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Introduction:
We have too often missed the boat regarding what Jesus’ life and
death was all about. Why did Jesus come to earth? That’s easy,
isn’t it? We know Luke
19:10. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the
lost” (ESV). But follow that up with another question. Why did
the Son of Man come to seek and save the lost? Think about that
for just a moment. Why did the Son of Man come to seek and save
the lost? So we can go to heaven, right? WRONG! Don’t
misunderstand, because Jesus saved us, we do have a home reserved
in heaven (cf. I
Peter 1:3-5). While heaven is a benefit we receive, it was
not the reason Jesus saved us. Rather Jesus saved us so we could
perform good deeds right here and now on earth. Ephesians
2:8-10 makes it quite clear. God recreated us in Christ
Jesus not merely to save us and help us to heaven. He recreated us
so we might walk in the good deeds He prepared beforehand. Now
read Titus
2:11-14. Why did God extend His grace? To train us to
renounce ungodliness and worldly passions. To train us to live
godly, self-controlled and upright lives. To purify for Himself a
people zealous for good deeds. According to Titus
3:8, 14, God’s people must carefully devote themselves
to good deeds. According to II
Timothy 2:20-21 we are to cleanse ourselves, not to go to
heaven, but in order to be ready for every good deed. Notice the
Hebrew writer’s prayer in Hebrews
13:20-21. The prayer was not merely that God would get the
Christians to heaven, but that we would be equipped with every
good thing in order to do His will. We need to understand
something. God did not save us so that some day off in the future
we might get to go to heaven even though we don’t deserve it.
God saved us so that right here and now, we individual Christians
might do His good deeds on this earth. God did not save us so we
could gather on Sundays and discuss truth. He did not save us so
we could simply gain knowledge. He did not save us so we could be
theologically correct. He saved us by His truth, granting us His
knowledge so that we might act. He saved us so we would be a force
of good deeds on this earth. But He did not save us so we might
just do a good deed every now and then. He saved us, as Titus
2:14 said, to purify for Himself a people Zealous for Good
Deeds. That begs the question. What is “zeal”? How will we
look when we are zealous? How do we develop zeal? Discussion: I.
Defining “Zeal” A.
The Biblical words translated “zeal” and “zealous”
(zelos, zeloo, zelotes) all stem from the root word “zeo”
which means “to boil with heat.” Thus, “zeal” carries with
it the idea of being on fire for something. In a negative sense,
the word is used to speak of burning with envy or jealousy (e.g. Acts
7:9; 17:5). In a good sense, it is used to mean burning
with desire for something good (e.g. I
Corinthians 12:31; 14:1, 39). If we were going to use
modern buzz words to describe zeal we would talk about someone
being on fire or being passionate about something. In fact, this
is demonstrated in contrast by the Laodiceans in Revelation
3:19. Jesus told the Laodiceans to “be zealous and
repent” (ESV). This contrasts with the lukewarm state Jesus had
described in Revelation
3:15. Instead of being lukewarm, Jesus wanted them to be
on fire. He wanted them to be passionate about serving Him and His
will. B.
Perhaps it will help us to see some people described as
zealous. Of course, we remember Jesus in John
2:13-17, in which the disciples remembered Psalm
69:9 saying, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (ESV).
Jesus’ zeal was demonstrated by the inability to sit idly by. He
had to act. Folks consumed with zeal cannot sit idly by; they have
to act. Then there is the demonstration of Paul’s zeal prior to
becoming a Christian. Philippians
3:6 says when he was following the old law he demonstrated
his zeal by persecuting the church. Acts
8:3 shows Paul’s zeal. He entered house after house. He
was active and persistent. According to Acts
9:1ff, Paul did not simply persecute those around him, he
hunted Christians down. He was chasing them. Zeal is an ardent
desire that causes an intense pursuit. Further we see Paul talk
about his zealousy as a Jew in Galatians
1:14. He advanced beyond his peers. Those who are zealous
are not satisfied with status quo and good enough. They excel and
exceed because they are on fire. II.
A Zeal for Good Deeds A.
God has not asked us merely to be zealous. He hasn’t
merely asked us to be positive and passionate in general. He
hasn’t asked us to be on fire for just anything. He has purified
us in order to have a zeal for good deeds (Titus
2:14). We must be on fire for good deeds. We must be so on
fire that we just can’t sit idly by while there is good to be
done. We have to act. We are to hunt for and chase down
opportunities to perform good deeds. We excel and exceed all
others regarding good deeds. We don’t do this because there is a
church program or because we are part of some benevolent
organization. We do this because we are Christians, because we
have been purified to do this by God. B.
Consider another metaphor God uses to give us this picture.
In Matthew
5:6, Jesus said those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness are blessed because they are the only ones who are
ever satisfied. I think this verse demonstrates another flaw we
have perpetuated along these lines. In this passage, Jesus is
providing His plan of salvation. If someone wants to be made
righteous, that is, saved and right with God, they must first be
poor in spirit. They must recognize how badly they have messed up.
