Today marks the beginning of a brand new series entitled Greater Story. And the idea behind this is that stories shape how we see the world and how we share the world. And that everyone actually has a story. Everyone has a story. And so the question is not, do you have a story, but what story are you telling? From the beginning of time, we remember things through story, right? If you think about it, if you think about famous books and and and movies, well, just, we got a lot of people here in this morning. So just a quick survey with your neighbor. Do you prefer the book or the movie version of a story? Go ahead and share with your neighbor real quick. OK. The laughter happens from my movie people, that's what I've learned, is that all the movie people are like, well, of course, movie, it takes a lot less effort. And then the book people give you that slide, slightly judgmental look, like, oh, you don't even know, right? Um, but here's the thing, whether you like the book or the movie, if you take a large story and you, and you strip all the components away, uh, the plot lines to these stories are actually pretty basic if you think about it. Uh, let me, let me prove it to you. Let me just share some plot lines to famous movie franchises and see if you can guess the movie, OK? First one here, Father asks son to take over family business. Star Wars. Star Wars. Think about it. Darth Vader, Luke, OK. If I just spoiled that for you, I'm sorry, but it's a little old at this point. So, um, all right, next one, reptiles work together to shut down tropical resort. Jurassic Park is correct. That's Jurassic Park. Uh, this one's a, a few years back here. Uh, teen plays matchmaker for his own parents with the help of a weird neighbor. Back to the Future is correct. Back to the Future. One more. A young boy goes through a lot of trouble to return some borrowed jewelry. Lord of the Rings. Uh, stories really do impact us in so many ways. And that there's power behind the story in the details, right? And what happens. And so the question is not, do you have a story, but what story are you telling? And so over the next 3 weeks, we're gonna take a look at 3 stories found in the Gospels, about how a person's life was changed when they encountered Jesus. And that when we connect our story with God's story, it can have multiplied and eternal impact. And so today's message is gonna follow the life of a man named Zacchaeus, and, and today's message is entitled from Selfish to sacrificial, from selfish to sacrificial. And we're gonna see how God encounters somebody in an unlikely way, but it changes his life so much that we're talking about him 2 1000 years later. And so if you're taking notes, I wanna go ahead and encourage you to write this down, that what we learned from Zacchaeus is this truth, that grace received becomes generosity shared. Grace received becomes generosity. Shared When you tell your God story to somebody around you, every God story includes 3 components. And the three components are this, before Jesus, meeting Jesus, and after Jesus. So what was your life like before meeting Jesus? How did you meet Jesus? How did you encounter God? How did you encounter the God of the Bible? And then how has your life changed after meeting Jesus? And I'm gonna go ahead and throw this out there. I'm gonna challenge you at the end of the message today to know your story and to share your story. Is that everyone's got a God story. So if you're willing to understand your own story, and you can share with others, it's through story that God's gonna change the world. Because when we read the stories of the Bible, we come to understand who we are, and we come to understand who God is. And it shapes really how we see the world. CS Lewis put it this way, I believe in the sun, not just because I can see the sun, but rather because of the sun, I can also see the rest of the world. In the same way, when you come to believe in Jesus, it changes how you see and share everything around you. And so before we jump into the story of Zacchaeus, let me just share with you my own personal story, cause everyone's got a story. And so let me just share with you my own, um. You know, being a pastor, I sometimes, if I'm being honest with you, is I wish I had a cooler testimony. You know, like, I was on the streets with gangs, and then I turned 6. You know, um, But then I've, what I've come to realize is that every testimony actually is a miracle. Because your story to connect with God is not about bad people becoming good. It's about dead people becoming alive. And the last I checked, resurrection is a miracle. And that when you do that, God's grace not only saves you from things, but also saves you to things. And that every story, every testimony is a miracle from God. So here's my story. So before Jesus, I was young. I grew up in a Christian household, and I, I was at a kids' program at a church, when the Sunday school teacher shared that simple message of heaven and hell. And I came home and had a conversation with my parents, had a conversation with my mom. They're at the house saying, well, I don't wanna go to hell. I wanna go to heaven. And it's only through Jesus, you can, you can believe that. OK, I'm gonna believe in Jesus. And so I