4th Sunday in Lent!
A. In school, before we can get a Diploma we
have to pass several tests!
B. To drive a car we must pass a test!
C. Suppose we were given the task of grading our
fellow
church members on how good a Christian they
were; what would we judge them by?
Trans:
I want to introduce you to a person that would make a good
score on such a test.
Prayer
Luke 18: 9-14
I. This Pharisee would make a "good"
score on this test!
A. He was a religious leader!
1. A pillar of the community!
2. Not a robber!
3. Didn't cheat!
4. A good moral person!
5. He attended church very
regular!
6. He took an
active part: fasted more than necessary
and gave a tithe of all his income.
7. These
are all good things; these are things he should have been doing!
B. He said, "I see no sins in my life; I'm better than these other people."
1. Legalistically he was right!
2. We would classify this fellow
as one of our best church members!
C. But Jesus said something was lacking!
1. He was self-righteous! This attitude itself was sin. "All have sinned." Rom. 3:23
2. He was counting on his goodness
to make it.
3. He was comparing himself to
other people, and he was looking good.
D. Too many times we look
at our brother, sister, or pastor
and think, AWow, they
need to hear this!@
Illustration
A house looks white beside the blacktop, green grass, and shrubs, but the same house looks yellowed beside newly fallen snow!
1. We must compare ourselves to Jesus; then, we realize we have "all sinned" and have nothing to boast about in ourselves!! We all come up short!
2. We must also realize that sometimes we judge people by the standards of people and not by God, so we may not always be fair with our judgement.
II. But there's also a man here who was accepted!
A. The Publican (tax collector)!
1. He was very humble and realized
his sins! Notice: He
calls himself a sinner.
2. He realized he had nothing to boast about! If he had any chance it would only be by the mercy of God!
a. Therefore, he begs for that
mercy!
b. "God be merciful to me a
sinner!"
B. Thank God that his prayer was answered!
For the Bible says, "This man went down to his house Justified."
C. Thus we see the attitude that we must have to be right with God.
III. What can we learn from this for today?
A. First, we need to realize, "There are
many good people in our world today who are lost!"
B. We need to be concerned and get the Gospel of Christ out and make a difference with the people we know!
C. We need to ask ourselves which one of these
characters best describes us?
1. Is it the Pharisee who thought he was doing all right himself and really didn=t need God=s grace?
2. Or is it the Publican who realized he had failed and could only be made right by the grace of God?
Closing:
A. As we encounter
Christ at the table this morning, maybe you find yourself a little too much
like the Pharisee who was trying to live right and trusting in his own
righteousness to make it. Maybe, like
the Publican, you need to ask for God=s mercy
and grace?
B. Maybe you are here and
have never made a commitment to
Christ and you realize your need for God=s
grace this
morning then as you encounter Christ this morning, you
can receive God=s
grace, and begin a journey with God! If
you do, let me know so I can help you with your new walk
with Christ!
Prayer
of Confession
Service
of Communion
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