1 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,080 My name is Garrett. My name is Rami Thurman. 2 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:25,880 My name is Samantha Farlow. My name is Wayne Sporey. 3 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,280 And I experienced. An unexpected moment, that. 4 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:35,360 Changed everything. I got married when I was 35. 5 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:38,560 The way our marriage, the way the marriage ended wasn't 6 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,360 something to discuss, but I just kind of went rogue, just went 7 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:44,760 out and you know, I've, I've got this. 8 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,600 I can do it all on my own. My life was a lot of drugs and 9 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,920 alcohol. It was a complete mess. 10 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:56,160 We felt like we were ready to start having a family and all of 11 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,680 a sudden we had a positive pregnancy test. 12 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:05,000 I was sitting on the couch and I was watching TV and I kind of 13 00:01:05,519 --> 00:01:10,520 put my hand up and all of a sudden my fingers felt a lump on 14 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,560 the side of my neck. And then I got baptized. 15 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,480 And then even after I got baptized, I went back to 16 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:22,840 drinking for for a few months. When someone reached out to me 17 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:27,520 and cared about how I was perceived by somebody else, it 18 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,240 made me look in the mirror and made me reflect on who I was 19 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:34,400 being and I wanted to be more. Than I started having some 20 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,360 complications. We were praying for things like 21 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:43,400 Lord please let this baby live. However, just a few weeks later, 22 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,240 I did end up miscarrying. I was sent a message and the 23 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:53,080 message said you have cancer in that lymph node. 24 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:58,880 And then it wasn't until my wife asked me to get sober or that 25 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,880 ultimately we would have to get a divorce, decided to go back to 26 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,240 treatment for the last time. And that's when I was there. 27 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,479 I was let her know we had to do everything different. 28 00:02:08,759 --> 00:02:11,680 It had been a very scary last several months. 29 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:16,160 I felt a little bit funny, but I went and I bought a pregnancy 30 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:21,000 test and it was positive. So we had Paisley, life was 31 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,640 going. We decided that we were ready to 32 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:24,840 have another baby. I ended up having COVID 33 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,840 pneumonia which was very serious so they needed to take Uriah by 34 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,560 emergency C-section. And as I went through the scans 35 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:37,680 and I went through the test, I was almost surprised that my 36 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:42,320 complaining really had no merit, because God was there. 37 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:47,200 As I standing in the water with Clayton, I realized that there 38 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,480 was no turning back and I had a responsibility not only to the 39 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,440 people that cared about me, to my family that was there, but 40 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,280 but to to Christ. My relationship with Christ 41 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:03,080 changed when I made it a lifestyle, making it all about 42 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,360 Jesus Christ. That's when the real change 43 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,000 happened. I don't know what the Lord has 44 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,760 in store, but I don't think any of us ever do. 45 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,040 And all of these unexpected moments have led us to exactly 46 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,800 where we are today, and I could not be more grateful for this 47 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:19,920 beautiful journey that the Lord's taken us on. 48 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:27,480 You you learn from this that God is good in every situation. 49 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,280 I hope that anybody that came here because they were invited 50 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,480 opens their heart to just more than that invite, because the 51 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,200 invite that I finally took changed my life. 52 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,840 Happy Resurrection Weekend crossing family. 53 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,640 We are so glad that you are here. 54 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:54,840 We are gathering in 48 different services across 3 states, 12 55 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,800 locations and joining 2.4 billion people all across the 56 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,680 globe to celebrate that the tomb is empty. 57 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:09,240 Jesus is who He says He is, and I say that in the present tense 58 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,440 because he is alive. And since the tomb is empty, 59 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,480 that means that when Jesus died on the cross, He made a way for 60 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,399 every single person to experience the love of God and 61 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:24,640 the forgiveness of their sins. And it means that not only can 62 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,080 people be saved from hell, but they can be saved into heaven. 63 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:32,880 And more than that, it means that you and I can experience 64 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:37,440 joy, purpose, meaning, and peace day. 65 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,120 Through the divine power of God, we have the strength to live a 66 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,640 life that we never thought possible. 67 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,200 Turn to your neighbor and say happy resurrection. 