prayed a prayer in that moment, but I'm so glad that when I accepted Christ. God didn't just leave me right there. And so as I grew up in a Christian household, I, I was learning verses and learning things and, and going to church, like many of you are here today. But then it was when when I was a teenager, that I encountered Jesus for myself. It was through a series of mission trips and teen camps and retreats that I got to have my own experience with God. And so my faith started to become my own. Now I went to a public high school, but I went to a Christian university. When you go to a Christian university, and your faith becomes homework, it no longer is cool. Right? And so I got, I, I got burned out a little bit from religion. I never like had this massive rebellion moment, but I was like, I just don't, whatever. But I was playing basketball. I was a preferred walk-on at the university, and I, I made the team. I was there on varsity right on the edge of trying to get into the rotation for minutes, when all of a sudden one fluke day at practice, boom, tore my ACL. And so it was after surgery and recovery from A ligament tear in my knee that I started processing, OK, well, what do I actually want to do with my life? Because I put so much of my identity in something that can go away like that. And over those next several months, God will ultimately call me into ministry. And I realized that I had the most joy when I was connecting with God or helping others connect with God. And so after encountering Jesus in these ways, throughout those early years of my life, I decided to spend the rest of my life. To share with people the purpose. That God can place in their life, to tell people this message that you've been made on purpose for a purpose. And that as believers, we are not living for our identity, right? I put so much of my efforts early on in my years about uh achievement and success and and and sports and all these things and attached with a team or or whatever it was, and I realized that as believers, we don't live for our identity, but rather we can live from our identity. And that salvation is not something to achieve, but rather something to receive, and it comes through Jesus Christ alone. So that's my story. But let's jump into Luke chapter 19 today to see the story of a man named Zacchaeus. And we're gonna pause along the way to get some context here. Luke chapter 19, verse 1. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. I love this, by the way, because This wasn't even supposed to be the main part of the story. Jesus was passing through, passing through to what? He was passing through the city of Jericho on his way up the mountain to Jerusalem. So Jericho, here, what's really the idea or the name Jericho really means perfumed. There was a lot of trees, there are a lot of plants, there's sycamore trees, cypress, rose gardens, a balsam plantations. It's a walled city. It was a commercial city, it was a wealthy city. And it's about 17 miles from Jerusalem, with about a 2000 to 3000 ft elevation difference. In fact, it's, it's kind of treacherous on the way down. So when Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, he's talking about the story when someone goes from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And so this path, Jesus is passing through Jericho along with many other Jewish people on their way to the festivities in Jerusalem. And so, what was a moment in passing. Actually was the life transformation moment for Zacchia, so much so that here we are 2000 years later, talking about it. Sometimes your greatest moments in life. Or when you're simply passing through. Sometimes your direction changing moments in life happen when you, when you think you're on a detour. Like when you're waiting for something else to happen, God's actually working in the moment. He said, no, no, you think it's a big thing, it's actually this moment right now. Jesus was just passing through verse 2, and behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. Ironically enough, Zacchaeus means pure, and he was anything but. He was the chief tax collector and was rich. Here's here's how to describe it. Zacchaeus was a religious outsider. He was morally compromised, he was socially rejected, and he was spiritually curious. The reason people hated tax collectors so much is because the Roman government. Who was suppressing the Jewish people would then employ Jewish leaders to tax Jewish people, and they made their money by collecting more than what the Roman government required. And so here was a Jewish brother taxing his Jewish brothers and sisters to gain wealth for the Roman Empire, who was suppressing them and then himself be gaining power and authority because they had the backing of the Roman government. And so they hated tax collectors so much. They hated tax collectors so much that oftentimes when they talked about tax collectors, they had their own category for sin. Right? So there's sinners, and then there's tax collectors. Right? It's kind of like how in college football, you know, there's football fans, and then there's Michigan fans. Right? I can say that because I'm still frustrated that they've beaten us several years in a row. And I don't know if Ohio State's to set me