Luke 19:1-10 - Jesus Saves

Well, good morning church. Are we? We can do that again. Good morning church. How are we that's better Goods good to see you before we get started today. I want you all to know that all week long. I have had one of the most annoying songs. I ever learned in Sunday school stuck in my head and I have complained about it bitterly to anybody that I can pin down long enough to hear me complain to the point. I wanted to Kim's office Kim. I wanted allows office to complain to while I texted you. I was like, dude I'm dying cuz all week long I have been singing sekiya's was a wee little man. And a wee little man was he for 10 days? Okay, so I'm saying this because I want you to pity me. All right, I have suffered in the preparation of this message today has been Ruff and it's been it's been a week. But if you have if you have your Bible turn with me to Luke Irene being versus Luke 19, not just Luke Luke 19 already being verses 1 to 10 looking at the account of Zacchaeus and Jesus, right? Luke 19 1 to 10 as you are turning their let me ask you a question. What did Jesus come to Earth to do? How often do we stop a considered the work that Jesus was sent to Earth to accomplish right week. We often summarize. The Life of Christ was saying he was born he lived he died. He ascended into heaven to me ritely affirm that he is now seated at the right hand of God the Father interceding for us our behalf. These are all things that we that we are firm. But but how often do we sit and consider the fact the Jesus came to Earth to do something right? These truths are glorious the truth. We all sin in that big picture forget that Jesus came here with a task to do he became a man to do a very specific thing. And in our text today we see Jesus tell us what it is. He came to Earth to do and then we get to watch him do that in the life of the Kia split spray the movie Dark passage and we'll jump in with me. Are we thank you for this morning. We thank you that we get to come to church lord. It's hard to gather as a part of your body here this morning or we think you could we can do this. We do not take it for granted as such a good and glorious thing to be gathered together here, even in this way with your people probably thank you for your word. And we thank you for how it teaches us and instructs us or the pair's US of the work you have for pray today that you would open our eyes open our hearts opener our ears to to C & N learn and to enter into hear what it is you have for us today in this account of Jesus and Zacchaeus Was So near so familiar with our page. I was to see what you are teaching Us in here by the power of the Holy Spirit Fall Out Boy with me is a praetorian guard my mouth or and I pray that you would just be glorified. Sbq your word for each word as we pray a word as we seen your word father. We thank you for this day in Jesus. Awesome name we pray. Amen. All right look with me. Luke chapter 19 face were picking up your pick up with Jesus cover 18 ends off K. He's continuing towards Jerusalem. He's he's he's working towards the day of his of his crucifixion cake. He's traveling along and he's going through Jericho. So it starts with a P. That is Jesus entered Jericho stop. I love the fact that Jesus as he is walking to conquer death light travels through a city that have been conquered by the people of God claim in the promised land. What is so awesome that Jesus as he's going to fulfill the ultimate promise of the Bible Walk Thru see that was given as the film was Albert promised to the people of God sing. That's really cool. So that was for free. All right back to it. He Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through and behold there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich and he was seeking to see Who Jesus was put on account of the crowd he could not because he was small in stature, but he ran on ahead and he climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him for he was about to pass that way and when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and he said to him sekiya's hurry and come down for imma stay at your house today. So we hurried and came down and received him. Joyfully and when they saw it they all crumbled he is gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. Exekias stood and settle or behold Lord to half of my goods I give to the port and if I have the fraud as anyone of anything, I restore it for fold in Jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house since he also is a son of Abraham for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost the key to our passage today is what Jesus says in 1st 10 Jackie says that the son of man came to seek and to save the lost the son of man came to seek and to save the lost for those of you who don't know the term son of man is an Old Testament term meant to refer to the Messiah or the promised Redeemer of Israel in the world. That's so Jesus here. He's identifying himself as the son of man asks himself identify yourself as that promised Messiah, right? And then he lays out what it is. He came to do he came to speak. and to save the Lost Prince the point of our message today is that Jesus saves Jesus saves in more than that. He does the work of finding the lost and a bring them to himself. He counts the energy