He Knows My Name

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack ran a little later in the program will tell you how you can get the best of 21 message.

First, here's Dr. Graham's message knows my name IT today, a well known story about a man named Zakia I've been knowing this story for really all my life since I can remember because is a Sunday school story for those you grew up in church or in Sunday school. It is the story about a little song a little jingle. We used to say Zakia's was a wee little man and we little man was he climbed up into a sycamore tree for the Lord, and he wanted as a savior pass that way.

He looked up in the tree and he said for ongoing to your house today. We could just clap along the way and sing that song and is a happy song. And, of course, is a fun story to be thinking about this little man reclined up in a tree just to get a glam of Jesus.

He was passing by the author Luke of the gospel gives us a great summary of what happened in the first 10 verses of Luke 19.

He entered Jericho.

That is, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through and let me say Jesus is passing through today, and behold, there was a man named Zakia's. His parents named him Zakia sores that it means pure one are righteous, but he was anything but pure and righteous because the Scripture says he was a chief tax collector and is noted that he was ripstop tax collectors had a terrible reputation close to what we would surmise to be a crack dealer in our time someone said that Zakia's was a half-time kingpin of the Jericho tax machine. He was a kind of godfather chief tax collector of the extortionist scam artists that the Jewish people knew as tax collectors because they were skimming and skimming off the top off the backs of the people for the Romans and so Zakia's was a despise individual and he had earned his reputation. No doubt, so he was rich with verse three says he was seeking to see who Jesus was just a glimpse but on account of the crowd. He could not, can you see it crowds elbowing the little guy in the face get back. Zakia not here Zakia not on MySpace Zakia he can't see over the crowd. So what did he do. He ran ahead verse four and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.

The moment was coming in Zakia's knew that it would last for long. He just had to see Jesus who he was, what he was about reputation of Jesus was well known. By this time everyone virtually everyone in Israel knew about Jesus, the promised Messiah sums that in Jesus performed miracles and called disciples and spoke words like no one had ever heard in the common people heard him gladly. So Zakia's along with the citizens of Jericho, which was no small town. It was a resort type area known for its palm trees and beautiful fragrances. Jericho actually means perfuming and so is it was a beautiful place when many citizens. He Zakia's is the chief tax collector of this town so he probably had the biggest house in town. He's living in luxury and yet these little he's lonely law, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, so he pulls up his little robe his little skirt get you to see his little hairy legs run in run in running ahead of the crowd shimmies up this sycamore tree gets out on a limb and is looking for Jesus just to see him pass by. Verse five and when Jesus came to the place he looked up and said to him, Zakia hurry and come down Primus stay at your house today so he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. I wonder how long you been since Zakia said smile like this stack of money had ever made this happen. He smiling from ear to ear.

Jesus had invited himself to his house so he received him joyfully verse seven.

The religious snobs.

Of course, when they saw what they all grumbled the crowd was saying what he is gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. One of the reasons that Zakia may have known of Jesus was because of Matthew also a tax collector who had the first of our Lord's ministry on earth heard the call of Christ and left his tax collecting job and follow Jesus. He said here, my Lord, you can have it all and he began to follow Jesus. So much so that while Jesus was there in his hometown. He said Jesus I got some tax collector friends is a bad crown, but would you come over to my house and talk to my friends about how they can know you how they can know God do in you what you've done for me to do in them what you've done for me and Jesus went to the party and he was accused of being hanging out with bad people, tax collectors and wine beverages and drunkards in the light.

Was it. Matthew's testimony that somehow influence this man.

Zakia's pay attention to want to see Jesus what happened Jesus friend of sinners. Aren't you glad that Jesus is a friend of sinners because we all are in that group for all have sinned and come short where all little in the eyes of God. We have sinned and broken God's command and so he wants to see Jesus. He runs to see Jesus. He climbs this tree.

He comes down he went back to pre-loss. He came down that tree found he went out that tree, a great sinner. He came down that tree trusting in a great Savior. He went loss. He came down say, because Jesus said today, look at it today salvation. Verse nine. Today salvation has come to this house. Since he also is a son of Abraham.

This is a Jewish man who is now receiving the Messiah Jesus in his life now accrues run of Abraham.

What a story the sinner saved by the power and the presence of the Savior because the mercy in Jesus is greater then the sin in you and me.

