Luke 18_9_14 Preaching Outline

In the hills of East KY where I pastored, we visited the “Hollar” each Thursday. I found people who trusted in a prayer uttered years ago, a grandmother who was a “saint”, a father who was a “preacher,” but what I found most often people trusted in “themselves.”

In Jesus’ day the world was not void of people who trusted in themselves and their good efforts to secure for themselves an upright standing before God.

That is what righteousness means, “right standing before God” Two thousand years later not much has changed.

We are taught, you can only trust in yourself, “if you want something done right, do it yourself.”

Now you can trust in yourself for many things… at the top of that list is condemnation.

CPS: If you trust in your goodness, your religious activities. If you trust in yourself for being in right relationship with God then you are trusting in the wrong things and the wrong person.

Let me give you a picture of this… Can you think back to good Friday, it was the darkest of humanity… Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world. To each side of Him was a common criminal receiving punishment for their crimes. Yet one found salvation even nailed to a cross.

Imagine: The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work; and a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands for the Lord; he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation; and yet Christ offered him the gift of God, and he took it. Jesus threw him a passport, and took him with Him into Paradise.

True righteousness is found in God’s mercy not human action. He could do nothing physically… yet He trusted Jesus to be merciful and to bring him into God’s bosom.

Jesus teaches this very lesson in this parable… as He contrast the two men.

3 things to look at in this text

The Pharisee who trusted in his own goodness for his right standing before God Vs. 11-12

The Pharisee Defined.

Pharisee

Strict adherence to the Law.

Illustration: Perhaps he was blameless like Paul. Using the Law of Moses as a check list.

Missed the grace of the Law.

The means to reveal sin

The purpose of comparison

Illustration: Measuring stick, something to compare yourself to revealing your desperate need for God to intervene on their behalf.

The Pharisees’ Prayer

His Frequency of prayers

His virtues … He addresses God

His gratitude to God is for his own virtues, not for God’s mercies to him.

His witness….. He is not

Extortionist

Unjust

Illustration: The word sin literally means to miss the mark. He never misses the mark. He is the standard. Olympic shooter Matthew Emmons 2004 summer Olympics (Athens)… Was about to win double gold, just needed to hit one more target… he cross fires hitting his opponents bullseye finishes in 8th place.

Romans 3:23

Adulterer… Pure… [faithful to wife … and God?]

Fast

Tithe… Calculate it, its 20%

This was a good man, a religious man, but was he good enough?

The Publican who threw himself at the mercy of God for his right standing before God.Vs. 13

The publican defined

How they got the job

How they got paid

Their social category

The publican’s prayer

His sin

A prayer of humble repentance – He understood his sin and knew that God would reject him due to his rebellious nature

A sinner τῳ ἁμαρτωλῳ Greek refers not a sinner but THE SINNER… [personal]

His grief

His posture

Illustration: Have you ever done someone wrong and could not look the person in the eye when you told them, you just hung your head?

O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Ezra 9:6

His pounding

like the grief of those who mourn the dead.

His plea

He makes a profession of repentance (double turn) and cast himself before the mercy of God to save him. The publican was trusting in the mercy of God to forgive sin for his right standing before God.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Ps 51:1.

The pronouncement of the righteous judge Vs. 14

The judge

The justified

Justification – to be declared righteous before God

It’s a declaration by Jesus not an action by man

Illustration: Court room… Prosecutor recites each crime you have committed against God. The Judge rules you acquitted. “On February 4th 2006 … before the mercy seat of God. Confess, believed, called out… this court no longer sees the sinner but the righteousness of God of Christ.

Reward

Abased – humbled – brought low

Exalted

Application: [1] Perhaps you are here today and in your heart of hearts you recognize that you relate with the Pharisee.

Perhaps you are: Extremely Religious … you are at church every time the doors are opened. Active in the church… Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, Committee Member. Disciplined, you try your hardest to keep God’s commands. [JOHN 14:15] you go to extremes to keep from sinning.

All of your efforts are futile if you are doing so in your own strength and power. And when your day comes you will not be able to stand upright before God, because humanly speaking it is impossible to please God. All that awaits you is condemnation because you trusted in your own goodness instead of the goodness of God to save you.

But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 2 Cor. 1:9

You will be abased and cast into the fiery pit of eternal suffering, separated from God of all eternity.

[2] Perhaps you are here today, a Sinner, THE SINNER… A convicted murderer, drug dealer, Gay Activist, Crooked Politician… Liar, adulterer,

Your sin is weighing heavy on you, you are broken and grieving over it.

It is heavy and bearing down on you because the eternal consequence are being weighed in the balance.

There is hope for you still.

Hope = Expectation of a bright Future

But it is only found at the mercy seat of God. Jesus Christ

The Bible Teaches: God displayed Jesus publicly as propitiation in His blood through faith Ro 3:25.

Propitiation = Mercy seat [Ark of the Covenant]

Gospel – Jesus (the glory of God) stepped off His throne, turned the stars into a staircase and… HE came down. Doing for mankind what mankind cannot do for himself, lived a perfectly righteous life, a life that was pleasing to God.

You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” Marl 1:11

He offered Himself as the only sacrifice that pleased God

Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; Heb. 10:5

2000 years ago, God in the flesh died on a hilltop called Calvary, nailed to the Cross where the blood that flowed through His veins was poured out on the mercy seat making atonement for the past, present, and future sins of mankind.

While on that cross, the perfect Son of God suffered the holy wrath of God that was reserved you and me. When that last bit of sin had be avenged, when the last bit of sin had been atoned for… Jesus said “it is finished” and He gave up His life.

He was buried in a borrowed tomb but on the third day the power of God raised Him from the dead, defeating death for who so ever would trust in Him to save.

2nd. Cor. 5:10

THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN ONLY STAND UPRIGHT BEFORE GOD IS IF THE BLOOD OF JESUS HAS PERSONALY COVERED YOU. Then you are declared the righteousness of God in Christ.

You are not good enough

Salvation is by the mercy of God, you can’t earn it, you don’t deserve it.

There is no sin to big that Jesus can not forgive nor a sin to small that will escape judgment

Who are you trusting in?

Conclusion: The thief on the cross could not lift a finger towards his salvation. The publican couldn’t lift his face before God, they could only trust in the mercy of God to save them.