Time to Climb!
Notes
Transcript
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
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 any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Zacchaeus… we sing songs about him in Sunday School.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree
And said, 'Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I'm going to your house today!
For I'm going to your house today!'
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
But a happy man was he
For he had seen the Lord that day
And a happy man was he;
And a very happy man was he
Who was Zacchaeus?
Bible calls him a chief publican.
Publican: Jewish customs officer overseeing the trade going in and out of the city. He also would have levied taxes on all businesses - and collected them, making sure that Rome was sent its tribute.
He was a wealthy man but a lonely one...
He would have had no friends because he would have been seen by his fellow Jews as a traitor helping the Roman occupation.
Just to be seen having a friendly conversation with this man would (and was) enough to send all of Jericho into a frenzy!
He had two things working against him...
1. The people hated him and likely would have used the confusion of the crowd to hurt or even kill him.
2. Even if he would have been unafraid of the crown, he was so short that he would not have been able to see Jesus.
Answer?
Anticipate where Jesus is going, get there first and elevate his position.
He had figured out a profound solution to an old problem…
He figured out; “If if can change my position, I can change my condition!”.
Everyone in the world knows that this is true!
We say: I was in the right place at the right time...
When Lewis and Clark learned there was no water route through the Rockies, they realized they needed horses to cross the terrain. But all the horses belonged to a local Shoshone tribe, so the adventurers asked Sacagawea to broker a deal with the tribe’s leader. When she arrived for the meeting, she discovered it was with her brother. The team got its horses.
Dorothy Fletcher had a heart attack on a flight to Orlando in 2003. When an attendant asked if any doctors were on board, 15 cardiologists stood up. They were en route to a conference. Needless to say, she survived.
We understand the principle of Right Place and Right Time
What we didn’t know is it is a Biblical principle.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
When I get close to God, he comes close to me...
When I repent, he is there with forgiveness!
When I humble myself, he is there to lift me up!
When we change our position it changes our condition!
Zacchaeus was willing to do what he had to do...
Run ahead of the crowd
Climb a tree
So that he could see Jesus!
When Jesus saw that, he through propriety out the window...
I don’t care who you are Zac!
I don’t care your past!
I don’t care your sin!
I don’t care that other hate you!
I am going to your house today and I’m going to change your life forever!
Conclusion:
David had to descend into the valley to experience the Mountain top victory over Goliath...
Blind Bartimus changed his condition by demanding Jesus’ attention...
Lady with the issue of blood had to push through a crowd...
Sometimes our position can be addictive!
I’m just going to sit here and wallow in my misery.
Leave me alone… I am blinded in my situation - I am crippled by life - I am what I am - There is not help for me
Many times it is a simple as forcing yourself to make some tough decisions!