as it plays out in three acts lost found and saved an industry asked me see the story of every person who has ever lived are. So what's time in love with me again? If vs. 124 She entered Jericho and was passing through and behold there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich and he was seeking to see who Jesus was put on the count of the crowd he could not because he was small in stature, but he ran on ahead and he climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him but he was about to pass that way in this war versus Reese's the key is in the natural state of all of humanity. He's lost right every person is without Jesus. He doesn't know who Jesus is an ass. She's one of the ones that Jesus says he came to find he's one of the Lost Ones interesting about Zacchaeus is that he's lost often considered today right lost in a way that we don't often. Think about you see as a chief tax collector. Zacchaeus would have appeared to be anything but lost right he would appear to be just fine. Right cheek cheek. You would have had all the external trappings of success. Right? He would have had that the newest model of camel. It spits less and has more humps. Right? He would have had a Suites and dial that you can put on your watch and get snow during a house cloudy days in can I get something you would have the smoothest Abacus we could do all those masks rice and quick. He's doing his job or all these things you would have had but his wealth is wrong with ill-gotten, right and he was hated. He was hated by his own people because of his profession right tax collectors. Tax Collectors were a special kind of evil in the ancient near East right? They weren't they were traitors to their people and they were Steve's they were they were traitors because they were they were employed for the occupying Roman. So as a Jew Zacchaeus work for the for the Romans read the occupiers of of of of Israel and collecting taxes for them, right? So he was a traitor to his people he was a thief because what would happen if these guys would find out how much tax they had to collect and then they would tell people that had to pay more and then they would keep that access for themselves right soon as a traitor and you was a thief so as a chief tax collector sekiya's would have been profiting off his own work and off the work of the people you supervise, right? So it is it's really hard for us, you know what to describe and understand how much the people would have hated Zacchaeus. He was not a popular man. Despite what you look like right. So here's the key is right on the outside. He's got all the external trappings of success. It would look like he was totally fine. Something. Something is missing, right something's missing. If it wasn't why would he go to the trouble and embarrassment of climbing a tree to get a look at a man who he doesn't even know reversed Three Sisters. The kids was looking to see who Jesus is who Jesus was he doesn't know who he is. He's so intrigued by Jesus by this man who was causing such a commotion over this guy who heals the body was so intrigued by him that he was willing to climb a tree just to get a look at him to see who he was and we need to ask why Why is it that she would do this? Right. Jesus? Jesus would not have been walking into Jericho quietly. It just healed the blind man. We read that in chapter 18, right? So he's coming in into crowd. Is it into town with a huge crowd crowd? That's so big right that that's the key is is is is in trouble right Lucas so nice and how we describe skills. He said he's small in stature do short that he can't you can't see over the crowd and in pencil case you so desperate to see Jesus that has this wealthy tax collector, right? This guy who sings so Much himself has to climb a tree to get above the crowd so he could see How humiliating? How humiliating it would have been mortifying for someone of Zacchaeus as wealth and standing to have to climb a tree yet. Here. He is screwing up, right? What was it about Jesus that made Suki is willing to demean himself in this way. Don't the Bible doesn't explicitly tell if but it seems to me that it's safe to assume that stickiest knew there was something missing from his life. He knew what he he would not have been shot at how people thought of him. Can you get people to like him and he knew that his stuff wasn't feeling old yet. So he knew there was something missing and he was looking for whatever it was that can help them. Even if it was the man who killed the blind to the kiss was lost even with all his money in possession. He was lost. He was so desperate to find what he was missing. So desperate to figure out what it was. He didn't have the head. He was willing to climb a tree and in doing so he became a part of what could arguably be the most annoying song in the history of Christendom. The guy climbs one tree and he gets to spend eternity be in Zacchaeus Was a wee little man like a magic magic. He's in heaven and we all feel like we're walking by whistling nose thing is the key is going to be terrible class is One Tree in this is who he is right, but but what's the keas remind us of what's the key is shows us. Is that everyone? Everyone who doesn't know Jesus Is Lost whether they know it or not and no matter what they look like right now everyone