8.1.21 - An Unexpected Experience Of Grace

August 1, 2021 - An Unexpected Experience Of Grace Good to see all of you this morning... both here in-person and to those of you joining us online. Here at the Vineyard, we are pretty into the Bible. We teach from the Bible each Sunday, our small groups and VKids dig into the Bible together each week & we challenge you to read the Bible on your own each day. In particular, we encourage people to study the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John: these books of the Bible that detail the life, message & ministry of Jesus. Now, when you dive into the Gospels, here is something that you discover: ● Jesus often does and says things we don't expect! There are so many surprising elements to the story of Jesus. He came to earth in such an unexpected way - God, born in a manger. The people of Jesus' day were hoping for a military Messiah to save them from the Romans... and yet Jesus came as a humble servant - to save the people from their sins. When Jesus died, it looked like his influence had expired too. But then, the Scriptures declare that Jesus was raised from the dead - in the ultimate turn of events. I'm excited to kick off a new sermon series today that picks up on this idea of the unexpected. Over the next 7-8 weeks, we'll be looking at a string of intriguing things Jesus said and did - all centered on the theme of Unexpected Grace and Generosity. Each week, we'll dive into a different passage from the Gospel of Luke, and ask two ongoing questions: 1) What does it look like to experience God's grace & goodness in our own lives? 2) How can we express that same gracious generosity in the way we treat others and in how we live day to day? I think a number of the things we'll see and hear from Jesus will surprise us... And I'm eager to explore this together. Our Bible passage for this morning comes from Luke chapter 19. If you want to grab a Bible in front of you - we'll be reading from page 717 in the ones here in the auditorium. Or you can pull up Luke 19 on your favorite electronic device. While you are turning there, let me pray for us and our time today. PRAY Luke 19:1-10 (NIV) 1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 Now, all the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner." 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Okay... this is a pretty famous Bible story, especially if you spent any time at all in Sunday School or VBS as a kid. I am imagining a number of you with the "Zacchaeus was a wee little man" song in your heads already. And, if it wasn't in your head before... it is now! You can thank me later. But beyond the cute kids church song, there is so much depth to this story. Let's begin with digging into a bit of Zacchaeus' background. Who was Zacchaeus? There's really only one sentence of detail in this passage, but it tells us a lot. Verse 2 says: Zacchaeus...was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. That's a simple statement... so we could think: Zacchaeus had a job with the 1st century version of the IRS and had worked there long enough to get a few raises. Nope... here's the context to that verse. ● Zacchaeus was a Jewish man, working for the Roman government, collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. That, in itself, was suspect. ○ Beyond that, it was common for these tax collectors to engage in shady practices: They would overcharge on taxes whenever they had the opportunity - pocketing the difference for themselves. ○ And, at times, they would spread rumors & advance false charges in hopes of extorting hush money. ○ Tax collectors were viewed as heathens, crooks and traitors working for an oppressive occupying empire. They were in a category all by themselves - as despised humans in 1st century Judea. ○ And Zacchaeus wasn't just a "run of the mill" tax collector. He was a chief tax collector. He was high up the ladder of dirty, rotten scoundrels. ○ He was likely immersed in this dishonest work for a length of time - accumulating a significant amount of wealth in the process. We don't get any further details to Zacchaeus' backstory, but I can't help but wonder to myself... how did he get in so deep? Was it simply the allure of wealth? Were there circumstances that initially forced him in that direction? Or was he simply an awful human being that willingly took advantage of others? ● The truth is... we don't know what led Zacchaeus down this path. ● But what we do know is this: ultimately, he was unsatisfied... & he started to investigate if this man Jesus might have something better for him. We'll get that part of the passage in a moment... and talk about how Zacchaeus became the unlikely recipient of grace. But let's pause for a few moments and consider how our stories intersect with Zacchaeus'. I immediately think of a probing question that Jesus asked back in Mark 8:36. What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? What happened to Zacchaeus can happen to us. Maybe you don't sell your soul to an evil empire. But it can be easy to "sell out" in so many other ways. ● Our "sell out" could also be in the pursuit of security or possessions - where we buy into the lie that "if I just have a little bit more, then I'll be happy" And so we work ourselves into the ground; we sacrifice our health, our families, & our spiritual lives in search of the almighty dollar. ● Or our "sell out" could be in seeking the praise and approval of others. ● And so we give in to compromise in different areas of our lives. ● Some of those pursuits might feel out of our reach... and so our 'sell out" could look different. We might fantasize at a distance about the lives of celebrities; the powerful and the beautiful. ○ Is it perhaps prophetic... that if we want to learn more about these people on social media, that we click a button that says "follow"? ○ Or that there is a category of people called "influencers." ○ Or we can slip into envy with the people right around us... getting angry because that other person has the