Luke 18:9-14 (3)
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-Let me encourage all of you...
...to turn to Luke 18 in your own Bibles...
...and to follow along...
...as we work our way through this next text.
We’ve come now (after many years)...
...to Verse 9—and to one of...
...my favorite portions of Luke’s Gospel.
In one sense, it seems to be...
...connected back to the previous parable...
...in that it is another parable about prayer.
And, it does show us, that...
...not all prayers are created equal.
Some are accepted by God...
And others staunchly rejected.
But, that’s not really...
...the central point of today’s parable.
Its central point is to illustrates to us...
Not just...
How to get our prayers answered by God...
But...
How we ourselves can become right with God!
It shows us that, in the end...
...there are really only...
Two approaches to religion...
But...
Only one that makes us right with God.
-Does that sound important?
(That’s why I love this parable)
(It makes the way of salvation so clear).
-Let’s read it together...
...beginning in Verse 9...
...and then we’ll pray...
...and ask for the Lord’s help.
This is the Word of the Lord:
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 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.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 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!’
14 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.”
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Pray
-Look again at Verse 9 with me, if you will.
And notice the language that Luke uses...
...that loosely connects it to the previous parable:
9 He also told this parable...
As far as I can tell...
...that “also” there, would be...
...a reference to Verse 1:
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
-So, a similar theme in some ways...
...but, it’s being directed to...
...a more specific audience:
He says (back in Verse 9):
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves...
Now, the word that Luke uses there...
...that is translated as “trusted”...
...has the connotation of persuasion.
In other words, it connotes the idea, that...
you’ve become so convinced or persuaded of something...
that you’re relying on it/trusting in it.
So, what is it that...
...the people that Jesus is addressing in our text...
...have become so persuaded of about themselves...
...that it has become their hope and trust?
Well, let’s read on:
Luke says, that they...
9 ...trusted in themselves that they were righteous....
What does that mean?
It means that you’re...
Morally Upright
Innocent
Holy
Undefiled.
Measure up to the standard of God’s nature and word...
...in how you live you’re life.
So, the implication would be, then...
That you are acceptable to God...
...on the terms of your own merits.
And that — brethren...
...is the fundamental tenet...
...of pretty much every religion in the world...
...OTHER THAN CHRISTIANITY!!!!
-Now, before we read on...
...and see how this self-confidence...
...causes us to treat other people...
Let’s first frame what’s already been stated...
...within a broader biblical framework.
What does the rest of Scripture...
...have to say about those who...
9 ...trusted in themselves that they were righteous....
Well, Proverbs 30:12 warns that...
12 There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth.
The implication?
They’re self-deceived
They think they’re clean… but they’re not!
What’s the clearly stated Biblical reality?
Well, Paul said:
9 ...we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” . . .
Then he specifies down in Verse 20:
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight...
And Jesus warned of the Pharisees in particular:
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Why?
Because...
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
That’s God’s Standard for Righteousness
(And, he doesn’t grade on a curve)
And if you or I think...
...that we can reach that or attain that...
...in our earthly lives...
...we are blinded by the sin of pride!
(but more on that later)
-First, think about this:
If you think of yourself...
...as righteous before God (on your own merits)...
...how is that going to affect...
…the way you view and treat others?
Well, let’s read on:
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
“despise”
“disdain”
“look down on”
-Now, what does the Bible...
...have to say about that?
Watch this:
2 I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;
3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;
4 who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;
5 who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.
Remember the warning...
...that we’ve seen all over the Bible...
...as we’ve studied Luke’s gospel:
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled...
(We’ll try to finish that promise later)
-For now, let’s read on.
Here is the parable (Verse 10):
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray...
Remember:
The temple mount was on a hill
The temple was the center of Jewish religious life.
It was where they made their intercessions to God...
...via the Old Covenant sacrificial system.
So, nothing out of the ordinary so far.
This was normal activity for Jewish worshippers.
However, not all Jewish worshippers...
