10/27/2019 Sinners and Saints

The offering father. We thank you for the rewards of our Harvest and God we give lovingly and joyfully back to you. We just ask that you take this and multiply it for the greater good of our church family in our community. God help it to expand your kingdom. We ask all this in Jesus name I'm in.

Make sure I'm on the right spot if we're good our scripture reading for this Sunday, October 27th. Is Luke chapter 18 verses 9 to 14 Luke chapter 18 verses 9 to 14. Just some who were confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else. Jesus told this Parable two men went up to the temple to pray one a Pharisee and the other tax collector the Pharisee stood by himself and pray God. I thank you that I am not like other people robbers evildoers adulterers or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get But the tax collector stood at a distance, he would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said God have mercy on me a sinner. I tell you that this man rather than the other went home Justified before God for all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted the word of God for the people of God.

Good morning.

Iraq things My name's Ralph.

They call me Wreck-It Ralph. pretty self-explanatory lot of people been calling me a farmer this morning.

now I'm Wreck-It Ralph.

Somebody called me their uncle Ted.

I'm Wreck-It Ralph.

That's the only thing I'm good at. reckon stuff Everywhere I go just to see you the struction.

You don't.

Jesus told this parable. about Pharisee and tax collector and I really see myself in the tax collector. Because this this tax collector it wasn't a good guy. You made a living off of taking money from people and taking a little bit off the top and that's how we learned is living. And so essentially he with a government-backed thief

But he was Jewish and so he was at the temple and he was praying.

but he always kind of knew he was also a thief at the same time right like you didn't feel good about it, and there was Is Pharisee that Jesus talks about? And this Pharisee is is it Jesus says that the Pharisee? understood himself to be righteous Not that he was righteous, but he understood himself to be righteous and unrighteous is a way of saying like Godly doing the right things. But but God knew the motivations of his heart. And so when he prayed at the temple, he prayed thanking God that he wasn't like the tax collector

and I see myself in the tax collector. Because Wherever I Go. I am tempted towards destruction, but but I'm not defined by that destruction. Is that big sense like? I am not just destroying things. I'm capable of more than that and I have this friend Vanellope. You guys might have seen her if she drives a Prius around and she's got really long hair.

She sees the best in me, but a lot of other people still just see Wreck-It Ralph. and some of you might have people in your life that same way maybe some other people see the best in you but still other people wanted to find you by who you used to be or what you used to do or or maybe what you struggle still with doing but but are closed people the people that know us and love us Bastyr like Vanellope. Am I Jesus? Nose, that's not who God created us to be have you guys ever heard of the statement there? But for the grace of God go I like I know. I have a friend Fix-It Felix. And Fix It Felix is always trying to fix my life's problems. Maybe some of you all have some friends like that. They try to give you wisdom as they see it and end in sometimes that makes Felix feel good when he fixes the things that I messed up on that sometimes even feels like His whole point life is helping me, but it's not really. that's so that there's the Fix-It Felix is in our lives, but

But God calls us to be something more than what we believe we are. tempted to do or to be so there's this Pharisee That season self as as righteous. But he's really not righteous. And he since they're saying the whole time, you know, thank God. I'm not like it and it does alter murderer or I didn't even says like like that tax collector over there.

but you know, maybe the tax collectors not all that bad at heart. And maybe some of the Pharisee isn't necessarily all good. With how he views the tax collector and everybody else. And sometimes in faith. We're tempted to be like the Pharisee. Because we want to know what we're doing is the right thing to do and if we do the right thing for long enough, then we can believe to be not only that we're doing the right thing, but we're becoming the right person and then we can believe that we're becoming the right person as if that makes us better than everyone else. But we're not. it's that some of the Temptation from the Pharisees side of things but but the tax collector like me, sometimes he searches to find good in his life and you can't really find it. So, all he can do is cry out to God and say have mercy on me. and

and there's hoping that

but there's also the reality that God wants something better for us, but God also want something better for the Pharisee to And so I think it's interesting.

As I exegete this passage is Wreck-It Ralph. that who Jesus is telling the story to isn't to the Pharisee and it isn't to the tax collector, but it's to his disciples.

Jesus is talking to his disciples. the people that believed in him reminding them that as they were to pray. They were to pray so that they are Justified before God and the one that was justified before God is the tax collector. Not the Pharisee. See the tax collectors face lead him to walk. To a place that he would have been despised. Cuz he's Jewish. And he's taking money from Jews and he's at the temple. He's going somewhere. He knows he's not going to feel appreciated and cared for and loved. What is Faith takes in there and he lays down at any won't even look up. But he cries out for God to have mercy on him. And he's justified in faith. Because he knows the power of God to have mercy on all people but also because he's not comparing himself to anyone else. He understands his position. It's a sensitive. In a way, it's humility. humility lived out Etsy the tax collector would have had money you would have had probably more than enough money. And if you didn't have enough money, you could just raise taxes and get enough sounds familiar. but the reality is that

Who God has created us to be isn't in comparison to anyone else?

All we are called to be our people of faith. Praying that God will help continue to help us along this path in Journey of life that we might share with others the joy of the Gospel.

The Fellowship of friends who become like family because God is let us together

events That's the Hope In this passage. I hope In this passage is there are tons of stories in this room that go for there. But for the grace of God go I You know and it doesn't it doesn't take long right? Like I don't know how many times I hear someone crashing on the interstate or accidentally killing someone cuz they're texting and driving. And immediately I think.

unintelligent is that but when my phone rings I glanced down to check and see who it is. Or how many times I've said? Okay, just take one second. and maybe it goes on and on and on there, but for the grace of God go I but the Cry of our heart is a cry this tax collector.

It's God have mercy on me. a sinner and plenty of people lives in this world convinced that they are Wreck-It Ralph's it seems like everything they touch turns to Mush or maybe you were Too Faced in your life that feels like that too. Or maybe you're at a place in your life or you feel like everything you touch just seems to work out some of us in the room can walk through a cow pasture and not even hit one cow pie. Others of us can drop our candy from Halloween and it getting out of the envy. At Aetna in case you're curious I threw it away. So but the reality is we have these points in our life for these ways and in times in our life where we can begin to feel as though we're more like the Pharisee.

Or we can begin to feel as though we're more like the tax collector. But what matters is our heart and that's what God knows cuz see the Pharisees understood themselves to be righteous, but God knew their heart. And God knows your heart. And so sometimes you're going through life. Maybe you might worry about people thinking you sound more like a Pharisee, but if God knows your heart. Then God knows your intent. And maybe you're convinced that.

That if others in this room do half the stuff you did that the place would burn down when you walked in.

But God knows your heart and God loves you, and there's nothing we can do to separate ourselves from the love of God.

And it's important to remember that this Parable is told the disciples in that clearly means that the disciples were beginning to think of themselves more like Pharisees. Unless like tax collectors. And Jesus provided this Parable to talk about prayer. And so if in your prayer life you're not for sure what to pray. Maybe you're not for sure what to pray and you don't know what to do. Just simply humbly. Go to God and say have mercy on me a sinner. For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

And may you rest in the hope? In the promise of eternal life from a savior that knows our hearts and loves us. Anyway that knows all of those things that we worry about and tells us to be still and know that he is gone.

The next time you see somebody who appears to be a Wreck It Ralph in this world. Don't put them in a box.

God doesn't do that. God has Mercy on them. And may God have mercy on us.

amen