He made haste and came down

'He made haste and came down'

— Luke 19:6

That call of God the Holy Spirit by which sinners are irresistibly drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ is always effectual. Preachers preach and plead and urge sinners to come to Christ and trust him, with no effect. Be they ever so learned, eloquent and clever, preachers can never change the hearts of men. But when God the Holy Spirit calls sinners to Christ by the gospel, he effectually changes their hearts by the sovereign power of his grace. One clear example of this effectual call is that wretched publican to whom our Lord was so gracious, Zacchaeus.

As soon as our Lord said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house,’ Zacchaeus ‘made haste and came down’ (Luke 19:5-6). The call of grace changed Zacchaeus for ever. His heart became generous. His home was opened. His table was spread. His conscience was purged. His soul was filled with the joy of grace. The Lord Jesus became Zacchaeus’ Master and Zacchaeus willingly surrendered himself and all that possessed to the claims of Christ. He said, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.’ Though grace had infinitely enriched Zacchaeus’ heart and soul, it greatly reduced his bank account. It may do the same to you. Though Zacchaeus could never have done any good works which God would accept for his salvation, once he was saved by the grace of God, grace brought forth good works from him.

This is one means by which God’s elect are known. If any man is truly saved, if he is called of God with the call of effectual grace, that call produces good works.