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[0:00] The Gospel of John, chapter number 2. We are not going to go through the book again, but we are going to pick something out of chapter 2 this morning I want you to be considering, is it something that's missing in your life?

[0:35] And so this is going to be a little Sunday school lesson that hopefully has a challenge attached to it. So John 2, and let's start with verse 13.

[0:48] The Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple and the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers' money and overthrew the tables and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence, make not my father's house and house of merchandise.

[1:16] Elsewhere it says he did this again. Elsewhere he says that they're making this house of God a den of thieves. Now when the Lord Jesus Christ walks into the temple, he goes with expectation of this being a house of prayer.

[1:31] He goes with expectation of worshiping the Father. And it's a holy site. As we've studied in Exodus, that's a tabernacle. That's a place for God to dwell. This is the temple that Solomon built and then was destroyed.

[1:44] Then they built another. And this thing was amazing. That God's presence would dwell among them. And the Jews, over the course of time, they've seen it as a place of opportunity to make some money, a quick buck on all the travelers that have to come for Passover, for Feast of Tabernacles, and different times of the year.

[2:06] And when he goes to that temple, he goes with the heart engaged of worshiping God. And he is just completely disturbed by what he sees his own countrymen have turned this place into.

[2:20] And so he does something about it. He makes a scourge. I don't know if he had to go outside to find these small cords. I don't know if they were just laying around because of all the animals that were being led in and out of this place.

[2:33] But whatever the case, he just goes and finds himself some small cords laying around, puts them all together, wraps them up in his hand, and then gets to work. And if you could see it, and you could see the disciples, and the look on everybody's face when he walked in there, business as usual, business is booming, everybody's coming and has to buy and has to exchange, and everybody's making profit here in the house of God.

[2:57] And he just starts driving them out, just flinging that whip around. First it says that he drove them out.

[3:08] That's them that were those that sold. He drove the men out of there. And he took, can you picture him pouring out the changers' money, just taking whatever that money's in and just dumping it out right in front of them onto the ground.

[3:23] Like what gall and what, what's a better word there? All of that. And he pours out their money and he just tosses their tables right in front of their faces, just chucks everything, just makes a total mess of it, and says, get out of here!

[3:42] And then drives those animals out the doors by himself. And so here's what I want to get at. The disciples, they probably felt like, what in the world? They probably have a shock of this.

[3:53] I mean, this is a big time scene. And they remember a scripture. God brings a scripture to mind. In Psalm 69, in verse 17, it says, Then his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house has eaten me up.

[4:12] That the Lord Jesus Christ was so full of zeal toward the house of God, toward this holy temple for a place of prayer and worship, built and designed for the presence of God to dwell, for Jews to come before him.

[4:28] And he loved that place. And what they identified his action as, is one simple little four-letter word, zeal.

[4:41] Zeal. And I'm going to ask you right now, is zeal in your life? Or is it missing? Is it missing in your heart, toward the things of God, and toward the place of God, and toward the work of God, and toward the spiritual worship of God?

[4:58] Is there zeal? Is there zeal toward the house of God, or the temple of God, toward this church, if we could liken it to that? Is there zeal in your life as an individual?

[5:11] Is there zeal in this church as a congregation? Are we a people with any zeal in us at all? Now, I want you to know something about the word zeal. It's not Jesus Christ here being some high-strung, psychotic maniac, just out of his mind, just going crazy, just raging on everybody.

[5:31] No, when he made a scourge of small cords, he was very much composed, very much together, and took care of business the way he thought he needed to take care of it.

[5:44] And so the Lord Jesus Christ, in his life, displayed patience and temperance. He displayed compassion. He displayed humility. And he was long-suffering.

[5:54] He never called fire down on the unbelievers like his disciples wanted him to one time. He didn't bother with that. That was not his calling. His own brothers and sisters didn't believe in him.

[6:05] He didn't destroy them. He didn't write them off. They said that he had a devil, and he was passive toward them. He said, you can say anything you want to against the Son of Man, and it can be forgiven you.

[6:19] That was his attitude toward this people. So understand, he's not just some rage monster. But he displayed a zeal for God and the things of God, and his disciples recognized it when they saw that side of the Lord.

