The Divine Appointment
by Rev. Kirby Williams
God's sovereignty in election is confirmed in the divine encounter between Zacchaeus and the One who came to seek and save the lost.
Text: Luke 19:1-10
Date: 01/05/2025, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 177
Description:
As Jesus passes through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem and the Cross, He meets a chief tax-collector named Zacchaeus. This well-known story is a favorite with children, perhaps because of Zacchaeus' short stature and the fact that he climbs a tree to get a look at Jesus as He walks by. But what happens in this "living parable" is of eternal consequence. Jesus, knowing that Zacchaeus was to be in that tree at that exact moment stops, calls Zacchaeus to come down and emphatically invites Himself to stay at Zacchaeus' house. Somewhere in the process, Zacchaeus' eternal soul is saved and his earthly life is transformed. We will analyze this familiar story paying particular attention to God's sovereignty in election. We will put it into the context of what we have already learned about the doctrines of redemption and the essential elements of salvation. Ultimately, we will realize that the story is depicting a divine appointment between Zacchaeus and the One who came to 'seek and save the lost'.
View:
Options:
I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 19:1-10.
A. Context
1. Unlikely Kingdom-dwellers.
2. The mechanics of redemption, Eph. 2:8.
3. The extended context.
a. The call of Levi, Luke 5:28,32.
b. The parables of restoration, Luke 15:1-2.
B. Zacchaeus' Divine encounter with Jesus.
1. Setting the scene, vs. 1.
2. A man named Zacchaeus, vs. 2-4.
a. Introducing Zacchaeus, vs. 2, 3c.
i. Describing Zacchaeus.
ii. An important man.
iii. A rich man.
1) The wealth of Jericho.
2) Luke's tension between the poor and the rich.
iv. A small man, vs. 3c.
b. An integrated pericope.
c. Inexplicable, irresistible curiosity, vs. 3a.
d. The impediment of the crowd, vs. 3b.
i. Just another face in the crowd.
ii. Another impediment, Luke 18:39.
e. Climbing the sycamore tree, vs. 4, Luke 17:6.
3. Jesus chooses Zacchaeus, vs. 5.
a. Jesus stopped.
i. An incredible meeting, Luke 18:40; Isa. 35:5.
ii. The divine appointment.
b. The call of Jesus.
i. Jesus knows his name.
ii. A close-encounter.
iii. The emphatic imperative.
1) The emphatic "must".
2) Zacchaeus' "house".
3) Divine election.
iv. The remaining element of redemption.
4. Zacchaeus receives Jesus, vs. 6.
5. The crowd grumbles, vs. 7.
a. A recurring theme, Luke 15:2, 18:16,40.
b. The "right" and the "wrong", 1John 3:9.
6. Zacchaeus' repentance, vs. 8.
a. Looking at the words, James 2:17.
b. The evidence of salvation.
i. Half his goods, James 2:15-16; 1John 3:17.
ii. More than required, Luke 3:14; Num. 5:7; 2Sam. 12:6.
7. Zacchaeus' conversion confirmed, vs. 9.
a. Looking at the words.
i. The eschatological nature of "today".
ii. The meaning of "salvation", Luke 1:69,77.
iii. The meaning of "house", Acts 16:31; Ex. 12:23.
b. The son of Abraham.
i. What Jesus is not saying.
ii. Defining "son of Abraham", Matt. 8:11-12, 3:9; Rom. 2:28-29, 9:6-8.
iii. The significance of the "son of Abraham", Rom. 9:11-13.
c. Grace to rich and poor alike.
8. The mission of Christ, vs. 10.
III. Conclusion
