The Lord has blessed our church,
hasn't he, with many who play musical instruments, and we thank
the Lord for them and the music. We have others in our congregation
who can play instruments as well, but we don't have any more room,
so we're limited. But I do appreciate all of those
who play, and they do such a good job, faithful. If you will, let's
open our Bibles today to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 19. Luke, Chapter 19. We'll read
the first 10 verses in this chapter. 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. 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. And he made haste and came down
and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all
murmured, saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that
is a sinner. 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. 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 has come to
seek and to save that which was lost. I want you to notice in
verse nine, the words of the Lord Jesus. He said, this day
is salvation come to this house. Salvation comes. When a person
is born into this world, he is not born saved, but rather lost. Salvation comes. In our translation of the scriptures,
this is the only time. There's one other place when
the Lord Jesus Christ used the word that is here translated
salvation. Two places here in our text. And also when he was speaking
to that Samaritan woman by the well, he told her You worship,
you know not what we know, that is us Jews, we know what we worship,
for salvation is of the Jews. Someone said, and I agree, that
salvation is the sweetest word that any sinner can hear. The sweetest word that any sinner
can hear, the word salvation. because this word speaks to us
of forgiveness, of pardon, of reconciliation, of adoption,
of justification, of sanctification, of redemption, and glorification,
salvation. Now, I said in our translation
of the scripture, the Lord Jesus Christ, he only used this word
twice, But the apostles, they used it many times. A few examples. The apostle Peter in Acts chapter
4 and verse 12. He was speaking to a group of
Jewish leaders, religious leaders. And he said unto them, neither
is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. And then the Apostle Paul in
Romans 1 and verse 16, he used the same word when he said, for
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God unto salvation unto everyone that believeth. And then the
Apostle Jude in his very small, short letter, he said, Beloved,
when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation. Now that word common, it doesn't
mean that salvation is something very common. But what it means
is there's only one Savior, only one salvation, and if a person
is saved, no matter at what age he came into this world, What
place He lived in this world, there's only one way for that
person to have been saved, or to be saved. It's a common salvation. There's only one. Only one Savior. Only one God. And only one way
to God. And that is through His Son,
Jesus Christ. Our Lord. Now two times this
word, which is translated salvation, the Greek word, is translated
by these words. It is translated once, deliverance. And that's what salvation is.
If you're asked, well what is salvation? You people over there,
you talk a lot about being saved and salvation. What does that
mean? Well salvation, what it means
is deliverance. Deliverance from what? Deliverance
from sin. From sin. You know, this first
verse here says, Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Here
is a city at that time in which all of the inhabitants that lived
in that city, if they had not been saved by the grace of God,
they were under the curse of a broken law and not only that,
But they lived in a city which was under a curse. Cursed by
the law. Cursed. The law cursed everyone
who broke the law. And we all did in our father,
Adam. So, salvation means deliverance. Deliverance from the penalty
of sin, which is death. Deliverance from the power of
sin. And thank God one day deliverance
from the very presence of sin. And those of you who know Christ
today, don't you with me look forward to that day when we are
delivered from the very presence of sin. In this world, we see
it on every hand. We see it in ourselves. We see
it in sickness and death, sorrow, all of the things that sin has
brought into this world. One day to be delivered from
the very presence of sin and to be with the Lord where sin
cannot come, cannot molest. And then it's also translated
by the word health, health and salvation. is the greatest healing
of all, the greatest healing of all, the healing of our sin-sick
persons. By his stripes, the prophet Isaiah,
