FROM GREED TO GENEROSITY (2 OF 5)
Scripture: Luke 19:1-10
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From Greed to Generosity (2 of 5)
Series: Lent 180
Dave Gustavsen
Luke 19:1-10
Good morning.
Easter is coming fast! So we're taking the season of Lent to prepare our hearts by listening to the teaching of Jesus, and allowing his words to identify things that we need to repent of. And we mentioned this last week: if, when you think of repentance, it's a depressing thought, you're thinking about it wrong! Hebrews 12:1 says ...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. So when we repent-in other words, we realize some area of sin in our lives, and we confess it, and we commit to turning from it-we're actually throwing off a weight that's been dragging us down-almost like if you've been trying to drive with the parking brake on...and then you release the brake and it frees you to move forward. That's what repentance does.
Sin drags us down and holds us back, and when we repent, God frees us to run freely.
And for a lot of us, one of the things that holds us back and drags us down is our relationship with money. So let's read today's passage-we're in Luke 19, verse 1 through 10:
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ''Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.'' 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, ''He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.''
8 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 bac ...
Series: Lent 180
Dave Gustavsen
Luke 19:1-10
Good morning.
Easter is coming fast! So we're taking the season of Lent to prepare our hearts by listening to the teaching of Jesus, and allowing his words to identify things that we need to repent of. And we mentioned this last week: if, when you think of repentance, it's a depressing thought, you're thinking about it wrong! Hebrews 12:1 says ...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. So when we repent-in other words, we realize some area of sin in our lives, and we confess it, and we commit to turning from it-we're actually throwing off a weight that's been dragging us down-almost like if you've been trying to drive with the parking brake on...and then you release the brake and it frees you to move forward. That's what repentance does.
Sin drags us down and holds us back, and when we repent, God frees us to run freely.
And for a lot of us, one of the things that holds us back and drags us down is our relationship with money. So let's read today's passage-we're in Luke 19, verse 1 through 10:
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ''Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.'' 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, ''He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.''
8 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 bac ...
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