A Need To See
by Michael Spencer
June 25, 2020 · Centerpointe Apostolic Church (Murfreesboro, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 19:2-4, Luke 19:10, Luke 19:9, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:10, 2 Peter 3:9

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/michael-spencer--a-need-to-see
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

------------------------------------------------------------
Praise the Lord. Get a double dose of Wednesday nights with me, so make you appreciate your pastor more. As always, preparing this today, I won't say it just flowed it. I struggled with putting this together, and some of it may have been me, but I feel like God to give me a word, and the devil didn't want it delivered. So I'm placing it in God's hand. Let him see who's here and work on who's here, and maybe it's just for me, and you get to be along for the ride.

Luke chapter 19, that's where we're going to take our text tonight. Luke chapter 19, very familiar passage if you've been around Church very long, talking about Zacchaeus. Verse 2 says, "and behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was, and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way."

When you read this passage, if you grew up in Sunday School, you quickly remember that Zacchaeus song: "Zacchaeus was wee little man," and everybody knows the song. I can't relate to Zacchaeus, but there's been a few instances where I run into something that I could not see over, and there's been a few instances where I was the one where the person behind me could not see over. But sometimes we have to take steps of faith when we can't see what it is we desire to see. Sometimes it takes us stepping outside of what is the norm or what is comfortable. And there's been a lot of that lately in our present world, with all the rules and regulations and the unknowns of what is the new norm, and what's next, what are we going to face, just the uncertainty. So a title tonight: "A Need To See." A need to see.

Now we could always go out on the Zacchaeus climbing the tree and and getting out on the limb, you know, taking a risk. Some people are just natural risk takers, and I've been accused of a few times myself. But some people are just gonna play it safe. Growing up, my mom was one of those individuals: you're just gonna play it safe. And she thought if you cross a river bridge you lock the door, that makes it all better, you can't fall into water. So we always made fun of her growing up: "what is locking the door gonna do?" But it made her feel safe.

When we looked through scriptures, though, we see where people trusted God to lead them in areas of their life and in their journeys, where maybe they weren't sure or could not see what was ahead. When you study out through the children of Israel's, they stepped into that red seat. No doubt there was some hesitancy in the natural mind to say, "well, we're being obedient to God, but what's gonna happen to all this water? Well, it's going to take place when we take this journey." They were kind of out on the limb, so to speak, in their, in their journey. But they had faith in their leader. Moses had heard the voice of God. God said, "what is that in your hand?" And he put to use what it was God had placed there for that purpose. And his obedience made away and a path for them to cross through, because he did take a risk, because he did trust and believe in God's Word. He took them through that, that wilderness journey that they had to take. And I'm sure many times it wasn't comfortable. And sometimes in our spiritual walk, we come across areas of our walk that we were highly uncomfortable: "god, this is new. This is uncharted territory. I'm not sure I'm equipped to accomplish what it is you've placed me here to accomplish." Maybe there was some difficulties. Maybe the road was rough. Maybe there was a something that inhibited them from getting through where it was they were traveling, and maybe this didn't turn out the way they expected.

When the GPS is first came out, I had one early on. Now we all use her phone, and now we can't hardly breathe without trusting the phone. But we had the little box on the windshield, and my wife was convinced, "there's no way that box knows where we're going." And so in, in trying to trust the Box, typed in the destination, and we ended up in somebody's driveway. And sure enough, you know, we didn't get where we were supposed to go. But she was right once again. But when we allow God to be our spiritual guide, we will always end up where he intends for us to be, if we will follow the direction and the path that he has put us on. Even in the midst of challenging situations and circumstances, the blessings of God are with you on your journey. And sometimes we don't see them until we maybe have crossed over on the other side, and we can look back and see the hand in the feet of Jesus, his footprints, where he brought us through those touch points in our life that we can look back to and draw strength from. And so in this life of following Christ, it's a life that requires faith, be active, that sometimes we have to take in our eyes a risk, god knows where
 we're going. God sees the full picture, but he doesn't allow us to always see everything. He wants to grow us and stretch us, to have the faith to trust him even when we don't see what lies ahead. We know that he's leading in guiding us, and so he's going to have a sure path for us to follow. Sometimes in those quiet moments, when it seems God may be so far away, when he's given us direction and kind of saying, "trust me and do what it is I've asked you to do," that walking by faith and not by sight, requiring us to go to places that we don't know. And when we get there, then God begins to reveal, "yes, this, this is where you're supposed to be, and this is the next course of action you're supposed to take." And we are obedient to his word, and we arrive, or we get to the place where he's called us to do and to be.

