WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:02.700 Would you turn with me in your scriptures to 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:10.339 2 Kings chapter 13? 2 Kings chapter 13. I started 00:00:10.339 --> 00:00:14.140 this word last week. God began to drop this in 00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:17.480 my heart. We began a discussion in our seniors 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:20.300 gathering. Our seniors gather every Wednesday 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:25.780 at 1 p .m. at Suzanne and at the Kodat's home 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:31.399 and Suzanne and Mike's home. It's mostly Suzanne, 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:40.280 so Mike gets to live there. But any of you that 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:42.979 consider yourself seniors, what age is that? 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:47.340 I don't know when that begins. I go. But anyway, 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.159 it's a wonderful prayer meeting, and you are 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:54.399 welcome to come at 1 o 'clock. And so we talked 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:59.359 about this passage of Scripture. And I felt like 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:01.259 the Lord wanted me to bring it to the entire 00:01:01.259 --> 00:01:04.859 church. I feel like it's a word for a moment 00:01:04.859 --> 00:01:11.400 in time. I believe that God is going to fan some 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:17.519 people into flame this morning. I believe that 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:22.420 God is going to deposit something into you. How 00:01:22.420 --> 00:01:24.359 many of you are ready to receive from the Word 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:28.459 of God? Let's read it together. 2 Kings chapter 00:01:28.459 --> 00:01:33.659 13 and verse 14. Elisha had become sick with 00:01:33.659 --> 00:01:38.260 the illness of which he would die. That's an 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:42.400 interesting sentence all on its own. That's not 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:47.120 my text really. Then Joash the king of Israel 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:53.250 came down to him and wept over his face. And 00:01:53.250 --> 00:01:55.930 said, oh, my father, my father, the chariots 00:01:55.930 --> 00:02:00.370 of Israel and their horsemen. And Elisha said 00:02:00.370 --> 00:02:06.709 to him, take a bow and some arrows. So he took 00:02:06.709 --> 00:02:09.830 himself a bow and some arrows. And he said to 00:02:09.830 --> 00:02:12.449 the king of Israel, put your hand on the bow. 00:02:13.990 --> 00:02:17.810 So he put his hand on it. And Elisha put his 00:02:17.810 --> 00:02:22.419 hands on the king's hands. And he said, open 00:02:22.419 --> 00:02:26.259 the east window. And he opened it. And Elisha 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:32.020 said, shoot. And he shot. And Elisha said, the 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:34.759 arrow of the Lord's deliverance and the arrow 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:38.960 of deliverance from Syria. For you must strike 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.599 the Syrians at Aphek until you have destroyed 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:47.759 them. It's a pretty awesome moment so far, isn't 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:53.030 it? A prophetic moment. This is the kind of moment 00:02:53.030 --> 00:02:56.530 that doesn't happen very often. We'll get to 00:02:56.530 --> 00:02:59.550 the rest of the story in a moment. There have 00:02:59.550 --> 00:03:04.349 been some people in my life that have impacted 00:03:04.349 --> 00:03:08.490 me like this. Now, Joash was a wicked king. He 00:03:08.490 --> 00:03:12.550 did not lead the nation into righteousness, but 00:03:12.550 --> 00:03:18.030 he had a healthy respect for the prophet. And 00:03:18.030 --> 00:03:20.430 when the prophet was nearing the end of his life, 00:03:20.610 --> 00:03:25.370 the king went to see the prophet and wanted the 00:03:25.370 --> 00:03:29.930 blessing of the prophet. The Syrians had come 00:03:29.930 --> 00:03:33.729 against Israel and were defeating them. This 00:03:33.729 --> 00:03:35.949 happened often in Israel's history when Israel 00:03:35.949 --> 00:03:38.870 would stray away from God. God would raise up 00:03:38.870 --> 00:03:42.370 a nation that would come against Israel. This 00:03:42.370 --> 00:03:46.199 was happening right now with Syria. And Joash 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:50.199 wanted some answers. And he knew the importance 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:55.419 of not just a prophet, but the prophet. This 00:03:55.419 --> 00:03:59.020 prophet was not just one of the prophets that 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:03.039 were operating in the land. This was the prophet 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:06.979 that had the double portion anointing from Elijah. 