[0:00] And you get four different presentations of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, and four different kind of avenues of discourse, or four different lights that the different writers shine upon him.
[0:14] And sometimes there's material that shows up in all four Gospels. And then sometimes there's stuff that only one writer gives us the information about, and that's something we're going to look at here.
[0:26] Luke is the only one to give us this story of this man named Zacchaeus. And so let's take a look at Zacchaeus here in the first ten verses of Luke chapter 19 together, beginning in verse 1, And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
[0:44] 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.
[0:57] And he ran before and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.
[1:12] And he made haste and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying that he was gone to be guests with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.
[1:30] And if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
[1:43] For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. So only Luke gives this account of Zacchaeus and the encounter that he has with the Lord Jesus Christ on that day.
[1:58] And it's quite a popular story, despite its only singular reference in the Bible. I think maybe because it's a popular children's song, maybe a couple of you are familiar with that.
[2:09] In Sunday school they sing Zacchaeus was a wee little man. I mean, this is like a little, little, little kid's song. And they have the hand motions. Do you know it? Yeah, you do. Well, Linda, help me.
[2:21] I'll sing it. But the hand motions, I don't know if I know them all. I know Noelle knows them, though. She never forgets anything. So it was like this.
[2:33] Zacchaeus was a wee little man. And a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.
[2:46] And as the Savior passed his way, he looked up in the tree. And he said, this is really, you know, pretty simple. I got you sitting on the edge of your seats, though. Zacchaeus, you come down for him.
[2:58] Go into your house today. And then it fades off singing that over again. And for some reason, kids love doing stuff with their hands. And, you know, that's so. And what they don't even realize is that three-year-olds are getting a scriptural story.
[3:11] And just plugging that in there. And then as they come across it and read it later, they already know it. They're convinced of it. It's truth. There it is. Okay, so you got me to sing the song.
[3:22] So in this story, Zacchaeus gets more than he anticipated getting in this day. It says in verse 3 that he sought to see Jesus who he was.
[3:34] And he woke up that morning, like every other morning perhaps, unaware that by the time he would lay his head upon his pillow that night, his heart was going to be changed.
[3:46] Completely changed. Because he was going to spend some time with the Lord Jesus Christ that day. And so this is a day, a life-changing day, a heart-changing day for a man that was a publican.
[3:58] A man that was a sinner. He wanted to see who Jesus was. And I think maybe it was just his curiosity that sparked his interest that made him say, I've got to see what this is all about, who this guy is.
[4:09] Now, keep your place, but just turn a few chapters to your right to Luke 23. And I'll just give you a real close case here of another man that was very similar in the sense of he was curious about Jesus Christ.
[4:24] Look at chapter 23 and verse number 6. This is the night of Christ's crucifixion, and he's getting tossed back and forth between different trials.
[4:34] And in verse 6, when Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at the time.
[4:46] So verse number 8. When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad, for he was desirous to see him of a long time, because he had heard many things of him, and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
[4:57] So it's not uncommon at all, maybe quite common, that throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ, people would just show up, they'd come out, when word spread that Jesus is here. Jesus has come by.
[5:10] And so Zacchaeus is curious. And I wonder if he didn't hear about what Luke wrote just before chapter 19. Because look back at chapter 18 and verse 35.
[5:21] It says, And it came to pass that he was come nigh unto Jericho. Now chapter 19, verse 1 says he entered and passed through Jericho. So as he's approaching Jericho, there's a blind man.
[5:33] And we know by putting some of the gospel accounts together, this man's named Bartimaeus. And Bartimaeus is blind, and he's crying out for the son of David to have mercy on him.
[5:45] And you can read skimming through that passage at the end of 18. And Jesus Christ says, bring him to me. And he heals him. And he glorifies God. And all the people, by the end of the chapter, they're all praising God.
[5:59] And I can't help but imagine that maybe Zacchaeus heard about what happened to old blind Bartimaeus. Because Zacchaeus, he's been around Jericho.
[6:11] Who knows all his life? He knows who Bartimaeus is. Everybody knows Bartimaeus. Zacchaeus is a rich man. Bartimaeus is a beggar. Surely he's hollered out to him more than once to have mercy on him, to throw him a coin, to give him something.
