WEBVTT 00:00:00.330 --> 00:00:04.349 Good morning, church. If I haven't had the opportunity 00:00:04.349 --> 00:00:07.070 to meet you, my name is Ben, and I get the privilege 00:00:07.070 --> 00:00:10.150 of being down at our Prescott Valley location. 00:00:10.230 --> 00:00:13.310 I get to oversee that campus and just know that 00:00:13.310 --> 00:00:15.630 you are welcomed and loved. And as always, we 00:00:15.630 --> 00:00:18.190 want to slow down and just welcome our family 00:00:18.190 --> 00:00:20.809 online. We love you so much out there in Paulding 00:00:20.809 --> 00:00:23.589 and Baghdad and the rest of our online family. 00:00:24.030 --> 00:00:26.829 I think when I was up here... A couple months 00:00:26.829 --> 00:00:28.890 ago, a few months ago, I think I called Paul 00:00:28.890 --> 00:00:34.170 Dad. It's not Paul Daddy. It's Paul Dan. And 00:00:34.170 --> 00:00:36.429 we just love you, Mike and Sue Lynn. We're so 00:00:36.429 --> 00:00:41.170 thankful for you. But welcome. Does anyone have 00:00:41.170 --> 00:00:43.549 in their family somebody that has a reputation 00:00:43.549 --> 00:00:47.789 of repeating the same stories over and over again? 00:00:48.890 --> 00:00:52.649 I think every family has that. In our family, 00:00:52.649 --> 00:00:56.560 it's my dad. He loves to tell. the same stories 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:59.079 over and over. In fairness, you only got so many 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:02.060 stories, but he always says he doesn't need new 00:01:02.060 --> 00:01:06.319 material, he just needs a new audience. And one 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:09.260 of the stories I've heard countless times is 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:13.420 I used to sleepwalk all the time. I mean, it 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:16.540 was a problem. I would wake up with cuts above 00:01:16.540 --> 00:01:19.480 my eye and on my forehead and cheek from running 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:23.230 into stuff. There was one time I sleptwalked 00:01:23.230 --> 00:01:26.090 from my best friend's house four houses down 00:01:26.090 --> 00:01:28.930 and across the street in my little underoos at 00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:34.069 seven, and my dad answers the door, and I was 00:01:34.069 --> 00:01:36.290 just asleep with my finger in the air, and I'd 00:01:36.290 --> 00:01:38.849 just been ringing the doorbell just over and 00:01:38.849 --> 00:01:41.950 over and over again. His favorite story to tell, 00:01:41.989 --> 00:01:45.109 though, is when we used to do this camping trip 00:01:45.109 --> 00:01:47.510 with father -sons, and it would be anywhere from 00:01:47.510 --> 00:01:51.900 six to eight sets of father -sons. somebody had 00:01:51.900 --> 00:01:54.840 this gigantic military tent. And so we would 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:57.359 all sleep in there and there was room to spare. 00:01:57.780 --> 00:02:01.579 And this was the 80s. So there's no talk of GMOs 00:02:01.579 --> 00:02:05.420 or too much sugar. We're downing Coke. We're 00:02:05.420 --> 00:02:09.419 eating Star Crunches. And as you might expect, 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:12.060 the boys would go to bed first and then the dads 00:02:12.060 --> 00:02:16.819 later. And so I woke up the next morning. And 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:19.300 I noticed there was a father and son missing. 00:02:19.460 --> 00:02:21.939 And I was like, Dad, where's Tim and Jason at? 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:26.520 And he just starts dying laughing. And at some 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:28.419 point in the middle of the night, I had been 00:02:28.419 --> 00:02:30.860 sleeping, sleepwalking around the tent, and I 00:02:30.860 --> 00:02:35.860 ended up going number one all over them. I thought 00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:42.479 they were the bathroom. 38 years later, my dad 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:47.479 cannot stop laughing as he... He visualizes that 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:51.219 father's face and that anger as he was packing 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:54.080 up his sleeping bag and his son at three in the 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:58.860 morning and leaving, going home. He still owns 00:02:58.860 --> 00:03:03.759 them. Who doesn't love a good story? And we've 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:05.699 been in a collection of talks, stories as told 00:03:05.699 --> 00:03:08.800 by Jesus. And we've been looking at parables 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:12.199 he taught. In all, Jesus taught 40 parables. 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.460 It's good to know that a parable is just a story 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:20.219 that runs parallel to a truth, okay? And Jesus 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:23.580 is the master storyteller, y 'all. And today 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:25.479 we're gonna look at the tax collector and the 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:28.280 Pharisee who go up to the temple to pray. And 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:34.030 so we're gonna be in Luke 18, verse 19. To some 00:03:34.030 --> 00:03:36.409 who are confident of their own righteousness 00:03:36.409 --> 00:03:40.870 and look down on everybody else. We all know 00:03:40.870 --> 00:03:44.650 who these people are. They're too heavenly minded 00:03:44.650 --> 00:03:48.409 to be any earthly good. Their Bibles are usually 00:03:48.409 --> 00:03:50.949 bigger than everyone else's, but only to hit 00:03:50.949 --> 00:03:54.449 you over the head with it. And Jesus told this 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:57.330 parable. Two men went up to the temple to pray, 00:03:57.550 --> 00:03:59.569 one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 00:03:59.889 --> 00:04:02.960 Okay. So Jesus, in telling the story, immediately 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:06.539 introduces two characters. And it's important 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:09.319 that we understand these characters because the 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:13.219 audience definitely understood these two different 00:04:13.219 --> 00:04:16.259 people, okay? The Pharisee has a bad reputation 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:19.920 today, but back then they were super admired. 