00:00We can be zealous for things associated with God, things which in themselves are good,
00:07but if it's not a zeal for God himself, it can end up working against the purposes of God.
00:21Grace and peace to you all in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
00:25It's wonderful to see everyone here today joining this service.
00:30Now it's time to listen to God's word.
00:34So let's pray.
00:36Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for your living word.
00:41We pray that you will give us hearing hearts.
00:47Lord, to hear what you are saying to us individually through this message, through your word, in Jesus' name.
00:58Open our hearts to your word.
01:01Open our hearts to your spirit.
01:04In Jesus' name we pray.
01:07Amen.
01:08We're going to look in the word of God today at a couple of examples which can teach us some
01:17important lessons.
01:19And these are both examples from people who bore the same name, the name of Saul.
01:29So this is a sermon about two souls.
01:34Saul, the king, the king of Israel and Judah before David,
01:41and Saul of Tarsus before he was converted and became Paul the apostle.
01:49So, first of all, we're going to look at King Saul,
01:55and one reference to him in 2 Samuel chapter 21,
02:01and we're going to read the first couple of verses.
02:04What we're going to see from these two examples from our brothers called Saul,
02:11King Saul, Saul of Tarsus,
02:13is that actually they shared a similar weakness.
02:19They were both zealous for things related to God.
02:23Let's say they were zealous for the things of God.
02:27But it was a misguided zeal.
02:31And both of them, in their zeal, ended up working against God.
02:40So we're going to title this message today,
02:44The Tragedy of Misguided Zeal.
02:50Because both of these cases we're going to read about were very tragic.
02:54So, why don't you tell your neighbor, or tell me,
02:58if you don't have a neighbor with you there,
03:01why don't you say the title of the message,
03:03The Tragedy of Misguided Zeal.
03:10So, let's look first, 2 Samuel chapter 21.
03:14We'll read about King Saul.
03:19Now, there was a famine in the days of David
03:24for three years, year after year.
03:29And David inquired of the Lord.
03:32And the Lord answered,
03:34It's because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house,
03:39because he killed the Gibeonites.
03:44So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them.
03:49Now, the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel,
03:54but of the remnant of the Amorites.
03:58The children of Israel had sworn protection to them,
04:02but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal
04:08for the children of Israel and Judah.
04:14So, we learn something about Saul here.
04:18He was zealous.
04:20He was zealous for the people of Israel and the people of Judah
04:25to maintain their integrity,
04:28to maintain their sense of community.
04:31But in that zeal,
04:33he ended up ignoring another of God's principles,
04:38that they had actually made a vow
04:41to these other people not to destroy them.
04:45And in his misguided zeal,
04:49Saul was seeking to kill and destroy these people,
04:54the Gibeonites,
04:55because they were not of the children of Israel,
04:58the children of Judah.
05:01And I said this was a tragedy,
05:04because the result of this was three years of famine.
05:10Just imagine that.
05:11This was after Saul's time now,
05:14after Saul had passed away.
05:16But the result of that misguided zeal
05:20was three years of famine for the people.
05:22And David sought God,
05:24and God's answer pointed back to this situation.
05:30So, brothers and sisters,
05:32we need to be very careful
05:34and to heed a warning here,
05:37that we can be zealous
05:39for things associated with God,
05:42things which in themselves are good,
05:44but if it's not a zeal for God himself,
05:47it can end up working against the purposes of God.
05:54Now, let's go to the second example.
05:57And this is from the New Testament,
06:02and it's Galatians chapter 1,
06:05where Apostle Paul is talking about his history,
06:13where he was coming from,
06:15and his life before he met Jesus Christ,
06:19when he was Saul of Tarsus.
06:23And we're going to read in Galatians chapter 1
06:26from verse 13.
06:27And Paul says,
06:30For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism,
06:37how I persecuted the church beyond measure
06:40and tried to destroy it,
06:42and I advanced in Judaism
06:45beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation,
06:50being more exceedingly zealous
06:53for the traditions of my fathers.
06:58Now, let's just think about this for a moment.
07:03I have to confess,
07:05when I read this scripture the other day,
07:08I felt a conviction.
07:11I thought, Brother Gary,
07:13are you becoming like Saul before he was converted?
07:19Or are you becoming more like Paul the Apostle
07:23after he was converted?
07:25Because, you know,
07:26it's so easy to become zealous
07:29for a good cause
07:33and for our devotion
07:35and our zeal for God
07:36to be translated and transferred
07:39onto something else
07:40which is temporal,
07:44something which is in this world,
07:46something which ends
07:47when this world will end.
