Overcoming Obstacles
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Nehemiah 4: 1 – 14
Luke 19: 1 – 10
The New Testament in a Year sermon series
Joyce Mlenga, Westminster Presbyterian, Chehalis, WA
October 9, 2011
Followers of Christ will not always have an easy path in fulfilling their mission to serve Christ. When we have the greatest desire to achieve our mission the devil puts some stumbling blocks to stop us from moving forward or to grow in our faith. Today we are looking at a story of a man called Zacchaeus who had a Mission: He wanted to see Jesus. Unfortunately there were a lot of obstacles on his way to attain his goal. Let us see how he dealt with the obstacles that came his way. Did he give up or triumph over them?
His mission: Seeking to see who Jesus was
The following were the obstacles:
- Obstacle 1 to seeking Jesus: Status. v.2
- He was a chief tax collector. Tax collectors were thought to be sinners and were normally grouped with immoral people, and likened to Gentiles. The Pharisee in his prayer in the temple contrasts himself to this ‘tax collector’ (Luke 18:11). Tax collectors were notorious for cheating the general public to fatten their pockets. They could enrich themselves through dishonesty (Luke 3: 12-13). The text, of course, does not explicitly say that he cheated anyone but that was the general perception.
Being a chief tax collector implied that he was a ‘chief’ sinner and not worthy to come near Jesus; he was a social outcast. Tax collectors were thought to be people who could not be easily convinced to repent their sins. Therefore, they were not really expected to have any dealings with Jesus.
What did he do? He still went ahead with his mission and ignored people’s perceptions about him. He was aware of all of the perceptions but he did not allow them to stop him from achieving his goal.
- Obstacle 2 to seeking Jesus: Stature v. 3
- He wanted to see Jesus but there was a large crowd following Jesus and this made it difficult for him to see Jesus because he was short. This was a good enough reason for him to give up on his mission. But he didn’t.
- He thought of a solution to his problem; he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus. He ran ahead like a small boy, ignoring the fact that he was the ‘chief’ among tax collectors, to where he knew Jesus would pass v.4. But Jesus noticed Zacchaeus in the tree and invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house. Definitely he had an ‘excellent’ view of Jesus right in his house!
- He who sought to see Jesus was seen and saved by Jesus. He got a bonus – salvation!
- Obstacle 3 to seeking Jesus: Public Opinion v. 7
- Opposition and criticism from the crowd would have intimidated Zacchaeus, but he welcomed Jesus to his home gladly and dined with him. Here he was, a social outcast being offered the opportunity to host one of the most famous men in the country. What a blessing he would have missed if he allowed the crowd to be a stumbling block. He did not care about what others said but the important thing was that his mission was accomplished.
- Jesus loves us whether others approve or not. Perhaps the people were jealous that the honor of Jesus’ presence goes to such an unworthy citizen. And perhaps they think less of Jesus for associating with people like Zacchaeus.
Lesson for us
- The Lord has a beautiful plan for each believer’s life. But to frustrate God’s purposes, Satan sprinkles obstacles in our path. Obstacles range from broken relationships, rebellious children, economic hardships, poor health, poverty, death of loved one, a difficult boss, you name it! For instance, we have several challenges at University of Livingstonia, College of Education where I teach, but we know that we have a mission (training students to be principled leaders to transform the society to the glory of God) and these challenges/obstacles should not stop us from achieving God’s purpose. We face obstacles such as:
- Finances: As much as we would want to have many students at the College, many are not able to come because they can’t pay the fees.
- Distance: A distance of three hours each way to the nearest city makes it difficult for the college to get adjunct faculty to teach for us.
- There is acute shortage of fuel (gas) in Malawi this makes our life and that of our students difficult.
These are some of the obstacles we face. But what should we do? Give up on our mission? No. All these should become stepping stones to achieving our mission.
- Zacchaeus made effort to realize his desire despite the obstacles. We also need to do likewise.
- Anything that blocks a desired goal can cause anxiety and great frustration. Often quitting seems like the right thing to do. But, using Winston Churchill’s words, I would like to encourage you to never, never, never give up. We should keep on keeping on. Jack Penn once said, “One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.”
- Nothing is impossible with God. Where there is a will there is a way. It is not always that God takes away obstacles in our time, but he does take care of some of the obstacles. For example, due to limitations in infrastructure, communication was a big challenge for our college but now we have the internet service.
- The good thing is that our God promised that he shall never leave us alone. “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Mt. 28: 20. What comfort this gives us with the ups and downs of life!
- Whenever you face an obstacle, you may experience great heartache. But even in the midst of pain, you can have full confidence in God. The most important part of each day is the time you spend alone with the Lord. He will encourage you with His love and give you wisdom for overcoming obstacles.
Let me conclude by reading a poem from an unknown author:
“When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things go wrong that you must not quit.”
~ Unknown
So, dear friends, we need to hang in there and not give up. Zacchaeus persisted through every obstacle and came out victorious because he had a burning desire to see Jesus. Let us also persist in serving God regardless of the obstacles we may face, and God will bless us.
