it does turn again to God's word
and that portion we were considering this morning I'll read in Luke
chapter 19 and the first 10 verses Luke chapter 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 ripped 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 auntie and 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
guessed with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said
unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, 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 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 seek and to
save that which was lost we consider then something of the character
of the man that is described this man Zacchaeus he was the
chief among the publicans, and he was rich. We remarked, amongst
other things, that he was evidently a great sinner. Certainly that was the opinion
of the multitude that were about. In verse 7, when they saw it,
when they saw Christ enter into the house of this man, They all
murmured saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that is
a sinner. We said that the publicans were
notorious sinners. They were in the employ of the
occupying Roman forces. They were tax collectors. They
didn't just receive that revenue that was demanded of Rome. They
went further than that. abused their position. They were extortioners. They
took more from the people than was required. And so it was that
they made themselves rich at the expense of others. And even
the Lord himself seemed to accept the general opinion. We referred
to those verses in Matthew 18 at verse 15 following where Christ
speaks of how one is to proceed if a brother or a man is offended,
you have to go and tell that person to his face and if he
will not listen to you, you take one or two witnesses that in
the mouth of witnesses the matter might be established if he refused
to hear them you tell your complaint to the church says Christ and
if he refused to submit to the church let him be unto thee as
an heathen man says Christ and a publican preach him then as
one who knows not God who is estranged from God who is yet
in his sins a publican this man I say that Christ deals so graciously
with was a great sinner and also we are told and he was rich he
was a rich sinner as well as a great sinner in the words of
Christ there in chapter 18 Verse 25, 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. And they that heard it said,
Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which
are impossible with men are possible with God. And isn't Christ demonstrating
that very fact here as he takes account of this rich man and
goes and ministers to him. Oh how in scripture many times
we see how that riches are so corrupting. Think of what we
are told in the epistle of James and there in the second chapter. James chapter 2 at verse 5 following,
How come my beloved brethren hath not God chosen the poor
of this world? rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom which 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 not they blaspheme
that worthy name by which ye are called. Ought to be those
who are above all things rich in faith, and we have seen that
solemn warning spoken there concerning those who are rich who are those
that God is pleased to call to himself it's those of course
who are despised in this present evil world the game when Paul
writes to the Corinthians does he not remind them You see, you're
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world to confound the things that are
wise. And God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and
vice things of the world. And things which are despised
hath God chosen and things which are not to bring to nought things
that are. Oh God, you see, is that one
who is pleased to deal graciously with the poor of this world and
yet, what does it say in those verses that we've just made reference
to there in 1 Corinthians chapter 1? It doesn't say not any. It
doesn't say not any, it says not many, not many. But there were some because where
sin abounds, grace does much more abound and we see the aboundings
of the grace of God here with regards to this particular individual,
this character that we were considering this morning. Behold, there was
a man named Zacchaeus which was the chief among the publicans
and he was rich and yet the Lord Jesus is pleased to call him. to himself. I said that we'd
go on tonight to look more particularly at what's written here in verse
5. Here is our text in Luke 19,
5. 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."
Let us consider then here something of the calling of Zacchaeus,
the call of grace to this man Zacchaeus. What do we read? Jesus
came to the place. How significant is that simple
statement? Jesus came to the place. Now, clearly it's not the running
of this man nor his climbing into the sycamore tree that is
significant. He wants to see the Lord Jesus
and this is what he does. He cannot get near, there's a
great press, he's small of stature, so we're told he ran before and
climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him. for he was to pass
that way. But it's not all that this man
does. It's not his running, it's not his climbing. It is the fact
that the Lord Jesus came to the place, came where the man was.
