“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything byprayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God,which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:5-7)

What are you zealous for?

Some are zealous for sports teams, some are zealous for cars, others are zealous for things; but what ought we to be zealous for, what is it that should consume us?  It should be our ZEAL FOR THE LORD.

Can I remind you what a true zealot is? 

• A zealot is partisan - that means there is no doubt about which side he is on.
• A zealot is a fanatic - he is full throttle for his cause. We too should be zealots, but not for our preferred "cause of the month",  but for the Lord.
• A zealot gets satisfaction and contentment from what they are pursuing.
• A zealot is happy about what they are doing, it is not just out of duty. They are truly excited about that of which they are a fanatic.

So what exactly is zeal? According to 1 Corinthians 2:13, it is a word of the Holy Ghost. 

• Zeal: Intense ardor in the pursuit of some end; passionate eagerness in favor of a person or cause; enthusiasm as displayed in action.
• Ardor:  Heat of passion or desire, vehemence, ardent desire; warmth of emotion, zeal, fervor, eagerness, enthusiasm. 

Zeal for the Lord is a good thing!  Know that Godly Zeal Is Contagious, but Godly Zeal also has enemies. Zeal can provoke others by giving them an example of a fervent spirit and shaming them for their apathetic and lukewarm spirit.  BUT…. Applied Zeal Is What Counts. This is the key point!

Are you zealous for the priorities God has already set for your life? You likely know what you should be doing in your life.  Zeal gives you the force to do it! 

There is a zeal that is divisive, destructive, and deadly. You can take a hammer and build a house with it, or you can cause someone harm with it. Anything taken to an extreme can become bad. We need to learn the difference between zeal and moderation. Let your moderation or your gentleness be known unto all men. Zeal and moderation are not enemies; they're friends.  That doesn’t mean we compromise our beliefs, but we need to learn to live by grace.

The cause of Christ has been hurt by misguided zeal many times. When Jesus was in Samaria, the Samaritans were mistreating the Lord Jesus Christ. James and John were with Jesus, and they became very zealous for Jesus. They said to Him in Luke9:54, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”  But Jesus turned, and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56).

The manner of spirit they had was that of a misguided zealot. They saw the way the Samaritans were living, and they said “Lord, let’s get them”.   The cause of Christ has sometimes been hurt far more in the house of its friends than in the house of its enemies.

What is an issue that easily riles you up? How can you guard against misguided zeal? When have you been tempted to take justice into your own hands?  Zeal in Christianity is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in very possible way.  It is a desire, which is not natural to men or women. It is a desire which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when they are converted to Christ.

Talk to another Christian who knows you well and ask where you tend to have misguided zeal. Ask your friend to keep you accountable for submitting those things to God. 

The Bible, however, looks at zeal not so much as an emotion, but as an expression of faith. You become zealous because you have come to know God. 

My grandmother had a sign in her living room that said: ”Only one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

So how do we know if our zeal is God Approved?

1. Our zeal should Harmonize with Divine Will (Numbers. 25:6-11 Rom. 10:2). 
2. Our zeal should be directed toward God, not Men (Num. 25:11-13) -It is the “thy will be done” mentality that drives one to have a fervent spirit in doing the will of God – cf.Matt. 7:21-23 (Rom. 12:11).
3. Our zeal should be directed toward “Good Things” at all Times – Not to please men (Galatians 4:18 Phil. 2:12.
4. Our zeal should be Works & Prayers for the Spiritual Well-being of Others – Col. 4:12-13.
5. Our zeal will not harm the cause of Christ & His church – Phil. 3:6. 6.
6. Our zeal should grows out of Genuine Conversion – 2 Cor. 7:11.

Fanatics are those who seem to live in extremes. Many who are called spiritual “fanatics” are simply those who are more devoted than ourselves. But when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ: Would you rather be told you believed too much or you believed too little?  Would you rather be told you cared too much or you cared too little?  Would you rather be told you tried too hard, or you didn’t try hard enough?  Would you rather be told you were too forgiving or you were too judgmental?  Would you rather be told, “Well done, thou hyper-hopeful, risk-taking servant” or “Well done, thou cautious, play-it-safe servant?” 

Choose to be TRULY ZEALOUS for the LORD today!   

