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ZEAL FOR THE LORD
August 3, 2008
Rom. 12:11 – Never be lacking in zeal, but keep
your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (Gr.,
“zeo”, “fervor”, also Acts 18:25)
Zeo = fervor = to be hot; to boil
Are you ever on fire for God?
Are you always on fire for God?
Rev. 3:15 – I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either
one or the other!
God wants us to be one or the other, but NOT
lukewarm!
John 2:17 (Psa. 69:9) – His disciples
remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your
house will consume me.” (Gr., “zeelos”,
“zeal”)
Zeelos = zeal = enthusiastic devotion
Keys to Zeal
1. Crucify self
2. Feed the flame
3. Don’t quench the fire
1. Crucify Self
Matt. 16:24 – Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone
would come after me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me.
Gal. 2:20; 5:24; 6:14 – I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me… Those who
belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature
with its passions and desires… May I never boast
except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through
which the world has been crucified to me, and I to
the world.
Rom. 6:3-7 – Or don't you know that all of us who
were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
his death? We were therefore buried with him
through baptism into death in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we
have been united with him like this in his death,
we will certainly also be united with him in his
resurrection. For we know that our old self was
crucified with him so that the body of sin might
be done away with, that we should no longer be
slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has
been freed from sin.
Gal. 5:16-17 – So I say, live by the Spirit, and you
will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to
the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the
sinful nature. They are in conflict with each
other, so that you do not do what you want.
Rom. 8:5 – Those who live according to the sinful
nature have their minds set on what that nature
desires; but those who live in accordance with
the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit
desires.
1. Get right with God—be saved.
2. Set your mind and heart on God—daily.
3. Clearly identify the acts of the sinful nature
and flee from them!
4. Clearly identify the fruit of the Spirit and
pursue them!
5. Hang out with “on-fire” people.
6. Run from lukewarmers and “cold” Christians.
7. Repent when you get lukewarm or cold—
don’t stay in that place long.
2. Feed the Flame
Lev. 6:12-13 – The fire on the altar must be kept
burning; it must not go out. Every morning
the priest is to add firewood and arrange the
burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of
the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must
be kept burning on the altar continuously; it
must not go out.
God’s fire was clearly symbolic of the Holy Spirit
who would come into the heart of the believer
(the “Holy Place” and the “altar”)
Matt. 3:16 – As soon as Jesus was baptized, he
went up out of the water. At that moment
heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove and lighting on
him.
Acts 2:38 – Repent and be baptized, every one
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
“Every morning the priest is to add firewood
and arrange the burnt offering on the fire”
1 Pet. 2:5, 9 – You… are being built into a
spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people belonging to God…
• We are priests.
• Our hearts are the altar.
• The Holy Spirit is God’s fire.
• Our role is to place fuel on the altar daily and
arrange it to maximize the fire!
1. Read, study, and obey God’s word (Psa. 119;
Col. 3:16; James 1:22-25)
2. Pray constantly (1 Thess. 5:17)
3. Be in the fellowship (Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:24)
4. Hang out with on fire people (1 Cor. 15:3334)
3. Don’t Quench the Fire
1 Thess. 5:19 – Do not put out the Spirit's fire…
Heb. 10:29 – How much more severely do you
think a man deserves to be punished who has
trampled the Son of God under foot, who has
treated as an unholy thing the blood of the
covenant that sanctified him, and who has
insulted the Spirit of grace?
Gal. 5:16-17 – So I say, live by the Spirit, and
you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. For the sinful nature desires what is
contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the sinful nature. They are in
conflict with each other, so that you do not
do what you want.
Eph. 4:30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, with whom you were sealed for the day
of redemption. (by continually committing
sins contrary to His Spirit)
1. Pray for the Holy Spirit – Luke 11:13 – If you
then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more
will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him!“
2. Obey God – Acts 5:32 – We are witnesses of
these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom
God has given to those who obey him. Heb.
10: 29 – How much more severely do you
think a man deserves to be punished who
has trampled the Son of God under foot,
who has treated as an unholy thing the blood
of the covenant that sanctified him, and who
has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we
know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I
will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his
people."
Conclusion
1. Crucify self
2. Feed the flame
3. Don’t quench the fire