II Corinthians 2:14

Isaiah 63:15

“God; He is a jealous God”

Isaiah 63:15, “Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? Are they restrained?”

God; He is a jealous God. One of the names of Jesus Christ the only begotten son of God in the Old Testament is the name Jealous. Exodus 34:14, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

We live in perilous times, perilous times of grace. As grace increases and as the return of Christ draws nigh there is one word and one name that should be on every believer’s mind, the word and the name Jealous. Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever Jesus is always Jealous. At the last trump when God’s eye twinkles it will be a Jealous Jesus who gather’s the church.

What is jealousy? Jealousy is the spirit of burning. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof it shall be by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

When an eye twinkles it will be in all the fire of His Jealousy. Now there is a godly jealousy and there is the jealousy of the world. The jealousy of the world is the kind of jealousy which is selfish and cruel and unjustly vengeful. The jealousy of the world is the kind of jealousy which causes violence. A godly jealousy is the kind of jealousy which brings the judgment of God: the judgment of God being always just. A godly jealousy brings both law and grace.

As grace increases in the world, as the age of grace draws to an end so too will increase jealousy in this world. The world is always jealousy of Christians because Christians have the righteousness of Christ. A Christian is a joint-heir with Christ. A Christian has the law and grace of Jesus Christ. A Christian has his and her sins nailed to the cross for the LORD has washed away the filth of those and has purged the blood of those whom have called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation.

Because of their ungodliness because of their ungodly jealousy it may very well be that the perilous times, the persecution against believers only increases in this world. We still live in the days of the Roman Empire therefore we live in days of persecution and martyrdom. Jesus died on a cross for our sins and so too do many believers still in this world today for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Because we live in the days of the Roman empire, we live in days of romance, days, times, seasons and half a time of the way of a man with a maid in marriage. Therefore to mention jealousy is to mention the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Isaiah 62:7, “I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to His mercies, and according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.”

According to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us; for He hath bestowed on us the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus. He hath bestowed on us eternal life. He hath bestowed on us a home in heaven where the streets are paved with gold. He hath bestowed on us the way of a man with a maid. He hath bestowed on us the fire of His jealousy. He hath bestowed upon us the law and grace of His lovingkindness.

The jealousy of the world worketh evil but a godly jealousy and a zeal in the spirit provokes: provokes men to repent of their sins and turn to Christ for salvation: and a godly jealousy provokes Christians to seek that ye may excel in the work of the LORD.

In thinking about zeal and jealousy consider what the Bible says in Proverbs 19:2, “Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth” zeal, jealousy without knowledge is dangerous. Ife you know the difference between a godly jealousy and a selfish jealousy ife you know that God who is a jealous God has as a name the name Jealous then when it comes to zeal and jealousy you are not without knowledge.

Isaiah 63:15, “Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of Thy holiness and of Thy glory: where is Thy zeal and Thy strength, the sounding of Thy bowels and of Thy mercies toward me? Are they restrained?” O, yes it is good to beseech the LORD in prayer. God does answer prayers especially the prayers of His children.

Sometimes what is needed be it in the night or day season, sometimes what is needed be it in joy or sorrow, sometimes what is needed is a godly jealousy. Dear Jesus, Look down from heaven, Dear Jesus behold from the habitation of Thy holiness and of Thy glory: where is Thy zeal?

All the land is at rest is quiet they say. Dear Jesus where is Thy zeal, the sounding of Thy bowels? For the day of vengeance is in my mine heart.

Now will I sing to my beloved a song of my beloved. My well-beloved, O inhabitants of the earth, O Christians! O yes truly now will I sing even a song to those whom are lost in sin and to those whom are slaves of the devil. Awake, Awake; put on thy strength, shake thyself from the dust O, captive daughter. For thus saith the Lord God. Ye have sold yourself for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. Ye shall be redeemed with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without spot and without blemish.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. As God looks down from heaven and beholds His temple of the Holy Ghost, His children, He is looking down and looking for a virgin, yet not just a virgin but a chaste virgin.

The age of grace has lasted so far some 2000 years. How long shall it continue? Only God knows. But a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Psalms 11:4 says, “The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men”

The LORD’S eyes behold. Lift up now thine eyes and behold, look out upon the world and consider mankind. In the age of the law, that is in the days before Christ came and died on the cross for the sins of the world Israel had a zeal a great zeal, a zeal and a jealousy for the law of God just as it says in Romans 10:1-2, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bar them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”

Here in the age of grace, we of grace have a zeal we have a zeal of grace but not according to knowledge. What good is law without knowledge of the law? What good is grace without knowledge of grace? Who then goes into greater sin those who in the age of the law lived in times of harsher consequences for their sins or those who in this current age of grace receive such grace for consequence?

Revelation 3:13-19 says, “he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent.”

A Chaste virgin is a zealous virgin; a jealous church who in the Holy spirit of burning has both increased in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and has done a perfect work in this world for the glorious gospel. What is Christ waiting on for His return? Perhaps there is still a great gospel work to be done. Perhaps He is waiting on His virgin to be a chaste virgin.

I Corinthians 14:12 says, “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”

Seek that ye may excel. Now I will sing a song to my beloved in all the fire of my jealousy. God whose name is Jealous is a jealous God. His eyes behold the children of men. The day of vengeance is in His heart.

Zephaniah 3:8, “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour out upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.”

Isaiah 59:17, “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

With zeal as a cloke, coming with clouds, in the twinkling of an eye, with all the fire of His jealousy, with His sword gird upon His thigh and with the day of vengeance in His heart shall not Jesus Christ return to deliver those to redeem those whom have trusted in His righteousness?

Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of jealousy. Jesus loves you, O yes Jesus loves you with an everlasting lovingkindness. If only you would confess your sins to Jesus then you shouldst have eternal life.

Isaiah 59:17, “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

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