“PRIDEFUL OR PENITENT PRAYER”
LUKE 18:9-14

I. Introduction
“Of course, I’m going to heaven. I’m a nice guy.” In 1974 Merton Strommen wrote a book entitled, “The Five Cries of Youth.” In it Strommen published the results of his research into how young people felt about things like loneliness, family trouble, happiness, and God. He surveyed more than 7000 Protestant youths from a wide variety of denominations.

Some of the survey was conducted by making a statement and then asking if people agreed or disagreed with it. Here are the results of just three of those statements.

• “The main emphasis of the gospel is on God’s rules for right living.” More than 50% of the respondents agreed.
• “The way to be accepted by God is to try sincerely to live a good life.” Over 60% agreed with that statement.
• “God is satisfied if a person lives the best life he or she can.” 70% of the 7000 young people Strommen polled agreed with that statement.

How sad and how misguided are those responses? Now remember that this research was conducted forty years ago. Do you think those numbers improve if Strommen conducted his research today? I doubt it. In fact, although I can’t prove it, I would think the results of such a survey today would indicate that the situation has deteriorated even further.

We often say that the reason for this errant thinking about salvation is because so few mod-ern churches actually teach the Word the God. As a result of this lack of teaching, most church-going people have never heard the information they need because they don’t hear a clear presentation of the true gospel. That’s bad enough, but I don’t think that’s the core of the problem. I think the real core of the problem is that most church-going people have heard a gospel, and they do believe it. Worse, they embrace it.

What’s wrong with that? It’s a false gospel. To quote the Apostle Paul, it is, “…a different gospel.” As early as the middle of the first century, the true gospel was being perverted by those who insisted that human works must be added to God’s grace. That was the “different gospel” that Paul said was even then working its way into the church.
*Galatians 1:6-10
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
7 which is really not another; only there are some (false teachers) who are dis-turbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (anathema)
9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant (slave) of Christ.

It is this “different gospel” about which Paul warns the churches in Galatia. The same lies being told then are being told today. How many people do you know who think just like those young people who were surveyed in Strommen’s 1974 book?

The answer is many, isn’t it? When asked questions like, “Why should God let you into His heaven when you die?” they answer, “Because I am basically a good person. My ‘good’ outweighs my ‘bad’.” Or they say something like, “I do the best I can, and besides, I’ve never killed anyone.” Or maybe they say things like, “I live by the ‘Golden Rule’ and keep the Ten Commandments. So how could God keep me out? He’ll have to let in.”

I’m particularly familiar with that last one because it’s the way I used to answer questions about my getting into heaven. That’s what I had been taught, and even though I had grown up in a church and gone to year-round Sunday school, I had never heard any teaching to the contrary. Some of you can relate to that because you’ve had similar experiences.

But the fatal flaw in what we see as our so-called good works is that virtually all the world’s religions teach the same lie; the lie is that we can come to God on our own terms, and He will accept us. Some religions teach salvation is solely based on how you live your life. It doesn’t matter who or what you believe in as long as you’re a good person. But who defines what “good” means? And are there some who aren’t good enough?

Then there are some religions that borrow truth from the Bible but modify the biblical stan-dard of faith alone. Their leaders have removed the word “alone” and replaced it with the words, “plus your good works.” Thus they undermine the whole point of God’s grace. This can be very subtle. They don’t say God’s grace is of no importance, they merely say that your merit must be added to God’s grace in order for it to be effective. But wait a minute. The definition of grace is “unmerited favor.” (getting something good you don’t deserve) So God’s grace and human merit cannot be co-mingled because they are mutually exclusive.
Romans 11:6
6 But if it (salvation) is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. (The one negates the other.)

This idea that God’s grace and man’s works can be combined to produce salvation is nowhere more deeply ingrained than in Roman Catholicism. Therefore, the entire system is built upon a lie. That lie is a different gospel. Rome teaches that the more good things you do, the more you preserve and protect your place in heaven. Rome agrees that God provides the grace, but then it insists that you must cooperate with God and provide the works.
You must do this because God’s grace alone is insufficient to get you into heaven. This is the false gospel that drove the Protestant Reformation. Men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, and John Calvin exposed it, and fought against it. Their work was bitterly opposed by the Catholic Church, and many of them paid for it with their lives.

Rome fought back, and in 1545 the Council of Trent was convened to redefine and reestab-lish Rome’s power and authority. Among the council’s primary objectives were these:
1) Rome would condemn Protestantism, 2) it would reaffirm itself as the final interpreter of Scripture, and 3) it would destroy Luther’s doctrine of “justification by faith alone.”

