Okay, so last week we started with this series called Hebrides 2.0 and we said how there
was a promise given in Hebrides in January that we need to now examine.
And last week we talked about a purifying fire from heaven.
That's what we talked about.
And so I'll just read it out and perhaps Jeremy can put it on.
I just gave it to him so it might be difficult to pull it out right now.
It said, the word said, oh wow.
So this was the word that was given at Stornoway, January 6th or 7th at the beginning of the
year, a purifying fire from heaven that burns up religious and historical junk.
And that's what we dealt with last week.
As the divine warrior marches, doing what?
Delivering young men and women.
And this is why I really like that song that Tony sang today because it almost summarizes
this.
And so as the divine warrior marches, delivering young men and women from nations into the
kingdom, calling sons and daughters into that circle of dancing, abundance and joy
before the lion and the lamb.
And they will be a torch bearing generation that goes forth and will not return empty.
I think it's powerful.
Only God can bring it a pass.
So last week we did a purifying fire from heaven that burns up religious and historical
junk.
Today we deal with as the divine warrior enters, as the divine warrior marches.
That's the bit we'll deal with today.
It's such a powerful word.
Let's just read it one more time.
A purifying fire from heaven that burns up religious and historical junk.
As the divine warrior marches, delivering young men and women from nations into the
kingdom, calling sons and daughters into that circle of dancing, of abundance, of joy before
the lion and the lamb.
And they will be a torch bearing generation that goes forth and will not return empty.
So why do we call this Hebrides 2.0?
Because Hebrides 1.0, which happened about 1950, did this and then it went completely
dead.
You won't find any residue of what happened there.
Even the sons and the daughters of the ones that experienced revival don't have a recollection
and don't have an expectation.
God is saying, well then, Hebrides 2.0.
Through whom?
Through you.
How?
By allowing you to ignite it and then it spreads.
Sometimes our role is not to do anything else but to ignite something and then spread it
as Derek was saying, it is to reproduce.
God is smart, eh?
He planted trees that reproduce so that there will be trees in the world forever.
So today we deal with, as the divine warrior marches on.
That's the part we deal with.
So one of the things about the divine warrior, and we talked about this briefly last week,
someone asked a question.
The divine warrior is a jealous warrior.
And so one of the words we'll have to look at, if we want to understand warrior, if we
want to understand the zeal of this warrior, we will have to understand that he's a jealous
warrior.
And this word we'll focus on today and you'll see why.
The divine warrior is a jealous warrior.
If you go to Exodus 34, Exodus 34, 14, Exodus 34, 14, it says, do not worship any other
God for the Lord whose name is jealous is a jealous God.
His name is jealous.
Strange, eh, that he names himself jealous.
That's what it says in Exodus 34, 14.
He's not even saying I'm a jealous God.
He's saying my name is jealous.
And to understand the zeal of the divine warrior, you must understand what it is to have a God
whose name is jealous.
Because all kingdom reformation, all kingdom revival through the Old Testament and the
New Testament has always been initiated by a leader or by people who are jealous for
God.
Every kingdom revival, every kingdom reformation in the Old Testament and the New Testament
could only start or could only be initiated if a people or a leader became jealous for
God.
So be it Phinehas, who in Numbers 25 is jealous with the jealousy of God and takes a spear
and thrusts it through Cosby and Zimri to bring an end to a plague.
And you would think that God would say that was pretty violent.
Instead he says Phinehas possesses my zeal, my jealousy, and therefore he will be remembered
throughout history.
You take David.
What triggered David?
What triggered his destiny?
What triggered the reshaping of Israel?
One simple thing.
He's walking up and down as people are hidden in their foxholes.
And his statement is why aren't you guys getting up?
Why isn't someone taking on this giant called Goliath?
And his brothers say stop it.
Who do you think you are?
Be quiet.
Go back to your father and take care of the sheep.
And David's words are is there not a cause?
Something grips him eh?
Is there not a cause?
You take Paul.
It's the same thing.
He would get so jealous for God that he was sometimes ready to take on Peter saying hey
if you are going to behave like these circumcised when you come and join me in Antioch then
I'm going to call you out.
In 2 Corinthians 11 too he's so passionate about what he's writing to the Corinthians
that he says remember that I have dedicated you, betrothed you to one only.
Like a chaste virgin you belong to him and to no other.
You see Jesus and you see him.
This Jesus who we absolutely adore and who we sing about as gentle and kind takes a whip
and he begins to overturn tables and chairs and with the whip cracking the whip starts
driving people out.
And what does he say?
That a jealousy for the house of God and the zeal of God has possessed me and I will cleanse
this place.
There is no reformation, no revival in the kingdom that can be initiated without a people
or a leader taking on the jealousy of God.
Gideon same thing.
He goes in the middle of the night and starts pulling down Asherah poles and the altar that
was built to Baal because he cannot now after being chosen, after being called mighty warrior
he cannot stay hidden.
