WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:13.294 If you would remain standing and turn to the gospel of Luke, chapter 18, we're going to look at verses 9 through 14, the Pharisee and the tax collector. 00:00:13.294 --> 00:00:18.352 This parable, a short parable, but significant parable. 00:00:18.352 --> 00:00:22.728 Let's go to the Lord in prayer before we read it. 00:00:22.728 --> 00:00:27.231 Our Heavenly Father, we thank you that you do hear our prayers. 00:00:27.231 --> 00:00:34.332 We thank you that you are merciful and, lord, I pray that you will give us humble hearts to receive your word. 00:00:34.332 --> 00:00:41.545 Help us to turn away from ourselves and to turn to Jesus Christ and be saved, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:00:41.545 --> 00:00:41.987 Amen. 00:00:41.987 --> 00:00:47.792 Hear God's word from Luke, chapter 18, beginning in verse 9, reading to verse 14. 00:00:48.801 --> 00:00:56.265 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. 00:00:56.265 --> 00:01:01.283 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 00:01:01.283 --> 00:01:07.960 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus a tax collector. 00:01:07.960 --> 00:01:13.271 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust adulterers, and even like this tax collector. 00:01:13.271 --> 00:01:14.953 I fast twice a week. 00:01:14.953 --> 00:01:27.480 I give tithes of all that I get, 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. 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:40.962 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted, he who has ears, let him hear God's word. 00:01:41.063 --> 00:01:52.822 Please be seated, if you remember, in the context of what Jesus is doing, he's talking about His return, the coming of the kingdom, and that's the surrounding emphasis of what's coming. 00:01:52.822 --> 00:01:58.972 Jesus is telling us he is returning, and are we ready? 00:01:58.972 --> 00:01:59.995 Are you prepared? 00:01:59.995 --> 00:02:06.972 He will come again, like lightning, he has said, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. 00:02:06.972 --> 00:02:09.605 But obviously it hasn't happened yet, has it? 00:02:09.605 --> 00:02:12.573 We are here, and they are here in their text. 00:02:13.781 --> 00:02:16.426 And the question then is well, how can we prepare? 00:02:16.426 --> 00:02:20.324 How can we prepare ourselves for that day and Christ's coming? 00:02:20.324 --> 00:02:25.776 Well, christ gave two parables to help us prepare, to keep these things in mind. 00:02:25.776 --> 00:02:38.234 The first thing, if you remember from last week, the way we can be prepared for the kingdom is by praying to not lose heart, to be consistent in our prayers, to exercise our faith in praying. 00:02:38.234 --> 00:02:45.731 But you can be praying, and you can even be praying a lot, and prayer will not save you. 00:02:45.731 --> 00:03:07.623 There's something else you need, and that is what this parable is about that you need to humbly rely on the mercy of God that is found in Christ alone to save you, not in any works that you have performed, not in anything that you have done to save yourself, but resting in Jesus Christ. 00:03:07.623 --> 00:03:11.193 Even as we read in Ephesians that there's nothing that we can boast in. 00:03:11.193 --> 00:03:22.947 We have to rely on God's mercy alone, found in Christ, as Romans 3.20 reminds us, by the works of the law no man will be justified in his sight. 00:03:22.947 --> 00:03:34.614 No one will be made right before God by works of the law, that is, by doing, but you will be saved by resting and receiving in Christ, by faith. 00:03:34.614 --> 00:03:38.525 And so Jesus begins in verse 9,. 00:03:39.045 --> 00:03:42.983 He told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. 00:03:42.983 --> 00:03:45.110 They're trusting in their good works. 00:03:45.110 --> 00:03:50.603 And not only are they trusting in themselves that they are righteous, it says, but they're treating others with contempt. 00:03:50.603 --> 00:03:54.872 He's talking to people here who don't trust God. 00:03:54.872 --> 00:03:58.125 In fact, these people don't really love God. 00:03:58.125 --> 00:04:01.492 They love themselves and they have contempt for others. 00:04:01.492 --> 00:04:05.128 And so where do you think Jesus begins this parable? 00:04:05.128 --> 00:04:10.669 Where might you find people who don't love God and actually have contempt for other people. 00:04:10.669 --> 00:04:18.632 Well, you might think, well, jesus would begin this parable maybe in a bar, strip club, wall Street. 00:04:18.632 --> 00:04:27.860 People clearly don't love God, maybe even have contempt for other people, happy to do whatever they want, don't love God, maybe even have contempt for other people, happy to do whatever they want. 