Heart on fire! Luke 24:32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

3. Incredible Zeal!
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be
fervent in spirit, serve the
Lord!”

4. “Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God,
to do His will, and to advance His glory in the
world in every possible way. It is a desire which
no man feels by nature--which the Spirit puts into
the heart of every believer when he is converted--
but which some believers feel so much more
strongly than others, that they alone deserve to
be called zealous men! This desire is so strong
when it really reigns in a man, that it impels him to
make any sacrifice--to go through any trouble, to
deny himself to any amount-to suffer, to work, to
labor, to toil--to spend himself and be spent, and
even to die--if only he can please God an honor
Christ!” (J.C. Ryle)

5. Who is your favorite superhero?
● Just about every kid goes through a time when
more than anything they like to watch, read & play
with superheroes!
● Superheroes have the ability to do things that are
“impossible!”
●Fly
●Incredible strength
●X-ray vision
● I am afraid far too many read the Bible much like
a comic book, as if the people in it are like
superheroes that we can never really be!

6. Js 5:17 Elijah was a man of flesh and blood
as we are, and he made a strong prayer that
there might be no rain; and there was no rain
on the earth for three years and six months.
● We read about the amazing things God’s
people were able to do and then think, they
are out of our reach!
● The truth is that what we read are
examples of how to live our lives and what
God will do in us, if only we will let Him!
(Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-11)

7. Do We Believe?
● Joh 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he
who believes in Me, the works that I do he will
do also; and greater works than these he will
do, because I go to My Father.”
● Mt 17:20 “So Jesus said to them, "Because
of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if
you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say
to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and
it will move; and nothing will be impossible for
you.”

8. It is my prayer tonight, that
we are not content with
where we are in our faith,
but that we desire to
become an unstoppable
force for Jesus!

9. I. Incredible Zeal Defined!
● What is zeal? Before we can ask if we have
it, we first need to know what it is!
● Zeal = an earnest temper; may be
enlightened Nu 25:11-13; 2Co 7:11; 9:2 or
ignorant and misdirected Ro 10:2; Php 3:6 As
a Christian grace, it must be grounded on
right principles and directed to right ends Ga
4:18 It is sometimes ascribed to God 2Ki
19:31; Isa 9:7; 37:32; Eze 5:13 (Easton’s
Bible Dict.)

10. What is zeal?
Rev 3:15-16 "I know your works, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or
hot. "So then, because you are lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My
mouth."
●Zeal = great energy or enthusiasm for a
cause or objective (Oxford Univ. Dict.)
●Zeal = a strong feeling of interest and
enthusiasm that makes someone very eager
or determined to do something (Webster)

11. II. Incredible Zeal Described!
If you had to pick a favorite Bible character
who would it be and why?
● Who do you think was most zealous for God?
●Most of us, at least in the New Testament
would pick Paul or Peter, both of which often
showed incredible zeal!
●Phil. 3:6 “Concerning zeal, persecuting the
church; touching the righteousness which is in
the law, blameless.”

12. Peter’s Zeal!
When Jesus was on the Mount of
Transfiguration it was Peter that desired to
build three shelters, when Jesus foretold of His
death it was Peter that declared he would die
with Him, when the soldiers came it was Peter
that drew the sword, it was Peter than ran to
the empty tomb!
● Many often fault Peter for being overly
zealous, but no one can deny that he had a
heart for the Lord
●Jn. 21:7

13. Peter Walks on Water!
(Mt. 14:22-33)
● This has always been one of my favorite
stories, because above all else I too want to be
with Jesus, I too want to rise above the storms!
● Peter know that real safety is found in the
arms of Jesus, not in the boat!
●How many of us are willing to leave the boat?
●Outside of the boat is where the real magic
happens!

14. III. Incredible Zeal Demanded!
So what does all of this mean to us, how is this
lesson important to you and me?
● God is still looking for those that will get out of
the boat, God is still looking for those that will
drew the sword, God is still looking for those that
will not only die for Him, but that will “live for
Him!”
●Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to
God, which is your reasonable service.

15. Imagine what we could do for Christ if
we would learn to have “incredible zeal!”
● People will travel across the country to go to
a game, but not across town to go to services,
people will camp out for days to get a good
deal, but are not willing to be bothered for the
“greatest deal!”
● It is past time for us to regain “incredible
zeal!”
● It is past time for us to become an
unstoppable force for Jesus!

16. Conclusion:
● How many of us are willing to trust God
enough to “walk on water?” How many of us are
ready to stop looking at the stories of the Bible
as things for them and start looking at them as
things for us!
● Have you come to know the God of the Bible?
Do you need a “lifeguard?” Ours walks on
water!
● We that are Christians, who possess the truth
should be the most excited people in the world!