That he goes at night is because he was a little scared but in the daylight he still
stands and his father sides with him.
When people take on the jealousy of God others who don't have the courage will step up also.
That's the other thing.
When a people or a leader is possessed with the jealousy of God others who lack the courage
will now step up.
And so you cannot have a divine, you cannot have the zeal of the divine warrior without
having the jealousy of the divine warrior.
Seen it enough, the word jealousy, zeal and jealousy come from the same word.
Q-I-N-A-H, kinah in Hebrew and this is the word that is both for zeal and jealous.
Zealous and jealous are both contained in this word.
This is the word that's used.
So when you look at scriptures in the Old Testament and it says the zeal of the Lord
will accomplish it, it is this word.
In some versions actually in King James' version it says the jealousy of God, not the
King James, in some versions it says the jealousy of God will accomplish it.
Meaning when he's jealous about something he's zealous about it.
Jealousy and zealousness are together.
The zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.
In Isaiah 42, Isaiah 42 verse 13, it talks about God being a man of war.
Go to Isaiah 42, 13.
Isaiah 42, 13.
Let me read from the NIV first.
The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior.
He will stir up a zeal, again the word kinah.
With a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.
Reading from the King James.
The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man.
He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war.
He shall cry.
Yes, he shall roar.
He shall prevail against his enemies.
So even the idea of the mighty warrior stirring himself up comes out of his jealousy over
something that belongs to him or that he is in relationship with.
That is what causes zeal to rise.
One of the questions I'll ask in the end is are we jealous over the things of God?
Are we jealous about the church?
Are we jealous about the bride?
Because zeal is impossible to possess if jealousy isn't there.
In Deuteronomy 33, verse 29, different versions put it differently but the statement being
made is, Israel, you are so blessed.
Message says, lucky Israel.
Why?
Because there's a word used there for God with the many other titles that he has, Yahweh
Rohi, Yahweh Shama.
In Deuteronomy 33, 29, there's a name for him.
It's called Yahweh Kareb.
Yahweh Kareb, meaning God my glorious sword.
This mighty warrior is so zealous, so jealous over his son, Israel.
And he called Israel his son, Israel my son.
He's so jealous over his son that there is another name for God that Israel refers to
him as and it's Yahweh Kareb, which means God my glorious sword.
And here is Moses writing and he is writing as God speaks and he says, blessed Israel,
lucky Israel.
You have God as your shield and your glorious sword and your enemies cover before you.
They form before you as you trample upon their high places.
The divine warrior is possessed with jealousy and therefore if you want to be ones who are
able to march with him in Revelation 19, then you also have to have a jealousy that he possesses
over the things that he is jealous about.
Which then brings us to how do we define jealous?
If God says his name is jealous, just think of that.
He says, he doesn't even say I'm a jealous God.
He says my name is jealous.
How do we define it?
So the first thing we need to understand is God does not become jealous.
God does not become jealous.
He is jealous.
And he is not envious.
Because for us, envy and jealousy exist together.
God does not become jealous.
He is not having a good day and suddenly goes, hit by a pang of jealousy.
No, God does not become jealous.
He is jealous.
And we'll define jealous.
He is jealous and he is not envious.
He is not envious.
Envy is a desire to possess something that does not belong to you.
Anyone here who hasn't experienced this emotion?
Praise the Lord, honest church.
Envy is a desire to possess something that does not belong to you.
And that is the core of Satan's rebellion.
That is the core of Satan's rebellion.
Because what did he want?
He wanted something he did not have.
What did he want?
He wanted the throne of God.
He wanted to be as the most high.
And so that's what he offers Adam to.
Don't you want to be like God?
He offered to Adam what he wanted.
So envy is a desire to possess something that does not belong to you.
And it lies at the core of Satan's rebellion.
It is something he uses with mankind continuously, uses in the church.
It's one thing we really need to guard against because it goes back a long way, see.
So what is God's jealousy?
God's jealousy is a strong desire to maintain relational faithfulness
with those who belong to him.
With those who belong to him.
God's jealousy is a strong desire to maintain relational faithfulness with those who belong to him.
And this jealousy didn't lead to manipulation, to rivalry.
It did not lead to manipulation, rivalry or even possessiveness.
This jealousy led to his death.
Strange, eh?
So strange.
His jealousy is his strong desire to maintain a relational faithfulness with me.
And he doesn't do it through usurping my will.
He doesn't do it through manipulating my will.
He doesn't do it through possessiveness.
He doesn't do it through creating rivalry or competition to reach him.
He does it through his death.
This jealousy led to his death.
If he wasn't jealous over creation, there was no deep call to die.
Because he can create more.
What happens when the pie you're baking goes wrong?
You trash it. You start again.
Or you call people you don't like and you give it to them as a gift.
This gets me, eh? That his jealousy leads to his death.
But he will not cease from being jealous because it's what saves us.
And if he is jealous, then this is why he grieves.
If he is jealous, this is why he can be hurt.
Because there's a yearning.
