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We can turn in your Bibles to 
Luke chapter 18. God willing, we'll return to 
our study in Matthew's gospel next Sunday morning, but this 
morning we're going to look at Luke chapter 18, specifically 
verses 9 to 14, where Jesus tells us about two men who went to 
pray. Specifically a parable, which is a story designed to 
illustrate spiritual truth, and certainly the spiritual truth 
that is illustrated here is very clear, it's very obvious, and 
as God wills, hopefully it will encourage our hearts as we consider 
afresh the glory of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus 
Christ. Luke chapter 18, verses 9 to 
14. Also He, that's Jesus, spoke 
this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were 
righteous and despised others. Two men went up to the temple 
to pray. one a Pharisee and the other 
a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed 
thus with himself, God, I thank you that I am not like other 
men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 
I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And the tax collector, standing 
afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven but 
beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down 
to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone 
who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will 
be exalted. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, 
thank you for this account, and we pray now that the Spirit would 
guide us and lead us as we study. We pray that you would forgive 
us of our sin and everything that would darken our understanding. 
Help us to receive with thanksgiving the word of truth. We ask these 
things through Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, it's a 
pretty straightforward and a pretty simple understanding. Jesus commends 
the publican and he condemns the Pharisee. It's a very wonderful 
example of what Jesus Christ does in terms of what we just 
read in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 18. The just Christ for 
the unjust sinners like this publican or this tax collector. 
I want to look at three things. First, the occasion of the parable. Secondly, the two men in the 
parable. And thirdly, the conclusion of 
the parable. And then try and draw out some 
practical lessons for us. But notice first, the occasion. 
In verse 1, we see that Jesus taught a parable in another situation. 18.1, then he spoke a parable 
to them. that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying. It's always a wonderful statement 
to me. What's the opposite of losing heart? It is prayer. You're 
going through trials and difficulties and hardships. What is the proper 
response? It is to pray. And Jesus sets 
forth this parable to underscore this truth, that we ought to 
be a prayerful people. So that's the occasion there 
in chapter 18, verses 1 to 8. Notice in chapter 18 at verse 
9, also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves 
that they were righteous and despised others. Now the righteousness 
that is in view in this particular section is the righteousness 
that commends us to God. In other words, what is in view 
in this particular instance is our acceptance with God. If you remember the book of Job, 
Job had this very important question to ask and one that I would hope 
all of us have wrestled with at one point or another. Job 
says, how can a man be righteous before God? How can a man stand 
before God? How can a man be accepted before 
God? Why is that question important? 
Because the Bible highlights the truth that God is holy. In 
fact, the angels in Isaiah chapter 6, they stand in the presence 
of God day and night, and they cry, Holy, Holy, Holy is the 
Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His 
glory. The Bible says that these angels 
have six wings. With two of the wings they fly, 
with two of the wings they cover their feet, and with two of the 
wings they cover their eyes. Why do they cover their eyes? 
Because God is holy, He is glorious, He is majestic. And these created 
beings have to shield their eyes from the power manifested in 
His presence. Remember when the Ark of the 
Covenant in 1 Samuel chapter 7 is returned to Beth Shemesh. What do we find but the persons 
want to open the Ark and they want to take a peek inside. multitude 
of them, and their question is appropriate on the heels of that. Have you ever come to that place? 
Have you ever realized that God is holy, He is righteous, He 
is just, and as the Bible so clearly portrays, He must punish 
sin? And as we continue on in the 
Bible, we see that we are a sinful people. What's going to breach 
the gap? What's going to fix it? What's 
going to repair the ruins? God to the place where unholy 
men are accepted in His sight. And so when we look at this statement 
concerning righteousness in this passage, that's what's in view. When Jesus says, this man went 
home justified, it means he has a right standing before God because 
of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the Pharisee, in 
this particular instance, trusts in himself that they were righteous 
and despised others. to stand before God as righteous, 
to stand before God as one who is able to enter into his holy 
presence. Note the occasion of the parable. 
Jesus doesn't play games. He doesn't dance around the situation. 