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:10.979 This was the prophet that could move the hand 00:04:10.979 --> 00:04:14.159 of God. This was the prophet that could change 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:19.279 the history of a nation. And he went to see Elisha 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:24.019 out of respect for Elisha. And out of respect 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:30.639 for him, he participated in this prophetic act. 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:39.810 Take your bow and some arrows. And face the east 00:04:39.810 --> 00:04:44.930 window. And can you just imagine the old prophet 00:04:44.930 --> 00:04:50.970 rising up to stand next to the king. And as the 00:04:50.970 --> 00:04:54.769 king draws back, the old prophet placing his 00:04:54.769 --> 00:04:59.370 hand upon the hand of the king. Covering the 00:04:59.370 --> 00:05:04.490 hand of the king. Shoot! And the arrow goes through 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:09.439 the window. And the prophet says, the arrow of 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:13.980 the Lord's deliverance. This is an amazing moment. 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:16.959 This is the kind of prophetic moment that you 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.660 remember the rest of your life. I remember when 00:05:20.660 --> 00:05:25.680 a man of God in our world, his name was Joe. 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:32.620 And his wife had passed away. He was getting 00:05:32.620 --> 00:05:35.819 ready to move. He ended up passing away about 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:40.160 five or six months later. But before he moved 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.839 from our city to go and be with his family for 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:47.060 the last days of his life in Indiana, I made 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:54.439 sure that I brought my sons to his house. And 00:05:54.439 --> 00:06:00.939 I sat my sons before Joe. And I had Joe lay his 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:06.519 hands on my sons and pray over them. It was a 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:09.420 moment that I'll never forget. And this was that 00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:11.360 kind of a moment. This is the kind of moment 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.740 that Joash could potentially tell his family, 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:18.500 his grandchildren about. I was with the prophet. 00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:22.519 And it was the beginning of the deliverance of 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:28.870 Israel. But the story goes on. Because there 00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:34.810 are some qualities in Joash's life that God wanted 00:06:34.810 --> 00:06:39.629 to deal with. And so the story didn't stop there. 00:06:40.149 --> 00:06:46.250 And in verse 18 he says, take the arrows. So 00:06:46.250 --> 00:06:50.569 Joash took them and he said to the king of Israel, 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:57.720 strike the ground. So the king struck. the ground 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:07.959 three times and stopped. And the man of God was 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:14.399 angry with Joash and said, you should have struck 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:18.399 five or six times. Then you would have struck 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:22.620 Syria till you had destroyed it. But now you 00:07:22.620 --> 00:07:28.470 will strike Syria. Only three times. And then 00:07:28.470 --> 00:07:33.449 Elisha died and they buried him. Father, we thank 00:07:33.449 --> 00:07:36.930 you for your word. And we ask that you would 00:07:36.930 --> 00:07:42.730 open it to our hearts. In Jesus' mighty name. 00:07:43.829 --> 00:07:48.350 Hallelujah. We thank you, Father. Incredible 00:07:48.350 --> 00:07:54.529 moment. Pick up the arrows, Joash. and strike 00:07:54.529 --> 00:07:58.550 the ground. When I first read this, I think, 00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:02.709 Elisha, you have no right to be upset with Joash. 00:08:02.750 --> 00:08:04.649 You told him to strike the ground, and he not 00:08:04.649 --> 00:08:07.310 only struck the ground once, but he struck the 00:08:07.310 --> 00:08:14.769 ground three times. But what Elisha was looking 00:08:14.769 --> 00:08:21.769 for in Joash that made him upset was a quality 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:30.579 called wholeheartedness. It's something of zeal. 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:41.279 He was looking for fervency in Joash. And he 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:48.600 did not find it. He looked at Joash in this moment 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:51.019 and I don't know if it was his body language. 