Into: The picture in Luke chapter nineteen should be familiar to us at this time of year.
No matter where Jesus went he drew a crowd.
This time of year we see crowds as well. But it is not necessarily because Jesus is at the center. The Christmas season malls, stores, Wal-Mart, even many churches seem to draw a crowd. Even with all the Christmas Carols, the Christmas decorations, and the Christmas Cheer.
It seems that Christ is not the center of the festivities. It takes an effort in our culture today to keep Jesus front and center at this time of the year. It is amazing how much Christmas is not about Jesus Christ to many.
Think about this. Many places are putting up holiday tress. I have just one question to ask you if it is a holiday tree why do we not put it up on the 4th of july, easter, thanksgiving, and other holidays. So many times it is easier to simply hear, “we don’t want to offend.” But Christmas is about Christ.
I would like to show you four stops we can make to keep Christ Jesus center of our Christmas.
“Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was”
I. Stop number 1: Desire to see Jesus.
What do you find when you actually see Jesus?
A) He sees me Luke 19.5 “He looked up”
Many people get lost in the shuffle at Christmas time but Jesus doesn’t miss one!
People can be lost in greed, griping, poverty, power, shame and sin. But Jesus will not miss you!
B) He knows me Luke 19.5 “He said to him, Zaccheus”
1) No one had to introduce Zaccheus to Jesus
2) No one had to inform Jesus of Zaccheus past.
3) No one has to tell Jesus your name or your past.
-Jesus is the Lord who sees, who hears, who seeks, and who saves.
C) He wants me Luke 19.5 “I must stay at your house”
We can find that we matter to God. Have you ever allowed this Bible truth to sink into your heart and mind? He sees us, and knows all about us and still he wants us!! He doesn’t simply love us as a group He loves us individually.
There is no need at the Christmas season or any season to live life out on a limb without God. Zaccheus found Jesus but only because Jesus came looking for Zaccheus.
Transition: Are there roadblocks on the street called desire that need to be demolished?
· The crowd of the world can crush your desire for Christmas.
· The rush and hurry of Christmas and the attitudes of others can make us forget that Christmas is about Christ.
· The solution.
II. Stop number 2: Determine to separate from the crowd
Zaccheus “was unable” to see Jesus “because of the crowd, so he ran on ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.”
2 Corinthians 6.17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord and do not touch what is unclean and I will welcome you.”
A call to come out of the crowd! You will never be able to see the Jesus who wants you unless separate yourself from the crowd!!
1 John 2.15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
The word in the Greek for church is ekklesia. It means the called out ones.
Jesus calls us out of the crowd. Even though Zaccheus was in the tree he was still in the crowd. But when Jesus called Zaccheus out of the tree he called him out of the crowd!!
A) Jesus calls us away from the “lust of the flesh”
It speaks of extreme desires in the area of food, drugs, sex, alcohol, food, entertainment, violence, and on and on.
B) Jesus calls us away from the “lust of the eyes”
A desire to have more and more that is pleasing to the eye.
Dr. Adrian Rogers aptly states, “The stomach is not the only thing with an appetite.”
Eyes that are stuck on things of the world will have an uncontrollable appetite.
C) Jesus calls us away from the “pride of life”
This is a desire for importance.
Dr. Adrian Rogers “It was pride that turned the angel into a devil. It is pride the escorts the human peacock as he struts into hell. And it is pride that has ruined the human race and turned this world into a graveyard.’
When Jesus calls and we come out of the crowd the old desires fade, the pride is replaced with humility and joy of Jesus’ cleansing presence.
Transition: When we come out of the crowd we can enter into the Joy of Christ.
Zaccheus’ exit was his entrance
III. Stop number 3: Demonstrate your joy
In Luke 2 the Angels brought the Sheppard’s good tidings of great joy, tidings comes from an Anglo-Saxon word that means news. The Angels told of the good news of salvation to come.
The good news is the source of our joy.
· Then if Jesus is the good news He is the source of our joy!!!
