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We may turn in your Bibles to 
Luke chapter 19 for our meditation this evening before we participate 
in the Lord's Supper. Luke 19 verses 1 to 10, hopefully 
a familiar passage, the conversion of Zacchaeus. We often remember 
Zacchaeus for one thing and one thing only, he was a wee little 
man. But this passage actually tells 
us more about Zacchaeus But even more so, it tells us about our 
Lord Jesus. So Luke chapter 19, I'll read 
verses one to ten. 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 complained, saying he has 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's 
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. Pastor Cam, can you pray, 
please? Thank you. I want to thank you 
again for your preaching and for the engagement of worship 
with my father, which is great. And bless the preacher as he 
opens up his passage to us later today. To those who are saved, 
glory to God in the name that he enjoys. We pray for salvation 
again from this day on in biblical record. And may we always be 
close to our God, to our conversion, close to the cross, to our forgiveness 
of sin, and always be rejoicing in so great a salvation. We pray 
also, Lord God, for those who are not close to you. Hear the 
word this evening. Amen. Well, as I said, this passage 
is very instructive concerning our Lord Jesus spells out very 
specifically what his mission was. He did not come to this 
world simply to start a new religion. He did not come to this world 
simply to be a good moral example. He did not come simply to be 
a new kind of teacher, but he spells it out very clearly in 
verse ten. For the son of man has come to 
seek and to save that which was lost, and we can rejoice in our 
God, that that is in fact the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. And tonight, I want to look at 
two things in this particular passage. First, the man Zacchaeus, 
and then secondly, the mission of Christ. The man Zacchaeus, 
first of all, tells us his occupation. He was a chief tax collector. If you remember, the Bible always 
portrays tax collectors in a very negative light. They were not 
looked on favorably by their fellow countrymen. In Matthew 
chapter 5 at verse 46, our Lord says, For if you love those who 
love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors 
do the same? So our Lord Jesus identifies 
and realizes that tax collectors are looked down upon. It is not 
so noble of a thing to love those who are lovely. Don't even the 
tax collectors themselves do such things. Later on in Matthew 
chapter 18, the Lord Jesus says that if a man is a member of 
a church and he does not repent when he has been gone to for 
a sin, You go, you take two or three witnesses, if he will still 
not repent, then you tell it to the church. If he refuses 
to hear the church, then treat him as a tax collector and as 
a heathen. Basically, the tax collector 
was a Jewish person who worked for the Roman government, taking 
taxes away from other Jews and giving it to Rome. So they were 
the worst sorts of sinners in this particular day. It tells 
us his economic status. It tells us that he was rich. He was a rich man. Now, just 
prior in Luke 18, the Lord Jesus had a had a run in or a meeting 
with the rich young ruler. And if you remember in that particular 
account, Jesus tells the rich young ruler to go and sell everything 
he has and then to follow Christ. And the young man went away sorrowful 
because he had many riches. He had many good things. He didn't 
want to give them up. Now, Jesus was not setting forth 
sort of a works righteousness about you do this and then follow 
me and I'll save you. Jesus was preaching the law to 
that young man. That young man rattled off that 
he had kept the law from his youth. He never murdered, he 
never committed adultery, never did the big things. So when Jesus 
says, go sell everything you have, Jesus is essentially applying 
the 10th commandment to him. He was a covetous man. You know, 
the scripture says, by the law is the knowledge of sin. And 
that was what Christ was doing, was exposing the young man's 
sin, exposing his evil. Well, that young man ultimately 
wanted to hold on to his sin rather than hold on to the Lord 
Jesus. And if you remember, after that, 
the disciples or Jesus told us that he gave that statement, 
that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a 
needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven. And what are 
the disciples respond? Who then can be saved? I mean, if the rich people who 
evidently have the blessing of God upon them, if they have a 
tough time entering heaven, who then can be saved? See, in this 
culture, the people who had a lot, the people who were accomplished, 
the people who wore nice clothes and did religious things, they 
were viewed as the saved ones. So, when Christ says, that isn't 
the case, the disciples said, who then can be saved? And Jesus 
set forth this principle. He said, with men it is impossible, 
but with God all things are possible. That is in Luke 18. So, in Luke 
19, 1-10, here is a demonstration of that power. able. God is powerful to save 
sinners. So, he is a chief tax collector. He was a rich man. Of course, 
physically he was short. That necessitated him climbing 
up the sycamore tree. MacArthur points out that would 
have been quite a humbling thing for a dignified man. I mean, 
it'd be much like today. Not many of us, as adults, would 
be quick to shimmy up a tree just to get a look at somebody 
that was making an impression on the crowds. We would feel 
that be a bit below us. I'm not going to climb up the 
tree. I'm not a little kid. I'm not going to do that. Well, 
Zacchaeus was curious enough to shimmy up that tree so that 
he could gaze on the Lord Jesus. And remember that. He was curious. 
