The Shocking Truth

Luke 18:10–14 ESV

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘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.”

Introduction: Some years ago, a researcher surveyed 7,000 Protestant youths from many denominations, asking whether they agreed with the following statements:

“The way to be accepted by God is to try sincerely to live a good life.” More than 60 percent agreed.

“God is satisfied if a person lives the best life he can.” Almost 70 percent agreed.

“The main emphasis of the gospel is on God’s rules for right living.” More than half agreed.

(Morton Strommen, Five Cries of Youth [Harper and Row], 1974, p. 76.) (Via Ray Steadman)

To be honest with you, I have seen this to be true in my own ministry. So many people believe that if they live a good life, and never murder anyone, injure another person, or commit a serious crime, God will accept their life as the ticket to eternal life.

Most people believe that everyone is basically good, even lots of average Christians.The phenomenon has a name. It is known as Therapeutic Moral Deism.

The message today addresses that misconception. It really is about the wrong way and the right way to approach God.

We see two people in the Parable that have two completely opposite approaches to worship. Two men, two prayers, and two final destinations.

However, Jesus said that only one of these men went home justified before God.

Lets compare the two attitudes first, then we will talk about the reason why the story was given to us in the first place. Finally we will see that there is our way and there is God’s way.

THE CHARACTERS (vv. 10-13)

Both went up to the temple to pray.

THE CONCEIT OF THE PHARISEE – Vss. 11-12

First, let’s give credit where credit was due. The Pharisees were the conservative religious sect in Judaism a that time. They believed God’s Word and they did their best to try to keep the law to the letter.

Unlike the Sadducees, they believed in the resurrection, in angels and demons, and in heaven.

But they were always thinking more highly of themselves than they ought to think.

They were right and others were wrong. I have met some Baptist like that too.

His prayer was focused on himself and not God.

“Standing by himself.”

Didn’t want to hang with the sinners.

“I thank God that I...”

Notice that he didn’t get personal?

(Self-righteousness if no replacement for a personal relationship with God.)

“NOT LIKE OTHER MEN”

This is the problem, we tend to compare ourselves to other people.

Extortioners, unjust, adulterers...

“Or even like this tax-collector.”

Fast 2x per week.

I tithe 1/10 of my income.

Sounds like he is qualified for church leadership with that kind of resume!

Think of it in the modern context. This is the guy that carries the huge black KJV Bible that has notes falling out and multiple highlights in popular passages. He would have served on at least three committees in church. He started attending while he was still in his mother’s womb. Etc.

THE CONFESSION OF THE PUBLICAN – Vs. 13

He was a traitor to his fellow countrymen. A collaborator.

He had been have been disowned by family and friends.

If someone were to ask his mother where Johnny was, she would have had to lie and say he was out of town.

He would have been excluded in most of the activities of Jewish religious life. He would not even be allowed to bring alms to the temple to help the poor

“Standing afar off.” Perhaps because of his social standing. Likely because he felt the guilt of his past deeply.

Looking at the ground - he couldn’t bring himself to look toward heaven. He was probably worried that someone might see him there and ask him to leave.

“Beat his breast”

God, be merciful to me a sinner!

That is a prayer that God will always answer! (BTW)

He didn’t give his list of good deeds. He didn’t bring a large offering.

Most importantly, He didn’t compare himself to the Pharisee.

All he had to offer was his sin.

That is really all that any of us can bring to God. Both hands full of sin.

Think of it in the modern context. This is the guy that had tattoos everywhere. Whenever there was trouble in his neighborhood, the police were most likely looking for this guy. He drank too much. He might have even came to the temple with beer on his breath for the party that he attended last night. Etc.

The pharasee used other people as his standard for judging his righteousness. But the tax collector used God as the standard.

THE CAUSE FOR THE PARABLE – Vs. 9

Luke 18:9 ESV

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

Jesus aimed the rifle of truth straight at the heart of the self-righteous crowd. The were living under the delusion that their best effort was good enough for God.

This was the “Hope I go to heaven’ crowd. Ever met any of them?

Illus. The story of the guy who died and went to heaven. Had to have 100 points to get inside the gates.

Isaiah 64:6 ESV

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Romans 3:19–24 ESV

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Someone once said that the only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that made it necessary.

THE CONCLUSION OF JESUS – Vs. 14

This man - the second one - went down to his house Justified...

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 34.46 δικαιόω; δικαίωσις, εως; δικαιοσύνη, ης

to cause someone to be in a proper or right relation with someone else—‘to put right with, to cause to be in a right relationship with.’

Let me make this easy. We are justified by faith alone through grace alone. And If I am justified by God, it is just as if I’d never sinned.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 18:14.

Illus. Weirsbe - It seems that there was a man in England who put his Rolls-Royce on a boat and went across to the continent to go on a vacation. While he was driving around Europe, something happened to the motor of his car.

He cabled the Rolls-Royce people back in England and asked, “I’m having trouble with my car; what do you suggest I do?” Well, the Rolls-Royce people flew a mechanic over! The mechanic repaired the car and flew back to England and left the man to continue his vacation.

As you can imagine, the fellow was wondering, “How much is this going to cost me?” So when he got back to England, he wrote the people a letter and asked how much he owed them. He received a letter from the office that read: “Dear Sir: There is no record anywhere in our files that anything ever went wrong with a Rolls-Royce.”

That is justification!

W. Wiersbe, Key Words of the Christian Life, p. 16