If you would, please be turning
to Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19. For now, I'm going to read the first four
verses. Luke 19. 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. This man was a principal tax
collector. He was rich, it says, wealthy,
undoubtedly because of what he did. He somehow came into the
employment of being an IRS agent, you might say. It was his job
to collect taxes from others in which he would then up the
ante or up the price, you might say, and get a cut, probably
from the sound of it, a big cut. He obviously became rich by doing
this. He was a chief of the publicans. So he was high in rank. He was
for sure getting one of the highest cut. And if you read about these
publicans, they did have men who worked for them. And when
you read about them, it says basically they were ruthless
people. They would go into person's things. I don't know if it was
just when they were traveling or maybe into their homes. I
don't know. But they went into their things to find anything
they could extort money from them. And they would often up
the price. So these men, these publicans,
were hated. I imagine they were hated by
some of the wealthier, but definitely by the poorer folks who often
probably suffered more from these tax collectors, these publicans. any words in scriptures that
I can find that speak very nice words concerning publicans. But
there are some gracious words spoken about them. One is our
passage today. So this man Zacchaeus was not
a nice guy and he was hated or at least disliked and rightfully
so. But this man was interested in
seeing Christ. He wanted to know who Jesus Christ
was and he tried very hard and he couldn't because there were
many others trying to see Christ as well. He could not see over
them because he was a short man. So he did what no one else we
are told did. He did what he had to in order
to make sure he could see Christ when he passed through. Zacharias was a wee little man. That's sad that I can remember
that song, but I can't remember my message from last week. When it comes to the God of this
Bible, all men by nature, we are we little men and women.
This is what scripture says about us in Isaiah 40 verses 15 and
17. It says this, now it talks about
nations, but nations are made up of people. In Isaiah 40 and
verse 15 it says, Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket,
and are counted as the small dust of the balance. Behold,
he taketh up the owls as a very little thing. And 17 says, All
nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less
than nothing, and vanity. Nebuchadnezzar says this in Daniel
4.35, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest
thou? We truly are nothing, nothing
as we are born in Adam. We did not bring anything into
this world, and there is nothing that we will carry out. We are
naked before God. We are so small and insignificant
as we are born in Adam. You know, in Scripture, we see
there are a lot of different occupations. You know, we see
here tax collectors, but we have kings, we have harlots, there's
Pharisees, there's fishermen. There are several different walks
of life. kinds of people that our Lord
has done something for in His Word, that it shows us in His
Word. It's not about what you do that makes you a nothing before
God. It is what you are. What all
men are by nature is an abomination in His sight. What we do is bound
up in what we are. So because we are all an abomination
in God's sight, then all we do is an abomination before Him.
But there's more to this account than Zacchaeus looking for Christ.
What else do we see here? We see at least one of the reasons
why Jesus Christ was coming through Jericho. He was coming to see
someone as well. This man who was coming or passing
through Jericho was no mere man. This was not a nothing man. This
was not a man with nothing, but a man that had everything. Although
not everyone who was flogging around in the fray to see him
knew this, but there was about to be a nothing man, a publican,
a sinner that was about to find this out. It says in the passage
when Jesus came to the place, what place? That place where
he had purposed to be and at least one of the reasons why
he purposed to go through Jericho. It doesn't say the place where
Zacchaeus was, although it was that place. What place was it? The place our Lord had purposed
to call a fallen sinner, this man Zacchaeus specifically. So
what does it say in verse five? 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. He looked up and saw him. Oh,
but he did not just continue on walking after looking up at
him. What Jesus Christ says is always the important thing. Did
he, Jesus Christ, tell him, Zacchaeus, if you would like to come down,
then I might go to your house. No, he says, Zacchaeus, He calls
him by name. Oh, what a glory to have the
God of all glory know my name and call me. But he continues
and he says, make haste. In other words, hurry up right
now. Don't see if you can get higher
in the tree. Don't tell him how good you are. Don't do anything
but come down. Jesus Christ will make you come
down from whatever high perch you might think you were on.
We will come down to the dust to the ground where we belong.
