thoughts and ruminations while in exile (1 Pet. 2:11)

Sermon Manuscript


Introduction

It’s been said that there are really only two types of religions: the religion of human achievement, and the religion of divine accomplishment.

And while it said that religious discussion is socially unacceptable, nevertheless people seem to be intrigued by the topic and everyone has their own opinion.

When you realize that every religion (except for Christianity) is a religion of human achievement, you realize that all the discussion about God is inaccurate. As John Piper says, “They talk endlessly about God, and do not know how to be right with God.” Paul’s words in Romans 10:3 get right to the issue: “Being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

This is the religion of human achievement. People are willing to engage in as many good deeds as possible in order to attain eternal life. This causes us to ask the question: Who will go to heaven? The Bible says in order to get to heaven we need righteousness. Next question: How do we get that righteousness. A synonym for righteousness is the word “Justified.” The question we want to ask today is, “Who will be justified in the eyes of God?”

Those who enter heaven are there by God’s mercy.

Allow me to set the context for you briefly.

Beginning in chapter 15, Jesus has been giving one parable after another. And his point in each of these parables is to showcase for us, the type of person that is fit for the kingdom.

And this topic of the kingdom leads us straight into chapter 18 where we find the parable of the persistent widow, and then, to our text today, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Now, I say this so that you are aware that there is no break in the context; there is no change in the scene.

And in this whole section Jesus has the theme of the kingdom of God in mind. To be specific, Jesus wants to highlight for us the nature and characteristics of those who are fit for the kingdom.

And in parable form, Jesus shows us the appropriate disposition, practice, and attitude God commends and vindicates. He does this by drawing a contrast between two types of people, namely, a Pharisee and a tax collector.

In fact, Luke structures this parable in a point-for-point polarization.[1] So let’s work our way through this passage. I’m going to make my points as we go. But before I do that, we should look at v.9 since Luke lets us in on why Jesus is going to give this parable.

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

Before Jesus even begins this parable, Luke (as he usually does, see 18:1; 19:11) identifies the target for us. Jesus, on purpose, tells this parable in order to rebuke these kinds of attitudes. Now, although the Pharisees are present (Lk. 17:20), Jesus is not singling out all the Pharisees, only the ones with this attitude.

Let’s not forget that it was just back in chapter 9 that we’re told about a dispute amongst the disciples about which of them was the greatest.

The attitude that Jesus condemns here is very specific. These are the people who are persuaded that they are righteous before God based on what they have done.

This verse says these people believe they are “righteous.” In verse 14 when Jesus says the tax collector went home “justified,” He uses a word that comes from the same word group as the word “righteous.” So in essence, these people believe they are justified in themselves.

Worse than that, Luke says these people “treated others with contempt.” The word “contempt” there means “despise.” The Greek makes plain that this was a continuous action. They made a habitual practice of despising others and treating them with contempt.

Such an attitude is not appropriate in approaching God in prayer. In fact, one would wonder if a person like this would find a need to pray. Such a person would seem to be convinced of their own righteousness. And because of this, humility is nowhere to be found in their lives.

It’s just that type of pride against which Jesus is speaking right now.

Now, I’d like to make my points of application as we continue our study of this text.

1. Don’t be a Pharisee

V.10- Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. V.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. V.12- I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”


So now Jesus begins to give us the parable. And the first thing He does is tell us about the location: He tells us this story takes place at the temple. This is the most sacred place in Israel. It is a place of prayer. Devout Jews would have been there three times a day. But more than just a place of worship, the temple also functioned as the center of Jewish society. The layout of this place segregated the Jews and Gentiles, the men from the women, priests and non-priests, and the clean from the unclean.


And so as I mentioned, Jesus is putting forward two men that represent polar opposites in the first century religious culture. They are on complete opposite ends of the social spectrum. He tells us one is a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.


One man is a part of the most pious people in this Palestinian Jewish society, while the other is considered to be a traitor, a despicable person who is part of the most hated profession.[2] The tax collectors were hated, and they knew they were hated.