There's a yearning to maintain relational faithfulness.
You should allow his jealousy to win your heart.
Because he's already yours. He's so jealous, he's already yours.
You know, when you are very sure of someone's love for you
and their jealousy to maintain that relationship with you,
you know that they are already yours.
You know that it doesn't matter what you do.
They'll do what it takes to maintain the relationship.
But you don't have to worry about, oh, will I lose out on this?
Will they exchange me for someone else?
Will I be discarded and become an unnecessary person
because I've disappointed or I've failed?
That goes away. Why?
Because God is so jealous over me that I already have him.
Any questions before we go on?
Use his jealousy to your advantage.
Allow jealousy to win your heart.
Allow his jealousy to win your heart.
I'm sure I've said this at least ten times before,
but then there are ten new people since I said it last.
Shortly before 9-11, I went to Seattle with Pastor Mike,
and we went to a meeting where there was a guy called Ira speaking.
And we enter and the guy turns to me and says,
what's your name?
I said, Jacob.
And he says, Jacob, you are special to God.
And he says, that doesn't mean that God will treat you extra with extra goodies
or he won't give you more pocket money than he gives others.
There's something about you that attracts his heart.
And you will find that Satan will come and try to whoop you up many times.
And every time he does that, remember that you are special to God.
This was more than 12-13 years ago.
But it stayed with me.
And the reason it stayed with me was not because of the specialness,
but because it was odd to hear God say those words.
And I would say to you that he would say that to you too.
And once you know that that is the jealousy he has over you,
then you know you have him for the rest of your life.
Can you say that one more time, those words that were spoken to you, please?
Jacob, you are special to God.
Aren't we all special to God?
That's exactly what I said. Exactly what I said.
But this man had those words for me on that day and they meant so much to me.
And he would say the same thing to you.
And I would say that word broke me as soon as I entered.
Jacob, you are special to God.
It doesn't mean that you will get an extra pocket allowance.
It doesn't mean that you will be treated any better than anyone else.
But you will attract his heart.
And so when Satan comes and tries to whoop you up, don't throw the towel in.
Stand. Because you are special to God.
I came away from there.
There are many other things written in the Word, but this part I always remember.
And so whenever I think I'm out of sorts with God, I go back to, hey, remember what was said, eh?
You have him.
There's a song, the song says, you can come to me anytime.
You don't have to ask or knock because I'm already yours.
This is God singing.
You can come anytime you want.
You don't even have to knock on the door or even ask for time because I am already yours.
This is not unscripted.
It is from the Song of Songs.
I'm my beloved, Zen.
He is mine.
But it comes through an understanding of his jealousy.
This is why we can't, yeah, this is why, one of the things God does with his jealousy is jealousy restricts.
Jealousy restricts the compromise.
Jealousy restricts the compromise of our, of our own, of our own, of our own, of our own, of our own, of our own, of our own.
Jealousy restricts the compromise of our exclusive set-apartedness, set-apartedness, or allegiance to him.
So jealousy is like something that restricts us from compromising our set-apartedness to him.
If we compromise our set-apartedness to him, we, the very idea of ecclesia is set-apart.
So if we as a church, let's, let's for a moment not even think as individuals, think of the church because the word ecclesia comes from a people that are set-apart
and transformed by God to be sent back into the world, set-apart from the world to be changed to be sent back into the world.
And the idea is, hey, you guys are set-apart and as a church, and a church is made up of all of us, as a church, I will restrict your compromise because you're set-apart because I'm jealous over you.
So he steps in when we compromise.
On one hand, God is love, but this might be hard for us to digest.
God is love, but it is an intolerant love.
We've heard of unconditional love, we've heard of extravagant love, but we rarely hear of intolerant love.
But God is love, but his love is an intolerant love in that it doesn't entertain two husbands.
It doesn't entertain two husbands.
Or loyalty to two masters.
Two masters.
So it doesn't matter whether it's mammon, other gods, and I don't mean other religions, I'm talking about other gods in our lives, pleasures, habits, our mindsets.
He doesn't entertain two husbands or loyalty to two masters.
That's why I say his love is intolerant. He won't entertain it.
If you go to 2 Corinthians 10, sorry, 1 Corinthians 10, verse 20.
And this is Paul speaking to the Corinthians who were willing to eat at the Lord's table, but also take part in guilds that they had to be part of because they were in a Roman culture that required them to attend these guilds if there were trades.
1 Corinthians 10, 20, but I say that the things, let me read from the NIV.
And no, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God.
And I do not want you to be participants with demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of the demons too.
You cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy?
Are we stronger than he?
Now listen to the message, it makes it a little simpler.
Because most of us won't go for pagan festivals, but I love the way he puts it in the message.
And you can't have it both ways, banqueting with the master one day and slumming with demons the next.
Besides, the master won't put up with it.
He wants us all or nothing.
Do you think you can get off with anything less?
Let me read that again.
And you can't have it both ways, banqueting with the master one day, slumming with demons the next.