They must see the bad deeds they have done. Then they must realize
how they have absolutely nothing to offer God to pay for that.
Therefore, they mourn, regretting and repenting of those deeds.
Then, recognizing that they can only be changed if they submit to
God, they become meek before God, surrendering their lives to Him.
Then this next step is most surprising. Jesus did not say that
they are to hunger and thirst for grace and mercy. No doubt, there
is no way to be righteous apart from God’s grace and mercy. But
we are to hunger for righteousness. God’s grace and mercy are
not an end unto themselves. When we teach people, we often
highlight the forgiveness they will be given. God however is not
seeking merely to forgive people. He is seeking to forgive people
so they may be set free to pursue righteousness. Jesus didn’t
die merely to wash our sins away, but so that being set free from
sin we might live to righteousness (I
Peter 2:24). If we really want to actively work in saving
people, we cannot merely make them hungry for forgiveness, mercy
and grace. Rather, we must make them hungry for righteousness. We
must make them hungry for doing what is right and what is good.
When they have that hunger, when they are starving to do what is
right and good, they will seek God’s mercy and grace but then
they will move beyond that and walk in the good works God prepared
beforehand. C.
Having said this though, we need to recognize the place
good deeds have in our salvation. According to Titus
3:5, we are not zealous for good deeds because we are
trying to measure up and earn salvation. The fact is no amount of
zeal for good deeds will earn us salvation. If we are trying to be
saved by our own acts of righteousness, we will always fail. We
are saved by God’s grace when we are washed by the Holy Spirit
in our baptism. I want you to notice what this means on a
practical level for good deeds. We may be tempted to ask, “How
many good deeds must I do in order to go to heaven?” That is the
wrong question. The person who is zealous for good deeds won’t
ask this question. A zeal for good deeds and righteousness means
I’m passionate about doing good, not just trying to be good
enough to make the cut. If you find yourself saying, “How much
do I have to do to be saved? How many assemblies do I have to
attend? How much time do I have to spend in prayer? How much time
do I have to spend studying the Bible? How many people do I have
to help? How much hospitality do I have to perform?...” then you
are not being zealous for good deeds. You’re just trying to make
the cut. Sadly, with this attitude, you won’t make the cut. Only
those who pursue righteousness and good deeds because they are
hungering for righteousness and zealous for good deeds will be
satisfied. III.
What do those zealous for good deeds look like? A.
Reliant
upon God’s grace:
Isaiah
64:6 demonstrates a problem we have. On our own, if we
simply start trying to pursue good deeds, it will never be
anything more than filthy rags. If we are in our sins and just
decide we are going to make a change but don’t ever allow God to
cleanse us of our unrighteousness, our good deeds do no good.
Those who are truly zealous for good deeds begin by relying on
God’s grace. Isn’t that the message of Titus
2:11-14? It is God’s grace that cleanses us of our bad
deeds and unrighteousness that then instructs us how to really
pursue and be zealous for good deeds. Further, having been
cleansed by God and now pursuing good deeds, we know it is God’s
grace that provides us with abundance so that we might then turn
around and bestow blessings on others. That is the message of II
Corinthians 9:8-11. This passage is specifically dealing
with good deeds in helping others materially and financially. But
it is true no matter what aspect of good deeds we are dealing
with. Only the grace of God allows us our abilities to teach,
pray, encourage, exhort, help, strengthen, comfort others. If we
are trying to be strong all on our own, we won’t make it. But
when we rely on God’s grace and use the grace He has given us to
work good deeds, He will increase His grace to us. If you want to
develop your zeal for good deeds, start here by counting your
blessings. Why not write a gratitude list every day of things for
which you are thankful from God. As you realize what great things
God has done for you, you will increase your desire to pass it
along to others. B.
Accompanied
by knowledge from God’s word:
According to Romans
10:2, it is possible to have a zeal, but one that is not
really and truly about God’s good deeds. Our passion and fire
does us no good if it is not also accompanied with knowledge from
God. These Jews did not know or understand the grace of Jesus.
Therefore, their zeal was about pursuing their own righteousness
and saving themselves by their own good works. They did a lot of
things, things we might even call good, but they were no good for
them and no good for God. Thus, their seemingly good deeds were
not really good. II
Timothy 3:16-17 says the Scripture equips us for every
good work. Those who are really zealous for good deeds spend their
time in the Word, seeking the equipping and training so they can
know what is right and then pursue it. They allow the Word to
teach them, reprove them, correct them and then discipline them in
righteousness. We cannot develop a zeal for good deeds apart from
God’s word. Only by reading about what God has done for us and
what God has asked of us in return can we have zeal for it. C.
Laboring
fervently in prayer:
As Paul prayed in II
Thessalonians 2:16-17, those who are zealous for good
deeds pray that God will establish them and others in good deeds.
