Bible Study Series: Christmas At Your House, Luke 19:1-10

 CHRISTMAS AT YOUR HOUSE

                                                               Luke 19:1-10

 

V:1. He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

 

HIS LOCATION

Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Located in the valley 800 feet below sea level and 3500 feet below Jerusalem.

The climate is mild.  It was known for its palm trees. I planted several palm trees

In my backyard. If you ever had to dig one up you will find that they have hundreds of quarter-inch roots that spread out yards from the base that

Anchor them in the ground.  

I say this because they require lots of water to survive.

 

The first city to be conquered by the Israelites entering the promised land was Jericho.

 

 

HIS PROFESSION

He worked for the Roman government, the enemy of Israel

Tax collecting was a hated profession. Tax collectors were able to inflate the taxes due to Filling their pockets. Some were thieves.

 

John the Baptist alluded to the dishonesty of the profession

Luke 3:12-14

Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"

 "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.

 

Zacchaeus was the chief of thieves

He influenced others to be thieves.

 

Have you ever been the life of the party?

 

 

All of us have been thieves at some time

Malachi 3:8

 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.

"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'

"In tithes and offerings.

HIS PAST

He was a tax collector, considered a sinner by the crowd

 

We all have a past. We all used to be something other than a Christian

All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.

 

HIS CONVERSION

V:3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.

The name Zacchaeus in Greek means pure, clean, and just.

We don’t always live up to our potential.  Time and life circumstance causes a

Change in us.

Like the prodigal son. He came to himself.

Do you remember when you came to yourself and decided that there must be

A better way to live.

 

God does not tell us, but for some reason, Zacchaeus came looking For Jesus

Isaiah 55:6

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

 

Anybody ever been there? Fed up with the life you are living. Broke, disappointed,

Down on your luck. In a hole so deep, that only the Lord can get you out.

 

Do you realize that that was a setup by the Lord to get you to change?

God has a way of stirring up your mind to force you to look for Him.

 

HIS RESOURCEFULNESS

You have to aim high to reach high

He had a plan to see Jesus.

He was short.  The crowd was large around Jesus.

He climbed a tree to elevate himself above the crowd before Jesus arrived.

 

Where there is a will, there is a way.

Sometimes you have been creative and do what others have not thought of.

Inventors see a need and create things that don’t exist to fill the need.

 

In the world when front doors are closed, you may have to find a back door or

A window to go through. What you accomplish in life depend on how important

Something is to you.

 

YOU MUST AIM HIGH TO REACH HIGH

 

JESUS IS MORE THAN YOU CAN HOPE FOR

V:5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.

Seeing Jesus was important to Zacchaeus. He positioned himself so he could

Look down on Jesus.

 

Jesus looked up and told Zacchaeus to  HURRY and come down

When Jesus gives you a command, don’t delay, HURRY

All we have is right now. Tomorrow may be too late.

Opportunities missed maybe opportunities lost.

 

Jesus sees you before you see Him

Jesus knows your heart, your motives, and your needs.

 

Zacchaeus just wanted to see Jesus

To see Jesus, you must come down. You must humble yourself before

Lord.

 Jesus brought him down amid the crowd

 Jesus wants to stay at your house.

Out of all the people who come to Jesus, He wants to stay at your house.

Jesus wants to fellowship at your house.

Jesus wants to bless your house.

Jesus knows the desires of your heart before you ask.

 

DON’T BE LIKE RELIGIOUS FOLK

V:7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.

Some folks religiously come to church.

Some folks come to church to see who come to church

Some folks refused to be changed by the message.

Some folks come to church messed up and  leave messed up

 

The crowd was following the greatest teacher of all time.

The crowd was in the midst of the WORD, The savior of the world.

The crowd came to hear the Word for entertainment.

The crowd points out all your faults.

 

Jesus saw the change in Zacchaeus.  The crowd saw his past.

