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?
And as the Savior passed that way?
He looked up in that tree?
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today?
For I’m going to your house to stay”

If you grew up in Sunday School you were singing the tune as you read. If not, you wondered if I lost a marble or two.

The story of Zacchaeus is a well-loved story that points to the saving purpose of Jesus. With tongue in cheek, the moral of the story is you can run, but you can’t hide.

Read through Luke 19. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and on the way comes to Jericho. Zach, the much hated tax collector, the collaborator, the traitor… was curious about Jesus. By this time, Jesus was well enough known to cause a stir when he came to town. How Zach became curious about the Son of God is not clear from the text. What he did is clear and the story of the song says it all.

In some way, we were all like Zach before we came to Jesus. We were less than perfect people, curious about what Jesus might have to offer, and generally content to look on from a secure hiding place. People don’t hide in trees much any more. Today we hide in pews, in small groups and classes, in lunchtime discussions that get dangerously close to the heart. We can discuss religion, but it is riskier to encounter the Savior. After all, we’ve learned that encountering Jesus changes our life. We aren’t always sure how much we want that change.

Jesus called out Zacchaeus. Zach responded by welcoming the Messiah into his heart and his home. Zach’s life was changed with new values, priorities, and strategies for investing his life.

Zach needed to encounter the Savior. Every person needs to encounter the Savior, not just with curiosity, but with faith so that our lives can be changed forever.

It wasn’t “marbles” that were lost in this story, but people. Jesus invested his life in reaching people who needed forgiveness and purpose. Have you encountered the Savior? Have you welcomed Him into your heart? How is your life investment strategy working out?

We will take a good look at this amazing story of redemption and restoration.

Consider some Scripture for a moment:

Psalm 42:1,2
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 63: 1-5
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Can you feel the passion? Can you taste the joy?

Now compare these passages:

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Joshua 7:20, 21
Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Can you see the passion? Can you taste the… disappointment, fear, shame? … no joy in sight for these passionate people.

Everyone has a passion for something. It is where we have decided joy is to be found. We will pursue something to that end. If our passion is in God, we find joy. If our passion is directed elsewhere, we miss out.

God created us to be passionate. The plan of God is that we would be passionate about knowing and loving him and then make a life style out of that love. This is where joy is to be found in God’s economy.

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. (Psalm 43:3,4)

It seems clear that if we are going to protect our joy, we will need to protect our passions. Passions, like vectors, have magnitude and direction. As such, passions can become misdirected and weak. Passions directed toward God and lived out “full bore” result in joy unspeakable.

This Sunday morning we will be looking deeper into joy, and passion, and how to protect those valuable treasures. In fact, we will look at how to increase the magnitude and focus the direction of our passion so that all God wants us to experience can be ours.

Yes it’s Father’s day and Dads need to protect their joy.

Imagine, finding joy though loving God and others. That’s something to get passionate about.

I’ve been migrating through John Piper’s book, Desiring God. The latest of his continual insights that cause me to ponder is as follows:

“The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show his might on behalf of those whose heart is whole toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). God is not looking for people to work for him, so much as he is looking for people who will let him work for them. The gospel is not a Help Wanted ad. Neither is the call to Christian service. On the contrary, the gospel commands us to give up and hang out a Help Wanted sign (this is the basic meaning of prayer). Then the gospel promises that God will work for us if we do. He will not surrender the glory of the being Giver.

The more we see the possibilities of the kingdom in our sphere of relationships and influence, the more eager the follower of Jesus is to accomplish something for the glory of God. It is through seeking the Lord in prayer and searching His word while listening for His Spirit’s leading that we learn how to position ourselves to see the provision of the Lord. This touches every area of our life, from developing strong relationships to cooperating with God in serving him though our gifts and talents. God is the giver of good and perfect gifts. He will give no other kind. Let us pray and live expectantly.

Mine has gone from good to middling, especially as my kids have become more active. I don’t always remember, for example, where I put my keys, my wallet, my phone, my sunglasses, or some combination of all of them. I sometimes forget whether or not I’ve paid a bill, or made a call. There’s only so much RAM available in my head, so sometimes things just leak out.

But you know what I do remember?

