Let us turn once again to God's
Word, and I want us to turn back to the portion of Scripture we
were considering the last Lord's Day. Last Lord's Day evening,
here in Luke chapter 19, the account of the call of Zacchaeus,
reading then in Luke 19, the first 10 verses, And Jesus entered and passed
through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named
Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was
rich. And he sought to see Jesus, who
he was, and could not for the press, because he was little
of stature. And he ran before and climbed
up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that
way. And when Jesus came to the place,
he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make
haste, and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. And
he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all
murmured, saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that
is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said
unto the Lord, 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. And Jesus said unto him, This
day his salvation come to this house, for so much as he also
is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost. As I said we were considering
this portion last Lord's Day in the evening and I thought
then to say something with regards to the call of Zacchaeus but
considering it really from the perspective of the man himself,
Zacchaeus, the sort of man that he was, something of his character
and amongst other things we observed that he is spoken of really as
a great sinner in verse 2 he was chief we read among the publicans
and these were the greatest of sinners certainly in the opinion
of so many of the Jews when the Lord calls him down and goes
into his house we read in verse 7 when they saw it they all murmured
saying that he was gone to be gassed with a man that is a sinner. The publicans of course were
in the employ of the occupying Roman forces, they were public
servants, they were those who were gathering taxes on behalf
of the Romans, but often they were wicked men who abused their
position and sought to enrich themselves also at the expense
of the common people. No wonder then, these public
figures, these men serving the Romans were so despised. They
were considered to be the worst of sinners. And in a sense, the
Lord himself even suggests that. Remember back in Matthew 18?
we remarked out there at verse 15 following where Christ speaks
of how he managed to conduct himself where someone has offended
him is to go and to speak with his with his friend and seek
reconciliation if that's not successful is to take one or
two others with him as witnesses and if that's not successful
Christ says tell it to the church believing people tell it to the
church well what if the man then won't accept the judgment of
the church Christ says let him be unto thee as an heathen man
and a publican all the publicans here they were sinners and here
is one Zacchaeus he was the chief among the publicans but also
we read and he was rich a great sinner yes but also a rich sinner
And back in chapter 18 remember in verse 25 how the Lord says
it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for
a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. All these rich men then, can
they be saved? Remember the words that we have
in the epistle of James there in chapter 2 at verse 5. James
says, Arkham, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor
of this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which
he hath promised to them that love him, but ye have despised
the poor? Do not rich men oppress you and
draw you before the judgment seats? Do they not blaspheme
that worthy name by which ye are caught? O, these rich then
are those so often ready to persecute the poor people of God again
Paul when he writes to the Corinthians says you see your calling brethren
not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble
accord and we might say not not many rich men but thank God he
doesn't say not any there in 1st Corinthians 1 it doesn't
say not any it says not many not many even amongst the mighty
and the wise and the rich there are those who can be saved for
we know that where sin abounds grace does so much more abound
and so here we observed last week that this man Zacchaeus
yes he was a sinful man but he was a seeking man also and ultimately
we saw that he was a saved man Well I want us to consider the
portion again this morning but now instead of observing it as
it were from the perspective of the man Zacchaeus to consider
it more from the perspective of the Lord Jesus Christ who
is the savior of sinners and to observe it in a sense in terms
of the call the call of grace the call that comes from the
Lord Jesus Christ First of all, to say something with regards
to the means of the call. We read here in verse 5, Jesus
came to the place. Jesus came to the place. In other words, the Lord is coming
to where this man Zacchaeus is. It was the same, really, I suppose,
with regards to the Samaritan woman in John 4. The Lord must need go through
Samaria. Well, he must need go through
Samaria to arrive at his journey's end, of course, but there was
another reason why he must need, why it was necessary that he
go through Samaria, because he must meet with that woman that
Samaritan woman. And now she is brought to confess
and to acknowledge Him. He's not just a Christ. He knew
everything about her. And she is brought to that great
confession. She's saved. Well, likewise here,
Jesus came to the place. It's not so much what Zacchaeus
is doing in verse 4. He's running. He wants to see
Jesus, he's climbing into the tree, in order that he might
have a sight of this person, Jesus of Nazareth. But it's not
his doing, it's the fact that Jesus comes to the place. Now, I recognize, of course, to understand
that we should never abuse or neglect the means of grace. Although
the important thing is the Lord coming, it doesn't mean that
we're to be altogether passive, we're to do nothing. We're told
quite clearly in Scripture we're not to forsake the ascending
of ourselves together. We come together day by Lord's
day and we come together in order to worship God, in order to attend
to what we call the means of grace. We have the Word of God,
we have the reading of the Word of God, we have the preaching
of the Word of God, we have the singing of the praises of God
and in our singing we are not only addressing God but we are
exhorting one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
says the Apostle this is all the means of grace we are assured
aren't we faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God
and we recognize the importance of prayer and we gather together
for public prayer. We see the importance of prayer
of course in our own personal lives. That we come together
as the Church of Jesus Christ and we address to the Lord our
prayers, our petitions, our supplications, our thanksgivings. And why do
we do this? Because we see that this is God's
own ordinance. we sometimes sing the lines of
the hymn prayer was appointed to convey the blessings God designs
to give long as they live should Christians pray for only whilst
they pray they live we're not to neglect any of these means
of grace we have that assurance back in Ezekiel 36 and the end
of the chapter God says to Israel I will yet be inquired of by
the house of Israel, to do it for them I will increase them
with men as a flock." There they were in the days of Ezekiel of
course, they were in exile, they were in Babylon, Jerusalem was
in ruins, but God will restore them. I will yet be inquired
of, says God, to increase them. and we know, don't we, subsequently
how in Daniel 9 we see the prophet there moved to pray that God
will restore them and that prayer was heard and answered and of
course if we go back to Ezekiel 36 we have those words at the
end of that chapter but then in the following chapter we have
that remarkable vision that the prophet Ezekiel sees the valley
full of dry bones and it's as if it's Israel and they're completely
destroyed. There's been a great battle.
