The Triumph Of Grace!

Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray.

Good morning. We are so glad that you are here worshiping with us this morning, and I am excited. It's Palm Sunday, the Sunday where Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem, and you have on that day sort of filled with both joy and conflict and sorrow. The people, as they watch Jesus come in, they welcome him as a king, quoting from the 118th Psalm, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," shouting Hosanna, which is simply a prayer that God would save them. And so when we talk about Hosanna, that's not necessarily a shout of praise, but rather this prayer from the 118th Psalm, "Save us, O Lord," we pray. "O Lord, pray, give us success." And then it follows immediately by, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord."

And so there is joy on behalf of the crowds. There is sort of anger and jealousy on the part of the religious leaders as they look and say, "See, the whole world has gone out after him." They will actually confront Jesus and tell him to keep his disciples quiet. He'll respond with, I think, probably one of their worst nightmares. If these crowds were to be silent, the very stones would shout their praises to me. The disciples, I imagine, are finally excited, saying, "You know, this is what Jesus deserves. This is what we have been working for as we have taught and traveled." But Jesus, as he comes into Jerusalem, he's not celebrating. He's not even intentionally trying to be in conflict with the religious leaders. He comes, and it will say that as he comes down the Mount of Olives and looks out over the city of Jerusalem that Jesus weeps over the unrepentant city.

And he says, "I wish." And I said, "I pray if only you knew on this day what would have brought you peace." And Jesus comes to bring peace to this city. And ultimately, throughout the events of this week, they will reject him on Friday. He will be crucified. And next Sunday, we celebrate together the resurrection. And so this morning, what we want to do is we want to fix our eyes on the grace that is found in Jesus, this grace that triumphs over our rebellion and over our sin and over our brokenness and over our fear. It's the grace we see in the tears of Jesus as he pleads for the repentance of the city of Jerusalem. It's the grace we see is on Monday, he cleanses the temple, allowing those who may not be allowed into the smaller, closer places in the temple to worship without being in the middle of a shopping mall and a thoroughfare.

It's the grace we see on Tuesday as Jesus spends his time in the temple answering questions from the very people who will crucify them, essentially teaching them and being patient with them as he shares God's truth with them. It's the grace we see on Wednesday as he eats in the home of Lazarus in Bethany, and he is anointed in preparation by Mary for his death. It's the grace we see in the Last Supper as Jesus gathers together with his disciples and as he spends time encouraging them and teaching them and ultimately breaking bread with them. It's the grace we see as he prays, and it's the grace we see poured out for us as he is crucified. And so this morning we're focused on the goodness of God's grace and the praise that is due to him, to the praise of his glorious grace.

And so we're going to stand, and I'm going to pray, and then we will read from the 118th Psalm together, verses 28 and 29. Let's stand as we pray. Father in heaven, I thank you for this time to gather. I ask that you would fix our eyes this morning on your grace and on your goodness, that as we spend time together in Scripture, as we sing together, as we gather around the table together, as we open your word and dive into it, that you would show us that there is hope for the broken and the hurting and the rebellious, and that not just that there is hope, but that you desire to be close to us. And so we ask that you would make our hearts tender this morning as we worship, that we would see you and praise you and be transformed by your goodness.

It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Begin by reading from the 118th Psalm together, and the psalmist writes this, if you would read with me. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will extol you. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. This is the word of the Lord. We're going to start by singing Hosanna. Praise is rising, followed immediately by 10,000 reasons. Bless the Lord.

Praise is rising, eyes all turning to you. We turn to you. Hope is stirring. Hearts are yearning for you. We long for you. 'Cause when we see you, we find strength to face the day. And in your presence, all our fears are washed away. Washed away. Hosanna! Hosanna! You are the God who sings us, worthy of all our praises. Hear the sound of hearts returning to you. We turn to you. In your kingdom, broken lives are made new. You make all things new. Cause when we see you, we find strength to face the day. And in your presence, all our fears are washed away. Washed away. Hosanna. Hosanna. You are the God who saves us. Worthy of all our praises. Hosanna. Hosanna. Come every way among us. We welcome you here, Lord Jesus.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship His holy name. Sin like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name.

