Well my text this morning is
Luke 19 and verse 10 Luke 19 verse 10 For the Son of Man is
come to seek and to save that which was lost and the title
of the message is Two Lost Men Sought and Saved because the
verse is illustrated by the account of the blind man at the end of
Luke 18 and Zacchaeus at the start of Luke 19 but let's think
about this text first of all all scripture is profitable,
all scripture but there are some verses which are so rich with
truth and this is one of them this text is the revelation of
God to his people in a single verse isn't it, how rich, you
know when you weigh you know people have written the works
of Tolstoy has written the works of Tolstoy an enormous great
big book huge huge huge and he had conveyed some meaning in
it but just think of the meaning that is encapsulated in this
handful of words the son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost that's what it's about if you want a summary of
this book the whole of the scriptures you couldn't find a better one.
There are other ones but you couldn't find a better one than
that. What's it about? What's this book about? It's
about this. The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost. It's the most important thing
you will ever listen to. I don't care what other lessons
you go to, other things you hear, other places you go, whatever
you achieve, whatever you try to do, there is nothing more
important in this life. than to listen to what this text
says, because it's God speaking to his people, the Son of Man
is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Let's break it
down, the Son of Man Who is the son of man? Jesus loved to call
himself the son of man. I think he used that term of
himself more than any other term in the scriptures. Yes, he's
the son of God, supremely he's the son of God, but as he walked
this earth as a man, as Immanuel God with us, as he walked this
earth as a man, he called himself the son of man. What does he
mean by this? What does he mean? He means he
is eternal God, manifest as a man, made known, shown openly as a
man. The eternal God, made openly
as a man. How do we know? The scripture
tells us that in him, this man, Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth,
who is very Christ, that in him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead,
bodily. You know when the JWs knock at
your door and try to give you leaflets and try to tell you
that Jesus isn't God, that he's very important but he's not God?
There's a verse that you can quote to them. How do you cope
with this? In him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He, this
Son of Man who came, when Job was lamenting his condition and
asking what should a man do to be just with God when he was
lamenting his condition at the end of that same chapter in verse
33 of Job chapter 9 he's seeking a days man that betwixt us somebody
to stand between us what does he mean betwixt the consuming
fire of God the holiness of God who is there who will stand between
the holiness of God and sinful man and the scriptures tell us.
Paul writing to Timothy, 1 Timothy 2 verse 5, there is one God and
one mediator between God and man, the man, Jesus, the son
of man, the man, Christ Jesus, the son of man is come, he is
Immanuel, he is God with us, this is who came It's the eternal
God who came, Hebrews 2, 16 and 17, for verily he, meaning God,
God took not on him the nature of angels, you know the angels
we read in the scriptures, mysteries we cannot understand but we read
them and believe them that all were created holy but they fell
when Satan fell a good number, a significant number of the angels
fell and there was no redemption there was no recovery for them
for God took not on him the nature of angels but he took on him
the seed of Adam no it doesn't say that does it? What does it
say? He didn't take on him the nature of the seed of Adam, mankind
in general, mankind without exception, universally. No, he took on him
the seed of Abraham. What does that mean? We who are
of the same faith as Abraham are children of Abraham. That's
what the scriptures tell us. Galatians is clear. We who have
the same faith as Abraham are the seed of Abraham. We are the
children of Abraham. And Christ took on him the nature
of the seed of Abraham. He took them into himself. Into himself in every way. They
were put in him. They were placed in him. Wherefore,
it says, in all things it behoved him. It was necessary. It was
needful. that he would be made like unto
his brethren that Christ that our God the second person of
the Trinity would be made like unto his brethren the seed of
Abraham that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest a high
priest is that one who stands between the holiness of God and
the sinfulness of man pertaining to God why? to make reconciliation
You know, reconciliation, that's a good word, isn't it? Isn't
reconciliation a good word? When people fall out and they're
enemies and they become friends, that's reconciliation. When they
make reconciliation for the sins of his people, for God says,
your sins have separated you from me. Your sins, I cannot
look upon sin. He's a purer eyes than to behold
iniquity, but Christ came. in the nature of his brethren
to make reconciliation for the sins of his people, the Son of
Man, what blessed words, is come. The Son of Man is come. He of