Besides, the master won't put up with it.
He wants us all or nothing.
Do you think you can get off with anything less?
The thing is, we think we can get off with less.
We think we can get off with less.
But then we don't realize that some of the things that are happening in our lives are actually restrictions being placed on us so that we can walk the straight and narrow.
We don't realize it sometimes.
But we think we can get away with less.
And his jealousy will not allow that.
And all of us, at some point or the other, are getting away with less, eh?
In terms of time, treasure, talent, strength.
Everybody in this room.
Not a single exception.
Starting here.
Any husband who doesn't care that his wife committed adultery certainly does not love her.
Any husband here or any wife here who doesn't care that his or her spouse committed adultery, it doesn't matter to them, eh, it's okay, does not love their spouse.
And if that applies to us as humans, how much more to God?
And this is the story of Israel.
Again and again and again.
Illustrated perfectly in Hosea.
But again and again and again.
That's why he calls us, in the New Testament, he calls, in the Book of James, he talks about an adulterous generation.
In the Old Testament, he would refer to Israel.
So, we are talking about the divine warrior.
But why is this necessary?
Because you cannot war with him unless you have the bridge in his song and Psalm 24.
Clean hands, pure heart.
But how can I give someone clean hands and pure heart if I do not understand his jealousy over me and my jealousy over him?
This is all so intricately tied that you cannot remove jealousy and war.
And it's us as a people who are made up of individuals.
When you identify yourself, you identify yourself as Jacob the being.
You don't identify yourself as Jacob the elbow.
The elbow is part of Jacob the being.
It's the same.
We identify as first a body and then, yes, a body has to be made up of individuals.
God deals with it that way too.
We don't realize that God deals with it that way.
Because our Christianity is highly individualized, we don't think like that.
But he thinks like that.
If there was anyone who could actually live happily as a highly individualized person, it was Yahweh.
Because the very meaning of Yahweh is self-existent one.
And yet, he gives away or literally dissolves his self-existent oneness.
He dissolves his self-existent oneness to have something called a family.
Genesis starts like that, Revelation ends like that.
God's jealousy is an annoying speed bump.
It's an annoying speed bump.
To believers who love the world and keep God as a mistress.
God's jealousy is an annoying speed bump.
So when we make statements like that, we normally don't think of ourselves because we don't keep God as a mistress.
We are pretty dedicated to him.
Then I just simplify it down to something narrower.
That Jacob, what areas are there in your life where he is kept?
And he's kept and you can do your own thing and he's kept on the side.
What areas is it in your life that you do that?
Because like Paul says, all or none.
All or none.
So whenever you think it doesn't fit you, narrow it down.
Because as I look around this church, there's nobody here who keeps God on the side.
You are absolutely devoted to him and delight in him and he delights in you.
So on one hand there's that, on the other hand keep examining because he is perfect and he wants you to be perfect.
And the more we press towards this, the more we get to battle.
And battling is fun.
Yeah, absolutely.
Because it's his nature.
It's his nature.
See, when we think of battle, we think of our personal circumstances.
And we think those are the battles that we fight.
Those are not the battles we are called to fight.
Those are supposed to be taken care of by the one who owns you.
When you are talking about battles, we are talking about him saying, go forth, reproduce, subdue, replenish.
And that had very little to do with Adam's provision, Adam's security, Adam's dignity, Adam's possessions, Adam's work, Adam's freedom.
It had nothing to do with that.
Why did it have nothing to do with that?
Because all that was provided by God.
And nothing in that has changed.
Yes, we need to sometimes exert faith for these things that have now been broken because of the fall.
But the nature of God with regard to those seven essentials hasn't changed.
But the battle was really in go forth, reproduce, replenish, subdue.
And that is fun because that is his very nature.
You will see a God that you haven't seen then.
And that is kind of what this Hebrides 2.0 is about, right?
It's our little struggles that become like foxes that we spend so much time on that we don't have any energy left for other things.
Which is why Jesus makes this marvelous statement in Matthew 6, 33.
Seek first and all other things shall be added unto you so that you don't have to run after the things that the pagans run after.
It was not seek first so that you don't have to run after the things pagans run after.
It was now that you don't have to run after the things the pagans run after.
Can you just run after me and go wherever I'm going?
The prosperity gospel puts a full stop on it.
Seek him first and you won't have to run after the things the pagans run after.
That was not the intent.
The intent was now that you don't have to cook or do dash, spend that time constructively cooking for somebody else.
Cooking?
Speed bump.
Yeah.
I think so.
If you keep pressing in, you will know a speed bump and you will stop before.
Speed bumps are when God has to put opposition, obstacles, discipline, pruning, instruction, resistance in my way so that I stop going down the idiotic way I'm going down.
God resists.
James chapter 3, 4 talks about it.
Every time I'm proud, God resists me.
And the resistance is the kind of resistance that an army puts out against another army.
It's not some resistance that is simple.
It is actual resistance every time I'm proud.
