And we're doing chapter 17, verse 20.
Once having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,
Jesus replied, the kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,
nor will people say, here it is or there it is, because the kingdom of God is within you.
Then he said to his disciples, the time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man,
but you will not see it. Men will tell you, there he is, or here he is.
Do not go running off after them, for the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning,
which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.
But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Just as was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given up, giving in marriage up,
to the days of Noah and to the ark.
Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
It was the same in the days of Lot.
People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.
But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
It will be just like this on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, no one who is on the roof of his house with his goods inside should go down and get them.
Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it.
Whoever loses his life will preserve it.
I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed.
One will be taken and the other left.
Two women will be grinding grain together.
One will be taken, the other left.
Where, Lord? they asked.
He replied,
Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
He said,
In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.
And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea,
Grant me justice against my adversary.
For some time he refused, but finally he said to himself,
Even though I don't fear God or care about men,
yet because this widow keeps bothering me,
I will see that she gets justice,
so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming.
And the Lord said,
Listen to what the unjust judge says.
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones,
who cry out to him day and night?
Will he keep putting them off?
I tell you, he will see that they get justice and quickly.
However, when the Son of Man comes,
will he find faith on the earth?
To some who were confident of their own righteousness
and looked down on everybody else,
Jesus told this parable.
Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself.
God, I thank you that I am not like other men.
Robbers, evildoers, adulterers,
or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
But the tax collector stood at a distance.
He would not even look up to heaven,
but beat his breast and said,
God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
I tell you that this man, rather than the other,
went home justified before God.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Thanks very much, Louise.
Again, if somebody could help me out here,
there's some notes and some pens.
Thank you very much, Ralph.
If you'd like a pen to take notes,
and a sheet of paper to follow along
with the notes that are on the screen,
then we'll do that now.
Just to remind us all that we've been going through
a series of parables from Luke's Gospel.
We've got one more next week,
and then we move into July and August,
when there will be other people
who will be coming to speak.
This morning, the focus will really be looking
at the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
But we read what we did read,
just by way of context and background,
which I think will give us better understanding
of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
Thanks, Ralph.
So, let's pray, and we'll ask for God's help
as we look at his word together.
Father, would you please help us,
help us to understand the word
that you have had written and preserved
and kept for us.
We pray that it would teach us and instruct us,
and it would change us to be the kind of people
that you call us to be in this time
and in this age.
And that if there is anything that we see in our lives
that need to be changed,
would you give us the grace to do so.
And we pray all of this
because we want to become more like Jesus,
so that we bring glory and honour to Jesus.
So, do your work amongst us
by your Holy Spirit's power, we pray.
Amen.
Well, Jewish rabbis or Jewish teachers had a story
that they used to tell to illustrate God's grace towards us.
The story went like this.
It was of a loving and kind king
who ruled over a very large city
of which he had a great army.
And the king was wondering to himself
whereabouts he should station his troops.
And after much thought and counsel with others,
he decided that he would station his troops
at a location that was some distance away from the city.
His reason?
Well, the king thought that if the people in the city
began to rebel against him,
it would take a long time for his troops
to get to the city.
In the interim, the rebels would have opportunity
to come to their senses,
back down,
and turn again to the king.
So their application was very simple.
God, in his grace,
keeps his judgment at a distance,
giving us time to repent
before he comes.
Now that's been the big theme
of the parables that we've been looking at together.
Jesus is going to come again,
and we must be prepared for his coming.
Now before we get to this parable
of the Pharisee and the tax collector,
there's something that Jesus is teaching us
that will help us to understand it
a little bit better.
The first thing he tells us
is that the king has come.
So have a look at chapter 17, verse 20.
Chapter 17, verse 20.
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees
when the kingdom of God would come,
so there's a dialogue going on,
and they're asking,
when's the kingdom going to come?
The people were expecting and longing
for God's kingdom to arrive.
It would be a kingdom
where God would execute justice,
and he would establish peace
and put everything right.
And so they longed for the coming
of God's king
who would establish
God's eternal kingdom.
So naturally there's this question,
when is the kingdom coming?
And when the kingdom comes,
when is the king going to come?
Well, look at how Jesus answers.
In verse 20, Jesus replied,
the kingdom of God does not come
with your careful observation.
Nor will people say,
here it is, or there it is.
You see, the kingdom isn't going to come
with this grand announcement.
It's not going to be on the six o'clock news,
or you're not going to get a message
on Facebook about it.
It's going to come silently.
In fact, look what Jesus says
at the end of verse 21.
He says,
the kingdom of God is within you.
Or better translated,
the kingdom of God is among you.
So Jesus is saying to these people
who are looking for the kingdom,
who are longing for the king to come,
Jesus is saying,
the king and the kingdom
has already come.
It's me.
It's here.
You've heard me teach.
You've seen all my miracles.
But yet you can't see
that the king has already come
among you.
Now that has a knock-on effect for us.
Because the king has come,
we are living in what is called
a time of grace.
This is a great big theme of Luke
through his gospel.
We read, don't we,
of many times where we see Jesus
coming and he's eating and drinking
with sinners and tax collectors.
He comes calling people like us
into his kingdom.
Repent and believe.
Receive the free gift of forgiveness.
Come into my kingdom.
I don't come for those who are healthy.
I come for the sick.
Not for the righteous,
but the unrighteous.
This is a time of grace.
Welcome, you sinners.
So because Jesus has now come,
we live in a time of grace.
But he also teaches us something else.
He says the king has come,
but the king will come.
Have a look at verse 22
of chapter 17.
Then he said to his disciples,
The time is coming
when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man.
Remember, Son of Man is a title.
A title of a great king
who was to come
with absolute power
and supreme authority.
So he's saying,
you'll long to see the day
when the king comes,
but you will not see it.
Men will tell you,
there he is,
or here he is.
Do not go running after them.
Don't be fooled by people
who say,
I know when Jesus is coming.
I'm able to discern
when he's coming.
Verse 24.
For the Son of Man in his day
will be like the lightning
which flashes
and lights up the sky
from one end to the other.
You see, when Jesus returns,
it will be different
to his first coming
when it was silent,
but when the king returns,
everybody will know
without exception.
It will not be silent.
Nobody will need to be telling us.
It will be visible
just like a flash of lightning
across the dark sky.
Everybody will see
the coming of the king.
Now when the king comes,
it will not be
a time of grace,
but a time of judgment.
And he gives us two pictures
to show us
what it will be like.
Two characters
in the Old Testament.
The first one is Noah.
Look at verse 26.
Just as it was
in the days of Noah,
so also will it be
in the days
of the Son of Man.
People were eating,
drinking,
marrying,
and being given in marriage
up to the day
Noah entered the ark.
Everybody remember the story
going about their day-to-day lives?
Living and enjoying life,
getting married,
settling down,
having kids.
It was a time of grace.
God was giving people
time to turn to him,
to change of their ways.
But,
end of verse 27,
then the flood came
and destroyed
them all.
Judgment came
just
as God promised.
It was the same,
have a look at verse 28,
with Lot.
It was the same
in the days of Lot.
People were eating
and drinking,
buying and selling,
planting and building.
People were going off
to work,
choosing their careers,
off to college,
saving their monies,
buying homes,
upgrading,
doing all kinds of things.
It was a time of grace.
God was giving the city
time to turn to him,
to put things right.
But then,
verse 29,
the day Lot left Sodom,
fire and sulfur
rained down from heaven
and destroyed
them all.
Judgment came
just
as God promised.
Now you see,
what has happened
in the past
is just giving us
a glimpse
of what is
to come.
Verse 30,
it will be
just like this
on the day
the Son of Man
is revealed.
we'll be going
off to school
or to college.
You know,
we could be at work.
We could be sitting down
with our mates
having lunch.
We could be off
on our holidays.
We could be in the middle
of a soccer match.
Whatever
we're doing
or wherever
we are,
that day
will come
and it will be
a day of judgment.
But as Jesus
goes on to teach,
he wants us
to know
that he is
a just
judge.
You see,
the only reason
judgment
has not yet
come
is because
we're living
in this time
or this age
of grace.
The King
has come
urging,
calling people,
all nations,
all people,
come to me.
Come and know
my grace.
Come and receive
forgiveness.
You see,
God is a just
and fair judge.
Have a look
at chapter 18,
verse 7.
