Find Common Ground with Someone Who is Different

MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION: 

Good morning, everyone. I know it’s early, but you could be a little excited for Jesus, right? It’s good to see you. I’m Virgil Grant. I’m one of the leaders around here, and I don’t know if I’ve told you this lately or not, but I just want you to know that I love each and every one of you. And I’m super proud to be your Pastor. I mean, I just think about what an awesome group of people that we have at Eastside. Do you agree with me? We have an awesome group of people at Eastside. They’re talented, they’re giving, they’re generous, they’re willing to serve, they’re willing to love on our community. A lot of the people that I know, a lot of pastors, I know they are in churches that are difficult, that is hard, that there’s no unity. There’s no peace. And I just want to be super, super thankful for you. So I just want you to know it’s an honor and privilege to be your Pastor. I’m thankful that you’re here today. If you’re watching online, we welcome you. And we’re going to continue in this sermon series called for that we started last weekend, and I don’t know if you know this or not, but it’s been said that the Coca-Cola logo is the second most recognizable logo in the world today. Now, I don’t know that to be true. That is what I read. You may want to argue with that, and that’s okay. I will not spend one ounce of my energy arguing with you over that. That’s just what someone said. And one of the reasons why the Coca-Cola logo is the second most recognizable logo in the world today is that they have a vision of having a Coke at arm’s length of every person on Earth on the planet, and that’s 8 billion people. Can you imagine that? They want to have a Coke at arm’s length of 8 billion people, and they’re driven to do that. Now, why are they driven? I’m not really sure. I guess, apparently, they believe in sugar water is the only thing that I know. But as a result, they have made strides over the years and have been called the second most recognizable logo in the world. Now, you notice I said the second most recognizable logo in the world that you may want to take a guess. What is the first and most recognizable logo in the world? Take a guess. Facebook, Pepsi Cola, and some would say Google. But the most recognizable logo in the world today is the cross. Right? It is the cross. And like Coca-Cola, we have a lot of work to do in letting the people in our community and around the world know about the cross. In fact, if you were to draw a 15-mile radius around our Church and if you would just encompass the 15 miles around our Church, there are a lot of people that do not know about the cross. There are a lot of people that do not know what Jesus Christ did on the cross on their behalf. And so we have a lot of work to let people in our community and people around the world know about Jesus Christ and never let it be said that Coca-Cola is more passionate about sugar water than we are about Jesus Christ. Amen. I mean, let’s never let it happen. What Coca-Cola would focus on isn’t their success but their potential. Here’s the thing. If you take your notes, I want you to understand.

God hasn’t blessed us with

SUCCESS

rather God has blessed us with

POTENTIAL.

Now, some of you might say, Well, I don’t think that’s true, Pastor. There’s all kinds of success out there. Just look at our building. Look at our facilities. Look at the number of people. Look at the people on stage. Folks, what we are focused on is not our success. Rather, God has blessed us with potential. He’s given us all kinds of potential. And the potential is the number of people in our community who are not involved in the local Church. And you’ve heard me say this There are 80,000 people this morning in Madison County who are not attending a church today. And what we have to understand is that we have to let them know about Jesus Christ. And last week, we talked about the question, what do we want to be known for? The big ticket takeaway from last week was this.

“Many people are more familiar with what the Church is against. We want to be known for what we are FOR. We are #FORMadisonCounty.”