who doesn't know Jesus Is Lost whether they know it or not and no matter what they look like Kristen. We need to remember we need to remember that everybody around us who doesn't know. Jesus is lost their lost and the lost need Jesus. They need you this and they need to be found and that's the next thing we see inner passage. Look at me vs. 527 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and he said damn Zacchaeus hurry and come down for I must stay at your house today. So he hurry and he came down and he received him. Joyfully and when they saw it, they all crumbled he is gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. Juicy Lucy the second act of our account is found the key. Is it down he was lost and he's found he goes from Lost and looking for Jesus to found because as we seen verse 10, have you seen her since Jesus is about the worth of seeking and saving the lost and if he seeks them he will find them. So so Ziggy is a time to Street in Jesus Walks underneath it. He looks up and he sees its aquias is ripe for the picking right zaccheaus. He is looking for Jesus in Jesus find him. He's looking for Jesus and Jesus finds him how amazing must have been to Zacchaeus V for him for him to realize that Jesus knows who he is. Jesus knows him, right? Jesus calls him by his name. He knew him Casey. So imagine if we put on your imaginations K and imagine with me for a minute that you're zakiya. Write your lost your lonely your miserable. You got of the stuff but it's not doing it for you. And you hear this noise and this guy who healed a blind man is coming to town. So you feel like I got to see this you rush out. You can't get the Crowder. You can't get over them. You can't get through them. You got to go over. Do you know that you have an idea where they're going. So you want to head it making a fool of yourself with your Rich robes flapping in the dirt and then you go and get to the tree and he climb you're there and you're waiting and you're watching in the crowd moving and you hear the noise and you see Jesus and he's coming to you right in your tree. And Jesus is walking it is, and also is there underneath you and he stops He stops and he looks up and he sees you. And in his seeing you he knows you. And then she calls your name. Call me cause your name Aces get down. I'm coming over right let's go right this finds right? Maybe they were looking for him like Zacchaeus Was or maybe maybe we weren't but when Jesus found us when Jesus found his key sauce, and he knew us for the Sinners that we were right and he came over anyway. We need to remember that the key is he's a tax collector. He's hated these reviled by all of Israel. He's filthy unclean write a center of the highest order in Jesus. Jesus knowing this knowing who Zacchaeus Was comes over. Anyway, he draws near to him. He invites himself into the mess that is his life. And he moves toward him in his Brokenness verse 5 and verse about Jesus says that he must go. I must go to your house today. Jesus feels urgency towards the key is in his broken is he feels urgency and remove store in friends for this Jesus? Jesus is not driven Away by our sin. He does not Retreat from our past or avoid our Brokenness instead. He moves towards in our humiliation. He comes to us and he invites himself into a mess and as he finds us in our field becomes Taurus, right and as he comes toward as he brings Joy. Isn't that what we seen the keys his reaction joy in first 6 it says that the kids and you received him. Joyfully write this testimony of everyone who is found by Jesus Joy. This is about Christ found you and he pulled you out of your sin. Right and out of your loss. This didn't bring joy. But why wouldn't it right the kiss was lost and now he's found the man he wished to know knew him the man. He wanted to know knew who he was and she wanted to know him. He wanted to know him. Jesus wanted to know if the key is in spite of his skin. The natural reaction to this is joy. Right, and that needs to be our reaction as we live our lives right? We cannot be we cannot be we cannot be. Joyless Christians or we can't be But there's another warning here that we need to heat and we see that in verse 7 look there with me.

4/7 isn't and when they saw it they all grumbled saying he is gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.

I know I've been hammering us who zaccheaus K Zacchaeus the tax collector. A lot of the weight of of of this account is wrapped up in her who to keas is and we lose sight of that so often because of our familiarity with the story right? Zacchaeus is more than just a cute little guy who climbed a tree

Justus pickable who was the chief tax collector the worst of the worst evil in the sight of all of Israel, right? The people hated the kiss and they hated the fact that Jesus went to his house. I hated that. Write the hated that Jesus found him. Write the crowd the crowd loved Jesus. They loved his miracles. They love the Fish and Loaves of everything that Jesus could do for them can't they love Jesus but they hated his lunch buddy. The love Jesus's Miracles with that. He hated the hated that we decided to eat meals with there was a warning here for us today. There is a warning here. We need to keep how do we react when Jesus finds someone that we think I should stay lost.

