[0:00] Luke chapter 18.
[0:16] Last week we started talking about people whose names we do not know.! Luke chapter 18 we talk about the Pharisee and the publican.
[0:35] Two men who we don't know their name but they teach us some lessons that God wants us to know. Look at beginning at verse 9. He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.
[0:51] And we talked about that. They trusted in themselves. Go ahead. Go ahead. Angela's phone is like, oh, I've got to turn the things on. Verse 10.
[1:01] Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
[1:19] I fast twice in the week. I give tithes to all that I possess. And the publican stood afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
[1:34] I tell you, this man went up into his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
[1:47] Let's have a word of prayer. Father, we just thank you for this time, Lord, to look into this part of your word. Lord, to be reminded of what kind of attitude we should have when we come before you.
[2:03] Lord, to be reminded of what kind of attitude we should have when we approach the throne of grace. Lord, help us to be humble. Help us to be coming with an attitude of reverence before you.
[2:19] Lord, just minister to our hearts this morning as we look at this passage. Lord, help us to understand what it is you are doing for us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
[2:30] Amen. So we talked about the fact that, you know, there's only one of us. We're all different. We all come to God in different ways. And here's these two men.
[2:41] They're coming up to the temple. They're coming from different perspectives, different backgrounds, but they're coming to do basically the same thing in general.
[2:51] Look at verse 10 again. Two men went up into the temple to pray. One a Pharisee and one a publican. They're going there to pray. They're going there to worship. But the attitude with which they come is totally different.
[3:07] And God points that out to us. He says in verse 9 again, they spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous.
[3:19] He's talking to people who are trusting in themselves. I can do what I need to be saved. I can do what I need to do in order to be forgiven of sin. I can do what I need to do in order to approach God.
[3:31] I can take care of me. And he says, no, no, no. That's the wrong way. That was the way of the Pharisee. Notice, first of all, the religious display he puts on. He puts on this religious display of how good he is.
[3:44] Later on, when Matthew's talking, Matthew writes in chapter 23, in verse 25, he says, Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites!
[3:59] For you may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Then in verse 27 he says, Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites!
[4:11] For you are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness.
[4:22] So Matthew 23, 25 through 28. You can read about that and what he was talking about. He calls them hypocrites. You're coming to me saying how good you are, but you look good on the outside, but on the inside.
[4:37] It's a whole other story. And in Jeremiah 17, 9, it says, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
[4:47] Who can know it? So that was Jeremiah 17, 9. So he's talking about this Pharisee and the way that he is coming. He's trying to make himself look good for people, but God knows the heart.
[5:01] And we need to be so very careful when we come to God. God knows what we are on the inside. We can look good, but what are we on the inside? Then you have the publican coming with a repentant desire.
[5:16] A repentant desire. You think about this publican. Anytime you see the word publican in the Bible, somewhere nearby usually he's talking about sin.
[5:29] Publicans were considered sinners. Publicans, remember, were tax collectors who were Jewish people who worked for the Roman government and collected taxes, which wasn't necessarily wrong in itself, although the Jewish people thought it was wrong because they're helping out the Romans.
[5:44] But the problem was they would add two. Your taxes should be $50, but I'm going to ask you for $70 because I want $20 for me.
[5:56] And they would do that to everybody. So they became very wealthy because of cheating people, basically, and collecting more than the taxes. And here's this unnamed publican, and he's coming to the temple to pray too, but he's not coming to boast about himself and how good he is.
[6:12] He knows he's not. He's coming because he knows he's a sinner and because he knows he needs forgiveness. You know, that's the way God wants us to come is with a humble attitude.
[6:25] In Romans chapter 8, verse 15, it says, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[6:38] The Spirit of self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Then there are children, then heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus. And that's the attitude he's coming with is, I want to be a child of God.
[6:49] I want to have God living within me. I want to have God showing me the direction to go. And then we talked about last week a comparison mistake.
[7:00] A comparison mistake. See, the Pharisee, instead of looking at God as what his standards should be, he was looking at people. I'm so much better than that guy.
[7:13] You know, a lot of people do that, don't they? I'm so much better than that guy. But that's not the standard that God has for us. We talked about Peter. After Peter had denied Christ, and Christ meets them on the beach there next to the Sea of Galilee, and he'd ask Peter about, Peter, do you love me?
[7:36] Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? After that's over, and Peter's okay, then God, Jesus, tells him about how he's going to leave this earth.
[7:51] How he's going to die. And Peter's okay with it. Peter's like, all right, yep, I'm going to follow you no matter what. If this is what you want, this is what I'm willing to do.
