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[Music] hello thanks for listening to or watching this message from grace road church we're really glad that you're there um we would encourage you if you don't do so regularly to check for announcements for things going on at our church and you can do so by downloading the grace road church app if you go to that app we have audio sermons video sermons and and announcements of current events so that you can stay current and know things that are going on around here uh we're really glad that you're here and we hope that you connect in all kinds of ways embrace the invisible praise the immortal and praise god [Music] and forever [Music] praise thee more praise god [Music] foreign [Music] and forever [Music] well good morning grace road church and anyone else who's tuning in i'm just so glad you are hey before we jump into our message this morning let me go ahead and pray for our time together okay let's pray father we thank you for yet another opportunity to open your incredible gift to us your word would we thank you for inspiring it lord we thank you for preserving it we thank you that in it we have the words of life we thank you for the freedom we have to own it to teach it to share it with one another and god we thank you for what we will see in it today that you are a god who can overcome the most obstinate hardened hearts that you are a god who has not left us as lost sheep who have wandered from the flock that our rejection and our about rebellion has not caused you to bring immediate and swift judgment on us but rather has moved you towards us in gentleness and love and so lord we pray god today that you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear the beauty of the gospel as we walk through our next passage together and lord we pray all of these things in jesus name amen amen well we are continuing in our series through luke's gospel today and and we're going to step into chapter 19. so luke 19 is where we're going to be today and we're actually um coming to the end of a major section of luke's gospel because if you remember um up to this point jesus has been heading towards jerusalem and this passage in the passage we're going to look at next week together is this final stop of jesus and his ministry before coming to jerusalem where he will of course be arrested tried crucified and of course resurrected um so before arriving in jerusalem though jesus goes through the town of jericho jericho and lucra records for us a story that if you grew up in church you're probably familiar with and it's the story of jesus and zacchaeus okay so so let's walk through this passage together we're gonna make some observations along the way here in luke 19 and then we're going to draw out some conclusions at the end okay so let's go ahead and jump in luke chapter 19 we'll start in verse one okay jesus entered jericho and was passing through and behold there was a man named zacchaeus he was a chief tax collector and was rich okay so so first of all luke tells us that zacchaeus this man in jericho where jesus had entered in zacchaeus was a chief tax collector now we have um heard about tax collectors several times in the gospel of luke already right if you remember these are these shady characters right these guys who who in collecting taxes for rome they take a little extra for themselves right like they're lining the pockets with the finances of their fellow countrymen in the service of oppressive rome so you could imagine these are some of the least admired people in society right they're viewed as traitors and as thieves and again we've seen jesus time and time again interact with these tax collectors but this is the first and the only time actually in the gospels that we hear about a chief tax collector okay and you can probably guess what his role was just by that title right he was in charge he was in charge of gathering the taxes with with the other tax collectors working beneath him in this tax collecting structure and so if you viewed tax collecting as a kind of racket which which and honestly it was zacchaeus would have been seen as kind of like the kingpin or the boss right that meant if if tax collectors were rich and they were the chief tax collector would have been filthy rich and if tax collectors were despised and they were the chief tax collector was despised in an even greater way so this is zacchaeus so he's here jesus walks into the town of jericho where zacchaeus is zacchaeus is so go on verse 3 and luke 19 and he was seeking this is zacchaeus was seeking to see who jesus was but on account of the crowd he could not because he was small in stature so he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him for he was about to pass that way and when jesus came to the place he looked up and said to him zacchaeus hurry and come down for i must stay at your house today so he hurried and came down and received him joyfully now again if you grew up in church like i did you can't help but sing the sunday school song at least in your head when you read this passage right so luke tells us zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he right he he was small in stature luke says he's a small guy and so getting a glimpse of the now famous or for some infamous jesus when he rolls into town that's difficult that's hard jesus is drawing crowds where ever wherever he went now and so zacchaeus because of his size and the crowds he just couldn't see around all those people but that doesn't deter zekius he runs ahead of the crowd and he climbs up in this tree to get this better view