The Heaton File

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” (Mark 1:32-38)

Keeping Up With Jesus

The ministry of Jesus lasted less than three years. Nothing is known of His life from age twelve to thirty. Working as a carpenter’s son along with His brothers and sisters the Lord would have had full days of hard work. Joseph and Mary were the common class of the poor making a living in Nazareth. The greatest wealth they ever had was the gifts from the wise men when Jesus was just a child. These funds were most likely used to pay for the time spent in Egypt. In most families hard work and long hours was the norm.

Looking at the life of Jesus during His ministry shows the grueling schedule the Lord kept. He did not have a Day-Planner to make appointments or a secretary to arrange His day. He had a work to do and He exerted tremendous energy to get as much done as possible before what He knew was coming – the cross.

Take our text for example. He spends all evening with everyone from town healing their sick and casting out demons. That would be exhausting at best. The whole city was at His door begging Him to heal them or take away infirmities. Everyone clamoring for their turn and Jesus taking time for each person to soothe, comfort and heal. How weary He must have been.

He did not sleep in the next day. In the morning He awakens very early and goes out to pray by Himself. What did He pray about? Did He talk about each person the evening before and their needs to the Father? Was the prayer about His work and how difficult the work was? Healing all those people could be a temptation for Jesus as Satan continued to barrage Him with his wiles. He did not sleep long that night as morning came early. But then His disciples came looking for Him.

Peter arose in the morning and noticed Jesus was not there. “Now where did He go,” Simon muttered. Everyone wanted to know where the healer had gone and a search was begun. Sometime later the Lord was found in His solitary place praying. My question to Peter (and the rest) is why would you want to disturb the Lord when He is alone and praying? But they did. Before breakfast could be served people wanted Jesus to serve them. Instead the Lord tells Peter we must go to the next town and preach. No rest. No respite. No quiet morning of prayer. Back to work and preaching and preaching and preaching. Jesus had a busy schedule. And that is why He came. To spend His life doing the will of the Father.

He was weary but he kept on. The crowds continued coming and He took time for each one. His day was filled with an exhausting list of things to do and all for the glory of His Father. Rest would not come until after the most horrific day in the life of any man. He would die on the cross. It was in that final moment He could look up at His Father and say, “It is finished.” The incredible busy life of Jesus had come to an end and when He bowed His head and died He found rest. Thank you Jesus for the life you gave in service to the Father and the salvation of my soul. Thank you for how hard You worked to give me rest.

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)

A Day Of Examination

One of the joys of the first day of the week is the time we spend in the Lord’s Supper. As people of God we assemble to worship the One who died on a cross for my sins. Looking at Jesus in His frail form of humility suffering intense pain is moving for the image of what He did for me. Before His death the Lord established the memorial of His love as an essential part of our worship each first day of the week. Today we gather to partake of the supper. Among many things it is a time of examination.

In his letter to Corinth Paul admonishes the early church to remember the focus of the Lord’s Supper. It was not a time to play with babies, talk to a neighbor, mindlessly go through the activities of the day – it was a time of memorial. He declares that eating in an unworthy manner would bring judgment. The taking of the supper shows the death of Jesus and the reality of His return. Examination is an element of the Lord’s Supper when we look within ourselves in the testing of our character.

Albert Barnes writes, “Let him search and see if … he has true repentance for his sins; true faith in the Lord Jesus; and a sincere desire to live the life of a Christian, and to be like the Son of God, and be saved by the merits of his blood. Let him examine himself, and see whether he have the right feelings of a communicant, and can approach the table in a proper manner.” It is examination time.

Worship must be true. Today when we gather to remember the love of Christ in the Supper let us immerse ourselves in His grace examining our hearts for who we are and what we are before His Father. Go to the cross and look upon the Savior who died for the sins of all men. Hear His whispered melodies of suffering. Smell the stench of man’s sin taken upon the Lamb of God that day. Look in your heart and see who you are and what you are. Worship changes people. Let our worship of the dying Savior change our life today. Examine yourself.

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Today’s devotional is taken from the book of Judges. It comes after the story of Gideon in the tumultuous times of Israel without a king. This is a story of murder, intrigue, deception, revenge and as always I look for something a little on the humorous side. Ultimately it is a story of God’s will being accomplished and reminding us that God’s vengeance belongs to Him and Him alone. Enjoy this great story:

RULE BY MURDER

Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.” And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

PARABLE OF THE TREES

When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’ “Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved–for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, and you have risen up against my father’s house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative–if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.

BRAGGING WILL GET YOU IN TROUBLE

Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. And the leaders of Shechem put men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. And it was told to Abimelech. And Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives, and the leaders of Shechem put confidence in him. And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech. And Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? Would that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, ‘Increase your army, and come out.'”

