June 14th, 2026 - Determined to See Who Jesus Is

Jun 16, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Climbing Sycamores When Crowds Block Your View

Jericho’s wealthy elites ignored Zacchaeus, but his desperation drove him to climb a tree just to glimpse Jesus. Wealth couldn’t buy what he needed: a life changed by Christ. Like Zacchaeus, many face obstacles—social rejection, physical limitations, or shame—that whisper, "Jesus won’t notice you." Yet determination pushes through the noise, choosing humility over pride to pursue the One who sees beyond the crowd. [13:19]

He was trying to see who Jesus was, but because of the crowd he could not. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, since Jesus was about to pass that way. (Luke 19:3–4, ESV)

Reflection: What obstacle in your life—whether external criticism or internal doubt—feels like a crowd blocking your view of Jesus? How might Zacchaeus’ choice to climb inspire your next step?

Day 2: Known Before You Speak, Seen Before You Seek

Zacchaeus thought blending into Jericho’s crowd made him invisible. But Jesus stopped, looked up, and called his name. God’s knowledge isn’t general—He sees the quiet struggler, the one hiding in plain sight. Psalm 139 isn’t poetry for the masses but a promise to the individual: every thought, every hidden hurt, every unspoken prayer is intimately known. [10:49]

O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. (Psalm 139:1–3, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt overlooked or anonymous? How does it shift your perspective to know God calls you by name before you speak?

Day 3: Determination That Defies Reputation and Rejection

Zacchaeus’ past as a thief and traitor made him a social outcast. The crowd’s grumbling echoed his own fears: "Why would Jesus want you?" Yet determination isn’t deterred by reputation. Jesus didn’t wait for Zacchaeus to prove his worth—He invited Himself into the home of a man others called "unworthy," rewriting his story with grace. [23:34]

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1, ESV)

Reflection: Where does shame or others’ opinions make you hesitate to approach Jesus? What would it look like to let His call override those voices today?

Day 4: Seeking More Than Miracles, Finding Salvation

Zacchaeus didn’t ask for healing or wealth—he wanted Jesus Himself. Many seek God for temporary fixes, but Zacchaeus shows that true transformation starts when we crave the Savior, not just His gifts. Jesus’ response wasn’t a transaction but an invitation: salvation isn’t earned; it’s received by those who prioritize His presence over their agenda. [14:56]

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20, ESV)

Reflection: Are you seeking Jesus for what He can do, or for who He is? How might your prayers change if you focused first on knowing Him?

Day 5: Storms Crossed to Reach the Overlooked

Jesus braved a deadly storm to reach one demon-possessed man others had abandoned. Zacchaeus learned Christ’s determination isn’t general—it’s personal. He doesn’t settle for saving faceless crowds; He pursues individuals, even if it means facing rejection, storms, or a cross. Your value isn’t in your visibility but in His relentless love. [36:19]

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:18–19, ESV)

Reflection: When has Jesus surprised you by showing up in a storm or struggle? How can His determination to reach you deepen your trust in His care?

Sermon Summary

Jericho stands as a royal oasis, stacked with power and money, and almost no middle ground. Into that setting, Zacchaeus shows up as a chief tax collector, rich and despised, carrying two obstacles that stain his name and shrink his view: rejection from people and literal smallness that leaves him overlooked in the crowd. That social shame easily slides onto God in the mind: if people refuse him, maybe Jesus will too. But Psalm 139 answers the ache David-style: “You have searched me and known me.” God does not only love the world; God knows the person, the one who blends into the back row and wonders if anyone notices.

Zacchaeus refuses to let the crowd or his inner scripts win. He is determined to have a visitation from Jesus. Not for a miracle. Not for money. He seeks Jesus for Jesus. He runs ahead, climbs a tree, and risks looking foolish because a glimpse of Christ is worth the shame. Determination leads to change. Jesus does not ask the usual question, “What do you want me to do?” Jesus looks up, calls him by name, and invites himself in. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” It is Zacchaeus’s determination that gets him up the tree, and it is the love of Christ that gets him down, joyful, opened, ready for a new life.

That new life shows fruit, not purchase. Restitution flows out of salvation, not into it. The heart flips and immediately starts making wrongs right because grace has already arrived.

