A Zeal (jealous or envy) for God

Intro: Brothers in the Korean War (Vince and Richard Krepps). Separated during battle. Both were wounded, but missed each other at the hospital. Both were released back to fight. Two guys told Vince his brother was missing. The 8th Army lost 5000 men during the Chinese offensive, Dec. 1950. Vince worked at the post office, since he would be the sole surviving son. He had to stamp “Missing in Action” on Richard’s letters. Vince returned home in ’51. He found a picture taken in a Chinese POW camp which clearly showed Richard. Later, he learned of the camp’s inhumane conditions (UN troops only received half the calories required for a healthy diet, medicine was scarce, and less than half the troops captured survived the camps). In the years that followed, Vince interviewed former POWs, pored over thousands of pages of documents relating to Richard’s battalion, read books tracing troop movements, but got no closer to finding out what happened to Richard. He said, “It’s been a lifelong job trying to find out what happened to him.” He posted his story on the internet. The daughter of a Nevada man saw the message and told her father about it. His name is Ronald Lovejoy, and he knew Richard while at the POW camp. He had taken Richard’s wallet before he died. He since then had lost the wallet, but managed to keep an old photo of Richard and Vince while in Japan (taken before the war). Ronald told Vince Richard wouldn’t eat much in the camp. One night, Richard turned his back to the wall and just died. Ronald said, “When I last saw him, he was very homesick.” Richard said of the meeting with Lovejoy, “It was like finding a lost brother.” Vince Krepps was focused on a life-long mission. His zeal would not let him quit.

We need that zeal in our lives. The zeal that won’t let us rest until we complete the mission. The zeal displayed by those we will look at from the Old Testament.

Ex. 32:21-29, the Levites and the Golden Calf

Tell the Truth, v. 24; Homologeo; Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, pornography; OER

Who is on the Lord’s side, v. 26; 2 Ki. 9:32; me on a team—waterboy; God wants us all; Sheep and goats (Mt. 25:31); we fear the wrong things (Mt. 10:28; Esther 4:15-17)

Sword (v. 27), Heb. 4:12; 1 Tim. 3:16; learn to use it—snapping in at range; Eph. 6, offensive weapon

Has been the object of never-ending persecution

Edicts have been issued to insure every copy was destroyed

Commands have been given that all found with a copy should be put to death

Every possible effort has been made to undermine faith in its inspiration and authority

The Bible is the only book that describes a continuous history from the first man to the present era.

The Bible is the only religious book containing detailed prophecies of events which are to come.

The Bible is the only book which has the power to convict men and women of sin, leading them to the only One who can free them from sin.

Slay brother/companion/neighbor, Luke 14:26-27; get priorities straight (line up BMW wheel); a spiritual women wants a man sold out to the Lord, and will follow him anywhere (Gen. 18:19); put family before Army (I see it all the time; a strong family = a strong nation = a strong Army)

Consecrate, v. 29; set apart; 2 Cor. 6:14-17; salt and light (cat eyes); 1 Pet. 3:15

Concl: A brother’s zeal to find the other. We need a zeal for God.