prophesying of the Lamb of God, said, by his stripes we are healed. Now, I have three divisions to
the message, but most of what I want to say is under this first
division. First, let's think about what
is written here of Zacchaeus, of Zacchaeus. If God had somehow enabled you
on this very day, this day that the Lord Jesus Christ passed
through Jericho, If God somehow had enabled you to see every
person who lived in Jericho, and God had told you one of these
individuals is going to be saved today. One of these individuals
is going to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ today. If you
could have seen everyone there, hundreds I'm sure, I doubt that
anyone would have thought That's him. It's going to be Zacchaeus. Oh no. The most unlikely person
probably in the whole city. Here's the first thing that is
written about Zacchaeus. This is in verse 2. He was chief
among the publicans and he was rich. Three things there. You know, three strikes and you're
out. Well here's three strikes. But
Zacchaeus wasn't out. Three strikes. First of all,
he was a publican. Now, Lord, many times in showing
the the depravity of men, he said, the publicans and the harlots. In other words, these were the
individuals, the people in Israel at that time that people thought
they were at the bottom of the ladder. They were the most depraved,
the most sinful people in the land. Publicans and harlots. And that's what he was. He was
a publican. We know that was an office. He
worked for the Romans. The Jews were under the authority
or the power of the Romans. And this man worked for the enemy,
you might say. And he was a tax collector. And they had a lot of liberty
in how they could abuse that office to get gain that they
had not earned to take things from people. Might even call
it legalized robbery. Legalized robbery. That was the
first thing we see about him. He was a publican. Second, he
was a chief among the publicans. He wasn't just a publican. That's
bad enough, but no, he was a chief among the publicans. That meant
that other publicans probably had to answer to him. And he
got a cut. He got a percentage of all of
their unjust gain that they were able to extort from the people
he received. So that's the second thing. He
was a publican. He was a chief among the publicans. And the third thing, he was rich. He was rich. You know, it had
not been many days When this took place, it had not been many
days since the Lord Jesus Christ made this statement about the
rich. He told his disciples, he said, for it is easier for
a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter
into the kingdom of God. Now, you say, well, he wasn't
talking about me. Yes, he was. There's nobody in
this building who's not rich. Really. And we like to think,
oh, well, the Rockefellers and the Kennedys and Bill Gates,
those are rich people. Yeah, they are. But so is everyone
in this building today. And our Lord, when He made that
statement, He said it's easier for a camel to go through a needle's
eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. He wasn't
saying it's hard. Oh, it's hard. It's difficult. No, he was saying it's impossible. It's impossible. Think about
one of these big old camels, these animals with two humps
on its back and one of those needles that you use to sew with
and for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle. You think
that's possible? Of course not. Neither is it
possible for a rich man, a poor man, or any other man to enter
into the kingdom of God, but by the grace and power of God. That's just so. It's impossible
apart from the grace and power of God. Why? Salvation is of
the Lord. No one, as I said, no one would
have thought that day that Zacchaeus would hear the Lord's word and
be saved, but he was. How do you explain that? Well,
look at our Lord's words in verse 6. How do we explain this? I'm sorry, verse 9. This day
is salvation come to this house. Now notice, for as much as he
also is a son of Abraham. What does that mean? What did
our Lord mean? He is a son of Abraham. Salvation
came to him. You know these people that were
murmuring? You see that above that in verse 7? When they saw
it, they all murmured. Who were they? They were all
sons of Abraham too. Look with me in Romans chapter
9. They were all sons of Abraham, the religious group. Murmured
at the Lord because he went in to eat with a publican. You notice
they didn't murmur because he went in to eat with a Gentile.
That was forbidden. But that's not why they were
murmuring. He went in to eat with a publican. They were Jews. They were descendants of Abraham.
But notice what we read here in Romans chapter 9 and verse
6. Not as though the word of God
have taken none effect. Now what does Paul mean here?
