Transcription
Luke, chapter 19, we will read verse 1 to verse 10. It is a word that speaks much to my heart, it moves me a lot. I wanted to share this with you. Who found Luke, chapter 19, verse 1 to 10. >> Six people. We are here with 150 found. Whoever found it, say amen. >> Amen. Luke, chapter 19, verse 1 onwards, is written thus: Jesus, he entered Jericho and was passing through the city. There was a rich man there named Zacchaeus, chief of the tax collectors. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being of short stature, he could not because of the crowd. So he ran ahead, climbed a wild fig tree to see him, for Jesus was going to pass by there. When Jesus arrived at him, he looked up and said to him: "And Zacchaeus, come down quickly, I want to stay at your house today." Then he quickly came down and received him with joy. All the people saw this and began to complain. He lodged at the house of a sinner, but he stood up and said to the Lord: "Look, Lord, I am giving half of my possessions to the poor and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I will return it four times over." Jesus said to him: "Today salvation has come to this house." Repeat with me. Salvation has come to this house. Because this man is also a son of Abraham. Verse 10. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was >> lost. I wanted to talk about Zacchaeus today in a different way than all the others you may have heard so far. I wanted to talk about the phases of Zacchaeus' life, because I believe that our life is made of cycles, it is made of phases or seasons. The moment we are living now is unique, it is singular. What we will live in a while, God has a portion for that moment. There are things that have passed that will not return, things that we are living today and will no longer live. So, life is made of cycles, of seasons, from our birth until our death. We are in a process of constant transitions and different seasons. I wanted to think with you about the face of Zacchaeus' life. And I believe that at some point we will all identify with some phase of it. The first phase of Zacchaeus' life is the phase I call born for a purpose. It is the phase where Zacchaeus is born for a purpose. Because I believe that everyone who comes into this life comes with God's purpose. The Bible says that God does everything with a purpose. So you are not here on earth randomly. You are not the result of a big bang. or the evolution of a monkey. Say: "Glory to God for that." Hallelujah. >> You are here because God called you from your mother's womb. >> And there is a purpose for your birth and your life. There is a purpose. And the first phase of Zacchaeus' life is precisely the moment he is born to live a purpose. What am I saying? Because Zacchaeus' name in the Bible means righteous, it means pure. In ancient times, when Jews named a child, they did not name the child just because the name was beautiful. They did not care about pronunciation. So, the last thing Jews cared about was the pronunciation of the name. Today we name our children. What do we first check if the name is beautiful, yes or no? Does it sound good, is it easy to say, will the boy not be bullied at school, right? And then we look for the meaning. Not at that time. At that time, the name carried a prophetic anointing, the name pointed to the future. The name could be too ugly in pronunciation, but if it had a prophetic meaning, the father and mother would say: "That will be the name." That's why you find names in the Bible, rather strange names. For example, Joed, a good name to give your daughter. Nebuchadnezzar, Methuselah. Even today, I can't look at a little child, a baby, and see Jeremiah. Has anyone ever met a baby named Jeremiah? I can't. So there are names that we say: "My God, what a name! If there is any Jeremiah, I love you. Amen, brother. Your name is beautiful. But I'm saying this so you understand that for the Jew, it didn't matter if the name was beautiful or ugly in its pronunciation. What mattered was the meaning of the name. So, when a Jewish couple had a son, they prayed before naming him. When they didn't have a revelation from an angel, a revelation from God to name him, they sought some sign from God. What will this child be called? What will this boy or girl be called? When Zacchaeus' parents named him Zacchaeus, they named him with this meaning of righteous and pure. Why? Because the parents are looking to the future. The parents are looking at Zacchaeus and saying: "This boy was born with a purpose, and what purpose does he carry? He will be a righteous boy, a pure boy, he will glorify