Oh, this is what the Lord Jesus does, is it not, when he calls
the sinner to himself. Now, of course, we're not to
neglect the appointed means of grace. We are not to despise
what this man does. We see something of his determination
as he runs, as he climbs. And there are those things that
God has appointed for us. We are not to forsake the assembling
of ourselves together. That is a plain exhortation and
command of Holy Scripture. when the chapel door is open
and the service is to be conducted it is our place to be present
to be there under the sound of the word of God to attend what
God himself in his goodness has appointed for us he's given us
prayer, we're not to despise prayers and that's how often
times if we're honest we do forget to pray, we're slow to pray,
we're liar so slow to pray. We'll turn this way, that way,
the other way, before ever we look up to God and cry to Him. And yet, how right is a hymn
writer when he says, prayer was appointed to convey the blessings
God designs to give. Oh, God designs blessings. He
has appointed blessings for His people, but He will have His
people to come and to pray to Him. We have those words of course,
we often quote them. Remember the end of the 36th
chapter there, in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel, how God
speaks to Israel now in exile, far from the promised land, languishing
in Babylon. Thus hath the Lord God I will
yet for this been inquired of by the house of Israel, to do
it for them, I will increase him with men like a flock, as
the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts.
So shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men, and
they shall know that I am the Lord. And then it goes on in
the next chapter of course, that remarkable vision that was given
to the prophet, the vision of the valley full of dry bones. And yet, how God appears and
there is a resurrection the bones are raised and they are covered
in sinew and flesh and they become a mighty army God will restore
his people God will return them again to the promised land that
is what God is saying to them there and why does God do such
a thing look at those words in verse 32 of chapter 36 not for
yours son not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God.
Be it known unto you. Be ashamed and confound it for
your own ways, O house of Israel." And he does it for his own sake.
But I say again, friends, we're not to be those who would despise
the means that God himself has ordained. The means of grace
are in my hand. The blessing is at God's command. the work fulfilled. That's what
we have to recognise. Whilst we have the means of grace,
we don't rest in the means. We are to look beyond the means,
we are to look to God. We are to see the cause of every
good thing in that God who is good and gracious. How we need his presence, how
we need the Lord himself to be found amongst us. when we have
the means of grace, we are not satisfied with the mere form
of these things. Not enough to have a form of
godliness. We want to know something of
the power, and from whence does that power come? It comes by
the presence of the Lord. That's where it comes from, when
the Lord himself is present. We sang it just now in our opening
praise, but ah, what is the house to mine? except the Master I
can say, that's the vital thing, is it not? Whilst we have these
means, we have the Word of God and we thank God for that. We
have the Word of God in a faithful rendering in our own tongue,
a rendering that God has owned and blessed through many centuries.
We give thanks for our authorised version, we have these wonderful
hymns, these great hymns of the sovereign and free grace of God
that we can sing in our praises, we thank God for that. We have
in that sense a right form, a form of godly worship. We want to
be reverential as we come into God's house, we want to worship
Him in a manner that is acceptable and pleasing in His sight. But
what are all these things? What are all these things except
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is in the midst? What is the
house to me? What is the house to you? Except
we see something of the Master, except we know something of the
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, remember the words of Martha
there in John 11, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had
not died, she said. Oh, if but the Lord was present,
there would not be death, there would be life. And this is the
thing here you see, with regards to this man Zacchaeus. What was
the reason for good coming to his soul? Jesus came. That's
what it says here in verse 5. Jesus came to the place. Jesus came where Zacchaeus was. And what do we see with regards
to the Lord? Christ saw Zacchaeus. Christ saw Zacchaeus. He looked up and saw him. He came to the place and he looked
up and he saw Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree. Now of course,
he is God. And as God, we know that he is
omniscient, he knows all things, he sees all things. We have those
words of scripture in Hebrews 4.13, neither is there any creature
that is not manifest in his sight. But all things are naked and
open to the eyes of him with whom we have to go. Or when John
sees the glorified Saviour, then gives that wonderful description
of the sight that he beheld in the opening chapter of the Revelation.