07:49In the case of Saul of Tarsus,
07:52Paul, before he was converted,
07:54he was exceedingly zealous
07:56for the traditions of his fathers.
07:59Now, I suspect that most of these traditions
08:04were very godly.
08:05They were good things.
08:06It's not that he was zealous for something externally evil.
08:13They were good in themselves.
08:16But, in his zeal for those traditions,
08:20he did not recognize God moving in a different way.
08:26And he ended up trying to destroy the church
08:32and working against the very God he was so zealous to defend.
08:41So, the warning for all of us here,
08:43brothers and sisters,
08:45is not to transfer our zeal
08:50onto something which is a good cause,
08:54something which is a good result of faith,
08:58something which comes from Christianity
09:02exercised properly in faith,
09:04faith, but which in itself
09:07is something which will end with this world,
09:11rather than having zeal for God himself.
09:16As I considered these examples of misguided zeal,
09:23it reminds me of something I read by C.S. Lewis.
09:28I'm sure many of you will have heard of C.S. Lewis
09:32or read some of his books or lectures,
09:35a great Christian man from 80 years ago or thereabouts,
09:40but a lot of wisdom in his writing.
09:43And there was a particular book he wrote
09:46called The Screwtape Letters.
09:48And for those not familiar,
09:50this was presenting Christian teaching
09:53in the format as though they were letters written
09:57from a senior demon to a junior demon
10:02explaining how to prevent people
10:05from becoming true Christians
10:06and true followers of Christ.
10:08So you learn some lessons taught
10:10in that particularly creative way.
10:14And one of the things that he said there
10:17and he wrote was that
10:20if you can't prevent your subject,
10:24the person you're trying to stop following Christ,
10:26if you can't prevent them
10:28becoming a Christian
10:30or becoming interested in Christianity,
10:32then at least add something else to it
10:36so that it becomes Christianity and.
10:42Christianity and,
10:44in the case of Paul,
10:46it wasn't exactly Christianity,
10:47was it?
10:48It was faith in God
10:50and tradition.
10:51In the case of King Saul,
10:53it was faith in God
10:57and sense of community
10:59among the people.
11:00It could be faith in God
11:02and social justice.
11:07Faith in God
11:08and financial prosperity.
11:12Faith in God
11:13and eating healthily
11:16and looking after your body.
11:17There are so many different things.
11:20And what happens
11:21when something gets added on in that way
11:24is that one's zeal
11:27can become directed
11:28towards that end
11:31rather than towards God himself.
11:36And our faith
11:37can start to become
11:39a means to an end
11:42rather than a relationship
11:44with a living God.
11:46And that's the nature
11:48of misguided zeal.
11:51Faith becomes the most effective way
11:54to bring about something
11:57which in itself is good
11:58but to bring about something
12:00in the here and now
12:02rather than
12:04that living relationship
12:06with Jesus Christ.
12:09And brothers and sisters,
12:11this really can be
12:13a tragedy
12:16because as we saw
12:18from the case of King Saul
12:19and the case
12:20of Saul of Tarsus
12:22before he was converted,
12:24as we saw
12:25from those cases,
12:27what seems to be so good
12:29can end up
12:31tragically working
12:33against
12:34the purposes
12:35of God.
12:37Because God
12:39does not have
12:40only one thing
12:41on his agenda.
12:43And that's the danger
12:45of getting too attached
12:47to a particular good thing.
12:49You know,
12:50it can happen
12:51even if we're
12:52too enthusiastic
12:53about,
12:54let's call it
12:55the church
12:55or the people of God
12:56here on earth
12:57or even if we're
12:58too enthusiastic
12:59about family.
13:00Suppose God has
13:02restored our family
13:03relationships
13:03and we say,
13:04oh yes,
13:05God is a God
13:05of Isaac and Jacob.
13:07He's a God
13:07of family.
13:08But then
13:09Jesus warns us
13:11to love God
13:12more than our family.
13:14And if we become
13:15attached to one
13:16particular
13:18aspect,
13:18good cause,
13:20and become
13:20zealous for that,
13:23then we're no longer
13:24hearing the voice
13:26of God.
13:26So King Saul
13:28was so zealous
13:29for the people
13:30of Israel,
13:30he wasn't listening
13:31and he wasn't
13:32hearing God
13:33saying,
13:33but just a minute,
13:34these particular
13:35people,
13:36there's a covenant
13:37to protect them.
13:40And as we know
13:41in the case
13:42of Saul of Tarsus,
13:43he was so zealous
13:45for what he believed
13:46to be right
13:47from those godly
13:48traditions of his
13:49fathers that he
13:50ended up
13:52persecuting
13:52the Christians.