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:33.005 But you know where Jesus begins this parable the talking about people who think that they are righteous and have contempt for other people. 00:04:33.005 --> 00:04:33.947 Where does Jesus begin? 00:04:33.947 --> 00:04:39.182 The church, the temple, two people. 00:04:39.182 --> 00:04:44.603 If you will come to Bayhaven this morning, that's kind of the context that Jesus is talking about. 00:04:44.603 --> 00:04:45.249 People have come here to Bayhaven this morning. 00:04:45.249 --> 00:04:45.704 That's kind of the context that Jesus is talking about. 00:04:45.704 --> 00:04:53.084 People have come here to Bayhaven and there are people who think that they are righteous and actually have contempt for others. 00:04:53.084 --> 00:05:08.613 And now we not only see two people, we're going to see two prayers, then we're going to see two destinations and in these two people, one person is a Pharisee, the other is a tax collector. 00:05:08.613 --> 00:05:16.213 And if you're a first-century hearer, it's quite obvious who the bad guy is in this parable. 00:05:16.213 --> 00:05:19.182 It's the tax collector. 00:05:19.182 --> 00:05:31.360 You have a first-century hearer, you've been accustomed to think that the Pharisee is the bad guy, but if you're in Jesus' hearing, you would know that it's the tax collector. 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:33.786 Jesus, obviously, is talking about the tax collectors. 00:05:33.786 --> 00:05:35.771 They think that they're better than everyone else. 00:05:35.771 --> 00:05:44.351 They do bad things and Jesus has a word for them, because in those days, just remind yourself about tax collectors. 00:05:44.432 --> 00:05:47.096 Tax collectors were despised. 00:05:47.096 --> 00:05:48.961 They were thieves. 00:05:48.961 --> 00:05:52.591 They stole, they took more than what was required. 00:05:52.591 --> 00:05:54.081 That's how they made their living. 00:05:54.081 --> 00:06:01.603 Rome gave them power to take money and if you didn't listen to them, they would come down with the centurions and chop your head off. 00:06:01.603 --> 00:06:05.427 You gave them money, no matter what they said, and they were thieves. 00:06:05.427 --> 00:06:11.254 They were unjust, they were swindlers and, even more so, they were traitors. 00:06:11.254 --> 00:06:23.105 They were Jewish people stealing money from Jews, people of Israel working for the enemy, working for Rome to suppress and to steal from your own people. 00:06:23.105 --> 00:06:28.334 They were hated by their fellow Israelites. 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:36.982 In fact, the only people often that you see tax collectors hanging out with are prostitutes, adulterers. 00:06:36.982 --> 00:06:38.588 Those are the only people that would accept them. 00:06:38.588 --> 00:06:53.646 So not only are tax collectors despised and thieves and dishonest traitors, they're also most likely adulterers, because they're just hanging out with prostitutes all the time and they were most likely given into that vice as well. 00:06:53.646 --> 00:07:05.641 No one wanted to be around them and, honestly, most people who are in open sin, like a tax collector, don't want to be around God, or even God's people, or go into a church. 00:07:05.641 --> 00:07:11.302 That's one reason a lot of people aren't flocking into churches on Sundays is because there's a sense of guilt. 00:07:11.302 --> 00:07:13.045 I don't want to be around a holy God. 00:07:13.045 --> 00:07:20.685 I don't want to have God read the Exodus to me and about these Ten Commandments, I want to do what I want to do, so I'm going to go do it. 00:07:20.685 --> 00:07:25.088 I don't want to have to hear from God, and so that's most likely the tax collector as well. 00:07:28.031 --> 00:07:33.880 You wouldn't think it's the Pharisee, but here the text begins with the Pharisee. 00:07:33.880 --> 00:07:44.288 The Pharisee, he stands by himself and he prays thus God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust adulterers or even like this tax collector. 00:07:44.288 --> 00:07:48.134 I fast twice a week and I give tithes of all that I get. 00:07:48.134 --> 00:07:52.870 So the Pharisee, he begins his prayer and he begins with God. 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:54.444 That's a good start, right? 00:07:54.444 --> 00:07:55.750 A good start in our prayer. 00:07:55.750 --> 00:07:58.168 When we begin our prayer, we start addressing God. 00:07:58.168 --> 00:08:01.670 He's off to a good start, right, good prayer, good, all right. 00:08:01.670 --> 00:08:03.141 What's next in his prayer? 00:08:03.141 --> 00:08:04.745 I thank you. 00:08:04.745 --> 00:08:06.406 Oh, he's so thankful? 00:08:06.406 --> 00:08:08.050 Right, he gives thanks. 00:08:08.050 --> 00:08:09.591 Shouldn't we give thanks in our prayers? 00:08:09.591 --> 00:08:10.593 Yes, we should. 00:08:10.593 --> 00:08:18.081 He's making good progress so far in his prayer. 00:08:18.081 --> 00:08:19.524 Right, praying to God giving thanks, and he thanks. 