Flip the Script

ME

When I became Mosquito

Set up Series

Best You you can be

WE

Maybe you have had a defining moment when you choose to no longer let your past define you.

Name you were called

Past failure/hurt or regret

If you want to change your life, start by changing your story.

Your past doesn’t need to define you.

2022 isn’t the end of your story

GOD

Luke 19:1–10 NLT

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

The name Zacchaeus means “righteous one” or “pure”

Tax collectors were known to be corrupt

Zacchaeus would have known if he cheated people

YOU

You can’t change your past, but you can make adjustments in the present for a better future.

Zacchaeus was no longer going to let his past define him

He couldn’t change it

He made a plan right then to attempt to make things better in the future

Someone needs to hear this today

You can’t change what you have done

Sins, mistakes, etc.

You can start making decisions right now that can make the future better

One of the greatest decisions that you can make right now is the decision to confess your past mistakes, recognize Jesus as your Savior, and start a relationship with him.

Your story is still being written.

In verse 7 Zaccheus was a notorious sinner

In verse 9 he was a true son of Abraham

He went from someone that was overlooked to someone Jesus saw

He went from a lying cheat to an honest charitable giver

He went from lost to saved

I don’t know what you are going through, but can I give you some encouragement today… It’s not over

Look at someone and say it’s not over

Your story is still being written

And each chapter, paragraph, and sentence can look vastly different if you are open to some changes

Book writing

God is the author (ultimate authority)

Gives us editing privileges

Living your best God-glorifying life requires an awareness of what is truly worth living for.

1. Love of God & Others

Matthew 22:37–39 NLT

37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

2. Pursuing Heavenly Treasure

Matthew 6:19–21 NLT

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

3. Focus on Holy Living

1 Peter 1:15–16 NLT

15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

US

Can you imagine what your life could look like in 2023?

If we were all living our best God-glorifying lives, just imagine what this church and our community would look like.

What decision do you need to make in this present time to change your future?

Write it down

What do you want the next chapter of your story to say?

If you want to change your life, start by changing your story.