Two Men Pray One Justified

Context

I know what you’re all thinking. Please God don’t explain what a parable is again… and you know what? I’m going to anyway...

What is a parable?

A parable is a story you tell along side of a truth...

to do what?

help explain

Jesus used parables for a unique reason, what was it?

To hide the truth from people who didn’t want to listen

Lastly, in order to understand a parable you must first get a handle on what?

Audience

Luke 18:9-14

Parable about the pharisee and the tax collector who go to the temple to pray

Thought of the day: If you lift yourself up God will kick you back down

Read Luke 18:9

Audience had 2 problems, both of which Jesus addresses in the parable

They were confident that their good deeds justified them before God

They looked down on other people

Why did Jesus tell this parable? He was warning them, and us of the danger of

Comparing themselves to other people

thinking their good deeds won them God’s justification

Define Salvation

Salvation is a big word that means too many things

To be saved from something means to escape it! When we say we are saved what we are saying is that we have escaped the judgement of God. Which is not exactly accurate, because God’s judgement hasn’t come for those of us who are alive in this room.

When we say we are saved we are saying with confidence that God has promised with an unbreakable seal that we will be saved. And we are so confident that we speak as if it has already happened. But why?

Read Romans 8:28-39

Salvation is made up of parts:

* predestination

* calling

* justified

* glorified/sanctified

After all that the judgement and we will escape the wrath of God

Justification is not a future hope it is a present reality

Here’s what gives us our confidence. If you have been justified, that means if you change your mind and align yourself with God. If you believe who He is, the Christ who came to live the perfect life so that His righteousness is credited to your account. That he died on the cross for your sins. That 3 days later He rose with all power and authority in His hand and that he currently sits at the right hand of the father...

You are justified. God has declared you righteous. You’re perfect in the eyes of God, right now. And nothing will ever make you unrighteous before him, if He has truly justified you.

Why go through this? This parable is all about a person’s justification. The application this parable has to salvation is inference, but Jesus doesn’t make it about salvation.

The people Jesus were talking to thought that they were righteous before God because of their own good works.

Read Luke 18:10

Jesus sets the stage; one person everyone loves and one everyone hates and we have them backwards

11

“the Pharisee stood by himself” for those of you using king James or new king James it might say, “prayed to himself” as if he was praying to himself, thanking himself as God. This would preach really well but every other translation I found disagrees.

Jesus is not setting the pharisee up to be the villain, he’s setting him up to be the hero so that he can pull the rug from under the listener’s feet.

The pharisee thanks God for making him a good person. He doesn’t think that he did these things on his own. But by God’s power he has become righteous through following the law.

The pharisee didn’t make up this prayer. This prayer is from the Talmud. The Talmud is a collection of Jewish commentaries. This was not just some wicked prayer the pharisee thought up in his arrogance. This is how he was taught to pray.

12

What made the pharisee confident that he was superior to the tax collector? His good deeds. Deeds that were truly above and beyond. They were only required to fast once a year on the day of atonement but this man fasted twice a week. Only farmers were required to give a tenth of their crop this pharisee gave a tenth of everything he had.

13

The tax collector stood at a distance because he wasn’t allowed close, too unclean.

He would not even look up to heaven. He doesn’t even seem to notice the pharisee. He was totally focused on his own relationship with God and seems to have no consideration of the Pharisees’.

Mercy: a strange word for mercy. Its only used in Hebrews 2:17 translated “atonement” merciful in Hebrews 2:17 is another word.

have mercy; make atonement; make me just; justify me by your mercy

For I am a sinner, devoid of righteousness

14

Heres the rug being ripped out from under them

The sinner went home righteous before God without a single good work

While the pharisee, who was righteous, thankful, and worshiped God through tithing went home condemned

What’s the point

You all think you are righteous before God because you follow the law but you’re wrong. There is only justification according to mercy never through adherence to the law.

Those who exalt themselves, those who lift themselves up, those who think they are better than others will be humbled, torn down. But those who are lowly, humble, don’t focus on others, don’t trust in their works to justify them will be lifted up, and exalted by God Himself.