13:55And what happens,
13:57you know,
13:57why does this happen?
13:59Let me ask that question.
14:01Why can we
14:03find ourselves
14:04if we're not
14:05careful
14:06becoming zealous
14:07for one of the
14:08results
14:09of our faith
14:11rather than
14:12for God himself,
14:13the author
14:14of our faith?
14:16Well,
14:17what I have
14:18observed here
14:19in my own life
14:20and in others' lives
14:22is that this
14:23flesh of ours,
14:26you know,
14:26we've got human
14:27flesh here,
14:28it won't last
14:29beyond this life,
14:30will it?
14:30But we are a spirit
14:32living in a body
14:33and this
14:35flesh
14:35of ours
14:36always wants
14:37to settle
14:38in a place
14:40where sin
14:41does not really matter.
14:44It wants to find
14:45a place
14:46which is not
14:46constantly challenged
14:48to put things right,
14:51to be right
14:51before God,
14:52which can allow
14:52sin to exist.
14:54So this flesh
14:55will settle
14:56for a good cause
14:58rather than
15:00a relationship
15:01with God
15:01because you can
15:02still support
15:02the good cause
15:03with a bad attitude.
15:05You can still
15:06be enthusiastic
15:08for the family,
15:09be enthusiastic
15:09for the church,
15:10be enthusiastic
15:11for godly traditions
15:13and the way
15:14things should be
15:15in this world.
15:16You can be enthusiastic
15:17for those things
15:18and yet maintain
15:20an impure heart.
15:23That's the nature
15:24of this flesh.
15:25It becomes
15:25attached
15:26to things.
15:27It becomes
15:28zealous
15:28for things
15:29which don't
15:30challenge
15:32our living
15:33relationship
15:34with God
15:34our heart.
15:36So,
15:37I've got
15:38a very simple
15:39question for us all.
15:41How
15:41do we
15:44ensure
15:44that we have
15:46zeal
15:46for God
15:47himself
15:49and that
15:50we don't
15:50just become
15:51zealous
15:51for the benefits
15:52that he brings?
15:54Just think
15:55about one
15:55of the benefits,
15:56the benefit
15:56of breakthrough,
15:57the benefit
15:58of prosperity
15:59and blessing.
16:01Let's be careful
16:02that we're not
16:03zealous
16:04for that outcome
16:05rather than
16:05zealous
16:06for God himself
16:08because God
16:08may choose
16:09to take us
16:09in a different
16:10direction.
16:10He may choose
16:11to take us
16:12to a place
16:13of spiritual
16:14prosperity
16:15via difficulties
16:17and challenges
16:18because God
16:19is God.
16:21So,
16:21the question
16:22is how
16:24can we
16:25as human
16:25beings
16:27actually
16:28be zealous
16:29for God
16:29himself?
16:32And I think
16:33the answer
16:34is we cannot
16:34do this
16:35in our own
16:36strength.
16:38Like
16:39Paul the
16:40apostle,
16:41we need
16:42a revelation
16:43of the
16:44living Christ.
16:46And I just
16:47want us to
16:47read on
16:48in Galatians
16:49chapter 1
16:49to see that.
16:51So,
16:52if we go
16:52back to
16:53that scripture
16:53that we
16:54were reading
16:54a moment
16:54ago in
16:55Galatians
16:55chapter 1,
16:57we read
16:58about
16:58Paul's
16:59history
17:00and then
17:01we read
17:02on,
17:03we read
17:03to verse 14,
17:04we're going
17:05to read
17:05now verse
17:0515
17:07through to
17:08verse 17
17:09of Galatians
17:10chapter 1.
17:12And what
17:13does Paul
17:13say?
17:14He says,
17:14when it
17:15pleased God
17:17who separated
17:18me from
17:19my mother's
17:19womb and
17:20called me
17:21through his
17:22grace to
17:23reveal his
17:24son in
17:25me that
17:26I might
17:27preach him
17:27among the
17:28Gentiles,
17:29says,
17:30I didn't
17:30immediately
17:31confer with
17:31flesh and
17:32blood,
17:32nor did I
17:33go up to
17:33Jerusalem to
17:34those who
17:35were apostles
17:35before me,
17:36but I
17:36went to
17:36Arabia and
17:38returned to
17:38Damascus.
17:39Now,
17:41what does
17:42he say?
17:42He said,
17:43it pleased
17:44God to
17:46reveal his
17:47son in
17:48me,
17:48some
17:49translations
17:49say to
17:50reveal his
17:51son to
17:51me.
