R1645 Finding Zaccahaeus

Sometimes you can have everything you want and still be unhappy. It was true for Zacchaeus. Is it true for you today? The Encouraging Word This is The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, and pastor. And today we discover, as we are finding Zacchaeus, how we can gain insight from God's Word to bring us the happiness we long for.

The Encouraging Word And now, Dr. Don Wilton. All right, open your Bibles. In the New Testament, we're going to be in Luke chapter 19. Now, when you open up there, you're going to immediately see the name Zacchaeus. And I'm not making an assumption here today by any stretch of the imagination, but I've heard of Zacchaeus.

We grow up singing great songs about him, and he's been popularized, and he's just about being mauled to death. We all know, many of us know about Zacchaeus. But God has showed me something today about this encounter that takes place in the Bible.

So I want to just read it to you without saying too much. I want to read to you what happened here with a man by the name of Zacchaeus. And our subject today is finding Zacchaeus.

All right, so Luke chapter 19. Jesus entered Jericho, and he was passing through. And a man was there by the name of Zacchaeus.

He was a chief tax collector, and he was a very wealthy man. He wanted to see who Jesus was. But being a short man, he could not see who Jesus was because of the crowd. So he ran ahead, and he climbed a sycamore fig tree in order to see Jesus. Since Jesus was coming that way, when Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and he said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately.

I must stay at your house today. So he came down at once, and he welcomed him gladly. Now all the people saw this, and they began to mutter and murmur, saying, look at Jesus. He's gone to be the guest of a sinner. 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've cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times that amount. So Jesus said to him, today, salvation has come to this house because this man too is the son of Abraham.

For the son of man came to seek and to save those who are lost. Now this is a great story. By the way, Jesus never had any reason to make up stories. This is not a made-up story. This actually happened. Everything in the Bible is 100% true. So this actually happened. Jesus didn't have to try and impress us with make-believe stories.

So here's what I want you to get a hold of because this is going to be very good. This picture, this Zacchaeus in a tree in a place, this place called Jericho, and Jesus comes by, and this fantastic story about Zacchaeus shows us how God brings a city, a desert, a tree, a whole lot of rich people, a whole lot of very poor people, and one very unhappy man all together at the same time to counter the Lord Jesus Christ and to see such a dramatic change take place in just one person. So right there in Jericho, there was a tree. We know it as the Sycamore tree. By the way, there is a Sycamore tree in Jericho. Every time I take all our people there, we always stop and look at the Sycamore tree. If I was a recommending man, I'd tell a lot of people to go get yourself a Sycamore tree. If you got children, you'd love a Sycamore tree because it's a great place to build tree houses. Kids, I mean, you can have a serious tree house in a Sycamore tree, so you need to talk to your dad, okay? Maybe we can talk about shipping some Sycamore trees over here. Sycamore trees, they were called Sycamore fig trees.

They found in a lot of the parts of Africa, especially south of the Sahara desert, and they're very distinctive trees, they're big trees, but they produce a yellowish brown, delicious dry fruit that the people live, very nourishing dry fruit. So they would take these and they would plant them in strategic places. Two major reasons, okay?

Quick, quick, quick, two major reasons. Number one, they were so big that they served as windbreakers, all right? So if I was to ask any of you if you've been in deserts, I've been in the Namib and the Kalahari and the Sahara desert and the Arabian deserts, and you go to these deserts, it's all fine and dandy when it's calm and still, but I'm telling you, that wind can get up, guys. When a wind gets up in a desert, guess what comes with the wind? Sand. You ever been on the beach? You're just having a good time minding your own business, that wind gets up and it's like ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, that sand is blowing across you and hitting you on your legs and you're trying to run and umbrellas are flying all over the place.

Well, in the desert, those winds get up and they pack a punch for you and they bring sand. So sycamore trees served as a kind of a barrier. So a lot of your more capable, wealthy people would plant sycamore trees around to act as barriers for their homes.

But here's another thing, this is a great thought. They were very pollution resistant trees. You say pollution?

Yeah. You say back in Jesus' time, there wasn't a lot of sanitation. Now you can still go, I mean these are not very clean places. There's a lot of garbage that lies around. You'll see garbage piled up all over the place. You'll see that all over Asia too, just piled up. Parts of Africa piled up all over the place. Parts of India piled up. Listen, their sanitation and everything was not good. There was a lot of pollution. They didn't have plumbing like we have, eh? When you had to go, anyway, let's get on to the next subject, okay? All right, that's why trees were very useful.

So they would plant these trees down their main streets, so to speak, where massive crowds were because they were pollution resistant. Plus they provided what? Shade. Okay, I could go on and on. So into all of this comes one little fellow. He was short, we know that. And his name was Zacchaeus.

So what can we say about Zacchaeus? I'll tell you one thing, he was one sharp dude. He was a smart cookie. He had a lot of savvy. He was probably very good at math, like algebra and geometry.

All right? He had to be. He was an economist. He could count. He understood how to balance payments. He was the chief tax collector, number one. So what did that mean? If you think every now and again the IRS gets unpopular in America, this dude was less than popular, I can tell you that. So I've got to tell you this. They didn't like Zacchaeus because he worked for the Roman government. You know what? The system promoted corruption.