[6:33] They recognized that as zeal, not anger, and not fury, and not wrath, but zeal for the holy temple of God.

[6:45] So I want to take a look at the word this morning, just give you a little bit of an outline of some thoughts from the Bible about zeal. If somebody is called a zealot, a lot of times it's kind of looked like they're too far, like they're a fanatic, a maniac, you know, they're too involved.

[7:03] And sometimes it's kind of painted wrong, but it's a Bible word, it's a Bible term, and it's something that it shows up in believers, and I'll show you a specific case of when. But understand that a zeal, or a zealot, or someone that is zealous, is somebody that's engaged, somebody that's outspoken, somebody that's active.

[7:23] That's a big word there, active. There's action to zeal, always. It's outward. Zeal is not your love, or your inward desire. Zeal is not your convictions about something like, I'm really passionate about that.

[7:36] No, zeal shows up on the outside. You can see it. It's displayed. And you need to understand that. I'll show you this from the Bible going forward, how this is the case. So let me take you to a few places in the Bible to start here.

[7:50] Let's look at Galatians chapter, yeah, we'll get two places. Galatians chapter one, and then also find Romans chapter 10, on your way back there.

[8:01] Romans 10, Galatians 1. And the first thing I want us to all realize about zeal is zeal can be misplaced.

[8:16] So just because you're passionate and excited about something and you want to be engaged in it doesn't mean it's the right thing. So it's going to have to be according to the word of God, and to get that, you're going to have to study the word of God and read the word of God and seek the truth of the matter.

[8:31] Just because you feel it doesn't mean you're going to put it on the right thing. Let me show you this. This is all over the book, really. I'll start in Romans 10.

[8:42] And notice how Paul prays for his countrymen, for the Israelites. He says, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God.

[8:56] It's not a zeal of government. It's a zeal of God. The person of God. They have a zeal of God. But here's the problem. It's not according to knowledge.

[9:08] They're ignorant. Verse 3, For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, are going about to establish their own righteousness and have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. And what are they going about doing?

[9:19] Well, it's in verse 4. They're trying to keep the law. So he tells them, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. And he goes on to describe how it's nigh them and they can trust in Jesus Christ.

[9:31] But do you see that they have a zeal? As a nation, they are zealous. They are performing the works of the law. And they are zealous in this work. They are very devoted. They are showing it.

[9:42] They're displaying their zeal. But it's wrong. It's misplaced. It's placed in the law of Moses. And that can't get them righteousness. Now flip over to Galatians 1. Let's look at the Apostle Paul as a person.

[9:55] As a man. And let's start in verse 13. Galatians 1 verse 13. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted it, and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

[10:24] In Philippians chapter 3, he gives his testimony of his credentials, of his, what do you call it when you want a job, you're his resume. And his resume said, concerning zeal, persecuting the church.

[10:39] That's what I did. I went after them. I wasted it. But you know what? That's not just some inward belief or commitment or passion.

[10:49] That's outward. Concerning zeal, it's his actions. It's what did he do? What did he show? So Paul had his zeal for his nation, for his Jews' religion, he says in verse 13, and for the traditions of his fathers.

[11:03] He was so zealous that these Christians are trying to subvert people in his mind, take them away from Moses. And he said, I'm going to wipe them off the face of the planet.

[11:14] That's how zealous he was. But his zeal, it was present, but it was misplaced. Let me show you one more example. Come back to 2 Samuel chapter 21.

[11:27] 2 Samuel 21. Here's another one that can be applied today in this land. 2 Samuel 21.

[11:39] David doesn't understand why there's a famine. Doesn't understand what did he do wrong. 2 Samuel 21, verse number one.

[11:53] Then there was a famine in the days of David, three years, year after year. And David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

[12:05] Now Joshua had sworn a covenant with the Gibeonites back in Joshua 9. They deceived him, and they had their wiles, but God recognized that. There were to be bearers of burden and hewers of wood.

[12:17] There were going to be servants, but they were not to lay a hand on these people, because they entered into this covenant of the Lord with them. So Saul, though, he kills them. In verse number two, the king called the Gibeonites and said unto them, Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the children of Israel had sworn unto them, and Saul sought to slay them, notice this, in his zeal, to the children of Israel and Judah.