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning. It's time to sing Your song again. Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. You're rich in love, and you're slow to end up. Your name is great, and your heart is kind. For all your goodness, I will keep on singing. Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship His holy name. I'll sing like never before, O my soul. I'll worship Your holy name.

And on that day, when my strength is failing, the end draws near, and my time has come, still my soul will sing Your praise unending, 10,000 years and then forevermore. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. Yes, I will worship Your holy name. Lord, I'll worship Your holy name. Amen. Amen. Amen.

As we prepare to gather together to remember the sacrifice of Jesus who died in our place for our sins, we're going to sing in just a minute, "Man of Sorrows." If you would like to participate in communion and have not had a chance to pick up the communion elements, they are on the table right as you enter there. We're going to sing "Man of Sorrows." Man of Sorrows, Lamb of God, by His own betray. The sin of man and brother of God has been on Jesus' name.

Silent as He stood accused, beaten, mocked, and scorned. Vowing to the Father's will, He took a crown of thorns. On the rugged cross, my salvation, where your love poured out over me. Now my soul cries out, "Hallelujah!" Praise and honor unto Thee. The hand of heaven, God's own Son, to purchase and redeem. And reconcile the very ones who nailed Him to that tree. Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation. Where Your love poured out over me. Now my soul cries out, "Alleluia!" Praise and honor unto Thee. Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled. Now the curse of sin has no hold on me. The Son sets free, oh, is free indeed. Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled. Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled. Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled. Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full by the precious blood.

the precious blood that my Jesus spilled. Now the curse of sin has no hold on me. The sun sets free, oh, is free indeed. Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation, where your love poured out over me. Now my soul cries out, "Alleluia!" Please and all who run to Thee. See the stone is rolled away. Behold the empty tomb. Hallelujah! God be praised. He's risen from the grave. Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation, where your love poured out over me. Now my soul cries out, hallelujah. Praise and honor unto thee. Praise and honor unto thee. In Luke, the 23rd chapter, Jesus is led to the mount where he will be crucified. And it says, "Two others who were criminals were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called the skull, there they crucified him. And the criminals, one on his right and one on his left, and Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide his garments, and the people stood by watching. But the rulers scoffed at him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself.

He is the Christ of God, the chosen one." The soldiers mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was also an inscription over him, "This is the king of the Jews." One of the criminals, who was hanged, blasphemed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?" "And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." We struggle with grace because we like to deserve, and we like to earn, and we want to be worthy of the things that are given us.

And so when it comes to the gift of grace, that thing given to us that we do not deserve, we struggle to accept it in ourselves, and we struggle to accept it in the lives of others. And I just want to share with you for a moment just a very short excerpt from a sermon by a man by the name of Alistair Begg. The sermon is entitled, "The Power and the Message of the Cross." You can find it just simply by Googling it. And he says this in regards to this and the other accounts in regards to the crucifixion of Jesus. He says, "Think about the thief on the cross." I can't wait to find that fellow one day and ask him, "How did that shake out for you?" Because at one point you were cussing the guy out with your friend, you'd never been in a Bible study, you never got baptized, you didn't know a thing about church membership, and yet you made it.

You made it. You made it. How did you make it?" And in fact, he'll go on to say, "That's what the angel likely said, you know, what are you doing here?" And the man replies, "Well, I don't know." And the angel says, "Well, what do you mean that you don't know?" And this man replies, "Well, because I don't know." And the angel says, "Well, excuse me, let me get my supervisor." And the supervisor angel comes and says, "We just have a few questions." We just have a few questions for you. First of all, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith?" And this guy goes, "I've never heard of it in my life." And then the supervisor angel says, "Well, let's go to the doctrine of Scripture next." And this guy just stares at him. And eventually in frustration, this supervisor angel says, "On what basis are you here?" And this man looks and says this,