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:56.139 I don't know what it was that the prophet saw. 00:08:56.419 --> 00:09:00.419 But he hit the ground three times and the prophet 00:09:00.419 --> 00:09:06.779 was angry. The prophet was angry because he did 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:16.139 not see zeal in Joash. A while ago, the Lord 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:20.070 woke me up in the night. With the name on my 00:09:20.070 --> 00:09:24.570 mind. Anybody ever have that happen? Many of 00:09:24.570 --> 00:09:26.730 you have had that happen. A name was on my mind. 00:09:26.809 --> 00:09:29.009 What do you think that God was wanting me to 00:09:29.009 --> 00:09:33.070 do in that moment? He was wanting me to pray. 00:09:33.169 --> 00:09:36.990 And so do you know what I did? I said, Lord, 00:09:37.110 --> 00:09:38.909 I just ask that you would bless that person. 00:09:40.750 --> 00:09:43.769 In my heart, I didn't use my voice, would have 00:09:43.769 --> 00:09:46.690 woken up my wife. I just said it in my heart 00:09:46.690 --> 00:09:50.070 and in my mind, and I turned over and went back 00:09:50.070 --> 00:09:58.129 to sleep. I think in that moment that I did just 00:09:58.129 --> 00:10:04.710 enough to convince myself that I had obeyed God. 00:10:11.149 --> 00:10:16.509 But that is not why God put that name on my heart. 00:10:21.570 --> 00:10:33.289 Strike the ground, Joash. The kind of prayer 00:10:33.289 --> 00:10:38.529 that moves mountains and changes situations is 00:10:38.529 --> 00:10:44.009 found In James chapter 5. And James 5 says. The 00:10:44.009 --> 00:10:51.429 righteous prayer. The fervent prayer. Let me 00:10:51.429 --> 00:10:55.269 just pull it up here. James 5 .16. Confess your 00:10:55.269 --> 00:10:57.330 trespasses to one another. We're going to get 00:10:57.330 --> 00:11:00.169 to that part in a moment. And pray for one another. 00:11:00.210 --> 00:11:04.230 That you might be healed. The effective fervent 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:09.649 prayer. of a righteous man avails much. Amen? 00:11:11.330 --> 00:11:15.710 Elisha was looking for zeal. He was looking for 00:11:15.710 --> 00:11:22.330 fervency, and he found none. Elisha was fueled 00:11:22.330 --> 00:11:25.929 by zeal. Here he is, the day he's going to die, 00:11:26.129 --> 00:11:30.570 and he's rallied himself up to engage in this 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:33.389 prophetic moment, and he finds himself upset 00:11:33.389 --> 00:11:37.019 with the king. The last thing he says before 00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:42.340 he dies, Elisha was fueled by zeal. There's another 00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:45.059 prophet that I'm reminded was fueled by zeal. 00:11:45.059 --> 00:11:48.360 And I asked the seniors to pray this verse over 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:51.320 me in the coming weeks. And it's Jeremiah chapter 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:55.259 20 and verse 9. And Jeremiah was told by the 00:11:55.259 --> 00:11:58.240 people, be quiet, be quiet, be quiet. They didn't 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:01.440 like him prophesying. And so in verse 9, he said, 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:05.200 I will not make mention of God nor speak any 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:10.000 more in his name. And so for a season, the prophet 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:13.960 Jeremiah kept silent. But listen to this next 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:19.360 phrase. But his word was in my heart like a burning 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:26.259 fire shut up in my bones. I was weary of holding 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:30.840 it back, and I could not. Do you know what this 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:34.120 was in the prophet Jeremiah? It was the same 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:37.240 thing that was in Elisha. It was this thing called 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:42.879 zeal. Zeal for God's word. God is speaking to 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:46.600 me and it's burning in my heart. And I can't 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.980 help but preach what he has put in my heart to 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:54.720 say. This is what happened in the book of Acts 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.700 chapter 4. And Peter and John are standing before 00:12:57.700 --> 00:13:01.279 the Sanhedrin. And the Sanhedrin says, don't 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:04.960 preach in his name anymore. And what did Peter 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:10.559 and John say? They said, we cannot help but speak 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:13.879 the things which we have seen and the things 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:18.990 which we have heard. Why? Because there was something 00:13:18.990 --> 00:13:24.429 of zeal inside their heart. Something of passion. 