WEBVTT 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.660 Hey all, Pastor John here. Thanks for tuning 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:09.759 in to the weekly sermon podcast. We pray this 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.519 message encourages you, strengthens your faith, 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:15.080 and helps you to take your next step with Jesus. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.239 If this content blesses you and you'd like to 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.339 be a part of helping us continue to bring the 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:22.739 gospel to life, we'd love for you to consider 00:00:22.739 --> 00:00:25.739 supporting the ministry of Village. Your generosity 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:28.339 makes it possible for us to keep creating and 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:31.510 sharing resources like this podcast. You can 00:00:31.510 --> 00:00:35.250 give safely and easily by visiting sacvillage 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:39.090 .org slash give or by heading to our website 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:43.109 at sacvillage .org. Thanks again for listening. 00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:53.450 Now let's dive into this week's message. If you 00:00:53.450 --> 00:00:56.609 have your Bibles, we're going to be in Matthew 00:00:56.609 --> 00:01:04.409 9, verse 9. We're going to be talking about the 00:01:04.409 --> 00:01:09.530 call of Matthew in this section. As Jesus went 00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:12.549 from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting 00:01:12.549 --> 00:01:15.769 at the toll booth. And he said to him, follow 00:01:15.769 --> 00:01:20.849 me. And he got up and followed him. While he 00:01:20.849 --> 00:01:23.790 was reclining in the table in the house, many 00:01:23.790 --> 00:01:26.790 tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus 00:01:26.790 --> 00:01:30.269 and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, 00:01:30.510 --> 00:01:33.680 they asked the disciples, Why does your teacher 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:39.799 eat with tax collectors and sinners? Now, when 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.680 he heard this, he said, it is not those who need 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:45.840 a doctor. It is not those who are well who need 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:49.719 a doctor, but those who are sick. Go learn what 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.280 this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice. 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.299 For I did not come to call the righteous, but 00:01:57.299 --> 00:02:07.930 sinners. We are the broken stones God uses to 00:02:07.930 --> 00:02:13.629 build his kingdom. Just as a skilled mason can 00:02:13.629 --> 00:02:19.870 take a rough piece of stone, a broken stone, 00:02:20.069 --> 00:02:24.009 and meticulously shape it for a vital purpose 00:02:24.009 --> 00:02:30.129 in our forest structure. God uses our flaws, 00:02:30.349 --> 00:02:35.810 our failures, provided that. We allow him to 00:02:35.810 --> 00:02:40.909 refine us so that we can serve a meaningful role 00:02:40.909 --> 00:02:45.550 in his plan for redemption in our lives and into 00:02:45.550 --> 00:02:51.210 the world today. Let me tell you how grace heals 00:02:51.210 --> 00:02:58.310 you and how it changes you. Most of my life, 00:02:58.310 --> 00:03:03.689 like many of us, I struggled with a lot of things. 00:03:05.259 --> 00:03:08.819 I never was really a bad guy by the world standards. 00:03:10.379 --> 00:03:16.699 But inside, I grew up broken, unchurched. I've 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:23.860 been a broken man really most of my life. Insecurities, 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:27.379 anxieties, depression, all types of sin, especially 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:32.800 with people pleasing. And sometimes making friends. 