Today we are going to continue a teaching series that we began back in August called “For One”
The “For One” teaching series was all about seeing Jesus’ one at a time approach to engaging with people.
We believe that Jesus came to save the whole world, and that through His life, death, and resurrection, He has made the pathway to salvation and eternal life open to everyone.
In that sense, Jesus is for everyone.
But during his earthly ministry, often times we see Jesus fulfilling this worldwide redemption one person at a time.
Jesus is ‘for the one’.
Throughout this teaching series we asked the question:
“What would it look like for you and me to adoptthis same model for our lives?”
What does it look like to be “for the one” like Jesus was?
For me, “my one” was a man named Buddy.
On January 31, 2016, I was called by Steven and Sandy and asked to go visit Buddy, Steven’s dad. This was the beginning of my relationship with Buddy, “my one”.
Buddy was 92 years old, and he had recently received a bad medical report.
Buddy was a pre-Christian and his family was concerned about where he would spend eternity.
I asked them when they wanted me to go visit. Sandy said “Tonight if you are able.”
It was cold, single digit temperature with snow covered on the ground with ice. My precious husband, Thomas thought it would be best if he drove me since the roads were so bad. Thomas waited for me in the car while I visited Buddy.
Steven’s sister, Karen, was there for the night to help Buddy with his care.
Buddy was direct. He asked me why I had come to visit him on a night with such bad weather. It seemed as though our relationship was off to a bumpy start.
I told Buddy, You matter to God and to your family. They are concerned that you are going to die and go to hell. They are concerned about your salvation.”
I remember asking Buddy if he believed in heaven. “Yes”, he answered. I asked Buddy if he believed in hell. “Yes”, he answered. I asked Buddy if he believed in Jesus. “Yes.” But that was the end of the discussion.
Buddy quickly told me:
1. I am not interested in all that stuff.
2. I’m 92 years old. I have made it on my own all these years, AND I am going to continue to make it on my own.
3. I’m not a religious person. I don’t need religionAND I don’t want religion!
I remember Buddy’s words like it was yesterday. I toldBuddy, we were going to get along just fine, because I wasn’t a religious person either, and that I was all about relationships NOT religion!
I explained to Buddy that Jesus desired a personal relationship with him so bad that he would send a little red head out on a cold winter night, to tell him that Jesus loves him and that He died on the cross for his sins.
As Buddy and I were talking, I noticed many blue ribbons hanging on the wall. I asked him to tell me about the ribbons, and immediately I hit a home run.
Buddy began to talk. He smiled and told me about the Field Trials at Melrose. Buddy had fond memories of hunting with his bird dogs and training them.
He boastfully told me about a puppy he raised up to be an award hunting dog.
It was approaching 9 p.m. and Buddy told me that his bed time was always 8:00 p.m. Buddy was ready to go to bed.
Before leaving, I asked Buddy if I could pray for himand we did.
I didn’t know it at the time, but God had put Buddy in my life to be “my one”.
Together within our “For One” series, we prayed that the Lord would show us who ‘the one’ was in our lives.
Someone that the Lord had put into our lives, that he wanted us to cultivate a relationship with and show them the Love of Christ.
For those of you who were here for that series, can I ask you, how’s your relationship with your one going?
It’s been a few months, are you still praying for them? Have you gotten to check in to see how they are doing this Christmas season?
I understand it’s been a while since we talked about this and life has a way of getting busy. So, today isn’t about making you feel guilty, or shaming anyone into action.
This is a reminder as we step into the new year we want to be for ‘our one’.
Today we are going to look at the life of Jesus where he pursued ‘the one’ named Zacchaeus.
Today we are going to be in Luke 19:1-10, but before we unpack it, let us pray.
Please join me in praying this prayer:
“Dear God, we welcome You here. We need You Jesus. Lord, please help me, help us to go for ‘the one’. Father, please prepare the way for me. Lord, I also that with every breath that I take, please help me, help us to surrender all to You. Even if I have surrendered all yesterday, I want to surrender all today, and to surrender all every day. Wonderful Counselor please speak. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.”
Verses 1, 2, and 3: Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem just before His crucifixion. He is always about seeking and saving the lost. Jesus was on mission to save ‘the one’, named Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was more than a tax collector, he was the chief tax collector.
Although Zacchaeus was Jewish by birth, by employer he was hired by the Roman Empire.