You talk about balanced books. The chief tax collector could do anything he wanted. He would skim off the top and the bottom and a little bit in the middle. He could walk up to anybody and tell them they owed the government taxes. He would send people to prison. And by the way, back in those days, you didn't want to go into one of those prisons.

You'd never come out alive. So he was smart. He was savvy. He had a lot of mind. The Bible says he was very wealthy.

But the people hated him, man. So don't you suppose he was very lonely? You know, sometimes you can have a private condo. Sometimes you can have a nice house and be the loneliest person in the world.

Did you know that? Sometimes you can drive a nice motor car. Sometimes you can have a good job. Sometimes you can be married to a very, very fine person and not be happy.

Do you know that? Not be happy. Is that you today?

Again, understanding happiness, not as the world would have it, but as we understand it in scripture. You're listening to Dr. Don Wilton and the Encouraging Word. Forgive the interruption. We'll be back in just a moment with the rest of today's message on finding Zacchaeus. But Dr. Wilton wants you to know that we're here for you. Perhaps you'd like to give us a call anytime, day or night, 866-899-WORD. We'll connect with one of us, happy to talk and listen and pray and connect you to resources that will help you grow in your faith. There's a wonderful resource right now about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

You'll find the details on our website at www.tewonline.org or call by getting your copy at 866-899-9673. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. You know, the Bible just tells us about one town, one bunch of people, some rich and some poor, tells us about a tree, a desert, winds, homes, lives, and just one lonely man. You and I would say, wow. You know, I looked at my buddy who played quarterback at Clemson University the other day and he just signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars and I'm going to be rooting for him 100%.

And when I looked at the contract, I thought to myself, gosh, how's he going to ever be able to put his kids through school with that? So, you know, he's a wonderful man and I believe that he's going to serve the Lord and honor the Lord in every way, but may I say this? And if Trevor, who's a very fine man, were to stand here in front of me privately, do you think I could say to him, Trevor, man, you're just an incredible quarterback and I love watching you and I wish you all the best.

Trevor, can I let you know? None of those things necessarily will bring you what only Jesus can give you. So, Jesus came to town and really three groups of people responded. I think you've got to know that the antagonists dreaded, hated Jesus' presence. You can take that one to the bank. America, you can live in the greatest country.

You can have the most of everything, I promise you. People who don't like Jesus, they don't want him around. In fact, you know what's really interesting about this? This was Jesus' last mission stop before he got to Jerusalem for the final time. You know, you keep reading, you get to verse 26, the Bible says, after this he went up to Jerusalem. I've explained why he went up. He went up to Jerusalem. You know, if you had one stop to make today, who would you talk to? If you had one more stop, you know what happened after Jesus? Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

We have the triumphal entry. The antagonists got him. They didn't like him. They hated him. You know what they did? They even had an opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and sentence a terrorist to death.

His name was Barabbas. I mean, they had Osama bin Laden put up in front of them, these people. They turned down Osama bin Laden and they said, nail Jesus' hind leg to the floorboards.

We don't want him. Crucify him. Can you believe that? So when Jesus arrived in Jericho, first group of people you got to see, a lot of people, a lot of them were people of great influence. They legislated this. No Jesus, man.

Get him out of here. But there was a second group of people that were followers of Jesus. Like you and me maybe. Not perfect people, but they followed Jesus. So what did they do when Jesus came?

They followed him. Have you noticed that? Do you know why?

Hey, can I just settle something here? I'm not a Jaguars fan. Not even a little bit. Jackson will where? Who?

What? Jaguars? I know there's God bless you if you are. Do you know why I'm going to watch them? I just told you why. Because I really like Trevor Lawrence.

Sorry. I'm going to tell you something. There was a lot of people in Jericho. They didn't like the government. They didn't like the storekeeper. They definitely didn't like Zacchaeus. But they loved Jesus. Boy, can you, that's where the crowd came from.

By the way, crowds make a difference when you follow the right person. So there was a third group of people and they were the seekers. They were just a bunch of people that had everything, were about it, but they were missing something. It was an emptiness. You know, it's like that guy you look at and you say, how can you be unhappy when you married to her? Or how can she be unhappy when she's married to him? Or how can you be unhappy when you've got children like you've got? Do you know you can have the cutest little children in the world and be unhappy? Do you know that? I'm telling you. Do you know you can have a really good job and be unhappy?

Did you know that? I mean, really just be unhappy. You can, this is Zacchaeus. What's the matter with the boy? I mean, I look at him and say to him, get a laugh, man.

You got the condo, man. He probably went in his RV just down the road to the Dead Sea every Saturday for a swim and a float. But he was miserably unhappy and he heard Jesus and he'd heard, what? He says, man, I wish I could explain to you what it is that gets you, but some of you are feeling that right now. It's not a lightening or shake.

It's not about the preacher. It's all of this. It's just like there's something in you that's saying, man, there's got to be more to this life. There's just got to be more to life. I've got to find peace, man. I don't want to go through life like this. I keep looking. I'm just perpetually got this emptiness.

