EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION
Gregory W. Lee
Preached 22 May 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 19
-- this morning continuing our series on television shows -- the show this morning is "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" -- don't know if you have seen this or not, but this is one of the hottest shows out right now
-- the basic premise is a race against the clock for a team of designers, construction specialists, and neighbors to completely renovate homes -- including interior, exterior, and landscaping -- these projects would normally take 3-4 months -- but in this show, the work has to be entirely completed within seven days
-- the houses that are selected to be made over in this show are submitted by the family or by friends -- usually, either the home owner has problems that prevent them from either properly maintaining their homes or they have suffered some type of severe debilitation, such as sickness or death of a family member
-- I've watched this a couple of times, and the one episode that really stood out to me was when a man was stricken blind and could not safely move around in his home -- Ty Pennington, the star of the show, went in to the home with a blind kid and they designed the home to make it a safe and comfortable living place for the owner
-- it's amazing to watch this transformation take place week after week as the people on the show take these homes that are basically in very bad shape or have severe problems and transform them into beautiful masterpieces -- they bring life to homes that were slowly dying
-- well, ABC and Ty Pennington aren't the only ones interested in extreme home makeovers -- they aren't the only ones interested in transforming hovels into mansions -- we have a God who does that daily as well
-- let's look at an example of an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that took place in the New Testament
-- look now at Luke 19, verse 1

II. Scripture Lesson -- Luke 19:1-10
-- verse 1
1. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
-- let's stop there and let me give you a little of the context of this passage -- at this time, Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem with His disciples -- He knows that He is going there to offer His life up for the sins of the world -- He knows the cross awaits -- but still, as He and His disciples make their way towards Jerusalem, Jesus still takes the time to minister to all those around Him -- to continue to touch their lives even though His is about to be taken
-- right before the events of this passage take place, Jesus took time to heal the 10 lepers, restore sight to a blind man, and to show a rich young ruler that he cared more about money than the kingdom of God
-- now, as this passage opens, Jesus is passing through Jericho, a town located about five miles west of the Jordan River and about 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem
-- Jericho features prominently in the history of the Jewish people -- if you remember your Bible stories, when the Israelites entered the promised land, their first battle against the people of the land occurred at Jericho -- the town was fortified with a great wall, and God had Joshua and the Israelites walk around the walls for seven days -- on the seventh day, they shouted to God and the walls of the city fell and the Israelites conquered Jericho
-- after the battle, Joshua pronounced a curse on the city of Jericho and on the person who would rebuild the walls that God had knocked down
-- if there ever was a place that needed an extreme makeover, it was Jericho -- Jericho was built under a curse and the town and all its inhabitants lived in darkness
-- but things were going to change because Jesus had come to town -- and when Jesus comes, He redeems curses through His presence -- when Jesus comes, His light dispels the darkness -- when Jesus comes, the old is made new again -- when Jesus comes, you see transformation of lives

-- verse 2
2. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
3. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.
4. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

-- Zaccheus was a tax collector -- tax collectors were despised by the Jews -- not only did they serve the Romans who occupied the Holy Land, but they taxed their own people unmercilessly -- you see, they were not paid a salary by the Romans to be tax collectors -- they made their money by skimming off the top -- taxing the Jewish people more than the Romans demanded and keeping the difference
-- the more they took from their Jewish neighbors, the more they could keep for themselves -- and not only was Zaccheus a tax collector, but he was a chief tax collector -- he was the chief of sinners and probably the most despised man in all of Jericho -- rich -- dishonest -- and short of stature -- someone who was looked down on by all, and not just because of his height
-- when Zaccheus heard that Jesus was passing through, he got curious -- the text says that he wanted to see who Jesus was
-- that's a curious phrase, isn't it? -- he wanted to see who Jesus was -- we can assume from this that Zaccheus had heard about Jesus and about His miracles and about His teachings -- but now, he wanted to see who He really was
-- we come into contact with a lot of people like Zaccheus every day -- they've probably heard about Jesus -- they know about church -- maybe they've even been to church off and on -- maybe they even call themselves a Christian -- but they've never really experienced Jesus -- they don't know who Jesus is -- they know about Him, but they don't know Him
-- that's where Zaccheus is -- he's looking for answers about Jesus
-- verse 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
-- I like that phrase, "the spot" -- have you thought about that? -- what does that mean? -- and then, when Jesus gets to "the spot" He stops, looks up at Zaccheus and says, "I must stay at your house today" -- "I must"
-- I'll tell you what "the spot" is -- it's a divine appointment -- it wasn't just chance that caused Jesus to pass through Jericho on that day -- it wasn't just chance that the Savior who came to take away the curse on the earth passed through the only city built with a curse on that day -- it wasn't just chance that the Savior who came to take away the sins of the world stopped at "the spot" where the chief of sinners -- the chief of tax collectors -- waited to see Him
-- Zaccheus was led to that spot at that time by the power of the Holy Spirit -- through God's prevenient grace -- the grace that goes before salvation -- the grace that woos us and draws us in and causes us to seek Jesus -- Zaccheus climbed a sycamore tree seeking the face of Jesus
-- as it says in Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -- Zaccheus sought Jesus that day, and Jesus responded with grace -- Jesus always responds to the soul who earnestly seeks Him
- now look at the response of Zaccheus to Jesus' invitation
-- verse 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. -- Zaccheus "welcomed Him gladly"
-- Zaccheus' heart was changed -- Jesus had knocked on the door to his heart and Zaccheus had responded -- there was a whole lot more going on here than what those in Jericho could see with their human eyes -- there was a whole lot more going on in those three little words "welcomed Him gladly"
-- what was going on was a spiritual change -- he opened the door with repentance and Jesus came in, bringing life and hope and transformation -- this was an Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition
-- the heart of this chief tax collector had been changed and the curse of sin had been lifted
-- verse 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a `sinner.'" -- why is it that people can't believe in the transforming power of Jesus? -- here a miracle has happened -- a sinner has been saved -- a life has been transformed through the power of Christ, and the people muttered, "he's still a sinner"

