Seeking Salvation
Luke 19:1-10
May 31, 2020
Here we come across a familiar story,
Even though Luke is the only gospel writer to include it.
It is the story of the “Wee Little Man” named Zaccheus.
There is little doubt why Luke included the story.
Zaccheus is the perfect example of everything
Luke has wanted to reveal in regard to salvation.
As we have said from the beginning, no one put more emphasis on the overlooked and rejected of society than Luke.
• No one else mentioned Elizabeth or Zacharias
• No one else gave such attention to Mary
• No one else mentioned Simeon or Anna
And no one gave as much attention to Tax Collectors as Luke.
The story today marks the 6th time Luke has mentioned them.
Zaccheus fits Luke’s objectives because, like the prodigal son,
Zaccheus doesn’t appear to be someone who is worth saving.
So this morning we look to Luke’s second great illustration of salvation.
And we talk about SEEKING SALVATION.
But let me go ahead and head you off at the pass.
• If you’ve got that children’s song stuck in your head
• And you think this sermon is all about how Zaccheus climbed that tree
• Because he was seeking salvation then you’ve got it all wrong.
While it is true that Zaccheus did want to see Jesus…
While it is true that Zaccheus did climb that tree…
The seeker of the story is not Zaccheus.
The seeker in the story is Jesus.
Luke concludes the story with this statement:
(10) “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
We don’t hear the terminology too much anymore (and with good reason since it was a faulty premise), but 15 years ago the modern church was fascinated with the concept of “seekers”.
These people who were supposedly seeking God but who apparently needed a culturally relevant and non-traditional church to do it.
(Biblically speaking it was a false assumption.)
Romans 3:11 “THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”
Jesus was clear in His Sermon the Mount that no one remains a seeker.
Because He declared that all true seekers quickly become finders.
Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
• There is no such thing as one who is seeking God, who does not find Him.
• That is because God is a loving Father who gives “what is good to those who ask Him”
What we really have in the world today is
Suppressers who disguise themselves as seekers.
What do I mean?
Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Paul lays it out.
• What man is seeking is a god of their own creation.
• Sinful man wants a god, just not a holy one.
• Sinful man wants a god, just not one who judges sin.
• And so, having ignored the revelation of creation, they are now on this journey for a god who does not exist.
They are seeking, but not for God.
Fortunately for us, we have a God seeks for sinners.
• He is like that shepherd in search of the lost sheep.
• He is like that woman in search of the lost coin.
• He is like that father in search of the lost son.
HE IS THE SEEKER, AND HE IS THE SAVIOR.
This story, more than anything is about a divine appointment
Made before time began
When God chose to save a sinner named Zaccheus.
And on this day the Shepherd found His lost sheep.
5 points
#1 THE ELIGIBLE CANDIDATE
Luke 19:1-4
Last time we talked about Bartimaeus
• And how he was a candidate for salvation,
• Namely because he checked all those boxes that Luke had revealed throughout chapter 18.
• He had faith and persistence like that widow
• He was humble like that tax collector
• He was dependent like those children
• He was desperate like the disciples
Well here we get another candidate for salvation,
Though the intangibles and characteristics of his life
Are not the primary focus of Luke’s story.
One could certainly argue for desperation or persistence
When you see Zaccheus climbing that tree.
However the focus here is not on the attitudes of Zaccheus
So much as it is on the fact that Jesus can save anyone,
Even a man like Zaccheus.
He is a candidate BECAUSE,
As you will see, THE LORD DETERMINED TO SAVE HIM.
So we follow our story
(1) “He entered Jericho and was passing through.”
• We already discussed last week about the tremendous journey that Jesus is making from the dead sea up to Jerusalem.
• In the 20 mile journey it is a 5200 feet elevation climb.
• Jericho is 14 miles from Jerusalem and the Lord still has 3000 feet to go.
• As He was entering the city Jesus has just stopped and healed Bartimaeus of his blindness and declared him saved.
• Bartimaeus is now following as part of that giant entourage that is with Jesus on the way to the triumphal entry.
Meanwhile, as Jesus is passing through,
There is a divine appointment in the works.
(2) “And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.”
Interesting man here.
• His name is “Zaccheus” which interestingly enough means “innocent; pure; righteous”
• That’s funny since tax collectors were not allowed in synagogues since they were considered to be unclean.
• But Zaccheus was no ordinary tax collector, “he was a chief tax collector”
He was on top of the pyramid scheme.
Other tax collectors worked under him
And no doubt he made a living off of their commissions.