What are we for? We are for Madison County. We’re for Central Kentucky. We’re for the region in the heart of the Bluegrass State called Central Kentucky. We are for people. We are for schools. We’re for businesses. We are for students. Families. For single adults. We’re for college students. We are for this community because God is for this community. We want this community to thrive because we are a part of this community. And the reason that so many people don’t know Jesus and don’t attend Church is because they’ve already said no to Jesus. They’ve already said no to the Church. They’ve already said no to what we believe. And what I want to help you do this morning is to help you to understand that you and I have to possess a mindset. Now, listen to me very carefully. We have to possess a mindset. And the reason why we have to possess a particular mindset is to combat the no that the people have already stated they already said no to Jesus. They already said no to the Church. They’ve already said no to what we believe. So how do we get those people to say yes who’s already said no? Does that make sense? I mean, how do we engage the people that are in your workplace, in your community, in your social settings? That has already said no to Jesus. How do you get them to say yes? And What I want to do today I want to look at a story from the life of Jesus because, in the life of Jesus, there was a man who said no to the Jews, said no to Jesus, said no to Scripture. But Jesus has an interaction with him. And he goes from saying no to saying yes. So if you have your Bible or your Bible app, you may want to turn or click with me to Luke chapter, chapter 19. And if you don’t have your Bible or Bible app, you have your program, then all the verses are listed on the program, the Listening Guide now. So I want you to understand that Jesus Christ did not come for the righteous, but He came for the sinner. That Jesus was for the sinner, Jesus was for the outcasts. And in their story today, in Luke chapter 19, we see an outcast. We see a sinner. Who was already said no to God and the things of God, but Jesus, that didn’t bother him. Jesus hung out with him. Jesus risked his reputation. Jesus was all in with him and was trying to get him to say yes, that the righteous, the religious people, even his own disciples, criticize Jesus. But you know what? Jesus didn’t care. Because you know why? Because He understood his mission and his purpose. Jesus didn’t come for the righteous. He came for the sick. Jesus is for the sick. Jesus didn’t come for the people that are healthy. Jesus came for those that were damaged and broken. Jesus is for the broken. Could you say something to you this morning that Jesus is for you? And just as Jesus was for the guy in the story that we’re going to read about today. Jesus is for you. It doesn’t matter where he’s been, what you’ve done, who you’ve done it with, and how long you’ve been doing it. Jesus is for you, and Jesus is willing to risk his reputation in order to reach you, just like He did for this sinner. In our story today that Jesus went and had dinner with the sinner. Now, let’s just jump into the story in Luke chapter 19, verse number 1.

“Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head taxman and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way-he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.” “When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up… “When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus.

LUKE 19:1-4 (MSG)

He’s desperately wanting to see them, but he has a problem. And what is Zacchaeus’s problem? He’s a short little man. Correct. And so the tradition says that he was the shortest man in Jericho. Just think about this. But he’s resourceful. He puts two and two together. He says Jesus is coming. I’m short. I need to do something. And so, what does Zacchaeus do? He runs down the street. And what does he do? Somebody tell me. What does he do? He climbs. What? A sycamore tree? Correct. And he wants to see Jesus. Now, folks, you have to understand something. A rich man in that society did not run. Because you know why? Because they had servants who would do the running for them. It was a shame. It was an embarrassment for a rich person to run down the street or run at all in public. But Zacchaeus is desperate to see Jesus. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in the sycamore tree so that he could see Jesus when he came back. Now, look with me at verse five, when Jesus got to the tree that Zacchaeus was in. What did Jesus do? He did what? What does he say? What did he say? He looked up right now. I love this. Jesus stopped. Jesus looked up. Do you understand that? In the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In those four counts, 50% of all of the stories about Jesus are interruptions. And we would say inconvenience. But I would say to you that they’re divine interruptions. And this interruption that was by Zacchaeus was a divine interruption. And so notice what Jesus does. When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, What would he do? He called Zacchaeus by name. He knew the name of Zacchaeus. He knew of his reputation. He knew that he was an outcast. Knew that he was an outsider, knew that he wasn’t a part of the faith. Can I just say something to you this morning?

JESUS KNOWS YOUR NAME!

Do you understand that, folks? Jesus knows your name. He knows everything about you. He knows what you’re going through. He sees you. He cares for you. He knows your thoughts, your hopes, your dreams, your concerns, your disappointments, your failures, your insecurities. And he loves you. And he is for you. Just like he was for this God named Zack. And do you know why? I know that he’s for Zacchaeus and why he’s for you. Because he uses the name Zacchaeus. He addressed him by name. It’s probably been a long time since anybody called Zacchaeus by his name and knew what the word Zacchaeus means. It means.

“Zacchaeus” means – PURE ONE.

And everyone else is going. He’s not pure. He’s not clean. He is absolutely corrupt. And what is Jesus doing here?

Jesus is affirming his POTENTIAL, not his POSITION.

See, folks, this morning, no matter where you at, Jesus wants to affirm your potential and not your past or not your position, or not even the labels that others have given to you. See, Jesus is more interested in changing you than condemning you. And Jesus wants to change your heart. And no matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, and who you’ve done it with, Jesus is for you, and we are for you as well. So back to the story. Look with me at verses five and six. When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said.

“When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home.'”

“Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped,

‘What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?’