So today we looking at someone who took an act of faith to do what they did in their life, and it made a difference in their life, someone who climbed the tree, who got out on a limb to see what it was God was all about. He was looking to see Jesus, the scripture says. But it didn't end with he just wanted to see Jesus. It's interesting that it goes on to, to say he was looking who Jesus was. And Jesus is looking for us as well, looking for individuals who won't question waterwear how God's leading you, but will simply be obedient and surrender to the will of God for your life.

When we focus and study the life of Zacchaeus, says he was a chief tax collector. He was a rich man. He lived there in Jericho, and he held a high office in the Roman tax system, and the Jews were subject to Rome, so they had to pay their taxes to the Roman Empire. And in being a tax collector, that immediately puts you in a unlike position in the eyes of those you had to collect from. Some was justified, some was not. But a lot of times they would collect a little more than was actually due, because that was their profit portion, so to speak. And they were considered by many to be traitors, even mentioned alongside the prostitutes and sinners were tax collectors. And being both of a member of the, the despised group that he was, and also being wealthy men, he looked at him as, "he's not a desirable person. He got his wealth by taking ours," was kind of their, their opinion. And some of them knew it to be true.

But unlike the story of the rich young ruler that we see in Scripture, his attitude was toward wealth keeping him from the Lord. It allowed a separation. He allowed that wealth to drive him away from, from God. But we see in the life of Zacchaeus, his deduct, his desire, his willingness to truly see God. He surpassed by the fact that, you know, Jesus was just an individual coming through. He wanted to see who he was. And even at his status in society, he did something that was highly unlikely of someone of his, of his position, by climbing the tree. But he was in, he was in the position. He was willing. He was seeking. He was searching. He was looking for something different in his life, even to the point of enduring some public scorn to see the one that he had heard so much talked about.

So when Jesus, he makes his arrival in to Jericho, and Zacchaeus wanted to see him and learn about who he was, and as we mentioned in the beginning, he had a challenge. He couldn't see over the people, the crowd that was all around him. They just kept pressing around, and he couldn't, couldn't see what it was he wanted to see. For just one look, Zacchaeus ran ahead, and he climbed in a tree and found a position where he could see as Jesus approached. He wanted to see this man Jesus. And no doubt all around Jesus was, was the crowd, and he had the priests and the clerical type that were around him. And Jesus, approaching the tree, also saw Zacchaeus in the tree, and he tells him to come down, "because I want to go to your house. I'm gonna eat with you this evening." And the priests were insulted: "why would he go to a sinner's house? Why would he go to this man's house and and shun us, and not, not hanging around with us?" They wanted to know what it was that made a difference. We don't see Jesus giving them an answer. He simply went about what it was he wanted to do for Zacchaeus. Because you see, you'll never be or find satisfaction and merely seeing Jesus. I'm afraid too many settle for just seeing Jesus: put my check in the box and go about my life. But there's not a real satisfaction and simply seeing Jesus, because the truth is, there was a bunch of people that saw Jesus this day. They were all around him. But Zacchaeus had a drive and a motivation to see more than just the man. He wanted to see what it was all about. Because seeing is not enough. Desperation will drive a person beyond just being satisfied with what they see. There's a longing of the soul that will push you to an unquenchable longing
 of more of God, more than just a goosebump feeling or an experience of emotion. But it will drive you to search out who Jesus is for your life. An old that we would get to a place in our life that we would not be content with just a visual, good feeling experience of having been to church, but we could get to a place where the passion that we had the first time that God tugged at our heart, the first time we truly experienced the love of God drawing close to us, and we allow him to touch and to change our life. That was the moment that we truly saw Jesus.