So if I don't change, like take time?
If I don't change, then it's just that the process gets more, the discipline gets a little tougher, a little tougher, a little tougher.
And usually if you don't catch it, then you lose out on time.
And sometimes if you don't catch it, God will take you home because you're better off in heaven.
Yeah.
Because there's no point, right?
You're not learning.
If I'm not learning here on earth, why spend more time here?
So that's what happens when people die early?
Do you think so, Marcus?
Do you think so?
Because remember we are on camera and if I answer wrongly, it won't be right.
So we got to be, yeah.
But there are people who die early because they are not learning.
Because there was no other option but to.
I mean, there are people much better than us, like Moses.
Did Moses die on time?
He died early.
He was supposed to enter the promised land.
Did Ananias and Sapphira die on time?
No, they were supposed to see the flourishing of the New Kingdom.
Guys like that.
So we got to be super careful, right?
Not super careful.
Super in love.
Super careful.
You will die being careful.
My mom used to say that before I cross the road, I would look left, right, left, right, multiple times before I would cross the road.
I'm so grateful I don't do that anymore.
Jealousy also, the other thing is guys, whatever draws my affections away from God will come later to strip me bare.
Whatever draws my affections away from God will later come to strip me bare.
And that's what I'm trying to do.
I'm trying to be a good person.
Whatever draws my affections away from God will later come and strip me bare.
Like, Samson was such a mighty man.
Did Samson die before his time?
Yeah.
Samson was such a mighty man, appointed as a judge to lead Israel.
And whatever distracted him eventually stripped him.
He would go to the valley of Sorek and love a woman there.
Then he would go to another valley, love a woman there.
He would sleep with these women.
And the Bible says, and Samson with his eyes saw a woman in a valley and he went and slept with her.
His eyes were plucked out.
And then Delilah strips him bare.
He languishes in her lap and then languishes in a prison.
And so, on one hand, the jealousy of God, thank God, we should be grateful to God for the short leash that this church is on.
Everyone here in this church is on a short leash.
Why are we on a short leash?
It's a magnificent thing.
We are on a short leash because much has been given to us and so much is expected of us.
So if we wear too much to the left or the right, God will say, hey, I can't allow this to happen.
I put too much fertilizer into your tree.
So praise God that we are on a short leash.
Jealousy also encapsulates God's commitment to bring him glory.
Jealousy is God's commitment to bring himself glory.
Why? Because he's a creator and he intends creation to know him for who he is.
He is a creator and he intends creation to know him for who he is.
And he won't let his cardboard or his glory, he won't let his cardboard or glory or weight or splendor or magnificence,
he won't let it be distorted, adulterated or misrepresented by his people.
He's okay if people in the world did that, but he doesn't like it when his people do that.
Just remember that, eh?
Just remember that.
This is why Israel could never get away with just having the temple.
They thought if they have the temple, they have God.
They quickly realized that God cared two hoots for the temple.
It is crazy.
They thought, I mean, the temple was where God dwelt.
He said, build me a temple.
He said, build it like this.
He gave them instructions.
He had two sets of tablets made so that they could build a temple.
He had two sets of tablets made so that they could get it right.
And then after all that, when they began to do things, two things happened.
One, multiple times during Israel's journey, he would exile them.
Or he would have some army come in and completely destroy the temple.
Why? Because his thing was, you can't be this and that.
Others want to say about things about me, I'm okay.
But you cannot distort my glory and think that you can get away with it because you are the ones who are supposed to represent me.
This is why Jesus takes a whip.
He says, you've turned my temple into a place of, into a den of thieves.
That I cannot allow.
And he's not allowing it.
Why? Because you are defiling the courts of the Gentiles too.
That's why they set up everything.
He would rather have his name shamed than deceitfully make it look good.
He would rather have the Babylonians think that Yahweh is powerless than continue in the temple if his people aren't revering him.
Ichabod is a result of his jealousy over his name.
Ichabod means the glory has departed.
It should be the thing we must fear most as a church and as individuals.
That what if his weight, his splendor, his magnificence, his voice departs because of my continuous dullness in areas of my life.
Continuous resistance in areas of my life.
In that area, God won't ever take his spirit away from me.
That's an Old Testament thing.
I'll always have a spirit.
But in the areas where I'm continuously dull and resistant.
What if the weight and the splendor and the magnificence of God that he wants to display through me suddenly dulls it?
It's something we have to be careful of.
And that's why many of the things that God says, hey, here's the thing.
I would rather hear God wrong and find out later than hear God and not do something.
Just hear again.
It is better to hear God and find out you are wrong in the process of going about it.
You find out you're wrong and you say, oh, shucks got it wrong.
And then say sorry and say, man, I missed it and messed up and messed up a few lives in the process.
Not too badly, but rather go that route than say, well, let's not go with this because it's too tough.
Or we don't have what it takes.
So we're not good enough.
You can't amend what he says because he's a jealous God who loves what he says and knows that it is possible only through him.
