Set Free To Give
Set Free To Give
The transformation of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 demonstrates one of the most radical changes recorded in the New Testament. Before meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus had achieved everything the world values - wealth, success, and material abundance. As a chief tax collector, he possessed the ancient equivalent of luxury cars, investment properties, and substantial bank accounts. Yet despite his worldly achievements, he remained spiritually empty and socially despised, having built his fortune through questionable means that hurt his community.Everything changed when Jesus came to Jericho. Zacchaeus faced multiple opportunities to encounter Christ, from deciding to see Jesus despite the crowd to climbing a sycamore tree despite potential embarrassment. When Jesus looked up and invited himself to Zacchaeus's house, it marked the beginning of a profound transformation. This wasn't just a casual meeting but an invitation into relationship with the God who desires to enter every area of our lives.The most remarkable aspect of this story is what happened after Zacchaeus spent time with Jesus. Without coercion or manipulation, he freely declared his intention to give half his possessions to the poor and repay those he had cheated four times over. This generous response flowed naturally from his transformed heart, illustrating how genuine encounters with Jesus lead to radical generosity. Zacchaeus broke free from the spirit of materialism that had held him captive, discovering that true blessing comes not from accumulating wealth but from becoming a channel of God's generosity to others.
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What Happened to Zacchaeus: A Story of Transformation and Generosity
The story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 reveals one of the most powerful transformations in the New Testament. This wealthy tax collector's encounter with Jesus demonstrates how genuine faith leads to radical generosity and freedom from the things that once held us captive.
Who Was Zacchaeus Before Meeting Jesus?
Zacchaeus had everything the world could offer. He was wealthy, successful, and had all the material possessions anyone could want - the equivalent of having a Maserati, investment properties, and a healthy bank account. Yet despite his worldly success, something was missing. He was rich in possessions but poor in purpose.
As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus was despised by his community. Tax collectors were known for cheating people and taking more than required. He had built his wealth through questionable means, yet he remained unfulfilled despite his material abundance.
The Moment Everything Changed
When Jesus came to Jericho, Zacchaeus faced a series of defining moments that would transform his life forever. First, he made the decision to see Jesus despite the crowd. Being short in stature, he climbed a sycamore tree - a vulnerable and potentially embarrassing act for a wealthy man.
Then came the unexpected invitation. Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." This wasn't just a casual encounter - Jesus wanted relationship, not just a brief meeting. Our God is a God of relationship who wants to enter every area of our lives, including the rooms we'd rather keep hidden.
What Does It Mean When God Gives Us Opportunities?
Zacchaeus faced multiple opportunities to say yes to God. When he heard Jesus was coming, he could have stayed home. When the crowd blocked his view, he could have given up. When Jesus called him down from the tree, he could have hidden. When Jesus invited himself over, Zacchaeus could have made excuses.
But Zacchaeus recognized that the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity. When God speaks and gives us invitations - whether for salvation, baptism, or stepping out in faith - He's looking for a simple yes, not hesitation or delay.
The Heart of God: Blessing Others Through Us
After spending time with Jesus, something remarkable happened to Zacchaeus. He stood up and declared, "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 back four times the amount."
This wasn't forced or manipulated - it flowed naturally from his encounter with Jesus. Zacchaeus had caught the heart of God, which is a heart of generosity and blessing. The more we spend time with Jesus and allow His Spirit to invade every area of our lives, the more we begin to think, feel, and act the way God does.
Breaking Free From the Spirit of Materialism
Zacchaeus broke free from the very thing that had held him captive his entire life. Up until that moment, his whole existence had been about getting and gathering. Now he was learning to sow and give. He broke free from:
The spirit of materialism
Carnal, worldly thinking
Fear of not having enough
Living by natural ability alone
This transformation illustrates what it means to get out of the cage of our own limitations and allow God's Spirit to motivate and provide for us. When we hold onto God's blessings selfishly, we remain trapped. But when we're willing to sow and give as God directs, it opens doors to miraculous provision and favor.
Why Is It More Blessed to Give Than Receive?
Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). The question isn't whether you're blessed - it's whether you're more blessed. Have you learned what to do with your blessing, or are you just holding onto it?
God's design is that our lives should be full and overflowing for others. We're called to be like Abraham, who was blessed to be a blessing. When we partner with God in generosity, we experience a joy and freedom that the world cannot understand.
Discovering a Cause Greater Than Ourselves
Before meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus had probably never given much thought to the poor - they couldn't pay taxes, so they were of no use to him. But after encountering Jesus, he caught God's heart for those in need. He discovered a cause greater than building his own wealth.
Through partnership with what God is doing, we become part of something much bigger than what we could achieve alone. The local church is the center of compassion, change, and community transformation. There's no more powerful organization on the planet than the local church when it comes to making a difference in the world.
Storing Up Treasures in Heaven
Jesus taught us not to store up treasures on earth where they can be destroyed or stolen, but to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). What does this mean practically? It means partnering in kingdom endeavors - supporting missions, helping the poor, and investing in what God is doing through His church.
