God visit the sinner (from the story of Sacchaeus)

Luke 19:1-10

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying," He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."

8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."

9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;  10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

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(Tekstual Sermon)

God visit the sinner

1. How God visit the sinner?

v.1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

Jesus come to the world in God’s will. It is not anyone of us could brought Jesus come or, no one of us can stop Him to come down. It is God planning in His wonderful and Godly planning.

v.5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

Jesus come into the world looking for personal, and not looking for group of people, or a nation. God more interest in personal relationship because He knows the personal cry of the people, a personal burden of a sinner. We can hide our heart from man but we can not hide our heart from God. He is the one who created us. Like our ears, He has ears to listening to our prayer. Like our eyes, He has eyes to look unto our life. He has heart fill with compassion to our life.

2. Who is the sinner? (Zacchaeus)

Any person who sins. Because sin is natural to man, every person sins and must be considered a sinner (Rom 3:23).

Romans 3:10-18

10 As it is written:

"There is no one righteous, not even one;

 11 there is no one who understands,

no one who seeks God.

12 All have turned away,

they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good,

not even one."  

13 "Their throats are open graves;

their tongues practice deceit."

"The poison of vipers is on their lips."  

14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."  

15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 ruin and misery mark their ways,

17 and the way of peace they do not know."  

18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."  

v.2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

Tax collector ZACCHAEUS Holding his commission from his Roman principal contractor to the state (publicanus, manceps) to collect the dues imposed by Rome on the Jews, Zacchaeus had subordinate publicans under him.

As a class, the tax collectors were despised by their fellow Jews. They were classified generally as "sinners" (Matt 9:10-11; Mark 2:15), probably because they were allowed to gather more than the government required and then to pocket the excess amount. John the Baptist addressed this when he urged tax collectors to gather no more money than they should (Luke 3:12-13). But even further, the tax collectors were hated because their fellow countrymen viewed them as mercenaries who worked for a foreign oppressor of the Jewish people.

v.3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.

v.4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.

Romans 3:11

 11 there is no one who understands,

no one who seeks God.

Its seems like Zacchaeus try to meet God, he try to see God, He try to find God. But the Bible said, “1 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” So Zacchaeus will never meet Jesus, he never see Jesus, He never find Jesus along his life He will never meet Jesus, if Jesus not willing to meet Him.

When we talk about meet, see and find Jesus, its not physically meet and see but it is in spiritual understanding. Now we see many people know, hear about Jesus but they never meet and see Him in spiritual meeting. This is proved with their life still the same before and after they hear about Jesus.

3. Why God visit the sinner?

1. God come to save the sinner. God is salvation, so the reason He visit the sinners to save them.

v.9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 

2. God come to find the lost. Lost its mean, before we were His, but after man commit sin, we fall apart from Him, now He come to find and bring us back to Him.

v.10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

3. God to reform mans life. He bring Joy replace the fearness. He bring hope replace doubt. He bring life to the dead spirit. He give new heart to replace the stone heart.

Luke 19:8

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."

Conclusion

God visit the sinner

1. How God visit the sinner?

God send His Son Jesus Christ.

2. Who is the sinner? (Zacchaeus)

Any person who sins. Because sin is natural to man, every person sins and must be considered a sinner (Rom 3:23).

3. Why God visit the sinner?

1. God come to save the sinner.

2. God come to find the lost.

3. God come to reform mans life.

(All the Bible verses use the New International Version)

its free to copy use for the ministry. Make some add or cut according to the revelation of the Holy Spirit