A tax collector was “A Jewish citizen who purchased the right to collect taxes in a specific area of his country for the Roman government.”[3] But as long as the Roman government got their share of the money, they didn’t care how much of a financial burden was put on the Jewish citizens. So corrupt tax collectors would tax the citizens heavily and keep their share of the money. And this is why they were so hated. In fact, most likely tax collectors did not usually go to the temple to pray because they knew how much they were hated.[4]


Then we have the Pharisee. A man who is consumed with keeping the Law. There were 613 commandments, and I’ll bet he knew them all. In fact, most likely he had the whole O.T. memorized. They stood out from the rest of society, and their name said this much. The name “Pharisee” means “the separate ones.” And that’s how they wanted to be viewed. As Paul tells us in Philippians this man would have considered himself a Jew of Jews. He would have had an uncompromising allegiance to the Torah, and (as Matthew tells us in 15:2), a supreme regard for the “tradition of the elders.”


In fact, the Jewish historian Josephus says that the Pharisees were “known for surpassing the others in the observances of piety and exact interpretation of the laws.”[5]


The Pharisee starts his prayer in vs. 11 by saying God, I thank you that I am not like other men . . . Again, he is so certain of his own righteousness that he compares himself favorably with other people. So, there is problem number one: don’t ever think you are righteous simply because you’re not as bad as the next person. So he says, “God, I’m not a thief, I’m not unrighteous, and I’m not an adulterer.” He says, “God, I’m not like these other people!”


And what’s his basis for thinking he is righteous? Well, his confidence rests in his religious activity. He says, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” Fasting twice a week is above and beyond what was required. Leviticus 16 only required Jews to fast once a year on the Day of Atonement. Yet Pharisees would fast every Monday and Thursday. Why these two days? Some say it’s because “these were the days Moses went up and came down from Mount Sinai,” others say it was simply because it split the week nicely.[6]


It’s not just in fasting that he exceeds the demands of the Law, but he also does it with regards to tithing. He was meticulous in his tithing. He wanted to make sure he gave his ten percent in everything. If they weren’t sure about what items required tithing, in order to be sure the Pharisees would tithe anyway, even if it were herbs.


And because this Pharisee is sure of his superiority over other people; because he believes he has gone above and beyond the call of duty, he believes God will accept him.


But it is here that I would like to point out something very unique about this Pharisees error: Notice that he believes God will accept him because it is God who has worked this change in his behavior.


You have to get the point that Jesus is making: Notice that in the Pharisees’ prayer, he thanks God, and actually gives Him credit for the fact that he is not like other people. In other words, he believes his righteousness is the gift of God.


Let’s be clear: In v.9 Luke tells us that Jesus directs this parable against those who “trusted in themselves.” Then the Pharisee thanks God that he is not like other people. He gives God the credit for making him a morally upright man.


But, the problem is not whether the man himself has produced the righteousness he has, or whether God has produced the righteousness. The problem is that he trusts in it.


And so Jesus is saying here, the problem is not with your deeds, but with your heart, and because you are asserting your own righteousness, and trusting in it, therefore, you are unrighteous.


So, in light of all this, you can see why my first point is “Don’t be a Pharisee.” In essence, Jesus is lifting up this Pharisee, using him as an example, and saying, “You see him, you see what he’s like? Don’t be like this! A person with this heart will not enter the kingdom!


And why would He say this? Because, as Luke points out, these people “trust in themselves.” They believe that because of their deeds, God will accept them. Despite all that the Bible says about this, the majority of people still believe this is true.


They believe that if they attempt to live a good life, and their good deeds outweigh their bad, that God will accept them. Friends, this is a lie straight from the pit of hell. In fact, if you believe that, that is where you will go.


Why? Because if you want to live by the Law, you must be perfect. In Galatians 3:10 Paul quotes from Dt. 27:26 and says, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them. That is what the Westminster Confession calls the covenant of works: Do this and live!


Chapter 7 of the Confession says: “The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience. God requires perfection. That is the Law. That is not the gospel. And by the way, it’s also not the gospel if you try to cover this over by saying the works are done by God’s grace. The gospel is not anything God helps you to do. The gospel is about what Christ has done for you. Not anything His grace helps you to do, and then on the basis of those works, God grants you justification.


The point I’m making here is “Don’t be a Pharisee.” Your works will never earn you enough merit to make God accept you.


I remember one time watching a Larry King episode where they had a panel of religious leaders. One was a New Ager (Deepak Chopra), one was a Roman Catholic Priest, one a Jew, one a Muslim, and one evangelical. And praise God the evangelical was John MacArthur.


And since all other world religions are based on human achievement they all were saying what was necessary in order to attain salvation. Then they got to John MacArthur and he said that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. And not on the basis of our works. And the Jewish man who was there said such a belief is unacceptable, and that God will weigh out our works and if we’ve done enough He will accept us. He said, “God accepts ‘C’s.”