WHERE IS YOUR MOUTH NOW?

When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. Now therefore, go by night, you and the people who are with you, and set an ambush in the field. Then in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and rush upon the city. And when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may do to them as your hand finds to do.” So Abimelech and all the men who were with him rose up by night and set an ambush against Shechem in four companies. And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city, and Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from the ambush. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!” And Zebul said to him, “You mistake the shadow of the mountains for men.” Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.” Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them.” And Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him. And many fell wounded, up to the entrance of the gate. And Abimelech lived at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives, so that they could not dwell at Shechem.

A CITY DESTROYED

On the following day, the people went out into the field, and Abimelech was told. He took his people and divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. And he looked and saw the people coming out of the city. So he rose against them and killed them. Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city, while the two companies rushed upon all who were in the field and killed them. And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people who were in it, and he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

THE FIERY INFERNO

When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-berith. Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.” So every one of the people cut down his bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.

KILLED BY A WOMAN

Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.'” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. (Judges 9)

Final note: Abimelech feared someone would find out he was killed by a woman (which was a disgrace). God preserves the story so that thousands of years later we still learn that he was killed by a woman.

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)

If A Tree Falls In The Forest

The practical teaching of Ecclesiastes is clearly evident by what we refer to as the laws of “common sense.” There is a way in the world that is determined by no set rule or pattern save the manner God ordained in creation for things to happen. Man does not control the weather and when rains come or go it is by the creative order of how the world was established. A mighty tree will be standing one day and the next fall to the ground. Does it make noise when it falls and no one is there? That is a deep question however I suspect that in creation it makes a mighty noise. There are many things we do not understand how or why they work but they do. The works of God of mighty and powerful.

The spirit of our text speaks to the benevolence of our hearts to others. Casting our bread upon the waters is an image of sowing seed upon fertile ground that will bring blessings in the harvest. There are many things that will happen in life that we may or may not understand but we must use our opportunities to be kind to others and share. In a world give to profit we often measure our actions by what is gained in the effort we put forth. Investing time and energy we expect to see a reward for our labor. The character of being kind to others is sharing with others our blessings; not to fill our hearts with vainglory of our own deeds.

The writer expresses a common sense approach to life exhorting his readers to do what they can for others and accept the patterns of life that may bring reward or not. If a tree falls to the north or to the south does it really matter? When a deed is done do not tarry to see if honor is given for then the honor given will be of pride not humility. Life is about helping others. Be ready with the hand of compassion to share your life with others. Be blessed in the knowledge that a kind word can change lives as well as a note of friendship. Go in peace being blessed by the Father in Heaven.

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

If any man loveth not the Lord, let him be anathema. Maranatha. (1 Corinthians 16:22 ASV)

It Is Time To Get Serious

The reading for today is from the American Standard Version because of two words: anathema and maranatha. The modern reading of this verse is “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! (ESV)” My spell checker does not like the word ‘maranatha’ because it is of Chaldean origin. Nonetheless it is a very impressive word because it denotes a desire for the judgment of God to come immediately. The word is found only in this text but the idea permeates the writings of the early disciples. John in the Revelation concludes his writing with the proclamation, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Paul impresses upon our minds the basic nature of our relationship with the Father. Either we love Him or we do not. If we do not love the Lord Jesus Christ then what have we? There is no meaning to life. All that man works for is futile. Without Christ there can be no peace. Death is not joyous but fearful. Like Solomon of old the apostle wants to hear the conclusion of the whole matter summed up in the realization that we are created to glorify God and accept His grace.

Loving the Lord is not just a veneer of devotion satisfied by the crumbs of our lives trying to appease an ignorant God. He demands all of our lives. It requires the heart, the soul, the mind and the body and nothing less. The reason Israel was punished with bondage in the stories of the Old Testament is because their love for God was ten miles long and one inch thick. Man cannot be pleasing to God without devotion. Deep love and commitment to the Lord with loyalty is everything required to be a child of God.

Paul suggests that if we do not love the Lord then we should be accursed. Harsh? Maybe. But can we do anything less? Too many folk want to be a nominal Christian and the Holy Spirit says they deserve anathema. Loveless people cannot please the Lord. This is where the rubber meets the road. It requires dedication, devotion, determination and drive to find the true nature of Jesus Christ because He gave up Heaven to die on a cross. A crude vernacular of the day says it like this: either put up or shut up. You know we need to decide whether we are really going to be serious about this thing and quit playing Christianity as if it is a child’s toy and devote ourselves to the greatest gift given to man. Now is the day of salvation. Today is the day to get serious about salvation.

Maranatha. Lord come today so that those of us who love you will all of our hearts will enjoy the blessings of seeing you face to face. Now that is love beyond measure.

