GOING OUT ON A LIMB Luke 19:1-10

 

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 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.” (Luke 19:1-10)

 

An amazing transformation story…

“When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 9:26-27)

 

 

The story of Zacchaeus

 

Jericho

Tax collector

 

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14).

 

1)If you want to know God for yourself, do what Zacchaeus did…

 

Jesus is inviting you to come down because he wants to meet with you and stay at your house today.

(i)Jesus comes first in everything

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ii) Jesus loves you so much he died for you

 

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

 

“About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). (Matthew 27:46)

 

2)  We grow by going out on a limb for Jesus!

 

 

“this far but no further”.

 

Are you a follower of Christianity or Churchianity?

 

 

3) Our mission is Jesus’ mission – to seek and save the lost.

 

• People (love them)
• Prayer (pray for opportunities)
• Persistence

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I want to know more:

• What is Christianity? 321 The Story of God, the World and You: 
• Who is Jesus? Roger Carswell – available for free in the foyer.
• More on Luke 19: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous, by Bob Deffinbaugh, https://bible.org/seriespage/58-sublime-ridiculous-luke-1831-1910
• Justin Welby interview in full,