FIRST LESSON:
1.) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” (Jeremiah 29:13-14 )
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." -Revelation 3:20
Just like Zacchaeus sought to find Jesus with ALL his might and found Him if we seek Him with all our heart we WILL also find Him. We should also emulate Zacchaeus and welcome Jesus into our house and into our heart, recognizing that welcoming Him comes with a change in our thinking. It comes with a new heart that is visible through our actions of love.
SECOND LESSON:
2.) In Mark 10:17 Jesus encounters the rich young ruler who placed wealth above the need to have treasure in heaven, even after Jesus specifically told him that it was what he needed to make it. This man walked away from Jesus because he was very rich. The Holy Spirit on the other hand, revealed to Zacchaeus (on account of the new heart he received by accepting Jesus), the same thing Jesus told the rich young ruler and Zacchaues obeyed by giving away half of his properties to the less privileged. The other half he used to make amends for his sins.
See, God gives riches temporarily on this earth to test if we will be willing to part with it.
It is stupid of us to say no because we will still end up parting with it at death, so why not do His Will with the riches He gave us? "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." (Luke 16:9). Remember, faith without works is dead, so use your wealth as fuel for your works to show your faith and obedience.
THIRD LESSON: Confession
3.) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
"Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright." (Proverb 14:9)
Confession of our sins is very important for us to successfully have a good and deep relationship with God. Do not forget to make reparations for them as well. Yes, an eye for an eye is no longer a law per se but we are supposed to do it now out of love instead of by force of the law. When God touches you, He helps you to repair your relationship with your fellow man since that is very important to Him.
You can't claim to love your neighbor if you see him/her suffering everyday without the things you stole from them. It could be money you stole, lies you told against them, a scheme you plotted to get them fired, etc. Love of your neighbor demands that you do the right thing. Zacchaeus publicly confessed and essentially admitted that he had cheated people (confession) and took it upon himself to make amends by deciding to pay back to everyone He cheated 4 times what he stole.
FINAL LESSON:
We are all looking for salvation but this man Zacchaeus received it in one day. How?
1.) He sought the Lord, found Him
2.) He accepted Christ in his life
3.) Confessed his sins
4.) Made retribution for his sins
5.) Took care of the poor
That, my friends is what the New Covenant is all about. Zacchaeus did all this because he believed with his whole heart that Christ was worth it, fulfilling the first of the New Testament commandment (love of God above all things) and his outward actions towards his fellow human beings proved His love of God and fulfilled the other half of the New Testament commandment which deals with Love of your neighbor.
John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another.As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another
Have a wonderful week everyone. Please if this message touches your heart, be a disciple to Christ and share it. Yes, you may not get any likes from it but someone will read it and the Holy Spirit will plant to seed He needs to operate in their lives. God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment