Easter Sunday 4/4/21 A.M. Luke 19:1-10
Well, a few weeks ago I talked about our first School Yard Game. “Red Rover” Do you all remember that? Satan looks for the WEAK LINK in our lives.
And then a couple of weeks ago I talked about the second School Yard Game. “Tag, you’re it” How Jesus TAGGED the DISCIPLES and then we looked at what they left behind. We also talked about how Jesus tags each one of us and what He expects us to LEAVE BEHIND.
And so this morning I’ll be looking at one more game. One that we have all played. Are you ready? “Hide and Seek.”
You all know how it’s played, right? Someone is chosen to be “IT”. And everyone else HIDES and it’s the job of the person chosen to FIND all of the others.
It’s a GREAT GAME when it’s played ......... CORRECTLY!!!
ILLUS: Many years ago the Leader of the Youth Group at the church I attended decided to play Hide and Seek .......... (Just a minute here, I want to make this clear. That Youth Leader wasn’t me!!!!! And I wasn’t there!!! I had NOTHING to do with this!!!) But he decided to play Hide and Seek with the TEEN GROUP from the church. And he decided to play this game at ...... Woodland Hills Mall. Someone was “IT” and all the rest of the kids scattered all over the MALL. And “IT” went all around the MALL, SEEKING OUT the kids in all of the different stores. Sounds like fun doesn’t it?
That went OK until one of the BOYS got caught, by a STORE SALESMAN, HIDING in a Washing Machine. NOW THAT’S NOT GOOD!!!
But this morning I want to talk to you about Hide and Seek.
So let’s turn in our Bibles to Luke 19:1-10.
“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.”
The game of Hide and Seek is meant to be fun. But the “GAME” we’re talking about this morning will make an ETERNAL DIFFERENCE for those who are FOUND and those who are NOT. I know of folks who have been SOUGHT OUT by the Lord Jesus Christ. He has DRAWN THEM to HIMSELF but yet they REFUSED to accept His call. They REFUSED to give up their OWN WILL. They continued to HIDE. And today, they are PROBABLY in HELL where they will NEVER BE FOUND. I hope you’ll listen to the WORDS that I have today as we look at “Hide and Seek.”
Let’s Pray
I. First off, we need to get this out of the way. Who is “IT” and who is HIDING? Well I can tell you today that JESUS is “IT”!!! He is the One who is SEEKING. In this passage of scripture He is traveling through the streets of Jericho. Jesus by this time caused quite a stir everywhere He went. He was becoming well known. People wanted to SEE HIM. People wanted to HEAR HIM. And Old Zacchaeus was NO DIFFERENT. But yet Zacchaeus had a problem. He was Vertically challenged. He was short. It probably wasn’t enough to climb up on a chair to have a look. He needed more. So he uses his head.
He gets ahead of the crowd and climbs up in a tree. He was NOW going to have a front row seat to see this man named JESUS.
You know what, Old Zacchaeus was in PLAIN SIGHT but only for those who were looking. I bet you most people didn’t even see him up in that tree. They were TOO BUSY with all the things going on around them. But yet JESUS was “IT” and Jesus looked up and called him, to come on down.
When I read stories like this in the Bible I like to imagine in my mind how it all happened. Jesus walking along there. Talking to different people as the crowd moved along.
People asking QUESTIONS.
People LISTENING to every word He spoke.
I imagine maybe some LAUGHTER.
And all of the sudden Jesus stops and LOOKS UP and says, “Zacchaeus, what are you doing up there? Come on down here.” And I just bet you Zacchaeus says, “Uh, who, me? Jesus, you’re talking to me.”
And Old Zacchaeus came right on down and went with Jesus.
Man, I love that story. Because that story can be RELATED to so many people. People who are HIDING in PLAIN SIGHT.
People who don’t draw any attention to themselves. They’re just kind of LOOKED OVER.
People who may seem like they have everything together when they really don’t.
People you might think have everything under control but actually, they are LOST.
Maybe that’s you today. Maybe you’re HIDING in PLAIN SIGHT. You come to church. You sing the songs. You play the game but you’re really lost. You’ve never put your TRUST in the Lord Jesus Christ.
