1190 - The Grace of Lord Jesus Changes People#
1190 - The Grace of Lord Jesus Changes People
(JP Text Group - Life Organized Like an Eagle)
Luke 19:1-10
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 because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 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. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Let us begin with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace. We come to seek Jesus Christ, renewing our thoughts and minds through your word. By listening to the sermon, we deepen our understanding of Jesus Christ and receive more revelations. Your grace can change me; I believe this moment is blessed by God. May the Holy Spirit lead us so that we can all receive. We pray in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!
Today, our topic is called The Grace of Lord Jesus Changes People.
There was a man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. At that time, Zacchaeus was in a very special situation; Rome was ruling Israel, and Israel was a colony of Rome. Zacchaeus, being an Israelite, collected taxes from his own people and handed them over to the Romans, which was equivalent to giving the hard-earned money of his own people to outsiders. Therefore, such a person was hated by many, and what Zacchaeus did was looked down upon by many.
In the time of Jesus, there were two types of people who were most despised and considered the lowest: one was prostitutes, and the other was tax collectors. Moreover, he was a chief tax collector! He managed a large number of tax collectors, which shows that this group of people was not recognized by the people of that time. Today's scripture mentions that he was not only a tax collector but also wealthy.
Brothers and sisters, having money is not wrong. Does God want us to be poor? No. If you search the entire Bible, God has never said that He wishes for us to be poor. Having money itself is not wrong, but Zacchaeus had a problem with how he became wealthy. He gained a lot of wealth through deceit and oppression of the people. Did he know what he was doing? Yes, when he went out, people always pointed fingers at him; the common people hated him, so he had no friends. However, deep down, he longed to be respected by others and desired true friends.
Today, an opportunity came. He heard that Jesus was entering Jericho and wanted to see what kind of person Jesus was. The name Zacchaeus means "pure one." Usually, when naming children, there is a meaning behind it. Some people hope to have wealth in their family and name their child "Gold Mountain"; others go even further and name their child "Xinxin," meaning six golds. What is their purpose? When I see this child, I can be happy because he can bring me fortune, so they give their child such a name. There are names like "Silver Mountain" or "Golden Treasure," which all have meanings.
In the Bible, names are not given casually. “Jehovah” means an outstretched hand, filled with grace upon grace. Amen! Our God’s intention is that His hand is always outstretched, always granting grace to us; this is our God. The name Jesus means He will save His people from their sins. Therefore, you see that what Jesus did on earth was to save His people from sin. Amen!
In the Old Testament, there was a man named Jacob, which means "to grasp." Jacob was born grasping his brother's heel, and during his life, he wanted to grasp everything into his own hands. Today’s Zacchaeus, whose name means "pure one," is actually a source of laughter for others. The "pure one" has come, but he is more defiled than anyone else because he knows that his name is the exact opposite of his actions.
Brothers and sisters, why would such a person want to seek Jesus? He heard that Jesus had come to Jericho and wanted to see what kind of person Jesus was. What made him willing to seek Jesus? Why not seek the Pharisees and the scribes?
Because he knew better than anyone that a person like him would face consequences if he sought the high priest. They would not want to receive someone like him. So Zacchaeus knew in his heart that he could not seek them. But what attracted Zacchaeus to seek Jesus? Because he had heard about Jesus!
Many of you, when you believed in Jesus, also started by hearing some things about Him, and today you believe in Him. What kind of Jesus did Zacchaeus hear about? The Jesus he heard about was one who could accept everyone. He heard that prostitutes were accepted and forgiven by Him. He heard that many sick people came to seek Jesus, and Jesus healed them. He heard that Jesus healed lepers. Therefore, Zacchaeus longed to see Jesus.
The last verse, verse 10, says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
What kind of people are the lost? They are those who lack in life, who have failures, weaknesses, and are lost. But Jesus came to seek such people. So brothers and sisters, do not worry or be discouraged. If you have many burdens and problems in your heart, you can come to Jesus. He is the Jesus who does not condemn you; He can accept you. So at this moment, Zacchaeus decided to see what kind of person Jesus was.
Brothers and sisters, why do we gather? It is not to see a certain sister, nor is it to do business. We come to seek Jesus Christ and to know Him more. Therefore, when you come to church and listen to the sermon, you will understand what kind of person Jesus is. Because once you know Him, you will have the faith to face life.