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:22.439 They were looked up to. They were the religious 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:25.879 leaders of their time. If we need to be honest 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:28.100 with ourselves, if Pharisees were around today 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:30.459 in that context, these would be elected officials 00:04:30.459 --> 00:04:33.439 in the way they presented themselves. This would 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:35.279 be somebody you would want your daughter to date. 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:38.060 They didn't drink much alcohol. They went to 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:41.180 church every week, temple. They tithed and they 00:04:41.180 --> 00:04:45.980 knew scripture inside and out, okay? No one appeared 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:49.560 to be more dedicated to God than this bunch of 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:51.699 people. Okay, so we need to understand that. 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:53.980 In fact, as the audience was listening to him 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:55.980 back then, their eyes and ears, it would have 00:04:55.980 --> 00:04:58.720 made sense that the Pharisee was going to the 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:01.620 temple to pray. Okay, then you have him introduce 00:05:01.620 --> 00:05:04.500 the tax collector. This is someone who worked 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:08.160 for a foreign government. They had a reputation 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:10.980 of overcharging in taxes so they could lie in 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:14.579 their own pockets to get rich. They were synonymous 00:05:14.579 --> 00:05:17.160 with cheating and stealing. They were the lowest 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:20.620 of the low. Even within scripture, You could 00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:24.120 interchange sinner and tax collector, okay? So 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:28.259 these two characters would have immediately invoked 00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:30.980 emotions within the audience. And it really needs 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:34.180 to do that to us. And they would have also attached 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:37.399 expectations of the outcome based on these two 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:41.160 characters. Because Jesus is the master storyteller. 00:05:41.939 --> 00:05:45.220 Next verse. The Pharisee stood up and prayed 00:05:45.220 --> 00:05:48.279 about himself. God, I thank you that I am not 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:51.899 like other people. robbers, evildoers, adulterers, 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:54.879 or even like this tax collector. Okay, so the 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:57.899 Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself. Other 00:05:57.899 --> 00:06:01.220 translations say he prayed to himself. So you 00:06:01.220 --> 00:06:03.860 could say accurately that this Pharisee was praying 00:06:03.860 --> 00:06:07.680 to himself about himself. Our prayer posture 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:10.860 will be a reflection of our posture in life. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:16.459 What does our prayer posture, our prayer life 00:06:16.459 --> 00:06:18.939 look like as we go through the day? Is it all 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:23.500 about what we need and what we want? And don't 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:25.480 get me wrong, God calls for us to pray for the 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:27.379 desires of our hearts, but that's a piece of 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:30.980 it. Are we waking up every morning and praying 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:34.439 that the Holy Spirit will put a family or a person 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:37.480 on our heart and we pray that they're blessed, 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:41.139 that their finances are blessed, their business 00:06:41.139 --> 00:06:44.680 is blessed, their children, their health? Are 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:47.220 we going throughout our day and inviting God 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:49.939 into it? Do we invite the Holy Spirit in before 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:55.300 we send a text message or an email? Do we ask 00:06:55.300 --> 00:06:58.439 him when to be quiet and just listen? Do we pray 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:00.939 before we go to the store? We just assume we're 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:05.019 