00:08:19.524 --> 00:08:22.267 But what does he give thanks to God for? 00:08:22.267 --> 00:08:25.754 He first begins to thank God for the things that he isn't. 00:08:25.754 --> 00:08:41.490 I'm thankful I'm not an extortioner, I'm not unjust, I'm not an adulterer, and all of those are actually pretty good descriptions of the tax collector who would have been all of those three things as well. 00:08:41.490 --> 00:08:48.044 The tax collector would have been an extortioner, an unjust and an adulterer, and he's thankful he's not like that. 00:08:49.147 --> 00:08:50.890 Now, that doesn't sound too bad, right? 00:08:50.890 --> 00:08:53.102 Don't we all kind of do that a little bit? 00:08:53.102 --> 00:08:55.769 Don't we kind of all do what the Pharisee has just done? 00:08:55.769 --> 00:09:03.274 I mean, we hear of people and horrible or appalling sins that happen and you might think you know when you hear about a friend or family member, something bad's happened. 00:09:03.274 --> 00:09:14.130 You might think you know, when you hear about a friend or family member, something bad's happened in their life and kind of in your heart like I'm thankful, that's not me Thankful, I'm not going through that. 00:09:15.634 --> 00:09:21.447 You hear of some prominent scandal or even a fall of a pastor, and you think I have no idea how they could do that. 00:09:21.447 --> 00:09:30.730 I just it's beyond me how someone in that position could do something of that magnitude of that sin. 00:09:30.730 --> 00:09:32.085 How could they do that? 00:09:32.085 --> 00:09:33.586 How could they sin like that? 00:09:33.586 --> 00:09:38.361 How, how, how, god, I thank you. 00:09:38.361 --> 00:09:41.869 I thank you, god, that I'm not Jeffrey Epstein. 00:09:41.869 --> 00:09:44.854 Thank you, adultery galore. 00:09:44.854 --> 00:09:47.465 I thank you that I'm not like that guy, god. 00:09:47.465 --> 00:09:52.121 I thank you that I'm not like Harvey Weinstein of sex hoarding women. 00:09:52.121 --> 00:09:52.982 I thank you, god. 00:09:52.982 --> 00:09:54.066 I'm not like him. 00:09:54.066 --> 00:10:00.648 God, I thank you that I'm not like Sam Bankman, freed and unjustly stealing billions of dollars. 00:10:00.648 --> 00:10:02.231 What a slimy snake, god. 00:10:02.231 --> 00:10:02.712 I thank you. 00:10:02.712 --> 00:10:03.900 I thank you, god. 00:10:03.900 --> 00:10:06.306 Thank you, I don't steal. 00:10:06.306 --> 00:10:08.210 Thank you, I don't commit adultery. 00:10:08.210 --> 00:10:09.974 I don't covet. 00:10:09.974 --> 00:10:14.087 Does that sound familiar at all in your own heart? 00:10:16.280 --> 00:10:21.432 The problem with the Pharisee is not that he's thanking God for the ability to avoid sin. 00:10:21.432 --> 00:10:27.364 Pharisee is not that he's thanking God for the ability to avoid sin. 00:10:27.364 --> 00:10:28.505 Rather, he is condescendingly self-righteous. 00:10:28.505 --> 00:10:42.211 We can be thankful for God's grace upon grace to keep us from evil and temptation, but the condescending attitude towards other sinners and the self-righteous attitude is what is at the problem here. 00:10:42.211 --> 00:10:51.892 There's a despise for other sinners and there's a prominent position with himself before God over others. 00:10:53.053 --> 00:10:57.086 The Pharisee stood and he prayed thus with himself. 00:10:57.086 --> 00:10:59.710 I think is actually a good translation. 00:10:59.710 --> 00:11:02.534 In fact, he's not really even praying to God. 00:11:02.534 --> 00:11:08.753 He's praying thus to himself, and if you just look at his short prayer, it's not a long prayer. 00:11:08.753 --> 00:11:17.288 But look at all the ways he says I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I. 00:11:17.288 --> 00:11:21.113 In fact there are five times and two short verses. 00:11:21.113 --> 00:11:27.784 It's about me, I'm about me, I'm self-congratulatory. 00:11:28.186 --> 00:11:31.212 He's praying to himself and he's not really talking to God at all. 00:11:31.212 --> 00:11:36.815 His prayer was a reminder to himself that I believe in me. 00:11:36.815 --> 00:11:37.879 You hear that. 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:39.182 You know, just believe in yourself. 00:11:39.182 --> 00:11:39.764 Well, he did. 00:11:39.764 --> 00:11:41.389 He believed in himself. 00:11:41.389 --> 00:11:43.361 He had faith in himself. 00:11:43.361 --> 00:11:44.484 He believed in himself. 00:11:44.484 --> 00:11:46.207 He does not believe in God. 00:11:46.207 --> 00:11:48.352 He's not resting in God. 00:11:48.352 --> 00:11:53.409 He's believing in himself, and not only what he isn't doing. 00:11:53.409 --> 00:11:56.061 But now look at all the things that he is doing. 00:11:57.624 --> 00:11:58.884 He prays regularly. 00:11:58.884 --> 00:12:04.091 I fast and I give Fasting twice a week. 00:12:04.091 --> 00:12:06.816 He's going beyond what was required. 00:12:06.816 --> 00:12:11.981 It was only required of Israelites to fast once a year, during the Day of Atonement, only once a year. 00:12:11.981 --> 00:12:14.125 He fasts twice a week. 00:12:14.125 --> 00:12:17.789 Wow, that's good. 00:12:18.792 --> 00:12:21.475 He tithes all that he gets. 00:12:21.475 --> 00:12:26.081 That's good. 00:12:26.081 --> 00:12:26.841 He tithes all that he gets. 00:12:26.841 --> 00:12:27.624 How many of you have done that? 00:12:27.624 --> 00:12:30.330 Does your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Pharisee? 00:12:30.330 --> 00:12:30.549 I doubt it. 00:12:30.549 --> 00:12:31.712 He tithes all that he gets. 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:37.232 The problem is not that he's doing these things. 00:12:37.232 --> 00:12:40.062 In fact, jesus never condemns these religious things. 00:12:40.062 --> 00:12:41.972 It's good to fast, isn't it? 00:12:41.972 --> 00:12:45.104 And ought we to be tithing all that we get? 00:12:45.104 --> 00:12:48.652 Yes, we should, and Jesus never condemns those things. 00:12:48.692 --> 00:12:52.926 But the problem here is, again, the attitude of his heart. 00:12:52.926 --> 00:12:58.134 He's a religious man, but not a righteous man. 00:12:58.134 --> 00:13:05.645 He not only thinks he is fulfilling the law, he thinks that he is surpassing it, he thinks that he is fulfilling it. 00:13:05.645 --> 00:13:09.461 I'm doing it, and I'm even doing it more than God requires. 00:13:09.461 --> 00:13:17.614 His prayer has no sense of his need, no sense of guilt, no sense of confession. 00:13:17.614 --> 00:13:22.089 There is no cry for mercy, there is no pleading for grace. 00:13:22.089 --> 00:13:24.052 As someone once said. 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:30.394 It is a boasting recital accompanied by an uncharitable reflection on a brother sinner. 00:13:30.394 --> 00:13:32.342 It's a boasting recital. 00:13:32.342 --> 00:13:35.809 I just get to tell God oh God, so thank…. 00:13:35.809 --> 00:13:42.893 He must be so glad I'm at this church and you know what Many of us we'd be happy to have a Pharisee as our neighbor. 00:13:42.893 --> 00:13:56.001 They'd be good neighbors and most of us would be so happy to have Pharisees in our church because our budget would triple, quadruple, the giving would be galore and we would love that and many of us would. 00:13:57.784 --> 00:14:20.033 But it's all about Him and, as people who find themselves here in the pews in the church, who are practicing religion, it's easy that you can go through outward, external motions and religious practices of tithing and fasting and praying, but you can still have a self-centered. 00:14:20.033 --> 00:14:28.672 But you can still have a self-centered, unloving, unforgiving and judgmental heart and not resting on Christ alone, but resting on yourself alone. 00:14:28.672 --> 00:14:47.571 Self-righteous is…he is self-righteous in not resting in God, not graciously thanking God for what he has done, thinking that he is a profitable servant rather than an unprofitable servant. 00:14:47.571 --> 00:14:50.264 And this is all of us by nature. 00:14:50.264 --> 00:14:53.652 All of us are naturally self-righteous. 00:14:53.652 --> 00:14:58.087 This is, as one person said, the family disease of the children of Adam. 00:14:58.087 --> 00:15:13.823 We think more highly than we ought and all of Christ's people are tempted to live a lifestyle of mere external religion while secretly and impenitently living in disobedience before God. 00:15:13.823 --> 00:15:17.793 We can be tempted to compare our righteousness to others. 00:15:17.793 --> 00:15:21.471 Well, how do we know how to keep the Lord's day holy? 00:15:21.471 --> 00:15:25.429 Or how do we know about stealing or lying when we go to the Ten Commandments? 00:15:25.429 --> 00:15:26.778 How do I know if I'm doing a good job. 00:15:26.778 --> 00:15:31.061 Well, I can just look at my neighbors, or I can look at other people in the church, and at least I'm doing better than that. 00:15:31.061 --> 00:15:32.504 I must be making God happy. 00:15:32.504 --> 00:15:35.371 We can compare our righteousness to others. 00:15:35.371 --> 00:15:44.162 Where, no, we need to compare ourselves to the holiness of God and see ourselves wanting and therefore in desperate need of mercy and of grace. 00:15:46.106 --> 00:16:04.168 I think it's interesting here, as we talk about the Pharisee and in a minute we're going to now talk about the tax collector, and as we come to the tax collector, he's a sinner, he's done a lot of bad things, but, however, we tend to have a little bit of sympathy towards the tax collector, don't we? 00:16:04.168 --> 00:16:09.642 We tend to feel a little bit more welcoming towards the tax collector. 00:16:09.642 --> 00:16:11.687 But what's kind of interesting? 00:16:11.687 --> 00:16:21.908 I think what we end up doing is even reading this parable and then we come away with the thought of I might be a tax collector, but, lord, I thank you that I'm not a Pharisee. 