Any questions, guys?
Okay, so let's go back to Isaiah 42, verse 13.
And it says that he's a man of war who stirs up his jealousy.
Jealousy.
He's a man of war who stirs up his jealousy and thereby has zeal for battle.
Now, let's look at other places where he stirs up his jealousy.
He's a man of war who stirs up his jealousy and thereby has zeal for battle.
Let's look at other places where he stirs up his jealousy.
So in John 2, 17, it is jealousy for his house.
Jealousy for his house where he takes a whip and goes about cleansing the house.
Guys, as one's in charge of something, you should be jealous.
You should be jealous.
Even when you're misunderstood.
Jesus was thoroughly misunderstood.
It depends on what I do with my jealousy.
If my jealousy spits fire that consumes, then my jealousy is not the type of jealousy that God has.
Because if he was jealous that way, we would all be consumed, me particularly, many times over.
But there is a way that jealousy over what you're in charge of should come up.
Otherwise, how will you protect? How will you raise? How will you nurture?
How will you lay down your life for what you're not jealous over?
Is it even possible to lay down your life for what you're not jealous over?
Why is it that your spouse feels safe with you?
Because even though you're a gentle person, if anyone as much as raises a hand against her, line in you comes up.
How? Why is she so confident in you?
Because she knows that he might be gentle, he might have a gentle voice, he never raises his voice.
But my God, anybody touches me, Kamal will bash them up.
So one was jealousy.
Wherever you see the words, the zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.
In the Old Testament, always remember, it simply means the jealousy of the Lord will accomplish it.
That's what it means.
Another place.
Jealousy for the church.
1 Corinthians 3.17.
3.17, yeah.
Jealousy for the church.
Look at what he says in 3.16 and 17.
Don't you know that you are the temple of God?
If anyone destroys this temple, I will destroy you.
He's talking about the neos, as in this temple, not this temple, this temple.
1 Corinthians 3.16, 17.
Can we read it from the scripture?
1 Corinthians 3.16 and 17 from the NIV.
Don't you know that you yourself are the temple of God?
You are the temple of God.
From the NIV.
Don't you know that you yourself are God's temple and God's Spirit dwells in your midst?
If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person.
For God's temple is sacred and you are the temple.
That is jealousy.
Each of these can be taken and elaborated.
1 Corinthians 6.19 talks about God's temple too.
Don't you know that you are the temple of the living God?
But that is this temple, the body that you are.
In 3.16, it is not talking about this.
It's talking about the neos or the body.
Let's look at another one.
Canucks, canucks, canucks.
Just keep repeating it. He'll come down.
See, you should try it.
You won't have to walk up and down.
2 Corinthians 11.
2.
Jealousy for the bride.
Hey!
Imitate me in this and you will imitate Christ.
I'm jealous for the bride of Christ.
I don't think you can lead a church if you're not jealous for the bride of Christ.
I think a pastor who's not jealous for the bride of Christ is not a pastor that can lead a church.
What does that mean?
Jealous for...
I was going to ask you this at the end.
Are you jealous for the bride?
Go to Ephesians 5.27.
It talks about it.
Is it your desire that she be presented spotless and blemishless?
What happens when she is dressed wrong?
Do you point it out?
What happens if a slip is showing?
Do you tell her?
What happens if anyone touches her?
If anyone dishonours her?
If anyone shames her?
What happens when the bridegroom says, this is how it should be?
And the bridesmaids say, this is how it should be.
Do you amend it or do you keep it?
Does she feel protected?
Will you do anything for the bride?
Lay your life down for the bride?
Jealousy for the bride.
You see it in Ephesians 5.25-30.
You see it in 2 Corinthians 11-2.
Increase of government.
Isaiah 9-7.
It says that the government shall increase upon his shoulders.
And you know how it will be done?
The zeal or the jealousy of the Lord will accomplish it.
You know why the divine warrior can go marching out?
You know why sons and daughters will dance before him with abandon?
You know why they'll recognize the lion and the lamb?
You know why there'll be a torch bearing generation?
Because his jealousy, his zeal will accomplish it.
And the only way that we can buy into it is when we begin to feel the same jealousy
that he has over 18 year olds, 19 year olds, 20 year olds across the earth
that have not found what it is that you have found.
You know why the divine warrior can go marching out?
Because he will be the zeal of the Lord.
One of the greatest aches in my heart when I go to different nations is
you go tell people and they are like sponges wanting to eat and drink
saying yes, yes, yes and then you leave and when you leave they have nothing to go back to.
The zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.
The zeal of Jacob or the zeal of Acts of Eden will never accomplish it.
But if we buy into the jealousy of God over his creation, especially the young,
at this point in history, the zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.
How far will you go if your wife is lost?
You're centered on a cruise.
She got off at the wrong port, lost on some amazing island,
sending you texts saying I'm on this island, which island?
I don't know, I don't have GPS.
What will you do? What will you not do?
How far will you go? How far will you go?
