What Impresses God?

WHAT IMPRESSES GOD?

10 July 2005

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Purpose: Share with the listener, what impresses God.

Introduction:

(Luke 18:9-14)

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

It was the summer of 87. I had a bike that in my mind was “the bomb”, oh it was sharp! It had big mag wheels on it, shinny rims, I thought that I was “the man” when I was on this sweet bike. (“You know, it had shocks, pegs, I was lucky”)

There was this girl that lived down the street from me. She was the kind of girl that blinds us to everything else around us, I just knew she was the one for me and I knew that I had to impress her and show her that I was cool. I had to show her my skills.

One day I came ridding by her home and I saw her standing on her front porch; I knew this was my chance to show her my skills.

I came barreling down the street at top speed on my sweet bike and attempted to jump her driveway. Notice I said “attempted”. I flew up into the air, and landed onto my back.

I had pulled several ligaments in my back and was stuck in bed for weeks. Needless to say, the girl did not see me or my bike as cool at all.

Our scripture reading for today tells us a little about what impresses someone. Have you ever tried to impress someone? A girl, A guy, or how about God?

I am sure we are all guilty of this at one point or another in our lives. It is in our nature to want to make others happy and proud of us.

I am going to share with you about just that, what impresses God anyway?

Jesus is talking to everyone of us, who at times have had a spirit of self righteousness,

At one time or another all of us are guilty of trying to impress God or is it really to impress others? Luke makes is very clear who Jesus told this parable to. He says in v.9, "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else,”

What impresses God anyway? What moves His heart to declare us as His children?

I. WHAT IMPRESSES GOD IS WHEN YOU DON’T TRY TO IMPRESS GOD.

A. (Luke 18:10-12)

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men- robbers, evildoers, adulterers- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”

1. I know immediately you are ready to jump all over the Pharisee because he was, to say the least, a little bit arrogant. I am sure we all have know people like this or perhaps have been like this at one time or another in our lives. Quite frankly, he really was an Eagle Scout. He dotted every religious "i" and he crossed every theological "t." He went strictly by the book. He had a heart for religion; the problem was his religion had no heart.

2. He was standing in the center of the inner court right in the heart of the temple. The reason he stood there was because it was there where he could be heard the clearest and be seen the best. He let everybody know just how wonderful he was and how very close to God he was.

- We read that he fasted twice a week. The Old Testament only required a Jew to fast once a year on the Day of Atonement. But this man fasted a 103 times a year more than he was required.

- Then we read that he tithed everything that he possessed. The Old Testament only required that you tithe your income. But this man tithed everything that he earned and everything that he bought. In other words, he was a double tither. Now there is nothing wrong with fasting more than once a week, and there certainly is nothing wrong with giving more than a tithe.