Finding Grace: The Transformative Encounter with Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus sees the overlooked and seeks the lost.

Feeling unseen is real, but in Jericho Jesus stopped beneath a sycamore tree to look up and call Zacchaeus by name—showing that He notices the very people everyone else ignores, initiates relationship before we do, and invites us to come down from hiding and welcome Him; today, trust that the One who knows your story also moves toward you with mercy. [51:33]

Luke 19:1-10 (ESV)
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when 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.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Reflection: Where do you most feel “invisible” right now, and what simple step will you take today to come out of hiding—such as introducing yourself to one new person and sharing a one-sentence prayer request so you can be known and prayed for?

Day 2: Only Jesus satisfies our deepest spiritual hunger.

We all “climb” something—careers, approval, relationships—yet those ladders never reach high enough to satisfy the soul; Jesus promises real fulfillment to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, so name the ladder you’ve been climbing and turn that desire toward Him by seeking His presence and His ways first. [54:39]

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Reflection: What “ladder” are you climbing for satisfaction, and what 10-minute practice will you choose today to seek righteousness instead (for example, replace 10 minutes of scrolling with prayer over Luke 19 and journaling one concrete obedience step)?

Day 3: Welcome Jesus now; joy follows immediate surrender.

Jesus doesn’t wait for a polished house—He knocks and invites fellowship today; like Zacchaeus, don’t delay or bargain, but open the door in the very place that feels messy and let joyful communion begin right where you are. [53:12]

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Reflection: What one “room” of your life have you kept closed to Jesus (finances, schedule, secret worry, habit), and how will you open it today—naming it in prayer and taking one practical action (e.g., canceling a subscription, making an apology, or scheduling daily time with Him)?

Day 4: Grace targets the sick, not the self-sufficient.

Crowds mutter and sort people into “deserving” and “undeserving,” but Jesus moves toward the broken because He is the Physician of souls; resist the judgment of the crowd, remember your own need of grace, and extend to others the same mercy you have received. [55:32]

Luke 5:31-32 (ESV)
And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Reflection: Who is one person you’ve quietly written off—will you reach out today with a specific act of grace (a kind text, an invitation to coffee, or an offer to pray) and ask God to soften your heart toward them?

Day 5: Real encounters with Jesus produce visible transformation.

Salvation is more than a prayer—it’s a new life that touches our money, integrity, and relationships; like Zacchaeus moving from grasping to generous, from hiding to making things right, let grace propel tangible change that others can see. [50:53]

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Reflection: What concrete act of obedience or restitution will show your new life this week (identify the person, amount, or habit), and what first step will you take today—send the message, set the payment, make the call, or write the plan?

Sermon Summary

We gathered around Luke 19:1-10 to step into Zacchaeus’s story—and into our own. I began by naming what many of us feel but rarely admit: there are days we feel invisible, judged by past mistakes, overlooked by crowds, or confined by labels. Zacchaeus knew that life. He had wealth, power, and status, but none of it satisfied the ache in his soul. So he ran ahead and climbed a tree to see Jesus. What he didn’t know was that Jesus was already looking for him.

Jesus stopped, called him by name, and invited Himself into Zacchaeus’s life—not after cleanup or proof of change, but right there in the mess. That’s grace. Zacchaeus came down immediately and welcomed Him gladly. Joy came not from control or delay, but from surrender. Meanwhile, the crowd muttered and measured worthiness. Jesus refused their categories. He came to seek and to save the lost. That includes the “undeserving”—which is all of us.