[12:42] This man, as king, looked upon his land and said, What are these Gibeonites doing in here? They're Amorites. They should be wiped out. And he said, You know what? The time has come.

[12:52] Enough's enough. And I'm going to take care of this myself. And he starts murdering them. And it displeased the Lord. And it's wild to me that he waits and waits and waits and then brings a famine in David's reign to make up and fix this, atone for this thing that Saul did.

[13:10] It was just unfinished business. And the Lord, watch out. Take a lesson right there of unfinished business with God. So, the zeal of Saul, he's a patriot.

[13:22] He loves his men. He loves his country. He loves the Lord's people here in Israel, Judah and Israel. And sees these outsiders, you don't belong here. And he's going to kill them. He's going to wipe them out.

[13:34] And the thing displeased the Lord. What was the deal here? Well, Saul and Paul and even the nation of Israel, they all had a zeal. And it sounds right.

[13:44] A zeal for God. A zeal for the Jews' religion or the traditions of his fathers. A zeal for Israel and for Judah. The Lord's people. The Lord's land. That all sounds great. And yet, each time it was misplaced.

[13:57] It wasn't according to the scripture. There was something wrong about it. And you could end up doing something God never told you to do if you have zeal for the wrong thing.

[14:08] Think about your life right now. Think across your life and say, what am I passionate about? Like, what gets me excited? What is it that I could, that would ever be said about me that I'm zealous for?

[14:21] It'll be your actions that tell you. It's not about what you're thinking in your head or your heart. It's what do I do with my life? What am I doing? What am I engaged in? If something comes up and I have the opportunity, what one thing or two things or three, would I never miss?

[14:37] Because that is me. That is, I'm in. You're zealous for that. Now my question is, is that a zeal for the, is there any zeal for the things of God and the people of God and the work of God to where it comes up an opportunity?

[14:50] You won't miss it because that's like priority to you. I'm going to be here. I'm going to be engaged. I'm going to be active. I'm going to be busy. Christ had said about him when he was young that he was about his father's business.

[15:06] Something outward could be seen. And it's kind of, it makes up your testimony is what you're zealous for. But understand it can be misplaced. All right, let's take another point. Look back in 2 Corinthians 7.

[15:17] All the way back in the New Testament now. 2 Corinthians 7. And here's another separate side point about zeal. And one way that it can really kind of, can get through and come out of your life.

[15:31] There's one thing that will really help and assist in allowing the zeal that God would put in your heart to get expressed and to be displayed. And in this passage, you'll see there's one thing that really keeps it down too.

[15:46] So 2 Corinthians 7. Paul has dealt with this church about several things that are out of place, a certain sin in particular. And they get it right and he commends them for it.

[15:58] Notice verse number, I'll start in 8. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 8. For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent. For I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

[16:12] Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance. For you were made sorry after a godly manner. Amen. That's good stuff. That you might receive damage by us and nothing.

[16:24] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death. Now notice the result of their repentance in verse 11.

[16:37] For behold, this selfsame thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you. Yea, what clearing of yourselves. Yea, what indignation.

[16:48] Yea, what fear. Yea, what vehement desire. Yea, what zeal. Yea, what revenge. In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

[17:00] I want you to consider that zeal, a zeal for God, an outward display for what's right and righteous in the eyes of God will follow a repentance in your heart.

[17:11] A repentance for your sins. When you have sin in your life, that is going to keep your heart just knocked down low. It is going to keep you from stepping out and doing what you should do for the Lord.

[17:25] Anytime the Lord pricks your heart about doing something for him, about showing some action, activity, the devil says, not you, not what you did last night, not what you were involved in, not what you watched, not what you're thinking and you're like, oh yeah, I can't do that because my hands are handcuffed, my sins have been holding me back and I can't go to church tonight and I can't show up for soul winning and I can't be involved, I can't pray with the men because of, oh man.

[17:54] but boy, when you repent, boy, when you clear yourself, there is such a liberty that the new man can just be free and can start working and start living for God and start showing what he does and what he wants to do.