[6:26] And maybe it is, maybe it's not, but maybe it is true that Zacchaeus heard what had happened not too long ago. Very recently, the news would have spread what happened to Bartimaeus.
[6:43] And on top of that, there's a great multitude that's moving in and out and about town. Certainly it created some kind of scene. Certainly it created some kind of commotion that would have caught the attention.
[6:54] I'm sure Zacchaeus was aware, and now he's curious. They're calling him the son of David. That can only mean one thing. He's the Messiah. These people believe that he's the chosen one of God, the Christ, and that he's come.
[7:07] Now, Zacchaeus is not living a righteous life. He's not living according to the word of God. He's doing his own thing. But he knows the truth. He's heard this before.
[7:18] He's a son of Abraham. He is a Hebrew. And he hears the people crying out, son of David. And that rings a bell. That resonates in his mind. And so now he wants to see him.
[7:30] He wants to see who he is. Verse number three said he sought to see Jesus, who he was. And so, of course, he's curious. You'd be curious, too. I think a lot of people were curious.
[7:41] He was curious enough to make an attempt to go see him, to make a decision to get himself to the place where Jesus was going to be. But to his surprise, he got more than a glimpse of this Jesus, the one they cried out to and followed and worshipped.
[7:59] He was able to host him as a guest at his very own house. Who could say that at Jericho? Who could say that in Israel?
[8:10] How few people we can point to in Scripture that got to host Jesus Christ in their own home. And who would have thought Zacchaeus would be one of them?
[8:21] Not a chance. So he's curious enough to go see him, and he goes to find where he's going to be. And he has this personal encounter with God in the flesh, and it changed his life.
[8:32] It was so much more than just a passing view that he thought he might get. So now, my question this evening is, how is it that Zacchaeus is able to spend that kind of time with Jesus Christ?
[8:45] How is it that he could have that intimate fellowship, that one-on-one time in his own house with the Lord Jesus Christ? How did he ever get to that place? The man's a publican. People despised him.
[8:57] Yet Jesus Christ went to his house. How is this possible? How did it ever come to pass? And I want to try to answer that question with the message I'm just going to title this, How to Get Time with Jesus.
[9:09] How to Get Time with Jesus. And I think this is something that will work for you and I. And so let's pray together, and then we'll dive back into this story. Lord, I pray that you'll help us to see the need, the importance of spending time with you, of making our relationship with you priority, not only in our life but in our day.
[9:29] Lord, rebuke us and reveal to us where we're lazy in this, where we allow other things to get in the way. And God, may Jesus Christ get something out of this.
[9:41] May he get some real fellowship and some real worship from each one of us. And we thank you that we can have the time, that we have access to you. And Lord, may we not take it for granted.
[9:52] Lord, help us to find the time and to use this message. Lord, I ask that you'll use it to speak to hearts about this topic. We pray in Christ Jesus' wonderful name. Amen. Amen.
[10:03] How to get time with Jesus. Let's consider a few things. I want to say, number one, how Zacchaeus got time with Jesus is because he met the qualifications.
[10:16] He met the qualifications. He needed Jesus Christ in his life. Now, we read these things, and I'll just point them out to you again. And in verse number nine, Jesus said that at the end of the verse that Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham.
[10:30] So he's a Hebrew. So he qualifies as one of the class of people, the nation of people that Jesus Christ came to, that he was sent to.
[10:40] In Matthew chapter 15, Christ said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The lost sheep of the house of Israel?
[10:51] Well, Zacchaeus is one of those. In verse number 10 of this passage, the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. It's obvious he's referring to Zacchaeus.
[11:03] He was one of those lost sheep of the house of Israel that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save. He met the qualifications to get some time with Jesus Christ.
[11:15] Isaiah said long time ago in chapter 53, he said, All we like sheep have gone astray. And the picture is that these Hebrews, these Jews, they were sheep of God's fold and his pasture.
[11:32] We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. And Jesus Christ is the good shepherd. And he giveth his life for the sheep. And he came down to first seek and to save those sheep that had gone astray.
[11:47] Zacchaeus, why, he met the qualifications. He had gone astray. He qualifies because he's living a life that is not in accordance with the holy commands God gave to Moses.
