Sermon Central
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The Zeal Of God
Contributed by Damien Saylor on Aug 23, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: Do we have the zeal of God? Does it look like we’re saved, or does it look like we’re on a treadmill? We’re moving a lot, but we’re not going anywhere.
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.
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,
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