"The man on the middle cross said that I could come." Right? That's the only answer. And if we don't preach the gospel to ourselves every day, day by day, we begin to trust ourselves and our experience and our goodness. And as soon as we go to that place of trusting ourselves, it's either going to lead us into abject despair or a horrible kind of arrogance. And Alistair goes on to say, "And it is only on the cross of Christ that deals with both." The dreadful depths of despair and the pretentious arrogance of the pride of man that says, "You know, I can figure this out. I think I'm doing wonderfully well." And the cross says, "No." Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied to look on him and pardon me. And so as we come this morning to the table,

our answer, I think, is the same as that thief. Why are we here? Because the man on the middle cross said that we could come. Let's remember Jesus and pray together. Father in heaven, as we pray and we look at the brokenness of our lives and of our struggles and of our despairs and of our pride, may you direct our eyes to Jesus, that he would be all of our hope, all of our strength and all of our future, that we would see how he has loved us and how he has saved us, and that we would look to the cross of Christ. Help us as we partake this morning. May we be nourished by your grace. I ask that you bless this bread and that you bless this cup. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Let's partake of this bread together that reminds us of the body of Jesus. And let's partake of the cup that reminds us of his blood that was given for us. And in doing this, we're reminded of our mission to proclaim the good news of Jesus through this meal, through our lives, through our gathering, through our testimony until Jesus comes again. And before we dive into our message this morning in Luke, the 19th chapter, we're going to get a quick couple minute summary of that. So if you want to go ahead and play that. Uh-oh. Want to jump back to the previous slide, Derek, and we can... Yeah. It's an easy fix. It's one I forgot to do. That's awesome. Stories of the Bible. Zacchaeus. This is Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector and very rich. Tax collectors were hated because many people thought they were liars and cheaters.

Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, and one day, Jesus was passing through Jericho. What's going on? Jesus is here! Woohoo! Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. Hey, excuse me. Hey, watch where you're going. But he was too short to see above the crowd. Oh, that's it! So he ran ahead to a place where he knew Jesus would come. He climbed to a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus. When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and saw Zacchaeus in the tree. Oh, hey, little friend. Who? Me? Yeah, you. He said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. I must stay at your house today." Oh, what? Zacchaeus came down quickly. He was pleased to have Jesus in his house. All the people saw this and began to complain. Look at the kind of man Jesus stays with. Zacchaeus is a sinner.

But Zacchaeus said to Jesus, "I will give half my money to the poor. If I have cheated anyone, I will pay that person back four times more." Jesus said, "Salvation has come to this house today." What? This man truly belongs to the family of Abraham. The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.

Let's pray together. Father in heaven, may you bless our time in your word. May you help us hear with clarity your word, that you would help us to see your grace, that you would help us to see that we are wanted and that you love us and you care for us and you come to save us. So just call us to yourself this morning. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So a few days before the remarkable events of Palm Sunday, likely on the Thursday before Palm Sunday, 18 miles from Jerusalem, you get a sort of small preview of what will happen in Jerusalem in just a few days. Jesus, since Luke chapter 9 and verse 51, has been journeying to Jerusalem, but not like we journey, which is kind of in the straightest line as we can imagine, as fast as we can go, to get there as soon as possible.

In Luke 9:51, it says Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, that Jesus fixes his eyes upon the cross, and that is where he is journeying toward. As he journeys toward the cross, he teaches his disciples, he confronts the religious leaders, he heals the sick, he teaches the crowds. And just two or three days before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, fulfilling that prophecy of Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9, here comes your king riding on a donkey. Jesus comes into the city of Jericho in a very similar fashion, filled with fanfare and joy, and people are filled with excitement. In fact, as he's coming near to the gates of a city, there's a man who has been blind, and he is sitting there outside the city, and he hears the noise of the crowds begin to swell and the excitement of people talking, and because he can't see, he'll say, "What's going on?"

