Jesus, Friend of Sinners
John 15:16 NKJV You did not choose Me, but I chose you
Acts 17:24-27 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth . . . he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else . . . he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” Paul continues, “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."
Isaiah 55:6 NKJV Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Psalms 14:2 NKJV The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
Romans 3:10-11 NKJV As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
Genesis 28:16 NKJV “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
Psalms 63:1-4 NKJV O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:10 NKJV "I will visit you"
John 3:16-17 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Psalms 27:4 NKJV One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
Psalms 105:3 NKJV Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Romans 3:23 NKJV "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Luke 5:31-32 NKJV Jesus answered and said to 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.”
I Timothy 1:15 NKJV "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
II Corinthians 5:21 NKJV For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
I Peter 3:18 NKJV For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God,
Romans 4:25 NKJV who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
John 20:21 NKJV So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Revelation 3:20 NKJV Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Sermon Discussion Questions:
What does Zacchaeus's story teach us about faith, repentance, and transformation?What does the story say about how we can experience salvation?What are some examples of how we might "seek and save the lost" in our own lives?What are some examples of how God's grace has impacted our own lives?How does this story challenge our understanding of social status and worth?