When we sow into God's kingdom, we're not just giving money away - we're investing in eternal impact. Even while we sleep, our partnership enables feeding the poor, building schools, supporting orphanages, and spreading the gospel around the world.
Life Application
This week, take time to pray and ask God what He might be stirring in your heart regarding generosity. Like Zacchaeus, allow Jesus into every area of your life - including your finances and possessions. Consider how God might want to use you to be a blessing to others, whether through your local church, community needs, or missions.
Remember that transformation happens when we spend time with Jesus and allow His nature to be expressed through us. Don't settle for just being blessed - discover the joy of being more blessed by becoming a conduit of God's generosity to others.
Ask yourself these questions:
What areas of my life am I still trying to keep hidden from Jesus?
Am I living to get and gather, or have I learned to sow and give?
How can I partner with what God is doing through my local church and beyond?
What would it look like for me to break free from fear and trust God with my resources?
The same transformation that happened to Zacchaeus can happen to you. When you say yes to Jesus and allow Him to transform your heart, you'll discover the incredible joy and freedom that comes from living generously and being part of God's greater purposes in the world.
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A discussion guide for the sermon can be found here.
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So Pastor David Doery, he's a mighty man of God. He's been doing ministry in the state of Victoria for many, many years. Where wasn't he In Bendigo? In Bendigo for many years.
And then at one of the largest churches in Australia, now known as Numa Church. It's 100 years old today. They're celebrating 100 years of ministry. And Pastor David led that church. He led that church to do some of the things that we're believing for.
Where they went, really from one location to many locations. They pioneered churches in different areas and just expanded and grew. And a few years ago, he felt God speak to him to say, I want you to step down as a senior pastor of that church and I want you to by faith go into itinerant and just start ministering to churches wherever God calls you and speak into other churches lives. And that's a great step of faith. And so I want to say thank you for your integrity, thank you for your faith, and thank you for speaking into my life and our church's life over the last few years.
And he's going to bring a great word. I've asked him to talk about this stage that we're in about expanding and growing. So he's got a great word to share, share with us and why don't we give him an awesome hand as he comes on up to share this morning.
Thank you, Pastor Adrian. How many people love your pastor?
Some of you didn't say anything. How many people love your pastor? How many people love your pastor's wife?
We were interviewing a senior pastor once for a new position in the church, and he came out with these words I'll never forget. He said, look, what you got to understand about me is that people like me, but they love my wife. And I thought that's usually the way it goes. It's usually the way it goes. But you have a wonderful, wonderful pastor.
I love his faith. I love the vision. I'm actually, I'm convinced he's on a mission to take over the entire peninsula. And. And you're part of, of that.
You're part of that. So it's a great privilege to be with you this morning. I've got to be well on my behavior for this service because those nine o' clockers were out of control. They were completely out of control. They distracted me the entire message.
So I only got to preach about 40% of my message. So today, this morning, for your more mature, the more mature ones, the more spiritually mature.
I, I'm determined I must be well behaved. I must be well behaved. But it's a great privilege and I'm really excited. I, I'm. God spoke to me many years ago and I was in a little, a little church in Africa.
And it was as I, as pastor agent explained, I felt God tell us, release the church and just make ourselves available to go anywhere and just help build the church and build leaders. And so part of that adventure has taken us over to Africa, over to India, now over into Europe. But I was in this very small little church in Africa and I was tired, I was jet lagged. We'd bounce around on some dirt track for hours to get to this place and no floor, mud floor, and just only, you know, maybe 50, 60 people in that room. And I'm up there and I think, oh God, like, is this why I left my church?
Thousands of people every weekend we used to minister to thousands of people and I used to just jump in my nice comfortable car and just get there in 15 minutes and I'm there over in Africa with this small little room and I'm thinking, is this what it's about? Like, is this what you've called me to God? And I felt the Holy Spirit speak something I've never ever forgotten, said David. It's not the size of the room that matters, it's the size of the faith in the room. And what we saw God do in that setting was just absolutely miraculous.
So I've never forgotten it. And so when I step into rooms now, I'm not looking at how good the facilities are, though your facilities are wonderful. You're doing fantastic things. I'm not looking at how sophisticated is the worship. I'm not looking at all of the those things.
I'm asking the Holy Spirit, God, is this one of those rooms where there is faith? And I gotta tell you, there's faith in this room. There's faith in your leadership. And it's a privilege to be able to come and just to be able to share. And I pray that God speaks a word that for many of you this morning will simply be a word of affirmation that you'll be able to sit there and say, I've already got that.
I'm already living in that. And the wonderful thing from a preacher is if that's your revelation. I know you're with me. I know you don't sit there saying, oh, I get that. No, you're there saying, yes, come on.
But I pray also this morning that if you've not had this revelation, that this will be a revelation that can transform the way you live, that can transform the way you think about God, the way you think about his provision, the way you think about your opportunity to make a difference in the world. So I've got a title for it. I've got two titles. First title would be Set Free to Give. But the one I love is what Happened to Zach.
