Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:

Thanks, Jasmine. Hey, good morning, everybody. Great to see your faces. Right? hey, and, can we say good morning to our church family online as well? Hey, good morning guys. Glad that you can join us. God bless you guys. Hey, you know, I did wanna bring, a little bit of, kind of info as well at what we've been doing in terms of the Maui fires. as soon as that became aware, that there is an arm within our church family called Four Square Disaster Relief, who've had a lot of experience, traveling into places like even Ukraine, and Tonga, and Florida, and all these places that have had disasters, and how that works is usually it it's a partnering with a local church.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:41]:

and so they'll send the team and how they can be boots on the ground in that place. And so they've already done that, you know, basically the day after the fire started. So, we're partnering with some folks out in New Hope Maui and you Hope Kahului. And there'll be teams that actually will be rotating through starting tomorrow. So, that's part of what that we're funding. As soon as we understood that, just we as a church, that when you give, would you guys know that as soon as these kinds of things happen, we just invest. We send we send the resources right away so things can get started. But again, if you would like to continue to partner with us, we'd love for that as well.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:28]:

and we'll partner with anybody who's making a difference. And so, some of that stuff that we might, still partner with our Salvation army and Red Cross, depending on the the kind of a situation because whoever can get the resources to people, that's the ones we wanna partner with, right? So, thank you for being that kind of a people I I do wanna change gears here. We started a series, the other week, couple weeks ago, we calling reset, right? And because it's preparing for the new season. How many of you guys know that if you were traveling, anybody here travel, you guys like coal places? Everybody here like coal places? Yeah. Well, not many. I thought that more resides, you know, just a couple of us here. I like cold places but have you ever been to a cold place and unprepared? It's not so fun. Right? I went to San Francisco once.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:16]:

I was going on a trip and my wife said to me, oh, you like the cold. That I I'm gonna bring a jacket. You don't need bring a shirt and I said, okay, you know, and then I I so I had a t shirt and I had like a a shirt and and I thought, I'm all good and and I'm there with and we're there for a convention thing and I opened the door to the hotel and we step on the street and the wind goes right to me. And that's like, I'm immediately upset at my wife, right? Because I was unprepared for the new season And so it's not my wife's fault, but it kinda No. But, so at least I made it that way. but, you know, the thing is that we don't want people to be unprepared for the new season and so we talked about this aspect of embracing change and and there needs to be at times that we can resist change but change happens to everybody. we it happens in every family. It happens in every organization.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:15]:

It just happens. And so, nothing stays the same this side of heaven. And so, we we need to learn how to embrace the right kind of changes and then prepare for those changes as well. And so we been talking about that. We last week, we talked about at times we need a spiritual reset, right, that we, we need to kinda use this time to to further our discipleship to further our our capacity to draw close to to to pray fresh. And so we started 21 days of prayer this last week. And so, if you've been encouraged by that, can we just kinda hear a little bit of a thing that you've been encouraged by at 21 days of prayer? team's been great. It's been fun to be able to do that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:55]:

And and and I love that when there's that time to pray. And and I do encourage you guys that when you even at home, can you guys pray out loud, right? Pray out loud? You know why? Because there's something when you can hear yourself and something that you declare uh-uh that with your voice that I I believe that it changes things. It's not that god needs you to pray it out loud I think I need to pray it out loud for me. That makes sense. And so it raises my faith. And so we there's something that happens when there's a a a when people can pray together. And so the that's been happening. And this morning, we're talking about something a little different.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:34]:

And and how many of you guys can ever anybody get distracted? How many anybody easily distracted? Okay. Some of at admitting. Some of us wanna raise your hand, but you were distracted. You were doing something else. No. But, you know, I was driving, to the store. I went to Walmart and as I'm waiting to park the car. I see this lady totally clueless her face in her phone and just doing this and walking right in front of the car.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:58]:

You know what I mean? And so you just stop and all that and there's a part of me like I wasn't mad because I had to stop. I was mad because I I was thinking, I hope you don't do this like at night. You know what I mean? I hope you don't walk around with your face in the phone because to be honest, I until, when I went home, I told my wife, I told my kids that, hey, when you go to the store, I don't want to hear that you you had your face in the phone and you're you're walking through because you know what you're saying to anybody who's looking for somebody they say, Hey, choose me because I'm distracted, right? So I tell my kids, I tell my wife, and you know, I kinda beat that drum especially at night. Be situationally aware, right? And I'm not you don't have to be like military guys head on a swivel all the time and you know, like stare down people but but I want you to be aware, right? And then, you know, that the thing is that I get a lot of texts too. I get a lot of phone calls too. And so, about several weeks after that, I go to the gym and, you know, I'm getting these texts while I'm in the gym and I try not answer. Well, I just let me get in, get out. And so as soon as I I'm done, I walk out, I'm starting to answer these texts.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:09]:

