September 9 - What Do You Trust?

0:00September 9, Luke 18 vs 9-14. He also told this parable to some he trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. I fast twice a week, I give tides 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. I tell you, this man went down

1:07to his eyes justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Lessons from a tax collector, Amy Warren. One of the greatest problems we face is our inability to see ourselves clearly. In this parable, the tax collector had a right understanding of his condition before the Lord, whereas the Pharisee did not see himself clearly. With clouded judgment and puffed up pride, the Pharisee trusted in himself his own works and his own ability to fulfill the law. He looked down his nose and contempt at the tax collector, and thanked God that he was not like him. The tax collector, though, came to the Lord with a humble heart. He was likely

2:07to overcome with the many sins he had committed and would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast in tears, confessing to the Lord. This ought to be our posture before the Lord as well. With a bowed head and a meek heart, the tax collector pled, God be merciful to me, a sinner. He saw himself clearly and knew that he was in desperate need of mercy. The parable ends. I tell you this man, the tax collector, went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humble, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Verse 14 The Pharisee exalted himself and prayed to the Lord, thanking God for his own goodness. Now ridiculous it is to come to the Lord and to worship one's own goodness instead of

3:08worshipping the perfect goodness of God. The Pharisee did not see himself properly before a holy God, and therefore he would be humbled. Sometimes we learn theology backward. We learn the proper responses without first understanding the truth that motivates those responses. We know we must read our Bible, attend church, serve in children's ministry and tithe our ten percent. But when asked why, all we can muster is a...because... This is how the Pharisee functioned. He focused on right action rather than right belief. Good works and obedience flow naturally out of a heart that knows God and our dependence on Him. In prayer instead of listing off our accomplishments, we ought to list off Christs. Our only defense against the wrath of God is Jesus Christ. We must lean upon and rest in the accomplished work of Jesus

4:10Christ, not in the work of our own hands, as the Pharisee did. We must acknowledge ourselves as sinners and rest in the forgiveness that Christ has bought us. The only right response before the Lord is to admit defeat and point to the cross, knowing that there are no accomplishments that we could list out that would merit our own salvation.