Two men, two prayers, two outcomes.

Introduction

Has there ever been a time when you thought you were doing something correctly but then realised you had been doing it completely wrong the whole time?

I used to go to the gym and there was one particular excercise that I thought I was doing correctly and for a while no one told me otherwise until one day someone was kind enough to stop me and show me how to do it prpoerly. It was a bit embarressing knowing I had been doing it wrong for so long in front of people, but after i knew how to do it properly I didn’t do it wrong again.

In our reading we see that there is a right way to approach God and a wrong way.

Two men, two prayers, two outcomes.

I.Two men

In our reading there were two men. The first one we learn about is a Pharisee.

a) A pharisee- The pharisees were a very strict and religious sect of Judaism. The would have memorised the first five books of the OT, fasted twice a week. Prayed three times a day.

This Pharisee was very religious which isn’t neccesarily bad however he was self righteous.

He thought he was better than others and it was clear he was trusting in himself.

The second man was a tax collector.

b)A tax collector- The tax collectors were a despised people. Much like they are today but even more so then. A Jewish tax collector was seen as a trator to his own nation. The Romans had subjegated the people of Israel and a Jewish tax collector was seen as working for the enemy against his own people.

Here we have two men. The Pharisees were often well repsected and had a good standing in Jewish society, the Tax collectors were despised and seen as sinners.

II.Two prayers

Just as the men were totally different, their prayers were totally different too.

a) The Pharisees prayer was full of self praise and self righteousness- Listen to his prayer;

v.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God I thank you that I am not like other men- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I posses.”

From the Pharisees prayer it is clear that he thought he was better than others, he thought that in God’s sight he was righteous because of the things he did. If we put it in simple terms, it is clear that this Pharisees was relying on his own good works to get him to heaven.

b) The tax collectors prayer however was full of humility and sorrow for sin. Listen to the tax collectors prayer;

v.13 “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’”

From the Tax Collectors prayer it is clear that he realised he was a sinner. He knew that before God he had nothing to boast about. He realised that his only chance of being accepted by God was that God would be merciful to him. “God be merciful to me a sinner.” To put it simply, the only thing that the Tax collector was relying on to get him to heaven was the mercy of God. Ofcourse this mercy is only found when we believe in Jesus Christ for our selves.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Two men, two prayers, finally we see there were two very different outcomes.

III. Two Outcomes

Jesus speaking about the tax collector in V.14 says “ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

One man was justified and one man was not. One man was accecpted by God and forgiven for his sin and the other one was not.

The Tax collector was forgiven for his sin and justified before God. The Pharisee was condemned by God and not forgiven for his sin.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

What was the difference?

The pharisee was trusting in his own righteousness, his own good works.

The tax collector admitted he was a sinner and needed God’s forgiveness and mercy.

Conclusion

Looking at these two men, these two prayers and these two outcomes. The question we must ask ourselves is which one describes us?

Are we like the Pharisee? Trusting in what we do, trusting in our own good works. Our own kindness to others, our own honesty? Do we think that these good things that we do will take us to heaven, that God will some how over look the sin we have done in our lives because of the good? After all we arent as bad as some people?

Well this was the attitude of the pharisee and he was rejected by God, he was condemned. And if we have this same attitude then we too will face the same outcome.

Or are we like the tax collector? We know we have done wrong in our lives. We have admitted we are a sinner and in need of a Saviour. We do not trust in anything that we can do or have done but only trust in Jesus Christ. In his death for our sin on the cross and his resurrection. We know that the only way we can be accepted by God is if we trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and pray the prayer, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

This is the attitude that God wants. He wants us to be honest, admit we have done wrong and admit we need a Saviour. He wants us to put our trsut in Jesus Christ as our only hope of salvation. Our only hope of being forgiven by God is found in Jesus Christ, in his death for our sin on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.

Maybe you realise you have been doing it wrong the whole time. You thought that the way to heaven is by being good, rather than by believing in Jesus Christ. Maybe you thought salvation is earned by good works rather than received as a gift by God’s grace.

Well if thats true, if you come humbly to God like this tax collector and pray “God, be merciful to me a sinner” and trust in Jesus Christ alone to make you right with God, then it will be said of you as well “They went down to their house justified.”

Lets pray.