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good evening everyone welcome back to free grace baptist church no announcements this evening so let's open up with our call to worship which is a reading of Isaiah 53 Isaiah 53 we observe the lord's supper this evening following the preaching of the word good to call our minds to the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ Isaiah 53 beginning in verse 1 the word of God who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord being revealed for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground he has no form or comeliness and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him he is despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hit as it were our faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed him stricken smitten by God and afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon him and by His stripes we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before it's Shearer's is silent so he opened not his mouth he was taken from prison and from judgment and who will declare his generation before he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of my people he was stricken and they made his grave with the wicked but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he has put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities therefore i will divide him a portion with the Great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors amen let's stand and sing hymn 90 in your hymn books that's him 90 let's stand as a church in sync please be seated let's go to our God in prayer Heavenly Father we come to you now this second time on your lord's day Sabbath rejoicing that we are able to gather once again in the name of Christ in this place we do pray that you would help us again to hallow your name we pray that you would impress upon each and every one of your people in this place the true honor that it is to come into this place to worship Father Son and Holy Spirit to rejoice in our triune God we do pray that you would now lift our hearts and we would ask again that you would be worshipped in this place in spirit and in truth we would pray that you'd help us to glory in the glorious gospel of you are blessed God we rejoice in Christ Jesus and the salvation that he affords his people knowing Lord God that we have been brought forth from darkness to life and light in Christ Jesus our Lord by virtue of his perfect work and by virtue of you meeting us with amazing grace and your appointed and accepted time and we do just pray that you'd cause us now to humbly it joyfully sing your praises and to rehearse the the saving greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that we have this opportunity to worship and to engage in that act of worship the preaching of your word we do pray that we would be attentive as you do speak to us through your minister here we would ask Lord that you would strengthen pastor Butler with the Holy Spirit to give him that aid from on high to proclaim well the things of Holy Scripture we do pray Lord that he would just no confidence and courage that the triune God affords here in this pulpit and we would ask again that you'd be with those in the pews this evening that you would strengthen your saints that you would save sinners that this would yet again be an exercise of rejoicing in our God who dispenses such grace and mercy upon the sons of men we do pray that we would as well rejoice that we can gather for the Lord's Supper we just thank you so much for this ordinance we thank you that we can remember our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ in this special way by partaking of those emblems the bread and the wine we do pray for that dispensing of the Holy Spirit from on high that he would attend unto our hearts and and by that ordinance grow us in the grace and in the strength of Jesus Christ we pray that you would help us to be mindful again of those who need prayer all those Lord with physical issues in our church might you strengthen them and heal them those Lord God struggling spiritually might you lift them up back to those high places and we do pray that you would be with each and every one of us that we would know the glory that it is in fresh ways each and every day to be found safely in Christ Jesus safely in the sovereign grip of the triune God we do pray that you would cause us again tonight in a special way to rehearse your saving glories to praise your name that you might be the recipient of all honor and all glory we would ask again that you'd be with those who suffer around the world for their profession of faith and the Lord Jesus Christ for walking in the gospel and we do just pray that you would protect them that you would guard them Lord that you would keep wicked hands from them and align tongues away from them we do just pray that you would gird up your persecuted Saints and it caused them in the midst of hot trial to rejoice in the triune God and to find all things in their Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we would pray that you'd be yet still with the preaching of the gospel around the world all churches that presently gather now we pray that you would strengthen your people we pray that you would give aid to ministers proclaiming the word we do pray that your Saints would be lifted up around the globe today Lord and we do ask God that you would vindicate your name in all the earth by saving a multitude that we would hear Lord God reports around the world of those being turned from the madness of their idolatry and false religion and unbelief and being turned unto the Lord Jesus Christ in saving faith might you act mightily around the world and Lord God we just pray now that you would be with us might you be honored might you be glorified and might we return all proper honors and and all proper praising zhun to you we do ask that you would get us now your spirit that we might adequately and genuinely and very joyfully worship you this evening and that all that is done would be done to the praise of your Most High grace and we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen our last him then before the preaching is him 122 a familiar tune that's 120 let's stand and sing together three years II well please turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 19 Luke chapter 19 our focus this evening will be on the salvation of Zacchaeus in verses 1 to 10 excuse me I'll read the section pray and then we'll look at this passage in some detail then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho now behold there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and he was rich and he sought to see who Jesus was but could not because of the crowd for he was of short stature so he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him for he was going to pass that way and when Jesus came to the place he looked up and saw him and said to him Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house so he made haste and came down and received him joyfully but when they saw it they all complain saying he is gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord look Lord I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation I restore fourfold and jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of Abraham for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost amen let us pray our Father we thank you for the word of God we thank you for this opportunity to gather for the worship of God and we pray that in all of this the Spirit of God would be at work in our minds and hearts we thank you that you've not left us alone in this world that you have given us another comforter one just like our Lord Jesus and he takes the word and he applies it to our heart and he encourages us and strengthens us and brings conviction when necessary how we thank you Lord God for the Ministry of the Spirit and we ray that we would know his presence and his power even tonight jesus said that if we being evil men love to give good gifts to our children how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask so we ask and we believe that you will supply our needs we pray that you would forgive us for our sins and our transgressions I pray that you would cleanse us in the blood of the Lamb and as we take the supper tonight may we be encouraged and may we be reminded of what Christ wrought on our behalf that suffering servant of Isaiah 53 whom the Lord was pleased to Bruce how we praise you that he did this on behalf of all those whom the father had given we praise you that you've included us in that blessed number we would pray that as the gospel is proclaimed here and elsewhere many many more would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and we pray in his Most Blessed name amen well this is obviously a familiar passage as well as it should be because it's a most encouraging passage when we see our Lord in his kindness and his love and in his mercy exercising that grace in the saving of sinners hopefully our hearts rejoice and they're encouraged and we will indeed delight as we remember in a particular way our Lord's death on our behalf now the section verses 1 to 10 break down into two particulars first I want to consider the object of Mercy namely Zacchaeus in verses 1 to 4 and then secondly the mission of Christ in verses 5 to 10 in the first place we get a description of Zacchaeus it's a short or a brief no pun intended it's a short description because he's short for those of you who didn't get the pun just trying to make sure everybody sees that I'm just kidding he it's a shorter brief explanation of who he is but it's quite packed concerning this particular man there are four things we ought to observe first is occupation says Jesus entered and passed through Jericho now behold there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector we have had cause to consider in many occasions how tax collectors were looked down upon they were not the favored ones in Israel in the first century they collaborated with Gentiles they handled currency with pagan inscriptions and iconography they took money from fellow Jews to give to an oppressive government Zacchaeus was a Jew who took money from other Jews and Dave it to the Roman government certainly not a favored one in Israel and oftentimes they were greedy and corrupt themselves in fact in the gospel narratives tax collectors Republicans are linked with sinners Matthew 910 with heathen Gentiles Matthew 18 17 with harlots Matthew 21 31 and with extortioners unjust and adulterous man Luke 18 11 so at this very announcement we see that we're dealing with one that certainly needs God's grace and not only is he a tax collector not only does he do all these all these things but he's a chief he's a really exalted form of these kinds of sinners notice secondly his economic standing tells us that he was rich he was rich and this is an indicator and we'll see this in just a moment at this whole account is a demonstration of God's power but the fact that he was rich indicate or might indicate that he was not above reproach in his dealings now when he comes to repent before the Lord he says I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation I restore fourfold I don't think it's a stretch to suppose that perhaps he had done that very thing he was rich because he was a chief tax collector but he was probably rich as well because he wasn't the most scrupulous in his dealings with the people that he exact did tax taxes from and then notice thirdly his stature tells us he was a short man son say or some suggest that this is a reference to Jesus but I don't think that's the case the shortness of stature belongs to Zacchaeus and this explains why he would climb up the sycamore tree in the midst of a great crowd wanting to gaze upon Christ he wouldn't be able to see him so he shimmies up the tree in order to get a view of the Lord Jesus Christ and then the fourth thing to round out our description of this particular center is his spiritual State notice that he is a sinner verse 7 when the people complain they say that Jesus has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner verse 8 is a reference to his repentance and this indicates that he was a sinner when we see Jesus statement in verse 10 we again are reminded that Zacchaeus was a sinner for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost so Zacchaeus was lost because of his sinful state he was estranged from God he was at enmity with the Living God he was one under the wrath of God as he shimmies up that sycamore tree now as we look at this object of Mercy we've looked at a description of his person but as I suggested just a moment ago all of this is all of the description applied to him evidence is to the careful reader that this man is indeed a demonstration of God's saving power we know that because of course jesus saves him and he's a sinner but in the larger context we ought to observe something you go back for just a moment to Luke chapter 18 Luke chapter 18 a familiar passage in our study in Matthew two parallel notice in Luke 18 18 now a certain ruler asked him saying good teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life so jesus said to him why do you call me good no one is good but one that is God and you know the commandments do not commit adultery do not murder do not steal do not bear false witness honor your father and your mother and he said all these things I have kept from my youth so when Jesus heard these things he said to him you still lack one thing sell all that you have and distribute to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me but when he heard this he became very sorrowful for he was very rich now note the implication drawn by our Lord from this particular incident verse 24 and when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful he said how hard it is for those who have riches 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 it's a pretty strong statement concerning the impossibility involved with a rich man entering into the kingdom of God we all know what a camel looks like we all know what a needle looks like if you look at that particular hole in the needle that the thread goes through Jesus suggests that it would be easier for a big camel to shimmy through that particular hole in the needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven now note the response of the disciples in verse 26 remember they associated riches with God's blessing they associated