as jesus comes down the street and amazingly luke says that despite all of the people that are there in the crowds jesus picks out zacchaeus and he tells him now come down and he invites himself over to his house and zacchaeus does just that i mean notice in the text jesus tells him to hurry and come down and luke notes that zacchaeus hurried and came down and in fact he did exactly what jesus told him to do and luke says he did it with joy he did it joyfully and so clearly zacchaeus was curious about jesus like like enough for him again to run ahead of everyone to climb up in this tree but i think it's obvious that that he was motivated by more than just curiosity right the way zacchaeus responds to jesus here shows that he had a hopeful curiosity in other words i think it was more than than just a i wonder if what they say about jesus is true but it was probably more like i hope that what they say about jesus is true perhaps he's heard about how jesus welcomed sinners and specifically tax collectors in other towns where he had been and maybe now today in jericho zacchaeus was hoping that he would do the same thing with him and sure enough of course he does he calls zacchaeus by name calls him down and says that he desires to go to his house and perhaps you're the same this morning like this might be your first time or maybe first time in a long time to listen to a sermon but you're curious there's something about jesus something about the way people talk about him something about how people all over the world gather to worship him that peaks your curiosity but maybe it's more than that maybe you're not only curious you're hopeful you're hopeful that what they say about jesus is true and my hope is that you will see in the rest of this story between jesus and zacchaeus that the rumors are true jesus really is good and even beyond that jesus is better than you'd ever hoped or imagined but let's go on in the story here look at the response of all the other people in the crowd when jesus calls down zacchaeus look at verse seven it says and when they saw it they all grumbled he's gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner again if you want to see how people thought of tax collectors notice that each time jesus spends time with them luke tells us that the people grumble he uses the same word the same description every time so for example it's what happens back in luke 5 when when jesus calls matthew the tax collector to follow him it's what happens when uh jesus spends time with other tax collectors in luke 15 right before he tells them the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin and the prodigal son luke says they grumble they complain they roll their eyes they talk amongst themselves about how unworthy zacchaeus is to have jesus um even speak to him to give him any attention and how mistaken jesus is to speak to him much less be a guest in his home but notice zacchaeus's response to both jesus and to those who hated him look at verse eight and zacchaeus stood and said to the lord behold lord the half of my goods i give to the poor and if i've defrauded anyone of anything i restore it fourfold so here's zacchaeus and he's realizing that jesus was not only in his presence but was welcoming him into his fellowship he says i want to make things right in other words he's repentant right like if you remember we've seen the call to repent many times throughout luke's gospel and it's a vital one for all of us to hear because it's a necessary and right response to hearing the gospel message and we've explained repentance a handful of times throughout the series that that it's the other side of the coin of faith right faith is turning to god and with that open hand receiving what he who he is and what he has for us and repentance is the other side of that turning away from sin so you turn to god in faith and so repentance is more than just a mental or emotional response even though it is those things it's also necessarily practical in other words it's tangible in someone's life when they're repentant they're a different person their lives change when someone repents they again they turn away with the spirit's help from from their sin and idolatry to turn and follow christ and this is true in zacchaeus is life here isn't it i mean his life has been radically changed and the result of his repentant faith is a desire to not only turn away from his dishonest practices as the chief tax collector but he wants to make it right so he says listen jesus to show that i'm a changed man i'm going to give half of all that i own to the poor and not only that but to those i've defrauded i will restore it four fold and that's ex significant because the jewish law actually didn't require that in fact the jewish law required much much less listen to leviticus leviticus chapter 6 this is the law of god for the nation of israel talking about restitution starting in verse 1 it says the lord spoke to moses saying if anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the lord by by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security or through robbery or if he has oppressed his neighbor or has found something lost in light about it swearing falsely and any of all the things that people do and sin thereby if he sinned and he has realized his guilt and restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the last thing that he found or anything about which he has sworn falsely he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt so understand in the law for for israel the law only required that people give back what they took and that