What Happened to Zach. And we're going to look at the story of Zacchaeus. Some of you will be very familiar with this story. Please don't tune out, but if it's your first time, this is one of the most exciting stories, I think, in the New Testament. So we're going to read from Luke, Luke, chapter 19.
Reading from verse one, says, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and he climbed a sycamore fig tree to see, to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
And when Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. Holy Spirit, I pray that in these next few moments, God, you would just take the multitude of my words and just whisper your words to every heart. I thank you, Holy Spirit, that you are the one who quickens the word.
You are the one who causes faith to rise. So I thank you, Father. God, as we open up our hearts, open up our ears, Father, that you will do exactly what you've promised to do. Cause faith to rise in our hearts. Let revelation rise and God help us to be everything that you've called us to be.
In Jesus name, everyone said.
I love the fact when we read this story, we haven't finished the story yet, but just push pause for a moment and realize that our God is a God of relation. Relationship. Our God longs not just to have a brief encounter. Our God is not just the God of the Sunday morning. He's not just the God of the laying hands and receiving prayer.
He's not the God who just wanted to call Zacchaeus down from the tree and have a quick chat. And maybe lay hands on him, and Zach was going to be empowered for life. No, no. Our God is the Jesus who said, zacchaeus, this is great, but I want to come home. I want to spend some time in your house.
And when I think about that, it just touches my heart again and again that our God is the kind of God that wants to invade every area of our lives and that there's not one area that we need to hold back from him. If your house is like my house, that if you came to be my God guests, you I'd show you into some rooms and you might walk around because my wife's a neat freak, you might walk around and go, wow, nice house. Nice and neat. Someone's done the vacuuming. All everything's nice.
But I'll guarantee you, just like your house, there'd be some doors I wouldn't want you to walk through because you've all got somewhere where there's a bit of junk. My house, I wouldn't let you see the inside of my wardrobe. I guarantee you in my old house, I wouldn't let you go out to my garden shed. And I way. And the truth is that some of us in our lives, we've got rooms that we wouldn't want Jesus to walk into.
Maybe it's a room of past addiction. Maybe it's a room of depression. Maybe it's a room of lust. Maybe it's a room of anger. Maybe it's a room somewhere, somewhere where we want to hide.
But our God is the God of relationship who says, you don't have to hide. There's no mess that I can't do deal with. There's no mess that I'm offended by. We've got a God who wants to step into every area of our lives. And he never judges.
He just says, if you let me, I can fix that mess. He's a God of relationship. Please don't leave him at church. Please don't hide away from your brokenness. Let him come in just the way he wanted to come in to Zach's life.
But there's also, when we read this and understanding that in our journey of faith, there are always moments, moments of opportunity, moments where there are invitations from God. And here's the thing. When God gives us an invitation, he's not looking for a response that says, well, God, let me think about that. He's not looking for a response to say, not right now. When God gives us an opportunity, he's looking for a simple yes.
See, when you think about this These were defining moments for Zacchaeus. There was a defining moment, moment when Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming through and he made a decision. He said, I want to find out about this Jesus. I want to find out if it's true what they're saying about him. He had everything, but he was still unfulfilled.
He was rich, he had the Maserati, he had the apartment, he had the investment properties. He had a good bank balance. People walk down the street, there's Zachary, he's a wealthy man, he's the. But there was something missing. He had all of the world could offer, but he was still incomplete.
So he's thinking, if Jesus is coming, coming to town, I'm going to take you. I want to find out, is it true what they say about this guy? He had an opportunity. When the crowd wouldn't make room for him, he had to make a decision. I'm going to climb a tree.
And he climbed the tree. When he was up the tree, he had an opportunity. When Jesus said, zacchaeus, come down, he could have said, no way, I'm hiding up here. We all think he was coming. Just maybe he was hiding up there.
But Jesus says, no, no, I need you to be vulnerable. I need you to come down. And he said, you're calling me, I'm coming. And then when Jesus said, I'm coming to your house, he could have said, not to today. No way.
I've got to be. I've got to open up the booth in about half an hour. I've got to be at my work in about half an hour. Not now. And the house is a mess.
You can't come today. But he had an opportunity. And he recognized the life, the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity. And for you and I, there are moments when God speaks and is looking for a yes. When he calls your name for salvation, he's looking for a yes.
When he calls your name to be baptized in water. My goodness, if you've never been baptized in water, come on. Why hold back? Why hold back when God calls? He's looking for a decision.
And this season that you're in, is that rain or is something going mad? Wow. Woo hoo. It rains down here on the peninsula. Well, it needs to rain now.
We've got food trucks organized for the sake of afternoon. Oh my goodness, I'm distracted already. That was your pastor's fault. Then what was I talking about? No idea.
Let's go on with the story. Luke, chapter 19. We started there, and we'll go, we'll finish it off. It's verse seven. It says, all the people saw this.
So Zacchaeus, Now Jesus is in Zacchaeus home. It says all the people saw this. And they began to mutter, he's gone to be the guest of a sinner. 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've cheated anybody out of anything, I'll pay back four times the amount.