This is the parable
of the widow
and the unjust judge.
And what we're
to see here
is not a comparison
saying God is like
the unjust judge,
but a complete contrast.
God is not like
this unjust judge.
Verse 7.
And will not God
bring about justice
for his chosen ones
who cry out to him
day and night?
Will he keep
putting them off?
I tell you,
he will see
that they get justice
and quickly.
You see,
God is a God
of justice.
He sees
all that is going
on in this world
and he will not
let the injustices
keep going on.
God sees the 50,000
children,
boys and girls
who are trafficked
from South
and Central America
into the US
every year
for the sex trade.
He sees the hundreds
of thousands
men and women
who use
and abuse them.
God is not
immune to the
violence of ISIS
as they go on
beheading and
raping innocent people.
God hasn't
turned a blind eye
to the 220,000
people in Syria
who have been
murdered
and the other
11 million
who have been
displaced
in the last
five years
alone.
God sees
every one
of those
boats
that travel
across the
Mediterranean
looking
for somewhere
to rest.
Refugees.
God weeps
and mourns
over the 46,000
reports of
domestic abuse
in Ireland
every single
year
and the
countless
hundreds
who have
to be
rehomed.
God knows
about the
260 million
of unpaid
tax
in our
country
every year
which means
the most
vulnerable
suffer more
and more
because budgets
have to be
cut.
We only
see facts
and figures
but God
hears the
cry of
every act
of violence
and crime.
These are
not statistics
these are
people who
suffer at
the hands
of others
and God
cares
because God
is a God
of justice.
And God
will bring
his judgment
to this
world
because it
continues to
rebel and
behave the
way that it
does.
But let's
just bring
all of that
a little bit
closer.
We think
about what's
going on in
the world.
We think
about what's
going on in
the country.
But what
does God
see inside
here?
God sees
every unkind
act I
have committed.
He hears
every hurtful
word and
he knows
every single
selfish
motive.
He's seen
when we've
lost our
temper.
He's seen
when we've
said something
unkind.
You see
every single
one of us
well we've
all contributed
to this
broken and
disordered
world and
God looks
at the
world and
he looks
at all
that he's
made and
God is
grieved
that we
have hurt
each other
the way
that we
have done.
We deserve
God's
judgment but
this is a
time of
grace.
God is
giving us
time to
change how
we live,
how we
treat each
other.
He is
giving us
time to
turn to
his son
Jesus
Christ.
He is
treating
us with
grace
today
because
judgment
will
come.
And so
he is
saying we
need to
be prepared.
We need
to be
ready to
meet
the king.
Now all
of that is
background,
all of that
helps us to
understand why
then Jesus
goes on to
tell this
story of
the Pharisee
and the
tax
collector.
Let's
read it
in verse
nine.
You see
to some
who were
confident
of their
own
righteousness
and looked
down on
everybody
else,
Jesus told
this parable.
Two men
went up to
the temple
to pray,
one a
Pharisee,
the other
a tax
collector.
You see
Jesus through
this story
is warning
us of
the dangers
of ignoring
his grace
and the
blessing
of seeking
his grace.
What happens
if we ignore
his grace
and what we
receive if we
seek his
grace?
First,
ignoring his
grace,
verse 11,
the Pharisee
stood up
and prayed
about
or to
himself.
I mean,
this is how
arrogant
he is.
The Pharisee
as he arrives
in the
temple
gives the
impression
that he's
talking to
God,
that he's
praying to
his Father
in heaven,
but in
reality he's
actually talking
to himself.
He's not
asking God
for anything.
He's
reminding
himself
of how
self-righteous
he is.
He's saying
to himself,
look at
what I
am not
like.
Verse 11,
God,
I thank
you that
I am
not like
other men,
those robbers,
evildoers,
adulterers,
or even,
look at
them,
that tax
collector.
Lord,
I thank
you that
I'm not
like my
college
friend.
They
just don't
have time
for you.
God,
I thank
you that
I'm not
like the
guy in
work.
His
life is
in such
a mess.
Father,
I thank
you that
I have
not fallen
like the
one sitting
behind me.
I mean,
I don't want
to judge
them,
but you
know what
they're
like.
You see,
not only do
we take
pride in
what we
don't do,
we take
pride in
what we
do do.
Look at
what I
am like,
verse 12.
I fast
twice a
week and
I give
a tenth
of all
I get.
You know,
I was the
last one
here last
Sunday.
Everybody
else had
cleared off
and I
was still
cleaning up.
The church
gave 600
euro to
that mission.
That means
I must have
given,
let me
think,
what did
I give?
I must
have given
a third.
Yeah,
I did.
I gave a
lot,
didn't I?
Why am I
the only one
who seems
to be praying
in the
home group?
I must
be so
much more
spiritual
than those
other silent
ones.
You see,
we don't
like the
attitude of
the Pharisee,
do we?
But the
problem is
we all
compare and
contrast.
I'm not
like them.
I'm so
much better
than what
they're like.
Why can't
they be
like me
and do
things the
way I
do it
and have
the same
commitment
and attitude
that I
have?
It's all
self-justification.
It's arrogance.
It's all
about boosting
our own
egos.
And the
underlying
fact is
this.
When we
talk or
when we
think like
that,
all we're
saying is,
I don't
need God.
I don't
need grace.
Other people
do, but not
me.
I will face
God's
judgment on
my own
terms.
But there's
another way
to come.
Rather than
ignore his
grace, we
come seeking
his grace.
Verse 13.
But the
tax collector,
he stood
at a
distance.
He would
not even
look up
to heaven,
but beat
his breast.
You know,
the tax
collectors,
well, they
were considered
the lowest
of the low
in society.
There were
categories.
You had
sinners,
and then you
had tax
collectors at
the bottom
of the pile.
No
hopers.
But rather
than ignore
grace,
he comes
seeking
grace.
Look at
verse 13
again.
Look at
his humble
approach.
He stood
at a
distance.
He wouldn't
even look
up to
heaven,
but beat
his breast.
There's no
bragging rights
here.
There's no
talk of
look at
what I'm
like or
look at
what I've
done.
There's no
comparing or
contrasting with
other people.
He sees
himself as
he truly
is.
He stands
back at a
distance.
He understands
he's
separated from
God.
He won't
look up
towards heaven.
He knows
he deserves
God's
just
judgment.
He
beats his
breast.
He is
truly
repentant
for all
that he
has done.
The tax
collector
sees himself
as God
sees him,
and he
humbly
accepts
that I
am a
sinner.
But he's
not just
humble,
is he?
He knows
what he
desperately
needs.
And that's
why he
comes
praying,
because he
comes
seeking.
Look at
the end
of verse
13.
God,
have
mercy on
me,
a sinner.
sinner.
He
brings
nothing
to God,
only his
sin.
He
blames
no one,
only
himself.
He
comes to
the one
who is
gracious,
full of
grace,
one who
acts in
grace,
and comes
seeking
his
mercy.
He
throws
himself
completely
at God.
have
mercy
on
me,
a
sinner.
And how
did God
respond to
these two
people?
Look at
verse 14.
I tell
you that
this man,
the tax
collector,
rather than
the other,
the Pharisee,
went home
justified
before God.
Do you
see the
difference
here?
The
Pharisee,
he wore
a mask.
He
hides
his
sin.
He
covers
over
his
sin.
He
takes
pride
in
all
that
he's
done.
On the
other hand,
the tax
collector,
well,
he's just
taken off
his mask.
He
owns
his
sin
for
himself.
He
confesses
his
sin.
He
relies
on
God's
grace.
And the
tax
collector
shows us
how we
are to
be
prepared
to meet
the
coming
king.
This
is the
person
who will
be welcomed
into the
king's
kingdom.
Verse
14,
or the
end of
verse 14,
for everyone
who exalts
himself
will be
humbled,
and he
who
humbles
himself
will be
exalted.
You see,
the point
is so
simple.
We
either
humble
ourselves
today
before
God
and
experience
his
wonderful
grace
today,
or
he
will
humble
us
when
he
returns
in
judgment.
So
humble
ourselves
today
and
experience
his
grace
or
he
will
humble
us
when
we
experience
his
judgment.
Now
because
this is
a time
of
grace
in
which
we
live
in,
we
should
be
people
of
grace.