68 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,280 I want to welcome those of you joining at all of our different 69 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:54,440 locations. I want to welcome those of you 70 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,400 here at our 48th St. location. Those of you in Macomb in 71 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:03,080 Kirksville in 929, those of you gathering in Pike County, in 72 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:07,720 Hannibal, in Lima, in Mount Sterling, in Keokuk, in Monmouth 73 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,760 in Jacksonville and Weaver. I want to give a special shout 74 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:17,040 out to those of you watching online and a very special shout 75 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,520 out to those of you who are part of the crossing inside. 76 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:21,760 And I don't do this often enough, but when I say the 77 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,360 crossing inside, I'm saying to those of you at the W Illinois 78 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,000 Correctional Center, those of you at the Vandalia Women's 79 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:29,920 Prison and those of you gathering in the Pike County 80 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,160 Jail in the Adams County Jail, we welcome you to our Easter 81 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:40,240 celebration and we love you. I also on behalf of our entire 82 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,240 church, want to welcome those of you who are new here. 83 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,080 And I hope that before you leave today, you will swing by the new 84 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:48,920 here booth in all of our lobbies. 85 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:52,680 And if you're watching online, type new here into the chat and 86 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,680 one of our team members would love a chance to reach out to 87 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,480 you. Today we are starting A5 week 88 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:05,160 sermon series called Unexpected. And I have a challenge for every 89 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:11,040 single one of you. Would you lean all the way in 90 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:16,080 for this entire sermon series? If you can't attend in person, 91 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:21,000 would you watch it online? But too many of us, we have had 92 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,080 a bad experience with religion. Maybe you've had a bad 93 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,280 experience with church. Maybe you have a bad impression 94 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:32,240 or a wrong impression about God or Jesus. 95 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,720 However, I believe that if you would commit to the next four 96 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:38,840 weeks because you're already here for the first one, you're 97 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:43,120 already well on your way. I believe in faith that God 98 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,560 could do a powerful work in your life. 99 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,920 I believe that something unexpected could happen and I 100 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:56,280 would hate for you to miss it. So turn to your neighbor and say 101 00:06:56,280 --> 00:07:02,960 I will see you next week. You better keep that promise 102 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:09,720 because you made it at church. Now I know that there are some 103 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,280 of you who you're going Clayton. I'm already ready to check out 104 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:16,440 because I don't like the unexpected. 105 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,640 It's one thing when people throw you a surprise birthday party 106 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:22,720 that kind of expected. It's OK. 107 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:27,200 It's one thing when the bill after your wife goes shopping is 108 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,520 less than you anticipated. That's a praise God moment. 109 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,840 It's one thing when the car in front of you buys your morning 110 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,760 coffee for you. You don't mind that kind of 111 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,520 unexpected. Some of you right now you are 112 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:44,280 wearing something unexpected. You pulled out clothes that you 113 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,200 haven't worn since last year and you are here to testify that God 114 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,400 still works miracles because the clothes fit. 115 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,160 I need you to know that is not a miracle. 116 00:07:54,240 --> 00:08:00,560 That is nylon, OK? Everything I'm wearing is 117 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,040 stretchy. My socks, my pants, whatever 118 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:06,400 this is that my wife bought is stretchy. 119 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:10,280 My everything I'm wearing is stretchy. 120 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:14,560 However, some of you, you're dealing with a different kind of 121 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:17,320 unexpected. Some of you just got over an 122 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,360 unexpected tax bill. Some of you, it was your 123 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:26,280 birthday and nobody called. Some of you you're dealing with 124 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:30,000 an unexpected diagnosis that comes with an unexpected 125 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:32,840 haircut. Others of you are dealing with 126 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:38,120 an unexpected loss of a friend, a parent, a marriage. 127 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,679 There's no doubt that some of you are dealing with unexpected 128 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:46,600 bouts of depression and anxiety. You did not see it coming. 129 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:51,720 Some of you, you're navigating your mid 40s and early 50s and 130 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,120 life is not going the way you expected it to go. 131 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,840 It doesn't look like what you thought it would look like. 132 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:02,600 You thought it would be better, different, more fulfilling. 133 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,840 Some of you, you are finding yourself in an unexpected 134 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:11,680 situation, navigating unexpected circumstances and I have a 135 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:15,640 message just for you. Let me begin with some good 136 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:17,840 news. You're not alone. 137 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:23,080 I have other good news for you. Nobody knows what to do with the 138 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:28,440 unexpected, but I know somebody who can, and that is our Lord 139 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:35,680 and Savior, Jesus Christ. Take Zacchaeus, for example. 