He tells us his eyes were as a flame of fire. All those burning
eyes. How the figure you see tells
us so clearly they are penetrating. They are searching eyes. He sees
all things. He can see into our very souls
this night. He can see those things that
we're not even conscious or aware of ourselves. He knows us better
than ever we could know ourselves. But it's not that sort of sight
that he's being spoken of, is it? It's not his omniscience,
his seeing all things. This is a deliberate looking
to Zacchaeus. This is Christ in the state of
his humiliation as a real man upon the earth he looks into
the truth and he sees Zacchaeus now Zacchaeus was the man who
would see the Lord Jesus Christ that's what he says he sought
to see Jesus who he was 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 it's not so much
that Zacchaeus is seeing the Lord Jesus it's the Lord Jesus
who saw Zacchaeus and this is a striking thing is it not with
regards to those that the Lord Jesus Christ is pleased to favour
with his grace remember how we read of Nathanael at the end
of the opening chapter in John's Gospel Jesus saw Nathanael coming to
him and said of him behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no
guile Nathanael said unto him whence knowest thou me? Jesus
answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. For the Lord Jesus,
he sees those, you see, that he is going to deal so graciously
and so favorably with. He knows it is Israel. Behold,
an Israelite indeed ought to be that man like Nathanael, Israelite
indeed, guileless. And the Lord Jesus is the one
who sees you. And when the Lord sees his people,
what a ministry that very seeing of them exercises. Remember when Peter denied the
Lord? Three times he denied Christ. And then the cock crew. Then
the cock crew. And the Lord turned, we are told,
and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the words
of the Lord, and he said unto him before the cock crow, Thou
shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Oh, what was the cause of those bitter tears? They were real
tears of sorrow. This was no legal repentance,
this is the true evangelical repentance not the sorrow of
the world this is Godly sorrow in the soul of Peter and it all
comes from this the Lord turned and looked upon Peter when the
Lord turns, when the Lord looks upon a man and here we see the
Lord Jesus looking upon this man a He saw Him. Jesus came to the
place. He looked up and saw Him. Oh, that the Lord might be pleased
to lift up His eyes and to look upon us tonight as we come together. Is that what we desire as we
come unto the Word of God? That Christ Himself might lift
up the light of His countenance upon us. There'll be many who
say, who will show us any good? Lord, Lift thou up the light
of thy countenance upon them is the prayer of the psalmist. Oh God, you see, so graciously
looks down from heaven. The psalmist many times speaks
of that look. He looks, of course, and he sees
the great evils that men do in this world. These sins cannot
be concealed. from his sight God sees all things
and he is the righteous judge and he will judge the evil doer
he looks down says the Psalmist from heaven those words that we find in the
14th Psalm they are repeated in Psalm 53 the Lord looked down
from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any
that did understand and seek God. They have all gone aside. They have all together become
filthy. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. God looks down and God sees this
world for what it is. It lies in the evil. He sees
the wickedness of men. But then we see in another psalm
how God's looking down is spoken of in very gracious terms Psalm
102 verse 19 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 loose those
that are appointed to death. All God looks down Prince. Are
we those like that prisoner groaning? Groaning because of the awful
sin that we feel in our own hearts. Groaning because of all the evil
that we see on every hand. But the Lord looks down. The
Lord looks down from heaven. Time and again in the Psalms
we read of Him looking down. But what do we have here in the
Gospel? the Lord Jesus looks up and the Lord Jesus looks up
to a sinner that's what it says when Jesus came to the place
he looked up and saw him and said unto him Zacchaeus make
haste come down for today I must abide at thy house Remarkable
grace we see in this, the Lord Jesus looking up to a sinner. All the depths, the depths of
the humiliation of our Lord Jesus Christ. How low He came. How
low the Saviour came in order to look up to sinners, in order
to save sinners. We read of Him being in the form
of God. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant,
was made in the likeness of men, being found in fashion as a man.
