This sermon was preached by Scotty L Killingsworth to the congregation of Evergreen Church on Sunday morning February,16 2003
Catastrophic Choices series part one Luke 12
Last Sunday we followed Zacchaeus around for 30 days. We watched as he became aware of the consequences of his life, and the deepening conviction that he needed to meet Jesus. We went with him as he collected taxes and interacted with people. We felt his growing despair with his life and thrilled with him as he climbed the tree wanting to see Jesus.
Today we will try to get in his head and see the failed strategy he lived the first part of his life under and see with him how miserably it failed. We will look at the new strategy he found for life when Jesus found him.
Dr. Luke collects for us these stories of Jesus’ ministry. They seem to fit loosely together, but taken together they weave a powerful message together for us to hear and use to make our lives work.
In essence Dr. Luke says, anything we use as an eternal strategy that is outside of the shed blood of Jesus is a tragic mistake and will cause us to be in peril of eternal death.
There are life actions we use as substitutes for genuine faith in Jesus.
What choices keep people from trusting Jesus?
Choosing to hide your sin from God 12:2-3
Zacchaeus rationalized his sin and was able to put it in a part of his heart where stealing from his own people was acceptable. It was a mind game, but for a while it worked.
People who fail to trust Jesus are often self-deluded and doubt the all-knowing nature of God. They tell themselves, “Surely God does not know all my sin.” I have it hidden so deeply no one knows what is really in my heart. Are you willing to bet your eternal soul on this belief?
Jesus in a huge crowd of people turned for an intimate conversation with his inner circle and warned them about hypocrisy. He plainly said you can’t hide anything from God-even hypocrisy!
God knows everything. Part of his nature is omniscience. Read Luke 12:6-7
Our world is full of some very good people. They rationalize in their minds that because they are so good in most ways that God will accept them on their merit. Truthfully, under our goodness is a cesspool. God sees both.
How many sins does it take to send a person into an eternity without Jesus? One!
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
2 Cor. 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad
King David tried to hide his sin, but God whispered it in the ear of his prophet Nathan.
Life Application:
#1. Refuse to believe the lie that you can hide sin
#2. Choose to hide your sin in the fountain drawn from Immanuel’s veins.
#3. The very thing you have been trying to hide all your life will be public knowledge in heaven unless it is forgiven and forgotten.
#4. When you choose to trust Jesus and accept his forgiveness all sin is gone.
It is ridiculous to try to hide sin from an all-knowing God, but we try because we have lost our perspective.
Choosing to fear the wrong one 12:4-5
Zacchaeus’ worst fear, during the first half of his life, was poverty. Later it may have been the Romans as he went to work for them. Notice that his fear reversed itself when he met Jesus. He learned to fear no man, and instead his fear of God changed his life.
Some people obsess about anything that can kill the body. They take every vitamin, care and precaution. Driving without wearing a seat belt to them is a cardinal sin because they place such a high value on physical life. There is something so much more serious that should occupy our thinking and planning. We have a spirit that lives on after our death and we should fear the one who has jurisdiction over it 100 times more. Life is precious and it is to be guarded, but the God who gives or removes eternal life is fearful.
For years in preaching I would have taken several minutes at this point in the sermon to define and describe the fear of God. I would have told you our fear should be just reverential awe etc. At this point in my preaching career I hesitate to mediate the fear of God even by explanation. A being that with a spoken word create an entire universe is a being that I no longer choose to try to mediate or explain. Is God to be feared by modern saints and sinners? Yes. Is He good? Yes, but he is God. Should we fear him? You better!
When God met with the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt his presence was so frightening and awesome they told Moses to speak to God for them because they were afraid of the lightning and thunder of his presence.
North Korea is rattling its sabers. Muslim terrorists threaten USA. Iraq may have weapons of mass destruction. Home-grown militia groups may have plans of disruption. These are indeed frightening times. There is a much more frightening possibility waiting in the next life if you have not placed faith in Jesus. Imagine standing before the supreme God who because of His love sent His own son to die for your sin. Should you be afraid of God if you die in sin and unbelief? Yes!
Life Application:
#1. Take some time today and give some deep thought to what scares you. Of what are you afraid? Is your fear temporal or temporary? If it is, put it in the perspective of eternity.