...approached God the same way.
(On the right terms)
Let’s read on:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
So, Jesus describes these two men...
...by their vocations.
And it would be helpful for us...
...to be reminded of...
...the way each of them was viewed...
...within 1st Century Jewish Society.
Remember:
Luke: An Unexpected God Prayer: Religiosity and Relationship (18:9–14)
Today when we read or hear the word Pharisee we think of someone who is self-righteous and makes moral judgements about others. But the reaction among Jesus’ first audience would have been very different.
Luke: An Unexpected God Prayer: Religiosity and Relationship (18:9–14)
The Pharisees at that time were regarded as being exemplary and godly, good churchgoing people who lived upright and moral lives.
Remember how Paul had...
...described himself as a Pharisee:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
No one had a better Jewish Pedigree...
...than a Pharisee!
On the other hand...
Luke: An Unexpected God Prayer: Religiosity and Relationship (18:9–14)
Tax collectors were considered to be traitors and thieves—traitors, because they were in the employ of the hated Roman regime; thieves, because they lined their own pockets with a percentage of all taxes they collected.
Luke: An Unexpected God Prayer: Religiosity and Relationship (18:9–14)
The Jewish people despised tax collectors and cursed the ground they walked on
And we can see that proven...
...in the correlation Jesus makes...
...to the unrepentant churchman in...
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
And also in the correlation he made in...
31 ...Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.
(a reality that our text is going to set forth as well)
-So, in a sense, we have:
Two very different men...
(Who APPEAR to practice the same religion)
Going up to the temple...
And approaching God in prayer.
-Let’s read on (Verse 11)
This is the first thing we’re told...
...about the Pharisees’ religious observance:
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed...
Now, first of all...
...standing to pray...
...with arms outstretched to heaven...
...was a common practice at the time.
For example, notice:
25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive...
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others...
So, based on that text (and others)...
...it wasn’t the standing in prayer...
...that was the problem...
The problem is in that phrase:
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself...
The idea in that being, either...
1.) That he stood in a prominent place where the crowd could see him
2.) That he separated himself from the common folk to do so
3.) That he was praying TO/ABOUT HIMSELF.
It’s a tricky statement to translate.
Either way...
...it would have been the sin of pride...
...that motivated him to do so!
Right?
-Let’s read on:
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men...
“other” can be “the rest” or “everybody else”
(What a way to start a prayer!)
(What a way to approach the throne of God!)
“Other men,” he says, are...
11 ...extortioners, unjust, adulterers...
In other words:
11 ...robbers, evildoers, adulterers...
And then he says...
...that he’s ESPECIALLY thankful...
...that he isn’t...
11 ...or even like this tax collector.
Was he greedy?
Was he an extortioner?
Was he unrighteous?
Was he an evildoer?
(We know that at least 2/3 of those...
...described him to a tee)
And the Pharisee points him out...
Makes him the standard...
...against which he measures himself...
And prays:
11 . . . ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people...
“They’re all ruined, fallen, sinners...”
“I, on the other hand,” he says...
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
You know what he’s getting at?
He’s saying that his righteousness...
...doesn’t just MEET the standard of the Law...
It EXCEEDS it!
His religious observance and devotion...
...went far beyond what God required.
Think about it:
-The Law only required certain annual fasts...
(some say only one, on the Day of Atonement)
But, the Pharisees fasted...
...every Monday and Thursday!
And made sure everyone knew it!
But Jesus warned them:
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others...
-Also, the Law required a tithe to be paid...
...on all of their agricultural gain (income).
But the Pharisees...
...paid tithes on even the stuff they bought!
Remember Jesus saying:
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness...
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Watch this warning from the book of Isaiah:
11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen...
-Guys, let’s be clear:
10 ...all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
The Law was intended to...
...make us recognize our need for...
...and seek out and Alien Righteousness...
(i.e., a righteousness outside of ourselves)
(i.e., an imputed righteousness)
(to be received by faith)
But, the Pharisees… along with all fallen men...