up for a downfall, but right now, I'm just like hanging on, but I'm nervous about this year's game, just saying. OK. Have you ever put people into categories? Have you ever put people into a setting? Well, that's this kind of person, or there's this person. Right? They're Democrat, they're Republican. Or this job or this, 00 what's it, this just got serious for a second, OK. Right. The reality is we're all pretty messy. Right? It's a lot more complicated than just putting someone into a group, right? And so Zacchaeus was the same way because here's this guy who's done some morally shady things but had Success, as the world described it, he had authority, he had riches, he had power. But yet it wasn't Filling the needs of his soul. Here comes this religious rabbi named Jesus, who was healing people. He was preaching with authority. He had walked on water, he had fed thousands. And so who is this guy? And in fact, Just a few months previous and a few years prior, he actually got another tax collector to follow him. His name was Matthew. We'll talk about him in a little bit. Sometimes you call him, another name for him was Levi. So who is this rabbi, this teacher? That was getting the hold of everybody, of Pharisees, of the poor, of men, of women. Jews, Gentiles. All these different, like, who is this guy? So he was curious. Verse 3. He was seeking to see who Jesus was. But on account of the crowd, he could not because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed onto up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass by. So there are all kinds of trees in and around Jericho, but he went up a sycamore tree because a couple of reasons. Number one, sycamore trees had lower branches, and so if he's short, it's easier for him to climb. But also because sycamore trees had bigger leaves too, and, and so it's easier for him to hide. So here is somebody with power and authority, but a lot of questions saying I wanna see Jesus, but I don't want people to see that I need to see Jesus. And so he was curious. And he had questions, but he put his reputation on the line. He climbed up the tree, and he waited. Verse 5. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry down and come, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today. What's amazing about this moment is that Jesus, on the way to the cross, on the way to fulfill his mission. In the middle of the crowd stops and he sees Zacchaeus and calls him by name. Now, there might not be a lot of tax collectors in the room today, but I am guessing that there are people who sometimes feel lost in a crowd. If you feel surrounded by people, but spiritually alone. Or maybe you feel stuck, and you're not quite sure what to do and you feel in some ways, life has got you up a tree. This was Zacchaeus. He had the worldly level of success, but yet he found himself wanting more, confused, battling a little bit of shame and guilt, and also not feeling fulfilled and doing what the world told him would bring him success. He had the power, he had the riches, but it wasn't enough. And so he risked his reputation, and when he was up in the tree in the middle of a crowd, Jesus paused, saw him where he was, and called him by name. Verse 6. So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they grumbled. He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. Now the crowd gets a bad rap, but again, put yourself in the place of the crowd. Like the disciples, OK, I get it. He, they're walking with him every single day, this miracle worker, but he's not going to the religious leaders. He's not going to like the humble little farmers' market. He's going to that guy's house? Is there somebody in your life who if they walk through the doors of this church right now, you'd be a little surprised? That's the person who got speaking to. It's like, wait a second, this rabbi is going to that house with that person? Verse 8, and Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, behold, Lord, The half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. So you know that Zacchaeus has this moment with Jesus because he goes from rabbi to Lord. And we don't know fully the details of his conversation. But we do see the result of that conversation, because the result of that conversation was a conversion, and to see that his life turned around. I think it's funny when you see on social media, uh, people telling their stories and be like, yep, and I've, I've done a full 360. And I want so badly to comment. You mean 180? Like, cause if you did, if you did a 360, you're like starting here. And because of Jesus, you're now. Here And so here's Zacchaeus, who does not a 360, he does a 180, and he completely turns. He says, I give half my goods to the poor. If I've defrauded anyone, I like how he throws an if there. He 100% defrauded people. Right? That's when you kinda halfway apologize. And if I happen to hurt any, like, no, he defrauded people. OK. And I've defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. OK, gets a little bit of credit. He doesn't just follow the legal limit of restoration, he goes beyond that and restores 4 times that amount. So how does Jesus respond? And Jesus said to him in verse 9, today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham, and