Jesus said to him, today, salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost. I think there was a real shift of focus. I think until Zacchaeus stood up, the focus was very clear. They're all just talking about Jesus.
All the crowd is just going, what's Jesus doing to Zacchaeus place? Zacchaeus, the taxi collector. If he was a prophet, he'd know he's a tax collector. If he was a holy man, he wouldn't hang out with Zacchaeus. And all Zacchaeus, all the focus was on Jesus.
But then when Zack stood up, all the focus shifted. Nobody's thinking about Jesus. They're just. They're thinking about Zacchaeus. And I will guarantee inside they're thinking, what happened?
Where's the real Zach? Like, this can't be the real. That's not the Zacchaeus I know. The Zacchaeus I know would never give anything away to the poor. The Zacchaeus I know, he rips people off all the time.
They'd be thinking, what happened to Zacchaeus? And it's a good question because really, he's just hung out with Jesus for a little while, and then suddenly there's been a transformation. Transformation. Aren't you glad our God is a God of the transformation? I love the fact he's not just the God of salvation and says, okay, now you're going to be with me in glory forever.
No, no. He's the God who loves us so much, he cannot leave us the way we are. He'll save our soul, but then he'll transform our entire life. So Zacchaeus has had an encounter with the one that the Word says that, hey, when we are are in with him, when we are in Christ. 2nd Corinthians 5:17.
If any man is in Christ, if any woman is in Christ, if any young adult, if any young child is in Christ, has said yes to Jesus, they are a new creation. Everything is made new. Everything, not just part of us, but everything transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. So what did happen to Zach? What happened to him?
First thing is this. He actually caught the heart of God. Or I think, to be more accurately, the heart of God caught him. But suddenly he's being transformed. Do you know the reality of transformation is that the more we hang out with Jesus, the more we allow the life of the Holy Spirit to invade every area of our lives, the more we'll begin to think the way God thinks, the more the way we'll feel the way that God feels, and the more that we'll actually begin to act the way that God would act.
God's nature starts to be revealed in our lives. And God's nature is a nature of blessing and a nature of generosity. That's what I love about Pastor Adrian, sharing before. Why is God building your church? Why is God building the campuses around the peninsula?
Because there's a spirit of generosity. And not just talking about finance, but about every area. Generosity of spirit that says everybody's welcome. A generosity of spirit that doesn't just. But just says, hey, I've received grace.
I give you grace. A spirit of generosity that says, man, if I need to get up early and be part of what's going on, I'll do that. Why not? My whole life is a ministry. It's a whole opportunity to serve.
A spirit of generosity. God's heart is to bless and to empower.
Abraham, the Bible tells you us is the. The father of faith. And he's a brilliant example of someone who, who stepped in and experienced the nature of God. If you know the story in Genesis, chapter 12, he's doing okay. Thanks very much.
He's a blessed man. He's got family, he's got servants, he's got cattle. He's doing well, but he's comfortable. And then God rocks up. Genesis, chapter 12, verse 1.
The Lord said to Abraham, abraham, go from your country, your people, and your father's household to the land that I will show you. No details. This is risky business. No details. This is just.
Hey, trust me. No details. I've never been that way. I know. This is risky business.
This is faith. Just go to the place and I'm going to show you, and I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will. Will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. And then onwards it says, I will bless those that bless you. I'll curse those who curse you.
And it says all the people on the earth will be blessed through you. Do you know what I think God is saying? I think he's saying to Abraham what he says to every single one of us, if you trust me, I've got you.
He's saying to Abraham, I know this is a step of faith. I know you're comfortable. I know you don't know where we're going. I know this is in your mind, this is risky, but I've got to tell you, I've got you. Not only have I got you, but I'm going to bless you.
Not only have I got you, and not only am I going to bless you, but I'm also going to use you to bless others. That's the nature of God. That's the nature of our Father of faith when we look at Abraham. And that's the very nature that started to be accept expressed in Zacchaeus on that day. Jesus said, I've come that you might have life and that you might have life to the full.
What that means is our lives are not only to be full for ourselves, but they're to be full and overflowing for others. I love what Paul said. Acts, chapter 2035. He said, in everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help you the week remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself, who said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.
The question this morning is not so much, are you blessed?
The question this morning is, are you more blessed? The question this morning is not so much, have you learned to receive from the Lord? But the question is, having once received from the Lord, have you now learned to pour out into others? Because that's where it's more blessed. And so often we settle for just, I'm blessed.
Hallelujah. I'm blessed. And that's great. That's one if you're blessed, wonderful. That's what God wants to do.
But the question is not. No, no. But have you learned what to do with your blessing? Or are you just holding on to your blessing, saying, bless the Lord? Thank God, no, no, that's not where we're called.
I shared in the 9:00am A couple of months ago, I was staying in a lovely hotel, and it had a beautiful breakfast area that was made up to look like a jungle. And it was brilliant. And I'm enjoying my breakfast down there, thinking. And then I thought, they've done it all so well. And then I noticed that there was a bird chirping.
