Going Out On A Limb
SCRIPTURE: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." Jeremiah 23:5; "And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” Luke 19:2-4
When was the last time you stepped out on faith ?
Were you afraid or fearful about the outcome?
If so, then you know what it's like to be "out on a limb."
The expression, "Out on a limb", is used to convey the idea of a leap of faith. It refers to people who are willing to risk it all on what they believe to be right in their spirit.
Risk-taking is not easy but it is a part of our faith journey. As we follow God’s lead we always take a risk, but we find comfort in knowing that God first took a risk on us.
Before the Children of Israel stepped into the Red Sea God parted the waters. However it was at the liability of Moses' Rod. Nothing happened until God asked him, "What is that in your HAND?"and he "stretched out his rod" it is a perfect picture of what happens when Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God.
Because they took a risk in believing God, He faithfully took care of them in their wilderness journey.
I can imagine that it wasn’t often comfortable. I can imagine that it wasn’t free from difficulty. I can imagine that it did not always turn out like expected. But, it was worth it.
Yes, it brought them blessings even in the midst of their challenging circumstances. Yet, God was glorified and exalted through it.
Living a life of faith requires taking risks, at least from our perspective, because even when we can’t physically see what lies ahead, or hear God sometimes because He's quiet.We just have to trust Him.
Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to go to a place you do not know, one that God will reveal as you walk in obedience like He did with Abraham when He told him to “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3
This morning God is looking for someone who will act in Faith someone who is willing to go out on a limb. Someone who won’t question what, where or how God is leading you all you need to do is obey.
Story has it that there was a little boy whose home caught fire in the middle of the night. As the stairways leading to the ground collapsed, he soon found that there was no exit, except to climb out of his window. Afraid, the boy could not move and stood motionless in the window as people below screamed. An unknown man climbed up a drain pipe to reach the boy's room, but the pipe fell under his weight just as he reached the top. The man spotted a limb hanging close to the window and recognized it as the only way down. He told the boy to hold onto him as he made a desperate leap for that limb. As the man's hands held onto the limb, the boy realized he had burned them severely, but the man said nothing. Once on the ground the man disappeared. No one knew who he was or where he came from. He appeared and simply disappeared into the night.
Weeks later, the town's people gathered in a meeting to decide who would care for the little boy since his parents had died in the fire. A wealthy man, a farmer, and a businessman came forward to offer to raise the boy as their own. The little boy simply gazed at the floor as each of them talked.
Then a man entered the room and stood in the crowd. When he removed his hands from his pockets the boy who had never seen his face, recognized those hands as the hands of the man who saved him. The little boy ran to the man and hugged him with great compassion. The others competing for the child sat as the town leader spoke to the little boy. "Son," why do you want this man to raise you? The little boy answered: "All I know sir, is that when I was in trouble, he went out on a limb for me." Custody of the child was given to the man, without comment.
As Believers, we can appreciate the love that Jesus has shown for us. He loved us so much that He put his own life on the line that we might have a chance to a better life. He did more than just go out on a limb. The little boy's testimony could very well be our own: "When I was in trouble, He hung on a tree for me."
Our text focuses on Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector he was a very rich man who lived in Jericho. He held a higher office in the Roman tax system than Levi did. Since the Jews were subjugated by Rome, they paid taxes to the Roman Empire. Rome employed Jews to collect taxes from their own people. However, tax collectors would often collect extra for themselves. So needless to say, the Jews weren’t fond of Jewish tax collectors. In fact , they considered them traitors. They were also mentioned along side prostitutes and sinners.
Being both a member of a generally despised group and wealthy, he is a notable subject for the saving grace of God.
Unlike the story of the rich ruler, whose attitude toward wealth kept him from the Lord. Zacchaeus's desire to see Jesus, though commendable, was surpassed by the fact that Jesus wanted to see him. His desperation caused him to do something that was a bit below his dignity. But Zacchaeus was willing to endure some public scorn to see the one that everyone had been talking about.
When Jesus made his arrival into Jericho, Zacchaeus wanted to see him and learn about him.
Because of his height he was pushed aside and lost in the crowd as people pressed from all around.
However, for just one look, Zacchaeus climbed a Sycamore tree and from its limbs saw Jesus as He approached. With all the priests and clerical types surrounding him, Jesus saw Zacchaeus, out on a limb. He told him to come down because he would sup with him that evening. The priests were insulted that this great teacher would come to their city and shun them to dine and fellowship with a tax collector and publican. They wanted to know what redeeming qualities did Zacchaeus have that caused Jesus to take such note of him. Jesus never gave them an answer to their satisfaction. He simply went about his way.
They may have not understood why Jesus did what He did but verse 10 says He came to seek and to save that which was lost.
Knowing that he was a sinner and knowing the grace that Jesus was showing to him. Zacchaeus said, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back 4 times as much. V.8
That’s what repentance looks like. Repentance doesn’t just say I’m sorry, it makes amends for wrongdoing. The crowds had complained that Jesus went to this wicked mans house. But after Jesus got through with him, Zacchaeus would be a better man for the community and restore what he had taken from them.
Because of of his change in lifestyle which was evidenced by his right relationship before God. Jesus said in v.9 Salvation has come to this house.
