One Day in Jericho
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Introduction
Introduction
Tonight we’re going to examine a man that lived in Jericho by the name of Zacchaeus. If you’ve gone to Sunday School as a child, you probably remember a song about him.
We’re going to look and examine a very special day.
The message is simply titled ‘One day in Jericho’.
I. The Reality of Zacchaeus
I. The Reality of Zacchaeus
His Passion
As we consider this man Zacchaeus, there’s a few things that I want to point out.
The first is that this man desired to see Jesus.
He had a passion to see this man who’d been ministering for over 3 years in Judea.
Secondly, he was rich & powerful.
Now I say that because - this man had all the money he needed and all the clout - but yet still had a passion to see Jesus.
One reason is because you can have all the money & all the power in the world - but it cannot satisfy you. Most don’t know why that is, so they begin to try and fill the void with various things (sex, drugs, alcohol, etc…) But THIS MAN had an idea. You see, he’d been hearing about this man named Jesus. For all we know, he might have known:
The woman at the well which testified of Jesus
The blind men by the wayside that Jesus healed
He might have partaken of the bread that Jesus brake & blessed when He fed the 5,000 +
He might have known Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead
I don’t know that any of that is true, but what I do know is that Zacchaeus had a passion to see Jesus! We know it was a Passion because of what all he did to see Him. (We’ll speak on that in a minute) But let me ask you: Do you have a Passion to see Jesus?
Many Christians have a passion concerning Jesus, but it’s usually that they’re passionate about what Jesus can do for them. Do you have a Passion to see Him?
(Ill.) Whenever my wife goes out of town, I go into a little bit of a depression. I really don’t have a problem cooking or cleaning up after myself, but she’s never gone long enough for me to have to do some of the things she takes care of. But I tell you - I long to see her face! I long to embrace her! I long to see her smile and outstretched arms!
(Ill.) We went to the Judgment House a couple years ago - how I reacted when I saw Jesus.
Zacchaeus had a Passion - but he also had a problem
His Problem
The Bible tells us that he was ‘little of stature’.
Some take that to mean that he was a midget - I don’t know. He might have been, but then again, he might have just had the stature of a horse jockey and not necessarily had a condition. Either way, he had a problem that would have to be addressed if he were to see Jesus. All the crowds gathered prevented him from seeing Jesus.
Today those that seek Jesus are faced with problems as well. It’s not height that hinders them, but maybe:
Friends
Family
Tradition
Culture
The Past
I will say this: If one has the heart to seek the truth about the LORD, Satan will use any & every thing he can to hinder your path. And his desire will be for you to give up before you do.
We see the Problem
His Persistence
Zacchaeus wasn’t giving up!
Since he was a man of little stature, it would have been most likely more difficult for him to climb up into a tree. I wonder if he slipped a time or two, or struggled to navigate the tree in order to get into position. But he didn’t give up.
(Ill.) I will say this: I believe with all my heart that God reveals truth fully unto those who truly want it. I know because I experienced it! But sometimes, God will not right away just show it to you. Maybe He will let you dig a little to prove you before He reveals the truth - He did that with Abraham & Isaac!
His Persistence
We see the Reality of Jesus
II. The Request of the LORD
II. The Request of the LORD
It was Personal
I said it was personal because Zacchaeus was called by name!
Church, I may be a nobody to most but I’m a somebody to God! Most don’t know my name, but Jesus knows not only my name, but the numbers of hairs upon my head!
My LORD knows my name!
(Ill.) I feel as though my memory is slipping more than what is normal over the last couple years. I forget things rapidly & really easily. But God’s not up in Heaven looking down upon the affairs of men, and then His eyes divert over to Belmont WV and look down in this little church and say ‘Hey Paul, who is the pastor there again? I know I know him, but I just can’t place him right now. Did he change his hair?
No my God KNOWS ME AND BETTER THAN THAT, HE LOVES ME!
He Looked
That’s with intention church. There were no planes flying overhead. No helicopters shining the cameras down on Jesus’ visit to Jericho for the 6 o’clock news! Jesus looked for him!
Something I heard preach early in my Christian walk concerned Adam & Eve in the garden. It was bro. Emanuel preaching and he said Genesis 3:9 “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
He said “God was looking for man then - and He’s been looking ever since!
Let me tell you something God is looking for you today!
He Looked
He Saw
He saw Zacchaeus. Do you know where He saw him? RIGHT WHERE HE WAS AT!
And he wasn’t just in a sycamore tree.
He was lost & on his way to Hell.
He was rich & had influence, but he saw he wasn’t satisfied
He also saw that Zacchaeus was looking for Him!
Jesus Saw
He Spoke
(Ill.) Question. Have you even spotted someone in the grocery store or at Walmart that you knew - and you know that they saw you, but that they quickly turned away so they wouldn’t speak to you? (How many are guilty of doing that?)