Then the miracle unfolded: encounter led to transformation. Zacchaeus moved from taking to giving, from hoarding to restitution, from isolation to belonging. Salvation showed itself in concrete acts of repentance and generosity. That’s what Jesus still does—He doesn’t just visit; He renovates. If you’re hungry for more, don’t wait to “get ready.” Open the door today. If you’ve already begun to taste this change, tell your story; God uses your testimony to call others down from their trees. And as we came to the Lord’s Table, we remembered that we come not because we’ve earned our place, but because we’re invited. Jesus knows your name, sees your need, and is willing to stay.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus sees the invisible and calls us by name. Our deepest loneliness isn’t solved by bigger crowds but by the gaze of Christ who stops under our tree, speaks our name, and enters our story. He doesn’t wait for a polished version of us; He makes the first move with urgency and love. Let His personal call override the labels you’ve carried. [51:33] - The ladders we climb can’t reach what our souls crave. Career, approval, and relationships are good gifts, but poor gods; they cannot quiet a restless heart. Holy hunger is an invitation, not a failure—God uses it to pull us from pursuit of “more” to the Person who is enough. Follow the ache to Jesus.
- Joy blooms on the other side of immediate obedience. Zacchaeus didn’t negotiate; he opened the door and joy rushed in. We often delay because we want control or clarity, but clarity usually follows obedience, not the other way around. Open the door now; Jesus will set the table.
- Grace will offend our sense of fairness—and that’s good news. The crowd wants a neat ledger; Jesus brings a cross. Remember, the ground is level at His feet; the moment we withhold grace from others, we forget the mercy that found us. Don’t let the muttering of the crowd drown out the voice of Christ.
- Real encounter produces visible change. Salvation touches wallets, words, relationships, and wrongs; repentance makes restitution and generosity a new reflex. Jesus doesn’t just inform us—He transforms us into a new creation with new priorities and a new mission. Look for fruit that matches His presence. [51:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:44] - Prayer for the grieving and our nation
[46:00] - Series return and the question: Have you ever felt invisible?
[46:50] - Naming the ache of being overlooked
[47:52] - A high school story of being unseen
[48:34] - From hidden pain to Zacchaeus’s world
[49:19] - Why Zacchaeus was despised—and still searching
[50:08] - Jesus stops for the overlooked
[50:53] - Reading Luke 19:1–10
[52:31] - Point 1: We all search for what only Jesus satisfies
[53:12] - Beyond the children’s song: the restless heart
[54:39] - Ladders we climb vs. hunger for God
[55:32] - When the crowd mutters, grace moves
[79:36] - Communion and Benediction

Sermon Clips

What Zacchaeus didn't know was the one that he was trying so hard to see was about to stop and see him first.And that's where his story takes a turn.Because Jesus doesn't notice the people that everyone else notices. He sees the overlooked. He sees the outcasts.He sees the ones who feel invisible. And in Zacchaeus' case, Jesus didn't just notice him.He offered him the kind of transformation that no one thought was possible. [00:50:08] (37 seconds) #StepIntoZacchaeusShoes

zacchaeus he shows us the opposite don't wait until you're ready don't wait until your life looks perfect open that door now zacchaeus welcomed jesus before his life changed the transformation didn't come first the welcome did sometimes we think i'll change and then i'll come to jesus but the gospel it flips that come to jesus and then you will change joy is found in surrender not in delay if you want the joy that zacchaeus experienced stop holding jesus at arm's length stop waiting till everything and seems like it should be it's in the right order open that door of your heart and let him in today [01:03:46] (49 seconds) #GraceDefiesFairness

jesus doesn't play by those rules you know grace it offends our sense of fairness because it gives it to the least deserving and if we're honest we sometimes struggle with that don't we we look at certain people and we think not them not after what they've done but the moment we think that way we've forgotten how much grace we ourselves have received [01:06:36] (26 seconds) #TransformationFromWithin

that's what happened to zacchaeus he became a a new man with a new heart with new priorities and like him when we encountered jesus our lives will show it salvation isn't just the just about a prayer that we pray it's about a life that we live and it affects our relationships our integrity our daily decisions [01:09:45] (27 seconds) #FoundByJesus

the same jesus who stopped under zacchaeus's sycamore tree he's here today he's calling your name don't wait don't hide come down welcome him in let him change your life forever [01:13:38] (23 seconds)

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