For what reason did he have him come down? And it says, and come
down, for today I must abide at thy house. This word at is
the same word that we've seen before in 1 Peter 2 and 24 where
it says, who his own self bear our sins in, his own body on
the tree. So it's the same word used at
there. I know he had to be overwhelmed
in his mind trying to scurry down that tree as fast as he
could. Don't you think he would be doing that? He's coming to
my house. Christ did not ask if he could
come to his house. No, he just told Zacchaeus that
he was coming to his house. Oh, if this Christ ever says
to you, I am coming to your house, you will open the door wide open
because the house he is coming to is not some physical address
like 135 Annabel Lane. That house is right here. He
will come in and knock down any door that you have up and will
come in and abide. That is to stay, dwell, endure,
Be present, remain, stand, be present, tarry. He tells Zacchaeus
that he is going to abide at his house. I know he went to
the actual house of Zacchaeus, but I'm telling you he, Christ,
went to abide with him in his heart, in that new heart given
by Jesus Christ himself. What this is saying to us is
Christ was going to dwell inside the house of Zacchaeus. there
was going to be a vital union happening that day. In 2 Corinthians
5, verses 1 through 5, we read this. For we know that if our
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building
of God, and house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.
If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked.
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. Not
for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for
the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest
of the spirit. The Spirit of God comes to dwell
or abide in us in that new, that honest and good heart created
by Him. That new, honest and good heart
that Jesus Christ speaks about in the parable of the seed and
the sower. That seed, the preached word
of God, falls on that ground and it will take root It does
not take root in any other ground or any other heart because it
cannot. But it takes root in this one
ground which Christ himself tells us is a good and honest heart. Where did that come from? We
do not have a good and honest heart by nature. This had to
be given by God himself. We have this same word in that
we've talked about before here and we know what it means. It
does not mean the seed just fell on top of the ground. God's word
goes into that new heart given by him and it digs in deep roots
that will not ever be melted away with the heat of the day
and the cares of this world. It takes so much root that it
begins to bear fruit. So what do we read next? I know
what I'm saying is true because it says he did what Christ told
him to do. He came down and received him
joyfully. We read in verse six, and he
made haste and came down and received him joyfully. I know there's a lot of people
who will joyfully do something that they think are doing when
they think they're doing something for God. But that is just that
they think they have done something for God. But God's people, when
they are called by Jesus Christ himself, through the proclaimed
word, will joyfully submit to what Christ says about himself
and themselves. And they will do what he says
because of what Christ has done and not what they have done.
This is that fruit from the word sown in the good and honest heart.
Nowhere do we read where Zacchaeus says he was glad he climbed up
into the sycamore tree or he would have never have seen Jesus.
Zacchaeus was glad that he, Jesus Christ, the master, seen him
in the tree and called him to come down and he was going to
abide with him. Zacchaeus knew what he did. He
knew what he was. There is a result to what Jesus
Christ does for a poor, wretched sinner. I see nothing where Christ
asked him to do this, because Christ came to abide with Zacchaeus. This is cause and effect. When Jesus Christ the Lord, God
Almighty, comes to us in power, indwelling us by his spirit,
we will do things. And we read in verse eight, 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. This man knew what he was and
all that he did, and he was repenting. Because Christ called him, he
was making an about face and turning the other way from his
wicked ways. I don't know that we ever read
what ended up happening to him. I know this. This man done what
all sinners do to whom Christ calls, and that is he believed
Christ and repented of his sins and wanted to make sure that
what he did from that moment further honored his Lord. I know
this man loved Christ because what our Lord says next in verses
nine through 10. And Jesus said unto him, This
day is salvation come to this house, for as much as he also
is a son of Abraham. For the son of man is come to
seek and to save that which is lost. This seeking sinner who
was seeking Jesus Christ, knowing that he was a wretched man, Jesus
Christ, having already touched him in his heart, went through
Jericho because he was going to find a lost sinner whom he
had purposed to save. Christ tells us salvation came
to that house. If by hearing this it does not
cause to well up in you a need for Christ, then I'm afraid you
just might be one of the people Christ talks about later on in
this passage. But let me say something else. Christ is not going to come to
us in some kind of vision. You will not see anything by
sight when it comes to our Lord coming to you. Our Lord has proclaimed
in his word that it pleases him through the foolishness of preaching.
That preaching to this world which seems to be foolishness,
not foolish preaching. That foolish preaching is a lie
on God. in what he says in his word.
But I'm talking about that preaching that is Christ and him crucified. And I want to give a little bit
more on what I mean by that. First of all, preaching Christ.
This means preaching Christ being God Almighty himself, coming
down to this earth in the likeness of sinful flesh. That same God
who holds the power of life and death in his hands. That Christ
that does whatsoever has pleased him. That God who will laugh
at people's calamity when it comes if they do not know Him.
That God who is concerned with His will and not man's will.
The God this Bible speaks of is the Christ that is preached.