00:13:24.690 --> 00:13:30.350 Something of sincerity. Something was in their 00:13:30.350 --> 00:13:37.710 heart that Elisha did not find in Joash. When 00:13:37.710 --> 00:13:43.889 was the last time you were moved? By the spiritual 00:13:43.889 --> 00:13:49.450 condition of our city and our nation. I appreciated 00:13:49.450 --> 00:13:54.009 talking with one of you this week. This past 00:13:54.009 --> 00:13:59.350 Sunday night. And you shared about what was happening 00:13:59.350 --> 00:14:03.230 in the city. What you were witnessing in the 00:14:03.230 --> 00:14:11.789 city. Listen to this in Acts 17. Verse 16. Paul 00:14:11.789 --> 00:14:16.529 waited for them at Athens. His spirit was provoked 00:14:16.529 --> 00:14:20.149 within him when he saw that the city was given 00:14:20.149 --> 00:14:27.009 over to idols. Paul looked at the condition of 00:14:27.009 --> 00:14:32.389 the city of Athens and he was provoked on the 00:14:32.389 --> 00:14:36.070 inside because he saw that they gave themselves 00:14:36.070 --> 00:14:43.139 to idolatry. And many of us watch our city slide 00:14:43.139 --> 00:14:53.039 and slide and slide and feel nothing. But God 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:59.659 is looking for somebody that will have some zeal 00:14:59.659 --> 00:15:06.259 and some passion. What kind of prayer is effective? 00:15:08.090 --> 00:15:14.750 Fervent prayer. Are we praying just enough to 00:15:14.750 --> 00:15:18.669 make ourselves feel better about the way we're 00:15:18.669 --> 00:15:29.850 living? Strike the ground, Joash. I don't know 00:15:29.850 --> 00:15:35.850 about you, but I want to be an all -in kind of 00:15:35.850 --> 00:15:39.809 believer. Does this mean that I walk in perfection? 00:15:40.110 --> 00:15:46.149 Not at all. But I want to do this thing called 00:15:46.149 --> 00:15:50.769 Christianity with my whole heart, with everything 00:15:50.769 --> 00:15:54.830 that's inside of me. When God speaks to me to 00:15:54.830 --> 00:15:58.769 do something, I want to do it with all that I 00:15:58.769 --> 00:16:04.789 am. Do you know that Jesus was like this? And 00:16:04.789 --> 00:16:07.289 the disciples were shocked by it. Let me just 00:16:07.289 --> 00:16:10.509 read this to you. John chapter 2 verse 13. Now 00:16:10.509 --> 00:16:13.210 this is early in the ministry of Jesus. He did 00:16:13.210 --> 00:16:16.809 it again during the Passion Week. John 2 .13, 00:16:17.049 --> 00:16:19.990 now the Passover of the Jews was at hand and 00:16:19.990 --> 00:16:23.009 Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found in the 00:16:23.009 --> 00:16:25.750 temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves 00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:28.370 and the money changers doing business. And when 00:16:28.370 --> 00:16:31.690 he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all 00:16:31.690 --> 00:16:34.230 out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen 00:16:34.230 --> 00:16:37.669 and poured out the money changers and overturned 00:16:37.669 --> 00:16:41.059 the tables. And he said to those who sold doves, 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:44.299 take these things away. Do not make my father's 00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:48.919 house a house of merchandise. And then his disciples 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:52.360 remembered that it was written, zeal for your 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:59.960 house has eaten me up. The disciples were shocked 00:16:59.960 --> 00:17:05.200 at this moment. Fiery. They saw some fiery passion 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:10.450 in the Lord Jesus. Not just this lovey -dovey 00:17:10.450 --> 00:17:16.789 Savior, but a passionate, fiery Jesus. And I 00:17:16.789 --> 00:17:18.950 think they said that man is worth following. 00:17:22.410 --> 00:17:25.390 They saw him in a brand new light and they remembered 00:17:25.390 --> 00:17:31.519 Psalm 69 verse 9. But his zeal was not only expressed 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:34.140 in anger in this moment. I believe that zeal 00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:37.480 for the house of God, for the people of God, 00:17:37.619 --> 00:17:41.640 for his prayer life, for the ministry. I believe 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:44.960 that zeal was an evident character trademark 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:49.759 of who Jesus was. Can you imagine Jesus bored 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:56.640 with his life? Can you imagine Jesus bored spending 00:17:56.640 --> 00:18:01.680 time with the Father? Can you imagine him ever 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:11.480 saying, okay, I suppose I'll heal you. No, Jesus 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:16.779 was fully engaged. And that's the kind of life 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:23.740 that I want to live. Strike the ground, Joash. 00:18:27.309 --> 00:18:31.690 I want to read Colossians 3, 22 through 24. I 00:18:31.690 --> 00:18:36.890 want to read this from the message. Transliteration. 00:18:36.910 --> 00:18:42.269 This is Eugene Peterson's version. Servants, 00:18:42.269 --> 00:18:46.450 do what you're told by your earthly masters. 