Topic: Hosting Jesus by Pastor Gbenga Aluko

                                                                                 

Text: Luke 19:1-9

Topic: Hosting Jesus 

By Pastor Gbenga Aluko

This will be done with the following subheading:

Background

The man Zacchaeus

His encounter with Jesus and the aftermath

Climbing our sycamore tree

Conclusion

Background 

Luke who was a great Greek physician and the writer of both Acts of the Apostles and the gospel according Saint Luke the latter was written around AD 60 in Rome, the striking thing about this is that Dr Luke stepped out to provide accurate information about the life of Jesus Christ to a probable protégé theophilus Luke 1:4.The prior chapter ,18 reveals Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow, Parable of the Pharisees and Tax collector, Jesus love and interaction with the children, The rich Man, Jesus’ predicting His death and the healing of a blind beggar. May we receive grace to host Him while on earth so as to reign eternally with Him in heaven in Jesus mighty name Matt.10:33 Amen.    

The man Zacchaeus 

ü  He was the chief Tax collector in the region Vs. 2

ü  He had become very rich Vs.2

ü  He perceived the need for Jesus and made an attempt to look at/commune with Jesus vs.3

ü  He had issues communing with Jesus His height and the crowd vs.3

ü  He made up his mind and was inspired to climb a sycamore tree.vs.4, He sought Christ

 

What seeking Christ is not:

Being born into Christian family Acts 19

Coming to church

Holding positions in church Matt.15:11-14doing things in the name of Christ Matt.7:23

His encounter with Jesus and the aftermath

 

ü  Mercy found him on the tree Vs.5

ü  The people grumbled vs. 7

ü  He gave: half of his wealth to the poor, repaid all he has cheated with interest Vs.8

ü  Jesus retorted salvation has come Vs.9

 

Climbing our sycamore tree Rev.3:20 

ü  Jesus still goes through Jericho Knocking

ü  We need to hear His voice and open the door: identify Him, His voice and our need of Him, make our life pleasing to him by repenting of all known sins, confessing and forsaking them.

ü  Then he will come in and commune with us.

Conclusion 

Africa is a densely populated area for Christianity with well over a quarter of the world’s Christians in Africa and being just one continent out of seven. And it is worrisome to however note that there is so much hatred, division, wickedness, oppression, conflict and among other vices like corruption prevalent in the continent even in the church it is either we haven’t encountered Jesus or we encountered a different Jesus from what Zacchaeus encountered. May God help us to have Zacchaeus type of encounter with Jesus in Jesus mighty name Amen.