He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross. How he humbled himself. Oh, how
he humbled himself in that death. What does he say in Psalm 22? I am a worm and no man. No man. Lower than me. He looks up. He looks up to sinners. That's the amazing thing friends,
that's the humiliation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel. Christ came where that man was. And Christ looked at him. And not only did Christ look,
He spoke. He spoke. He saw him and said unto him,
Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down, for today I must abide
at thy hand. Well let us look at the manner
of this call, the way in which the Lord Jesus Christ speaks
to Zacchaeus. Two things I want to observe
with regard to the call. First of all, it was a powerful
call. or what accord it was. We have
of course that promise that is given in the Psalm, Psalm 110,
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Now that
is the promise of God to Christ. He does not come into this world
to suffer, to bleed and to die in vain. It is all part and parcel
of that great purpose of salvation. He is to see of the travail of
his soul. That that he has accomplished
is sure to be applied. He has not shed his precious
blood in vain. All those that Christ has died
for, they must experience that effectual cause. They must be
brought to faith in Him. And here is the promise of God,
Thy people, even before they are called, you see, they are
His people. They are preserved in Jesus Christ,
says Jude, and then called. They are His people before ever
He calls them. They are His people, of course,
in terms of the eternal covenants. They are those that the Father
had chosen and given to the Son. Thy people. shall be winning
in the day of thy power. And here is the power. Here is
the power. The Lord speaks the words. He
says to Zacchaeus, make haste and come down. Verse 6. And he made haste and came down
and received him joyfully. Oh, that was a powerful word
that the Lord Jesus spoke to the man. No hesitation. You see where the word of a king
is, there is power. And this is that one who is the
king of kings and the lord of lords. And what was true of course
during the course of his own earthly ministry is also true
with regards to the ministry of the gospel of his grace. That
was why we read those familiar chapters there in 1 Thessalonians. Then Paul writes to the Muses.
He reminds them how he knew that they were elect of God. How did
he know? The Lord knoweth them that are
his. Paul didn't know beforehand who would be brought to salvation
by means of his preaching. But he saw the fruits there at
Thessalonica. He says it in chapter 1 and verse
4, knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God for, or
because, that's the strength of the words, he knows our elect
of God because our gospel came not unto you 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 ye became followers of us and of the Lord having received
the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost 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 he heard of us you 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 he gives thanks why the word
that he preached was not in vain it was effectual thus the eternal
counsel ran almighty love arrest that mankind, you see. There's
such a power there to those Thessalonians. And Paul knew it, not only because
of what he witnessed in his own ministry,
he'd experienced these things in his own soul, in his own conversion. He tells us in Philippians chapter
3, does he not, I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. He had been
arrested Didn't the Lord arrest him there at the very gate of
Damascus when he was set on the destruction of Christians? How
Christ there laid hold of him. He was apprehended by Christ
Jesus. And friends, all who are converted
must know something of that. Or the Lord must come and the
Lord must arrest us. Christ only is the one who can
make the sinner spiritually willing. Left to ourselves, we would not
come. Believe me, no man will come
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has said, ye will not
come to me, that ye might have life. Are you one, you see, who
has a desire to come? Where does that desire come from?
What is it that makes you willing to come? It's the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the one, the only one. Any desire to come is therefore
a sign of spiritual life. The sinner doesn't invite Christ
to come into his heart, how sickening it is. When you hear people speaking
of someone in those terms as being converted out, he gave
his heart to Jesus. That's what we thought. And I've
heard people, you know, who profess to believe the doctrines of grace
use that very terminology. Oh, he gave his heart to Jesus.
It's not the sinner giving his heart, it's the Lord Jesus Christ
himself who must make a way. He must make a way, he must make
the people willing. No man will come to him. No man
can come to him. except the Lord makes him willing. And it's such an urgent call
that the Lord issues. It's not only all-powerful, not
only effectual, what urgency, what does He say to this man? Today, today I must abide at
thy house. How urgent the call is, friends.
I have heard thee in a time accepted. and in the day of salvation of
Isaac, behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day
of salvation, there can be no procrastination, there must be
no delay, there is urgency here. This is not my word, this is
the word of God, is it not? Again, there in Hebrews 4 and
verse 7 we are told, again the limit of a certain day, saying
in David, to die, After so long a time, as it is said today,
if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Oh, there must,
you see, be urgency, because the days are evil, and we must
be those who are diligent in redeeming the time. This is why,
you see, there is something to learn from this man. His determination,
He would see the Lord Jesus. He sought to see Jesus who he
was and could not for the press because he was little of stature.