[18:12] The Lord can, what Paul said about God in him, he says, he worketh in me mightily and that can be true of your new man. God could work in you mightily but there's got to be a clearing.

[18:23] There's got to be some repentance over sin that you hold on to and allow in your life. When you get rid of that sin, when you get right, that's a second nature for the new man.

[18:36] He wants to do something for God. He wants to live for God at work. He wants to be outward and show the world he's a new creature in Christ. It's your sin and your old man that says, no, shut your mouth, get in the back seat.

[18:51] I'm running the show. But that new man, when he's in the back seat, when his mouth is tied, when his hands are tied behind his back, he wants to let it out. He wants to show the world Jesus Christ saved his soul.

[19:05] He wants to do, he wants to be zealous for the truth. And so understand it's going to follow repentance. It's going to follow getting some things cleared in your life. You find, oh, I just don't have it.

[19:16] I just don't have the energy. I don't have the ability to do these things and show the world. Well, maybe there's some things in your heart that you, maybe it's just fear that you need to repent of and give over to the Lord.

[19:29] Let's turn to Galatians, back to Galatians again, find chapter four. Galatians chapter four. And here's another point to be made just a few pages away about zeal.

[19:42] And this one I like a lot. I think this is, this is some Bible that can really, you can take with you and apply right on the spot.

[19:55] Galatians four. Let me start. Let's see. I'll start in 15, 415. Paul asked the question, where is then the blessedness he spake of?

[20:08] For I bear ye record that if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and have given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

[20:19] They, now, the they, understand this, there are some people that have bewitched them, these believers. They have, they're trying to pull them back into the law and not allow them to have liberty in Christ.

[20:33] You notice in chapter five, verse one, he commands them to stand fast, therefore, in the liberty where with Christ hath made us free. And be not entangled, again, with the yoke of bondage.

[20:44] And so some of them are after them. And notice in verse 17, then he says, they zealously affect you, but not well. You're following the wrong leaders, the wrong voices, and you're believing and you're engaged and you're going.

[21:01] They zealously affect you, but not well. Yea, they would exclude you that you might affect them. What does that mean? I'll give you just one cross-reference here.

[21:11] In Romans 16, it says, they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. And there's men out there that are deceiving the hearts of the simple and serving themselves and using naive, deceived Christians that aren't grown and established in doctrine and in the faith and they're taking advantage of them.

[21:35] And so, they would exclude you and you might affect them, but watch verse 18. Paul says, but it is a good thing to be zealously affected always, I'm sorry, it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing and not only when I'm present with you.

[21:53] So, get the picture when Paul writes to these people. When they say, they have a meeting and they come together and say, hey, pray for brother Paul, he's on his way. He said he'd be here in a few weeks, pray that he gets here.

[22:06] And when brother Paul shows up, you can imagine the church house filled up and you can imagine they were excited and they brought their friends and their co-workers and their family members to hear this man preach.

[22:18] There was such power on him. He was weak and base among them, but the power of God was all over that man. They couldn't resist it. Revival just stirred the hearts.

[22:28] You can imagine when Paul showed up to church. It wasn't like every Sunday morning and every Wednesday night. When Paul showed up to minister the word of God and to be among them, it was excitement.

[22:43] And Paul said, it's good to be zealously affected like they were when he showed up in town and to get fired up and stirred up for God. It's good to be zealously affected always in a good thing and not only when I'm present with you, not just because I come around and deliver the word, but rather, this is your responsibility as an individual and as a church to be zealously affected in a good thing in contrast to following liars and deceivers and listening to their voice and affecting them.

[23:22] And so the third thing I want us to consider about zeal is it's the personal responsibility of each believer to be zealous for God and to allow the new man to live and to breathe and to operate and not just when we have revival meetings, not just on the final day of service, then you'll come forward and get things cleared.

[23:45] Thank God when you do. But it's your job, not just when the Apostle Paul shows up to preach. Now, I enjoy when we have meetings and I enjoy going to other meetings and I enjoy the stirring and the life and the excitement of them.

[24:00] There's just something that's natural about having special services. It should be because they're special. They're extra. And you don't get to go to church Monday night and Tuesday night and Wednesday night all the time and have one and two preachers.

