Title: Healing of Loneliness
Content: Healing of loneliness (Luke 19:1-10)
A newspaper conducted a survey of its readers. “What is the biggest problem you are facing?” The three most common answers were 'fear', the second 'worry', and the third 'loneliness'. Today we want to look at what made Zacchaeus so lonely and how he overcame this loneliness.
1. The cause of loneliness: Why was Zacchaeus lonely? How could I overcome this loneliness?
(1) Occupation (verses 1-2)
Zacchaeus was lonely because he lived a life without God. Zacchaeus was a tax collector in the prosperous city of Jericho. Zacchaeus became rich purely by sucking the blood of his own people. Zacchaeus made a lot of money, but his heart was empty. It was lonely. I had no friends. He had to live every day feeling that everyone in the world was pointing his finger at him except for his family. He had a lot of money and lived in a nice house, but there was no peace in his heart.
(2) Why? Because it is a life apart from God (Romans 3:23).
Because God created man, man cannot live without God. So Augustine (354-430) famously said: "Because God made man for himself, there is no peace in our hearts until we find rest in God." Apart from God, man cannot find true satisfaction and true joy anywhere else!
⑶ Tools of surrogate satisfaction.
Possession lasts for a while and then disappears. Living in a spacious and comfortable house does not give you satisfaction. Luxury cars, bank deposits, precious jewels, famous clothes, really do not satisfy us. If only one blood vessel in my brain is punctured, I have to let go. You need to keep this in your heart. ① power
②Popular
③Owned
Zacchaeus was lonely because ultimately he lived apart from God. When he was just immersed in making money regardless of God, his soul became more and more lonely.
2. Overcoming loneliness: Receive Jesus Christ (verses 3-6)
(1) To report (Section 3)
Zacchaeus, who lived alone in the eyes of his neighbors, heard rumors about Jesus. I heard that Jesus is the friend of sinners and that he performs many miracles. It is only natural that Zacchaeus, a wretch who had no one to deal with and was hated a lot, was curious about Jesus. When I heard that Jesus was coming to my town, I wanted to meet Jesus at least once. So I followed the path Jesus was passing by. God gives power to those who seek Him with all their hearts (2 Chronicles 16:9).
(2) Climb up the mulberry tree (verse 4)
So I went up to the sycamore tree and looked down at Jesus. He had disregarded his face or anything, other people's attention or whatever, and climbed up the mulberry tree with only the passion to see Jesus. The passion to meet the Lord may seem strange to others. You can see that through short-term missionary work.
As Jesus was passing by, he saw Zacchaeus sitting on a sycamore tree. In verse 5, Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” How happy it is to hear that Jesus dwells. (Revelation 3:20)
⑶ Receive Jesus with joy (verse 6)
Receive Jesus from the depths of your heart! Jesus will help you no longer feel lonely! I wish you all the joy of having Jesus.
3. Repentance of the sinner (vv. 7-10)
Zacchaeus made the decision to live a life of loneliness in the future. But the locals did it. He was blatantly criticizing and complaining about the fact that Jesus was entering the tax collector that everyone cursed and hated (verse 7). In fact, Zacchaeus has not been living apart from God. I also built a wall with my neighbors and lived with them.
(1) Sharing with the poor (verse 8)
These words show what Zacchaeus will do to live a life free from loneliness in the future.
(2) Compensation for extortion (verse 8)
In addition, he promises to pay back four times the amount of money he has unjustly stolen from others by imposing taxes. According to Leviticus 6: 4-5, when someone robs another person's property, 1/5 is added to the original property to pay it back. Exodus 22:1 says, "If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills or sells it, he shall repay him for one oxen for five oxen, and for one sheep for four sheep."
⑶ Salvation of the lost (verses 9-10)
Now, Zacchaeus declared that he was no longer a sinner, but a child of God. Ladies and gentlemen, our loneliness comes when we do not have a right relationship with God. Not only that, but when we don't have the right relationship with our neighbors, we also become lonely. After accepting Jesus, Zacchaeus clearly realized why he was being bullied by the locals and decided to start a new life. It was the decision to become a good and righteous person and to be reborn as a helper rather than harming neighbors.
The name Zacchaeus means 'pure' or 'innocent'. But Zacchaeus did not live up to his name. On the contrary, I lived an ugly life as a tax collector. I became a lonely person because I lived independently of God and was alienated from my neighbors. A lonely man, Zacchaeus, met Jesus and became a new person.
Dear brothers and sisters, is your life lonely today?
No matter how lonely you are, you will never be more lonely than the Lord. Jesus was so lonely, in Matthew 8:20, "Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." The Pharisees and the scribes only thought about how to kill Jesus. Even the 12 disciples who had believed did not understand the will of Jesus and let Him down. Even Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 priests, was so greedy for money that he even betrayed Jesus. From a human perspective, Jesus is the most unfortunate and lonely person in history. But the Lord always overcame loneliness through spiritual fellowship with Heavenly Father. He is the One who overcame many loneliness and sorrow so that it became the grace and joy of redemption. The Lord came to this earth to save a lonely soul, like Zacchaeus!
Are you lonely today?
Do you suffer from unexplained emptiness and sadness? Lift up your eyes and see Jesus crucified. There you will find the loneliest and the happiest person in the world at the same time. Lay down your loneliness today before the cross of the Lord. And experience the amazing love of the Lord. I believe your loneliness will turn into joy! Amen.
Ministry: Dedicate yourself to healing the brokenhearted!