[12:00] The law of Moses. He's in violation of God's law. And the people held him as a sinner. In verse number 7, the people said that. That Jesus is going to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
[12:13] Now, they're not calling him a sinner like we say. Well, all have sinned and come short. So we're all sinners and we get that. But that's not the way they use the word. They use the word to say he's an unrighteous man.
[12:24] He's doing that which is not lawful and right. Therefore, he's a sinner. Remember in John chapter 9 when Christ healed the blind man, the one that was born blind, and the Pharisees came to him and they said of Jesus, they said, we know that this man is a sinner.
[12:39] Speaking of Jesus Christ, he doesn't follow Moses. He doesn't follow the laws. He does things on the Sabbath day. He breaks the Sabbath. He's a sinner. He's not even trying. And the man said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not.
[12:54] Well, one thing I know, whereas I was blind, but now I see. And how can a sinner do such miracles? And on and on they reasoned. When they refer to Zacchaeus as a sinner, they're calling him like a Gentile.
[13:08] He's an unrighteous man. He is not living according to the law of Moses. And it's obvious he's a worldly man. Zacchaeus was a rich man. He was a powerful man.
[13:18] But we read in verse number two that he was chief among the publicans. Well, what's a publican? You should know what a publican is. To understand the story, you should know what a publican is. A publican was a public official, a tax collector.
[13:33] They collected the taxes that were due to Rome as a government that was over the region. And Zacchaeus was a Hebrew that sat in the seat of custom.
[13:48] He received the custom. He may not even have sat in the seat anymore because now he's over them. He's chief of the publicans. Look back at Luke chapter number five.
[13:59] Here's another publican that you're familiar with this one. His name is Matthew. Here in Luke chapter five, he goes by the name Levi. And this is one of Christ's disciples.
[14:12] He wrote the gospel of Matthew. He also was a publican. Back in Luke chapter five, before we read it, it was commonly perceived or understood about the publicans that they were traitors.
[14:33] They were guilty of treason against their own people. The thought is like you're working for our enemies, the Roman government, and you're extracting taxes and money from us.
[14:44] And it wasn't uncommon to accuse a publican of padding their own pockets. Now, they wouldn't dare do it with the money that they got that belonged to Rome or that would be done.
[14:55] But the thought is and what's taught is that they would extract or overcharge and therefore pad their pockets or that the Romans even offered bonuses to the publican saying, the more money you can get out of these people, there'll be something in it for you, which, I mean, that kind of corruptions everywhere, right?
[15:14] I mean, that's the human, the heart of man on display back then and today. It's never gone away. So the image is that you work for the Roman government.
[15:27] You're not one of us. And from the Roman side of it is we have these Jews that work for us and we make them rich. Therefore, they're affluent. Therefore, they have some sway and some clout within their communities.
[15:39] And they look well on us. And so it's a win-win kind of for them. So, but the result of all this is the common people despised the publicans and they hated those men.
[15:52] And the common man saw them as if they were working for their enemies. Now, look at chapter 5 of Luke in verse 27. And after these things, he went forth and saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom.
[16:05] And he said unto him, follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made a great feast in his own house. And there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
[16:18] So that's nice. Jesus Christ called a disciple. And he brought all of his co-workers into a feast to say, I'm retiring today. I'm going to follow this man.
[16:28] But look at the Jews' reaction. It just shows you what they thought. Verse 30 says, Well, that's who Zacchaeus is.
[16:55] Zacchaeus is a publican. He's hated. He's considered a sinner. And he qualified. He qualified for time with Jesus Christ because he, oh, he needed somebody like the Lord Jesus Christ in his life.
[17:12] How to get time with Jesus? Well, you need to qualify. I wonder if there's anybody in here that qualifies as a sinner that needs Jesus Christ in their life, needs more Jesus Christ.
[17:24] If we could analyze your life, if we could actually spend time with you privately, individually, if we could expose who you really are when you leave this place, will we say, you qualify?
[17:37] Oh, you qualify very, very well. You might come to church on Wednesday night, but you know what? You still qualify to needing Jesus Christ. Hey, my hand's up. I qualify.
[17:48] I'm not above anything. I need the Lord Jesus Christ in my life. I need time with Jesus Christ. But what about you? Do you qualify as somebody that needs him in your life?
