Godly Zeal and its Effects

TEXT: John 2:13-22 "And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; 16 and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house shall eat me up. 18 The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."

INTRODUCTION-- Several thoughts can come from this incident.
  1. It shows the role of "righteous indignation" in religious practices.
    1. Commercialism had invaded the Temple, and that was not place for it.
    2. Jesus was concerned with the purity and spiritual significance of worship.
    3. He fulfilled the prophetical thought of Psalm 69:6-12. "Let not them that wait for thee be put to shame through me, O Lord Jehovah of hosts: Let not those that seek thee be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. 7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; Shame hath covered my face. 8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother's children. 9 For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up; And the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me. 10 When I wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, That was to my reproach. 11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword unto them. 12 They that sit in the gate talk of me; And [I am] the song of the drunkards."
      1. (NOTE: The last part of Verse 9 is also quoted by Paul, and applied to Christ, in Romans 15:3. "For Christ also pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon me.")
      2. Psalm 69 confirms the truth that when a person shows zeal for holy things, his name will become a reproach to them who do not share the same zeal. This is certainly true in Jesus' case, because the Jews ques tioned His right to cleanse the Temple, asking for a "sign."
  2. Zeal is good, but sometimes men have a zeal for things which do not accomplish spiritual good for anyone.
THESIS-- Since zeal can be misguided, we should be interested to learn the proper direction and employment of zeal.

LESSON--
  1. Zeal is defined in two ways.
    1. Dictionaries and Thesauruses will use synonyms like, "Ardor, fervor, excitement, earnest desire, a boiling energy."
    2. The Greek Word zelos is also translated "jealousy, envy, indignation."
  2. There are "zealots" for the wrong things.
    1. There is uninformed zeal.
      1. Romans 10:1-3 "Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."
      2. Acts 21:17-24 "And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he rehearsed one by one the things which God had wrought among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And they, when they heard it, glorified God; and they said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of them that have believed; and they are all zealous for the law: 21 and they have been informed concerning thee, that thou teachest all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs. 22 What is it therefore? They will certainly hear that thou art come. 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men that have a vow on them; 24 these take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges for them, that they may shave their heads: and all shall know that there is no truth in the things whereof they have been informed concerning thee; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, keeping the law."
    2. Some passions are only misdirected zeal.
      1. Against Christians. Philippians 3:4-6 "...though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh: if any other man thinketh to have confidence in the flesh, I yet more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 as touching zeal, persecuting the church; as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless."
      2. In generating wrong attitudes.
        1. Romans 13:13-14 "Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy (Gk. zelos, "zeal"). 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."
        2. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; 3 for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?"
        3. James 3:14 "But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth."
  3. Proper zeal is desirable in Christians.
    1. The desire to edify. 1 Corinthians 14:1-3, 12 "Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. 2 For he that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God; for no man understandeth; but in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men edification, and exhortation, and consolation.............12 So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may abound unto the edifying of the church."
    2. Zeal for good works.
      1. Titus 2:14 "(Christ) gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works."
      2. 2 Corinthians 9:2 "....for I know your readiness, of which I glory on your behalf to them of Macedonia, that Achaia hath been prepared for a year past; and your zeal hath stirred up very many of them."
    3. Zeal for personal reformation.
      1. Revelation 3:17-19 "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
      2. 2 Corinthians 7:11 "For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter."

APPLICATION--
  1. We appreciate Christ's zeal for the house of God.
  2. But, does zeal for the house of God eat us up? For attendance? For the Lord's Supper? For giving to support evangelists, and other good spiritual causes?