He worked on commission, but he got rich by corruption. For example, if Rome was charging 20%, the tax collector could charge 30%. Tax collectors made themselves rich by gouging their fellow Jews, therefore, he was considered a traitor to his people.
Zacchaeus was desperately curious about Jesus.
He had heard that Jesus healed the sick and had the power to raise people from the dead. People called Jesus Master, Lord, Teacher, Messiah, and Jesus was a friend to sinners.
Zacchaeus wanted to see this man, Jesus for himself.
Zacchaeus was short. He was vertically challenged.
God wants to take our disadvantages, our weaknesses, our ashes, and turn them into something beautiful.
Verses 4, 5, and 6: 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
Pause for a moment and consider how strange of a sight this was. A Jewish Middle Eastern man never —ever — ran. Running required men to hike up their robes and expose their legs, which was considered humiliating and disgraceful.
On top of all of that, grown men never climbed trees.
Yet here was the most infamous man in Jericho in a tree!
SOMETIMES you have to be willing to break away from the crowd to see Jesus.
Jesus saw the one. Jesus always sees the one seeking Him.
Jesus did not see Zacchaeus as a problem or an interruption. Jesus saw Zacchaeus as part of His mission, so Jesus invites himself over for dinner.
It’s important to know that in Jesus’ day, the act of eating with someone acknowledged that person as an equal.
Religious folks ate with religious folks, and tax collectors ate with tax collectors. The rich ate with the rich. The poor ate with the poor. And the lines were never crossed.
But Jesus knew in order to change the lives of people, it required spending time with them, teaching them, and welcoming them into a new way of living and being. Jesus was all about ‘Relationship Ministry’. That’s what this dinner was all about.
Verse 7: 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
As you could imagine, all the people that Zacchaeus had cheated were not pleased that he was the one having dinner with Jesus. They were grumbling.
So during the meal…
Verse 8: 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Seizing the moment, Zacchaeus responded to this gracious act of Jesus by repenting.
Repenting is a churchy word. What does the word repent mean? Turn from the direction that you are headed and go in the opposite direction, turn from what is wrong and turn to what is right.
This turning away from, is the result of changing one’s mind and agreeing with God that His way is best. True repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.
Zacchaeus changed his mind about the importance of money. He turned away from defrauding others and he turned towards the restoring to others. He demonstrated his repentance in his actions.
Verses 9 and 10: 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Jesus went for “the one”.
And Jesus’ commitment to reach ‘the one’ changed everything for Zacchaeus. And friends, Jesus can still change everything for people in your life and mine.
Just like the story of my friend Buddy.
Let me tell you the rest of the story regarding my dear friend Buddy. “My one” came into my life by a phone call from a friend on a cold winter’s night.
After meeting Buddy that night at his home, the very next day, Buddy fell and he was taken to Sentara. I visited Buddy in the Emergency Room.
Buddy remembered meeting me the night before. He was glad to see me. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said “okay”.
Buddy was admitted into the hospital, and he stayed in the hospital for several days before moving to Harrisonburg Rehab and then to MonVue.
I visited Buddy while he was in the hospital, and then faithfully in both rehab facilities.
Over the next five months we became friends. We had great visits, talking about hunting, fishing, basketball, his kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
During this time, I had the opportunity to meet Buddy’s entire family.
We had conversations about heaven and hell, and ‘Why he should ask Jesus to forgive him of his sins and for Jesus to come live in his heart?’
Buddy would often respond by saying:
• “I don’t need anyone, and I certainly do not need Jesus.”
• “I’m okay with hell. I’m not afraid of it. If I burn then I burn.”
• “When I die, I die. What I do and say is my business and no one else’s.”
• “Not today.” “I need to think about what you have said.”
• “I need some more time.” “I’m not ready!”
Before departing Buddy, I would always express my concern about him waiting; and I would say “What if you die today and go to hell because you chose to wait?”
Buddy got use to my visits and would always ask me if I was coming again and when.
Although I was visiting Buddy usually twice daily, in the morning and in the evening, it wasn’t until almost a month after we met, that one morning we began to talk about our mom’s.
Buddy loved his mama. I learned that Ms. Lucyattended church, and she loved the Lord. Buddy told me that Ms. Lucy was in heaven.
Buddy shared that as a young adult, he had accepted Jesus, and then he went to serve in the U. S. Army Air Force.