00:18:47.609 --> 00:18:50.869 And don't just do the minimum that will get you 00:18:50.869 --> 00:18:57.599 by. I want to read that again. And don't just 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:02.480 do the minimum that will get you by. Do your 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:10.559 best. Work from the heart for your real master, 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:16.099 for God. Confident that you'll get paid in full 00:19:16.099 --> 00:19:18.900 when you come into your inheritance. Keep in 00:19:18.900 --> 00:19:22.660 mind always that the ultimate master you're serving 00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:29.049 is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy 00:19:29.049 --> 00:19:35.089 work will be held responsible. Being a follower 00:19:35.089 --> 00:19:44.869 of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work. Wow. Isn't 00:19:44.869 --> 00:19:49.029 that awesome? We've got to do things with zeal. 00:19:49.730 --> 00:19:56.769 We've got to do them wholeheartedly. Why ought 00:19:56.769 --> 00:20:00.750 we live with zeal? Remember the passage in James 00:20:00.750 --> 00:20:07.349 chapter 5 where it says fervent prayer? Fervent 00:20:07.349 --> 00:20:13.750 prayer. That word fervent is energeo. Well, what 00:20:13.750 --> 00:20:19.029 English word do you think comes from that? Energy. 00:20:20.869 --> 00:20:26.630 Energy. Let me... Let me read to you another 00:20:26.630 --> 00:20:30.569 verse that uses the same word from Ephesians 00:20:30.569 --> 00:20:34.589 chapter 2. You once walked in the course of this 00:20:34.589 --> 00:20:38.230 world. This is verse 2. According to the prince 00:20:38.230 --> 00:20:42.950 of the power of the air, this is the devil, the 00:20:42.950 --> 00:20:48.509 spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. 00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:55.000 What do you think that word works is? The same 00:20:55.000 --> 00:21:01.140 word. Fervent. Do you know the devil is fervent 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:04.079 in what he does? Do you know the devil works 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:06.539 hard to keep people in darkness and blindness 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:09.460 and keep the church lackadaisical, to keep the 00:21:09.460 --> 00:21:12.579 church from rising up and being the people of 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:15.059 God that he's called them to be? The enemy works 00:21:15.059 --> 00:21:19.880 overtime to keep you lukewarm as a believer so 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:22.279 that you'll be ineffective and unproductive. 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:26.519 The devil works in the sons of disobedience, 00:21:26.579 --> 00:21:31.660 and he's working with passion and fervency. And 00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:34.380 I don't know what that does for you, but that 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:37.079 kind of riles me up a little bit and says, I 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:41.019 want to meet the challenge. If you've got one 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:44.839 army that's fired up and full of zeal, and you've 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:47.700 got another army that's haphazard, which army 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:51.450 do you think is going to win? And the enemy is 00:21:51.450 --> 00:21:54.910 fighting for everything to keep people in darkness, 00:21:55.009 --> 00:21:59.289 to drag people to hell, as many as he can. And 00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:02.890 the church is sleeping. But it's time for the 00:22:02.890 --> 00:22:06.910 slumbering church to awaken and to arise up and 00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:16.250 have energy. Praise God. If you come to prayer 00:22:16.250 --> 00:22:23.539 on Wednesday nights, Don't come, don't come with 00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:30.059 a lazy, unbelieving attitude. If you come to 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:32.440 prayer on Wednesday nights to believe God for 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:35.779 things like revival, to believe God for things 00:22:35.779 --> 00:22:39.720 like families and restoration and deliverances, 00:22:39.779 --> 00:22:45.099 come believing that when I pray, it's going to 00:22:45.099 --> 00:22:48.930 make a difference. Hallelujah. Come believing 00:22:48.930 --> 00:22:53.049 that when I seek God, it's going to change things 00:22:53.049 --> 00:22:55.950 because it's that kind of faith and it's that 00:22:55.950 --> 00:22:59.269 kind of believing that changes a city and changes 00:22:59.269 --> 00:23:04.450 a region. The devil works with zeal and God's 00:23:04.450 --> 00:23:07.970 church ought to work with zeal also. But the 00:23:07.970 --> 00:23:10.269 greater reason that we ought to work with zeal 00:23:10.269 --> 00:23:14.490 is not because the devil does. The greater reason 00:23:14.490 --> 00:23:17.970 we ought to work with zeal is because our Father 00:23:17.970 --> 00:23:22.750 works with zeal. Let me read to you another verse. 00:23:23.950 --> 00:23:30.650 Ephesians 1 .20. Let me back up. Let me back 00:23:30.650 --> 00:23:38.430 up. Verse 19. What is the exceeding greatness 00:23:38.430 --> 00:23:43.369 of His power toward us who believe? Everybody 00:23:43.369 --> 00:23:50.250 say, toward us who believe. That is us. According 00:23:50.250 --> 00:23:58.009 to the working of his mighty power, which he 00:23:58.009 --> 00:24:02.849 worked in Christ when he raised him from the 00:24:02.849 --> 00:24:05.430 dead and seated him at the right hand of the 00:24:05.430 --> 00:24:08.849 heavenly places. What do you think that word 00:24:08.849 --> 00:24:18.420 worked is? Zeal. Energy. The Father expressed 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:25.420 zeal in raising the Son from the dead. Hallelujah. 