God is in the Business of Pursuing Men

God is in the Business of Pursuing Men

Text: Luke 19:1–10 (KJV 1900)

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.

Introduction:

I. God comes looking for us. God is perusing you.

* I the same manner that Jesus looked around that busy crowded scene and sought a little man named Zacchaeus, God is also looking for others this morning.

* I want you to understand this morning that God is in the business of perusing men and women and boys and girls.

* Jesus said that

John 6:43–44 (KJV 1900)

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:

Jesus also said:

John 12:32 (KJV 1900)

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

* I want you to know that God is in the business of pursuing men this morning!

* Our text says that because of the “press” a little short man called Zacchaeus, climbed a tree to see Jesus. There were plenty of men and women there on that busy street that were curious and wanted to see Jesus, but God was on that street perusing a little man named Zacchaeus.

* I think of all the men in the Bible God perused:

* I think of Adam the very next day after Adam and his wife had sinned against God- God came to the garden to fellowship with Adam, but Adam was hiding from God.

* I can hear the voice of God now as He walked through the trees of the Garden calling out “Adam where art thou?” God pursued after Adam.

* I think of Jacob who left his home fleeing from his brother Esau, but there in the wilderness God pursued after Jacob and there Jacob met with God and saw a vision of a ladder to heaven. God pursued after Jacob.

* Again, once more Jacob was afraid because of his brother Esau, God perused Jacob to the point the He even wrestled with him all night long in the wilderness.

* I think of Joseph who was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, then thrown into an Egyptian prison, but God pursued after Joseph and brought him out of prison to deliver his entire family with a great hand!

* I think of Moses, who ran from Egypt to hide in the desert of Midian and How God pursued Moses there in that desert, and appeared to him in a burning bush.

* I think of the prophet Jonah, how he ran from God and got on a ship headed away from where God had sent him to preach, but God pursued Jonah and caused a great storm on the sea. The men through Jonah overboard, and God caused a great fish to swallow up Jonah.

* There, in the belly of that fish, Jonah gave up running from God and God saved the entire city of Nineveh from destruction.

* I think of the Apostle Paul. The apostle Paul thought he knew God. Paul thought he was pleasing God persecuting those Christians who he thought were against the Jewish religion.

* We read in Acts chapter 9 of how Jesus himself pursued Paul on the road to Damascus. Listen to the account of how God pursued the apostle Paul:

Acts 9:1–6 (KJV 1900)

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

II. God desires to reveal Himself to you.

Text: Luke 19:1–10 (KJV 1900)

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.

* Why did Jesus want to go to the home of Zacchaeus? Because Jesus wanted to reveal Himself to Zaachaeus!

* When we first realize that God is pursuing us, our response to God is just like that of the Apostle Paul- Lord, what can I do for you?

* But more than wanting you do something for Him, God is more interested in us experiencing Him. After that God pursues you, God wants to reveal himself to you.

* One if the first things that God reveals about Himself to is that God's ways are not our ways.

Isaiah 55:7–9 (KJV 1900)

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.

* There is an old saying that says “God works in mysterious ways.” This saying comes from the fact that God’s ways cannot be understood with human reasoning.

* God's desire is to reveal Himself to you in such a way that you experience Him and who He is.

* Let me remind you of a few examples:

* Take for instance the battle of Jericho.

* The Joshua and the armies of God’s people stood before that great walled city of Jericho faced with an impossible task.

* Instead of preparing to smash in the gates and scale the walls of the city, God had them put on a parade!

* God instructed them to march around the walls of Jericho every day for 7 days! Can you imagine the conversations that went among the soldiers as the marched around the city?

* On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times and on the seventh time blow trumpets!

* Don’t you think that there were a few folks that wondered what in the world God was doing in their life!

* In the end we see God reveal his great power and the walls of that city fell flat and that impossible city was taken!

* So why did God work through such strange ways in the battle of Jericho? God wanted his people to experience who He was!