gonna make it back home. Do we understand our 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:07.959 desperate need and the sovereignty of God to 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:13.660 be involved in everything we do? I remember in 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:17.920 recovery, I learned this, probably one of the 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:20.279 best lessons I ever learned. And it was learning 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:23.620 to accept people where they were at without approving 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:26.660 of their choices. And the saying we would say 00:07:26.660 --> 00:07:30.079 is, that's just where they're at today. That's 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:32.639 just where they're at today. And what do I mean 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:35.180 by that? I mean, if you would have met me before 00:07:35.180 --> 00:07:40.019 I met Jesus, I was a train wreck. And now, just 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:43.139 because I'm on this side, by the grace of God, 00:07:43.579 --> 00:07:46.579 sharing the gospel with you. If I meet someone 00:07:46.579 --> 00:07:51.220 in day one of knowing Jesus, or maybe they haven't 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:53.139 met Jesus, that's just where they're at today. 00:07:53.459 --> 00:07:56.680 I mean, we all know these people. They don't 00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:59.800 have the ability to see how selfish they are. 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:03.740 They cannot see how judgmental they are or how 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:07.240 angry they are. Because that's just where they 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:09.360 are today. It doesn't excuse their behavior. 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:11.680 It doesn't mean we don't have hard conversations 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:15.720 when needed. But what it does do is it softens 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:18.920 your heart. And it goes, man, that's just where 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:22.100 they're at today. I used to be there one day, 00:08:22.139 --> 00:08:25.920 and I still have a long way to go. It helps us 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:28.600 from playing the comparison game, which we saw 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:32.039 this Pharisee do. He goes, at least I'm not like 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:35.519 so -and -so. At least I'm not like this robber. 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:38.779 I'm not like this tax collector. I'm not as bad 00:08:38.779 --> 00:08:41.600 as old Jimmy over there. I don't know a Jimmy 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.580 either. But it helps prevent the comparison game 00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:50.159 as if what my neighbor does or doesn't do has 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:55.039 any reflection on how I view myself. Next verse. 00:08:55.789 --> 00:08:59.330 I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that 00:08:59.330 --> 00:09:02.629 I get. Okay, so he's not only superior in what 00:09:02.629 --> 00:09:06.029 he avoids, he's also superior in how he performs. 00:09:07.730 --> 00:09:11.149 See, the Pharisees had become addicted to this. 00:09:11.669 --> 00:09:15.870 There were 613 Mosaic laws, and they had added 00:09:15.870 --> 00:09:19.870 thousands of oral laws, okay? And when he goes, 00:09:19.909 --> 00:09:22.429 I fast twice a week, that was actually more than 00:09:22.429 --> 00:09:25.850 was required. When he goes, I pay tithes of all 00:09:25.850 --> 00:09:28.370 that I get, again, he's making a statement. I 00:09:28.370 --> 00:09:31.809 do more than is asked. It's almost as if he's 00:09:31.809 --> 00:09:35.690 saying, God owes me a thanks. See, they had added 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:38.149 all these extra rules where they would even break 00:09:38.149 --> 00:09:41.090 down the herbs in their garden and give 10 % 00:09:41.090 --> 00:09:44.289 of that. They had become addicted to tradition 00:09:44.289 --> 00:09:46.669 and religion, and it was even more important 00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:49.210 that everyone saw them live out this religion. 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:52.710 See, I grew up in the South in Alabama, and everybody 00:09:52.710 --> 00:09:56.509 goes to church. It's generational. You know what 00:09:56.509 --> 00:09:59.470 to say. You know how to say it. You know to wear 00:09:59.470 --> 00:10:03.759 pastel colors on Easter. You do. It's a way of 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:06.419 life. And I remember when I started in ministry, 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:10.399 I didn't know nothing, y 'all. And I was working 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:13.320 on my first Easter. And as many of you know, 00:10:13.460 --> 00:10:16.679 when someone says he is risen, you say he is 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:20.840 risen indeed. I didn't know that. So I'm working 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:23.419 parking. I'm like the front guy at the parking 00:10:23.419 --> 00:10:25.559 thing and waving everyone. And someone drives 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:28.620 by with their window down. He is risen. I go, 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:35.460 you betcha. Another car. He is risen. He sure 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:41.500 has. This goes on. And as traffic starts backing 