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

A Psalm of David. A Contemplation. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32)

The Joy Of Forgiveness

Our psalm for the day is called a “maschil” or “contemplation.” The occasion is not declared but many believe it is part of the penitence psalms following the sin with Bathsheba. The introduction declares the theme of the devotion showing the joy in knowing the forgiveness of God. Whether the sin was as serious as the occasion with Uriah and his wife or telling a lie the principle remains the same. Forgiveness is enjoyed by the godly who seek the mercy of a loving Father. By the grace of God transgressions can be removed and sins hidden. The imputation of the filth of sin is cleansed by the Lord returning man to a state of wholeness. Godly sorrow leads to repentance and prayer is the avenue of redemption when men seek the cover of God’s blessings.  The joy of forgiveness is knowing we can come before the throne of the Almighty and He will hear us, forgive us and give us grace to live with no fear.

Sin is ugly, painful and depressing. David was not a perfect man before Bathsheba and he was not a perfect man after Bathsheba. The shepherd king sinned in many ways and like all of us the measure of his action determined the nature of his sin. Forgiveness is not granted just for the ‘big’ stuff but for everything we do. Some things we do in life have greater consequence and require greater mercy. The common factor between all sin is the joy of knowing God is willing and able to remove our sins from us when we come to Him in a contrite and humble way.

David shares his physical sorrow experienced explaining “day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” Sin has pain and sorrow can be more painful. Joy is found when the sting of sin is removed. Happiness returns when sorrow borne on wings of grief take the form of grace from the hand of God. How wonderful to feel the comfort of forgiveness.

Today is the middle of the week. Reflect on the past few days and how our Father loved us and forgave us of sin. Be resolved this day and the rest of this week to walk more boldly in this world of sin reflecting the light of Jesus Christ feeling the joy that His grace will bless our lives with joy and hope. There is reason to live. He lives and because He lives I can live with joy.

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

The Doctrine Of Two

On the sixth day of creation God created two beings: a man and a woman. He put them in a garden with two trees in its midst. The first law given to man was a two-fold commandment of life and death. Faced with the temptation of Satan Adam and Eve rejected God. Two sons are born to the first couple who represent the struggle of right and wrong. Two sacrifices were given but only one was accepted. Two brothers struggled and the evil one murdered the other. Two generations of people emerged called the sons of God and daughters of men. The flood destroyed all mankind but still the struggle of the two laws remained: righteousness and unrighteousness.

Two people would emerge from the ruins of the early world: the seed of Abraham would be known as the Jews in a world filled with Gentiles. Two laws would be experimented upon to show the power of God’s grace. The Gentiles lived as a law to themselves and the Jews lived under a written law. The two would fail. Salvation could only be found in the one – Jesus Christ. Two people still abound today as Jew and Gentile but all men are one and need the blood of Christ.

Jesus taught the lesson of two in the sermon on the mountain. We must serve God or mammon but not both. There are two places to lay up life’s treasures: earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in or in heaven where there is eternal security. The spirit of man is either an eye filled with light or an eye filled with darkness. A vital teaching of Jesus is showing there are only two paths man will walk: he will either walk in the narrow and difficult way leading to salvation or the wide way leading to destruction. Two groups of people follow these two paths and the majority follows the broad way. Jesus affirms this truth when He says that there are two kinds of people: those who do the will of the Father and those who do not. There are two types of builders in life: those who hear the words of the Lord and follow His command are likened to a wise man building his house on a rock and those who hear the words of God refusing to obey who are likened to a fool building his house on the sand.

Two. It is not much in the numerical system. It follows number one and that is the lesson. There is only one way, one truth and one life. There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all and one choice. Two is the choice we have to make about the one: yes or no. Life is not about number three or four and five or any other number. It is the TWO choices we have about the ONE. There is life and there is death. There is Heaven and there is Hell. Two decisions. One answer. Think about this on this day – TWODAY – (sounds a little like Tuesday).

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” (John 1:43)

Monday With Jesus

There does not seem to be any clear identification of a certain Monday recorded in the life of Jesus but there were more than 1500 Monday’s in His life. It is interesting to note the manner of the gospel writers describing the life of Jesus. Often the writers will say of the ministry of Jesus “the next day” or “the following day.” Mark and John speak of events happening “after two days” or “the same day.” The wedding feast where the Lord began His signs was “on the third day” after his conversation with Nathanael (John 2:1). The final week of Jesus’ life tells of His triumphal entry to Jerusalem (Sunday) and on Monday curses the fig tree (Matthew 21:18) dying on the cross four days later. Jesus did a lot of things on a lot of days which shows He was a man like you and me.

