Step Into Their World

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Impact more than 800 communities in strategic places around the world by 2020 - World Impact Vision

Blessing Communities and Building the Church with Strategic Partners - World Impact Strategy for Breaking Limits

Bali

Luke 19:1–10 NLT

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 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.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 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!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Luke 19:1–10 NLT

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 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.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 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!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

4.2 million people (89% of the population on Bali. 1.7% of the Indonesian population)

8 Regency’s

What is the banjar The banjar are adjudicators of adat, traditional law and determine dates for religious events, collect money for ceremonies, allocate temple maintenance, oversee land sales and on occasion hand out summary punishment to troublemakers.

Not a story about money. A story about mission

Impact more than 800 communities in strategic places around the world by 2020 - World Impact Vision

Not a story about financial blessing flow to and not from a community but about saving those that are lost.

World Impact Mission

Not a story about financial blessing flow to and not from a community but about saving those that are lost.

What was despised becomes valued despite those around not even seeing this person’s worth.

Blessing Communities and Building the Church with Strategic Partners - World Impact Strategy for Breaking Limits

Not a story encouraging us to live like Zacchaeus but a story to show us how we must live like Jesus

Luke 19:1–10 NLT

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 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.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 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!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

In our turning from God we always put in His place something of lesser value to try and fill the void and it never can.It can be relationships, money, work, drugs, alcohol, drugs. All these things we try to fill this whole left inside of us.We have turned from the only thing that can fill us and we find ourselves trying to fill the void. This story is used many times in relation to money and the love of money. We hear it preached when sometimes the pastor is wanting a greater commitment from the church in relation to tithe and offerings. I believe we miss the whole point of this story if that is how we look at it.

Luke 19:1–10 NLT

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 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.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 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!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

“Life is not a matter of creating a special name for ourselves, but of uncovering the name we have always had.” - Richard Rohr

Richard Rohr

As a musician and someone who has spent a lot of time on stage, I know how easy it is to find yourself desiring the praise and applause. You can very easily get caught up in trying to make a name for yourself. This is not just in the world but also in the church but it is more subtle. We justify it many times by saying we have a great message that the world needs to hear but really the motivation is fame. Making a name for ourselves.

It becomes like a drug that you want more of and it can quickly become the thing where your whole sense of worth is tied up in. As long as I have the applause then I am happy and I have value.

This whole generation is finding it’s value in “likes” on Facebook and instagram.

Promotion

God doesn’t need you to promote Him.

Promotion is based in trying to sell something to someone even if they many not need it. It’s making them feel like they must have it.

Attraction is desiring something that is missing in your life.

“Advertising is legalised lying.” - H. G. Wells

“Advertising is totally unnecessary. Unless you hope to make money.” - Jef Richards

“Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need.” - Will Rogers

NLTBut God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

“What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbour as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether. They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.” – N.T. Wright

NLTFor you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

“We, as sons and daughters of God, are destined to reveal our Father to the world by bearing His likeness. We do this as Christ did, by communing with the Father, walking in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth through demonstrations of power and authority, all in the context of showing the love of God.” - Bill Johnson

NLTFor the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Zacchaeus was short. As someone who was outcast and hated by the society he lived in, he found his value in the money he collected. If everything and everyone else hated me and was against me then I will find my worth in working hard, extracting as much money as I can from them and then I will feel satisfied.

Jesus had something he desired. Something of greater value than the money he had. He didn’t know exactly what it was but it intrigue Zacchaeus. So much so that he had to try and see this man.He fought through the crowd and climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus. He pursued Him and Jesus saw that.

Here are two simple keys that will bring about two amazing outcomes.

Jesus knows us by name. Selah

The scripture here says this:

**story**

Story Of “He Knows My Name”

The first time we went to the Philippines we stayed in an orphanage and there was this little boy who came running up to me and he introduced himself as Jerry. About an hour later he ran up to me again and he said, “What’s my name?”

I said, “You’re name is Jerry."

He said, “We’re friends, right?” An hour later, he comes up to me again and says, “What’s my name?”

An hour later, he comes up to me again and says, “What’s my name?”

“Jerry.”

“We’re friends, right?”

“That’s right buddy, you got it.”

The next morning he runs up to me and says, “What’s my name.”

I said, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. You know I know you’re name.” Then I said to him, “We’re friends, right?”

I realised that Jerry, one of the forgotten people, one of the poorest of the poor, was literally abandoned by his parents on the streets as an infant. I don’t think he even knows his last name. He just wanted somebody to know him, to know his name. And it was so important to him that I knew his name. And then I was able to tell him, “Jerry, it’s great that I know your name, but your Heavenly Father, though you have no earthly father, knows your name and He’ll never forget you.”

Jesus isn’t asking us to step into His world, He is wanting to step into ours and in doing so the light expels the darkness. This is God’s world and darkness exist only because light is absent. Darkness is anything. Light is something.

By inviting Himself to eat with Zacchaeus, Jesus publicly told everyone else that this man had value whereas everyone else saw Zacchaeus as having no value. They even complained about the invitation. These are the same people who were crowding to see Jesus. To hear and learn from this great teacher but the lesson they saw didn’t line up with their ways of thinking.

Why do I say this is not a story about the money? Because the money becomes irrelevant not just to Zacchaeus but it has no relevance to Jesus.

The MessageThey sent some Pharisees and followers of Herod to bait him, hoping to catch him saying something incriminating. They came up and said, “Teacher, we know you have integrity, that you are indifferent to public opinion, don’t pander to your students, and teach the way of God accurately. Tell us: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” He knew it was a trick question, and said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Bring me a coin and let me look at it.” They handed him one. “This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?” “Caesar,” they said. Jesus said, “Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.” Their mouths hung open, speechless.

Zacchaeus found what he was looking for in Christ and therefore the money (the substitute) he worked so hard to accumulate, he suddenly gives it away to take hold of that which is far more valuable.

You will find your value, your worth in Christ and the thing that currently is consuming you, the thing you are grasping for and demanding you take, you will finally be able to release. What we try and hold to ourselves will become the thing that will ultimately hold us.The issue is we don’t want to pay the price for this free gift.Yes it is free but it does cost us something. That cost is us releasing and letting go of everything else we are holding on to.This morning I want to offer you the opportunity to let go of the things that are holding you. To make a trade.To trade your ashes for His beautyTo trade your spirit of heaviness for His garment of praise.

Jesus response wasn’t “wow what a blessing to the kingdom and my ministry on earth” which is how we like to promote large giving these days, but it was that salvation had come to this house. Restoration of God at the centre, God filling our greatest desire and our worth and value totally found in Him at the expense of everything else.

Luke 19:10 NLT

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Luke 19:9–10 NLT

Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

“Salvation has come to this home...”

The Passion translation says this.

9–10 Jesus said to him, “This shows that today life[f] has come to you and your household, for you are a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek out and to give life to those who are lost.”[

What we desire is the same thing everyone else desires.

The issue is we don’t want to pay the price for this free gift. Yes it is free but it does cost us something. That cost is us releasing and letting go of everything else we are holding on to.

To be known, loved and accepted.

This morning I want to offer you the opportunity to let go of the things that are holding you. To make a trade.To trade your ashes for His beautyTo trade your spirit of heaviness for His garment of praise.

Step Into Their World

Zacchaeus

Is this story told so we become like Zacchaeus or is it so we can become more like Jesus?

Making A Name For Ourselves

Attraction not Promotion

Promotion/Advertising

Attraction

What was Zacchaeus finding his value in?

Find out their name.