[24:12] And so when that happens here or elsewhere, it is wonderful and you should get zealously affected in those meetings and in those times in your life. I mean, when else on this planet and in your lifetime are you going to get zealously affected?

[24:26] Mostly it's going to be at a church meeting. Mostly. Maybe it's when you get the witness to somebody and the Lord opens a door and you just get so stirred because the Lord, it's just, that's a blessing.

[24:39] Maybe it's when you get victory over something, but surely one of the greatest times is a church meeting and it seems to match the context and thinking here of when Paul shows up. And he said, not only when I'm there, and it's your responsibility to keep your heart with all diligence and to keep your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and to keep your sins confessed and forsaken and repented of so that you don't have to wait for something special to stir your heart once again and to knock the cobwebs out.

[25:12] You should be able to go to God this morning with the word of God. You should be able to bow your heart before the Lord and say, God, thank you, number one, for saving my soul and come before him humbly and start to open up your heart before him and say, God, please minister to my heart in the meeting this morning and help the preacher to preach and help me to have ears to hear and help your people to be responsive and strengthen our church and start to work and pray for God to do something.

[25:42] But that's your responsibility and it's not just for January. It's not just for June. It's a year-round thing to stay right with God.

[25:53] Now, one more thing, come to Titus chapter 2 and this one's going to go a little bit further and take us to the end. But look at Titus chapter 2 and I'll point it out here and then I'll run a few other places with you.

[26:08] And then this will kind of come full circle back to the Lord Jesus Christ. In Titus chapter 2, find this verse, we read it on Wednesday night, I believe, in verse 14.

[26:22] The Bible says, Who gave himself for us, that's our Savior Jesus Christ, gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.

[26:40] Now, I want to make a point here and follow with me. The first half of this verse is just dynamite. It's just, it's beloved and just resounds within our hearts and souls that Jesus Christ gave himself for us, for me and for you, just wretched, helpless, worthless sinners.

[27:02] Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity. Boy, can we praise God for that. Can we ever sing to God from these songs about and can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's love?

[27:14] How in the world is this possible? The amazing love of God, his mercy, we sing about it, we love it, we adore it. But that's just the beginning of the verse. He did all of that according to this verse for a reason.

[27:27] And why do we skip the other part? Just to park on the one and act like this is where we should be. It's just praise, praise, praise and never do anything about it. In verse 14, he said that he might redeem us and then what else?

[27:41] Purify. He doesn't want your sin and your ugliness in this life. He wants to see you clean, sanctified by the word of God. Purify unto himself a peculiar people.

[27:54] Is that you? Peculiar? Or do you look like them? Zealous of good works. Do you see how zeal is outward and it's displayed? It's not just it's in my heart.

[28:05] I love Jesus Christ. I'm thankful. But it's I do something. Christ washed us from our sins so that he could do something in our lives that would start to show up in this world.

[28:19] That's something the world could see that he could see and he could receive the fruit of. He wants us to be zealous of good works. Now, when we started Jesus Christ walked into that temple and he just ran them out because he was zealous for the temple, for the house of God.

[28:39] He had a, like that had a fixed place in his heart of how, this is a sanctuary and these men are taking advantage of it and defiling it, profaning it. And he had a zeal.

[28:50] That was a zeal that showed up and I want to show you the balance with zeal. It has a balance. It's a balance of, you should be zealous for good things as well as zealous against the evil things.

[29:04] God is a God of balance, of love and of hate, of mercy and of pardon. God is so balanced, you probably, we can't even fathom fully the balance that he has.

[29:16] He's such a holy God yet he can forgive sin and, and you know, that's something we struggle with so hard is forgiving other people but God is so holy he can forgive us and put it away completely.

[29:31] I mean, he's so different but he's balanced. Now, the zeal for good right here in this verse shows that we're to be zealous of good works, of doing right, of loving righteousness, of what, whatsoever things are true and so forth.

[29:45] But then that zeal against the evil, let me show you two, maybe two examples, maybe three. Go back to Numbers chapter 25. There's some examples in this Bible of men that stood up against wickedness and God loved it.

