Good morning. If you would, open
your Bibles with me to Luke 19. Luke chapter 19. As you're turning, this is one
of my favorite accounts in the Bible. I love this story of Zacchaeus. But if all we see here this morning
is a favorite story, then we've missed it. Look here, if you've
got Luke 19, look down here in verse 10. It says, for the son
of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. If a man or a woman or a young
person If they're gonna be saved, they must first be lost. Turn back a few pages to Luke
15. Luke 15, and look here at verse
four. The Lord says, what man of you,
having an hundred sheep, he lose one of them doth not leave the
ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost
until he find it. Verse 5 says, and when he hath
found it he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. When he
hath found it Scripture doesn't say if he finds it, or he may
find it. It says when he finds it. About seven or eight years ago,
we had a dog, a chubby little beagle named LeBron, and somehow
we had lost LeBron. And me and mom and dad and Isaac,
we searched all through the woods, all through the trails, looking
for this dog. We go out and we call him by
name, and we couldn't find him. About a week later, he finally
showed back up, but when we searched, we couldn't find him, and I got
to thinking about this. That'll never happen with God
and one of his sheep. Look here again. What man of
you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after
that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found
it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing." The very best thing
that could happen for someone who is lost is for the Lord to
find them. And here in our text this morning,
this man Zacchaeus, he's lost. In this account, this story of
Zacchaeus is about how the Lord finds one of his sheep. It's
about how the Lord calls one of his chosen people. That's
where I get the title for this lesson this morning, The Call
of Grace. So let's go back to our text.
Let's go back to Luke 19 and look here at the first couple
verses. Luke 19, starting in verse 1,
it says, And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And behold,
there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was chief among the publicans,
and he was rich. Right off the bat here, we're
introduced to this man, Zacchaeus. And the first thing we learn
about him is that Zacchaeus is from Jericho. And all throughout
the scriptures, Jericho is described as a wicked and a cursed city.
The second thing we hear about Zacchaeus is that he was a publican. And we might not know what a
publican is today, but back then, this nation of Israel, they were
under the occupying force of the Roman Empire. And Rome collected
taxes from the Jewish people to pay for roads and whatever
they needed, they collected taxes from them. And these publicans
were people of Israel who turned on their own people to collect
taxes from them to pay the Roman Empire. So Zacchaeus would have
went to these Romans and he'd have said, I know these people.
I grew up with them. I know where their money is.
I know who their kids are. And I know how to get that money
from them. And I'll collect it by any means possible. And Zacchaeus
was so good at being a publican that they made him chief among
publicans. and he was a very rich man. Scripture
says, for the love of money is the root of all evil. Mark 10
verse 25 says, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God. So my first point this morning
is that it was a gracious call. Zacchaeus was a sinner. Zacchaeus
didn't deserve to be one of the lords, but yet the Lord chose
him. If we were picking candidates for salvation, if we lined a
group of people up to see Who we'd save, Zacchaeus would have
been the last one chosen. When the Lord called Zacchaeus,
it was a gracious call. Consider what the scripture says
about us. Genesis 6 verse 5 says this,
and God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually. Romans 3 verses 10 through 12
says this, as it is written, there is none righteous. No,
not one. There is none that understandeth.
There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Who is it that doeth
good? No, not one. Spurgeon said this,
he said, there is no qualifying adjective that has set forth
a degree of goodness in the person called, but the wicked are asked
to come and the unrighteous are commanded to turn to God. Grace
seeks for misery, unworthiness, helplessness, and nothing else.
Not because we are good, but because the Lord is gracious.
Turn with me to Ephesians chapter two. Ephesians chapter 2, we'll look
here at verses 4 through 8. Verse 4 says, but God, who is
rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.
