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The sermon presents Zaccheus as an example of effectual calling, distinguishing Christ’s personal and powerful saving call from a merely general outward invitation. God’s grace is sovereign and indiscriminate with respect to social status, location, wealth, and moral history, while salvation rests on God’s purpose, Christ’s purchase, and God’s promise. Effectual calling is abiding and produces visible fruit: humility, repentance, restitution, generosity, prayer, and separation from sin. The hearer is urged to respond without delay by coming down from self-reliance, confessing sin, and trusting Christ, who seeks and saves the lost.
Theological center: Salvation is accomplished by sovereign, effectual grace: the Holy Spirit personally calls sinners through the Gospel, and Christ’s saving call produces enduring faith and transformed obedience.
Applications: Answer God today · Come down in humility · Confess and forsake sin · Believe on Jesus
Primary texts: Luke 19:5 · Luke 19:1-10 · Matthew 22:14
“When Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.” Luke 19:5 NOTWITHSTANDING our firm belief that you are in the main well-instructed in the doctrines of the everlasting Gospel, we are continually reminded in our conversation with young converts how absolutely necessary it is to repeat our former lessons, and repeatedly assert and prove over and over again those doctrines which lie at the basis of our holy religion. Our friends, therefore, who have many years ago been taught the great doctrine of effectual calling, will believe that whilst I preach very simply this morning, the sermon is intended for those who are young in the fear of the Lord, that they may better understand this great starting point of God in the heart, the effectual calling of men by the Holy Spirit. I shall use the case of Zaccheus as a great illustration of the doctrine of effectual calling. You remember the story. Zaccheus had a curiosity to see the wonderful man Jesus Christ, who was turning the world upside down and causing an immense excitement in the minds of men. We sometimes find fault with curiosity and say it is sinful to come to the house of God from that motive. I am not quite sure that we should hazard such an assertion. The motive is not sinful, though certainly it is not virtuous, yet it has often been proved that curiosity is one of the best allies of grace. Zaccheus, moved by this motive, desired to see Christ, but there were two obstacles in the way. First, there was such a crowd of people that he could not get near the Savior. And again, he was so exceedingly short in stature that there was no hope of his reaching over people’s heads to catch a glimpse of Him. What did he do? He did as the boys were doing—for the boys of old times were no doubt just like the boys of the present age, and were perched up in the branches of a tree to look at Jesus as He passed along. Elderly man though he is, Zaccheus jumps up and there he sits among the children. The boys are too much afraid of that stern old publican, whom their fathers dreaded, to push him down or cause him any inconvenience. See him there. With what anxiety he is peeping down to see which is Christ—for the Savior had no pompous distinction. No beadle is walking before Him with a silver mace. He did not hold a golden crozier in His hand. He had no pontifical dress. In fact, He was just dressed like those around Him. He had a coat like that of a common peasant, made of one piece from top to bottom, and Zaccheus coul…