Generoisty and Power

Genorisity: Studies in Luke PART 7
11 November 2012
Dr. Timothy Keller

Luke 19:1-10
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.  2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.  3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.  4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately.  I must stay at your house today."  6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He as gone to be the guest of a 'sinner'".

8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord!  Here and now I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay pack four times the amount."

9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  10For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.

NECESSITY OF CONVERSION
--v.9 Zacchaeus is being converted by Jesus, not just inspired.
--Coversion is a challenge that goes beyond morality and good behavior.
--Are you saved?

CIRCUMSTANCES OF CONVERSION
--Doesn't have to come from a crisis.
--It can come from intellectual openness and persistence.
--But you do need to be born again.

KEY TO CONVERSION
--Salvation isn't a proecess of good works.
--Are you a Christian?  Your answer shouldn't be--"I try, but I'm not good enough"
--v.9 Salvation is coming to his house--not "you will be saved"; Salvation is coming because Jesus is coming to your house--JESUS, alone, is the way to SALVATION.
--You can only be saved by acknowledging what Jesus has done, you can't earn salvation yourself.
--Jesus, and thus, Salvation came to Zacchaeus's house even before he started doing good works.

SIGNS OF CONVERSION
--v.8 Amount and motivation from Zaccaeus is beyond what the law required.
--Give in an amount that affects how we live our lives and the amount of control we have.
--Giving a lot relinquishes our ability to control our circumstances.