But in addition to praying for our own good deeds the greatest
good deed we can do for others is to pray for them and pray with
them. As I prepared this lesson, one passage really caught my eye.
Colossians
4:12-13 describes Epaphras. Where the ESV speaks of him
working hard for the brethren, the KJV and the NKJV translate that
he had great zeal for the brethren. Notice what marked his great
zeal. Epaphras was “always struggling on your behalf in his
prayers” (ESV). The KJV says “laboring fervently.” He was
striving and working in prayer. How many of us, though, can
describe our prayer life as striving or laboring fervently? Those
who are truly zealous for good deeds do not merely try to go out
and do good things; they make their deeds worthwhile by asking God
to be part of their good deeds and asking God to bless others. So,
if you want to develop a zeal for good deeds, start and end every
day with prayer, asking God to establish your zeal, to provide you
with opportunities and resources and to bless your deeds to be a
blessing to others. D.
Anchored
in service to others:
Perhaps the hardest thing about being zealous for good deeds is
the fact that a life of good deeds is a life consumed with service
for others. A great example of this is found in II
Corinthians 9:2. What caused the Corinthians to commit to
helping the brethren in Judea during their famine? It was their
zeal. Consider the widows indeed about whom Paul spoke in I
Timothy 5:10. Having a reputation for good works meant
being hospitable, raising children, washing the saints’ feet,
caring for the afflicted. All of these are issues of service. They
take sacrifice. Those who are zealous for good deeds are servants.
If you want to develop a zeal for good deeds, you have to increase
your humility and your willingness to serve. E.
Abounding
in good deeds:
One of the greatest examples of being zealous for good deeds is
Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, in Acts
9:36-41. Acts
9:36 says she was full of good works. Some translations
say abounding with good deeds. This may seem too obvious. However,
I think we need to note that those who are zealous for good deeds
don’t just try to get one in every once in a while. Those who
are zealous for good deeds abound in them. They are covered up
with them. Consider the statement in I
Timothy 2:10. Paul said good works are the fitting apparel
for those who profess godliness. We should be so covered over with
good deeds it is like we are clothed in them. The point behind
this is that what people remember about us is not our jewelry, our
power clothes, our fashion sense but our good works. I
Timothy 6:18 says we should be rich in good works. If you
want to develop the zeal that produces an abundance of good works,
you just have to start doing some good works. Even if you don’t
feel a zeal for it right now, fake it. Pretend to have a zeal and
just do it. I love the phrase, fake it ‘til you make it. That is
how a zeal for good deeds is developed. Simply act today like you
are zealous for good deeds by doing a good deed and then do
another one and then do another one. Trust me; as you start
gaining the fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from doing
good, zeal will come. F.
Bearing
fruit that glorifies God:
Matthew 5:16 says our good works are for the purpose of glorifying
God. John
15:8 says we glorify God by bearing fruit as His
disciples. Those who are zealous for good deeds bear fruit that
glorifies God. Think about what this means. It means good deeds
are not in some kind of vacuum. Good deeds produce something. It
may not always be tangible. It may be patience, joy or other fruit
described in Galatians
5:22-23 produced in our own lives. Then again, it may be
some help in someone else’s life. Titus
3:14 said that helping out with urgent needs was being
fruitful. At times, there will be something very tangible produced
as well. Think again about Tabitha in Acts
9:36-41. When Peter came into the room where Tabitha’s
body lay, they didn’t just describe her love, they were able to
show tangible expressions of her love. They were able to show the
garments she had made. We need to ask ourselves, can anyone point
to something tangible regarding our good deeds? Then, when they
have those tangible reminders of our good deeds, was our goal for
them to glorify God and not us? If you want to develop a zeal for
good deeds, focus on this goal for your good deeds. If your goal
is to try to do enough good stuff to go to heaven, you will always
be dragging. But if you spend your time praising God and trying to
do things that will glorify Him, there will be no end or tiring
from your good deeds. Conclusion: Are you passionate about good deeds? Are you on fire for the Lord’s will? Are you starving to be and perform righteousness? Good. Keep that up. Don’t grow weary in doing good for in the proper time the Lord will reward you (Galatians 6:9). But perhaps you are still overcome with bad deeds. Perhaps you are still in your sins and cannot imagine abounding in good because your sins seem so intense. This is exactly why Jesus died. He died so you could be set free from your bad deeds in order to pursue righteousness and have a zeal for good deeds. It all begins with entering Christ in baptism. That is when your conscience is cleansed from dead works so you may serve the living God full of good works (cf. I Peter 3:21; Hebrews 9:13-14). Of course, that is not the end. It is not, get baptized and suddenly all I ever do is good works. It is a growth process and some are baptized but still feel covered over in sin. We can help you in Christ overcome these sins and pursue righteousness. Why not let us know how we can help you be cleansed of your sins and pursue righteousness, being zealous for good deeds.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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