 Luke 19 verse 1 then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho now behold there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and he was rich and he sought to see who Jesus was but could not because of the crowd for he was of short stature so he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him for he was going to pass away excuse me and when Jesus came to that place he looked up and saw him and said to him Zacchaeus make haste come down for today I must stay at your house so he made haste and came down and received him joyfully but when he's when they saw it the crowd saw it they all complained saying he he has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner then Zacchaeus stood and said to Lord Lord look Lord I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation I restore them fourfold and today and Jesus said today salvation has come to this house so I'm saying amen amen so I want to split the sermon into three into three categories the three or three part segments of of the sermon in the first segment I want to talk about is trying Zacchaeus was trying to see Jesus he he lived a bad life he was a everyone knew him as a bad person he was rich it wasn't because he was rich but the way that he got rich was in very bad bad ways ripped people off cheated people and he was just living a bad life and but and still in that Zacchaeus still wanted to see Jesus and I believe I believe that that speaks for everyone here is no matter who it is if you're atheists if you Catholic if you're a Buddhist if you're Muslim what whoever you are if there is a God out there that you deep inside you have a craving to know this God there you have a craving to experience this God and that's exactly what Zacchaeus was he he was a bad person but he still craved to see Jesus and when Jesus was passing by the Bible says he could not see the crowd but he could not see Jesus because of the crowd but we both know it wasn't the crowd that was the reason that he couldn't see Jesus the real reason the Bible says one verse later is is because he was a short stature and see something Zacchaeus and I have in common you and I Zacchaeus have in common is we all are short the Bible says in Romans 3 23 we all have sin and fall short of the glory of God so we have something in common and all your short people in the house it's not your fault you weren't you were born short no I mean you didn't be I mean you were born short you didn't become short like hey no you're in the womb and you like selected your characters in the womb short medium size of blonde hair no you didn't you were just born short and so we we are born short of reaching the glory of God from the set from the get-go we were we were never gonna be able to reach God's standard to achieve the standard of God and God knew then so but a lot of times when we're in there we we like to put excuses and we say well the reason I don't I can't reach God is because of the crowd is because of Christians no I met a Christian Christians are hypocrites and Christians say that they're this and Christians are Christians are hypocrites and that's why I don't want to go to church well Walmart has hypocrites but we still shop there yeah Jim has Jim Jim has overweight people thank you Jacob we said Jacob we'll pray for you but Jim has overweight people but we still go there yeah amen at those that go Jim the hospital has sick people well yet when you get sick where do you go you go to the hospital so the crowd wasn't really the issue of why we could not see Jesus it was because we are short we all fall short of the glory of God we all fall short of what what we can reach God we can it's not by our our deeds it's not by our accomplishments of what we can do to reach God we can't and but the thing was Satan what Satan will do is face Satan will offer a counterfeit it Satan will offer a false safety that in that you will follow the crowd you will be in the crowd that follows Jesus as long as you don't get to know Jesus hmm he will let you come to church every Sunday the kids love it in the kids own worship good vibes really good I like the drummer the kids own is really good the music is really good I get you get really just tears and Jesus is so good and and and he will offer that he will let that if he knows he can't stop you from going to church he will let he'll give you a counterfeit a false safety that that you can follow Jesus as long as you don't get to know Jesus because there was a lot of people that were following Jesus but he never got to know Jesus they never they never experienced Jesus amen and it's just like I don't know if any of you have flown somewhere on an airplane you can get to get to the airport and then no when you've ever I've missed a plane once no you're in the airport but you get to that place you're in the airport and you get to the place and your the gates are shut and the plane is taken off you got to the airport but you missed the airplane see the purpose of the airport is not to be in the airport the purpose of the airport is to get to the plane the purpose of church is to get to Christ the purpose of Sunday is to begin to get to know Jesus is to begin to experience him the thing is you and I we're short we can't do we can't do our deeds can't measure up to be into reach God's standard we can't begin to be to try super hard and the thing is the kids was trying that maybe you're in today you're like the kids you're trying to get to know Jesus you're trying to get better that's why we have the self help books that's why we go to the gym to to get better to look better we try but yet we all fall short of the glory of God if I can encourage you something I'm gonna encourage you don't settle for joining in the good for joining the crowd and your attempt of finding Jesus don't settle for just coming on Sunday Sunday church Wednesday church Thursday church and and getting the good feeling by yet going back to your lives that's broken shattered busted and disgusted don't settle for that and what I love about the purpose for church is is to reach Christ the purpose for the airport is to reach the plane to reach your destiny to