I thought, boy, they've done it so well. They've even recorded the sounds of birds chirping to make it again. You're sitting in the middle of a forest. I'm thinking, this is awesome. I went down the next morning, and again, I'm just looking around going, boy, they've done this.
Well, I hear the bird chirping, and I go, it sounds close today. And I'm looking for the speakers of where, where is this record? But I realize it's not recorded. They actually had little birds positioned around the area, the eating area, tucked in the trees and all that kind kind of thing. And I was looking at it, and they're beautiful, gorgeous little birds.
I don't know what it was called, but. And it was in this beautiful cane. Like, it was just gorgeous. But as I'm looking at this little bird, obviously well looked after. This little bird had everything it needed.
It had food, it had fresh water, it had everything it needed. But as I looked at it, I realized, but it's still in the cave. And it made me think, boy, what God is inviting us to. He's saying, yes, I'm going to bless you, but don't make me keep you in the cage. Don't just take my food and take my drink and take everything I'll give to you, but live in a cage of your own ability.
He said, I want to open the door. I want you to fly. It's like, Abraham, you're blessed, but I need you to be even more blessed. I need you to leave where you you are. Have an adventure of faith.
And through your adventure of faith, God says, I'm going to bless and multiply. Blessing for others. I'm telling you, for you and I, if we hold on to the blessing of God, we're trapped in a cage of our own ability. But if we say, God, I'm willing to give God, I'm willing to sow God, I'm willing to partnership. I'm telling you, it opens up a door.
And you will see the miraculous provision and the favor of God on your life increase. But through your life, miracles, miracles that you and I get to partner with. What happened to Zach?
Zach caught the heart of God and it flowed through him. And I love that it wasn't forced. Again, I love the heart of Pastor Adrian saying, hey, I don't want you to feel manipulated. I don't want you to feel pressured. If you look on your pamphlet there, step one, step one, pray step one.
Oh, listen to the Holy Spirit. I'm not here to manipulate. I'm not here to whoop you. Up. Step one, pray Jesus wasn't behind.
Zach, come on. Zach, come on. It'll really help me get up there and do something generous.
I'm sure. I'm sure Jesus was going, whoa, I think Dad's got him. I think Dad's. This is. Whoa.
He gets something that's just. Which is how it's supposed to be. Paul. 2nd Corinthians 9, 7. Each of you should give what you've decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion.
For God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in good work. As it's written, they freely scatter their gifts to the poor, then righteous. And their righteousness endures forever. Can I tell you, it feels good when you partner in generosity with God.
It feels good because you're expressing the nature of God. It's awesome. I remember the first time I ever did it as a young believer. God challenged me to give to a wealthy businessman. And I remember the struggle, thinking he.
I need it more than he does. Like, he's got a fancy house in a nice suburb and he drives a fancy car. I'm living in a little tiny little weather ball with a bombed out old wreck and I. And he wants me to give him money. But it was the Holy Spirit.
I'd never done anything like. But I thought, God, if this is you, put some cash in an envelope. I went down late at night and. And I remember popping it in because God said, don't let him know you've done it. Totally anonymous.
So I went down in the dark of night. I parked the car an entire block away and I snuck down the street and I remember popping the little envelope in his letterbox and then running back up the street, so terrified in case he saw me doing it. But I wanted to. I ran back with joy. I ran back thinking, this is awesome.
I felt like God's secret agent just putting the thing in there. And I'm telling you, it felt so good. I've never stopped doing it and it's never stopped feeling good. It's got scarier and scarier. It's got more and more.
But I'm telling you, if you step in obedience to the joy of the Lord, my goodness, it's just wonderful. I did it just recently and we just downsized from our big family home into an apartment. Now they call it right straight, not downsizing, but right sizing, which means we had a little bit of change we had a lot of change from the sale of the big house going into a smaller apartment. And so our first decision was, well, God, we're going to tithe that amount. And so we went down to the bank.
It was too much to do electronically. We went down to the bank and I told the first teller, I said, we want to give this to the church. And she looked at the amount and she goes, that's a lot. I said, yes, it is. It's a lot.
All right. She said, are you being forced to do this? I said, no. She says, are you sure you're not being manipulated by anyone to give this amount of money? This is very unusual.
I said, no, no, we want to do this. We get to do this. This is awesome. She said, she must have thought I was a bit strange. She said, I have to get the bank manager.
So the bank manager came out, he looked at the amount of money. He went, says, are you wanting to do this of your free will? Yes, I am. He said, do you know whether this account you're sending to, it doesn't exist? Do you know who it is on the.
On the other? I said, yes, it's my church's account. I know the account. He says, and you're willing to do this? Yes.
He says, this is very unusual. And then the other. Then he goes away, we do the thing. And he said. She goes, why are you doing.