he too is a child of God. And here's this incredibly powerful verse that gives the mission statement of Jesus. Here in Luke chapter 19 verse 10, says for the Son of Man, that's a that's a title for Messiah, here for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. It's right there in this passage, in this story, when Jesus is just passing by, we get the mission statement of Jesus. Jesus came to seek and save. Who did he come to seek and who did he come to save? People like Zacchaeus. See, this is important too, because We see that he goes to his house, and grace transforms his heart. Jesus goes to his house and then transforms his heart. And this is important because I was doing some really deep study. And did you know? Did you know that? You might not have known this. Did you know that before Luke 19 is Luke 18? You're welcome. Now, the reason I kind of jokingly bring that up is that actually, in Luke 18, We see the story of the rich young ruler. Here's someone who had everything, was following all the rules, who had all the possessions, had all the things, says Jesus, what must I do to follow you to enter the kingdom of God? He says, go sell all your possessions and come follow me. Why? Well, he didn't tell everybody to sell all the possessions all the time. He told that person because his possessions was his idol. And he said, go sell your stuff and come follow me. And the and the rich young ruler walked away and rejected God to keep hold of his stuff. And what happens in a sense is like, he was like, when you reject Jesus, it's basically like gathering all your belongings on the on the Titanic. Right? Like if you don't have Jesus, it doesn't matter if you go down hugging somebody or mugging somebody, the boat's going down. You know what I mean? And so you have the rich young ruler. Who can't give up his possessions. Right? And he did it in a lawful way, in a in a noble way. And now you got Zacchaeus, one chapter later, the last stop before Jesus goes to the cross, the last encounter with a personal interaction with somebody, someone who you would least likely expect to come to faith in Jesus, the person who was morally compromised, religious outsider, socially rejected, and yet battling shame and guilt, and yet at the same time, worldly successful. It's that guy that Jesus encounters. It is. Why? Because his mission was to seek and save the lost. Who was lost? Zacchaeus. But when Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, it changed everything. Right? What is Zacchaeus's story? Well, we have it here. Before Jesus, Zacchaeus was selfishly greedy. He lived for himself. And he was good at it. His story is not that far off from people in our society and specifically in our area. Right? How many people in this area are seen and described as worldly successful? But yeah, how many people? In their success are still found wanting for their soul. Zacchaeus then meets Jesus. When Jesus saw him in a tree and came to his house for dinner. In the middle of the crowd, and when his life was up a tree, Jesus saw him, called him by name, and said, I'm coming to your house. See, Jesus didn't care about his reputation. He cared about Zacchia's redemption. So when the rest of the world judged, he went to his house. And we don't know the details of their conversation, but we know that they had one because their conversation ultimately led to a conversion. And in that conversion, Zacchaeus calls him Lord and says, you know what? I'm gonna give back to the poor. I'm gonna rape, uh, repay back anything that I've defrauded anybody. And so after meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus becomes sacrificially generous. He goes from selfish to sacrificial. He goes from greedy. Degeneres. It's such a powerful picture of the gospel. I think partly why Zacchaeus was interested in this Jesus, because a few years prior, he had heard about another tax collector who gave his life to Jesus. And this tax collector actually wrote the first Gospel of the Bible we have is Matthew. We have his story in Luke chapter 5 verse 27. It says after this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, so it's another name for Matthew. Sitting at the tax booth. I almost picture like that tax booth in Walmart at the end of the checkout, you know. It's like, hey, OK, it's not like that, it's a little more intense. And Jesus said to him, follow me. And how do we know if Matthew put his faith in Jesus? Well, verse 28, leaving everything. He rose and followed him. And Levi made a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and other reclining at the table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? You see, there's that distinguishing, like there's sinners, and then there's tax collectors, like, that's how bad they are, and Jesus is having a meal with them and laughing and talking and connecting. Why? Because he doesn't just view them as projects, he views them as people. He doesn't just view them as worldly success, he views them for the value of their soul. Verse 31, and Jesus answered them, those who are well have no need for a physician. But those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. You see what's so powerful about that statement? Is that we're all sick. All