Wasn't, wow, this is the Savior, Son of God, I've got to come 
to Him and believe on Him so that I'm saved. No, initially 
it was a curiosity. I think we learned something 
beautiful in that instance. Sometimes men will enter into 
the house of God based on curiosity. Sometimes people might ask you 
a question. based on curiosity. They might 
be curious as to what the Bible says about this or that. Well, 
under God, that can be a means whereby the spirit works to draw 
that center onto himself savingly. And then we notice his standing. He is a sinner before a thrice 
holy God. Verse ten, the son of man has 
come to seek and to save that which was lost. That's how the 
Bible describes us. A lot of times, as Christians, 
we tell people we're saved. If they're thinking, people, 
they might scratch their head and say, saved from what? Well, 
the Bible tells us that we are lost, we are dead in our trespasses 
and sins. It has to refer, or it does refer, 
to our ethical standing before God. We are lost. We are far 
off. We have gone astray. We are undone. We are dead in our trespasses 
and sins. The Lord Christ comes. The power 
of his gospel is applied to us and we are saved. We are found 
by him. He seeks us out and he saves 
us from our sin. He saves us from the wrath of 
God. He saves us from the fury of God. He saves us from the 
penalty of God's law. He saves us and liberates us 
in that blessed manner. So Zacchaeus was a chief tax 
collector. He was a rich man, a short man. 
But most important for the narrative is that he was a sinful man. 
He was a wretch. He was undone. He stood in need 
of God's great grace. Now, notice, as we move to consider 
the mission of Christ, there's three particulars we should notice. 
First, the invitation proper. Jesus invites himself to this 
man's house. It's the only time in the gospel 
accounts where Jesus invites himself to this man's house or 
to a man's house. Notice verse five. 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. Christ condescends. That means 
Christ humbles himself. Christ stops. Christ addresses 
this man. Just prior, there's an instance 
where Christ saves or heals Bartimaeus. You remember, Bartimaeus was 
a blind beggar. And Bartimaeus heard that Jesus 
was coming into town. And what does Bartimaeus cry 
out? I love that narrative. He says, Jesus, thou son of David, 
have mercy on me. And the crowd all says to Bartimaeus, 
be quiet. You're too insignificant. He 
doesn't want anything to do with you. This is Jesus. He's passing 
through our town. He doesn't want to stop to listen 
to a blind beggar. I love it. Bartimaeus cries out 
all the louder. Jesus, thou son of David, have 
mercy on me. And the text says that Jesus 
heard him and stopped. And then Jesus walks over to 
Bartimaeus and he looks at him and he says, what would thou 
have me to do? I mean, talk about condescension. Here's Jesus, the most important 
man in the world. the most glorious person in the 
world, but he has time for blind Bartimaeus. He stops and he heals 
him. He gives him sight. Here's the 
most important and most glorious man in the world stopping, looking 
up into the sycamore tree and telling Zacchaeus to come down. He condescends. He is gracious, 
he is humble, he is kind. Psalm 113 tells us of our great 
God. He is enthroned on high, but 
he humbles himself to look upon this earth. The Lord God Most 
High is here. He is imminent. That means he 
is present with us. or in His creation. He is not 
His creation. He is separate from it, but He 
is omnipresent. He is there. He knows what's 
going on in people's lives. We notice, secondly, Christ's 
omniscience. You notice here in verse five, 
what does Jesus call it? He calls Him Zacchaeus. How did 
He know that? Because he's God, he's omniscient, 
he knows all things. He didn't have to say, hey, you 
up in the sycamore tree, what's your name? It's kind of a crazy 
place for you to be on this day. What are you doing? No, he looks 
