Luke 18:9–14 Sermon

Sermon Text

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

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.”

Title: Self Righteousness The Root Of Contempt

Introduction/Context

The Gospel of Luke was written by Luke known as the beloved Physician.

It was written before the Acts of the Apostles (), but how much earlier is uncertain.

Luke, Gosʹpel of. The third Gospel is ascribed by the general consent of ancient Christendom to “the beloved physician” Luke, the friend and companion of the apostle Paid.

The preface contained in the first four verses of the Gospel describes the object of its writer.

The Westminster Bible Dictionary Luke, Gosʹpel of

Luke, Gosʹpel of. The third Gospel is ascribed by the general consent of ancient Christendom to “the beloved physician” Luke, the friend and companion of the apostle Paid. It was written before the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:1), but how much earlier is uncertain. The preface contained in the first four verses of the Gospel describes the object of its writer. Several narratives of our Lord’s life were evidently current when Luke wrote his Gospel. The ground of fitness for his task he places in his having carefully followed out the whole course of events from the beginning. He does not claim the character of an eye-witness from the first, but possibly he may have been a witness of some part of our Lord’s doings. Irenæus, Tertullian, Origen and Eusebius maintain that Luke wrote his Gospel under the influence of Paul, but the language of the preface is scarcely consistent with the notion that Paul was his only authority. The truth appears to be that Luke, seeking information from every quarter, found it in the preaching of his beloved master Paul, and that the apostle in his turn employed the knowledge acquired from other sources by his disciple. It has never been doubted that the Gospel was written in Greek. Whilst Hebraisms are frequent, classical idioms and Greek compound words also abound. The number of words used by Luke only is unusually great, and many of them are compound words for which there is classical authority. On comparing the Gospel with the Acts it is found that the style of the latter is more pure and free from Hebrew idioms.

Luke 1:1–4 ESV

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

The intent of this gospel account was to give certainty and confidence to Theophilus in the things that he had been taught.

We are not certain who Theophilus was but what we do know is the intent in writing this to him.

Let us keep that in mind for our text today.

The Westminster Bible Dictionary The-Ophʹi-lus

The-Ophʹi-lus, the person to whom Luke inscribed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). From Luke’s style of address to him it has been argued with much probability that he was a Gentile and that he occupied some high official position.

This is God’s word. And we can be certain that it is true and sufficient for life, godliness and correction.

If we go back to , we will see where Jesus was in our text.

Luke 17:11–19 ESV

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

What follows this was the Pharisees asking Jesus a question about when the kingdom of God would come.

And His answer is found in verses 20 and 21.

Luke 17:20–21 ESV

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

English Standard Version Chapter 17

22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Then in verse 22,

Luke 17:22 ESV

22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

Verse 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

Verse 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.

Verse 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

Jesus warns His disciples about what others will say pertaining to His coming. He tells them not to go to them and not to follow them.

He speaks about His suffering being what must come before the days of the Son of Man. Or the Day of the Lord.

Verse 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Then he speaks of examples in Scripture in order to give them the seriousness of His warning.

Verse 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.

Verse 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

He speaks of Noah’s days as what it will be like in the days of the Son of Man.

Then He uses another example in verse 28.

Verse 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,

Verse 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all-

Verse 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.

In verse 32 He uses another example.

Luke 17:32 ESV

32 Remember Lot’s wife.

From . Lot’s wife who was cursed for looking back.

Jesus gives us what was going on there in what Lot’s wife was going through.

Verse 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Notice in the examples that Jesus gave.

Notice that in verse 27, in the days of Noah, they were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage

Then in verse 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building

Jesus is warning them to not be about what is earthly and temporal. And that they needed to take heed to what He was saying.

34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left.

35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

There needed to be an emphasis on taking God’s warning seriously.

To the point that we are not to find our life in eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building, marrying and being given in marriage for the sake of fulfilling our earthly desires.

This is a warning of not being preoccupied with the world.

In Luke chapter 12, He had given a parable to warn people of this.

Luke 12:13–21 ESV

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

What Jesus wanted His listeners to know and what Luke wanted to point out to Theophilus, was that one cannot afford to seek to preserve their lives for this world. In doing so they would lose it.

But whoever loses his life will keep it. Why?

Because they realize that God is their greater. Their treasure.

The realization of the actual condition of someone who sees the sinfulness in loving their lives and gaining it, at the expense of treasuring their lives over treasuring Christ, will prove a great loss.

The parable in our text deals with what is at the heart of this problem.

And Jesus gives the solution to this problem in exposing what trust in one’s own righteousness looks like and what genuine saving faith looks like.

The preface contained in the first four verses of the Gospel describes the object of its writer. Several narratives of our Lord’s life were evidently current when Luke wrote his Gospel. The ground of fitness for his task he places in his having carefully followed out the whole course of events from the beginning. He does not claim the character of an eye-witness from the first, but possibly he may have been a witness of some part of our Lord’s doings. Irenæus, Tertullian, Origen and Eusebius maintain that Luke wrote his Gospel under the influence of Paul, but the language of the preface is scarcely consistent with the notion that Paul was his only authority. The truth appears to be that Luke, seeking information from every quarter, found it in the preaching of his beloved master Paul, and that the apostle in his turn employed the knowledge acquired from other sources by his disciple. It has never been doubted that the Gospel was written in Greek. Whilst Hebraisms are frequent, classical idioms and Greek compound words also abound. The number of words used by Luke only is unusually great, and many of them are compound words for which there is classical authority. On comparing the Gospel with the Acts it is found that the style of the latter is more pure and free from Hebrew idioms.

Irenæus, Tertullian, Origen and Eusebius maintain that Luke wrote his Gospel under the influence of Paul, but the language of the preface is scarcely consistent with the notion that Paul was his only authority. The truth appears to be that Luke, seeking information from every quarter, found it in the preaching of his beloved master Paul, and that the apostle in his turn employed the knowledge acquired from other sources by his disciple. It has never been doubted that the Gospel was written in Greek. Whilst Hebraisms are frequent, classical idioms and Greek compound words also abound. The number of words used by Luke only is unusually great, and many of them are compound words for which there is classical authority. On comparing the Gospel with the Acts it is found that the style of the latter is more pure and free from Hebrew idioms.

Verse 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

Verse 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

Verse 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.

Verse 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

Verse 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!’

Verse 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.”