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Scripture: John 1:14; Acts 7:58; 8:1-3; 22:3; Philippians 3:4-6; Galatians 1:14; 4:18; 5:6-8

QUESTION: Do people really change?

Yes. Those of you who are trying to do that new COVID-19 home workout--you

are hoping YES is the answer.

No. The pessimists in this room land here. People are who they are. They can

fake change but deep down, they are who they are.

Only if you make them. But there’s a third way to answer this question. You

may never say this answer out loud, but it might live deep within you. It might

come out in the way you parent, the way you manage employees or the way

you approach your significant other.

To the degree that this last answer is in you, you will attempt to control people. To the

degree that this is in your thinking, you have the makings of a zealot in you. That word

is going to come up a lot in this series. So, let’s define it.

Zealot: a person who has very strong opinions about something, and tries to

make other people have them too. – Cambridge Dictionary Online

How does someone get to that point? I think a lot of people think it’s something like

this.

[UNDER COMMITTED] [ZEALOT]

It’s as if being a zealot is a problem of being too committed. Maybe you’ve thought

that. Maybe you’ve heard that. But, if we look at that seriously for just a few seconds,

I think we all get that the commitment level isn’t the problem. There are lots of things

that we want people fully, 100% absolutely committed to.

ZEALOT EPISODE 1: MAKING A MURDERER

Sermon preached by Pastor Rick Henderson Autumn Ridge Church

April 19, 2020

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Single people: Do you want your friendships and the people you date partially

committed or fully committed to not lying to you?

Married people: Do you want a spouse that is partially committed or fully

committed to faithfulness?

Students: Do you want parents and adults in your life who are partially

committed or fully committed to listening to you, to valuing you?

Everybody: Do you want government officials that are partially committed or

fully committed to honesty and not deceiving you for personal gain?

Zealotry isn’t really about being too committed. It’s about what you are committed to

AND how that commitment is expressed. And the thing that makes a zealot a zealot is

that he or she cares about a belief or a cause at the expense of you. A zealot is

someone who is happy to impose control on you if that’s what is necessary to get the

outcome they desire.

CONVICTION + CONTROL – COMPASSION = ZEALOT

I’m a chores zealot with my kids. I’ve got the conviction it’s important. I’m going to

make them do it. I don’t really care if they like it or not. If you think about it through

that lens, it will be easy to spot a lot of zealots out there. But you know what? It might

cause us to spot an occasional zealot in ourselves.

We live a time and a culture that is a zealot-making factory. It’s just normal for politics

and religion to be hotbeds for zealots in the making. But we are kidding ourselves if we

think zealots are confined to the arena of religion. Zealots think in a way that sounds

like this, “If we can make people see it our way and do things our way, then our lives,

and our country, and our world would be better.” There is nothing like panic and fear to

turn average people into above average zealots. You’ve probably noticed this on your

social media feed.

Clearly, there are times that government officials have to step in and impose

restrictions. That’s not what I’m talking about. Don’t hear this as a commentary on any

politician. This is about the way we relate to others interpersonally. Being a zealot is

about trying to force people to see things the way you see things. Being a zealot is

about forcing people to behave in the way that you behave. Zealots feel justified in

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their controlling behavior because they’re convinced it’s really in the best interest of the

person they are trying to manipulate, control or shame into compliance.

This is our goal: We want Autumn Ridge to be a church that inspires people to follow

Jesus. We want our church to be a place where people take their next step in following

Jesus because they are happy to do so.

SERIES THESIS: God changes people. We DON’T.

Some of you are dipping your toe in the water. You might be tuning in after tuning

church out for a long time. You might be wondering if Christianity has worthwhile

answers because you have pressing questions right now.

Have you noticed this? There is nothing like having to stay home, having to slow down

and quiet down, that will force us to really look at ourselves. It will force us to re-

evaluate ourselves. Some of us are realizing that we need some changes related to

patience, to kindness, to how we serve those we live with. Some of us are realizing that

we need some changes related to addiction, how we treat people or use people. As hard

as it is to get vulnerable with ourselves, how do you get vulnerable with other people?