Where is the thirst that we had in that first altar experience, that we just couldn't get enough, and more of our desire for God? It surpassed the time that was on the clock that we had available. We become lost in the presence of God to the point that we no longer watch the clock. We no longer care if anybody else's around us. It's just a moment where I truly see God. I can focus on who he is, and I can discover more about what he wants to be in my life. I pray we don't become satisfied with just good Church. God forgive us of being okay with just having good church and leaving unchanged. It looks good. What we see is pleasing, and it's comfortable. But just seeing Jesus is not to go. When I go to church, that cannot be the goal that we said, is just to get there and see what's taking place, because Jesus wants an interaction with each of us, every time we get into his presence.

Just seeing Jesus cannot be enough. If we come into a church service, or we get into our prayer time in our closet at home, wherever that may be, we've got to have the purpose and the intent to make a contact with the Savior who makes a difference in our life. We've got to allow him to work on the inside, to wash me, to cleanse me, to make me what he wants me to be, and to be an example to those I come in contact with. Because if we aren't living it out, who's missing out because we aren't doing our part?

The crowd was all around Jesus, says he's made his way through the city, and many people were there and followed the crowd and knew that Jesus was there. The Zacchaeus wasn't able to get through the people, and he wasn't able to see over the people. And he had shown up that day for a purpose, and it wasn't just to be near Jesus, but he wanted to see him. He had a desire to see, as the scripture says, who he was. When's the last time you said it in your heart, to see who Jesus was for your life, to get outside of the norm of what everybody else may be doing? You may take a spiritual climbing of the tree, to getting into a new position, to get a different view of the one who made all the difference in your life.

The crowd didn't understand why Jesus did what he did. But if you continue reading, their verse 10 says, "he came to seek and save that which was lost." Knowing that he was a sinner, and recognizing that the grace that Jesus was showing to him, Zacchaeus said, "I'll give half of my possessions to the poor." When you get in an individual's wallet, you know that Christ is making a difference. He said, "if I've wrongly taken anything from anybody, I'll pay back four times as much." Zacchaeus had an encounter with a savior, with the one who made a difference. And that's what repentance looks like. Penis doesn't just say, "I'm sorry," but it makes amends. It goes beyond. It does Corrections on what has been done wrong. And the crowds have complained that Jesus went to this wicked man's house. But after Jesus got through, Zacchaeus would be a better man for the community, and he restored what he had taken from them. There was a visible difference in the life of Zacchaeus, because he truly saw Jesus that day, because of his change in lifestyle. It was evidenced by his right relationship with Jesus, and the encounter that they had that day. Luke 19 and verse 9 says that salvation had come to this house.

We cannot settle for just seeing, when God wants a salvation experience. And it's got to be a priority in our life, to remain in a position of salvation, because it's so easy to just fall into the crowd. "I made it to church. I saw some people. I felt Jesus." No doubt many in the crowd felt Jesus that day as well, but they went home the same way they came. How sad it is that we don't take advantage of opportunities for God to change our life. But we come in and we feel and think, "well, that's good enough." Zacchaeus met the Lord because he was in the tree to see, but he wasn't there just to see, but he wanted more than just seeing Jesus. He wanted to know who he was. His outward actions were testimony of an inward transformation. He changed, because there was a change that took place inside of him. And that's why Jesus came, was to seek and to save the Lost. And shame on us if we think, "well, I, I've received the Holy Ghost, so I'm okay."
 Yes, that's important, and that is necessary, and I hope you do it again and again. But I hope you don't think, "well, that just fulfilled, and now I just got a ride along until he comes back." Because that's just the beginning of a relationship. That's just the beginning of what God wants you to experience with him.

See, salvation can not by simply seeing, but by design also to be seen by Jesus. That day, hunger moved him out of the street and up the tree. And the offer to do lunch together was the mercy and the grace from the one who made a difference. Zacchaeus could have declined the offer, and the story been far different than what we read in scripture. Because we serve a God who is not a forceful guy. He's a gentleman. He'll allow us to see him and go on our way. But at the same time, he will also stop and interact with those who are desiring to more than to see him, that want to experience him and receive from him in their life. The door must be open from the inside for him to commune with us. And we've got to make a decision to yield to his mercy, and to receive the gift that he freely offers. But we've got to make time in space for him to work. And to receive the gift means that our hands must be empty.

