“How Much You Matter to God”

Pastor Jerry

Luke 19:1-10

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Because of the devastating impact of the Pandemic for the past year and a half, people of the world are asking deeper questions about life and death.  We are witnesses to major changes in the world and weekly senseless mass shootings which leaves us in fear at what is happening to our world? And to make everything even more confusing, the conspiracy theories and lies in direct denial of the truth has made it all but impossible to know what is real & what is false?

Does all of this leave you with questions about the world? Where is God in all this? Does it matter what is happening in the world? “Do you matter to God?”

One of our greatest needs we have in life is to feel valuable and that our life matters. Because of this we’re constantly looking around and in our mind comparing and evaluating other people. In our society we tend to base our self-worth on four things.

Appearance. How do I look?  Achievement. What have I accomplished? Approval – How well am I liked? Affluence. What do I own?

The problem with these four standards is that none of them are stable. They can all change.  Beauty fades. Abilities deteriorate. Acquaintances are forgotten. Estates erode away. If you want to build your worth on something that lasts, you’ve got to build it on something that can’t change. And there’s only one thing that won’t change – what God thinks about you. 

The past year has caused much to be questioned about life. At times when all that we have put our faith in comes tumbling down…then we begin to search for what really matters…and it is often only when we have everything we thought was important removed that we can see the real truth …and the truth is the only thing that matters is knowing God.

We often see our greatest changes happen in us when God changes the way we see ourselves. A wonderful example of that principle is a man in the Bible named Zacchaeus. One day Zacchaeus had an encounter with Jesus – and that meeting changed his life forever. 

We see this in Luke 19. Zacchaeus didn’t seem to want to meet Jesus. He was just hoping to see what was it about this man called Jesus that everybody was talking about. But if there was ever a man who needed to meet Jesus, it was this guy – Zacchaeus. Because in the four ways we evaluate our worth, Zacchaeus struck out on the first three. So, he was wealthy…but not much else.

In the first place, Zacchaeus didn’t like his appearance. Not only that but this guy was hated by everyone in the city. It says he was the chief tax collector. What we have here is a guy who has a lot of money but doesn’t like himself; a man who is miserable. But this day everything changed. This encounter with Jesus turned his world upside down, and he was never the same again. Why? He discovered that he mattered – he mattered to God.

When you encounter Jesus’ love, you will never be the same. How do we know that we can change even when things are going wrong? Because we matter to God. And how do we know that we matter to God? The story about Zacchaeus gives us three fundamental truths on which you should base how you feel about yourself.

1. No Matter How Insignificant you Feel, Jesus Notices you. Notice what happens. Luke 19, ⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up…” Why did Jesus do that? Because Jesus knew Zacchaeus needed something.

Here’s the point: God knows when you need something. He’s got His eyes on you. There’s never been a moment when God didn’t see you. You may think your life doesn’t matter. But God says, oh yes, you matter. He knows it all; because He cares about you and because you matter!

The deepest expression of love is attention. When you give somebody your attention you’re giving them your love. All of us have a deep need to be noticed. God does notice. God sees us! God is watching over us with great interest.

2. No matter what other people say about you, Jesus LOVES you. All of his life Zacchaeus had been ridiculed and rejected; first, by his appearance; second, by his actions. But look at what Jesus does. Jesus not only stopped at the tree and looked up at him, but notice, “Jesus …called him by name. ‘Zacchaeus,’…” Imagine that. God not only knows where you are, He cares about you as an individual. He’s got your name.

Before you were born God made you for a reason and a purpose. But most people get distracted and eventually get sidetracked. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 49:16 that God says “I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.” When Jesus Christ looks at the scars in His hands where He was nailed to the cross, He thinks of You! Because He died for you. That’s how much I love you!”

3. No matter what You’ve done, Jesus wants you.

No matter what we’ve done God would want us and would want a relationship with us. Zacchaeus’ sins, his own lifestyle, his own choices made him feel guilty & ashamed without any self-worth.

So Jesus Christ didn’t just walk up to the tree & look up and notice him. And He didn’t just call him by name. But He invited Zacchaeus to come down to Him. Why? Why did Jesus walk all the way through town to find the biggest scoundrel in town and say, “Let’s hang out together?”

Zacchaeus had a lot of hidden guilt. (Like many of us do). He’s thinking, “I’m not good enough to be with Jesus. You don’t know the things that I’ve done.” And many of us have felt that way. We think, “I’m not good enough.” That’s wrong. It’s not based on our goodness. It’s based on God’s incredible love in spite of the fact of all that we’ve done, He still wants us.

Jesus is far more interested in changing you than He is in condemning you. So He looks at you today and He says, “I know you and I want you in spite of all that you’ve done because I love you. And I want you to know and love Me and have a relationship with Me.”

When Zacchaeus experienced Jesus’ love! And he was changed instantly and forever. God who loves you that much and is waiting with open arms. Luke 19:8-9 “Zacchaeus stood and he said to the Lord ‘I’ll give …’ Jesus responded, ‘Salvation has come to this home today.’” The moment he said that he would give, he was changed. I give my possessions, I give my heart, I give my life. Something extraordinary had happened in his life. What happened? He experienced how much he mattered to God!

Zacchaus’ life was messed up. He wanted something different. He couldn’t make himself different, but Jesus could. He realized that Jesus was what he needed! Zaccheaus asked for forgiveness! He was forgiven. He experienced how much he mattered to God! He was overwhelmed by Jesus’ love! Love changed him. Zacchaeus’ heart and life was changed forever.