His Jealousy

Tonight, we want to explore once again the eternal essence of our God and come to grips with the fact that our God is a jealous God. We're going to look first of all at a definition, then a distinction, a demonstration, and then our destination.

Very simple outline, but a sensational attribute. Turn with me in your Bible to Exodus chapter 34. And we're going to look at the definition of the fact that our God is a jealous God.

Two areas. One, His jealousy pronounced, and number two, his jealousy portrayed. Exodus 34, verse number 10 reads as follows: Then God said, Behold, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth, nor among any of the nations. And all the people among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you. Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day. Behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hitt, the Perizzite, the Hitt, the Jebus, the Termite.

Just want to see if you were following along with me there. Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. but rather you are to tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their ashur. For you shall not worship any other God. For the Lord Whose name is jealous is a jealous God. Wow, Christ pronounces his name. I am a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:2 says, The Lord your God is a consuming fire, He is a jealous God.

The root idea of this Old Testament word means to become intense red. It refers to the changing of the color of one's face. or the rising heat of the emotions which are associated with intense zeal or intense fervor over something that is dear to you. In the Old Testament, the word jealous and the word zealous are the same. God is zeal. Therefore, he is eager to protect something, something that's very dear to him, and that is his people. His people are so important to him. That if they don't do what he says, he becomes intensely jealous over the fact that someone else has taken their affection from him.

God is consumed with us. And anything that would take away our devotion, our attention, our affection from the one true God of the universe makes him very jealous. Extremely jealous. Point number two.

Let's look at how it's portrayed. Turn with me over to Ezekiel chapter 38. Ezekiel 38 and God is telling us what's going to happen in the last days again those who come against the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel is God's people. God is very concerned about this nation. At this point, he set them aside during the church age, but during the tribulational time, when the church has been raptured, the nation of Israel is God's people. One day the Bible tells us that all Israel will be saved. Romans chapter 11.

The nation of Israel is God's special people. And listen to what he says as a graphic portrayal of God's jealousy. As it pictures God being angry as his wrath wells up in his face, like someone who becomes red-faced with fury. Ezekiel chapter 38, verse number 18. And it will come about on that day when God comes from the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, that my fury will mount up in my anger and in my zeal. And in my blazing wrath, I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.

And the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at my presence. The mountain also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. And I shall call for a sword against him on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man's sword will be against his brother, and with pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him, and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain.

With hailstones, fire, and brimstone. And I shall magnify myself, sanctify myself, and make myself known in the sight of many nations, and they will know that I am the Lord. How will they know that he is the Lord? They will know because he will well up inside with a great fury because of the zeal for his people. And the natural result of that is to bring judgment against those who come against God's own possession, and they will know for certain that he is the Lord God. That is what we call a holy jealousy.

God toler no rivals, none. Do you have anything in your life today that rivals God? Do you have anything in your life that you kind of hold on a little bit closer to than God? Be careful. God tolerates no rivals. He does not. He wants you, all of you, every single aspect of you. He is consumed with you. Well, that tells you a lot about our God. I mean, we're wretched, sinful, depraved, darkened people, and yet God is just consumed with us. He wants us for Himself. That tells us about how much he loves us.

Point number two, main point number two: a distinction. Let's distinguish between jealousy and envy. Jealousy and envy. First of all, jealousy.

There are two and entirely different words in the Greek text. Jealousy involves the desire of wanting what someone else has. And that can be wholesome, especially if you desire to develop a positive spiritual quality that another person has, or if you desire to. To seek to enjoy our spiritual riches in Christ Jesus, as you see other Christians enjoying their riches in Christ Jesus. God wants what's His. He has every right to take what's his. He wants the exclusive devotion to his people, and that is only right, and that is only good.

Over in Isaiah 43, verse number 7, it says, Everyone I have created for my gl. God has created man for his glory. If man refuses to give God gl, God will take that glory. God will make sure he gets it. Read Romans 1, verses 18 to 32. They will be severely judged. Because God created man for a specific purpose that man would somehow magnify, glorify, honor, put on display the Almighty One. And if man does not do that, he will be judged severely. Because God created us for his glory, nothing else. I like what James 4:5 says when it speaks of the Holy Spirit's jealousy for us.

