THE EFFECTUAL CALL: 03MAY23 A.D.

The Day Zacchaeus Got Saved. Part III 

by preacher D.G. Miles McKee

Ref: Luke 19:1-10 [KJV]
 

Last time, as we considered Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus, we saw that Christ, to find Zacchaeus, went down the right street, stopped at the right tree, called the right man by the right name and ordered him to come down.  Next, we see,

4. The Marvel.
Consider the marvel in verse six: “And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully.”

In short, this man who had been a law unto himself, did everything Jesus commanded him to do.  Jesus said in verse five,
“Zacchæus, make haste.”
Verse six says, “And he made haste.”
Jesus said in verse five, “Zacchæus … come down.”
Verse six says, “… and he came down.”
Jesus said in verse five, “Zacchæus … I must abide at thy house.”
And verse six says “… and he received Him joyfully.”

So, what was the marvel? The marvel was the effectual call that brought salvation to Zacchaeus!  Humanly speaking, in an instance the Hell-bound sinner had become a Heaven-bound saint.

So when was Zacchæus saved? The truth of the matter is that his salvation had been decreed long before there was such a thing as time (please see Ephesians 1:4).  Zacchaeus, like all of us, was not saved by accident but saved on purpose, God’s purpose.  Jesus had come to seek and to save that which was lost and He did it successfully.  By the time Zacchaeus came off his perch and hit the ground he was a saved man.  Salvation was brought to him by the effectual call of the Master.

The next thing we encounter is,
5. The Murmurers
Verse 7 relates the truth about the people’s reaction.  It says, “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.”

Here were the murmurers and begrudgers criticizing Christ because of His new convert.  And they had a point. They were correct. Zacchaeus had been an utter rogue.  He didn’t deserve any attention from Jesus.  But grace is no respecter of persons. God calls whom He wills when He wills and He called this wretch, this worst of publicans, in the worst of cities, from the worst of trades.

Yes, the murmurers were right, Jesus had gone home to be the guest of a sinner, perhaps one of the most wicked men in all of Jericho.  And notice how He didn’t go to the mayor’s home. He didn’t go to the home of the leading Pharisee.  No indeed! Jesus had saved the most unlikely person in town, the wicked little tax-collector, and Jesus went home with him.

Thank God, there are no impossible cases with Jesus!  The Lord Jesus Christ saves even the worst of sinners.  That’s why we pray for people to get saved …Why?  Because Jesus saves.  That’s why we ask the Lord to open hearts.  Why?  Because there are no impossible sinners that Jesus cannot save. Be encouraged, He calls His people effectually and those who are His respond.

By the way, His effectual call is distinct from His general call.  Take for example in John 3:16 we see the general call.  We preach the gospel to everyone, but, because of the depravity within them people don’t want to hear. But the effectual call is different.  It can be seen, for example, when one day, in Matthew 4:18-19, Jesus saw Peter and John fishing by the lake, and said to them, "Follow Me." And they did!  That’s the effectual call.

In Matthew 9:9 He saw Matthew sitting at the table at the receipt of custom, and He commanded him, "Arise, and follow Me," and Matthew arose and followed. That’s the effectual call. It is powerful!  So powerful that Matthew got up and left everything behind him. The one thing, however, Matthew brought with him was his pen and we are thankful for that.  The effectual call to the unsaved overwhelms the sinner’s inbuilt rebellion and they willingly place faith in Jesus Christ.

And that’s the Gospel Truth!