I just said, well, we've been blessed by God. And we said, we count it an absolute privilege that we are able to give and to partner with the church because our church is awesome. Our church is doing this and our church is doing that, and it's just a wonderful thing. And she looked at me as if to say, you are crazy. You are crazy.
Because the world will never know the joy that we can know when we partner together in the kingdom. God of. Of God. It feels good, I'm telling you. The crowd was shocked, but I'm telling you, Zach would have been pumped.
So pumped. Giving half away. Heart of God got to him. But he also broke free. He broke free of the very thing that had held him.
You see, up until now, Zacchaeus whole life had been about getting gathering. But now he's starting to sow. Up until now, Zach's whole life had been about what he could do. Now it's all about, I want to partner with what God's doing. He broke free of the spirit of materialism.
He broke free of a carnal world. He broke free of fleshly thinking. He broke free of fear. He Broke free of thinking it's what I've got to build and I've got to hold on to it because if I let it go, I'm going to have life. He broke free.
You and I can break free of that as well. That's what it means to get out of the cage, to suddenly stop living by our natural ability and to allow the spirit of God to be the one that motivates and to be the one that provides for us. I'm telling you, I've been on this road for a long, long time. Time now. And the life that I've been able to live and that I live now, I could never have done it without God's grace, never have done it on my own.
I mean, on my own I was going to be dead from drugs or dead from alcohol or dead from some crazy accident. But I got born again. But I didn't get just get saved. I got transformed. And part of that transformation of allowing Jesus into every area of my life, the same as you can allow him into every area of your life, is learning to live trusting him, saying, God, the air that I breathe is a gift.
The finance that I have, it's a gift and I will not hold on to it. If you're asking for it, I'll sow it, knowing that it might leave my hand, but it's never ever going to leave my life. Because the promise of God is that if we sow, God is going to actually increase even more. Jesus said this. Matthew, chapter six.
Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin don't destroy and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What does it mean? Mean to store up for yourself treasures in heaven?
It means to partner in kingdom endeavors. It means to say, if this is what God is asking us to do together as a church, as a local church, if this is what God is asking us, if this is what we need to do to reach more souls, this is what we need to do to partner more with the community. If this is what we need to do to empower missions around the globe, if God has put this on our heart, I'm in. Do you know what it means to be part of this local church? It's more than just being part of the Sunday service.
It's more than just worshiping. It's more than just serving on a team it's more than just being in a connect group to partner, be a true partner of the church, a mature partner of the church. It means to actually sow into the vision to say, God, you've not just got my time, you've not just got my effort, you've not just got my heart, you've not just got my worship, you've not just got my commitment God, you've got whatever treasure you lay on my heart. Zach was set free from the spirit that had bound him his entire life of get, get, get. And he steps into so, so, so we all have that opportunity, but we also have that responsibility, ability as well.
Second Timothy 6:17 says, Command those who are rich in this present world. Can I just say, in our Western world, whatever your circumstance, if you have a roof over your head, if you have water in the tap, if you can go to a doctor, if you've got more than one set of clothes, you're rich. You're rich. We are rich. We're in the top 10, 10%.
We are rich. Well, let's not be arrogant or put our hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but let's put our hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them, those rich ones, you and I, to do good, to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share. For in this way, they'll lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.
What happened to Zach?
He caught the heart of God. He got free, set free from the spirit of the world. But he also discovered a cause that was greater than himself. I love it. I don't think Zach had given much thought to the poor before.
What good were they to him? He can't go up to a leper and say, give us your tax. He can't go up to a blind man and say, come on.
But now he's seeing a cause that was so much greater than building his own wealth or pleasing the authorities. Now he's caught the heart of Jesus. And he's noticed Jesus cares about the poor. He's noticed Jesus is willing to feed a crowd of 5,000. He notices.
He catches that heart. And now he's consumed, groomed by that. He's not thinking about his house, the Maserati, the investment properties. He's not thinking about any of that. He's thinking about man, I can make a difference.
And if I sow into what Jesus cares about, I'm going to make a difference. He's learned the power of a life that is an agreement with God. I don't know about you. If you've noticed, the world's a mess. Come on.
If you live in Victoria, Victoria, maybe the peninsula is different. Maybe the peninsula is the promised land in Victoria, but the rest of Victoria, we're struggling a little bit. There's a few problems going on.
You know, you might think, well, what difference can we make? But I tell you, alone, you may not make any difference at all. But together, what difference can the church?
Come on. You've got community projects going on. You've got mission partnerships going on. Do you know what I love? Sometimes I used to get overwhelmed with the darkness, overwhelmed with the challenges.
But you know what I realized? I realized through my partnership with what God is doing through the local church. Even when I lie asleep at night, I'm part of something bigger than what I could ever achieve on my own. When I lie asleep at night, I'm feeding the poor over in Africa and India. When I lie asleep at night, I'm helping building schools and orphanages.
When I lie asleep at night, through my partnership, I am part of something so much bigger. And I think, you know, when I stand before God, I'm sure there'll be some of me that says, oh. Oh, God, I didn't do much. I didn't do much. But I wouldn't be surprised if I feel like that, if an angel might tap me on the shoulder and say, wait a minute, let me show you.