So many times we come with this and that on our mind, and our data in day out activities, and the things that we face in life, and this problem, in that situation, and "I got to do this tomorrow." But what if we could come into the presence of God and just lay all of that aside? "God, I've come to see you, to hear you, to interact with you, and to allow you into my heart to do something, and allow me to be changed." What would happen if we came in with that attitude and that mindset of, "God, this is your time"? Because no doubt Zaki has had other things he could have done, other places he could have been. He had the means to do a lot of other things that day. But he had a desire. He had a need. He didn't heard enough about Jesus that he had a hunger to seek him out.

So we must come with her hands empty, our will laid down, our idea is an opinion surrendered to his desire for our life. And there's things that we must let go of, if we want to grasp the hand of Christ. The song they sung talked about a hand in his hand. Too many times we have all this stuff that life brings, and we wonder, "God, I don't feel you. I don't see you." It's because we got all this stuff in our way. We've got all of these things that we have placed in importance and our priority on, that God, being the gentleman he is, said, "if you'll just lay that down, then you can truly see me. If you'll just put that aside, then you can slip your hand into the hand that can get you through."

We go through life and we put the smile on, and we greet everybody and say everything's okay. We lived the sanitized future walk, I call it. "Yeah, it's all good. Everything's going to right direction." But I'm afraid, too many, it's been too long since you found that place of repentance, a place of, "God, give me a checkup. Wash me. Forgive me once again." We've gotten the idea that, "well, that's just for new people, and I can't do that." You better be doing it every day, because that life has a way of just putting junk on us. Just driving on Interstate 24 is enough to need repentance every day. Because those artificial walks aren't what gets God's attention. When you make intentional effort to, "I want to see God. I want to see him in my life. I want to see him as he passes by this way," in those moments, suddenly God will stop and look in your direction. God will begin to speak into your life. He will begin to spend time with you, and your day will be better, because you made the intention and the purpose to see Jesus.

You know, we can study out grace. Grace is extended. All grace is attractive. My wife's last name was grace before we got married, so I think it was really attractive. But when you look in and defined grace, the definition is unconditional love. It's just a good description of grace. When you think of grace, unconditional. Not many things that are unconditional in this life. Some things have that label. When you get down to it, there's always a condition. But knowing that that grace that he extends goes beyond all of my shortcomings, all of my failures, all of my weaknesses and my stumblings, and he still loves me. He still loves you. And he still cares exactly what it is you're going through and what you're facing. And that's a mention of his name. His presence begin to dishwasher, and it begins to give you the strength you need to get through. You can bring comfort in the midst of what seems like such a terrible storm in your life that you're facing. Because when you truly delve in and understand grace, grace is a love that has nothing to do with you, the loved individual. It has everything to do with
 the one who is loving, the one who is giving. It has nothing to do with weights and measurements, and, you know, "if you do this, I'll do this." I grew up in the middle child. Had an older brother and younger brother, I'll still do. But there was always that check-in balance, you know, this through life: "he got one more piece of candy, so why no? He got a bigger pancake at breakfast. Wine he get the big one?" And sometimes we go through life and we, we want to check in balance in our spiritual walk: "well, why does he get to, when...?" If we can just recognize that none of us deserve what it is that we've gave him by God, well, because of his love, he's leading and guiding and directing. And sometimes those no moments, and sometimes those, "no, I'm not gonna put you in that place, and no, I'm not gonna allow you to have this," is protecting us. It's leading us and guiding us, because he fell, he knows far better than I do what I can handle on what I don't need to. And if I can learn to be satisfied where it is he desires me to be, in the only way that I can find that satisfaction and that contentment is when I truly see what it is he wants for my life, and I find that place of repentance: "God, forgive me for wanting that, coveting that, when you know best."