140 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:39,080 You're like Zacchaeus. I feel like I've heard of him 141 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,400 before. Oh yeah, the guy from the song. 142 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:45,080 Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he? 143 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,800 And he climbed up in the Sycamore tree for the Lord he 144 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,400 wanted to see. And you might be thinking of all 145 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:52,280 the people this guy gets put in the Bible. 146 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:56,280 And for all of church history, you are forever introduced to 147 00:09:56,280 --> 00:10:00,280 kids in church all around the globe as the small man in a 148 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,200 tree. And I don't want to put too many 149 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,920 words in Zacchaeus's mouth, but I want you to know something. 150 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,720 I don't think Zacchaeus cares one bit because that day ended 151 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,120 up being the very best day of his life. 152 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:13,640 Why? Well, because something 153 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:19,080 unexpected happened. Luke chapter 19, verse one and 154 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:23,800 two. Jesus entered Jericho and was 155 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,840 passing through. A man was there by the name of 156 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:32,760 Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and 157 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:36,640 was wealthy. We just got done with tax season 158 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:40,280 and you might be thinking that Zacchaeus is an IRS agent. 159 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:46,400 Well, sort of, but way, way worse. 160 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,760 When Jesus was walking around in the Israeli dust, it was an 161 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:56,520 occupied territory. The Romans had seized control of 162 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,760 the region. It would be very similar to the 163 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:04,240 flag of another country being flown in the place of the Stars 164 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:08,320 and Stripes tanks rolling down the streets in the town where 165 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:12,360 you were gathered today, with another flag painted on the 166 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:18,040 side. Zacchaeus was a Jewish man who 167 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:24,440 lived in Jerusalem or in Jericho who was collecting taxes from 168 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:30,720 his fellow Jews for the Romans who were oppressing them. 169 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:36,760 No wonder the Bible goes out of its way to make mention over and 170 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:42,400 over again of the people's view of tax collectors. 171 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,960 How did Zacchaeus get this chief tax collector job? 172 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:55,600 He signed up for it, and he placed the highest bid to Rome 173 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,680 to get it. Here's what he did. 174 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:04,400 He turned in a bid to Rome, promising to collect more money 175 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,280 from his own people than anybody else. 176 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,560 And then he went out because he was a chief tax collector and he 177 00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:18,440 hired other tax collectors to help him extort as much money as 178 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:24,080 possible from his own countrymen to fund his own countrymen's 179 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:28,520 oppression. Then he would go out and collect 180 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:33,400 even more money on top of what he promised Rome, and he would 181 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:38,200 keep the difference. How good was Zacchaeus at his 182 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:42,880 job? The Bible tells us he was very 183 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:49,120 wealthy. Verse three, he wanted to see 184 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:55,080 who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over 185 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:57,600 the crowd. Let's pause for a second. 186 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,440 I can't relate. I'm 6 foot 6. 187 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,360 I was probably the guy standing in front of Zacchaeus and I 188 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:09,680 didn't move out of the way. Now I have had like 1 bad 189 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:11,160 experience that kind of traumatized me. 190 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,680 I got invited to a birthday party at, I think it was like a 191 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,200 in Keokuk, Iowa, at one of the fast food restaurants when I was 192 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,360 young. And all the kids got to play in 193 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:28,200 the play place. And the person working there saw 194 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,840 me in there and said you need to come out, you're too tall. 195 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:37,680 So all my friends got to play in the play place because 196 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:40,240 apparently if you're like 2 inches too tall, the play place 197 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,280 collapses, which maybe you shouldn't build them then 198 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,880 because I've seen parents go to get their kids and it was just 199 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:48,720 fine. So you know what they did to me? 200 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:54,120 They made me eat ice cream. So I need you to know I'm not 201 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:56,160 fat because of the decisions that I've made. 202 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:01,240 I'm fat because that person who worked at that fast food place 203 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,720 said you can't play with the other kids and exercise and 204 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:05,600 establish healthy patterns in your life. 205 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:11,160 Here's more ice cream, fatty verse not in the text, verse 4. 206 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:18,760 So he, Zacchaeus, ran ahead and climbed a Sycamore fig tree to 207 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:20,680 see him. That's Jesus. 