What is our reaction when someone that we hate comes to Christ? Just cuz that's what we're seeing here. Jesus is is dining with notorious even going into the keys his house would make Jesus ritually unclean right is the dining with notorious in the people. Here are angry what we see here is an example of what one commentator named there a box. He says that she says too often people are unwilling to let the despised find God. Too often people are unwilling to let the despised find God. couch

How do we react when someone who sins differently than we do fines or get saved? How to reactivate how do we react if an addict or a thief comes to Christ? What's what's our reaction if a murderer or a sex offender is found by Jesus is the complex question. I understand that there's a lot of layers to this through there's some pain here and some confusion but but our reaction biblically our reaction must be joy and celebration. The person was lost and now they're found. They were dead and now they're alive right they were destined for eternity in hell. Now they're not how can that be? How can I lead us to anything other than joy and celebration write the tragedy so often doesn't we're so often but the crowd of her seven-week Rumble when Jesus saves sinners. Why we crumble when she's safe since we think that somehow we are better than they are right that Jesus should be with us. If not with them. Right we we we we get uncomfortable when people who sin it was seen as more obvious than our own or different from our own secret. No personal since we got too comfortable when they come to Christ where we think that our sins are better than their since we think that that that that Jesus is Frost and shouldn't be for them. But we forget we forget that we we were just as lost we were just as dead we were just as sinful as they were before Jesus found us. Frozen sisters we must never forget we must never forget that Sin is Sin right in the Kingdom of God in the economy of Heaven Sin is Sin Jesus can Jesus can and Jesus will save whoever he wants right? And when he does this when he saves people we should celebrate the fact that those who save the Rock from Death to life. They were lost and they're found right? We cannot be like to try them for 7. We cannot be like if we cannot be for what Jesus can give us and not for the people. He saves we cannot be for what we can get for Christ and not for those who need him. Can't be we need to be passionate about and for the lost and for caring for those who were found what once they're found with their family to become part of the family of God writes and we require to love them and to live with them like Christ commands us to we need to be passionate about sharing the gospel with people who don't know what because if they don't hear the gospel if they do not hear the gospel and come to Jesus in the Bible tells us they will spend eternity in hell.

This is been waiting on your lot this week. How do I view the Lost? How do I treat them in my life? How do I go out of my way to tell them even the ones that make me uncomfortable about the good news of Jesus? Track is one of the implication is that we see her in first time when Jesus says that the son of man came to seek and to save the lost one of the implications there is that we as the Church of Christ are to be about the work of Steve of seeking the lost. If this is what Jesus said when he was here on Earth, this is what we are to do as church. This is the command of the Great Commission where this is what we're commanded you to go out into all the Earth Proclaim in the gospel for making disciples and baptizing them, right? This is what we as Christians are called to do to tell the Lost of good news of Jesus now, I want to see some. The work of proclaiming the Gospel to the Lost is not just the job of church staff and leaders. Okay the job of play me The Gospel to the loss is not just the job of those who are employed by the church now. Don't hear what I'm not saying. I'm not saying that pastors and elders and leaders shouldn't have to tell the lost about Jesus. We do what we have to do it because we're Christians write the work of bringing the good news of the Gospel to the Lost is the work of all Christians, right? Not just a church staff Fusion Sport. It says it was the work of a pastor. Nosa leaders is to equip the Saints for the work of the Gospel. I like to think of a password and entry fees and stuff. Like they're elrond from The Lord of the Rings, right? Cuz every man's Couple come on nerds put hands up. Thursday night race is the guy who brings the Fellowship of the Ring together, right? He tells him a whole bunch of stuff. He's been some battles. He knows some things but he equips them for the job. They need to do he brings them together. He gives himself and he sends them out to go do the work that has the role of a pastors and leaders in church staff, right equip and send. Frozen sisters Christians love you are commanded by Jesus to go into all the world and to make disciples. You've been commanded right to go out and share the gospel with the lost with the share the gospel with the lost as if they cure the gospel to go from Lost to found and once they're found their saved. Jesus is about to work seeking and saving the lost and this is the third activate. We seen her passage in vs 8 2-cent 10, we get a picture of what it looks like when Jesus saves by look at me. Is the Kia stood and set an alarm behold Lord