BE ZEALOUS FOR GOD

Text: John 2:13-17, Gal 4:18, Phil 4:8.

Zeal is a desire. To be zealous for God is to have a burning desire to please God, to do his will, to extol his glory in the world in every possible way and to live according to his purpose. It is to be ardently active, devoted, full of enthusiasm and to be passionate. It compels you to make any sacrifice for the sake of the gospel and Christ. It is enthusiastic diligence. It is a fuel that drives people, their passion and purpose and what they live for.

Zeal was a defining character of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. He said in John 4:34, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." Also in John 5:17, "My father is always at his work to this very day and I, too am working."  Jesus’s zeal for God made Him eager and committed to do the Father's will. It was in declaration of His great zeal for God's house that made him jealously protect the place of divine worship; He challenged the money changers, cattle, sheep and the doves sellers. John 2:15 He was so evidently angered that he whipped them all out of the temple courts. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves, He said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my father's house into a market."

God, the Father, is passionate and zealous. He said of himself when He said to Moses in Num 25:11, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honour among them as I am." It was with zeal that God relentlessly created the heavens and the earth within six days. Gen 1:1-30-2:1-2.

You are admonished to pursue a zealous relationship with God. Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Rom 12: 11. That what so ever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto man. Col 3:23.  Jesus gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14. He said in Rev 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore, and repent."

Zealousness for God must be your priority if you want to accomplish. Be zealous in devotion, worship, prayer, giving, evangelism, digging deep into the word, meditation on the word, living by the word, obedience, winning souls, in teaching if you are a teacher of the word, supporting the ministers and work of God and setting others an example of doing what is good. It is when you are zealous that you will have passion for the lost souls. The zeal will make you do all things within your capacity, through Christ that strengthens you. The zeal will propel you to do exploits and help you to harvest souls and stand up for Jesus no matter the situation. It will propel you to bring every soul you come across to the knowledge of the gospel.

Brethren, your zeal must be real and be based on the knowledge of God's word. God considers the heart and motive of doing things. It must be generated from true motives and you must have desire to please God. Generally, people are zealous about career, wealth, position and power while these are good, it is more honourable and rewarding to be zealous for God. Gal 4:18. Let the zeal of the Lord consume you as it consumed Jesus. Be zealous for good works and good purpose.

Let us consider a few examples of people who demonstrated great zeal for God.

Paul in Phil 3:1-14. He started as one of Christianity's most zealous enemies persecuting the church; zealous for the tradition of his fathers but he converted after a divine encounter with Jesus Christ, and he towered as one of the all time giants of Christianity. He was full of the zeal which propelled him to make missionary journeys through the Roman Empire planting churches, preaching the gospel and writing letters of encouragement to early Christians even while in prison. He authored about thirteen books of the Bible and always advanced in faith for the sake of the gospel. He was in chain for Christ, he preached the gospel out of love and was so committed. He said, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. I desire to depart and be with Christ. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." He was all out for the gospel and Christ.

Anna in Luke 2:36-38. She was zealous for God; she sacrificed her physical comfort for her spiritual intimacy. She continually lodged in the temple after she became a widow. "She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment she gave thanks to God and spoke about the 'Child ' to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." Her life was full of worship, prayer, fasting, thanksgiving and spreading the news about Jesus to all who were around in the temple.

Phinehas in Numbers 25:5-11. He took a stand for God and his zeal for God was remarkable.
The Lord said to Moses in v11, “Phinehas has turned my anger away from the Israelites.
Since he was as zealous for my honour among them as I am. I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honour of his God and made atonement for the Israelites." He was involved in eliminating idolatry in the land.

 Epaphras in Col 1:7, 4:12-13. Paul vouched for the zeal of Epaphras.
 "He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis". He had great impact in Colosse. He was a teacher of the word and was described as a faithful minister of Christ. You can develop the kind of zeal Epaphras had so as to have impact in the kingdom assignment.

Other characters that can be described as being zealous for God are Stephen, Moses, Aaron, Hur, Caleb, Hezekiah to mention just a few. Brethren, what are you zealous about? It is more honourable to be zealous for God, to let it be for a good purpose, with good intentions and motives and all in the knowledge of Him. It is never late, you can start now. You can do all things through Christ which strengthens you.

To be zealous, you must be in Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18
You must be as hot as you were when you first believed. Rev 2:5
You have to move with believers that are zealous for God; iron sharpens iron. Pro 27:17
You have to devote yourself to prayer. Col 4:2
Your zeal must be based on the knowledge of God and his righteousness. Rom 10:3
You must know whom you believe and follow him wholeheartedly. Josh 14:14

Advantages of being zealous for God are:

God will make a covenant of peace with you. Num 25:12.
Your labour will be rewarded. Heb 6:10
You will grow spiritually.
You will be protected from sin.
You will not be ashamed of the gospel.
You will be bold to stand for the gospel.
When you are zealous for God you should expect discouragement and aspersions from people,
but never be discouraged, just move on and be focused.

Prayer:
Father, I want to be zealous for you, to do more and more until I am spent in the service of your kingdom on earth. To have more knowledge of you and to be able to stand up for the gospel no matter the situation. Father, help me by your grace to do so in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.