economic prosperity with the favor of God so they hear this statement from our Lord that it's easier for a camel to go through this eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom they're scratching their heads they're musing on this thought and they say who then can be saved now note Christ's response in verse 27 but he said the things which are impossible with men are possible with God so not even a full chapter later we come to see Zacchaeus this man who was rich this man who now by the grace of God is entering the kingdom of God in many respects what we have in the case of Zacchaeus is a camel entering in through the eye of a needle now he's a short camel but even a short camel it's still difficult for him to get through the eye of that needle this is a demonstration of the power of God in connection with what Luke has reported concerning the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven we ought to not only his person in terms of the description but the demonstration of God's almighty power in doing that which is impossible with men he is able with the exercise of his sovereign grace to bring this man out of darkness into marvelous like so that's the object of mercy vs. 124 notice secondly the mission of Christ vs. 5 to 10 we ought to consider in the first place the salvation wrought our Lord's saving dealings with this particular man note Christ's invitation verse 5 it says in when Jesus came to the place he looked up and saw him and said to him Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house we notice in the first place his condens a condescension the Lord Christ condescends he enters into Jericho the streets are thronged with persons this one short man goes up into this sycamore tree Jesus stops at the base of the tree and he looks up to him and he addresses him the God of heaven earth the one who created the world the one who governs all things bias powerful word stops at the base of this tree and addresses this man Zacchaeus it indicates as well as omniscience Christ knew him by name certainly some commentators suggest that as a chief tax collector he would have been well known in those parts but you know Luke doesn't really get into all of that he simply tells us that it as Jesus is at the base of that tree he looks up and he says Zacchaeus he addresses him by name Bishop Hall makes this observation he says what care we that our names are obscure and condemned amongst men whilst they are regarded by God that they are raked up in the dust of Earth while they are recorded in heaven I would agree with the good Bishop in that instance what do we care if men know our name if Christ the Lord stops at the base of the sycamore tree and addresses us by name there is no greater privilege there is no greater joy there is nothing more excellent than that this bespeaks of God's redemptive purposes the father gives to the Sun a certain number of the lac and the Sun comes into this world as specified later in the sex yet to seek and to save that which was lost those whom the father had given unto him we notice as well Christ's grace he says to him make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house commenting on Jesus choice of words with reference to haste Gill says the dangerous estate and condition of a sinner requires haste he doesn't say Zacchaeus go ahead and chill up there go ahead and hang around up there go ahead and you know survey the data and do your up now he says make haste and calm down for today I must stay at your house and as well with reference to Christ this must again I think speaks to that covenant that covenant of redemption Christ comes to do the will of his father he doesn't do anything haphazardly he doesn't just sort of float around the countryside having tea or doing those things that that would take him away from his task but in the same way that he sets his face like a flint to Jerusalem so he must come and stay at the house of this man Zacchaeus now note the response of Zacchaeus to this invitation I would suspect that initially Zacchaeus was curious he had heard about the Lord Jesus he had heard about you know this man this itinerant preacher that went around and doing you know marvelous things and speaking glorious truth so it was probably curiosity that sent him up into that tree praise God for that curiosity praise God for whatever brings us near the Lord Christ praise God for that which puts us in the path of the saving mercies of God Almighty JC royal makes this observation concerning his curiosity not Royals curiosity but Zacchaeus he says curiosity and nothing but curiosity appears to have been the motive of his mind that curiosity once roused Zacchaeus was determined to gratify it rather than not see Jesus he ran on before along the road and climbed up into a tree getting close to Jesus means climbing up into a tree than by all means climb up into a tree he says upon that little action so far as man's eyes can see they're hinged the salvation of his soul our Lord stopped under the tree and when and said when Jesus reached the spot he looked up and said to him Zacchaeus come down immediately I must stay at your house today from that very moment Zacchaeus was an altered man that very night he lay down a Christian we must never despise the day of small things we must never reckon anything little that concerns the soul the ways by which the Holy Spirit leads men and women to Christ are wonderful and mysterious he is often beginning in a heart a work which shall stand to eternity when a looker-on observes nothing remarkable could you imagine grandpa Zach Zach he is telling his grandchildren how he came to know the Lord it began because I wanted to see him began when i shimmied up the sycamore tree I didn't know he was going to stop I didn't know he was going to dress me by name I didn't know he was going to tell me make haste and come down from must stay at your house today I'm certain that these tales would have enchanted the young ones at the table of Zacchaeus it was initially an act of curiosity but notice something else is going on the effectual call of God has gone forth the one who issues the command the one who says make haste and come down has the power to enable the center to comply Psalm 110 3 tells us that God makes men willing in the day of his power the effectual call of God is able to raise the dead center to bring him out of darkness into that marvelous light of Christ to show him his own sin and to show him the sufficiency of the Savior and we see that Zacchaeus responds he comes down the tree in response to Christ as reform believers we can see the effectual call of God and divine power issued by Christ to enable this man to respond he was a rich man it was impossible for him to do this according to our Lord's words in Luke 18 but when Christ stands at the grave of Lazarus and tells him to come forth Christ has the power to make that man rise when Christ tells a key is to make haste and come down from the tree Christ has the power to enable him to comply this is what gives us confidence this is what gives us hope this is what encourage encourages us to evangelize and to support the missionary enterprise and to preach the gospel each and every Lord's Day we don't appeal to the ingenuity of man we