God, he will serve God, he will be an example in the Jewish community. We will be proud of him." So, when they gave him the name, they were prophesying about Zacchaeus' life. You will be righteous, you will be pure. Zacchaeus' father and mother certainly invested in Zacchaeus, not only by giving him a name that pointed to the future, that pointed to something that would please God, but also by investing in Zacchaeus' life with all Jewish principles, values, and studies. Just to give you an idea, when a child was born in that culture, at eight days old, the foreskin was cut if it was a boy, which was the covenant with Abraham, it was the Abrahamic covenant with God, it was the firstborn, so the foreskin was cut and he was separated, separated for God, he had a covenant, he carried Abraham's blood in his veins. When this child was about 6 years old, the parents would already have this child study the Torah. There were countless Jewish Christian schools of that time, just to give you an idea, a child from six to seven years old at that time already recited almost the entire Torah. recited. Because the Jew has this since the time God told the patriarchs, impress this word on your child's head. When you lie down, when you get up, at the table, talk about it so that this word penetrates your heart. Zacchaeus receives a name that pointed to the future. Zacchaeus receives all the teachings, the principles, everything that his parents could do for him, they did. And the dream and expectation of the parents is, this boy was born with a purpose. If this boy came to earth, it is because God has a calling, God has a grace, God has an anointing. And so he lives in this first phase, the phase of purpose, the phase of the name, the phase of learning, the phase of growth, the phase of values. And all of this is being impregnated, placed upon Zacchaeus' heart. But Zacchaeus grows. Say: Zacchaeus grows. Say: "It is a natural part" of life, to grow. What doesn't grow is defective. Say what doesn't grow is defective. So, Zacchaeus grows and begins, then, to enter the second phase of his life, which is the phase where he will exchange purpose for proposal. In the first phase, the Bible reveals through his name the purpose God has in his life, to be a righteous boy, a pure man, a holy man who carries principles, values from childhood. But when he grows up, the Bible will show that at some point he gets lost and enters the phase of exchanging purpose for a proposal. Greed begins to enter Zacchaeus' heart. The desire to grow at all costs begins to enter Zacchaeus' heart. Zacchaeus' eyes shine at the world's success. Perhaps Zacchaeus began to see the prosperity of others and began to understand that the path he was following was perhaps not so good. Zacchaeus, then, will begin at some point in his life to exchange the purpose of his birth, of his education, of his values for proposals of growth. And the boy who carries the name of righteous and pure, the boy who carried the word, carried the anointing, carried the intercession of his parents, who carried everything his parents could give as investment, becomes something else. At a moment in his life, in the phase of his life, between proposals and purpose, he will become a tax collector. Then you read this in the Bible, you think it's wonderful, but becoming a tax collector was to deviate from the faith at that time. Becoming a tax collector was to say no to all the values and principles he had learned since childhood. This is the phase where he will say: "I prefer to earn money, to gain the world, even if it costs me my soul, it doesn't matter." This is the phase where he will say to me: "The most important thing is what I have, not what I am." Zacchaeus will become a tax collector, but he will not become just any tax collector. Zacchaeus has greed. Zacchaeus wants to grow at all costs. Zacchaeus knows that the fastest way to success at that time was to become a tax collector, to be a tax collector. Whoever wanted to have money and grow quickly, become a tax collector. If he went into the common trades of the time, fisherman, carpenter, farmer, he knew it would take time to reach even half the wealth he would have as a tax collector. So he looks at the shortcuts, he looks at the ease, he looks at the proposals, and in this phase he leaves all the purpose of his life behind. Even carrying the name he has, he will become a tax collector, but he will not just be a tax collector, he has greed, he has blood in his eyes, he wants to grow at all costs. In a short time, he becomes chief of the tax collectors. If we could go back, I would invite you to