208 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:26,920 Since Jesus was coming that way, have you ever wondered what 209 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:33,720 would make Zacchaeus want to see Jesus so bad that he climbed a 210 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,000 tree? You have to think of what this 211 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,640 would have looked like to everybody else. 212 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:44,520 This was the most hated and the most wealthy guy in all of 213 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:47,320 Jericho, and he went tree climbing. 214 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:53,960 The guy with the nicest house, with the newest cars, the guy 215 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:57,920 with the expensive watch, with the designer suit, with the 216 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,480 bespoke shoes is climbing a tree. 217 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,720 Why? Why is the most hated man in 218 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:10,600 Jericho tree climbing? Maybe it was because he had been 219 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,720 hearing about all the miracles of Jesus. 220 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:17,400 He had heard that he had restored the sight of 221 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,520 Bartimaeus, the blind guy who lived in Jericho. 222 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,320 Or maybe he had heard about the sick man who was healed at the 223 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,400 Pharisees house just a couple chapters earlier. 224 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:31,920 Perhaps he had heard rumor of a man named Lazarus being raised 225 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:36,240 from the dead who lived in Bethany, just 15 miles away. 226 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,840 Perhaps he had heard from one of his tax collectors that all of a 227 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,000 sudden the family that had lost a loved one could pay their 228 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:45,440 taxes because he was back and working and productive and he 229 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,560 was like, what changed? And he'd heard these stories 230 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:52,560 about Jesus. And maybe Zacchaeus had heard 231 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:57,960 that Jesus had let another tax collector by the name of Levi 232 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,640 become one of his followers, and he was going. 233 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:05,200 If Jesus could let somebody that everybody else hates follow him, 234 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:09,240 maybe he would let me follow him too. 235 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,600 I'm guessing that Zacchaeus never thought he would be 236 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:16,360 climbing a tree, but the stories of life change were just too 237 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:21,240 powerful for him to ignore. Can I say a word to some of you? 238 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,000 There might be some of you listening or watching right now 239 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:28,360 and you never thought that you would be at the crossing 240 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:32,280 celebrating Easter. Some of you are surprised that 241 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:34,880 the place hasn't burned down since you walked in. 242 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,560 Well, I want you to know we prepared for you and we got 243 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,440 signed off on all of our sprinkler systems at all of our 244 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:43,440 locations. Others of you are waiting for 245 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,440 the roof to fall in. I want you to know we planned 246 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,960 for you and we got the roof inspected. 247 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,640 Some of you, you are here today because you heard of a marriage 248 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,120 that got put back together again that you thought was going to 249 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,560 crash. Some of you you maybe you're 250 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,920 here today because you've seen a change in your Co worker. 251 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:02,800 Perhaps some of you are here because you know somebody 252 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,200 recently got baptized. You never thought that you would 253 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:11,839 be here right now. But like Zacchaeus, you're here 254 00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:15,760 today and it's a little unexpected. 255 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:21,640 And then an unexpected turn of events happens. 256 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:30,760 Verse 5, When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to 257 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:37,880 him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your 258 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:42,200 house today. So he came down at once and 259 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,520 welcomed him. This is Jesus gladly. 260 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:53,880 All the people saw this and began to mutter, He has gone to 261 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:58,960 be the guest of a Sinner. 4 things to note here. 262 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:06,880 One, Jesus calls him by name. While Zacchaeus had never met 263 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:12,400 Jesus, Jesus knew exactly who Zacchaeus was. 264 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,200 Colossians gives us some insight into this. 265 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:21,720 Verse 16 For in him that's Jesus, all things were created, 266 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:30,000 things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, All 267 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:34,120 things have been created through him and for him. 268 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:40,280 Raise your hand if you're on earth, raise your hand if 269 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:47,720 somebody can see you, things on earth and visible, that's you. 270 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:57,280 You were made through the power of Jesus and you were made for a 271 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:03,920 relationship with Jesus. You might not know Jesus, but 272 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:10,480 Jesus knows you. Second thing to notice, Jesus 273 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:19,280 invites himself over to the most hated man in Jericho's house in 274 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:23,320 an honor shame society, which is the society that Jesus operated 275 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:25,400 in. What is happening culturally 276 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,800 here cannot be calculated. Here's what's happening. 