We've got a host of people over here named Pharisees that trust 
in themselves. So what does Jesus do? Does he 
coddle them? Does he encourage them? Does he, you know, give 
them a little shot in the arm and say, you're doing a fine 
job? No, he teaches a parable to show them of the unsteady 
ground that they have sought. They are standing on sinking 
sand. And notice the second sin that's 
in view in this particular instance. They trust in themselves that 
they were righteous and they despised others. I had a statement 
written in my notes. The close connection. Self-righteousness 
always produces judgmentalism. But it's impossible to prove 
a universal positive. You've heard that of a universal 
negative. Well, if you think about it for a moment, how do 
you prove a universal positive? There might actually be one self-righteous 
person out there that doesn't judge others. There might just 
be one. Most of the self-righteous people 
I know, and the one that I look at in the mirror every morning, 
is judgmental. does look down upon others. You 
see the close connection here. You see what happens when a man 
thinks that he in and of himself can be accepted by God by what 
he does. It always causes and always produces 
a judgmentalism. I mean, listen to the Pharisee 
as he prays. Even like this tax collector 
here. This barbarian, this horrible monstrosity that is praying in 
the same temple that I myself have walked into. This is a horrible 
thing. It means to despise, to treat 
with contempt, to despise someone or something on the basis that 
it is worthless or of no value. So again, keep the context of 
the occasion in your mind. You've got a group of people 
named Pharisees. These are the religious leaders. 
These were the heroes at this particular time in terms of Israel's 
civil religion and religion as a whole. And Jesus targets these 
men with this particular teaching. Now notice, secondly, the two 
men in the parable, a Pharisee and a tax collector. We might 
say a hero and a hated one. The first century people didn't 
like tax collectors any more than you and I do. It's probably 
a real difficulty for those who owe lots of money to write out 
that check to the IRS or to Revenue Canada. You don't do that gleefully, 
do you? Oh, I got a $5,000 bill from 
Revenue Canada. I can't wait to write this check 
out. You probably seek out legal advice. 
You Google. You try to find a loophole. How 
is it that I'm having to pay? But you probably don't personally 
hate the specific person. I mean, you might, but you have 
to crush it. The tax collectors as a people in this particular 
generation were probably looked at as traitors. More often than 
not, they were Jewish people that worked for the Roman magistrate. They handled currency that was 
filled with idols, the inscriptions of Caesars and whatnot. They 
were often dishonest. Remember when Jesus has dealings 
with Zacchaeus in Luke chapter 19. What does Zacchaeus say? 
I'm going to pay back all the people I have ripped off. Tax 
collectors were not viewed as heroes in society. They were 
the hated ones. That's why I suggest that this 
parable shocked those who heard it. Because as far as they were 
concerned, it was the Pharisee that went home to his house righteous. It was the Pharisee who was justified 
by God. It was the Pharisee who had acceptance 
with God and these tax collectors would be only worthy of burning 
and hell and everlasting punishment. You see, Jesus shocks his hearers 
into considering just how bad it is for a person, whether a 
Pharisee in the 1st century or a Pharisee in the 21st century, 
to bank their acceptance with God upon what they do. It's not 
about what we do. It's about what Christ has done. That's why it is good news, as 
I've mentioned. It's not good advice. It's not 
try harder. You see, as we move through the 
parable, we see the Pharisee didn't understand something absolutely 
important about obedience. Does God accept us when we just 
try real hard? Does God accept us when we just 
do our best? Listen to what our confession 
says in terms of obedience to God's law. By which law He, God, 
bound him, Adam, and all his posterity to personal, entire, 
exact, and perpetual obedience. You see, that's what you have 
to be able to produce to God. If you are going to be accepted 
by God in your own strength, according to your own doing, 
then it must be this type of obedience. It must be. personal, 
entire, exact, and perpetual obedience. Do you see why the 
gospel is good news? Because Jesus rendered that. He offered up personal, entire, 
exact, and perpetual obedience so that all those who look to 
Him in faith receive not only the forgiveness of sins, but 
a righteousness given by God through faith in Christ so that 
we may be accepted by the Father on that blessed day of judgment. 
Notice the similarities between these two men. I think this is 
important. They both went to the temple. Right? Temple observance, 
or may I say church attendance, doesn't necessarily guarantee 
the presence of grace in the heart. Because as far as we read 
the parable, the Pharisee did not go to his house justified. Just because you enter a church 
does not mean you're justified. It does not mean you're righteous. 
It does not mean that God says, okay, now you've done everything 
I've commanded and I will let you into heaven. No, church attendance 
in and of itself does not secure, does not argue for the presence 
of grace in the heart. And notice they both pray. They 
both pray. Think about this in light of 
Saul's conversion, the Apostle Paul. What happens when Ananias 
is told to go find Paul? He has heard about this Saul. 