And they'll say, "Jesus is coming by." And this man will begin to shout with all of his might, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me." And the crowds go, "Shh, Jesus doesn't have time for you. He doesn't want to hear from you. He doesn't want to talk to you. You're not important. Let Jesus do the important things." And in that moment, Jesus stops the parade of people in the midst of throngs of people who are excited to see him. And he heals this man, the man that the crowds didn't want, the man the crowds thought was an annoyance. Jesus loved, cared for, and healed. And this man follows Jesus as he moves into Jerusalem. And so in order to understand kind of what is happening in our text this morning in Luke chapter 19,

we need to understand a little bit of the context of what is going on. And so context is just the events or the words that surround something that help us understand it just a little bit more deeply. So for example, right, if you're sort of talking with some friends and you say, "Oh, we're going to have a baby," right? And they say, "Oh, when?" and talk about it and say, "Oh, yeah, in like, you know, nine months from now we're going to have a baby." Everybody's kind of excited and happy to hear the news. However, at the end of the nine months, those words, "We're going to have a baby," take on a whole different meaning, right? It's like, "Grab your bags, get to the car, let's get to the hospital and have this baby," because context matters.

And we understand it in our world, but it's also critical when we come to understanding the Word of God that we look at the context in which the things that we are reading and studying are placed. And so the context of this, think about if you've ever stood and thrown rocks into a pond, right? You throw a rock, and the circles just sort of radiate out from that. I want to sort of do that in reverse this morning. We're going to start with the big circle, and then we're going to move to a smaller circle and a little smaller circle and a little smaller circle until we get to the rock that is this text. And the biggest circle in this text is simply the Gospel of Luke, where Luke is writing so that we might have certainty.

And the question is, I think, for this text about Zacchaeus, is certainty about what? What is Luke, in relating the story that he adds a whole bunch of extra details to that he normally doesn't do, what is he trying to give us certainty about? And I think the answer to this, and it's the same as the account of the blind man immediately before this in chapter 18, is that Luke wants to give us the certainty that we are wanted, right? There are times where you and I are invited to something out of obligation, or out of responsibility, and maybe people don't really necessarily care that we're there or not, but it's simply a formality to invite us. Luke wants us to see the truth that when God calls you to be part of his family,

he's not doing it because, oh, you have to invite him, or you have to make sure they get an invite, but that he's inviting you and calling you into friendship with himself because he loves you and because he wants you. Luke wants us to have this certainty that the blind man nobody wants, the tax collector that nobody wants to talk to, that Jesus wants them. And in our negative thoughts of ourself, as we stack up our brokenness and sin and say, "God could never want me," Luke comes with this message of certainty that Jesus wants you. The medium circle in this is that Jesus is journeying toward Jerusalem, that his focus is on the cross, on salvation, not just for Zacchaeus, but for us. And then the circle we just talked about, that Jesus has healed a blind man,

saying, "I want you." The crowds don't want you, but I want you. And then we come to Luke chapter 19, and we get a little context about Zacchaeus before we dive into this. We're going to pick up in Luke chapter 19, verse 1. He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man by the name of Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich, and he was seeking to see who Jesus was. But on account of the crowd, he could not, because he was small in stature. And so he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And so we meet Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, right? Not just a tax collector, but the chief tax collector.

And tax collectors in this day work for the Romans, who were occupying the land. So essentially, if you are going to work as a tax collector, you are a traitor. And also, in Jesus' day, tax collectors, by definition, were a crook who extorts people. So, for example, when we go to pay taxes, which is very far away on our horizon, that deadline, right? We know, based on earnings, what the percentage is that we will have to pay. There's published guidelines. Now, in the Roman world, there were not published guidelines. Your tax collecting district was taken by a bid. I think I can get this much taxes from people. Another guy comes, "I think I can get this one." They go with the highest bid. This chief tax collector now then subcontracts out to regular tax collectors.

And so the tax system, in some cases, especially with dishonest tax collectors, is not, "Oh, well, you have five sheep and three cows. That's a denarius." It's, "Well, how much are my taxes?" "Well, how much do you have?" It was more of a shakedown and an extortion based on the threat of punishment than it was the kind of tax collection that we are used to. And we don't like paying taxes now, right? Can you imagine if you submit your taxes and they say, "How much do I owe?" And they say, "Well, how much do you have?" Right? Like, we already struggle paying taxes. What would happen if there was that kind of issue? Tax collectors were not liked, and Zacchaeus is the chief tax collector. So not only does he get a cut from the taxes he collects, he gets a cut from all of the guys who are collecting taxes.