But the story does more. Zacchaeus wants to see who Jesus is, and the answer comes clear: Jesus is determined too. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The same word for Zacchaeus’s seeking names Christ’s mission. Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem. He sets it like flint. He walks ahead of the pack, pushes through rejection, demons, betrayal, beating, and the cross for the joy set before him. That determination is not just general; it is personal. As Zacchaeus seeks Jesus, Jesus seeks Zacchaeus. He will cross a storm for one tormented man among the tombs and then turn around and leave, because one person mattered that much. If he will go through the storm and the cross, he will get to the overlooked and the rejected. That pursuit births a mirror-image resolve in the church: be determined to get to Jesus for Jesus himself, and open the door when he calls by name.

Key Takeaways

1. Seek Jesus for Jesus alone. Zacchaeus chases no miracle and no payday. He wants Christ himself, and that hunger is the point where spiritual life actually begins. When Jesus becomes the prize, lesser gifts stop running the agenda, and the heart learns joy without bargaining. Seek the Giver, not just the gifts. [14:56]
2. Determination overcomes rejection and invisibility. The crowd blocks and his stature limits, but a climbed tree turns shame into a doorway. Determination refuses to let human verdicts write God’s verdict. The soul that says “I’ve gotta see Jesus” finds a way through the press and the noise. [06:59]
3. Jesus calls by name and enters. Christ sees the man no one will make space for and speaks his very name. He invites himself in, not to shame but to dwell, and the door swings on joy. Intimacy with God does not start with skill; it starts with being known and opening up. [22:23]
4. Christ sets his face to save. He is not casual about redemption. He fixes his gaze on Jerusalem, walks ahead, and bears the weight for the joy of doing the Father’s will. Salvation is free to sinners because it was costly to the Savior who would not turn his face. [27:40]
5. He crosses storms for one soul. Jesus sails into violent weather to reach a man everyone else chained and forgot. After the rescue, he leaves, showing the trip was for that one life. If he will face wind, waves, and devils for one, he will come for the hidden heart today. [36:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Jericho: royal and divided city
[01:08] - Zacchaeus: rich, hated, sinner
[02:06] - Determination to see Jesus
[03:32] - Blocked by crowd and rejection
[06:59] - Overlooked and unseen
[10:49] - Known by God: Psalm 139
[12:49] - I’ve gotta see Jesus
[14:56] - Seeking Jesus for Jesus
[20:24] - Determination leads to change
[22:23] - Called by name, door opened
[26:39] - Jesus seeks and saves the lost
[27:40] - Set his face like flint
[32:44] - Through the storm for one
[36:57] - Cross and storm for you

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 19:1-10 (ESV)
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Observation questions

What two obstacles did Zacchaeus face when trying to see Jesus, and how did he overcome them? [06:59]
How did Jesus respond differently to Zacchaeus compared to others who sought Him (e.g., not asking, “What do you want?”)? [20:24]
What immediate change occurred in Zacchaeus’s actions after Jesus called him by name? [25:21]
How does Psalm 139:1-6 address the fear of being overlooked or unknown by God? [10:49]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus have emphasized Zacchaeus’s identity as a “son of Abraham” (v. 9) after the crowd labeled him a “sinner”?
How does Zacchaeus’s determination to see Jesus “for Jesus alone” contrast with common motivations people have for seeking God today? [14:56]
The sermon states, “Restitution flows out of salvation, not into it.” What does this reveal about the relationship between grace and good works?
In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus crosses a storm to reach one tormented man. How does this story parallel Zacchaeus’s experience, and what does it teach about God’s pursuit of individuals? [36:19]

Application questions

What obstacles (external or internal) most often keep you from seeking Jesus wholeheartedly? How could Zacchaeus’s example inspire you to overcome them? [18:22]
Jesus called Zacchaeus by name, showing He knew him personally. When have you felt deeply known by God, and how does this truth reshape your view of prayer or worship? [22:23]
Zacchaeus prioritized seeing Jesus over his reputation. What practical step could you take this week to prioritize seeking Jesus Himself over secondary blessings (e.g., answers to prayer, comfort)?
The sermon says, “If [Jesus] will go through the storm and the cross, he will get to the overlooked and rejected.” Who in your life feels overlooked, and how can you reflect Christ’s determination to pursue them? [36:57]
Zacchaeus’s repentance led to immediate action. Is there a relationship, habit, or past wrong in your life where God is prompting you to “make things right” as fruit of His grace?