He knows that this Saul has persecuted the church. He knows that he 
has targeted believers and wants to destroy them. And what does 
the angel say, or what does Christ say rather to this man? Behold, 
he prayeth. Certainly saw the Pharisee prayed 
many times in his life, but it wasn't until he knew the grace 
of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he could be 
defined as one who prayed. And in this instance, both these 
men pray, and yet we read of only one who went to his house 
justified. Now note the differences between 
these two men. Note the Pharisee first. He thanked God, which is a good 
thing in and of itself, right? We ought to be thankful. We ought 
to start our prayer with thankfulness. Adoration, contrition, thankfulness, 
whatever order you want to place it in. We ought to be a Psalm 
103 man or woman. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and 
all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, 
O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Rehearse the things 
he's done in your life and bless him or speak well of him or give 
thanks to him. It is right to thank God. It 
is right to praise God. It is right to honor God. But 
in this particular instance, this is not legit. The Pharisee 
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you that I am not 
like other men. extortioners, unjust, adulterers, 
or even as this tax collector. Again, this in and of itself, 
in certain contexts, isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's not wrong, 
for instance, to thank God that you're not like Joseph Stalin. 
Not a bad thing to say, God, thank you that in your restraint, 
and in your power, and in your mercy, and in your kindness, 
you have kept me from being as bad as Paul Pott. You have kept 
me from being as bad as some notorious criminal. I praise 
you, God, that you have restrained me and not allowed me to fall 
in such a way." But that's not what this Pharisee is doing. 
This is more of a self-congratulations. This is more of a self-admiration. This is more of him patting himself 
on the back. And this is what Jesus wants 
to underscore with his hearers. He says, God, I thank you that 
I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, even as this 
tax collector. What's he waiting for? God to 
speak from heaven and say, good job, right on, you excellent 
specimen of a human being? Is he looking for God to say, 
wow, I'm so pleased with your obedience? Is he looking for 
men to commend him in these things? Is he looking for the approval 
of others? You see, this is not the prayer of thanksgiving that 
the psalmist explains. This is a prayer of conceit. that indicates that he is trusting 
in something other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And that other 
is that he's not like other men. I mean, I get this mental conception 
of him standing there praying. I see him in my mind's eye. And 
I only have to reflect upon myself, upon the church that we dwell 
in. And I don't mean us specifically, but us generally. We can be a 
self-righteous people. We can be a people that on the 
one hand affirm justification by faith alone, and then on the 
other hand affirm that we're pretty good guys and girls. What 
do we have that we did not receive? What righteousness did we ever 
bring to the table? What did we ever offer to God? 
We offered our sin, we offered our depravity, we offered all 
of our wickedness. And that, not of ourselves, God 
moved us to bring it to Him, and He offers us mercy, forgiveness, 
and a righteousness that avails with God. You see, we need to 
guard against this reality. I thank you, God, that I'm not 
like others. And it's intriguing. If you go 
through the Gospel accounts, I'm sure someone has done this. 
There's probably a PhD dissertation on it. I don't have it, didn't 
read it, didn't have the time to do this, but how many times 
in the gospel records does Jesus condemn the self-righteous? How 
many times does he condemn the harlots or the publicans or the 
real wretched people? I suspect there's more of a ratio 
in favor of the condemnation of the self-righteous than what 
would have been the equivalent of a crack whore in the first 
century. But you see, in the church today, 
we don't see our self-righteousness. We don't see us trusting in our 
polish. We don't see us saying, thank 
you, God, that I'm not out there doing what those people do. Or 
we might add that little, oh, but for the grace of God, there 
go I. But do we mean it? Have you ever 
got a glimpse of what you are actually? This is why Bible reading 
is so important. Because God doesn't play games. 
He tells us what's in our hearts. Remember when the people... argue, 
or they complain, or they whine, rather, about Jesus' disciples 
not washing their hands before they eat. This wasn't a sanitary 
or a hygienic thing. Wash your hands, kids, before 
you eat. Do not pass germs on to the rest 
of the gene pool. Spare us. Wash up. Be clean. But that's not what's in view 
in Matthew 15. It's ceremonial. Why do your disciples eat with 
unwashed hands? You know what Jesus says? Their 
problem isn't what goes down the throat, their problem is 
what comes out of the heart. Jesus does not soft-pedal the 
way that I suspect so many of us do. Well, I'm not that bad. 
I haven't done that many bad things. I was musing on this 
particular passage prior to becoming a Christian. You know what my 
canned response was when someone said, you're a sinner. Well, 
I've never killed anyone, I've never committed adultery, I've 
never done any of those sort of benchmark sins. Isn't it interesting 
that King David of Israel murdered somebody and committed those 
benchmark sins? Committed adultery. But King 
David of Israel is justified by the blood of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. It's not about that. All sin. One sin. Our position in Adam is enough 
to condemn us for eternity. We need the just for the unjust. We need the righteous for the 
unrighteous. Jesus says it's not what goes 
into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth. 