This business had been good for him for Luke adds “and he was rich”
And I hope you pick up on that IMPORTANT DISTINCTION,
Because it wasn’t too long ago that we read:
Luke 18:24-27 “And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
• It was just 2 weeks ago that we read those verses where Jesus said it was
impossible for rich people to be saved.
• And of course He wasn’t just referring to the financially rich, but even the
spiritually rich like that young man perceived himself to be.
But rich is rich and how we read that Zaccheus “was rich”
So we’d have to say that it doesn’t look good for Mr. Zaccheus.
However, there is something going on in the heart of this man,
Because like the blind man just a few moments earlier,
Zaccheus also has an intense desire to see Jesus.
(3-4) “Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.”
Now it is not evident yet, but it will soon become so, that
• The reason Zaccheus is all of a sudden so driven to see Jesus is because God has already done a work in his heart.
• Today this rich man, who has spent his life in extortion and greed all of a sudden has a desire to see this traveling Rabbi
• Today, this rich man isn’t avoiding a religious crowd he is running to make sure he sees it.
• What is it that causes a life-long sinner to all of a sudden feel the urge to go to church?
• What is it that causes a hardened sinner to all of a sudden feel the need to listen as someone speaks about Jesus?
It is grace at work in a life.
For some reason, today Zaccheus knows Jesus is coming
And he knows he needs to see Him.
Zaccheus is now an eligible candidate.
#2 THE EFFECTUAL CALL
Luke 19:5-6
You may recognize the term “effectual call”
As one of the historical points of Calvinism.
In Calvin’s Tulip it is actually the “I” which stands for “Irresistible Grace”.
• Noting that when God foreknows someone and then calls them to salvation, they will in fact come.
John 6:37-39 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”
What you need to see is that this is exactly what is happening here.
This is as clear of a picture in Scripture as you will find
Of Jesus announcing God’s sovereign prerogative
And ushering an effectual call.
(5) “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
Don’t blow past that statement,
For there are some remarkable things you need to see there.
First, notice that Jesus called Zaccheus BY NAME.
It reminds of:
John 1:47-48 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
This is more than just a simple occurrence of omniscience.
What you have here is Jesus specifically entering this city
In search of one of His lost sheep.
Jesus knows who the sheep is,
And when Jesus sees that sheep up in a tree,
He calls that sheep by name and says “hurry and come down”.
That statement alone drips of sovereign election and effectual call.
But there is even more than that.
Notice what else Jesus says: “for today I must stay at your house.”
Pay special attention to the word “must”.
It is used several times by Luke, but it is never used lightly.
DEI (die) in the Greek and it speaks of that which is absolutely necessary.
Luke 2:49 “And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
Luke 4:43 “But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”
Luke 9:22 “saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”
Luke 13:33 “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”
Luke 17:25 “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
These things Jesus has spoken of
Are not just things that should happen or ought to happen,
But things that God has sovereignly determined will happen.
In the eternal decrees of God, there are things that God has determined.
• Things like the coming of Christ.
• Things like the preaching of Christ.
• Things like the suffering of Christ.
And on this day, it is word used of the salvation of Zaccheus.
This has been sovereignly decreed.
In our daily devotions we’ve discussed
Ephesians 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
Can you see these realities working themselves out in Zaccheus’ life?
• It was by no coincidence that he was compelled to see Jesus.
• It was by no coincidence that he was up that tree.
• This was no happenstance meeting between him and Christ.
THIS WAS A DIVINE APPOINTMENT.
God had initiated this desire in Zaccheus’ heart.
Christ had purposely gone that way.
On this day they met.
Zaccheus had been found.
And Jesus told him he must come with Him.
It drips of God’s sovereign election and God’s effectual call.
You’ve seen these types of things before:
Acts 18:9-10 “And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
“many people”?
Who are they?
• They are the chosen yet lost children of God.
• They aren’t saved yet, but they will be.
• Paul was to stay in Corinth until he called them all home.
We already read John 6, but consider now this passage.
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
You can actually see that verse playing itself out
Right before your eyes here in Luke 19.
Or look again at:
Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
• Zaccheus had been foreknown
• Zaccheus had been predestined (that’s why he’s up that tree)
• And now Zaccheus is called
It’s just the sovereign work of Christ.
And look at this now, it’s remarkable!
(6) “And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.”
But I thought it was impossible for a rich man to be saved?
• I thought rich people didn’t come to Christ.
• I thought it was easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle.
That’s all true.
But it’s also true that
What is impossible with people is possible with God.
Right here you are witnessing the impossible.
This rich tax collector is answering the call of Jesus.
The Eligible Candidate, The Effectual Call
#3 THE EXPECTED COMPLAINT
Luke 19:7
We certainly saw this coming.
