Luke 19

Notes

I’m glad this story is in the Bible…good news for all of us

Chief tax collecter AND rich…the double wammy…he led all the people that the Jewish people hated, and he had gotten very rich by serving the hated ROMANS...

AND HE WAS SEEKING...

God has put eternity in our hearts,

doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, God has put a desire for you to know who He in your heart…We all as rich people have to be careful, because our possessions and our comfort and our physical needs being met can distract for the spiritual bankruptcy of our souls without Jesus.

when believers gather, we want to always be aware that there might be people who don’t believe that are checking this whole thing out…most of us have been there…this is a little weird, is this a cult, why is everyone so excited, and what is happening with the hands…is there a manual or instructional video to know when to raise my hands…do I need to close my eyes…but most people sense the supernatural power of God…we’ve heard over and over again from “you”…this place is different, the atmosphere, the people, the way I felt when I walked into the building

and as believers, we don’t want to block people’s view??? by the way we live

I love the effort of Zacchaeus…and I applaud the people who are still trying to figure it all out…we ALL are…draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…and you will find over time, that the whole time it has been God who has been drawing you…DON’T BE AFRAID TO CLIMB THE TREE…Jesus was so great, so captivating, unlike anyone else…so it probably wasn’t a big deal to see a grown man sprinting and climbing up a tree…Jesus was worth seeing…but now we have to play it cool, or else get labeled as a “jesus freak” or someone needing a crutch in your life…WHAT DOES EFFORT LOOK LIKE???

I MUST STAY AT YOUR HOUSE TODAY!!!! Jesus moves towards faith! Jesus rewards those who earnestly seek him! He went to houses of sinners, of disciples, of religious leaders…WHOSE HOUSES ARE WE GOING INTO??

JESUS KNEW HIS NAME…maybe they met before, but probably not…and he sees him in the tree and calls him BY NAME…God sees you, He knows you, He knows what you are going through, what you are struggling with,

POSSIBLE POINTS

we are all sinners, and Christ came to our house

before we climbed the tree, Jesus came down the mountain…Zacchaeus was “seeking” Jesus but Jesus was already “seeking” Zacchaeus…he came to seek and to save the lost…restore to me the joy of YOUR salvation…I have misquoted that verse my whole life…it’s HIS salvation…produces gratefulness and worship in our hearts....he came down the mountain so we’d have the chance to climb the tree.

Faith changes us from the inside out…did he get saved by his actions or his fatih??? seems like his actions here, but Scripture is very clear it’s by faith and faith alone. True faith changes us…not a list of rules or a checklist to get into heaven…if we do this and this and this and not this or that or that...

we CAN’T SAVE but we CAN SEEK…and through our efforts, Jesus can save! Don’t be intimidated, give it a shot, we all aren’t Ravi Zaccharaus (I mentor him), we can’t take Louie everywhere with us…we can show interest in people, genuinely care and want to know about their life, ask questions, share what Jesus has done in our lives...