straight up at Zacchaeus and calls him Zacchaeus. Bishop Joseph 
Hall said, what care we that our names are obscure or contend 
amongst men whilst they are regarded by God? that they are raked up 
in the dust of earth while they are recorded in heaven. Who cares 
if you're obscure on this earth, if Jesus looks at you and calls 
you by name? We see his condescension, we 
see his omissions, and of course we see his grace. The fact that 
Christ stops and the fact that Christ is here to save him demonstrates 
his great grace. Certainly Zacchaeus could say 
that hymn we just sang. Certainly, Zacchaeus would approve 
with great joy Paul's statement in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 
8 and 9, for by grace you have been saved through faith. And 
it's not of works, not by anything you've done, lest you should 
ever be able to boast, but it is the grace of God by which 
you have come into this saving relationship. That's what Zacchaeus 
learned. We also learned something else 
about Jesus. He's operating covenantally. 
You might say, wow, this guy sees covenant everywhere. We 
just did a series on the covenant of grace. But notice what he 
says in verse nine. Today, salvation has come to 
this house because he also is a son of Abraham. Beautiful sovereign 
grace is operative here. He's not saved because he promises 
to give half his stuff to the poor. He is not saved because 
he promises to give back what he has taken through extortion. 
He is saved because he's a son of Abraham. He is saved because 
he is a son of God by adoption. He is saved by wondrous and great 
grace, by the mercy of God, who promised to Abraham that in him 
all the families of the earth would be blessed. that in him 
there would be salvation. Jesus speaks in covenantal terms 
to this crowd, speaking concerning the salvation of this man, Zacchaeus. So we see the invitation. Christ 
invites himself. Notice, secondly, the response 
of Zacchaeus. As I already pointed out, he 
was curious. Never discount that, brethren. 
A lot of us, we got saved not because we were melted by the 
mercy of God. Some of us got saved because 
we feared hell, and then we got worried. Is that a legitimate 
motive? Yes. As Spurgeon well said, God 
uses the thunderings of Sinai. He uses the wooings of Calvary. He uses a whole lot of different 
means, provided they're from his word, to draw sinners to 
himself. He says that sometimes we should 
get guest preachers in because they might bait their hook with 
something else than what we normally bait it with. And God is pleased 
at times to draw fish in with that different bait. He was curious. It's good that people come to 
the house of God. It's good that people read the 
scriptures. It's good that people ask questions. Somebody asks you a question 
about your religion. They ask you a question about 
your church. It may be curiosity initially, 
but God may use that to bring the truth to bear on their hearts. J.C. Ryle said 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. Upon 
that little action, so far as men's eyes can see, there hinged 
the salvation of his soul. We know, of course, that Jesus 
is sovereign, it was appointed by God, all of that to be sure. 
But as far as men's eyes are concerned, Zacchaeus is curious, 
he runs ahead of the crowd, he climbs up into that sycamore 
tree, and that is the occasion wherein Jesus saves him from 
his sins. When our Lord stopped under the 
tree, Ryle continues 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. From that moment. I love the 
immediate conversion here, too. Right. He didn't say Zacchaeus, 
see me in three more years after you agonize over every sin you've 
ever committed. No, you need to be convinced 
of your sin and then you believe the gospel. You have to be convinced 
of your sin to the degree that John Gill is convinced of your 
sin. You need to be convinced of your sin and go to the remedy. 