This defiles a man. This doesn't mean bad breath. 
Listen to what he says. Are you still or also still without 
understanding? Do you not yet understand that 
whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 
It's a pretty naturally excellent process, isn't it? Our body processes 
the good, retains the nutrients and expels the waste. God has 
made us fearfully and wonderfully. It's a beautiful thing. That's 
a beautiful thing, yes, I wouldn't want to walk around carrying 
all that waste. The Lord has made us in such a way that all 
things are taken care of. But notice in verse 18, but those 
things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and 
they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed 
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, 
blasphemies. These are the things which defile 
a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man. 
You may get a cold, you may get the flu if you eat with unwashed 
hands, but defilement comes from your heart. And the Pharisee 
doesn't get this. Pharisees today don't get this. 
As long as we don't murder people, as long as we don't commit adultery, 
as long as we keep our grass cut and we pay our taxes and 
we do everything that society expects from us, well certainly 
God will accept us as one of his own. That's not true. All 
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This man thanked 
God for what he was not, but it wasn't a righteous thankfulness 
for what he was not. It was condemnatory. It was a 
despising of others, even as this tax collector. Notice as 
well. He thanks God for what he practices. I thank you. Actually, in this 
instance, thank you doesn't modify what he practices. I thank you 
that I'm not like other men. Extortioners, unjust, adulterers, 
or even as this tax collector. Here, at least he throws God 
a bone. I thank you, God, that I'm not like this tax collector. 
I thank you that I'm not one of those extortioners. I thank 
you that I'm not one of those adulterers. I thank you that 
I'm holy and pure and righteous and just. Notice when he gets 
into what he practices. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. Again, what's he waiting for? 
Heaven to open up and a big fist to come out and say, good job, 
and pat him on the shoulder? Do you think sin and its effects 
can be obliterated through some fasting or paying of tithes? 
Fasting and paying of tithes is what people justified by God's 
grace do in response as gratitude and thankfulness and a love for 
others. We don't pay tithes and we don't 
fast and we don't do these things in order to commend ourselves 
to God. And yet this is precisely what is in this man's head. He 
is parading his righteousness. He is celebrating his righteousness. He is supposed to be praying 
to God But what it sounds like is he's compiling his religious 
resume, putting in for a new job at the synagogue. This is 
what I'm not, this is what I do, and this is how wonderful I am. 
And if you give me an interview, I trust you'll see that I'm a 
wonderful specimen of a human being, and you'll hire me for 
your establishment. We don't bring resumes to God, 
brethren. We bring our sins. We bring our 
dependence. We bring our worship. We bring 
our adoration. We bring our God admiration and 
not our own admiration. what this man is about. Calvin 
says, with reference to this particular man's prayer, we must 
not swell with confidence as if we had satisfied God. And 
next, we must not look down with disdainful contempt upon our 
brethren. You see how the parable speaks 
to the target audience? He spoke this parable to those 
who were righteous or those who trusted in themselves that they 
were righteous and despised others. In one quick hammer blow, Jesus 
says that this is terrible. Don't do this. Don't do this. Now note the publican. We just 
call him that. That means tax collector. He 
stood afar off. He doesn't even raise his eyes 
to heaven. So you get the picture of the Pharisee who's pretty 
happy and content and proud of himself. He's standing there 
with his chest poofed out. He's standing there in his religious 
accomplishments. He's standing there as a proud 
peacock strutting with its feathers. Not the tax collector. He knows 
he has nothing to offer to God. He knows his symptoms, or he 
knows his issues. It says, and the tax collector 
standing afar off would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, 
but beat his breast saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. He acknowledges what the Pharisee 
does not. He acknowledges the fact that 
he's a sinner before God. It's interesting the way the 
language reads. It's not just a sinner, but Jesus 
says, The sinner. He says, God be merciful to me, 
the sinner. In a world governed by God Most 
High over countless millions of people, this publican, when 
he stands before God, sees himself as the sinner. He doesn't spend 
time thanking God that he's not a sinner like other sinners, 
or that he's not a sinner like the sinner that lives next door 
to him, or he's not a sinner like the other sinners that he 
oftentimes sees at the tax collectors' meetings. God be merciful to 
me, the sinner. You see, when it comes to deal 
with God, or when it comes to do with God, we need to see Him 
and ourselves alone. Children and young people, your 
religion must be your religion. It isn't to be your parents' 
religion. Well, my father and my mother 
was a godly man, so I'm going to go to heaven. No, it doesn't 
work that way. It's amazing. Steve and I would 
be handing out tracts and you'd meet people, and I used to just 
hear this and think, no, people don't really say this. They would 
think they were okay and they were on their way to heaven because 
their uncle taught Sunday school. Like, what is that? You think 
that somehow the efficacy of his Sunday school teaching is 
somehow going to float down and make your account positive? Instead 
of trusting in Jesus Christ who offers himself to men, you're 
gonna trust in the merits of your Sunday, of your uncle who 
teaches Sunday school? Sometimes children and young 
people, it's the same thing. Well, I live in a Christian home. 
