“And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.” Luke 19:2
PURPOSE
If Plato were here to quote Socrates defending his life with the words, “the unexamined life is not worth living,” and Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes could say or observe that everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:11), then today’s message focuses on a very appropriate topic which we need to address time and time again, over and over: purpose! Why do we do what we do and why do we say what we say?
Well, instead of quoting Plato or Socrates or for us to better understand from real life, we can draw from the testimony of a respected authority in the world and apply it to our world of biblical faith and theology; a man named Peter Drucker, the father of modern management theory.
Although the world is “God’s vineyard and workshop,” and we must “keep distinct” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 663), and “separate from it” (Prophets and Kings, p.59), and “safeguard against the snares of life” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 283), “we should not exclude ourselves from it” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 113), “feel detached from it” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 104), “exclusive,” (Testimonies for the Church, Testimonies 433), or isolated” (Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 323).
Peter Drucker had one basic message for decades:
If you are to succeed in life as an organization you need to do two things:
1) You need to decide what business you’re in. Decide that first!
2) Second you need a vibrant mission statement that gives vision for who you are and where you’re going. You need to memorize it (leaders especially), so it’s part of who you are. You need to talk about that vision, constantly examine, promote it, and capture the urgency of it.
With these realistic introductory remarks, what then is exactly our church all about; our mission, our purpose—without becoming just another bureaucratic organization, burning up all its energy and finally falling apart? A thought-provoking question indeed. Read on.
OBEDIENCE
Well, the Spirit of Prophecy states that, “God’s purpose in the church is to manifest through His people the principles of His kingdom. That in life and character they may reveal these principles, He desires to separate them from the customs, habits, and practices of the world. He seeks to bring them near to Himself, that He may make known to them His will—and of them He requires obedience. (Exodus 20:3)
“God’s people are to be channels for the outworking of the highest influence in the universe. The purpose which God seeks to accomplish through His people today is the same that He desired to accomplish through Israel when He brought them forth out of Egypt. (1 Corinthians 4:9; 2 Peter 3:11–12)” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 9–13
BLOODY BUSINESS
Peter Drucker points us to people who made candles, but didn’t really see they were in the lighting industry, so went out of business. Also, watchmakers, who made tick-tock-tick-tock famous. When quartz watches came along they couldn’t adjust to the fact they were in the time business, not just the watch business.
Then he points to many churches in downtown districts, in the country, suburbs; churches adorned with large stained glass windows but all boarded up, shut down, closed tight. What happened? Ah! They forgot their mission, their purpose.
WHO AND WHAT
In thinking now regarding our mission as a church, let us read from Luke 19 and the conversion of Zacchaeus. It says, I think, who we are and what our mission is. The setting is thusly: This is Jesus Christ’s last week of life on earth. The coming events of His crucifixion and resurrection are heart-heavy for Him. It’s natural for Him to want to be with friends—Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany.
Jesus entered Jericho—“just passing through.” This city was built under a curse, yet Christ honoured it with His presence, for the gospel takes away the curse. Christ was now going from the other side of the Jordan to Bethany near Jerusalem, to raise Lazarus to life; when He was going to do one good work He contrived to do many “by the way.” He did good, both to the souls and to the bodies of people. We have here an instance of the former.
There was a very important man living there—Zacchaeus, a Jew, Chief Tax Collector, chief among the publicans, receiver general. God has His remnant among all sorts. Christ came to save even the chief of publicans—Zacchaeus—a common name among the Jews. He was extremely wealthy; he raised a good estate.
He was very curious to see Jesus. But, being very short of stature, little, and the crowd was great, he could not see Jesus, so he ran ahead like a little boy, forgetting his stature as chief of the publicans; he climbed a sycamore-fig tree, common in Palestine, which grows to a large size with low spreading branches that could be easily climbed.
LOST IN THE CROWD!
It’s strange or natural to us to come in sight, if we can, of those whose fame has filled our ears, as being apt to imagine there is something extraordinary in their countenances; at least, we shall be able to say hereafter that we have seen such and such great men. But the eye is not satisfied with seeing. We should now seek to see Jesus with an eye of faith, to see who He is; we should address ourselves in Holy ordinances with this in our eye—we would see Jesus! Moreover, those that sincerely desire a sight of Christ will use the proper means for gaining a sight of Him, and will break through a great deal of difficulty and opposition, and be willing to take pains to see Him.
Christ did not consider or design to show Himself; and was not carried on men’s shoulders (as the Pope in procession), that all men might see Him; neither He nor His Kingdom came with observation. He did not ride in an open chariot, as princes do, but, as one of us, He was “lost in a crowd;” for that was the day of His humiliation. When Jesus came to the spot below Zacchaeus, He stopped and looked up. Ordinarily, men are not likely to see what is above eye level when there are interests or distractions around them. But Jesus was already aware of his presence and interested in him. Jesus said, “Zacchaeus. . . come down.” Luke 19:5
MAKE HASTE!
