Welcome to Faith Chapel.
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My name is
Pastor Martin Fancher.
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I pastor the
Seventh-day Adventist Churches
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in DeFuniak Springs and
Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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It's pleasure to be
here today to bring to you
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a message I have entitled
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"When Saying You're
Sorry Just Isn't Enough."
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Would you bow your head with me
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and let's begin with prayer.
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Gracious Father in heaven,
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we thank you so much
for giving us your word.
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Now as we open that
word, may we get a blessing
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from the Holy Spirit
that we may understand
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and apply what we hear.
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In the way that you
would have us applied
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in our lives
that would ultimately
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draw us closer to you.
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For these things, we
pray in Jesus name. Amen.
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A young man in his
early teens who routinely
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was stealing money
out of his mother's purse.
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He would sneak into her room.
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He would take the
money out of her purse
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and straightened
every thing back up,
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so that no one would
know especially his mother.
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In fact he got so brazen
with it that occasionally
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when the mother made
some comment about it.
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He made an absolute
denial that he had anything
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to do or had any
knowledge of what was going on.
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But one night he
needed some extra cash,
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and he snuck into that
mother's room one more time
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and as he was
going through the purse,
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he heard a click
and the light came on.
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And he turned
to face his mother.
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In a moment he was
convicted of his wrong doing.
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He immediately felt
sorry for what he had done
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and he broke down remorsefully
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and begged his
mother for forgiveness.
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She said to him son, you
know I readily forgive you.
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And, you know,
how much I love you.
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However, to trust you again
is going to take some time.
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You see when we
have faith with someone
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and we break that
faith, it is very difficult
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to put the pieces
back together and win back
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that trust it was
once so blessed upon us.
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We have a heavenly
Father whose love and trust
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is so important
and vital too us.
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Is it possible,
we've broken that trust?
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And if we have is our
Savior remorseful, is He sorry,
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is He trying to
restore us to Him.
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Well, there are times
when we might feel this way.
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There are times when we
may feel that our Savior
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is ashamed of us and
wants nothing to do with us.
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But my friend, have
I got good news today.
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There is no sin too great
to keep Jesus from loving us.
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Because Jesus is
willing to forgive our sins
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and we must confess those sins.
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And the Bible tells us
that He is faithful and just
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to forgive those
sins and to cleanse us
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from all unrighteousness,
isn't that wonderful?
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Jesus has such love for us.
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I want to share with you a
story from scripture today.
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It's a story
we're all familiar with.
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The story comes
from the book of Luke.
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Luke Chapter 19, we'll
be reading versus 1-10.
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Then Jesus entered
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and passed through Jericho.
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Now behold, there
was a man named Zacchaeus
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who was a chief tax
collector, and he was rich.
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And he sought to
see who Jesus was,
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but he could
because of the crowd,
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for he was of short stature.
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So he ran ahead
and he climbed up
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into a sycamore tree to see Him,
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for He was going
to pass that way.
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And when Jesus
came to the place,
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He looked up and saw
him, and said to him,
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"Zacchaeus make
haste and come down,
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for today I must
stay at your house."
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So he made haste and came down,
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and received Him joyfully.
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But when they saw it,
they all complained, saying,
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"He has gone to be a guest
with a man who is a sinner."
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Then Zacchaeus stood
and said to the Lord,
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Lord, Lord, I give half
of my goods to the poor,
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and if I have taken
anything from anyone
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by false
accusation, I restore fourfold."
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And Jesus said to him,
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"Today salvation
has come to this house,
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because he also
is a son of Abraham;
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for the Son of
Man has come to seek
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and to save
that which was lost."
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Isn't that a wonderful
story? I love that story.
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We read it to our children
but it's a story for us.
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This man Zacchaeus
had heard about Jesus.
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And when Jesus came that
way, he went on a search.
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He wanted to meet this man.
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Something had
sparked within his life,
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this tax collector, this
one who was hated by most
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found love
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and acceptance in the
mere knowledge of Jesus.