Imagine if you hurt your arm. You went to the doctors and he 
said, you need to go and agonize with that arm for about three 
more years and then you come back and I'll fix you. Some people 
teach that's the way we ought to respond to the gospel. You're 
sensitive, you're mindful, you're convinced of your sin, now go 
stew on it for a couple of years, and when you're good and ready, 
come to Jesus. The Bible says you're good and 
ready when you're sensible of your sin. You flee to Christ, 
you venture on Him, you venture wholly, and He will forgive you. 
That's what Zacchaeus does. Notice the make haste in this 
text. We'll get to that in just a moment. 
There is a make haste, Zacchaeus. Now is the acceptable time, Zacchaeus. Today is the day of salvation, 
Zacchaeus. Don't stay up in your sycamore 
tree. Don't go home and ruminate on 
it. Don't go home and think about it. Zacchaeus, come down. Come 
to me. Be safe. There's an immediacy 
here. He says, that very night, Ryle 
goes on, that very night, He laid down a Christian. Isn't 
that beautiful? This guy woke up in the morning, 
this chief tax collector, who's a short guy, he's rich, and he's 
a sinner before God. He hears the stirrings and the 
commotion in Jericho. He asks the question. Somebody 
says, Jesus is coming. He's curious enough to want to 
see who Jesus is. He runs out in front of the crowd, 
climbs up into that sycamore tree. Jesus saves him, and that 
night he lays his head down a Christian. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. We must, Ryle continues, never 
despise the day of small things, Zechariah 4.10. 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. That is great. We must not despise 
the day of small things. Sometimes God knocks a sinner 
down and saves him right there. Other times it's a bit of conviction. 
It's something imperceptible. In this case, what started off 
as curiosity ended in Christianity for this man, Zacchaeus. He was 
curious. Notice, secondly, he received 
it joyfully. Verse six. So he made haste. I love that he obeys Jesus. How 
many people don't obey Jesus? You hear the gospel, you hear 
the command, believe the gospel and you will be saved. For some 
reason, we actually think it's okay to disobey Jesus. That's 
wrong. Acts 4.12, there is one name 
given under heaven by which we must be saved. You need to believe. You need to come. Jesus says, 
make haste and come out of that tree. Then you make haste and 
come out of that tree. He is, after all, God. He owns 
you. He will judge you. He will have 
a final disposition for you. So Zacchaeus obeys. He makes 
haste and came down and received him joyfully. Do you love that? Receives him joyfully. John Hill 
says this, not only into his house, but into his arms and 
heart. Christ was a welcome guest to 
him as he is to every 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 of prophet, priest and 
king, and in every relation and character he bears. and embraces 
his doctrines and submits to his ordinances, and that with 
the greatest joy, as there is reason for it, since with him 
he receives the full and free forgiveness of his sins, a justifying 
righteousness, an abundance of grace, and a right unto and meekness 
for heaven. He received him joyfully. That 
ought to be our response. When we come to the supper tonight, 
I realize there's always a sense of our own sin. I realize there's 
always a sense of our own unworthiness. But let's cast a joyful eye upon 
our Lord Jesus. Let's cast a joyful eye upon 
the one who went through what he went through to save us from 
our sins. Now, I'm not one of these Christians, 
as you well know, that walks around with a big smile on my 
face all the time. You ever meet those kind of people? 
How are you? Great! Everything's great! Everything's 
great! Great, great, great! I don't 
roll that way. Not all of us roll that way. 
