We reflect what we revere…either for our ruin or restoration. Big Idea of Series

Review from last two weeks  Our use of money is symptomatic of the infection that lies within.  Luke 12:15 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed…”  Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”  Luke 12:34 “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The “Good” Rich Ruler Luke 18: And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'" 21 And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth." 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

The “Good” Rich Ruler Luke 18: But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" 27 But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

The “Good” Rich Ruler Luke 18: And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?“  This is the wrong question. This reveals self- righteousness. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'" 21 And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth."  Everyone thinks they are good enough. We build our resume.

We build our resume. “Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail.

We build our resume. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail.” - Jonathan Edwards in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

A javelin is thrust into his heart… Luke 18: When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.“ 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. But he wasn’t sad enough to follow Christ! Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Luke 12:34 Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

This javelin should pierce our heart…  We are this rich ruler who is unable to save himself from the love of money.  We are filthy rich compared to the world.  How wealthy are you? How much excess do you have?

This javelin should pierce our heart… “It is difficult to obtain precise statistics, but the World Bank estimates that 1.2 billion people live in that kind of grinding poverty – trying to survive on one dollar a day or less a day. In addition to these 1.2 billion who live in almost absolute poverty, another 1.6 billion are very poor, living on two dollars or less a day. That means just a little less than half of the world’s people (2.8 billion) try to survive on two dollars a day or less.” Ronald J. Sider in Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger

This javelin should pierce our heart…  We are this rich ruler who is unable to save himself from the love of money.  Our giving is weak, especially considering that we live on this side of the cross.  More than one out of four American Protestants give away no money at all—"not even a token $5 per year," say sociologists Christian Smith, Michael Emerson, and Patricia Snell in their recent study on Christian giving, Passing the Plate (Oxford University Press).Passing the Plate  How’s your charitable giving column on your taxes this year?

This javelin should pierce our heart…  Question: Then who can be saved?  Answer: No one! With man this is impossible!  Good News: What is impossible with men is possible with God.

The “Bad” Tax Collector, Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-5 1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today."

The “Bad” Tax Collector, Zacchaeus Luke 19: So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 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." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

The “Bad” Tax Collector, Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-3 1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature.  Zacchaeus was hated and short.

The “Bad” Tax Collector, Zacchaeus Luke 19:4 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.  Zacchaeus humiliated himself by running and climbing. Luke 19:5-6 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.  Zacchaeus received Jesus like a child. Luke 18:16-17

The “Bad” Tax Collector, Zacchaeus Luke 19:7 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.“  Jesus absorbed the wrath and hatred that was directed at Zacchaeus. This extravagant love foreshadows the cross. Luke 19:8 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."  Zacchaeus can never make full restitution for his wrongs…but he is now a different man nevertheless.

The Work to Win has been Done… “The work to win has been done. Now go out there and do it. Don’t let a turnover, a bad call or a missed shot break your spirit.” -Frank Martin

The Work to Win has been Done… “The work to win has been done. Now go out there and do it. Don’t let a mistake, a sin, a bad day or anything break your spirit.” -Jesus Christ

The Work to Win has been Done… Luke 19: And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.“

Two Rich Guys, Two Responses  He was rich because of honest gain.  He assumed he could earn eternal life. Self-righteous.  He had a good resume.  People thought well of him.  He loved himself and his life.  Jesus called him out.  He loved his money and despised God.  He was an orphan with no Father.  He was rich because of deceitful gain.  He made humiliatingly great effort to see Jesus. Humble.  He was a terrible “sinner.”  People hated him.  He hated himself.  Jesus called him out.  He loved God and despised his money.  He knew his Father. He was a son. The “Good” Rich RulerThe “Bad” Tax Collector, Zacchaeus

Growth in gracious generosity comes as we embrace the Gospel. The Good News is that Jesus sold everything He had to give to us, the poor. He did this for us even while we were in love with money and not Him. The Gospel for the Greedy