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And so the Bible
tells us, that he went
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and he found where Jesus was,
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but because of his
stature, he was just too short.
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And, of course, as
the children song goes,
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he climbed up in a
sycamore tree for the Lord,
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he wanted to see.
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Well, the crowd
had been in his way.
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He needed to be
above the crowd to see.
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There was probably
children on either side of him
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in the tree.
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I'm here to tell
you that the crowd still
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gets in our way of seeing Jesus.
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When we want to find Jesus,
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our Savior all
too often the crowd,
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the world gets in
our way and we don't see
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what we think we need to see.
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Well, the Bible
goes on and tells us,
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not only did
Zacchaeus want to see Jesus.
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But my friend Jesus had an
appointment with Zacchaeus.
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Now if that
doesn't open our eyes
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and make our heart
jump with gladness,
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not only do we want
to see Jesus my friend,
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but Jesus wants to see us.
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A divine appointment, a destiny
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that He wants to
see each one of us.
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What gets in our way
of being able to see?
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Well, let's take
a look at Zacchaeus,
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his story once again.
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Jesus stops
underneath that tree.
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He looks up,
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He sees Zacchaeus
sitting in the tree.
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Zacchaeus, I need
to come to your house
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today Jesus tells him.
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Now immediately the Bible says,
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those that were
around Him, the leaders,
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church leaders of that day.
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They were not too happy
and impressed that Jesus
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was going to eat at
the home of a sinner.
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They believe that Jesus had
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not come by divine appointment.
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They knew that He
was messing up all that
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they knew to be true.
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He was causing
their religion to loose
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its meaning and its value.
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In their eyes that is.
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What they didn't
understand was that
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as the Bible tells us, Jesus
came to give the religion life
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and to give it more abundantly.
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He came to make the
religion personable,
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not something we do but
it's someone whom we believe in.
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Well, the Bible tells us
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that Zacchaeus
didn't make haste.
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Zacchaeus came
down out of that tree
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and may I imagine
with pride in his heart.
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He sought after Jesus,
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leading Him down the
streets to his house.
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As we mentioned earlier,
forgiveness doesn't always
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reinstate trust as the boy who
was stealing from his mother.
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He received forgiveness,
but trust was something
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he was going to have to rebuild.
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He was going to after
earn that trust with her.
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My friend, we don't
earn trust with Jesus Christ,
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He grants it to
us, He gives it to us.
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He gives us the
power to trust in Him.
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Sometimes it just seems so hard.
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The Pharisees were complaining
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and let me tell
you the church leaders
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still complained today.
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They've, sometimes
want to make things so hard.
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But my friend Jesus
wants things so easy.
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He wants us to understand
that true Christianity is not
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just seeing Jesus,
its encountering Jesus
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as Zacchaeus did
on a personal level.
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A level that says that
the rubber has met the road,
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that the hand
has shook the hand.
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I once shook the
hand of a man who shook
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the hand of Elvis Presley.
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But never can I say
that I shook the hand
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of Elvis Presley.
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I don't want to be
said of me that I shook
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a hand of the
hand of Jesus Christ.
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But rather that I shook
the hand of Jesus Christ
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and never let go.
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That's the promise that
God can give to us today.
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See the agenda for the
Pharisees were very different,
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their agenda for
Jesus was to trick Him.
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Their agenda was to make
people depended upon them.
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Zacchaeus saw through
that, Zacchaeus had a need
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that only Jesus could fulfill.
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Do, you know, what
there is another lesson
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that we can learn
here that Zacchaeus found.
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And that is even if
you've been committed
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of doing
something that is wrong.
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In order to make it right,
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you may have to
go out on a limb.
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Not as Zacchaeus did,
but go out on that limb
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and make
restitution for the wrong.
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Well, I can imagine
that boy who took money
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from his mother's purse.
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I can imagine him saying
it will never happen again
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and turning and walking away.