· God sent His only Son Jesus Christ as the water of life into our life that we might be flooded with Joy!!
o Mary would have joy with the birth of Jesus Luke 1.14
o John the Baptist had joy in the womb at Jesus’ presence Luke 1.44
o The Seventy returned from their mission with great joy Luke 10.17
o One of the fruits of the spirit is Joy Galatians 5.22
o The ransomed or redeemed of the Lord find Joy and gladness Isaiah 35.10
As disciples we are told that we are the light of the world.
How then do we turn the light on for a world that is so much in the dark?
(glad you asked)
We demonstrate the real Joy we get in a relationship with Jesus.
Zaccheus not only received Jesus with joy he responded in his actions and attitude with Joy.
Nasb Luke 19.6 “And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.”
Amplified “So he hurried and came down, and he received and welcomed Him joyfully.”
Dr Adrian Rogers
Joy is the birthright of the child of God. Every child of God ought to have a conscious, conspicuous, continuous, and contagious joy. If you are not living a life of joy, you are living beneath your privileges as a Christian.
Joy is one of the presents that God gives to us wrapped up and ready to go when we accept Jesus as savior and Lord.
Believe it or not it is up to us to unwrap the gift of God’s great joy!!
A) Joy is evidence of God’s presence
1) Immanuel – God with us
Circumstances do not set us on our course with Joy
(Joy is not based on presents, popularity, prosperity, power)
Christ’s presence in our life as our captain directs us to joy
Psalm 16.11 “You will make know to me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; In your right hand there are pleasures forever.
2) Jesus became the man of sorrows.
a) Jesus took the sorrow of our sin
b) Jesus replaced our unrighteousness with righteousness
c) Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to all who trust and obey Him
One of the fruits of the Spirit is Joy.
A life that is not full of Joy is a life that is less than God intended.
No more excuses if you are a Christian.
Philippians 4.4-5 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice”
Through the tears of loss, the trials of life, Jesus remains unchanged. Our joy will give the evidence at Christmas and all year that God is truly with us!
There is nothing that can take our joy away because there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
~Jerry Bridges - "The Practice of Godliness" ~
The purpose of rejoicing is not so we can feel better emotionally (though that will happen). The purpose of joy is to glorify God by demonstrating to an unbelieving world that our loving and faithful heavenly Father cares for us and provides for us all that we need.
B) Joy is the evidence you name is written in heaven
Luke 10.20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
1) Our home in heaven is assured
2) Our home in heaven Is prepared
C) Joy is the evidence that demands a verdict.
The presence of God and the hope of heaven cause a joy that cannot be counter-fitted.
This joy demands that the world decide what shall we do with this Christ!
Transition: The joy of Jesus presence can
IV. Stop number 4: Distribute your blessings
Luke 19.8 “But Zaccheus stood up and said, “Look Lord here and now I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
A) A wonderful show of confidence
He stood and confessed. Lord here and now I give.
Zaccheus was no longer the thieving tax collector, he was now a cheerful giver that God loved!
Zaccheus probably heard Jesus’ statement quoted by Paul in Acts 20.35 “It is more blessed to give than receive.
We are never more like Jesus and Christ centered than when we give.
He came to give His live a ransom for many.
Jesus came to give us eternal life John 10.28
Jesus came to give us all we need Phil 4.19
Jesus came to give us the Holy Spirit Ephesians 1.13
Jesus came to give us peace the world couldn’t John 14.27
B) A worshipful sign of repentance
Zaccheus had become rich off the poverty of others (chief tax collector)
Now he was changing his ways.
Zaccheus dramatically changed from a taker to a giver!
We can do no less than to give this season and every season. To the Lord Jesus and to others.
Conclusion:
Andrew Murray.
May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love, and joy of God’s presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love."
That is the spirit of Christmas
The world we live in today needs desperately to know that God wants them.
They can if we will come out of the crowd, demonstrate our joy, and distribute our blessings.
