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Luke chapter 19. Our focus this 
evening will be on the salvation of Zacchaeus in verses 1-10. 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 
complained, 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 pray 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 bruise. How we praise You 
that He did this on behalf of all those whom the Father had 
given. How 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. 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, his occupation. It 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 on 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 oppressing government. Zacchaeus was a Jew who took 
money from other Jews and gave 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 or publicans are linked with sinners, Matthew 
9, 10, with heathen Gentiles, Matthew 18, 17, with harlots, 
Matthew 21, 31, and with extortioners, unjust, and adulterous men, 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 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, that 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 exacted taxes from. And then notice thirdly, his 
stature tells us he was a short man. Some 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 sinner 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 the description 
applied to Him evidences 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. If you go 
back for just a moment to Luke chapter 18, Luke chapter 18, 
a familiar passage in our study in Matthew. It's a 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. 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 appreciate, 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 light. So that's the object of mercy, 
verses 1-4. Notice secondly, the mission 
of Christ, verses 5-10. 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, 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. 
We notice in the first place his 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 and earth, the one who created the world, the one 
who governs all things by his powerful word, stops at the base 
of this tree and addresses this man Zacchaeus. It indicates as 
well his 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 
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 contemned 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 Son a 
certain number of elect, and the Son comes into this world, 
as specified later in the section, 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, Gil 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 survey the data. No, 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 would take Him away from His 
task. But in the same way that He sets His face like a flint 
to go 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. J.C. Ryle makes this observation concerning 
his curiosity. Not Ryle's curiosity, but Zacchaeus's. 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. If getting close to Jesus means 
climbing up into a tree, then by all means, climb up into a 
tree. He says, upon that little action, 
so far as man's eyes can see, there hinged the salvation of 
his soul. Our Lord stopped under the tree 
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 laid 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 Zacchaeus telling his grandchildren how he came to 
know the Lord? It began because I wanted to see him. It 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 address me by name. 
I didn't know he was going to tell me, make haste and come 
down, for I 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 sinner 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 sinner, 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. Now, as Reformed 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 
Zacchaeus 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 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 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, or 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 in response to Christ, which is illustrative 
of the effectual calling. Notice that he receives Christ 
joyfully. Verse 6, so he made haste and 
came down and received Him joyfully. I think Zacchaeus 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 we're believers, do we do so joyfully? I know there's trials, and there's 
sorrows, and there's hardship, 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 effectually called. We have, by the grace of God, 
been saved, delivered from the wrath and fury of God. Certainly, 
there's a time in our day where this ought 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, Zacchaeus, 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 verses. Gil says, not only into his house, 
but into his arms and heart. Christ was a welcome 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 a right 
unto and meekness 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 get 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 remembrance of Him, 
We're remembering the Isaiah 53 realities. We're remembering 
the blessed gifts that Christ has secured. Hopefully our minds 
alight on Ephesians 1, 3, 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 in having 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 has covenanted 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 
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 fourfold. He calls Him Lord. Brethren, that is the Spirit's 
work in the hearts of sinners, so that we may rightly perceive 
who Jesus is, that we might rightly see Him as the second person 
of the blessed triune God, that we see Him, according to His 
humanity, as Zacchaeus did, as that one uniquely sent by God 
on a particular task. George Whitefield 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 servile, 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 Him. Thus Zacchaeus. 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 is. 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 
as 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 the most brazen testimony of 
His repentance. I mean, a man that is engulfed 
in sexual sin, 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 dough. 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, Gil, 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 tangible. Repentance is quantifiable. When a man is effectually called 
by God and tastes 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 had lined 
his pockets with. And then in the sixth place, 
he enjoyed communion with the Lord. Guess where Jesus went? I mean, he said, Maccabees, I 
must stay at your house. What happens then? 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 hymn. Heaven came down and glory filled 
my soul. Filled my soul. I'm sure Zacchaeus 
reported that to the little Zacchaei 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, 
as we consider still this salvation rot, we ought not to neglect 
the response of the crowd. The response of the crowd, verse 
7, They all complained, saying, 
He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner. You hear 
the contempt fly out of their mouths. As 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 a thing occurs. Notice in Luke 5, Luke 
chapter 5 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 
5, 27, 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 left all, rose up, and 
followed him. Then Levi 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 disdain 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 
complained, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with 
them." This is disdain. This is disgust. This is to be 
absolutely put out by the conduct of our Lord. This man receives 
sinners and eats with them. 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 whine and grumble 
and complain and murmur and say, this man receives sinners and 
eats with them. I suspect that the tax collectors 
and the sinners there were wondering, what's 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 shepherd 
who lost the one sheep. 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 rejoicing. Tax collectors 
and sinners hear Christ say, the Pharisees and scribes are 
right, I do receive sinners and I do eat with them. 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 sons. 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 you're best 
to me dead, but in light of the fact that you're not dead, give 
me my inheritance so that I can go do what I want to do. So he 
goes, and he does what he wants to do, and he sins against the 
father. He sins against great mercy. 
He sins 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 eating, his own design. But when he is 
a long way off, the Father runs to him and falls on him and kisses 
him and pours out love upon this man. 
See, that's the context. This man receives sinners and 
eats with them. And the recurring thread 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, but heaven is 
pleased when such occurs. So, the same thing is going on 
in this instance of Zacchaeus. The people whine, 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 as Lord. These persons weren't all manifesting 
fruits of repentance. These persons would rather whine 
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 we 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. 
Do you get upset when you hear of a notorious sinner that got 
converted? Are you suspicious? Do you wonder, 
how in 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 wrought, 
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 
Zacchaeus 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 is about a heart change, 
and then outwardly flows those effects from what Christ has 
done inwardly. He 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 1.21, 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 
8th commandment, 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 humanly, 
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 a 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, 26-29, those who believe in the 
seed of Abraham, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, are Abraham's seed. I think at least an allusion 
to that promise 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 men 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 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 eye was closed and every head was bowed? 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 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 sin against 
God, what do they do? They run from God. Who initiates 
the saving promise? It's God comes to Adam and Eve. When men, 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's 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 discusses 
Christ's propitiation, it says that God set Him forth as a propitiation. In the passage that Pastor Porter 
read this very evening, Yahweh was pleased to bruise Him. You 
see, the praise, the glory, the honor, the adoration due 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 common 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 engage 
in moral reform, as I've already suggested. He didn't come to 
initiate or institute a revolution. Christ didn't come with guns 
blazing to bring the Roman government down and to bring 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 would 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, affectionately called by the Lord. And we, by 
God's grace, have confessed Him, Lord, have manifested repentance, 
and 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 a people of unclean lips. Why? My eyes 
have seen the glory of the Lord. Brethren, that is our state and 
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 expansive 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 man. 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 sinners. 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 sinners 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 Zacchaeus, this rich man, 
this man who 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 
twofold 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 sinner, another 
tax collector, another publican, 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 displayed. 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 
forever. We have a powerful God, an 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. Isn't that 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 hold John for ethic in terms of who 
God is, he is seeking these kinds of worshippers. 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 think 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, any who are 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 need, and pointing them to the Lord Christ 
Most High, who came to seek and to save that which was lost. Well, 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. And Christ, in His great mercy, 
lived 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.