go to Zacchaeus' father and mother's house and ask them: "How are your hearts? How are your hearts regarding the path your son chose to live?" They would say one thing: "We are ashamed, we feel dishonored, we did not teach our son to live like this. We preached, we prayed, we gave him a name, we pointed to the future, we did everything we could, and he strayed from the faith." Zacchaeus in the Bible, I want you to look at me, among all the Jews Jesus meets in the entire Bible, Jews, I'm not talking about Romans, Jews. Zacchaeus will be one of the richest men Jesus meets face to face. Because as a tax collector, he not only had Rome's salary, but he also had various illicit schemes, he charged higher interest on the collection of taxes. History says that tax collectors were hated not only for serving Rome, for collecting taxes from Jews, but also they were hated because they ended up stealing, adding much more, they usurped. So this was an affront to the Jewish community. Tax collectors were seen as dogs, as traitors of the homeland, traitors of God. Men who sold themselves to gain the world, even losing their souls. Zacchaeus knew this. Zacchaeus was taught in this context, yet he will be one of the most hated men in the nation. There were two peoples who were very hated by the Jews: Samaritans and tax collectors. But for Zacchaeus, it didn't matter. What mattered to Zacchaeus was having money, having a nice house, having a nice car, having luxury. If in return he suffered hatred, if he was isolated, if for that he had to sell himself, if he lost his salvation, but he is in the phase of exchanging purpose for proposal, and he goes deep into it and becomes one of the chief tax collectors of the time. The man is rich, a lot of money within the Roman context, he is welcome, he is liked, he has access to the best tables and the best food, but he turned his back on Judaism, he turned his back on monotheistic faith, he turned his back on the God of Abraham, he turned his back on everything he learned. And even though he is called Zacchaeus, righteous and pure, he doesn't care. He is exchanging purpose for proposals. This is the second phase of Zacchaeus' life. But the Bible will show in the lines a third phase of Zacchaeus' life. Is Zacchaeus okay? Say: "Is Zacchaeus okay? Be patient with me, I'm about to start preaching, folks. Say: Zacchaeus is okay. He has money, he has reached the peak of his career as a tax collector. He is no longer a subordinate, he commands, he is the chief. What house can I afford to buy? What car can I buy? What trip can I go on? What food can I buy and eat? What clothes can I get? But the Bible will show a phase where he is full of something, full of things, but he is empty inside. Full of something, but encounters the emptiness of someone. Someone is missing inside. Someone is missing. Someone is missing. Someone that Zacchaeus at some point in his life left behind. And there is a rift in Zacchaeus' soul. There is a hole inside Zacchaeus. The account is full, the soul is empty. The table is full, the soul is empty. The garage is full of vehicles, the soul is empty. And he will begin to enter one of the worst phases of human beings, which I call a soul crisis. His whole life he has been looking outward and saying: "I need this, I need that." And he goes after it, he goes after it, he climbs, he strives, he climbs, he climbs, he climbs, he climbs, he reaches the top. And this is the worst stage for someone who reaches the top the way Zacchaeus did. Why? Because Zacchaeus will discover what it is to have a life full of something and empty of someone. Zacchaeus will discover that at the top of the pyramid without God, there is no complete happiness. Zacchaeus will discover that in the pyramid of success without God, there is no peace that surpasses all understanding. Zacchaeus will discover that at the top of the pyramid of success, without God, money does not fill that hole. Fame does not fill that hole, that emptiness, the cars, the possessions, nothing, nothing, nothing fills it. So he will begin to enter a spiritual crisis and will look in the mirror every morning and ask: "What is happening to me? If I have everything and I feel like I'm still missing a lot. What is happening to me? I should be happy, I should be jumping for joy, I should be celebrating. What is this emptiness? What is this sadness?" Zacchaeus will enter this third phase. The phase of being full of something, but finding himself empty of someone. He has everything, but feels empty. Listen, brother. The most miserable person is the one who only has money. The poorest person is only