A pastor and a politician were in a terrible accident together that cost both of them to be killed instantly. They both arrive at the gates of Heaven, where St. Peter asked them their names. St. Peter looks through the pages of the Lambs book of life and stops on a page and runs his finger down the page and looks up at the politician and said, “What’s your name again?” St. Peter looks at the book and nods his head and says, okay you two, if you will please follow me. I will take you to your living arrangements.

St. Peter opens the door to this one room shack that has a small bed in the corner, an old metal chair and a small table. He looks at the pastor and says, “This is your place.” The pastor goes in and St. Peter and the politician keep walking. The politician just a little nervous about where he might be staying and just then they walk up to a beautiful 2 story mansion with a pool. And St. Peter says, “This is your place.” The politician was just a little confused and asked, “Why did the pastor, who lived a great life get such a small place compared to mine?” St. Peter said, “We have a lot of pastors, but you are the first politician to make it.”

The way you vote this year is completely up to you. However, make sure you know what and or who you are voting for. Since becoming the pastor, I have refrained from doing anything more that encouraging you to vote the way that closely follows the bible. But I gotta tell you something that broke my heart about one of the candidates. At a rally, 2 Christian students yelled out “Jesus is Lord” and “Christ is King”, and Vice President Harris said, “You have the wrong rally, you want the one down the street.” Then they were thrown out of the rally to the smiling of the vice President as the crowd cheered. On the other hand, at a rally JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was speaking when someone in the crowd said, “Jesus is King.” To which Vance replied, “Jesus is King.”

When politicians mock Jesus and promote the ridicule of those that are brave enough to make statements about Jesus being Lord, it is time for the Church to stand up and vote. We are not running a rebellion, but we need to make our voices heard. If we won’t stand up for Jesus who will? The bible tells us to share our faith, go and make disciples, we are part of the sinner’s hope. Let’s get back on track and let’s read our main text.

Luke 19:1-10

The title of the message is a sinner’s hope. We are about 2000 years since Jesus walked on the earth. So, a sinner’s hope will not be lining up along the side of a road and waiting for Jesus and crew to walk by. They will not be able to go out on a country side and see Jesus in His physical body, nor speak to Him face to face like they could back when Zacchaeus was around.

So, it is now up to us to be that imagine, that reflection of Jesus so that when people look at us, they will experience Jesus one way or another. And since we may be the only Jesus someone sees we better be on our toes because point #1 tells us.

1. You never know who God is working on.

Luke 19:1-4, John 3:1-2

As most of you know, I am not a fan of the KC foosball team. I like the Dallas Cowboys. I have never really liked that team from KC and one of the reasons is some of the overdramatic, arrogant fanatical fans.

Even when they just so-so some of the guys that I worked with were just crazy stupid when it came to the C Team playing. They couldn’t even be in a room or house when watching it. They would stand outside the house looking in the window screaming at the TV. Every year, we are going to the bowl. Your team is horrible. You’re a moron for liking your team. And now that they have won a few Super bowls it is even worse.

Some of you I joke around with, but there are some really horrible fans that just turn my stomach when it comes to the Chiefs. Even if I had ever thought about being a fan (and let me be clear, it has never crossed my mind) but even if I had thought of being a fan, there is no way I want to be around those kinds of fans.

Maybe Church, we can take a lesson from this. Maybe if we took the time to show the love of Jesus to others around us that maybe just maybe we might be able to see those that God is working on. Maybe instead of pushing someone away, we might be able to just love them right up to the foot of the cross.

We never know who God is working on and the difference He can make in their life. So, instead of telling them all the reasons that they are unworthy, maybe we should realize that they just need to get to know Jesus like we claim to know Jesus.

Which brings us to our second point.

2. Don’t be too wrapped up in yourself to stop.

Luke 19:5-7, Luke 18:35-40

On Tuesday, I got up at my normal time around 5, took a shower. That’s right, I take a shower every day. I get ready and I come to church with the plan of studying for a test that I have later that morning. When I get out of my truck at church, I hear a voice. I can’t tell direction of sound and it is dark, so I carefully scan the area looking for Jack the ripper to appear.

He did not, but this young man on a bicycle came up and told me that he found a couple of things by the dumpster and wanted to know if they belonged to the church, I told him no and then we talked for a little bit and then he left.

So, I go to my office and start studying for my test until it is time to drive the bus. I get off the bus and it is time to go to class to take my biology test. And my friend Heidi text me this, “Good morning sunshine, (that’s my line) I hope you have a wonderful day. Be blessed and keep being the vessel. I replied, “Good morning to you. Just took a stupid test, in stupid Biology, in stupid college, but I thing I did good on it.”

What a difference that made in the rest of my day! Sometimes I get so busy and overwhelmed with life that I forget that there is a bigger purpose. I forget to stop. I forget that there is more to life than my feelings about a test or about class. Someone may need me to show Jesus to them. Heidi did that for me by taking time out of her day to just wish me a good day.

Then the texting went south, but man was it funny, but it changed my day and my outlook for the day.

Jesus seemed to always stop and take it in. He took the time to show love to those around him. The people with Jesus missed that a lot. They told the blind man to be quiet. Wow! How often do our actions and words tell others, that want to be in the presence of Jesus, to be quiet? Shouldn’t we do everything we can to help facilitate an encounter?

3. With repentance comes change.

Luke 19:8-9, II Corinthians 5:14-17

Almost every job I have ever had has put me into contact with that person that is in a bad relationship. They come to work with bruises, black eyes, swelling. And when you ask them how they are, they lie about it and make up an excuse, usually, though, after some time, they reach out for help. (well sort of) I think they reach out for sympathy. I mean they tell you what is going on and you tell them they don’t deserve that and they say, “They apologized and said it wouldn’t happen again.” “They really love me and I made them made, so it’s my fault.”

One of the things that can trip up a person, even a Christian, is the word repentance. The word repentance is confused with saying I am sorry. While being sorry is part of repentance it really doesn’t grasp the fullness of it. Sorry is a feeling, repentance is an action.

From the website, makingwellness.com, “An apology without change is an attempt to manipulate.” So, if you tell someone you are sorry but continue to do the bad behavior you have only manipulated the person to giving you another chance. Some people get so good at manipulating others they think they can manipulate God. Well they can’t. No one can.

See, you might tell God your sorry and not really mean it, and He knows. You might tell God that you know what you did was wrong and you regret doing it. You might regret it, but that doesn’t mean you will stop.

I had friends that did really dumb things when they were drinking and they regretted it, but the next weekend they were out doing it again. The bible tells us to repent. Repent means to turn away from. If you repent of the sin that you have done, you turn away from it and don’t do it anymore.

That verse in II Corinthians says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” We are no longer that person doing those things that we used to do. We are God’s Masterpiece created new in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us.

If we are going to be the reflection of Jesus for those that do not know Him, we keep our lives clean. Stop sinning before something really bad happens.

A Sinner's Hope