They defeat it. There's nothing but bones. But
how God brings bone to bone and covers them with sinews and flesh
and creates a great army that to be restored. I will yet for
this be inquired of. I will increase them, says God,
with men as a flock. But there is to be prayer. The
Hymn says, the means of grace are in my hand. The blessing
is at God's command, who must the work fulfill. That's the important thing. We
don't despise the means of grace but we recognize that it is the
Lord's to fulfill the work. The Lord must move, the Lord
must come in all that grace. those blessed quickenings that
come by the Spirit of God remember the words of Martha when her
brother Lazarus had died and the Lord comes and there in John
11.21 she says Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not
died if thou hadst been here or the presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ, it's life. If we have not the presence of
the Lord Jesus Christ, there's no life at all, there's no spiritual
life. Jesus came to the place, it says. That's the great thing. What
is all our coming together if the Lord himself is not presence?
But ah, what is the house to me except the Master I can see? says that dear man John Berridge
he wants the Lord to be there in the midst and Christ has promised
where two or three are met together in my name there am I in the
midst the Lord must come then and the Lord must come in all
that's gracious power we have the means we have the word of
God what a favour what a blessing is that that we can turn to the
scriptures and we rightly give God's Word the principal place
in all our worship but we know the kingdom of God is not in
words but in power the Lord comes and what do we
see here with regards to this coming? well the Lord he saw
Zacchaeus that's what we are told in verse 5 he looked up
and saw Him we know Zacchaeus of course his
desire is to see the Lord Jesus as I said last time there is
a certain inquisitiveness he wants to see this man who is
performing remarkable deeds, great miracles and that's why
in verse 40 he ran before and climbed up into a sycamore tree
to see Him for he was to pass that way but then we read in
that fifth verse when Jesus came to the place he looked up and
saw him oh Zacchaeus would see Christ but the Lord saw him what
a blessing remember Nathanael when Philip brings Nathanael
to the Lord and the Lord knows him and Nathanael says, whence
knowest thou me? And Jesus says to him, before
that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree,
I saw thee. Oh, the Lord saw this man Zacchaeus. We know of course that God himself
is all-seeing. We know he's all-powerful, he's
omnipotent. He's all-knowing, he's omniscient,
but he's also omnipresent, he's in all places. He looks down
from heaven, the language of the Psalm is there in Psalm 14. In verse 2, the Lord looked down
from heaven. upon the children of men to see
if there were any that did understand and seek God. They'd all gone
aside. They'd all together become filth. There is none that doeth
good, no, not one. And so it goes on describing
the awful state of man. But then again in another Psalm,
Psalm 102, he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven did the Lord behold
the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to lose those
that are appointed to death." How the Lord is pleased to look
and to look down graciously upon sinners. And we see it so remarkably
in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ when Simon Peter had denied
the Lord. Oh, Simon, so self-willed at
times, so impulsive. He would never forsake the Lord,
never deny the Lord. And the Lord speaks to him, doesn't
He, that He's going to deny him thrice. But then we have that
record in Luke's account, in Luke 22.61, how the Lord turned
and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word
of the Lord, how He said before the cock crowed, twice thou shalt
deny me thrice and Peter went out and wept bitterly but it was it was the Lord you
see it was the cause of that those remarkable words how the
Lord turned and looked upon Peter and here we have the Lord looking
upon this man Zacchaeus he came to the place and looked up, it
says, and saw Him. I think it's quite remarkable,
really, when we just ponder what is happening here. The Lord is
looking up. I read those verses in the Psalms
where the Lord looks down, He looks down from heaven. He dwells
in the highest heavens, of course. And Solomon says the heaven of
heavens cannot contain Him. He is in every place. but it's
not so much the omniscience of God here it's the grace of our
God that the Lord should look up and look up to a sinner this
is the humiliation of the Lord Jesus Christ is it not no humiliation
like that of the Lord Jesus how low how low the Lord was pleased
to sin being in the form of God he thought it not robbery to
be equal with God who made himself of no reputation and took upon
him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men
and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and
became obedient unto death even the death of the cross it's humiliation
upon humiliation he is God he is equal to the father and to
the Holy Spirit, one God in three persons, co-eternal, co-equal,
