Use the Senses You Have and Call Out for the Rest

In one paragraph

This message from Pastor Blake covered two back-to-back stories in Luke 18-19: blind Bartimaeus outside Jericho and Zacchaeus inside the city. Both men were looking for Jesus despite real obstacles, and both found him. The sermon moved into a time of communion, connecting Jesus' journey toward Jerusalem with his purpose of seeking and saving the lost. Before getting into the text, Pastor Blake...

Read together

1. Psalm 95 used to open worship, calling the congregation to come with thanksgiving and sing psalms of praise
2. 1 John 4 read before the offering song, describing how God showed His love by sending His Son so we could have eternal life
3. James 4:8 quoted before the offering song: draw near to God and He will draw near to you
4. Luke 18:35-19:10 the primary passage for the sermon, covering blind Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus
5. Luke 9:51 cited to show Jesus setting His face toward Jerusalem with purpose from that point forward
6. Luke 18:9 the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, connected to the crowd's complaint about Jesus visiting Zacchaeus
7. Isaiah 61 Jesus read from it in His first recorded sermon, proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord
8. 2 Corinthians 6:2 quoted at the close: now is the time of God's favor, today is the day of salvation

Talk about it

1. Pastor Mark pointed out that coming to Jesus requires dropping whatever hinders you, and that for the rich young ruler it was his money. What are some things, beyond money, that you think people hold onto that keep them from coming closer to Jesus?
2. Blind Bartimaeus kept crying out even when the crowd told him to be quiet. Pastor Mark lifted persistence in pursuing Jesus as a theme in Luke. What does that kind of persistence look like in your own prayer life, and what makes it hard to keep it up?
3. Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a tree, which Pastor Mark described as undignified for a wealthy man in that culture. What does his willingness to look foolish to get a better view of Jesus say to you about how seriously you position yourself to encounter Him?
4. When Jesus said 'Today, salvation has come to this house,' Zacchaeus had not prayed a formal prayer. His response was to give half his possessions to the poor and repay those he had cheated fourfold. What does that tell you about what genuine faith looks like in a person's life?
5. Pastor Mark closed with the takeaway that we should use the senses we have and call out to God for what we are lacking to be made whole. Is there an area in your life right now where you know something is missing but have not yet brought it to God? What would it look like to bring it to Him?