whom all the Old Testament, of all the prophets spoke. How do
I know? He said it. These scriptures,
all of them, are they that speak of me. They testify of me. Jesus
said that. They speak of me. God is coming,
they say. All the prophets foretell God
is coming in the place at the time when the fullness of the
time was come. God sent forth his son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem, to buy back those,
his people, the seed of Abraham who are under the law. He came. He had to come. He had to come
in flesh. For the penalty of sin is death. And the life is in the blood. And therefore it must be with
bloodshed. For without bloodshed there is
no remission of sins. If there is to be forgiveness
of sins, if there is to be cleansing, if there is to be satisfaction
for sins, there must be bloodshed. It must be the blood of the people
that have done the sinning to satisfy the law. But Christ came
with surety. and stood in the place of his
people, clothed in human flesh, clothed in our nature, clothed
in our humanity to make reconciliation for the sins of his people. He
came to redeem his people and as he walked this earth in these
days that we read about in the Gospels Isaiah foretold it 800
years before. Comfort my people, comfort says
your God. He says, say unto the cities
of Judah where he walked, say unto those cities, behold your
God. Look, look at this man. No comeliness
that we should desire him. Behold your God. Here is the
word. In the beginning was the word,
and the word was with God. and the Word was God. It's speaking
of Christ, the second person of the Trinity. He was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by him and
without him was not anything made that was made. This Word,
John tells us, this Word that was in the beginning was made
flesh. This word who is God was made
flesh. And John says, we, the disciples,
we beheld his glory. And what glory was this? The
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. Philip said, I know I tell you
this a lot, but Philip said, show us the Father and that will
suffice, that will do us. And Jesus said, Philip, Have
I been so long with you? And you have not known me. He
who has seen me has seen the Father. There was no strange
God, says Isaiah, looking forward to these days when our God walked
this earth, when the Word was made flesh. Isaiah says in Isaiah
43 verse 12, there was no strange God among you. This wasn't some
inferior second-rate God. No, this is God in human flesh. For as much then, says Hebrews
2.14, for as much then as the children, the seed of Abraham,
are partakers of flesh and blood, sinners in the flesh, he also
himself likewise took part of the same flesh made of a woman,
made under the law. Why? That through death, the
death of a man, the death of an infinite man, bearing the
sins of his people, a multitude that no man can number, he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.
He came, the Son of Man, God came. This is so important. The
Son of Man came. Why did he come? To seek. and
to save that which was lost. His objective was that which
was lost. That's what he came for, that
which was lost. He didn't say those who were
lost, He doesn't say those individuals, he says that which was lost. What is it? What is that? What
is it? He's talking about his church.
He's talking about it as an entity, a single entity, his church. Who are they? They're the people
that the father gave to the son in sovereign grace, in eternal
election, before the beginning of time, that the purpose of
election might stand. He gave a people to his son,
and his son undertook to be the surety of those people. that
though they would sin and break the law of God, and though they
would be deserving of the wrath and eternal separation from God,
that his son would come as the representative of those people
and make satisfaction to the law of God. It's his church,
it's his bride, it's his bride. Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he
might cleanse it, that he might wash it, that he might purify
it and present it to himself, a spotless church without wrinkle
or spot, his bride, it's his bride, the bride of Christ, his
church, it's his elect, it's the sons of Abraham, the seed
of Abraham that we read about earlier, it's the innumerable
multitude A multitude, that's what John saw, a multitude that
no man can number, of every tribe and tongue and kindred, but all
specifically, particularly, known to God from the beginning of
time, scattered throughout the whole world. Lost. Lost. Lost. That which was lost. They're
lost. This multitude that the father
gave to the son in time, in this time state, are lost. That which
was lost. They're lost in the thrall of
Satan. They're lost in the fall of Adam. They owe a debt to the law that
none of them can ever pay. Psalm 49. None can ever pay the
price of redemption. It's too costly. None of them
can ever do it. They owe a debt they can never
pay. And so Paul says that before
they know it, they are children of wrath. You and I, whether
we believe or not, by nature and the flesh, are children of
wrath, even as others. Children of wrath, and yet these
children of wrath God calls his jewels you value jewels, don't
you? those lovely jewels, the sparkling
you value God calls his people these children of wrath even
as others, he calls them his jewels Malachi 3, 17 and they,
these people, shall be mine says the Lord of hosts in that day