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I can imagine, he
hugged his mother.
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I imagine that he did
his best to restore the money
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which would in end help
restore his mother's trust.
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So he had
something that he had to do,
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there's something
that Zacchaeus had to do.
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See Zacchaeus, as the habit was
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and the practice
was in Bible times.
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They auctioned off the tax
areas and Zacchaeus purchased
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his area that he
would collect the tax.
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And there was a certain
amount of tax it was owed.
00:11:07.90\00:11:10.14
Anything that he collected
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above and beyond that was his.
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So no wonder
that IRS of that day
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was despised as much as
it was, because they were
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taking an unfair
tax on the people.
00:11:19.47\00:11:22.84
And they were
keeping it for themselves
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and probably living a
much higher lifestyle.
00:11:24.46\00:11:28.13
But Jesus comes
into Zacchaeus' life,
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invites Himself
over to Zacchaeus' home.
00:11:32.16\00:11:36.44
And on the way,
Zacchaeus has his eyes opened,
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and he realizes and the
Bible tells us that he said
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any man that I have
taken from, I will restore,
00:11:47.66\00:11:54.83
well it would been good
enough in most of our eyes
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if that's what
he had truly said.
00:11:57.13\00:11:59.22
I've taken money from you here,
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I'm giving the money back
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that I shouldn't
have taken from you.
00:12:02.11\00:12:03.45
But that's not
what Zacchaeus said,
00:12:03.46\00:12:05.21
Zacchaeus said that if
he had taken from any man,
00:12:05.22\00:12:10.91
he would restore
the money fourfold.
00:12:10.92\00:12:14.75
Now you and I
can think about that
00:12:16.12\00:12:17.27
for just a moment.
00:12:17.28\00:12:18.42
If he took a dollar,
more than he should have
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from someone, he owed $4.
00:12:20.72\00:12:23.13
If he took a $100
more he would promise
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to repay $400,
$4000 the dollar value
00:12:27.18\00:12:33.90
was not important
to Zacchaeus my friend,
00:12:33.91\00:12:36.31
the importance was being right
00:12:36.32\00:12:37.66
with his Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
00:12:37.67\00:12:39.74
And a true
encounter with Jesus my friend
00:12:39.75\00:12:41.99
will draw us
closer to Jesus Christ.
00:12:42.00\00:12:44.17
And the Bible
tells us that by holding,
00:12:44.18\00:12:46.52
we'll become changed
into that which we behold.
00:12:46.53\00:12:49.47
Zacchaeus have been
beholding the world far too long
00:12:49.48\00:12:51.76
and he was beginning
to look like the world.
00:12:51.77\00:12:54.86
Now he wanted to see Jesus.
00:12:54.87\00:12:56.81
And he wanted to be
changed into that image
00:12:56.82\00:12:58.77
that Jesus
wants for him to have.
00:12:58.78\00:13:03.63
Oh, my friend, it's time
00:13:03.64\00:13:04.85
for a grand image
change on each one of us.
00:13:04.86\00:13:07.04
It's time that we allow
Jesus to come on the inside
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and to changes into
that which He wants us to be.
00:13:09.58\00:13:13.48
Well, I think I know
what I want from my life.
00:13:13.49\00:13:15.40
And I think I know what I need.
00:13:15.41\00:13:17.78
But I need to
pray that God will have
00:13:17.79\00:13:19.76
His will and His
way with me in His time.
00:13:19.77\00:13:24.72
Well, I want you to realize
that Jesus affirms Zacchaeus.
00:13:24.73\00:13:29.89
Jesus tells us in the
scripture that we read,
00:13:29.90\00:13:34.24
that he was happy
with what Jesus did.
00:13:34.25\00:13:36.91
Today Jesus said, salvation
has come to this house.
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Oh, I can imagine those
words were extremely important
00:13:42.92\00:13:47.70
for Zacchaeus to hear.