Christ invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house, not doubting His hearty welcome there. Christ opens the heart and inclines it to receive Him. Christ called him by name, Zacchaeus, for He knows His chosen by name; are they not in His book? Christ bid Zacchaeus, “make haste, and come down.” Those that Christ calls must come down, must humble themselves, and not think to climb to heaven by any righteousness of their own; and they must make haste and come down, for delays are dangerous. Zacchaeus did not hesitate, but hastened; not a matter of consideration whether he should welcome such a guest to his house.
Zacchaeus must have been pleased with Jesus’ unprecedented concession in eating dinner with a tax collector, but embarrassed to be found in such an undignified position. All those who saw and heard this, muttered—a guest of a sinner! According to Eastern hospitality, Jesus was then invited to stay overnight in his palatial mansion.
Sometimes those that come to hear the word of Christ, as Zacchaeus did, only for curiosity, beyond what they thought of, have their consciences awakened, and their hearts changed!
IF
The next day Zacchaeus gave a feast for Jesus. People were watching through the gates and from the walls at the house full of questionable guests: prostitutes, tax collectors, thieves—causing the spectators to mutter even more. Zacchaeus, after seeing the Lord’s demeanor and hearing His words, was convicted of his sins. He stood up and said, “Look Lord. Here-and-now, I give one-half of my possessions to the poor. If I have cheated anybody, I’ll pay back four times the amount.”
The confession was directed solely to Jesus as a judge at the bar, not to the crowd. Giving was a new experience for Zacchaeus; he had before only been accustomed to taking! The “If” he uttered, in “If I have taken anything” (Greek, ei. . . esykophantesa), implies that he knew well that he had extorted money from others. It could be said, “when” more acceptably.
Jesus said to the gaping crowd, “this day is salvation come to this house; forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:9–10
Zacchaeus is now declared to be a happy man. Now he is turned from sin to God; now he has bidden Christ welcome to his house, and has become an honest, charitable, good man.
MISSION
That is the mission of our church in five simple words, “seek and save the lost.” (Luke19:10; Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 606). This text is a summary of the entire message of the Gospel of Luke, which stresses the seeking and saving work of the heavenly Messiah. But, unfortunately many people will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians (Steps to Christ, p. 48).
Also, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Mathew 28:19–20). That is our mission!
LOST AND FOUND DEPARTMENT
Lost people matter to God! If lost, you won’t know how to get home; a fact! If you discovered the love of God then passionately share it with the lost surrounding you—now.
We lose things all the time—right? May it be wallet, purse, keys, glasses, Bibles, etc. Oh! Other lost things, too, but not so ordinary: “I lost my job,” “lost my house,” “lost marriage,” “lost my way in life,” “my health.” We know many! Nothing, perhaps, can be more tragic than losing a child—a calamitous tragedy, cruelly tragic.
Children lose their innocence—leaving home, never to return—often ending their lives in suicide.
Sometime we lose our faith. Yes, even in the church. We want to believe, but only go through the motions of the church: singing hymns, paying tithe, reciting scriptures, praying, fellowshipping, communion, even preaching—but lost our touch; lost our way. Maybe losing something even bigger—lost spirituality? But wait a moment. Lost people usually don’t look lost; they dress and look the same as others, often being very congenial—the talk of any gathering. What transpired?
Lost means missing something—whether you feel it or not. Lost means a wrong direction; it means we need help. We need to be “found!” You see, it is not a feeling, but is a condition. Many are lost but do not realize it!
But what does it really mean to be lost spiritually? The Apostle Paul told the Colossians of the pre-eminent, omnipotent, eternal Son of God—Jesus Christ; the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Someone came to Colosse who taught an alluring and dangerous philosophy known as Gnosticism (from the Greek, gnosis, meaning knowledge), the basis of much heretical teaching, even today. It insisted that between a Holy God and this earth, a host of beings, angels, etc., formed a bridge, of which host Christ was a member, all subordinate to the true Godhead.
Paul, however, was not afraid of knowledge, but that it came according to divine revelation. Paul told the Colossians who had believed in Gnosticism that such would cause separation from God (Colossians 1:21). Paul told the Romans the “wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Lost simply means—separation from God, alienated, condemned eternally and without God’s endearing love!
LOSTNESS
The Bible speaks of lost sheep—wandering away, and unable to find their way back to the fold. Spiritually (lostness) means living for today rather than eternity. Are you simply living for today? Maybe you’re lost! “The lost surround us.” (In Heavenly Places, p. 100). Ah! But we are created to live! People cannot see that not putting Jesus Christ first in the center of their lives—foremost and forever, and not the living God, will result in being lost and never to be found again! Terrifying! Stupefying! Many do not realize that God wants to know us personally, save us, and make us whole and vital.
I’M O.K.—YOU’RE O.K.
Even church people—church goers, pew polishers—think they are OK! They think that by learning the right language, behavior, right songs—hymns, scriptures, dress code, principles, hefty tithes, etc., is adequate, but they are totally lost! Looking down from the pulpit often appears like the Book of Lamentations!