00:03:35.370 --> 00:03:38.289 I'm still struggling with eating too much and 00:03:38.289 --> 00:03:42.289 different things. But by the grace of God, it's 00:03:42.289 --> 00:03:49.689 been less and less as time goes on. Some things, 00:03:49.810 --> 00:03:54.849 the Lord brings freedom instantly. And some things, 00:03:54.930 --> 00:03:57.810 it's a continual process, a continued surrender 00:03:57.810 --> 00:04:02.490 and giving up to God daily and putting his teachings 00:04:02.490 --> 00:04:08.400 into practice. But I know this, church, if we 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:11.759 follow Christ daily, putting him first at the 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:17.899 beginning of our days and our minds, and then 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:21.699 we continue to be taught by him, reading his 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:26.420 word, listening to sermons, devotionals, and 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:29.240 being in Christian community like you are today, 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:36.139 and receive his grace and his mercy, remembering 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:42.319 what he did on the cross for us and how he constantly 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:48.459 forgives us as we continue to fail, we get mercy. 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:55.259 And then allowing his mercy to teach us to bear 00:04:55.259 --> 00:04:59.399 with the flaws and failures of other people with 00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:04.540 grace, kindness, love, forgiveness, and patience. 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:09.720 In doing this, we become more like Christ and 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:16.420 less like ourselves. The kingdom of God is actively 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:18.720 breaking into this world through healing the 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:23.000 lives of flawed and broken people. To those who 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:30.379 answer his call, follow me. We follow God not 00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:35.259 only for his glory, our king, but we follow God 00:05:35.850 --> 00:05:40.290 For our own good. And for the good of those we 00:05:40.290 --> 00:05:45.850 love. We need his changing power. We need his 00:05:45.850 --> 00:05:50.610 mercy. And we need to become people who show 00:05:50.610 --> 00:05:57.529 that same mercy to others. Amen. The Bible tells 00:05:57.529 --> 00:06:02.970 us this truth. God utilizes weak, flawed, and 00:06:02.970 --> 00:06:06.459 broken, repented individuals. to accomplish his 00:06:06.459 --> 00:06:11.939 will. Moses said this about himself in Exodus 00:06:11.939 --> 00:06:15.439 4 .10. Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:19.540 either in the past or recently or since you have 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:22.579 been speaking to your servant because my mouth 00:06:22.579 --> 00:06:27.939 and my tongue are sluggish. Still, God used Moses 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:31.889 in a mighty way. He went up to Pharaoh. And freed 00:06:31.889 --> 00:06:34.350 the Hebrews from slavery. He established the 00:06:34.350 --> 00:06:37.449 law to show them how to live. And to point to 00:06:37.449 --> 00:06:40.089 the realities of heaven and to our Lord Jesus. 00:06:41.649 --> 00:06:46.069 Paul, initially a man of great zeal and passion 00:06:46.069 --> 00:06:49.689 for the law. And he used that same zeal to destroy 00:06:49.689 --> 00:06:54.209 churches. Christ's new church all over the Roman 00:06:54.209 --> 00:07:00.899 Empire. Then God got into Paul's heart. And used 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:04.699 that man to plant churches all over the Roman 00:07:04.699 --> 00:07:07.800 Empire, which he was destroying. And to write 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:13.480 13 to 14 books of the New Testament. 14 if you 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:19.980 count the book of Hebrews. Why does God use imperfect 00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:27.240 people to do his will? Because there is no perfect 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:33.800 people. There are no perfect churches either, 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:37.160 unfortunately. If you find one and join it, it's 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:45.800 going to become imperfect. Yet, he loves us. 00:07:46.100 --> 00:07:49.160 And he chooses to reveal his power through those 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:53.160 who are wrecked and imperfect. Demonstrating 00:07:53.160 --> 00:07:56.699 his power and his desire for his children to 00:07:56.699 --> 00:08:00.589 participate in his work. As a father wants his 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:03.629 sons to be part of his business, our Lord in 00:08:03.629 --> 00:08:05.990 heaven wants you to be part of his business. 00:08:06.870 --> 00:08:10.189 The business of change, repentance, redemption, 00:08:10.410 --> 00:08:14.350 and saving the world and demonstrating Christ's 00:08:14.350 --> 00:08:21.350 love. He loves to make our weakness the very 00:08:21.350 --> 00:08:25.230 stage for his strength. First Corinthians 127 00:08:25.230 --> 00:08:29.699 through 29. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish 00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:33.000 in the world to shame the wise. God has chosen 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:35.440 what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.220 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised 00:08:39.220 --> 00:08:42.720 in the world so that no one will boast in his 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:46.279 presence. If you feel like you have nothing to 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:51.899 offer, you are completely wrong. You have a place 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:56.080 in God's church today. You are uniquely and wonderfully 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:01.389 made. The psalmist said, God uses the broken, 00:09:01.450 --> 00:09:04.190 the foolish, and the weak to demonstrate his 00:09:04.190 --> 00:09:08.029 power to this lost world. God does not leave 00:09:08.029 --> 00:09:11.210 us where we are, but he empowers us to move forward, 00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:15.950 leaving our brokenness and sin behind. I love 00:09:15.950 --> 00:09:21.370 this definition from Titus. It's a great definition 00:09:21.370 --> 00:09:26.100 of grace and what it does in our lives. Titus 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:29.039 2 .11 says, for the grace of God has appeared, 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:33.299 bringing salvation for all the people, instructing 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:37.480 us to deny godlessness, worldly lust, and to 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:41.940 live sensible, righteous, and godly way in this 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:46.460 present age. Grace isn't about just keeping rules, 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:50.580 but loving our savior in response to the grace 00:09:50.580 --> 00:09:53.019 that he showed us. And when you love someone, 00:09:54.440 --> 00:10:00.500 You don't deliberately try to offend them. So 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:03.240 how does God accomplish his work through sinful 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:08.759 people and our broken lives? If you're taking 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:15.240 notes, point one, the call to follow. The call 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:22.440 of Matthew 9 .9. As Jesus went on from there, 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:25.340 he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax 00:10:25.340 --> 00:10:30.720 office. And he said to him, follow me. And he 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:34.500 got up and followed him. Like us, Matthew was 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:37.460 one of these broken stones that God uses to build 00:10:37.460 --> 00:10:41.500 his kingdom. Few people are more despised in 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:46.779 those days than a man like Matthew, a tax collector. 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:52.500 Matthew chose a life of betraying his own people 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:55.940 by collecting tax revenue on behalf of the Roman 00:10:55.940 --> 00:11:00.700 Empire. They were the great oppressors of the 00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:05.379 Jews. He was an outcast in society, a collaborator, 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:08.419 and one of the most hated figures in that era. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:16.519 Yet, Jesus called him. The Bible is frank, church. 00:11:17.769 --> 00:11:20.470 It records the mistakes and failures of its greatest 00:11:20.470 --> 00:11:27.470 heroes. While God's people performed mighty deeds 00:11:27.470 --> 00:11:32.409 by his power, they also committed murder, adultery, 00:11:32.529 --> 00:11:37.450 they lied, they ran from God, they acted traitorously. 00:11:38.129 --> 00:11:41.950 Consider Peter even denied knowing his Lord, 00:11:42.110 --> 00:11:47.679 the chief among all the apostles. The point isn't 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:50.179 their perfection, but God's grace working through 00:11:50.179 --> 00:11:56.820 them. And repentance, as they fail, he uses us, 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:01.059 he uses the lowly, he uses the flawed, and he 00:12:01.059 --> 00:12:06.220 uses us people, and he uses us flawed people 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:11.120 who are redempted to shame the wise through his 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:16.720 abundant grace. As 2 Corinthians 4 declares, 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:20.740 now we have this treasure in jars of clay so 00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:24.360 that this extraordinary power may be from God 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:30.019 and not from us. I want to give you a parallel 00:12:30.019 --> 00:12:34.879 of a more modern day tax collector, a man named 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:40.639 John Newton. John Newton was the iconic author. 