00:16:21.908 --> 00:16:32.418 And we do the exact same thing and in our self-righteousness we're saying at least I'm not a Pharisee, I'm okay being a tax collector, but, lord, I thank you that I'm not like that guy. 00:16:32.418 --> 00:16:42.169 And again we fall back into that same self-righteous cycle that we are so naturally inclined to think ourselves and compare ourselves to. 00:16:42.169 --> 00:16:52.493 So this is such a great tendency and great sin that we must constantly be fighting and confessing before God. 00:16:54.801 --> 00:17:05.720 The tax collector he stands far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying God, be merciful to me, a sinner Now, before even his prayer. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:12.053 The text gives us some things to help us understand his heart's disposition. 00:17:12.053 --> 00:17:20.721 Even in his posture he stands far off, that is, in the temple there were places where the men would gather to pray. 00:17:20.721 --> 00:17:32.073 And as you get closer and further into the temple, you get closer to the Holy of Holies that had the Ark of the Covenant, which is where the presence of God Himself stood, and the Pharisee. 00:17:32.073 --> 00:17:33.743 He goes all the way up to the front. 00:17:33.743 --> 00:17:41.321 And this presumption I can be as I'm holy and I deserve to be into the presence of God. 00:17:42.664 --> 00:17:44.528 But the tax collector, he's a far off. 00:17:44.528 --> 00:17:56.728 And again I think that is showing us that even in his disposition he understands his sin, keeps him at a distance from God, and he's even showing that in his placement of where he's standing in the temple. 00:17:56.728 --> 00:18:01.567 Now, this is not an encouragement to just sit in the back of the church because the curtain's been torn. 00:18:01.567 --> 00:18:02.790 You can move forward. 00:18:02.790 --> 00:18:04.165 This is not a Holy of Holies. 00:18:04.165 --> 00:18:05.343 There's no altar here. 00:18:05.343 --> 00:18:07.269 Christ is risen. 00:18:07.269 --> 00:18:14.830 He is risen, indeed, you can come forward, but here his disposition is towards the back. 00:18:15.373 --> 00:18:16.013 And then what else? 00:18:16.013 --> 00:18:18.467 He is not even lifting his eyes. 00:18:18.467 --> 00:18:46.448 He's lowering his eyes, maybe even in shame and guilt in what he has done, and he's also beating his breasts, he's beating his chest and maybe you have felt this, and I pray that you have is where your emotions are such that you don't even quite have the words to express your understanding of your sin and your hatred of it and your shame and your guilt of it. 00:18:46.448 --> 00:18:51.384 I don't, lord, I don't even, I don't even know what to say right now, except I'm a guilty sinner. 00:18:51.384 --> 00:18:54.631 And that's what's happening here. 00:18:54.631 --> 00:19:04.648 He's being so overwhelmed by the presence of the holiness of God and his guilt and shame, and he doesn't even quite have words to express it. 00:19:04.648 --> 00:19:07.394 Have you ever felt that? 00:19:07.394 --> 00:19:09.743 I pray that you would. 00:19:09.743 --> 00:19:16.515 If you study and you look into the holiness of God, this is where you will find yourself just like this man. 00:19:16.515 --> 00:19:20.799 This is where you will find yourself just like this man. 00:19:22.140 --> 00:19:24.082 He begins his prayer the same way as the Pharisee God. 00:19:24.082 --> 00:19:25.743 The difference is the tax collector. 00:19:25.743 --> 00:19:28.026 He knows he's a sinner. 00:19:28.026 --> 00:19:33.771 He has no claim to be a law keeper or faithful, and he is not. 00:19:33.771 --> 00:19:36.955 He knows God is holy and righteous. 00:19:36.955 --> 00:19:44.201 He brings nothing to God but sin. 00:19:44.201 --> 00:19:52.101 He calls Himself a sinner and that is the only title which he takes any presumption to claim as Himself before God. 00:19:52.801 --> 00:20:03.327 Sinner Notice, he doesn't say God, you know, I know I've done some really bad things and you know, please forgive me, help me out with these. 00:20:03.327 --> 00:20:06.644 Just, you know I have a few struggles, I have a few vices. 00:20:06.644 --> 00:20:16.907 You know, no one likes to hang out with me, so I end up hanging out with these adulterers all the time and you know, we kind of get into all this other stuff and if you could, just could you help me out with that, and then I think I'll be okay. 00:20:16.907 --> 00:20:20.951 Then he doesn't say just help me out with a few things. 00:20:20.951 --> 00:20:26.057 He, I am a sinner, 100%. 00:20:26.057 --> 00:20:29.685 That's who I am before God. 00:20:29.685 --> 00:20:43.441 He knows he deserves judgment and wrath and wrath. 00:20:43.461 --> 00:20:45.846 He also knows his only hope in God is God's mercy, god's mercy through imputation. 