don't appeal to the goodness of man we don't ask you to make decisions that are that are best for your overall future we believe in the sovereign power of God Almighty who not only issues the command but enables the sinner to comply can we not celebrate that effectual call it may not have been a sycamore tree that we hurried down from but there was something in our life for a time and a season in our life when God through a servant God through his word God by the power of the Holy Spirit called us to live and by His grace and for his glory he has enabled us to comply with that most blessed invitation that is precisely what is going on here he's initially curious he comes down the tree and responds to Christ which is an illustrative of the effectual calling notice that he receives Christ joyfully verse 6 so he made haste and came down and received him joyfully exact keas can teach us a thing or two in this instance we are saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus when we sing these hymns and psalms of praise to God are we doing so joyfully we're going to eat this bread and drink this cup tonight are we doing it joyfully when we tell people that were believers do we do so joyfully I know there's trials and their sorrows and their heart chip and there's difficulties that punctuate the Christian life but the overarching theme of our lives ought to be joy we have by the grace of God received Christ we have by the grace of God been affectionately called we have by the grace of God been saved delivered from the wrath and fury of God certainly there's a time a hard day were this hot to encourage us and cause us to smile and to rejoice in our beloved Savior Zacchaeus receives him joyfully John Gill comments not only into his house but into his arms and heart we're not to look at this passage and say wow Zach he is he's such a hospitable fellow he's such a good man in this culture he is happily receiving Jesus into his home to provide for him a foot washing perhaps and some comfort and some food that's not the point he received him joyfully as Lord and Savior he addresses him as Lord in the coming versus Gil says not only into his house but into his arms and heart Christ was a welcomed guest to him as he is to every sinner or every sensible sinner who by faith receives him as the father's free gift as the alone Savior and Redeemer as the great mediator in all his offices a prophet priest and King and in every relation and character he bears and embraces his doctrine and submits to his ordinances and that with the greatest joy as there is reason for it since with him he receives the free and full forgiveness of his sins a justifying righteousness an abundance of grace and to write unto and meet pneus for heaven now Gil just basically surveyed every good thing we get in salvation and isn't that what we do tonight aren't we surveying those good things that we debt in salvation yes there is the God word element in the ordinance we do this in remembrance of Christ we do this to worship God we do this corporately as the people of God to express our oneness our unity as the people of God but in our room membrance of him were remembering the Isaiah 53 realities were remembering the the Blessed gifts that Christ is secure hopefully our minds a lie alight on Ephesians 13 where Paul says 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 brethren if the supper if the preaching of the word if the word itself and our own experience and having coming out come out of this darkness into marvelous light if that doesn't promote joy if that doesn't bring encouragement if that doesn't put a smile on the face at least of our hearts occasionally then we need to repent the Lord God has saved us he has called us he has justified us and he is covenant and to glorify us that Romans 8 blessed chain of redemption and we ought to be a thankful and a happy and a grateful people to our Living God Zacchaeus it can teach us a thing about joy here notice as well in his response he confesses Jesus as Lord in faith verse 8 then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord look Lord I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation I restore for full he calls him Lord brethren that is the spirits work in the hearts of sinners so that we may rightly perceive who Jesus is that we might rightly see him as the Blessed of the second person of the Blessed triune God that we see him according to his humanity is Zach he is dead as that one uniquely sent by God on a particular task George Whitfield made this observation concerning his confession of faith in Christ the Lord he says having believed on Jesus in his heart he now makes confession of him with his mouth to salvation Zacchaeus stood forth he was not ashamed but stood forth before his brother publicans for truth cast out all survial sinful fear of man and said behold Lord it is remarkable how readily people in Scripture have owned the divinity of Christ upon their conversion thus the woman at Jacob's Well is this not the Christ thus the man born blind lord I believe and he worshipped in the sack eous behold Lord he says an incontestable proof this to me that those who deny our lord's divinity never effectually felt his power those who deny our Lord's divinity never effectually felt his power when you've been conquered by the sovereign grace of God when you've been conquered by the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 you can't help but address him as Lord to appreciate his divinity to appreciate the blessedness of who he has he goes on to say if they had they would not speak so lightly of him they would scorn to deny his eternal power and Godhead notice fifthly with reference to the response of Zacchaeus he manifests his faith through repentance again he doesn't get rid of his possessions he doesn't restore fourfold in order to secure salvation that's happened the effectual call in this particular instance coming down this sycamore tree the confession of Jesus Christ is Lord the repentance follows as a necessary consequence the repentance follows the confession of faith in Christ Jesus now for a rich man this is probably the most bleh the most brazen testimony of his repentance I mean a man that is engulfed in sexual sent for him to get delivered from that cast away his computer throw away his phone book or stop calling the persons that he consorted with that's manifest evidence that the man has had a change of heart with a rich man what is it that would be the first token the first sign the first evidence the first manifestation that the good change had been wrought in his heart he parts with his dull repentance is real in the condition or in the life of Zacchaeus he stood and said to the Lord look Lord I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation I restore for full again dil not to make satisfaction for the sins he had committed but to testify his sense of them and his repentance for them and as willing to do good with what he had gotten which shows that the disposition of his mind was altered and of a covetous oppressor he was become tender kind and liberal you see repentance is an jable repentance is quantifiable when a man is effectually called by God and taste is the taste the grace of God comes