If you were with us a couple of weeks ago, excuse me. On Sunday morning, we talked about how the Spirit of God indwells us and He is jealous for us. He wants all of us, not just some of us, He wants every aspect of our lives. But for us, jealousy can, and usually does, degenerate into something very bad, very evil. When we get frustrated or bitter because we can't obtain what we want, or find fault with those who have what we want, or who keep us from obtaining that which we think we need. It can become a very evil, sinful jealousy.

But God is not capable of experiencing sinful jealousy. Not at all. Because He is pure and holy. Envy, on the other hand, is always bad. It's a feeling of displeasure over the blessings others are enjoying, and it makes us want to deprive them of that enjoyment. While jealousy wants what another person has, envy wants to keep them from having it and ultimately keep them from enjoying it. Let me give you a couple illustrations.

One is in Genesis 37. Joseph had a favored position with his father, he received a royal coat from Jacob. And the Bible says in Genesis 37 that his brothers were jealous of him.

Their sinful attitude resulted in sinful acts. They plotted his death, cast him into a pit, sold him into slavery. They were selfish. They were sinful. They envied his position. They did not want him to enjoy his position. And so, therefore, they would do whatever it took. to make him miserable. They were envious of their brother. When we have a sinful jealousy, we criticize, we gossip, we find fault with people, but with God, because there is no sin in him, He is perfectly pure, and therefore his jealousy is always from a pure motive.

Point number three. Look with me at a demonstration of God's jealousy. Turn with me to John chapter 2.

John chapter 2. Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the very first time since he began his public ministry.

He has come to announce to the world that he is the Messiah. He comes to the city during Passover time and he immediately goes to the temple in Jerusalem. And it says in John chapter 2, verse number 13, and the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and he found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves. And the money changers seated. And he made a scourge of cords and drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money changers, and overturned their tables.

And to those who were selling the doves, he said, Take these things away. Stop making my father's house a house. Of merchandise. The place was filled with people, and in the temple there was much extortion taking place. People would come and have to exchange coins. Change their secular coins for temple coins. The exchange rate was at least 50% above the face value of coins being exchanged. And so these religious leaders were making a bundle of money off people who had come to Passover that week. They also would examine their animals.

Those animals for sacrifice had to be spotless animals. If they weren't, they had to buy an animal from those religious leaders. And of course, they were marked up so high that it was almost impossible for them to buy them. And so God shows up on the scene. And whenever a holy God invades an unholy atmosphere, Then you need to watch out. And God made Himself a string, a whip. He began to snap it and drive the people out of the temple. There just wasn't a few people there. There wasn't just a handful of people there.

There were thousands of people there. And he drove them all out to demonstrate not only his power, but his presence and his influence. Of holiness. And he commanded the masses of humanity to move. Upon that incident, It says in verse number 17 of John chapter 2, his disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house will cons me. It's a quote from Psalm 69, verse number 9. It's a messianic psalm that speaks of how the Messiah would be seized, would be driven and compelled by a zealous love for worship.

Of the one true God and respect for his house of worship. And the disciples realized at that point that Jesus Christ would never compromise. For evil. And as James says, the Spirit of God jealously desires us. He wants everything inside His temple to be pure and holy. And whenever it's not, God will do whatever He has to do to clean up the temple, to turn off. Over the tables, to rearrange the chairs, to make sure that everything on the inside is just as clean as he himself is. That's the point. That's the purpose.

That's what we need to understand. So what's our destination? That's point number four. If our God is a jealous God, If our God demands our 100% affection and does not tolerate us going any other direction other than his direction, what are we to do about that? Knowing that we are sinful people, knowing that there are times where we are lured away from our God, knowing that there are times we fall into temptation. Knowing that there are times we turn away from God, we rebel against God, what are we to do?

Three things. Number one: manifest pur by walking with Him. That 's number one. Manifest p by w with Him. Paul will go on to say in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse number 20: For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body. Is God being glorified in your body tonight? Is God being demonstrated? Is God being shown off? In your body, can people see God in your body? Manifest purity by walking with him. Paul would say over in 2 Corinthians 11, verse number 2: I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.

Paul had a passion for the purity of the Corinthians. He says, I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. As God Himself wants you sold out to a pure and holy life, so I too want you that way. Say, I want to be that way, Pastor. How's that going to happen? Well, number one, you better make sure you follow your Savior.

