Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.
I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.
Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.
This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.
Let's dive in together into God's Word.
Well, good morning, everyone.
How's the time change?
So some of us absolutely like the time change, some of us don't, and I'm reminded how in Hawaii there is no time change.
So for those of us who visit or have any relatives in Hawaii, it stays constant every single time.
So that's pretty cool for that.
Well, today, we are going to do, we're continuing our sermon series through the parables that's found in Scripture.
We've been going through the Gospel of Matthew, where we've gone over quite a few parables.
The parable of the net for last Sunday, if you remember.
Someone who was casting the net into the sea, pulling up fish and separating it, representing the final judgment that we see that is directly tied into Revelation 20,
which is really awesome when you start seeing connections not only throughout the bulk of Scripture,
but also even in books that sometimes cause controversy, such as Revelation.
But it's still part of the Word of God, and it's still important for us to read, to discover, to learn, to observe, and to apply to our very lives.
And so today, we are going to go over to the Gospel of Luke.
And it's going to be Luke chapter 18, verses 9 through 14, if you want to turn there.
You are welcome to use the ESV Pew Bible that's on page 1042, or whatever mobile device, or whatever Bible translation of your choice.
You know, one thing that's always, has been very interesting.
How many of you? I want to ask all of you.
How many of you have met someone that you just know they like to boast?
Some of us don't know anybody like that. I'm sure you do.
We've all met someone like that.
Someone that's very arrogant.
Someone that's very proud.
Especially those kind of people where they like to one-up you.
You tell them one story of something that's going on.
Well, I know something. Let me tell you what happened the other day.
Ah, your story's not that significant.
We've met people like that.
We find that not only in people that we interact with on a personal level, but also when we consider these little fun guys known as our phones.
We look at, you know, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X.
People that are living their best lives, right?
When really what they're doing is setting up an image to make it look better than what's actually going on.
Let's be honest here, right?
It's just like how if you have someone that's coming to visit your house and you've got to clean up really quick so you sweep things under the rug to put your best foot forward, and rightfully so.
But for many of us, we know someone who loves, who's very prideful, very arrogant, and loves to just constantly compare themselves to you.
And what we're going to find in Scripture today is that Jesus tells a parable about two men who come before God in prayer.
One of them is filled with arrogance, with pride, and the other one is filled with humility.
And it is one of them who leaves and is justified.
Let's pray together, and we'll go ahead and read this verse together.
Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we are grateful that we are here today in this time and in this place with this time change.
We are reminded that you are the God of all time and of every season.
We certainly appreciate when the seasons change and things begin to warm up, but we are reminded that you are the God of all.
Father, we ask that you are with us in this time and in this place.
May we all recognize that you are the Lord of all.
And I pray that no matter where anyone here today is on life's journey, may they come to you.
And may they do life living and loving like you.
Father, we've been going over these parables.
May we have ears that listen to you.
May we have eyes to see the truth and the beauty of what you provide for us.
And also, may we have our hearts ready to receive your word and to live in love like you.
It is in the name of Jesus that we pray together and we all say together, amen.
Amen.
All right.
So the Gospel of Luke, like I said, we've been going through the Gospel of Matthew for a lot of their parables.
Now we're in the Gospel of Luke, page 1042.
We're going to start at verse 9 here, 9 through 14.
We all there?
All right.
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt.
Two men went up into the temple to pray.
One of them was a what?
A Pharisee.
And the other was what?
A tax collector.
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus,
God, I thank you that I'm not like other men.
I'm not like those extortioners, the unjust, the adulterers.
This is my favorite part.
Or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week.
And I give tithes of all that I get.
So we have the scene of the Pharisee right there.
But what about the tax collector?
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,
but beat his breast, saying, saying what?
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
I want you to picture the scene here.
You have two men that are going to the temple.
And one of them, what's very interesting,
when the Jewish people would go to the temple to pray,
they would look up to the heavens.
And so I want you to imagine someone who's finely dressed,
standing by himself, praying,
God, I thank you that I'm not like these other men.
I'm not like the adulterers.
I'm not like the extortioners.
And I'm certainly not like this tax collector.
You can get an idea of how he is posturing himself,
how he's positioning himself.
And we also can think about the posture of his heart.
We then can see that there is this tax collector.
Now, for many of us, we may know that the tax collectors
were not really viewed upon highly in society.
I mean, if you don't know that, you should know that.
And we can think right off the bat.
We can think of maybe people that are outcasts in society even today.
I mean, tax collectors may not have the greatest viewing even today.
So imagine this tax collector.
He's going into the temple.
Now, it was customary for, again,
the Jewish people to stand when they're praying.
But he's not lifting his eyes up towards heaven.
But instead, as it says in the scripture here,
he is saying,
standing far off would not even lift his eyes to heaven.
So instead of looking up in reverence, as it were,
he beats his chest,
saying what, church?
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
And even in that verse, you see that it says,
the language is saying that he stood far off.
Now, that's kind of an interesting one.
There's some debate on scholars on what that means.
Some of them say,
well, the tax collector was completely away from this Pharisee.
Maybe the Pharisee looked at him funny.
You guys have had those moments in life before
where you can tell someone's judging you.
Maybe the tax collector was far off from the Pharisee
because he wanted nothing to do with him.
It's also been stated,
again, there's some debate on this,
but we can think nonetheless,
that the tax collector was in the outer courts.
That instead, he was far off,
not just from the tax collector,
but from the presence of God.
That he felt convicted, as it were.
He felt the weight of the wrong that he had done.
In other words, he felt humble before God.
And he's praying this prayer,
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
Isn't that like what we would call a sinner's prayer?
I mean, a form of one, at least.
And we see that this parable
is kind of smashed into a couple things that are going on.
The first being the parable of the persistent widow,
which we're not going into today.
But the parable of the persistent widow
is talking about humility.
The widow that's constantly going before the judge
and asking for justice,
humbling herself before the judge.
Here, we're seeing humility of the tax collector.
And then further on,
when it's talking about,
let the children come to me,
we have all heard that before, pretty much, right?
Let the children come to me,
because the mind of a child
is in awe and in wonder of the Lord.
And to think that we are to have
a similar mind of a child
can be very challenging for us.
But it's still showing this connection
with humility.
So the Pharisee stands by himself
and he prays about himself,
that he is boasting his own ego.
And he's listing his religious accomplishments,
saying that he fasts twice a week,
which is above the requirement,
and gave a tenth of all that he had
beyond what the law required.
And he's justifying himself by comparison,
rather than by humbling himself before God.
The tax collector, on the other hand,
humble and repentant.
Again, he's standing at a distance.
His eyes are downcast.
He beats his chest,
which is a sign of deep sorrow.
When we think about that.
And prays but the simplest prayer.
Not about his accomplishments,
but coming before the Lord.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
And for those of you who love the Greek,
he's saying,
make atonement for me.
Right?
Again, think of the humility in that.
And we find that in that verse 14,
where Christ is saying,
I tell you that this man,
the tax collector,
rather than the other,
went home justified before God.
And it's this idea
that the one who humbles themself
will be exalted,
and the one that exalts themself
will be humbled.
It's this very idea, church,
about the posture of the heart.
It's not about what we do
or our accomplishments.
Rather,
it's about us coming before the Lord.
And so when we look at this then,
what can we learn from this?
I mean, not only can we,
I want you to consider this on the screen,
but also think for a moment,
this parable is more common.
We can think of the tax collectors
that exist in the world today,
and the Pharisees that exist in the world today.
How many of us,
well, you don't have to raise your hand here,
but you might know a Pharisee
who's more interested on the things
that they have accomplished
rather than coming before the Lord
and relying on Him.
Some of us may know the tax collectors.