By grace are ye saved. Verse 6, and hath raised us up
together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches
of his grace and his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God. For by grace are you saved. Zacchaeus, what a gracious call. My second point, it was a purposed
call. Let's go back to Luke 19. Luke 19, let's look at these
next two verses. Verse 3 of Luke 19 says, And
he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and could not for the press,
because he was little of stature. Verse 4, And he ran before and
climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass
by that way. The Lord was to pass by that
way. Zacchaeus was short of stature. He was just a little fella, and
he couldn't see anything. And Zacchaeus, he'd heard about
the Lord, he'd heard about the great things he'd done, the miracles
he'd performed, and he sought to see Jesus. He wanted to see
what all the talk was about. And he thought, if I'm gonna
see this man, I'm gonna have to get up somewhere high, because
he was short, he couldn't see over the crowd that was around
our Lord. So he looked down this road, going out of town, and
he saw this sycamore tree, and he thought, I'm gonna get up
in that tree. So he ran down the road as fast as little legs could
carry him, and he climbed up that tree, and here the Lord
comes. And I got to thinking about that
tree this week, because that tree had to be there for Zacchaeus
to be up in it. I thought about all the storms
that we've had these past couple of months, and the hundreds,
if not thousands, of trees that have been knocked down by these
storms, but not that sycamore tree. I'm sure there were storms
back in Zacchaeus' day that would have wiped out trees, but not
that sycamore tree. And I thought a little bit more
about that. I thought, my Uncle Adam, he's cut down trees and
done firewood and sold logs, as long as I can remember, ever
since I was a kid. And I imagine there were people back in Zacchaeus's
day that would have done the same thing. They logged trees,
they cut firewood. And Uncle Adam, he's cut down
hundreds of trees. And I'm sure the people back then cut down
hundreds of trees as well, but not that sycamore tree. And I
got to think a little bit more. What about those little saplings
you see growing that never even get a chance to become trees
because we step on them, we trample on them, we're out weed eating,
we knock them down, and they never even get to grow up into
a tree. But not that sycamore tree. That tree, it was purposed
to be there by him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. Even that sycamore tree, that's
how sovereign God is. Look at the latter part of verse
four here. It says, for he was to pass by
that way, that particular way. Now, how many ways were there
out of Jericho? I don't know, could have been
a lot. But I do know this, the Lord knew that man was gonna
be up in that tree at that particular time on that particular day. And the Lord Himself is going
to show mercy to that man. And look here at the beginning
of verse 5, it says, And when Jesus came to the place, when
Jesus came to the place, that place He knew from all eternity,
when He came to that place, God had used everything in Zacchaeus'
life to lead him to that place. All those things we just looked
at, his occupation, his station in life, him living in that wicked
city, all of that came to pass, so on this particular day, he'd
be right there in that tree. It was on purpose. This is a
purpose call. Romans 8.28 says this, and we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. It was a purposed
call. My third point, is that this
calling of Zacchaeus, it was a personal call. It was not only
gracious and purposed, but it was personal. Look here at verse
five. And when Jesus came to the place,
he looked up and saw him and said unto him, Zacchaeus. He called him by name. Now, Earl,
if I wanted to get your attention on something, I wouldn't just
say, hey, you, I'd say, hey, Earl, because I know you. I know
your name. And when Jesus came to the place, he called Zacchaeus
by name. He knew him. Look, 2 Timothy
2 verse 19 says this. It says, Turn with me to John
chapter 10. John chapter 10, we'll look here
at verses two and three. Verse two says, but he that entereth
in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter
openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own
sheep by name, and he leadeth them out. He calleth them by
name. Zacchaeus is one of God's sheep,
and the Lord calls him by name. Turn with me over to Isaiah chapter
43. Isaiah 43, we'll just look here
at verse 1. says, But now thus saith the
Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel,
fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy
name, thou art mine. The Lord didn't just meet Zacchaeus,
he had known him for eternity. and he won't be lost. Think of
the multitude of people there. Think of the thousands of people
that had heard of the miracles that the Lord performed, the
great things that he'd done. And yet, in this huge crowd,
there's no mistake for whom the Lord had called. And why is that? Because he called him by name.
He said Zacchaeus, just like he called Matthew. sitting there
at the receipt of customs. He said, Matthew, follow me,
just like he called Saul on the road to Damascus. He said, Saul,
Saul, just like he called Abraham. Abraham, get thee out of thy
father's house into a land I will show thee. He calls his people
by name. God calls his people personally. My fourth point, back to our
text in Luke 19, My fourth point, it was an urgent
call. Look here in Luke 19, verse 5,
it says, And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and
saw him, and he said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come
down, for today I must abide at thy house. The Lord doesn't
say, Zacchaeus, I'm gonna stand down here at this bottom of the
tree until you're ready to come down. He doesn't say, Zacchaeus,
you wait two or three days or weeks or months or years until
you're ready, and then you come down. The Lord says, Zacchaeus,
make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. Tomorrow should not be our calendar. Proverbs 21 says this, Proverbs
27 verse 1, boast not of thyself for tomorrow for thou knowest
not what a day may bring forth. Isaiah 55 verse 6 says this,
seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while
he is near. The Lord Jesus Christ is passing
by right now, right now, and he said make haste and come down
Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 6. 2 Corinthians 6, and we'll look
here at verse 2. It says, for he saith, I have heard
thee in a time accepted, And in the day of salvation have
I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. This is an urgent call. Don't
delay. Now is the day of salvation.
