Salvation Comes Home

Salvation Comes Home

Luke 19:1-10

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 as the Savior passed that way He looked up in that tree And He said, "Zacchaeus, you come down! For I'm going to your house today For I'm going to your house to stay"

That little song contains a whole lot of Bible truth, about as much as any song.

But it doesn’t tell the whole story! Yes, Zacchaeus met Jesus and Jesus called him down out of that tree, but that isn’t everything! Far more happened that day!

You see, when Zacchaeus climbed up into that tree, he was a lost sinner, but by the time he got back to the ground he was a child of God. I’m interested in how that happened in his life. You know why? Because it has happened in my life, it’s happened in the lives of other people here today and it can happen in your life as well.

Let’s pray and then we’ll read our text for this morning.

Pray!

Luke 19:1–10 ESV

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Who was Zacchaeus?

He was a tax collector. Actually, he was a “chief tax collector.” He was a traitor to his nation because he was working for the Romans.

Rome set the tax rate, and men like Zacchaeus could charge whatever they wanted on top of it. People had no choice but to pay the taxes they were charged. As a result of his position and his greed, he was rich, powerful, connected, feared, despised and hated.

While Zacchaeus had wealth, position and power, he knew there was something missing in his life.

His financial, political and social connections left him empty.

Somewhere along the way, Zacchaeus heard about a man named Jesus. Maybe he heard from the men who worked for him as they came in from collecting taxes around the community. Maybe he heard the stories firsthand as he fleeced the people out of their cash.

Regardless of what it was, something was tugging at his heart. He wasn’t satisfied with anything he had; he came to the place where nothing but seeing Jesus would satisfy the longings inside.

Many of us have been at this same place.

When we were lost, God brought us to the place where nothing in our lives was enough anymore. He brought us to the place where we knew that something was missing. He brought us to the place where we could no longer fill that need in any of the things that we’d used in the past.

God, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, brought us to the place where we knew we needed Him. So, we came to Him and He saved us by grace.

Maybe, I’m preaching to saved people today. Maybe I’m talking to people who’ve already come to know Jesus in a personal way. But even after we’re saved, there’s a desire to see Him. There’s a desire to know Him. There’s a desire to grow in our relationship with Him.

Well, there should be.

As you read His Word and walk with Him, there will be an ever-growing desire to know Him better. Paul spoke of his own desire to know Christ in a deeper way.

Philippians 3:8–12 ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Paul is talking about seeing Christ in all His fullness and knowing Him at the most intimate of levels. Paul wants to know Jesus completely. Only then will Paul be able to “make it my own.”

In other words, it’s the intimacy of seeing Jesus that enables us to become the person Jesus saved us to be.

No matter how much we grow in the things of God there should always be a desire for more. There’s a desire to know Him better, to understand His Word better, and to grow closer to Him.

No matter how close you get, how much you learn, or how much you grow in the Lord, there’s always a desire for more. A child of God is never satisfied with where they are in their walk with God!

See, when you get satisfied, you’ll grow cold. As long as there is a hunger and a desire for Him in your heart, there will be growth, closeness and blessing!

I want you to understand that this is essential to living a successful, happy Christian life. If you’re saved, God wants to bring you to the place where knowing Him means more to you than anything else in the world. You see, God knows that you’ll never be all He saved you to be until you come to the place where you can see Him!

So, the first thing we see in our passage are the difficulties of seeing Him

The Difficulties

When the desire to see Jesus overtook everything else in Zacchaeus’s life, he made his way to the road he knew Jesus would travel as He passed through Jericho. He waited beside that road because he wanted to see Jesus. But here were some obstacles that stood in his way and prevented him from achieving his goal.

Let’s look at those.

First, there was the difficulty of:

The Crowds

Apparently, Zacchaeus was a little late in getting to the place where he thought Jesus would pass by. When he got there, a crowd had already gathered, and since he was “small in stature,” the crowds posed a very large problem for him. He couldn’t see over them because they were blocking his view!

The crowds made it difficult and next,

His Condition

We already know Zacchaeus was a pretty short guy, so part of the reason for his difficulty in seeing was something that he brought to the table himself. He was a part of his own problem.

But understand, when you want to see Jesus and get closer to Him, Satan will place whatever obstacle in your path to keep you from Him.

Sometimes, he’ll use people.

There are times when he’ll use a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend, or some other person to Keep you away from Jesus. He’ll place them in your path and they’ll criticize you, or your efforts. They may attack those who’d try to help you grow in your relationship with Christ. They’ll stand in your way and do everything they can to prevent you growing closer.

Sometimes, he will use the flaws in our own natures.

We all have character flaws and sin that we’re constantly seeking to overcome. If he can, Satan will use our own shortcomings to keep us away.

All I am saying is that when you go after Jesus Christ; when you have a desire inside you to closer, you can rest assured that there will be difficulties.

Your flesh and the devil don’t want you.

They know it will change your life. They know they’ll lose their power and influence. They know you’ll never be the same and they’ll do all the can to stop you.

The crowds and his condition made it difficult. Next the critics made it difficult.

The Critics

Even after Zacchaeus saw Jesus there were those who criticized. This time, their criticism was two-fold. First, they criticized Zacchaeus by calling him a sinner, and they were right, but they had no right to judge him.

It’s the same way your critics have no right to judge you either.

When they do, they’re opening a window into their own soul, which reveals that they’re not where they need to be in their own walk.

And then they criticized Jesus for having anything to do with Zacchaeus. In their failure to see Jesus for themselves, they were guilty of condemning Christ along with the person they despised.

Don’t allow the critics and their criticisms to bother you. Just stay the course and endure. If you do, the critics and their petty complaints will fade away into nothingness.