Your home's not been baptized, the physical structure. Your 
home doesn't believe the gospel. You may have Christian parents, 
but their faith is their faith. It's a lot of sin and a lot of 
temptation. I was just speaking about this 
with one of my sons recently. Something that we as adults did 
not have that you young people do. And you've heard me speak 
on this before, but it is a very dangerous thing. That little 
computer sitting in your pocket. If you use it to text your friends, 
fine. If you tell your mom, I'm going 
to stop at the store for milk, great. But if you're looking 
at the basest, most wicked forms of pornography, that is not great. That stuff will rot your mind 
and keep you from the kingdom of God. You need to believe the 
gospel and you don't need to wait till you're older. That's 
another thing that goes around today. I think sometimes people 
actually believe. what the gospel or what the Bible 
says is true, and they say, well that's good, but I'll wait till 
I have this experience, or I'll wait till the heavens open up, 
or I'll wait till I see a fireworks display, or I'll wait till I 
really know that God is calling me to repent. Trust me, God is 
calling you to repent, right here, right now. Seek the Lord 
while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Do not tarry. Do not wait. Do not resist. Do not stay away. But by the grace of God, look 
and live. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Notice, he acknowledges what the Pharisee does not, he is 
a sinner. He has no one else to condemn 
for he is a sinner. He has no righteousness to offer 
for he is a sinner. Isn't that the tactic of the 
Pharisee? Isn't that the tactic of men? Sometimes that happens 
when you have children. You know, you call out one of 
your kids and you say, I know you did such and such. Well, 
I'm not as bad as my brother. Oh, well then, it's okay that 
you just did that. No one has this experience? Never? No one's ever done this? I'm 
not as bad as so-and-so? The husband sins against his 
wife, and the wife finds out, and she calls him on it and says, 
he said, well, I'm not as bad as, you know, Mr. Jones. I don't 
mean that to any Mr. Jones. As I was saying it, I 
caught myself. Mr. Whoever. I'm not as bad as... What is that but an attempt to 
justify oneself? You see, the publican doesn't 
have this. He doesn't look into heaven. He is humble before God 
because God has humbled him. He has shown him himself. He 
has shown him his sin. And all he does is he beats his 
breast and he says, God be merciful to me, the sinner. Ryle makes 
this perceptive comment. He says, the publican did not 
speak of his neighbors, but himself. Vagueness and generality are 
the great defects of most men's religion. Vagueness and generality, 
I know I'm not a great person. No, you're far worse than not 
a great person. You are far worse than not a 
great person. You see, the Pharisee betrays 
a proper understanding of the law of God. The law doesn't just 
demand that we don't go commit adultery. It demands that we 
don't look at porn on our phones. The law doesn't just demand that 
we don't go to our neighbor's house and take an axe and bury 
it in his skull. The law demands that we don't 
hate him in our hearts. The law not only demands that 
we don't speak lies, that we uphold truth. We're about the 
truth. Gill says, with reference to 
the publican, this is his prayer, a short but a very full one and 
greatly different from that of the Pharisee. in which is a confession 
that he was a sinner, a sinner in Adam, who had delivered a 
sinful nature from him, being conceived and born in sin, and 
a sinner by practice, having committed many actual transgressions, 
attended with aggravating circumstances, a guilty and filthy sinner, a 
notorious one, deserving of the wrath of God in the lowest hell. 
He speaks of himself as if he was the only sinner in the world, 
at least as if there was none like him. Often music, people 
going into a reformed church do not always leave with a big 
smile on their face because they've been told, you're a great guy, 
just try harder. What did you hear in church today? 
Honey, I heard that I'm a filthy sinner. You know, healing begins 
when we recognize the truth. When I go to the doctor, if I 
have cancer, I don't want him to tell me that I'm almost healthy. 