[18:00] Could you stand to gain from some one-on-one time with Jesus Christ? Not out there in public, but in your house? Could you stand to gain from that? Would that help you?
[18:11] Or do you got it all figured out? Or do you know where you're going and how you're going to get there and you know everything along the way? You're good enough. Well, Zacchaeus met the qualification.
[18:22] I think the truth is that every one of us in here, good or bad or ugly, we meet the qualifications as needing time with Jesus. You could be a child of God and go astray.
[18:34] Or you could just be in plain need of Jesus Christ to help you and to lift you up and to lead you in this life. Zacchaeus got some personal time with Jesus Christ and he got the change of heart that he needed that day.
[18:50] Because of that time, he fit the qualifications. Another thing I want you to see, another reason why he got time with Jesus Christ is because he showed determination. Nothing was going to stop Zacchaeus.
[19:03] And I can see from this passage that he had some legitimate excuses. He could have just passed on the whole encounter. And there's a few of them I'll point out.
[19:15] First one is the commitment's call. You say, what is that? He's too busy. He's got too much going on in his life. He's chief of publicans. He's some kind of supervisor, some overseer.
[19:28] And obviously been doing it for quite a while. People say Jesus is coming, but it could have been a very, very plausible excuse for him to say, I don't have time for that. I don't have time to go down there and run around with those people and follow this multitude.
[19:43] I've got things to do. I've got, Rome is expecting to hear from me. I've got reports to run. I've got employees to check on. My job is never, ever, ever done. He's a rich man.
[19:54] You don't get rich by being lazy. You get rich by doing the job and doing it well. And Zacchaeus had commitments. And commitments could have called him.
[20:06] And he could have heard that voice of his commitments and said, yeah, I don't have time for Jesus. But instead, we see that he showed some determination. Work doesn't ever get done when you're on your knees, does it?
[20:22] Spending time with Jesus. The work doesn't get done when you're spending time reading chapters of your Bible and spending time with Jesus Christ. The work doesn't get done when you're doing those things, does it?
[20:33] The duties and the tasks, they call you. Do you ever notice how they call you when you sit down to read your Bible? Do you ever notice how the, when you go to turn to prayer, how the duties, the commitments of life start calling?
[20:48] And they start saying in your mind, you need to do this. You need to call them. It happens to me. I don't want to say every day, but all the time. Especially when I go to pray.
[20:59] But very often when I sit and try to read some scripture and my mind says, you should text them. You should reach out to them. You should let them know. Did you ever follow up with that? And that, why is it all hitting me now?
[21:11] Why can't it hit me when I'm driving? Why can't it hit me when I'm watching a football game? None of those things hit me when I'm doing something that's superficial or vanity.
[21:27] But when it's about spending time with Jesus, well, then commitments start calling and they start calling and they get louder. But Nicodemus wasn't going to let it happen.
[21:40] He showed some determination. Commitments call you away from getting to see Jesus. And ultimately what they'll do is they'll rob you of that special time.
[21:50] That time that Nicodemus had his heart changed. They'll rob you of that time if you don't show determination. Secondly, another excuse he could have used was the press. We read about the press in verse 3.
[22:03] He sought to see Jesus who he was and could not for the press. Well, what's the press? The press is the people. It's a multitude of people, as a matter of fact. And earlier in the last chapter with that blind man, it says that there was a multitude that passed by.
[22:19] And here it describes him as the press. It's a pressing situation. It's many, many people. It's too many people, I might say.
[22:31] And this is the second excuse he could have had to keep him from Jesus Christ. Is the press, or what I'll call the obstacle of others. Others.
[22:44] He could have gone through all that trouble. And then just hopefully, just maybe he'd get a glimpse of Jesus. And just thinking about that, that would be a fair excuse for him to say, That's an obstacle that I'm not going to fight with today.
[22:59] I'm not leaving where I'm at to run down there just to deal with all those people. Just so I could maybe get a glimpse of him. And so that excuse would have worked for most of us.
[23:10] The traffic is just too crazy. It's raining. I just don't need to deal with that tonight. And that excuse has been used more than once by many, many, many Christians.
[23:24] On Sundays and Wednesdays and any other time. The press, the people, the obstacle of others. The press indicates pressure.