-- One night in a church service, a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. However, the change in her was evident. As time went on, she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans, this is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for the pastor's son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter.
-- So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry the pastor's son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this "My fiancé's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?"
-- The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ too.

-- that is exactly what the people of Jericho were doing to Zaccheus -- they couldn't believe that a person as vile as he -- that a person who was the chief of sinners in their town -- could be saved
-- we do that too, don't we? -- we judge people based on their past or their upbringing and we say, "God couldn't save them" -- and if they do get saved, if God does do a powerful work in their lives, we doubt it -- just like the people in Jericho doubted Zaccheus
-- but, when God does an extreme makeover, there can be no doubt that something has changed

-- I've got a friend whose life was changed just like Zaccheus -- he was a big-time sinner -- he used to be part of a motorcycle gang -- he ran with a rough crowd -- took drugs -- drank alcohol -- I don't know what all he had done in his life
-- I remember the first time I met him, he came into our church wearing black leather pants, a black motorcycle jacket and chains holding his wallet -- he had a long beard that fell down to his chest -- he looked really, really scary and I when I saw him, I didn't think "he's a Christian" -- I thought, "I don't want to mess with him" -- he was a person that I wouldn't want to pass by on the street
-- but, then he told how God had changed his life and how God had saved him from drinking and drugs and fighting and everything else -- and, as I got to know him, I saw what an extreme makeover God had done in his life -- right now, my friend has terminal cancer, but he's still witnessing to everyone he meets, bringing people to church on Sunday, and leading at least one person to Christ every week -- do you want to see an example of a changed life? -- just look at him

-- verse 8 8. But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9. Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
10. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

-- here we see Zaccheus proving his salvation through good works -- by giving half of all he had to charity and repaying back everyone he cheated four times the amount -- Zaccheus wasn't saved by his works -- as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast."

-- but, Zaccheus proved a change had taken place through his good works -- as James says, "faith without deeds is dead" -- Zaccheus had both faith and deeds
-- Jesus affirmed the change in Zaccheus when He said that Zaccheus was a son of Abraham --Zaccheus was Jewish -- he had been a descendant of Abraham through the blood, but now he was a descendant through faith as well -- because he now knew who Jesus was and had accepted Him into his heart

-- note what Jesus said there in verse 9 -- "Today salvation has come to this house" -- not only was Zaccheus saved, but his whole house through him -- Zaccheus was no longer a curse to his home, but a blessing to his family -- for through him, they all came to know who Jesus was

-- we see the same thing in the book of Acts 16:30-33 -- when Paul and Silas were in prison praising God and the walls shook and their chains were loosened, the jailer became convinced of the power of God -- the Bible says that He brought Paul and Silas out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" -- They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." -- Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. -- At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.
-- when God transforms a life such as Zaccheus, entire homes become transformed as a result

III. Closing
-- I want to close with one more story
-- Tony's family was very poor, and his father and mother constantly fought -- one day, a coworker led his father to the Lord -- his life was transformed and he became a new man -- but Tony's mother continued to argue and fight every chance she had -- she wouldn't let him read his Bible or pray before the meals
-- so, every night at 4:00 in the morning, Tony's father would get up and read the Bible in the kitchen by himself -- one night, he heard his wife coming down the stairs -- he said to himself, "Oh no, here we go again." -- but Tony says that his mother was crying and said, "for months now I have done everything that I can to keep you from God -- I have tried to keep you from reading the Bible -- but you still get up and do it every single night -- I want what you have"
-- and, right there in the Evan's kitchen, Tony's father led his mother to Christ -- then they woke Tony up and led him to Christ, along with all their children
-- Tony's father found a good Bible believing church and got the family involved in church
-- and now, because of an extreme makeover in the heart of a man in Philadelphia that led to the salvation of his entire home, Dr. Tony Evans serves as the senior pastor at the 6,000 member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas

-- Jesus is still in the business of doing extreme makeovers in your heart and in your home -- no matter how big the problem is, Jesus can fix it -- there's not a broken heart that He can't mend -- there's not a broken family that He can't restore
-- if Jesus can reach down and change the heart of a chief tax collector in the middle of a street in Jericho -- if Jesus can reach down and transform a whole home through the witness of a believing father -- then He can touch you and your family no matter the situation
-- there's not a past too great or a problem too big for Jesus to handle
-- all it takes is you opening the door and letting Him in -- all it takes is you responding to His invitation to salvation and healing -- for you to experience an extreme makeover in your own life