A day of opportunity

Let's read then in Luke chapter 18 and verse 35. Luke chapter 18 verse 35, and it came to pass, that is, he was come nigh unto Jericho, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace.

But he cried so much the more, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, he asked him, saying, what wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Chapter 19 verse 1, And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 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 of the multitude of people, because he was little of stature.

He ran before, and he 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. 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 was a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. 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. For as much as he also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek, and to save that which was lost. Let's go down to verse 41 now, please.

Verse 41. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, and when he was come near, he beheld the city. This is a different city, this is Jerusalem.

When he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the day shall come upon thee, that thine enemy shall cast a trench about thee, and capacity round, and keep thee on in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, thy children within thee. They shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

I'd like to consider this evening very simply as a day of opportunity. I think we all have had opportunities of various sorts. We've had opportunity to do things, to go places.

Oftentimes we're given opportunities, and sometimes we take advantage of those opportunities, and sometimes we don't. But what I find is this, we have two men who would take advantage of an opportunity that they had. Two men that would not let the opportunity that they had pass them by.

We have read of one man who was at the entrance of the city of Jericho, crying out to the Lord Jesus. We have read of another man, as the Lord Jesus was passing through, and almost to go out the other side of the city, who ran ahead to see who this man was. First of all, we think of this blind man.

Likely he had lived a very sad life. There were no social programs as we have today for people like this. There was no job opportunities for this man.

The only thing that this man could really do to survive was sit by the wayside and beg to those that would pass by that they might give him a little something to survive. And I have seen people like this that subsist on the goodness, the kindness of the people that pass him by. There's a man in Managua, in the capital of Nicaragua, has no arms and no legs.

But you'll see him every day at the stoplight. People wheel him around, and there he is begging for something to eat. You know, it's a sad situation.

Because this man was blind, it says he sat by the wayside begging. But the Bible says he could hear. He could not see, but he could hear.

Because he heard that there was a great multitude that was passing by, and he inquires, what does this mean? What is happening? Why all the noise? Why all the people? And they said, it is Jesus of Nazareth who is passing by. And I tell you that that name meant something to this man. This man could not see, but likely he had heard of the many miracles that the Lord Jesus had performed.

You read through the Gospels, and you'll find how the Lord Jesus would heal those who were sick, men who were paralyzed and they were made to walk, men with withered hands and their hands are restored whole, men who are leprous, and they're cleansed, women who had suffered for years with an awful issue of blood in an instant, in a moment of time, touching the garments of this man, and from that instant she was made whole, and lists could go on of all that the Lord Jesus had done. And when this man hears that he is passing by, he cries out. Listen to what it says.

And he cried out, saying, Jesus, O son of David, have mercy on me. But you'll notice what happens. The people that are going before, when they hear this man crying out, they say, be quiet.

Be quiet. What I appreciate is that this man was all the more urgent, because he understood that this was his opportunity. This was his opportunity, and it might have been the only opportunity that he had, and he was not going to let anyone stand in his way.

We have already heard this evening that there are people that can stand between us and God's salvation, between you and God's salvation. How sad it is when we are so afraid of what other people might think of us, if we trust Christ as we confess him as our Lord and Savior. But this man had one desire in his heart, that he would receive his sight, and he would let no one come between him and the Savior.

Friend, can I ask you this evening, what do you want? What do you desire? Oh, that it would be the salvation of your soul, that you would desire it with all your heart. We have already heard this evening, salvation is not something that we are going to perform ourselves. Salvation is not any work or doing of our own.

But can I tell you this? God saves the people that want to be saved, people that understand the awfulness of their condition as sinners before a holy God. And they will not rest until they know the forgiveness of their sins. One thing this man desired.

This was his moment, this was his opportunity. Can I tell you this evening, this is your opportunity. Not because some great preachers are here, but because the Word of God is being opened, and read, and spoken upon.

The Apostle Paul could say, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is a power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. God's Word is living. God speaks to the souls of men and women through his Word, and whether you appreciate it or not, whether you understand this or not, maybe for you it's just one more gospel meeting.

Can I tell you this is your opportunity to be saved this very night? But are you going to be like so many people today, and they are going to let a person between them and the Savior? You know, it's interesting, because the Lord Jesus, he spoke about this. If you read the parable of the sower, we read that there were four types of soil, four kinds of listeners, four types of heart, if you will. The seed being sown, but the Lord Jesus spoke of some of that seed falling upon the stony ground.