With regard being saved by faith alone, the Council of Trent said, and I paraphrase…

• “If anyone says that salvation is by faith alone, let them be anathema.”(destroyed in hell)
• “If anyone says that salvation is by trusting God alone, let them be anathema.”
• “If anyone says that good works are not a cause of salvation, but merely evidence of salvation already obtained, let them be anathema.”

As you might suspect, the actual statements of the Council of Trent are written in sixteenth century legalese, but you get the idea. In these and many other statements, Rome repeatedly denies the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and insists that good works are required in order to earn and keep one’s place in heaven. Anyone who disagrees with the church will be anathema, destroyed in hell. And since Rome claims to be the only true church, they assert that they alone have the power, the authority, the right, and even the duty to send you there.

That’s what they believe, and even though it isn’t popular to voice it publicly today, Rome has never changed it. But our justification doesn’t depend on any church. It depends on believing the gospel as it’s revealed in Scripture. So it’s critical that we understand what God says. And what He says is this: Any gospel that includes a requirement to trust, even a little, in our own merit, seeks to diminish God’s grace, and is a false gospel. It cannot save, it can only condemn. That is what Paul so forcefully teaches in Galatians 6:1-10.
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II. Text
That brings us to this morning’s text in which we will see two men – one who is basing his justification on his own perceived merit, while the other one knows he has no merit. Now to be sure, the first man believes in God and is willing to talk to Him, but it’s plain to see what he thinks of his own goodness and how he needs to remind God of it. The second man sim-ply begs for mercy.

This is Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer. It’s the first of three parables our Lord will teach in which He addresses the divine standards for man’s entry into God’s king-dom. In all three cases we will see that it is God and God alone who sets the standards. And we will see that His standards are non-negotiable. What are they?

They are genuine humility, child-like faith and trust, and a willingness to walk away from this world and its treasures. Today’s text deals with the first of those – humility. So how are you doing with genuine humility before God, simple faith and trust in Him, and a biblical view of earthly riches? How am I doing with those things? Let’s find out!
*Luke 18:9-14 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
9 And (Jesus) also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt.
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer.
11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all I get.’
13 “But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”

In this text we hear Jesus speaking on something we’ve heard about before. The issue of human pride comes up again and again in the gospels. Could it be that human pride and the destruction it leaves in its path is one of man’s biggest problems? Could it be that human pride is the single greatest deterrent to one’s salvation? The answer is, “Yes, it is.” That’s why the Lord Jesus has so much to say about it, and that’s why, when studying the gospels, we see pride and humility brought to the forefront of Jesus’ teaching over and over again.

One of the ways biblical truth is taught is by the use of contrasts and comparisons. It’s easy for us to get hold of the differences between right and wrong, good and evil, and holy and unholy, when they are put before us in clear opposition to each other. In last week’s parable we saw the contrast between an unrighteous and unholy man, and a righteous and holy God.

Today’s parable connects back to Jesus’ story of the unjust judge in Luke 18:1-8. The Lord concluded with the question, “…when the Son of Man comes (referring to His Second Coming), will He find faith on the earth?” Today’s parable will begin to define for us just what the faith that Jesus will be looking for should look like. The contrast between the two men in Jesus’ story will tell us what one of those characteristics will be.
*Luke 18:9
9 And (Jesus) also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt.

Jesus begins by presenting the purpose for this parable.
And while those to whom it is primarily directed – the “certain ones” – are not specifically identified, it’s not unreasonable to assume the Lord is speaking to the Pharisees and to anyone else who trusts in their own self-righteousness.

In the last part of the verse we see that those who think much of themselves and their own goodness, religious or otherwise, also tend to look down upon people whom they regard as inferior to themselves. There is something important for you and I to consider right here at the start of this passage. It is this: If we have a higher view of ourselves than we ought, we will just naturally have a lower view of others. May this thought get and hold our attention as we look at these two men and listen to their prayers.
*Luke 18:10
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer.”

The contrast begins right here. The Pharisee is a “high and holy man,” important, influen-tial, respected among his peers, and well-known in the community. Why, he belongs in the temple. He may even think he brightens the place up just by walking in. So he is very com-fortable in God’s house, because it is the one place where he can display his piety and make his righteousness visible to all who would enter.

The tax-gatherer, on the on hand, is seen as anything but high and holy. He might be well-known in the community as well, but he isn’t considered to be important, influential, or respected by anyone. Quite the contrary, he is hated by most people in the society in which he lives and works. And it’s worth noting that Luke has already told us that no one has more contempt for these low-life tax-gatherers than the high and holy Pharisees.
Luke 5:30; 7:34
30 And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at (Jesus’) disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?”
34 (Jesus said)… “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say, ‘Behold, (He is) a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, (and) a friend of tax-gather-ers and sinners!’”