When a person understands the grace of Jesus Christ, they will have faith. When a person is filled with the love of Christ, they can live out love. It is mentioned later that there were many people following Jesus. Why do people want to follow Jesus instead of the high priests? Because the high priests always condemn others, saying, “Ah, you did something you shouldn’t have done on the Sabbath! You rebellious person! You made a mistake again today; you should confess and repent…”
Jesus never encouraged people to sin. He never said that it was okay to sin under grace. He has never said such a thing. But people are willing to follow Jesus because He always brings comfort and grace to people. It is precisely this Lord that attracts everyone to follow Him. Therefore, there are many people who always follow Him. When Jesus preached, there were often many people who came to listen to Him. But were all those who followed Jesus to listen to the sermon genuinely seeking the Lord like Zacchaeus? No.
Some people just wanted to eat bread and be full. What kind of people are called those who eat bread and be full? Today in the church, there are some people, for example, who have some illness but are unwilling to believe in the Lord, saying, “If you can heal me, then I will come and take a look, listen a bit.” Such people are called those who eat bread and be full. Of course, God does not reject such people.
There are also some people who are Pharisees and scribes. They think highly of themselves and just want to listen to see if there is something to accuse. Therefore, today many people go to church to listen to the sermon. They might be in this church today and in that church tomorrow, listening to this pastor because he is more interesting, and next week they will change to another church to see. Actually, such people find it very difficult to stabilize their lives.
There are also some people who come with a heart of accusation. Such people cannot receive anything. God’s grace is always supplying, but such people cannot receive it. You see, the Pharisees listened to Jesus’ teachings to find something to accuse Him of. That was their heart; after finding something to accuse Him of, they would attack Jesus.
Today, some people listen to the sermon, and when they come to church, they say, “There is a problem with what you said here; a certain sentence was not quite appropriate.” Therefore, such people cannot receive God’s grace. But what kind of person was Zacchaeus? He was someone who sincerely sought Jesus Christ. When a person is willing to seek Jesus, they will find Him.
Just like today, who knows Zacchaeus’ yearning heart? Jesus knows. Amen! Therefore, when He passed through Jericho, He came specifically to seek Zacchaeus. Each of us who believes in Jesus is found by Jesus in this way because the most precious thing in this world is not gold or silver, but souls. Jesus values souls more than anything in this world. Everything in this world was created by God’s word; with a word, it came into being, but only people are made by God’s own hands.
When God created Adam, He breathed into Adam, and that breath was exactly like God’s; that is the most precious thing. You are the most precious in this world. In God’s eyes, souls are more precious than anything.
Zacchaeus had a seeking heart, and Jesus Christ saw it, so He came to seek him. When we have such a seeking heart, all you need is a heart that seeks, and God will let you see His great grace. Thank you, Lord!
Some may ask, how can I meet Jesus? Where can I find Jesus? If you just want to see what Jesus looks like, I advise you not to waste your effort. Because it is impossible. But if you want to understand what kind of person Jesus is, you will find Him in church. You can know from the Bible what kind of person Jesus is. God does not want us to see if Jesus is handsome; He wants us to see what He has done for you, to see that He Himself is grace and truth. This is the Jesus we need to know, so we need to look at what kind of person Jesus is, just like Zacchaeus.
Today, as you listen to the sermon, you are also understanding what kind of person Jesus is. Because there were too many people, and Zacchaeus was short, he might have tried to jump a few times but still couldn’t see. Finally, he thought of a method; he knew Jesus was walking down this road, so Zacchaeus said, “I will wait for Him up ahead.” So he began to think of a way and climbed up a sycamore tree.
Here, I want to share something interesting with brothers and sisters. This comes from contemplation. Zacchaeus was short, so we can imagine that he was not only short but also a tax collector. He certainly wouldn’t be short and thin; usually, in our impression, such people are relatively plump. Just as a contemplation, you can also think of other things. So in my imagination, he was a very short and very plump guy. At this moment, to see Jesus, he had to climb a tree. Was it easy?
A plump and short guy climbing a tree is a very comical thing because being plump means short arms, and climbing up is very laborious. Zacchaeus overcame these problems. This means that today, when you truly want to seek Jesus, do you really think there will be no obstacles in front of you? There are. Satan will put many obstacles in front of you, but if you have a determined heart to seek Him, you will still get through. So Zacchaeus finally climbed the tree.