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:45.600 up, this very, very sweet lady had said it and 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:47.419 I said something silly. And she goes, you're 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:50.500 supposed to say he is risen indeed. And of course, 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:54.000 I acted like I knew that. So, you know, for those 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:57.039 next five he has risen, I nailed it. I mean, 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:00.700 I was a pro. He has risen indeed. It was like 00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:02.539 I've been doing it my whole life. Now, there's 00:11:02.539 --> 00:11:05.100 nothing wrong with that statement. It's true. 00:11:06.019 --> 00:11:08.519 Traditions are good. But what we have to be careful 00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:12.460 of is there's no power in the tradition. There's 00:11:12.460 --> 00:11:18.250 no power in the religion. Okay, following these 00:11:18.250 --> 00:11:21.210 laws the way they were was breathing life into 00:11:21.210 --> 00:11:25.309 these Pharisees. It was giving them life and 00:11:25.309 --> 00:11:28.049 breath. But we know the only breath and life 00:11:28.049 --> 00:11:31.590 comes through Jesus Christ. The only power is 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:33.830 him as our savior and us being sealed with the 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:36.129 Holy Spirit and then that pouring out through 00:11:36.129 --> 00:11:40.259 us. as his goodness working through us. See, 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.460 the Pharisees had become experts at hiding the 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:45.000 brokenness of what was in their hearts while 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.360 becoming masters of their outward expression 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:52.240 of religion. God isn't looking for religion. 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:58.580 God is looking for relationship. God does not 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:03.460 desire the sacrifice of bulls. He desires a broken 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:07.820 and contrite heart. So if God is looking for 00:12:07.820 --> 00:12:09.679 relationship, then we have to ask ourselves, 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:13.179 what kind of relationship is that? In Matthew 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:19.799 7, verses 21 through 23, not everyone who says 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:22.740 to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:26.120 heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:29.480 who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:33.279 day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesize in your 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:36.500 name? In your name, drive out demons and perform 00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:40.019 many miracles. And then I will tell them plainly, 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:44.139 I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:47.840 Do you see the similarity of this parable and 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.340 the scripture? Again, it is people listing off 00:12:51.340 --> 00:12:54.740 the things they've done for God. I honestly envision 00:12:54.740 --> 00:12:58.159 someone sitting across Jesus at a table and they 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:03.539 just. slide the resume on over to them. Jesus, 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:05.200 I don't know if you've been paying attention, 00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:09.019 but I've been doing a whole lot for you lately. 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:18.539 The new in this verse, I never knew you. That 00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:22.399 word in the Greek is gnosko. It's an intimate 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:25.120 knowing. It's the way a husband and wife know 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:27.120 each other. This is nothing of the physical. 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:31.679 But we know what that is. It's an intimate, we 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:35.179 know their biggest shortcomings and their greatest 00:13:35.179 --> 00:13:38.059 successes of who they are as people. This is 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:41.919 an experiential knowing, okay, this word. And 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:45.960 full transparency, I've never been to school 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:50.299 for Greek. I've never spoke it, as you might 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:55.120 tell from my accent. But I also believe we live 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:57.779 in a time where there are enough resources that 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:00.159 if you have a desire, you can learn something 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:04.080 and study it. And I also believe we have a responsibility 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:07.379 on this stage to teach the second and third and 00:14:07.379 --> 00:14:10.679 fourth layer of what God is teaching. Because 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:15.320 new in the English doesn't cut it. New doesn't 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:19.259 tell you the depth of the relationship. I mean, 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:23.070 he doesn't even recognize them. There's no intimacy. 