The story of Zacchaeus. You say, well, we've all heard
that. I know you have. And I have too. All my life. From the time I was a very young
child. In the card class, they called
it. In the Sunday school, they'd give you a little card with a
picture on it. of whatever the lesson was about
that day. They called it the card class. And I remember the
one particular about David Goliath, the little card with Daniel and
the lion's den. And then I remember this one,
got a little card with a tree and the man up in the tree, the
story of Zacchaeus. We've all heard it. But I want
to tell you a secret. I never really heard it till
the Lord told it to me. It makes a lot of difference
how you read this Bible. If you read it as something man's
doing or something God's doing. I don't have to tell you nowadays
what minority of our society wants anything to do with religion. And even most of them who do, they make it all about us. If
you want to read God into it, you can. That's worse than no religion
at all. The truth is it's all about God. And if he wants you to read you
into it, he can. That's the story. People won't
have it that we're at God's mercy rather than him at our mercy,
but it's so anyway. All right. Luke 19 verse one
and Jesus entered and passed. through Jericho. It seems at first, there's not
much in that verse. And Jesus entered and passed
through Jericho. But the more I meditate on it,
the bigger it gets. Jericho was a cursed city. If you look back in the Old Testament
to Joshua's day, the book of Joshua chapter six, he had led
the Israelites across the Jordan and into the land of Canaan.
And the first enemy there to come up against is the city of
Jericho. And you that know the story,
remember they marched around the city of Jericho once a day
for six days. That's what the Lord told them
to do. And on the seventh day, they marched around seven times. And then the priests blew the
trumpets and the people shouted and the walls fell down flat. The walls never fell over. They
fell down flat. Think about that. And the walls never fell. because
of the trumpet blast. They never fell by the people's
shouting. The walls fell because they were
obedient to God's word. That's how the walls will fall
in your life. You know, obedience to God's word. We figure out
a way, we figure out a way something ought to be done and we ask God
to bless it. God will not involve himself
with our concoctions. He blesses what he's prescribed. He blesses obedience to his word. If God didn't say do it, don't
waste your time. So Jericho was accursed. Accursed. Joshua 6, 17, and the
city shall be accursed, even it and all that are therein to
the Lord. Only Rahab the harlot shall live,
her and her family. And then just a few verses later,
Joshua 6, 26, and Joshua adjured them at that time saying, curse
it, be the man before the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this
city Jericho. God tore it down. It's not supposed
to be built back. It's not that God didn't know
it wouldn't be built back. He did know it. That's why he
said this. Cursed be the man that riseth
up and buildeth this city Jericho, for he shall lay the foundation
thereof in his firstborn. Or literally in the death of
his firstborn. And in his youngest son shall
he set up the gates of it. When he's finished, his youngest
son will die. And many believe that during
this building process, all this man's children would die. When he poured the foundation,
at the first, his oldest son would die. All his children would
die. And as he finished it, as he
set up the gates and the his youngest son would die. Now that was fulfilled in first
King 1634, some 500 years later. First King 1634, in the days
of wicked King Ahab, did a man named Hiel, the Bethelite,
build Jericho. He laid the foundation thereof
in Abiram, his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his
youngest son, Seagub, according to the word of the Lord, which
he spake by Joshua, the son of Nun." 500 years, God did not
forget his word. This ought to teach us a lot
of things. You don't have to worry about
God keeping his promise. He will, he will. He'll do it in his time. And that's a blessing we don't
even appreciate. When somebody's done you wrong,
maybe years ago, you don't have to hold a grudge.