Zacchaeus met the Lord because he went out on a limb.
His outward actions were testimony of an inward transformation.
This is why Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. V.10
Salvation came to Zacchaeus not by his initiative, but by God's. Grace moved him out to the street and up the tree.
And the offer to do lunch together was pure grace.
Yet Zacchaeus could have declined the offer. God is not about forced entry. The door must be opened from the inside. We must make the decision to yield to His mercy and receive the gift. And to receive the gift means that our hands must be empty. There are things we must let go if we want to grasp the hand of Christ.
The exchanging of the divine, sovereign call and the human response of Zacchaeus is striking.
Look at your neighbor and tell them... Grace is attractive!
In the book entitled One-Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World, Tullian Tchividjian borrows a helpful definition from Paul Zahl he said:
Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable….
The definition of grace is “unconditional love.” It is a true cliché, for it is a good description of the thing.
Let’s go a little further, though. Grace is a love that has nothing to do with you, the beloved. It has everything and only to do with the lover. Grace is irrational in the sense that it has nothing to do with weights and measures. It has nothing to do with my intrinsic qualities or so-called “gifts” (whatever they may be). It reflects a decision on the part of the giver, the one who loves, in relation to the receiver, the one who is loved, that negates any qualifications the receiver may personally hold…. Grace is one-way love.
Grace is God reaching downward to a people who are constantly pushing back against Him, who are in rebellion against Him.
Scripture tells us that all people sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and that we deserve death (Rom. 6:23).
But in His lovingkindness and mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and take upon himself the punishment that we deserve. Romans 4:24-25 says that righteousness “will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The grace of God did not come at a time when we had everything together, all of our ducks lined up in a row. No, grace came to us when we were broken and could offer nothing in return.
“Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness.”[2] We come to God with nothing in our hands to offer but our brokenness and sin, and He gladly takes it and gives to us new life as His child.
The lover in this grand story of grace is God himself. God lavishes His people with goodness and grace through all of Scripture, including throughout the Old Testament. The story of Scripture is about what God has done for us, not what we have done or can do for God. He is both the author and the main character in this great story of redemption.
Grace is the main theme that ties all of Scripture together. It is expressed in the promises of God throughout the Bible and is embodied perfectly in the person of Jesus Christ.
The entirety of Scripture tells the story of God’s grace. J. Gresham Machen wrote, “The very center and core of the whole Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God.” Every story echoes the promises of God.
Not only can we do nothing to earn God’s grace, but it is God who continues to bind our hearts to Him. In his popular hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Robert Robinson sings of his heart’s desire to wander from the Lord who has saved him.
His prayer is that the Lord would bind his heart, and His grace would be present all the days of his life.
In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul writes, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” Paul knows that any work that he did was ultimately not his own doing but through the grace of God.
The “hounds of heaven” are on your trail, chasing you down and you keep running from the very One who loves you more than you can imagine. He doesn’t want to destroy your life. He wants to give you LIFE . . . eternal life, abundant life, life worth living and a life full of meaning!
If you do not know Christ as YOUR Lord and Savior please understand the very reason YOU are here today, the very reason YOU have breath in YOUR lungs today is because the God of the universe wants you to have a collision with GRACE! His Word tells us that
2 Peter 3:9 ESV
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Conclusion
Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."
Psalms 7:1 "Oh Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust, save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me."
Palms 56:3 "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee..."
Today, God is calling for us to put our trust in Him.
Those who want to get to the branch, must be willing to go out on the limb of faith and reach for Him. You can't get to the righteous branch without first going out on a limb! Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but he had to climb the tree of faith and go out on a limb!
Those who put their trust in the Lord and accept Him have found that there has never been a time that He has left them out on a limb!
I have found out that Dark clouds may rise and strong winds may blow. But I'll tell the world wherever I go. That I've found a Savior, and He's sweet, I know.
I'm here to tell you that I’ve seen the lightning flashing, And heard the thunder roll, I’ve felt sin’s breakers dashing, Trying to conquer my soul;
I’ve heard the voice of Jesus Telling me still to fight on: He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone.
Before we were asked to go out on a limb for Him, Jesus went out on a limb for us.
John 3:16 says
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Jesus went out on a limb when He came to a cruel world to offer himself as a sacrifice.
Not only did He go out on a limb, He went even further. For one day, He picked up an old rugged cross and went out on Calvary and died. He died that He could rise on the third day with victory and assurance that those who trust in Him will have victory too!
Jesus came to seek out poor outcasts, like the blind beggar. He came to save rich outcasts, like Zacchaeus. He had a keen eye for people who were out on a limb, people who were desperate.
The story of Zacchaeus is about more than a little man who climbed up in a sycamore tree. It is about the welcome of God. It is about the blessing of God that touches us in a very deep place. It is validation, God saying, “You’re mine, and I’m going to your house today.”
How about you? Are you out on a limb too? Probably not physically. How about socially? Or maybe spiritually? There’s a good word for you
today: “Hurry and come down,” Jesus says, “for I must stay at your house
today.”
Even So Come Lord Jesus
Dr Charles C Jones
2/2/2020
