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Title: Do Not Permit Your Zeal to grow cold
Numbers 25v1-17; Rev 2v14-17; Revelation 3v14-16
Introduction
Ø To permit is to allow.
Ø Definition of Zeal: It is great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.
Body:
Ø Sometimes we allow our zeal to be killed by people around us, our environment and etc
Ø People around make us to compromise our standards and destinies.
Ø Life have got dreams and destiny helpers or destiny killers. You need to be aware who you are dealing with.
Ø The greatest challenge for Moses was not the Jericho wall or the hostile army of Jericho or the waiting Jordan but it was the ever temptation of compromise with the pagan Canaanite religion and cultures
Ø The scriptures does tell how the Israelite men were involved in sexual immorality, but we do know that sacred prostitution was the common practice among the Canaanite religions.
Ø At first, they didn’t think about worshipping idols they were interested in fulfilling the desires of their flesh.
Ø Before long they started attending feast and family celebrations that involved idol worshipping
Ø Their desire for fun and pleasure caused them to loosen their spiritual commitment
Ø In the quest of justifying their desires they relaxed their standards and principles. They had no values anymore.
Ø Have you relaxed your standards in order to justify your desires?
Ø Balaam had taught Balak how to entice the Israelites to sin so that they could eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality (Numbers 22-24).
Ø We must weigh the words and deeds of those that want to offer spiritual or physical help. Some of them are good enticers.
Ø Baal was the most popular god in the land that Israel was about to enter (Canaan). He was the god of rain and harvest. Prostitution played a large part in the worship of Baal.
Ø The zeal of the Lord made Phinehas angry
Ø Phinehas was angry because of Zimri and Cozbi's behavior (sexual immorality to be specific) before God and the congregation. The zeal of the Lord drove Phinehas into action.
Ø It is not because they had violated his (Phinehas) rights. It is because the truth principle of God had been violated
Ø If your rights are at stake it is proper and wiser to keep your feelings under control
Ø If the truth is at stake, anger is often justified, although violence and retaliation are usually the wrong way to express it
Ø What Phinehas did completely averted God’s anger and judgement upon Israel
Ø God rewarded him for what he did. We need to know that every zeal is rewarded.
Ø Our zeal should be correct and justified for the Lord not for our egos. Our egos are self centered and not Christocentric.
Ø To the angel of the church of Laodiceans God said you are neither hot nor cold. He said he preferred if he knew the church condition. He would be confident of what he needs to do if he knew the spiritual status. God doesn’t prefer luke warmness because he does not know what to do with it. It is very difficult to help a luke warm person because they don't accept their condition. You don't know whether they are fine or not. You use assumption. It's a parabolic equation.
Ø You can not help a person who is in between because you don’t know what they want.
Ø Zimri was a confused men because he loved Israel, but he didn’t want to do the will of God and what the whole congregation was doing at that time before God. He had some preferences. Preference to please his body. Who cares. He was a man of influence. If I was Zimri I could have relocated from the camp, but I think that would be a bad and costly idea. He wanted covering from the same God so he was supposed to follow what God wanted without compromise.
Ø Balaam wasn’t able to curse Israel, but he knew how to seduce them into sin so great that Jehovah would judge them
Ø If you are walking right with God, you can not be cursed. Isaiah 54v17, Deuteronomy 28v7.
Ø Balaam couldn’t do it by inviting demons. He accomplished his task by enticing them, appealing to the flesh and inviting Jews to enjoy themselves at Baal Peor.
Ø No demon can touch you if are living righteously in Jesus. Live a holy life.
Ø This is the first recorded incident in the bible of Israel worshipping Baal, but it’s certainly isn’t the last
Ø You would expect Israel to remember their experience with God at mount Sinai when they entered into a covenant with God. You also expect them to remember the nations idolatry at Sinai when Aaron made the golden calf and God judged the nation.
Ø They knew that both idolatry and immorality were forbidden by God
Ø Ladies and gentlemen it is good to stand blameless before God
Ø Israel was a special nation they had no business of mixing with the pagan Moabites and Midianites and worshipping their false gods.
Ø Always stand firm and refuse to be enticed into things that will destroy your dreams and destiny. Every destiny killer should be removed from your life in the name of Jesus.
Ø Because of this compromise the Lord sent a plague and begun to kill people and Moses moved into action to stop this plague. I am writing here to stop any plague that is coming into your life.
Ø Moses ordered judges to kill people who had led Israel into this terrible sin and expose their bodies as warning to the rest of the people, but one special act of judgement by Phinehas helped to bring the plague to an end and save the rest of the people. Our actions can save or destroy our families. I think we should think before we act, but it's not always the case.
Ø Zimri had brought a prostitute into his tent before the eyes of Moses and the nation, whilst everyone was praying and crying before the tabernacle door.
Ø This was a brazen high handed sin, for which there was no forgiveness in the old testament. We thank the Lord for his forgiveness through his son Jesus Christ. Indeed, He paid a debt that he did not owe. We should worship him with all our hearts.
