Zaccheaus Series

Video Transition: Chairs!

Series: Pull Up a Chair - Zach!

Thesis: God is inviting each of you to pull up a chair next to Him this new year in 2026 – Yes, even next to His table – to have a conversation with Him – to even ask questions of Him.

(Reference the banner) Key Verse on the banners for Series:

1 Peter 4:8-10: 8Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 10God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Tag Line – Love – Host – Serve! The challenge of 2026!

Summary of the message and the story of Jesus and Nicodemus: The story of Jesus and Nicodemus, found in John Chapter 3 of the New Testament, Nicodemus comes in the middle of the night wanting to sit down at the table and talk with Jesus about what He has seen and heard! Jesus did not turn him away instead he invited him to sit with Him at the table. Jesus has an open invitation to all- whoever- whomever to come and pull up a chair with Him so as to talk and to fellowship! Yes, even to ask questions and discuss the Word of God together! Yes, this meeting describes a clandestine meeting where Jesus explains the necessity of spiritual rebirth and the nature of salvation to a religious leader who knows he had to come from God. Jesus explains why he came to earth from Heaven. To establish His kingdom and set people free from sin. You could say Nicodemus had a miraculous conversation with “The Great I Am!”

What did we need to know from last week’s message?

Answer: We need to accept Jesus’ invitation to “Pull Up a Chair and come to Him.”

Why did we need to know this?

Answer: The invitation from Jesus is always open to anyone who is willing to pull up a chair with Jesus – these heart-to-heart talks with Jesus should change us and compel us to go pull a chair up with someone else that Jesus highlights to us so we can be a miracle in another person’s life.

Sermon:” Zaccheus come pull up a chair!” – Jesus.

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10 --- Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Introduction:

Let me remind you of what Jesus is inviting you to do this year:

Jesus extends numerous invitations in the Bible, most famously "Come, follow me" (Matthew 4:19, Mark 10:21), calling people into discipleship, service, and a deeper relationship with God, promising rest for the weary in Matthew 11:28, and offering eternal life through Himself (John 14:6). These invitations, often using phrases like "Come and see" (John 1:39) or "Come and dine" (John 21:12), are to know Him personally, find true rest, and enter His Kingdom, accessible to all who hunger and thirst for God.

Jesus’ choses to go thru the town of Jericho – which is the oldest inhabited city in the world according to archaeologists. Jericho is known from the book of Joshua and how the Lord instructed them to walk around the city and blow the trumpets, to shout on the 7th day and the walls fell as the Lord had said they would – and then the Israelites conquered the city. See Joshua 6 for all the details.

See pictures of Jericho.

Jericho in Jesus’s day was and an oasis – like a palm springs destination in America. It was perfect temperature year-round and filled with a lush green landscape. The rich and famous hung out in Jericho during Jesus day – it was a resort town – so in his journey to find followers Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into Jericho and led right to Zaccheus. He was the number one tax collector of this wealthy city of wealthy people – it is noted – he was small in stature and had to climb a tree to get a view of Jesus – to get a glimpse of Jesus – to see Jesus – who was being mobbed by the crowd. Zach knew and heard the stories of Jesus – miracle worker – Yes Jesus had become famous at this point in his ministry and life. Jesus is passing by the tree he is in and Jesus looks up – and invites himself to Zaccheus house. Zach seems excited to host Jesus – but interestingly the crowd murmurs about Jesus’ choice of Zach – Jesus invited this chief of sinners to the table of the Almighty – to dine together – talk together – at the sinners’ house. This was unheard of in Israel! Good godly men did not associate with these types of people!