Embracing Zeal: A Call to Passionate Faith

well how do we overcome half-heartedness spiritual laziness that's the question today and on Thursday as well this whole week and speaking of zeal for God I should first mention again that this October we're celebrating the Reformation uh Martin Luther's great stand against the pope and against Rome spiritual abuses and Theological errors uh but Luther didn't stand alone other men stood for this very same cause both before and after him people like John Wickliffe William tendale Thomas cranmer John Knox and John Calvin and many other lesser known names paid the ultimate price in the Reformation men and women even teenagers who stood against Rome and who were bled and burned and drowned for it these stories of sacrifice are our focus in the month ahead [00:03:52]

the transformed mind from verse one of chapter 12 not only discerns what is the will of God what is good acceptable and perfect it it really wants to do the will of God it's all in 100% with the will of God it's not a half-hearted doing of the will of God if God's will for you is to contribute do it generously if God's will for you is to lead lead zealously if God's will for you is to do Mercy show Mercy do it cheerfully not begrudgingly so what Paul is getting at is that the renewed mind the mind of Christ in Christians it this transformed mind is not only able to recognize what is the will of God but also is inclined how to do it how to go about the will of God [00:04:06]

God's will is not simply that we do the right thing but that we do it with all our heart with all our soul and all our might that's the point of those verses that's what got me thinking about Zeal so it's not surprising then that the very next verse n verse 9 in Romans 12 says Let Your Love be genuine abore what is evil in other words really love and really hate don't let your love be half-hearted and unreal and don't let your recognition of evil simply be a mild disapproval abhor it it's a very strong word it's the only place it's used in the New Testament it's the way Zeal responds to evil abhor [00:05:00]

and then to make it Crystal Clear what he's so concerned about one verse later verse 11 he says do not be slothful in Zeal same words up in verse eight be fervent in spirit serve the Lord so the great object of the lives of Believers is the Lord serve the Lord seek to magnify the worth and the greatness and the beauty of the Lord all that you do but what burns in Paul's heart as far as I can see is that we serve the Lord in a certain way namely that we not be lethargic or slothful or lazy or half-hearted or sluggish or lukewarm in the way we serve the Lord the way or the way we do everything for that matter [00:06:03]

so that phrase be fervent in spirit literally means boil boil in the spirit that in fact the word fervent is the Latin word for boil and Paul is saying you don't get a pass if your personality is flagma that's an old word if if you were born passive it's kind of a couch potato type person you don't get a pass this is not a comment on your personality this is a command for all Christians whatever your personality make it work for you when when you know the will of God and you resolve to do it which is what Christians do be all in do it all the way do it with all your might and all your soul do it with Zeal ardor fervency eagerness pray that your spirit boil with Zeal for the will of God and the glory of God [00:06:48]

Edwards now after after those it was about 15 minutes of meditation on Romans 12 making notes in my little little Journal that I keep beside my chair I realized there's a ghost walking through my mind he's really he's really there yes it's the Apostle Paul yes it's the Holy Spirit there's another ghost and his name is Jonathan Edwards and he wrote 70 resolutions when he was 19 I read those resolutions decades ago and only one of them could I quote verbatim to this day only one because it's short but it's also very important resolution number six resolved to live with all my might while I do live [00:07:57]

let me say it again resolved to live with all my might while I do live every time I read that sentence my heart Rises up with Zeal and says yes yes oh God don't let me waste my life with lukewarm halfhearted efforts to do anything whatever your hand finds to do do it with all your might Ecclesiastes 9:10 I think that res resolution is a it's just a paraphrase of of Ecclesiastes 9:10 or Colossians 3:23 whatever you do work hardly from the soul as to the Lord and not to men and lest we think that this resolution to live with all my might while I do live was simply kind of an overstated 19-year-old expression of youthful energy [00:08:33]

17 years later as a pastor in Northampton Edwards preached a sermon entitled Zeal an essential virtue of a Christian I just reread it a few days ago just to stoke my engine on this and the text was Titus 2:14 Christ gave himself for us to purify for himself a people who are zealous for good works he he didn't die simply to make us able to do good works he died to make us passionate about doing good works that's what it says not halfhearted so in conclusion the booster rocket that sends Zeal for good works in fact Zeal for everything we do into orbit this booster rocket is Christ died for this he died for this Christ gave himself on the cross to create a people with Zeal Zeal for good works Zeal for the glory of the Lord [00:09:18]

this is what pleases the Lord he died for it so I pray that all of us will join Jonathan Edwards and say resolved to live with all my might while I do live thank you Pastor John and uh speaking of living with all our might while we do live be sure to check out the stories of men and women and teenagers who did this very thing in our series called here we stand subscribe to the email Journey right now by going to desiringgod.org forstand or just go to desiringgod.org and click on the link at the top of the website we're back to look at Zeal and our joy in God next time I'm Tony ranky see you on Thursday [00:10:18]