family or friendships that I want, the health or the body that I want.... the ____________________ that I want. Sadly, in the end, these pursuits don't satisfy. Anytime we make secondary items first place in our lives, our souls become sick. ● That's where Zacchaeus was, but he didn't stay there. Even with Zacchaeus' riches, he couldn't buy a private meeting with Jesus, or even a good seat at the "Jesus parade." And so he took an unexpected step. Zacchaeus was willing to do something humble (even humiliating) in his pursuit of peace for his soul. Climbing up a tree is pretty foolish looking, but it reflects how serious Zacchaeus was in his search for something he could not obtain with his wealth or influence. ● And that led to an experience that would change his entire life. An Unexpected Experience Of Grace (SLIDE) Let's look again at the middle part of today's passage. As we read these verses, I want to invite you into a bit of an exercise: to put yourself into this story. ● You could imagine yourself as Zacchaeus and consider what it would be like to encounter Jesus in the way he did. ● Or maybe picture yourself as someone else in the crowd - watching this scene unfold. You might even close your eyes, if that helps (we'll go slow) ● I think this will be a fun way for us to engage with this Scripture today, and it's something you can do on your own as you read the Bible for yourself. Okay... again, here's the scene. Zacchaeus wants to get a look at Jesus, but he can't see over the crowd. So he runs ahead, finds a tree and climbs up a limb. ● What his life was about previously wasn't working, and so he was willing to look incredibly foolish, in hopes that Jesus had something better for him. V. 5 - When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Jesus looked up and called out to Zacchaeus by name. ● Jesus didn't say "hey you... up there in the tree... what are you doing?" ● Somehow Jesus knew who Zacchaeus was; he called him by name and moved towards him. ● Again, if you are imagining yourself being like Zacchaeus in this story... what would it be like for Jesus to initiate contact with you in that way? For him to see you and to call you by name? (Psalm 139?) Next, (and I love this part of the story) Jesus invited himself over for dinner ● Even in our day and age, that's a pretty bold thing to do, but that social setting (of going to someone's home) carried even more weight in the 1c. ● To share a meal with someone was a sign of connection... pointing to close friendship or even being like family with someone. ● Jesus wasn't afraid to be associated with someone like Zacchaeus What did Zacchaeus do? Verse 6: Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed Jesus gladly. ● Think about the vulnerability it took on Zacchaeus' part to welcome Jesus. ● This was towards the end of Jesus' earthly ministry... so he had already gained a bit of notoriety. It took real courage for Zacchaeus to welcome this holy man into his very unholy life. ● For you - how would you feel if Jesus invited himself over to your house or apartment? You might experience some resistance to the thought of Jesus getting that "up close and personal" with you. ● But can you imagine opening the door to Jesus and letting him in - not only into your physical space... but (in a way) opening your life up to him like Zacchaeus did? 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "(Jesus) has gone to be the guest of a sinner." ● We'll touch on the reactions of the crowd in a few moments, but for now... think again about Zacchaeus... these people were murmuring about him with a sense of scorn. ● And yet, there is Jesus, right next to Zacchaeus, choosing to be with him, rather than with the crowds muttering judgments. Let that scene settle into your mind. And then picture further what it would be like for you to encounter Jesus in the way Zacchaeus did. ● Where instead of Zacchaeus' sin on full display... it's yours ● Instead of the people scorning him... they are heaping judgement on you. ● And then the ache of realizing "my life is not what it should be" is met... it's met, unexpectedly - with the kindness and goodness of Jesus. (Pause, then close up exercise) ● If you have eyes closed, go ahead and open those up. ● For some of you, that little exercise might have been a stretch or it was something you didn't relate to as much. That's okay. ● But for others, this is exactly what you needed this morning. ● You may want to take the opportunity to revisit this passage on your own this week, and allow what you were experiencing to go even deeper. Okay... In light of Zacchaeus' story, let's summarize a couple take-aways. Take-away #1 - Would you read this aloud with me? ● Takeaway #1: If grace is accessible to a notorious sinner, then grace is available to me. The way Jesus related to Zacchaeus,.. is how Jesus interacts with us. ● He shows us unexpected grace and generosity. Unexpected: (as in) surprising; unforeseen Grace: unmerited favor; receiving as a gift what you don't deserve Generosity: to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected. That is Jesus' posture towards us. That is what led him to the cross on our behalf. Jesus took a death sentence that was rightfully ours, so we could experience life as it was meant to be - A kind of life we can't buy with money, and one we can't earn through our own effort. We can only receive it as a gift. That's exactly what the Apostle Paul is getting at in his letter to the Eph, ch 2. It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 This is what's so powerful about Zacchaeus' story: The guy really was a heathen, a crook and a traitor... and yet God's grace reached him. He had nothing to point to in his life that could make him acceptable to God... the only way in.... was to receive it as a gift, in the midst of his encounter with Jesus. The same is true for me and for you. The way into an experience of grace is to admit that you are soul-sick, and that you need someone to rescue you. Thankfully that is what Jesus promised