* I think of Gideon, who God whittled his arm down to 300 men and had them blow on trumpets and hold up a lantern to deliver from an enemy that was much greater than them!

* I think of a man named Naaman. Naaman was the commander of the great Syrian army. Naaman was struck with the awful disease of leprosy.

* The Syrians had gone out and captured some of the people of Israel and take then captive. Among them was a little girl, who when she heard of Naaman’s leprosy, told of a prophet of God in Israel who could heal Naaman’s leprosy.

* Now Naaman, goes to the land of Israel to find this prophet of God Elisha:

2 Kings 5:9–15 (KJV 1900)

9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

III. God pursues you because he wants you to love Him.

* There is a reason God Pursues men. God’s greatest desire is that you love Him.

* The correct question is not what Lord what can I do for you, but Lord, Lord what is on your heart?

* God is more concerned with how you love Him that what you can do for Him.

* The number one desire on the heart of God for you is that you love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Deuteronomy 6:4–7 (KJV 1900)

5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Matthew 22:35–40 (KJV 1900)

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him,

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

* Many of us start out in our relationship with God by trying to do things for God. We think that we please God with our business for Him, but we soon fall into a state of disillusionment and discouragement.

* The problem is that we are trying to please God with what we do for Him, and what really pleases God is our devotion and love for Him.

* The cure for discouragement is a love relationship with God.

* God did not create us for results, He created us to love Him.

* When we cultivate our relationship with God, or what Jesus called “abide” in Him, we will automatically bear fruit.

* You may say, “But How do we abide in Jesus?” Well the answer is plain- you abide, or, live in His Word. You live in the World of God, the Bible!

John 15:7–11 (KJV 1900)

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,

ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

* On one occasion we see two sisters who were followers of Jesus Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lasuras who Jesus raised from the dead Illustrate this principle:

Luke 10:38–42 (KJV 1900)

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

III. The revelation of God to us becomes the invitation of God to line our lives up with what He is doing.

* Whenever God moves in your life, it is an invitation for you to become involved in what He is doing.

* It was said of Abraham that he was God's friend,

James 2:23 (KJV 1900)

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

so God revealed to Abraham what He was doing.

Genesis 18:17–19 (KJV 1900)

17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Amos 3:7 (KJV 1900)

7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, But he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

John 15:15–16 (KJV 1900)

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:

IV. Look for the activity of God and join Him.

* Find out where God is working in your life, and then align your life with what God is doing.

(God told David to look for the wind in the trees).

2 Samuel 5:22–25 (KJV 1900)

22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself:

for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. 25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

* God does intend for us to work for Him once we have learned to love Him with all our heart.

* So how do we find out what it is that God wants us to do for Him?

* Find out from God’s Word what is close to his heart. Make what God cares about what you care about.

* By Abiding in Christ and His words, we learn what is close to the heart of God.

* As we learn what God loves, then we are able to see what God is doing in the world. This is the “will” of God.

* Find out where God is working in your life, and then align your life with what God is doing.

* Do you see God working in a certain church? The Join up with it! Do you see God working in a certain kind of ministry? The get involved in that ministry?

* One good way to find out what God is doing is to look at what God used to reveal Himself to you. God was working in that!

Text: Luke 19:1–10 (KJV 1900)

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.

Conclusion:

* God peruses us to love Him, and then He reveals to us what He is doing, so that we will line our lives up with what He is doing.

* Has God been Pursuing you this morning? Why not stop fighting God and Submit to Him this morning?

* Do you have a love relationship with God and His word this morning? Why not stop being so busy and take time to abide with Jesus this week?

* Are you actively watching to see what God is doing in your life and around you this morning? Have you seen God doing anything? Join up with what God is doing!

* Is there a ministry doing what is close to the heart of God? Join up and help!

* Is there a need that is close to the heart of God? Then do something to fill that need!