And it won't be what I achieved in my little world in Melbourne. It'll be what God achieved through the partnerships of the local church. You know, if the local church disappeared from the planet, the planet would be in trouble. The local church is the center of compassion. The local church is the center of change.
The local church is the center of community transformation. There's no more powerful organization on the planet than the local church. And you might say, really? Yes, really. And you and I have an opportunity.
Same opportunity Zach had to be able to say, wow, it's not about me. I'm blessed, and that's great. But I can partner and I can bring change to the world through just saying yes to what God is calling me to do. Because it's not about buildings. It's not about the worship.
All that's important. You need bigger buildings, you need to expand. You need to do all of those things. But ultimately, the end result of all of that is souls. Finding Christ.
That's our mission. We just need the other stuff to help us do that better in the world that we live in today. So I wonder, would you stand to your feet, allow me to pray for you this morning before I hand it back to Pastor Adrian. I'm excited for you as a church. I'm excited for you as, as an individual.
And again, I pray that for many this morning, this word has just been a word of affirmation. But I'm praying if it's been a fresh word, if it's a fresh revelation, that you can take hold of it and say, God, let me live that kind of life. So Father, I thank you that God, what happened to Zach, God, can happen to every single one of us. I pray, Father, over this congregation, over the campuses, God, over the life of Connect Church. I pray, Father, God number one.
We would pray, God, because I know that when we pray you always speak. It's not up to us to figure it out. God is up to us just to hear and obey. So Father, I thank you for your faithfulness. I thank you.
On the other side of our yes, no matter how big, no matter how small, no matter what the amount, God, I thank you. On the other side of our yes is your abundant provision and your abundant favor. But I thank you, God, more than that. On the other side of our yes is a joy, is a freedom, is a whole level of life where we're just able to rest at night knowing that we're part of something so much bigger. We're part of what you are, are doing.
And God, that in that will be our joy, in that will be our fulfillment, in that will be our contentment. And I thank you for that, Lord. But I just wonder in these moments, as we draw to a close this morning, the most important thing that happened to Zach was he had that encounter with Jesus that when Jesus called his name, he got down from the tree and he stepped into relation relationship that would have changed the rest of his life. And I wonder here this morning, while heads are bowed and eyes are closed, I wonder this morning whether there are people here that God is calling your name. Maybe I don't know how you got here to church.
Maybe you came with a friend, maybe you've been coming for a while. But if you were honest this morning, you'd say, boy, I don't know Jesus the way that the people around about me seem to know him, I can't wait worship the way that they worship them. Maybe if you're honest this morning you would say, you know, I've never stopped and just said, boy, I, I need Jesus. Maybe you've never been vulnerable like Jack had to Be vulnerable, Come down from the tree in front of everybody. Maybe you've never made that decision to say, you know what?
I know I need Jesus. Well, the good news is Jesus loves you. God loves you. There's no judgment in his heart. There's only love and there's only grace.
And I'm not here by chance for you this morning. I'm here by divine appointment so that you can say yes to him. And the moment you say yes, the Bible says, whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Which means you'll know the reality of God's love, you'll know the reality of God's grace. You will know the reality of the power of his Holy Spirit in your life.
All it takes is a simple, simple prayer. You don't need to fix yourself. You don't need to, you know, come to church for, I don't know, months on end. You don't need to become any better. You just need to be so honest to say, God, I need you.
I need you. Jesus, would you come into my life this morning? I'm going to pray a prayer in just a few moments. But this prayer isn't for me. It's not for the church.
This prayer is for you. This prayer is for everyone that would say, this morning, God, I need you. I love, need you to come into my life. Jesus, would you please rescue me? Rescue me.
So while heads are bowed and eyes are closed, before I pray, I want you to actually do something. Zacchaeus had to come down from the tree. All I'm asking you to do to help me know that I'm praying for you and for you to give heaven a sign is to simply slip up your hand in a moment's time and say, david, you're praying for me. Would you include me in that prayer? So right now, if that's you this morning, your heart may be beating.
I don't know what's going on emotionally, but you know, God's calling your name. Would you slip up your hand nice and high? And we're going to pray in a moment's time together. God bless you. See your hand there.
See your hand there. See your hand there, Your hand there. God bless you. Your hand there. Come on, church.
This is worth getting excited about. People saying yes to the Lord saying, yes, that's me this morning. Yes, that's me this morning. God bless you. You can put your hands down this morning, but let's all pray this prayer together.
If you raise your hand, if you didn't, but you Know you should. This is your prayer, so let these words come out of your mouth. Let's say thank you God, that you love me so much. Jesus came, he died on that cross to pay the penalty of my sin. But he rose again so that I can know new life.
Today, God, I make my my decision. I'm opening up my heart and I'm asking Jesus Christ come into my life. Be my Lord, be my Savior. Fill my heart with my your love, your grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. Because from this moment on, I'm choosing to live as a child, child of God in Jesus name, Amen and amen and amen.