• People didn’t like it when tax collectors got saved.
• To the typical Jewish observer, tax collectors didn’t deserve mercy.
• They grumbled when Matthew was saved and they grumble here as well.
They are clearly unhappy about Jesus’ selection.
Notice
• There is nothing said about how despicable Zaccheus is for coming down.
• The COMPLAINT IS NOT that Zaccheus was willing to entertain Jesus.
• The COMPLAINT IS that Jesus would call him.
But let’s pay special attention to what they say.
“He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
That’s absolutely true.
That’s exactly what Jesus did.
He offered mercy and grace to a man who did not deserve it.
What the crowd failed to realize is that Jesus had no other option.
Where was He going to find a non-sinner to lodge with?
The crowd’s response is the very FULFILLMENT of the point
Jesus was making in that infamous “judge not” passage.
Matthew 7:1-3 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
The problem is not the propensity to call out sin.
The problem is the refusal to see your own sin.
Greed is sinful and greedy people must repent.
But greed isn’t the only sin.
Yet these people were totally unaware of their own sin.
• All they could see was that Zaccheus was sinful and yet Jesus did the
unthinkable by entering his house.
But there’s a reason Luke includes this complaint.
There’s a reason Luke wants you to know what the crowd said.
Namely this: Zaccheus heard what they said.
• He heard them yelling, he heard them complaining.
• Zaccheus heard their accusations.
• Zaccheus heard what they called him.
• Zaccheus certainly realized that this posed a threat to the reputation of Jesus.
Common sense would tell you that something had to give.
Zaccheus had to know that if this relationship was ever going to work,
One of them (he or Jesus) was going to have to change.
To that we see the next point
#4 THE EVIDENT CONVERSION
Luke 19:8
Zaccheus heard what they said, and “Zaccheus stopped”
You can see the realization on him.
He knows this is no normal visit.
The scene is too volatile.
And look at his decision.
“Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will gave back four times as much.”
That response demonstrates
Everything you’d want to see of a repentant man.
• He clearly is done cheating people.
• He certainly is done with greed since he’s going to instantly part with half of what he owns.
• And he’s going to make restitution for the sin he’s committed.
Now, to be fair, one might ask why the rich young ruler had to give up all, but Zaccheus got off with half?
It’s as we said when talking about the rich young ruler.
It’s not that Jesus has something against possessions.
But remember the call to the rich young ruler was “follow Me”
And, as we said, he could not do that and keep all his possessions.
You can’t follow Jesus and bring your dinette set with you.
Since Jesus didn’t want the money, that man was told to sell it, distribute it, and follow.
But the call to Zaccheus was different.
• Jesus didn’t ask Zaccheus to accompany Him.
• Jesus instead said he was going to Zaccheus’ house.
And I remind you that the Lord has this prerogative.
We remember when the Lord told Peter that following Jesus would ultimately lead him to death.
John 21:19 “Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
And then of course you’ll remember that Peter pointed at John:
John 21:21-22 “So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
The issue here is not amount given or even percentage.
THE ISSUE IS WILLINGNESS.
Zaccheus has it.
• He is repenting.
• He is turning around.
• He is making restitution.
But more than that,
Zaccheus is identifying a new valuable priority in his life.
The rich young ruler looked at Jesus and then looked at his wealth
And viewed his wealth as more valuable.
Zaccheus did the opposite.
He saw more value in Jesus,
And he was here willing to do whatever it took to keep Jesus.
He is sharing Paul’s passion.
Philippians 3:8 “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”
He reminds us of the treasure hunter and the merchant
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
More than the cost of Christ, those parables illustrate the value of Christ.
ZACCHEUS CLEARLY SAW THAT VALUE.
Whatever the cost, Zaccheus wanted to gain Christ.
The crowd made it clear that
Jesus had no business staying with a sinner like Zaccheus,
So he determined to stop sinning.
If repentance was required to gain Jesus, then so be it.
He’d give up half immediately and anything else that was needed
If he could simply be a friend of Jesus.
This is a genuine and evident conversion.
Far too often in our day WE SEE SUPPOSED CONVERSIONS
Because someone walks an aisle or prays a prayer or gets in a baptistery.
• But where is the repentance from sin?
• Where is the new life?
• Where is the actual conversion?
Zaccheus came down out of the tree,
But ARE WE TO ASSUME that this act alone indicated salvation?
Of course not, and neither does walking an aisle.
It was Zaccheus’ total break from his former of life of sin that evidenced his salvation.
• This man was a new man.
• Once concerned only about wealth, now only concerned about Christ.
We would do good to ask
What happened after you came down out of the tree?