of us need a savior. The problem was the religious scribes and leaders of that day didn't think they were. Why would you take medicine if you didn't think you were sick? Why would you repent of sins you didn't think you committed? At least these guys know they're sinners. I remember being on a mission trip. In this high security Mexican prison and saw some of the most powerful worship I've ever seen. Cause here were these physically captive people who had been spiritually set free, and so they understood what forgiveness really looked like. And they sang I've been in other settings in an orphanage, in the mountaintop of Ecuador, with people in a mud hut and literally had nothing, had the most joy I've ever seen in my life. Why? Because here is someone who seemingly had no family, come to understand that they have a greater spiritual family in heaven. And while they didn't have a home here on earth, they have a home forever with God. And when you recognize that Christ is all you have, you come to believe that Christ is all you need, and that is the place that changes everything, isn't it? And so he's not saying that, oh, well, the good people don't need a savior and the bad people do. He says, no, all of y'all are bad. At least these people recognize it. The rest of you are playing with Monopoly money. You might have won the game Monopoly, but when the game ends, the money goes back in the box. Right? And we see this message of how you go from selfish to sacrificial, from greedy to generous, because you align your heart with God's heart, and when you receive His grace, you in turn, grace received becomes generosity shared. Paul writes these words in 1 Timothy 6:17 and 19, says, as for the rich in the present age. Notice he doesn't say, by the way, rich, being rich is a sin. He doesn't say that. It it's, it's this a moral neutral thing, like, it's like, I can't say this table is bad. Oh, table's bad. OK, what what do you put on the table? What do you use the table for? What's the purpose of it, right? So he says, as for the rich, he doesn't call it sin, but he gives them a charge. He says, charge them not to be haughty or prideful, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Says they are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. Thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may have they they may take hold of that which is truly life. It's not wrong to have possessions, but it is wrong for possessions to have you. Possessions make great resources, but they make horrible gods. Because they cannot and will not save your soul. But when you understand that God richly gives us all that we need, and that we are stewards of his resources, we in turn respond with grace received becomes generosity shared. Paul writes to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 6 to 8, says, and the point is this. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he's decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times may abound in every good work. Now, over 20 years of ministry, I've had conversations with people about what's the purpose of the tithe. The tithe literally means 10th, and so we practice here, encourage people and challenge people, and I personally live out is to give the church or give God a 10%. Of what comes in. Now, people come back and have said before and use this verse as an example. 00, it's not about the percent, it's uh it's about your heart. And I agree But what do you feel like that attitude is in that passage? Because see, in other places, when Jesus was talking to the disciples, he's describing the Pharisees, and he's like, oh, you tithe, you fast, you do these things, but you've missed the point. And he says, no, do all those things, but believe in me. And so he's saying these are all good practices. So we teach here that the tide is carried over from Old Testament to New Testament. But that the tithe really is not the ceiling, it's, it's the floor. And so, and the reason I say that is because, and again, you don't have to give anything to come here, by the way. Like I'm I'm not wanting something from you. I want I genuinely want something for you. That generosity has, has radically changed my life. And so I wanna share that with people, and we try to be generous as a church as well, and give as much away as we can and beyond that. And so we say that because I don't think God is after the amount. He really is after the heart and your mindset. So when you read that passage where it says, those who sow. will reap what they sow. That God loves a cheerful giver. And then it talks about all things, all grace, all sufficiency, so that you may abound in every good work. Like, do you really think he wants you to give less or more? In other teachings in Scripture, God comes along the sign uh and clarifies that it isn't about one thing. It, it's really the deeper meaning underneath it all. For example, he says, you've heard it said, don't commit murder. I tell you, don't hate the brother in your heart. But, it goes deeper. And other places it says, You've heard it said, don't commit adultery. I tell you, don't lust in your heart. You're, you're correct. It is a deeper meaning. God loves a cheerful giver. So when God says that he gives all things to all