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:46.460 Of the wonderful song Amazing Grace. John Newton 00:12:46.460 --> 00:12:51.299 initially was a profane man. Rebellious. And 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:56.259 he became. He became entangled in a brutal 18th 00:12:56.259 --> 00:13:02.399 century slave trade. As a slave ship captain. 00:13:03.820 --> 00:13:06.480 The turning point came when a violent storm. 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:13.120 Came upon him at sea. where he had a life -altering 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:18.159 conversion and cried out to God. After his conversion, 00:13:18.379 --> 00:13:22.440 he penned Amazing Grace as a personal testimony 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:27.220 reflecting on a wretch who was lost but now is 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:33.639 found. Many of us know this famous hymn. I would 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:37.519 like us to sing a few lines together. Singers, 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:46.460 sing as loud as you can. Especially John. Here 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:59.519 we go. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:36.080 saved a wretch like me. Twas grace that taught 00:14:36.080 --> 00:15:24.200 us all. You guys feel that? You feel that power? 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:28.740 That song has been used to change the lives of 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:35.559 millions of people. And yet, that was through 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:42.100 a slave trader. The interesting thing about John 00:15:42.100 --> 00:15:46.019 Newton, he devoted the rest of his life to abolishing 00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:51.190 the slave trade. And he became a priest. serving 00:15:51.190 --> 00:15:55.149 God for the rest of his life. If God could use 00:15:55.149 --> 00:15:58.350 a despised tax collector, a evil slave trader, 00:15:58.590 --> 00:16:04.370 he could use us today, great or small, to make 00:16:04.370 --> 00:16:06.710 a difference and to bring the gospel to life 00:16:06.710 --> 00:16:09.850 and the kingdom of God into this broken world. 00:16:12.409 --> 00:16:17.049 He uses the weak, he uses me, and he uses you. 00:16:19.149 --> 00:16:24.149 Amen. But it all starts with answering his call. 00:16:27.149 --> 00:16:31.870 Jesus said to Matthew, follow me. What does it 00:16:31.870 --> 00:16:34.809 look like to follow? It means putting your old 00:16:34.809 --> 00:16:38.669 life behind us, turning your attentions and your 00:16:38.669 --> 00:16:44.009 steps towards Christ and walking in his direction 00:16:44.009 --> 00:16:49.090 in our daily lives. It's a lifelong process of 00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:53.090 being taught. Being in Christian community like 00:16:53.090 --> 00:16:58.850 you are today. Reading the Bible and putting 00:16:58.850 --> 00:17:02.090 his commands into practice in our daily lives. 00:17:07.750 --> 00:17:16.309 He's so good. As the theologian Soren Kierkegaard 00:17:16.309 --> 00:17:22.230 said, Christianity is not a doctrine to be taught, 00:17:22.349 --> 00:17:27.569 but rather a life to be lived. Becoming a Christian 00:17:27.569 --> 00:17:31.369 isn't a one -time event or just a theological 00:17:31.369 --> 00:17:37.549 belief. It's a process, a process of a lifetime 00:17:37.549 --> 00:17:40.930 following Christ, being taught by him, learning 00:17:40.930 --> 00:17:45.730 to obey him, and learning to obey his will for 00:17:45.730 --> 00:17:52.480 our lives. he immediately enters into a relationship 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:56.480 to transform us and to change us for his glory. 