman gets what we fail to see so many days it so many times in our life. She realized that her daughter is in need and will die without him. I'm here missing Church. Not paying attention and service nothing about the songs of praise. I'm lifting up the God not reading my Bible at home not prank. This woman gets the points that we need Jesus. You don't need good grades. You don't need Sports. We desperately need Jesus and nothing else matters in this world. That woman got it, and we need to see it. We need his salvation in a relationship with him. But there's another thing that could cause us to forget God the last thing we talked about this morning is ourselves. We need the last we talked about the God of self a reason we forget God is because we see ourselves as more important and more powerful than he is. This is a huge problem facing the church and Society. We live in a society that promotes itself as the most important and most influential Factor on someone's life. I'm rich. I'm powerful. I'm good-looking. I'm smarter than he is. I'm better than they are. I have more followers. I have a big house. I'm a better Christian and there's two types of self God's there's one who sees themselves as greater than God. They see no need for him. And their lives because they are the God but there's another person. And I think it's where we fall into trap as Christians the other God of self. Is the person who knows God is real they understand God's love and his grace. But yeah, they forget him. because the Mists of their personal goals and successes, they're just become too busy for God and I think that's where we struggle our relationship with God we become so busy that our relationship with God is simply reduced down to maybe three hours or four hours a week here in church and maybe praying at mealtimes God doesn't exist in the everyday moments and because of that we forget him because of our self and our Ambitions and goals we forget God Is a person in the Bible if I want to bring up to you this morning? Who was his own God he was powerful. He was a ruler of a Nation the most dominant nation of that time if you have your Bibles into head to Daniel chapter 4 Daniel chapter 4 and Daniel 4

in verse 29

Daniel 4 verse 29

average Daniel interpret the dream for net King Nebuchadnezzar It says 12 months later. He was walking King Nebuchadnezzar on the roof of his Royal Palace. Anniverse 30 read with me the King was reflecting on all of his nation. And he said is this not Babylon the great with myself as built as a road residence by my might and by my power for the glory of my Majesty King Nebuchadnezzar is saying look what I've done. Look what I've made look at my great power my might my Majesty but you know who he's failing to mention all this who is failing to give credit to credit to in that is the person who gave it to him that his God is our God in the rest of the chapter would humble him and become a beast of the field and be reminded just how small he is in comparison to God, he would eat grass. He would look like an animal until until Nebuchadnezzar realizing verse 34 that God is in control and that God is the true king. Nitro this word because often we find ourselves with the same mindset as King Nebuchadnezzar. We look at what we've done and accomplished and we look at the way people see us. We look where we stand in comparison to others and we say look what I've made and what happens is we forget God. Thing by the time we spend on social media alone and study by Fortune stated that an average person was in 4 hours a week on social media will spend 4 hours a week and pairing our lives and broadcasting our successes. But then in comparison only spending about 3 to 4 hours a week in a building with our fellow Christians social media can be the result of the god of self when we use social media sometimes and simply we are just showing off your telling our friends and people we don't even know look what I did look at my new car look at the scholarship. I just got look at my face. Just trying to show him a better Christian than you It's sad that so many people fall into this addiction and of the Trap that Satan gives and social media all because the god of self requires and image that shows just how great I am. And so was ask a question this morning and let's remember this because it changed my life in regards to social media. Are we investing more time and ourselves and what others think of us only investing more time seeking to be pleasing in the sight of our King. Are we as Christians posting and snapping out of an opportunity to show the Light of Christ with a light of self? I think we should ask ourselves that before every post we need to think about our agenda and our motive and cannot be honest. We as Christians shouldn't be involved in the trends of social media. We shouldn't be posting our political views. We shouldn't be posting how many times we prayed today. We should have been posting every success we've had in life. We shouldn't need to tell people on Facebook. We read our Bible every day. Thanks to know that because the way I live my life in the way I talk in the way I act differently from the world. You know what happens when we do post or political views? When we get involved in the trends of social media, we're telling people we care more about the here-and-now then heaven in The Eternity God has offered us but it doesn't stop with social media that doesn't just quiet require us to invest time and an image, but he also requires us to invest time in ourselves. This is the mindset that I don't need God. Amun said that I don't need God in a relationship with him because I am the god of my own life. I make the calls I pay the bills I make the decisions my life my problem I think back to the store in avakin ezer. If you remember he thought he was God, but then the true king humbled him. Sometimes we need to be humbled. We need to be reminded just how we need of God we are and what better way than think about what this table represents. None of the death of Our Savior Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins when we were dead in sin spiritually condemned from relationship with God set for an eternal destination away from the presence of God full of everything that is opposite of Heaven fire gnashing of teeth. You were destined for that and there's nothing we could do about it. Absolutely. Nothing we can do to stop the Fate we deserved. And we think for moments and even years that we don't need God that we are greater that we are more powerful. We will be humbled on Judgement Day those who made God bow down to them. Says you will bow down to me and you will confess me to be Lord. We are in need of the grace and love of God. We are in need of the blood of Jesus Christ a thought of our wrongdoings the thought of the times that we did the opposite of what God has said should be humbling to us because without him we are absolutely nothing and we have no purpose. So there is an application for us and it's to all the point we talked about. This morning and it's Joshua 24 beginning in verse 14 where we began the service that are brother ready for us and Joshua 24. beginning in verse 14