[23:36] And there's more than one man that's going to be down there by Jesus that's going to interfere with Zacchaeus' access to try to get to know who he was. It wasn't just a few people.
[23:48] The press is so many, it's unforgiving. The press doesn't make room for you. It takes room from you. The press bears a selfish, me-first quality that's impossible to overcome as just one man.
[24:06] You can't take on the press. You can't overpower the press. You can't. They'll push you around. They'll trample you down without concern. Others. They're everywhere.
[24:18] There's the needs of others. There's the opinions of others. There's the gossip of others. There's the acceptance of others. There's the attention of others. Others can be an obstacle.
[24:30] A formidable one to keeping you from knowing Jesus Christ. To keeping you from getting to him. So there's the press. And then there's the third thing. A third excuse he could have used, but he didn't.
[24:43] He showed determination. But the third excuse he could have used in verse 3, it says, Because he was little of stature. He was a wee little man as they sing. He's little of stature.
[24:55] This is legitimate. Like he legitimately could not see over the other people. Why if he could get there and rub shoulders with the people, he still wouldn't be able to see above them.
[25:07] He'd have to get through and in front of them. And he's been dealing with this all his life. He knows how this is going to turn out if he goes down there to that multitude. If he goes and tries to fight with that press.
[25:18] He's little of stature. So forget it. But no. No. He said, I'm going. And he showed determination. This third thing about him being little of stature.
[25:32] Typically I say pardon the pun, but don't pardon it. I did it on purpose. We'll call this his shortcomings. His shortcomings. They were a legitimate excuse to keep him from trying to get to Jesus Christ that day.
[25:46] You might say, well, my shortcomings? What shortcomings? Your faults. Your failures. Your sins. Your things that make you feel unworthy.
[25:56] Your things that you've allowed in your life. And instead of confessing and forsaking them, they've cut off your fellowship with Jesus Christ. They've kept you away. They keep you away longer than they should.
[26:08] Those shortcomings. And it happened to me in my life. It surely happened to others. To where you just kind of get stuck in it. And you just say, it's not worth it.
[26:18] I'm not going to get right with God and then fall right back into this in a week. I'm tired of doing that. Tired of that cycle. Tired of that game. And you think to yourself, the same thing Nicodemus could have thought to himself.
[26:32] I know how that goes. But no, you don't. Zacchaeus had an opportunity to get to Jesus and he showed determination he was going to do it.
[26:42] And the thing turned out far differently than he could have thought. Little of stature and all. He could have said, I know how it's going to go. But no, he didn't know how it was going to go.
[26:54] It went so good for him. Because he got to Jesus Christ. It says in verse 4 that he ran before. He ran before.
[27:06] It's probably kind of abnormal to see a short, rich, not a young man in a full sprint. He wasn't trying to run ahead to circumnavigate the crowd and the press to get ahead as far away ahead to where he could find a way to figure out how he's going to do this.
[27:26] But there he went. He took off running. Boy, I bet that was something to see. He's going to find some elevation. He's going to find a tree. A sycamore tree. I'll climb up in this tree.
[27:39] High enough to see over the heads of the crowd so that I'll get a glimpse. I'll be able to see him. Maybe I'll get up so I can see him coming, see him pass, and see him go. That's what I'll do.
[27:50] And so he ran ahead. He ran before. And in verse 4, he climbed. I don't get the feeling that Nicodemus, have I been saying that all night? Zacchaeus. I don't get the feeling that Zacchaeus climbed trees all that often.
[28:06] He's a rich man, a publican. He's not a young spring chicken. I just don't think he's climbing trees too often. But he saw one to climb. It made all the sense in the world that day.
[28:18] And up he went. Doing things he never planned on doing. Looking for an opportunity. Anything available. That tree was not an obstacle.
[28:29] It was an aid. To get him to where he could see Jesus. You know what I learned from Zacchaeus here? When a man is determined to see Jesus Christ, he will find a way.
[28:42] And when a man is not determined to see Jesus Christ, he will find an excuse. Zacchaeus had the excuses.
[28:53] They were readily available. Plenty is at his disposal. And he could have just picked one. But no, he was determined. He was determined.
[29:04] Ladies, gentlemen. If you're determined to get to Jesus Christ, you'll find a way. You'll find time.
