SF669 - HOW TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF CHURCH (Luke 18 9-14)
SF669
How to Get Something Out of Church
Luke 18:9-14
INTRODUCTION
Billy Graham S.B.C. 1982
"Most people in America have just enough religion to keep them from getting the real thing. They have just enough to inoculate them against God!"
There is no shortage of religion in America
93% of Americans believe in God
49% believe that eternal life is gained only through Jesus
40% go to church or synagogue each week
Only ~30% claim to be born-again.
Often when the Bible mentions religion, it is either in a negative or corrective tone
The Contrast (Luke 18:9-14)
The Pharisee came full of himself left empty
The tax collector came and emptied himself and left fulfilled.
The Pharisee declared his goodness and left condemned
The tax collector declared his sinfulness and left justified.
How can you get something out of church today…
1A. We Must be Motivated by the Right Desire
Some people come to church to impress Others
(Luke 16:15 NIV) "He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."
Some people come to church to relieve their Conscience
(Titus 1:15-16 NCV) "To those who are pure, all things are pure, but to those who are full of sin and do not believe, nothing is pure. Both their minds and their consciences have been ruined. {16} They say they know God, but their actions show they do not accept him. They are hateful people, they refuse to obey, and they are useless for doing anything good."
Some people come to church to find God
(John 12:20-21 NIV) "Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. {21} They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus.""
(Matthew 7:7-8 NIV) ""Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. {8} For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
2A. We Must be Honest with Ourselves
Some people base their opinion of themselves on how they compare to others (11-12)
(Matthew 7:3-5 NIV) ""Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? {4} How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? {5} You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Some people are able to see themselves as they compare with God. (13)
(Luke 5:32 NIV) “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.””
(1 Timothy 1:15 NIV) “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
(Isaiah 64:6 NCV) "All of us are dirty with sin. All the right things we have done are like filthy pieces of cloth. All of us are like dead leaves, and our sins, like the wind, have carried us away."
3A. We must be Honest with God
We cannot fool God, because He knows the truth about us
(Romans 3:10-11 NIV) "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; {11} there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."
(Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV) "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? {10} "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.""
We must come clean with God, because that is the only way we can receive forgiveness
(Psalms 51:1-4 NCV) "God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because you are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs. {2} Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. {3} I know about my wrongs, and I can't forget my sin. {4} You are the only one I have sinned against; I have done what you say is wrong. You are right when you speak and fair when you judge."
(Isaiah 1:18 NIV) ""Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
(1 John 1:9 NCV) "But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done."
4A. We Must put our Faith in the Right Person
Most people end up Trusting in Themselves
(Proverbs 14:12 NIV) "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
(Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV) "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; {6} in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
The only way to Heaven is by Trusting in Jesus Christ Alone
(John 14:6 NIV) "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
(Acts 4:12 NCV) "Jesus is the only One who can save people. His name is the only power in the world that has been given to save people. We must be saved through him.""
5A. We Must be Right with Others
(Matthew 5:23-24 NCV) ""So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, {24} leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person, and then come and offer your gift."
Application
Ask what did I bring to Church today?
What do I hope to take with me?
Have I been honest with myself?
Have I been honest with God?
Who am I really trusting?
Am I right with others?