Some of us may have a streak of melancholy. Some of us may 
wish the calendar went from December to February, but it doesn't always 
do that. Some of us may struggle, but all of us in Christ must 
reach down in there and find some joy in the Savior. We must 
receive Him joyfully, not just initially, but each and every 
day. There should be joy in our Christian 
life. Paul the Apostle says that God takes our joy seriously. God has called us to rejoice. God commands us to rejoice. See, the idea is, is that when 
we're joyful, other people are going to say, what's up with 
you? And it gives us the opportunity to proclaim the excellencies 
of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. He 
received him joyfully. Notice thirdly, he confessed 
Jesus as Lord. He confessed him as Lord. Verse eight. Then Zacchaeus stood 
and said to the Lord, Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor. You see, a Christian confesses 
Jesus as Lord. A Christian sees Jesus, as the 
Bible sets him forth, as very God of very God. I know I've 
quoted a few guys tonight, Ryle, Dill. Listen to Whitefield, that 
famous preacher, George Whitefield. 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 casts out all servile, 
sinful fear of man. And he said, behold, Lord, Whitfield 
comments, 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 him. Thus, 
Zacchaeus, behold, Lord. An incontestable proof this to 
me, that those who deny our Lord's divinity never affectionately 
felt His power. If they had, they would not speak 
so lightly of Him. They would scorn to deny His 
eternal power and Godhead. You see what he says? A man who 
won't confess Jesus as God knows nothing of saving grace. A man 
who does not look upon Jesus and say, my Lord and my God has 
never looked upon the cross itself. That is, as Whitfield said, an 
incontestable proof that they never effectually felt his power. And then notice, he received 
him with repentance. He believed the gospel. And then 
fruits of repentance flowed. It's always the manner, it's 
always the means. We're justified by grace alone, through faith 
alone in Christ alone. Those fruits of repentance do 
not add to our justification. They simply manifest that we 
are justified. This is what he says. 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. He is not doing this to make 
satisfaction for his sin. He is not doing this to make 
up some sort of a righteousness before God. He is doing this 
because God Most High has justified him by grace through faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ. This naturally flows as a result. Sanctification always follows 
justification. If we say we've been justified, 
we will manifest fruits of sanctification that Gordon Clark makes the connection 
beautifully in his commentary on Titus. He says what passes 
so apparently as good works are not good unless preceded by justification. And if a claim justification 
does not inevitably produce good works, it simply was not justification. not say by those words to say 
unto good words you say by grace you say by looking to Jesus you 
say by receiving him joyfully faith is the instrument that 
brings a sinner in the saving contact with the Lord of Glory 
and then these things flow These fruits follow. Lord, he says, 
in the presence of all, I give half my goods to the poor. And 
if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I 
restore fourfold. Truly, God is able to take a 
man who cleaves to his riches and cause him to give that money 
away. I mentioned Whitfield before. 
Whitfield had a good friend in Benjamin Franklin. one of the 
early founding fathers in the United States of America. Well, 
Benjamin Franklin was a deist. I know we like to think everybody 
that was in America was a Christian, but that's simply not the case. 
Benjamin Franklin was a deist, but he had a lot of respect and 
a lot of personal admiration for George Whitefield. And this 
man had a vow never to do anything for the poor, never to give his 
money to the poor. And one time he comes, hears 
Whitfield preach, and then he empties all of his money and 
gives it to the orphans that Whitfield's getting money from. Now, he wasn't saved by that. 
It was some outward work upon him. It was guilt. It was some 
sort of a whatever it was that was the impression made through 
Whitfield's preaching. But ultimately, God caused that 
man to give up his money. That's not what's going on here. 
This guy doesn't just feel bad. This guy's saved. He's been justified. He's a new creature in Christ 
Jesus. That money no longer holds the allure it once held for him. 
Is that the case with us? We profess faith in Christ. It's the case with you young 
people, the children here. You might profess faith in Christ, 
but is there an attachment to this world? Is there an attachment 
to stuff? Is there an attachment to self? 
Is Jesus first? Do others come before you? Are 
you the same selfish, me-centered person that you were before you 
professed faith? What's the case with Zacchaeus? 
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Lord, look, I give half 
my goods to the poor. Great! It's a fruit. manifestation of God, the spirit 
is at work in his life and in his heart. The fifth observation, 
he enjoyed communion with Jesus. What happened? He came down that 
tree and he went home and Jesus came and had a meal with him. 