Here, I also want to share something spiritually meaningful. I specifically checked the Greek word, and the “sycamore tree” here is actually a type of fig tree. The sycamore tree is indeed a type of fig tree. What is the significance here? In the beginning, when Adam sinned, they hid, possibly behind a fig tree, at that time they were hiding from God because they knew they had a lot of filth on them, so they were afraid of God. But today, we see Zacchaeus, who knew he had many problems, who knew people looked down on him and had many sins. But he did not hide; he climbed up this fig tree and completely exposed himself in order to see Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, at that moment, Jesus walked by, looked up, and saw him. Then Jesus said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately! I must stay at your house today.” Brothers and sisters, what does this mean? It means that when Jesus calls your name, your heart is warmed, and you feel loved.
Think about it, can you call out each other’s names when you walk on the street? If you don’t know, for example, today we happen to meet a sister from our church on the street, and I say, “Sister so-and-so, how have you been?” She might think, “You actually remember my name!” I’m giving an example because we are already familiar with each other.
Brothers and sisters, how familiar is Jesus with you today? When you have a heart seeking Him, Jesus has already seen you, and Jesus has written your name in the book of life. He knows what you need; He knows you are His sheep. He calls you by your name. Perhaps Zacchaeus had never been comforted like this before, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly.” Jesus knew his needs, and the seeker was found.
You must know that the Lord of heaven and earth, when He passes by here, sees you at a glance and calls out your name. So at that moment, this grace fell upon Zacchaeus. Why do I say this? Because Zacchaeus had never thought that Jesus would go to his house. He knew he was unworthy; people’s evaluations of him were all negative. His only wish was to see Jesus.
Each of us has things we seek before God, but what does the Bible say? “The blessings that God wants to give us are things that our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, and our hearts have not thought of.” This is what God wants to give you. The Bible also tells us that “the blessings that God wants to give us exceed what we ask or think.” Zacchaeus only wanted to see Lord Jesus, but at that moment, Lord Jesus granted him a greater grace, saying, “Zacchaeus, come down! Today I must stay at your house.”
Why did Jesus use this phrase to open the dialogue with Zacchaeus? Perhaps Zacchaeus had invited many people to his house before, but no one was willing to come because his house was a tax collector’s home. Others might think his money was unclean. Therefore, his heart’s desire to be respected by others and to have friends was not fulfilled. At this moment, he might still not have friends, even if that place was not as wealthy as others, they might still not want to go to his house. Why? Let’s look at the crowd’s comments later.
Verses 6-7 say, 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
Let’s think about this matter. Shouldn’t we be happy that Jesus went to this person’s house? But look at how the crowd acted. They muttered among themselves, saying, “Jesus has really taken a wrong turn; how can He go to his house?” What does this mean? Do you know what the meaning of “the crowd” is? This is the collision between grace and law. They felt that Jesus should not go to this person’s house because they thought this person was unworthy. But what is grace? Grace is what you feel unworthy of receiving, what you should not receive, that God gives us freely.
Look at another person in Luke 18:18 and onwards. There was a ruler who came to seek Jesus. When he came to find Jesus, look at what Jesus gave him.
Luke 18:18-23
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
Jesus faced this young rich ruler and gave him the law of Moses because he thought his behavior was good. Jesus said to such a person, “You still lack one thing.” As a result, this person left sadly.
This is similar to what we shared last time about the “Prodigal Son’s story.” The elder son said to his father, “I have served you for many years and have never disobeyed your orders.” Do you remember what the elder son said? He was under the law; he felt he was already good. He thought, “I have served you for many years and have never disobeyed your orders,” just like this young ruler today, who said, “The commandments you mentioned, I have kept since I was young!” Is there anyone who can keep all the commandments? No. So he was proud. What did Jesus give him? The Ten Commandments.
Jesus said, “You still lack one thing.” When a person thinks they are already good enough, they can never be perfect before the law. We are now under grace, so we should not live a law-based life. When a person constantly looks at others’ shortcomings and deficiencies, they are actually treating themselves with the law.
Jesus said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This is the only way to obtain eternal life, which is to follow Jesus Christ. But this young ruler left sadly.
This person did not know that relying on his own actions, he could never inherit eternal life. Up to this point, in this young ruler’s heart, what is more important, Jesus or wealth? Wealth is more important. So he would rather have wealth than Jesus. He was unwilling to follow Jesus and left sadly. The Bible tells us that “because he had great wealth.”
Do you see? This is the mindset of a person under the law. A person under the law is self-centered. Why couldn’t this young ruler give up his wealth? He had many thoughts.
