The Miracle of Zaccheus

Seek The Lost

we are going to start at the end this time

Who are the lost?

are the lost all of the unsaved?

are all the lost everybody in the world?

if the mission of Jesus is to find all of the lost and save them. didn’t Jesus fail in His mission?

because we know that all people are not saved.

so what does Jesus mean?

let me give you an illustration that Charles Spurgeon gave

there is a man in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. he has plenty of food and water. He knows that it is only a matter of time and he will be rescued. days go by and he sees a ship on the horizon coming his way. he yells and waves his arms trying to get the attention but it goes on without stopping. but he still has food and water and still has plenty of hope. another week goes by his food is down to just a little bit when he sees another ship. He again does his best to get their attention but to no avail. but all hope is not gone because he still has a few pieces of food and a little water. now the food has run out. the water is gone. no ships in sight. he has given up all hope of ever getting rescued. He has settled down to die.

this is what it means to be lost.

if a person thinks that they are going to heaven because of something that they did that person is not lost.

if a person thinks that they are going to heaven because they are a good person that person is not lost

all people have some sort of hope in a good afterlife

Luke is telling us of a man who was lost

and the miracles it took to save this man

or the God things surrounding this man

read Luke 19 1-10.

A Wee Little Man

V 1-2

Zach was a very rich man

He was a chief tax collector

considered to be a very sinful man

an outcast from society

his only friend were to be like him

God made Zaccheus a small man

Psalm 139:13–18 LSB

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And intricately woven in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unshaped substance; And in Your book all of them were written The days that were formed for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

Jeremiah 1:5 LSB

“Before I formed you in the innermost parts I knew you, And before you came out from the womb I set you apart; I have given you as a prophet to the nations.”

Zach was a small man because it was in the plan of God

V 3

the crowd surely was not going to out of their way for him

he could not see over the top

this man had to see Jesus

see who he was

to know Jesus

so what did he do?

he ran

men in this culture do not run

only children run

men in this culture do not climb trees

only children climb trees

so why was it so important for Zach to see Jesus?

because Zack was lost

how did Zach become lost?

He Was Regenerated

another miracle From the Father through the Holy Spirit

John 3:3–8 LSB

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. “That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

born again and regeneration is the same

this man needed to lose all hope in himself

realize the sinfulness of his sin and the holiness of God

realize his need of mercy and grace

his need of a savior

and if he needs to humiliate himself by running and climbing trees to get saved then that is what he will do

Then we have the miracle of the

Sycamore Tree

the Sycamore fig tree was introduced to the area by the Philistines 100s of years before

the sycamore is a low-branched tree one easily climbed

a tree with branches big enough to hold a man

this area is know for their palm trees

tall and straight

very thin branches

But God knowing that Zack would have to climb a tree had the enemy the Philistines plant one right there handy on the side of the road

one that branched out over the road

tell me God is not in control!!

Jesus when He walked under the tree looked right at Zack

The tree has big leaves it would be hard to see anyone in the tree

but Jesus looked right at him

this brings us to the miracle of

Knowing

in the english this word know has one meaning

is to have previous knowledge of something

but an archaic use of this word used by the KJV this work also has the meaning of To have sexual relations

Adam knew Eve and had a child

to Jeremiah God says. before you were born I knew you. implying that He had a special love relationship with

So Jesus looks right at Zack and calls him by name

how is Jesus so familiar with him?

because when the book of life was written before the foundation of the world Zack’s name was there

John 10:14–16 LSB

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. “And I have other sheep, which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

Zack is one of the sheep from the fold of Jesus

that is why he was so attracted to Him this is why Jesus called him by name. the one who was lost

V 4-6

Zack hurriedly came down

and recieved Jesus

believed in Jesus

put his trust in Jesus

repented of his sin

but when they saw it

V 7

they all who?

the people that would not let him into to see Jesus

calling Zack a sinner

which brings us to the miracle of

The New Life In Christ

the salvation of a rich man

Luke 18:24–25 LSB

And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

this is a camel that did the impossible

a very rich man

Luke 18:27 LSB

But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

it took a miracle to put the stars in place

how do we know he was saved?

V 8

the sin of greed was touched by the finger of God

V 9

a son of Abraham physically

a son of Abraham spiritually

V 10

God did it all

The Father put his name in the book of life

the Holy spirit regenerated him

The son died to redeem him

We now take part in the

Miracle

we spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus

we tell others of their lostness and a savior who saves

Romans 1:16 LSB

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The Gospel is the power of God to save

the Gospel is the power of God to regenerate

the gospel is the power of God to save a lost person