00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:28.339 I don't know about you, but I get excited about 00:24:28.339 --> 00:24:32.119 that. Hallelujah. Galatians chapter 3 verse 5 00:24:32.119 --> 00:24:34.700 says, Therefore he who supplies the Spirit to 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:39.680 you and works miracles among you, works miracles 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:43.329 among you. See, you came up. this morning believing 00:24:43.329 --> 00:24:46.549 God for a miracle and you had the elders lay 00:24:46.549 --> 00:24:49.069 hands and pray over you, but what you couldn't 00:24:49.069 --> 00:24:52.369 see behind the scenes is the zeal of the Father 00:24:52.369 --> 00:24:56.950 that was engaging while we were praying and imparting 00:24:56.950 --> 00:25:01.569 miracles into you and answering prayer. Hallelujah! 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:05.839 When you pray, the Father in heaven doesn't just 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:08.240 sit up and say, well, I guess they prayed enough 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:11.019 now, I guess I'll answer. No, he's filled with 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:15.240 zeal and he's working amongst his people. Hallelujah. 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:18.680 When a miracle is released, it's a sign of the 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:21.779 zeal of the Father. When you're healed, it's 00:25:21.779 --> 00:25:25.799 a sign that God is acting towards you with energy 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:32.269 and giving you his very best. Praise God. God 00:25:32.269 --> 00:25:36.289 is working in your life. I've got two more verses 00:25:36.289 --> 00:25:38.029 here and then I'm going to be done and then we're 00:25:38.029 --> 00:25:42.170 going to pray. Philippians chapter 2 is an interesting 00:25:42.170 --> 00:25:45.450 verse because it not only talks about the zeal 00:25:45.450 --> 00:25:49.750 that God has, but the zeal that we have. For 00:25:49.750 --> 00:25:56.549 it is God who works in you. It is God who works 00:25:56.549 --> 00:26:09.980 in you. That is... In you. So that you can. Will. 00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:15.299 And do. His pleasure. Because what that word 00:26:15.299 --> 00:26:21.660 do is. Energy. So the picture is this. It's God 00:26:21.660 --> 00:26:27.059 that. That. That invests. With zeal into your 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:33.119 life. So that you. have the power and the zeal 00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:37.099 to do what he's called you to do. There is an 00:26:37.099 --> 00:26:43.740 exchange from God to me. And so guess what? I 00:26:43.740 --> 00:26:46.420 don't have to muster anything up. What I'm not 00:26:46.420 --> 00:26:49.119 talking about this morning is just hyping yourself 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:53.359 up so that you feel a certain feeling. That's 00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:55.259 not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about 00:26:55.259 --> 00:26:58.660 a life that is invested. in being all in for 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:01.599 Christ. That doesn't mean you always feel it. 00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:04.039 We don't operate by our feelings. Well, if I 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:09.000 feel it, then I'll do it. Some of you in this 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:11.759 area of praise, I loved it when right at the 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:15.240 beginning, a place flooded with people praising 00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:18.480 the Lord this morning. God inhabits the praises 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:21.779 of his people. God inhabits the praises of his 00:27:21.779 --> 00:27:24.339 people. That means God's manifest presence comes 00:27:24.339 --> 00:27:27.869 when God's people praise him. But which comes 00:27:27.869 --> 00:27:34.369 first? Which comes first? Does the manifest presence 00:27:34.369 --> 00:27:42.890 of God come first? No. Praise comes first. But 00:27:42.890 --> 00:27:45.950 many of us sit back and say, I'm going to wait 00:27:45.950 --> 00:27:52.670 until I feel it. But that's not the kind of faith 00:27:52.670 --> 00:27:56.039 that God is looking for. Sure. Strike the ground, 00:27:56.180 --> 00:28:01.039 Joash. And so this is true across any, this is 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:05.180 true in the little things of life. I've been 00:28:05.180 --> 00:28:07.660 starting to run again and I've been doing good 00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:11.259 for about two or three months now. And do you 00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:13.259 know what I'm having, you know what I do every 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:15.980 time I run? I do it with zeal. I do it with everything 