Brothers and sisters, a person who receives the grace of Jesus Christ in the church, when you encounter all things, if you start from your own perspective, thinking about your own interests, you have already fallen under the law. If Jesus thought this way, He would not have come to this world. In this world, He has never gained a bit of benefit; it has all been giving and being misunderstood. We see this, but because He is love, He is grace and truth, He is always thinking of us. We see grace and truth in Jesus.
Now, let’s return to chapter 19. When Zacchaeus saw Jesus in his house, he suddenly stood up and said to Jesus, “Lord!” Has the title changed? He now calls Jesus Lord. Brothers and sisters, the Bible tells us that “no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”
Zacchaeus only wanted to take a look at Jesus, but Jesus said, “Today I must stay at your house.” Brothers and sisters, when you feel that you have many problems, that is precisely when you should seek Jesus. Invite Jesus into your home, and your situation will change.
In verse 8, after He went to Zacchaeus’ house and had dinner, 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.” Zacchaeus was changed by the grace of Jesus.
When Jesus entered Zacchaeus’ house, did He say to him, “Zacchaeus, you have been greedy for many years, haven’t you? You have oppressed many people for many years, haven’t you? Isn’t it time to give it back!” He never said such things. He knew that what Zacchaeus did was wrong, and Zacchaeus also knew that his behavior was not good. But Jesus did not condemn him; He did not bring up all the things he had done in the past. Jesus accepted him and gave him grace. This grace changed Zacchaeus. He no longer felt that money was the most important thing.
Among the twelve disciples of Jesus, there was a man named Judas Iscariot. Why was he not saved? If you read the Bible carefully, you will know that Judas never called Jesus Lord; he only called Jesus “Teacher,” which means a teacher.
But today, did you see what changed Zacchaeus? Zacchaeus saw Jesus Christ’s acceptance of him and saw Jesus Christ’s forgiveness of him. Therefore, he changed; he accepted Jesus Christ in his heart!
Some may say, “Look at me now; my life is a mess. Can someone like me go to church? What would I go to church for? Others look down on me.” Today you need to tell them that Jesus will never look down on you. It is precisely because you need to find Jesus. Amen! When you see Him, He is someone who can accept anyone, no matter how great your sin is; Jesus can accept you.
Zacchaeus had only heard of Jesus before, but today he saw this Lord with his own eyes. When this Lord stayed at his house, he changed. 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.” Did Jesus command him to do this? No. Jesus just kept giving him grace and explaining the gospel of the kingdom to him. Then Zacchaeus listened, received, received, and received... Suddenly he understood that money was no longer what he loved most. In fact, he was a person who loved money very much, but now he discovered that Jesus Christ was more important than money. When you see the grace of Jesus Christ, you will know that what is important in your life is not your house, not your business, but Jesus Christ. When you have Him, you have everything.
Zacchaeus saw this, and he thought from now on, he no longer needed to buy friends with money, nor did he need to buy happiness with money because these are all temporary. After receiving grace, he completely changed. He said, “Lord, I am willing to give half of what I have to the poor.” Unknowingly, he kept the law.
In Exodus 22:1, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.”
This law was personally issued by God. Zacchaeus understood in his heart that he did not know how many laws he had violated. When he saw the grace of Jesus Christ, he unknowingly kept the law. This is how the grace of Lord Jesus can change people. The law can point out your problems and your sins, but it has no power to help you. But the grace of Jesus Christ can change you and give you the strength to overcome sin!
I think I have given many examples before. Why do thieves steal? Because they lack. When God’s grace fills them and blesses everything they do, they will be abundant and will never steal again. This is how God changes us. Once a person receives grace, they unknowingly keep the law; under grace, a person is at peace and joyful. What is given is also grace.
Zacchaeus was like this. He received the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ, and at this moment, he had the strength to give. Amen! So he could say, “If I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times the amount,” proving one thing: he indeed had cheated others. He knew this better than anyone. Zacchaeus’ life began to change after he met Lord Jesus Christ. Your lives also began to change after you met Jesus Christ. The first change is in your heart, and the second change is in your behavior. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, this is the content we want to share. Do we see it? Zacchaeus was changed not because Jesus Christ kept giving him the law to follow; he had no strength to follow it. But when Lord Jesus kept giving him grace, this person changed.