00:13:47.71\00:13:49.91
See, he didn't even
know that he was lost,
00:13:49.92\00:13:53.94
until he heard of Jesus.
00:13:53.95\00:13:56.88
And then somewhere in
his past, he discovered
00:13:56.89\00:13:59.76
and when Jesus
came to that city,
00:13:59.77\00:14:01.51
he made it his first priority
00:14:01.52\00:14:04.03
to find Him and find Him he did.
00:14:04.04\00:14:08.21
What he didn't realize
00:14:08.22\00:14:09.89
was the Jesus was
there to find Zacchaeus.
00:14:09.90\00:14:13.80
It says to us
Zacchaeus has come to this house
00:14:15.20\00:14:19.05
with Jesus and that salvation
would be his free and clear.
00:14:19.06\00:14:26.99
Zacchaeus' entire household
becomes followers of God.
00:14:27.00\00:14:33.64
What a testimony
Zacchaeus will have.
00:14:33.65\00:14:36.40
What a testimony, his
living testimony there
00:14:36.41\00:14:40.49
in that day and age with
those friends and neighbors.
00:14:40.50\00:14:44.87
Imagine if the Internal
Revenue Service called you.
00:14:44.88\00:14:48.07
And said oh, no!
We've made a mistake
00:14:48.08\00:14:50.24
and we've
discovered that we owe you
00:14:50.25\00:14:51.97
a $1000 back
and since we owe you
00:14:51.98\00:14:55.42
the $1000 and it's our mistake,
00:14:55.43\00:14:56.98
we're going to repay a fourfold.
00:14:56.99\00:14:59.22
We don't imagine them
calling to admit a mistake,
00:15:00.33\00:15:02.54
let alone calling
to repay it fourfold.
00:15:02.55\00:15:05.94
That's a dream.
00:15:05.95\00:15:07.32
But my friend,
with Jesus Christ,
00:15:08.94\00:15:10.73
it is no hollow dream.
00:15:10.74\00:15:13.00
It is 100
percent reality and fact
00:15:13.01\00:15:17.97
and the story is
valid for us today.
00:15:17.98\00:15:21.98
Jesus proclaimed
His mission in verse 10.
00:15:21.99\00:15:25.16
The Son of Man has come
to seek and save the lost.
00:15:25.17\00:15:28.84
This is what the
Pharisees didn't understand.
00:15:28.85\00:15:31.46
They didn't understand
that Jesus was coming to seek
00:15:32.48\00:15:34.59
and save the
lost, but Jesus was.
00:15:34.60\00:15:38.96
It's a wonder that
Pharisees were upset that Jesus
00:15:38.97\00:15:42.03
was going to eat with
sinners, with prostitutes,
00:15:42.04\00:15:48.40
with the poor, with
those who have diseases.
00:15:48.41\00:15:52.57
They were not happy,
but Jesus kept company
00:15:52.58\00:15:56.50
with those who needed His
company and more than that
00:15:56.51\00:16:01.31
He was with
people who wanted Jesus
00:16:01.32\00:16:05.45
to be with them.
00:16:05.46\00:16:07.65
My friend I hope that you
want Jesus to be with you,
00:16:07.66\00:16:12.54
because Jesus does want you.
00:16:12.55\00:16:15.30
And He wants to
spend time with you,
00:16:15.31\00:16:16.67
but you have to want
to spend time with Him.
00:16:16.68\00:16:20.34
And I as always,
that's another story.
00:16:20.35\00:16:23.78
Well, I love
picturing with my children.
00:16:23.79\00:16:28.69
The story of Zacchaeus
and climbing up in the tree,
00:16:28.70\00:16:31.74
trying to get through
the crowd, making his way
00:16:31.75\00:16:34.04
in there and he can't find Him.
00:16:34.05\00:16:36.02
He climbs up into that tree.
00:16:36.03\00:16:37.66
Jesus looks up and sees
him and Jesus changes his life.
