Monday, January 22, 2007
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Part 15 of 44
TEXT: "Also He 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' " (Luke 18:9-14).
IDEA: Justification is an act of God by which He declares righteous the sinner who believes on Jesus Christ.
PURPOSE: To have listeners understand and accept the justification that is offered to them.
Read again the parable that we have read several times before. It is a parable of some contrasts. What are they?
The two men were different in their standing in the community.
The two men were different in their conduct.
The two men were different in the way they prayed.
The two men left the service with a different relationship to God.
I. The tax collector “went home justified.” What does that mean?
Justified is not a word of the psychiatrist’s office.
It is a word of the courts. It means that God had declared the tax collector innocent.
A definition: Justification is an act of God whereby He declares righteous a believing sinner.
It is clear from the parable that:
Justification is something God did for the tax collector and not something that the tax collector did for God.
We are justified not because of our character or the fact that we may be good or bad, moral or immoral.
God declared the tax collector righteous. It is God’s judgment on us and not a judgment about how we feel about ourselves. That tax collector left the temple just as much a sinner, morally speaking, as when he entered it. But he left a justified sinner. He was a sinner who now stood in a right relation to God.
II. Do you think that thePhariseeand thetax collector felt any different after the temple service?
How much did the feelings of the Pharisee and tax collector reflect their standing with God?
Do you think the Pharisee may have felt very pleased with himself? Do you think he felt justified?
Do you think that the tax collector left “feeling peace” or good about himself?
“Our justification before God is not based on the fact that two men went to the temple and by their actions taught us how to approach God and pray. Our justification lies in the fact that the Man who told this story went to a cross. There He didn’t simply teach us something; He did something for us. He did what no one can do for himself. By His precious blood and body, He placed us clean and renewed in the presence of God, and we were pronounced justified” (Richard Hoefler, And He Told Them A Story, p. 200).