I'm saying to you looking at every husband here, to the ends of the earth.
Why? Because she cooked well?
It'll be because of the intense jealousy you have that brings up such protection and love in your heart.
And you will go to the ends of the earth.
How is it possible to go to the ends of the earth if I am not possessed with the jealousy?
For that one thing which the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are obsessed with.
And what is their magnificent obsession? The bride.
How do we know that? Because the Spirit formed the bride.
Christ paid for the bride.
The Father sent the Son for the bride.
The Father was paid a dowry by the bridegroom.
The dowry was paid in blood.
And as he waits to come back and take his bride for the big marriage feast,
he left us with the Holy Spirit to prepare us for that day.
That church is the magnificent obsession of the Father, Son and the Spirit.
Until I have a jealousy over that which he is jealous over, I will not go looking for her.
The shepherd does not go looking for the sheep just because of his love.
He goes because it's a jealous love. It's an intolerant love.
It cannot bear the thought of predators eating it or gnawing at it or chomping it or leaving it mutated.
It cannot bear the thought of a sheep that belongs to you carrying the brand of some other shepherd.
It cannot bear the thought of a sheep bleating in a hole.
When I went for Roslyn's funeral memorial, Matt was telling me about a cow that wandered off and got caught in a ditch.
And Matt came with pictures of the cow.
It had gotten lost in a ditch. And you know what Matt did?
Matt went and brought a tractor and a bulldozer.
I mean the stuff that you normally build houses with is what he is bringing to get the blooming cow out of the ditch.
There's something about the jealousy of God that we need to get.
Blessed are you spouses for jealous husbands and wives, eh? Blessed are you.
He's jealous when he wants to increase his government as in his rule.
Zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.
He's jealous in Isaiah 26, 11.
He's jealous when he wants to consume his enemies.
Isaiah 26, 11.
Lord, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal or jealousy for your people and be put to shame.
Let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.
I love the next one.
You know, for us to follow the Divine Warrior, we have to be cloaked with what he's cloaked in.
And guess what he's cloaked in? Isaiah 59, 17.
War righteousness as a breastplate or the helmet of salvation.
And then wrapped himself or cloaked himself in jealousy and zeal.
Cloaked himself in zeal.
That's how God is presented as a warrior in Isaiah 59, 17.
He's cloaked himself in zeal.
Come on, man. You want this.
It'll have you go to the ends of the earth, man.
The odd thing is in Exodus 34, verse 11, where it says that God is a jealous God.
When he says, my name is jealous, what he says after that is, observe what I command you today.
Then he says, here's what I'll do. I'll drive out the enemy before you.
I'll make sure you don't make any treaties with the culture around you.
And tear down altars and poles.
Look at the three things he says after he says he's jealous.
I will drive out the enemy.
Then he says, do not get cozy with the culture around you.
Then he says, tear down altars.
I will drive out enemies.
This is why in Deuteronomy 9, verse 1 to 5, he says, hey, I'm sending you into a place which has high walls.
I'm sending you into a place where giants dwell.
I'm sending you into a place where you've heard of how fierce they are.
Now that I've frightened you enough, I also want to tell you that I'm going ahead of you.
And I'll drive them out.
And then you go.
Make sure you do two things.
One, do not compromise with the cultures around you because it will ensnare you.
And two, destroy their altars and share of poles because I've driven them out.
So on one hand, there is jealousy that drives out the enemy so that you can possess what is actually his.
On the other hand, do not compromise your purity.
And on the third hand, destroy what is evil so that the generation after you won't forget and go back to it.
Crazy, eh? Destroy.
Why do you think God is going after the young?
Because us 55-year-olds are not good enough.
We are wiser.
But he's going after the young so that a generation after this day don't go back to the same altars and poles that we destroyed, that we didn't destroy.
Same thing happened, man, in the 1970s.
There was something called the Jesus Revolution.
Changed the face of America.
But what happened?
It was my first meeting with someone who was a believer.
A bunch of guys came to Bihar in India.
Bihar is known as a graveyard of Christianity in India.
This is in the 1970s.
They come and they look like complete hippies.
Long hair, guitars, slippers and they don't have food to eat.
I would take them home and make them omelets.
Not me. I'd ask the person at home to make them omelets.
Became good friends and they would have...
The only song they knew was,
Jesus is the answer for the world today.
And then they'd learn a Hindi song.
Jai Jai Prabhu Ishukhe.
With this amazing American accent.
So this is all they sang.
Two songs.
But my God, one of them came up to me and he comes up to me and says,
Have you received Jesus Christ as Lord?
I didn't know what it meant but I knew I needed Jesus and I started weeping.
And I remember my dad and mom saying,
Don't worry. Don't get too fanatical about that stuff.
You have Jesus. Don't worry about anything else.
Because we came from a traditional church.
But the point is this.
These guys in the 1970s had something happen to them, man.
And it really changed the shape of both evangelism around the world and the face of America.