You don't have to hate them. That will absolutely consume
you. I know. I've been there. But know this,
God will fix everything in his time. or an eternity, we're free to
let it go. And we'd better let it go. 500 years later, this comes to
pass. And this man built the city back
and it cost him his family. It was disobedience to God that
did it. He rebuilt in a cursed place. And when it had fallen back there
in Joshua, the Lord had said to him, touch not the accursed
thing. Destroy everybody except Rahab
and her family. All the livestock, burn the clothes. That sin cursed city of Jericho. is representative of the sin-cursed
world that we live in. I never thought I would live
to see a society that's so overwhelmingly heathen
and God-hating as you and I are living in right now. They don't
want to hear the name of God. They don't want to hear the name
of Jesus Christ. Everything in this world is cursed
because of sin. And yet we read in this first
verse, Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Jesus entered and passed through
the Jericho of this world. sin-cursed world. And in that sense, he's the only
one who ever passed through the Jericho of this world. The rest
of us entered it. We were defiled by it. We're
corrupted by the sin of it. And we're bound in it. We cannot and have not pass through
this Jericho undefiled. But Jesus did. He lived sinless. He came here sinless. He left
here sinless. Hebrews 7.26 says that he was
holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. He wasn't just a good teacher
like other men. He wasn't a good old boy that
walked the shores of Galilee in sandals and all that stuff. No, no, no. He was different. He's God in the flesh. God came
and walked through this Jericho of sin. He passed through it. He didn't get trapped in it like
you have and like I am. He passed through it. But though he was sinless, he
came to save sinners. He tells us that down in the
10th verse. He came to seek and to not try to save, But he
came to seek and to save that which was lost. Verse 2,
and behold. When you see that word behold
in the New Testament, especially in the life of Jesus, it means
take note. Look at this. Listen to this. And behold, there was a man named
Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was
rich. Zacchaeus, they tell me, is a
common Jewish name. And where he lived here, Jericho
was a very popular city by the time it was rebuilt back there
in 1 Kings to the New Testament, to the times of Jesus. It was
a very popular city there in the Jordan Valley, not far from
the Jordan River. It was called the City of Palm
Trees, kind of a resort town, probably a little cooler than
the higher part of the country. And it was a very prosperous
town. A very wealthy town. And so much so that it warranted
a team of tax collectors for the Roman government. And
this man, Zacchaeus, we read, was the chief of the publicans. That's what publicans are, is
tax collectors. He was the chief. In other words,
he was the boss of the others. He was the top IRS man in Jericho. Important fella. He's the last man that the God
of heaven would have anything to do with, so people thought. I'm sure popular opinion was,
There's not an ounce of hope for that bird. Probably somebody
said something like that about you. But God, see that's always the
answer, but God. Jews looked upon these tax collectors
in general as traitors, having betrayed
their own people. Most of them were Jews hired
by the Romans to collect taxes of the Jews. And so the people
felt betrayed and they despised tax collectors, publicans. In the gospels especially, numerous
times these publicans, tax collectors, are categorized with the worst
of sinners. You read this over and over,
publicans and sinners, publicans and sinners. And many of the
tax collectors, I guess, just made a living. But this man,
this chief tax collector, he had done a lot better than just
made a living. He'd gotten rich. And we read that here. He was
rich. He never wanted anything to do
with God. And it's unthinkable that God
would ever want anything to do with him. But here's the story. The God
of heaven is in pursuit of this man and he don't even know it. This is so different from most
of what you hear today. God's not going to give this
man a chance to be saved. Nobody is saved by chance. God's
going to save him. You see, there's a big difference
between what preachers today say God wants to do and what
God actually does. They say God wants to do some
things that might not get done. But this Bible teaches anything
God wants gets done. He worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. There's no if. The old prophet Nahum said, God
has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm. There's no
if. He said in Isaiah 46, my counsel
shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. There's no if. He said, I have purposed it.
And I also will do it. There's no if. The Bible says nothing about
God trying to do anything or God wanting to do anything and
can't make it happen. No, it happens. It happens. So I'm getting to the point here
that it's the grace of God. It's the grace of God that wrought
curiosity. in this man's mind about this
man, Jesus of Nazareth. He wanted to see Jesus so much so that he makes an effort.
Verse three here says that he sought, he made an effort, a
determined effort. He sought to see Jesus. Now many tell the story and say
something like this, Zacchaeus heard about Jesus and decided
he wanted to see him. No, no. This, this is a businessman,
a successful businessman, a busy man, a rich man. He has no interest in meeting
God. And isn't that what our Lord
said in John 6, 44? No man can come to me. No man's
interested in coming to me except the Father which has sent me
draw him. Are you interested this morning?