For some of you watching, God has been portrayed to you as someone who only cares

about rule keeping. He isn’t safe to get real with. Maybe your history with religious

people is that they aren’t safe because they only care about rule keeping. What if that’s

not what Jesus is like at all? What if that’s not what Jesus wants his followers to be like?

Here are some things that Jesus made as the themes of his life: freedom, love, new

life—real transformation and life of thriving.

If you want to change people from the outside in, you come with force. You drop the

hammer on them. You push and control. That’s not at all Jesus’ approach. That’s not at

all his approach to you. When Jesus showed up, his tools of the trade were truly

revolutionary.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,

the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and

truth. (John 1:14)

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Can I share with you a value of the gospel? It’s the opposite of a zealot’s approach.

GOSPEL VALUE: We trust the process in which God changes us from the INSIDE OUT.

Welcome to episode one of Zealot - a series that looks closely at one of the most well

known zealots in human history. As we do, we are going to learn about far more than a

person or about Christian history. We’re going to learn something about ourselves.

The person we are looking at is known by a couple of names. He became the Apostle

Paul. Before that, however, he was Saul of Tarsus: a zealot, a fanatical persecutor of

Christians. Let’s begin with this question, what do we know about Saul, the Zealot?

We’ll start to answer that question with Saul’s/Paul’s own words.

I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under

Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as

zealous for God as any of you are today. (Acts 22:3)

Jewish men in Paul’s day were for the most part literate. Young Jewish boys learned to

read and write at home under the tutelage of their fathers. The purpose of learning to

read and write was so that the boy would be able to read God’s law and write it out if

need be. The goal of a Jewish father was to bar mitzvah his sons when they turned 13.

Bar mitzvah is a Jewish rite of passage into manhood. A father fulfilled this duty of

education when his sons became men of OT law. For most boys, this was the extent of

formal religious training, but Saul’s father went one step further and enrolled him in the

leading rabbinical school in Jerusalem, the Hillel rabbinical school under the famed

headmaster: Gamaliel. It was Harvard, Yale, and Stanford rolled into one. Saul would

have enrolled in rabbinical school around the age of 13 or so and would have studied for

several years. After completing training, he most likely returned to his home land of

Tarsus and probably served as a rabbi in some synagogue for up to 15 years. He was

respected, looked up to, revered highly, and highly educated. Look at what he says to

another group:

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have

more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of

Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal,

persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

(Philippians 3:4-6)

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He had all the spiritual boxes checked. He jumped through all the hoops. He had the

right family name. He had it all and he loved it. He and everybody else saw him as the

poster child for how to make God happy. If more people would just be like him,

everything would be better for everybody—and he knew it. And he wasn’t afraid to tell

you about it.

I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and

was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. (Galatians 1:14)

It was this mindset that validated for him the transition from simple conviction to a

compassionless attempt to control anyone who represented something different.

That transition would lead him far past being harsh and down a road of violence.

He WEAPONIZED his faith in order to destroy the faith of others.

Who knows somebody like that? Who do you avoid talking to because they leave

people bruised who disagree with them? But it’s even worse than that isn’t it. Some of

us know what it’s like to be more than bruised. Some of you know what it’s like to be

deeply wounded by people with a different religious view than you. It’s basically a

miracle that you would tune into a church service online. How does someone get to the

point that they are bent on control and empty of any compassion?

From the point of view of Saul of Tarsus, the first followers of Jesus of Nazareth

were a prime example of the deviant behavior that had to be eradicated if Israel’s

God was to be honored. Saul of Tarsus was therefor ‘zealous’ in persecuting these

people…Everything possible had to be done to stamp out a movement that would

impede the true purposes of the One God of Israel, whose divine plans Saul and

his friends believed were at last on the verge of a glorious fulfillment.

–N.T. Wright (Paul: A Biography)

Paul’s zealotry was not simple hatred and bloodlust. Rather, in his mind it was the

necessary, though brutal response to stop God’s anger and secure his favor. The painful

irony is that in the gospel, the cost of discipleship is surrendering your life. For Saul, the

cost of devotion was taking life.