to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior confesses him thus repentance will be evident and in this particular instance and in this particular condition Zacchaeus parts with that which was probably his God before the very riches that he lined his pockets with and then in the sixth place he enjoyed communion with the Lord guess where Jesus went I mean he said make a sty must stay at your house what happens that Zacchaeus has him to himself at least for a time Zacchaeus gets to bask in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ this is the apex as we've seen in our study in Hebrews of salvation yes the forgiveness of sins yes the effectual call justification glorification but the final end of all of that is to dwell in the presence of Christ Most High and he had a foretaste of this it wasn't heaven but heaven was in his living room that particular day when the darling of heaven comes to his table to eat heaven has come down and glory has filled his soul I love that black spiritual that him heaven came down and glory filled my soul filled my soul I'm sure Zacchaeus reported that to the little zakat Zac I when he would report this particular story and then he stayed with me and we ate together and I was in the presence of the Lamb who was slain for sinners so that's the response notice we consider still this salvation wrought we ought not to neglect the response of the crowd the response of the crowd verse 7 when they saw it they all complain saying he has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner you hear the content fly out of their mouths far as they're concerned this Zacchaeus this rich tax collector this short man he had no business with the Messiah and the disdain that comes forth concerning our Lord he has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner this isn't the first time in Luke's Gospel that such it such a thing occurs notice in luke five Luke chapter five specifically the conversion of Matthew remember after Matthew was saved he has Jesus for a meal and Matthew invites his fellow publicans so that they too can hear the gospel well in Luke 527 after these things Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office and he said to him follow me so he laughed all rose up and followed him then leave I gave him a great feast in his own house and there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them and their scribes and Pharisees complained against his disciples saying why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners again the de stay in their mouths for the Lord Jesus Christ and for those in his presence turn over to Luke 15 Luke chapter 15 specifically verse 1 then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him to hear him and the Pharisees and scribes complain say this man receives sinners and each with them this is disdain this is discussed this is to be absolutely put out by the conduct of our lord this man receives sinners and eats with that I've always wondered or I've always thought that according to Luke 15 1 all these sinners draw near to Him to hear him they hear the scribes and they hear the Pharisees they hear them wine and grumble and complain and murmur and say this man receives sinners and each with them I suspect that the tax collectors in the sinners there were wondering what Jesus going to say will Jesus disown us will Jesus disassociate himself from us will he reprove them and say no I do not receive tax collectors and sinners Jesus does just the opposite he answers their question in the affirmative three times he tells the parable of the of the the shepherd who lost the one-sheet what does he do does he just write him off no he leaves the 99 he goes and he seeks the one that is lost he picks it up he puts it on his shoulders and he goes home rejoice a tax collectors and sinners here Christ say the Pharisees and scribes are right I do receive sinners and I do eat with that Christ doesn't like a woman who loses a coin she doesn't just write it off she doesn't just claim it on her taxes rather she busies herself in search of this particular coin and when she finds the coin she calls for rejoicing Christ is answering the question of these complainers and in the third instance he likens it or he likens the situation to a man who had two signs and the one son takes his share of the inheritance don't miss that an inheritance is something that occurs when a man dies so the son who wants the inheritance says to his father you're no good to me alive or or your your best to me dead but in light of the fact that you're not dead give me my heritance so that I can go do what I want to do so he goes and he does what he wants to do he sins against the father he sins against great mercy sins again against great grace he comes to himself not in repentance and not in faith I don't believe at that particular time he just doesn't want to eat or crave or covet what the pigs are eating he knows and he thinks that if I cast myself upon the mercy of my father he'll make me like a hired servant he has in his mind first his own ed his own design but when he is a long way off the father runs to him and falls on him and kisses him and puts a you know just just a pro pours out love upon this man see that's the context this man receives sinners and eats with that and the current are the recurring threat in each of these three instances is that there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents so Christ not only says yes I do receive sinners yes I do eat with them what heaven is pleased when such a curse so the same thing is going on in this instance of Zacchaeus the people why the people grumble the people complain he has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner Calvin says it is thus that the world disregards the offer of the grace of God but complains bitterly when it is conveyed to others the world disdains and rejects and refuses the grace of God and then has the gall to complain when it's conveyed to others these persons weren't all shimmying up sycamore trees these persons weren't all confessing Jesus is Lord these persons weren't all manifesting fruits of repentance these persons would rather wine and grumble and complain about the saving power of God and I think that hits us as well there is something in the heart of man that thinks that somehow he deserved it we don't deserve salvation we don't deserve the grace of God that's why it's called grace it's not according to works you get upset when you hear of a notorious sinner that got converted are you suspicious do you wonder how the world could that guy ever get saved brethren how in the world is because God is the god of sovereign grace the god of omnipotent power the God who is able to take short rich chief tax collectors and bring them under the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ you see grace truly blows the minds of people let us not be those who grumble and complain at God's dispensing of his grace and so notice then finally under the mission of Christ we see the salvation rot and then we see the mission stated verses 9 and 10 jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of Abraham for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost the Lord's dealings with Zakia's were not about moral