The mystery of God's salvation

Sermon notes from Sunday 25 August 2019 pm

Luke 19 verses 1 – 10

The mystery of God’s salvation

Here we find that the Lord is come to Jericho.  It is a city he is not going to stop in again, passing through on his way to Jerusalem. He would never be back this way again.  Only here once and once only.  Two people will benefit from his ministry.  One is a man up in the tree and another man is a blind man on the roadside.  They prospered because of a visitation of the Lord.  The Lord is passing by.  He is beckoning you to come unto himself.  As I read these verses we see in verse 10 “for the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  The Lord’s mission here on earth.  In John 3 we are given a wonderful message by the Lord himself.  The God of heaven loves you tonight but what did he do for you?  He sent his only begotten son into the world to die on a wooden cross for you and me.  I will never perish if I trust in him.  God’s wonderful mercy.  John 3 verse 17 “For God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world but through him the world might be saved.”  The Lord is come to seek and to save you.  Will you allow him to save you tonight, take him as Saviour tonight.  The mystery of God’s salvation – notice here in God’s salvation …

Jesus searches.  He is searching as he comes to Jericho.  Isn’t that hard to fathom – that the Lord would come into this world to seek and to save that which was lost.  Man’s salvation began in the heart of God.  That he would ever love us, send his son into the world, sent him to a cross to save you.  We need to trust him as Saviour.  When God created the heavens and he placed everything into being, see him breath into man and man became a living soul, taking a rib from that man, gave him a helpmate.  The devil comes into that garden, tempts them into sin, by their rebellion sin entered into the world.  Right there in the Garden of Eden Adam allowed sin to enter this world.  When man realises he has sinned he does not run to God for refuge and forgiveness.  He is running in the opposite direction.  It is God who comes down in the cool of the day.  He begins the search.  Adam “where art thou?”  God is asking “where are you tonight?”  Remember the parable of the Good Shepherd?  99 sheep safe and well, brought them down from the mountainside.  Somehow one is missing.  He is not content, doesn’t put his feet up and relax.  He goes back out.  He searches and finds that sheep which is lost.  The very angels in heaven rejoice tonight.  When you realise you are lost, realise one who came to seek and to save that which was lost.  This old world has rebelled against God.  We have rebelled against God in our first parents sinful nature.  He does not come to condemn but sends his son into the world. In Romans 3 Paul takes the Old Testament scriptures – there is none righteous not one of us righteous in the sight of a holy God but God sends his son to bring us up to that righteousness.  The apostle Paul says “I don`t want to stand and face God in my own righteousness.”  You need to be made righteous before you stand in the presence of God.  Paul says there is none righteous not one.  Secondly there is none that seeketh after God.  God is seeking you, wants to save you.  Thirdly there is none that doeth good.  The Lord left the glory of heaven, the praise of the angels, left all the splendours of heaven.  He took on him the form of a servant when he came into this world.  He took all our sins on his own body on the tree.

Jesus stops.  This little man wanted to see Christ, heard so much of him, wanted to see him for himself.  He couldn’t see Jesus though so he ran down the road and climbed up into a tree just to see Jesus.  When Jesus came, passed that tree, he stopped where he was.  Jesus Christ God’s son stops where we are.  We don’t have to make our way up to him.  Revelation 3 verse 20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock.”  He is standing patiently waiting, trying to enter into your heart, waiting for you to open the door.  The Lord is knocking at your heart’s door.  The Psalmist said “I waited patiently for the Lord.  He inclined and heard my cry, He lifted me out of the miry clay and set my feet on a solid rock.”  The Lord can save unto the very utmost all that come unto me.  In John 4 we read the story of the women in Samaria “he must needs go through Samaria”.  How Jesus came to the well wearied on his journey.  He sat down, there cometh a woman.”  He was there before the woman came.  Jesus was here before any of us.  He has come to meet with you tonight.  Jesus stops where you are.  He doesn’t wait until you clean up your life.  He asks will you come?  Just as the Lord walked into that place of suffering, the pool of Siloam there for all the blind everyone with every complaint gathered around that pool.  One man lay there for 38 years.  The Lord came to where he was.  He wanted to do something for him.  He stopped with Zacchaeus at the tree.  Maybe he is stopping with you right now.  Maybe you have felt him stopping before.

Jesus saw.  He looked up into the tree and he saw.  There is no fooling or bluffing him, nothing could hide him from the sight of Jesus.  There is nothing hid from him.  We are told in the Bible we must deal with him at some point.  Will you stand before him right now as a sinner in need of salvation?  Perhaps he didn’t want others to see him but the Lord knew he was there.  Maybe no-one else knows anything about you.   The Lord sees you.  In John’s gospel chapter 1 Nathaniel was amazed at the knowledge the Lord had and asked “whence knowest thou me?”  Jesus answered “before that Philip called thee when you was under the fig tree I saw you.”  Adam hid behind the tree but after the fall nothing could actually hide him.  There is nothing you can hide from the Lord himself.  The Pharisees in the temple wrapped themselves up in their own righteousness.  Religiousity and goodness didn’t hide them from the Lord.  Isn’t that what we say “I am not saved but I am not a bad person, you have to see some of those other boys.”  The Lord is looking into your heart tonight.  As he looked in the heart of the woman at the well he is looking at you, he is saying to you ‘will you let me save you?’

Jesus spoke.  Like Nathaniel of old he didn’t need any introductions.  Same as with Zacchaeus.  He spoke directly to him.  The Lord does that tonight.  He speaks directly to you.  The Lord is speaking to you tonight.  We need honesty, openness.  Your soul is lying in the very balance tonight.  This could be the last opportunity for you to get right with the eternal God.  Think of how he spoke to Samuel.  There were other voices.  He thought it was Eli.  In the darkness of that night God called his name.  In the busyness of the day God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush.  Is God speaking to you tonight into the very depths of your heart?  Acts 8 God speaks through the living word of God.  The eunuch driving home from Jerusalem read the word of God.  Philip drew alongside him, said to him “understandest what thou readest?”  “How can I understand unless someone shows me?”  It is your choice tonight.  God still speaks.  He speaks through his word.  If you want to be right with God don’t leave thinking you are on the right way to heaven and home if you haven’t taken Christ as Saviour.

Jesus saves.  Wrapping his arms around Zacchaeus they went down to his home together – “this day is salvation come to this house.”  Zacchaeus was willing.  Verse 8 here was a man willing and ready to turn to Christ.  Are you a step away tonight?  Accept him by simple child like faith tonight.  There is a mystery about God’s salvation but you can be saved tonight.  Will you trust him right now?