Burn baby burn
Super Excited
LORD, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; (Isa. 26:11 NIV)
His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." (Jn. 2:17 NIV)
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (Rom. 12:11 NIV)
I. Billy Graham tells of a time, during the early years of his preaching ministry, when he was due to lead a crusade meeting in a town in South Carolina, and he needed to mail a letter. He asked a little boy in the main street how he could get to the post office. After the boy had given him directions, Billy said, "If you come to the central Baptist church tonight, I'll tell you how to get to heaven." The boy replied, "No thanks, you don't even know how to get to the post office!"
A. John Wesley, the founder not only of the Methodist Church but also the spiritual father of the entire holiness movement said about the future of the church he started.
I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.
B. John Wesley lived at a time of spiritual decline in the Church of England of which his father was a pastor.
C. There was a lackadaisical attitude from the pulpit that reflected a culture that had lost its zeal for the Lord.
D. A nation that no longer takes pride in its history and in its culture tends to become lazy and indifferent and is a sign of a nation in decline.
E. Similar things were happening in France in the late 1700’s which would ultimately lead to the bloody French revolution.
F. Would England follow a similar course? It appeared so.
G. But there would be something different in England that would prevent such a bloody war.
H. The difference stemmed from the fact that there were Godly Men and Women who would awaken their nation to the need of Divine guidance and a Christian spirit of love toward all.
I. This men and women would seek God’s guidance and then like the Scripture in Romans 12:11 they did not lack in zeal (enthusiasm and kept the spiritual fervor in serving their Lord.
J. John Wesley of course establishing the Methodists and holiness Movement
K. People like William and Catherine Booth who started The Salvation Army in London's East End in 1865. It is a worldwide Christian organization that cares for both the physical and spiritual needs of the nations.
L. Men like George Williams and 11 of his friends that started the YMCA (young men’s Christian associated that promoted "evangelical Christianity in weekday and Sunday services, while promoting good sportsmanship in athletic contests in gyms.
M. Men like Robert Baden-Powell who started the Boy Scouts on January 24, 1908 in England and William Boyce who when stranded in a fog was helped by a boy scout who would accept no money for his efforts. This organization which would spawn the girl scouts and cub scouts was closely associated with Protestant Christianity.
N. And we could talk about so many more organizations, but what was the common thread that was fundamental in all these organizations?
O. A fulfillment in their lives of Roman 12:11 in that they never lacked the zeal, the enthusiasm for their own spirituality and they kept their spiritual fervor in serving the Lord, even when all of society seemed to be headed downhill because of a lack of zeal, lack of energy for the Lord.
P. And they made a difference. Just like their Savior Jesus Christ the zeal for the Lord and for his house consumed them.
II. The tragic events of the past few years in America: the virus, the riots, the burning of our cities has placed our nation in peril not seen since the Civil War.
A. Our country has faced other trials: Civil War
1. Revolutionary war Thomas Paine wrote the American Crises in Dec. 1776---These are the times that try men’s souls
2. Stated that unlimited power belongs only to God.
B. The gates of Hell have been swung open and legions of demons released upon our land.
C. There is a constant pouring of fear from various sources for both our physical and spiritual lives
D. A spiritual malaise has invaded so many of our churches and our people
1. We seem lost. We can’t find God in any of this
2. We become discouraged Including myself
E. So many have lost the energy, passion and zeal for the Lord.
F. The consequences of that is that we can’t see the working of God in our lives or in our country or world.
1. We have become to busy looking at the world and listening to the world instead of the word of God.
2. Our culture finds us more concerned with the latest technology then in interaction with people let alone God
3. And so we just don’t have time to see the love and zeal that God has for us.
G. Because our country is losing its passion for God it is also losing our Godly heritage as many Christians and mainline denominations have chosen to follow the world rather than set a moral example for the nation based on biblical truths.
H. We have watered down the gospel to fit the society we live in. A society that is increasingly influenced by godless men in power and a news media that is bent on destroying our Christian principals.
I. Isaiah saw in his day the great hand of God lifted high to help His people but they could not see it.
J. God is not absent in our time of trials.
K. But just as the people of Isaiah’s day were blinded to God’s helping hand, we today don’t see his mighty had symbolic of His word that led our founding fathers and mothers to establish a new nation based on the word of God that guarantees our freedom because it established a government that did not recognize its authority as the highest in the land but rather that this nation was under God.
1. That great hand of God which is his word is now trashed in comedy routines, taken out of our schools and public places and we wonder why we can’t see the hand of God moving in our nation.
2. For the hand of God and his word is even now being diluted in the pulpits of many churches.
3. It is no longer taught as the powerful word of God but considered just an interpretation of men’s recollections.
L. Many of the institutions that we mentioned earlier that started out as great Christian organizations have now been diluted from its original purpose by the influence of secular society.
1. The YMCA is now just the Y and very few people know what the letters YMCA stands for.
2. The boy scouts and girl scouts are now giving in to the pressures of society to change their rules to be politically correct
M. Most of the colleges in the United States that started over 300 years ago were Bible-proclaiming schools originally.
1. Harvard and Yale (originally Puritan) and Princeton (originally Presbyterian) once had rich Christian histories.
Harvard was named after a Christian minister. Yale was started by clergymen, and Princeton’s first year of class was taught by Reverend Jonathan Dickinson. Princeton’s crest still says “Dei sub numine viget,” which is Latin for “Under God she flourishes.”
2. But now they have become bastions of human secularism.
3. And even the Methodist Church that John Wesley established is now headed for a course of secularism. His fear has come true.