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:02.259 After answering his call, he begins to teach 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:08.220 us. Point two, he teaches and transforms the 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:12.700 broken. After he calls us, he teaches us and 00:18:12.700 --> 00:18:16.599 transforms us. Us, broken stones, are shaped 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:20.230 for a purpose. The Bible makes it clear. Jesus 00:18:20.230 --> 00:18:23.269 spent time with all sorts of people, all types 00:18:23.269 --> 00:18:29.750 of unsavory characters. In Matthew 9, 11, when 00:18:29.750 --> 00:18:32.190 the Pharisees saw this, they asked the disciples, 00:18:32.509 --> 00:18:34.869 why does your teacher eat with tax collectors 00:18:34.869 --> 00:18:40.009 and sinners? What was Jesus doing eating with 00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:42.589 the sinners? What was he doing eating with the 00:18:42.589 --> 00:18:46.549 tax collectors? They were a rowdy bunch of people. 00:18:50.070 --> 00:18:53.049 He was teaching them. He was spending time with 00:18:53.049 --> 00:18:57.609 them. He was loving on them. And he was telling 00:18:57.609 --> 00:19:02.970 them about the kingdom of God. Not in a condemning 00:19:02.970 --> 00:19:10.789 way, but speaking the truth in love. Jesus makes 00:19:10.789 --> 00:19:17.960 it clear his mission was to recognize His mission 00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:21.279 is for those who recognize their need for him. 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:29.859 Matthew 9, 12 states. Now, when you heard this, 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:33.559 he said, it is not those who are well who need 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:39.539 a doctor, but those who are sick. What was Jesus 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:42.880 saying to the Pharisees here? He was saying. 00:19:43.609 --> 00:19:45.769 He wasn't saying that the Pharisees were perfect 00:19:45.769 --> 00:19:48.890 and they didn't need him. He was saying that 00:19:48.890 --> 00:19:55.349 the sinners knew they were sick. But the religious 00:19:55.349 --> 00:20:03.029 elite were in self -righteous denial. You see, 00:20:03.069 --> 00:20:06.009 church, it starts with recognizing we have a 00:20:06.009 --> 00:20:10.029 spiritual need for him. Not just one time, but 00:20:10.029 --> 00:20:14.960 in our daily lives, our daily bread. And then 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:17.220 we have problems that we need to address that 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:22.440 get in the way of that. Let me ask you a question. 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:29.000 If your power goes out, who do you call? You 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:34.359 call an electrician or you check your cell phone 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:36.079 hoping it's the whole neighborhood and not your 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:44.740 house. When your car breaks down, Who do you 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:49.640 call? Mechanic. Or if you know our brother Zach, 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:54.299 he calls Zach. He's a handy guy around here. 00:20:55.799 --> 00:21:03.759 If you're sick, don't you go to a doctor? If 00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:06.460 you have a spiritual sickness, who do you go 00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:15.539 to? Jesus. The first step is admitting Healing 00:21:15.539 --> 00:21:21.079 is a myth that in order to be healed, you need 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:27.539 a doctor. But naturally, we are stubborn people. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:32.359 We wait to the very end to go see that doctor 00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:39.019 because of our stubbornness. I just realized 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:41.740 my finger's been hurting for a long time. I just 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:45.000 realized it was broken. and I heard it a year 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:54.359 ago. The point is we're stubborn, and please 00:21:54.359 --> 00:22:00.140 don't say amen to that. How do you get healed 00:22:00.140 --> 00:22:05.259 by a doctor? You follow his instructions. If 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:07.519 he tells you to take three pills a day, take 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.779 three pills a day. Some people in here would 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:13.359 be like, I'll just take one before bedtime. It 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:20.759 should still have the same effect. The problem 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:23.519 is we just don't like following directions sometimes. 00:22:25.420 --> 00:22:29.119 Even when a sign says wet paint, do not touch. 