LUKE 19:3-4 (MSG)

Now, folks. I don’t know about you. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this but think about Jesus and Zacchaeus having dinner together. Wouldn’t you have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation? Have you thought about that? I mean, do you wonder what took place there? What exchange happened? I mean, can you imagine? Hey, Zach, tell me about your story. Tell me about being bullied and growing up on the streets of Jericho. How everybody made fun of you in the shortest person in Jericho. Just tell me your story. And Zacchaeus unpacks his story, and Jesus listens. And we don’t know all of the story. We’re not told all of the details, but we’re told the results of the story because after lunch, what does he do? He stands up, and he proclaims, Looks with me at verse eight.

“Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, ‘Master, I give away half my income to the poor -and if I’m caught cheating, I pay four times the damages.'”

LUKE 19-8 (MSG)

In other words, Jesus touched the life of Zacchaeus, and that touch transformed Zacchaeus’ life. He went from being a sinner to being a saint. He went from being a taker to a giver. And his life is changed over lunch with some unconditional love. And immediately, he’s ready to repay all of those that he cheated. Why? Because his life has been changing. And folks, you know what we at Eastside care about?

 WE ARE FOR MORE CHANGED LIVES!

That’s what we’re for. We’re looking for more lives to be changed by the touch of Jesus Christ. Now, look at how the story ends in verses nine and ten.

“Jesus said, ‘Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is:

Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.'”

LUKE 1:9-10 (MSG)

Now who’s the lost? Who is lost? These are not only the people who’ve said no to Jesus and to the Church and to what we believe, but oftentimes it’s the people who are lost. Is who the Church has said no to. Let me say that again, okay? Not only are the lost the people who’ve said no to Jesus, to the Church, and to what we believe, but the lost are sometimes the people that the Church has said no to. Have you ever noticed how we say no to people unintentionally? But our Church is here to say yes to those who have said no, who have said no to Jesus, who said no to the Church, who said no, because they just don’t understand or know. And folks, if we’re going to say yes to the people in our community, can I just share something with you? There’s one thing that we have to fight against this, called inside thinking. There’s this temptation to be inward thinking. It’s this temptation to cater to this already saved, sealed, and delivered saints of Jesus Christ. You know what, folks? Coca-Cola would never have inside thinking they would never think about, you know what, we can just quit promoting our brand. We can quit promoting Sugar Water because there are enough people already in society who have been exposed to Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola would never do that. But oftentimes, what will we do as a church? We, as a church, will get insider thinking, and we’ll go, you know what? We’ve reached enough people. We’ve done enough. Our seats are filled, and our parking lot is full. We don’t need to do anything else. And folks, the Church is often guilty of somehow or another turning to insider thinking. And if we’re going to say yes to those who have said no, then we have to fight against insider thinking. Now, let me just say something to you. I’ve been the Pastor here for 31 years, and let me just be honest with you. I’ve never had anyone who has said no to Jesus pick up the phone and call the Church and say something like this. Pastor, if I would start this program if you would change this about your Church, we would start coming next Sunday. I’ve never had that happen in 31 years. I’m almost on the verge of starting about 32nd year. But you see, what I’ve had happened over the last 31 years is that I’ve had a lot of people on the inside. Who says, Pastor, if we don’t sing this song if we don’t do this program, if we don’t do this or cut this out, then we’re leaving the Church, have all kinds of people to say that, you know what I say to them almost every time is I say this.

“The best kind of church for you to attend isn’t one that caters to you, but instead invites you into the mission of focusing on those who are far from God. This is the mission of Jesus: seeking and saving the lost.”

You know what? If Is complaining your spiritual gift? We don’t have a place for you to serve at Eastside. We just don’t have a place for you. There are other churches that you can go to and serve, and they would love to have you, but we just don’t have that place here at Eastside, and folks, listen to me. We have to fight insider thinking. And what I want to challenge you to do today I want to challenge you to serve in our Church. I want to challenge you to give to the Church. I want to challenge you to sign up to be a part of our online giving team through generosity rockstar. I want to challenge you to somehow or another to join a life group. You know why I’m challenging to do these things.

 You will never know what the Church can do FOR you until you experience what the Church can do THROUGH you.

When you feel the power of God working through you, then you can somehow or another make an impact in the world around you. Now, folks, we’ve got to say yes to those people who’ve said no. So how do we do that in a practical way? How do we get down to the nuts and bolts of actually saying yes? I said that we should say yes to those who said no. But we’re quickly how do we do it in a practical way? Two things. Number one.

