Luke Series #79 September 15, 2002
Title: Who is and Who is Not Welcomed by God
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Introduction: Welcome to New Life in Christ. This morning we are in Chapter 18 of the Book of Luke in our verse-by-verse teaching series out of that book.
Read Luke 18:9-14
Opening Prayer
This passage today is connected to those that come after it, although I will only cover this particular parable today. This passage, the example of the children which follows and the story of the rich ruler are all connected by a single theme, which is what we would expect since Luke tells us that his intention was to "write an orderly account" (Luke 1:3) of the story of Jesus.
The theme of this passage is a healthy relationship with God. Jesus tells us through this parable, the example that follows, and the story of the rich ruler, what kind of person does, and what kind of person does not have a healthy relationship with God. This is certainly a subject of the greatest importance, since a healthy relationship with God is the essential criteria for receiving God blessings, God’s mercy, and eternal life in heaven.
When Jesus uses the word "justified" in verse 14, he is referring to a healthy relationship with God. Later when he talks about those who will be receiving the kingdom and entering the kingdom, he is also, in a broad sense, referring to those who have a healthy relationship with God. In essence, Jesus is telling us who will be welcomed into the presence of God in heaven and who will not be.
Last week, Steve Harty was sharing with me about an invitation to dinner and golf he had received to Wayne Huizenga’s private golf and country club. He received this invitation as a result of a business connection. Many of you are aware that Wayne Huizenga is one of America’s wealthiest men. He is the owner of Blockbuster video, and of several professional sports teams. You can imagine that his private club must be elaborate and the dinner five-star, and it was. Of course, not everybody can go to the club and enjoy these benefits. There are criteria that must be met before you are welcomed in or accepted. Steve had to give them his social security number (for a background check?) and a picture of himself so that when he arrived, he was quickly and graciously welcomed in to enjoy the many luxuries available. The dinner and country club were great, but first Steve had to be accepted or welcomed in.
The same is true with being welcomed into God’s presence. In order to experience his blessings, including eternal life in heaven, we must be welcomed in. Not everybody is welcome. There are criteria which must be met. Fortunately, those criteria have nothing to do with your status in society. What are God’s criteria? Who is acceptable to God? Who has the right relationship with him? What kind of person is welcomed by God and what kind of person is not welcomed by God? This is the important question our passage today answers. I believe there are two main points being made in this passage.
1. God will never welcome those who trust in their own goodness.
2. God will always welcome those who trust in God His goodness.
I will explain and elaborate on these points as we cover this passage verse by verse.
Read Luke 18:9
We are immediately told that Jesus was sharing this parable for the purpose of enlightening a very specific group of people; those who were "confident of their own righteousness..." In other words, Jesus was speaking to those who trusted in their own goodness. These were those who believed that they were "good people" and therefore they were right with God and going to heaven. This group was not necessarily limited to the Pharisees or other religious leaders. With the exception of the most profane people of the day (prostitutes, murderers, tax collectors, etc.), most people thought of themselves as good people.
The same is true today. It seems that most people in America consider themselves decent people. They are "confident of their own righteousness." After all, they’ve never murdered anybody, molested a child, cheated on their spouse, or robbed a bank. If you are one of these people, who is confident that they are good person, then this parable is for you.
Read Luke 18:10-12
Jesus often used two people in his parables to contrast each other and make a point. You could not have gotten two people who were seen as more different by society than these two people were. The Pharisees represents the good person, while the tax collector represented the height of wickedness. We are accustomed to having a negative view of the Pharisees today, but the opposite was true in New Testament times. They were the paragon of righteousness. They were the pillars of the community. They were the ones who were surely God’s favorites. If Jesus were speaking this parable to a contemporary audience, he would probably start out by saying, "Two men went to church to pray, one a pastor, the other a pornographer." The conclusion of this modern parable would be a shock because it would be the pornographer and not the pastor who left the church in a healthy relationship with God.
The content of the Pharisees’ prayer is important because it reveals how the Pharisee thought of himself. He said, "I am not like other men..." By other men, he means those who are wicked and sinful such as, "robbers, evildoers, adulterers, and tax collectors." He felt that he was on a different level than those who were really bad people. He did not think he was perfect, but he certainly wasn’t that bad! Not only did he not engage in such behavior, but he also did all the right spiritual things. In fact, he in his own opinion, he even exceeded God’s requirements. As he says in verse 12, "I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." Under the Old Testament system, fasting was only required one day a year, and tithing only of your income, not everything you get, i.e. purchase.
Because of these things, he was very confident that he was a good person, but Jesus tells us only one person, the tax collector, left the temple justified. Justified means to be in a right or healthy relationship with God. The Pharisee was not accepted by God and would not be welcomed in God presence in heaven. Why not? Because he believed the wrong thing about himself; that he was a good person.
1. God will never welcome those who trust in their own goodness.
Let me tell you this, if you think of yourself as a good person, you are wrong. I say this not because I have noticed any sin in your life, but rather because this is what the Bible says time and again. You are not on a different level than the prostitute, child molester, or the murderer.
Read Romans 3:10, 12 and Luke 18:19
If you think of yourself as a good person, it is because you have the same tendency all us humans have, which is to think more positively about ourselves that is warranted by the facts. Let me give you an example of this.