00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:19.779 in me. And it's starting to have effect on my 00:28:19.779 --> 00:28:23.420 life. And I'm thanking God for that. I started 00:28:23.420 --> 00:28:25.940 last year, but then I was sick all winter and 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:30.559 it dried up. And so Pastor Ben and I went running 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:37.220 on Saturday together. And it was full -on zeal, 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:45.180 especially the last hundred yards. On my app, 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:50.180 it shows blue for slower. And then the faster 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:52.839 you get, it gets yellow and then it gets red. 00:28:53.559 --> 00:29:02.220 And the last hundred yards were red. We won't 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:08.859 talk about that. Transfers into every part of 00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:13.539 our lives. Wholeheartedness. And one reason why 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:16.160 you're bored with life sometimes is because you 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:20.140 don't engage. The young person that goes to youth 00:29:20.140 --> 00:29:24.079 group because mom and dad forced them can be 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:27.039 bored with youth group because they're not engaged. 00:29:27.859 --> 00:29:30.299 But the young person that goes and says, I'm 00:29:30.299 --> 00:29:33.420 going all in for God, guess what? Guess what? 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:35.720 It changes their whole youth group experience. 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:39.140 The person that comes to church on Sunday, because 00:29:39.140 --> 00:29:42.880 it's the religious thing to do. You might find 00:29:42.880 --> 00:29:45.480 yourself bored and you might find yourself looking 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:47.700 at your watch and saying, this is the longest 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:59.660 service in Lincoln. But people packed. They packed. 00:29:59.880 --> 00:30:07.190 The movie, the movie theater Thursday night to 00:30:07.190 --> 00:30:14.049 watch Spider -Man for two plus hours and never 00:30:14.049 --> 00:30:27.069 looked at their watch once. Am I telling you 00:30:27.069 --> 00:30:33.539 the truth? How do I get energy back? Because 00:30:33.539 --> 00:30:35.900 some of you are remembering a time in your life 00:30:35.900 --> 00:30:42.279 when zeal for God was real. You were hungry for 00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:49.500 him. What did Jesus say about lukewarmness in 00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:55.660 Revelation 3? I wish that you were hot or cold, 00:30:55.720 --> 00:31:00.220 Revelation 3, I think verse 10. But because you're 00:31:00.220 --> 00:31:07.880 lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. The 00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:15.480 disciples, but Jesus told all kinds of parables. 00:31:16.039 --> 00:31:18.759 Do you know many of them had to do with wholeheartedness? 00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:25.779 Ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, five 00:31:25.779 --> 00:31:29.740 wise and five foolish. The five wise ones had 00:31:29.740 --> 00:31:37.940 zeal. among other things. How do I get it back? 00:31:40.380 --> 00:31:46.480 My final verse, 2 Corinthians chapter 7. Paul's 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:51.819 first letter, 1 Corinthians. He rebuked the Corinthians. 00:31:52.059 --> 00:32:04.289 He tore into them. He tore into them. And it 00:32:04.289 --> 00:32:11.549 made him sorry. And Paul said in verse 9 in the 00:32:11.549 --> 00:32:16.329 second letter, he was responding to that. He 00:32:16.329 --> 00:32:21.490 said, now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, 00:32:21.769 --> 00:32:31.230 but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:36.740 were made sorry, in a godly manner, that you 00:32:36.740 --> 00:32:41.819 might suffer loss from us and nothing. For godly 00:32:41.819 --> 00:32:46.019 sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:52.160 not to be regretted. But the sorrow of the world 00:32:52.160 --> 00:32:56.740 produces death. For observe this very thing, 00:32:56.759 --> 00:33:00.940 that you sorrowed in a godly manner. And when 00:33:00.940 --> 00:33:04.920 we have conviction come upon us, and we don't 00:33:04.920 --> 00:33:07.359 just give a token prayer, well, God, forgive 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:11.279 my sins. But no, we feel it, and we say, God, 00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:15.299 I have moved away from you. I have not served 00:33:15.299 --> 00:33:18.420 you with my whole heart. And we're moved on the 00:33:18.420 --> 00:33:25.599 inside. That is true repentance. Paul goes on 00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:28.819 to say, observe this thing you sorrowed in a 00:33:28.819 --> 00:33:33.059 godly manner and this was the fruit. What diligence 00:33:33.059 --> 00:33:38.759 it produced in you. What clearing of yourselves. 00:33:39.700 --> 00:33:49.259 What indignation. What fear. What vehement desire. 