1 John 2:6 says, If you say that you abide in him and he in you, you ought to walk as he him walked. You better make sure you follow your Savior. Do what he did, see where he went. 1 Peter 2:2 says that He gives us an example that we are to follow in His steps. If you want to manifest Purity by walking with him, you better follow in his steps. Number two, you better firmly stand against Satan.

You better firmly stand again Satan. The Bible says over in Ephesians chapter 6, verse number 11: put on the full armor of God.

That you may firmly stand again the schemes of the devil. You 've got to be ready to firmly stand against Satanist schemes. To do that, you've got to arm yourself with the armor of God. You've got to be ready for battle. Number three, you've got to flee all sin.

Not just big sins, but little sins. Not just the sins with grave consequences, but the sins with little consequences. Flee all sin. Number four, fellowship with the saints. Fellowship with the saints. Proverbs 13, 20 says, He who walks with wise men will be wise. But the companion of fools will suffer harm. Is it not true that we have a hard time manifesting purity? Because we're not walking with him, we're walking with those who oppose him. We become a companion of fools, we suffer harm. And lastly, feed on the scriptures.

Feed on the scriptures. Most of us are malnourished spiritually. Physically, we'll make sure we get what we need to eat. But spiritually, we're hurting. We need to feed on the scriptures. Christ said in John 15, 3, we are made clean by the word of God. Clean life. What's our destination? Number one, man purity by walking with Him.

Number two, maintain loyalty. By worshipping only Him. Maintain loyalty by worship only Him. Jeremiah 2, verse number 5, the Lord said, What injustice did your fathers find in me that they went far from me and walked after emptiness? And became empty. Folks, that is so profound. You see, whenever we walk away from God, we walk from fullness to emptiness. And so God asks a very legitimate question: What injustice did I do? That would cause your fathers to walk away from that one thing that would give them everything they long for to follow after emptiness.

How many Christians today turn their back on God? Walk away and find themselves empty, their souls still longing. Maintain loyalty by worship only Him. Ezekiel 14:3 Son of man, these men, that is Israel's elders, have set up idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their f. They didn't carve out any images to bow down to them before them. They had erected idols within their own hearts. And therefore, those idols would blind them to everything that God wanted to do for them.

How many Christians, how many of us are blind spiritually because within our heart we have erected an idol that we hold so dear? That we will hold on to that more than we hold on to God. Maintain loyalty by worship only Him. And number three, magnify intens while work for him.

Magnify intens by working for Him. Over in Titus chapter 2, listen to what it says. For the grace of God, verse 11, has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed and the appearing. Excuse me, the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself. For us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed, and purify for him a people for his own possession, zeal.

For good works. Jealous for good works. Magnify intensity by working. For him by serving only him. God redeemed you, he purified you, he gave you his grace. That we might become a people that are so consumed with the zealousness of God that we will work and serve Him with a passion, with a drive, with a desire that knows no bounds. Richard Strauss in his book Knowing God said this: If God, by virtue of his essential being, must be jealous for his uniqueness and his supremacy over all, then those who know him and want to please him should be just as jealous.

For Him, if we are serious about our relationship with Him, we shall exalt Him above everyone and everything else in our lives. We shall be absolutely dedicated to living for His honor. We shall be zealously committed to doing His will. The primary goal of our lives will be to show the world that our God is the one true and living God, that He alone makes life meaningful and worthwhile. Magnify intensity by work for him. Remember Elijah? Elijah was a great man. The Bible says in the book of James that he was a man with a nature just like yours and mine.

He was no special man. He was just the man that God decided to use at a certain time, as he has chosen to use you because he saved your soul. Elijah was a man who risked physical safety to prove that Jehovah was God. There's a man who wanted to magnify intensity by working for his God. He risked his life to make sure that everybody knew that Jehovah was the one true God. He stood alone against the prophets of Baal. And he called down fire from heaven. On his water-so sacrifice. And God sent fire down and consumed the sacrifice.

The wood, the stones, and licked up the water in the trench around the altar. And it says in 1 Corinthians, or excuse me, 1 Kings 18:3. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God. It was a spectacular victory. For the Lord over the pagan idols of the Canaanites. But the Bible says in 1 Kings 19 of this of Elijah.

I have been very jealous for the Lord God of host. Elijah was a man with intensity. How about you? Is that the way you are? Do you magnify intensity by working for him with a great intensity, with great zeal, with great intens? Because you want people to know that the Lord God of Israel is the only God. That you serve and that you love. He wants all of you. Does he have it? I trust that he does.