He is their boss, he is the worst of the worst, and he is rich. And it's a day and time where most people, something like 90%, live a subsistence-based life, meaning the food that you eat is from the money you earned that day. Right? No savings, no retirement account, no emergency fund. Right? You earn money that day, you eat that day. You don't work that day, you don't eat that day. Zacchaeus is rich. But he's also curious about Jesus. The problem is he is short. Now most of the time, for example, if you go to a parade, and you have children, what happens when the tall people in front see that you have children? Right? They say, "Oh, well, kids can come stand up in front so that we don't block their view." Now imagine you're a tax collector. And he's trying to sneak through to see Jesus.

Nobody's going to let this guy through. But Zacchaeus is smart, he's clever, and he has a plan. So he simply climbs a tree. And this solves two of his problems. First of all, he can see Jesus. Secondly, likely nobody's going to see him. Right? He doesn't want to be seen. He doesn't want to be made fun of. He doesn't want to be attacked by this crowd. He wants to see Jesus, and he wants to do so without anybody knowing about it. So Zacchaeus climbs this tree. And Luke goes into a little bit more detail than normal about the background of this. Because he is enforcing on our hearts and our minds who Zacchaeus is and what Jesus is about to do. And there is this remarkable contrast. Because here's a guy who is rich and powerful. But he's climbing a tree like a child

He wants to see Jesus. Luke wants us to see that Jesus wants the unwanted. That God's grace is bigger than our brokenness. And this is a little different than the story of the blind man because the crowds viewed the blind man as useless. The crowds viewed Zacchaeus as a man who was evil. Let's take a look at Zacchaeus' encounter with Jesus. We'll pick it up in verse 5. And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up to him and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." And if you're familiar with the song, right? "I'm going to your house today," and you repeat it a bunch of times, and Zacchaeus is excited. And this, for us, we've become accustomed to it. But this is a startling thing to have happen.

It's startling for the crowd, and you can see it in their demeanor changing. Jesus has just healed a blind man. Everybody is rejoicing. This is a parade. Jesus stops the parade. And I imagine Zacchaeus' heart stops a little bit, and then Jesus turns and looks in his direction, and his heart stops a little more. And then he goes, "Zacchaeus, you come down, right? Because I'm going to your house today. For I must go to your house. I must stay at your house." Now this verse to us should lift our spirits with joy. See what happens? Jesus knows Zacchaeus by name. Zacchaeus is trying to hide and remain anonymous because of the brokenness of his profession and the brokenness of sin in his heart. He wants to see Jesus, but he doesn't necessarily want to be seen by Jesus.

And Jesus knows Zacchaeus' name. And Jesus knows your name. He knows my name. And he knows the depths of our souls, and he knows us better than we know ourselves. And he knows the depths of your hurt and your brokenness and your guilt and your shame. And he knows you. And here's the remarkable thing. He wants to know you. And he wants to be your friend. Zacchaeus, I'm going to stay with you today. I must stay at your house. And notice, this is not just an accidental chance encounter. That's what Zacchaeus, I mean, I think, imagines it is. I'm in this tree. Jesus just randomly catches a glimpse of my foot and stops and comes to my house. Jesus plans this. We see it because he says, "I must go to your house today." Right? Oh, hey, Zacchaeus, mind if I stop by? I must go.

In the words of Jesus, you get a glimpse of the fact that this encounter is not an accident or a coincidence, but it is the providence of God leading to the salvation of this man, Zacchaeus. But I want you to see, because so many times we come to Jesus, we see it as a bunch of facts about who he is and what he has done. Those are wonderful and they're important, but Jesus comes for a relationship based upon the truth of those things. Also, just a note about this. You cannot stay curious about Jesus forever. One way or another, Jesus will confront you and you must make a choice. Yes, I believe. No, I reject you and who you are. Either you follow Jesus or you will not. There is no middle ground. That's where Zacchaeus finds himself, in a place all of us have either found ourselves or will find ourselves.

At the place where we must make a decision about who we believe Jesus is. In verses 6 and 7, we see two reactions. He, Zacchaeus, hurried and came down and received him joyfully. There's reaction number one. Reaction number two. And when they saw it, that is the crowd, they all grumbled. He has gone to the guest of a man who is a sinner. Zacchaeus is joyful. He probably doesn't have a lot of friends. He has co-workers, he has subordinates, but he does not have friends. And these subordinates, as they spend time with him, are likely not thrilled to be spending time with him. Because he's taking a cut of their ill-gotten gains. So he's doing essentially to them what they are doing to the public. And now here is a man who actually wants to come and stay at his house.