Did you return to your old life of sin?
If so, how are we to assume that salvation genuinely occurred?
Ephesians 5:5-8 “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light”
Zaccheus certainly passes that test.
It was an evident conversion.
#5 THE ESSENTIAL CLARIFICATION
Luke 19:9-10
Well if there was any doubt whether Zaccheus was really redeemed,
Jesus puts an end to it.
Like Bartimaeus last week,
Jesus also officially declares that Zaccheus is a saved man.
“And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house”
• Zaccheus is no longer an enemy of God.
• But having been chosen by God.
• Having been predestined to confront Christ.
• Having been effectually called to salvation.
• Zaccheus has been redeemed.
Jesus declared him saved.
But Jesus doesn’t leave it at that.
Here, there is given an explanation.
Jesus tells everyone why he is saved.
“because he, too, is a son of Abraham.”
Well what does that mean?
• Are we to assume that Jesus meant that because he was Jewish he was
saved?
• Is Jesus telling the crowd to get off his back because he’s a Jew like them, and
so he’s automatically saved on this account?
Of course not.
• The rich young ruler was a Jew too, but it didn’t save him.
• The Pharisee boasting about himself at the temple was clearly a Jew and
Jesus declared him to not be justified.
What does Jesus mean that “he, too, is a son of Abraham”?
We simply need to remind ourselves of something:
Romans 9:6-8 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.”
Paul there taught us that the lineage we are speaking of is not a physical one.
• Abraham had more sons than just Isaac.
• He also had Ishmael.
Those promises of salvation did not include Ishmael, only Isaac.
(We could go farther into Isaac’s sons; Jacob and Esau)
What was the defining difference between the two?
• One of Abraham’s sons was a son of the flesh (Ishmael/Haggar)
• The other son was a son of the promise (Isaac/Sarah)
• Ishmael represented human works and ultimately legalism.
• Isaac represented God’s supernatural work and ultimately grace.
So clearly not all of Abraham’s descendants are saved,
But only those who are sons through grace not works.
But that isn’t all.
Abraham is also known as the father of faith.
Romans 4:1-5 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”
• Specifically there Abraham believed that God would do for him what he could not do for himself.
• And when Abraham believed God, God imputed righteousness to him.
And incidentally, the righteousness Abraham received
Was the very righteousness of Christ.
Remember the sacrificing Isaac story?
Genesis 22:7-8 “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.”
Genesis 22:13-14 “Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”
Abraham believed that
God would accomplish all of His promises by grace
And that God would provide any payment that was needed.
That is why Jesus said:
John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
What Jesus is saying here regarding Zaccheus
Is that he is saved because, like his father Abraham,
He saw God’s grace and provision for salvation in Jesus.
And when Zaccheus saw that Jesus was God’s means of salvation,
He pushed everything else aside to obtain it.
And that is why Jesus also says:
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Jesus didn’t say, “because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For all children of Abraham are automatically saved.”
Rather Jesus said, “Zaccheus is saved because he, like his father Abraham, looked to Me for salvation, and salvation is what I do!”
This man is saved because I seek for the lost, and I save them.
What a tremendous reality!
• We have a God who has decreed to save His flock.
• We have a Savior who came to this earth to search for them.
• And when the Savior finds them He calls them out and saves them.
Jesus is the One who seeks salvation!
Jesus is the One who seeks for the lost.
And as we said at the beginning,
It’s a good thing He sought us because Scripture teaches us
That sinners don’t naturally seek Him.
ZACCHEUS IS A TESTIMONY TO
God’s sovereign grace and Christ’s loving passion.
AND I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT THIS GRACE IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU.
• Have you ever sat in a service or heard the gospel and felt Christ calling you out of that tree?
• Have you ever been compelled that Christ desired to come and dwell with you?
• And have you felt the tension because you knew that in order for him to come, some things in your life would have to change?
WELL THIS MORNING I’D TELL YOU TO RESPOND!
Furthermore, I am confident that all those who are Christ’s will respond.
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
Do you want to be one of His sheep?
• Then come on.
• And if you are, you will.
AND THIS IS WHY WE TALK ABOUT GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL.
Because we rejoice in the fact that
The desire for salvation is not simply a desire in the sinner.
The ultimate desire for sinners to be saved comes from God.
Sinners aren’t just begging to be delivered to some apathetic God.
QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
• God is reaching out to apathetic sinners.
• Christ is seeking to save the lost.
• He is choosing, He is calling, He is saving.
• Why do you think you were compelled to be here this morning?
• Why do you think there is conviction in your heart?
• Why do you think you are compelled to follow Christ?
BECAUSE:
“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