We spoke this morning of those things that would be a hindrance
to him. Those things without there was the press. It was those
pressing around the Lord Jesus, the multitudes. They just witnessed
Christ performing that miracle in giving sight to blind Bartimaeus. And he couldn't get near, could
he? Poor Zacchaeus. And not only was there hindrance
from without those who were pressing around, there was also something
about himself. He was small of stature. He couldn't
serve. The more he tried to serve, the
more frustrated he became. All there are hindrances, friend.
Hindrances without, hindrances within that will prevent a man
or woman from seeking the Lord. let us beware of these things
and let us look to the Lord even Christ himself who is that one
who is the great overcomer or no hindrance can stand before
him he comes skipping upon the hills leaping
upon the mountains he overcomes every division all but what urgency
is necessary harden not your heart It was, I say, a powerful
call that came to this man. It was an urgent call. Zacchaeus, he says, make haste
and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. And one thing
more with regards to this call, and it's simply this, it's personal. How wonderful is that? It is personal. It is personal.
What is the first word that the Lord speaks to this man? It's his name. It's his name. Jesus came to the place. He looked
up and saw him and said unto him, Zacchaeus. He knew him. He knew his name. The Lord knoweth
them that are His. He calleth His own sheep by name. That's the way, is it not, of
the Lord. Does He not come like that sometimes in His Word? He
certainly came like that to David. Or David, that man who was a
great sinner. That man who had been guilty
of the most horrific sins. He murdered a man And he murdered a man really
as a consequence of his adultery. He was a transgressor of God's
holy laws. And God sends the prophet Nathan
to David. You know the story. There in
2 Samuel chapter 12. And thou fight for the properties.
And what does he say to David? Those four simple words thou
art the man. Oh, friends, that's how personal
it is, you know. When the Lord comes, he says
to you, thou art the man. Thou art the woman. The Lord
has personal dealings with his people. It was William Tiptoe,
I'm sure, who said that real religion is a personal thing,
and it is. It is. Thou art the man. those words that the Lord Jesus
spoke to the man that was born blind that man whom Christ performed
such a notable and remarkable miracle upon and when they cast
him out of the synagogue that's what the Jews did, they cast
him out they excommunicated him cut off
from Israel they cast him out it says at the end of John 9
Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when he had found
him he finds those cast out ones when he had found him he said
unto him dost thou believe on the son of God and observe The
guy now personally says the singular pronoun, the beauty of our authorised
version, thus thou, thus thou, believe on the Son of God. Oh, the Lord comes, you see,
to his people and speaks to them very specifically, very pointedly,
thou art the man, very personally, calls them by name Zacchaeus.
And what does the Lord say? I must abide at thy house. Now Zacchaeus thought he would
obtain just a passing view of the Lord Jesus. That seems to
be what's in his heart initially. 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 into a sycamore tree to see him
for he was to pass that way. The Lord was just passing that
way. Oh, but the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not just
going to have a passing view of the Saviour, this man. What
does Christ say? I must, I must abide that they
have. Oh, this is the man, you see.
This is the man who receiveth sinners, and eateth with them,
thou his guest. Thou his guest. I know the language
of Berej is oft times so quanked, but isn't it lovely? He speaks
about the sinner as Christ's parlour guest. That one that
the Lord will take, as it were, into his parlour, into his own
home. Wanting to fill at ease and comfortable in the home. This is the way of the Lord Jesus
Christ, is it not? And friends, this is the one
that we come together Sabbath by Sabbath to worship, or this
is that one who is to us that full and final revelation of
God, how good God is, how God does good, how gracious He is.
Though we see it here in the Lord Jesus Christ or that we
might be those who know something of his dealings with us even
as he dealt with Zacchaeus when Jesus came to the place he looked
up and saw him and said unto him Zacchaeus make haste come
down for today I must abide at thy house and he made haste and
came down and receive him joyfully, or that we might know what it
is, friends, to receive him joyfully. The Lord bless his word to us. Let us join together in the singing
of hymn number 76 of Junior Saxby 409. There is a period known
to God when all his sheep, redeemed by God, shall leave the hateful
ways of sin, turn to the fold, and enter in. Hymn number 76. you