Dr. Marty Baker / Luke 19:1-10 / September 27, 2009
Good morning and welcome to The Creek. I want welcome all of those in our Grovetown campus and those that are watching on television and on the Internet. I was at the Grovetown campus a few weeks back and someone told me that it's not Grovetown, but the locals call it Groovytown. If that's the case, in the words of Simon and Garfunkel, we've got a groovy thing going.
Today we are continuing our series called, Incredible, with the message: What are you looking for?
One of your greatest needs in life is to feel that your life matters, that you have significance, that you are valuable, that you’re worthwhile. Because of this you’re constantly looking around and comparing yourself to other people.
In our society we tend to base our self-worth on four things. We judge our worth by our…
- Appearance: How do I look? If I look good then I think I must be good.
- Achievement: What have I accomplished? Am I successful?
- Approval: Do people like me? If a lot of people like me I must be ok.
- Affluence. What do I own?
The problem with these four standards is that none of them are stable. They can all change. None of these things are good judges of our self worth. Here's why.
Our successes are surpassed by other people, our records are broken, our beauty fades, our possessions wear out and people we think love us, die, leave, abandon us or sometimes even reject us.
So if you build your self-worth on those things, it’s not going to last. You’ve got to build it on something that can’t change. And there’s only one thing that won’t change – what God thinks about you.
Today I want to give you an example of this principle in the story of Zacchaeus. He was a man who lived in the city of Jericho during the time of Jesus. When he encountered Jesus, his life was changed.
Luke 19:1-4
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
As these verses tell us, Zacchaeus had heard that Jesus was coming through town. He went there that day hoping to get a glimpse of Jesus. But, there was a problem. The great crowds were large and he was short and could not see over them.
Tradition tells us that Zacchaeus was the shortest man in the city of Jericho. He may in fact have been a little person. There’s no doubt if he were the shortest man in town, he was probably teased and ridiculed most of his life.
Not only was he ridiculed, but this guy was hated by everyone in the city of Jericho. He was the chief tax collector. Tax collectors are never popular, but in those days it was even worse.
As many of you know, Israel was occupied by the Roman government. Rome wanted as much money as possible out of Israel. They found that they could get more money if they had natives to collect the taxes.
This is the way that the deal worked. The Roman government would let people bid for the right to be a tax collector for a particular region. Whoever had the highest bid would get the job. For instance, someone would say, "I think I could give you $100 million from the Augusta area." They would say, “Okay, you’ve got the job.”
The tax collector would collect as much in taxes as he could get away with. He would give Rome what he had bid and then he would keep the leftover money.
People hated this system and tax collectors were despised. People considered them as traitors who had sold out their brothers, sisters and the people of God. For a Jewish person to become a Roman tax collector was absolutely unthinkable. If you were a tax collector, you could expect three things:
1. Your family would disown you.
2. You would never be allowed to worship in the synagogue, and
3. You would be put in a class of people that were worse than murderers.
Zacchaeus sold out to the Romans. As a result he was hated by everybody. Now Zacchaeus was not only a tax collector, but he was the chief tax collector which meant he was the ring-leader of the entire scam.
Zacchaeus was just as messed up on the inside as he was on the outside. How do I know that? You can’t have a guilty conscious and feel good about yourself at the same time.
He knew that he was ripping people off. He knew that he was taking advantage of other people. He was a deceitful, dishonest, lying scoundrel. He had lost all of his self-respect and his zeal for life. He had a lot of money, but did not have any friends and was generally miserable.
But one day everything changed. That day he had an incredible encounter with Jesus. In that moment, he learned how much he mattered to God and it changed his life forever. We can learn three things from the story of Zacchaeus.
1. No matter how insignificant I feel, Jesus notices me.
It does not matter how low and how lonely and how insignificant I feel, Jesus notices me. Other people may not notice, but He does.
Remember that Zacchaeus was searching. He knew that there had to be more to life than what he was experiencing. He had all the money that a person could want but it did not satisfy the longing deep within. Maybe some of you are like that. You have reached all of your goals. You have a nice comfortable life, but you are not happy. You are here today or maybe you are watching today and you are wondering if there could be more.
Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming to town, but he had a problem. He was too short to see over the crowd. He did two things that no wealthy Middle Eastern man would do. One, he ran through a crowd, and the second thing he climbed a tree hoping that Jesus would pass by.
That was shocking but what Jesus did was even more shocking. Jesus walked straight through the city, past thousands of people and right up to the tree where Zacchaeus had climbed. Look at verse five.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up...
At this moment, I can imagine Zacchaeus’s heart must have been racing. I would imagine that he was thinking: “He’s looking at me! Out of all the people in Jericho, He’s looking at me! Why did He stop here? Why did He look up?
Think about it. Why did Jesus do that? Because He knew that was exactly where Zacchaeus was.
Here’s the point: God knows exactly where you are today. You may be up a tree. You may be out on a limb. You may be in a hole and you may think God has forgotten you. But, He has not.
God knows where you are. There’s never been a moment when God took His eyes off you. He has seen every breath that you have ever taken, every thought you ever had, every word you have ever said, everything you have ever done good or bad.
People may ignore you, God does not. He has seen every hurt. He has seen every tear. He knows it all and He loves you. Look at Luke 12, speaking of the sparrows, he says,
Luke 12:6-7
6 …Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
You are valuable to God. He has never taken His eyes off of you. How many times have we seen little kids riding on tricycles saying to their parents, “Watch me Daddy! Watch me Mommy! Watch me!”
All of us have a deep need to be noticed. You want to be noticed. You have a need to be noticed. So we say, “Watch me Daddy!” Adults do this all the time. They’re constantly saying, “Watch me! Watch me!”
We don’t say it that blatantly. We do it by the kind of clothes we wear, by the kinds of cars we drive. “Watch me!” By the way we fix up our houses. “Watch me!” By the way we manicure our lawns, by the way that we talk, the way we style our hair. “Watch me!”
God is watching you. He is paying attention to you. You may feel insignificant, but Jesus Christ still notices you. That leads us to the second point.
2. No matter what other people say, Jesus affirms me.
No matter what other people say about me or to me, Jesus affirms me. All of his life Zacchaeus had been ridiculed and rejected. First, by his appearance. He was short of stature. Second, by his actions. He was dishonest. He was corrupt. He was the most hated guy in town.
You know it had to affect him. Jesus did something to change all that.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus...”
Jesus looked up and called him by name. Don't you know that Zacchaeus had to be shocked. Can't you hear him say, “How does He know my name?”
God not only knows where you are, He knows who you are. He knows everything about you. He is personally acquainted with every area of your life. He’s not just some impersonal force that sits up in heaven and says, “Yeah, I see all of humanity.”
He cares about you personally. He cares about you as an individual. He knows your name. He knows everything about you.
Not only was Zacchaeus shocked when Jesus called his name, but everyone who heard it was shocked too. They were surprised that Jesus knew the name of the biggest scoundrel in town. But in spite of Zacchaeus’ sin, Jesus affirms him.
Jesus looked beneath all that emotional hurt, all that pain, all what other people have said about Zacchaeus and saw what he could become, not just what he was.
Jesus lifted him up while everyone else in the world was putting him down. Jesus knew that Zacchaeus was created with a purpose.
God has a purpose and a plan for every one of us. You are a unique creation. There is no one like you anywhere. When God made you He broke the mold. God created you for a specific purpose. He not only notices you, He knows your name.
Someone has said that “God has your picture in His wallet. That’s how much God loves you.” I would go one step further. The Bible tells us in...
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...
Jesus has your name engraved on his hand. When Jesus Christ looks at the scars in His hands where He was nailed to the cross, I believe that He is thinking about you and me. He died for our sins.
God says, “No, I don’t just carry your picture in My wallet. This is how much I love you…I died for you. That’s how much you matter to Me. It really doesn’t matter what other people say. Jesus Christ affirms you. He is here calling you by name.