the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restored for Fulton Jesus and Jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house since he also is a son of a ramp for the son of man came to seek and to save the Lost Wiki is a changed man. He goes from not knowing who Jesus is he goes from wanting to know who this guy is K2 calling him Lord. He goes through looking to know who did this to calling him or he now knows who Jesus is he is the Lord the Son of God and Jesus has come to him. Zacchaeus was looking for him in Jesus came to him. The key is aspirin found in in his being found key is saved right in that salvation has changed him. He's gone from greedy and self-serving too generous and giving it away. It's tough right? He's not he's not just giving away some of his money the way this is written as the guy is giving away half of everything he has right and then he's returning four times the amount of money that the Friday from people right? He is a changed man in his repentance. He has been convicted of his greed. Right and he is now giving excessively out of a changed heart the key is offered to us as a living example, right living proof that it is not impossible for the rich man to get staked right key is the solution to the problem presented by the Rich Young Ruler and Luke 18 18 to 30, right? We we heard that you know, Huey song Jesus can save anyone even even a rich chief tax collector a sooner like Zacchaeus that is what is on display today in our passage what we see so clearly in these verses is that Jesus saves Jesus say look with me again in versus not intend. Jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house since he also is a son of Abraham for the son of man came to seek and to save the Lost. Jesus said that the key is his face cuz he is his Fate has truly made him a son of Abraham a child of the family of faith. And then he goes on to make that wonderful summary statement of what his work on Earth is right the son of man came to seek and to save the Lost Christian if you are saved if you are saved is because Jesus found you when you were lost Jesus found you when you were lost and he saved you from your sin not because of anything that you have done. Brighton MN and like I said earlier when were saved. We are to move toward the Lost bright light. We see Jesus doing Heroes PS. We're to move towards the outcast toward the broken toward the center because we've been called to proclaim the good news that Jesus says Jesus saves to a world full of lost people. Friends of your if you're here today and you're not a Christian hear me when I say that you were lost. I don't mean that to be mean or hurtful, but I say it because your eternity is at stake. The Bible tells us that everyone is born instant rejecting our holy Creator God writes and as such they're lost the removed from God and unable to be right with him because of their sin right in their Destin fraternity and hell as the just punishment for their sin against them. But but like we see here and Luke 19, Jesus saves Jesus moves toward us in our since he moved toward us in our Brokenness and he saves Us by paying the penalty for sin with his blood by dying for us on the cross and then he adopts us into his family right here. Because they found Forgiven forever, right? Cuz it's a good spot for a name and write Jesus finds US K. He declares Is Forgiven forever when you come to Christ in Repentance and you believe in him by faith, and he is faithful to forgive your sins and deceive you. You're here and you're not a Christian come to Christ today, right? He has sought you out and now you must respond to his call to come to him. If you have questions will that please ask somebody to be explained to you what that all means? All right, Christian Christian do not miss the point of the tale of Zacchaeus by that. Wee little man. He is he so much more than just a silly song. His story is an exhortation to move toward the lost to move toward the unlovely right in the despised and to share the gospel with them and to love them in spite of the difficulty. Never forget. Never forget that we were once lost in our sin. And Jesus moved toward us in the only reason we are now found. The only reason we are now found is because of the grace of God in our lives allowing us to see our own lostness and our need for him. In the story of Zacchaeus, we see 3x lost found and saved and everyone in the world is somewhere on that Spectrum, right? No one no one wants to be lost come to Jesus. He saves is what he was born to do is pray. Barbie thank you so much for your word. We say thank you for the story of Zacchaeus offer how it reminds us that tell Jesus we are all lost. We are all sinners what when I pray that you help us to remember that as we go forward, especially for those of us who have been found by you for a long time. It gets so easy for us to be wrapped up in ourselves tour. But give us a heart for the lost help us to see the need the people who don't know you have father if they remain lost they will spend eternity in hell i'll separate from you. Give us a hard for them to move towards them even if uncomfortable and Messi all of it. That is what you've commanded us to do to make it smell like Jesus give us eyes to see the need of those around his father be with us as weak as we go about allies help us to glorify you in all that we do father help us to always be grateful for the fact that we were lost and now we're found in The Wonderful Name of Jesus. We pray amen.