people and all grace abounds to have sufficiency that you may abound in all good works. Do you think he, he wants. Delimit that No, He said, no, I want you to have the heart. So can you cheerfully give? Why? Because when you have genuinely received grace, the question moves from not how much can I keep, but how much can I give? Right? Because you're not viewing your resources as yours, you're viewing them as gifts from God, and God, they're all yours, and I can't outgive you, and so I wanna be generous like you were generous. I wanna love as you have loved. I wanna share as you have shared. And I want you to know. That God can meet you where you are. Zacchaeus was way over here. But that encounter with Jesus changed his heart and changed his life. Because grace received becomes generosity shared. That's his story. I want you to know here at the church, we love you, whether you give a dime here or not. I, I, I want you here. But understand this, when we talk about money, well, I'm not afraid to talk about it. Because I'm not, I, I'm, I'm not, I just, I'm just not like I've I've, I've learned over the years. That God is a God of abundance. God's gonna provide how God's gonna provide. And so I'm gonna trust that. My wife and I've had a conversation, we practiced through that. And, and I'm, I'm saying that from a place where things for us, we got hit with some news this week that things changed for us and things will get a little tight next few months for us. It happens. That's life. You know, when life starts life and. But I can tell you one thing that I know and believe in my heart, that we we believe in a generous God. And a God who's a provider, and a God who is good, and has radically changed my heart and life. And so I want that for you. I really do. And so don't think I'm after a percent, don't think it's not after the amount, it's, it really is after the heart. And so have you had a place in your story, in your life? Where before Jesus, you were one way. Then you encounter Jesus and he changes how you think, how you live, how you give, you share that then now after Jesus, you can't you can't go back. You're never the same. That was Zacchaeus's story, to the point where we now talk about him 2000 years later. He had everything the world described as success, and he realized that wasn't enough. And in the crowd up a tree, Jesus sees him, calls him by name, comes to his house, meets him where he is, as he is, and in the encounter with Jesus, it transforms everything in his life and is a response to that new identity. That's his story, and that could be your story and my story today. So here's the closing challenge, is that over these next couple weeks. We're gonna take a look at 3 stories. So next week, we're gonna take a look at the The religious guy, the educated guy who tried to define his life by keeping all the rules, Nicodemus. And then we're gonna take a look the following week at the rebellious woman, the woman who tried to find her identity by breaking all the rules. There where Jesus met her, the Samaritan woman at the well. And 3 very different stories from very different backgrounds, but one very same God. And that when somebody connects their story with God's story, it transforms everything. So here's what I want you to do. I want you first to know your story. I want you to write it out this week. Type it out this week, write it out this week. Like literally write out what was my life like before Jesus? When did I meet Jesus? And if you haven't met Jesus, hey, today is a great time to start. And then how's my life been changed after meeting Jesus? And after you come to know your story and to write that out. And I wanna challenge you to share your story. I want you to share your story, pray and to share your story with one person this week. Right You don't have to be weird about it, like it can just be, you can ask somebody their story. Listen here, connect, right? And then you share your story. If every single person in this room. Shared their story And beyond and and expanded, man, we would see revival in this community and beyond. It starts here, starts now. And it starts with us. If God can work in the life of Zacchaeus, I promise you, he can work in your life and my life today. Let's take our stories to God right now. Dear Heavenly Father, Zacchaeus was searching. And in the middle of the crowd with his life up in the tree, making some bad decisions, pursuing the things of the world, it was there that God saw him, called him by name, and came to his house. And we know that Zacchaeus received him as Lord because he called him as such. And that his life transformed, and he went from selfishness to sacrificial, that he went from greed to a person of generosity. And as you changed his life, I pray that you can change our lives. Help us connect our story to your story, to have eternal glorious impact for your kingdom. We put our faith in you, we put our trust in you. Help us to be a little more generous today, to line our hearts with our heart, to live out our story and connect it to your greater story. Thank you for saving us. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us all things so that we could become the men and women who you've called us to be. As soon as we pray, Amen.