He insisted, “If we do enough works, God will accept us.” And I’ll never forget John MacArthur looked at the Jewish man, and said, “You know what? You’ll never meet that person. You’ll never meet that person who is able to say, ‘I’ve done enough.’”


Those who enter the kingdom are there by God’s mercy.

Don’t be a Pharisee

2. Plead for mercy


Now the behavior of the Pharisee is contrasted with that of the tax collector.


V. 13-But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up is eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”


We see now the complete contrast in disposition and character. Notice the different way he approaches God. He does not come boasting about what he has done. He is not comparing himself with others. He certainly can’t come boasting about his religious activity.


He can’t say, “God, I thank you I’m not a thief or extortioner,” since that’s what he did for a living. He can’t say, “I’m not unjust,” since he had to be unjust in order to make a living.


Notice the contrast in how they approach God: the Pharisee is standing by himself, the tax collector is “standing far off,” probably in the court of the Gentiles.[7] He has a deep sense of his own unworthiness. He won’t lift his eyes up to heaven, but rather beats his chest to show a sign of contrition. This is a way of saying he is mourning for his sin.


The tax collector doesn’t believe he can appease the wrath of God by doing enough good works. He doesn’t think his good deeds outweigh his bad. He is not trusting in any God-produced righteousness. Rather, he throws himself on the floor and knows that if he is going to be accepted by God, it will be because of something God has done for him.


Two completely different men; two completely different approaches to God; two completely different prayers.


Joel Green makes these observations about the Pharisee and the tax collector:


One claims superior status for himself by comparing himself with and separating himself from others; the other makes no claims to status at all, but acknowledges his position as a sinner who can take refuge only in the beneficence of God. Convinced of his righteousness, dependent on his own acts of piety, one asks for and receives nothing from God. The other comes to God in humility and receives that for which he asks, compassion and restoration.[8]


These are the two different ways people can approach God. And the point for us today is if you’re here and you are not a Christian, do not approach God like the Pharisee, touting all of your good deeds, for if you do, as you will see, you will not be justified before God.


Maybe you are a Christian, but you haven’t been living in a way that is consistent with your profession. You also, need to approach God with humility and plead for mercy. And if you do that, as this parable shows, you will receive mercy from God.


And for all of us as believers, we still need to come before God with an appropriate attitude of reverence and respect. Our culture doesn’t seem to like to respect God. Yes, Jesus is our friend and our brother, but He is more than a homeboy. We want to have an atmosphere here of love and reverence for God.


No matter how long you’ve been a believer, you need to come pleading for mercy. And know that God is a merciful God. I’m so happy that God is merciful, that is, that He doesn’t give us what we deserve., i.e., He shows us pity, He withholds judgment.


This is truly a beautiful attribute of God. So I would encourage you today, call out to God and ask Him for mercy. I know a lot of people who believe that they cannot be forgiven by God. Some people think that they’ve sinned so much that God cannot forgive them. Jesus says in Luke 7 that he who has been forgiven little, loves little. But he who has been forgiven much, loves much.


Lamentations 3:22-24 reads: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”


We come into a relationship with God because He shows us mercy, and that relationship is sustained by God’s mercy. That is, He continues to pour blessings out on us even though we do not deserve them.


Don’t be a Pharisee, but rather plead for mercy. And lastly,


3. Rejoice in your justification for the rest of your life.


V. 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.


Again, this verse may not shock us. If that is the case it is because we are familiar with the story. But if we could put ourselves in a first-century Jewish mindset, we would have thought (just like everyone else who heard this story) that the Pharisee was the one who would have went to his house justified.


Why am I stressing this? Because I want to communicate this truth to you: Justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone says that we are justified through faith alone because of what Christ has done FOR US. Not by anything He has done in us! Do you get that? You have to see the difference. What Christ does in us is not justification, that is sanctification.


This is why the Reformers caused such a problem for the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformers said that grace is God’s unmerited favor towards undeserving sinners. The Roman Catholic Church taught, and still teaches to this day, that grace is a substance with which we are injected through the sacraments of the church, i.e. baptism, penance, the eucharist etc. This is why Roman Catholics have the Lord’s Supper as the center of their service, and offer it everyday.