Illustration: Evidence for an over inflated opinion of ourselves comes from the College Board that administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the SAT exam, which millions of high school students take each year. On that test there are a number of other questions besides the ones about math and English which the students are asked to answer. For instance, they are asked to evaluate their leadership ability.
Recently in an exam, seventy percent of the students rated themselves as above average in leadership, and only two percent as below average. Sixty percent rated themselves as above average in athletics while only six percent said below. When they rated themselves as to how easy they were to get along with, 25 percent said they were in the top one percent, sixty percent said they were in the top ten percent, and absolutely no one said he was below average in being easy to get along with.
Source: Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, R. Curtis Fussell, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 1997, 0-7880-1138-3
People do tend to overestimate themselves. While humorous in regard to the SAT questions and answers, it is a very serious matter when you overestimate yourself about your own goodness.
1. God will never welcome those who trust in their own goodness.
Read Luke 18:13-14
Tax men had never been the favorites or most respected of people in any society or culture. In New Testament times they were looked upon with even greater disdain. They were the lowest of the low; the most evil of people. They were on par with the murderer or child molester of today. They were thought of this way because they cheated people, grossly overcharged and abused people, and they were considered traitors because they worked for the oppressive Roman government. They were looked at like we look at American citizens who fight with the Taliban.
If I told you that Evangelist Billy Graham and the American Taliban supporter John Walker Lindh went to pray, you would be shocked if I told you that it was John Walker Lindh who left that prayer right with God and not Billy Graham. In a similar sense, it was shocking to Jesus audience to say that the evil tax-collector went home justified, while the Pharisee did not.
I’m telling you all this, not just to inform you, but so you realize how evil this person was and was seen by society to be. If he could have a right relationship with God, then every one of us has hope, no matter what we may have done or become.
According to Jesus, this man was justified. How come? What made this man welcomed by a righteous and holy God? To answer that question we must look at the content and character of the tax collectors prayer, which is very different from that of the Pharisees.
Jesus tells us three things about the way the tax collector prayed before revealing the content of the prayer. The tax collector "stood at a distance", "would not even look up to heaven", and "beat his breast." Unlike the Pharisee, who seems to have no awareness of his own sinfulness, the tax collector is deeply aware of how wicked he is, so much so, that he humbly looks down, and in shame stays away from other people at the front of the temple, and beat his chest as an expression of remorse. He then prays a simple prayer, but one God always hears and answers, "God, have mercy own me, a sinner!"
He is not ignorant of his own sin. He knows that he is a bad person. He makes no excuses. He does not list is good points, nor does he make promises to do something good to earn God’s favor. He simply admits that he is a sinner and asks for mercy. He is not a good person, but by asking for mercy, he shows that he believes that God is a good God. His prayer and God response illustrate the second point Jesus is making in this parable.
2. God will always welcome those who trust in His goodness.
This is good news for bad people. It means that when we have really blown it, when we really made a mess of our lives by our own choices, and are then willing to admit full responsibility and ask for forgiveness, we will always be fully forgiven! Some of you may have given in to the temptation to view pornography. Some of you may have cheated on your spouse. Some of you here may have had an abortion, even knowing that it was wrong. Some of you may have cheated the government, stolen from your employer, or lied in order to deceive or impress others. Some of you may have done all these things, but all of you will be joyously welcomed and lovingly accepted into the presence of God, if you show that you trust in his goodness and not your own, by admitting your sins sincerely and asking for mercy.
Illustration: A woman went to see a famous artist and questioned him about painting a portrait of her. After discussing the price and agreeing to terms, she said, "I just hope you can do me justice." He looked her over real good and said, "Lady, you don’t want justice, you need mercy!"
That is the situation we are all in, spiritually speaking. If we know the truth about ourselves, we will not want justice, but rather realize we need mercy.
In verse 14, Jesus says, "I tell you this man (tax collector), rather than the other, went home justified before God." Why? Because...
1. God will never welcome those who trust in their own goodness.
2. God will always welcome those who trust in His goodness.
Concluding the parable, Jesus says, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." When Jesus speaks of exalting oneself, he is speaking of pride. He is not speaking of the kind of pride where one is proud of one’s appearance, strength, or talent, although that kind of pride is wrong. Jesus is referring to spiritual pride, which is exhibited when a person thinks that they are better than the so-called really bad people. He is talking about those who think that they are good, decent, and religious people, and therefore do not see themselves as serious sinners. Those who view themselves this way will be humbled, i.e. brought down. They will not receive God blessings or eternal life.
Jesus also speaks of those who are humble. Again he is not referring to a low view of yourself regarding your appearance, strength, talent, or success. Jesus is referring to spiritual humility, which, in this context, means having knowledge of your own deep sinfulness and the willingness to admit to it and ask for mercy. Those who are humble in this way will be exalted, i.e. they will receive God blessings and eternal life in heaven.
1. God will never welcome those who trust in their own goodness.
2. God will always welcome those who trust in His goodness.
Conclusion: In a sense there is a bit of irony in the principles found in this passage. It is good news for bad people, and bad news for good people. If you are one of these bad people and you have not already asked for forgiveness and for Jesus to come into your heart, then I encourage you to do so today as I close in prayer. He will hear and answer your humble prayer!
Closing Prayer