the one who has money. Only has money, only has a name, only has fame, only has resources. But the soul is impoverished, the soul is empty. He runs here, runs there, goes here, goes there, finds nothing. Because, as I said, every human being who comes into this life comes with the purpose of serving God, worshipping God, glorifying God. And when you leave the center of God's will, something will always be missing. And this emptiness within many people is the size of God, and only God can fill it. >> The third phase of Zacchaeus will corner him, it will begin to touch Zacchaeus' heart. Zacchaeus will begin to be, will become uncomfortable, will become distressed. Perhaps at this moment Zacchaeus was praying those prayers that Alex was talking about here. Why is my soul troubled? Why are you agitated within me? That question we ask ourselves, with ourselves, saying what is happening? Because besides Zacchaeus being empty in his soul, Zacchaeus is living a lonely life. I don't know if you've noticed in Zacchaeus' story that he appears alone. If Jesus doesn't enter his life, he has no companion. The name of family doesn't appear, genealogy doesn't appear, friends don't appear. You will see many references to people accompanying other people. Zacchaeus is one of the few who is alone in the Bible. He turned his back on the nation. He turned his back on everyone. Besides living with an empty soul, he has to live with the loneliness of having no one by his side. At this time when he is seeking money, seeking fame, seeking something. And the Bible will say, I find this very beautiful. These contrasts in the Bible give me goosebumps, because when the Bible presents him as chief of the tax collectors, when the Bible says he is seeking something, growing, having success, in contrast, the Bible will show a crowd seeking Jesus. I feel his presence here, who is after the Master. While Zacchaeus seeks something, there is a crowd seeking someone. This begins to catch his attention. Zacchaeus wants to know what is going on. What kind of man is this who is drawing a crowd? And in the midst of this crowd, there are poor people, rich people, important people, wealthy people, people who are not known. There is a crowd. Zacchaeus, while running to the top of the pyramid, has a crowd running to Jesus' feet. This begins to bother Zacchaeus. This begins to move Zacchaeus. Because Zacchaeus sees smiles, Zacchaeus sees joy, Zacchaeus sees celebration, Zacchaeus hears worship. Zacchaeus hears: "I was healed." Zacchaeus hears testimonies. "Look, he resurrected so-and-so. Look, he entered so-and-so's house. His life was transformed." And this information begins to reach Zacchaeus' heart. It begins to reach Zacchaeus' heart. And the Bible will present the fourth phase of Zacchaeus' life. Say: fourth phase. This phase is the phase where he has the desire to know Jesus. I am building with you here the phases of Zacchaeus' life. In this phase, seeing so many people going here and there, people talking about Jesus, telling testimonies about Jesus, the Bible will say that then a desire to know Jesus is born. Because many already knew him, but he didn't. And the Bible will say that he wants to see who Jesus was. Look at me. You were born with a purpose, but at some point you may have gotten lost. At some point you exchanged proposals, purpose for proposals. And in this exchange, a hole opened in your soul, and you know I'm talking to you. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you. A hole opened inside your soul, and you know it. Then, along the way, you have been living your life. Then you try to minimize this pain, this empty space with what money can provide. But they are doses, they are counter-doses. You need one after another to pretend everything is okay. You know it's like that, but time passes on this path. People arrive, God uses people, and people begin to talk about Jesus, to talk about a God whom you remember very well and you know who he is. This will warm your heart. Then you begin to receive something inside your soul that the Bible says our soul cries out for Abba Father. When Jesus is preached, when Jesus is spoken of here, in this phase, we begin to feel a desire. Man, I feel a desire to go to church. Who has felt this here? You were in the world, it seemed like you were having a blast. Huh? But suddenly, inside, a desire began to come. A desire to go to church, a desire to listen to a hymn, a desire to hear a word, a desire to receive a prayer. That's what Zacchaeus was feeling. But here I have no friends. Here I am seen as an enemy, and he is left with that desire to know