And to see the joy of Zacchaeus, contrast yourself to this situation, right? If somebody walks by, I'm walking by, and they come up and go, "Brandon, I'm excited. I'm coming to your house to stay." I'm going, "No, you're not. There's a super eight right there. You and your twelve friends can figure out food at the Golden Corral. Like, we can come hang out. Like, we can spend some time together, right? But I don't want you staying with me. I don't necessarily..." Because in part, that's a big deal for somebody to show up at your house. I've got to prepare. I've got to clean stuff up. I've got to go grocery shopping. I don't mind if you give me like a month's notice, but if you show up with your twelve bucks, I'm staying with you. I'm going to be like, "I don't have dinner. I don't have enough beds.

I don't have enough people to borrow air mattresses from." Zacchaeus, no logistics, right? That's where my mind goes. Maybe you're different, but my mind goes logistics. Zacchaeus goes, "Come on." Joyfully invites Jesus. Now the crowds, by contrast, are upset. This word grumbling means the constant buzz of negative murmuring. Not necessarily, like distinguishable words, but there's grumbling of the people surrounding Jesus. Do you know why they're mad? Because in their minds, Zacchaeus doesn't deserve it. He's not on their side. He works for Rome against them instead of working against Rome and for them. He is the reason they don't have as much money as they should. Here's the reality about the grace of God is that nobody deserves grace. And as soon as you try to make grace something you deserve, it is no longer grace.

And we struggle with grace. When we see somebody who has experienced grace and their life changes, sometimes we're skeptical and we go, "Well, we'll see how long that really lasts." Or, "Are they doing it for some other reason?" Right? It's not just the crowds that struggle with grace. We struggle with grace. And not just for others, but for ourselves. Could Jesus really love me? Could Jesus really want me? And part of the reason is we're looking at something other than Jesus. Right? We're looking at the lives of somebody else. We're looking at our lives and we're saying, "They don't deserve grace." Or maybe you're saying, "I don't deserve grace." And you're looking in the wrong place. We have to look to Jesus. We must test our hearts, especially as we see people come to know Jesus.

It's easy to be skeptical. Are they coming to Christ for the right reasons? Are they really transformed by Jesus? We struggle with seeing grace in the lives of others. Look at what happens with Jesus and Zacchaeus. There's both repentance and salvation. I'll pick up in verse 8. And Zacchaeus stood and said, "Lord, behold," said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." The first thing Zacchaeus does is he repents. We talk a lot about repentance. Sometimes we don't define it very well. Repentance is simply this, is that we change our minds, or our minds are changed. What we once thought was good and desirable, we now leave behind and focus our minds on something else.

But it's not just our minds, right? It's our emotions with us, because all of us have something where we say, "I know I shouldn't do that," right? "But I'm going to do it anyway," right? Our hearts have to change as well. Not only do I no longer desire this, I desire this other thing instead. And so it has to be a change of mind and a change of heart, ultimately resulting in a change of how we live. Repentance isn't just doing something different or stopping to do the thing you used to do. Repentance is that your mind changes, and what you once thought was right, you now see as wrong. What you once desired, you now turn your back on, and what you once did, you no longer do. It involves your head, your heart, and your hands doing 180 degrees differently.

