God
Believes In You!
Sermon Notes
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1He entered
5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said
to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”
6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.
7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has
gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood
there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to
the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four
times as much.”
9Then Jesus said to him, “Today
salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
1. Today’s Scripture: Luke 19:1-10
a. “Zacchaeus
was a wee little man; a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the
sycamore tree, the Savior for to see. And when the Savior passed that
way, He looked up in the tree. And he said, ‘Zacchaeus,
you come down from there. For I’m going to your house today, for I’m
going to your house today.’”
b. Most of us are familiar with at least some
version of this children’s song. And whether you are a “kid” or an adult,
most would agree about this: Jesus’ meeting with Zacchaeus
is one of those best-loved Bible stories.
2. Sermon Series
a. This Scripture teaches us a number of
lessons. Jesus helps a little guy and affirms an outcast. Zacchaeus repents of his sins, receives forgiveness, and
begins to lead a new life. It is, also, the story of a man who had low
self-esteem, but then discovers his worth as a child of God. It is thus a
story that speaks to us today. All of us have been a Zacchaeus,
or known a Zacchaeus, or mistreated a Zacchaeus. And Jesus has something to say to us
concerning all those issues.
b. This morning and next Sunday, in a two part
Sermon Series I will focus on the issue of self-esteem. And I assure all
of you who are struggling with your own sense of self-worth, that Jesus has a
word of hope just for you: The Lord God, the King of Creation believes in
you!
1. Louis Harris Poll
a. First, we acknowledge the truth for all of us
that there are things we dislike about ourselves. A recent Louis Harris
Poll reveals these facts about Americans: Fifty-six percent of the men
would like to lose weight. Thirty-six percent would like more hair.
Thirty-four percent would like to be taller, and 27% would like to change signs
of aging. Nineteen percent of the men would like a different nose.
Women had a longer list. Some of the items are as follows:
Seventy-eight percent of the women would like to lose weight. Forty-eight
percent want to cover signs of aging. Thirty-seven percent want
straighter and whiter teeth. Thirty-four percent would like
better-looking legs. Eighteen-percent of the women want better looking
and smaller feet.
b. Every one of us has a list in our minds of
the things we don’t like about ourselves. It may be a physical attribute,
a lack of a talent, or a character flaw.
2. Famous Company: Joan Rivers, Barbara Bush and John Wayne
a. No one is exempt from these feelings of
self-doubt and inadequacy. Comedian Joan Rivers once said, “I was a
homely kid. When the boys in the neighborhood played doctor, I was always
asked to sit outside the playhouse and be the receptionist.”
b. When Barbara Bush was First Lady a reporter
asked, “So how do you compare to the previous First Lady, Nancy Reagan?”
Barbara responded, “Oh, we’re very much alike. She fights drugs and I
fight illiteracy. She adores her husband and I adore my husband.
She wears a size 3 dress, and I have a size 3 leg.”
c. Actor John Wayne loved playing those tough
cowboy parts. He often portrayed a character that could out draw and out
shoot any other cowpoke. In real life
3. Bible Characters: Prodigal Son, Isaiah and Leah
a. Bible characters, also, had things they did
not like about themselves. The prodigal Son lamented that he was no
longer worthy to be his father's son. Isaiah declared himself to be a man
of unclean lips. And poor Leah. The author of Genesis goes on and on about how good looking her sister
Rachel was, but can only say of Leah that she had pretty eyes. (See:
Genesis 29:17, Isaiah 6:5 & Luke 15:19)
b. Each of us has things we dislike about
ourselves. So, how do you feel better about yourself? Jesus in
today’s Scripture lesson has the answer. Faith is not only your act of
believing in God; it is also the realization that our Father in Heaven believes
in you! Affirming yourself comes from trusting these three truths: (1) Embrace the talents and abilities you
have! (2) Accept the truth that God values you!
(3) Accept the truth that God believes in you! Today,
I will talk about the first truth. Next Sunday, I will lift up the other
two.