when I make up my jewels here's the good shepherd seeking every
last lost one of his elect flock. Here he is! The Son of Man is
come to seek that which was lost. He's going out from eternal glory. You know, he who was in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but laid
aside his glory and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross, that he might save his people. He goes out looking,
you know, he has ninety and nine in the fold, but he goes out
looking for that other lost one, and he goes out for every last
lost one, going out from glory to find and recover his brethren,
just as Abraham did. when he heard that Lot had been
captured and taken. He went out with his band of
men and he went and rescued Lot and that's such a picture of
what Christ did. And how does he save? How does he save? He
came, the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which
was lost. How does he save? Or rather we
should ask from what does he save? From what? You know, when
you think of salvation, you need to be saved from something which
is a peril, which is a danger, which is a threat, which is an
alarm, which is a concern. What is it that we need to be
saved from? It's the penalty. of the broken
law. And what's the penalty of the
broken law? The soul that sins, it shall die. That's the thing
from which we must be saved. It's the cry for justice of the
broken law of God. The broken law of God cries out
for justice. The sinner must die. The law
must be kept in the death of the sinner. It's either kept
in perfection in every action, which it can never be, for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none
righteous, no not one. It either has to be kept in perfection
or it has to be kept in death. It has to be kept in death. Now
how is it going to be kept in death? How is it going to be
kept? It's kept like this. 1 Corinthians
15 verse 3 Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures
the son of man came the infinite holy God became man as a man
to satisfy the laws demands in place of that which was lost
and the law demands perfection or death and he died for our
sins according to the scriptures the elect couldn't satisfy the
law in perfect obedience So Christ, their surety, took their sin
and paid its penalty to satisfy that broken law in his death.
And so, the law, in judgment, looks for sin in God's elect,
and sees none. It sees none! because he's taken
it away. Look, Numbers 23 verse 21, He,
God, hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, in his people, in his
covenant elect people, neither hath he seen perverseness in
Israel, they're saved from condemnation. Saved. So what does Paul say
at the start of Romans 8? There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. Do you hear those words? No condemnation. That lovely hymn, no condemnation
now I dread Jesus and all in him is mine. No condemnation
Saved from condemnation. This is what the salvation is.
Salvation from the condemning justice of God. Saved from condemnation. Saved from the penalty of sin.
Saved from eternal separation from God. Saved from hell. That's what salvation is from.
Salvation from hell. And what do we have in its place?
Peace with God. Peace. Peace with God. You who
were enemies of God. Peace with God. sonship, the
adoption of sons. He's redeemed his people that
we might receive the adoption of sons into the family of God,
an inheritance for we're joint heirs with Christ of all that
is his in eternal glory. We have a good hope as we walk
through this veil of tears, this life of troubles and difficulties,
of good hope, a confident expectation That I shall awake in glory. I can't remember the verse now
but it's rattling around in the back of my mind. That we shall
awake in glory. In fact, what does he save us
to? He saves us to the uttermost. Jesus Christ saves his people
not partially, but to the utmost extent. There is nothing left
to do. You are complete in him. Now,
that's the gospel in a nutshell, in that verse. That's what the
whole of the rest of the book is about. The whole of the rest
of the scriptures is about that. But how does it affect you and
me? Is it just for those that are
interested in theological things? Is it just for those that have
a religious interest? Is it just a nice respectable
lifestyle choice to have at times when we get together, or does
it fundamentally affect you? How does it affect you and me?
I mean, what makes us to differ? What makes us to differ from
one another? What makes us to differ, if we do, from the rest
of humanity, mankind in general? well there's an example given
in the verses before in fact there are two there are two men
singled out in the verses that lie before and I want to spend
the rest of the time not too much time but I want to spend
the rest of the time looking at these two other men there's
the blind man begging at the end of chapter eighteen and there's
Zacchaeus the publican hiding up in a tree in order to get
a better view Two men singled out. The first one, Mark, tells
us in Mark's gospel that this blind beggar was called Bartimaeus. This is blind Bartimaeus. And
the second man is this chief among the publicans, Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus, the chief among the
publicans. And what's happening when Jesus
meets them? Well, Jesus is determinedly going
to Jerusalem. Why is he going to Jerusalem?