People need information from me. They need response from me, so I'm texting back and forth, but I'm still walking. And the next thing I know, I look at I look up and then you know what? I see a car waiting for me. And then I heard the voice. What are you doing on your phone? And, and because it's is I can get distracted, right? That I can become so focused on something that I'm moving forward but I'm not really looking forward. That makes sense, right? And so, I believe that the lord is saying to us even as a church, as a people, that you know what? You need to be able to see what's in front of you but you don't see it when sometimes you get so focused on the media that we this, sometimes people, sometimes situations, sometimes opportunities that your eyes are too focused on right what is before you. And so we're gonna read that together this morning. it's found in John chapter 4 verse 35, would you be kind enough to stand? Let's stand in reverence for god at his word and we'll read this together.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:16]:

Ready? Let's read. Do you not say they are yet 4 months then comes to harvest? Look, I tell you lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvests. Now, what he's talking about is not a physical harvest. He's not talking about the wheat or the rye or the barley, right? He's talking about people but he's saying this. Some of you are thinking, you know, not in 4 months, right? Not now, but but like in the future. And you know what god is saying? Some of it's right now. There's opportunities right now, right? And but if you are so hyper focused on what you're doing, sometimes you can't see because How many of us were thinking about Lahaina before Tuesday or Monday night? Probably not many of us. But you know what? There's some people even today that if they don't look up that they're oblivious to what's happening.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:14]:

They're oblivious to the of people whose lives have been affected, right? So, this is what god is saying. You gotta lift up your eyes at times. See just simply what's going on in front of you, but see what I'm doing. That's what he's saying, right? That we need to see what god is doing. God is doing in other people's lives. to what god is doing in your life and opportunities that lie behind you. So, before you're seated, do me a favor and turn your neighbor and says, you can lift up your eyes, and then you can have a seat. Alright? You can lift up your eyes.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:46]:

Some of you just gotta wake up. So that's that's the whole. You gotta just open your eyes. But, so there's coffee for that. But, hey, in our in our series, what we'll see in our message this morning. I think what we'll see is how really Jesus can see that that people around him. Now, Jesus sometimes I think if we read the Bible or we watch, you know, like, some movie about Jesus. to be honest, I I cannot really speak about the chosen series.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:12]:

I know it's a very popular series. just confessed. I haven't seen it. So I know that somebody's like, oh, you a pastor? Yes, I am. So, but I, sometimes I couldn't I stuff like that. I I'm a little bit like I'm I'm thinking like, really? Is it the I I didn't see that in the thing. Sometimes it kinda spoils that. But but here's the thing is that Jesus was busy.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:33]:

Now, sometimes you think it looks like he's just walking around talking story. I don't wanna go fishing fishing today, right? He wants to go, you know, go in the village. He goes, oh, I'm gonna heal some people today, but that's not how it was, right? The scripture tells us it we it shows periods where it says that they were so busy. They didn't even have time for lunch, right? Didn't have even time for dinner not just Jesus but the disciples. So Jesus is busy but amazingly no matter how busy he is, he's on the way a woman tugs on his his coat, right? Tugs on his his tunic and she's healed and he stops everything, right? and and it's he's surrounded. He's on his way to go to this leader's house because he has a sick daughter. Now, but Jesus in the middle. Now, the daughter dies in the in the meantime, but you know what? He does? He raises her up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:28]:

So even and Jesus takes the time to be with someone. He doesn't ignore other people. Right? So sometimes you know what happens that you're praying for something and some else has like a a miraculous intervention. Right? Sometimes it's a physical thing. Sometimes it's a financial thing. And you guys ever pray, but what about me, lord? Right? Can we just say that god doesn't run out of power, right? Because he healed somebody or provided for somebody. So don't worry. Just say, hey, would you just say God has enough for me? Right? God has enough for me, right? And so we understand this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:02]:

So he's moved being in these situations and and I what I want us to see is that how Jesus sees people. I want us to us to see how Jesus sees people because sometimes I think we look through people. Sometimes we look past people. sometimes we see people but what we see and what we focus on, I think is what god wants us to focus on. And so we see this played out in Luke chapter 19. And Jesus is actually on his way to Jerusalem. And this is gonna be the culmination, toward the book of the the ending in the book of Luke where Jesus is in Jerusalem. It's the Passion week.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:41]:

He has all these interactions, cleanses the temple, do all does all that, and then goes to the cross. And so he's in the final stretch and he's making his way to Jerusalem and it says this in luke 19 verse 1. He says, so Jesus entered Jericho, right, and made his way through the town. And there was a man there named, what? Zackia. And he was the chief tax collector in the region and he had become very rich. Now, we've talked about tax collectors before Matthew, and, to be honest, in in Zakiya as well, but, how tax collectors worked were they were sanctioned by the government to tax for the government but this is how they made a living that whatever they charge over they kept. So guess what? They charged a lot, right? And they became very welcome. They were probably the guys with the highest bank, you know, they they the high rollers in in the town generally and they were normally known as this kind of guys who like for partiers, right? just the excessive guys and who felt no qualms about taking what's belonged to somebody else to enrich themselves.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:52]:

right? So this was legal thievery. And so we see this that he sees this is the guy that he sees. who had become very rich. And number 3, verse 3 says this, and that he tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over crowd. Now, why did why did Zakius who had everything materially he could have wanted? Who was wealthy? Who had e who had comfort, who could, you know, throw a party and invite people and they would come because that was the the happening place to be but something was missing, right? That something was missing and so he's looking for Jesus. but he can. He's a short dude, right? I understand. So then he says this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:38]:

So he ran ahead and climbed up a Sycamore fig tree beside the road. So he he he looks at the path Jesus taking runs the other way, cuts across, right? And he climbs a tree to see Jesus and this is the person who is known as a wild man who's known a thief who's despised by many and mired in sin and all of these things and this is the people that Jesus sees. Jesus sees people like this. Why is that? Because he just sees people as people. If we wanna see like Jesus sees, I think we just see people as people. And you know, as as horrible as what's happening in Maui is right now, can can we kinda assume a few things. And I'm I'm guessing this. that right now people don't care if you're Republican or Democrat.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:38]:

in Maui, right? People don't care if you're single or you're married, people don't care if you, you know, black, white, Asian, polynesia, right? Didn't care. You're just a person, right? You lost your home. Nobody cares. You're gay. You're straight. Whatever. Right? You're just it's just a person It's just a person who's in need, just a person who suffered loss. And and I love the fact that that when never the gospel goes forward, we don't really care what people are.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:05]:

Right? We we just know that that person is valuable. He just we can just see people as people. but some of us, to be honest, I think we get we we like people but we get drained by people. You guys know what I mean? There's some of us that that you go to work or you, you know, you go to school or whatever you're at and maybe even you go to social things and it's not that you don't like it. You know, you go to a small group or you go to a a a party or or something like that. And you enjoy the people but that when you go home, you're like, right? You feel strained, right? If that's you, right? If that's you, it's not we know it's not because you don't have social skill or whatever it is but it's it's that you're recharged by being alone and that's called an introvert. Okay? An introvert is not a personality. It's it's just a way that you are are drained or energized.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:57]:

Some of us that you love being around people. Why? Because it gives you energy. Anybody here like that? Anybody here like you get energized by people? Yeah. Okay. I I kinda guess, Cindy. No. But, but that that you you get energized by people. it doesn't mean that you're always the life of the party or that, you know, you had lamp shade kind of a thing but you you just like being it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:20]:

Sometimes those people can be relatively quiet but they just like being around other people and and sometimes that's where we get the coffee shop kind of syndrome, right? That people wanna be alone together. Right? You know what I mean? Like, you you wanna do your thing but you wanna be in a place where there's other people because you get energized by that. Right? So some of us that you're introverted, some of you're extroverted, but here it doesn't matter. Not it's not a function of how if you're introvert or an extrovert, you can see people as people And that for what Jesus is saying, that every person matters, right? That every person matters, whether they have a good season right now, they're in the top of game, right? Cause to be honest, Zackias, he from all intents and purposes on the outside, needs nothing and he needs no one, but Jesus sees him. And the other thing is, not Jesus see him, he wants him. He's calling him. And we'll see that in a second here. but but every because it's every person matters.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:28]:

And and in the middle of that, we'll we'll see what happens here. But sometimes I think we we need people. How many of you guys know you need people? You just need people, right? In your life? Right? But sometimes we we wanna treat everybody as if they matter but sometimes we're gonna grade how much they how much we value them because if you go to the restaurant and you go to eat and they have given you good service, you give probably a good tip, right? Right? But have you guys ever gone and it just seems like they're doing you a favor by by eating in their restaurant and it's like, you know, they just like sloppy. They don't bring your stuff. They forget to come by. Never fill your water glass or whatever. They don't bring your your you guys ever been in that place? And when a tip time comes, what do you do? You just walk away? No, it's good. I don't know but like, but we, right? We have to grade that, right? So you probably don't tip as well.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:24]:

We understand that. I understand how how that goes, but it's sort of like and that's a work thing, right? That's a service thing but it reminds me that when I I went to this bathroom and there was a soap dispenser. You guys are gonna put your hand on the soap dispenser and the soap doesn't come out and so you're trying to figure it out. Like like, what is you guys do, you know, come genie open up or whatever this case, right? And it's like slow. Sometimes I was like, what? The thing is, what's wrong with this? It's so slow. And then I real eyes, oh, you gotta push this one. You gotta, like, and I feel like ridiculous somebody walking by like, look at that idiot, you gotta push, right? and so some of us know what? We we we come to the place when people don't do what you want, you push them to, right? That we push people and but here's the thing. People are not just dispensers of goods and services.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:16]:

Right? We do. We know who can meet, you know, sometimes our need, who gives us what we want, who who does different things, but I love the fact that Jesus sees people when and and from all appearances, they could do nothing for him. He just loves them. because he loves people. And, and that's what he's saying. Just, would you just care for about people? See people? Not because of what they can give you, but that's just because they're person. Right? Turn your neighbor says, all people matter. All people matter.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:46]:

Right? Right? All people matter to to to Jesus. And so we see this aspect and and so where is Zackias at this point? He's in the tree, right? He's in the tree. Now, I always envisioned in my mind. You guys ever ever envision. I encourage you envision the stuff that you're reading when you read the Bible. And I I have no idea what a Sycamore tree is. I'm sure I seen them. I've been to the mainland so many times but I don't walk around and say, can you explain to me what kind of trees those are? I don't normally do that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:18]:

So but in my mind, kinda envision, you know, him in the, like, the crook of a tree, right? And seeing just so he can see, but then I've read these commentators say that to be honest, it's possible that Zakius was hiding as well in the tree. In other words, he wanted to see Jesus but he didn't wanna be seeing seeing Jesus. Why? Because one, he's wealthy, one he's not known to be a spiritual right? The other thing is this is what a Sycamore tree looks like. Let's take a look at what a Sycamore tree looks like. So that's a Sycamore tree. tree is actually in the city of Jericho. It's called the Zakiya tree and and they don't know if this is exactly the tree that Zakius was in, but it's over 2000 years old. So it possibly could have been the tree that was in.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:11]:

And it's at the it's at crossroads of of 2 streets. And so, you know, it's very conceivable that sitting in that tree, he wouldn't be seen. Right? And there are people at times that they're looking for Jesus. They just don't wanna be seen looking for Jesus. Some of you are at home online right now, right? But some of us that before you come to a physical service, what do you do? You you watch online, right? Because, you know, you you just you you're looking, but you you don't necessarily wanna be seen, but Jesus sees the people at times that they don't even wanna be seen, right? Because he knows them. In, the next verse in verse 5, 5. This is what it says. And so when Jesus came by, he looked up at Zakius and called him by name.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:01]:

Does it ever say that they said his name? No. You know, Jesus knows your name before you say your name. Jesus knows your name before you say your name. I remember when my friend from college and we were all like total pagans together and and he knew I had become a believer and and I was serving in a ministry full time. He wanted to come because he recently, he had just found Jesus. and, and he came and so he he came in our meeting and at the end he wanted to pray. And I said, hey, let's pray And so we pray, and and my friend, his name is Gary, and and so we're praying. He said, and we all prayed, and then and then Gary prayed, and this is how he prayed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:44]:

He said, Jesus, this is Gary, you know. And, I almost laughed, right? Because Gary, I think he knows who you are, right? But he gave the most simple and heartfelt prayer that at the end, most of us in the circle that we had tears in his in our eyes because we could feel the purity of the prayer, right? but I'm so glad that you don't have to say your name. He knows your name. He knows you. Isn't that good? Right? Man, I'm so glad that when I when I was a million miles away, he knew me. And when Zakius was a million miles away, maybe not physically, but just the way he was living. He was a million miles away. Jesus doesn't say, excuse me, what's your name? Is Zakias? Zacias come down, he says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:37]:

Come down quickly because I must be a guest in your home today. And so Jesus is not ashamed. He said, I go make house. I go in your house in fact, right? What if I met you today? He says, hey, Thanks for coming today. I'm going to your house for lunch. You think, well, who is this guy? Right? But Jesus is welcomed into the home because Sekias had heard about Jesus. That's why he was looking for you. He had heard about people whose lives had been changed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:00]:

He had heard about the words that he had said. He wasn't willing yet at ready to be identified as that but he went he he was ready to go, right? And so, Zakiya and quickly climbed down. It says in verse 6, Zakiya quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house and in great joy excitement, right? But the people were displeased. So Zakeas was happy that Jesus came, but not everybody was happy. Why? Because they said he has gone to be guess of a notorious sinner they grumble. Now they they understood. And maybe if you're in the short end Zakiya's business dealings, you know, you're not that happy, right? Maybe if, you know, that you are saving up for something, the tax man comes and he says, I'm sorry, it's all mine, right? And and they see how well he's living and you see how hard you're living, it's easy to be resent we can understand that. And when you see the the craziness of his lifestyle, you said, man, that guy's a sinner.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:03]:

We understand that. But but Did Jesus know that? Yeah. He knew it when he called him, but he decided He decided to look past his faults and see see him on on the inside. Right? He he knew how to do that. And so, if we wanna see Jesus, we wanna see people like how Jesus sees people. Sometimes you gotta to look past their faults and their sins to see their value. See, everybody's made in the image of god. It's just sometimes we get covered over by sin.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:37]:

Sometimes we get covered over by addiction. Sometimes we get covered over by a rough exterior sometimes we get covered over by bad attitude, right? Or harsh words. We get covered over by the fact that we're so us on our our on our goal that nobody else matters to us. And so sometimes that's what happens. gets covered over but this is the good news is that god can see through that and he's asking us, would you see Pat people's weirdness and their faults and and the stresses and the strains of their life that that sometimes we need to just see past that because, you know, everybody's just everybody wants to be loved. Everybody has fears, right? Everybody struggles with something. Everybody has has has something that they're they're hoping for in the future. Everybody's the same.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:34]:

Everybody wants be appreciated. Right? I don't care who you are, right? Everybody here, right? You wanna be loved. You want your life to count. And so you know what? On the street, it's the same. Your neighbors are the same. The people you go to school with are the same. Everybody has fears. Everybody has worries, right? Everybody has trouble.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:57]:

It just looks like at times that they don't. Right? Everybody's the same. There's like, everybody has somebody that they're concerned about. And so this what he's saying. He said, would you see past at times, defaults, and see past, you know, the things that kinda get in the way to so that you can see their value. They're still made in the image of god. And because of that, there's inherent value I think some of the problem that we have, is sometimes we we think that we should treat everybody the same and you're not supposed to treat everybody to sing. And for some people that sounds theoretical, I understand it when I say that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:41]:

but but I think we should love people with the love of Jesus but you don't treat everybody the same because if your spouse or your kids call you, your parents call you, and they say, you know what? The car broke. I need a $1000 Can you lend me a $1000? If you have the money, what you're gonna do? You're gonna lend me the money. If some strange guy on the street says, My car is broken. I need a $1000. Can you lend me a $1000? I hope you don't lend them a $1000, right? Unless you just dependently wealthy and you can just do that. Why is that? because you don't know that person, right? That you they might need compassion, right? Maybe you can offer them a ride. Maybe you can call, you know, the tow truck, but you shouldn't give them that. Why? Because I used to have this philosophy.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:38]:

I'm gonna give to everybody who asks me and then I moved to LA. and every place I went, somebody was asking. And I just couldn't give anymore. I was giving every time I went to 7 11. Every time I filled gas, every time I went to fast food, somebody's asking and then I realized I will not survive in and then I started to realize, you know what? Everybody needs respect and need to be treated with honor. You don't treat everybody to sing, right? To be honest, you should give more to those who are closer to you, right? Because that's who your responsibility. I'm not responsible for every person. You're not responsible for every person.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:25]:

We're responsible to people in some sense. That makes sense? because if we don't know that, we're gonna start resenting people Right? We're gonna start resenting people. And so the scripture says this, you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. I read in our I read an article this morning about like what's happening in Lahaina in a in in the they had a quote that said, this guy said you know, with all everything that's happened, I'm losing my faith. Does that guy need a lecture? about how God is faithful, like, and you shouldn't feel this way. No. He he needs mercy. He lost everything.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:08]:

Right? Sometimes you cry with those who cry. We grieve with those who grieve. And and so he says, she'll mercy to whose faith is wavering. What is it say the next one? Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Hey, there's some people headed the hell and they're going happily, right? They just don't even know it. And and so, hey, some of those guys, we have to steer them in an in a different you bring them to you. There's some people you need to love with a little bit of distance, whether that distance is emotional distance, whether that distance is kind of trust situations because some of you are thinking, okay, there have people in my life who are so painful to me and I'm supposed to look past their sins and their faults. This is where Jesus is saying that you can have mercy for them you can have a little bit of distance because if you give them this information, they stab you with it, right? If you give them an opportunity, then they take advantage of that you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:22]:

Sometimes you love people. You need to love people but with a little bit of caution. That's what he's saying, right? Because you don't treat everybody the same. And so he says this because why? It's gonna contaminate you. And so, that makes sense, right? That's what the scripture say. But here's the other part, I think, that what Jesus did. Why did he call Zakius? Because he didn't just see Zacchius as he was, he saw him as he could be. And what what what happens? What does he he do? It says later after he comes down from the tree, since Zacias, came down from the tree, and it says oh and meanwhile Zakiya stood before the Lord and said, I will give half wealth to the poor.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:14]:

And the lord, if I have cheated, that's not a if though. We know he has cheated for you. And if the people I've cheated on their taxes. I will give them back four times as much. And Jesus responded. Salvation has come to this home today. for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. And you know the thing is that no one would have guessed that Zakius, his response to Jesus, would be this big of a turnaround, except to Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:48]:

Right? God's there's that there's some people that you'll meet and they go like, Hey, what are you doing now? They say, oh, I'm gonna church now. There's some people in your life. Anybody's like, what you, you guys ever get that? I can't believe you're going to church now, right? Why? Cause he couldn't envision it, but you know who could envision it? God could envision right? Because he sees the you that you are now but he also sees the you that you can be and that is always in the habit of calling out the best in someone, not after it happens but before it happens. So, and Simon Peter was a Fisher in, putting his mouth, you're in a foot in his mouth all the time. His name was Simon and this is what Jesus says. I I'm gonna change your name. We'll call you Peter from now. Comes in the Greek word Petro, which means stone or rock.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:39]:

It may for all intents and purposes, we could call them Rocky. People call you Simon, but you're a Rocky, but you're you're there's something in you that's durable, that's tough that's strong. And if people are gonna depend on that. And Peter was probably thinking, okay, I I don't know what this guy is talking about, right? Has anybody ever called out something in you? Have you ever been in a point in your career? You ever been in a point in your life that somebody this. Hey, you know, I know you're doing this, but have you ever considered something bigger, something higher, and you just said this, No, there's no way. No, that's not I I don't think I could do that, but they said, Hey, let me just say, I it's tough right now but if you're willing to make this shift a little bit, you know what? Doors are gonna open. Anybody been in that place? people called out the best in you. There have been times that when I I came, I wanted to make a difference with my life I wanted to serve, but you know what? When I walked in church, this is what I thought.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:45]:

That place is filled with goody goodies and I'm not one of them. Literally that's just what that's the thought that I had in my mind. But you know what? Somebody said this. I see something in you. I see your heart for god. I see that you care about people and you know what? They're just open doors because they believe something in me. And so if we wanna see people like how Jesus sees people, don't just see them as they are. See them as they can be.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:11]:

Right? See them as they can be because everybody wants to be encouraged. wants to be believed in. Everybody wants to be recognized. Everybody. And sometimes people who are stuck in very, dysfunctional cycles. They know they messed up. They know they've kinda blown it. And you know what? Sometimes they this is what they're thinking.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:39]:

Sometimes they're thinking I gotta pay for it. But aren't you glad that Jesus paid for it? Right? Sometimes this is what they're thinking. It's so painful for me to think about what I've blown that I just numbed myself. I numb myself with activity, I numb myself with the substance, I numb myself with this, you know, just doing the phone thing, whatever it is. There's people that they're that way. They're stuck. Everybody gets stuck from time to time. You guys agree? Right? everybody gets stuck at some time, but sometimes what they need is not for us to rehearse their sin.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:18]:

Now, if you a parent. Sometimes we we have a hard time to forget, right? You guys are very like Hey, you said that if get a dog, you would take care of it, right? But look who's taking care of it now, right? It's like sometimes like, hey, we wanna do this thing. Mom, dad, can we do this thing? It's like, hey, when would the last time. Remember when we let you go out and then you blew the thing and you guys know what I'm talking about as parents, right? So some of you right now, you're thinking, Yeah, mom, right? But here's the thing. It's that for us to believe as people as can be, sometimes it's dark by let's stop rehearsing their sins and their failures. I have heard people say, you know what? The reason why I don't go to my family parties is because every time I go somebody's gonna bring up whatever Right? And it's usually in a joking fashion. It's usually after there's been a few drinks around the table and and there's this part where they go like, Tani, remember when you did that, like, stupid thing and, right? And so they don't wanna go. Why? because they always bring up the past and they always bring up what unflattering past.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:31]:

