Advent #5 2005

The Zeal of the Lord

Isaiah 9:7b

A personal word of note today

35 years ago, the first Sunday after Christmas 1975, meeting in the School Auditorium, as the First Baptist Church in Pickerington, I stepped forward 35 years ago and surrendered to God’s Call on my Life to The Gospel Ministry.

I am humbled that God would call me and even more so that he can and has used me to further advance his Kingdom for these 35 years.

If you do not know, I preached my first sermon 2 years later when I was 13. Then I began preaching revival meetings and guest preaching 3 years later when I was 16.

These 35 years I have seen this ministry God has called me to take many forms and methods, from witnessing, to preaching, teaching, and singing. From little churches to large, in schools, camps and concert stages. From north to south in the United States, from Canada to the Czech Republic, Romania, Brazil, Guatemala, and of course El Salvador,

Yet in many places and many ways the message is still the same,

God so loved the World that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life – John 3:16

And that as many as receive him, he gives the right to be the children of God – John 1:12

And that if you will confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved … Romans 10:9

and still after 35 years …

I am not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes Romans 1:16

I am grateful to continue to preach the same message because it is still the only answer and the only hope for this world!

For the last month we have looked at Isaiah 9:6,7.

One More Time … Read it with me …

TO us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time and forever. The Zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

We have gathered today because it is Christmas season and because it is Sunday.

We are gathered today because these words are fulfilled prophesy.

Spoken 500 years before the birth of Christ … this prophesy about Christ came true

What's my point?

The point is that what God says, he does, …

God is not a talker he is a finisher

I have good news for you today … The Zeal of the Lord Will Accomplish …

Will accomplish what?

Whatever I want?

Can I name it and claim it?

No … but what God has promised … he will accomplish …

What you need he will accomplish …

Because he is Almighty …

Because of his personal Zeal …

Let's begin there

1. Zeal

Zeal = qin'ah (kin-aw) = ardour, zeal, jealousy, of men for the house of God, of God for his people

Zeal and Jealousy are opposite sides of the same emotion …

Jealousy - a state of ill will ranging even to anger, based on a perceived advantage, or a desire for exclusivity in relationship

Zeal - passion or strong desire and deep devotion for an object

God has an overwhelming passion for you that burns hotter and higher than anything you or I will ever know and it drives what he does toward you.

The promised sending of the Messiah was related to his relationship with Israel as husband to his bride people.

The Lord was NOT satisfied to be separated in relationship from his covenant people.

We have a different kind of God.

When someone you are close to is unfaithful to you, we are unfortunately quick to push them aside, to move in another direction.

But in this child in a manger we see the God who loved us, the God whom we turned our back on, coming toward us to recreate a relationship

Praise God for his ZEAL toward us. The Zeal of the Lord …

2. Almighty

The Word became Flesh …

Who was the Word? … The Word was WITH God and the Word WAS God – John 1:1

Jesus Christ, the Babe in the Manger was GOD Almighty …

We talked 2 weeks ago about the names of God

We said that when God's people came to know God in a new experiential way, they gave him a new name.

They would take the name Yahweh or Jehovah, and combine it with the new name

That is what's happening here.

The Zeal of Jehovah-Tsâba'ah (tsaw-baw)

Tsâba'ah is translated "Almighty" here in the NIV and can also be translated "Lord of Hosts". It means - that which goes forth as an army, of the whole of creation.

God is a finisher, he is one who moves forward, with the armies of heaven at his disposal, with all of creation subservient to him.

He is the Passionate One who loves you deeply and will finish what he started.

Paul said "Faithful is He who called you who will also accomplish it"

His is Lord of the Atom and the Avalanche

Lord of the Blessings and the Blues

Lord of the Comet and the caterpillar

Lord of the Disaster and the Lord of the Dance

Lord of Ecuador and España

Lord of the Finite and forever

Lord of Gravity and Gorillas

Lord of the Horizon and the Hippopotamus

Lord of the Instant and the infinite

Lord of the Judge and Jury

Lord of the Kings and Koalas

Lord of the Lords and Labradors

Lord of the Mice and Men

Lord of the Nations and neurons

Lord of the Oblivious and obscure

Lord of the Paupers and princes

Lord of the Questions and quantum physics

Lord of the Rhinos and Rodents

Lord of the Sorrows and Sunshine

Lord of the trials and triumphs

Lord of ubiquity and the unalterable

Lord of the vagabond and the valedictorian

Lord of the wishful and the woeful

Lord of the xanthene and the x-chromosome

The y-chromosome and the yellow jacket

The Lord of the zephyr and the zenith is ZEALOUS to accomplish his purpose in YOUR LIFE