That's beautiful. He saved, now he gets to commune 
with his Lord. He's saved, now he gets to sit 
at the feet of the master. Remember, this is Jesus' promise 
to the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3, verse 20. It says, 
Behold, I stand at the door of none. It's not a gospel invitation. It's an invitation to communion. 
It's an invitation to fellowship. It's an invitation to enjoy more 
of Jesus. He says, Behold, I stand at the 
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and 
opens up, I will come in and I will sup with him. I will dine 
with him. I will be with you. You come 
into church. Don't come thinking about everything 
else. Think about the Lord. When you 
come to church, prepare your heart and prepare your mind to 
have communion with God. A lot of people, a lot of churches, 
they might say, wow, that that church is messed up. I couldn't 
find Jesus there. You know, a lot of times it's 
what you put into it. That's the implication of Revelation 
3.20. I stand at the door and knock, 
Jesus says. If you hear my voice and open up, I will come in and 
I will dine with you. You need to come looking for 
Christ. So we've seen the invitation 
proper, the response of Zacchaeus. Notice the crowd. Notice the 
crowd. Boy, isn't there a picture of 
us in this passage? Yes, we can identify with Zacchaeus. 
Can't identify with the Lord Jesus, but we can certainly identify 
with this crowd, can't we? Notice in verse six, so he made 
haste and came down and received him joyfully. But when they saw 
it, they all complained, saying he has gone to be a guest with 
a man who is a sinner. the judgmental, self-righteous, 
self-congratulatory attitude of man in Adam. As if they're 
not sinners. As if Zacchaeus is the only one 
in Jericho that has an ax to grind with the living God. You 
see, self-righteous men like to blame others, but they never 
look at themselves. Or when they do, it's simply 
to congratulate themselves that they're not like tax collectors, 
they're not like adulterers, they're not like extortionists. 
This crowd imitates the Pharisees and the scribes in Luke 15. When 
the Pharisees and the scribes saw the crowds coming to Jesus, 
they grumbled and complained, saying, This man receives sinners 
and eats with them. How is it with us? We might hear 
that some notorious sinner we once knew is now saved. Does 
it rise up in our hearts to say, How could God save him? Or you 
might have heard before, That's not fair. That guy's going to 
heaven. Of course, it's not fair. The gospel is about grace. If we got what was fair, we'd 
all be in hell forever and ever and ever and ever. Right? Be careful that you're not one 
of these self-congratulatory, self-righteous people that look 
down on the Zacchaeuses of our day. I think it's in us, brethren. Our Jeffrey Dahmer made a confession 
of faith before he died. You don't know who Jeffrey Dahmer 
was. He was a notorious serial killer. Everything rises up in 
me to think that guy shouldn't be saved. That guy shouldn't 
go to heaven. He did wretched and horrific 
things. Now, I don't know the validity 
of his profession or of his confession if that was even true. But isn't 
it the case that I deserve the same wrath as a Jeffrey Dahmer? 
Maybe not to the degree. I mean, I do believe in degrees 
of punishment in hell. The servant who knew his master's 
will and didn't do it will get more strikes than the servant 
who didn't know his master's will. The servant who didn't 
know his master's will still get strikes. But it's in us. Might be a Jeffrey Dahmer. Might 
be someone you know. Somebody that you thought of 
before. You hear that they've made a profession of aid. And 
in your heart of hearts, you know that can't be true. Because 
he's just too bad of a person. He's horrible, he's wicked, he's 
miserable. I really believe, brethren, when 
we enter into Emmanuel's land, there's going to be a lot of 
surprised people to see us. There's going to be people that say, 
you made it? You're here? Wow, that's amazing. Yeah, all 
praise be to God. It is amazing. That's why we 
sing, amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. You see, it's 
all about the grace of God. It's not about Zacchaeus' performance. It's not about Zacchaeus' giving 
money to people. It's about God who made a covenant 
with Abraham and whose son is the surety of that covenant, 
who comes to affect it and apply it and to implement it. And then, 
as we saw in our reading of the scripture, the mission stated, 
verse 10, for the son of man has come to seek and to save 
that which was lost. Many of you come out of a reformed 
background. Many of you have not been exposed to broader evangelicalism 
in the altar call of the gospel call. A lot of times the gospel 
is presented like this. It is said, accept Jesus into 
your heart. The evangelist will stand up 
before a mass of people and plead with them and appeal to them 
to accept Jesus into your heart. Do you know that the glory of 
the gospel is not that sinners accept Jesus into their hearts? 