He's told us in those previous verses. He says in verse 31 of
chapter 18, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things
that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall
be accomplished. What things? That he would die.
that Isaiah 53, everything it says there about a lamb for the
slaughter, a lamb before his shearers being dumb, bearing
the transgressions of many, for the transgressions of my people
was he stricken. All those things and myriad,
myriad more about what it says about the Son of Man, they're
going to be accomplished at Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem? That's where the
temple was. That's where Abraham would sacrifice his son, his
Isaac, his only Isaac. That's where he would sacrifice
him, on that mountain there, and we believe that that's where
the temple was set up in Jerusalem, in those hills there. And that's
where all the animal sacrifices that were pictures of what would
happen when God reconciled his people to himself in the death
of his son. There, in Jerusalem, Christ would
die. Christ would satisfy the law's
demands on the behalf of his people. He would satisfy, he
would answer the law's case. The law has its case against
the church of God. The soul that sins it shall die.
Here's a people who must go to hell. Here's a people who must
be banished from the presence of God. They're sinners. God
must be just. Ah, ah, but what's Jesus doing?
He's going to Jerusalem. to answer the law's case against
the church by taking their sins, by being made their sin, by bearing
responsibility for their sin, by bearing the guilt and culpability
of their sin, and in his own body, bearing those sins on the
cursed tree of the cross, and pouring out his blood that those
sins might be forgiven. That the law might say, enough,
enough, enough. everything's done I need no more
the law is satisfied enough it is done he's drinking he's going
there to drink what revelation calls the cup of the wine of
the wrath of God but he's doing it in the place of his church
believe me every one of us individually when it comes to eternity when
it comes to that appointment with death every man appointed
to man to die once and then the judgment we must all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ and give an answer for the things
done in the body all of those things that must be answered
every single one of us without exception must must have that
happen we'll all die unless Christ comes again we must all die and
we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ but for
those that are in Him for those that are in Him The judgment
has already been answered. The fire of the wrath of God
has already fallen when Christ died on Calvary. That fire is
extinguished. He is just in that the law is
satisfied, but he's able to justify and count righteous those for
whom his son died, his infinite son, his infinite holy son died,
the death of his people. I am crucified with Christ. is
what the scriptures say. If you're a believer, you're
crucible. The law demands your death. You've died with Christ
at the cross at Calvary. So, he's going up to Jerusalem
to accomplish that, and he comes across a certain blind man. A certain blind man, verse 35,
as he's coming near to Jericho, a certain blind man by the wayside,
begging. He's a beggar. His name, Bartimaeus,
we know that from Mark's account in his gospel. And then later,
he comes across Zacchaeus, verse 2 of chapter 19. A man named
Zacchaeus. you notice how particular God's
dealings with people are, individuals, individuals, you know it's good,
we like in the flesh to go along with the crowd we like to be
anonymous in the crowd but God comes to individuals and he picks
out individuals and he says Peter, follow me. He says, John, follow
me. He says to Mary, follow me. He says to Rahab, follow me. Individuals, individuals. He
comes in sovereign electing grace to individuals. These two men,
Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus, are so alike. I say, no, they don't
seem alike. Oh, yes, they are. They're alike
in this respect. They're alike in the respect
that we're like then, every one of us, and everyone walking by
outside here and wherever we might meet them on this teeming
planet of people. Everyone, sinners, all sinners
before the law of God. We're all, whatever elevation
of status or rank we think we might have, we're all brought
to the same level in the judgment of God. were all, these two were
both children of Adam and therefore with his sinful nature. That's what we're like in the
flesh. Flesh is always flesh. Children of wrath, even as the
multitude all around them, both appointed to die once and then
the judgment, to stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
As they are, as everybody outside of Christ is, without hope of
eternal life, facing only eternal condemnation. Both these men
Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus, both in dire, desperate spiritual
need of the righteousness which alone God can accept. Follow
holiness, pursue it, without which no man shall see the Lord.