Lord Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house.” What does this mean? In Hebrew, there is a person named Joshua, which is a Hebrew word. In the New Testament, there is a person named Jesus. These two words are completely the same, just like we call “man” in Chinese, and in English, it is called “man.” They are the same meaning, two different languages, but expressing exactly the same meaning. There is another meaning that is the same, called salvation. Jesus said a very wise phrase here: “Today salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of Abraham.” Hallelujah!
When Jesus is in your house, your house has come to salvation. When salvation comes to your house, it means Jesus has come to your house. When you receive Jesus into your heart, salvation comes to your heart. This is the most comforting thing for Zacchaeus because others do not acknowledge him as a son of Abraham, but today Jesus personally tells him, “You are a son of Abraham.”
No matter what people in the world say about you, you are still a child of God because you have received Jesus into your heart. Salvation has come upon you. When you receive Jesus into your home, you are loved by God. You are a treasure in God’s eyes.
Every day you should declare in your home: “Lord Jesus, today you are in my house, therefore my husband and my children will be blessed.” God wants to bring salvation to your family through you. God wants to bring blessings to your family through your prayers. You receive from Lord Jesus and then give it out. Now we receive grace from God and then give it out. If the person standing here receives the law, just like Moses, what you receive is condemnation, which is the law.
Now many churches are still preaching that if you do not give a tenth, sooner or later God will take back what you stole, and that money will go to the hospital; that money will be spent on others; your money will be lost. In short, God will not let you go. After hearing such a message, how do you feel? At the beginning, Jesus said to that young ruler, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and then follow me.” He was indeed very stingy and could not do it at all.
When a person encounters the grace of Jesus Christ, they become a generous giver. Because this is how God blesses us. We have also mentioned that if you want to prosper in a certain area, you must present that area before God. I will briefly talk about giving. Many people always pray, “Lord, please bless my finances!”
Of course, God is very willing for you to be abundant in material things, but what should we do? Just like a farmer planting seeds, during the autumn equinox, someone sows wheat seeds, and the harvest will come in May or June of the following year. No matter how great this person’s faith is, if they do not sow seeds, will there be a harvest next year? Even if this person prays every day, will there be a harvest? There still will not be a harvest. Because we must sow seeds.
Jesus said to that young ruler, “Aren’t you seeking eternal life?” Eternal life is actually a blessing of abundant life. Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will store up treasure in heaven.” This is one of the ways to receive the blessing of eternal life.
When a person sows seeds, the harvest the following year is at least thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold blessing! If you want to have such an abundant blessing in material things, of course, God’s blessings are always there. I mean there is a blessing of abundant material things, so I encourage everyone to sow seeds first.
I have seen many people go from having nothing to becoming very wealthy. In fact, they have been consistently giving a tenth, just like seeds, sowing and reaping; sowing and reaping, continuously more and more.
So I would like everyone to do a self-test like this: write down your current income and expenses every month, and then persist in giving a tenth. After three years, look at your current situation and see how much change has occurred. You will know because a tree bears fruit three years later, and the fruit is abundant; it will be completely different.
Malachi 3:10-12
The Lord Almighty says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
This is God’s blessing to the people of Israel. Of course, this blessing is also for us. Jehovah means the God who makes a covenant with us. This God who makes a covenant with you says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” The storehouse here can refer to the church or the ministry of the gospel. It allows God’s house to have food to supply full-time servants and to cover the church’s expenses. It can also help those in need. God tells us to test Him in this and see if He is faithful.
The Lord says He will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out blessings upon you, letting you have no room to contain it. At the same time, God will rebuke the devourer that destroys your finances, keeping your finances from suffering losses, including what your hands do and your property. People around you will see God’s blessings upon you and even call you blessed. The place where you are will become a delightful land.
Let us pray together:
Brothers and sisters listening to the sermon today, no matter what kind of problem you are facing at home or if you have many grievances in your heart, at this moment, I am willing to seek Jesus Christ because He has been waiting for you. He hopes to touch your heart. He hopes to receive you just as He received Zacchaeus. He does not remember your transgressions; He does not care how you behave now. He is willing to give you His grace. All you need is to rely on Him and have a heart that seeks Him.
At this moment, God will provide His supply upon you. At this moment, God will heal your diseases. At this moment, God will renew you with His grace, giving you new strength, making everything different for you.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you. You are our Father, and you are willing to bless us. I know I am loved by you. We are all attracted by your grace to follow you. In the new week, please lead us. Let me experience you in life. I am willing to look up to you in everything. Lead me to see your goodness in life and become a witness for more people. We pray in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!