ILLUS: I know a fellow who went to church for years. He would sing specials. He had been the Sunday School Superintendent at the church he attended. He put on a good show but ONE DAY, he went to a revival meeting and the Holy Spirit of God got a hold of him and that fellow got saved. All those years he had been HIDING in the open.
Or maybe you’re like Old Zacchaeus in another way. He was a Publican. A Roman Tax Collector. Tax Collectors back then weren’t anymore liked than they are today. Nobody liked him. And when Jesus FOUND HIM and called him down people started talking. In Verse 7 it say the people MURMURED. “Jesus wants to spend time with HIM!!!”
I want to tell you something. It doesn’t matter WHERE you’ve BEEN or WHAT you’ve DONE. Jesus is LOOKING for YOU. He wants YOU. And He is saying to you today, “Come on down, I want to spend some time with you.”
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” It’s HIDE and SEEK. Jesus is LOOKING FOR YOU!!!
II. Now I’d like for us to turn to John 3. I want to read Verses 1-7.
“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Nicodemus. A Pharisee. A Ruler of the Jews. A Great man among his countrymen. A man that so many looked up to. But yet we find him hiding. Hiding in the night. In the SHADOWS. Scared that someone would see him speaking to Jesus. And as he comes to Jesus we see him ADMIT SOMETHING.
Now what was it? This is pretty important. He basically said, “God has sent you” And you know what? He was RIGHT but THAT’S NOT ENOUGH!!!!
Nicodemus didn’t say, “You are God. You are the Messiah. You are the WAY of SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE.”
And THAT’S what it TAKES!!! It takes putting your FAITH and TRUST in Jesus and NOTHING ELSE. That’s why Jesus went on to tell Nicodemus in Verse 16 and 17.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Old Nicodemus was HIDING in the DARK and LOST as a GOOSE. He had to ACCEPT JESUS as the MESSIAH and put HIS TRUST in Him.
And there are a lot of people out there hiding in the DARKNESS of IGNORANCE. They have NO IDEA what it takes to be saved. To have ETERNAL LIFE. It’s MORE than, “Repeat a little prayer after me.” or “Just believe in a God.” or “Just be a good person. Make sure your good outweighs your bad.”
You talk to the average JO BLOW walking down the street and ask him how to get to Heaven and MOST OF THE TIME he will give you one of these answers.
People are HIDING in the DARKNESS of IGNORANCE and Jesus is SEEKING them OUT. He wants to bring them to the light. That’s why He DRAWS THEM to HIMSELF.
It’s Hide and Seek and Jesus is “IT”.
III. And as I was studying this out, Adam and Eve came to my mind. There they are living in PERFECTION in the Garden. They had it made. Until Satan came knocking and they fell for his LIES and DECEIT. And in Verse 8 of Genesis 3 it says,
“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife HID THEMSELVES from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”
The SIN that they had COMMITTED caused them SHAME and it also caused them to TRY to HIDE from God. It caused that SEPARATION. They were kicked out of the Garden and they couldn’t commune with God anymore.
And that GAME of HIDE and SEEK still goes on today. We try to HIDE the things that shouldn’t be in our life. We don’t want God to know about the THOUGHTS that we have.
Oh my, the THOUGHTS that I have had. Things I would tell NO ONE.
The LUST that we deal with. Yep, we ALL deal with it.
The GRUDGES and HATRED that we hold in our heart.
Oh my, it’s such a sweet thing to REHASH how someone has done us wrong. Oh how sweet it is to tell someone else.
Boy, I sure would hate for God to find out about some of these things. I’m just gonna HIDE THEM. Nobody will know. But listen, God already knows. He knows EVERYTHING and there ain’t no use to HIDE them. But here’s the GOOD thing. Jesus came and He is OUR INTERCESSOR. 1 John 1:9 tells us,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We don’t need to HIDE our SINS, we need to CONFESS them.
IV. And now I want to look at one more passage. Turn to Luke 24 and we’ll read Verses 1-9.
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why SEEK YE the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.”