That's the question. That's the question. Something is working in this
man's mind, a curiosity. I'd like to see this man Jesus,
he don't know it's the grace of God that created that curiosity. He says, I want to see him, but I'm not at all interested
in him seeing me. That's not necessary. I don't
want him looking at me, but just out of curiosity, I want to look
at him. And then the story goes on, you
know it. I'm too short to even get a glimpse of him with all
that's crowd. Since I'm smarter than the average
fella, I'll just run on down the street
and climb that tree. Verse four, for he was to pass
that way. Zacchaeus sees, assumes, He's
probably going to go right on down that way. He could turn, he could go another
direction, but it seems he's going to walk right under that
tree. That's Zacchaeus thinking, but
there's no seeming with God. There's no assuming with God. There's certainty. Verse four
says, for he was. to pass that way. Who said he
was to pass that way? The eternal decree of heaven. Even before creation, this was
on his itinerary. He won't miss this appointment. Jesus will pass that way. It's
like John 4, he must needs go through Samaria. And here he
must needs pass through Jericho and walk right under this tree. Zacchaeus, we said, he's not,
he's not up in the tree for the Lord to see him. And yet the Lord saw him from
eternity. before he even made the tree. He calleth things that be not
as though they are. Verse five, and when Jesus came
to the place, he looked up. He stopped. He stopped. Now verse one says he walked
right through town and never stopped. Huh? He entered and passed through
Jericho. A crowd all around him, pressing
up against him. And when Jesus came to the place, what place? The place decreed from eternity. Not a moment early, not a moment
late, but the exact moment he looked up. Jesus knew the man was up there. He looked up and saw him. Not just the visible side of
him. There's more than that. But he saw him for all he was. But better than that, he saw
him as one the father had sent him to die for. He's left the 99 and found this
one lost sheep. Isaiah 65 one, God said, I am
found of them that sought me not. I'm looking for them that are
not looking for me. This man is one of them. And
Jesus said to him, Zacchaeus. Now note that this
was Christ's first word. Zacchaeus. John 10, three, he calleth his
own sheep by name. Zacchaeus had no idea Jesus knew
his name, but Jesus knew all about him.
He knows all about you this morning. I'm sure you're not interested
in the rest of us knowing all about you. I'm not interested
in you knowing all about me, but the Lord knows all about
us as individuals. And you may not hear him call
your name audibly, but if he calls you, you'll hear
it right in here. And you will respond. This is
the secret, the Lord's effectual call. No one is saved without
it. Oh yes, we're supposed to preach
the gospel to every creature. We're supposed to tell people
who Christ is and what he did. But no one is saved without the
effectual call. And if you want to be an effectual
witness to anyone, don't try telling them Jesus did, Jesus
that, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What could be, tell them
what he did for you. Tell Him what He did for you. And you could throw in, I was
as bad off as you are. I was in worse shape than you
are. And it's a miracle God had anything
to do with me. And go ahead and tell Him it'd
be a miracle if He has anything to do with you. But He's in the
miracle business. No one is saved apart from this
effectual, personal call to the heart. Acts 2.39, the promise
of everlasting life is not to those who decide to
get saved. Heard a lot of that terminology. A drowning man don't decide to
get rescued. Somebody has to rescue him. A man lost in the woods don't
decide to get found, somebody has to find him. And dead sinners don't get alive,
they have to be quickened by one who has the power, by one
who is life himself. Acts 2.39, the promise is to
even as many. as the Lord our God shall call,
effectually call. So this morning to make light
of God's sovereign and effectual call is to be on dangerous ground. I get tired of hearing preachers
tell folks how to back God in a corner. It don't happen. It don't happen. It's God's call. Or else you'll play religion
a few years and go to hell. That's how it works. God is calling Zacchaeus and
he didn't even know it. That's what he's doing here.
Up a tree. He didn't have a hobby of climbing
trees every day. Oh my, if Christ calls you, you'll
hear it. There may be somebody here today.
