Beginning to Do What is Right

I Don’t Want to Live This way Anymore.

We call this repentance.

The grumblings were about Zaccheus being a sinner. V.7

NOTE: They assessed that Zacheus was a sinner. Most don’t like to hear this but when you know in your heart by God that it’s true, you can’t try to defend yourself among your accusers or rationalize what you have done. You deal with it.

NOTE: Be careful when and how you judge another. Paul writes in Romans 2, you judge someone else while you do the same thing. We see this everywhere:

Political parties both accusing and doing the same things, disgusted with child trafficking and pedophilea while in the privacy of our own devices we engage in sexual perversions of other kinds, we look at addicts as weak or undisciplined while we eat 9 pieces of pizza during the game or a soda the size of a rain barrel a “Bucket” of popcorn while we enjoy the movie. . . . .

2. Zaccheus stopped and dealt with this.

3. Zaccheus Repented.

NOTE: Repentance is the most foundational moment in the process of salvation when an individual responds, recognizing their sinfulness and deciding they no longer want to live that way anymore. Repentance is a change of mind and then a change of direction. Without repentance there is no process of salvation there is no salvation.

Getting to know Jesus so He can change us is Salvation.

ILLUST: If you were in the ocean and someone threw you a life preserver and you swam away from it you will not be saved.

ILLUST: 1 Peter 2:24 “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live unto righteousness.”

ILLUST: Zaccheus’ in the presence of Jesus and possibly with the grumblings of the others dealt with His sin!

I grew up witnessing some serious anger in my dad from time to time. But at the end of His life, when he choose to follow Jesus fully, it changed and he realized anger wasn’t the way to deal with problems.

TRANS: Repentance is the foundational moment of salvation and it is the defining life of someone who is being saved!

Starting To Do What is Right.

Half my possession I’ll give to the poor.

NOTE: Maybe he heard about the rich young ruler and decided he would jump in with half before Jesus said sell “all”? Giving to the poor has always been on God’s heart and throughout the law. Giving to the poor will not save you but it is right.

2. If I defrauded anyone of anything I will give back four times as much.

ILLUST: Exodus 22:1, 3-6, 14.

“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. . . he shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. . .” If your animal grazes in other’s field you need to pay that back, if you start a fire and it spreads from your bushes to another’s you make restitution, and if you borrow something and it is injured or dies you need to make full restitution.

NOTE: A WORD ABOUT RESTITUTION. Restitution is not salvation it is however something that is right! Think rationally, the thief on the cross who was to be in Paradise that very day with Jesus could not get down off the cross to payback all he stole. You can’t unmurder someone, you can’t take away the emotional hurt of a bad word spoken. So Restitution is not something you do to be saved. The Principle of Restitution is not making a wrong right it is obeying the Spirit of God.

If God tells you to go and make something right you need to do that but if you are unable to or if you fail to your salvation does not rest on your perfect restitution record.

ILLUST: I have several of these stories, when I was 12 I stole a necklace from a department store. God convicted as a new Christian 24 years old and I went in told the store manager and wrote a check. I also stole a pack of gum from a local store yet I put that off and never got a chance to make that right.

RESTITUTION can be a great witness that God will use which might be why He asks you to go back and make something right.

Also when you go back to the texts dealing with restitution this was how you were suppose to live as a child of God this isn’t talking about making right the last 50 years of my life.

The Principle behind Restitution is simply obeying God’s Spirit and that is how you and I start to DO WHAT IS RIGHT! Jesus has already paid your debts, He made them right when you repented He justified you or declared you righteous and now you do it His way and if He says I need you to go make that right, you do it because it’s His way!

Salvation is in the Person of Jesus Alone!

Today salvation has come to this house.

NOTE: Jesus is standing in Zaccheus house because Zaccheus wanted to See Him. Jesus began the whole process by walking through Jericho, Zaccheus ran up in a tree, Jesus said lets go to your place, Zaccheus responded by hurrying down and along the way in the presence of Jesus, Zaccheus was moved to say I want to live different. The way, the truth and the life, Jesus which means “The Lord Saves” is standing in Zaccheus’ house!

POINT: It is Zaccheus’ pursuit of Jesus that will empower Him to live different and save him.

NOTE:Salvation comes into our lives when our desire is to Know Jesus and in that relationship as we respond He changes us!

He too, is a son of Abraham

This was the mark of a true Jew, a part of God’s family. Desiring and Letting Jesus Direct our lives makes us children of God.

CLOSE/APPLICATION:

If you understand salvation this way, you can’t waste anytime praying for those around you to be drawn to Him. You personally need to deal with your sin and repent decide you want to live Jesus’ way.