Godly Zeal—part 1

GODLY ZEAL—Part I—Joshua 22:1-9

Obligations/Change is good

Printer faded/To shop/needs cleaning/$50 minimum fee/Clerk advised ‘Might be better off reading manual & cleaning it yourself//customer shocked at advice— ‘Does the owner know you discourage business?’/ ‘Yeah, its his idea; We make more money on repairs when people try to fix it themselves!’

Salesman zealous for home repairs.

Godly/Religious zeal should characterize God’s people.

Godly/Religious zeal was tested/exhibited by the tribes of Israel on both sides of the Jordan.

Religious zeal nearly destroyed the children of Israel.

Godly zeal is a major factor in the effectiveness/unity of God’s witness/people.

Where is godly/religious zeal made most effective?

6 sources/strengths of godly/religious zeal.

1—Godly zeal arises from

OBLIGATIONS ARE MET(:1-3)

—Explanation:(:1-3)Completed/Fulfilled/Past/Ended/

:1—“Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites & the Gadites & the half-tribe of Manasseh, & said to them, ”

:2—““You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, & have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you.”

“Kept”—Faithfully Completed

:3—“You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.”

“Not forsaken”—Faithful to duty

“Charge”—

Learn from God’s work in the past.

—Argumentation:

Mat. 21:28-31—“But what do you think? A man had two sons, & he came to the first & said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ “And he answered & said, ‘I will, sir’; & he did not go. “And he came to the second & said the same thing. But he answered & said, ‘I will not’; yet he afterward regretted it & went. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The latter.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers & harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you.”

Job well done=Confidence

—Illustration:

Mail carriers/Obligation to deliver mail to intended addresses

Bread route/Obligation to restaurants & large stores first/Obligations Met

—Application:

?You Met Past Obligations?...or they still Nagging you?

?Your Zeal for the Lord’s work lost its strength ?

?Your Zeal for the Lord God at full strength?

2—Godly zeal arises from

OBLIGATIONS RELEASE(:4)

—Explanation/Argumentation:(:4)

“ “And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now & go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan.”

Obligations met offer release...Obligation to Christ offers Release!

Num. 32:1-5, 16-22—“Now the sons of Reuben & the sons of Gad had an exceedingly large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of Jazer & the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock, the sons of Gad & the sons of Reuben came & spoke to Moses & to Eleazar the priest & to the leaders of the congregation, saying, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo & Beon, the land which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock; & your servants have livestock.” And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan.””....“Then they came near to him & said, “We will build here sheepfolds for our livestock & cities for our little ones; but we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. “We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance. “For we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan & beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan toward the east.” So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for the war, & all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven His enemies out from before Him, & the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you shall return & be free of obligation toward the LORD & toward Israel, & this land shall be yours for a possession before the LORD.”

—Illustration:

Graduation day/Release to different obligation/

Prisoner/Obligations Met/Released from further obligation to penal system

—Application:

?You Released from Spiritual Obligations?

?Your Zeal lost its strength in the Lord God?

?Your Zeal for the Lord God at full strength?

3—Godly zeal arises from

OBLIGATIONS ARE EXTENDED(:5-6)

—Explanation:(:5-6)Non-negotiables

:5—“ “Only be very careful to observe the commandment & the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God & walk in all His ways & keep His commandments & hold fast to Him & serve Him with all your heart & with all your soul.”