Jesus saw a man ready for salvation. The crowd judged him not worthy

Of salvation

 

Jesus comes to be the guest in the house of sinners.

 

HIS CONFESSION

V:8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.

 

A.    There are times when you must speak for yourself.

1.     In the presence of Jesus is the time to speak for yourself.

2.     Nobody can confess your sins before Jesus but you.

3.     The crowd holds your past against you.

4.     Jesus sees your past as the reason for your change.

B.     HIS GENEROSITY

1.     Can you imaging giving the Lord half of what you own because you

Love him

2.     What you gained by taking from others is no offering to the Lord.

C.     Own up to your sins.

1.     There are sins of disobedience and sins of ignorance.

2.     Zacchaeus set the bar of reciprocity very high.

3.     If I defrauded anyone. I will pay back fourfold.

D.    Anytime you come in contact with Jesus, there ought to be a change

Your heart

Your character

Your actions

 

HIS ACCEPTANCE BY JESUS

V:9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.”

A.    Your confession of faith brings immediate salvation,

1.     Salvation is not based on what you have done in the past.

2.     Salvation is not based on what you will do in the future.

3.     Salvation is based on your present relationship with Jesus.

B.     You become a son of Abraham when you confess faith in Jesus.

1.     Abraham is the father of faith

2.     The promise of salvation was given to Abraham.

Genesis 17:3-6

3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

 

THE CHRISTMAS MISSION

V:10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

A.    Jesus stepped down out of heaven, took on human flesh

And became man.

1.     Jesus came down from heaven to stay at your house

2.     Jesus came down from heaven to humble you before him.

3.     Jesus came down from heaven to save you from your sins.

4.     Jesus came down from heaven pick you up from the

An ordinary life to an extraordinary life.

B.     Jesus came down from heaven to walk with you.

1.     Jesus came down from heaven to talk with you.

2.     Jesus came down from heaven to comfort you

3.     Jesus came down from heaven to live in you.

4.     Jesus came down from heaven so you can see Him from

Where you are.

5.     Jesus came down from heaven to do away with your past.

6.     Jesus came down from heaven to give you a new future.

7.     Jesus came down from heaven to love you.

C.     Jesus came to be the tree in your life

1.     Jesus came to be the light in your life.

2.     Jesus came to decorate your life with His righteousness.

3.     Jesus came to be the STAR of your life.

4.     Jesus came to make you the light of the world.

 

MERRY CHRIST-MASS

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Born To Be Changed", Phil 2"5-11, John 13:12-17, 12/26/2013

 BORN TO BE HUMBLE

Philippians 2:5-12, John 13: 12-17

 

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

V:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

A.    For us to have the attitude of Christ, requires a change in our nature.

1.     We have been trained from birth to look out for ourselves.

2.     It is in our nature to elevate ourselves to the highest level possible.

3.     The world reminds us that success is being better than everybody else.

B.     We have been taught to take pride in ourselves and seek to be better.

1.     The world sees humbleness as a sign of weakness and low self-esteem.

2.     Being like Jesus requires us to redefine strength and weakness.

 

WHAT IS THE MIND OF JESUS?

V:6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross!

A.    The first requirement to be like Jesus is given to as a gift, the moment we recognize

Christ as Lord and Savior.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

1.     God is our helper and the change in us to be like Jesus, is God-directed and bestowed upon us automatically by His design.

2.     2 Corinthians 5:18-20

 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

B.     To accept the change in us, we must love Christ with all our minds, hearts, and souls.

1.     We are enlightened by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit to understand the change and empowered to change our attitude.

2.     It is not an easy task to change our human attitude to a spiritual attitude.

3.     We must consider ourselves as a work in progress.

Colossians 1:10

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

4.     There is some good work and there is some bad work.

5.     It is our choice to do only good work.

6.     Every day, we ought to be growing in the Lord not stagnant.

C.     We should never consider ourselves better than or equal to others in Christ.

1.     All of us have a job to do that has been designed by the Father and we have been

Equipped for this work.

