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JEALOUSY and ZEAL



To the  Jealousy/Envy/Zeal Title Page

To some other character traits mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 



PART 1: JEALOUSY/ZEAL CAN BE EITHER GOOD OR BAD

A. It can be good...

  1. Good if it has a good purpose
  2. Godly zeal: it does exist!
  3. One of the ways it can be produced: the result of godly sorrow and repentance
  4. God commands people to have zeal (along w/ repentance)

B. It can be bad...

  1. Bad when it is not an expression of love
  2. Bad when it is an expression of our old, corrupt nature (the "flesh")
  3. Bad when it is a "deed of darkness"
  4. It results in humiliation & grief in godly people (when they see it in others who claim to be "Christian").
  5. This type of jealousy /zeal is worldly
  6. We are commanded to NOT have it
  7. If we have this type of jealousy / zeal, we are not to be proud about it, or lie about how evil it is!
  8. This type of jealousy / zeal will hinder the answering of our prayers

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PART 2: ZEAL OR JEALOUSY, WHEN IT IS RELATED TO GOD

A. Zeal for God

  1. It is bad if done in ignorance.
  2. Zeal for God's House - It showed Jesus' attitude of zeal & honor for God himself.

B. Zeal For the Law [ceremonial rituals], etc.

  1. It was good/acceptable for the Christian Jews to have this type of zeal. [NOTE: They were not attempting to gain salvation through it.]
  2. It is bad if this zeal is an attempt to earn salvation, or if man-made tradition is actually what is being followed.

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PART 3: ZEAL/JEALOUSY, WHEN IT IS RELATED TO PEOPLE

A. The good type of zeal / jealousy - examples: [This includes having intense concern for, or interest in, other people.]

  1. Jealous for / intensely desiring another's spiritual well-being
  2. Zealously/diligently praying for others
  3. Zealous to help others
  4. Zealous to do good
  5. Zealous to use one's spiritual gifts -See section C, below.

B. The bad type of zeal / jealousy - examples:

  1. Jealous that people are interested in hearing the good news about Jesus (= having an intense desire to keep them away from the good news)
  2. Jealous because of favoritism shown to another
  3. Zealous to gain converts who would then become zealous followers of those who converted them (instead of zealous followers of the truth of the gospel).
  4. Zealous / jealous to exalt one leader above another

C. Zeal in the use of spiritual gifts - it can be good or bad.

  1. It is good if the focus is on the gifts that build-up others
  2. Zeal for gifts can be bad if love is not given the highest priority

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PART 4: AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE BAD KIND OF ZEAL/JEALOUSY

SECTION 1: THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH JEALOUSY / BAD ZEAL

[These things show how bad jealousy really is.]

A. Persecuting & opposing those who preach the truth

B. Sinful conduct of various kinds

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PART 4: AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE BAD KIND OF ZEAL/JEALOUSY

SECTION 2: OUR PROPER RESPONSE TO JEALOUSY

A. Doing things that are incompatible with jealousy (things we should be doing anyway!)

[Of course, there are LOTS of things mentioned in the New Testament, which are incompatible with jealousy. These are just the verses that contain the word "jealousy" (or the equivalent) somewhere within the context.]

B. Some specific responses we can have

  1. Continuing to obey God
  2. Continuing to speak the message
  3. Moving to a location where people are willing to hear the message (applies to those who have been sent out to preach the word)
  4. Warning them about their sin; speaking the truth to them
  5. Being filled with grief / humility

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PART 5: MISC. OTHER ASPECTS & USES OF THE WORD

A. About making others jealous

  1. People making God jealous - it's a dangerous thing to do!
  2. Paul making Israel jealous (This would occur when the Israelites saw the Gentiles receiving blessings that were originally intended for Israel.) Paul hoped that it would result in some Jews turning to Christ

B. A "zealous fire" - will consume those who are unrepentant / those who reject the truth

C. A "Zealot" (One who was a member of a certain Jewish political party that struggled for political independence from Rome.)

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PART 6: A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT ZEAL FOR GOD IN THE Old Testament

A. Zeal for God & his ways

B. Zeal for God's honor

C. Zeal for God's words

D. Zeal for God's house (Implied: a zeal for God)

Of course, there is another sense in which God doesn't need to have humans "zealously defend" him. After all, he is God and can take care of himself!

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THINGS TO CONSIDER:

** REMEMBER THIS! **

To whatever extent we succeed in replacing sinful zeal/jealousy with godly zeal/jealousy, we must give God the praise, rather than ourselves. Such changes are possible only because of changes God has made in our hearts. Without these changes, it is the natural inclination of our hearts to choose what is evil.

APPLY IT TO YOUR "EVERY DAY" LIFE!

Most people use the word "zeal" only in reference to "religious things" or "fanaticism." Yet the same action and heart attitude can exist in any area of life. The question is: On what do you focus your attention? What types of things do you like to think about throughout the day? If you could do whatever you wanted, what types of things would you choose to do? Contrast these things with the things you don't normally think about, or wouldn't normally choose to do. (Example: Some people claim that they love God, and that he has "first place" in their life. But they focus all their attention on...) Now answer the following questions:

What types of things do you focus your attention on? What do you like to think about and do? In other words, what is your zeal/jealousy focused on? [If your focus is on something you have (or are), it could probably be called "zeal," whereas if your focus is on something you don't have (or aren't) it could probably be called "jealousy."] Based on your answer to these questions, as well as what you learned in this study, determine what "plan of action" you need to work on, this week.

[Having considered the questions in this section, if you now view zeal/jealousy in a somewhat different way, you may wish to look again at the questions under the section entitled: "Things to Consider."]

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The type of jealousy that is focused on in this study places emphasis on the desire to have, or keep something. If you find that you have a desire not only for you to have something, but also for someone else to not have it, you may benefit from the study entitled "Envy."

Dennis Hinks © 1998

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