But if you don't destroy the altars and if you don't destroy the Asherah poles,
it is only a generation away when people return to what should have been destroyed.
Therefore we need a divine warrior who has people who can march with him
because the divine warrior does this through his people.
This day I command you.
I will drive out the enemy from before you.
Do not compromise with the culture around you because it will ensnare you.
Tear down the altars and the Asherah poles because if you don't do this,
I'll tell you what's going to happen.
And history has been repeating itself again and again and again.
Are you jealous for the bride?
If she's dressed up wrong,
will you correct it?
If her slip is showing,
will you tell her if anyone touches her, dishonours her, shames her,
will you rise up?
Is your love the kind that would die for her,
that would live for her,
that would lose everything for her,
that would protect her,
that would keep her spotless?
That is jealousy.
And if you are jealous like that,
a strange thing will happen.
You will find yourself plonk in the middle of Revelation 19, 11 to 16.
If you are jealous like that,
you will find yourself,
hi Shiloh,
you will find yourself plonk in the middle of Revelation 19, 11 to 16.
And I saw one who was seated on the white horse,
on his white horse,
on his robe,
his robes were dipped in blood,
on his thigh were the words,
King of kings and Lord of lords.
His face was bright and shining,
out of his mouth there came a sword.
And behind him was his army,
not made up of angels.
How do we know that?
Because it said,
there were white linen.
It's talking about an army of saints.
And they followed him.
You get jealous for the Lord,
and you will find yourself plonk in the middle of Revelation 19, 11 to 16.
And Derek will do communion next week.
Let's pray.
Father, earlier we stood up when Derek was speaking.
And Father, I just pray that the ones that stood up,
have a desire to say,
this is what I feel God calling me into today.
That they would come and either speak to Derek or me.
Saying, that day when I stood up,
this is what I felt in my heart,
this is what I felt God is calling me to.
Based on what I felt,
I feel that I am called to this day.
This is what I felt God is calling me to.
Based on what you were speaking.
So that's one thing about.
I don't know how to cultivate jealousy right now.
Is there anything you want us to do before we leave?
I don't know Father.
It's not a concept we are used to.
You being a jealous God and jealousy being something so important.
So I just pray Father that right now,
if there are people in the church that want to pray,
just maybe three people who want to pray down this line,
then we'll just end with that.
Because I don't know how to.
So this is something that you have exemplified.
You have exemplified all the old testament and new testament.
You have exemplified throughout your life.
And you say come and ask.
So Father we come and ask,
can we open our eyes?
Can we begin to see this?
Can we begin to just grasp and glimpse of it?
Because this is what it is like.
And this area of my life is terrible.
Can we begin to grasp our hearts so that we respond?
So that we become jealous when you arrive.
Because it's where you're chosen to carry your heart.
And if your heart is jealous,
then it's the jealousy that is ours to carry.
If we're able, maybe we respond, maybe we ask,
say hey this is the jealousy I want to carry.
Teach me, train me so that I know how to mark you.
Father we don't want to be anything else.
We don't want to be anything you want for us.
We're the birds that were spoken to before all were nothing.
We want to be all for you.
Other things to love, other things to be distracted with.
Other things that are not for you.
We don't want any part of that in us.
So we want to give all of our attention to all of you.
Father I choose the areas that I'm jealous in.
There's so many compromises in my life in other areas.
My husband was only jealous in some areas and compromising in other areas.
His wife wouldn't be able to trust him, his wife wouldn't be able to depend on him.
His wife wouldn't be sure of him.
So on one hand I can say stuff like when it comes to the bride it's at me,
but what about other areas father?
Where there's compromise in my life.
So even though I speak for myself I pray this for others in this room.
I would like to repent of the multiple areas of compromise on a regular basis in my life.
Where I'm not jealous for your weight, splendor, magnificence, purity, holiness, truth.
I ask for a small favor father.
With fear and trembling in my life and in the life of this church.
Gentle Jesus, Lord and Master.
Would you upturn tables in my life and cleanse the temple precincts from things that are habitually compromised.
Please Lord, not even for my own sake, not even for my own righteousness or holiness.
No, I've already been made holy.
But for your sake O God, so that you get to do what you want with me, with this church.
You walked into the temple.
I grieved you Jesus, what is it that grieves you about me?
Gosh Lord, I can think of two or three things so easily.
Please overturn tables, please cleanse my life.
Please do that for this church too.
It's odd but purifying fire and jealousy go together.
I know you love me, love us.
So it's not fearful to fall into the hands of the living God.
And when you do it, can you please point it out so that we know it's you?
In Jesus name, Amen.
Thank you guys.
I won't be here next week but I just place Derek in charge and pray that the Lord will give you the wisdom and the love and the purity and the jealousy that you need to possess.
Far greater than the jealousy you even have over Iris and your baby for the church.
May that be the same thing for all of us.
Yeah.
Bless you.
There will be people here who will pray with you.
If you need prayer, feel free to come up.
Cool.