[30:02] He recognized it. In this case, he made a covenant with the man that took a stand. This gets God's attention when you and I stand against evil and are zealous against unrighteousness.

[30:16] And I'm not going to point to the unrighteousness of the world and act like you need to be, you know, going out there in a, whatever you want to call it, picketing and going against everything you see and everything you hear and starting strife and fights with people because you're so right and they're so wrong.

[30:33] But just start with your own inner heart and get zealous against the evil and the sin that resides in you. That's a place to start.

[30:43] Then you can worry about the rest if you can conquer that one. So Numbers 25 and so this is a bad case here. In verse 3, Israel joined himself unto Baal Peor.

[30:56] The anger of the Lord is kindled against Israel. They're not even into the promised land yet and they're already receiving in abominations into their nation and worshiping. So much so that before this thing is done, there are thousands.

[31:10] In verse 9, 24,000 that are put to death over this issue. And here's something that happens. Look at verse 7. Verse 6, Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the congregation of the children of Israel who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation like right there bringing this Midianite-ish, this dog into the camp of Israel and right before those that are weeping over this thing and the judgment of God and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, he saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, took a javelin in his hand.

[31:53] This man said, No more. Like the Lord Jesus Christ, he got something in his hand and he said, Enough is enough. And he went after them in verse 8, the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through the man of Israel and the woman through her belly.

[32:08] So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. The Lord looks on this, he gets so excited and thankful and he just desires this. He says in verse 11, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake among them that I consume not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

[32:31] And he gets a covenant of peace because of it. In the middle of verse 13, he was zealous for his God. What was it? He's sick of Baal. He's sick of being surrounded with it.

[32:43] He's sick of seeing the worship and the fornication and the ungodliness in the camp of a holy people. And he took it upon himself to do something and to execute judgment for the Lord's sake.

[32:55] And you might think, Oh, that's ugly. That's cold-hearted. And God said, Oh, that's my man right there. Matter of fact, come here. Come here, Phinehas. I got something for you.

[33:07] Now, here's another case. Look at 2 Kings. Find 2 Kings chapter 9. These men are zealous for God, which is a positive thing.

[33:23] And it shows up in their displaying or executing judgment against wickedness and against the evil. They're not just sitting back and talking about how much they love the Lord.

[33:35] He's a great God and he gave us a good book. But no, they're engaged and they're outwardly active. I can't give you the whole couple chapters here, chapter 9 and 10.

[33:50] I'll try to find where we can just poke at the context here. A prophet shows up to Jehu and he tells him that God wants you to go execute judgment against the house of Ahab.

[34:02] Verse number 9, The whole house of Ahab shall perish. And he sends Jehu forth to do this, to execute judgment upon that king and upon his household.

[34:14] And so he does. He follows through. And it's too much to say all of these individual things. He's going after them. They send somebody out and says, Is it peace? And he says, What hast thou to do with peace?

[34:27] Turn behind. He's like, No, there's no peace today. I'm coming to execute the judgment of God on this family. And he had a calling and he was going to do it. And so again, it's through the rest of the chapter.

[34:37] He kills Ahaziah. Or no, rather, where am I at? Yeah. In verse 27, When Ahaziah, the king of Judah, saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house.

[34:51] Jehu followed after him and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And so he's killing people that are involved in this. Jezebel gets tossed down and killed. The dogs eat her flesh.

[35:01] And then in chapter 10, there's 70 sons of the king Ahab in Samaria. And Jehu writes a letter and he says, I'm coming for you. I'm coming, so get ready and get your master's sons, put them on the throne and get ready to fight because I'm coming to exterminate them.

[35:20] And they were afraid in verse 4. And so they, he sends another letter and says, Okay, you want to, you don't want me to fight you? Then just take these 70 sons and take their heads off.

[35:31] And they did it. And they gave them the heads in verse 7. They slew 70 persons, put their heads in baskets, sent them to Jezreel. And so Jehu's still on the war path.

[35:43] He's still going after them. Here's the point and the verse that really stands out. And he meets a man named Jehonadab in verse 15. When he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab, chapter 10, verse 15, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him.