I remember my mentor, Jeff, a man who showed me what loving God and loving people looks like. I remember long conversations with him as he shared his wisdom and experience with me. I remember watching him deal with all kinds of ministry issues with grace and truth. I remember how he consistently served others sacrificially, and I remember how he dealt with his flaws and mistakes. His life is, in many ways, a roadmap for my own.

Why do I remember Jeff? Because he took the time to make sure that his life impacted mine. Because he gave me a vision for what life and ministry can be. Because he passed his legacy on to me.

When I mention the word legacy, many people think first about death or the reading of someone’s will. What will the inheritance be? How much money will I get? Who will get the house? Each of the definitions of the word in the dictionary have something to do with property or money that is handed down from one generation to the next.

Let me suggest, however, that our legacy actually has very little to do with stuff. Our legacy is about the kind of person we are becoming. It’s about our ability to impact the lives of people, to show others what following Jesus looks like. What is the sum total of our legacy when we subtract all of our material possessions?

The Apostle Paul was aware of his legacy. In Acts 20:17-38, right before he boarded a boat for Jerusalem where his life was going to end, he made time to stop and meet with the elders from the church he planted at Ephesus. After spending a total of three years working with these guys, he called them together to sum up his legacy. With great emotion, Paul speaks to these church leaders so that they can learn from his life and take up his legacy as they move the church forward.

This week, as we celebrate Graduation Sunday, it’s a great time to consider what kind of legacy you and I are building right now. What will we be remembered for? How are we impacting lives? What are the elements of our legacy that we should work on now? Let’s talk about these questions together on Sunday.

In addition, we will be honoring all of our graduates from all of the major milestone educational levels. It’s an especially special time for our high school seniors, who will be recognized in a special ceremony. It’s also Communion Sunday. And, to top it all off, our Summer Kick-off All-Church Picnic begins right after second service.

The right preacher was preaching and the right baptizer was baptizing until the rabbi from Galilee showed up. Then it was backwards; or so it seemed. It wasn’t just because John and Jesus were related. Nor was it that they weren’t on the same page theologically. John knew that Jesus was the Messiah. John knew he was the lead blocker for the redeemer of Israel and the Savior of the world. But in John’s mind it seemed like Jesus’ life and message superceded his own. John wanted to identify with the person and work of Jesus. Jesus wanting to identify with John’s message was all-wrong in the mind of the tough minded prophet. Review the story for yourself (Matthew 3:13-17).

Jesus’ reason for wanting to be baptized was “to fulfill all righteousness.” This was confusing as well. You see John’s message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” “Repent!” Jesus had no need to repent. He had never sinned. Why would Jesus want to be baptized in that context?

Perhaps we miss the significance of baptism. We forget that baptism is to publicly identify with a message. Then it makes sense. Jesus identified with the truth about John’s message. He agreed that people needed to repent for the kingdom of God was at hand.

It was humanly speaking a credibility issue. Jesus was completely submitted to the plans of God, the Father and lived that way on earth. He went with his folks to the temple, spent time in the synagogues learning the OT law, and now submitted to the message of God’s prophet, John. He did it because it was right to do. He did what He was asking His followers to do, trust and obey.

Jesus is still asking his followers to trust and obey. Christian baptism is still central. There is a clear message to be accepted:

Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. (Acts 2:38, 39)

Submission to the message from God today begins with repentance, i.e. to think differently about my life and my need for forgiveness. Jesus, the Savior of the world has made it possible to be forgiven of my sin and to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus the Lord, lived the life I couldn’t, went to the cross to die the death I deserved, then rose from the grave to offer new life to any who would place their full trust in Him, becoming His follower. That is the message.

If you are living today, that is the message you must come to grips with. Repent. Have you repented? Do you agree with God that Jesus is our only hope for salvation? Have you heard the call to become a follower of Jesus? If the answer is yes then there is a truth you must recon with. It was never God’s intention that your decision about Jesus would remain a private matter in your heart.

That is why Baptism is at the core of Christian discipleship. Jesus told his disciples to go reproduce themselves. Make disciples was the mandate. Baptize them and teach them were central to that mandate. Baptism is the way we publicly identify with the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a matter of obedience (Matthew 28:18-20).

On June 13th, a Sunday morning, we will have another opportunity for you to publicly identify with Jesus. Baptism doesn’t save you; it reveals you.

Have you been baptized since you received the Savior and submitted to be a follower of Jesus? If you have, then come and celebrate as others go public with their faith.