00:20:45.846 --> 00:20:47.529 And you might think well, dan, that's kind of pressing it. 00:20:47.529 --> 00:20:48.913 He's just a tax collector. 00:20:48.913 --> 00:20:52.066 Why do you say imputation or propitiation? 00:20:52.066 --> 00:20:54.150 Is he such a theologian? 00:20:54.150 --> 00:21:00.401 Well, I might say he is in fact such a theologian. 00:21:00.401 --> 00:21:00.882 Well, I might say he is. 00:21:00.923 --> 00:21:03.851 In fact, the word that is translated here for mercy is actually not the typical word that is used for mercy. 00:21:03.851 --> 00:21:11.013 It's actually the word that is used for propitiation, and, don't worry, we will get to what that means. 00:21:11.013 --> 00:21:14.202 But essentially he's saying God, propitiate me. 00:21:14.202 --> 00:21:18.111 This is the same word that David uses. 00:21:18.111 --> 00:21:29.041 So the Old Testament was translated into Greek and it's called the Septuagint, and the Septuagint uses the same word that this tax collector uses. 00:21:29.041 --> 00:21:32.628 When David says God, be merciful to me. 00:21:32.769 --> 00:21:34.031 We sang that in Psalm 51. 00:21:34.031 --> 00:21:42.703 Remember that David comes after his great sin of adultery, murder, and he confesses to God, and it's the same word. 00:21:42.703 --> 00:21:46.192 So, god propitiate me. 00:21:46.192 --> 00:21:47.536 And what is that? 00:21:47.536 --> 00:21:58.973 Well, propitiate means that God's wrath is then satisfied, because he knows that the wages of sin is death and God's wrath and judgment rightly fall upon sinners. 00:21:58.973 --> 00:22:08.402 But God, propitiate me, satisfy your wrath somehow propitiate or atone for my sins by the blood of another. 00:22:08.402 --> 00:22:16.392 And he would know this because he was Jewish, even though he's a tax collector and most Jewish people don't like him, but he knew the day of atonement. 00:22:16.412 --> 00:22:17.436 Do you remember the day of atonement? 00:22:17.436 --> 00:22:18.661 Do you remember the day of atonement? 00:22:18.661 --> 00:22:20.786 It's an important day in the Old Testament. 00:22:20.786 --> 00:22:26.323 Remember that was the day you had to fast, only the one day. 00:22:26.323 --> 00:22:33.061 Pharisees fast twice a week, but the day once a year you're supposed to fast is the day of atonement. 00:22:33.061 --> 00:22:34.203 And the day of atonement. 00:22:34.243 --> 00:22:38.151 A number of things happened, but one thing that happened on the Day of Atonement very important. 00:22:38.151 --> 00:22:55.565 There was a goat and the priest would come and lay his hands on the goat, and that was symbolizing that the sins of the people were imputed to the goat, credited to the goat, your sins given to the goat. 00:22:55.565 --> 00:23:07.307 The goat is then charged with your sin, and since the people's sins are on the goat, you know what has to happen now to the goat Death. 00:23:07.307 --> 00:23:17.152 The penalty for sin is death, and you want the goat to die because the goat is carrying all of your sins, and so you want that goat to die. 00:23:17.152 --> 00:23:19.601 You want your sins to be gone. 00:23:20.903 --> 00:23:28.542 And when the goat is killed, what they would take is blood and the high priest would then sprinkle it. 00:23:28.542 --> 00:23:37.630 He would take it into the Holy of Holies, into the temple, and he would sprinkle it on the mercy seat, which was sitting on the Ark of the Covenant. 00:23:37.630 --> 00:23:47.954 And the Ark of the Covenant held the law of God, the Ten Commandments, and the blood was proof that payment had been made and justice is satisfied. 00:23:47.954 --> 00:23:55.253 God, you don't have to take out your justice on me, but something else has taken it on my behalf. 00:23:55.253 --> 00:23:56.865 The blood is a reminder of that. 00:23:56.865 --> 00:23:57.727 See the blood. 00:23:57.727 --> 00:23:59.352 See the blood, jesus. 00:24:00.339 --> 00:24:02.086 Well, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? 00:24:02.086 --> 00:24:07.788 It's Jesus' blood, and this is what the tax collector is praying for. 00:24:07.788 --> 00:24:11.420 The cross hasn't yet happened, but he's praying. 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:13.804 God, make an atonement for my sins. 00:24:13.804 --> 00:24:18.132 Do something for my sins, because I can't do anything for myself. 00:24:18.132 --> 00:24:23.864 God, you are perfect and I'm a sinner deserving of death. 00:24:23.864 --> 00:24:37.838 Now, if you would just look at your text and look at the order of the prayer God, you are perfect and holy and I am a sinner deserving of death. 00:24:37.838 --> 00:24:42.411 And what comes between God and the sinner? 00:24:42.411 --> 00:24:48.519 Mercy, mercy, mercy. 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:50.690 This is what must happen. 00:24:50.690 --> 00:24:52.816 Mercy, atonement. 