And he spoke about people who might hear the Word of God, and might say this is good, but when there is persecution or tribulation, that's all the farther the thing goes. In other words, there are people that are coming in between them and the Savior. And I tell you that this ought to be the utmost priority in your mind, no matter what people might say or think or do, no matter what the friend might say, or the girlfriend or boyfriend or parents or people of other religious affiliations, no matter what they might think of me, that there is something that I need to get resolved.

It's a matter of my sin that is between me and God. Friend, your sin against God. You'd be wise to put all those things out of your mind, and all those things that people that might come between you and God's salvation, and understand there is nothing more important.

There is no one more important. The forgiveness of my sins. For this man, it was his sight, and we have to tell him to keep his peace, to be quiet.

It says that he cried out all the more. Nothing was going to stand in his way. You know what the Lord Jesus heard him.

The Lord Jesus tells him, come. He cried, so the more. Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, he asked, saying, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? One thing. Friend, what is it that you most desire in this world? What is the one thing that you most desire this very moment? Maybe you would rather be somewhere else in a gospel meeting this evening.

Maybe you would rather be far, far away. Here is a man that had a problem, and he wanted this issue to be fixed. If you understood the awfulness of your sin, the place that you would want to be is where the Word of God is preached, where the Savior of sinners is made known, where his finished work is proclaimed.

And maybe there is someone here, and you have come with that purpose of heart, that have come to understand that there is nothing more important than the forgiveness of sins. And I tell you, the Lord Jesus has an interest in saving you tonight. Here is a man who was sincere.

Here is a man who would not let anybody come between him and the Savior, and the Lord Jesus recognizes it, and he stops, and he brings a man, and he gives him what his heart longed for, his sight. A wonderful work in the life of this man. Can you imagine what would have happened if he would have said, It's not worth the bother.

Maybe another day will be better, when there aren't so many people. And when there aren't so many people to get in the way, you know, it is very likely that the Lord Jesus was never going to pass by that way again. You see, that is why we have to say that today, tonight, is an opportunity of salvation.

Tonight you can be saved, but we will never tell you tomorrow. We will never tell you, wait until another day, because God never tells you that. You know what the Word of God says? Behold, now is the accepted time.

Today is the day of salvation. And yet sadly, there are people, and they don't see the importance of the matter. They don't see the awfulness of their own sin before a holy God.

They don't want to admit their guilt and their need before God. And there are people who are just content to let the opportunity pass them by. You could learn from this man.

He had an opportunity, and he took advantage of it. We go on into the city as the Lord Jesus is passing through Jericho, and here is another man. He's not a blind man.

The Bible says he was not a beggar, but he was very rich. He was a publican. He was a tax collector.

He was chief among the tax collectors. But the Bible says he sought to see Jesus who he was. I don't know what your understanding of Zacchaeus is, but I would have to say, I would say that he is a man who was very sincere in seeking the Savior.

The name Zacchaeus means pure, and likely this man had a burden in his conscious that he wanted to be pure. When he speaks here below about giving his goods to the poor, restoring, if he had taken any man's by false accusation, any man's things, I would like to say that there was a time of repentance that had come to the life of this man. Maybe he had become wealthy by the extortion that the publicans were known for.

Maybe he had become wealthy, but there was a time in his life when he understood this is not right. You see, men and women need to have an understanding of their sin before God before they are ever saved. And repentance is exactly that, understanding my sin before a holy God, and where my sin is taking me.

I don't know, it's likely that the land did not hear what the Lord Jesus spoke previously in this chapter before going into Jericho, but I can appreciate in the same chapter or the chapter before that Lord Jesus actually spoke about a publican who was justified. Likely that was the burden of this man's heart, that there is a man that speaks of the forgiveness of sins, and in his heart he said, I must know him. And here again is a man, and he was not going to let anything stand in his way.

There were people in the way, there were things in the way, but he was not going to let anything stand in the way of knowing him. And not only can people stand in the way between us and the Savior, between the sinner and the Savior, there are things that can stand between you and the Savior. Again, going back to the parable of the sower, not only does the Lord Jesus speak of people that might cause tribulation and persecution, the Lord Jesus speaks of things.

He spoke about some of the seed falling among thorns, and the thorns growing up and choking out the little plant. The Lord Jesus spoke about people who, because of the cares of this life, because of the deception of riches, because of the pleasures of life, that likely is the reason that so many people today are not saved. Because a priority in their life is not the forgiveness of their sins, it's other things.

It's having fun, it's enjoying themselves, it's putting God and sin so far out of their mind that they don't want to deal with this issue. They think that what this world offers is far better than what God would give them. And yes, and there are the legitimate things of life, work, the family, bills to be paid, but friend, those things are not more important than your soul.