2.     God gives us this divine concept in a parable of the body parts.

1 Corinthians 12:17-20

 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

3.     Even though Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus did not consider it to be beneath Him to take off His robe of Glory, and put on human flesh and become man to save us.

4.     The first change in us is to take off pride and put on humility.

1 Peter 5:5-7

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

 

D.    The second change in us is becoming obedient to God’s commands.

1.     Being obedient to God goes against the desires of man.

2.     We want to come into our own be our own person.

3.     It is not always easy to stand against those who oppose doing right.

4.     Our faith grows as we continue to stand on the Word of God.

5.     When we put God first, He comes to our rescue in times of trouble.

 

THE REWARD OF THE MIND OF JESUS

V:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

A.    Because Jesus humbled Himself before the Father, became man and died

On the cross for sinful man, the Father raised Him back to His rightful place

On the throne.

1.     We always gain when we humble ourselves before the Lord.

2.     1^st, Jesus was exalted to the highest place.

3.     2^nd, He was given a name above all names.

4.     3^rd, Everyone will eventually bow down to Him

5.     4^th, Everyone will confess Him as Lord.

B.     Whatever we suffer for Christ, we store up treasures in heaven.

1.     Hebrews 6:10-11

 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

2.     We receive rewards from God while we are on earth and in heaven.

Matthew 16:27

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

 

C.     There are great benefits for us having the attitude of Christ.

1.     Matthew 19:29-30

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

 

2.     God gives us the desires of our hearts.

3.     He provides joy, peace, and confidence.

4.     He is our protector

5.     A life with Christ is a life of purpose and eternal destiny.

 

John 13:12-17

A HUMBLE TEACHER

V:12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them.

A.    Jesus gives us a great example of how to humble ourselves to one another.

1.     The washing of feet was the job of the servant of the Jewish household.

2.     To kneel before a guest showed respect.

3.     To wash his feet was to lift him up as a guest.

4.     Only when we take off our pride, can we humble ourselves.

B.     Humbleness is not a sign of weakness.

1.     It is the strength of our faith at work.

2.     When we take off self, we put on Christ.

3.     Humbleness places us in a powerful position before Christ.

4.     Humbleness places us under the guidance and direction of the Lord.

 

FOLLOWING CHRIST EXAMPLE

V:13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

A.    The greatest teacher of all time is Jesus.

1.     His teachings are preserved in the Bible for all to see and learn.

2.     We teach by what we do, not by what we say.

3.     People will long remember your actions.

4.     They will quickly forget what you have said.

B.     We are the light of the world.

1.     The only church some will see is the church they see in you.

2.     We are role models for Christ.

3.     We are commanded to humble ourselves as Christ humbled Himself.

4.     The work of Christ in us produces this change.

 

THE BLESSINGS OF HUMBLENESS

V:16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

A.    We consider ourselves more than Christ when we fail to follow His examples.

1.     Whatever we do for Christ build our character.

2.     To become like Christ, we must observe His works.

B.     We are blessed when we follow the commands of Christ.

1.     The key to our blessings is first to know the Word of Christ.

2.     The second key is to put Christ's commands in action.

3.     We are made new each day as we receive fresh grace and fresh mercy

4.     His grace and mercy endure forever not to condemn us, but to convict us

Into His righteousness.

C.     We are blessed in ways unknown to us.

1.     Sometimes we are blessed by what God didn’t allow to happen.

2.     Sometimes we are blessed by what God designs to happen in our lives.

3.     The steps of a good man (woman) are ordered by the Lord.

4.     When we accept the order of the Lord, blessings flow our way.

5.     The world is full of information that is useless to us.

6.     The information that is always useful is divine and contained in God’s Word.

 

THANK GOD FOR THE GREAT TEACHER, JESUS

 

Rev. M. Mitchell