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:34.299 Some of us can't help but touch that wet paint 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:39.849 to see if it might still be wet. Ain't that right, 00:22:39.990 --> 00:22:53.089 Nate? We want to be healed by God's grace, but 00:22:53.089 --> 00:22:58.309 often we want to do it in our own way. We want 00:22:58.309 --> 00:23:01.049 to be healed by God's grace, but we want to do 00:23:01.049 --> 00:23:03.990 it in our own way, our own terms, our own thinking. 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:11.740 To be part of God's kingdom, we first must do 00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:15.640 things his way and recognize our need for him, 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:21.259 the great physician. We have a need for spiritual 00:23:21.259 --> 00:23:27.000 change. Jesus comes to help those who are in 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:31.779 spiritual need, the poor in spirit. We need to 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:34.400 be changed by Jesus, but we have to do it his 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:39.519 way. and not in our own thinking. God's grace 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:42.119 heals us through repentance, which occurs by 00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:45.779 encountering God, answering his call to follow 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:49.539 him, being taught by him, and being healed by 00:23:49.539 --> 00:23:55.200 him, and embracing his grace and mercy, just 00:23:55.200 --> 00:24:00.380 like Zacchaeus in the Bible. The story of Zacchaeus 00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:02.819 in the Gospel of Luke is a perfect illustration 00:24:02.819 --> 00:24:08.599 of this. In Luke 19, let me tell you a story 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:12.099 about Zacchaeus. He was a short, wee little man 00:24:12.099 --> 00:24:16.700 and another rich tax collector like Matthew. 00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:22.619 My wife is thinking of, I could hear her singing 00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:24.819 that Sunday school song in her head right now. 00:24:26.339 --> 00:24:28.299 Zacchaeus was, I don't know, I didn't go to church 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:32.160 as a kid. I just get bits and pieces of the song. 00:24:34.410 --> 00:24:47.210 So we little man. All right. Zacchaeus was climbing 00:24:47.210 --> 00:24:50.809 upon a tree because he was too short to see. 00:24:50.890 --> 00:24:54.390 He couldn't see over the crowds when Jesus was 00:24:54.390 --> 00:24:59.549 coming. Jesus walked by and said to him, Zacchaeus, 00:24:59.630 --> 00:25:06.210 I am staying at your house tonight. Upon entering, 00:25:06.390 --> 00:25:09.849 upon having an encounter with the God of the 00:25:09.849 --> 00:25:15.349 universe, the gospel of Luke says in verse eight, 00:25:16.190 --> 00:25:20.869 but Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, 00:25:21.009 --> 00:25:24.130 look, I have given half my possessions to the 00:25:24.130 --> 00:25:31.230 poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from 00:25:31.230 --> 00:25:37.289 anyone, I'll pay back four times as much. Today, 00:25:37.289 --> 00:25:40.349 salvation has come to this house, Jesus told 00:25:40.349 --> 00:25:44.769 him, because he too is a son of Abraham. For 00:25:44.769 --> 00:25:49.630 the son of man has come to seek and save the 00:25:49.630 --> 00:25:58.490 lost. He was called to follow Jesus. After encountering 00:25:58.490 --> 00:26:02.480 Jesus, he was being taught by Jesus. And then 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:05.119 he began to be healed and transformed through 00:26:05.119 --> 00:26:09.779 repentance. And then he begins to put mercy in 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:13.039 the practice to make restitution for those that 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:17.559 he harmed. The Bible says, blessed are the merciful 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:22.500 for they will be shown mercy. And how much mercy 00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:28.279 do we need? Point three, a desire for mercy. 00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:34.369 The kingdom of God, In the Bible, mercy is a 00:26:34.369 --> 00:26:38.750 major theme. It's referenced, what mercy really 00:26:38.750 --> 00:26:46.609 means is giving forgiveness and withholding punishment. 00:26:49.309 --> 00:26:58.529 The why behind that mercy is because our Christ 00:26:58.529 --> 00:27:04.130 shows us mercy. Jesus provided the ultimate reason 00:27:04.130 --> 00:27:07.109 for his action. And it's a key principle in the 00:27:07.109 --> 00:27:10.329 kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. In 00:27:10.329 --> 00:27:14.970 Matthew 9, 13, he says, go learn what this means. 