We may know the outcasts of society
who are coming before the Lord
just wanting to be in His presence,
to be close to Him.
Can we think about people like that?
I'm sure that for all of us
in our own network,
our own friends and families,
co-workers, students and teachers,
we can think of people
who can fit that kind of mold.
And so what we can learn from this then,
number one,
is that grace matters more than works.
We think about it,
us as Christians today,
as opposed to what was happening back then,
is that the Jewish people
would constantly go into the temple
for the forgiveness of sins.
As Christians today,
we know that Christ,
Jesus paid it all, right?
Like that song says,
all to Him I owe.
And so we recognize
that there's that sense of humility
before God that existed then
and certainly can exist now
and does exist now.
That we need Jesus Christ in our life.
And it's knowing
that God extends that invitation
to every single one of us.
And it's the question of
if we respond to that invitation,
humbling ourselves before God.
recognizing that we need
that which is higher,
that which is greater than us.
And so in this,
the grace that comes from God
is more powerful than what we can do.
Can you imagine for a moment?
Imagine for just a second here
if heaven was filled with only the rich.
man,
talk about arrogance, right?
Who gave more?
Who had more?
But instead,
instead of what we can do,
it is what Christ has done for you
by His death on the cross.
Knowing that salvation
is not contingent on how much money you have.
It's not contingent on
where you come from,
what you have gone through
or what you're going through,
how many degrees you may have.
And let's face it,
in the world that we live in,
we live in a world
where it's all about
stacking things up, right?
I don't want one Ferrari,
I want five of them.
I don't want five houses,
I want 50 houses.
Right?
I mean,
sometimes,
I'll be very honest,
when I go on YouTube
or TikTok,
I sometimes see videos,
I got my third master's degree
and I'm on my way
to my second doctorate's.
Cool.
Good for you, man.
But that's the kind of world
that we live in.
Where people like to,
and,
that's the world we live in.
People like to showcase
their accomplishments.
But when it comes to salvation
that comes from the Lord,
it's a very different situation
about what God has done for us
rather than what we can do.
The second thing being,
this one's a little harder, right?
Comparing our faith with others' faith
is what, church?
It's foolish, right?
And not only can we think about this
in our own accomplishments,
my dad used to tell me
when I was very young,
don't compare yourself with others
because there will always be
someone better than you,
especially how you define better, right?
So not only is that unhealthy
when we're constantly comparing ourselves
with others' accomplishments,
who makes more,
who does more,
who's stronger,
et cetera, et cetera,
but when it comes to our own faith,
I pray that every single one of you
come to know who Jesus Christ is.
For many of us,
we may be on a journey
seeking to find truth.
And I pray that your pursuit of truth
will be coming to find
that Jesus is the way,
the truth,
and the life.
And upon believing in Christ
and being saved,
may your journey be one
that is in Christ.
Being molded by him,
right?
Just as I've mentioned before,
that God is the potter
and we are the clay,
the work of his hands.
May God mold you
and transform you
into who the Lord wants you to be.
That's the beautiful thing
about being a Christian.
Not only the greatest thing,
that we receive salvation,
that we will have eternal life,
but that God transforms
our very lives.
How many of you know someone
that wasn't a Christian
and became a Christian
and you saw drastic changes
in their life?
I know I have.
You don't have to raise your hand,
but I'm sure,
I hope you know someone like that.
Maybe that's yourself
that has gone through
such a transition.
And so comparing our faith
with others' faith
is foolish.
In 2 Corinthians 10, verse 12,
there's a mentioning
where the apostle Paul
rebukes false teachers
who define righteousness
by human comparison.
We can also see
how in Scripture
there's this constant
obsessive comparison disorder,
as it were.
People constantly comparing themselves
nowadays in the world
that we live in,
but also even in Scripture.
You know, Cain and Abel.
Right?
Or we can think of Jonah,
how he had a hardened heart
towards the city of Nineveh.
Or you can even think
of the elder brother,
right?
The prodigal son.
You can think about that.
There's many times in Scripture
where we see this.
And so we have to remember,
the Pharisee felt
that he was justified
by what he was doing.
Being prideful and arrogant
by what he accomplished
rather than the mercy
that comes from the Lord.
And the third thing
is that salvation
comes through faith,
humility to God.
It is the recognizing.
When we believe in Christ,
it's believing in the death,
the burial,
and the resurrection of Christ.
Do you realize
that it's acknowledging
the power that comes
from the Lord?
That the power of God
is far greater
than what we can do.
I mean,
if you think about
the miracles of Christ,
turning water to wine,
walking on water,
healing the sick,
raising people
from the dead,
we don't have
that kind of power,
let's be honest.
And if you think you do,
I'll talk to you later
after it.
The reality is,
it's showing the power
that comes from the Lord.
That God is far beyond
our understanding.
His power,
His mercy,
His healing,
His presence
is far greater
than we could understand
or we could ever do.
Is that not humility?
Is that not recognizing
that,
hey, look,
I can't do it on my own.
I need you, God.
Be merciful to me,
a sinner.
For we are all sinners
that are in need
of a Savior.
Savior.
And when we believe
in Jesus Christ,
yes,
it is the changing
of the mind,
but it's recognizing
the power
and the glory
and the truth
that come from Christ.
And so,
many of you know
the Ephesians chapter 2
verses 8 through 9.
Don't forget that verse 10
that comes after it.
Many of you can quote it verbatim.
For by grace
you have been saved, right?
Not of works
so that no one may boast, right?
That verse 10
speaks to the idea
of works
because there's some people
that believe,
well, you're saved by grace.
I'm good to go.
There's still a call
for us to grow in the Lord
and to do good
in His name.
Where it says
the language in there,
we are His workmanship
created in Jesus Christ
for good works.
Saved by grace
through faith, right?
So that no one can boast,
no one can compare themselves.
And we are created
so that
we can do good
in the name of Christ.
That then comes
to the application
then of,
okay,
so we've gone over
a parable
where there's this Pharisee
who's just puffed up
with pride
and this tax collector
and there's things
that we can learn.
Let us always remember
when we come together,
we should come together
united in Christ,
opening the Word of God
as the source,
learning lessons
for our own growth
and development,
but let us not forget
the application.
How can I live
and apply this
to my very life?
Number one,
examine the posture
of your heart.
As I mentioned,
are there Pharisees anymore?
Maybe not literal Pharisees,
but there are still people
that have that kind of heart,
aren't there?
I see some of you
shaking your head.
You may know someone, right?
You may know a few people
who are like that,
who are so focused
that their heart
gets hardened,
as it were.
They get angry.
They compare themselves.
I'm glad I'm not like...
And you fill in the blank.
This is a call for you
to reflect on.
Do you identify more
with the Pharisee?
If you do,
let this be a call for you
to submit to the Lord.
To recognize,
I get it.
You're accomplished.
You've done a lot.
But when it comes to God,
it's not about what you do.
It's about what's been done
for you.
For those of you that know
any modern day Pharisees,
let this be a call for you
to pray for them.
Pray for the ones
whose hearts have been hardened,
that God will soften their heart.
Whether that's you
or someone you know.
So examine your heart
and maybe
you're like the tax collector.
Recognizing your need
for the Lord.
That Jesus Christ
is all that you need.
Number two,
look to Christ
and don't what?
Don't compare yourself
with others.
Right?
Just like we see
on Instagram
or we see
in the world
that we live in,
there are some people
who just look
so put together.
Now,
I'm not saying
don't put your best foot forward.
But sometimes
the image
that we see
may not be
reality
of what's
actually going on
behind the scenes.
I should have put
some of those photos
where it shows
the image
that's on Instagram
and then it
zooms out a little bit
and it's nothing like
what the photo
is actually.
Many of you can,
you understand
what I mean
when I say that.