There's been times in my life when I've just wanted stuff, and I truly believe God does not just desire to keep you from having things. God desires blessings in your life. But at the same time, he doesn't put blessings that are gonna harm you or distract you. But they come in proper order, in proper timing, and things that are prayed for in my life: "god, I would really like, like this, if, if you see fit." I remember a little truck that I wanted years ago, and I just prayed, "god, I want this truck. I like to have this color, and I don't want to pay a whole lot. I'm a tightwad." So, but I put it out there. I said, "okay god, I'm gonna be content, but if you see fit, you'll send it along." And a truck come up for sale, and I went to look at it. And when I got there and pulled up, it was exactly what I asked for. I said, "God, you know, you care about your children." You say, "well, that's such a petty thing." No, it's a, it's a proof that God, in those little things, and those things that so many say, "that's insignificant, it doesn't really matter," that's he, I'm saying, "I want to bless you because you've been faithful. Here, I want to touch you and provide what some things you want, because you've proven to be faithful."

Those gifts and abilities that he's given to you, the talents that you have, he's given them to you for you to in turn use them for him. Sometimes we say, "well, let's, you know, I should be doing that." But God's leading others as well. We're all his children. The grace, it reflects a decision on the part of the giver, the one who loves, in relation to the receiver, the one who is loved. And that grace is a never ending love. It's a one-way direction, that grace of God can reach down towards his people. And it reaches past even the point of when our flesh begins to buck against and to push, it's still there, if we will just yield to it.

Scripture tells us, Romans chapter three and verse 23: "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And then verse 23 of Romans 6: "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." So we've all sinned. We've come short of the glory of God. And there's a price for that sin, and that grace extended and paid the price. So God owes us nothing, but in turn we are indebted to him. But I'm so thankful he doesn't hold that over my head: "guy, you remember this, you're know." He says, "I love you," and all of those things just get pushed aside, so that he can truly love me. And yet I find myself twisted and manipulating what it is gods wanted to do in my life, because I think, "well, I've got a better idea. I've got a better plan," and gotten hoteles saying, "please just see me. Look for me. Take time to allow me to work in your life."

Romans five and eight says, "but God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." That's a powerful verse, when you truly grasp the meaning of it. His love toward us, while we were yet sinners, he paid the price with no guarantee in return. We live in the return world. You get in and it's the wrong color, you send it back. If you doesn't fit exactly right, you take it back. And sometimes we want everything our way. Sometimes we just want to paint a picture and everything be all rosy and smooth sailing, and, "God, you know, I, I went to church Sunday. Why am I having a bad time on Tuesday?" Like he owes us something, when he's saying, "I'm leading. I'm with you. Just trust me. Look for my hand in your life. Look at
 what I want to do, if you'll just allow me in your life in this moment." Because the love of God didn't come into my life, and he didn't come into your life either, when everything was all together and all the Ducks were in a row. He came to us when we were broken, when we could offer nothing in return. It was in those moments, in those times, that we were looking for an answer, and we finally saw and allowed Jesus to be that answer, and to make a difference in our life. We come to God with nothing in our hands to offer but our brokenness and sin, and he gladly takes it, and he gives it in return a new life, and he calls us his adopted child. And when were his child, then we have an inheritance also to gain. There's so much more to benefit in being a child of God. God abundantly blesses his people with goodness and grace. Throughout all the scripture, you read it time and time again, and the theme throughout the scriptures, about what God has done for us, not what we have done or can do for him. He is the author and the finisher, and he's also the main character throughout the story of redemption.

The gift of God, the gift of His grace, it's expressed in the promises that he gives us all throughout the Bible. Not only can we do nothing to earn it, but it's God who continues to bind our hearts to him through it as well. First Corinthians 15 in 10 says, "but by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not i, but the grace of God which was with me." God seeking those who want to not just see him, but to see who he is in their life. And then seeing who he is in our life, it will always drive us to a better relationship with him, in a consistent relationship with him, an intentional relationship with him. Because his desire is to truly give you life, eternal life, abundant life, life worth living, and full of meaning and purpose, when you are willing to fulfill the plan and the destiny that he has for your life. And in those times, then he will come into your heart, into your life. He will be dine with you, and feel the longing that you have in your soul for more of him.