What I find interesting about Zacchaeus' repentance, because he acknowledges that he has lived wrongly, he says, "I no longer want to do that." You see the desire of his heart, but then he takes action. And one of the interesting things about this is that there are those who sort of object to the repentance of Zacchaeus. They look at Zacchaeus, and they're saying, "This is actually a righteous guy, not a sinner." And they do so based on these words, "If I have defrauded anyone of everything." Instead of repentance, Zacchaeus is saying, "Those people I've defrauded, if I've defrauded them," knowing that he has, saying, "If I've done that, I know that I have. I'm going to pay them back four times." They look at this as a declaration of righteousness, saying, "Odit my books. If I've done anything wrong,

I'll pay it back." This self-righteous saying, "I've never done anything wrong." "I don't think I've done anything wrong, but if I have." And people argue that Zacchaeus, they will argue it strenuously, saying, "He's actually a good guy, and everybody misunderstands him." And I want to answer this objection, not just because it's wrong, but because it reveals something so important about our hearts. So I would answer this objection like this. If Zacchaeus is really a righteous guy, and his statement to repay those he defrauded is just a statement of righteousness, then why does everybody in town hate him? Why are people upset about him? If Zacchaeus is really righteous, everyone would love him. He would be the only honest tax collector in the entire Roman army. One of a kind. The only one who has ever existed or will exist.

You don't hate the guy who's honest. You love him. People are moving into town to get away from the thieves and get near this guy who does the right thing.

But that's not Zacchaeus' reputation. And that's not what Jesus says either. Today salvation has come to this house since he is a Son of Man. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. If Zacchaeus is already righteous and already saved, then why does he need this salvation? And now this question ultimately I don't think is that important other than the fact it reveals something about our hearts. Why do some of us feel the need to object to Zacchaeus' repentance? Why do some of us have the tendency to try to explain it away? And here's the result, and it's true of all of us, because true repentance makes us uncomfortable. Because true repentance causes us to examine those places in our lives where we need to repent and we haven't.

And when we see true repentance, we go, "I don't know if I can do that." And so we question it. Rather than examining our own hearts, we begin to question the hearts of others. Do for a minute the math on Zacchaeus with me. If he is giving half of his money to the poor, and knowing the reputation of tax collectors, restoring four times what he has stolen, there's not much left for Zacchaeus after all this happens. And if I look at Zacchaeus and go, "If I repent like that, what's left over for me?" If I turn my life around and give all of this to Jesus in obedience to him, what's left over for me? And Zacchaeus' repentance makes us uncomfortable, because what's left for me? And that's the problem. We've put ourselves in the center.

Instead of rejoicing over the fact that this guy comes to Jesus, there's this objection, "Well, maybe he didn't really need to." So that we can feel like we can keep on doing the normal everyday stuff, instead of being radically transformed by the gospel. Let me be clear about this. This is not about Zacchaeus' money. It's about his heart. And for Zacchaeus, for the majority of his life, his heart was set on that money. Now for us, it might not be money. Maybe your heart is filled with resentment. And repentance means you have to let go of that, to set aside your ideas of revenge, to set aside that unforgiveness that you have harbored for so long over those people who have wronged you so deeply. And you have held on to that, saying, "Man, I hope they get what they deserve. I didn't deserve their wrong."

And instead of, like Zacchaeus, letting go that thing that your heart was focused on, you just want to keep holding on to it. Maybe it's our pride and arrogance, how we are better, or think we're better, how we've achieved more, how we are more important. The question that Zacchaeus' repentance leads us to is an uncomfortable one. What is it that your heart is holding on to? And what I love is that Jesus comes to transform our heart. And Jesus declares, as Zacchaeus is transformed by the grace that has come upon him, salvation has come to this house, and not only on a small scale of this house, but to the whole world, because I come to seek and save the lost. And if you look at the center of your heart, and you know that there is that thing, maybe it's resentment, maybe it's

unforgiveness, maybe it's pride, maybe it's an immorality, a sin that you just can't or don't want to let go of. And you say, "I can't." The answer is true, you can't, but Jesus can. It's through the transforming power of his grace that Zacchaeus is able to let go of that thing that he has set his heart on his entire life, and it's through the power of the grace of Jesus that you are able to let go of that thing. Your heart has been set on your entire life and fix it on him. Jesus comes to seek and save the lost. I love it. It's a picture, what Jesus says. He says, "What I'm coming to do, I'm going to come in, knock your doors down, and show you this grace and this love." One of the things I would encourage you this morning is not to get repentance backwards.