Monday was the second day of the week for the Lord just like it is today (not the same name). For Jesus it was two days removed from Sabbath. During creation the firmament was divided in the midst of the waters on ‘Monday’ and God called the firmament Heaven. Monday. A lot happens on Monday. I wonder what Jesus did on Monday? It would be fun to know what Jesus did on this day of the week. Was Jesus born on a Monday? Maybe it was Joseph or Mary’s birthday. Monday could have been the day when Jesus began His ministry. There is no way to know and it is important for only one reason. The Lord lived and served His Father on Monday.

The second day of the week has become known as a day usually things go wrong. A day to go back to work but after the weekend things just don’t come together. Silly day. But Monday is a great day and a powerful day because it is a day created by God. Jesus had Monday’s but it did not get Him down. He used this day like any other day for the glory of God. It was a day to show the world His Father. As you begin your day today remember the Lord had Monday’s and He glorified God. We can use this day to show others how important yesterday was so we can show them how tomorrow will be a day of promise. We have no promise of another day but today so let’s use today – yes it is a Monday – for a day of victory! Jesus did.

• Kent Heaton

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Worship With Boldness

I like what Adam Clark said about coming to the throne of God ‘boldly’: “All may approach who feel their need of salvation; and they may approach with freedom, confidence, liberty of speech, in opposition to the fear and trembling of the Jewish high priest. Here, nothing is to be feared, provided the heart be right with God, truly sincere, and trusting alone in the sacrificial blood.” It is easy to think of worship in a ho-hum kind of manner but one of the great marvels of our lives should be the realization of how blessed we are to enter the Holy of Holies and stand before the Awesome Lord God. In the days of the Temple the High Priest only went into the Holy of Holies once a year. Some historians suggest that when he entered the Holies a rope was tied around his ankle less some tragedy befall him while serving and the priests had to drag his body out. Imagine how terrifying it would be to enter the Holy.

Worship today is still with reverence and fear but not the kind of trepidation that shrinks the heart away from the Lord. Jesus tore down the veil in His death allowing the avenue of grace to give you and me the blessing of worship today. As we gather on this Lord’s day to praise the Lord let us give thanks we have a High Priest who understands all our needs and wants and allows us to come into the Holy of Holies to commune with His Father. Sing mightily to the Lord. Pray in deep devotion to our God. Drink deeply from the image of the crucified Savior who made our worship possible. Attend carefully to the sermon today to glean the eternal truths of God’s word. Today we enter the Holy of Holies with a new spirit. Praise God.

• Kent Heaton

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

The Wee Little Giant

Who does not like the story of Zacchaeus? The wonderful song that tells the story rings in the ears of children across the land. It seems amazing that because he was vertically challenged a grown man would climb up a tree to see Jesus. A short man. The Holy Spirit impresses us with the value of the story because he was a small man. Unable to see Jesus he remembers a sycamore tree up the road that would give him an advantage to at least see Jesus.

As a tax collector he would have been a wealthy man with fine clothing. Imagine the surprise from others as he begins climbing a tree. Some must have laughed and others thought Mr. Z had lost his mind. Fellow business partners might have considered reevaluating their arrangement with a crazed man climbing trees. Undaunted Zacchaeus climbed the tree.

The crowd draws closer. In the midst is the man of the hour. Zacchaeus is only able to see Jesus but what a joy it would be to speak to him. As the Lord passes under where Zacchaeus is perched on a limb a remarkable thing happens. The Teacher stops and looks up at this tree climbing tax collector and calls him by name imploring him to come down so they may dine together that day. A smile breaks across his face. Hurriedly he scampers down the tree in a most undignified manner and rushes to the Lord. The two men go into the home nearby and Zacchaeus is a changed man. Jesus took time to spend with him – a tax collector – hated by his fellow Jews and loathed by the Romans. Salvation came to his home.

This is a great story for many reasons. God loves small people. He even loves small rich people. What I like about the Z Man is that he had a desire to see Jesus and took some unusual steps to bring that about. I wish we had more people today seeking Jesus. I doubt Zacchaeus knew how it was all going to turn out. He may have thought like many who are standing on the side of the road watching a parade go by that he would even have a chance to be acknowledged by Jesus. The real joy of this story is that Jesus has time to talk to people in trees. There were usually a lot of people around Jesus but only one humble enough to climb a tree. Jesus loved Zacchaeus for that. Sometimes I need to get on my knees and climb a tree. The Lord loves tree climbers.

The tax collector was willing to do whatever it took to see the Lord. I must be willing to do all God has commanded me to see the Lord. Joy came to the house of Zacchaeus because he did something unusual for a man of his stature; and it was not about his vertical size but the giant heart he had inside. Because Jesus came into his house the tax collector repented and made changes in his life. When Jesus comes into my life I must repent and make changes. That is when joy comes.

Thanks Zacchaeus. You are my hero – you little man you. Is that a great story or what?