Hello there,
Welcome to Jesus to the Core Missions. I am Dr. Darryl Thomas, and I am excited and elated that you have joined with me in this great occasion to share in the word of God. Today’s message will be coming from St. Luke 19:1-10; and it reads:
1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9)And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
May God add a blessing to the readers, hearers and doers of His holy word. The title of our devotional today is called “The Heart Posture of A Son.” In this passage, Zacchaeus beautifully displays to us the critical lessons about the posture of a son. It is imperative that we learn the importance of having the posture of a son, because the need is so great in our society. There are 2.2 million people incarcerated in local, state, and federal correctional institutions. (Hlavka, Wheelock & Jones, 2015). The 2.2 million people in prison are made up of fathers, mothers, daughters, and sons. In 2019, the Statista Research Department reported that there were 15.76 million children living in a household with one single mother while there are 3.23 children living in a household with a single father. Due to ungodly incarceration rates, poverty, and lack of education, the family structure has been fragmented with decades of trauma.
The sons are without a father. Daughters are without a mother. Sons are asked to be fathers without ever having a clear example of fatherhood. Daughters are asked to be mothers without ever having the example of how a family should be. I know it sounds cliché to tell you that God can fill all of the places that you were void in your life as a son or daughter; but the reality is that He can. However, the posture of one’s heart determines whether or not they will obtain salvation and sonship. During Jesus’s encounter with Zacchaeus, Jesus announced, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, and he obtained salvation. Not only did he obtain salvation, but he also obtained sonship being made one of the sons of God (see John 1:12).
Salvation and sonship is what God desires all of us to receive. Firstly, it is imperative that we understand that there is no work that we can do to earn salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Therefore, we receive salvation by grace through faith, and we received that grace from the person and work of Jesus Christ (see John: 1:17 KJV). There is no work that we can do to earn salvation, but it is a gift that is readily available to all who are willing to receive it ( see John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8 KJV). If we are going to receive it, our hearts must be postured in the correct way. Unbelieving scribes and Pharisees were perfect examples of hearts in a bad condition (see Luke 20, John 19:15 KJV). Their hearts were rooted in hatred, arrogance, and pride. On the other hand, Zacchaeus proves to have the right heart posture to receive salvation through Christ Jesus. So, what does Zacchaeus do to display the correct posture of his heart?
He desired to see Jesus
Zacchaeus desired to see Jesus, but he couldn’t due to his stature and the large crowd. Unless one has the desire to receive salvation and sonship, they will not receive it. One has to know that he or she is in need of a savior. There are those who have no desire to be saved. They believe they are self-sufficient and are capable of saving themselves. So, the fact that Zacchaeus desired to see Jesus was huge. Like Zacchaeus, we must also desire to see Jesus for ourselves. Zacchaeus was lowly and humble enough to know that he was a sinner in need of the savior Jesus Christ. There was one problem. Zacchaeus was too short and low to the ground; and as result of his stature he couldn’t see Jesus. So, he removed himself from the crowd, and climbed up in a sycamore tree so that he would be able to see.
2. He removed himself from the crowd, and climbed up in a tree so that he would be able to see.
Zacchaeus climbed into a tree to be able to see Jesus. We cannot literally climb into a tree to see Jesus in His physical form. However, there is a place we can go to learn of the person and work of Jesus Christ, and that place is the bible. It is imperative that we, like Zacchaeus, are sometimes able to withdraw from the crowd to see Jesus. We can see Jesus when we read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Actually, we can see Jesus all throughout the bible from Genesis to Revelation (John 1:1 KJV). If you seek for Him, you will find Him (see Matthew 7:7-8 KJV). So, we must be like Zacchaeus, and go to our own tree which is the word of God. When we go to the word of God, we can clearly see Jesus the Christ. Not only can we go to our own tree to see Jesus, but we become like fruitful trees planted by the rivers of waters when we love the word of God (Psalm 1:1-6 KJV). He brings freedom, salvation, stability, and sustenance.
3. Furthermore, the text says, “And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully.”
The text tells us that Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully, and we must receive the word of God joyfully. We are joyful, because we have a savior who is able to save us. We are joyful that we have a teacher to correct us. We are joyful, because we have a God who would put on flesh to save the wretched people we are. Correction and rebuke does not always feel good, but it feels good to know that He cares enough to correct or rebuke. Warning is not always pleasing to hear, but it is a jovial blessing to know someone cares enough about us to warn us. God is a loving father who chastens us, because we are His children. So, we should receive Jesus with joy. We should consume Scripture with joy, because all scripture is profitable for teaching, correction, reproof, and rebuke. Scripture is profitable calling us to good works (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV). Not only does Zacchaeus receive Jesus with joy, but he repents.
Zacchaeus repented
In Luke 19:8, Zacchaeus says, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. When Jesus preached, his message was “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” This is exactly what Zacchaeus did in his confession. He confessed that Jesus Christ was Lord which means he believed and accepted Jesus as Lord, Master, Savior, Son of God, and the King of the Jews. He confessed, and he also repented. To repent means to “turn from your wicked ways” ( see 2 Chronicles 7:17 KJV). Zacchaeus turned from his wicked ways, and he was resolute in righting every wrong he had committed against men. Just like Zacchaeus, we are called to repent and believe the gospel. It is not God’s will that any man perish, but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). Paul also teaches us in Romans 10: 9, “But if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus; and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” If we repent and believe, the bible declares, we shall be saved.
Conclusion
Zacchaeus has taught me critical lessons concerning how the right heart posture gives us access to the gift of salvation that was given to us by God. Zacchaeus taught us the importance of having the desire to see Jesus. He taught us about the stilling away so that we can read of the person and work of Jesus Christ. He taught us that to receive Jesus Christ is a joy. Lastly he taught us how to repent. Let us pray;
Heavenly Father,
We thank you Lord for this great occasion of fellowship and the privilege to hear your word. Help us to seek you in Scripture. Help us to hastily come to you. Posture our hearts so that we will always receive Jesus Christ and the written word of God with joy and gladness. Lord God Yah, we ask you to forgive us of all our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We confess Jesus Christ as our Lord, Savior, and Master. We believe in our hearts that Jesus died, and you raised him from the dead. We receive your gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. In Jesus Christ mighty name we pray, Amen
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