A Radical Contrast

Series Review

1-2: Series Introduction

3-7: Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.1-6 (The Pre-Incarnate Christ)

9-10: The Incarnate Christ - pt.1-2 (The Birth of Christ)

11. Learning from a 12 Year Old

12. The Jesus We Know Not (Years of Silence)

13. The Baptism of Christ

14. Having Victory Over Temptation (The Temptation of Christ)

15. The Call to Follow (Calling the First Apostles)

The TEACHINGS OF CHRIST - The Sermon on the Mount

16. A Disciples Progression (The Beatitudes)

I. Their Inward Conflict (v3-6); II. Their Outward Charity (v7-9): III. The Inevitable Cost (v10-12)

17. The Salt of the Earth (Mat. 5:13)

I. The Preamble (Mat. 5:1-12); II. Purposes for Salt; III. Pictures of Salt: IV. The Production of Salt; V. A Precaution Given

18. The Light of the World (Mat. 5:14-16):

I. The Facts of Light; II. The Function of Light; III. The Focus of the Light (v15-16)

19. The Correct View of the Law by Christ (Mat. 5:17-48)

I. The Satisfaction of the Law: II. The Strengthening of the Law: III. A Summary of Christ’s Teachings on the Law: Christ Has Satisfied the Law for Us; We are Subject to a Higher Standard; We should Live More Righteous, not Less

20. Standards to Pursue - pt.1 (Mat. 6:1-18)

I. Secretive Philanthropy (v1-4); II. A Sincere and Submissive Prayer Life (v5-15) III. Subdue the Flesh (v16-18)

21. Standards to Pursue - pt.2 (Mat. 6:19-34)

I. Seek Heavenly Treasures (v19-24); II. Submit Yourselves to God (v25-34)

22. Kingdom Mindedness - (Mat. 7:1-12)

I. Sound Judgments; II. Seeking God’s Guidance; III. A “Self” Centered Attitude

23. The Conclusion - (Mat. 7:13-29)

I. Behold the Choice (v13-14); II. Beware of False Guides (v15-20); III. Beware of False Assurance (v21-23); IV. Be Mindful of your Foundation (v24-27)

The PARABLES of Christ

24: The Sower, the Seed and the Soil

I. The Sower: Casts Faithfully; Casts Indiscriminately; Casts Expectantly; Casts Because Duty Demands It

II. The Seed: It is Good Seed; It is the Same Seed; It is Plentiful Seed; It Holds Limitless Possibilities

III. The Soil: It Varied Greatly; It Determined the Production

25: Recovering the Lost

The Meaning of Being Lost: Lost Defined; Lost Described

I. The Manner of Becoming Lost: Through Wandering; Through Wanton Neglect; Through Willful Disobedience

II. The Method of Recovery: The Shepherd Seeks; The Owner Sweeps; The Father Waits, the Son Repents

III. Morals to Remember: There was Joy in the Recovery of All; The Prompt of the Parables; A Point to Consider

26. What the Samaritan Teaches Us

I. The Preamble: Right Question, Wrong Reason (v25); Interpretation Matters (v26); How Are You Justified? (v29)

II. The Parable: A Principled Application; There’s a Cost Associated with Our Decisions; A Personal Application; Religious ≠

Our Actions Reveal Our Nature; A Pictured Application; The Victim = Me; The Priest & Levite = The Law & Sacrifice; They Identify the Problem, but Cannot Help; The Samaritan = Jesus; He was a Hated Outsider; His Compassion Causes Action; He Sacrifices to Heal the Hurting; He’s Gone Away, but is Coming Back

27. One Wedding to Attend

I. The Point for the Pharisees: Their Recruitment(v3-4); Their Response (v5-6); Their Requite (v7)

II. The Portrayal of the Servants: They were Obedient; They were Persistent; They were Persecuted (v6); They were Avenged (v7)

III. The Problem of One: He Didn’t Have the Proper Attire (v11); His Protest was Paralyzed (v12); He was Bound and Punished (v13)

Introduction

Today we're going to look at a shorter but familiar parable, one that I know I use a lot to solidify doctrine throughout scripture.

What we find in this parable of Christ is an amazing contrast between two very different A publican and a Pharisee

The Title of this message is “A Radical Contrast” - and we see that through the comparison between these two men.

I. The Regard of One (v11-12)

When I say the regard of one, what I am referring to is the way this Pharisee regarded himself. How did he see himself?

An Appearance of Righteousness

This guy was a Pharisee and as we recall the Pharisees were one sect of the very religious Jewish population. These were among the population that had the appearance of righteousness. They were viewed as if they were righteous people.

They had an appearance of righteousness. But they also had an actual right lifestyle.

An Actual Right Lifestyle

The Pharisee testified that he paid his tithes. He fasted. He didn't commit extortion or live an outwardly unjust lifestyle.

Church, you have to understand: these were not whoremongers and adulterers, child molesters, murderers. You were not catching the Pharisees drinking at the bar on Friday night and going to the temple on Saturday morning.

There are many people today that are sitting in service this very hour that just last night were drunk or were committing fornication or something of the like. That wasn't the Pharisees. The Pharisees had their problems, which we'll get to in a minute, but that wasn't one of them. They lived a right lifestyle.

If you got on their Facebook feed, you wouldn't see frat boy material. What you would find is maybe those inspirational quotes and such like that.

The Pharisees lived a religiously right lifestyle. But one thing they had was an arrogant demeanor.

An Arrogant Demeanor

The Pharisees' sin did not typically play out in their hands but was one of the heart. They were prideful.

We see it in the text: Luke 18:11 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”

What is he doing here? He’s comparing himself to others.