Right? But here's the thing. Can we bring up people's future? Can we bring out the fact that god is a god of hope that you know what? Hey, I know it's tough right now, but believe me, has better things in store for you, right? Hey, you know what? I know that right now it's a little challenging, but you made a great point when you said this, right? Everybody wants to be recognized can we just say, Hey, I know right now it's not where you where you want it to be, but you know, I know that God has more that when you just gotta keep trusting but there's gonna be a breakthrough. Why? Because we've probably experienced that. Right? I think most of us here have experienced that. See people as they can be. And you know, the thing is that when they encounter Jesus, then all things become possible. When surrender to him, then the sky's the limit. And so we see him change immediately.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:30]:

Now, Jesus says this at the end of that. At the end of that, he says in luke 1910. Let's read what it says. For the son of man, came to what, seek and save those who are lost. Jesus didn't come to earth because everybody was good. He came to earth because everybody was not good, right? And so he says what? He left a comfort of heaven where he got all honor and praise and glory and And he walked the dusty and dirty roads and went to little towns like Jericho and went to cities and where people didn't know who he was and he wasn't honored and worshiped. Why? Because he had a higher purpose and he had a mission. He says Jesus would rather die in the cross, go to live in some dusty and dirty town be mocked and beaten and crucified rather than for people to go to hell.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:41]:

That's what he's saying, right? That's why I came. I came to look for people like Zakius. I came to seek them and save them. That's why we're here because God didn't leave us, right? And so do you know your and mission. If you wanna see people the way Jesus sees people, that's great. There's all these wonderful things, but then he this, but know your purpose and mission. Because Jesus' purpose and mission ought to be ours as his followers. Right? We to be seeking to expand god's kingdom.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:17]:

We ought to be able to see the best in people we ought to believe the best in people and we ought to go where people are. Right? This has been again a great location, grateful for it in the midst of the pandemic. This has saved us, really, this location. God has used this, but we're reset. Right? We wanna reset. Go back to where there's more people, right? Where place where there's better parking, a place where there's a bigger meeting space, better air conditioning, but so we're gonna reset in Kapolei. And so even as a church that we want to be in the place that that people are more easily able to find us. If you guys found us right now, we just wanna say, you guys guys great at Google.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:07]:

Right? You guys great at at at finding, a map or figuring out how to get here on so figuring out how to get here from your car. We know that because this is not the easiest place. Yeah. How many road signs do we have are up right out here. You gotta really wanna find us, to be honest, if you're coming here, right? And so we we're moving because we wanna be more because we wanna be in a better place. Why? Because for us, no. Because there's a world out there that needs to be found. Jesus came for them, and he's saying, would you be my hands and feet? This is what it says in Romans 10 as 1415.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:48]:

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they've never heard about him. And how can they hear about him unless what? Someone tells them. I'm someone. Are you someone? Right? Can you tell somebody about Jesus? Can you invite somebody? Can you encourage somebody? Can you see past someone's faults and ears, right? We wanna learn how to do that. And this is what he says and how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? And that's why the scripture how beautiful are defeat of messengers who bring good news. If you tell people about Jesus God says this, You're beautiful. You're beautiful because beauty is not a physical thing. Beauty is a soul thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:40]:

And and that when we see that, he says, you know what? Then then you're accomplishing my you're stepping into the purpose in which you're created. I think every know somebody right now that and you might it might be you, but that nobody nobody saw their so. Everybody thought he's a lost cause. And and it was until they turned their life around. We we have people who've been in prison, who've, who've lost everything, I'm glad that Jesus saw their value and that somebody saw their value. Somebody went to somebody went to prison and did a prison ministry. And that's why we're we're going to to you challenge in in a couple weeks to to say that, Hey, these guys that maybe they're in different kind of a learning environment because they couldn't they didn't thrive in the conventional learning environment. So going to a different learning environment.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:47]:

And you know what? We're saying is we see your value that we see that god has a great future and a plan. You know, one of our friends, he helps a start to when you hold jujitsu ministry and and, and he's very successful in business, right? A manager and a car dealership. So if I need I need a Toyota and I'm to buy a brand new and I gonna see him, right? But, but you know, a long time ago, he was, he was in youth challenge. because he thought he was all that because he was struggling with different substances and he they was getting fights, and he was crazy, and he was doing all that stuff. And so he went to you challenge. And, and, he tells me, it was funny when he was telling stories about when he was a new challenge. But, after that, he went into the military. He gave himself to Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:47]:

And, and he started to change, right? And he was also into Jiujitsu, and he just was he changed like a crazy man. But but when the opportunity came, he they wanted to start. So he Justin and Shane asked Patrick Glenn, can we meet with you? I go, yeah, no problem. He said, we wanna start at jujitsu ministry. And I said, wait, so how does that work? We just go and choke each other out for Jesus. Is that what he said, no. no, no, no, no, he's like, you know, we'll we'll have a, like, a devotion time. We'll we'll share about the word.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:20]:

We'll pray for one another and then encourage one and so anybody can come because people are interested, right? They wanna learn and I don't know if you guys but it's not cheap to go take jujitsu on the on the outside. And so, but hey, we'll do it. We'll either do it for free or we'll do it for the minimum. I said, okay, no problem. And so that's been going for a while now. Now, we restarted again. But you know why that is? Because somebody saw the value in Justin. Somebody saw the value in Shane and you know what? They see the value in other people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:54]:

People have come into that place. I I've led I've I've led a bunch of guys to to Jesus who just come for Jitsu. But you know what? They got in the meantime. They got Jesus in the meantime. And so can we be that kind of a people? That's what he's saying. We gotta look around us because there's people all around you that God is touching and God wants to bring them And you and I, we get the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. That makes sense? That's what he's saying. Let's take a look.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:25]:

Because I can caught up in my life, and I can get caught up in all the things that I have on my plate. And I'm sure you can too, but it just says, just lift up your this power heads would close on an order per. Father, right now, I thank you that that lord whatever that you have going on right now, whatever you have going on in your life, would you just say God? I I wanna entrust these things to you. If you got a lot on your plate right now, Would you just entrust that to god today? God, I'm not I'm not entrusting this to you because it doesn't matter. I'm entrusting it to you because it's some of the most important things in my life. But I also thank you that that I need to be able to lift my eyes and see people around me. There's some of you that there are people in your life right now that they around you but they feel invisible. And sometimes they live in your house and sometimes they're your neighbor.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:28]:

And sometimes they're your coworker, but but they feel invisible. Would you see them? Because they have value too. Right. And some of them, you need to call today. Some of them, you need to courage you. Some of you need to text today. Some of them you just need to drop by, say just thinking about you. Father, would you bring those people to our mind.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:53]:

But father, we also live in a community where people are dying to be seen. And sometimes we do crazy things and social media and do all the things to be seen because they they just they don't really know their value but we thank you that you know value. And you see past all the external stuff. And lord, that help us to see. We're asking you but would you open our eyes so we can see people? We are willing to lift up our eyes. Thank you. would you see through me today and would you see people, Lord, with my eyes? that I might speak life, and I might be an encourager, and I might be a person who can see past their problems. because you you saw mine.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:40]:

You saw me. Thank you, lord. In Jesus' name. They with her head still bowed and eyes closed as well. And some of you, you never said yes to Jesus for yourself. And, you know, maybe today is your day. We don't wanna talk about how can receive people and change people and forgive people, but it'll give me an opportunity, right? it's like saying, Hey, this is a great meal, but you're not eating of it. God wants you to have it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:06]:

God wants you to have it all. Right? I do wanna say this one thing though. I saw I'm one of the news things, and I hope this guy is found of a woman who said, when the fires were coming in Maui, she told her dad, dad, we have to evacuate. We gotta go now and he said, no. And so she left. And and she said, I haven't seen him since. And I hope he's been found. I hope he's he changed his mind.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:43]:

This is what she said. I hope he changes his mind. There's some of you right now. There's people in your life that you said, I don't need Jesus, I don't want Jesus, and this is what they're saying. I hope he changes his mind. Because although we say it's never too late, the reality is day, it can be too late. Right? So would you take God's hand today? Maybe today is your day, right? Because you never know. You never know.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:14]:

Like, nobody envisioned what happened in Maui for the 93 people. Nobody envisioned it. Don't let be you. So we're gonna pray a real simple prayer today. If that's you, would you join me? Dear god, Thank you that you know me. Thank you that you care about me. Thank you that you see pass all my sins and my failures. You see them, but you see more than that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:41]:

So today, I ask, would you come live inside me today? I confess I need you. But I turn away from what I know is wrong, and I wanna trust in you. Jesus, thank you for dying in my place. Would you forgive me of my sin? and would you lead me in the way that you want me to go? Lord, I want to know you more. I wanna hear your voice and know your will in your way. Open up your word to me that I might grow. Lord, bring people in my life that can help me to journey in this walk of faith? And, father, would you help me to change, like Zakius, bit by bit, to I look more and more make you. I pray this right now in Jesus' name.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:38]:

Amen. Hey, can we say congratulations to those Hey. God bless you guys. Thanks for joining us this weekend.