This is probably the reaction that he expected from Jesus that day. He didn’t expect that Jesus would notice him, much less speak to him! BUT HE DID!
He spoke - so what did he say?
It was Precise
I love the words that Jesus spoke. He wasted none of them! In these few words, we have the desire of Jesus unto every sinner that’s on their way to Hell.
Hurry
We see twice here the importance of promptness:
He says ‘make haste’ & ‘today’. This describes when a sinner needs to come to Jesus.
2 Corinthians 6:1–2 “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
Many must needs beat over the head with the truth before they ever submit therein.
(Ill.) I don’t think that was me. When presented with Christ, I didn’t reject Him, I just didn’t really understand. I ended up buying a Bible and when I did understand on a Friday night, I didn’t say ‘Well, we’re going to church Sunday, I can do it then’, I got down beside my bed and in a stammering tongue I called upon the name of the LORD!
Listen if you’re outside of Christ tonight, now is when you need Jesus, not tomorrow! Not next week! TONIGHT! There is no special word-sauce that you must say, it’s as easy as it was in Peter’s situation in Mat. 14:30 saying ‘LORD SAVE ME’.
We must Hurry to Jesus
Come
Stop searching for satisfaction in the things of this world - Come to Jesus!
He said:
Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
Jesus says: “Hurry, Come”
I’ll Abide
Jesus said ‘I must abide’
Now in that day, Jesus couldn’t stay physically anywhere permanently, but I love the way that the Bible is worded. That word ‘Abide’ (def) remain, stay.
Physically speaking, Jesus abided for that day. Spiritually speaking He abode with Zacchaeus till Zacchaeus left this earth, then Zacchaeus went to abide with Jesus - where he will be for all eternity!
Let me tell you what - Jesus doesn’t come to visit… He comes to abide! He comes to stay - and I’m so thankful for that!
Jesus says: “Hurry, Come and I’ll Abide..”
With You
Church, there’s a difference between knowing Jesus - and having a personal relationship WITH Jesus.
James 2:18–20 “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
The book of James is not saying that salvation is by faith and works - He’s saying that without works, the evidence proves that your faith is dead! In other words, you don’t HAVE FAITH.
When someone is saved, the Holy Spirit of God, sent by Jesus abides within us. And will prompt us to act. This is what Faith does!
You may know God, but unless you have a personal relationship with Jesus, you’ll lift up your eyes in Hell.
Jesus says: “Hurry, Come & I’ll Abide with You” - that’s His promise church! All it took was a Response.
We see the Reality of Jesus, The Request of Jesus
III. The Response We See
III. The Response We See
The Reception by Zacchaeus
Now what did Zacchaeus do when he heard those words? Luke 19:6 “And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.”
He did exactly as Jesus instructed!
Whenever we are presented with the truth found in Jesus, it demands a response - and gets one. As once you understand your condition & the remedy - you will make one of two choices: Accept or Reject.
Zacchaeus Received Jesus. He accepted the invitation - and it’s an interesting invitation!
Normally when we extend an invitation, we will invite someone to dinner or to a game or to our house. Jesus invites Himself to come in.
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
He’s not asking for you to come to His House right now, He’s gone to prepare that. He’s asking to be let it!
Zacchaeus Received Jesus
The Rejection of Others
Next we see the others mentioned in Luke 19:7 “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.”
These people fundamentally didn’t understand Jesus at all - and many today make that mistake.
Jesus isn’t in the business of calling righteous people to a gathering to hobnob with Him. He’s not looking upon men and seeking a certain class or status. When we gather with Him in Heaven, it’s not like we’re all righteous rubbing elbows with Jesus, NO! IT’S GOING TO BE A BUNCH OF SINNERS SAVED BY GOD’S GRACE AT HIS FEET! There’s only ONE THAT IS RIGHTEOUS - AND HIS NAME IS JESUS!
In the book of Matthew we see the same mindset: Matthew 9:11–13 “And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Many church doctrines today teach that the way you live and what you do will make you righteous in the sight of God - but no man will be save by his own merit!
And if that offends you, then you will lift your eyes in Hell.
The Rejection of Others
The Repentance Demonstrated
Now we’re starting the see the fruit or the works that James was talking about!
We see the Reality of Jesus, The Request of Jesus, the Response we See
IV. The Result
IV. The Result
A Salvation Wrought
Not because he’s a ‘son of Abraham’ in flesh, but in Spirit
Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Galatians 3:6 “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Romans 4:3 “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
Salvation comes by the blood of Christ - not of man!
Zacchaeus was saved that day
A Saviour Still Seeking
If you’re lost, He’s still seeking for you.
Conclusion
Conclusion
One day in Jericho, a man named Zacchaeus met Jesus and got saved.
One day in Statesville some 23 years ago, I met Jesus - and got saved.
Many of you have a similar statement you can make. I wonder if any will make that statement about the here and now?