#2. You might want to give some thought to what you plan to say to God upon meeting him after your death. If your speech has anything in it but, “I trust Jesus” be afraid. Be very afraid.
Hidden sin and a comfortable attitude toward God both allow people to make bad eternal choices. There is another category that is spiritually fatal.
Choosing to stand for the wrong things 12:8-9
Zacchaeus stood for the Roman government. He was a Jew in the employment of a foreign government who dominated his people. He stood for the wrong ideals, but he stood.
Everyone stands for something. It may be sloth/laziness. It may be family or their nation. It may be their personal rights, or human rights. Some people stand for good schools, others stand for good communities. Some stand for the underprivileged or marginalized. Some want gay rights. Others want gays to have no rights. Some stand for their right to bear arms and others fight for gun control. Everyone stands for something.
All causes are not equal! There is one paramount cause that is deterministic in regards to our eternal condition. Stand up for Jesus here and He will stand up for you in heaven. Deny him here and he will deny you in heaven.
The first place one stands up for Jesus is in the area of public commitment of faith in Him followed by a public baptism. This is where it should begin.
Quite regularly I am asked to preside at the funeral of someone who has not stood up for Jesus. Nearly in every case there is a pall on the proceedings because of the unasked question that no one dares speak. The question is did he stand up for Jesus? The answer is usually couched in generalities and empty hope. “Well he was a good family man”, or “He loved his country”, or he helped people” is said by those who loved the person, but don’t really know where that person is in eternity.
Life Application:
#1. Do your family a favor. Let them know where you’re going when you die. Vagueness in this area is torture to those who love you.
#2. If you have been unclear on your faith, get it clear. If you have not been saved and baptized don’t put if off. Stand up for Jesus and he will stand up for you
Ok, mind games about sin, fear of everything but the big thing, standing up for good things, but not the best all are substitutes for the real thing. There is one more we will cover today that is just as deadly as these.
Choosing to sell-out cheap 12:13-21/32-34
Zacchaeus sold out his friends, his nation, even his soul. He decided that the only thing that was important was his own wealth and comfort. He sold out cheap.
A man in a Bible parable found a pearl of great value lying in a field. He sold everything he owned to buy the field. Jesus said he was a wise man. He saw something of great value and he did what ever was necessary to own it.
The land around Branson 50 years ago could have been had for free. All you had to do was pay the taxes on it and it could be yours. Today it is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more per acre. You could have had it cheap if you could have seen the pearl buried in the ground.
You sell out cheap when you store up things for yourself. In so doing you disregard the pearl of great price and do nothing to attain it. There are some people who see the value of laying up treasure in heaven and they put their heart and their treasure there and they are rich toward God.
What will be said of you when you die? Did you sell all you have to buy something of great value, or did you sell out cheap? Did you spend all your energy and effort trying to pile up treasure here for you pleasure and leisure and invest nothing in your eternity?
People are richest in eternity that found the pearl of forgiveness and service to God and man in the field and sold everything they have to own it. The poorest people in eternity will be those who sold out cheap and settled for earthly riches.
In this parable a man said to himself, Oh you have really been a great farmer. You are so smart and hard working. You in fact are so good that you’ve got it made. You are rich and you deserve everything you have. You will never have a need again. Take life easy. Eat, drink and be merry. And that night he died.
Hey guess what; you’re going to die too. Who will benefit from your effort then?
A man and woman were discussing their lives, marriage and death. The man said, “When I’m dead will you live in this house with your next husband?” “No, she said, I will sell this house and buy a new one.” The man said, “If I die would you have your new husband sleep in my bed?” The wife said, “No. I would get a new bed.” The man said, “Would you let your new husband drive my truck?” “No”, she said, I would sell your truck. Then he said, “If I die will you let your new husband use my golf clubs?”, “No, she said, besides he’s left handed.”
There is a pearl in a field. The pearl is Jesus the Lamb slain for the sins of the world. He is there for you. Will you sell all you have or will you ignore the greater value and sell out cheap?
What do I want you to know?
Nothing is worth missing heaven for.
God knows you intimately and loves you so much he paid the ultimate price for your soul.
The other side of his love is his justice. We must fear him because of his power
What do I want you to do?
Stand up for him while you live and then he will stand up for you in eternity