reform Jesus isn't there to scold the tax collectors on not extorting people Jesus is not about behavior modification Jesus about a heart change and then outwardly flows those effects from what Christ has done inwardly doesn't just scold Zacchaeus he doesn't report him to the tax office he doesn't report him to the magistrate he doesn't bring him out before this multitude and say go ahead and stone him because he's stolen from you which that actually isn't a capital offense but the Lord's dealings with Zacchaeus was about the salvation notice today salvation has come to this house when Zacchaeus woke up that morning he was a dead man he was a lost man he was an unsaved man he was in his sins and what Christ here specifies is that salvation has come to this house salvation from his sins Matthew 121 you shall call his name Jesus for it is he who will save his people from their sins salvation from the penalty of the law the reality that this man Zacchaeus had been a thief to some degree or other he had violated the Eighth command meant the law of God demanded punishment and so Zacchaeus was liable to that he is saved now from the penalty of sin as well he is saved from the wrath of God the reality is that if Zacchaeus wouldn't have shimmied up that tree again speaking human way god is sovereign if he had dropped dead or perhaps on the way up the tree falls down breaks his you know hits his head and he dies he would have suffered under the wrath and fury and the torment of the god of holiness and righteousness and justice notice as well I think in this mission statement the Lord Christ at least alludes to covenant because he says because he also is a son of Abraham yes physically he was a Jew but spiritually Galatians 3 26 to 29 those who believe in the seed of Abraham who is the lord jesus christ or abraham's seed i think at least an allusion to that promised by God to Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed this is a reference to the Covenant the tax collector was a son of Abraham the promise to Abraham includes men from every tribe tongue people and nation and as we see here the promise to Abraham includes man who are notorious sinners which is hopefully good news for all of us and then notice thirdly with reference to the mission statement the divine initiative involved in Christ's work for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost we didn't seek him we didn't try to get saved Zacchaeus didn't say Lord Here I am do your you know your good things on me no it's the Son of man who comes to seek and to save that which was lost when you were converted by the grace of God was it because of you was it because of your wisdom was it because you raised your hand when every I was closed in every bed was bout was it because you came forward at a camp meeting was it because you prayed at a flagpole was it because you accepted Jesus into your heart was it because you read that tract and you were you followed the sinner's prayer no it's the son of man who came to seek and to save that which was lost this reflects a constant theme in all of Scripture when Adam and Eve sinned against God what do they do they run from God who initiates the saving promise it's God comes to a bra to Adam and Eve when man in Genesis 11 try to erect a tower to reach up into the heavens when they do so to make a name for themselves and God confounds them by scattering them into the various nations the next scene is God's remedy or God's answer to the situation Genesis 12 in the call of Abraham we see God's initiative to right the wrongs that man had plunged himself into it is the Lord's initiative that we are indebted to it is the Lord seeking and saving that is most important it is the Lord's purposes and plan that we ought to rejoice in in Galatians 4 verse 4 in the fullness of the time God sent forth his son we didn't call him we didn't ask him we didn't pray to be delivered God sent him forth born of a woman born under the law to redeem those under the law in Romans 3 when Paul discuss discusses Christ as propitiation says that God set him forth as a propitiation in the passage that passed reporter read this very evening Yahweh was pleased to bruise him you see the the praise the glory the honor the adoration do to anyone for the salvation of a sinner goes to God it is of him and through him and to him and all glory belongs to our Lord Jesus reflects a comment and a recurring theme in this statement in 1910 the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost notice as well his salvific intent he didn't come just to in agent moral reform as I've already suggested he didn't come to initiate or Institute a revolution rice didn't come with guns blazing to bring the Roman government down and to bring the the Jewish government up that wasn't the specific purpose that wasn't the intention the Lord Christ did not come with a political kingdom in the first century the Lord Christ came with healing in his wings the Lord Christ came with salvation the Lord Christ would die on the cross the Lord Christ was shed his blood for this very purpose to save us from our sins it is a salvific mission that is in view and notice the particular target audience that Christ came for to save that which was lost we find ourselves described in this particular passage now by God's grace we have been found by God's grace we now live by God's grace we've come down that sycamore tree affectionally called by the Lord and we by God's Grace's can have confessed in Lord have manifested repentance that have known something of communion with our great God but we were lost we were dead in our trespasses and sins we were undone remember the prophet Isaiah when he gets that vision of the glory of Christ in Isaiah 6 he says woe is me for I am undone I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among the people of unclean lips why my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord brethren that is our state in our condition before we know the Lord Jesus Christ we are lost you see that's why if tonight you are not in Christ your problem is far more expensive and far more comprehensive than just not you know doing the right thing you need the right Savior you need the Lord Christ you need the one who came to seek and to save that which was lost lost due to sin and misery lost due to an inability to save ourselves lost in Adam ultimately and saved by the last Adam even the Lord Jesus Christ that was our condition you see I think this is one of the other things why Zacchaeus was a joyful he knew what he woke up as I was lost he knows what he now has become he is saved brethren let us be joyful because God in His grace has called us to himself effectually shown us the glory of the Savior caused us to believe on him and caused us to repent from our sins in this passage we see manifest the evidence of the glory of Jesus he is a real Savior for real sinners isn't he we don't preach a hypothetical Christ we don't preach a Christ that may you know look upon centers we have the proof the proof is in the pudding if we ever preach the gospel and we say God is in the business of reconciling centers to himself he said well how do you know that well first of all I'm a sinner that God has reconciled unto himself but the pages of