00:24:58.246 --> 00:24:59.769 Hebrews 10 reminds us. 00:24:59.769 --> 00:25:02.896 For it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 00:25:02.896 --> 00:25:05.348 All right, well, I can't just…. 00:25:05.348 --> 00:25:08.757 The goats aren't going to do it, sheep aren't going to do it. 00:25:08.757 --> 00:25:14.277 But Hebrews 9 also reminds us without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. 00:25:14.277 --> 00:25:20.617 Well, how can we find mercy if the blood of bulls and goats don't really forgive my sins? 00:25:21.465 --> 00:25:26.368 And yet we know that in order for forgiveness of sins has to occur, there must be a shedding of blood. 00:25:26.368 --> 00:25:28.214 How can we be forgiven? 00:25:28.214 --> 00:25:36.945 Remember as John the Baptist said as he saw Jesus for the first time behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 00:25:36.945 --> 00:25:43.566 We can receive God's mercy and grace because God accepted Jesus as a substitute in our place. 00:25:43.566 --> 00:25:49.693 Our sins are imputed to Him 2 Corinthians 5.21,. 00:25:49.693 --> 00:25:58.433 He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might receive the righteousness of God. 00:25:58.433 --> 00:26:11.688 Our sins are imputed to Him and he sheds His blood, and so our sins can be blotted out, our sins can be wiped away, we can receive a mercy, we can receive a reconciliation. 00:26:12.789 --> 00:26:35.292 Romans 3 says the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood to be received by faith. 00:26:35.292 --> 00:26:41.911 So His death accomplished what the blood on the mercy seat pointed to Everything in the Old Testament. 00:26:41.911 --> 00:26:45.047 It was the shadow pointing us to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:26:45.047 --> 00:26:55.328 And so now we have two men, we have two prayers, and then there are two destinations, as you already have noticed. 00:26:55.328 --> 00:26:58.557 Their position in the temple doesn't make any difference at all. 00:26:58.557 --> 00:27:01.934 One is standing closer to the Holy of Holies and one further away. 00:27:01.934 --> 00:27:05.988 Their position doesn't matter, but their hearts mean everything. 00:27:05.988 --> 00:27:08.895 And another way to say it is your profession actually doesn't matter, but their hearts mean everything. 00:27:08.895 --> 00:27:16.173 And another way to say it is your profession actually doesn't mean anything, but it's your possession of faith. 00:27:16.173 --> 00:27:24.657 Your profession of faith to the watching world doesn't mean anything if you're not possessing faith yourself. 00:27:24.657 --> 00:27:32.199 Both of these men are professing God, but only one is possessing God and holding fast to Him. 00:27:34.105 --> 00:27:39.056 It says the tax collector went down to his house, justified. 00:27:39.056 --> 00:27:41.208 And then it says just like the Pharisee. 00:27:41.208 --> 00:27:43.394 And that would be quite amazing, wouldn't it? 00:27:43.394 --> 00:27:44.316 Is that what it says? 00:27:44.316 --> 00:27:46.469 That's not what it says. 00:27:46.469 --> 00:27:47.313 And that would have been quite amazing. 00:27:47.313 --> 00:27:48.638 And that would have been quite amazing. 00:27:48.638 --> 00:27:55.978 It would have been an amazing parable if Jesus said wow, the tax collector also went home justified, just like the Pharisee. 00:27:55.978 --> 00:27:56.405 We knew that. 00:27:56.405 --> 00:27:58.811 We knew the Pharisee would go to home justified. 00:27:58.811 --> 00:28:02.868 He's a religious guy, he fasts twice a week, he prays a lot, he gives a lot. 00:28:02.868 --> 00:28:03.851 We knew that. 00:28:03.851 --> 00:28:07.645 And wow, god's so merciful to save even a tax collector. 00:28:07.645 --> 00:28:09.388 And that's how the parable could have went. 00:28:09.388 --> 00:28:10.431 But Jesus doesn't say that. 00:28:10.431 --> 00:28:25.686 What is even more shocking, it says rather, rather, rather than the Pharisee To be justified is an act of God's free grace where God pardons all of your sins. 00:28:26.489 --> 00:28:36.306 And not only does God pardon all of your sins, but he accepts you as righteous in His sight, not for any of righteousness that you have, but only by that imputed righteousness of Christ. 00:28:36.306 --> 00:28:39.131 And it is received by faith alone. 00:28:39.131 --> 00:28:49.394 And one man goes home saved, saved from the wrath of God, all of his sins pardoned, imputed to Christ. 00:28:49.394 --> 00:28:51.659 And he now gets the imputed righteousness of Christ. 00:28:51.659 --> 00:28:55.152 It's credited to his account, and one man doesn't. 00:28:55.152 --> 00:28:57.478 And what's the difference? 00:28:57.478 --> 00:29:07.770 Well, jesus tells us here, as the text ends, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. 00:29:07.770 --> 00:29:12.587 This is a great principle that you see time and time again in Scripture. 00:29:12.587 --> 00:29:16.798 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:29:18.165 --> 00:29:21.355 There are two passages that I often think about and talks about. 