Zakia's wee little man. The wicked man whose life is forever changed like yours and mine.

We follow Jesus doesn't matter how wealthy or successful you are.

Jesus came for the down and out. The also came for the up-and-down. Whether you're down and out or up and out. Every person is empty without God, without Christ in their lives. Every person like Zakia's is lonely and lost every person is guilty of sin and needs a Savior we can try to cover our sin, but only Jesus by his blood can cleanse our sin and the guilt is always going to be there until we meet God's grace in the person of Christ Jesus died on the cross and his blood covers our sin and gets us through and over our guilt and our regrets that we can know redemption restoration Christ every every person is empty. Every person is lonely. That's why there's this kind of cosmic loneliness that exists in so many people you can be at the mall you can be in your own home. You can be at a party. You could be at church and yet there's a sense of being all alone and afraid and then there's that fear of death. Every person, regardless of the bravado that some express every person is afraid to die. There's a bondage. The Bible says to dad Jesus defeated the power of death, but until you meet Jesus. The resurrection you you live in this bondage that you're facing death and eternity without God. It is there an afterlife and where will I be in the afterlife. Is there a heaven.

Is there a hell. People are afraid to God all people, just like Nicodemus need a Savior. This man who was so successful in his own eyes had a lot of money lived in luxury, but he was lost. The Scripture says in verse 10 of Luke 19 that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. That is the mission statement of Jesus. Luke 1910, the Son of Man son of God Jesus K why did God leave heaven to come to this earth to seek and to say the loss. He was on a mission of love God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. The father sent the son to be the Savior of the world – the mission of Jesus Christ and therefore it is the mission of his church is the mission of the Christian's mission is passion is our mission, our passion to see, to say the loss listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message. He knows my name. We hope you enjoyed today's message and were excited to share that for a limited time gift to PowerPoint will be doubled up to $150,000 thanks to a generous matching grant to say thanks for your gift today will send you the most popular and encouraging messages this past year together in one collection called the best of 2021. So, now to have you get double that amount and request the best of 2021 is I thanks, when 800-7954 627-1800 795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313-1316 PowerPoint to 313131 and note to visit Jack Graham.org shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.large. Now let's get back to today's message. He knows my name loss is not to be missed placed we lose things often and we lose it we misplace, but that's not what were here loss is really talking about loss is the idea of not fulfilling a purpose.

It is when something loses its meaning or its value or its purpose. Its purpose is loss.

Its value is lost.

I had in dresser drawers and drawers that I study. I have all kinds of technological stop Wyers plug-in stop hounding the what is there. I don't know what it plugs into your it has no purpose or maybe you have a pen that won't work know they won't work.

It is loss is not fulfilling its purpose. I got in my dresser drawer I got single socks one because I keep thinking that the other ones going to show up. But what use is a single socks.

Where do they go by the way, I don't know but a single socket has no no purpose. Well, that's the idea.

When a human life is lost when a person is loss. It means you have no purpose. There's no fulfillment. There's no being what God intended for you to be and to do for him.

Your you're just you're just loss Jesus came to seek and to save the lost to be loss means you are therefore lost to God and you are loss really the people and you are lost forever apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ. What hell is it is eternal lostness and separation from God.

Every person without Jesus Christ is loss that is the cry of the day I'm in hell.

All will forever love Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. That's our mission. So what we see in the story, God knows your name Jesus knows your name.

When Zakia's is up in that tree maybe kind of hiding behind a branch or a limb. He's out on a limb without him. And Jesus stops and looks up and locks eyes with Zakia.

He then calls his name Zakia. I cannot help but believe that a beautiful smile crease the face of our blessed Lord Zakia because of his name, and in this think about it we see God's grace here was a man whose name meant pure righteous judge, he was anything but until Jesus came along and called them by name even say hey you are hey bad guy in the tree. Zakia's righteous one when Jesus calls your name and cause you to himself because you by what you can be righteous in him. We are not righteous in ourselves, but we are righteous in him. He makes us what we are. Our identity is now secure in Christ call me anything Zakia's have been called a lot of things when he passed by. It wasn't Mr. Zakia's.