Now Him crucified. The Christ I just mentioned coming
down as a man for a specific reason. To become a substitute
for those sinners whom He was pleased to choose from before
the foundation of the world. Those to whom he bore their sins
in his own body. Those for whom he said he shall
save them from their sin. The foolishness of preaching
that Christ and that crucifixion is what pleased God Almighty
to use to save them that believe. This salvation is the bringing
of a just sovereign God together with a nothing exceeding simple
sinner. this being done in Christ and
His work, His faith being given to them so that they bow down
in fear and trembling, giving all glory and honor to Him for
their salvation, and His Spirit coming to abide with them. Those who hear this message and
never come to this place, God Almighty will take away even
the little bit of knowledge that they have about what you have
heard and they will be destroyed, ever vanquished from the presence
of God Almighty, Jesus Christ, our Lord. That is what it goes
on to say in this passage. You can read verses 11 through
27 for that. If you never come to bow down
to Jesus Christ, He will one day say to you, depart from me,
ye that work iniquity, meaning Jesus Christ, I never knew you. What we are and do by nature
gives God Almighty no reason to come looking for us. The only
thing that gives him reason to come looking for us, just as
he did for this publican, Zacchaeus, is if we are his sheep, and that
is by his choosing. You do not become the sheep of
God. You are either a sheep of God or you are not. You may be
a lost sheep who God must find, and he will. But he will have
to find you and put you on his shoulders and bring you home.
He finds you with the preaching of the gospel. What do others
do when they see a sinner being moved by Jesus Christ? This is
what all natural fallen men will do, and even my natural heart
will do this. They murmured and complained.
How can God do something for that sinner? Look at what they
are. Look at what they have done.
How can God do something for them? I'm better than they are. Isn't that what they're saying?
Read verse 7. And when they saw it, they all
murmured, saying that he was going to be guessed with a man
that is a sinner. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners, but those sinners he saves will always have a repentant
heart, as this man Zacchaeus did when Christ came to abide
in his house. This will never leave, or he
will never leave, I should say. You may lose some zealousness,
which is not necessarily a bad thing, if it's not according
to knowledge. but you will never lose knowing
and believing that Christ deserves all, and I deserve nothing. This verse seven reminds me of
another familiar passage about another publican, and that's
the Pharisee and the publican in Luke 18. Luke 18, and it says
this, and he spake this parable unto a certain which trusted
in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adorters, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in a week. I give
tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, the sinner. I tell you that this man went
down to his house justified, rather than the other. For every
one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted. If you are looking at others
and gauging your worth to God based on that, or thinking what
you do gains you any merit before God, the Jesus Christ, by his
spirit, is not abiding with you. You do not know him. You will
be coming to him with your face in the dust, knowing you are
naked before him, with only his will being the determining factor
as to whether he will abide with you or not. Now listen, this
is true whether you're a Pharisee or a publican. All Pharisee,
publican, whatever you might be, all will become sinners before
God if God does something for you. When God brings someone
down, they all become sinners. It matters not what walk of life
you come from. If you think how you measure
up to other folks gives you any favor in God's sight, you are
wrong. When God opens your eyes, heart,
ears, and mind, what someone else does or does not do will
not matter in your mind because you have sinned against God so
much, you will be like the publican, and at least in your mind, you
will not even be able to look up. May it be that this man,
Jesus Christ, would pay the debt of sin I owe because I have nothing
to pay. Is he willing is the question.
Are you seeking Christ? I can tell you where he can be
found, right here in the word of God. If you will listen to
men who have been sent to tell you who he is and what he has
done, then it may be, just maybe, Jesus Christ will come to you,
a nothing human being, man or woman, nothing to God by nature,
nothing to offer him, nothing to pay to him that would be of
any merit before him. But maybe he will be pleased
to come to you and say, come down, because today I will abide
in your house. I pray he does this, because
he is the only one that can do it. All praise, honor, and glory
be to his name. Amen. Dear God, thank you for the words. the comforting words from Joe
that we heard that you gave to his lips to say. Oh, thank you, dear Lord. Help
us to be thankful to you. Dear Lord, don't allow us to
be presumptuous on you. We want you to abide with us
daily. Oh, send us your word that we
may be comforted and that your spirit may confirm and seal to
our hearts these words from the gospel. Be with Walter as he stands here
to speak, that he may speak in spirit and truth. Oh, dear Lord,
open our hearts, minds, and ears that we may hear the truth as
it's preached by these men. All these things we ask in Christ's
name, amen.