and yet He takes upon Him the form of a servant. He becomes
God's servant. He's made in the likeness of
men, made lower than the angels. And then as a man He humbles
Himself. Oh, He's a worm and no man. He's one so despised
of the people. forsaken of God and here we see
him the lowly Lord Jesus he looks up to a sinner he looks up to
the Zacchaeus and speaks so graciously to him
oh when the Lord lifts up the light of his countenance upon
a man, upon a sinner The Going Buried says, Jesus,
cast a look on me, give me sweet simplicity. You ought to know
that simplicity that's in the Lord Jesus, to have eyes only
for him as he is pleased to come and look upon us. The Lord then is the one who
sees this man, looks up to this man. In all his great humility,
he's mindful of the sinner. And then the Lord speaks to him. It's the call of Zacchaeus, isn't
it? It's not just the Lord seeing the man, it's the Lord speaking
to the man. And what does He say to him?
Zacchaeus, make haste, come down, for today I must abide at thy
house. Here we have the manner of the
call. and I want us to consider somewhat more carefully the manner
of the Lord's calling to this man Zacchaeus what do we observe
here? well at least two things first
of all clearly this is a powerful call this is a powerful call
there's authority in the call because we see an immediate response
on the part of the man Christ says make haste and come down
and he made haste and came down as we said last time the promise
is there isn't it in the in the 110th psalm the promise of God
the father to his son in terms of the eternal covenant thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power or the the authority
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He speaks with great power. Where
the word of a king is, we know there is power. He reminds us himself, doesn't
he, in John 10 where he speaks as that one who is the good shepherd
of the sheep. My sheep hear my voice, he says,
and I know them and I give unto them eternal life and they shall
never perish. No man is able to pluck them
out of my hand my father which gave them me is greater than
all no man can pluck them out of my father's hand I and my
father are one he says he has an authority to speak
to people and he still exercises that authority
we read that portion in the opening chapters of the the first epistle
to the Thessalonians and Paul there reminds them of the manner
in which the gospel came to them and it was with a gracious authority
there in chapter 1 and verse 5 of that epistle our gospel
came not unto you he says in word only but also in power and
in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance as you know what manner
of men we were among you for your sake and then again in chapter
2 and verse 13 he says for this cause also thank we God without
ceasing because when you receive the word of God which ye heard
of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth
the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe
it was an effectual work something was accomplished in their souls
as they heard the preaching of the gospel they were arrested they were
converted, they turned from idols it says to serve the living God
there was something remarkable taking place in the hearts of
those people in the words of the hymn we just
sang previous to the sermon, thus the eternal counsel ran,
almighty love. Arrest that man. Wasn't that
Paul's own experience when he was arrested at the very gates
of the Damascus when he was only bent on the destruction of Christianity. He was seeking out believers
in Christ, seeking to hail them to prison. He wanted to snuff
out this religion of Jesus of Nazareth. But the Lord arrested
him. He says himself in Philippians
3.12, I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. And so as he preaches
the gospel there is a gracious authority. It is only the Lord
Jesus Christ who can make the sinner spiritually willing. He says, doesn't he, you will
not come to me that ye might have life. To the Jews, you will
not come, men will not come. Men have to be made willing to
come, spiritually willing. But you know the amazing thing
is when we think about the humiliation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
lowliness of Christ we see it in all his offices when he is
here upon the earth as a man how time and again we see him
so dependent upon the Holy Spirit in his offices as prophet, as
priest, as king as that one who is truly the Messiah of God How
does he cast out the demons? He says, I cast out devils by
the Spirit of God. If I cast out devils by the Spirit
of God, then is the Kingdom of God come among you. In casting out the demons, you
see, there's that anointing of the Spirit. The Spirit is upon
him without measure. And you know, likewise in his
preaching, What makes the ministry and the preaching of the Lord
Jesus Christ so effectual is the Holy Ghost. And the Lord,
does He not say as much Himself? It is the Spirit that quickeneth,
the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are Spirit and they are truth. All He is speaking, you
see, under that gracious unction of the Spirit, that's why his
words are so effective. And that's true of all preaching.