I want Him to tell me that I've got cancer. I want Him to tell 
me how bad it is. I want to understand that because 
healing only comes when you identify the problem. Today the church 
is just telling people what they want to hear. You're good. Do good. Be good. Be happy. It sounds like a Disney movie. 
It doesn't sound like the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. Sin 
is our problem. Christ is our answer. When we 
look to Him, we live. It is that simple. It is that 
wonderful. It is that glorious. He acknowledges 
what the Pharisee does not. The man stands in need of mercy. 
It doesn't say, God, look at what a great guy I am. God, look 
at what I'm not. Look at what I do. Look at how 
much I fast. Look at how much I tithe. Look 
at how many times I go to the temple. No, he acknowledges the 
reality that I stand in need of mercy. God, be merciful to 
me. Literally, be propitious to me. 
Related to the word propitiation, which as We all know, speaks 
to God's wrath. The Bible teaches that because 
God is holy and man is sinful, God's wrath abides on us. Propitiation is when that wrath 
is dealt with. Propitiation is when sin is covered. Propitiation is the work of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, who didn't take the wrath and deflect it 
out into the field, but the Lord Jesus Christ, the just for the 
unjust, died, suffered, took the punishment and the penalty 
that was due to people like you and me. By His stripes, we are 
healed. This publican understands that. 
He knows that he needs mercy. He knows that he has nothing 
to offer to God. He knows that he has not the 
power to barter, the power to trade. He can't swipe a card 
and have the transaction completed. He beats his breast and he says, 
God, be merciful to me. Notice as well, he acknowledges 
something the Pharisee doesn't, that God is merciful. You see, it's good for us to 
know the problem. It's good for us to identify 
the disease. If your doctor says you have 
cancer and it looks like this in your body, now go and have 
a nice day, that wouldn't be satisfactory either. You'd probably 
shake him by the collar and say, what do I do? You told me I have 
cancer. Do I get radiation? Do I get 
chemo? Do I take pills? What do I do? No, just go have 
a nice day. You see, the Bible never leaves 
us there bloody, battered, and beaten. The Bible always provides 
for us the balm of Gilead. The Bible tells us there is a 
Savior, and His name is Christ, and God is merciful, and those 
who come to the Father through Him will find forgiveness. And this man ultimately casts 
himself upon that mercy. God, be merciful to me, the sinner. And he casts himself upon that 
mercy. Now notice the conclusion of 
the parable in verse 14. This is the aha moment. This 
is when the crowd's jaws would have gaped open. Again, the Pharisees 
were the heroes of society. They were the prayers. They were 
the temple attenders. They were the holy men. They 
were the righteous men. Certainly, as Jesus is telling 
this parable on this occasion, they would just be waiting and 
ready to hear, oh man, this Pharisee, he really did well in the temple 
today. He really proved himself. He really showed forth his accomplishments. 
He really offered to God what he's about and what he's worth 
and what he's good at. And that wretched tax collector, 
he didn't even have the wherewithal to look up into heaven. All he 
does is beat his breast. That's not the way he prays. 
He says, God be merciful to me, the sinner. They're waiting for 
that punchline. They're waiting to hear that 
their hero is heaven-bound, and this hated one is going to the 
lake of fire. But that's not what Jesus says. Notice in verse 
14, I tell you this, man. This man, this is the publican, 
this man went to his house justified rather than the other. Now the justification here again 
is that idea wherein we are accepted by God. It is justification by 
faith in Christ alone. He was not justified because 
of what he did. He was not justified because 
of what he didn't do. He was justified by God, and 
this is what Christ says. He had acceptance with God as 
a result of this. I tell you, this man went down 
to his house justified rather than the other. This man understood 
what the Westminster divines would write into their catechism 
many, many, many years later. Justification is an act of God's 
free grace wherein He pardons all our sins and accepts us as 
righteous in His sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed 
to us and received by faith alone. Outside of the Bible, it's probably 
one of my favorite statements in all the universe. That is 
something to hang your soul on. That is theology. That is Christ's 
gospel. He found acceptance with God, 
not on the basis of his works, but on the basis of Christ's 
active and passive obedience. I love that statement with Luther. 
Luther would combat those who believed in, you know, works 
righteousness, or a faith works righteousness, or a free will 
righteousness. And Luther says the only thing 
that we bring to God in the matter of our salvation Now think about 
this for a moment. The only thing we bring to God 
in the matter of our salvation, you can imagine the works righteousness 
people saying, what is it? What do we need to do? Pay tithes? 