00:33:51.400 --> 00:34:01.599 What zeal. What vindication. In all things, you 00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:05.440 proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 00:34:06.700 --> 00:34:13.139 Paul had rebuked them for sexual sin. And Paul 00:34:13.139 --> 00:34:17.699 was commending them now for saying you dealt 00:34:17.699 --> 00:34:23.880 with it. You changed. And now look at your life. 00:34:25.130 --> 00:34:29.590 You're filled with zeal and passion. You're doing 00:34:29.590 --> 00:34:35.510 what God called you to do. What caused that? 00:34:37.590 --> 00:34:44.269 Repentance. Pastor, have you always, in your 00:34:44.269 --> 00:34:49.469 40 years of walking with Jesus, have you always 00:34:49.469 --> 00:34:53.909 done it wholeheartedly? I've had seasons too. 00:34:56.079 --> 00:34:59.960 where I've been half -hearted, where I've gone 00:34:59.960 --> 00:35:06.639 through motion. I might not have been openly 00:35:06.639 --> 00:35:11.539 rebellious, but I've also been a little bit lukewarm. 00:35:13.719 --> 00:35:18.579 And I'm asking today for every one of us to examine 00:35:18.579 --> 00:35:32.289 our hearts and to say, God, Restore to me. Restore 00:35:32.289 --> 00:35:35.969 to me that which you are looking for in the life 00:35:35.969 --> 00:35:43.630 of Joash. Strike the ground, Joash. Strike the 00:35:43.630 --> 00:35:48.210 ground. I love the worship time that we had earlier 00:35:48.210 --> 00:35:50.530 because it was all about laying our life down 00:35:50.530 --> 00:35:58.099 before God. Here I am, God, to worship. Jesus 00:35:58.099 --> 00:36:03.880 have it all. Jesus have it all. Jesus have it 00:36:03.880 --> 00:36:07.619 all. I'm going to ask if the worship team would 00:36:07.619 --> 00:36:12.280 come. And I just want to give you opportunity 00:36:12.280 --> 00:36:18.280 to respond. I remember as a 13 -year -old boy 00:36:18.280 --> 00:36:25.219 just saying, Jesus, I want you to have everything. 00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:29.460 You know, one of my favorite scriptures in the 00:36:29.460 --> 00:36:36.800 Bible is Jacob at the end of his life, another 00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:38.800 one of these prophetic moments. Do you know what 00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:41.139 he's doing? He's speaking prophecies over his 00:36:41.139 --> 00:36:45.820 children, over his sons. And the Bible says that 00:36:45.820 --> 00:36:52.099 he leaned on his staff and worshiped. He couldn't 00:36:52.099 --> 00:36:55.570 even stand up. Because of his age, he couldn't 00:36:55.570 --> 00:37:01.889 stand up fully and his balance was gone. But 00:37:01.889 --> 00:37:05.210 he stood up in that moment and he leaned on his 00:37:05.210 --> 00:37:09.829 staff. And he worshipped God, leaning on his 00:37:09.829 --> 00:37:15.110 staff. And even in that moment of his life, Jacob, 00:37:15.269 --> 00:37:20.030 whose name had become Israel, said, God, even 00:37:20.030 --> 00:37:22.690 in this moment, it might be my last day today. 00:37:24.199 --> 00:37:28.780 I'm going to give you everything. I'm not just 00:37:28.780 --> 00:37:33.440 going to remain seated. I'm with everything in 00:37:33.440 --> 00:37:38.039 me. I'm going to stand up and I'm going to worship 00:37:38.039 --> 00:37:45.559 you. Jesus, have it all. Jesus, have it all. 00:37:48.639 --> 00:37:52.230 What I want to know, is there anybody? That would 00:37:52.230 --> 00:37:56.590 take the arrows. The spiritual figurative arrows. 00:37:58.869 --> 00:38:05.429 And when the prophet. Asks you. When the Holy 00:38:05.429 --> 00:38:15.210 Spirit asks you. Strike the ground. Joash. Strike 00:38:15.210 --> 00:38:32.969 the ground. this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna 00:38:32.969 --> 00:38:37.130 give you it all. I'm not gonna give you some 00:38:37.130 --> 00:38:42.969 half -hearted response. I'm gonna strike the 00:38:42.969 --> 00:38:48.869 ground again and again and again and again and 00:38:48.869 --> 00:38:53.190 again and again. I'm not gonna grow weary in 00:38:53.190 --> 00:38:55.909 prayer. I'm gonna come to you again and again 00:38:55.909 --> 00:39:00.039 and again and again. going to grow weary in my 00:39:00.039 --> 00:39:06.199 obedience I'm going to say here I am Lord here 00:39:06.199 --> 00:39:17.139 I am here I am I give it all I give it all is 00:39:17.139 --> 00:39:20.119 there somebody in the house that would join me 00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:24.719 God has been speaking this to me long before 00:39:24.719 --> 00:39:26.880 I ever preached it to you. I've been meditating 00:39:26.880 --> 00:39:31.400 in this. I've been saying, God, I repent. God, 00:39:31.519 --> 00:39:39.539 I want my life to be on the altar. I want to 00:39:39.539 --> 00:39:54.389 lay it all down before you. Just lay your life 00:39:54.389 --> 00:39:58.449 on the altar. Would you come and strike the ground? 00:40:00.389 --> 00:40:05.210 Would you come and say, God, here I am. Here 00:40:05.210 --> 00:40:08.909 I am. My life is not my own. I've been bought 00:40:08.909 --> 00:40:11.650 with a price. I've been bought with a price, 00:40:11.690 --> 00:40:16.530 the price Jesus paid for me. I want to surrender 00:40:16.530 --> 00:40:21.349 my life to Christ. I don't want to be half -hearted 00:40:21.349 --> 00:40:24.260 anymore. I want to yield it all.