There was a little boy who was called in a home, or a house fire. He was in the middle of the night trying to escape. He got to the stairways that led to the ground floor, and just as he got there, the stairs collapsed, and there was no way out. The only way he was to climb out of his window, and he was afraid. He stood at the window and couldn't move. People were screaming below: "you've got to climb out. You've got to get out of the house." Soon a man showed up. Nobody knew who he was. He climbed up a drainpipe there on the side of the house, and just before he reached the boy's room, the pipe fell under his weight, and he grabbed on to the tree nearby. He told the boy, "you've got to grab onto my hand," as he made a desperate leap to save the boy. As the man's hand held on to the, to the boy, through all the smoke, all the little child could see was this man's hand. And he recognized that in the climbing up, he had been severely burned. Once they reached the ground, the man disappeared. No one knew who he was or where he came from. He appeared and then simply appeared, or disappeared, into the night.

Days later, the town people had gathered to decide who was gonna care for this little boy, because his parents had been lost in the fire. A wealthy man showed up for the meeting. There was a farmer there that wanted to take custody of the boy, and also a businessman came forward to offer to raise the boy as their own. The little boy was in the presence as the conversation took place, and he just simply stared at the ground as each of them talked. Then in the back of the room entered a man standing in the crowd, and suddenly he pulled his hands from his pockets, and the boy, who had never seen his face before, recognized the hands that were scarred and burned as the hands that had saved him from the fire. The boy ran to the man and hugged him with such compassion. The others, they were there to seek custody of the boy, remained silent. One of the leaders said, "son, why do you want this man to raise you? What, what's the deal in the connection?" He said, "oh, I know sirs, that when I was in trouble, he was the one that went out on a limb for me. He was the one that took a chance on me." And he left that day with that man that had the scars on his hand.

As followers of Christ, we can appreciate the love that Jesus shows for each of us. And just as this little boy's testimony went forth, that the scars on the hand is what saved me, we too could have that same testimony, that those scarred hands is what saved my life, when I was
 in trouble, there was a savior who hung on a tree for me. In God desires for all of us, no one's exempt, that we truly open our eyes and begin to see who he truly desires to be in each of our lives. In each of us he has a purpose and an intent. There's no one that's done too much. There's no one that's too old. There's no one that's too young. Because we all have a plan and a purpose to fulfill in the kingdom of God.

As we stand tonight, second Peter 3 and verse 9 says, "the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us, we're not willing to any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Jesus came to a cruel world to offer himself as a sacrifice for us. Shame on us if we don't take time to see him in our life each and every day. He didn't just go out on a limb for you and for me, but one day he picked up an old rugged cross. He went out on Calvary, and he died to pay the price that I could never pay, for the sins that I could never do anything about. He died that on that third day he could raise from the dead, with victory and assurance that we too could have victory in our life, and we could experience the salvation that he offers freely to all who will accept it, and pursue it further self, and make time and a place for Christ in their life.

So as we wrap up tonight, I know it's Wednesday. You say, "this is different." But I want to open these altars. You can pray at your chair. You can pray where you are standing. But I think if we take a moment, and I feel the Holy Ghost moving right now, we can find a place of repentance in our life, to allow him to truly check where we are, and what our actions and what our motives are saying. Are we truly seeing Christ in our life every day, or we satisfy just being in his presence and never being changed? Have we become complacent, because His grace we've taken for granted?

Youhad, I hope a pray, Lord, you help us hide Jesus. Let us, Lord God, not take you for granted. Be God, I ask you, Lord Jesus, tonight, forgive me, Lord, in this place. I'm praying okie-dokie. Oh God, let me, Lord Jesus, see you in my life, Lord, what you desire, God, for you to change in my life, Lord, those things that God maybe I've held on to. God, O God, reveal to me, I pray tonight. Oh Jesus, help us today. Forgive us, Lord Jesus. God, let us, Jesus, make intent or every day to get into your presence. Yato, God, to make room in our life for you. Oho toki, i know i old hobo — yeah. Hallelujah. Jesus, we thank you for your presence in this place. Oh, come on Church, press in for just a minute. Even if it is midweek, God still on a throne, alive. He can still touch and move. Thank you, Jesus.