reach what God has in soul for you the Bible says I know the plans that I have for you there for good and for not we're not for evil to give you a future and the hope says God amen and that is the purpose of church is not to come and get a feel good Sunday and get a check mark and I'm going to heaven churches and life isn't just about salvation so we see the key is is trying really hard he's trying and his attempt to reach Jesus fails and he gets really discouraged he gets really sad like man I can't see Jesus it's the crowd's fault but the thing is the key is doesn't stop there he doesn't settle just to be in the crowd knowing his his bad knowing his wrong he doesn't settle just to be in the crowd what's the key is this so he's trying what's the key is does after that as he's fine oh look there's a tree perfect Jesus is gonna be walking by here in like five minutes so he gets and he climbs onto the tree and what I love about this is is when Jesus when Zacchaeus climbs onto this tree the Bible says Jesus looked up and saw him and said Zacchaeus when Zacchaeus climbed on that tree it wasn't Zacchaeus that saw Jesus it was Jesus that saw Zacchaeus can I tell you about a tree that was planted 2,000 years ago the cross of Calvary that me and you trying so hard trying to be good at for all the short people like you and I that fall short constantly on a daily basis no matter how hard we try for you and I I'm gonna tell you there's a tree that was planted 2,000 years ago that if you climb on that tree not only you will see God not only you will see Christ but Jesus will see you Jesus will see the blood that was shed for you God will see the price that was paid for you one guy when people say that you don't deserve it that you couldn't earn it God says I don't see that when I see you climb onto the tree I see one thing and one thing only I see my son and something that happens there's Jesus calls him by his name Zacchaeus I want to I want you to see what the original language says about Zacchaeus says he is pure and innocent tax collector that robbed people cheated people lied to people did so many things yet Jesus called him by his name I'm gonna tell you something Satan knows your name Satan knows your destiny Satan knows your worth Satan knows who you are destined to be yet will call you by your sin but what I love about our father what I love about Jesus is Jesus knowing your sin knowing what you did last night still calls you by your name still calls you by who he says you are still calls you a son still calls your daughter still calls you wonderfully and beautifully made he says son and daughter I know who you I know the sins that you did but the thing is I put your sin as far from the east is to the west when I see you and you climb on that tree I don't see you I see the Sun see and that's what we're trying to accomplish through this series embrace grace is we want to challenge you that in the midst of your mistakes and your failures in your in your in your troubles that you can climb onto the tree that you can climb onto the cross and hug the cross and hug the cross and say God I'm I embrace your grace I embrace God the salvation that you've given me I couldn't earn it God I couldn't deserve it God but it's your love that you have for me embrace grace Jesus sees you religion says try harder Jesus says trust religion religion's gonna make you jump see Jesus Jesus where you're Jesus Jesus right there he's gonna let you the religion let you have a glimpse of Jesus but a relationship with Jesus let you have a gaze of Jesus every day it's a communion with Jesus every day it's it's when you climb onto that tree not only you see God but God sees you God sees your issue God sees a broken home God sees a broken marriage God sees a broken family God sees the education that's fairly God sees the sickness that you have and says the key is I see you come down religion is you trying to see God gospel is trusting Jesus the only way to God is through Jesus it's not a good deeds it's not our what we can do it's not what we can accomplish some people are like man this is slapping the face what about all those years that I've done good what all those orphanages that I came God bless you God will in heaven he will reward you maybe even on earth you reward you all those years that I didn't smoke like Passover I says God didn't put a chimney on your head for you to smoke so don't smoke it's good for your lungs you know I mean oh I went to prayer everything that's good that's for that's for your own benefit I fasted that's for your own good health your relationship with Christ but it's not our good deeds that gets us to heaven the Bible says there's only one way to heaven that is Jesus yeah because if it's if we're gonna go by the way where it's my good deeds Jesus wouldn't Jesus didn't die on the cross for you to see how much Jesus can suffer you think God sent his son to show you look look how much my son could get beat no he showed you so that there's a way for salvation that he can show you how much he loves you not to show how much he can suffer if it was just that it'll be something else there's only one way to God that's through Jesus because if it's gonna go through our good deeds this fits gonna go through the way I can get through to Jesus because of all the good that I did we got a look on the opposite side what about one sin that you commit what about the one the one fault that you commit what are you gonna do say oh God don't don't look at that one look at all the good but just don't look at the God don't look at that one if I if I give you a cup of if I give you a cup of water it's all good just freshly open if I give you this and say it's perfectly fine I take a drink out of it but I put one drop of poison in it just one it's a man it's a big cup of water whole bunch of good but if I put one drop of poison in there and say take a drink it's just a bunch of good and one bad really no try to kill me no but it's just one drop all it takes is one sin for you to be condemned see when you when I used to think when I know I get a ticket no it'd be all the good no the justice no the justice killed uh I