This is what we Celebrate Today. The RESURRECTION of Jesus from the DEAD. The very CORNERSTONE of our FAITH. It’s what gives us HOPE for ETERNAL LIFE. If JESUS can RESURRECT from the DEAD, then He can RESURRECT ME and YOU from the DEAD. There is HOPE beyond the GRAVE because of what Jesus overcame thousands of years ago.
And as we look at this passage we see these LADIES who came to the TOMB that first day of the week. It was Sunday morning and Jesus had been dead three days. And as they looked into that tomb all they saw was EMPTY SPACE. Jesus was gone and as they stood there NOT UNDERSTANDING, two ANGELS appeared and this is the question they asked,
“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
Can I rephrase that? “Why are you looking for somebody that’s ALIVE here in a CEMETERY?”
I said at the beginning of this message that Jesus is “IT”. He’s the one SEEKING US. But here in this passage we find folks that are seeking Him. They are looking for Jesus. I mean, that’s where they left Him, right there in that tomb, so why wouldn’t He still be there? Well, can I tell you why? Because HE’S NOT DEAD!!!! HE’S ALIVE. HE’S ALIVE. HE’S ALIVE!!!!! He’s NOT dead.
And oh, how people today, are searching for LIFE but they’re looking among the DEAD. They want ALL of the GOOD THINGS of LIFE. Everything it has to offer. I mean, I DO!!! I want CONTENTMENT and JOY. I want the PEACE that comes from KNOWING where I will spend ETERNITY. I want all of the good things in life. And so do you!!! But you have to LOOK in the RIGHT PLACE.
Listen, if I go out here to this cemetery and I start digging, it won’t be too long until I find somebody, but they are gonna be DEAD. I can GUARANTEE YOU, I ain’t gonna find somebody that’s alive.
And people go around DIGGING in places they ought not to be DIGGING, SEEKING after something they want. They gonna wind up finding DEATH. Folks listen. You don’t want to play HIDE and SEEK with the Devil. You’ll Lose.
John 10:10 tells us, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Jesus is the LIFE that so many people SEEK. But So MANY PEOPLE look in the WRONG PLACES.
They LOOK in Relationships. I have a friend and it seems like she is constantly searching for Mr. Right. And she’ll think, “I found him!!!” But then, it won’t be long until she finds out he’s not what she thought he was. And the search continues.
Young people, listen to me. NOBODY is perfect. And if you’re looking for LIFE in relationships, then you’re gonna be disappointed.
Drugs and Alcohol. We ALL probably know someone who looked for LIFE in a BOTTLE, a NEEDLE or a PILL. And we know how it turned out. There’s NO LIFE THERE.
“Self Meditation.” “Just look within yourself.” “Love yourself.” “Take care of yourself first.” “Make yourself happy.” No!!! That’s NOT what Jesus said. He said the GREATEST COMMANDMENT is to love the Lord thy God with all of your HEART, SOUL, and MIND. And then He tells the second GREATEST COMMANDMENT is to LOVE thy NEIGHBOR as thyself.
Some of the HAPPIEST PEOPLE I have ever known were some of the MOST SELFLESS. And some of the CRANKIEST PEOPLE I have ever known were the most SELFISH.
SELF LOVE will NOT bring you LIFE.
NO, the only place to find LIFE is through JESUS. He told us in John 14:6. “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.”
It’s a GAME of Hide and Seek and Jesus is “IT”.
And maybe you’re hiding in PLAIN SIGHT. You’ve got EVERYONE FOOLED EXCEPT …. Jesus. He’s SEEKING YOU TODAY.
Maybe you’re HIDING in the DARKNESS of IGNORANCE. Maybe up until today you didn’t realize the SIMPLICITY but yet the IMPORTANCE of SALVATION. That it comes by putting your TRUST and FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Or maybe you know the Lord. He sought you out and found you. But there’s some things you’re hiding and NOBODY else knows about them except you and …….the Lord. Listen, He loves you today and He wants that close relationship with you.
Maybe you’ve been looking for PEACE and JOY and can’t seem to find it. Listen, Jesus is LOOKING for you today. And HE is the only one who can give you the LIFE that we all need.
So won’t you come today?
Let’s Pray