277 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:34,040 Zacchaeus had everything and at the same time had absolutely 278 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,720 nothing. He had traded in all of his 279 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:41,760 honor, all of his dignity for his worldly wealth. 280 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:48,800 Nobody liked him, nobody respected him, nobody wanted 281 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,520 anything to do with him. He was despised. 282 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:57,800 He was the worst of the worst. The Bible says that tax 283 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,880 collectors were on par in the people's eyes with prostitutes 284 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:07,720 and sinners. His reputation was in a full 285 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:13,440 blown nosedive. Meanwhile, Jesus's honor shame 286 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,000 society. His stock was up and to the 287 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,560 right like no stock you have ever seen before, climbing 288 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,640 higher and higher every single day. 289 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:29,680 And in an unexpected turn of events, Jesus leverages his own 290 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:36,640 honor to honor Zacchaeus, the outcast that nobody wanted 291 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:42,720 anything to do with. The most respected person in 292 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:49,440 Jericho wants to spend time with the person that nobody wants to 293 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:56,400 spend time with. Jesus is doing way more than 294 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,840 saying, I want to be around you. I accept you. 295 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:06,960 He's saying, Would you join me in my work? 296 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,560 He's looking at Zacchaeus and say, would you be my patron? 297 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:22,120 Would you help me accomplish my mission #3 Zacchaeus welcomed 298 00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:26,960 him gladly. Zacchaeus no doubt had the 299 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,560 biggest house in Jericho and nobody to share it with. 300 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:39,120 When he built the house from extracting money from his fellow 301 00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:43,960 countrymen and friends and relatives, he built a house that 302 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:47,680 nobody else would ever see. Nobody else would ever 303 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:52,240 appreciate. The biggest house in Jericho had 304 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:59,520 one man in it. Until Jesus said I'm coming to 305 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:03,760 your house today. And Zacchaeus welcomed him 306 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,960 gladly. And my prayer all week has been 307 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:12,680 that if you can hear my voice, that you would do the same thing 308 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:18,040 that Zacchaeus did, that you would welcome Jesus gladly into 309 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:27,120 your life today #4 All the people were muttering. 310 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:31,240 He has gone to be the guest of a Sinner. 311 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:33,560 Can I talk to you for just a second? 312 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:38,160 If you're running low on fuel, the very best place on planet 313 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:42,080 Earth is a gas station. Ladies, now that there's decent 314 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:43,680 weather out, you should be able to find them. 315 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,920 It's amazing how you lose track of where all the gas stations 316 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,480 are the colder it gets. Your husbands, your boyfriends 317 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,920 would like a break. When you are running low on 318 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,960 food, the best place to go is a grocery store. 319 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:01,680 When you are in need of some makeup, I've been told the best 320 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,800 place is Sephora. When you're sick, the best place 321 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,720 is a hospital. When you need to lose weight 322 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,200 quickly, the best place is the worst Taco Bell. 323 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:14,680 You can shed those pounds lickity split. 324 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:21,200 And when you are a Sinner, the very best place for you to be is 325 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,680 in the arms of a Savior. When you're broken, the very 326 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,840 best place to be is in the hands of a Creator. 327 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,880 When you're mourning, the very best place to be is with a 328 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:33,360 comforter. And when you're hurt, you need a 329 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:35,560 healer. When you are at your wits and 330 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,600 you need a waymaker. When you're in the fire, you 331 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,000 need somebody with you. When you're lost, you need a 332 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,200 seeker. When you're dying inside, you 333 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,560 need a life giver. And when you need to be saved, 334 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,160 there's no better place than with a Savior. 335 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,200 And that is exactly what Zacchaeus did. 336 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,400 He invited into one who could do the unexpected with the 337 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,480 unexpected into his life. I came to preach today. 338 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:02,200 The world may have told you that you blew it as a parent because 339 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,200 you served time, because you got hooked on drugs, because you 340 00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:07,880 struggled with addiction, because you cheated on your 341 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,200 spouse, because you used to party too hard and you still 342 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,160 party too hard, and because you did a bad thing and because 343 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,760 you're still doing bad things, that you cannot become a part of 344 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,320 the family of God. But hear me, that is exactly who 345 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:26,440 Jesus came to save sinners like you and me. 346 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,400 Luke chapter 19, verses 8 through 10. 