...apart from the Interposing Grace of God, are...
3 ...ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
How do we know that?
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
And you have to come to the end of yourself...
You have to relinquish any persuasive hope...
...that you have in your own sufficiency...
In order to receive...
...the imputed Righteousness of Christ!
-And, our Tax Collector (in Verse 13)...
...is meant to illustrate that.
13 But the tax collector...
He’s making an intentional contrast...
Between the two men
Between their prayers
Between their overall religious approaches to God
Notice the differences:
First of all, Jesus said, that...
13 ...the tax collector, standing far off...
Not connoting the idea of...
...separating himself to be seen and heard...
Nor...
Connoting the idea that...
...he separated himself to avoid being defiled...
...by the “other men.”
For him, it was quite the opposite.
For him, he was protecting “other men” . . .
...from being defiled by him!
You see, he had experienced...
...what R.C. Sproul referred to, as...
The trauma of holiness!
Through the Old Covenant Revelation...
And through the ministry of the Law...
And through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit...
...he had come to understand something of the nature of God!
And guys, when you see God...
...for who he actually is...
...you don’t parade around like a peacock...
...and call it worship.
Remember how Isaiah responded...
...to the holiness of God?
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips...
Watch the similarities...
...in the approach of the tax collector:
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven...
That was a common Jewish practice
It wasn’t wrong or disrespectful
He just didn’t feel like he could even...
...presume to approach God that much.
Which of the two men...
...had a better understanding of God?
The Sinner?
The Professional Saint?
-Now, like Isaiah...
...his comprehension of God...
...also brought him clarity about his own self:
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast...
What’s that?
That’s a sign of ...
Brokenness
Sorrow
Contrition
He’s striking himself remorsefully...
In the place where he now recognizes...
...that his sin originates from:
His own evil heart!
-You see, seeing God properly...
And measuring himself...
By the standard of God’s holy perfections...
Rather than the imperfections of other fallen men...
Has made him realize who he really is:
13 ...a sinner!’
And not just any old sinner, but...
13 ...the sinner!’
(That’s the more literal rendering of the Greek)
As though:
He was, in comparison, the only one.
He had no merits to plead
He had nothing whatsoever to bring to the table.
His only plea...
...was made to the nature and power of God:
He pleaded:
13 . . . ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
Literally:
13 ...God be propitious to me—the sinner!
Meaning:
13 … ‘God, turn Your wrath from me —a sinner!’
He’s pleading for atonement!
(Remember, that he was at the Temple)
He’s pleading with God, to...
Atone for his sin (cover it)
Take away his guilt (that he readily acknowledges)
Remove his holy anger from him (that he justly deserves)
And look upon him with favor.
Guys, that’s it!
-He doesn’t offer God ANYTHING in return.
-He doesn’t appeal to ANY merit in his life.
-He simply appeals to God to save him...
By Mercy
By Grace.
That’s the only other way that men pray...
That’s the only other religion that men practice...
-And Jesus judges between them in Verse 14.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other...
Justified = To be declared righteous by God
Only the tax collector’s religion...
...produced the intended effects.
Only the empty handed petition...
...was received by God.
The other was patently rejected!
Why?
Because, Jesus reminds us:
14 ...For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
-Now, let’s not overlook...
...the thing in this that has...
...caused so many to stumble:
Was the tax collector a righteous man?
Then how could a just God...
...declare him to be righteous?
Here it is:
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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Please ask yourself:
Is that my hope?
Have I come to him with empty hands?
Is my only plea...
...that God would be propitious to me...
...through the person and work of Jesus Christ?
If not, I must tell you...
...that you’re not approaching God...
...in a way that he will accept.
If not, you’ve chosen the wrong religious system...
And God calls you to repent...
Of your self-Righteousness
Of your Self-Confidence
Of your Spiritual Self-Reliance...
And be persuaded of the certainty...
...of the imputed Righteousness of Jesus Christ!
Let’s Pray