N. They lost the zeal for the Lord, and as a result the forces of evil were allowed to enter and gradually undermine the educational system and destroy the very principals the institutions were founded upon.
III. In the passages of Scripture that we read from Isaiah, Romans and John we find a plea for Godly people to be zealous against sin.
A. What caused the disciples to remember that it was written about the Messiah "Zeal for your house will consume me." (Jn. 2:17 NIV)
B. They had just seen Jesus the Messiah take a whip out of cords and drive all the merchants and money chambers out of the temple courts.
C. Not exactly the picture that we normally having of the loving Christ.
D. But it is a lesson for us that we as Christians can’t stand aside while we see our churches, our public schools and our nation defiling God in these institutions.
E. God is telling in this passage to get energized and fight against evil wherever we see it.
F. Just like the men that we mentioned earlier that started the Salvation Army, the boy scouts the YMCA. Who had a zeal and passion for God when they looked at their society falling into moral decay they were energized to combat it not necessarily by force but by establishing ministries based on principals of God.
G. God is asking us today to get all excited about His word. Get all excited about the salvation message.
H. For you see God is excited about us. That passage in Isaiah says the hand of God is raised showing God’s zeal and passion for us, but we sometimes refuse to see it.
1. But today we need to see and get excited and get a zeal for the Lord that we are willing to live a life that shines forth his glory wherever and with whoever we are with.
I. The opposite of zeal and energy is slothfulness and Jesus gave an example of just that in the Parable of the slothful servant Matthew 25:14-30 Where the servants that was given 10 talents doubled to 20 and the servant that was given 5 talents doubled it to 10 but the slothful servant that was given 1 hid it and was not productive.
1. The slothful servant was called wicked and his talent was removed and he was cast out in the darkness.
J. We get a zeal and passion for our favorite sports team. We go to the games and yell and scream for them.
K. We buy all kinds of sportswear that has their names on it.
L. But when it comes to the cause of Christ we suffer from the drones.
M. We become inactive and lose the zeal for our first love. Love of Jesus.
N. But church it is now time to count the cost of Christ.
O. Time to get excited about Christ and get a zeal a passion for the Lord.
IV. In the midst of tragedy or points of discouragement it takes individuals with a vision for the future that can get excited that can feel the zeal of the Lord to bring joy and peace back into our lives and into our nation.
A. The early disciples had the zeal for the Lord to the point that they willing gave their lives for the cause of Christ.
B. Peter in Rome was crucified and said I do not deserve to die as my Lord did and so requested that he be crucified upside down.
C. The great evangelist Paul, who is responsible for spreading the gospel throughout mid-east, Asia and Europe.
D. In his letter to Timothy he warned what is happening to many churches and religious leaders today when he said
They will look like they are religious but deny God’s power” 2 Timothy 3.5
1. But he was willing to give all for the cause of Christ.
2. In his final words to Timothy he stated The Lord will rescue me from very level action and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen
3. And when the ax was ready to come down upon his neck, He could claim for his life conquered: No Conquer and More than conquer through Jesus Christ.
E. And the annals of History are filled with similar stories of the great martyr of the faith.
F. We are not saying the God is asking us to die for Him as Christ died for us but rather that we live for him zealously, fervently, and passionately for him.
G. But you ask what is it that I can do?
H. Be diligent in all things. Pray like you never prayed before
I. When moments of discouragement come, look to Him pray, seek out brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage one another.
J. Invite your unchurched friends to church.
K. Be like the timex watch: We take a licking but we keep on ticking.
L. We need to get our spiritual batteries energized and like the little energized bunny keep going and going. Become energized for Christ.
1. One of the best play directors I ever had said that acting is 90% energy.
2. Even in parts where the character has a subdued personality, energy is the key.
M.. No matter what our age or what our talents are we can pray and encourage each other, condemn sin but love the sinner and bring them to church.
N. Whatever the devil may throw at us we will not be defeated
O. John Wesley lived in a time of spiritual doldrums.
1. The church was stagnant in its growth and zeal.
2. The church would not let John Wesley preach from their pulpits because he had to much energy and spiritual power.
3. And so John Wesley took the revival outside and preached at his father’s grave and it sparked a spiritual fire that spread throughout the country and spread to America.
4. When asked why so many people were attracted to his message John replied “Set yourself on fire with enthusiasm and the world will come to watch you burn.”
5. We need to burn baby burn.
6. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, (Rev. 3:18)
7. Gold to be pure gold has to be refined. Placed in the fire so all the impurities can be burned away. It is not pure gold until it is tried in the fire.
8. We want to be presented as pure gold in God’s site then we have to go to the fire. The fire of the trials: loss of a loved one, sickness, financial difficulties.
9. So when we are in the fire and all the impurities are burned out we are taken out of the fire as pure gold but that gold will become fires of the Holy Spirit, we will burn baby burn, hot with enthusiasm and zeal for the Lord.
10. John Wesley was able to spark a world wide revival because he was tried in the fire, but then he burned with passion for the Lord.
V. What the church needs most is an awakening by the Holy Spirit.
A. A good friend of mine in discussing the exciting events and things that are happening always says I’m SUPER EXCITED.
B. We need to get super excited about the cause of Christ that we will go out with the Spirit of God in our hearts churning and boiling our souls with the joy of the Lord so that we can defeat the forces of evil
C. Our hearts can burn with Spirit of God Burn baby burn
Get super Excited and energized for when that happens
D. Nothing will stop us from defeating the forces of evil.
E. The church will grow and we will bring back God to this country that was founded on his principals.
F. Because our hearts on burning with the fire of God and we have His zeal and our super excited about our mission.
