Love and Zeal: A Tall Order
(Romans 12:9-13)
1. The wise man said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re tall, short, fat, thin, rich, poor, at the end of the day....It’s night.”
2. Short people rule the world – most powerful dictators or emperors were short – Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Churchill.
3. Despite this fact, tall people have the advantage. “Better job/career opportunities… Every extra inch in height brought a man an additional $600 per year in salary.
“Job recruiters, choosing between men of comparable backgrounds and skills, select the taller man 72% of the time… 90% of company chief executives are ‘above average’ in height… 19 out of the last 23 U.S. Presidential elections have been won by the taller man.” [source: www.tallmenshoes.com]
5. At HPC, those of us who are short get even with the taller people… you know those pipes in basement at the end of the stairwell… ouch!
6. One figure of speech is that of a “tall order.” “A person might utter, “That’s a tall order” as a polite response to a manager assigning that person a difficult task. This would imply that the person is unsure if he or she will be able to accomplish it.” [https://writingexplained.org/].
7. God has given us a difficult task, and we, too, are unsure we can accomplish it. Try.
Main Idea: God sets a high standard for His children, and He expects us to be diligent, but in the right direction. We therefore need to understand what it means to practice brotherly love and to be properly zealous in our devotion.
I. Brotherly Love Has Many FACETS (9-10).
This brotherly love is actually doing what God does, to a finite degree.
A. It DETESTS Evil and BONDS to Good (9).
1. Love can be disingenuine in that it is a façade; fake love is only self-serving.
2. What is tricky about marriage, for example, is that is ideally is an avenue for love, but is also ideally self-serving (reciprocal but not equal, why love is important).
3. Some people are good actors, not even aware they are insincere.
4. Love hates evil: Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”
5. To hate evil, you must believe that it objectively exists: Satan, sin, society.
6. The general rule: hate the sin but love the sinner.
B. Brotherly love equates to family-like AFFECTION (10a).
1. To practice brotherly love, you must be a brother or sister in God’s family.
2. Your affection for everyone is not equal.
3. These directions are not for those who have not come to spiritual life.
C. This love seeks to HONOR and VALUE the ones loved (10b).
1. Being thankful for what others do or how they encourage us.
2. Showing respect for others. This takes intentional effort.
D. To OUTDO honor means it is more blessed to honor than be honored (10c).
The Trinity is the prime example. The Father glorifies the Son. The Son glorifies the Father. The Spirit glorifies the Father and Son. This rotation is called “perichoresis.”
“Perichoresis is seen in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:1, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” We compare this with John 16:14, in which Jesus says that the Holy Spirit “will glorify me.” So, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son, the Son glorifies the Father, and the Father glorifies the Son. The loving relationships within the Trinity result in the Persons of the Godhead giving glory to one another.” [gotquestions.org]
II. Genuine Christian ZEAL Is Seen in the TRENCHES of Life and Fellowship (11-12).
• Derived from the Greek work zelos, it means to boil or to be fervent toward the Lord and what pertains to Him. It stands in contrast to being cold or lukewarm.
• The modern term, “passion,” is not quite an adequate substitute. One source writes, “As nouns the difference between zeal and passion is that zeal is the fervor or tireless devotion for a person, cause, or ideal and determination in its furtherance; diligent enthusiasm; powerful interest while passion is any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or hate.”
A. The opposite of being spiritually lazy, UNMOTIVATED (11a).
1. I often enjoy doing things around the house, but it can be a battle. I am often tired and just want to vegetate. I subscribe to the Family Handyman Magazine. When I begin thumbing through it, I become motivated to get going.
2. When I don’t nurture my soul with God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship, I lack motivation.
B. Zeal produces SERVICE for the Lord (11b).
1. Zeal is not just a short emotional spurt; it is different from mere excitement; instead, it creates a mechanism to translate enthusiasm into realistic achievement.
2. My struggles with rechargeable drills/screwdrivers.
C. Zeal nurtures REJOICING stoked by HOPE (12a).
1. Zeal is not just about getting things done; it is, rather, about relating to God in a way that exemplifies spiritual life rather than wooden ritual.
2. Zeal has an other-worldly element that is lacking from mere ambition.
3. Nothing demonstrates the nature of godly zeal over activity like the account of Mary and Martha. Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
D. Surprisingly, zeal shows itself as PATIENCE in tribulation (12b).
• Zeal does at times demand your adrenaline; but it also demands you slow down and prioritize the spiritual over activity.
E. Zeal shows itself in frequent PRAYER (12c).
• Popular notions of zeal may not include the discipline of prayer. Prayer expends energy – but not calories.
F. Zeal includes CONTRIBUTING and being HOSPITABLE (13).
• As we live daily life, we can show zeal by sharing with one another.
CONCLUSION
1. How we define words makes all the difference.
2. When we talk about love, we need to practice the kind of love God demands, not the kind of love the world applauds.
3. When we talk about zeal, we are not talking about a passion for cheese or music.
4. Let’s set our spiritual GPSes for the destinations God has set for us.
