Sermon Tone Analysis

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