My fifth point, it was a simple call. Turn back to Luke 19. Luke chapter 19, back to verse
5, says, And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and
he saw him, and he said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and
come down, for today I must abide at thy house. He says, Zacchaeus,
come down. He doesn't say, Zacchaeus, quit
your job as a publican and come down. He doesn't say, Zacchaeus,
clean up your act and start coming to church. He doesn't say, Zacchaeus,
come down to the front of the church and confess your sins.
Not build some church gymnasium. He says, Zacchaeus, you come
down. Turn with me to 2 Kings chapter
5. 2 Kings chapter 5. I often think of Naaman. The
scripture described Naaman as a mighty man in valor. But it
also says that Naaman was a leper, and he needed a cure from this
leprosy, and he traveled to Elisha. He'd been told of Elisha, the
prophet, could cure him of his leprosy, and he traveled to Elisha
with his horses and his chariots and with a letter from the king
and with ten talents of silver and six thousand pieces of gold
and ten changes of raiment, thinking he could do something to cure
himself from this leprosy. Look here, you got 2 Kings 5,
look here in verse 9. It says, So Naaman came with
his horses and with his chariot, and he stood at the door of the
house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto
him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall
come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. Verse 11, but
Naaman was wroth, he was angry, and he went away and he said,
Behold, I thought he will surely come out to me and stand and
call on the name of the Lord his God and strike his hand over
the place and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Farfar rivers
of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash
in them and be clean? So he turned and he went away
in rage. Verse 13 says, and his servants
came near and spake unto him, and they said, My father, if
the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not
have done it? That's what we all think, there's
something for us to do, there's some great thing that we ought
to do for our salvation. If he had bid thee to do some
great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather
then, when he saith unto thee, Wash, wash and be clean. Verse 14 says, then went he Naaman
down, and he dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to
the saying of the man of God, and his flesh came again like
unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. The commandment,
wash and be clean. What was Zacchaeus to do? Not
some great thing, not some work that he must do, but humble himself
and come down. Consider some of these calls
in the Bible. To the Israelites fleeing Egypt,
pursued by Pharaoh and his army there at the Red Sea, Moses said,
stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Could there be anything
less to do than to stand still? To the Israelites there in the
wilderness when they were bitten by those fiery serpents, the
Lord said unto them, look, Look and live. To Matthew and Peter
and Andrew and his apostles, simply follow me. To the ruler of the synagogue
there in the New Testament, he said, be not afraid, only believe. It's a simple call. It's a simple
call. And sixthly, my last point. This call, it was gracious, it
was purposed, It was personal, it was urgent, it was simple,
and lastly, it was an effectual call. Look, let's go back to
our text here in Luke 19. Luke 19, we'll pick up back here
in verse five, it says, 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. Verse six says,
and he, Zacchaeus, made haste and came down and received him
joyfully. What was the result of the Lord's
call here? It says, Zacchaeus made haste
and he came down and received him joyfully. Let's read on in
our text. Verse 7 says, And when they,
when the Pharisees, when all around him saw it, they all murmured,
saying that he is gone to be guessed with a man that is a
sinner. Verse 8, 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. Here we see evidence of Zacchaeus'
salvation. The Lord didn't ask Zacchaeus
to do this. We just looked at that commandment.
The Lord said unto Zacchaeus, come down. Didn't say sell all
you have and give to the poor. He said come down. So what we
see here is evidence of salvation. The Lord didn't require this
for Zacchaeus' salvation, but it was evidence of his salvation. If the Lord saves a person, there
will be a change. Look here, verse nine, we'll
keep reading. And Jesus said unto him, this
day is salvation come to this house for as much as he also
is the son of Abraham. Verse 10, for the son of man
is come to seek and to save that which was lost. What's the result
of the Lord's call? This day. This day salvation
is come to this house Consider some of these scriptures, and
God's people are the sheep, and these scriptures describe the
result of the Lord calling his sheep. And as I read these, put
yourself in the position of the sheep. John 10, 27 through 30
says this, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My father, which gave them to
me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them
out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. Turn
with me to Psalms 23. Psalms 23, what's the result
of the Lord calling one of his elect? David knew something about this. In Psalms 23, look here, read
through this short chapter. It says, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me
to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of
righteousness, for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou
art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Verse six,
surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What's
the result of the Lord calling one of his people? Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I'll
dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Do you mean that goodness
and mercy are going to follow that worthless publican Zacchaeus
all the days of his life, and that that man is going to dwell
in the house of the Lord forever? That's exactly what the scriptures
say. It's an effectual call, an effectual call. Turn back
to our text one last time. Luke 19. Look here at verse 10. It says,
for the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was
lost. That is such good news for someone
who was lost. I hope that's been a help.