Jesus. And the Bible says that he is only well-acquainted with Jesus by hearing about him, but now he has a thirst for Jesus. He says: "Man, I don't just want to hear about Jesus. I don't just want to hear. I need to see who he is. I need to see who he is. I need to see who he is." And the desire to know Jesus is greater than the obstacles that will try to prevent him, because the Bible says he is short and there is a crowd. Zacchaeus' desire in his heart to see who Jesus was was so great, so great, so great, that he did not stop at his stature. He did not stop at the obstacle called the crowd, because his soul was crying out, his soul was crying out. His soul was crying out: "Who is this man? Who is this Jesus?" This is the phase where he has the desire to know, to know, brother. We have all gone through or are going through this phase, my brother. Before I converted, it was madness. I've said this here. Everywhere I went, there was a Christian. But I'm not talking about places where you can say: "No, there are Christians here." I'm talking about the most unlikely places for Christians. And your soul there, Jesus loves you. Come back. Your mother is praying for you. Then you run. How many times have I found myself in that word from the psalm, where shall I go and flee from your presence? If I ascend to the highest mountain, the Lord is there. If I descend into the deepest abyss, the Lord is there. It's that when a time of transition comes in your life, when God wants to bring you back to purpose, he will push you into the cradle, into the alley, into the corner, to the bar, hallelujah, far away, near, in the middle of the night, it doesn't matter. It will be a word, it will be a prayer. In some way, he will rekindle the flame in your heart, and you will say: "I want to see him. I want to see him. I want to see him. I want to see him. I want to know him. I want to return to him." That's what is happening with Zacchaeus in this phase. It's the phase where he's saying: "I want to know this Jesus." Everyone is talking about him to me, I'm feeling something in my soul. I need to know. I need to know. I need to know. I need to know. And from here, the Bible will present the fifth phase of Zacchaeus' life. Say, the fifth phase. It will be the phase where he will hear Jesus' voice for the first time. Hold on to your chair so you don't fall. Because one thing, one thing is to hear about him, another thing is to hear him speak about you. >> No, you didn't understand. One thing is to hear about him. Another thing is to hear him speak about you. Hallelujah! >> This is crazy, brother. When the Holy Spirit wants to convince you of sin, of righteousness, when you are at the last minute to become a Christian, hallelujah! Then you go to church, you say: "Man, I want to know this God who is changing the lives of so many, I'll go see. I'll just go look, I'll climb the fig tree, I'll stay calm, I'll take a peek, a glimpse, and go home. At least I'll get a word, at least I'll try to have a little more peace, and that's it." Ah, you were deceived. Because before God calls you, the desire to be close is born first. If the desire is born, it is because today he will hear his voice calling you by name. >> I don't know if you remember, Alex, I don't know if you remember, but back then when you were in this phase of wanting to know, wanting to see, then you would go to an environment where God's word was being preached, where there were people talking about God. Do you remember? The first time he spoke to you personally. Who remembers? You were among 50, 80 people in the back, in those wooden benches, who remembers? In the back with a hole in your soul, no one knows you there. That day you even went to a church far from your neighborhood because you were ashamed. People would talk about you, you were in the back, and your whole life you heard someone talk about him, but that day you will hear him talk about you. >> Then he will call you by name. He will raise up a prophet. Who remembers the prophets of Coque walking in the church corridors? Hallelujah. When they came in our direction, we held onto the benches, the benches would shake. Hallelujah. And suddenly the voice would come: "Hey, young man! Oh my God! It was God saying: "I found you on your fig tree. I found you. I found you, and that day was the first time you heard God's voice clearly, and your heart exploded. Your soul almost left your body. You said: "What is this?" And that night, when you opened your eyes, you were already prostrate, crying at the altar, saying: "I want to come back. I want this God. I want this Jesus." Because there are