the Bible are filled with persons like Zach he is this rich man this man was disdained by his society this man who was looked down upon not only because he was a chief tax collector but because he was short he was looked down upon for a two-fold reason and yet the Lord Christ saved him he's a real Savior for real sinners we saw Levi Matthew in Luke chapter 5 he was a real center another tax collector another public another man that was disdained by his community and by his society when Christ issues his effectual call to Matthew follow me Luke tells us that Matthew left all he left all and immediately followed him you see when you preach Christ to sinners when you evangelize when you testify when you witness you are preaching a real Savior for real sinners as well we see in this passage the power of God display he says in Luke 18 relative to the rich young ruler the things which are impossible with men are possible with god in response to the disciples question who then can be saved if it's impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven who then can be saved I love this answer the things which are impossible with men are possible with God we pray for loved ones we pray for families we pray for friends we pray for the missionary enterprise we pray for persons that apart from the grace of God are dead for we have a powerful God and omnipotent God a God who demonstrates his mighty right arm in the salvation of sinners as well tonight as we consider Christ in the supper we need to remember that he is a seeking Savior it's not beautiful he came after us he found us he sought us he called us he saved us this Lord Jesus Christ reflective of displaying of that whole John for ethic in terms of who god is he is seeking these kinds of worshipers our God comes to Adam our God comes to Abraham our God comes to the nation of the Jews our God comes in humanity in the fullness of the time never ever say that the Lord Most High isn't about the saving of sinners everything in scripture indicates just the opposite that he comes to seek and to save that which was lost and then finally for any who have not come who any any who are you know perhaps curious sitting up in the sycamore tree and have heard through the preaching of the gospel at least externally make haste and come down you need to make haste and come down listen to John Gill such who come to Christ must quit all their exalted thoughts of themselves of their riches their fullness and self-sufficiency and come to him as poor and needy for such only he fills with his good things and of their health and soundness and come to him the great physician as sick and diseased and of their purity and goodness holiness and righteousness and come to him as sinners but it must be mighty grace to cast down imaginations and high things that exalt themselves against Christ and the knowledge of him and to Humble a proud sinner and bring him to the feet of Jesus praise God that such grace does exist praise God that he is in the business of doing that very thing in humbling Souls showing them their knees and pointing them to the Lord Christ most high who came to seek and to save that which was lost will let us pray our Father we thank you for the word of God we thank you for the mission of our Savior and thank you and we praise you and want to be very joyful in the consideration of such truths that you have included us in this blessed lot there was nothing in us God to commend us to you there was nothing good that we could present before you everything dark everything sinful everything wretched in Christ in His great mercy live for us he died for us and he rose for us and as we eat this bread and as we drink this cup may we do so in remembrance of him giving glory and praise to Almighty God for such a great salvation and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen you turn in your Bibles to first Corinthians 11 as we observe the Lord's Supper go to that place in the New Testament where Paul rehearses the institution by our Lord first Corinthians 11 it's noteworthy to remark that first Corinthians 11 comes after 1st Corinthians 10 and in first Corinthians 10 the Apostle has already acknowledged something with regards to the Lord's Supper there is a two-fold communion going on when we observed the Lord's Supper lawfully properly and biblically there is communion one with each other there is a horizontal reality to the communion that we engage in at the Lord's Supper it shouldn't be an individualistic thing when we come together as the people of Christ engaging in the Lord's Supper there is actually a responsibility that we have one to each other as Christians in participating in the Lord's Supper we noted this morning and studying the Lord's Supper that in our confession taking from the Bible of course it acknowledges the fact that as Christians who are members of a church we have a calling to come together under the subjection to the ordinances of the gospel there is a mutual relationship that we have one to each other a mutual responsibility of cheerful compliance to the ordinances of the gospel the Lord's Supper being one it's interesting when we when we sing hymns in the worship service and when we sing hymns tonight as we observe the Lord's Supper you need to understand that when you open that hymn book and you're belting out glorious theology and doxology to god it's not for you alone it is ness being sung unto God but what does Ephesians 5 19 say we are speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs that congregational belting of glorious Christian hymns is not an individualistic thing it's not a God word only thing though it must be God word it is a one to each other mutual responsibility to seeing God's truth back to him and to each other and as well we have a vertical communion with the risen Christ in 1st Corinthians 10 the Apostle remarks after this reality after are not after before he talks about the fellowship that these Corinthians would have with demons if they participate in pagan ritual istic meals he in essence is saying why would you engage in such madness when at the Lord's Supper you have communion with the risen Christ we get to first Corinthians 11 and we have him dealing now than with this misconduct at the Lord's Supper we want to read verses 17 to 22 and then 27 to 33 and just make some quick remarks before we introduce the taking of the bread and the wine this is first Corinthians 11 beginning in verse 17 now in giving these instructions I do not praise you since you come together not for the better but for the worse for first of all when you come together as a church I hear that there are divisions among you and in part I believe it for there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you therefore when you come together in one place it is not to eat the Lord's Supper for an eating each one takes his own supper ahead of others and one is hungry and another is drunk what do you not have houses to eat and drink in or do you despise the Church of God and shame those who have nothing what shall I say to you shall I praise you in this I do not praise you now verses 27 to 33 therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the cup and excuse me eat of the bread and drink of the cup