And
just by
way of
application
for us
in this,
just very
simply,
three things.
The way
in which
God's
grace
should
affect
us.
If we've
come to
experience
this
grace,
if we
come like
the tax
collector,
here's
three ways
it should
affect
us.
First,
we live
in God's
grace
every day.
The only
way to
come before
God is
like the
tax
collector.
There's
no room
for arrogant
pride.
There's
no place
for boasting.
We bring
only who
we are
as we
are.
We don't
blame other
people.
We don't
point the
finger at
other people
and say
it's their
fault.
No,
we come
as we
are,
owning
our own
sin and
resting
in the
rich
grace
of God.
And look
again at
verse 14.
What happens
when we
do that?
I tell
you that
this
person,
rather than
the other,
will go
home justified
before God.
When we
receive his
grace,
we enter
into a
renewed and
restored
relationship
with God.
That means
we no
longer have
to stand
at a
distance.
We are
now welcomed
and accepted
by God.
We no
longer have
to hide
from God
and cower.
We can
now enjoy
God,
love him
and be
with him.
Grace
means we
are now
treated and
treasured as
his own
son,
welcomed
into his
eternal
kingdom.
So live
in God's
grace today.
Enjoy
it.
Know
it.
But not
only do we
live in
it,
but it
also means
that we
treat each
other with
grace.
You see,
there is
no place
for the
Pharisee.
Look at
verse 9.
Chapter
18,
verse 9.
To some
who were
confident
of their
own
righteousness
and looked
down on
everybody
else.
You see,
we are
no better
or no
worse than
each other.
God's
grace.
Sometimes we
have come
to experience
God's
grace and
yes,
we have
seen God
change us
and transform
us and
the temptation
is to
suddenly think,
well,
I am
better than
those other
people.
Well,
we are no
better or
no worse.
We are all
responsible for
this broken
world in
which we
live.
So what
we need
is not
to condemn
each other
and point
fingers at
each other,
but to
bring grace
to each
other,
to remind
each other
that when
we fall
and when
we fail,
that we
live in a
time of
grace,
that now
is the
time to
come and
repent and
ask God
to pour
out his
mercy upon
us and
to help
us to
change and
help us
to live
as his
people.
We don't
drag each
other down
and condemn,
we build
each other
up with
the grace
of God.
So live
in his
grace,
treat each
other with
grace,
and then
offer grace
to the
world.
I think
that's the
big message
of this,
isn't it?
We live
in a day
of grace.
God has
delayed
his judgment.
He longs
that none
would perish,
but that all
would come
and turn
to him
just like
the tax
collector.
And so
we need
to be
people who
practice
grace and
who offer
grace to
our friends
and our
family,
to the
world who
has not
yet come
to know
the good
news of
Christ.
It's not
our job
to withhold
grace from
people.
It's not
our role to
say to
somebody,
you don't
deserve
grace.
That's what
Pharisees do.
No,
we're the
tax
collector
who has
received
God's
grace in
abundance.
And now
turn and
point other
people towards
Jesus so
that they
can also
know and
experience the
amazing grace
of God.
The king
has come.
Grace is
here.
The king
will come.
Judgment
awaits.
May we
live in
God's
grace today.
Let's pray.
Father,
would you
please,
by your
Holy Spirit,
take this
word that we
have thought
through and
listened to
and as we
leave this
building that
you would
continue to
work it
deep into
our hearts
and in
our lives.
and if
there is
any
pharisaic
aspect
in our
hearts
that you
would expose
it and you
would show
it and you
would turn
us quickly
into the
tax collector
who just
comes as we
are,
owning it,
admitting it,
ready to
deal with
it.
Father,
you are good
and gracious.
We know
that you
will not
turn us
away,
but you
will forgive.
You will
change and
you will
restore.
And so we
long for
more and
more of
your grace
in our
lives every
day.
asking that
you would
help us
to go
into the
community,
into our
workplaces
with our
colleagues
that we
think about,
with friends
and with
family.
Help us
to point
other people
to the
King of
Grace.
Father,
please,
by your
Spirit,
use us
to bring
people to
yourself.
For we
know you
are a
just
God,
and one
day you
will
come.
Please
make us
prepared and
ready.
We ask
this for
your glory.
Amen.