The Roman Catholic Church (and the Eastern Orthodox as well) do not believe that justification is a one-time event. Rather they teach that justification is a process. In essence, they combine justification and sanctification. In their understanding justification is something God helps you to do. Through your works, albeit by God’s grace, you can merit justification. And in this understanding God does not declare anyone justified, who is not fully sanctified. They reverse the order.


I mention this because this is what we see the Pharisee believing here. He believes that his works will justify him. Even if the Pharisee says he does those works by God’s grace, he’s in the same problem. Hence, as I said, justification is not even something God helps us do.


In the Reformed Protestant position, Christ’s perfect righteousness earned for us is what justifies us, not a righteousness worked in us. Dr. R. Scott Clark says, “The Gospel is not that we might be justified if we are good, but that I am justified because Christ was Good.”


Finally, I just want to make a comment about the latter half of v.14, because this part of the verse functions as a proverbial saying. A common theme throughout the gospel of Luke is what scholars call “The role reversal.”


Jesus says, For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.


While the meaning of that is pretty clear I find Craig Blomberg’s comments on this quite helpful. Making application he says, “Whichever one of these attitudes has reflected our relationship with God in this life, the opposite will characterize our status in the next.”[9]


So, we don’t want to approach God with the attitude of the Pharisee in this parable. Rather our attitude and disposition should be one of acknowledging the mercy of our God.


In closing I make this appeal to you: Give Jesus Christ His full glory as the One who is your righteousness--this perfect righteousness which you receive through faith alone. And as your perfect savior He will work in you to make you practically righteous. But on the day you receive Christ, positionally you are as righteous as you will ever be. How could you be anything less? You’re clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ.


To use the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 5:21: “For our sake [God] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


What a glorious truth!


Works Cited

Blomberg, Craig. Interpreting the Parables. Intervarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1990.

Bock, Darrell. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Luke 9:51-24:53.
Baker: Grand Rapids, 1996.

Green, Joel. The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of
Luke. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids,1997.

Knight, George and Rayburn Ray. The Layman’s Bible Dictionary. Barbour Publishing:
Uhrichsville, ?

MacArthur, John, R.C. Sproul, Joel Beeke, John Gerstner, and Don Kistler. Justification
by Faith Alone: Affirming the Doctrine by which the Church Stands or Falls. Revised and Updated. Soli Deo Gloria: Morgan, 2003.

Piper, John. Sermon Preached on Luke 18:9-14.

Other Works Consulted

Black, Mark. The College Press NIV Commentary: Luke. College Press: Joplin, 1996.

Bock, Darrell. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Luke. Intervarsity Press:
Downers Grove, 1994.

Elwell, Walter. Ed. Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible. Baker: Grand Rapids,
1996.

Gaebelein, Frank. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Volume 8. Zondervan: Grand
Rapids, 1984.

Goodrich, Richard and Albert Lukaszewski. A Reader’s Greek New Testament.
Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 2003.

Hendrickson, William. New Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Luke. Baker: Grand
Rapids, 1990.

Kaiser, Walter, Peter Davids, F.F. Bruce and Manfred Brauch. Hard Sayings of the
Bible. Intervarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1996.

Keener, Craig. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Intervarsity
Press: Downers Grove, 1993.

MacArthur, John. Ed. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible.
Updated Edition. Thomas Nelson: La Habra, 2006.

Martin, Ralph. Ed. Word Biblical Commentary: Luke 9:21-18:34. Word Books: Dallas,
1993.

Piper, John. Counted Righteous in Christ: Should we Abandon the Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness. Crossway: Wheaton, 2002.

Sproul, R.C. A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke’s Gospel. Christian Focus
Publications: Geanies House, 2005.

---. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. Ligonier Ministries: Lake
Mary, 2005.

Wiersbe, Walter. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Volume 1. Victor Books: Wheaton,
1989.



[1] Joel Greene. The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke. Pg. 644.
[2] See Craig Keener’s The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Pg. 239. And Darrell Bock, ibid, pg. 1461.
[3] George Knight and Rayburn Ray. Eds. The Laymen’s Bible Dictionary. Pg. 261 (emphasis mine).
[4] Bock, Ibid., pg. 1461.
[5] Quoted in Bock, ibid, pgs. 1461-1462, footnote 3.
[6] Bock, Ibid, 1463.
[7] Bock, Ibid., pg. 1464.
[8] Joel Green. Ibid., 649.
[9] Craig Blomberg. Interpreting the Parables. Pg. 258.