Moreover, church people are often judgmental. They often boast, “we found the secret,” “we found it,” “we found the truth.” Often those on the “inside” of the body of the congregation come across as “exclusive,” judgmental,” as if finding “it” makes us better than other people—exclusive—a religious hierarchy. Piteously sad, sad, sad.
Society and certain cultures sometimes offer too many choices—in fact we are bombarded! People still are searching for something new in their lives. They have a creeping sense that something is wrong. They are hungering for meaning. Ah! A purpose! They want more to life!
TREE DWELLERS
People around us like Zacchaeus are climbing trees to see who might be out there, because they are lost!
Some of us are up that tree, along with those closest to us. What does God do about that? How does God “seek and save the lost?” Well, first God puts on skin. In a person, He walks around noticing people stuck up a tree. He says, in essence, “I know I cannot help those of you who think you are so religious—you think you have got everything together. Well, you go your own way; maybe we will see you in Heaven.”
But, to those who are hurting, bruised, lost children, lost of their innocence, job, way, faith, Jesus walks up and stands at the bottom of the tree and says, “ Here I am, Zacchaeus, come on down.”
Do you know the only thing God cannot see? It is a crowd! He sees Maria, Joseph, George, Helen, Lorenzo, Anita, Alex. He sees you! He tells us by name, “come on down, I want to spend time with you, I want to go home with you” (Luke 19:5).
God comes to Zacchaeus and takes him home. For the first time in his palatial house, he is at home! Jesus says, “I know you, Zacchaeus, you are a child of God—you can now act like a child of God.”
Zacchaeus jumps up from the table and says, “That’s it! I don’t need all this money anymore. I’ll give one half to the poor, and if any taken by false accusations—four times. If I cheated anyone, Sorry, I will give it back” (Exodus 22:1). He does not say, “If I be sued and compelled to it, I will make restitution” (some are honest when they cannot help it); or when I die, in my will I will repay to those I cheated. God says to him, today salvation has come to your house, because you are a child of God (Luke 19:9; Galatians 3:7).
If you don’t hear or read anything else this day, then hear this: “Lost people matter to God.” God goes anywhere and does just about anything to find lost people. Lost people matter to God. Do lost people matter to you? Break your heart the way they break God’s heart? What did God do to find Zacchaeus? He sent Jesus. What does God do today? He sends us! People like you and me. He tells us, “I want you to go get them.” That takes a special kind of person.
HERO WORSHIP
It takes a hero! What is a hero? Ordinary people that make extraordinary choices in the middle of ordinary life. Heroes are people who save what is lost—but not always out of the lion’s mouths.
But every time we leave the sanctuary we are going into life and death struggles—combat—that calls for heroes. We have choices. Will we seek to save the lost? Will we be heroes, ordinary persons who chose what God wants? What do ordinary persons do? Just what Jesus did:
1) They interrupt themselves; allow themselves to be inconvenienced. Remember the passage—“Jesus was just passing through and He stopped. Do we stop?
2) After stopping; people willing to be heroes—invest in others. Jesus stopped and told Zacchaeus, “I have to spend time with you today.” Do you spend time with people when they don’t serve some purpose in your life? (Greek, simferon)
3) If we want to be a hero used by God then we have to be ready to be misunderstood. The Bible says, they all muttered at Jesus’ presence with Zacchaeus. What is He doing with him? He is a cheat! Be ready to be misunderstood—opposed, rejected. Sharing God’s love gets messy.
4) We need eyes to see lost people. Jesus couldn’t just go on through a crowd, because He kept seeing up a tree and around Him in need. God wants to give us the same kind of eyes.
5) Do you know that 83% of the people who are not in church today would come if somebody they knew would just ask them? They would come—hear the message that would change their lives. Do you know that God will not stop until He talks to each of the lost?
WHO ARE THE LOST?
Finally, in closing, I want to ask you to think about who the lost people are in your life. Is it you? Have you lost your way? Your faith? Are you spiritually lost or perhaps somebody in your family? Neighbour? Work? School? Church? Circle of friends? If you don’t know someone who is lost, think again. There is probably someone. Think once more!
That is the first thing: to identify one lost person. Second: pray for that lost person once or twice this week. That’s all! Just pray for them, that God might send someone who will say to them, “Come home,” “Come down.” We have not now Christ to entertain in our houses, but we have His disciples, and what is done to them He takes as done to Himself.
“As the word of Christ came to Zacchaeus, ‘Today I must abide at thy house’ (Luke 19:5), so the word will come to them; and those who were supposed to be hardened sinners will be found to have hearts as tender as a child’s because Christ has deigned to notice them. Many will come from the grossest error and sin, and will take the place of others who have had opportunities and privileges but have not prized them. They will be accounted the chosen of God, elect, precious; and when Christ shall come into His kingdom, they will stand next to His throne.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 236
Don’t be LOST! A hearty Amen!!
John Theodorou
U.S.A.