Ø Zimri was a prince in Israel and Cozbi was a prince in Midian. Perhaps their social status gave them privilege to sinning without anyone questioning them. They were the untouchables. You know in life there also the untouchables.
Ø Phinehas Aaron's grandson didn’t care about that. He left prayer meeting without Moses knowledge and went after the couple and killed both in their tent whilst in the act of sin with one thrust of his spear.
Ø Allegorical the spear represents the word of God. Yes; the word of the Lord can thrust an wall and destroy any sin.
Ø This stopped the plague but 24000 had died because of the plague. Sin can cause plagues in our life.
Ø Ladies and gentlemen sometimes you need to take the bull by it's horns to stop the plague.
Ø Phinehas proved his faith and knowledge by his works. It was accounted to him for righteousness
Ø Because of his zeal for the Lord, Phinehas was given the special reward of everlasting priesthood for himself and his descendants.
Ø Phinehas knew nothing about this reward before he acted, so his motives were not selfish or self centered. They were genuine.
Ø He was motivated by his zeal for the Lord
Ø He wasn’t afraid of battle. We need to deal with issues in our lives which have been crumbling and destroying our destinies and dreams.
Ø 2 Tim 1v7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Ø Some of us are so afraid to tackle some issue which we know have been affecting our destinies for a long time
Ø I believe the time is now. Let’s take the bull by its horns. Time wasters and dream destroyers should be absolutely destroyed from our lives.
Ø Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Halleluyah.
Ø Because of his courage Phinehas was put in charge as the gatekeeper. He had the presence of God in his life (1 Chron 9v20)
Ø What you need is only courage and conviction to do it. Don't fear people that will give you names (name calling people). Be focused to your destiny. Phinehas had courage and conviction to do it. May the Lord give you the same courage. May He renew your focus in the word in Jesus name.
Ø Some our confidence is taken by people that name call us. Don't worry they are destiny destroyers. Some are even so shy to tell people that we are Christians and worship God all their life. The love to be nice before people but yet they losing it all. We are even shy to invite people to church. I would like to make a loud announcement, OUR lives are not in the hands of people. THEY ARE IN THE HANDS OF THE ALMIGHTY GRACIOUS GOD. In him we are a safe and secured.
Ø God protects and rewards those that are zealous towards him period.
Ø Peter says to Jesus I will die with you and Jesus gives him a warning of a temptation that will befall him. Yes temptations will come but we will overcome them in Jesus Mighty name. Peter was very quick to answer whenever Jesus asked a question. God stood with him even in his failures up to point of searching for him (Peter) him after the resurrection. (Mark 16v7); ØJesus Christ appeared to Simon Peter in Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:14-20, Luke 24:36-53, and John 21:1-23.
Ø Paul had zeal, John had zeal, Samuel had zeal, Daniel and his friends had zeal
Ø The story of David and Goliath and many others is the story of zeal
Ø Zeal will help us to reach our dreams and outreach many people
Ø Ladies and gentlemen Christian fellowship is more than just a pat on the back and handshake
Ø It means sharing the burdens and the blessings of others so that we all grow together and glorify the Lord
Ø There are people that need love
Ø God call us to genuine love and zeal which goes far beyond being hypocritical and polite
Ø Most of us have learnt how to talk and speak nicely without hurting people feeling but that’s not enough. We need world changers.
Ø Genuine love requires concentration and effort. Real effort.
Ø It means helping others to become better people. Phinehas could have just ignore but he had just taken the call genuinely right to the heart.
Ø It demand time, money, personal involvement and sacrifice.
Ø No individual have capacity to express love to the whole community but the body of Christ in a town does
Ø Look for ways you and your fellow believers can love your community for Christ
Ø As Christians we honor people because they have been created in God’s image
Ø Because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ
Ø Put others first in your choices
Ø Do not hesitate to offer hospitality because you are too tired, too busy, or not wealthy enough to entertain. Zeal should drive us to do that. Don’t look for compliments because you will be disappointed. The Lord is going to give you a reward.
Ø Many people use their contacts for self ambition. They select those people who will help them climb the social ladder
Ø As Christians we should treat all people with respect regardless of their background and were they come from. Genuine zeal have got genuine love
Ø Pride is very dangerous. Sometimes we feel we have got it all. We feel we don’t need people. Yet its totally wrong. Totally wrong. We must never consider others as being below us. We should love all.
Ø A humble attitude and a willingness to share are the marks of a Christian who truly minister to the body. People who have genuinely given themselves to the Lord. With a genuine and uncompromised zeal for the Lord
Ø A church that will love everybody has got proper zeal. Incorrect zeal is misplaced and judgmental
Ø My encouragement to you this Christmas is not to permit your zeal to die. Please.
Ø Reach people that need to be reached. Reach people that are lonely. People that are expecting love. Reach out to everybody as long as you can. Don’t be disappointed if no one thank you, they will thank you next time.
Ø Be a profitable community member with correct zeal. Misplaced zeal is dangerous.
Ø Merry Christmas to your all.
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