[29:16] You'll make it happen. You'll put the phone down. You'll shut the TV off. You'll close the door. You'll do it. If you're determined in your heart, I'm going to spend time with the Lord Jesus Christ.
[29:28] You'll do it. Nothing will stop you. Oh, things will come up. But you'll put them down because you'll be determined. This man was. But on the other hand, if you're not determined, the excuses will just, they'll come to you.
[29:45] And they'll be good ones. And everybody will believe them. You won't have to say it twice. So Nicodemus met the qualifications.
[29:57] Nicodemus, come on. Just somebody raise their hand when I say that. Zacchaeus. Why is it so hard? Zacchaeus met the qualifications. Zacchaeus showed determination.
[30:08] And there's one other way that I see that he got time with Jesus Christ. In verse 6 and 7, he made accommodations. It says in verse 6 that he made haste and came down and received him joyfully.
[30:21] When they saw it, they all murmured saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that's a sinner. Zacchaeus had room for Jesus Christ. And he made time for Jesus Christ.
[30:32] He didn't say, no, I've got to get back to work. It was good seeing you. He could have refused it. But no, it says he received him joyfully. Zacchaeus thought himself privileged to have Jesus Christ as his own personal guest.
[30:50] This man understood, this rich man understood that it was his honor to have him in his house. That shows you something.
[31:02] And Zacchaeus made accommodations for him. I imagine, and this is just my mind, but something happened in that house. But I imagine as Jesus came in, maybe he showed him around the place because he was rich.
[31:17] Probably showed him some pretty neat things. Maybe he introduced him to some family. And maybe he just tried to make him comfortable and got a meal and got things going. And I don't know what the thing was and what the conversation was.
[31:29] But I just have to imagine that as Zacchaeus saw Jesus Christ, the one that all of these people are following and want to spend time with, and he's here in my house.
[31:45] Like, I can't believe it. He wanted to come to be with me. I didn't invite him. He called me. And here he is.
[31:56] I just imagine him sitting there with a half-goofy smile on his face and a little bit of a glow and just thinking. And maybe as Christ talked to him, as just the words hitting him, it just probably made him feel clean, feel forgiven, feel accepted, feel like you don't despise me and you're talking to me about something I need.
[32:20] And I just see him this time with Jesus Christ. Well, I'm glad I invited you over. I'm glad I did this. How good this is for me.
[32:33] I'm rich and I have everything, but you're not trying to get anything out of me. You're not trying to get an offering or get some gift from me. Everybody else would do that. But no, I'm blessed to have you here in my home.
[32:46] I can see him just feeling those feelings. He didn't only make accommodations for him in his home, but he made accommodations in his heart.
[32:59] In verse 8 and 9, he tells him that I'm going to give half my goods to the poor. He tells him he's going to obey the law of Moses.
[33:11] If he did anything that took from somebody, he'll restore it fourfold, which is written in the law. And Christ said, this day of salvation come to this house.
[33:24] Boy, that's something good, Zacchaeus. Those decisions you're making, that money that you have, you're going to give half of it away? Come on now, nobody does that. He's a changed man.
[33:36] He's made room for Jesus Christ in his heart. Now, you know how to get time with Jesus Christ? You, you know how to get time with him?
[33:49] Make accommodations. Make room for him in your day. Schedule it if you have to. Don't just wait for it to happen. Make a plan.
[34:02] In your day? In your heart? No, I can't go to those places. No, I can't participate in that. No, I can't listen to that because I have to have room for Jesus Christ in here, not for that filth.
[34:19] Make accommodations for him. He'll occupy it. If you'll give him room, oh, he'll occupy it. He'll come in.
[34:30] He desires to have time with you. He desires to have a place inside of you. So, firstly, tonight, you meet the qualifications, don't you? You need him.
[34:43] You need time with him. You need it more than you admit. You need it more than you know. You need time with Jesus Christ. Probably, probably more than you're giving him. You meet the qualifications.
[34:56] So, then follow Nicodemus' example and show some determination. Fight for that time. Make a decision and say, I'm not going to allow an excuse.
[35:10] I will make the time. I will make it to church. I will make it to my quiet place. And I'll spend time with him. Put it as a priority above the cares of this life.