And this is why you're here. You're just playing a little
religion, but if Christ calls you affectionately, you'll hear
and you'll respond. Zacchaeus, make haste. He doesn't say, now think about
it. Think it over. Consider taking
that next step to accept Jesus. No, that's not the deal. It's
Him accepting you. He said, make haste. Get down
and don't be long about it. And this come down, come down
is more than physical. It's not just come down out of
that tree. It's come down off that high horse of your pride,
your position, your popularity, your prosperity, your what you
think you are in this world come down from that. How far down? It's not come down a limb or
two so you can hear me. No, he could hear. It's come
all the way down. Come all the way down. And Jesus
didn't say, I'd like an invitation to dinner if it wouldn't be too
inconvenient. No, he said, today, the Lord's calling the shots
here. Today, as of today, Zacchaeus, everything is different in your
life. as of today. Today I must. And that's an imperative. It's not I might, I'd like to,
I hope to, I wish I could. It's I must. Today I must. It's got to be so. I must abide
at thy house. And the Greek word used here
for abide means to stay, means to continue. Not bodily. Jesus wasn't going
to stay at his house from now on bodily. In the flesh, no.
But spiritually. I will never leave thee. I will
never forsake thee. I'm coming to your house today
to stay. I'll live with you from now on. Oh, this is so different. from today's religious game.
Would you accept Jesus? You know what he'd done? He'd
have said the same thing everybody else says. Maybe later. I'm not ready yet. I've got to
get some things straightened out in my life. I've been told
that a lot of times. It's never happened. What's going on here is the power
of God in effectual calling. That's the only way you, I, or
anyone else gets in. And he made haste and came down. He did exactly what Jesus told
him to do. And received him joyfully. He never accepted him proudly
As in, look at me. He received him joyfully. A lot of difference in accepting
and receiving. As many thousand times as you've
heard it, the New Testament does not tell you to accept Jesus. But those whom He affectionately
calls receive Him. You don't have to accept your
electric bill every month, but you'll sure receive it. Huh? Big difference. Big difference. Now comes the murmuring. And
when they saw it, they all murmured, saying that He was going to be
guest with a man that is a sinner. We thought he was after good
people. We thought he was here to recruit people like us. He wouldn't even stop and give
us the time of day. He didn't talk to us. No, he's after sinners. He's after sinners. And if you
can put yourself in that category this morning, there's hope for
you. And if you can't, if you're so religiously up to
par, there's no hope for you. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. In verse 8, Zacchaeus stood and
said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give the
poor. If I have taken anything from
any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." Three
things. He called him Lord. Submission. You say, hey Jesus, I've heard
of you. No. He called him Lord. Submission. Then gratitude. Gratitude. The half of my goods. I give to the poor. I don't need
to be as rich as I am. I've got more than I need. I
need you, Lord. A giving spirit. That's what
the Lord's people do. And then restitution. If I have
taken anything from any man by false accusation, I'll pay him
back four times as much. Sounds like he's got the goods. Jesus said, verse nine, this
day is salvation. Come to this house for as much
as he also is a son of Abraham. He didn't just mean that he was
a Jew, son of Abraham after the flesh. He's saying he's a son of Abraham
in the faith, faith in Jesus Christ, faith in what God would
do about a man's sins. He's a son of Abraham, not another
Ishmael, but another Isaac, not another Esau, but another Jacob. They were all sons of Abraham
in the flesh. Galatians 3, 7, they which are
of faith. And these only are the children
of Abraham. For the son of man has come to
seek and to save that which was lost. Not that which was never his. but that which was His and was
lost. His by gift from the Father from
eternity. Ephesians 1, 4, according as
He, God the Father, hath chosen us in Him, in Christ Jesus, before
the foundation of the world. And Jesus prayed in John 17,
Father, I give eternal life to as many as thou hast given me."
Not one more, not one less. We're His and we're lost. Lost in time. Lost in Adam. But Christ said, I've come to
seek them and to save them. And He gets it done. He gets
it done. All right. You say, well, don't
we're supposed to preach the gospel to every creature? Absolutely. Absolutely. And God affectionately
calls his, his, and he gets it done. He gets it done. Amen.