phases where we will hear people talk about him, but there will be a moment when we will hear him talk about us, calling us by name. Come Jean, come Brasão, come Alex, come Caik, come Maria, come Pedro, come Cláudia, come, come, come, come. to know you and to continue is the goal of my life. Your name has already been called by him. To know you and to continue knowing you. It is all I want in my life, Lord. And I am yours and you are mine. Nothing will >> We are returning to the purpose. >> We are running to you, >> we are running to you, Jesus. And I am yours and you are mine. You can cry, nothing will separate me from your love, Lord. And nothing will separate me from you. Where shall I go? If your love surrounds me and where shall I hide from you, I don't see myself without your presence. birth, deviation, emptiness, desire, and discovery. This story is not about you. >> And tonight is a night of discovery. It is a night of hearing God's voice calling you. Because Zacchaeus climbed a fig tree, the Bible says, just to look and see who Jesus was. Zacchaeus just wanted to know if he was thin, if he was fat, if he had long hair, if he was black powder, what clothes he wore. He just wanted to see, it was just curiosity. There is a crowd pushing Jesus. Jesus is in the middle of a crowd of people. The Bible says that Zacchaeus, knowing that place, went ahead, ran ahead, he calculated, man, by the direction he was going, he would pass by there. I think I can see him from up there. Because Zacchaeus didn't go into any house to see Jesus. The houses had terraces, because Zacchaeus was not welcome in any house but his own. So he will use what he can, he will do what he can. He runs ahead, when he sees a fig tree, he climbs it and stays there. He is saying: "He will pass by here. I will look." The crowd passes, he passes, I will come down and go on with my life. But in this phase of his life, which will be the phase where he will hear Jesus' voice for the first time, which I never imagined, Zacchaeus did not expect Jesus to speak to him. I remember when I was in the world, I had many acquaintances who were already in church, and those things were very confusing to me when people said: "Man, God spoke to me today in the service." It didn't make sense, I was a bit crazy, I thought: "Man, how can God speak to someone? I who use drugs and the Christians who are high." I kept thinking. Then I was on the street corners in the early mornings, I saw the boys at the all-night prayer vigil full of the Holy Spirit. And what happened, my brother? No, man. God spoke to me. God spoke to me, and I cried and cried. That didn't make sense, it didn't make sense. Until the day came for me, >> until the day came for me, when I said: "No, I'll go there just to see, I don't want commitment, but I'll just see. I need something that that kid has. I need something that that boy has. Something. I'll just see." He stays there on the fig tree quietly. Huh, quietly, quietly. Like a 007. He's in the back. He's all broken, crushed, full of sin. And soon you receive for the first time the voice of the beloved exploding within your soul. Daniel. Oh my God. Too crazy. Only those who have lived it know what I'm talking about here. It is on that day that you say: "It is real, it is on that day, brother, that you lose your way home, you don't know whether to go home or stay at church." It is on that day that you put your hand on your head and say: "My God, why did I waste so much time?" And there is repentance? Because I didn't make this decision before? Because I didn't surrender before? Because I didn't dive in before? So much pain, so much suffering. Zacchaeus did not expect Jesus to speak to him. Zacchaeus had calculated everything, planned everything. But God's ways are greater than our ways. God's thoughts are greater than our thoughts. Raise your hand in Jesus' name. I know you came here calculating something, making plans, but today Jesus will get you too. Today a revolution will begin in your life. a transformation in your life. You are in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, you are sitting on the right fig tree. He will see you, call you by name, and say: "Today I change your story. He loved me." >> Raise your hand. >> The presence of God is strong here. Can you declare this? He loved me. Let's declare this. >> We are on the fig tree. >> We just came to see, but today we will hear. >> We will hear. He loves me. Let's hear. >> Let's go now. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. >> Let's go. Put more strength into it. Let's go. He is here. He is here. He is here. >> He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. Don't let him pass, don't. Don't let him leave Jericho without seeing you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Tell someone near you, he is seeing you. If I were to meet Zacchaeus on the street running and ask him: "Zacchaeus, what are you going to do?" He would say: "I'm going to see Jesus." But the Bible will say that it was Jesus who saw him. Oh, look at the fig tree. Zacchaeus is here quietly. A hole in his soul. Many questions. He is now looking from above at that crowd coming and the Master in the middle. People shouting, celebrating, children. And here comes Jesus. Many people looked at Jesus and said: "Jesus, stay at my house. Jesus, sleep at my house. Lord, if you go to my house, I promise I'll buy a cold Coca-Cola, a roasted chicken. You'll like it." Everyone wanted to take Jesus home. Everyone wanted to spend a night with the Master. Zacchaeus is there just wanting to see. And here comes Jesus. The crowd below, most of whom are with Jesus, are well-adjusted. They are well-adjusted down here. But there is someone up here who is not well-adjusted. Because Jesus transforms the lives of people who are below, and Jesus also transforms the lives of people who are above. >> The question is: wasn't there anyone more in need than Zacchaeus in that crowd? The answer is: That moment was Zacchaeus' moment. >> Here comes Jesus. Remember what I told you at the beginning of Zacchaeus' story? Zacchaeus was born with a purpose. When Zacchaeus was born, his father and mother consecrated him to God and said: "He will be called righteous, holy, meaning Zacchaeus." After Zacchaeus strayed, Zacchaeus became a tax collector, and every Jew was forbidden to call a tax collector by name. He had to be called tax collector because it was an offense. It had been years. Because I haven't heard a Jew call him by name. >> Because calling by name is going back to the origin, going back to the past and saying righteous and holy. You are already giving glory to God, you understand, right? Here comes Jesus. The crowd is looking and saying: "Oh, a tax collector, but Jesus stops. Then Jesus will go back to Zacchaeus' past. After years, Jesus will shout in his heart: Zacchaeus, >> Zacchaeus. >> He looked to one side, looked to the other. Is there anyone named Zacchaeus in the crowd? And I believe Jesus looked and said: "It's really you, Zacchaeus." His head turns back, he goes back. Because when we read this in Portuguese, it's Zacchaeus, but in the original language it's righteous, >> holy. The crowd hears this, they think Jesus is crazy. He's a tax collector and Jesus is calling him righteous, holy. >> You know what? >> Hallelujah. What is Jesus doing with Zacchaeus? Jesus will work in the past, in the present, and in the future. Look at me. Sometimes we think Zacchaeus' transformation began at home, but it didn't. It began on the fig tree. When Jesus says Zacchaeus, the Bible says Jesus is going back to the past. Jesus is going back there. Jesus is fixing things back there. Between the lines, you know what Jesus is trying to say. Jesus was Jewish. Jesus is telling him through the pronunciation of his name, listen, you strayed from the route, you strayed from the path, you strayed from the purpose, but I am here to put things in their proper place. And Jesus begins to work in Zacchaeus' heart about the past, because an unresolved past is a demon in the life of someone who wants to move forward. So Jesus is saying: "Listen to what I'm telling you. Everyone is labeling you for what you do, but I am calling you for who you are. In heaven, your name has not changed. In heaven, the plans for you have not been altered. Who understands me tonight? For God's sake, when Zacchaeus hears this, brother, when Zacchaeus hears this, it's a grenade in your soul, in his soul, boom. Then, after the past is resolved, after Jesus is working on the past, Jesus then comes to the present. Jesus says: "Come down quickly." Past, present, past, name, present. Come down quickly. Do you know why "come down quickly"? Because Zacchaeus is confused. Should I go? Should I not go? Is it me? Is it not me? I don't know. I don't know what I have to do anymore. Jesus is saying, "Let go of that fig tree. I have already worked on your past so that you can live a glorious present today." Do you know what Jesus is saying? Today I am in a hurry to change your life. Today I am in a hurry to fill that gap, that hole in your soul. Today I am in a hurry to free you from this depression. Today I am in a hurry to bring you joy, happiness, peace. Come down quickly, it is today. He turned.