Read with me one to Joshua 24. beginning in verse 14

Joshua says to the people in Joshua 24 verse 14 now therefore fear the lord and serve him and sincerity and in truth and put away the gods with your father served be on the river in Egypt and serve the Lord for is this agreeable on your site to serve the Lord choose for yourselves whom you will serve today, but as for whether the gods be on the river with your father served with your Grand River with the gods of the amorites in his land your living but as for me and my house, Joshua says, we will serve the Lord in the people say the server 16 the people and answered and said for the weather Gods the Lord Our God has brought us open our fathers out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage who did Great Signs in our side and preserve duster all the ways in which we went in among all the people. So the Mist we pass the Lord drove out those from those who are all the people even the amorites whose land in which we live. We will also serve the Lord the people said, The Lord for he is our God. Then Joshua said to the people you will not be able to serve the Lord your God for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God if you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods and you will turn and do you harm and consume you after he has done you good? The people said to Joshua know we will serve the Lord Joshua said to the people you are witnesses against yourself that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord to serve him and I said we Are Witnesses now there for Joshua says and listen to this put away for and gods with your in your mist and incline your hearts the Lord the god of Israel and the people said to Joshua we will serve the Lord Our God and we will obey his voice Joshua tells the people you have a choice you can serve the other gods. Are you can serve the one true God and it's that simple. So whom we serve the god of money or education or Sports? Who is she was the god of self and forget the Lord who Deliver Us from the slavery we had in sin. We make the choice we make we face the consequences just as the Lord promised the land of Israel. We have been promised a land as well. But it's conditional Justice Joshua told the people if you serve other gods if you turn away from the Lord you also turn away from you and you won't have the land. And Just Like Heaven got his old ass. If you don't serve me if you don't put me first if you think about these other idols and invest more and then than me, you can inherit the promised land of Heaven if you have been baptized this morning for the Forgiveness of your sins. You are in dead you're dead to sin and you are in need of Christ Jesus. Joshua tells the people turn away from these idols. Turn away from your prior life and repent and live devoted to God and serve him with your whole heart and he will be with you be baptized and obey the voice of the Lord if you're living in sin. Maybe you've investing more in the idols of this world than your relationship with God. Maybe you need the prayers of this congregation. Joshua tells the people do whatever you have to to be devoted to God nothing invitation we would offer you this morning. So if you were in need of him if you were in need of relationship with Jesus Christ, we want to help you die to self and live for Christ be baptized for the Forgiveness of your sins and come to him today and leave this building knowing you are in a relationship with him if we can help you in any way.