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He wasn’t trying to be a bad guy. He thought he was a good guy, on God’s side. He was

convinced that God would bless his country and remove suffering if more people would

just obey God’s rules. So, he decided to make them. He opted to impose control on

people, to get them to get in line with his understanding of God.

One fateful day, Saul’s zeal, his religious training, and his commitment to his

interpretation of the honor of God, came together to form the perfect storm of

persecution. By this time, tens of thousands of prior practitioners of Judaism, Saul’s

religion, broke away to follow the teaching of the crucified Jesus and his followers.

The leaders of the breakaway Jesus sect believed that Jesus was God in human flesh and

that after his crucifixion he literally and physically rose from the grave.

For Saul, this was blasphemy and he could not take it. He had to impose control before

all control was lost. Stephen, a servant leader in the church at Jerusalem, was arrested

for preaching Christ. He was brought to trial before the Sanhedrin (a religious court)

and gave a great defense for Christ while accusing the members of the Sanhedrin of

killing Jesus. You should read it in Acts 7—it’s awesome. This was too much for the

court and witnesses to hear.

[They] dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the

witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. (Acts 7:58)

And here we see the making of a murderer…

And Saul approved of their killing him [Stephen].

(Golf clap) “This is good.” No guilt. No regret. It’s too bad it had to come to this, but

you brought it on yourself.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and

all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

When one person goes first, or when a handful of people go first—it gives the crowd

permission and confidence to do the same thing.

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Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to

destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and

women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:1-3)

Saul was so steeped in religious zeal that he nearly single-handedly led a crusade to

stamp out the early church using whatever means necessary, up to and including

murder.

Every once in a while you come face to face with a person who has nearly endless

energy and drive. It doesn’t matter what they do, they do it wholeheartedly. And their

enthusiasm is contagious. They have a way of drawing other people into their exploits.

We might look at such a person and think, “I wish that I had that kind of zeal.” But here

is what you need to keep in mind about zeal.

CAUTION: You can be a REPRESENTATIVE or you can be a WEAPON, but you can’t be

both.

Have you ever wanted better for people than they wanted for themselves? When you

want better for someone than they want for themselves—that’s deep pain that you

can’t cure. But we try to don’t we? Isn’t it tempting, in moments like that, to do

something bad because we want something good? It’s a common temptation to push,

manipulate, control.

But the idea that we can spread Christ’s fame by doing something Christ would never do

is insane. Christianity advanced, and continues to advance rapidly, but never forcefully.

The gospel gains influence when followers of Jesus are committed to TRUTH and GRACE.

Do you know why Jesus being full of GRACE and TRUTH is so important? Truth, by itself,

can be a weapon. Ladies, this is why men get scared when you ask us trap questions.

Truth is good. Yet, by itself, it can be used to wound. Truth with grace can never be a

weapon.

Next week we get to see the remaking of Saul to Paul. He transformed from passionate

zealot into a passionate and compassionate follower of Jesus. Right now, let’s skip

ahead. Much later in his life, he had to write a letter of warning to Christians who were

being sucked in by passionate zealots.

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These zealots were false teachers. They were trying to get Christians to abandon grace

and embrace an approach to God and others that focused on religious rule keeping.

These false teachers were so, so passionate. And the thing about passion is that it’s

contagious. That’s why non-sports fans turn into screaming banshees when they attend

a Super Bowl party. Passion is contagious. It can draw us in. Recognizing that, Paul, the

former zealot, wrote this:

It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good… (Galatians 4:18)

So, if you’ve got passion. If you’ve got zeal. If you are deeply burdened and you feel

this from your soul to your toes—what does it look like to express this in a way that is

Jesus honoring.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.

Your religious background and traditions and rule keeping aren’t the most important

things.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were

running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That

kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. (Galatians 5:6-8)

There is nothing wrong with persuasion. I’m trying to persuade you right now. There is

a Jesus honoring, gospel defined persuasion. And, there are ways to persuade that

dishonor Jesus and violate the gospel. Everything, I mean everything, for a follower of

Jesus comes down to this question, “What does love require of me?”