I'm okay when I'm in the middle of when I'm out there, when I'm doing this, when I'm watching the game, but man, it goes away so quickly and I'm back to the emptiness. So what happened? Here's the bottom line. What happened? What happened to Zacchaeus?

Can we just consider this? What happened? What happened to Zacchaeus? Well, number one, Jesus found him.

I love that. Hey, is that not the most profound thing that you've ever heard me say? Jesus found him. Now, you get this, guys. This is with a lot of people out there.

There are crowds. The Bible says there are crowds everywhere, and Zacchaeus, who was somewhat short in stature, and he heard and he had emptiness, Jesus, Jesus found him. Do you know Jesus finds you because he knows you? Do you know how well he knows you? He made you. He loves you, man.

I would love to have been like a fly on the fig there or something. I don't know, but go up to Zacchaeus and have a little conversation with him. How is all of this?

How does it work? It's the Spirit of God. Jesus found him. But the second thing that happened to Zacchaeus was that Jesus called out to him. Jesus didn't just stand there with all of these people around. The Bible says he looked up into the tree and he said, Yo! I might not have said yo. I don't know how Jesus yelled. But to me, yo! He might have called him Zac.

I don't know. But Jesus did it. He called out to him. I'm just explaining you because right now you know that. That's why you're here.

But I'm going to show you the most fantastic thing about this. The third thing that happened to Zacchaeus, Jesus repositioned him. All right. So now I want to get this straight with everybody because you'll all agree with me.

Could Jesus have just settled the whole thing standing right there looking up and saying, Zacchaeus, I love you. I'm coming into your heart today. I'm changing. Absolutely. Here's another one. Do you think Jesus could have climbed up the tree? Of course. Why? Why not? These are big trees.

They're easy to climb. Jesus could have said, Man, I'm climbing up. He didn't.

Do you know what Jesus did? He repositioned Zacchaeus. He said to him, Zacchaeus, get down from the tree. In fact, don't only get down from the tree. Go to your house and I will come to your house.

I will meet you there. That is the kindest thing Jesus ever did. I promise you, I don't know this, but if I'd been a fly on the fig, I guarantee you Zacchaeus was sitting up in that tree. He knew everybody hated him. They despised him.

Can you imagine when all the limelight was put on him? I've got some friends in our church that I love. They're my best friends in all the world, but I've got some friends who periodically, every now and again, let me know. Now, Don, I just love you.

I love playing golf with you, love being out there, love doing this, love being around, but don't ever call on me to come up there and say something in public. All right? I respect that. We all do different things.

We all got our own roles in life. I promise you something, in all likelihood, Zacchaeus thought he was about to have a heart attack sitting up there. Jesus said, yo, everybody, Zacchaeus. Heart attack, kaboom, down he went.

No, it didn't happen to him. Evidently, he didn't fall out the tree, but I can just imagine he probably wanted to fall out like, oh, oh no, no, you're drawing a tear. You just put me on television.

Everybody's looking at me here. Well, whatever our imagination might want to do with Zacchaeus. You know what Jesus said to him? Zacchaeus, I love you so much, I want you to understand something. You are going to meet me on my terms, not on yours. And for Zacchaeus, he had to get down from the tree.

Did you get that? So I'm going to ask you a question. Which tree are you sitting in right now? That's a powerful challenge, what a powerful question. You've been listening to Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher here on The Encouraging Word. You've heard him preaching from Luke 19 about finding Zacchaeus, but perhaps you've heard more than our South African pastors broke. You've heard the voice of God speaking to you.

Perhaps after all you've heard that he has taught, this that Dr. Wilton wants to share from the studio is the most important 30 seconds of the day. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin, and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. Welcome to the family of God.

I'm convinced that some of you just prayed along with Dr. Don Wilton to either rededicate your life to Christ or give your life to Jesus for the very first time. We're excited for you, excited for the future that is ahead, and we would love to give you free resources that will help you grow in that future. 866-899-WORD is the phone number. You can call at any time, but right now, call 866-899-9673, and we would love to send you these free resources that will help you grow in your faith.

You can also meet us online at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. That's T-E-W online dot O-R-G, the place you'll find great resources like this. Right now, you may be driving in your car or sitting in the comforts of your own home. Perhaps you may be at work or listening to us in a prison cell. Wherever you are, I have an encouraging word for you today, and that word is God is in control. He is sovereign over the universe. His plan for your life remains intact, and He has not changed.

He is right there with you. This month, with your gift of support to the encouraging word, you will receive two powerful resources from Dr. Wilton, A Wonderful Hope, a message available on CD or DVD, and the life-changing DVD movie, Risen. Both of these resources... Our time's gone for now, but we're still connecting on our website 24 hours a day. If you haven't dropped by, come visit T-E-W online dot O-R-G. You can hear today's broadcast, see some of the video versions of Dr. Wilton's teachings, and so much more. Yes, there's still the availability of the book by Dr. Don Wilton called Saturdays with Billy about his time over the last 20-plus years of being the pastor to Dr. Billy Graham. That and other resources as well online at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. The Encouraging Word The Encouraging Word