they add just a fifth to it but here's zacchaeus in luke 19 saying listen i will go above and beyond not only am i going to give back what i took but i'm going to repay it fourfold i mean clearly zacchaeus was a changed man he wanted jesus to know that and i'm sure he wanted everybody else to know that too right like he wanted to make sure that all those who had grumbled before knew he had a new heart i mean before he was driven by self he was driven by greed and with the opportunity of power that he had and everything that offered him he defrauded others all for his own profit but now after encountering and being called out by jesus he wasn't driven by self anymore but for others he would make things right again this is what happens to the hearts of those who are graciously changed by the gospel right we're set free from the slavery to self so that we can serve god and serve other people we're set free from the tyranny of love of self so that we're freed now to love god and to love other people this is the testimony of all those called by jesus this was the testimony of zacchaeus that day in jericho and then finally look at what jesus says at the end of our passage this morning here in luke 19 verse 9 and 10 and jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house since he also is the son of abraham for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost so here jesus confirms zacchaeus was a new man today salvation came to his house then jesus says that salvation has come to the house of zacchaeus sins or because he is a son of abraham and that raises some questions certainly doesn't it i mean that could mean that salvation has come to his house because he's a jew like a son of abraham ethnically and in israel was you know the first target of the gospel messages paul said in romans 1 that the gospel is the power of god and salvation to the jew first and also to the greek but more than that probably jesus was saying to zacchaeus and all those around that zacchaeus because of his faith he was now truly a part of god's people in fact paul says in galatians 3 that that all those that are in christ are abraham's offspring you can read about that in galatians chapter 3. so imagine all of those religious moral people who grumbled at the thought of zacchaeus receiving attention hearing jesus say to them no here is a true son of abraham a member of the true israel the true people of god and so here again we're reminded yet again that that salvation is by grace through faith and not of our works and it's certainly not because of our pedigree or our ethnicity or our family but it's given to us as a gift given even to those who may be deemed the lowest of the low and so here's zacchaeus we're responding to the call of jesus and jesus saying salvation has come today to this house now i want to make just a few conclusions from the story of zacchaeus that i want to make sure we we hit before we wrap up i think first of all one thing we can draw from this is that jesus's mission should be his church's mission here's what i mean by that look again at that last verse luke 19 verse 10 jesus says for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost if jesus ever gave a personal mission statement that it was this right he says i came here's the reason i came to seek and to save those who are lost and of course the question is well who are the lost like what does that mean we'll remember jesus parables back in luke 15. that begins with the parable of the lost sheep and then goes on to the lost coin right the lost son the prodigal son jesus is saying he has a flock and the sheep have scattered they're lost but even though they're lost that he jesus as the good shepherd has come to find them to bring them back to the fold to bring them home i mean he says this is the very reason he came to seek the lost those far from god those of gods who have been separated by their sin from god and this mission statement of jesus is expressed in so many other places in the new testament i'll just give you a couple of them right so if you remember the angel's announcement of the birth of christ back in luke chapter 2 verse 10 says fear not the angel says for behold i bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people for unto you is born this day in the city of david a savior who is christ the lord in other words he's saying good news a savior has come this is why he came to be the savior mark 10 45 jesus says for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many he's saying i've come for this reason to give my life for my sheep to save them then paul would say in galatians chapter four verse four and five but when the fullness of time had come god sent forth his son born of woman born under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons the new testament says to us teaches us that mission was the very purpose of the incarnation of jesus coming in the flesh and i think this is really important for us to realize because it's easy for the church or or for christians to elevate some really good things over and above the most important things to the point where the most important things really are just all but ignored and what i mean by that there are really there are a lot of good things to be about but mission should be the first and highest concern for god's people because mission is the main concern for god and even that term mission has become fuzzy in the church sometimes you'll hear christians speak of mission or missions uh but actually be speaking of completely different things so so for example some view the church's mission as primarily