It was bleeping. Zakia's going by now he's called and love to Christ he calls his name. He's calling your name today. You're not a number, you're not a nameless face in the crowd your someone that Jesus knows he knows your name is your knee. He loves you and he's calling your name today. Jesus calls our name and Jesus also welcomes us as friends far as we know, this is the only time this happened exactly like this in the Bible when Jesus invited himself over to someone else's house, he said. Zakia hurried down, right now because I must come to your house today. There's that word again must, when it is said when he was chasing down the heart the soul of that woman in Samaria he must go through Samaria. There's this this missionary must in the heart of God. I must and and he says now to Zakia. I must come to your house today welcomed him as a friend as he welcomes you as a friend I preached my first sermon when I was 15 years of age was invited to vortexes to go across town to speak at the South Cliff Baptist Church remember the name of Frank Minton was the pastor he pitched in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization he like young baseball players. I was one had a few chances to speak around as a kid giving my testimony so I was invited because I've given my life. I said, Lord, here's my life.

You can have it all to follow you and I begin preaching as a teenager and I was invited over to what you gonna preacher your first sermon and I preached from John 15 chapter 15 in verse five I 15. Rather, no longer do I call you servants but I've called you my friends, it was always mind blowing to me as a kid. To this day as well that God would call me his friend that I could be a friend of God. The Jesus would welcome each. That's why we are always saying Christianity is not a religion is a relationship is a friendship is fellowship with God. Jesus said Zakia's I'm coming to your house today and oh by the way, I'm bringing my bodies or 12 there are 13 of us in all were coming for dinner Jesus that I stand at the door and knock it if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in the book of Ephesians tells us that Christ is at home in our heart know what home is this where you're comfortable is where you with family with friends home is home. Heaven is described as not a distant star in the galaxy, but a home. The father's house. Home is where we are welcomed and accepted, and Christ is invited into our homes. We are accepted in the beloved says the Scripture accepted in the beloved.

This man's ideas like all of us rejected now accepted and coming to your house will abide with you about a stay with you where you hang out together for the rest of your life.

They were going home together in heaven story teaches us that great truth that Jesus knows your name and he welcomes you in invites himself and welcomes you into your life. One final thing. Not only does he know your name and he welcomes you as a friend but he changes your life. Zakia's was changed just like that. Jesus said in verse nine today.

Today salvation has come to this house and you know my fate. I believe not only was Zakia saved his whole household came to Christ who knows a not a plan of the church there in Jericho. As followers of Jesus, but we know that Zakia was saved. The presence of Jesus Christ. Now in his life. He says he received him gladly joyfully greatest day of your life is when you come to Jesus the best day of your life. The day you say yes Lord Jesus, come to my home come to my life.

And then he said as he got up and he stood up, so he must've been on his knees and worship of the Lord, but he stands up having surrendered his life to the Lord. He stands up and he said half of everything I own to give it to the poor to hurting people and those I've defrauded, if I have cheated, defrauded, stolen from anyone.

I want to pay back fourfold.

This little guy had a little heart now got a huge heart a big heart for God for giving. He's no longer greedy, keeping his stuff.

He saying, Lord, here I am, you can have it all. It all belongs to you when we are say where surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. He is our master everything we are everything we have belongs to him say Lord I surrender all, all to Jesus I surrender my salvation. He wasn't buying all for paying out his salvation. Salvation is by grace, but he is demonstrating the great work of grace and salvation in his life he saying, Lord, I want to now live my life for others, not just my that's where true happiness is found loving God and loving people.

So he changed his life. This little man is now live in large because Christ has changed and he will train calling and died on the cross you along. I listening to PowerPoint Jack cramp in today's message. He knows my name prepared to step into my 28th year of ministry. Generous partners like you are enabling PowerPoint to harness technology to take the gospel into closed countries and hard-to-reach regions. But in order to seize every opportunity God sends our way. Your support is vital. That's why were excited to share that some generous friends have offered to W This month to $150,000 to say thanks for your gift will send you the past 2021 CD collection featuring messages from this past year to come down to how to get doubled by the next and request 20, 21, as I think when 800 795-467-2000 795467 can also text the word PowerPoint 313131 and nobody to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.March pastor. What is your PowerPoint today. If you're looking biblical resources to guide you and help you grow in your faith, then please visit Jack Graham.org my entire sermon library as they are completely free because I want you to be able to find the help you need at any time.

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