If that sounds like something brand new to you. If you’ve been hesitant to take a next

step with Jesus. Or, if you’re tuning in again during this season, and the reason you left

is that your experience with church people felt like the opposite of love. I have an

invitation for you.

If you’ve been wounded, let Christ WOO you.

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As gently as I am able, I’m inviting you to investigate Jesus a little more. Will you stay

long enough to watch the next episode in this series? Would you take the time that you

need to move on from the wounds of a zealot in your life to discover that Jesus was

actually wounded for you? If you do, this is what I think you’ll discover: Grace and

Truth.

Now, let me talk to everyone else. If you’re a regular attender of Autumn Ridge, I have

no doubts that you love Jesus and you love people. I wanted to come here and be your

pastor because of your track record of loving well—loving generously.

I’m going to ask you to do something with me. Before I tell you what I’m asking, let me

tell you why I’m asking. It’s not because I think you get love wrong. I think it’s safe to

ask you this because you get love right.

BOTTOM LINE: Let the wounds of the WOUNDED wound you.

What I’m talking about is allowing ourselves to feel the hurts that have hurt others.

I’m talking about willingly stepping into and sitting in the hurts that are carried by

others. Let me give you just two ways to do this.

One, read the post-faith stories of people who left Christianity. I’ve put together some

of these stories in a document that you can get on our social media feeds. It will be in

the Connect newsletter this week. Let me tell you what’s going to happen. You’re going

to read things that offend you. You’re going to read things that bother you. You’re

going to read things that you and I could never agree with. I’m asking you to join me in

dropping our armor and to feel the hurts behind the stories.

Second, if you know someone who has walked away from Christ. You could simply ask,

“Would you be willing to tell me your story?” If you do that, you have to commit to not

argue. You have to commit to not defend. Just listen. And if they tell you their story,

reply with something like this, “Thank you for trusting me enough to share that with

me.”

This is what I want to do in response. Would you pray this prayer? We’re going to ask

God for two things.

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Dear God, if there is anything I need to stop doing, that will make truth and grace more

clear, will you help me see it? And, if there is anything I need to start doing, that will

make truth and grace more clear, will you help me see it?

THE MAKING OF A MURDERER

ZEALOT: EPISODE 1 Pastor Rick Henderson April 18-19, 2020

QUESTION: Do people really change?

• Yes • No • Only if you make them

Zealot: a person who has very strong opinions about something, and tries to make other people have them too. – Cambridge Dictionary Online How does someone get to that point? I think a lot of people think it’s something like this.

[UNDER COMMITTED] [ZEALOT] CONVICTION + CONTROL – COMPASSION = _______________ SERIES THESIS: God changes people. We _______________. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. GOSPEL VALUE: We trust the process in which God changes us from the ____________ ____________. Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. Philippians 3:4-6 If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. Galatians 1:14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

He _______________ his faith in order to destroy the faith of others. From the point of view of Saul of Tarsus, the first followers of Jesus of Nazareth were a prime example of the deviant behavior that had to be eradicated if Israel’s God was to be honored. Saul of Tarsus was therefor ‘zealous’ in persecuting these people…Everything possible had to be done to stamp out a movement that would impede the true purposes of the One God of Israel, whose divine plans Saul and his friends believed were at last on the verge of a glorious fulfilment. –N.T. Wright (Paul, A Biography) Acts 7:58 [They] dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 8:1-3 And Saul approved of their killing him [Stephen]. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. CAUTION: You can be a _______________, or you can be a _______________, but you can’t be both. Galatians 4:18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good… Galatians 5:6-8 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. If you’ve been wounded, let Christ _______________ you. BOTTOM LINE: Let the wounds of the _______________ wound you. Dear God, if there is anything I need to stop doing, that will make truth and grace more clear, will you help me see it? And, if there is anything I need to start doing, that will make truth and grace more clear, will you help me see it?