 Say Yes by LISTENING More.

All we’re doing is taking a play from the life of Jesus with Zacchaeus, and we’re taking it and applying it to our local Church. And here’s the thing about this, folks, is that 60 some thousand people in Madison County are.

NONES

And we’ve talked about this. They’re between the ages of 18 and 34. And when he says, what is your religious preference? You know what? They check? None because they have no religious preference at all. You asked these nones, would you be willing to sit down with a pastor or staff member to talk about spiritual things? Do you know what percentage said no to that? 85% say we would never want to sit down with a pastor or staff member. So how do we reach these people? How do we reach this emerging population? Out of the 80,000 people in Madison County, 63,000 of them are in the nones? And here’s what they said, and I quote verbatim, that I wouldn’t be more likely to attend Church if I could find a community I could relate to. See, folks, you don’t have to water down the gospel. You don’t have to change your doctrine. You don’t have to compromise your beliefs. All we have to do is be relatable. All we have to do is be available. And that is the reason why we say it’s okay not to be okay. We need people to know that we are for them. And here’s the thing.

Every Sunday is someone’s first Sunday.

These are VIPs. These are people who come to your Church. Do you know what they’re looking for? They’re looking for community. And here’s the deal. Who do you know that is not in Church? Who do you know that used to maybe come to Church but doesn’t come to Church anymore? And who could you? Maybe send a text message this week. Maybe you have to ask the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit. There are five or six people that come to my mind. Who do I need to send a text message to invite them to coffee? Invite them to lunch, sit down, and ask them how things are going and how they’re coping with all the changes that are going on in their world. Maybe it’s just, you know, maybe God like them in your heart, and you don’t even know their story, and you say, Can you just tell me your story? Can you tell me about your spiritual journey? See. Folks, if we were going to say yes, we have to say yes by listening more and engaging with people. And the second thing that we have to do is.

Say Yes in a common, unifying

LANGUAGE.

See, the Bible says that Jesus came to seek and save those that were lost. When people ask you, what Eastside is this about? You just have to let them know that we are.

#FORMadisonCounty

See, we want to be known, not what we’re against, for what we’re for. And what are we for? We’re for our potential. We’re for the thousands of people in our community. Who does not know what we know? And that is Jesus. And that we want to say yes to those who have said no. And as you leave today. As you leave today, you’re going to be able to receive a can of Coke. Now, I want you to take that can of Coke, you know why? Because it’s a reminder to you. You can drink it if you want, but I’m just saying use it as a prop, as a reminder to you that we’re not through reaching the people in Madison County. We’re not through with reaching the people in central Kentucky that. We have a long way to go to tell those who’ve said no to Jesus, no to the Church, and no to what we believe. We have a long way to go in getting them to say yes to the things that we believe in. And so we get a lot of work to do Church. We’ve got more campuses to plant. We got more people to reach. God’s doing some amazing things. I know about you. But I’m glad that Jesus is for me. Are you glad that he’s for you? Amen. Give it up for Pastor Virgil this morning. What a beautiful reminder that one of the challenges that we need to take is a very hard challenge to listen to. And another way that we listen is by taking the next steps and a part in taking the next steps. We talk about generosity around here. And this is actually another way we are for our community. Because when we step in generosity, the thing that we see around Eastside is your generosity, someone else’s miracle. And not only is it for our community, but it’s also for each other. And you guys can see on my shirt it says Sunday nights. And I’m a high school pastor here, and we’re actually starting back our Sunday night service. And this was originally started out of the whole phrase of saying we’re for our students. And this was long before we had this sermon series or this mindset. And it’s just crazy how God works. But we’re starting back our service tonight, and it’s because of your generosity. That it’s possible. We’ve seen students raise their hands to say yes to Jesus for the first time. Brand new to Eastside, we’ve seen students get baptized. We’ve seen students counseling go into life groups. And it’s because you guys choose to listen and to take that next step and generosity. You know, here at Eastside, we try to make it as simple as we can. You can go to eastsideky.church/give, you can sign up weekly or every other week and start your giving journey. You can go out to the Generosity Rock Star Station with Nicole and our team. Or maybe you’re still old school, and you just want to give cash or a check. We still have boxes over here as you guys exit, but I want to challenge you guys this week to listen because maybe your next step is generosity, and know that your generosity is creating miracles for someone else.