[8:03] But as soon as he gets done, what does Peter do next? He gets all done talking to Jesus, and he's like, okay, I'm willing to do that. Then he looks up and he sees John, and he goes, what about him?
[8:16] See, we always get to the point where it's like, yeah, okay, God, yeah, okay, I can do, yeah, mm-hmm. But what about him? What about her? What about, and Jesus tells him, John chapter 21, verses 19, 20, and 21, of John 21.
[8:36] He says, what about this guy? And what was Jesus' answer to him? Verse 22, John 21, 22. Jesus said unto him, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
[8:53] Follow me. It doesn't matter what other people have or don't have or what's going to happen. He says, what's your relationship with me? How are we?
[9:05] And in this case, this Pharisee, when he comes to the temple, he does a self-centered prayer. Did you catch that? Verse 11, Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself.
[9:19] He's talking to himself, basically. He's trying to tell himself that he's okay. I thank God that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this publican.
[9:38] I thank God I am so much better than that. Real humble attitude, huh? He really understands the things of the Lord, doesn't he? And here he is trying to pray.
[9:51] But I can tell you that God is not part of that prayer meeting. See, prayer isn't us talking to God to do what we want. Prayer is God getting us to become like him and do what he wants.
[10:08] When I go to prayer, I'm going to prayer to talk to God, tell him the things I need and things like that. But more importantly, I'm going to God saying, God, what did Jesus say before he went to the cross?
[10:21] Not my will, but thine be done. God, I want to do what you have for me. Which brings us to where we left off last week. Come to a place where this guy is trying to position himself.
[10:36] So supreme positioning. I'm trying to point to the fact that I am better than everybody else. I am so, I'm doing all these different things and stuff.
[10:46] I have a pretty good standing in front of God, don't I? He's trying to do that. And again, verse 11, he talks about, you know, he's praying with himself. I'm not like this publican.
[10:58] See, when we start comparing ourselves to our neighbors, people we work with, the average person on the street, people in church. When we start comparing ourselves, we've missed the point.
[11:13] What's the standard? Jesus. Jesus is the standard. So when we start comparing ourselves to others, we have this standard.
[11:23] Here's Jesus. That's what we're supposed to be shooting for. But I say, no, I'm going to compare myself to this publican. I'm not even going to go to the other Christians and stuff. I'm going for this publican guy down here.
[11:35] I'm better than him. Well, that's a pretty low bar to try to cross. But that's what he was trying to do. And God says, look, no. Jesus is the standard.
[11:46] In Romans chapter 3, 10 through 12, As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.
[11:57] Why can you compare yourself to these people who are not righteous? The standard is Jesus. He goes on, verse 11 of Romans 3. There is none that understandeth.
[12:09] There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
[12:20] He says, don't be comparing yourself to other people. Other people are sinners, just like you. So don't be comparing yourself to them. There's none that are righteous.
[12:33] Jesus is the righteous one. We need to be following him. Matter of fact, later on there in verse, chapter 3 of Romans, verse 23, one you know well. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
[12:49] All have sinned. Steve Hursey has sinned. Now Charlotte's just nice, sweet as one of the people you ever want to meet.
[13:01] Charlotte has sinned and come short of the glory of God. Chuck, we don't have so much trouble understanding. Chuck, he doesn't sin, he comes short of the glory. He says, oh, all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
[13:17] So how can we use another person to be the standard by which we go by? We can't. See, in Romans chapter 12, verse 48, it says this, He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him.
[13:37] The word which I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. See, I'm going to be judged someday. And I'm not going to be judged by how I compare to Kathy.
[13:51] I'm not going to be judged by how I compare to Jared. He says, there's one that's going to judge. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
[14:06] He says the word. That's the standard. And what does the Bible tell us about the word? In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
[14:18] So this word that we have from God, that's the standard that we have to go by. So what happens? This Pharisee tries to give this glowing report about who he is.
[14:36] I have it on this thing up here as a soothing betrayal. Betrayal. A really good verse for all of us is 2 Corinthians 10, 12. For we dare not make ourselves of a number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves.
[14:52] But they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. Are not wise. And what's that? 1 Corinthians? 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 10, 12.
[15:02] Yes. Don't be comparing yourself to others. Compare yourself to God's standard. So here's this Pharisee, and here's what he does. He gives this portrayal of who he is.
[15:16] Notice what it says in verse 12 of Luke 18. Luke 18, verse 12. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes at all I possess. I'm a good guy.