social reform that we must first be about making our society a better place and that's done through activism and politics and laws some speak of mission as ecological responsibility a grounding mission and the mandate given to adam and eve to subdue the earth and care for it you'll hear that and probably many other definitions of mission but god's people who walk in a new covenant ministry described by paul said corinthians 3 and 4 and other places god's people embrace the mission of jesus which is to seek out and to save the lost that those outside the family of god might hear the good news of the gospel in fact in second corinthians 5 that next chapter he paul says that we're ambassadors of christ that that we go on his behalf and and as ambassadors we've been given a ministry and it's a ministry he calls a ministry of reconciliation and listen to how he describes it in 2 corinthians chapter 5 verse 18. he says all of this is from god who through christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in christ god was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation we'd stop there just for a moment and ask well what's the message what's the message of reconciliation we carry as ambassadors of jesus he says in verse 20. therefore we are ambassadors for christ god making his appeal through us we implore you on behalf of christ be reconciled to god and understand we're called to gospel ministry and gospel ministry prioritizes the gospel message in the gospel message is about the redemption of lost men and women from the slavery of sin and death and by calling them to repentance and faith reconciling back to god through the life death and resurrection of jesus all of that to say that that if we're to be a church that is about gospel ministry and if you're to be a christian that's about gospel ministry then we must give attention to gospel priorities again there are a lot of other good things that we can be involved in and listen we should be involved in so i'm not i'm not belittling them but if we aren't first and foremost about the lost hearing the gospel then this text tells us that our priorities are out of sync with jesus's priorities jesus's mission should be his church's mission jesus came to seek and to save sinners and so we like jesus like the apostles we would take this opportunity to plead with you by repentant faith in the finished work of jesus be reconciled to god that's the priority here so again jesus's mission should be his church's mission a second conclusion i would draw from this is i don't want us to miss that because god is sovereign our salvation is certain because god is sovereign our salvation is certain and here's what i mean by that notice that when jesus walks through jericho he calls out to zacchaeus before zacchaeus ever calls out to him i mean unasked jesus calls zacchaeus by name and completely changes his life zacchaeus didn't know jesus i mean he knew some rumors about him but but he didn't know him but jesus knew zacchaeus since before the foundation of the world and that day in jericho jesus called him to himself this is a picture of what theologians call the sovereign effectual call of god to save sinners and this is necessary for salvation because the bible teaches that the unregenerate heart is not only depraved it's unable and unwilling to respond to the gospel message in fact listen to what paul says in romans chapter 3 verses 10 11 he says as it's written none is righteous no not one no one understands no one seeks for god other places in scripture describe our hearts as more than just like bad our hearts are dead and so the question is how can we be saved if our hearts are dead in trespasses and sins like how can we call on jesus as lord and savior when we don't see our need for him and we certainly don't have a desire for him well the answer is the effectual sovereign call of god which brings faith and life to the unregenerate dead heart of stone and this is taught a number of places in scripture but it's taught most immediately right here in this section of luke in fact remember the passage last week at the end of chapter 18 when jesus speaks to the rich young ruler you remember looking at this last week this young guy who's incredibly wealthy but he turns away from christ because he treasures his wealth more than jesus remember what jesus said look at this luke 18 verse 24 jesus saying that he had become sad said how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of god for it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of god and those who heard it said then who can be saved understand in light of what scripture teaches about our spiritual condition apart from christ i mean that's our question too isn't it like if we're really dead and not just like maimed or even just corrupted but but spiritually dead how can we be saved how can we turn to christ well look what jesus says in that next verse verse 27 what is impossible with man is possible with god you understand the only one who can bring life to the dead is the giver of life himself understand before his sovereign work in our hearts we are all lazarus in the tomb until he calls us out of that tomb and listen this is incredibly good news because it reminds us that there is hope for the most hardened of hearts understand that what's impossible with man is possible with god just as the darkness cannot repel the light when god spoke it into existence the depraved heart of man cannot reject the life breathed into it by the spirit of god so with that let me encourage you don't despair in your efforts to share the gospel don't stop