Well, people were asking, why is it that so many Gentiles are
being saved and so few Jews? Why is that happening? Has God's
Word not taken effect? Doesn't God have the power? That's
what he's asking. Not as though the Word of God
has taken none effect. Why? For they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel. They're all descendants of Abraham. They're all Jews, Israelites,
but no, they're not all Israel. Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham, sons of Abraham, are they all children. But in
Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise are counted for the seed. He, Zacchaeus, was
the son of Abraham. That means he is one of the spiritual
seed of Abraham. And every child of God is. Did you know that? Look in Galatians
chapter 3. Every child of God is. Galatians chapter 3. In verse 26, the apostle said,
for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ, and that's not water
baptism either. There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there's neither bond nor free, there's neither male nor female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now watch, and if you
be Christ, then are you Abraham's seed. Then are you one of those
that God promised Abraham, a spiritual seed. And remember what God told
Abraham about this spiritual seed. He said, if you can number
the stars, if you can number the grain of
sand by the seashore, that's what your seed is going to be,
Abraham. And he told him that when he
had no children and was 90 some years old. That's amazing, isn't
it? He too, the Lord said about Zacchaeus,
he too is a son of Abraham. He too was included in that promise
that God made to Abraham concerning his seed. And every child of
God, every believer is a child of Abraham. That is a child of
the promise, the promise that God made to Christ. Now, notice
back in our text, that's the first thing we read about Zacchaeus. He was a publican, he was a chief
of the publicans, and he was rich. Three strikes. Three strikes
and he'd be out. No, no. God's still the God of
sovereign grace, isn't he? Amen. The next thing in verse
3, It says, he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and could
not for the press, for he was little of stature. Well, how
do we explain this? He had a desire. I believe the
Lord was already working in his heart, no doubt. He had a desire. Why are you here today? Why are
you here? If you're here and you're not,
and you've never confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord
and Savior, why are you here? Why would you be here? Did you
come just because someone invited you? Did you come just to please
someone else? Why are you here today if you
did not know Christ as your Lord and Savior? You're not here by
accident. God purposed this from before
the foundation of the world that you would be here today, that
you would hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you
have any interest? You say, boy, I can't wait till
this is over. You don't have any interest. You have any interest? Zacchaeus did. I don't know for
sure, but I would remind us of this. It's possible that Zacchaeus
had heard of a fellow publican, a fellow publican by the name
of Matthew. Maybe he had. and his strange
conduct. How that one day, Matthew was
sitting there collecting taxes as he had for many days, and
someone passed by. Who was it? It was this Jesus. And he said, follow me. And Matthew
got up, This man who had desired more and more, that's the reason
he was in this office as a publican, to collect taxes and accrue wealth
to himself, that all of a sudden he just stood up and walked away.
That's strange behavior. Let me go see. Let me go see
this man. that wrought that in Matthew. We don't know that, of course,
but I do know this, that when Zacchaeus, he couldn't see the
Lord. That's the reason he climbed
up in that tree. He wanted to see the Lord. I know this, Christ
saw him. Christ saw him. In fact, his
omniscient eye had been on Zacchaeus from the day he came into this
world. There's such a teaching in the
word of God we call prevenient grace. Grace before grace. Grace to keep God's children,
God's elect, God's lost sheep until that time of love when
he passes by and he says, live. It may just have been curiosity,
I don't know. But the next thing we read about
him is, and this doesn't surprise us, Zacchaeus, make haste and
come down, for today I must abide at thy house. In verse 5. The Lord Jesus called him by name,
didn't He? He calls His sheep by name. He
does. You say, well, Have you ever
heard an audible voice? No, I haven't heard an audible
voice, but I tell you what, he called me one day by name. You say, well, he called you?
No, he didn't call me David. He called me Center. He's talking to me. He's talking
to me. That's who I am. Sinner, he called
Zacchaeus by name. Zacchaeus, make haste and come
down. And verse six doesn't surprise
us at all when we read that he came down. He came down. He made haste, just like the
Lord told him to. Make haste, he made haste. Come
down, he came down. I know a man And I've known him
for a number of years. And the first time God began
a work, I believe, this is his testimony, he was up on a ladder,
painting, and a preacher came to visit. And the preacher called
him by name and said, don't you think it's time you came down
from that ladder and came to church? And he came down. I believe he's probably been
in a worship service and not just any church either. He's
been where the gospel is proclaimed and preached all these years,
40 some years probably. Same thing about Zacchaeus, come
down. Doesn't surprise us that he came
down because the one who spoke these words, remember this, he's
the same one who in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. He's the same one who said, let
there be light, and there was light. The same one. You see, with his word, with
his word of command also goes power. We have these people today
that want us to believe that it would have been possible that
he could have said, well, I don't want the Lord to save me. I tell
you what, I'm going to exercise my free will and I'm not going
to allow the Lord to save me. What foolishness. What foolishness
is such a teaching as that, my friends. You see, Zacchaeus'
will had been bound up in chains until this very moment. And it
was when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to him that his will was
set free. that he might come to Christ,
that he might look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, look what is written of
him next. He received him joyfully. Verse six, he received him joyfully. In receiving him, now hear me,
when he received him, he received salvation. Salvation is not in a plan. So many people think it's in
a plan, you know, they've got their ABCs, step one, step two,
step three. No, salvation is in a person. In the person. He said, I am
the resurrection and the life. You know, Martha, she said, well,
I know Lazarus will rise in the resurrection. He said, Martha, I am the resurrection and the
life. Do you believe that? Believest
thou this? That's what he asked her. I am.