Church, let me tell you something. It is our nature that when we compare ourselves to others we are not comparing up, we are comparing down. We compare ourselves to those who we think we’re better than.

We see this with the vast majority of people who “don’t need religion”. They say “why do I need religion - I’m not a murderer or child molester… I’m just as good as the next guy.”

When we compare ourselves to others, it tends to make us prideful

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.”

We find an arrogant demeanor with this Pharisee. And church, let me just say this: Pharisees are not relegated to first-century Jerusalem. Pharisees walk among us today. Pharisees make their way to church houses every Sunday.

The Regard of One

II. The Remorse of Another (v13)

We now shift our attention to the publican. What do we see in this man?

An Appearance of Wickedness

Unlike the Pharisee, who was seen as a righteous person, the Pharisees were seen as the polar opposite.

(Describe the office of the publican) They were Jewish citizens working for the Roman government collecting taxes & customs. They were reviled largely for 3 reasons:

They worked for the occupying power

The system lent itself to extortion - which many did.

They were profiting at their neighbor / countryman’s expense

So whereas the Pharisees were seen as righteous, these publicans were seen as wicked and sinful.

We see an appearance of wickedness. But it goes beyond that. We see an admitted sin problem.

An Admitted Sin Problem

The publican didn’t have the same problem as the Pharisee - he acknowledged his sinfulness.

He wasn’t under a delusion of living a life above reproach - he was a sinner, AND HE KNEW IT!

He had an admitted sin problem - and what accompanied that - or the catalyst of that was an abased attitude

An Abased Attitude

Abased (def) humbled; brought low; reduced in rank, condition, dignity or estimation. Paul used it in Philippians 4:12 “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

This publican was under no illusion that he was a righteous person. Church this is what humility is made of.

(Ill.) Bro. Jeff taught me a song not long after I got here: “O Lord, it’s hard to be humble - when you’re perfect in every way” - That’s the opposite of having an abased attitude.

Now going back to our point concerning the Pharisees: They were prideful because they were comparing themselves to others. But I got news for you church: When you stand before God, He’s not going to compare you with anyone else! He’s going to compare you to His Law!

This publican is humble because he’s comparing himself to God’s standards!

The Bible says: Exodus 20:16 “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”

Have you ever lied?

The Bible says: Exodus 20:17 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”

Have you ever coveted another’s property?

The Bible says: Exodus 20:15 “Thou shalt not steal.”

Have you ever stolen anything?

The Bible says: Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

Have you ever dishonored your parents?

Whenever you compare yourself to others, you'll be lifted up with pride but no matter who you are when you compare yourself to the law of God, it will bring you low - for the truth is this:

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Job 15:16 “How much more abominable and filthy Is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”

Romans 3:10–12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

We see the Remorse of the other because of what he compared himself against - not man, but God’s perfect law.

The Regard of One; the Remorse of Another

III. Righteousness Revealed by Christ (v14)

A Radical View

Think about what Jesus is saying here. He is turning the whole view of society upon its head!

To say that a publican is in any way going to be considered more righteous than a Pharisee is next to insanity. This is completely backwards from the common mindset throughout all Jerusalem & Judea.

It’s a Radical View, but it’s also a Revealing View

A Revealing View

What is Jesus teaching them?

He’s teaching them that it’s not about what your hands do, but where your heart is.

(Ill.) This is the problem with so many today! They believe that they are righteous because of the things that they do! You have many trying to curry favor with God by doing things:

Feeding the hungry

Giving to charity

President Donald Trump said just over a year ago (8/19/25) on Fox & Friends regarding the Russian / Ukraine war: “If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed… I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

Church, but good works only matters when they are done in the right context for the right reasons - not to curry favor with God, but in response to God’s goodness toward man!

He’s teaching them that where your heart is, is more important than what your hands do!

We see a Radical / Revealing view in how Righteousness is Revealed by Christ

The Regard of One; the Remorse of Another; then Righteousness is Revealed by Christ

IV. Righteousness Revealed Through Christ

But to truly be right with God, the principle that Christ is teaching needs be coupled with the Sacrifice that Christ would go on to make.

We Acknowledge Our Sin Problem

Just like the publican, we must humble ourselves - not by comparing ourselves to others, but by examining ourselves against the Law of God. HERE IS THE HUMILITY OF THE PUBLICAN

Church, our sin is a problem, because it separates us from God: Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

We must acknowledge our Sin Problem

We Admit we Can’t be Righteous Ourselves

We understand that the Righteousness of God is found in our heart posture not our hands - and we recognize the truth of Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

We recognize that we can’t be righteous ourselves

We Seek God’s Mercy

Mercy (def) Not getting what we deserve

The publican sought mercy.

He knew that he didn’t deserve the goodness of God

He knew that he was sinful

He knew that what he deserved was Hell itself

So he sought God’s mercy

YOU AND I DESERVE HELL ITSELF, FOR WE ARE SINNERS - WE NEED GOD’S MERCY!

We seek God’s Mercy

We Find All in Jesus

All of the problems we have church, we find the answer in Christ Jesus!

He is the Answer to our sin problem:

2 Corinthians 5:21a “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin…”

Christ hung on the Cross to pay for our sins

We admit we can’t be Righteous ourselves:

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

We CAN BE RIGHTEOUS Church - but it’s not through the work of our hands, but through the Sacrifice of Christ - Our sins placed upon Him, His Righteousness placed upon us

We seek the Mercy & Grace of God

Mercy (def) Not getting what we deserve

Grace (def) Getting something we don’t deserve

Ephesians 2:4–5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

The Mercy of God is found in Jesus!

And if you will just place your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ:

His death for our sins

His resurrection for our justification

Through Christ - and ONLY through Christ we can be saved from our sins!

Conclusion

Have you been saved from your sins?