Transformative Power of Trusting in Christ
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But what I want to convince you of is this, there is something far more compelling and far more trustworthy that we can point at. Absolutely. When Christ is in the house, when the power of God is operative in someone's life, there is one place we can point, there's one place we can look, and it's infallible. We will know, that's how you know the power of God is actually operative in somebody's life. And here's the clue. Transformation happens. Absolutely transformation happens. The person becomes a different person. The person that was once a thief, they stop stealing. The person that was once self-absorbed and selfish, they become unselfish. The person that was unsympathetic, unhypothetic, uncaring, becomes caring. The person that was greedy and a taker, they become a giver and generous. [00:45:14] (49 seconds)
Absolutely, when Christ is in someone's life, it is not a matter of doctrinal changes that he makes in our minds. Certainly, our belief system changes, but if there's not a change in life, something has disconnected. Whenever Christ is authentically in someone's life, whenever the power of God is actually operating in somebody's life, you cannot miss it. It can't be mistaken. That person will start to go through a transformation. Transformation absolutely happens when a person has the power of God operative in their life. [00:46:51] (34 seconds)
Zacchaeus quickly climbed down, and he took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. Notice he's thrilled. He's thrilled that Jesus would take him into his house. In those days, if you had a meal with someone, you were completely identifying with them. You were saying, whoever this is, I accept them as they are. I like them. I stand with them. This was a big deal because everyone looked at Zacchaeus as the worst of the worst. But evidently, Jesus did not. [00:52:49] (26 seconds)
Zacchaeus was personally attracted to Jesus. He evidently knew about Jesus' ministry. This was toward the end of his three and a half year ministry. So he had heard about the thousands and thousands of healings. He had heard about how kind Jesus was to the most sinful people. He had heard again and again how Jesus had the power to still a storm with a word, to raise the dead three times, to open blind eyes. He had heard, but most of all, he had heard that unlike the religious leaders of his day that condemned him, that Jesus actually had a tax collector as one of his apostles. That he had an open heart and open mind to people that were considered irredeemable by others. So he was attracted, personally attracted to Jesus. [00:59:11] (40 seconds)
Joyful submission is an interesting thing. It's not about shoulds and oughts and musts. Whenever there's musts and shoulds and oughts, it tends to lose a little bit of its energy. Whereas let me give you a good example. Let's just say that some of you in here were budding gymnasts. You're like seven or eight years old. And you're looking like you've got elite ability as a gymnast. And somebody spots you and they know that, man, giving you the right coach, you could go all the way. You could be Olympian level and you know a little bit about gymnastics to know that there is this coach, this elite coach that has taught and trained many gold medalists, gymnasts. And this elite coach is willing now to come and train you. And you want to be a gymnast. You want to go to the Olympics. You're just a little kid, but you're already dreaming. Well, you're going to joyfully submit. Joyfully submit to that trainer. No matter what that trainer says, that trainer says, go to sleep at this time, you're going to sleep at that time. Eat this, you're going to eat that. Train seven hours a day, six days a week, you're going to do it. You're going to joyfully submit. There's no oughts. There's no pressure. [01:09:39] (62 seconds)
Zacchaeus joyfully submits. You want to come to my house? Man, my house is your house, Lord. You come. It's everything I have is yours anyway. You come. [01:10:42] (11 seconds)
Remember what happens when Zacchaeus is asked to come to Jesus' house as he's on the way. The crowd, it says, they all start saying, he's going to eat with a guy that's the worst kind of a sinner. So now Jesus is being condemned. And Zacchaeus is being condemned. He's being condemned simultaneously. But Zacchaeus, he pops off and he identifies with Jesus. He knows that the crowd is listening and he wants them to know Jesus is not a fool. He's not making a mistake. He's investing in me. He's accepting me. And you just listen to the changes that I'm going to make. And so Zacchaeus starts openly, publicly identifying with Jesus. He says, Lord, and he's saying it so the whole crowd that were condemning him and Jesus could hear it. Lord, half of my goods I now here commit to giving to the poor. [01:12:06] (47 seconds)
Zacchaeus, who was a greedy man, a taker, a user, a manipulator, all of a sudden he becomes a generous man, a giver. So he is showing that, Lord, I embrace your way of living. I want to live the way you live. I want to love the way you love. Your righteousness is now going to be my standard. I'm throwing away my old ways of doing things. [01:16:16] (21 seconds)
I'm saying the transformational growth that you and I were designed for, that many of us hunger and thirst for, it's all about a pretty simplistic formula. It's living close to Christ and staying connected to Christ. If I stay connected to Christ, then His life flows me. Remember what Jesus said in John 15, 5? Last night He was with the disciples. He said, hey, look, guys. He said, you got to figure out a new way to live. I'm going to go to the cross, go into heaven. But you need to stay tucked into me, close to me, connected to me like a vine is to a branch. John 15, 5, He says, if you don't stay connected to me, you won't be able to do anything. If I stay connected to Jesus, His life flows in me, but it doesn't stop there. He draws others to Himself through me. My magnetic power I receive from Him draws yet others also, and I am constantly being transformed in this process. [01:27:57] (57 seconds)
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