What is it that makes the preaching of the word of God effectual
in the soul of the sinner? Isn't it the irresistible grace
of God? We often think in terms of the
five points of Calvinism, don't we? And that little mnemonic,
that word tulip, and you know the significance of the letters
in TULIP total, depravitant, unconditional election, limited
atonement, irresistible grace and then the perseverance of
the saints and it's the sum and substance of the gospel really
but that fourth of the points, irresistible grace or effectual
calling effectual calling, and that's what we see here. The sinner doesn't invite Christ
to come into his heart. The Lord makes the way for himself. Today, he says, I must abide
at thy house. Oh, there is a purpose to be
fulfilled here. This is why the Lord has come
that way. because there's a work to be
accomplished in the soul of this man he's going to be saved and
besides that remarkable purpose, that eternal purpose of God being
accomplished in the in the life of the sinner there's also such
an urgency here what does the Lord say today? today I must abide at thy house
no it's the day of grace and we must always recognize
that as the apostle says again to the Corinthians I have heard
thee in a time accepted in the day of salvation have I suckered
thee behold says Paul now is the accepted time behold now
is the day of salvation no procrastination a certain urgency and we see
it's emphasized so many times in the scriptures. It is the
day of the Holy Ghost, it's the dispensation that was ushered
in on the day of Pentecost, what a day it is in which we're living.
Sometimes we... we scorn it really, it's a day
of sworthing, we see so little happening, we wonder and we have to look to ourselves
and examine ourselves, do we not? why is there such a solemn
withholding of the Spirit of God? does it trouble us? that we're not seeing gracious
works being accomplished in many souls? it is a time that God himself
has set, unlimited again the words of scripture there in Hebrews
4 again it says he limited the certain day saying in David today
after so longer time as it is said today if you will hear his
voice harden not your hearts what are our hearts hardened
and we're not those who feel for the multitudes that we see
around us and we we would plead with God that he might yet come
and save the people surely there is a people There is a people
to be saved. There's a work to be accomplished.
And we're to pray, and we're to pray with urgency concerning
these things. The power belongs to the Lord
Jesus Christ, that One who is anointed with the Spirit of God
above measure. How we need then that the Lord
would grant such an outpouring of His Spirit that sinners might
be converted. Oh, we see something of the power
of Christ here in the call of Zacchaeus. But finally this morning,
how personal it all is. This is a wonderful thing. Look
at verse 5. What is the first word that the
Lord speaks to this man? When Jesus came to the place,
he looked up and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus. It's a personal call. It is a
personal cause. Achaeus, make haste and come
down, for today I must abide at thy house. And what does the
Lord say later? Verse 9, This day is salvation. Come to this house, for so much
as he also is a son of Abraham, or we call it his own sheep by
name. he calleth his own sheep by name
and names written in the book of life of the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world all the lamb was slain from the foundation
of the world the eternal purpose of God in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ and those names while they are names in book
of life from the foundation of the world the Lord calls His own people
there He has set His sovereign love upon them from all eternity
and He calls them and He comes and they experience that personal
call, Zacchaeus I think of the faithful dealings of the prophets
with David, remember when David had so greatly sinned in the
matter of Bathsheba He was not only an adulterer of course,
he was a murderer. He wanted rid of the husband
of the woman he'd committed adultery with. And he schemes the death
of Uriah the Hittite. Great sins David was guilty of. And how faithful the prophet
Nathan. And what does Nathan say to him? Thou art the man. Oh, it's that personal. Thou
art the man. When the Lord comes to deal with
a man, how the Lord fingers that man. He fingers his conscience.
He touches him in his heart. Brings him under the conviction
of sin. I must abide at thy house, says
the Lord. Why? Why? Because this man is
a son of Abraham. and salvation must therefore
come into his soul he must know the forgiveness of his sins all
the ways of the Lord how strange, how mysterious they are but how
gracious in all of these things the power that we see in our
Lord Jesus the efficacious grace of God as he comes through his
ministry into the soul of this sinner Zacchaeus and how the
Lord is so so personal with him Zacchaeus said make haste and
come down for today I must abide at thy house and then Jesus says in verse
9 this day is salvation come to this house for so much as
he also is a son of Abraham for the son of man is come to see
and to save that which was lost or that we might be those who
feel ourselves to be lost sinners because those who are lost are
the ones who seek as they are sought of by the Lord himself
and they come to experience in that great salvation or the Lord
be pleasing to bless his word to us we're going to Conclude
our worship this morning as we sing the hymn number 76. The
tune is Saxby 409. There is a period known to God
when all his sheep, redeemed by blood, shall leave the hateful
ways of sin, turn to the fold and enter the room. Hymn number
76, tune 409.