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:25.649 There's no experiential relationship. I mean, 00:14:25.690 --> 00:14:29.409 you can know your pizza delivery guy, but you 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:31.009 don't know him. I mean, I know he's going to 00:14:31.009 --> 00:14:33.389 bring me a meat lovers with added bacon, but 00:14:33.389 --> 00:14:35.549 I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's 00:14:35.549 --> 00:14:38.470 going on in his heart or in his head. There was 00:14:38.470 --> 00:14:42.009 a time when several years ago, I had this relationship 00:14:42.009 --> 00:14:46.490 that friendship and it went sideways and it really 00:14:46.490 --> 00:14:49.309 caught me off guard. I had no clue anything was 00:14:49.309 --> 00:14:53.659 wrong. It came out of nowhere, and I was meeting 00:14:53.659 --> 00:14:55.360 and talking to someone. And in the beginning, 00:14:55.500 --> 00:14:58.279 there was attempts at reconciliation. And honestly, 00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:01.539 I was grieving this friendship. And as I was 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:03.980 talking to somebody about it, they really explained 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:06.259 it. It was because I really thought our friendship 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:08.960 was here, and the truth is it was over here. 00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:13.480 And he gave me this illustration of a property 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:16.580 or someone's house and how everybody falls within 00:15:16.580 --> 00:15:21.139 this illustration at some level. As you look 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:24.480 at a house, the front yard is where you might 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:27.240 see someone and you recognize them and you say, 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:29.120 hello, hey, how you doing? But you don't know 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:32.139 anything about them. Then you might have some 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:35.679 people that are on your front porch. You're going 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.360 to have similarities. You might talk sports or 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:41.960 family or kids, but everything is very surface 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:45.379 level. And there's nothing wrong with these first 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:48.580 two. You need people across the board. Then you 00:15:48.580 --> 00:15:50.320 might have people in the living room or kitchen. 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:53.740 Here, you're starting to open up about things 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:55.879 that are happening within your life, but very 00:15:55.879 --> 00:16:00.360 rarely are you vulnerable. Then you have people 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:02.840 in the bedroom. And again, nothing of the physical. 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:07.620 This is only for a few, okay? But the main indicator 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:09.779 is you go from talking about what's happening 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:11.840 in your life to talking about what's happening 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:15.610 on the inside of you. You know each other's good 00:16:15.610 --> 00:16:18.149 and bad. You know each other's struggles and 00:16:18.149 --> 00:16:22.169 wins. You know how to spur one another on. You 00:16:22.169 --> 00:16:24.350 know when something's just not quite right with 00:16:24.350 --> 00:16:28.409 the person that day. You remember week one, Pastor 00:16:28.409 --> 00:16:31.649 Todd said, our proximity to God allows for understanding. 00:16:33.470 --> 00:16:37.269 Where's Jesus in this illustration? Is he on 00:16:37.269 --> 00:16:43.070 the front porch? Is it all surface level? And 00:16:43.070 --> 00:16:45.289 if that's where you're at today, that's okay. 00:16:45.389 --> 00:16:49.590 But know God has more for you. Maybe Jesus is 00:16:49.590 --> 00:16:52.549 in your living room and you shared some things 00:16:52.549 --> 00:16:55.690 with him, but there's also a lot that you hide 00:16:55.690 --> 00:16:59.029 from him. And there's a lot you keep him out 00:16:59.029 --> 00:17:03.570 of. I want you to know God desires a more intimate 00:17:03.570 --> 00:17:08.410 relationship with you. Next verse. But the tax 00:17:08.410 --> 00:17:11.250 collector stood at a distance. He would not even 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:14.589 look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 00:17:14.670 --> 00:17:18.690 God, be merciful to me, the sinner. These prayers 00:17:18.690 --> 00:17:20.730 couldn't be more different. These characters 00:17:20.730 --> 00:17:24.589 couldn't be more different. Jesus is the master 00:17:24.589 --> 00:17:28.390 storyteller. This prayer is one of humility and 00:17:28.390 --> 00:17:32.210 desperation and dependence. It says that he stood 00:17:32.210 --> 00:17:34.890 at the back of the temple, which now we know 00:17:34.890 --> 00:17:38.279 that Pharisee had to be at the front. His eyes 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:42.319 are glued to the floor while his voice goes up 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:47.140 to heaven. There's a need, an understanding of 00:17:47.140 --> 00:17:54.559 a genuine need for the mercy of God. God be merciful 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:59.099 to me, the sinner. Many translations say a sinner. 