00:27:15.390 --> 00:27:18.390 He's telling them, go back and read the Bible. 00:27:18.730 --> 00:27:23.130 I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I have 00:27:23.130 --> 00:27:27.289 not come to call the righteous, but sinners. 00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:34.140 Jesus is quoting Hosea 6 .6 here. The idea of 00:27:34.140 --> 00:27:36.819 mercy goes way deep in the Old Testament. It's 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:39.200 all through the Bible. It's traced in the very 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:47.160 beginning first few chapters. He's telling the 00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:50.640 Pharisees their worship and their Old Testament 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:53.920 sacrifices were disconnected from their heart's 00:27:53.920 --> 00:28:00.549 posture of mercy and compassion. They were following 00:28:00.549 --> 00:28:04.490 rules without having love for their brother. 00:28:09.210 --> 00:28:12.549 A Christian with good deeds and who gives his 00:28:12.549 --> 00:28:16.049 time and resources to the church but lacks mercy 00:28:16.049 --> 00:28:19.990 and love for his brother is missing the heart 00:28:19.990 --> 00:28:24.670 of Christ by merely just doing external things 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:29.849 but not showing love and kindness. A huge part 00:28:29.849 --> 00:28:34.690 of our relationship with God is being merciful 00:28:34.690 --> 00:28:39.450 to others, not because they deserve it, but because 00:28:39.450 --> 00:28:45.289 he has done an extravagant mercy undeserved for 00:28:45.289 --> 00:28:52.460 us. Mercy is mentioned over 280 times in the 00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:55.279 Bible, affirming that it is God's nature to be 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:58.559 merciful and extend his mercy to his people. 00:29:00.619 --> 00:29:06.559 Church, there is such a great need for mercy. 00:29:10.019 --> 00:29:15.740 In the world, in our homes, with our spouses, 00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:22.299 and in our church. Because the sad reality is 00:29:22.299 --> 00:29:30.839 imperfect people hurt people. Tim Keller said 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:36.579 this. People are messy. Therefore, relationships 00:29:36.579 --> 00:29:42.599 are messy. Relationships will be messy. Expect 00:29:42.599 --> 00:29:47.720 messiness. We're just a bunch of messy people. 00:29:49.319 --> 00:29:55.980 but redeemed and loved. Offenses and hurts are 00:29:55.980 --> 00:30:01.380 inevitable. Wherever you find people, you'll 00:30:01.380 --> 00:30:07.339 find hurts and failures and offenses. Especially 00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:15.460 me. I've hurt people deeply that I loved unintentionally. 00:30:17.609 --> 00:30:20.369 And I've been hurt by people unintentionally. 00:30:22.470 --> 00:30:25.190 But the kingdom of God is a kingdom of mercy 00:30:25.190 --> 00:30:27.890 and forgiveness because we are flawed and broken 00:30:27.890 --> 00:30:30.930 people who need to be healed and forgiven. We 00:30:30.930 --> 00:30:34.710 are also called to forgive others and to be merciful 00:30:34.710 --> 00:30:39.589 to others. Church, please hear me out on this. 00:30:40.549 --> 00:30:44.170 We're gonna get a lot of things wrong. As we're 00:30:44.170 --> 00:30:49.000 growing, as we're doing life together, But please, 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:52.420 let's not let mercy to each other be one of those 00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:57.440 things. Let's not let mercy be one of those problems. 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:03.160 Even us as leaders, as long as it's not biblically 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:07.460 disqualifying, we're going to make mistakes at 00:31:07.460 --> 00:31:13.220 times. Because God is using imperfect people 00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:21.509 to do his will. My point, Is all of us hurt one 00:31:21.509 --> 00:31:24.849 another sometimes. And we need to be merciful 00:31:24.849 --> 00:31:27.710 and forgiving. Because most of the time it's 00:31:27.710 --> 00:31:31.069 accidentally. We didn't mean to do it. Or we 00:31:31.069 --> 00:31:34.529 overlooked something. That's not always the case. 00:31:34.549 --> 00:31:40.849 But often I found it is. So we must be people 00:31:40.849 --> 00:31:45.250 of mercy. We need to be biblically minded. And 00:31:45.250 --> 00:31:48.970 practice what it says. Especially regards to 00:31:48.970 --> 00:31:58.049 mercy. Many of us, many of us are struggling 00:31:58.049 --> 00:32:03.930 and have been deeply hurt by somebody. Perhaps 00:32:03.930 --> 00:32:09.569 a