Father, I pray for every man, every woman, every young person who said yes this morning. God, I thank you that from this moment everything changes. I thank you, God. From this moment, no matter what's happening in their emotion, no matter what's happening in their thought, God in heaven, you're rejoicing and Holy Spirit, they've given you permission to come and bring salvation and transformation. So we commit them to you, Father.
Take them, mold them, build them, heal them, Father, for your glory in Jesus name, Amen and amen. Come on, let's thank God for his word. Let's thank God for his goodness. I'll hand back to Pastor Adrian this morning. Awesome.
Why don't we thank Pastor, Pastor David, grab your seats for a couple of minutes, we're almost done. We've got morning tea out there. The cafe is going to be open.
That was a powerful word. Hey. And you know, I was stirred many times as Pastor David was speaking in that scripture. And I was honestly just thinking about the people of this church, you know, and what God is doing among us. Some of us are brand new, just come.
Some of us have been in many, many years. As I said at the start, some were part of starting this church 40 years ago. And you know, what God is doing in this place is a spirit led thing. And I want to encourage you in this church. I promise you this.
If you've come in for the first time, time or the last few weeks, we don't, you know, we've launched something we don't normally talk about giving and that all the time, but we do want to be a generous people and we live that out and no one will pressure you. I don't want anyone to feel, you know, in all those things we give out of that heart of generosity. But I do want to stir our faith because something happens. Something happens when you listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. And I want to say, you know, last week I shared what God had stirred Narelle and I with.
And, you know, this week we. We gave half of that. And it's the. And it's, you know, what David was talking about. It's the biggest amount we've ever given and a lump sum into the life of the church.
And everything he was talking about has stirred in my heart. God showed me. He said, adrian, he goes, you don't need to worry about all your life. I'll take of care care of it. And I went, God, I've got.
You know what it made me do? I had more joy for this church. I had more of a heart for God's people. I fell more in love with you. I fell more in love with God.
We had more joy in our house. And actually in my heart, I went, God, how can I give more? I want to pour out more. That's what I get. God, the need is so great.
And I want to help the poor. I want to help those who need the love, love of Jesus. And I want to stir you and say, if you listen to the Holy spirit and be obedient to him, I promise you, God will grab a hold of your heart and he will do things in you like Pastor David's saying that no man can do. And it will stir something to have more impact, to be more joy filled than you've ever been. And that goes for every area of our life.
And so, you know, let's be praying, let's be asking God, thank you for having open hearts. Thank you, you for your generosity. God's going to do greater things through your life than you've ever imagined. I promise you. You watch.
And he's going to take us. He's going to take some of us from the miry clay we're in. Pastor David shared at the first service. He was addicted to drugs. He was an alcohol.
He had his hair down. He was a hippie. And God saved him and turned him into this powerful man of God who served him and changed who knows how many lives across how many countries. That's what he can do through our lives when we give it to him. What can he do through you?
And so we're going to pray. If you need, at the doors as we leave, we've got the brochures. If you didn't get one last week, please grab one of those. The team will have one. It tells you about the vision and all the things we want to do that we can partner together with.
But we're believing God for Greater things. If you gave your life to Christ and lifted your hand up, we want to give you a free Bible. And it's a great Bible. If you can go, you'll see a table by the bookshop over there. We want to give you that Bible.
It helps you in your walk with God. It's going to help you follow him and God's going to do incredible things through your life. He's going to set you free. Amen. Let me pray for you and then we're finished.
Then we're going to. Actually, why don't we stand? We're going to finish with you are holy because I want to lift up the name of Jesus, Lord. I pray God for all of us, Lord, that you will would help us to see you, Lord Jesus, that you would speak to us, that you would stir us. You called us to be free to have life abundant, Lord, let that stir in our hearts.
Holy Spirit. And let us go forth, Lord, and be the men and women of God you called us to be. We pray it in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
Come on, Clay, lead us. Let's finish with this song.
Singing you are holy Right out. Singing you are holy, you are holy. Lord, I saw the Lord I train of Israel all the fear of the temple and the angels around me and they cry singing you are holy, you are holy I you are holy, you are holy, you are holy.
Holy, you are holy.
Thank you so much for joining us for church this morning. We've got morning Peter la foyer, please stay. It's been a pleasure to have you. See you next week. Hang on, one last.
Pastor David does this as his ministry. If you'd like to contribute into his ministry in his life, we want to give him a love offering today. And so if you go to our ways to give and just put Pastor David, we will be giving that to him to say thank you and to bless his life and his ministry and thank him for sowing into us today. So let's make sure that we do that on our hearts and have a great rest of the day. God bless you.
Related Bible Verses
Luke 19:1–10 (NIV)
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 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 back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Genesis 12:1–3 (NIV)
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
John 10:10 (NIV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Acts 20:35 (NIV)
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
2 Corinthians 9:7–9 (NIV)
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures for ever.”
Matthew 6:19–21 (NIV)
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
1 Timothy 6:17–19 (NIV)
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.