You're talking about a resurrection out there someday, but Martha,
I am the resurrection and the life. In him there's life. He that hath the Son hath life.
He that hath not the Son of God, the wrath of God abides upon
him. When he received Christ, he received
salvation. You know, look over in John's
gospel just a moment. John chapter 1. I'll read this,
but I want you to look at it for yourself. John chapter 1.
In verse 12. John chapter 1 in verse 12. But
as many as received Him, who? Christ, the Lamb of God, the
Lord Jesus Christ, God's anointed one. To as many as received Him,
to them gave He power. If you look in your margin, it
says the right or the privilege. to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on His name. How do you receive Him? You believe
on His name. Which were born, notice the next
verse, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. All right, back in
the text. Look next at what is written
of him. Verse 8. 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. He was a new man. He didn't turn
over a new leaf. He was a new man. He was changed
from the inside out, not the outside in. It's not that which
goes into the man that defiles the man, it's that which comes
out. And what Zacchaeus needed is the same thing that every
son of Adam needs, and that is a new heart. He had a new heart,
and it was manifested, it was demonstrated in his conduct. The half of my goods I give to
the poor, and if I've taken anything from any man by false accusation,
I restore him fourfold. He was a changed man. He had
a new Lord, and now he had a desire to please his Lord. So salvation brought deliverance
from the guilt No doubt he had a guilty conscience. He had deceived
people. He had wronged people. Guilty
conscience. Salvation means the Lord takes
that guilt away. He was filthy. You see, sin's
defiling, and he was now washed in the blood of Christ. Not only
that, but the power of sin that had held him in bondage was now
broken, and he could live and serve the Lord. All right, that's
the first part of the message. Here's the second part, and the
third part will be almost as short. For just a moment, let's think
of how many people over these last 2,100 years have heard this
message, this word that's recorded about Zacchaeus and have been
blessed. That is, they've heard this word,
only the Lord knows just how many. And God has spoken unto
them, and God has called them out of darkness into his marvelous
light. We can't know how many, but perhaps,
perhaps there's one here today. Perhaps. What a blessing. One here today. And you see,
in the case of Zacchaeus, how the Lord saved a very wicked
man, and he saved him instantaneously. He received him, and when he
received him, he received salvation. Think about that. I know this. I know that many years ago now,
I was sitting in a service much like this here today. And this
word came to me in power. Verse 10, for the Son of Man
has come to seek and to save that which is lost. And my life
has never been the same. That word came to me in power
and God taught me and showed me that salvation is not in a
decision. It's not in anything that I could
do. Salvation is in the person and
work of Jesus Christ. Maybe it's coming to someone
in power like that here today. The last thing, think for just
a moment today. This is a real character. This
isn't make believe. You know that, don't you? This
isn't make, we call these Bible stories Bible history. That's
what it is. This was a real man, a real sinner
who was saved by real salvation. Think of where he is and what
he's doing today. I know where he is, don't you?
And I know what he's doing. You say, where is he? He's somewhere
around the throne. He's somewhere around the throne,
and on that throne is the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I know what he's doing. He's
singing praises and giving glory and honor unto him, because all
of his salvation, that is Zacchaeus, is the Lord Jesus Christ. He gets all the glory, all the
honor. It's all of his doing. Well, I hope there's some Zacchaeus
here today. And the Lord speaks to you. And he says, Zacchaeus,
come down. for our must needs abide at your
house today. If he says that to you, you'll
come down and you'll receive him gladly. We're going to sing
a hymn before we're dismissed in prayer number 222.