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:03.880 I think this one is more accurate though. A sinner 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:07.799 allows us to minimize our sin. I'm just one of 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:12.920 many sinners. I mean, we all sin. The sinner 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.940 takes singular focus on it doesn't matter what 00:18:15.940 --> 00:18:19.099 my neighbor does, good or bad. I'm the sinner, 00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:25.099 and I need the Lord. It says very clearly in 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:28.579 Scripture that if you've broken one law, you've 00:18:28.579 --> 00:18:31.799 broken them all. But we don't like to look at 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:35.890 it like that, do we? We'll go, this person murdered 00:18:35.890 --> 00:18:38.849 and this person stole. Murder's worse. I'm not 00:18:38.849 --> 00:18:42.430 disagreeing that murder's worse. But God is in 00:18:42.430 --> 00:18:46.650 heaven and goes, you're both lawbreakers. See, 00:18:46.769 --> 00:18:49.470 what the Pharisees had done was, is they took 00:18:49.470 --> 00:18:53.410 this Mosaic law that was supposed to be a mirror 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:56.250 that reflected your brokenness and dirtiness, 00:18:56.490 --> 00:18:58.769 and then they tried to clean themselves with 00:18:58.769 --> 00:19:04.000 it. The law was never intended for that. The 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.660 law was always intended to point you to the need 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:11.180 of a savior in Jesus Christ. Because we've all 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:13.420 sinned, we've all fallen short of the glory of 00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:17.779 God. There is no one good, not even one of us. 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:25.480 Luke 18, 14. I tell you that this man rather 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:27.940 than the other went home justified before God. 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:31.519 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 00:19:31.619 --> 00:19:35.200 and he who humbles himself will be exalted. So 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:37.240 the cool thing about this parable is it has really 00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:39.839 strong bookends. You don't need much for interpretation. 00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:44.000 We know who they're talking to, self -righteous 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:46.859 and people that look down on others. And then 00:19:46.859 --> 00:19:48.779 we also know what will happen with these two 00:19:48.779 --> 00:19:52.640 heart postures. If you exalt yourself, God will 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:58.430 humble you. And if you humble yourself, God will 00:19:58.430 --> 00:20:01.390 exalt you. See, church, we can't miss this, the 00:20:01.390 --> 00:20:05.170 effect that pride has on the heart. I wonder 00:20:05.170 --> 00:20:09.009 if I was to ask everybody, if you had to think 00:20:09.009 --> 00:20:12.029 off the top of your head the absolute worst possible 00:20:12.029 --> 00:20:16.309 sins you could ever commit on this earth, would 00:20:16.309 --> 00:20:21.450 pride make your top five? Would pride make your 00:20:21.450 --> 00:20:28.690 top 10? In Luke 10, 18 it says, Jesus saw Satan 00:20:28.690 --> 00:20:33.390 fall like lightning from heaven. Satan wasn't 00:20:33.390 --> 00:20:35.369 kicked out of heaven because he drank too much. 00:20:37.170 --> 00:20:40.029 He wasn't kicked out of heaven because he was 00:20:40.029 --> 00:20:42.329 sexually immoral or because he committed murder. 00:20:43.069 --> 00:20:47.809 He was slammed to earth because he was prideful. 00:20:49.009 --> 00:20:52.779 We don't have time to teach this today. But for 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:55.680 you note takers, Isaiah 14, verses 12 through 00:20:55.680 --> 00:20:59.440 14. And Satan gives these five I will statements, 00:20:59.900 --> 00:21:02.339 okay? He goes, I will be like the most high. 00:21:03.619 --> 00:21:07.660 I will elevate myself. I will be the authority. 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:13.299 I will be worshiped. I will, I will, I will. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:17.119 See, I think we can make a case that the absolute 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:21.299 worst sin is pride. Because it's the biggest 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:27.759 lie ever told. That we have anything that is 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:31.740 not his. We get a spiritual gift or a talent 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:34.380 and it's some personal accomplishment to us. 00:21:35.460 --> 00:21:40.720 What do we have that we have not received from 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:43.839 God? And why do we act as though we didn't receive 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:48.369 it? When we compare ourselves to others and say, 00:21:48.410 --> 00:21:51.309 well, I'd never do that sin, or just in any manner 00:21:51.309 --> 00:21:54.569 we're comparing, we're struggling with pride. 00:21:55.170 --> 00:21:58.950 This happens with good things too. I read my 00:21:58.950 --> 00:22:01.990 Bible a whole lot. This person doesn't even know 00:22:01.990 --> 00:22:06.390 this book. They don't even know this verse. They 00:22:06.390 --> 00:22:09.130 don't even know this tradition. We're struggling 00:22:09.130 --> 00:22:12.390 with pride. If at any point in this message you 00:22:12.390 --> 00:22:15.259 go, whoo, My neighbor really needs to hear this. 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:25.119 My wife, my friend, my sibling, you need it. 