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Luke 18:9–14

“9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.””

This story shows us a simple truth…

There is a wrong way to be right and a right way to be wrong.

Maybe you might be thinking, I’m not like that! And I pray you are not, but let’s take a closer look at the two people in the parable and see who we are more like.

Audience of Parable - some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else

Setting of Parable - Two men went to the Temple to pray.

Cast of the Parable - One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.

The Pharisee and his Fatal Flaw.

A Pharisee in Bible times was viewed as the good guy. He studied the law, meticulous in obeying in. They even set up their own laws that would people keep far away from breaking God’s laws.

Believe it or not, this is not a bad idea, we do it today.

Our society has the same type of thing, we have set up minor laws to keep others from breaking major ones.

If you are a convicted felon, you can’t own a gun. (Although there are a few exceptions).

Convicted sex offenders are prohibited from living close to certain place where children often visit.

But we don’t make everyone follow these laws, only those who have already broken the law.

As a church we do the same thing, set up policies we follow to ensure the safety and protection for our children and adults.

Jesus’ condemnation was not about law but about how they lived out the law.

Jesus has a lot to say about the Pharisee’s but let’s just look in one place,

Matthew 23:1–7 “1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. 4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. 5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. 7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’”

Matthew 23:11–12 “11 The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

In the Parable we see the Pharisee had a disease, it is the same disease we may have today!

The lie Christians believe is when we think our actions make us good in God’s eyes!

The Pharisee in the parable pointed out other’s sinfulness and his good deeds!

Fasted twice a week

Gave a tenth of his income

The Pharisees’ fatal flaw was that he compared himself to a breaker of God’s law and not the law itself!

He viewed his righteousness as something great, but he forgot God’s words through the prophet Isaiah in

Isaiah 64:6

“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”

We will always find someone who breaks more of God’s law that we do.

At least from our point of view!!

There is a danger for judging others!

Romans 2:1–4

“1 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”

We find people who do what we don’t do or don’t do what we do, so that we can feel good about ourselves.

Romans 3:20–24

“20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”

The Tax Collector Total Transformation.

While the Pharisee tried to prove his worth, the sinner knew his sinfulness.

VS. 13 - “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed.

The sinner was before God in humility!

The Pharisee tried to show God how good he was!

Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow,

The sinners humility allowed him to see his true need for God’s mercy! Vs - ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’

What makes Christianity different than other religions is God’s underserved Grace and Mercy!

Learning to live in Grace, not performance.

One thing we notice about this sinner is that he was not happy with his sin.

I think too many Christians are happy in their sin!

Encourage Change

The interesting significance is the Pharisee was focused on what he had and the tax collector focused on what he needed!

We all need to pray to God and say, “I Need You More!”