00:16:37.67\00:16:43.77
That's what Jesus is here for.
00:16:43.78\00:16:45.51
Jesus wants to come
00:16:45.52\00:16:46.49
into the heart of
each and everyone of us.
00:16:46.50\00:16:48.22
He wants to change your life
00:16:48.23\00:16:50.92
and He wants to change my life.
00:16:50.93\00:16:52.63
He gives us the hope to do that.
00:16:53.72\00:16:56.58
Jesus in Bible gives us
many stories of people of faith
00:16:57.73\00:17:00.92
who came to this
encounter with Jesus Christ,
00:17:00.93\00:17:03.76
from the little
girl who healed Naman
00:17:03.77\00:17:06.57
by causing his faith to grow.
00:17:06.58\00:17:09.49
If the prophet asks a
little thing, can you not do it?
00:17:09.50\00:17:13.76
All the way through
the children of Israel
00:17:13.77\00:17:16.16
marching around the
city and blowing the trumpets
00:17:16.17\00:17:20.11
and seeing the walls
of Jericho fall down.
00:17:20.12\00:17:22.26
God wants an encounter
with each and every one of us.
00:17:22.27\00:17:25.31
And all through scripture
we have biblical examples
00:17:25.32\00:17:29.57
of the very same walk with Jesus
00:17:29.58\00:17:33.30
that Jesus
wants to walk with us.
00:17:33.31\00:17:36.85
Isn't that wonderful?
00:17:36.86\00:17:38.02
Jesus wants to walk with me.
00:17:38.03\00:17:41.06
Bible tells us in Genesis,
00:17:41.07\00:17:43.37
when Jesus came down
to the Garden of Eden,
00:17:43.38\00:17:45.95
says God walked among them
00:17:45.96\00:17:48.50
with Adam and Eve in the garden.
00:17:48.51\00:17:51.18
When sin came into the
world, God could no longer walk
00:17:51.19\00:17:54.19
in person with them and they
were cast out of the garden.
00:17:54.20\00:17:57.43
You and I are living in a world,
00:17:57.44\00:17:59.25
the results of the fall of sin.
00:17:59.26\00:18:01.71
You and I cannot
walk hand in hand
00:18:01.72\00:18:04.03
physically with Jesus Christ,
or His Father in this world.
00:18:04.04\00:18:08.13
You and I have that
spiritual relationship
00:18:08.14\00:18:10.56
and that's spiritual
relationship Jesus Himself
00:18:10.57\00:18:12.93
came to prove, it's
possible to live in a close
00:18:12.94\00:18:16.80
spiritual
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:18:16.81\00:18:19.66
He came personally
and that personal walk
00:18:19.67\00:18:24.38
ended on Calvary's tree.
00:18:24.39\00:18:27.14
My friend the price He
paid was an exorbitant price,
00:18:28.18\00:18:32.36
but He
considers it worth it all.
00:18:32.37\00:18:35.04
Another thing we can learn
from the story of Zacchaeus.
00:18:36.12\00:18:39.16
The Pharisees had
written Zacchaeus off.
00:18:39.17\00:18:41.73
Zacchaeus was a
sinner and therefore
00:18:41.74\00:18:43.95
they didn't need to do
anything else with him.
00:18:43.96\00:18:46.98
They had already written him off
00:18:46.99\00:18:48.68
the books of life, so to speak.
00:18:48.69\00:18:51.21
They would not work with him,
00:18:51.22\00:18:52.67
they did not
need to deal with him.
00:18:52.68\00:18:54.24
In fact, the Bible
doesn't even record
00:18:54.25\00:18:57.05
they tried to save
him or witness to him.
00:18:57.06\00:19:00.14
But Jesus doesn't
write any of us off.
00:19:01.50\00:19:05.53
Jesus comes searching
for us and whether my friend
00:19:05.54\00:19:09.58
you are in a tree, or
whether you are in a bush,
00:19:09.59\00:19:12.98
or in a car or in your home.