Let's continue from where we left off last time....

JOHN 2:15-17
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

What is this scourge of cords and what does it mean?  It tells us that Jesus had the right to cleanse the temple.  There are several things that confirm this for us. A scourge - A whip.  Of small cords ...the original word implies that these "cords" were made of twisted "rushes" or "reeds" - probably the ancient material for making ropes."

In other words, Jesus seems to have stopped in the courtyard -- in the midst of all the noise and chaos of the surging crowds, looking to change money and purchase sacrifices, and surrounded by the cacophony of lowing cattle and bleating sheep --and painstakingly makes a scourge, a whip, from the materials that were at hand...rushes that formed the animals' beds and ropes used to tether them.

This obviously took no small amount of time and shouts deliberate determination and a mature focus.
This scourge of cords was a symbol of Jesus’ righteous anger, of His right to be obeyed, of His right to enforce obedience within the temple.   The scourge was a symbol of the power and cleansing judgment of God-the kind of power and cleansing judgment that causes men to tremble before God (Phil.2:9-11)
 
Jesus went through the temple and you see three things that He did.  First he chased out ALL who were buying and selling.  Then He threw over the tables of the moneychangers.  Lastly, He threw over the chairs of the dove dealers.
 
One of the things we learn from this passage is that the temple or the church can be abused by: forgetting what worship is all about.  We can misuse the facilities and buildings of God’s house.  We can ignore God’s holiness and forget our duty and reverence to God.  We can also abuse the church by approving questionable non-worshipful activities.
 
In this passage we see Jesus’ unique relationship to God. He called God “My Father” and called the temple “My Father’s house.”   

Jesus was continually calling God “My Father” and He said My Father’s house many times.  Jesus was saying that the temple was God’s so that meant it was to be a house of worship for all people.  Including the Gentiles as well as the Jews.  All people should be able to worship in quietness and peace within God’s temple.  No one should be barred, separated or discouraged from worshipping God in His temple.  Everyone is to be welcomed.
 
I want you to notice that the church or the temple was called a house of worship, not a house of sacrifices, offerings, teaching, prophesying , or preaching.  Everything done within the House of God is to lead to the worship of the Father and for having communion with the Father
 
You see, the temple was not to be used as a commercial center.  It is not to be a place for buying and selling, marketing and retailing, stealing and cheating where man gets the gain.
 
Jesus had a consuming zeal. His enthusiasm and zeal fulfilled Scripture and demonstrated that He was the Messiah.  The Messiah was bound to be zealous for God’s house and to react in anger at such corruption within the temple.  The Scripture had predicted that the Messiah was have such zeal (Psalm 69:9).
 
Jesus had the right to show zeal and anger against such desecration of the temple.  He was the Messiah and His act stirred the memory of the disciples. 
 
 

JOHN 2:15-16
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;   16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

What is this scourge of small cords and what does it mean?  It tells us that Jesus had the right to cleanse the temple.  There are several things that confirm this for us. A scourge - A whip.  Of small cords ...the original word implies that these "cords" were made of twisted "rushes" or "reeds" - probably the ancient material for making ropes."

In other words, Jesus seems to have stopped in the courtyard -- in the midst of all the noise and chaos of the surging crowds, looking to change money and purchase sacrifices, and surrounded by the cacophony of lowing cattle and bleating sheep --and painstakingly makes a scourge, a whip, from the materials that were at hand...rushes that formed the animals' beds and ropes used to tether them.

This obviously took no small amount of time and shouts deliberate determination and a mature focus.  This scourge of cords was a symbol of Jesus’ righteous anger, of His right to be obeyed, of His right to enforce obedience within the temple.   The scourge was a symbol of the power and cleansing judgment of God-the kind of power and cleansing judgment that causes men to tremble before God (Phil.2:9-11)
 
Jesus went through the temple and you see three things that He did. 

• First he chased out ALL who were buying and selling. 
  
• Then He threw over the tables of the moneychangers. 
  
• Lastly, He threw over the chairs of the dove dealers.

 
One of the things we learn from this passage is that the temple or the church can be abused by: forgetting what worship is all about.  We can misuse the facilities and buildings of God’s house.  We can ignore God’s holiness and forget our duty and reverence to God.  We can also abuse the church by approving questionable non-worshipful activities.
 