spouse, family member, church member, church 00:32:09.569 --> 00:32:14.650 friends, coworkers, someone you trusted and they 00:32:14.650 --> 00:32:23.779 betrayed that trust. But we need to pray to the 00:32:23.779 --> 00:32:28.079 Lord to help us with our anger, our bitterness, 00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:35.319 and then put mercy in the practice. Not because 00:32:35.319 --> 00:32:41.460 that other person deserves it, but because how 00:32:41.460 --> 00:32:47.900 our God is merciful with us. And for those of 00:32:47.900 --> 00:32:51.009 you who have been extremely hurt, It's not going 00:32:51.009 --> 00:32:54.809 to happen overnight. But with the Lord's help, 00:32:55.029 --> 00:32:59.130 you can start putting mercy in the practice and 00:32:59.130 --> 00:33:02.630 praying for help, praying for the Holy Spirit 00:33:02.630 --> 00:33:06.730 to guide you and continue to meditate on mercy. 00:33:09.329 --> 00:33:13.730 Our God is a king of mercy. He calls us to follow 00:33:13.730 --> 00:33:17.410 him and be co -partners and instruments of that 00:33:17.410 --> 00:33:22.740 great mercy. In this world. And especially to 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:30.180 each other. And especially in his church. We 00:33:30.180 --> 00:33:35.440 are called to become agents of his mercy. We 00:33:35.440 --> 00:33:38.539 are the broken stones that God is reshaping. 00:33:39.019 --> 00:33:43.359 The building blocks he is using to build his 00:33:43.359 --> 00:33:48.420 kingdom today. A kingdom of merciful people. 00:33:52.009 --> 00:33:58.210 So church, I plead with you to start following 00:33:58.210 --> 00:34:01.869 God today, to answer his call for your life. 00:34:02.710 --> 00:34:04.470 Whatever you've been through, whatever you're 00:34:04.470 --> 00:34:07.730 going through, some of you are already called 00:34:07.730 --> 00:34:10.070 and on the process. Some of the people are on 00:34:10.070 --> 00:34:13.010 the fence, but please know that you are called. 00:34:13.170 --> 00:34:15.449 You are called on a spiritual journey. You are 00:34:15.449 --> 00:34:19.309 called on a lifelong process of following Christ 00:34:19.309 --> 00:34:24.150 now and forever. And he is good. He is the good 00:34:24.150 --> 00:34:27.170 shepherd. And he has a plan for you and he loves 00:34:27.170 --> 00:34:30.570 you. And you are uniquely and wonderfully made. 00:34:31.210 --> 00:34:34.289 And we all need to be better at answering his 00:34:34.289 --> 00:34:37.489 call and following him. It's not a one -time 00:34:37.489 --> 00:34:40.389 event, but a lifelong process. And then we need 00:34:40.389 --> 00:34:43.170 to be taught by him. We need to feed our minds 00:34:43.170 --> 00:34:47.710 with his word. We need to be in the church, not 00:34:47.710 --> 00:34:49.920 for going to church for a trek. just to hit a 00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:53.519 check mark, that when we leave these doors, we 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:57.519 will know him better. We need to get healed by 00:34:57.519 --> 00:35:02.719 his grace. And then we need to do as best as 00:35:02.719 --> 00:35:06.039 we can and become agents of that mercy to others. 00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:10.719 I want you to hear this clearly today. God is 00:35:10.719 --> 00:35:13.000 actively breaking in his kingdom through the 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:15.679 lives of broken people who have found his grace. 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:20.099 You and I, great or small, are agents of that 00:35:20.099 --> 00:35:25.820 mercy and a light to this dark world, whether 00:35:25.820 --> 00:35:32.500 to the one person or to the many. Will you recognize 00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:36.260 you have been called by him? Would you recognize 00:35:36.260 --> 00:35:40.860 you have a deep spiritual need for him? Will 00:35:40.860 --> 00:35:43.920 you allow him to change you and to heal you? 00:35:45.300 --> 00:35:48.489 Will you allow him to change your life? For his 00:35:48.489 --> 00:35:53.329 glory and for your own good and for the benefit 00:35:53.329 --> 00:35:58.389 of those you love. And for this lost world of 00:35:58.389 --> 00:36:00.710 all these hurting people who don't know him yet. 00:36:01.829 --> 00:36:04.550 Will you respond to that mercy that he shows 00:36:04.550 --> 00:36:08.150 you and go likewise and be merciful to others? 00:36:10.650 --> 00:36:15.329 Again, it's not because they deserve it. It's 00:36:15.329 --> 00:36:19.369 because. what our God has done for us and his 00:36:19.369 --> 00:36:23.269 mercy that he shows us every day. He's a God 00:36:23.269 --> 00:36:26.050 that never gives up on us. He's a God that encouraged 00:36:26.050 --> 00:36:29.349 us to the good. He's a God of mercy.