Little big man.
Lk.19:1-10
Story of Zacheus, who was a man of small stature, who did everything that he could, in order to get a glimpse of Jesus passing by.
He was a rich man, who was also a tax collector. In those days, much similar to now, the tax man was not a very well liked man among his peers.
While the text that we read tells us of a man who climbed a tree so that he could see Jesus, there is more to the story.
Jesus entered into Jericho, which was the first city that the children of Israel had captured, when they went into the promised land. Remember, The spies were sent into the land, and they found Rahab the harlot, who ended up giving sanctuary to the children of Israel……………….
Jericho was the first city for the Israelites, but Jesus did not visit it until his last journey into Jerusalem. Its amazing, that just as Rahab and her household were the only ones that were spared, that Jesus made his way into the same city of Jericho, just for the household of Zacheus to be saved.
In the O.T. it was a woman who was a harlot, and was no doubt at the bottom rung of the social ladder, to the new testament it was a rich man, who was hated by everyone. There is no wonder that the bible says the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.
I’m here to tell you that it does not matter your social status. It doesn’t matter what your position or your job may be, nor what your neighbors may think of you, when God has a plan for your life, its his will that will prevail.
Its not by accident that God sent Joshua, who was an Old testament type of Christ as one of the spies that were sent in. There name actually comes from the same Hebrew word Yeshua. God is salvation.
As Jesus entered into Jericho, he noticed this man Zacheus perched up in a tree, trying to get just a glimpse of him.
Jesus looked up and said to him, Zaccheus, make haste, or hurry and get down here, for I need to go to your house.
Isn’t funny how, sometimes when we are just looking out of curiosity, Jesus will call us. Perhaps this is the case with some of us, we were just coming to church, trying to get a glimpse of what everyone else was seeing.
Maybe this is you now, in the process of separating yourself from the people around you who know you as…. Or people who judge you by the things that you used to do.
Can I tell you today, that it does not matter what kind of person you were before you got saved. It doesn’t matter if you were the biggest harlot in town, nor the most hated man in the streets, because the bible says that God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.
This is why Paul said this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Forget about the past, and look forward unto what God is doing now, and what is about to become.
The point of the story that grabbed me, was the fact that Zaccheus separated himself from the rest of the crowd. He was not just going to stand back and watch the crowds try to press in closer to Jesus, but he made just that little extra effort, in climbing the tree to get a new perspective.
He did not just want to come and see what everyone else was seeing, but he wanted to see the face of the savior. The situation that goes on in all too many churches, is that many are just there to see what is going on. Many people will show up just to have some place to go, while others are there to receive a word from the Lord.
Tell someone, its time to go higher.
As you begin to go higher in God, or climb up to the next level, you will begin to find that others around you will begin to walk away. Because the truth is, misery loves company. People who say friends to the end, often times end up farthest away from you because they are afraid of what you are becoming.
If you are coming to a point in your life where there is starting to become a separation between you, and people who you used to hang with, chances are you are beginning to walk in the will of God.
When Moses went up to the mountain for 40 days, he did not bring everyone of the children of Israel with him, the only one who came along, was Joshua.
On the second time that he ascended into the Mount for 40 days, he was there alone.
Other people will distract you from being in the position where God wants to reveal himself to you. Have you ever noticed people who are very insecure in life, are the ones who ask you the most questions about themselves. What do you think about this? Or that?
And it’s the same people who will always tell you what you need to do.
We must be careful not to be surrounded by too many people in our inner circle, because we will eventually become people pleasers, rather than God pleasers. And everyone knows, you can’t please all the people all the time.
No matter how good their intentions may be, too much advice, from too many people will have you running around in circles.
Too much advice, will move you out of the place where God wants you to be. There is a place and a time where a man or woman of God has to be to receive the blessings. That’s why the bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And the word also tells us to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding……….
Some will say you need to be here or there, or God is doing this, and God’s plan for your life are that, but my bible tells me to let God be true, and every man a liar.
Thank God we are not just limited to what people say that we are. Its time that we realize who we are, and whose we are in Christ Jesus. Its when we realize that we are who God says we are, we can have what God says we can have……
Were talking about knowing who to share your dreams with. Because there are some things that you have to go alone. Some things are so intimate and personal between you and God, that someone else may talk you out of receiving all that God has in store for you.
As the children of Israel went into battle, Exodus 17:10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
When the children of Israel went into the battle, Moses took Aaron and Hur with him, to the top of the hill.
They were in the midst of the battle, and everytime that Moses’ hands grew tired, and he began to let them down, the Children of Israel started to lose the battle, but as soon as he would raise his hands again, the Israelites would become victorious.
Oh that we would have people surrounding us, who lift us up, when we can’t pick our selves up. Everyone needs an Aaron, and a Hur, a tight knit group, who you can count on when the going gets rough.
If everyone would have been on the top of the Mountain with Moses, chances are they would have begun to criticize him, and told him that they should have just stayed in Egypt, but instead, Moses knew who he could count on.
Elijah the prophet took Elisha with him, in the final stages of his ministry, because he knew that he had a mantle to pass down to him. And the Protégé ended up performing twice the miracles as the mentor.
David has his warriors, his chief men, and then his three mightiest of men. Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah. There was an inner circle, who David knew were there until the bitter end.
Paul had Silas, Barnabas, and Timothy.
Even Jesus had the twelve disciples, but as he ascended to the mount of transfiguration, he only brought with him, Peter, James, and John.
You’ll find that as you go into higher heights and deeper depths into the kingdom of God, there is a separation that occurs. A separation not only of people who you thought were your friends, but also a separation in things that you used to do.
The Lord began to speak to me recently about a leisurely hiker, vs. a mountain climber…..compare
There are certain things, which if we are to grow up in the spiritual realm, that we are going to have to leave along the side of the trail. There are some things that we can not afford to pull up the mountain with us. Some things are nothing but dead weight we carry
The Lord has spoken that there are many who are here, who are ready to go to the next level, your ready to climb up that tree to get a new glimpse and a new perspective on God, but you are carrying around some things with you that are keeping you from reaching your potential.