You must have that righteousness of God. They're both lost concerning
eternity, concerning God, concerning heaven. They're both lost, but
what did the Son of Man come to do? to seek and to save that
which was lost. They're different also, they're
different, they're different. Bartimaeus, he was a poor disabled
beggar, he couldn't work because of his blindness, you can imagine
in those days of 2,000 years ago there wouldn't be all of
the helps and the benefits and the careful social thinking about
taking care of blind people that we see today. No, he was a poor
disabled beggar, he was at the bottom end of the spectrum of
social status. He was a worthless beggar by
the roadside. And why was he by the roadside?
Because people passed by. And there they might give him
some money. And there he might get what he needed just to put
some food in his mouth and stay alive. He was a poor disabled
beggar. And Zacchaeus? He's at the other
end of the social spectrum. Yes, he's a publican. A Roman
tax collector. Hated by the people. Hated for
his corruption, you know we read so much about corruption in different
parts of the world today how rich countries are just totally
disabled by the corruption that's in their systems and in their
processes, well these people were notorious for their corruption
in the process of collecting taxes for the Romans making themselves
hideously rich at poor people's expense and Zacchaeus wasn't
just one of the publicans He was the chief among the publicans
in this area. He was the boss man, but he was
a man of very small stature. He was only a very little man.
You know the chorus? Zacchaeus was a very little man,
and a very little man was he. And he climbed up into a sycamore
tree for the Savior he wanted to see. And as the Savior passed
that way, he looked into the tree and said, now Zacchaeus,
you come down, for I'm coming to your house for tea. You know,
you might know that chorus. But he's there, he's there because
he wants to get a view. They've both been drawn. Opposite
ends of the spectrum, one a poor worthless beggar, the other this
rich man Zacchaeus. But they're both drawn, I tell
you. God, the Holy Spirit, draws those
whom the Father gave to the Son to hear his word and to believe
his gospel. They're both drawn. Jeremiah
31 verse 3, yea, this is God speaking through the prophet,
yea, listen to this, believer, listen to this, yea, I have loved
thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee God draws His people with loving kindness,
I have drawn you. Hosea 11 verse 4, I drew them
with cords of a man, with bands of love. Psalm 110 verse 3, thy
people shall be made willing in the day of thy power. He makes
his people willing. He draws them with the chords
of love. There's that hymn that we used to sing, I sought the
Lord, but afterward I knew he moved my soul to seek him. He
drew me with the chords of love. He drew me with loving kindness
to seek him. He drew me. Why am I here? Ask yourself this. Anybody listening
on the internet, ask yourself, why am I here listening to this? Is it because of the power of
the oratory? I don't think so. I don't think so. You can go
and hear many a more eloquent speaker. Is it because of the
music? People go to religion because
of the music. Is it because of the music? I don't think so.
Anybody that's listened to us singing in the first part of
our service will know that you're not here because of the quality
of the music. Is it because of the music? Is
it because of the excitement you know there's a lot of religion
even in this town there's great big churches taking over empty
office blocks because there's so many of them and they want
to dance in the aisle and wave their arms in the air and they
all get a wonderful lifted up feeling and it feels so good
and there's such excitement why am I here? why am I here? maybe it's just this maybe it's
just to hear the Good Shepherd Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd
I give my life for the sheep. Maybe it's just to hear the good
shepherd call his lost sheep. Is that why? Maybe that's why.
Maybe that's why. Just to hear the good shepherd
call his lost sheep. Bartimaeus, sat by the roadside,
he cries out, verse 38 of chapter 18. He cried, saying, Jesus,
thou son of David, have mercy on me. Who was he looking at?
Son of David, David's greatest son, the Messiah, the promised
Messiah, of whom David was a type and a picture in many ways, but
in many other ways was just such a sinner like the rest of us.