Fast? Go to church? What is it? I'll 
sign up. If I can just write a check and get to heaven, yeah, 
sign me up. If I can just go to amazon.heaven 
and sign up, yeah, sign me up. Whatever is the easiest path 
of least resistance. Imagine those with reference 
to free will. The only thing that we bring to God with reference 
to our salvation, the free will people would say, our free will, 
our decision, our choice, our cards that we sign, our prayer 
altars. The only thing that we bring 
to God in the matter of our salvation, said Luther, and I think he accurately 
reflects Paul, is the sin we need to be saved from. Guilty, 
vile, helpless, we. Spotless Lamb of God is He. Full atonement? Can it be? Hallelujah. What a Savior. That's 
what it's about. That's what this man found. God 
be merciful to me, the sinner. This man went to his house justified. But what happens to the Pharisee? 
This man does not go to his house justified. This man is still 
in his sins. And this man is in a position 
of self-deception. Because he thinks his good works 
outweigh his bad. He thinks that somehow God is 
pleased with him when he's not. He thinks that somehow, by trying 
a bit harder, or doing a bit more, or fasting ever more readily, 
then he's going to be accepted with God Most High. He was not 
justified. He was rejected. He ultimately 
wouldn't receive the wrath of God unless, of course, he repents 
and believes the gospel. And he found out what is true 
of all those who seek God apart from our Lord Jesus Christ. Edward 
Fisher, in that wonderful work, The Merrill of Modern Divinity, 
writes, so that if you desire to be justified before God, you 
must either bring to Him a perfect righteousness of your own, That's 
the terms. That's what's accepted. A perfect 
righteousness of your own. Personal, perfect, exact, entire. Or, or you must bring the perfect 
righteousness of Christ and wholly renounce your own. Christ Jesus 
will either be a whole Savior or no Savior. He will either 
save you alone or not save you at all. And the undergirding 
principle, as Jesus concludes this parable, is found at the 
end of verse 14. For everyone who exalts himself 
will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. It's 
the take-home lesson. Don't be a proud Pharisee. Don't 
walk around boasting about what you do or what you don't do or 
how you're not so bad as the rest of the lot in this world. 
Now, what Jesus says is as true then as it is today. Everyone 
who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will 
be exalted. I want to bring out a couple 
of concluding thoughts and then we finish. First, the theological 
benefit of this parable. The theological benefit of this 
parable. In the first place, the parable 
is helpful with reference to a proper understanding of God's 
law. I love the law. Not by nature, but by grace. 
In its normative use, the Bible prescribes for the believer what 
we are to do. Don't have other gods before 
God. Don't make idols. Don't blaspheme His name. Remember 
His Sabbath day. Keep it holy. Honor lawful authority 
in your life. It's not just about, you know, 
kids to their parents, but it's adults to the civil government. 
Don't murder people. Don't commit adultery. Don't 
steal. Don't lie and don't covet. I don't know why we have this, 
wow, that's just terrible. What do you mean it's terrible? 
Wouldn't that be wonderful if people just did that? A society 
where people didn't, you know, have relations with other people's 
wives? A society where people didn't 
take axes and bury them in other people's heads? A society where 
there wasn't drive-by shooting over a $20 piece of, you know, 
meth or crack? The opponents of Christianity 
say, oh, that law of God, it's just so terrible. Yeah, it's 
terrible. I mean, heaven forbid we don't 
lie to one another. But you know, there's not only 
the normative use of the law, we need to think of the law with 
reference to its pedagogical use. Pedagogue means something 
that teaches. Literally, it's a child tutor. 
And the law functions like that because it shows us constantly 
our need for the Lord Jesus. How many times do we slip into 
a Pharisaism? How many times do we go before 
God and say, thank you Lord that I'm not like this, that I'm not 
like that, that I do this, that I do that. No, we ought to say 
thank you God for Jesus. Thank you, God, for the just 
one who died for the unjust. Thank you, God, for his life, 
his death, his resurrection. Sin isn't something out there 
that other people commit. Sin isn't something that is only 
external. The obedience to the law that 
is demanded is personal, entire, exact, and perpetual, and an 
understanding of the law will always highlight for us our constant 
need for grace. This parable is very helpful 
with reference to the doctrine of justification. It's not by 
works. It's not by a combination of 
works plus faith. It is by faith alone. You say, 
well, Jim, how is it that Jesus doesn't say, well, if you believe 
on me? The rest of the Bible fleshes that out. No one parable 
contains the whole of Christian theology. We know that Jesus 
is the object of saving faith. We know that it's justification 
by faith alone. If you have any doubt whatsoever, 
read Romans chapters 3 and 4. If you have any doubt whatsoever, 
read the book of Galatians. Read chapters 2 and 3 in the 
book of Galatians. Who is the object of saving faith? 