1. Barbie Doll vs. Happy To Be Me Doll!
a. My sister and my daughters all wanted Barbie
Dolls. And I don’t think playing with Barbie warped their psyches.
However, Barbie is not realistic. If a Barbie Doll was enlarged to be 5
feet 10 inches tall, these would be her dimensions: She would have a
“waspish” 18 inch waist and a 45 inch bust! These are clearly not the
dimensions most women can aspire to obtain, at least not without expensive and
perhaps dangerous cosmetic surgery. And obviously some people are never
going to be 5 feet 10 inches tall. One toy manufacturer has tried to give
young ladies a more realistic role model. The “Happy To
Be Me” doll compared to Barbie has bigger hips, waist, and feet. She has
a smaller bust.
b. One of the hardest lessons in life is
this: We seem to want to be what we are not, and to do things we really
don’t have the talent for. And our human nature is such that we tend to
gravitate to desiring the flashy occupations. However, God does not
desire or want everyone to be entertainers and athletes. And our world,
while needing some in these occupations, certainly does not need everyone in
these professions. Mostly, God wants us to be loving and kind, and to
help one another. So God delights when people follow Jesus’ “servant
role” example. We do this best when we embrace the talents and abilities
that God has given us, and seek an occupation or life-style that is conducive
to our loving our fellow human beings.
2. Picture Framer
a. A brawny man stood in front of a painting by
Georges Seurat (suh RAH) in The Metropolitan Museum
of Art. With a large grin and a booming voice he proclaimed to all those
gathered in the gallery, “Finally, I’ve been given the recognition I deserve
for my artistic work!” A small bespectacled man standing nearby said, “I
beg your pardon sir, but are you speaking of this piece of art?” The big
fellow said, “Yes! And this is the first time I’ve been displayed in a
museum of art!” The little patron of the arts was a bit agitated and
replied, “But sir, I happen to know that this is a painting by Seurat and he’s
been dead for 118 years, so this could not possibly be your painting!”
The brawny man shook his head and responded, “I know that. Who’s talking
about the painting? I’m the artist who made the picture frame!”
b. We all have talents and abilities. We
all have gifts with which we can bless others. Embrace and be happy with
those capabilities that God has given you!
3. Charlie Brown strikes out!
a. The Peanuts gang is playing baseball. Once
again Charlie Brown strikes out. He comes back to the bench and pours his
heart out to Lucy: “I’ll never be a big-league player! I just don’t
have it! All my life I’ve dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but I
know I’ll never make it!” Lucy looks up and in her usual sensitive way
replies, “You’re thinking too far ahead, Charlie Brown. What you need to
do is to set yourself more immediate goals. Start with next inning, for
example. When you go out to pitch, see if you can walk out to the mound
without falling down.”
b. Cartoonist Charles Schulz put a lot of
himself into the character of Charlie Brown. As a kid Schulz wanted to be
a big league baseball player, but he just never really had the talent for
that. For a time he resented that he could not become a famous ball
player. However, Charles Schulz had other talents. He had a keen
sense of human nature, and he had a great sense of humor. Then he began
to draw, and as the cliché says, “The rest was history!” When Charles
Schultz embraced the talents he had, and shared them with others, he found his
place in life and his sense of self-worth. And so can you. Make
these words of Scripture God's promise to you: “I praise you because you made me in an amazing and
wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very
well.” (Psalm 139:14 NCV)
1. Words of Hope: Today,
I encourage everyone who trusts in God to, also, embrace the truth that God believes
in you! This week, include in your daily prayers the affirmation:
“God loves me, and God affirms me. And I believe that God believes in me!”
2. Recap of Today:
a. There are things we dislike about ourselves.
b. Embrace the talents and abilities you have!
3. Next Sunday: Affirm
yourself with these two truths:
a. Accept the truth that God values you!
b. Accept the truth that God believes in you!
Luke 19:1-10 NRSV
1He entered
5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said
to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”
6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.
7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has
gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood
there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to
the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four
times as much.”
9Then Jesus said to him, “Today
salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
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