17:53I think
17:54we all
17:55know the
17:56story,
17:56don't we?
17:57The Damascus
17:58road,
17:59when Saul
18:01was on his
18:01way with
18:03a mandate
18:03to persecute
18:04the Christians
18:05and he
18:05met
18:05the living
18:06Christ.
18:08Christ
18:08revealed
18:09himself
18:09to Paul
18:11and what
18:12really
18:13shocked me
18:14when I
18:14thought about
18:15this
18:15scripture
18:15more
18:16was that
18:17Paul could
18:18say here
18:19that God
18:21separated
18:22me from
18:23my mother's
18:24womb and
18:25called me
18:26through his
18:27grace.
18:27Now,
18:28just think
18:28about that
18:29for a
18:29moment.
18:30Paul has
18:31just said
18:32that for
18:33the first,
18:34I'm not
18:34sure how
18:34old he
18:35was here,
18:35but the
18:35first 20,
18:3630 years,
18:37however many
18:37years of
18:38his life,
18:39he'd been
18:41zealous for
18:41the traditions
18:42of his
18:42fathers and
18:43then he'd
18:43been persecuting
18:44the church
18:45and he
18:46recognizes
18:46later,
18:47he says,
18:48he was the
18:48chief of
18:49sinners.
18:51And yet,
18:52from that
18:52position of
18:53recognizing
18:54that,
18:55he can
18:56say,
18:57after a
18:57revelation of
18:58Jesus,
18:59he can say,
18:59God
19:00separated me
19:01from my
19:02mother's
19:03womb.
19:03That's a
19:04revelation.
19:07To
19:08understand
19:08that our
19:10past is
19:11not only
19:11nothing to
19:12write home
19:12about,
19:13our past
19:13is something
19:14offensive to
19:15God,
19:17but he
19:18has called
19:19us,
19:20even from
19:21our mother's
19:22womb,
19:23that we
19:23should be
19:24called to
19:25follow him.
19:27and it
19:28talks about
19:29the revelation
19:31of Christ
19:31to reveal
19:32his son
19:33in me
19:34or to
19:35reveal his
19:35son to
19:36me,
19:36that I
19:37might preach
19:38him.
19:38And this
19:38is a very
19:39simple truth
19:40because we
19:42need a
19:43revelation
19:44to recognize
19:46that Jesus
19:47is alive.
19:50Christ
19:50is living.
19:52The thing
19:53is about
19:53good causes
19:54and other
19:55things we
19:56can be
19:56zealous
19:57for,
19:57which are
19:57good in
19:57themselves,
20:00is that
20:01they are
20:02fixed.
20:04They are
20:05principles,
20:06they are
20:07rules that
20:07can be
20:08written down.
20:09Jesus
20:10himself is
20:12not just
20:12a principle,
20:14is not
20:14just a
20:15set of
20:16ideals.
20:17He is
20:18alive,
20:19he is
20:19living.
20:21And the
20:23only way
20:23to have
20:25the zeal
20:25for him
20:26as opposed
20:27to his
20:27benefits
20:28is to
20:30develop
20:30that
20:30relationship
20:31with the
20:33living
20:33God.
20:34And that's
20:35challenging,
20:36and the
20:36flesh doesn't
20:37like it,
20:38because you
20:39can't have a
20:39relationship with
20:40a living
20:41Jesus while
20:41maintaining an
20:42impure heart
20:43or a sinful
20:44heart.
20:44He will
20:45convict you
20:46by his
20:47Holy Spirit,
20:47but that
20:48is an
20:49enormous
20:50benefit.
20:52so we
20:53need a
20:54revelation
20:55of the
20:57living
20:57Christ
20:58to walk
21:00with him.
21:00And another
21:01thing I
21:01noticed reading
21:02just a little
21:03further on in
21:04the Old
21:04Testament
21:05recently was
21:06when Solomon
21:08was praying
21:09and he was
21:10asking God
21:11for wisdom,
21:12God's promise
21:12to him was
21:13that he would
21:13give him
21:14a hearing
21:15heart.
21:17And that
21:18was our
21:18prayer at
21:19the beginning
21:19today,
21:20that God
21:20would give
21:20us a
21:21hearing
21:21heart,
21:23because the
21:24wisdom to
21:25manage things
21:27like King
21:28Saul, to
21:28know when
21:29to destroy
21:30and when
21:30not to
21:30destroy,
21:31he got
21:31them the
21:31wrong way
21:32around,
21:33the wisdom
21:34to know
21:35what God
21:35is saying
21:36about a
21:36situation
21:39comes from
21:40hearing,
21:41not from
21:42a well-developed
21:43human intellect
21:44or human
21:45strength.