Buddy told me that when he returned home from the military, his life got busy, and he didn’t have time for church, and he gradually fell away from God.
Buddy told me that he enjoyed having a drink of alcohol. He shared that he was a mean person when he drank. He told me that God could never forgive him for the things that he had done to people and the things that he had said.
I told Buddy that ‘in my day’ up to 31 years old, I ENJOYED having a drink and using drugs, and then I encountered Jesus.
Buddy shook his head in disbelief.
I can still see Buddy’s bright blue eyes, with a smile that covered his face as I continued to share ‘my story’,and how Jesus rescued me.
I told Buddy IF Jesus could rescue me, then there was no one outside of God’s reach.
Something special happened that day. Buddy and I embraced, and for the first time, Buddy knew that I was visiting him because I cared, and not because his family had asked me to come.
From that day forward, Buddy called me the ‘little red headed fireball’.
On February 23 during my morning visit, I can still hear Buddy saying “This could be the day!” I immediately asked him if he wanted to pray to invite Jesus into his heart. Buddy said “not right now.” I prayed for Buddy before leaving and he wanted to know if I was coming again soon?
Throughout my day, Buddy’s words arrested me, “This could be the day!”
That evening when I arrived, Buddy looked intently into my eyes, waiting to hear my normal question.
I asked Buddy if he remembered what he had said that morning, “This could be the day?” He shook his head “yes” and with a smile, Buddy said “I remember.”
I asked Buddy if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to forgive him of his sins, and to come live in his heart.
I told Buddy I would pray and if he agreed with my words to ask Jesus to forgive him, to come live in his heart, to help him live his life for Jesus, then at the end of the prayer, all he would need to do was say “Yes I do!”.
We closed our eyes, and I prayed. And, at the end of the prayer, I opened my eyes and looked at Buddy, and Buddy was looking at me, and he said “YES I DO! Amen!”
When I arrived the next morning, Buddy was waiting for me to come. As soon as I walked into his room, Buddy told me, “I accepted Jesus into my heart last night.”
I heard from many family members that during the last five months of Buddy’s life, he was a different man. His words were different, and he was kind to his family.
On April 10, Buddy got baptized. He wanted his family to know that he had given his life to the Lord.
Since my first visit with Buddy, the Wonderful Counselor guided my words, and He used me to love Buddy and point him to Jesus.
I will remember our friendship FOREVER and that God allowed me to be Buddy’s friend.
The family and I were with Buddy on June 29, 2016, when he crossed over to heaven to live with Jesus forever.
These ribbons are two of many that were part of Buddy’s trophies. The family gave me these ribbons ‘in memory of Buddy’ as they knew that Buddy would want me to have a reminder of our friendship.
These ribbons remind me that I MUST always go for ‘My One’. Praise the Lord I have the JOY that one day I will see Buddy again in heaven.
Church family, how’s your relationship with your one today? Which of the following best describes your answer?
1. I want others to know Jesus, but I have too much going on in my life. I am too busy.
2. It’s going good. We are talking and growing in our relationship.
3. Today, I want to prayerfully consider who ‘my one is’, and I want God’s help to reach my one.
We must not sit back and hope for the conversion of the world. We must go “for one” as Jesus did.
Church, please go for “the one” that God is calling you to faithfully pray for, and give your time and energy to be a part of their lives, so that they will come to know Jesus.
Today there are two ways to respond to this message: Up front there are cards on the table, and while the band is playing, please:
1. Walk up and write the name of ‘your one’ on the card and then pin your card to the cross. Pastor Jared, myself and our Leadership Team, will join you in praying with you ‘for your one’.
2. Or perhaps you sense that the Wonderful Counselor is guiding you to ‘surrender all to Jesus’. The Holy Spirit is moving you to get out of your chair. Don’t wait until another day, for that day may never come. Simply move forward. Write your name on the card, and the words “I surrender all” or be anonymous, and simply write ‘I surrender all’, and we will join you in praying for God’s will in your life.
Let us pray:
“Dear Lord, thank You for ‘My One’. God we pray for ‘our one’, that like Zacchaeus they will be transformed, and they will come to know You as their Lord and Savior. Please give me favor with ‘my one’.
Please help me to surrender all to you. More of You and less of me. Jesus, I surrender all to You. Please help me, help us to honor You in our thoughts, words, and actions. We love You Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen.”