We see the difficulties of seeing Him. Next, we see:

The Dedication

The desire to see Jesus was so great that Zacchaeus wouldn’t let the crowds or his condition get in his way. He was dedicated in his desire to see Jesus and he wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way.

First, it required

Effort

4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him…

He “ran” and he “climbed.” Both of these show effort. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and he was willing to pay the price to do so.

Seeing Jesus won’t be easy.

It’ll cost you something.

· The price will be prayer.

· The price will be time in the Word.

· The price will be attending worship.

· The price will be turning away from your sins.

· The price will be sacrificing your dignity.

Knowing Jesus won’t be cheap, but it’ll be worth whatever price you have to pay.

The question is, what price are you willing to pay?

There’s nothing in your life that is worth more! Whatever you have to put down; whatever you have to take up; whatever you have to do you need to do. Nothing is more important!

It required effort and:

Escape

Before Zacchaeus could see Jesus, he had to distance himself from the crowds. He had to get away from the people who were standing in His way. That is why he “ran on ahead.” He got away from the people who were holding him back.

Seeing Jesus might require that we distance ourselves from the people who would hold us back.

No one in this world is worth more than Jesus!

No relationship in this world is worth more than your relationship with Him. Not a spouse, not a child, not a parent, not a friend, no one is worth more than Him.

When someone comes between you and Him; when they block your view of His face; when they distract you from seeing Him, you need to distance yourself from that person.

When someone tries to discourage you, you need to get away. When you find yourself around someone who only criticizes others, you need to get away from them because they’ll keep you from Him!

There were the difficulties, the dedication and finally:

The Delight

Knowing Him won’t be without pain and it won’t be without a price, but knowing Him will be worth every penny it costs and every pain it causes. Knowing Him will change your life.

Look at what happened when Zacchaeus saw Jesus.

It was:

Personal

Jesus Himself stopped where Zacchaeus was and spoke directly to the little man in that tree. He even called him by his name. It was a personal encounter that changed the life of Zacchaeus forever!

When you get to the place where you see Him for yourself, it’ll be a very personal thing for you. You won’t have to rely on the testimony of others; you’ll have your own story to tell! When you see Him, He’ll speak to you and you’ll hear His voice.

If you’ve seen Him one time, you’ll want to see Him again!

I remember some of the times God has showed up in my life and let me catch a glimpse of Him. Those times have been a blessing, but they’ve only made me hungry for more. I’ve seen Him before and I want to see Him again!

It was personal. It was:

Powerful

Jesus went home with Zacchaeus. And sometime during their conversation, Zacchaeus was convicted of his sins and his life was changed. The evidence is in what he said.

8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

This greedy, money-minded man was changed just by seeing Jesus!

Seeing Him is a powerful thing! Seeing Him changes everything!

· Seeing Him will help you weather the storms of life.

· Seeing Him will help you to stand against the attacks of the enemy.

· Seeing Him will give you power and fill your soul with glory.

· Seeing Him will give you courage and strength.

· Seeing Him will give you boldness.

· Seeing Him will give you confidence.

· Seeing Him will fill you with His wonder.

· Seeing Him will impact every area of your life.

· Seeing Him will change your life like nothing else can.

Just ask the woman at the well

· the man formerly possessed by a demon

· he woman with the blood issue

· the blind man at the temple

· the Samaritan leper

· the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda

· Saul of Tarsus

· Simon Peter

· or any saint who’s ever seen Him!

There’s nothing like seeing Him!

It was personal, powerful and:

Profound

Seeing Jesus saved Zacchaeus!

Their meeting was no accident. He knew Zacchaeus would be in that tree before he ever breathed life into the nostrils of Adam. This was a planned meeting and it was profound. The man who climbed that tree was never the same after he saw Jesus!

If you know Him, there are some places along the way that He’s prepared for you too. There are some places of meeting that He’s designed just for you. There will be some divine encounters where He’ll allow you to see Him and experience His grace and power. There’ll be some moments of divine interruption when He’ll just show up.

· He may cause you to dance like He did David.

· He may cause you to humble yourself before Him like He did Job.

· He may give you a shout

· or He may just squeeze your heart and let the juice run out of your eyes.

But there will be some times when He’ll let you see Him! When He does, it’s life changing. It’s profound. It’s wonderful.

Enjoy those times for all they’re worth because they’ll sustain you though many a hard day when He doesn’t show up in the same way.

I know that He’s always there, but He doesn’t always show His presence. But when He does, live it up and praise Him!

Acts chapter 7 tells us about a Deacon by the name of Stephen.

He was preaching Jesus and was attacked for it. He was arrested and was put on trial by the Jews. After he preached to them awhile, they were convicted of their sins. Instead of repenting and turning to Jesus, they reacted in anger and attacked Stephen.

They bit him and cast him out of the city and began to stone him to death. In the midst of the most painful moment in his life, Stephen got a glimpse of Jesus.

Acts 7:55–56 ESV

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

That glimpse of the Savior allowed the suffering servant of God to fall asleep in Jesus, even as the stones destroyed his body!

Seeing Him makes the difference between just existing and really living. Seeing Him makes the difference between doubt and confidence. Seeing Him makes the difference between turmoil and peace. Seeing Him makes all the difference between sorrow and joy.

Can you see Him today?

If you can see Him, then you should rejoice in His presence!

If you can’t see Him, there’s a reason why you can’t. Is there some sin in your life that needs to be dealt with? Is there some person who’s standing ion your way?

What is it that keeps you from seeing Him?

You should do what Zacchaeus did. Get past the crowds, get past your personal circumstances and pay the price to see Him. It’s worth it, whatever it costs!