347 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:36,520 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, look, Lord, he's 348 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:41,880 referring to Jesus here and now I give half of my possessions to 349 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:45,640 the poor. And if I have cheated anybody 350 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:54,800 out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount Jesus said 351 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:59,480 to him today. Salvation has come to this house 352 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:06,200 because this man too is a son of Abraham for the son of man. 353 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:13,320 That's Jesus came to seek and save the lost. 354 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,200 You want to talk about unexpected? 355 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,760 The worst man in Jericho became a child of God. 356 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:25,400 He experienced salvation. Now don't get this twisted. 357 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:30,840 Salvation did not come to Zacchaeus because of his good 358 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:33,920 work of making things right with his fellow countrymen. 359 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:38,520 Salvation did not come to Zacchaeus because he gave all of 360 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,320 his money away and he made everything right. 361 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:46,400 Salvation came to Zacchaeus because he accepted who Jesus 362 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:50,760 was and what Jesus did. Let's go back to Colossians 363 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:57,520 chapter 1 again, verse 19. For God was pleased to have all 364 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:04,160 of his fullness dwell in him. That's Jesus, and through him 365 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:10,320 Jesus to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on 366 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:16,920 earth or things in heaven, by making peace through Jesus's 367 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:24,560 blood shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God 368 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:29,040 and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior, 369 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:38,640 but now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through 370 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:45,280 death to present you. Check this Holy in His sight, 371 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:53,080 without blemish and free from accusation. 372 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:59,480 God, through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and through 373 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:05,720 the vindication of the empty tomb, no longer sees my sin. 374 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:11,440 He sees his Son, Jesus Christ. And how does he view me? 375 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:19,560 He sees me as holy in His sight. There is no way that I could 376 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:26,080 ever get rid of all of my sin, all of my shame, all of my 377 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:30,000 misdeeds. But I don't get rid of it. 378 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:36,640 Jesus did. I accept what Jesus did on my 379 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:42,360 behalf at the orders of God, who came after his enemies, of which 380 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:46,560 I was 1. And because of Jesus, he sees me 381 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,800 as holy. Because of him, I am seen 382 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:54,560 without blemish and I am free from accusation. 383 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:59,160 Your wife might remember all of your misdeeds, your high school 384 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,480 friends might remember all of your misdeeds, but there is 385 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:07,120 nobody who can accuse you because Jesus has covered the 386 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:09,760 debt. And how do I know this all to be 387 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:15,400 true? Because the tomb is empty. 388 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:19,960 Because the tomb is empty, Jesus is the Son of God. 389 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:24,560 Because the tomb is empty, my sins were indeed nailed to the 390 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:29,240 cross, and I bear them no more. Because the tomb is empty, I 391 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:33,560 have been made right with God. Because the tomb is empty, God 392 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:38,000 really does love me. Because the tomb is empty, death 393 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,240 has been defeated. Because the tomb is empty, sin 394 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:44,440 has no more power. Because the tomb is empty, my 395 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,440 future is secure. As the tomb is empty, my present 396 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:52,080 has purpose and meaning. Because the tomb is empty, my 397 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,920 failures are not final. I love the phrase but now. 398 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:01,400 Because there was a time in my life when I had no purpose. 399 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:06,520 There was a time in my life where I was longing for 400 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,560 acceptance. But now that I have trusted 401 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,760 Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I have found meaning, 402 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:19,640 forgiveness, and purpose. Do you have a story like that? 403 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:23,480 Let me tell you something that's not unexpected. 404 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:30,960 Jesus changes people. Why is it not unexpected? 405 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:36,080 Because I have seen it over and over and over again. 406 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:41,760 Jesus can change anyone and the resurrection proves that there 407 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:47,040 is nothing that he can't do. I don't know what you are 408 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,000 navigating. I don't know what you're 409 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,320 struggling with. I don't know what kind of 410 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,960 circumstances you are in, but you are not suffering from 411 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,520 anything that a good resurrection can't fix. 412 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:02,000 Because when there are no there are storms are no match for his 413 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,000 voice. Demons are no match for his 414 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,080 power. Disease is no match for his 415 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,120 touch. My sins were no match for his 416 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:10,200 blood. Death is no match for his life. 417 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:11,880 The tomb is no match for his purpose. 