00:19:12.99\00:19:14.79
Jesus will find you
because He wants to be
00:19:16.11\00:19:21.31
in a saving
relationship with you.
00:19:21.32\00:19:24.57
And He will not write us off.
00:19:24.58\00:19:27.66
Jesus proclaimed His mission
to seek and save the lost.
00:19:27.67\00:19:31.79
My friend, do you
know you are lost?
00:19:31.80\00:19:33.35
Do I know I'm lost?
00:19:34.35\00:19:35.90
Without Jesus Christ
00:19:35.91\00:19:38.00
there is nothing I
can do it to be saved.
00:19:38.01\00:19:39.91
Someone once put it this way.
00:19:41.22\00:19:43.23
Well, is Jesus love conditional?
00:19:43.24\00:19:46.66
And the response was,
there is nothing that you can do
00:19:48.80\00:19:53.24
to make Jesus love you anymore
00:19:53.25\00:19:55.71
than He loves you today.
00:19:55.72\00:19:59.50
But they continued,
there is nothing you can
00:19:59.51\00:20:03.34
do to make Jesus
love you any less.
00:20:03.35\00:20:06.48
That's true love my
friend, a love that doesn't end.
00:20:07.78\00:20:12.59
We find the road to Jericho
being passed by many people.
00:20:14.48\00:20:18.63
The crowd had thronged Jesus;
00:20:18.64\00:20:21.03
they cut off any way
for Zacchaeus to find Jesus
00:20:21.04\00:20:25.16
and Satan himself is
doing the same today.
00:20:25.17\00:20:28.33
Oh, we may be caught up
in the cares of the world,
00:20:28.34\00:20:30.25
our priorities may be misaligned
00:20:30.26\00:20:31.74
and in the wrong places.
00:20:31.75\00:20:33.45
But if we look for
Jesus, we can find Him.
00:20:33.46\00:20:39.55
We may have to
climb up above your tree.
00:20:40.66\00:20:43.54
We may have to find
Him in a still small voice.
00:20:44.77\00:20:48.57
But wherever we go, we
need to be searching for Jesus,
00:20:49.65\00:20:54.46
because my friend
He is searching for us.
00:20:54.47\00:20:58.48
The Bible says that
00:20:58.49\00:20:59.92
today salvation
has come to this house.
00:20:59.93\00:21:03.08
Wouldn't that be wonderful
words for each one of us
00:21:03.09\00:21:05.04
to hear today that salvation
has come to our house today?
00:21:05.05\00:21:08.00
It's come to your
house today, it's here today.
00:21:08.01\00:21:11.14
The words of
scripture are not hollow
00:21:12.39\00:21:14.25
and empty my friend.
00:21:14.26\00:21:15.23
They are filled with
power, wonder working power paid
00:21:15.24\00:21:18.12
for by the blood of Calvary.
00:21:18.13\00:21:20.76
That's where true life
comes from is through the death
00:21:20.77\00:21:24.82
and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
00:21:24.83\00:21:27.23
And though Jesus
had not yet died,
00:21:27.24\00:21:29.63
Zacchaeus begin to
understand forgiveness
00:21:29.64\00:21:33.30
in a dimension that many
of us need to understand.
00:21:33.31\00:21:35.94
When we say we're sorry,
it's not all over with yet.
00:21:35.95\00:21:38.56
It's not done yet
when we say a sorry.
00:21:38.57\00:21:41.62
Well, let me give
you an illustration.
00:21:42.71\00:21:44.67
I was eating in a restaurant.
00:21:45.95\00:21:47.79
Something
wasn't done quite right
00:21:47.80\00:21:50.69
and I asked to
see someone in charge.
00:21:50.70\00:21:54.74
Person in charge
brought over the waiter
00:21:56.02\00:21:57.94
and the waiter said I'm sorry
00:21:57.95\00:22:00.75
and turned and walked away.