And this Child is born to us and a Son is Given

Not only is he Almighty Lord of All, but he has the PASSION, and the ZEAL … to Accomplish what you need

3. Accomplish

2 Kings 19:31 - out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this

Accomplish – asah (aw-saw) = to do or make, accomplish, advance, appoint, to fashion

Oh what the Son of God, the Child Given accomplished

Sir Francis Bacon (1561- 1626) was a philosopher, scientist, lawyer, but most of all a Believer in and Follower of Jesus Christ

Sir Francis Bacon, as recorded in the Literary and Religious Works of Francis Bacon, Volume II, stated:

I believe that the Word of God, whereby His will is revealed, continued in revelation and tradition with Moses; and that the Scriptures were from Moses’ time to the time of the Apostles and Evangelists; in whose ages, after the coming of the Holy Ghost, the teacher of all truth, the book of Scripture was shut and closed, so as to receive no new addition, and the Church hath no power after the Scriptures to teach or command anything contrary to the written word.

I believe that Jesus, the Lord, became in the flesh a sacrificer and a sacrifice for sin; a satisfaction and price paid to the justice of God; a meriter of Glory and the Kingdom; a pattern of all righteousness; a preacher of the Word, which Himself was; a finisher of the ceremonies; a cornerstone to remove the separation between Jew and Gentile; an intercessor for the Church; a Lord of nature in his miracles; a conqueror of death and the power of darkness in His resurrection;

and that He fulfilled the whole counsel of God; performing all His sacred offices, and anointing on earth, accomplishing the whole work of the redemption and restitution of man to a state superior to the angels, whereas the state of man by creation was inferior; and reconciled and established all things according to the eternal will of the Father.

What does God want to accomplish that required the Child to be born, the Son to be Given?

He wanted YOU to RETURN to Him

I have to believe that today … at Christmastime … there is someone here … that needs to respond to the overwhelming passionate, jealous, ardently zealous love of God, that has left Heaven in all its pomp, splendor and glory, to come to earth, as a child born, a son given in order to make a way for you to return.

You need to respond to him today

"How pastor?"

Oh you know how, really, in your heart, you know what you need to do

When someone loves you, offers to forgive you, offers you magnificent gifts, what do you need to do?

Come and Receive

It's not any harder than that

Stop and turn to him

Humble yourself and receive from him.

You know, there is that point in every chick flick, where the one running from commitment, finally comes to themselves and realizes what a fool they have been, how they would throw it all away if they continue in the same way, so it is time to respond, it is time to say "YES", "I will " … So they do …

Have you stepped away,

or even run away?

Have you turned your head

or left the country?

Have you unconsciously wandered

or have you consciously turned your back?

It doesn't matter, they all result in the same thing …

… you are in need of God

And a child has been born, a Son has been given, Jesus Christ is his name

We have sung about him today

I love the song we started the season off with four weeks ago

NOW BEHOLD THE LAMB (Kirk Franklin)

Now Behold the Lamb

The Precious Lamb of God

Born into sin that I man live again

The Precious Lamb of God

Thank you for the Lamb

The Precious Lamb of God

Because of his grace I can finish this race

The Precious Lamb of God

Now behold the Lamb

The Precious Lamb of God

Why you love me so, Lord I shall never know

The Precious Lamb of God

… because of his grace … we can finish the race

He was born into sin that we might live again

Why he loves me so … I know me and that’s hard to understand … him loving me …

Why his zeal toward me directed him to leave heaven, I will never know or understand …

but He is the PRECIOUS beautiful, wonderful, mighty, prince, the Lamb of God

Could I coax you today, to do what your heart is telling you to do, Come to Him

He will not reject you if you turn to him

He will not say … "too late" … "too far" … "too much"

No, I can promise you , He will say …

"this is why I have come" …

"Come my child, enter in, enter, enter into my grace"

Enter into my goodness

Enter into my mercy

Enter into my presence

Enter into a love relationship with me

Enter into the greatest adventure in life

Enter into Eternal Life

Enter In

For TO us a Child is born, TO us a Son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time and forever. The Zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

He came TO you!

Will you come to him today?

Come

Come

Come