Yet, yet, such a type of Christ as the king of his people, as
the prosperous, victorious king of his people, as the one who
dealt with all of their needs in years and years of glorious
reign, Here is David's greatest son, but Jesus says to the Pharisees,
he says, what's thinking of Christ? Whose son is he? How is it that
David calls him Lord? He's God. The Lord, God, said
unto my Lord, sit down at my right hand until I make your
enemies my footstool. How is it It's because the Son
of David in the flesh is the eternal Son of God, David's Lord
in the Spirit. That's who he is. He came. He
came for his people. Why am I here? To hear him. And
why was Bartimaeus where he was? To cry out by the roadside, Son
of David, have mercy on me. Help me, Lord, is what he was
praying. Help me, Lord. Help me. He is a blind man. Help
me, Lord." And in saying, Lord, what's he saying? He's acknowledging.
Here, walking by, is the promised son of David. Here, walking by,
is God come in the flesh, that all the scriptures said would
come. Here is the one of whom they said, say unto the cities
of Judah. As he walks into Jericho, behold
your God. And he says, Lord, Lord, God
in the flesh. My God in the flesh. Like Thomas
said to him, when he saw the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and
he saw the nail prints in his hands and the spear wound in
his side as he'd risen from the dead and Thomas fell at his feet,
said he wouldn't believe at first but when he saw him he fell at
his feet, my Lord and my God, my Lord, faith, my Lord and my
God. And Bartimaeus cried out, Lord,
Lord, God in flesh, Messiah, the Promised One, the Holy One
of Israel, God who delights in mercy God whose law cannot be
merciful delights in mercy and makes a means whereby he can
be merciful God who delights in mercy what's he asking? take
away my physical blindness I'm blind, what do you want? take
away my physical blindness all that I might see but in that
he evidenced that he'd been given the gift of faith to believe
the gospel verse forty-two What wilt thou that I should do to
thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus
said unto him, Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee. He'd
been given the gift of faith to see who this was and the mission
that he was on. And somehow, by the means of
the Holy Spirit revealing him to it, he had faith. Yes, you
can see physically, but it's because he's been saved. And
he's been made conscious of his saving. We know he's amongst
that seed of Abraham. We know he's amongst that elect,
chosen of God from before the beginning of time. How do we
know it? We know it because of his belief of the truth. Sanctification
of the Spirit, belief of the truth. It's the proof. It's the
proof. He evidenced the gift of faith
to believe the gospel. Thy faith hath saved thee. Not
his believing as an act that he did. That didn't make him
righteous with God. No, not at all. It was what he
believed in. That Christ was coming to satisfy
the law for his people. If you believe that he is able,
said Jesus to a man in another place, if you believe, can this
happen? If you believe that he's able,
he gives faith to those whom he saved. Now what about Zacchaeus? He was of short stature, he couldn't
see. Have you ever been in a crowd
where you wanted to see what was going on? You boys, you young
boys. You know, when you're in a crowd
and you're wanting to see something, and you're with your dad, what
do you ask your dad to do? Lift me up, put me on your shoulders
so that I can see over the crowd what's going on. Zacchaeus was
a little man. He climbed into a tree. Why? He was curious. What's this all
about? Given what he was, a tax collector,
He was probably looking out, wherever there's people, you
know what there's an opportunity for? Making some more money.
Maybe he could make some more money. Maybe he could see something
that would help him collect more taxes and thereby rake off more
for himself. He just wanted to see, he was
curious. And for both these men, Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus, Jesus,
on his determined journey to Jerusalem to accomplish that
which he must do in the covenant of grace, he stood still. Jesus stood still, even on that
determined walk to Jerusalem. He stood still. Why? Because
here are two of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And he
must call them. He must call them to himself.