In this passage we see Jesus’ unique relationship to God. He called God “My Father” and called the temple “My Father’s house.”

Jesus was continually calling God “My Father” and He said My Father’s house many times.  Jesus was saying that the temple was God’s so that meant it was to be a house of worship for all people.  Including the Gentiles as well as the Jews.  All people should be able to worship in quietness and peace within God’s temple.  No one should be barred, separated or discouraged from worshipping God in His temple.  Everyone is to be welcomed.
 
I want you to notice that the church or the temple was called a house of worship, not a house of sacrifices, offerings, teaching, prophesying , or preaching.  Everything done within the House of God is to lead to the worship of the Father and for having communion with the Father.
 
You see, the temple was not to be used as a commercial center.  It is not to be a place for buying and selling, marketing and retailing, stealing and cheating where man gets the gain.
 
Jesus had a consuming zeal. His enthusiasm and zeal fulfilled Scripture and demonstrated that He was the Messiah.  The Messiah was bound to be zealous for God’s house and to react in anger at such corruption within the temple.  The Scripture had predicted that the Messiah was have such zeal (Psalm 69:9).
 
Jesus had the right to show zeal and anger against such desecration of the temple.  He was the Messiah and His act stirred the memory of the disciples.

Our prayer is that this study will stir you to have zeal for and to encourage you to stand up for the things of GOD!

John 2:12-16(NKJV)
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.  13 And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.   14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:  15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
 
After reading these verses a question might arise.  Why did Jesus clean the Temple in such a harsh manner?  He turned over tables.  He made whips to beat the merchants, etc.
 
Jesus cleansed the temple of the money-changers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal, His passion to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men.
 
Well, some of you might say, "isn’t it true today that all the ministries advertise after they give a sermon that they will send you something in the mail or you can receive some kind of free gift just for giving a donation to their ministry.  Is that not what the Lord was annoyed with?"
 
No, that is not the case in this passage in the Bible.  In the Temple there was a place where the animals were to be brought in and watched for three days to make sure they were healthy and approved for sacrifice.  But, the problem that was happening was that the priests had become corrupt.
 
They were telling the people who brought animals sacrifices that your animal was NOT healthy.  Your animal is not clean so you have to buy an approved temple animal that has been tested for the necessary days and we have just the right one here for your family.
 
The priests were not telling the truth.  They were lying and forcing people to buy from their vendors whom they possibly were getting money from as part of a kick-back scheme they had devised.
 
The sellers were gouging or extorting the faithful by charging exorbitant or very high prices. There were other merchants selling cattle and sheep for the temple sacrifices as well. Because of these sellers who preyed on the poor and because of His passion for the purity of His Father’s house, Jesus was filled with righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the money-changers, He condemned them for having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). As He did so, His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”
 
These same moneychangers were associated with others who engaged in shady business practices in the temple courts.  Some sold sacrificial animals, overcharging people who did not bring their own. Others were in charge of examining the animals to be sacrificed, and it was a simple matter to declare an animal “unapproved” and force the worshiper to buy another animal—at an inflated price—from the temple vendors. Such goings-on, exploiting the poor and the foreigner, angered the Lord Jesus and was strictly forbidden in the Mosaic Law (Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:34).
 
It is quite possible that others had felt “uncomfortable” about what was going on in the temple. However, Jesus was the only one on record who actually did something about it. In this case, “consuming zeal” may have a bit of a double meaning. Not only was Jesus’ zeal consuming in that it caused Him to take radical action, but it set Him on a collision course with the Jewish leadership that eventually ended in their delivering Him to Pilate for crucifixion.

The New Testament writers see many parallels between Jesus and David. Jesus’ zealous actions were rejected by His countrymen. David was also rejected, scorned, and mocked because of His zeal for God. This is simply one more line of evidence that Jesus really is the rightful heir of David—David’s Greater Son. Likewise, those who follow in the steps of Jesus may now face the same kind of rejection if they prove to be zealous for the things of God.

Today, ask yourself, are you willing to stand up and take radical action for the things of GOD?

Be sure to check back on October 15 for part 2 of this important topic!