00:22:02.32\00:22:03.72
I wasn't sure whether
he was sorry that something
00:22:04.75\00:22:07.40
had not happened right
with my food or he was sorry
00:22:07.41\00:22:10.19
that I had called the manager
00:22:10.20\00:22:11.37
and got him in trouble
which was not my intension.
00:22:11.38\00:22:13.97
But you and I need
to know why we're sorry
00:22:13.98\00:22:17.10
if we're truly sorry.
00:22:17.11\00:22:18.38
And my friend the sins
that stain you and I today
00:22:18.39\00:22:22.54
are the same sins that
stains Zacchaeus so long ago.
00:22:22.55\00:22:26.93
But his sins caught up
with him in his conscience,
00:22:26.94\00:22:30.74
in his very being and he knew
00:22:30.75\00:22:32.26
something was not right.
00:22:32.27\00:22:33.64
And he wanted to make it right,
00:22:33.65\00:22:35.25
and when he heard of
Jesus and what Jesus could do,
00:22:35.26\00:22:37.84
he sought him out.
00:22:37.85\00:22:39.51
I hope that the life that
each one of us are living,
00:22:40.85\00:22:45.53
is a life that calls us
00:22:45.54\00:22:47.59
and draws us to Jesus Christ.
00:22:47.60\00:22:50.23
Because Jesus
wants us to ask Him
00:22:50.24\00:22:54.72
for forgiveness,
for no one else can.
00:22:54.73\00:22:57.85
You can't ask to
have my sins forgiven
00:22:57.86\00:22:59.85
and I can't ask to
have your sins forgiven.
00:22:59.86\00:23:01.74
But praise God
today, we can call upon God
00:23:01.75\00:23:06.80
and our sins will be
forgiven and Jesus Christ
00:23:06.81\00:23:10.01
in essence will
say to us the same
00:23:10.02\00:23:11.71
that He said to Zacchaeus.
00:23:11.72\00:23:13.25
When He said that today,
00:23:13.26\00:23:16.43
salvation has
come to this house.
00:23:16.44\00:23:19.93
My friend, what
must we do to seek Jesus?
00:23:19.94\00:23:24.99
What we must do is to
look in all the right places.
00:23:26.51\00:23:32.09
If we take our
Bibles, if we would read,
00:23:32.10\00:23:34.31
if we would
study, if we would pray,
00:23:34.32\00:23:36.46
we will find Him.
00:23:37.59\00:23:38.88
Zacchaeus had to leave
the comfort of his home.
00:23:39.92\00:23:42.67
He had to leave the comfort
of what he had always known
00:23:42.68\00:23:46.07
and done in his life
and he had to walk away
00:23:46.08\00:23:49.66
and leave that all
behind him to find Jesus.
00:23:49.67\00:23:53.64
You and I need to walk away
00:23:53.65\00:23:54.87
from the comfort of our home.
00:23:54.88\00:23:56.67
Sometimes we don't
even pray over our food
00:23:56.68\00:23:58.60
in a restaurant for fear
00:23:58.61\00:23:59.62
of what someone
else might think,
00:23:59.63\00:24:01.14
who happens to see
us sitting near us.
00:24:01.15\00:24:03.78
But my friend as Paul
said in the scripture,
00:24:03.79\00:24:06.55
I'm not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ.
00:24:06.56\00:24:10.12
If Jesus is not
ashamed of me in my sinfulness.
00:24:10.13\00:24:14.99
Then why in the world
would I be ashamed of Him.
00:24:16.61\00:24:20.82
I don't know, but
I do have the answer.
00:24:23.73\00:24:29.32
I can invite Jesus into my life
00:24:29.33\00:24:32.21
and He can and will give
me the power to overcome,
00:24:32.22\00:24:38.22
because He loves us so much.
00:24:38.23\00:24:40.93
We talked about the boy
who stole from his mother
00:24:40.94\00:24:43.57
being forgiven and
having to rebuild back trust.
