Sermon - The Zeal of God
- For me, as a Pastor, I want more than anything to be, as the world says, relevant.
- I try to keep in tune with what’s happening in the world, & in the church.
- But there’s a very false narrative going on, & has been going for a long time. The
call is for Pastors, preachers, Christians to be more relevant.
- I can assure you that what I am going to preach today was relevant 2,000 years
ago, & it will be relevant until the end of this age.
- I want to begin with reading about the zeal of the Israelites, & then we’re going to
compare them with some of the world’s zeal.
Romans 10:1-4
1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
- Paul was, in some ways, in awe of the zeal of God he saw in the Jewish people. They
put forth the rituals, festival, regulations, & laws with great effort. All in the attempt to
achieve righteousness, or completion.
- Paul’s saying, I could see God’s place, or mark on these people, but they did not
know Him.
- Those are the pivotal Words! They vied to make it, but they didn’t even know who it
was that wrote the laws, festivals, rituals. They only practiced them.
- Before we pray.
Q- Can we get any more relevant than this, do you know Him, do you know why we
worship Him?
- Think about that, & let’s pray.
Prayer
- I came across an article that was telling of transformations many celebrities went
through in religion.
- One thing dramatically stuck out to me. Majority of the transformations ended up
turning to Buddhism! What was even more saddening was, two, of the 16 They
listed, were originally from a Methodist families.
- The People who spoke of their conversion described it as, they finally have peace,
have found comfort, & feel complete.
- This is the driving force for Buddhism. Sin isn’t against God, it’s just a misstep.
You just made a mistake. When you live a pure enough life, you can reach Nirvana
(Yes I really simplified their religion!). Ultimately you don’t have to face a Holy God
for your offenses. You simply will be reincarnated, repeatedly, until you pay off
your debt for the missteps.
Q- Now, where do you think people get a feeling of peace in this religion?
- I’m going to say for me, starting life all over again Doesn’t sound very appealing.
- for these people though, It was right there in the end of my description. They
don’t have to answer to a Holy God!
- As I have been drawing closer to the Lord throughout the years. I growingly find
more comfort in seeing Him face to face, than ever before.
Q- Is it because I’m perfect?
- I’ll wait a minute while you pick yourself up off the floor from laughing.
- It has nothing to do with perfection, because I know I’m imperfect, & impure,
man can never be perfect.
- No, I have found comfort & peace actually knowing the One who wrote the
Laws, Who created all things.
- Through Scripture It has been revealed to us that God has always loved His
creation. He was deeply burdened at what we chose, instead of Him.
- So, Even Through the rejection, He has offered a restart.
Q- Is it another chance to live life perfectly, without any mistakes(missteps)?
- No, from the moment we were created in the image of Adam. We can never be
perfect.
- Here’s the restart,
Matthew 5:17
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
- The idea is to be created in the image of Christ.
- Originally we were created perfect, in the image of God.
- Then we were created imperfect, in the image of Adam.
- Now, we are to be created (reborn) in the image of Christ.
- At this moment of life, we will always be carrying around the image that our great,
great, great... Grandaddy Adam ate that old forbidden fruit & cursed us all.
- In the moment that you stop & say, no, in my family tree Jesus came & was
perfect. There’s no more burden of sin on you, because it was completed in
Jesus.
- Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3
John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
- To be born again doesn’t involve reincarnation. It’s realizing exactly what you are, a
sinner. You know exactly what would happen if you stood before a God who knew no
sin. Bye, Bye, you’re not welcome here!
- Being born again is, we put ourselves under the mercies that Jesus so greatly
handed out, I will die for you.
- The release, the new life is, you no longer will face death as you were supposed
to. Instead you have a new life that never will end.
- Here’s our faith,
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
- Catch those last Words, the Just shall live by faith.
- Paul said he saw the zeal of God on the Israelites, but he didn’t see the faith of God,
because they didn’t trust Him.
- The very core of our faith is, Jesus says, I am God your Savior. Trust Me, & live!
- The second Jesus was declared to be the Son of God, & God. It was blasphemy &
they wanted Jesus silenced.
- The zeal Paul spoke of was plainly seen here. Kill the One who wrote the law.
- They didn’t even know it was He that wrote it.
Q- Why would they think it was blasphemy, He couldn’t be the Christ?
- The reason is the same reason as why the celebrities find comfort in Buddhism.
- They believed that their rituals were enough to be perfect, & their understanding
was all they needed.
Q- Why would they need someone to come help them, they’re already pure?
Q- Why would God send someone to die for them, & not someone to set up the
Kingdom of God on earth?
- After Paul spoke to the church of Corinth about being spiritually immature in 1
Corinthians 3:1-3. He next told them about what real wisdom is.
1 Corinthians 3:18-19
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
- Think about what often happens to a person who gets enormous wealth. The money
goes to their head, & they seem like their better than everyone else.
Q- Do you see the zeal yet?
- Paul looked at the Israelites, & this is what he was seeing.
- They felt like they were better than everyone else, because they were the God’s
Chosen.
- Paul didn’t look at these people with judgement. No, he yearned for them to see
what they were missing.
- As I start to close, I think it’s becoming more clear that as more & more things are
arising in our world today. The Lord is asking every person the same question Paul
asked.
Q- Do you know the writer of the Word, the Law?
Q- Do you know the way to life?
- These Israelites thought they did, but they were wrong.
- Now more than ever we have the time, & (I hope) the effort, to fully know, & commit
to that way, because Listen,
John 14:17
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
- The Holy Spirit is moving in this world. People are facing, & fearing death.
- The Spirit is drawing people in, & the invitation is,
Q- Do you rely on your own wisdom & not God’s?
- Let’s make this time of the pandemic, a time of a great awakening & Zeal of God
fully being seen.
Prayer