00:29:21.355 --> 00:29:25.508 Two men are essentially shout out how can I be saved? 00:29:25.508 --> 00:29:28.054 You have the rich young ruler. 00:29:28.054 --> 00:29:29.317 Do you remember that text? 00:29:29.317 --> 00:29:32.489 The rich young ruler and Jesus. 00:29:32.489 --> 00:29:33.351 He goes to Jesus. 00:29:33.351 --> 00:29:34.574 What must I do to be saved? 00:29:34.574 --> 00:29:35.737 Do you remember what Jesus tells him? 00:29:35.737 --> 00:29:40.040 He says keep the law, honor your father and mother and don't steal. 00:29:40.040 --> 00:29:42.048 And he says I've done all those things from my youth. 00:29:42.048 --> 00:29:43.413 And he says, well, give all you have. 00:29:43.413 --> 00:29:44.837 And he goes away sad. 00:29:44.837 --> 00:29:48.016 Well, that's an interesting response from Jesus. 00:29:48.016 --> 00:29:49.221 Why would Jesus say that? 00:29:49.903 --> 00:29:52.209 And the second example you have the Philippian jailer. 00:29:52.209 --> 00:29:59.653 There's a great earthquake and Paul is released and he falls down before Paul and he says what must I do to be saved? 00:29:59.653 --> 00:30:04.614 And you know what Paul says Believe, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you'll be saved. 00:30:04.614 --> 00:30:05.476 Now, what's the difference? 00:30:05.476 --> 00:30:12.898 Because you have two men and they're asking the same question Jesus gives the law to one man, but yet he gives the gospel to the other. 00:30:12.898 --> 00:30:17.175 And the difference is God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:30:17.175 --> 00:30:21.912 And what does God give to us that we might be humbled? 00:30:21.912 --> 00:30:28.037 The law, which is why we read it every Sunday that we might be humbled before God. 00:30:28.037 --> 00:30:31.749 Because until we are humbled before God there is no purpose. 00:30:31.749 --> 00:30:39.394 And we do not want grace, we do not want mercy, because we think we can do it ourselves until we see that we have nothing. 00:30:39.394 --> 00:30:44.590 Nothing in my hands, I bring, simply to the cross, I cling. 00:30:44.590 --> 00:30:47.919 And that's a song that we're going to sing here just in a moment. 00:30:47.919 --> 00:31:02.141 It says you know, I was just thinking at the tax collector's funeral. 00:31:06.107 --> 00:31:08.924 There's probably not a lot of good things that are said about him. 00:31:08.924 --> 00:31:17.046 You know his children maybe would come to the funeral and they would say you know, dad was, he was an adulterer, he was unjust and extorted a lot of people. 00:31:17.046 --> 00:31:28.007 But you know what matters Dad's justified, he turned from his sin and he turned to Jesus Christ and he's saved. 00:31:28.007 --> 00:31:30.432 And just think about your own funeral. 00:31:30.432 --> 00:31:31.334 What might be said. 00:31:31.334 --> 00:31:33.338 You know, I was just thinking of my own. 00:31:33.338 --> 00:31:55.950 Like there's a lot of true things that my kids could say about me Dad was unkind, he was unloving at times, and all those are true, and the list can go on and on and on and recording my list of sins and they are great, they are serious, but they can also say that's justified. 00:31:55.950 --> 00:32:01.420 His sins have been washed away and he's resting in Christ. 00:32:03.526 --> 00:32:07.913 When you go home this day, are you going home justified? 00:32:07.913 --> 00:32:12.119 Are you leaving these doors right with God? 00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:14.811 Are you resting in yourself? 00:32:14.811 --> 00:32:19.028 Are you resting in your own works, your own righteousness? 00:32:19.028 --> 00:32:21.635 Will you go home justified today? 00:32:21.635 --> 00:32:26.132 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. 00:32:26.132 --> 00:32:27.134 Rest upon Him. 00:32:27.134 --> 00:32:33.847 Let's pray Jesus Christ and you will be saved. 00:32:33.847 --> 00:32:34.169 Rest upon Him. 00:32:34.169 --> 00:32:34.449 Let's pray. 00:32:34.449 --> 00:32:35.653 Father, we thank you for giving us your Word and Lord. 00:32:35.653 --> 00:32:39.142 We do confess our natural tendency to be self-righteous. 00:32:39.142 --> 00:32:50.402 Lord, naturally we often see ourselves to give compassion to the prodigal son or the tax collector. 00:32:50.402 --> 00:32:55.855 But, lord, we are often like older brothers and stingy and pharisaical. 00:32:55.855 --> 00:33:05.585 I pray you'll help us to have a better and accurate sense of our sin, that we would hate it and flee to you and rest upon Christ alone. 00:33:05.585 --> 00:33:08.009 Rest upon Christ alone, lord. 00:33:08.009 --> 00:33:09.413 We cry out for your mercy. 00:33:09.413 --> 00:33:11.377 God be merciful to us. 00:33:11.377 --> 00:33:14.169 We are sinners. 00:33:14.169 --> 00:33:16.067 It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.