- 1 week ago
Are you zealous for God Himself or just the benefits He brings? In this sermon, Gary uses the examples of two Sauls from the Old and New Testaments to reveal how we can be enthusiastic about good things - such as family, church, and godly traditions - yet still maintain an impure heart. Discover how to prioritise a personal relationship with Jesus Christ so your zeal remains focused on Him above all else, avoiding the trap of attachment to created things rather than the Creator Himself.
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TVTranscript
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.