00:24:43.58\00:24:46.45
Jesus gives us trust.
00:24:47.52\00:24:50.69
Jesus tells us in His
word that He is faithful
00:24:50.70\00:24:54.69
and just to forgive
us and to cleanse us.
00:24:54.70\00:24:59.56
And my friend I'm
dirty, I'm very dirty.
00:24:59.57\00:25:03.08
I'm a sinner who comes home.
00:25:04.18\00:25:07.18
God calls each one
of us to salvation.
00:25:08.46\00:25:12.73
Each one of us need to
have that right walk with Jesus.
00:25:12.74\00:25:18.13
Maybe you'll find it
in your daily devotions.
00:25:18.14\00:25:20.72
Maybe you'll find it
in your daily prayer time,
00:25:21.91\00:25:25.41
daily Bible study time.
00:25:25.42\00:25:26.95
And if you don't
have any of these times,
00:25:26.96\00:25:28.83
then my friend
you need to find time.
00:25:28.84\00:25:30.94
Jesus is making time for us.
00:25:32.99\00:25:35.04
Can we make time for Him?
00:25:36.19\00:25:38.71
Salvation comes free and clear.
00:25:40.01\00:25:45.08
All wrongs can be made
right as far as possible.
00:25:45.09\00:25:49.82
There are things that in
my life, though I'm forgiven.
00:25:49.83\00:25:54.43
I still live with
the consequences of that.
00:25:54.44\00:25:58.15
But praise God, I'm forgiven
and you can be forgiven too.
00:25:58.16\00:26:03.88
And very soon Jesus will
cleanse us and call us home.
00:26:03.89\00:26:09.72
My friend, now as
salvation comes to this house.
00:26:12.04\00:26:18.40
Now the offer is
placed on the table
00:26:18.41\00:26:21.25
and Jesus calls
us to repentance.
00:26:21.26\00:26:24.77
Will you give your heart to Him?
00:26:24.78\00:26:26.81
Will you offer up
time and circumstance
00:26:26.82\00:26:29.88
that you will commit
to spending time with Him
00:26:29.89\00:26:33.86
this day and everyday?
00:26:33.87\00:26:37.01
For He wants to
spend that time with you.
00:26:37.02\00:26:41.13
Shall we pray?
00:26:41.14\00:26:43.22
Gracious Father in heaven,
00:26:43.23\00:26:44.41
we thank you so much
for the opportunities
00:26:44.42\00:26:47.38
that we have to come to you.
00:26:47.39\00:26:50.10
Thank you Father
for sending Jesus.
00:26:50.11\00:26:52.76
You loved us so
much the Bible said
00:26:52.77\00:26:55.86
that you send your only Son.
00:26:55.87\00:26:58.12
Thank you Jesus
for going through.
00:26:58.13\00:27:00.50
Thank you for dying on Calvary
00:27:00.51\00:27:02.29
and forgiving me of my sin.
00:27:02.30\00:27:04.80
And now Father,
give us strength to make
00:27:04.81\00:27:07.71
a wrong to right
where we have hurt others.
00:27:07.72\00:27:12.71
And give us the
strength to overcome,
00:27:12.72\00:27:15.95
not on what we can
do but on what we allow
00:27:15.96\00:27:19.05
You to do through us.
00:27:19.06\00:27:21.14
To that end, we pray
00:27:21.15\00:27:23.10
in Jesus precious name, Amen.
00:27:23.11\00:27:27.12
My friend, don't
put off the decision.
00:27:27.13\00:27:30.21
For today salvation
can come to your house
00:27:31.25\00:27:34.54
and mine.
00:27:34.55\00:27:36.47
But you must ask Him,
you must call upon Him.
00:27:36.48\00:27:41.89
Only you can make that possible
00:27:43.29\00:27:47.77
and then Jesus will
do the rest. Thank you.
00:27:47.78\00:27:52.92