[15:28] Look at what I do. And he should do those things. God had told him to do, you know, to tithe. He told him to, you know, fast. He told him different things to do.
[15:40] And he was doing those things. That's great. But that doesn't save you. God said do it. That's obeying commands that God gave you. You know, so often we try to look at ourselves and say, look at all that I am giving to God.
[16:00] Look at all that I am doing for God. You know, that's good. And God is aware of what you're doing for him. But God is also aware of what you're keeping back from him.
[16:13] Let that sink in for a minute. He says, look, I'm giving you all of these different things. I'm giving you the tithes.
[16:25] I'm giving you the fasting. I'm doing all of those things for you. But God also knew what he was keeping back. Remember Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5?
[16:41] We're going to give this and this and oh, we're giving on. But God knew what they were holding back. He knew what they were not doing.
[16:52] You know, God wants us to be more like Isaiah. Remember Isaiah chapter 6? And Isaiah says, I saw the Lord high and lifted up.
[17:03] His train filled the temple. And you come down to verse 5 there of Isaiah 6. And he says, then said I, woe is me, for I am undone. Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
[17:16] For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. I have seen God. I have seen who he is. I have seen what he does. I have seen how he handles things.
[17:26] I have seen how he works with me. Woe is me. To have such a great God concerned about me when I'm basically nothing.
[17:40] When I compare myself to that standard, he says no. Then we change to the contrite man.
[17:51] The contrite man. We go to this unnamed publican, and we look at him. And we see one of the key things about this man is the component of humility.
[18:06] As opposed to the Pharisee who's promoting himself. Look at all I've done. Look at all this stuff. The publican's going, you know what? Look at verse 13.
[18:18] Look at verse 13. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breath, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
[18:32] You ever notice the people that God will use? There seems to be that component of humility. I understand what God is doing.
[18:45] I understand who God is. I understand how God is working. I understand why it's all about God and not about me. Very familiar verse to most of you.
[18:58] 2 Chronicles 7, 14. If my people, which are called by my name, okay, Christians, Jews in this case, but Christians, if they'll humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
[19:20] Humble themselves and pray and seek his face and turn from their wicked ways. He says, those people, they're going to see God working in their life.
[19:33] Then, besides having that component of humility, it's taking that humility and realizing, I can't do it on my own. So then I make a cry for help.
[19:44] A cry for help. Again, in verse 13, the end of the verse, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
[19:54] God loves those words. God loves it when we understand that we need him. He loves it when we understand we cannot do it on our own.
[20:08] We need his help. Ephesians 2, 8, 9. Again, familiar verses. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.
[20:20] Not of works, lest any man should boast. He says, I am saved through faith because of God's gift of grace to me. And it's not anything that I have done.
[20:32] It's not of works, lest any man should boast. I did not save myself. I did not do anything to earn my salvation. I did not do anything that's going to get me into heaven.
[20:46] God did it all. Then we realize we have to be completely dependent on him. 2 Corinthians 3, 5. 2 Corinthians 3, 5 says, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.
[21:06] He says, nothing we've done, our sufficiency is of God. John 15, 5. John 15, 5 says, I am the vine, ye are the branches.
[21:17] He that abideth in me, and I in him. The same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me, ye can do nothing. You can't do anything without God's help. You can't do anything without God's power.
[21:29] You can't do anything without God's presence. He says, it's all about him. And we need to realize that, that it's not of us, it's of him.
[21:41] You know, sometimes we think our cry to God might be in vain. But God is always listening. God is always there, ready to help.
[21:54] Micah 7, 18. Micah 7, 18, it says this. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, forgives sin, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?
[22:12] He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. God delights in showing us mercy. God delights in showing us that he is a forgiving heart, a forgiving spirit.
[22:27] He is delights in showing us that, you know what? Yes, you have messed up time and time and time and time and time again. But I'm willing to work with you.
[22:38] I'm willing to help you. I'm willing to forgive you. And we trust in him. Deuteronomy 4, 29. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him.
[22:52] If thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. He says God's ready to help if you're looking for him, if you're keeping your eyes on him, if you're taking care.
[23:06] A fourth thing, the measurement, the clear measurement that God has for them. The Pharisee, again, was using a false measurement. He was comparing himself to others.
[23:18] And when we do that, we get the wrong idea. We get the wrong measurement, because we're measuring ourselves against people. Not against God's standard. Back in the Old Testament and New Testament times, there were people who owned stores and stuff.
