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Sunday Message for the Bilingual Brethren - 20 September 2020 : "Faith in the Lord Jesus who seeks and saves the lost"

Text: Luke 19:1-10
20 September 2020

FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS WHO SEEKS AND SAVES THE LOST (Luke 19:1-10)

SEEING THE LORD’S PURPOSE ON THIS EARTH

1. The Lord’s purpose on the earth (Luke 19:10)

a. He had come to seek the lost
b. He had come to save the lost

2. There are many lost souls who do not have a sense of hope

a. There are people who are lost
b. They feel hopeless

3. The Lord Jesus came to help these people find their way into the kingdom of God

4. The Lord Jesus fulfilled this purpose in saving the lost

 

ASPECTS OF THE LORD FULFILLING HIS PURPOSE ON EARTH

1. The Lord Jesus’ focus on His purpose

a. The Lord Jesus kept His focus on His mission in life
b. In contrast – The disciples of Jesus had lost sight of this purpose along the way
c. The Lord Jesus had to remind them of His purpose to seek and to save the lost
d. The Lord Jesus never lost sight of the kingdom of God.

2. The Lord Jesus’ strength in fulfilling His purpose

a. He had faced and was going to face all kinds of obstacles and challenges
b. But He was unperturbed by them
c. He had full faith in God that He would help Him
d. He was true to His mission on earth

3. The Lord Jesus’ faithfulness to His purpose

a. From the very beginning, the Lord’s purpose was to seek the lost (Luke 4:18-19)
b. Even when He was going towards the end of His ministry, He was still faithful to this purpose (Luke 19:1-9)
c. He reached out to a chief tax collector when others did not
i. His name was Zacchaeus
a) He was very rich
b) He was a tax collector for many years and became a chief. (Luke 19:2)
ii. There was a wrong view that some people cannot be saved
a) These people were considered too sinful to be part of God’s kingdom
b) Zacchaeus was old and very sinful
c) He had cheated the people of their money and was very rich
d) He made false accusations against others in order to take their money
iii. All assumed that such a sinner could not be saved
a) The Lord Jesus was faithful in seeking and saving the lost

4. The Lord Jesus was filled with compassion for the lost

a. The Lord Jesus sought him when no one else did
b. He saw Zacchaeus in the tree and called out his name.
c. He was going to stay at Zacchaeus’ place
d. All complained that Jesus was going to visit with a sinner.

 

SEEING INDICATIONS OF GENUINE FAITH

1. Indications of genuine faith

a. Receiving Jesus with joy (Luke 19:6)
i. Zacchaeus was deeply moved by the Lord
ii. He was deeply thankful to the Lord
iii. The whole heaven also rejoices when one lost soul is saved. (Luke 15:7)
b. Regarding Jesus as Lord (Luke 19:8)
c. Bearing fruits worthy of repentance (Luke 19:8)
i. Restoring fourfold to those whom he had taken from through false accusations.
ii. Reaching the poor by promising to give half his wealth to them

2. The Confirmation of the Lord Jesus (Luke 19:9)

a. Salvation was confirmed by the Lord Jesus
b. Zacchaeus had indeed become a son of Abraham
c. He was considered as a true believer

 

APPROPRIATE RESPONSES

1. Recognising Jesus’ faithfulness to the purpose of seeking and saving us

a. Today He sees the needs of the lost
b. The Lord Jesus continues to seek and to save them

2. Having Personal faith in Jesus

a. Receiving Jesus as our Saviour with joy
b. Regard for Jesus as Lord

3. Bearing Fruits worthy of repentance

a. Reaching out to the poor
b. Doing our part to care for others