know in the school yeah the justice kill I used to think that it was it was whole bunch of all your good versus all your bad that's how it's gonna be measured but until you get your first ticket and you realize it's not all that it's not all your good years of driving versus your one ticket no it's your one ticket versus perfection versus the law but the thing is Jesus knew that God knew that that it's not it's not my good deeds because all it takes is one fault and the scale tips and I'm going straight to hell Jesus God God knew that so what he did is he sent his son to die on the cross for you and I so that the Bible the Paul says it's no longer I but Christ in me that when I step on the scale it's not I that steps on a scale it's Jesus that's perfect it's Jesus that's sinless that took my sins on the cross he steps on the scale all of a sudden it starts to even out I'm gonna tell you a story of a tribe leader maybe you guys have heard it before but there was a tribe leader and he he made up the whole bunch of yeah he had his tribe his village and he made up a whole bunch of rules he made about a hundred rules no if you create this if don't defraud don't do this don't do that don't do this don't do that because if you do it does a whole bunch of rules if you do you get a hundred lashes everyone's like ooh that's bad so everyone in the first couple days everyone was like okay I'm not gonna create I'm not gonna do any bad cuz no one wants to get beat you know I mean good old days of getting beat so no one wants to get beat and and then all the sudden couple about a week later there's this one kid that that stole something and piece of gum or something something small and everyone gathers around and lo and behold it's a tribe leader son and everyone gets around like what's gonna happen is is the tribe leader is gonna let him go because his son he's is he gonna know you can't beat his son maybe what kind of a father would he be you know that's your son he's gonna die for a piece of gum really but but on the other then other side if he doesn't what is he gonna give him a free pass just because it's a son just because it's someone that he loves he's gonna give his son a free pass and everyone gathers around because they're like man is this is he gonna play favorites with his son or is he gonna beat his son what kind of father would he be so everyone gathers around and and they gather around and they they will look what's gonna happen tribe leader says yes I'm gonna my son and deserve the punishment and he's gonna get the punishment so they take off the shirt off his son and they strap his son to a pole and they're about to beat him but right before they beat him the father says hold up and he takes off his shirt covers the back of his son and says now you can now you can begin so that he upheld the law but showed love to his son see if God did not let Jesus die on us on the cross for you and I for our sins he would me and you would go straight to hell because God's holiness demanded a price to be paid God's love provided a son God's holiness demanded a price to be paid God's love gave the price gave the payment God's love gave the son to Don the cross for us for me and you that's why we can't boast about our deeds that's why we can't boast about what we can do it's only through a relationship through Christ that we can get to heaven it's only through a relationship through Christ that we can get to to the father relationship can't be based off your good deeds relationship with Christ cannot be based off what good that you've done what good that you've accomplished in your life it only can be based off trust before the foot with the father it can only be based off getting on to that tree embracing grace embracing the love that the father have given us amen trusting brings salvation so I want you to see it there's trying where Zacchaeus tries and he he tried to do good and yet he failed and then there's trusting and today just like no the airport in the plane if you're in the airport we're gonna give a call today loud and clear that if in your if you're in the airport that you don't miss the plane that the purpose of being in the airport is not about the airport but it's about getting on the plane it's about reaching Christ amen it's not about church it's about Jesus trying trusting and then there's a third part and I think it's the most important that's what I want to really focus on it's about transformation Jesus when Jesus saw Zacchaeus he looked at Zacchaeus and he said Zacchaeus make haste come down I must go to your house as a case is like we say like my house you sure like like right now my house or like like can you say Jesus can you give me five minutes my girlfriend is in my house I gotta tell her dip real quick there's there's something in in in my fridge that you're probably not gonna like let I'm gonna have my friends just throw it out real quick hold up my room is a whole bunch of mess so bunch of underwear socks I'm gonna have them cleaner okay just give me five man Jesus I wasn't expecting you to come to my house but see what what happens a lot of times when we come here to the front is Jesus Jesus doesn't want to be left at church this Sunday to the next Jesus says and how will work for you now I must go to your house I know the mess that you have and the thing is when Zacchaeus got down people laughed at him people said do you know who he is he still does drugs do you know the life that he lives it's terrible it's shattered do you know the marriage that they have Lord of Jesus it's on the fourth one already do you know the kind of life that they're living but he doesn't pay attention to that knowing that she doesn't deserve Jesus at his house he still got up and said all right well we're going to our house he's gonna see it this today is the day and he went he went to the house and I believe this is where transformation begins I believe accepting Jesus here at the altar is where salvation begins but I believe Jesus didn't just come for salvation but he came to transform your life he came to begin to today he says son daughter I want you I want to go home with you I want to take