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."
One of the most significant things that you can do to give evidence of your salvation is to admit your past errors in relationships and humbly seek forgiveness from those you have hurt.
(From a sermon by Matthew Sutman, Fixing the New Year, 1/23/2010)
c. His resignation
John MacArthur, whose book The Gospel According to Jesus lays out the case for lordship. The gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ’s authority.” In other words, a sinner who refuses to repent is not saved, for he cannot cling to his sin and the Savior at the same time. And a sinner who rejects Christ’s authority in his life does not have saving faith, for true faith encompasses a surrender to God. Thus, the gospel requires more than making an intellectual decision or mouthing a prayer; the gospel message is a call to discipleship. The sheep will follow their Shepherd in submissive obedience.
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 anything 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.
Luke 5:27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
Conclusion: Just as the Old Testament priest would take an innocent lamb and slaughter it on the alter for the sins of the nation of Israel, so Jesus came to offer Himself for the sins of the world. His entire reason for coming from Heaven to others was for "OTHERS" and not Himself.
o He was born in another man’s stable.
o He was laid in another man’s manger.
o He would preach in another man’s boat.
o He would ride into Jerusalem on another man’s colt.
o He would eat His last supper in another man’s upper room.
o He would die on another man’s cross to pay for other men’s sins.
o He would be buried in another man’s tomb.
o He is the ultimate substitute.
ILL: Melissa Highsmith was kidnapped by a babysitter in 1971 at the tender age of 22 months.
Over the next 51 years, Highsmith's family and the police searched for her without success.
Finally, with the use of DNA technology, her identity was confirmed and she was reunited with her family.
Melissa was living in Fort Worth, Texas under the name Melanie Walden.
Unknown to Melissa, her family had spent years searching for her.
"My heart right now is just full and bursting with so much emotion. I'm just really, really happy."
She plans on changing her name back to Melissa.
In Luke 19:10 we read, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)
In Luke 15 Jesus tells the parable of the one lost sheep and when he finds it says, rejoice with me I have found my lost sheep."
Story source: A. KELLER, N. STARLING; NOVEMBER 27, 2022 CBS News
ILL: There's the story told by Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist where he was talking to another Christian in his home. They were downstairs, as was his friend's son. The friend's wife and mother were in an upstairs room. All at once the little boy wanted something and called out to his mother for it.
"It's up here," she said. "Come up and get it."
He cried out to her, "I can't, Mommy; it's such a long way. Please bring it down to me."
He was very small. So the mother picked up what he wanted and brought it down to him. It is just that way with salvation. No one is able to meet his own spirituality, but the Lord Jesus Christ came down to us so our need could be met. Nee writes, "Had he not come, sinners could not have approached him, but he came down in order to lift them up." (Watchman Nee, What Shall This Man Do? (London: Victory press, 1962), 37)
Be a friend to those who you are trying to win. Jesus showed himself as a friend to those who are lost. He was described as having been a friend to sinners and prostitutes. He could've kept aloof from those people but he wouldn't have won anyone that way. Instead, Jesus went to the sick, lost, lonely, distressed, and perishing, and moved among them as a friend.
I wonder if we are witnessing like that? Do you keep aloof or do you go to others? Another way of asking the same thing is to ask whether or not you have contact with non-Christians socially. Do you go to their homes, sit in their kitchens, and ask them about their interests?
ILL: Baptism Is A Sign of Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
When the early Christians declared their faith in baptism, they would shout out, “Jesus is Lord!” Baptism has always been a sign of submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. William Barker tells of a machinist at Ford Motor Company in Detroit many years ago who became a Christian and was baptized. Shortly after he got saved, the Holy Spirit convicted him of his need to make restitution for some car parts and tools he had stolen from the company before he had become a Christian. The next morning he brought everything back to his employer, explaining how he had just been baptized and wanted to make things right. His boss was dumbfounded so he sent a cable to Mr. Ford, who was out of the country, asking him how he should handle the situation. Mr. Ford sent an immediate reply: “Make a dam in the Detroit River, and baptize the entire city!”
From a sermon by Brian Bill, Taking the Plunge, 10/25/2009
FOUR WORDS
The great English statement and man of God William Wilberforce once wrote that "Christianity can be condensed into four words: admit, [Christ as Lord] submit, [To Christ as Lord] commit, [Our lives to doing His will] and transmit [The Love of God to a dying world]." (Draper's Quotes, Accessed QuickVerse Platinum 2010) Samuel Wilberforce (1805--1873)