Even though he hasn't yet gone to the cross, yet, in eternal
redemption, he saved them from their sins. It's to be accomplished
in time, but he's justified them from all eternity. He must call
them as he must call every single one. He stood and commanded them
to come to him. Chapter 18, verse 40, Jesus stood
and commanded him to be brought to him. Jesus stood. Is he calling
you now? Is he calling you? Chapter 19,
verse 5, Jesus came to the place and looked up and saw him and
said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down to me. He
called them to come to him. There were crowds and crowds
and crowds of people, but he called these two. He may have
called more, but we read of these two. He called more. The crowds
followed him. Why? for the miracles, they wanted
more loaves, they'd seen five thousand fed, they wanted more
loaves, they wanted an easy time, they wanted this worker of miracles
to come and heal diseases and feed them and do things for them
and make the Romans go away and all of these other things they
followed him for loaves, they followed him to see miracles,
they followed him out of curiosity some followed him out of conviction
of sin, knowing that they were not right with God but that here
was something in this man. Could this be the Christ? They
followed him out of hope of getting some help. They followed him,
some, some, a few, out of love for him. but both Bartimaeus
and Zacchaeus were there where Christ would pass by. Who will
come to Christ? Who will come to Christ? Jesus
tells us, John 6, 44, no man can come to me except the Father
which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last
day. All those that the Father gives me will come to me, he
said. And no man can come unless the Father draws him. That's
true. Christ, the Saviour, is found
by those that God causes to come. But this is true also. Christ,
the Saviour, is found by them that didn't seek him. Isaiah
65 verse 1, God speaking, I, God, am found of them that sought
me not. I'm not seeking God yet. Even in the sovereign grace of
God those that are not seeking him are found of him. I am found
of those that seek me not because that's his sovereign grace to
save. but given that he is always found by those who truly seek
him Jeremiah 29 verses 13 and 14 God says this to his people
and ye shall seek me and ye shall find me when ye shall search
for me with all your heart and I will be found You know what
it's like, again another illustration for the boys, you know we like
playing hide and seek don't we? Don't we like playing hide and
seek? And sometimes it's really, really hard to find the one that's
hiding isn't it? Very, very hard. Well you know
God says this, if you seek for me, if you look for me, you will
find me he says I will be found you know when you shout out make
a noise so we can tell where you are and the person God says
I will be found I will make myself known I will let you find me
I will be found of you saith the Lord for Bartimaeus the blind
man God gave him a need what was the need he gave him? blindness
from birth gave him blindness and someone told him about Jesus
of Nazareth and he made sure he went where Jesus would pass
by. He'd heard about this man that
had healed blindness, that had cured lepers, that had done all
of these wonderful things, that spoke the words of eternal life. And he's coming on a journey
to Jerusalem and he's going to be passing by here. I must go
there. I must be by that roadside. I
must be there. I have no other hope unless I
hear him and see him and have him be merciful to me. of Zacchaeus. It was curiosity that made him
come to see Jesus. It was hope of more gain. And
Jesus effectually called him. Where is he today? Where is Jesus
of Nazareth today? I'll tell you. He's in the preaching
of his gospel, in true gospel preaching. That's where he is.
That's where you'll find him. Where do you go to be by the
wayside where he'll walk by? If you have opportunity Make
sure you go and meet with God's people. Make sure you go and
meet where the gospel is being preached. If you possibly can,
make sure you go. I know some that are unable to
for all sorts of reasons. There's such a dearth of places
preaching the gospel in this country that there are many who
join with us who have to sit on their own at home and join
with us on the internet, and it's great to have them do that.
But if you possibly can, meet with God's people. Meet with
a people who love the gospel of grace, because there, in the
preaching of the gospel, Jesus will pass by. Cry out to him. have mercy on me Lord have mercy
on me Lord we know that Zacchaeus was saved wasn't he they were
both lost Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus were both lost but the son of
man sought them and saved them he told Bartimaeus your faith
has saved you he had saved him and he had given faith to believe
what he was doing and Zacchaeus yes he says in verse 9 of chapter
19 Jesus said to him this day is salvation come to this house
it was evidenced by Zacchaeus' repentance, which is shown in
verse 8. He's going to give everything
back that he's stolen and make over four times what he's taken
from people. that he's corruptly defrauded.
And Jesus says this day is salvation, come to this house. For as much,
how do we know? What does it show us? That this
man Zacchaeus is also a son of Abraham. He's a child of Abraham. Both were lost but both are saved
and both are now in eternal glory. Now. What did Jesus say to the
thief on the cross? who pleaded for him to remember
him he said they're dying on the cross and the thief said
lord remember me when you come into your kingdom and Jesus said
truly I say to you this day shall you be with me in paradise in
heaven beholding his face in eternal bliss both Bartimaeus
and Zacchaeus Both, along with all God's elect, will hear that
judgment day summons. You know that day which is such
a day of wrath for the world that hates Christ and rejects
his gospel? Both will hear that glorious
judgment day summons. Matthew 25, verse 34. Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world.