you by the hand and go to the messy the life that you have I want to take your hand I want to go to the broken marriage that you have the broken relationship without the broken finances that you have the broken family that you have stickiness I want to go to your house and he's asking you to say yes to that call he's asking you to say yes to that call don't just leave Jesus at the altar Sunday after Sunday take Jesus home with you and maybe you're saying but I don't deserve it the kids didn't deserve it either but it's the fact of getting onto the cross and saying this is not something I deserve but God thank you God this is not something I could even earn or work for but thank you I accept it I say yes to your call I say yes to taking you home with me overcome what people have to say about your life what people know maybe you have a reputation of this person when when people see people will call you by your name but Jesus is called people will call you by your sin but Jesus is calling you today by your name saying Joseph Isaac I want to go home with you Mary I want to go home with you I know your life is broken it's exactly why I want to be at your home and the keys begin to overcome what people said Christianity is the only relationship only religion every other religion says you have to reach God you have to do to do you have to try to reach God you have to do this to to reach God you have to do you have to sacrifice your life you have to sacrifice your son you have to do this to reach God Christianity's the only religion said that says God wants to reach you and he's saying to trust him what I love about the story of Zaccheus when he takes Jesus home is when he takes when he takes Jesus home Jesus doesn't come to Zaccheus's house and he says all right things have got about a change you move that over there alcohol has to go out of the fridge your girlfriend has to go or get married doing one of those this thing has to go those magazines has to go that computer has to go that's not doing no good that so go you got to start tithing Jesus International start tithing every 10 percent make up all those mothers that you stole from and you ripped off and they're struggling you got to give back four full you got to start doing that you got to start doing it come on Zaccheus you can't be sleeping or you can't be doing that he doesn't do anything all he is is he's in the house and simply God's presence in the house Zaccheus says all right Jesus so I'm gonna start giving back to the to the mothers I'm gonna start giving every person that I ripped off I'm gonna start giving back four-fold and Jesus says now salvation has come to this house the presence of Jesus simply the presence of Jesus begins to transform the atmosphere simply the presence of Jesus begins to transform your life you'll never be the same after a touch of Jesus after you experience Jesus he says son daughter I want to go to your house I want to go to your house to your relationship take me home with you take me home with you I'm gonna ask that you say yes to the call that you say yes to Jesus that you stop trying to live the good life that you're living drop stop trying to go by your own deeds your own good your own your own thing cuz you will burn out you will you will start sliding back you it just won't be good the Bible doesn't say by your good deeds the Bible says not by might not by power but by the Spirit it's only by the Holy Spirit's guidance by the relationship with him if I could propose a theory or idea to you that when you accept Jesus when you take Jesus home to stop working on yourself constantly might sound like a little bit of heresy but stick with me a couple moments it might sound like it's what it means stop working on my character stop stop what happened is Zacchaeus was there his life was bad his life his character his the light that he lived was terrible but the moment that Jesus came into his house he began to change the the simple fact of God's presence living inside of you day by day begins to change and and the moment you stop focusing on your character on the good deeds and and trying to do it all yourself and you focus on the presence you focus on the presence of God in your life what begins to happen is through relationship with Christ taking Jesus home fruits of the Holy Spirit begin to manifest and fruits of the Holy Spirit is Christian character kindness goodness peace patience self-control gentleness a faithfulness all this this is this is all fruits of the Holy Spirit and you when you stop focusing and you ship your perspective your view on to Jesus on to trusting Jesus climbing on to that tree and taking Jesus home to your messy life to your messy situation to your messy marriage and you start focusing on a relationship with him a communion with him coming to morning prayer Friday to Monday through Friday beginning to fast Monday through Wednesday with us when you begin to focus on a relationship with him he begins to work on your character he begins to bring the fruits of the Holy Spirit he said you were struggling with anger here's here's kindness here's his gentleness and he begins to work on you begin to shift your your focus on on your character on trying to do good to trusting Jesus from trying trying to do good to to climbing on that tree and just grabbing on to Jesus and say Jesus I can't do it on my own Jesus I can't I can't manage on on my own it's not it's not I can't do any good I've tried but I'm messed up I'm in the same messed up place that I am was years ago to coming down the tree and say Jesus I want to have a relationship with you I want to begin and I believe that's where Holy Spirit begins to work on you he begins to work on your life your character your your your things that you need and he begins to mend the broken hearts he begins to mend the families is when you begin to take Jesus home hey this is Pastor Vlad and thank you for watching this sermon please click on the subscribe so that you can be a part of our hungry generation YouTube community and click on the bell as well so that you can be notified when we upload the new sermon thank you for watching and God bless you