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:33.279 I need it. You're struggling with pride. See, 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:36.019 this parable teaches that self -righteousness 00:22:36.019 --> 00:22:39.839 and pride blind us from our spiritual need. why 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:43.480 humility opens the door to a genuine relationship 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:49.319 with God, a gnosco relationship. And when we 00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:53.240 don't have this intimate relationship with Jesus, 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:59.180 we can confuse our glory for his glory. The apostles, 00:22:59.299 --> 00:23:04.619 James and John, approached Jesus and said, Jesus, 00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:07.019 we have a request, and whatever the request is, 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:09.480 we'd love it if you did it. And he goes, all 00:23:09.480 --> 00:23:11.700 right, well, what's your request? And they come 00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:14.819 before him and go, they replied, let one of us 00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:17.359 sit at your right and the other at your left 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:20.900 in your glory. You catch that? Oh, Jesus, this 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:24.759 is in your glory. You see how easy it is for 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:29.559 us to confuse our glory for his glory? But you 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:31.720 know what I found interesting as I was studying 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:34.980 this, praying on it? They had an opportunity 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:40.559 to be at his right and left. At the cross. And 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:45.460 they were nowhere to be found. Now, I'm not judging 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:49.480 them. I honestly can't imagine how the apostles 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:52.859 felt. They believed and knew with all their heart 00:23:52.859 --> 00:23:57.140 that this was the Messiah, God in the flesh. 00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:01.779 And all of their emotions and five senses were 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:04.799 challenging this belief as they saw God dying 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:10.470 on the cross. See, if we are in a position where 00:24:10.470 --> 00:24:12.869 we exalt ourselves, we just judge this behavior. 00:24:15.410 --> 00:24:18.970 But if we take a posture of humility, we recognize 00:24:18.970 --> 00:24:22.589 what our brothers did and immediately turn it 00:24:22.589 --> 00:24:25.910 back to ourselves and go, have I ever done that? 00:24:27.190 --> 00:24:30.750 Have I ever confused my glory for God's glory? 00:24:31.490 --> 00:24:38.089 The answer is yes. I believe we all have. I even 00:24:38.089 --> 00:24:43.349 think of this position. Being on stage is a knife's 00:24:43.349 --> 00:24:48.630 edge, y 'all. You receive compliments. You're 00:24:48.630 --> 00:24:51.950 very familiar to people. You have to constantly 00:24:51.950 --> 00:24:55.930 check the motives and condition of your heart 00:24:55.930 --> 00:24:58.490 that you don't confuse your glory for God's glory. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:03.720 Even writing a message like this, I have to first 00:25:03.720 --> 00:25:06.259 filter it through my own heart before I could 00:25:06.259 --> 00:25:09.599 ever teach it to y 'all. In fact, if Pastor John 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:12.180 or Pastor Todd or I'm up here teaching you something, 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:15.700 more times than not, it's because God is in the 00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:17.920 process of teaching us something, and then we 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:19.720 just get to share it in a message format with 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:23.400 y 'all. We're just all player coaches up here 00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:27.380 in desperate need of a Savior, and we need His 00:25:27.380 --> 00:25:32.960 mercies every day. But then we have to ask ourselves 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:35.900 as a church, is there things in my life where 00:25:35.900 --> 00:25:41.299 I confuse my glory for God's glory? Is it your 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:49.099 success? Is it your bank account? Is it your 00:25:49.099 --> 00:25:52.799 looks? Is it your family name or the influence 00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:56.579 you have in the community? And look, pride's 00:25:56.579 --> 00:25:59.299 sneaky, y 'all, because we know what to say and 00:25:59.299 --> 00:26:03.799 how to act. We know to say it's in your glory. 00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:08.180 I know the tone and posture to use when receiving 00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:13.180 a compliment. So we have to get before God, even 00:26:13.180 --> 00:26:16.079 when we answer right, and go, God, is there anything 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:21.099 that I take credit for? Is there anything inside 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:24.920 of me that when I hear a compliment or I think 00:26:24.920 --> 00:26:27.619 about my looks or my intelligence or my bank 00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:29.279 account or influence, is there anything that 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:33.299 just puffs my chest out? Just an inch. And if 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:35.500 it does, God, I come before you and I repent. 