Today Salvation Has Come To This House

Today Salvation has come to this House

Introduction

Last week started with- Mtt 16:13-17

Peter- standing in the physical presence of Jesus- but his understanding- did not come by- natural senses.

His understanding- who Jesus was-came by revelation-

today, each person needs that same revelation.

Someone once said- Christ is Christianity-knowing Christ is where all faith begins/ends.

You can take Buddha out of Buddhism- system of beliefs and works still exist- Buddha is dead.

You can take Muhammad out of Islam- system of belief/works still exists- Muhammad is dead.

But if you take Christ out of Christianity- nothing left.

As a result- many call themselves Christians- understood principles- but not encountered Christ.

Jesus said- I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jn 14:6

He did not say- there is a way, a truth, a life-

He said He IS the ONLY way, the truth, the life.

Unlike Buddhism/Muslim faith- whose founders-dead-

Christianity depends upon the claims that-

God came down- heaven/became man Jesus Christ was crucified, dead, buried

He was resurrected and is alive today,

seated at the right-hand of God, and

He lives in us through-work/power of-HS.

Zaccheus- Lk 19:1-10

V1 Jesus- He had come from Samaria „³ Jerusalem.

He- passing through Jericho- as-passed through-world.

You/I came into this world with the desire to live-

He did not come to the world to stay- but to die.

He entered this world as the God-man, to die for our sins, so we could live eternally with Him in heaven.

V2 Jericho was a very rich town-

beautiful palm forests and balsam groves,

rich in trade/provided-wealth for-Roman empire therefore it was a great taxation center.

Tax collectors were Jews that collected taxes from their own people for the Roman empire.

They were the mafia of the day- hated by the people.

V3-4 Zaccheus was rejected by his own people- perhaps lonely and searching for something more-

he had lived his life at the expense of others,

he was wealthy but not necessarily happy,

he had worldly success- but not found peace.

He had heard that Jesus ate w/tax collectors/sinners.

Zaccheus ran to climb up a tree to see Jesus.

He may have been looking for that place of mercy-

a place where he could find acceptance/love.

V5 Through out the Gospels, Jesus became a guest in someone¡¦s home when He was invited-

walking on water- intended- pass by- cried out,

Emmaus- acted like going on- until invited in.

In most cases Jesus waits until He is invited in by us.

In this case He invited Himself for dinner/spend-night.

Zaccheus sought to SEE Jesus and Jesus sought to SAVE Zaccheus.

V6-8 After a private dinner w/Jesus-

Zaccheus was a changed man.

His giving exceeded- required under Jewish/Roman law- he was admitting he had stolen from people.

I would like to know the conversation over dinner.

Zaccheus did not just understand truth, He received Jesus- who was the truth- he received the Christ.

Jesus- on his way to Jerusalem to provide a mercy seat for Zaccheus- He would die for- sins of mankind.

V9 As a tax collector-Zaccheus-shut out of the temple.

Temple sacrifices- pointed to the coming Messiah.

And yet the one the sacrifices pointed to- came to him.

V10-Man is lost to God as long as he is enslaved to sin.

Jesus came to set mankind free for sin and death.

Have you ever lost something- looked hard to find it?

In the Bible- several stories of things lost- Lk 15-

the woman who lost a silver coin,

sheep that wandered from the flock, and

the prodigal son who left his family.

A man may be-

insensibly lost, like the lifeless coin, or

miserably lost like the dumb sheep, or

willfully lost like the prodigal son.

But he is still lost and needs God-

Jesus died for all those lost for whatever reason.

Jn 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

God¡¦s search for man began in- garden of Eden after Adam disobeyed-God called-Adam, where are you?

Lost in the NT does not necessarily mean someone who is damned or doomed to hell.

It simply means to be in the wrong place.

When- find something lost- we put it where it belongs.

A man is lost when he has wandered away from God.

He is found when he takes up his rightful place as an obedient child in God¡¦s house.

2 Tim 2:20-21

The Lord is talking about the church.

Every vessel in the church has value- useful to God.

There are many places in God¡¦s household to serve.

However, the implication is that a vessel of wood and earthenware can become a vessel of gold and silver.

Zaccheus became a vessel- gold/silver that day.