How to be Zealous for God

Last Week we heard that the response to avoid or to counteract a lukewarm attitude toward God is to be Zealous. In that, we are going to look at answering this question.

What does it mean to be zealous for God?

This is not intended to be Prescriptive

It’s January and there are PLENTY of prescriptive solutions being sold right now.

Follow these steps to a newer thinner you!

Follow these steps to be Zealous for God!

These next 5 weeks are actually Descriptive

Of what a person who is zealous for God would look like.

It’s something for us to compare ourselves to.

Effective teaching strategy is

What does the text say

What does it mean

What does it mean to me? (What do I need to do?)

What I want you to be asking yourself during this whole sermon series is…

What is God telling me that I need to do in order to become more zealous for Him?

Mark 12:28–34 ESV

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Mark 12:28 ESV

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

Context:

One of the scribes - this was probably a Pharisee (see Mark 22:34-35)

Overheard Jesus disputing with the sadducees.

So he steps in with this question.

“Which commandment is most important of all?”

To understand this interaction, you need to understand the question from this scribe’s point of view.

The Commandment (the Law) was everything to them.

Believed to be 613 individual commandments in Mosaic Law)

365 negative 248 positive

All were important commandments

But would argue about which type was weightier.

relationship with God based on works.

Which command gets “the most work done”

Chainsaw or Handsaw - which is better in a tree?

We it you are in a tree you want to know what tool is going to get the most work done.

If your relationship with God is based on works, you want to know which commandment(s) carry the most weight.

WE DO THIS TOO!!!! (by the way)

We pay more attention to some sins and willing to let others go.

So He asks Jesus which type of commandment is the most important.

Would have recognized Jesus’ replay as the first (most crucial) part of the SHEMA.

Prayer recited by Jewish people twice per day.

You spend your time studying all of the Do’s and Don’ts and debate which one is the most important

And the most important one ends up being right in front of you, in a prayer you recite daily.

Man responds in agreement

Maybe God had been working on him

Maybe the dime just dropped.

We just finished a series about not becoming (or remaining) lukewarm in our faith

This series is a response to the instruction to be “Zealous”

If you took that seriously (and I really pray that you did)

It can be really easy to ask yourself: “What can I do (or stop doing) to become more Zealous for God.”

That journey is not legalistic is relational.

Acknowledge God

Mark 12:29 ESV

29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Just like today, the world was full of different religions and different “rules to live by.”

But only one is given from our creator God.

Yahwah

There is no other like me

No other creator

No other God pursued His people

No other God who came to His people through Jesus

No other God who died so we may live.

Love God

Mark 12:30 ESV

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

How can this me the most important command?

(We already said) It speaks to a relationship with God.

Naturally desire to be closer to Him

Want to be more “presentable”

Not to make be better

But because you want to give the best back to God.

I want every part of my life to be pleasing to God.

Because I love Him with every part of me.

Heart Soul Mind & Strength

More detail in the coming weeks

God wants ALL OF YOU.

Know God

Know yourself

Fix what is lacking

ALL - I will not give God my second best

This is sanctification - lifelong process.

Weight-loss goals

Not about a number about a lifestyle

Love your neighbor

Mark 12:31 ESV

31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Not only do we love God

We need to also love His creation

Loving God might come naturally to you

But loving our neighbor

This might be a little more harder to swallow

Acceptance, justice, respect, joy,

Christians you want to enjoy access and a growing relationship with God.

Mark 12:34 ESV

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

This scribe was open to the truth that Jesus was offering him.

He obviously was serious about his relationship with God.

He was speaking to the one person who made that relationship possible.

The irony is pretty thick!

How close to the kingdom are you this morning?