The house that you are paying for is not more important than your eternal dwelling place, the deceitfulness of riches. How many men have ever said it is enough, that what I have is enough? You know, it's interesting, the deceitfulness of riches, the poor are seeking riches, and the rich are seeking riches, and no one is ever satisfied. That is why the Lord Jesus speaks of the deceitfulness of riches.

Not only do people stand in the way, there are things that stand in the way. But here is a man that would let nothing stand in his way, neither the multitudes that were in the city. But he says he ran up before the multitude and climbed into a tree.

When the Lord Jesus came to that place, he saw him, and he told him, this day is salvation come to thy house. What was this man seeking? That, the salvation of his soul. How precious the words that he heard from the lips of the Lord Jesus, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

A poor sinner like Zacchaeus, who did not let anything stand in the way, a man who would not let opportunity pass him by, this is it? Friend, can I remind you that this might be it for you? The sad reality is this, as men and women and boys and girls die every single day, and their day of opportunity has passed. I don't have to tell you every day, and that knows, and it never ceases to amaze me the way people die. The healthiest of people die, the sick people die, the young people die, the old people die, people who don't even think about it.

And I can't help but to think of the poor people, that tragedy, the people here from Iowa that died in that place down in Mexico on a vacation, enjoying themselves, thinking that they were going to come back and life was going to go on. And from Mexico they went to eternity. This might be your last opportunity.

Don't you think it's time to think about being saved, about seeking God with all your heart, about getting this matter settled, coming to the Lord Jesus Christ? The devil says tomorrow, God says today. Don't listen to the devil, listen to God. Be like these two men who did not let opportunity pass them by.

We come to the last part of chapter 19. You know, it's a sad account. Not the city of Jericho, but the city of Jerusalem.

And the Lord Jesus is outside of the city, likely on the Mount of Olives, and he looks down on the city, probably not the place where he had done the most of his miracles, his mighty works, and his signs, but he had definitely spent time preaching in the temple. But you know what's sad? The Lord Jesus, he would actually have to shed his tears, as he considered this people, because he had preached and they had repented not. Listen to what he says as he mourns over this city.

Again in verse 41, he came near the city, and he beheld the city, and he wept over the city. If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace. The Lord Jesus says at the end of verse 44, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

You know that an opportunity had been given to the people of Jerusalem? To be honest, many opportunities had been given to the people of Jerusalem to repent of their sin. God had sent how many prophets to the city? How many of the prophets had been mistreated, rejected, and killed? How many times had God spoken to them, and they wanted to continue on in their sin, until God finally sends his own Son? What did God desire for the people? Their peace. What did God desire for them? Their salvation.

What was the longing of the heart of the Lord Jesus that they might repent of their sin and be saved? They had been given one opportunity, and another, and another, until ultimately the Savior comes, and the Savior is rejected, and within a week they are going to be crying for his death. What did God want for them? To be saved, to be forgiven, that they would turn from their sin and trust the Savior. Thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

This wasn't just a missed opportunity, it was an opportunity that was despised. It was an opportunity that they were rejecting. And listen to what the Lord Jesus says, because you let this opportunity pass you by, the opportunity to be saved from your sin and its consequences, then the judgment of God is going to come upon you.

Is it any wonder that the Savior shed his tears? Because he himself knew that within a few years the words that he spoke were going to be fulfilled. God offered them peace, and they rejected it. In the year AD 70, the General Titus, with all his army, he sets about a siege around the city, and I read two different commentaries.

The Lord Jesus says the days will come, the days are coming, when your enemy shall cast a trench about thee. If there were 12 or 15 miles of city wall around Jerusalem, Josephus says that it took Titus and his army three days to circle the city. Another said it took 10 days, tens of thousands of soldiers.

Listen, the wrath of God in a moment came against that city, and they were not going to withstand it. These men would siege the city, they would close up the city, no one would go in or out, no food would come in, so that the people would surrender. But ultimately the General and his men, they enter into the city, as the Lord Jesus says, they will come pass thee round and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground.

As if a plow had passed over the city and it was turned upside down, these men, in all their ruthlessness and violence, would kill men, women, and children exactly as the Lord Jesus said. Why? Because they did not take advantage of the opportunity that was given. Is this going to be your story, friend? Then you can sit in the gospel meeting, in the Cedar Falls Conference tonight, and die in your sin, and have to lament the fact I had an opportunity for peace and I let it go by.

Consider these men that we have spoken to you about. They would let nothing and no one stand in their way. Please consider the longing heart of the Lord Jesus this evening.

He wants to save you. He is able to save you. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.