to do. Look again at what he says in v 10. ● "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10 We can sometimes slip into seeing our lives being like a cup that is mostly full... but it just needs to be topped off. Even in our approach to faith, we think, I need a little bit of Jesus to get my cup to the top. Unfortunately, that's not the gospel. ● The gospel challenges us to embrace that on our own, we are without hope, we are lost, and we are God's enemies. ● But the good news is that Jesus came to rescue us, and as we surrender to his love... as we put our trust in what he did with his death and resurrection, we can experience a brand new kind of life. That is good news to everyone one of us, no matter who we are. It's good news to the "down and out" and also to the "up and out". It's good news to people brand new to considering faith in Jesus, and it's still good news to those of you who have been Christians for decades. ● It is by grace that we are saved... it is a gift from God. ● If grace is accessible to a notorious sinner like Zacchaeus, then grace is available to me. That's our first take-away. Let's look at a 2nd take-away: let's read aloud again together: ● Takeaway #2: If grace is available to me, then grace is accessible to notorious sinners. Think back to the passage and the reaction of the crowd. V.7 - They muttered, "(Jesus) has gone to be the guest of a sinner." They couldn't fathom what Jesus was doing - because in their minds, a sinner like Zacchaeus could never experience grace. ● He was a dirty, rotten tax collector - only worthy of judgment. ● Zacchaeus was one of "those people" that really got under their skin. Here's a question for you to chew on: Who are "those people" in your life? Who do you sometimes secretly wish that God would be really harsh with... that they really get what they deserve? Who are the people that you believe, on some level, are beyond the reach of God's grace? You'll often know who "those people" are b/c you'll include a little "huff" when you think or talk about them. While you are thinking about that... let me tell on myself. So, earlier this week, I'm driving from my house to church. As my mind wandered, I noticed that I was getting kind of worked up towards some people that irk me. At first, I felt kind of justified, thinking, "Yeah, God they should really change!" And then, this wave of conviction hit me, as I realized.... I was having self-righteous, judgemental thoughts about people that are self-righteously judgmental of others. Who do you struggle to have grace for? Maybe it's with people that are very different than you... from a different background or lean a different direction politically, or maybe they sin differently than you. ● Or like in my story... maybe, you are irked by people that reveal a side of yourself that you'd prefer not to see. Those thoughts and actions reveal something important. They expose real gaps in our understanding and experience of the gospel. They can show us a lot about what we have (or have not) internalized about God's grace in our lives. Along those lines... let's finish up by looking at Zacchaeus' response, which reflects the deep impact of his encounter with Jesus. (SLIDE) An Unexpected Response To Grace Zacchaeus gives us a concrete example of repentance and transformation. The unexpected grace that Zacchaeus experienced from Jesus would have been wasted, if he simply returned to his tax booth and kept doing all the same things he was doing before. God's grace doesn't excuse our sin... No, it's meant to transform us, and point us to a new approach to life. ● Here's what they looked like for Zacchaeus. Luke 19:8 Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Luke 19:8 In Zacchaeus' case, his response was directly tied to his handling of money. Maybe that is true for some of us, maybe not... but his response is such a vivid picture of what it looks like to repent and to be transformed. ● First, Zacchaeus was quick in his repentance. ● "Here and now" - (not someday or I'll just think about it) ● Zacchaeus took action in the moment ● Secondly, Zacchaeus was very specific: ● For him, that meant paying back money he had swindled from others. He took wrongs that he had done & began making them right ● Admiration for my friends in recovery and their commitment to doing step 9 - "Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." ● I think that's what Zacchaeus did. ● Third: Zacchaeus was generous in his repentance. He went beyond the minimum of what was technically necessary. In his case, he said, I'll pay back 4 times what I stole. And I'll give half of my possessions to the poor." This was Zacchaeus' response to grace. ● After Zacchaeus' experience with Jesus, he immediately put that into practice in how he interacted with others. ● Again for Zacchaeus that expression of generosity was first and foremost financial... because that's where his deepest brokenness was. ● Maybe for you, your response starts with another form of generosity... but I'd encourage you towards being as concrete in your response as Zacchaeus was. ● In whatever God might be bringing to your mind today... how can you be quick, specific and even generous in your repentance and transformation? In these responses, we're not trying to earn anything or prove anything. Any steps we take are meant to be authentic responses to the grace we are experiencing from God. Then that progressively works its way out in our lives. ● We experience God's unexpected grace and generosity ● And then we practically express that in the way we live. We're going to dig into these themes a lot more in the coming weeks. But for now... let's take some time to pray into what God is doing in us this morning. Ministry Time ● V.9 - "Salvation has come to this house... you are a son" ● Welcome Jesus into the center of your life, open the door ● COULD BE ONLINE ● Prayer: I want, I need more of God's grace in my life. ● Obstacles.... Shame; Weariness ● My story: Thoughts/actions towards others = antidote of grace