418 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:14,080 The stone was no match for his strength. 419 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,920 There is nothing that the love of God won't do to bring you 420 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,200 back to Him. My question is this. 421 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:27,000 Will you, like Zacchaeus, allow Jesus into your life? 422 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:29,600 Today we're moving to a time of decision. 423 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:38,040 To those of you gathered here in this room and watching online 424 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:40,880 who do not have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus 425 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:43,160 Christ, you need to hear me say this. 426 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,440 You might not be for God, but God is 100% for you. 427 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,960 You might not love God, but God can tell you with absolute 428 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:54,120 assurance, because the cross and the empty tomb prove that God 429 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:57,600 loves you. You don't measure up, but Jesus 430 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,680 does, and his record can become your record today. 431 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:05,120 And you might be thinking that, Zacchaeus, there's no way that 432 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:08,520 Jesus still does that. Well, you'd be dead wrong 433 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:14,760 because I've seen him do it over and over and over again. 434 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,440 I would tell you that the greatest decision that I ever 435 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,920 made was making Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of my life. 436 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:24,400 And I would tell you that my biggest regret is that I didn't 437 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:26,840 do it sooner. And I know you're probably 438 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:30,000 thinking, of course I'm saying that, but you don't have to 439 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:37,720 believe me because I've seen him do it over and over and over 440 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:43,480 again. Watch Crossing Family. 441 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:50,760 If you're here today and the greatest decision you ever made 442 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:53,840 was making Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of your life, 443 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:58,920 would you put your hand up Crossing family, If your biggest 444 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:01,560 regret is that you didn't do it sooner, would you testify? 445 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:07,280 You don't have to believe me, but like I said, I've just seen 446 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:10,960 him do it over and over and over again. 447 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:15,320 And it's because I've seen him do it over and over and over 448 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,080 again. I know that if you'll let Him, 449 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,920 he'll do it for you. And in just a few moments, 450 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,280 people all around this room are going to stand and lift their 451 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:31,160 hands and their voices and worship, and some of them are 452 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:34,560 going to come to the steps and pray and just thank God for 453 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:37,680 everything that He has done on our behalf. 454 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:42,800 But you, if you've never started an intimate personal 455 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:47,320 relationship with Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to do 456 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:49,360 the same thing that Zacchaeus did. 457 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:52,480 Would you let Jesus into your life today? 458 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:56,160 How do you do that? I'm going to encourage you to 459 00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:00,080 walk right over there underneath that screen next to the 460 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:01,880 baptistry. And there'd be people there that 461 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:05,200 would love to answer some of the questions that are no doubt 462 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,280 bouncing around in your head. And if you don't want to make 463 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,720 that walk, you can turn to somebody who's sitting next to 464 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:13,720 you and or you could turn to somebody who brought you, or you 465 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,560 can turn to somebody that you see walking in here and you 466 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:17,920 didn't think that you would see them here. 467 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,200 And you're thinking maybe they know something that I don't know 468 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:21,960 and I need to figure out what it is that they know. 469 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:23,840 I can already tell you what the answer is. 470 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:28,120 The answer is Jesus, man, I just got to tell you, the burden of 471 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:32,000 our church is to help every person find what we have found 472 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,720 in Jesus. And that is an intimate personal 473 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:39,120 relationship with him. And I can just tell you, you 474 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:41,400 won't regret it. Would you stand with me? 475 00:33:49,910 --> 00:33:54,790 Only you can do what you do. Only you can do what you've 476 00:33:54,790 --> 00:33:59,030 done. And we are forever grateful, 477 00:33:59,630 --> 00:34:03,120 Heavenly Father, for the love that you have shown us in your 478 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:11,360 Son, Jesus and God, I pray that right now, every single person 479 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:21,120 would know exactly what it is that you are calling them to do, 480 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:27,520 that you would make it clear, and God, that you'd give them 481 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:31,320 the courage to do it. Your name I pray. 482 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:32,480 Amen.