[35:24] Above the busyness of the season. Above the commitments that call you. And thirdly, make accommodations. Make room for him.
[35:38] Make a special place for him. Remember at the beginning that Zacchaeus only set out to see him.
[35:49] According to the text, he sought to see Jesus who he was. He sought to see him, but he was unaware what Jesus Christ sought for.
[36:00] He was seeking, in verse 10, to seek and to save that which was lost. They're both looking for each other. Nicodemus didn't know it.
[36:10] He just wants to see who he is. He had no idea what Jesus Christ was going to do. What wonderful things can come out of making a relationship with him the most important part of your day or of your life.
[36:31] This time here for Zacchaeus was special. And any time with Jesus Christ that's private, one-on-one, away from the crowd, not out in public, but in the house, that time is special.
[36:46] And I'm afraid that very few people know it. That very few people care to know it. They're not fighting for it.
[36:57] They're not seeking for it. They're content to ignore it. And if it works today, it works, but if not, oh well. And would you be honest that that's you some days?
[37:09] If I get to it, I get to it. If I give him time, I give him time. And the day goes by. And what happens is Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
[37:25] And maybe that day he just passed on by. Because you weren't there. You weren't there for him to call you and say, I'm coming with you.
[37:38] And Jesus will pass by. He passed by earlier a blind man that sat by the wayside begging. That blind man received his sight.
[37:49] He passed by and this rich man came to him. This rich man received more than physical sight, but he received life. He received a life that was more than seeking after money.
[38:01] I mean, he had a total change of heart. He's got a relationship with God now. And what matters more? As a matter of fact, he looks at his money and thinks, I don't even need that anymore. I'll give it to the poor. Because I've got something better.
[38:15] I want you to consider this. When Jesus Christ passed by, Christian, your life gets better. If you'll meet him. If you'll meet with him. If you'll open your door to him.
[38:26] If you'll seek him and fight for that time with him. If you'll battle the press. If you'll shut off the calls of your commitments. And if you'll acknowledge your shortcomings and realize, I can't let this stand in the way of that.
[38:41] I need to get to him. Praise God for Zacchaeus, this little story here of this little man. Praise God for the change it made in his life.
[38:53] Praise God that he got to get time with Jesus. And so in closing the night, Christian, this is how you get time with Jesus. But you're going to have to want it.
[39:05] I hope you want it. I'm looking forward to, what, like three weeks from now, we're going to have a meeting here. And man, every time I think about it, I just get a little excited inside.
[39:17] My heart rejoices inside of me. Thinking about some of the men that are coming to preach. And just what it will be like. I'm longing for it. I truly am.
[39:29] And maybe I could just use this beyond just your personal fellowship with Christ. But to remind you, when that meeting comes and that Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday comes, be determined to get here.
[39:43] And to get fed. And to get your heart clean. And to be open and honest before God. And to be ready for every good work. All right.
[39:54] Let's be dismissed. Let's pray. Lord, as we go out tonight into the dark, into the rain, into the world, I pray that these thoughts would stay with us.
[40:04] I pray that the conviction of the story from Nicodemus and the time he spent with you would resonate in our hearts. God, draw us to a private time with you.
[40:17] A time where we can fellowship with you and nobody else. Just you. You and me. One-on-one. Quiet, private, beautiful, pure, sanctifying, holy time.
[40:33] God, give us a desire for it. May we receive you joyfully. Help us to long and want this and to make it happen. Lord, help us to make it happen.
[40:48] We are busy. We are foolish. We are ready for excuses. And so, God, you deserve our time. You deserve our hearts and a place in our hearts.
[41:00] So, move in us this evening and stir us to commit to that time. Grow us in that time. Draw us close. We love you, Lord.
[41:12] Thank you for wanting to know us, wanting to be with us and to clean us up. Thank you for that precious time. Lord, bless as we leave. Please keep us safe. Please be with those that are normally here tonight and not feeling well, several sick.
[41:27] God, I pray your healing would be upon them. I pray that they'd be cleaned up and cleared and ready to go for Sunday, that we'd have a marvelous morning and a wonderful evening as well, as we worship the Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious King of Kings.
[41:42] We love you, Lord. Thank you for tonight. Please be with us as we go. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You are all dismissed.