LUKE 18:9-14
"THE DOWNWARD CLIMB UP"
September 14, 2025
This sermon is inspired by my time with the late Crawford Kimble. He told me a story of a young preacher, fresh out of seminary, a model student. He was given an opportunity to preach at a small church. He proudly and boldly walked up to the pulpit and began to expound on some deep theological thought. He quoted Ryrie and Clark and Strong and Spurgeon, but nothing moved the congregation. Not one amen; not one preach sir; Nothing! It was not long before the pastor had to pull his coat tail and motion for him to wind it up and take a seat. He came down from the pulpit with shame on his face and head hung low. Then the pastor whispered to him, “If you had gone up like you came down, you might have came down like you went up!” James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. In this parable, we will see that one man came to the temple that day to worship himself. The other man came that day to worship the Lord. I want to take a few minutes to contrast these two men because they teach us some much-needed lessons about how we should come to church. Paul wrote to Timothy, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth,”1 Timothy 3:14.
I. TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE A Pharisee – One of the men who came to church that day was a Pharisee, v.10. He was a spiritual leader among the people, known and respected as a true man of God. He knew the Scriptures and would have prayed at least three times every day. (The Pharisees made much of prayer. They loved to pray loud, long and public prayers, Matthew 6:5.) He fasted twice every week. (The practice of the Pharisees was to make their fasting very public, Matthew 6:16. They would not comb their hair or wash their faces, and they wore the most wrinkled clothes. They put ashes on their faces so all would know they are fasting.) He tithed on everything he possessed, even the herbs that grew in his garden, Matthew 23:23. (The Pharisees made a public show in their tithing, Matthew 6:1 – they have their reward) People like this have even convinced themselves that they are right and everyone around them who is not exactly like them is wrong. A Publican – The other man who came to pray that day was a publican, v. 10. He was a spiritual outcast. While he could come to the Temple to pray in the Court of the Jews, he would not have been allowed to attend the meetings at the synagogue. The other Jews hated him and looked down on him. He was a tax collector. He worked for Rome, the nation that dominated and ruled Israel at the time. Rome collected three kinds of taxes from the people she conquered. They collected a land tax, a head tax and a custom tax. They were collected by a chief tax collector (i.e. Zacchaeus.) who controlled the work of several local tax collectors (i.e. Matthew). The chief tax collector would pay Rome for a certain area or district which gave him the authority to collect the taxes there. He would in turn sub-lease that area to tax collectors. The chief tax collector could set his own rates and the men who worked for him could set theirs. As a tax collector, he would have been viewed as a traitor to Israel and not even worthy of any compassion or concern from the Jews around him. People like this might not do things and say things just like we think they should. Like the publican, these folk are in the church, (they work at the IRS or some collection agency or some government agency and they usually don’t tell anyone) and are often looked down on by some who think they are more spiritual.
II. TWO TYPES OF PRAYER Both of these men, the Pharisee and the Publican, went to the Temple to pray. When they open their mouths and begin to speak, the true character of their heart is put on display. As it turns out, you really can’t judge a book by its cover. Their words and their attitudes have something to teach us about how we should approach the Lord and how we should see others. A Haughty Prayer – When the Pharisee begins to prayer, he is quick to tell the Lord how things really are. He brags about his righteousness, by comparing himself to other men. He even sees the Publican praying nearby and talks about how much better he is than that man. He brags about his religious works. He brags about his giving. He tells how great he is and how well he is and that he “has arrived” in the eyes of the Lord. He feels like he is talking to the Lord, in truth, he is only talking to himself, v.11. A Humble Prayer – The publican does not offer any swelling words of self-glorification. He knows that he has nothing at all to offer the Lord. He knows He is a wicked sinner. When he prays, there is no pride, no pretense, no hint of self-righteousness. He just tells the truth, humbles himself before God, and asks for mercy. He won’t even lift his eyes toward heaven. He beats his chest, knowing that his real problems are problems of the heart. God is not impressed by the volume and vocabulary of our prayers. This man prayed a short, simple to the point prayer and God heard him. In fact, we are warned against long, elaborate, repetitive prayers, Matthew 6:6. I’ve heard it said before that, “Long prayers in public are a sign of short prayers in private”. Prayer is not a time to preach. If you want to preach, ask God to call you and get you a street corner or a pulpit to do it in, but don’t use your prayer as an opportunity to correct other people. Prayer is not a time to brag. Prayer is about the Lord and His glory, not about who we are, what we think, what we want, or what we have done. Prayer is time to seek the face of God; to ask Him to bless; to ask Him to move among; to pray for those around you; to humble yourself before the Lord; to acknowledge your own need of Him! We should use our public prayers, not as a time to exalt our spirituality, but to praise and glorify God; to seek His power; and to thank Him for His blessings.
III. TWO TYPES OF POSITIONS (Up and Down or Exalted and Humbled) One Man Was Received By God – The Lord “justified” that Tax Collector. God heard his simple prayer, and God received him and declared him righteous. His sins were forgiven, and he went to his house justified in the eyes of the Lord. One Man Was Refused By God – The Pharisee, on the other hand, was ignored by the Lord. He went home feeling good about himself. He went home sure that he was right with the Lord, when he was actually lost in his sins. 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. Jesus wants us to understand that the way up in the eyes of the Lord is down. The way to be right with the Lord is to realize just how wrong we are. Jesus taught that the first will be last and the last will be first in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus can teach us something about the downward path to going up! The Hebrew writer said, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8