[36:00] And he saluted him and said to him, Is thine heart right as my heart is with thine heart? And Jehonadab said, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand and took him up to him into the chariot and he said, Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.

[36:18] It's not, See my zeal against Ahab. See how much I hate him. No, it's see how much I love the Lord. How much I'm willing to fight for the Lord and obey his word. Now, Jehu messed up.

[36:29] He got a covenant with the Lord too from doing what he executed. He pleased the Lord, but then after that he just didn't follow him. But he did get a promise at the end of verse 30.

[36:41] But I'll read verse 30. The Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes and has done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children unto the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.

[36:55] And what a thing. God was so pleased with the first, he gave him the covenant with Phineas. He's so pleased with this man's obedience and zeal for the Lord, he gave him a covenant.

[37:07] He entered into something special with that man. Now the zeal has to have a balance. The zeal is aimed at God. It's got to be aimed in the right place though. It's got to be according to his word.

[37:19] It can't be the way you feel about God or my interpretation of the text or this is how they're doing it. It's got to be what is right with God that be zealous there when you know it's right. Sin's going to keep you.

[37:32] It's going to hold you back from just going all in and getting active and being part of it. Sin will knock you down. It always does. Learn how to repent. Learn how to keep a short list and that is your personal responsibility but understand that zeal has that balance.

[37:48] It's not just be zealous to show up for church but it's zealous against the evil in your life and the evil in your ears and the evil in your eyes and love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates.

[38:01] I got a chain of verses. I'm not going to go through them with you and I don't have time but there is a chain of those verses right there that expresses that balance. It's in the Old and New Testament. Ye that love the Lord hate evil.

[38:13] God expects that from us. He expects the balance. And so now I want to ask you finally in closing this is a word in the Bible zeal. It shows up in these different examples in the Old Testament these different testimonies and actions actions of men and there's enough people that fall away and that serve God to a point and then kind of backtrack and walk away from it and you can say the zeal is gone.

[38:45] It's lost. It's disappeared. It was there once and now it's no longer there. It's just the energy is gone. The passion is dissolved. And I want to ask you this morning that this is not right if that's you.

[38:58] The zeal should be there. It's your job to get right with God to stay hot for God to be active in the Lord's work. Quitting ministries and not being faithful is not of God.

[39:08] That's of the devil or that's your flesh. Zeal is displayed on the outside. I wonder if you could say this morning that you have a zeal for God. A zeal for his word.

[39:19] A zeal for his people. A zeal for righteousness. And that zeal is displayed against wickedness and against evil. And if you've got some zeal or maybe you want to get it back then you might have to meet with God about that thing.

[39:36] You might have to clear yourself of some things that are whatever. I said sin. It could be more than sin that kind of just holds you back from having that zeal. But it's something God wants to see and he wants you and me to be zealous of good works.

[39:49] He didn't just save our souls or redeem us just to keep us out of hell. Thank God for that. We're glad for that. But what are you doing about it? Where's the zeal in your life and in this place together as a congregation?

[40:05] Where is the zeal? Is it here? I think there's some. I think there's some but I think there can be some more. And if God gets his way I bet you there'll bet you there'll be a lot more.

[40:18] And so that's our responsibility. I hope you take it serious this morning and that you're confronted with that thought. not to go beating people up and running them out of church with a whip but consider that you have a job to be outwardly engaged and active in the ministry of God and his work.

[40:35] And the last thought here is when you stand before Jesus Christ do you think you're going to regret being too zealous too active or not enough? Which one do you think you're going to be sorry for when you stand before him?

[40:47] I know the answer that you do too. So let's take that for real and keep that in our hearts. Father, Lord please use your word and these thoughts and these examples this morning and these scriptures to drive us to being engaged and outwardly active in your work in your word in prayer in the things of God.

[41:09] Lord please let not this world take our hearts and take the priorities and our time and our engagements. Lord may you get first place you deserve first place you're worthy of it may you get what you deserve from us.

[41:25] Help each one here that is afraid or doesn't have courage or has something on their heart or something in their life that's keeping them expose it strengthen them to clear it and may you get what you deserve we ask these in Jesus name Amen.

[41:40]  Amen. Alright let's take a break right there.