And so,
let this be a call
for you
to be
on a journey
in Christ
if you haven't begun
already.
And if you are,
continue to grow.
encourage one another
but certainly
don't compare.
Where you are at,
what the Lord
is teaching you
today
is certainly
going to be different
to the person
next to you
and to the person
next
and so on.
Let's remember that.
The idea
is that we all
come to know Christ
and we're all
growing nonetheless.
When we think
of
the scattering
of seeds
on the ground,
plants,
do they all
grow at the
same time?
Well,
they kind of
grow in the
same season,
sure.
They don't
all grow
at the same
time.
Some shoot up,
some take
a little bit
of time.
So too
is it
in our
spiritual walk
with the Lord.
We are all
called to grow
and to bear
fruit.
And then
finally,
extend grace
to others
devoted
like the
tax collectors.
it's important
for us
to reflect
and it's
important for us
not to compare
ourselves,
but let this
be a call
for you
to share
in the love
and the grace
that comes
from Jesus
Christ.
What that
can look like
is again
praying for
those with
hardened hearts.
It can be
having a
simple conversation
with someone
that doesn't
know the Lord.
It can be
a conversation
with a Pharisee.
let us
be
encouraged.
It's
okay
to share
in your
testimony
and to share
in the gospel
message with
others
that
whosoever
believes
shall not
perish
but have
eternal life.
And I
pray that
many of us
may have
family members
that we can
think of
right away
that we
can pray
for
or we
can have
a discussion
with.
Let us
be
like the
tax collector
who said
that simple
prayer
God
be merciful
to me
a sinner
and even
if we are
saved by
grace through
faith it's
still important
just like
when we
share in
communion
when we
are called
to do
this in
remembrance
of Christ
we are
reflecting
on the
sacrifice
that Christ
did for
us
and in
the same
way
let us
never forget
what the
Lord has
done for
us
the mercy
that he
has shown
for us
and so
in that
final verse
for all
those who
exalt
themselves
will be
humbled
and those
who humble
themselves
will be
exalted
and Jesus
asks the
question
what posture
do you
take
before God
only you
can answer
that
but I
pray
that you
may all
have a
softened
heart
ears
to hear
eyes
to see
and a
heart
to receive
let's pray
together
and father
we thank you
for this
time and this
opportunity to
go through this
parable through
the gospel
of Luke
it's certainly
a parable
that we can
all identify
with
father we
pray for
the
well the
Pharisees
in our
life
for their
hardened
hearts
or a
misunderstanding
we pray
that there
will be
a repentance
as it
were
which we
know
is the
changing
of the
mind
if there
is anyone
here who
has a
hardened
heart
we pray
that you
soften
it
we pray
for that
transformation
for those
of us
that identify
with the
tax collector
may we
continue on
our journey
and path
not comparing
ourselves
not to
become a
Pharisee
but to
be fully
devoted
to you
and I
pray father
that
we may
come to
know you
that we
all grow
together
in you
but also
may we
all be
moved to
do good
in your
holy name
you call
for us
to be
transformed
and to
act upon
this faith
that we
we love
you for
you loved
us first
and foremost
we thank
you so
much
again that
you give
us this
time
together
to worship
together
to read
from your
word
and to
delve
into it
together
and father
I pray
if there's
anyone here
that has
that hardened
heart
just be
with them
comfort
them
and show
them
it's not
about what
you do
rather what's
been done
because of
you father
and we
thank you
what you
have done
for us
we love
you
we praise
you
we glorify
you
and we
honor
you
it is in
the name
of Jesus
Christ
that we
pray
and we
all say
together
amen
thank you
for listening
for this
week's
message
from
Ontario
Community
Church
I pray
that you
are encouraged
and strengthened
in your
walk with
Christ
for more
sermons
and resources
visit
Ontario
Community
Church
dot
org
may God
bless you
as you
live out
his grace
and truth
every single
day