3. No matter what I've done, Jesus wants me.
God wants a relationship with you. Zacchaeus’ appearance made him feel lonely and insecure. Zacchaeus’s accusers made him feel bitter and resentful. But it was Zacchaeus’ sins, his own lifestyle, his own choices that made him feel guilty and ashamed.
So Jesus Christ did something even more shocking. He didn’t just walk up to the tree and notice him. He didn’t just call him by name and affirm him, but he invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home for dinner. This is amazing.
5 … (Jesus) said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
It was unthinkable that Jesus Christ talk to Zacchaeus must less say, “I'm going to go to your house. I'm going to be your guest. Out of all these people, I choose you.”
The reaction of the crowd was swift and brutal.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "
Jesus Christ knew that Zacchaeus was carrying a lot of hidden guilt. Jesus also knew that Zacchaeus did not think that he was good enough to have a relationship with Jesus. Many of you feel the same way. You think, “I'm not good enough.” But you’re wrong. It’s not based on your goodness. It’s based on God’s incredible love for you. Jesus took the initiative and He said, “Zacchaeus, come on down! I'm going to your house today.”
The truth is that all of us have done things that we are ashamed of. Jesus is not here to condemn you; he is here to change you.
He looks at you and He says, “I know you, I love you and I want a relationship with you in spite of all that you’ve done.”
Some of you think, “If I come to Jesus Christ with all the dirt in my life He’s going to reject me.”
You don’t understand God if you think that. You don’t understand how much you matter. He still loves you even though you are covered in dirt.
Here's a $20 dollar bill. “How many of you would like this twenty dollar bill?” Raise your hands. (I crumpled it up and stomped on it and got it all dirty.) “How many of you still want it?” (Hands are raised). You still want it because it has not lost any of its value.
You’ve gotten some dirt on your life but you haven’t lost any of your value to God. And, yes, you have blown it but Jesus Christ still wants you.
John 6:37
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
Jesus will accept you as you are. He’s not going to reject you when you take that step of faith. He’s going to accept you in love. No matter what you’ve done Jesus wants you.
Knowing this – How should you respond to that kind of God? The way Zacchaeus did. The Bible says, “
So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
I think Zacchaeus was saved before he hit the ground. Zacchaeus took Jesus up on His offer for a relationship. He was changed instantly. It was immediate.
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Something had happened in his heart because the most selfish man in the city all of a sudden became the most generous man in the city – “I'm going to give half of my possessions and anybody I’ve ripped off I'm going to pay them back four times.”
What happened? Jesus Christ and the love of God changed him. How do you know if you’ve really met Jesus Christ? You are changed. Your attitudes change. You become a more loving person. You become a more generous person. All of a sudden you’re not so stingy, so selfish any more. You start thinking about other people.
Why? Because you realize how much you’ve been given and you want to give back.
Two Responses to this message.
First of all, there are some here today that identify with Zacchaeus. You live your life for yourself. As a result, you have carved out a very nice life, but you are empty inside. Your stuff does not satisfy the longing of your soul. You are ready for a change.
In a few minutes, I am going to ask you to pray and ask God to change your life. Get ready.
Second group of people this morning are those that you know someone like Zacchaeus. They are spiritually blind. They are self-centered, self-focused and generally far, far from God. In fact, you have never thought about them coming to church nor to Christ.
I want you to make a call this week. I want you to invite people who are away from God to come to church next Sunday. Don’t make them have to climb a tree like Zacchaeus and get to Jesus on his own, but invite him, invite her to church next Sunday.
Next Sunday we want our friends to come. Those friends that are hurting, those friends that are lonely, those friends that have bad reputations, those friends that are dishonest, those friends that have broken their wedding vows, those friends that drink too much, cuss too much, sleep with your co-workers…invite them to Stevens Creek.
I want you to realize that there are no perfect people here. We are sinners in need of a savior.
Speaking of the savior, His name is Jesus. He is more than a religious figure, but He is the Son of God who came to this earth to save you and me from our sin. He loves you even though you have not given him the time of day. He knows who you are. You knows your name. He is here to change your life.
Let me ask you a question: What are you looking for? Zacchaeus found what he was looking for… his name is Jesus.
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