praying for your loved one who doesn't know christ plant the seed water the seed and trust that god in his power can save and awaken the hardest of hearts a third conclusion we'll wrap up here i want us to see this understand that in the story of jesus and zacchaeus we recognize that jesus is not repelled by our sin but instead he moves towards us because of it again notice in the past in this passage while everyone else is repelled by zacchaeus jesus was not and even while the crowds kept zacchaeus away from jesus the crowds could not keep jesus away from zacchaeus and so it is with you that your sin your shame your failures will not and cannot keep jesus away he is not repelled by you and your sin rather he has moved toward you in it and you know this is so counterintuitive for us isn't it because it's unlike us that's not how we act right when we see something or we see someone who we might view as unclean or messy we're repelled we're kind of pushed away from that we keep others at at a safe distance when we deem them unsafe or uncomfortable or unworthy but not jesus in fact there's a really great book that just came out last year that i've been recommending to as many people as possible that speak so well to this idea and maybe you've heard of it maybe you've read it if you haven't i encourage you to pick it up it's a book called gentle and lowly and the subtitle is the heart of christ for sinners and sufferers written by dane ortland again i highly recommend it because it helps us recognize the heart of christ for sinful people like you and me and and in it he talks about this idea this truth that jesus is not repelled by our sin even though we're repelled by other people's son and he uses this really great illustration and i just want to share it with you this is what he wrote he says we naturally think of jesus touching us the way a little boy reaches out to touch a slug for the first time face screwed up cautiously extending an arm giving giving a yelp of disgust upon contact and instantly withdrawing he says this is why we need the bible our natural intuition can only give us a god like us the god revealed in scripture deconstructs our intuitive predilections and startles us with one whose infinitude of perfections is matched by his infinitude of gentleness indeed his perfections include his perfect gentleness again jesus is not like a child who touches a slug right he doesn't deal with you because he has to even though he doesn't really want to like you're not the task on his list that he puts off and puts off and puts off because he just wants to keep avoiding it no jesus has moved towards you and he's moved toward me in the gospel and even today perhaps he's moving towards you despite your sin so listen if you've ever thought that jesus could not love you that there's no place for you among his people that there's no way that you could be accepted by god because of your past or your present sin the story of zacchaeus is just one of many to bring you some good news jesus has come to seek and to save the lost and that was all of us at one time and so if you have been called by jesus there was a time in your life that jesus awakened your dead heart and now you have faith and you've repented of your sin and turned to faith in christ listen let's rejoice let's rejoice that jesus sought us out and he saved us listen that might still be some of you today considered lost we would implore you repent of your sins and turn to christ and remember christ is the one who's ready to welcome you into his fellowship let me pray for us today father we again are just so grateful for your word god we're thankful that we um have a record of your work in your words gather that it would deconstruct our thoughts about you our feelings of you but it would challenge us and bring us new convictions and new understandings and new thoughts and one of those thoughts might be the idea that jesus you would never have anything to do with us that you're disgusted and you're repelled but lord help us see again like that day in jericho where jesus you move towards us and so this morning god we pray lord if there's someone listening to the sermon watching the sermon who who might feel like jesus is disgusted by them would you renew their hope today and father would you awaken their dead heart god would you give them faith would you give them repentance that would they turn to you today to know you the savior father we thank you again for the the understanding and the truths of of scripture that teach us more about you and your in one of those is your power to call dead sins to lie or dead hearts to life god just as you spoke light into the darkness paul says in second corinthians 4 lord that you speak the light of the knowledge of your glory in the face of jesus christ into our hearts but we're grateful for your your sovereign effectual call or that you didn't leave us lost but you sought us out and you brought us back to the fold so father as we reflect on your mission the seeking to save the lost father would you make us about your mission as well father give us a renewed desire give us a new resolve that we might share the gospel with those around us or that we would be a church that wants to see churches planted that preach the gospel missionary sent across the street as well as around the world to bring the gospel to those who need to hear it father again we're just so grateful for your work through your son we pray god that you would continue to shape us into the image of him as we fulfill your mission as your people it's in jesus name we pray all these things amen