21:46It comes
21:47from a
21:47relationship
21:48and hearing
21:49the living
21:50Christ speaking
21:52by his
21:53spirit through
21:54his word to
21:56our conscience.
21:57So that
21:59is the
22:00solution,
22:01brothers and
22:02sisters.
22:02That's where
22:03we want to
22:03go.
22:04We want to
22:05be those who
22:05are zealous
22:06for God
22:07himself and
22:08not just
22:09zealous for
22:10the things
22:11that he
22:11provides.
22:12God wants
22:13to meet
22:14our needs.
22:17but he
22:18wants to
22:19restore the
22:21relationship
22:21between us
22:23and him
22:24more than
22:25anything else.
22:26Jesus came
22:26to restore
22:27the relationship
22:28between God
22:30and man
22:31and that is
22:32a living
22:32relationship.
22:33That is a
22:34living friendship
22:36between our
22:37own hearts,
22:38between ourselves
22:39and the
22:40living God.
22:41So as we
22:42prepare our
22:42hearts now,
22:43let's be
22:44praying,
22:45Lord God,
22:46reveal yourself
22:47to me afresh.
22:48If you find
22:49yourself,
22:51as you think
22:52about this,
22:52perhaps you've
22:53been coming
22:54a little bit
22:55more like
22:55Saul than
22:56Paul and
22:57you may be
22:58zealous for
22:58the things
22:59of God,
23:00but perhaps
23:01it's become
23:02a little
23:03misguided
23:04and that
23:05zeal has
23:06become
23:06attached to
23:07something which
23:08is a good
23:09cause rather
23:11than the
23:11author of
23:12life himself.
23:13Perhaps
23:14that's happened
23:15to you,
23:15perhaps that's
23:16happened to
23:16any of us.
23:17Let's pray,
23:18let's ask
23:19God to
23:20show us
23:21that he is
23:22real.
23:24And the
23:24closing thought
23:25here,
23:26brothers and
23:26sisters,
23:26we ask
23:27God with
23:28our words.
23:29We say,
23:30God,
23:31show me
23:31that you
23:32are real.
23:32God,
23:32bring me
23:33a fresh
23:33revelation.
23:34Show me
23:35the living
23:36Christ.
23:36We pray
23:37that with
23:37our words,
23:38but also
23:40we pray
23:40that with
23:42our
23:43intentions,
23:44our actions
23:45and our
23:45whole life.
23:47One of the
23:48things Prophet
23:48T.B.
23:49Joshua taught
23:50us,
23:50didn't he,
23:50is that the
23:51prayer that
23:52is answered
23:52by God
23:53is not
23:53just the
23:54prayer that
23:54comes from
23:54the lips.
23:55It is the
23:56prayer that
23:56comes from
23:57the lips,
23:57but it's
23:58the prayer
23:58that comes
23:58from the
23:59lips which
23:59is matched
24:01by the
24:02life and
24:03the attitude
24:04of the
24:04heart.
24:05And it's
24:06our commitment
24:08to God,
24:09our commitment
24:10to grow
24:11that asks
24:12Jesus to
24:12accept us,
24:13not just
24:13our voice.
24:14It's our
24:15acting on
24:16the word
24:17in our
24:18hearts.
24:18It's our
24:19reading and
24:19responding and
24:20acting to
24:21the word,
24:21which invites
24:23the Holy
24:23Spirit to
24:24come in
24:24and dwell,
24:25not just
24:25the word
24:26that says
24:26Holy Spirit
24:27come and
24:28dwell in
24:29me.
24:30So let
24:31us close
24:31in prayer.
24:33Lord Jesus
24:33Christ,
24:34we thank you
24:34for your
24:35word,
24:35we thank you
24:35for your
24:36living word.
24:38We pray
24:39that you
24:40would reveal
24:42yourself afresh
24:44in us
24:45and to
24:47us by
24:48your Holy
24:49Spirit.
24:50We thank
24:51it that
24:51you are
24:52alive,
24:52you are
24:53present in
24:54this room
24:55and you
24:56are present
24:57in every
24:58room represented
24:59by those
25:00viewing this
25:02service.
25:03Lord,
25:04show us
25:05all that
25:06you are
25:06real as
25:08you display
25:08your glory
25:09in Jesus'
25:11mighty name
25:12we pray.
25:14Amen.
25:15Amen.