It's so easy for us to think that in order for God to love us, we have to clean ourselves up. We have to make ourselves good. We have to change ourselves. It's ridiculous. It would be like if I am deathly sick and about struggling in every possible way, I say, "You know what? I'll go to the doctor, but I've got to feel better first." That's not how that works. When I'm sick, I've got to go to the doctor. The same is true for our hearts. It's not about cleaning up our hearts and coming to Jesus. It's about coming to the One who can clean up your heart. Don't get repentance backwards. Don't think for a minute that before you come to Jesus, you've got to do this or do that. Jesus's invitation to Zacchaeus is not, "Zacchaeus, get your house in order, make everything right,

and then I'll come and talk to you as Zacchaeus. I'm coming to your house today, and I'm going to change your heart." Don't get repentance backwards. Secondly, there's only one thing in this world that is worth holding on to, and it's Jesus. One of my favorite psalms, especially in times of struggle, is this: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire beside you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and He is my portion forever, that everything fails." My flesh, my heart may fail. My strength, my energy may fail. My stuff may fail. You know who doesn't fail? The one who holds me in His hands. Right? That's the message of Zacchaeus. What is your heart holding on to?

It's not holding on to Jesus. There's coming a time where you're going to see that hope crumble and crash and be crippled. And I want you to know the hope that is found in Jesus. We don't know what happens to Zacchaeus. This is the only mention of him in Scripture. But according to early church tradition, and when I say early church, I mean the second century. Zacchaeus becomes the preacher and the pastor in Caesarea. As the Christians are scattered, he goes to the town of Caesarea, and he gives his life, not just to following Jesus, but to proclaiming him. See how God can transform. Take the tax collector who is hiding in a tree and doesn't want to be seen, and bring him to be the pastor of a church in Caesarea. Jesus can change your life. Jesus will change your life. He is the only one who truly holds your future.

If you have any questions about Jesus, if you want to know him and you don't, I would love to answer those questions for you. You can do it now. You can do it later. Let's pray and we'll sing. Father in heaven, fix our eyes on Jesus, the one in whom our hope is found. Setting aside all of those sins and all those things that tangle up our feet as we run, give us the endurance to run after Jesus, who is our hope. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We're going to stand and sing, "I Stand Amazed." So if you would, go ahead and stand with me as we...

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. And wondered how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean. Singing, "How marvelous, how wondrous, how marvelous a song shall ever be." Singing, "How marvelous, how wondrous a song shall ever be." Singing, "How marvelous, how wondrous a song shall ever be." Singing, "How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me." Singing, "How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me." He took my sins and my sorrows and made them His very own. He bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone. Singing how marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. And with the ransomed in glory, His face I at last shall see. It will be my joy through the ages, to sing of His love.

to sing of His love for me. Singing, "How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall never be. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love." to sing of His love for me. How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall never be. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love. His love for me. Thank you. Thankful that you are joining. You've joined us this morning. A couple of announcements. One, Wednesday night Bible study. This Wednesday night at 6 p.m., we are walking through a little bit of the historical background of the resurrection of Jesus. We're going to be on the road to Emmaus this coming Wednesday, so that is at 6 p.m. Just a reminder that next Sunday is Resurrection Sunday. In a sense, we celebrate every Sunday, but next Sunday we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus together, and we are excited to do that also.

Just a reminder, we just had our most recent men's breakfast yesterday, and so we are trying to do that on a regular schedule of the third Saturday of the month. Our next one will be the third Saturday of April, and also our next children's church is coming up on April the 14th. So, we're going to go ahead and pray, and we'll read a verse of Scripture together, and then we will sing the doxology. Father in heaven, thank you for your church and your people, for your word, for your spirit. For all the good things that you have done for us, we thank you. Be with us as we leave, that you would give us strength, that you would call us to follow you more deeply, that we would live with joy in the hope of the resurrection of your Son.

It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. From Jude, verses 24 and 25, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory, in great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Christ Jesus our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time, now and forever." Amen. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost, Son, Holy Ghost, Son, Holy Ghost, Son, Holy Ghost, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Lord, Son, Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Son, Holy Ghost. Son, Holy Ghost. Son, Holy Ghost. Jesus said, "Follow me." Let's pray. Jesus said, "Follow me." Let's pray. Jesus said, "Follow me." Let's pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you.