It is Christ. Is it faith plus what we do? 
Is it faith accompanying by what we do? It is faith alone by which 
we are accepted by God. Now when we have that faith alone, 
and when we have been justified freely by His grace, we want 
to do nice things. We want to go and love people 
and be tenderhearted and courteous and helpful and give tithes or 
give assistance to people. Certainly that flows as a result, 
but it's not the condition, it's not the factor as to why we are 
accepted by God. And then I would suggest this 
parable is helpful with reference to the doctrine of theology proper. 
That means the study of God particularly. What does it teach us? God is 
merciful. Please take that home with you 
today. God is merciful. The publican says, God be merciful 
to me, the sinner. And what happens? Jesus says 
he went home justified. What should we conclude? That 
God is merciful, and God justified this one freely by His grace, 
that God poured out upon Him forgiveness and righteousness. 
Never forget that, never doubt that. On the one hand here you 
may hear that you're a guilty, filthy sinner, but on the other 
hand you're always going to hear there's a merciful God, a gracious 
God, and a blessed Lord Jesus who receives sinners That's the 
encouragement that this passage offers us. Secondly, the practical 
benefit of the parable. The parable should aid the believer 
in their approach to others. It must be with humility. Think 
about the context and think about the occasion. Do we despise others? 
Do we look down on others? And I don't mean others out there. 
I mean others in here. The doctrine of sanctification, 
where people are at in terms of their Christian pilgrimage. 
We can be so judgmental. You know, I saw this guy do this. 
I saw this girl do this. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not 
like this guy. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not like this girl. 
You know, brethren, at times we don't have all the information. 
I know that may come as a shock. I mean, I know that may rock 
your world. You know, we get a snippet of 
a news story and we've already, you know, judged, juried, and 
hung people. We don't have the information. 
We should probably learn to shut our mouths a little more than 
we do. We should respect the ratio that James sets forth. 
We have two ears and we have one mouth. Speak twice, listen 
twice as much as you speak. Listen to Ryle on this statement 
in verse 14. He says, we are all naturally 
self-righteous. Now, probably somebody's saying, 
not me. Okay, not me. Not me is that invisible kid 
that lives in homes that does everything wrong. Not me, not 
me, not me, not me. You don't know me. I don't know 
you. Maybe you are. You could be the exception here this morning. 
A handful of you may be the exception. Free Grace Baptist Church actually 
contains a handful of non-self-righteous people. Praise God. Praise God. We should tweet that. And then 
we undo it, right? Facebook status. We've got a 
handful of people. You see what I'm doing? That 
cancels it out, right? When you boast about your humility, 
you really can't claim humility. We're all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all 
the children of Adam. From the highest to the lowest, 
we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to do. We secretly 
flatter ourselves that we're not so bad as some, and that 
we have something to recommend us to the favor of God. I think 
Ryle nails verse 14 with reference specifically to the people of 
God. We need to understand this truth. We are not to despise others. 
Certainly Matthew 18, the context of church discipline, certainly 
we act upon things, we function properly, we engage in that mark 
of a true church, but we ought not to be a bunch of vindictive, 
petty, self-righteous judgers of others. The parable should 
remind the believer always of the foundation upon which he 
stands, which I've already mentioned, and the parable should encourage 
the unbeliever that there is always mercy to be had in God 
through Christ Jesus. If you've never cried out, God 
be merciful to me, the sinner, feel free to do so today. Cry 
out. Say to the Lord, I have sinned 
against you. I have sinned in heaven's sight. 
I have nothing to bring. I have nothing to traffic with. 
I have nothing to barter. I have nothing to offer. You 
owe me nothing. God, I cast myself upon the mercy 
of God. I look to the Lord Jesus Christ. By His grace, through faith in 
Him, it will be said, this man went to his house justified. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for this short parable that teaches so many lessons, and 
I pray that you would write them in our hearts. As Christians, 
God, help us not to be a self-righteous or a proud or an arrogant or 
a judgmental people. Keep us from this family sin 
of Adam, as Ryle calls it. and help us to be those who are 
genuinely humble, not those boasting of their humility, but those 
who have dealings with God and see themselves properly before 
you and others. As well, I pray for any and all 
here that have not believed on the Lord Jesus, that you would 
be merciful and gracious and cause them to see that in Christ 
alone is the forgiveness of sins and is a righteousness that avails 
with God. We ask that you would go with 
us now and bless this Lord's Day. Help us to honor you. And 
we pray through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.