[23:37] But they would have measures, whether they be weights or measurements, that were false. Weight a little bit more, weight a little bit less. So that they could make deals based on those measurements and make money.
[23:52] Whether they were long enough or short, a little bit short, a little bit long. They would do those things and try to make money. And using those false measurements, God was not pleased.
[24:05] God called them on it. Matter of fact, Proverbs 20, verse 10. Proverbs 20, verse 10 says, Divers' weights and divers' measures. Both of them are like abomination to the Lord.
[24:20] He says, whether you're using false weights or false measurements, whatever you're doing, he says, those are an abomination to God. And this public, a Pharisee, was using a false measurement.
[24:32] He was using people, not God, as his measurement of whether he was right or wrong, whether he could go to be what God wanted him to be or not, if he was being righteous or not.
[24:50] God says, look, you want to be justified? You want to be just as if I'd never sinned? You want to be cleansed? You want to be what God wants you to be? It's pronounced, first of all, by Jesus Christ.
[25:01] Jesus is the one who determines if we are what we're supposed to be. He's the measurement we go by. And look at what he says in verse 14.
[25:12] Luke 18, verse 14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.
[25:22] The publican, the sinner, was going down to his house just as if I'd never sinned. Rather than the Pharisee who was promoting himself and all that he had done.
[25:38] Jesus is no Republican. He's the one who understands. He's the one that's doing it right. He's trusting in me and doing it that way. You know.
[25:48] We think about the thief on the cross next to Jesus. You know, they had robbed.
[25:59] They had hurt people. They deserved. And one man understood that. The other one's like ridiculing him. What do you mean? If he's who he says he is, he can get us down off here and everything.
[26:11] The other man's like, no, he doesn't belong here. He's a righteous man. Comparing myself to him, I belong here. He doesn't. You know, you think about that.
[26:23] Luke chapter 23, verse 42. He said, and he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. You know, there was nothing that thief could do.
[26:34] There was nothing. He couldn't bring himself down off that cross. He couldn't reform himself. He couldn't go and start going to church and do it. He was only on the cross and he's dying. But his standard became him.
[26:48] He. He's done nothing wrong. I trust in him and what he has done. Verse 43 of Luke 23. He says, Jesus said unto him, verily, I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise.
[27:04] You know. We say that we're Christians. Does God? Say that we're Christians. Are we trusting in him and what he has done?
[27:19] Not in what we say we have done. Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 7. Verse 22 and 23. Many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, I prophesied in thy name.
[27:31] And in thy name have cast out devils. And in thy name have done many wonderful works. Then said I. Then I will profess to them. I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that were connected.
[27:43] Can you imagine? Matthew 7. 22 and 23. Can you imagine? Lord, I've done this and I've done that and I've done the other thing.
[27:56] This Pharisee. Lord, I've fasted and I've given. You know, I've paid my tithes. I've done this and this and this and this. Don't know you. Nope.
[28:06] Don't remember that. Don't. Mm. Imagine. Can you imagine a wake-up call that's going to be? But by then it's too late. And then notice, just for alliteration sake, the jarring paradox.
[28:25] The jarring paradox. What does that mean? Well, look at the end of verse 14. For everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased.
[28:36] And he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Trying to lift myself up. Look, God. Look how good I am. Look at it. And he says, you're going to be abased.
[28:48] Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. He says, that one's going to be exalted. Put it in today's sayings.
[29:00] The way up is down. The way up is down. Lord, I humble myself before you. I recognize that you.
[29:11] I recognize that no man comes unto the Father but by you. There's nothing I do, nothing I've done. It's you. And I come that way. One guy's illustrated this way.
[29:25] We like to look at the ladder of success. We're working our way up the ladder of success. And I can step on people. I can step on events.
[29:36] I can step on things to get myself to the top. He says, as Publican learned, I just get on the first step. Just go right there to the bottom.
[29:48] And God has a way of just taking the ladder and going, I'm now at the top. I just started out. Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.
[30:01] I am now at the top of the ladder. You know, we need to make sure that we understand that from these two guys, do not be caught up in ourselves.
[30:19] God does the work. My job is to recognize God and what he does and leave it in his hands.
[30:30] Let him take care of it. So here's two guys. We don't know their names, but they've taught us some valuable lessons. I can promote myself and I can tell you how great I am and all the things I've done.
[30:44] Or I can say, God, it's all up to you because I'm so bad. Because there is none righteous, no not one. Make sure we keep our focus where it belongs.
[30:56] Not on me. Not on you. But on God. On God. Let's have a word of prayer. Father, pray that you...