for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body for this reason many are weak and sick among you and many sleep for if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged but when we are judged we are chase and by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world therefore my brethren when you come together to eat wait for one another there is a verse 34 here as well but if anyone is hungry let it meet at home lest you come together for judgment and the rest I will set in order when I come there are two answers in effect in the text with regards to or answers to the problem at Corinth with misconduct at the Lord's Supper with regards to the gluttony and drunkenness and the putting putting themselves before others we have this answers given in verse 34 if anyone our old verses 33 and 34 therefore my brethren when you come together to eat wait for one another if anyone is hungry let him eat at home lest you come together for judgment and the rest I will set in order when I come there are practical and physical remedies to the misconduct at the Lord's Supper but you see there is also an observational remedy to this misconduct and it's given in what will read as we administer and participate in the Lord's Supper verses 23 to 26 what is an answer to misconduct at the Lord's Supper it is for Paul to rehearse the Lord's words of institution and to stress the significance and the importance of the Lord's Supper what are we doing when we do this we are remembering the Lord's death till he comes again that one who had his body broken for us that one who shed his blood for us a remedy to misconduct at the Lord's Supper counting it a low thing is to rehearse the Lord who gave us the supper and the one who's broken body and who shed blood are resembled and emblem in the breaking of the bread and in the drinking of the wine we want to note that we take this Lord's Supper when we take the bread and when we take the wine the bread and the wine remain bread and wine there is no hocus-pocus to the consecration of these elements the Roman Catholic Church the abomination of transubstantiation where they believe the bread and the wine are actually literally changed into the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ our confession says this is repugnant to scripture not only to Scripture but to reason and common sense overthrows the nature of the ordinances and is the the cause of manifold superstitions and gross idolatries the bread and the wine remains bread and wine these are glorious emblems of the body and the blood of Christ but they remain bread and wine they are intimately connected to the things that they signify just as surely as bread and wine are to the physical senses so too are the benefits of Christ's Redemption to our souls when we partake of these emblems so never count the Lord's Supper a low thing and as we partake as Christians partake we must note that this is a Christian only ordinance all the ordinances of the gospel baptism and the lord's supper our ordinances for Christians alone so if you are not a Christian do not partake this is for believers only and it is for believers who are dealing with their sin they are not harboring unrepentant sin the answer if you are harboring unrepentant sin is to now repent repent of your sins as pastor Butler pointed out many times this morning we have an advocate with the father when we sin when we sin the remedy and the answer isn't go off on a one month journey up Mount sham with chopped trees in a net on the back of your bag atoning for your own sins as you walk barefoot to the peak the answer when you sin is to immediately fly to the Grace and the mercy of God and find forgiveness by virtue of the shed blood of the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ Christian's take eat Christians take drink and remember our Blessed Lord till he comes again when the wine does come around just a note that the juice is in the outer ring well I'll ask my brothers then to come up and distribute the bread the first him that we're going to sing will read the text as we get to the taking of the elements of the bread and the wine the first him that we're going to sing is him number 704 you can remain seated and will sing 704 together Oh in first Corinthians 11 23 we read for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said take eat this is my body which is broken for you do this in remembrance of me amen let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for this Lord's Supper we rejoice that we can gather as the Saints of Christ to engage in observing this blessed ordinance we thank you that we have this bread now to take we thank you for this blessing given to us from your hand ultimately and we do pray that you would help us as we partake of this bread to reflect upon the saving glory of our Lord Jesus Christ the giving of his body upon Calvary's tree the fact that we we read in 1st Peter chapter 2 that he bore in his own body our sins upon that tree that we having a died to sin might live for righteousness by his stripes we are healed and we thank you for this reality we thank you for what this bread represents we do pray that you would cause us to rejoice in our Savior and we pray that you would by your spirit strengthen and increase our faith that we might grow thereby we pray in Christ's precious name amen let's take together if I could have the brothers come up and distribute the wine you can remain seated and sing 183 that's 183 to a familiar tune you Oh you first Corinthians 11 25 in the same manner he also took the cup after supper saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood this do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes amen let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you now that we can partake of this wine we rejoice as well in this gift we thank you for this emblem and what it represents concerning the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ as we partake might you impress upon us a burning remembrance of our Savior upon Calvary's cross one who gave his precious blood for guilty sinners we know that by the remission of his blood a loner by the shedding of his blood alone we have the remission of sins and we rejoice in this Lord God we do pray that you would cause us after a remembrance of Christ in such an ordinance to go into this upcoming week reflecting upon salvation reflecting upon the riches and the excellencies of Christ Jesus the Lord and might we by your grace and for your glory live in a manner worthy of our Blessed calling we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen let's take together well let's stand together and sing that blessed him 175 Man of Sorrows 175 let's stand as a church and sing Oh you Oh now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen Heavenly Father we pray that you would now go with us we rejoice in this year lord's day Sabbath having met with you in this place and we thank you Lord Jesus Christ for communing with us and we do pray that you would help us to now go into this week rejoicing in you singing your praises going into our various duties and conducting ourselves after a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus amen please be seated we'll have a brief time of prayer you