Sermon Title: There Is A Land of Beginning Again
"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.' So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, 'He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.' But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.' Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Zacchaeus, being a tax collector, made a living by charging taxpayers more than what they owed to the Roman government. Thus, the tax collectors were despised by the people because of their greed and lack of conscious. However, Zacchaeus was so touched by the ministry of Jesus that he went beyond what was required by law in making restitution to those he owed (see Exodus 21:37; Numbers 5:5-7). His faith allowed him to experience a new relationships with Christ, one which allowed him to fellowship with Christ in his home. It was not his actions that "earned" him this privilege, but rather his faith was demonstrated in his actions (Galatians 3:10-14).
This coming Sunday I will speak about the story of Zacchaeus and how it demonstrates that there is "a land of beginning again" with God. In this "land" we can find acceptance, forgiveness and life from God. See you then!
