Thursday, January 11, 2007

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Part 8 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: Religion may deceive us into handling guilt in dangerous ways.

PURPOSE: To have listeners realize that there are wrong ways to deal with their guilt.

Imagine that we interviewed some people after church one Sunday, and we asked them, “How do you feel?” Then imagine that a significant number answered, “I feel good!”

Why might they mean by their answers?

Could it be dangerous to feel good after church?

Religious people may deal with their guilt feelings rather than their guilt. We learn techniques that make us feel better but that will not necessarily make us better.

The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable had picked up some techniques. We see them in Luke 18:9-14:

I. Technique One: We can major on negative obedience.

The Pharisee commends himself for all the sins he has not committed (v. 11).

This serves as a smokescreen for our conscience to cover up all the sins we have committed.

It helps us evade our social responsibility. We haven’t been sexually loose, so why care about those who have? It enables us to look at our neighbor lying by the side on the road and pass by because we didn’t mug him.

This is a major reason that the Christian life is unappealing to many who are not yet Christians. They think of it as a negative, judgmental faith.

Joy Davidman told of an incident in which a missionary witnessed to an African chief to convert him. In their discussions, the missionary described a long list of sins that were prohibited by Christian morality. The chief listened, then remarked that he was too old to commit most of them. Then he put it all together: “So to be old and be a Christian, they are the same thing.”