Sermon Clips

32s

#DeterminationToChange

“It was Zacchaeus' determination that got him up into that tree, and it was the love of Christ that got him down. Jesus. We need that kind of determination because it leads to change. Changes us for who we are. It's like he has had a change of heart. He said that he wanted to repay people and make things right. He he said that he would, like, repay back fourfold and all of that. He's willing to do it.”

38s

#SetHisFaceToJerusalem

“Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. Why? Because at Jerusalem was the cross where he was going. Jesus had a determination. I'm gonna make it to Jerusalem. I'm gonna make it to that cross because that's where the finish line is. That's where the goal is. That's it's the completion to fulfill my father's will. It's found there. And Jesus set his face to Jerusalem, and nothing was gonna hinder him. Nothing was gonna stop him. Nothing was gonna delay him. I'm making it to Jerusalem. He set his face to do that.”

50s

#FlintFaceDetermination

“Jesus set his face like flint to Jerusalem. That word flint, that that flint is something that's very tough. It's very hard, and it's used in scripture to to symbolize strength and determination. That's how Jesus' face was, determined to get to Jerusalem. That was the determination that Jesus had to save us. It might have been his joy, but it wasn't easy. Because he sets his face to Jerusalem in Luke chapter nine, and we read the stories. We continue on his journey to get from that point to the cross, we just see everything that Jesus had to go through.”

40s

#JesusGoesThroughAnything

“Jesus had a point, and it was to get to that guy because he loved him so much. But Zacchaeus found in Jesus when he says, I don't want to see Jesus. I need to see who Jesus is. You know who Jesus is? He's a determined man. He's determined that he's gonna get to you, get to you, get to get to me. And if he has to go through the storm, he'll go through the storm. If he has to go through the cross, he'll go through the cross. He'll do whatever it takes to get to me and you because he loves us that much. Hallelujah. Yeah. That is a praise to the lord right there. Yes. Hallelujah.”

35s

#OpenTheDoorToJesus

“Jesus, I'm at your door, Zacchaeus, because I care for yes. I know who you are. I know what you've done. I know all of these things. And you know what? I still want you. I'm inviting myself into your life, Zacchaeus. And all Zacchaeus had to do is open the door and let him in. And he did joyfully. He goes down that tree, and he joyfully accepts Jesus, receives Jesus. And Zacchaeus' life was forever changed.”

42s

#SeekingDeepChange

“The people always ask for tangible things, the healings and the miracles, but Zacchaeus was after something much deeper, something that would affect his spirit and his heart and soul, something he couldn't get on his soul himself. He was looking for change, and Jesus knew it. And Zacchaeus' determination led to that change. Again, Zacchaeus could have bought anything he wanted, but the thing that he needed the most, he couldn't buy himself. He couldn't get it himself. So his determination to get that Jesus led to that change.”

36s

#SalvationOverStuff

“Zacchaeus, he can get whatever he needed, but what he found out was the things that he could get or acquire on his own was no longer enough. He didn't need more things that he can get himself. What he needed was he needs something that he couldn't get himself and what Jesus was offering. Jesus is offering peace and joy and contentment and more than everything, salvation. And Zacchaeus couldn't buy any of that. He couldn't obtain any of that himself. I need to get this from Jesus.”

33s

#JesusCrossesStorms

“Jesus says, disciples, guys, let's get in the boat. We need to go to the other side. But there's a storm coming. That's okay. We can't what in the world is possessing Jesus so much they get to the other side? There's a guy on the other side who needs me. There's someone on the other side who needs to be set free. Someone on the other side who needs a visitation from Jesus. And Jesus was so determined. He's gonna get to the other side. He said, I don't care if I go through all the storms. I will go through the storms for him.”

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Inspiration Church Colorado Springs, CO This sermon · AI assistant

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June 14th, 2026 - Determined to See Who Jesus Is

Devotional

Day 1: Climbing Sycamores When Crowds Block Your View

Day 2: Known Before You Speak, Seen Before You Seek

Day 3: Determination That Defies Reputation and Rejection

Day 4: Seeking More Than Miracles, Finding Salvation

Day 5: Storms Crossed to Reach the Overlooked

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

June 14th, 2026 - Determined to See Who Jesus Is

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