Lessons From The Life Of A Changed Man

Lessons from the Life of a Changed Man

Luke 19:1-10

Introduction: Although Jericho played a minor role in the ministry of Jesus. It seems to have been the “gateway” to Jerusalem and was approximately 17 miles away. All of us remember the children of Israel marching around this city and the walls “come a tumbling down.” The Lord healed two blind men near the city of Jericho (Matthew 20:29–34). He also encountered Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, while passing through Jericho (Luke 19:1–10). When Jesus dined in the home of Zacchaeus, He was probably visiting one of the finest houses in Jericho. The gospels seem to indicate that Jericho, an affluent city in Christ’s day, had many beggars (Matthew 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43).

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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 today 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.

Let’s look at the text to see what we can learn this morning…

I. The Examination of His Life

a. His vocation – chief publican - tax collector

b. His reputation – They were notorious for fraud and theft. The Romans didn’t care what they collected as long as they got their part.

c. His rejection – By both the Romans and Jewish community – religious leaders

II. The Encounter with the Lord

a. His limitations – His size and the size of the crowd - press

b. His invitation – “…Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.

ILL - There are over 120 million unsaved people in the United States. That makes the US the third largest mission field in the world behind only China and India.

c. His response – “…And he made haste, and came down…”

ILL: There are many who don’t want our ministry but desperately need it. Zacchaeus was like the boy who got separated from his parents in a large shopping center. Security quickly located the child, and took him to an office while the frantic parents were paged over the public address. One of the security guards got a large ice cream cone for the boy, so when his parents arrived at the office, there was their little son happily eating his ice cream. Suddenly, as his parents embrace him, the child burst into tears. One of the security guards said, “Man, I guess he didn’t know he was lost until he was found!”

III. The Expressions of a Changed Life

a. His Rejoicing – “…and received Him joyfully…” The indwelling Holy Spirit produces joy. It is fruit of the Spirit for every Christian.

Romans 14:7 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Psalms 35:9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

b. His Restitution – his possessions

Restitution = Joy

Zacchaeus had hurt many people. Perhaps many were devastated economically. This would go a long way to beginning to set people back right. It's kind of like Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas morning. Think back to that story, "A Christmas Carol" and see how restitution was the action that initiated joy.

Restitution and Forgiveness

Keith Drury is a writer from the Wesleyan Church and in one of his books he touches on this whole subject of restoring relationships when talking about restitution. This is what he says.

"Restitution deals with more than property. It is also going back and making things right for hurtful things I've said or done. It's far easier for me to tell you some story than to tell you of the difficult and painful times I've had to ask my wife, my boys, my boss, friends and secretary to forgive me. Restitution is asking forgiveness for harsh words, quick tongue, or cutting remarks. It is asking forgiveness from a brother you hurt, a mother you caused heartache to or a former spouse which you maligned. Restitution is confessing and seeking forgiveness from an old business partner, neighbor or roommate. It is admitting my past errors in relationships and humbly seeking forgiveness from the one I've hurt. And it's harder to make personal restitution than property restitution."