00:26:35.700 --> 00:26:39.000 And I am sorry that I've taken credit for anything 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:43.299 that is yours. All that I have is from you. I 00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:46.880 can do nothing apart from him. None of us can. 00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:52.660 I think about the pitfalls of growing up in the 00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:57.000 greatest country where we are so blessed in abundance. 00:26:58.410 --> 00:27:03.329 Our checks are direct deposited. We turn a knob 00:27:03.329 --> 00:27:06.430 and the water comes on. We have heat and air 00:27:06.430 --> 00:27:09.630 and houses and cars. Our grocery stores are full. 00:27:09.849 --> 00:27:13.630 You can get medication. Not all things, but most 00:27:13.630 --> 00:27:16.210 things can be fixed through procedures and medical 00:27:16.210 --> 00:27:19.529 advancements. And then we start to have this 00:27:19.529 --> 00:27:22.369 expectation that when those things don't happen, 00:27:22.410 --> 00:27:25.829 we get a little fussy, don't we? We start to 00:27:25.829 --> 00:27:29.089 think we're owed this. Because we're so used 00:27:29.089 --> 00:27:32.990 to living this life. Waiting for food when what 00:27:32.990 --> 00:27:36.670 we deem is too long. Waiting too long in a line, 00:27:36.690 --> 00:27:40.069 we get a little fussy, don't we? Something breaks 00:27:40.069 --> 00:27:44.670 down in the car or house. Poor customer service. 00:27:45.670 --> 00:27:51.390 Bad vacation experience. A delayed flight. We 00:27:51.390 --> 00:27:58.309 get fussy. Traffic. You go, what does this have 00:27:58.309 --> 00:28:02.650 to do with pride? When we start to have expectations 00:28:02.650 --> 00:28:05.190 that life should look a certain way and we're 00:28:05.190 --> 00:28:08.630 owed something, we've stopped giving the glory 00:28:08.630 --> 00:28:13.269 to God. Think how we cheer for our sports teams 00:28:13.269 --> 00:28:17.109 and our kids. Do you do that every direct deposit? 00:28:17.410 --> 00:28:22.269 I don't. Every time my water works, every time 00:28:22.269 --> 00:28:25.599 I eat all the meals I want. Am I cheering? Am 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:29.700 I on my feet just praising God? Or have I become 00:28:29.700 --> 00:28:33.380 accustomed to the blessings he's given me? And 00:28:33.380 --> 00:28:35.440 we have to be able to ask ourselves those questions 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:38.700 because when we get fussy the few times it doesn't 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:41.319 happen and we have an expectation that life should 00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:44.460 look a certain way, we have become the main characters 00:28:44.460 --> 00:28:48.940 of our story. We're not the main characters, 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:55.680 God is. My life is not about me. It should be 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:59.779 about God and others. It's certainly not about 00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:04.240 my glory. It's about God's glory because Jesus 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:09.420 is the master storyteller. He is the author and 00:29:09.420 --> 00:29:16.940 perfecter of our faiths. Are we in a heart posture 00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:20.240 where we can lower ourselves and admit that? 00:29:22.089 --> 00:29:25.349 So that we can be exalted through Christ and 00:29:25.349 --> 00:29:29.630 he's magnified to where you don't even see who 00:29:29.630 --> 00:29:33.369 we are anymore. You only see Christ. Are we in 00:29:33.369 --> 00:29:38.529 a position of humility where Jesus can tell our 00:29:38.529 --> 00:29:52.039 story? Let's pray. Father God, The Lord is great 00:29:52.039 --> 00:29:58.400 and most worthy of praise. Father, I thank you 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:00.799 for your blessings, Lord. I thank you for the 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:03.980 blessings I'm unaware of. Lord, I come before 00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:07.720 you and repent of any time I've taken credit 00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:10.700 for something, Lord. Lord, where I have not given 00:30:10.700 --> 00:30:13.000 you the glory, I pray that you would search our 00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:16.220 heart and know our thoughts. Lord, that you would 00:30:16.220 --> 00:30:19.009 put... point out anything that you find offensive, 00:30:19.390 --> 00:30:24.990 Lord. Lord, pride is so sneaky. It shows up in 00:30:24.990 --> 00:30:28.750 so many ways, Lord. Show us our blind spots. 00:30:28.869 --> 00:30:31.569 Put people in our lives, Lord, that show us these 00:30:31.569 --> 00:30:34.650 things, Lord, where we can bolster one another, 00:30:34.829 --> 00:30:37.529 Lord. Encourage one another and grow together, 00:30:37.849 --> 00:30:41.450 Lord. That the way we love one another and love 00:30:41.450 --> 00:30:44.910 you, Lord, points people to you, Father. that 00:30:44.910 --> 00:30:47.329 the spotlight is not on us, but it is on the 00:30:47.329 --> 00:30:51.190 cross, Lord. I thank you for your goodness. I 00:30:51.190 --> 00:30:55.470 thank you for your love, Lord, that you would 00:30:55.470 --> 00:30:58.589 be magnified and worshiped as you deserve, Lord, 00:30:58.710 --> 00:31:02.569 that every day we would offer our bodies as living 00:31:02.569 --> 00:31:06.170 sacrifices to you, Lord. All that we have is 00:31:06.170 --> 00:31:09.170 yours, Lord. Let us never lose sight of that. 00:31:09.349 --> 00:31:11.170 In Jesus' name, amen.