The glory of the gospel is that God accepts sinners through Jesus 
Christ. The gospel is not, hey, why don't 
you just open your heart and receive Jesus? The gospel is, 
believe on him who seeks and saves that which is lost. Believe on him who died and who 
rose again. That's the important thrust. From the very beginning, the 
Bible presents us with a seeking and a saving God. When Adam and 
Eve plunged themselves into sin, they ran. For you McShane users, 
you've just read Genesis 1-3. It's gotta stand out at you that 
when these two stand before an omniscient, sovereign, holy God, 
how futile an exercise it is to make fig leaves to try to 
hide themselves and then to find a patch of trees so that they 
can try to avoid the all-seeing eye of God. If you're like me, 
you're reading that and you're going, no, you can't hide from 
God. He's gonna find you. But he not 
only finds them, he seeks them out. He's the one who initiates 
covenant. He is the one that initiates 
salvation. He is the one that kills the 
animals and clothes them with the garments. He is the one that 
calls Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees. He is the one that 
makes that promise to him. He is the God who orchestrated 
the monarchy in Israel. He is the God who preserved Judah. He is the God who made it such 
that 2 Samuel 7 would come to fruition in the birth of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. All of that demonstrates precisely 
verse 10. The Son of Man has come to seek 
and to save that which was lost. That's what God's about. So if 
you're lost, to believe the gospel is not presumption. It is what 
God calls you to. If you are lost, you make haste 
and you come to the Savior. If you are lost, don't play games 
of rebellion. You might say, well, I don't 
know. Just believe the truth. Jesus died. Jesus rose. You believe 
on him and you will have salvation for your sin. Commenting on the 
necessity to make haste. I'll close with this. John Gill 
says this. Such who come to Christ must 
quit. All their exalted thoughts of 
themselves, of their riches, their fullness, 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. They must come 
and quit 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. With men, it is impossible, 
but with God, all things are possible. If you have heard any 
of this tonight, if you have not believed on the gospel, if 
you have not made haste, If you have played games, if you have 
rejected, if you have disobeyed, if you have reasoned in your 
mind that you shouldn't come, then I tell you to stop and believe 
the gospel and you will be saved. And for those who have believed, 
those who like Zacchaeus, by God's grace, have been brought 
down that tree into the loving arms of Jesus Christ, rejoice 
tonight. Receive him joyfully as we eat 
the bread and as we drink the cup. Think on Christ and be joyful. Let us pray. Father, we thank 
you for this account in Luke 19. We thank you for what it 
demonstrates concerning your mighty power and your great grace. 
And our Father, we just pray that many people would hear this 
message throughout the earth tonight. We pray that many people 
in 2010 would hear this message and would come to the Lord Jesus. 
They would receive him joyfully, that the church would know a 
time of revival, that the church would see a time of awakening, 
that we would be able to witness firsthand the mighty outpouring 
of your Holy Spirit. God, we know you are sovereign. 
We know you are powerful. And we would pray to you and 
beg you to rend the heavens and come down. Do mighty and glorious 
things in our day. But if you choose not to, give 
us grace not to despise the day of small things. Help us to be 
faithful. Help us to be an encouragement 
to those around us. And help us to be like Jesus 
in the sense that we point men to the one who seeks and saves 
that which was lost. And we ask in His most blessed 
name, Amen.