The Pharisees often compared tax-gatherers to sinners. In Luke 18:10 we see someone who might be called a “church-goer.” But he is more than a regular attender; he’s a church lead-er. By comparison, we also see a dishonest, greedy, and generally unwholesome character show up in the temple too. Which one of them will God hear? Which one of them will God listen to? Which one of them will God save? But, I get ahead of myself.
*Luke 18:11-12
11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all I get.’”
The Pharisee represents any and all who try to come to God on the wings of their own merit.
I did that. I’ve already told you that before I was saved I liked to say that God had to accept me because I kept the “Golden Rule” and the Ten Commandments. Obviously, I didn’t do either. It was not uncommon for me to treat others poorly, and conveniently ignore what little I actually did know about God’s Law.

Back to the Pharisee – He didn’t think he was any of the bad things he enumerated in his prayer. And not only that, when it came to performing his religious duties, he performed them religiously. He was so proud of what he saw as his own goodness, his own righteous-ness. After all, was anyone more committed to keeping and obeying the Law of Moses than a Pharisee? Just to be clear, in human terms, and based on human standards, this Pharisee was infinitely more righteous than that tax-gatherer standing over there across the room.

But, of course, this Pharisee’s entry into God’s kingdom wouldn’t be determined by a com-parison of his righteousness to that of the tax-gatherer. It would be determined by a compar-ison to God’s righteousness, the One who gave the Law that this Pharisee thinks he obeys. In other words, the standard of righteousness that God will apply to the Pharisee will be God’s absolute standard. It is His holiness and His divine perfection.

It’s the same standard God will apply to the tax-gatherer in this parable, and it’s the same standard God will apply to you and to me. Pharisee, tax-gatherer, you, me – we’re all in the same boat.
*Romans 3:10-12, 23
10 …as it is written, (God’s OT standard), “There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”
23 …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Aren’t these among the most basic truths to be found anywhere in the Bible? In vv. 10-12 Paul is quoting from Psalms 14 and 53. The Pharisee knows these things, but he doesn’t apply them to himself because his pride and self-righteousness make it impossible for him to see his own need. But it isn’t only this Pharisee. It is every man, woman, and child who is blinded by his or her own pride.

Before my mother came to saving faith, her answer to the question, “Why should God let you into heaven?” was, “Because I believe in Jesus and I have been a good person.” Isn’t that what most professing Christians would say? But that answer exposes the very heart of so many people’s fatal problem. They try to co-mingle what they believe to be their own personal merits with God’s grace. And as we have already said, it cannot be done. My merits and your merits, whatever they may be, and God’s matchless grace are mutually exclusive. They do not coexist because they cannot coexist.

So when anyone tries to come to God by trusting in themselves, even a little, they are telling God they don’t trust Him. Even if they believe in the historic facts of Jesus, his death, His resurrection, His ascension, and His ultimate return, they are saying to Him, “Your work on the cross was good, but I need to add to it.” And when they try to add their work to His, they diminish His, and they are not saved, regardless of what they call themselves.

Listen, the great tragedy of the church today is that countless millions think like the Pharisee.
They say that they are trusting in both God and themselves, but what they mean is, in the end, it’s all up to me and my good works. But listen to John Calvin: “Every man that is puffed up with self-confidence carries on open war with God, to whom we cannot be reconciled in any other way than by denial of ourselves; that is, by laying aside all confidence in our own vir-tue and righteousness, and relying on His mercy alone.”

Look again at the Pharisee’s prayer in vv. 11-12. Count the times he uses the pronoun “I.” Five times he mentions himself. We assume he is praying to God, but is he? The common practice of these Pharisees was to pray long and loud so that everyone could see and hear. So when v. 11 says, “…praying thus to himself,” I don’t think it is a silent prayer at all. That would be totally out of character for this man.

Rather, I think there is sarcasm on Jesus’ part here. I think Jesus is saying that this Pharisee is praying to himself. The implication is that God, while He hears prayers like this, doesn’t listen to prayers like this. Frederic Godet, the nineteenth century theologian, in commenting on these verses said, “It was less a prayer in which he gave thanks to God, than a congratu-lation which he addressed to himself.”

But before we move on to look at the tax-gatherer, we really need to put something into per-spective. If this Pharisee is telling the truth about himself, he is a moral man. He is the kind of man who doesn’t lie, cheat, or steal, the kind of man who’s faithful to his wife, the kind of man who adheres to the traditions of his religion, and who supports his church. He’s a “nice guy.” He’s just the kind of man we’d like to have for a neighbor and maybe even a friend.

And just like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, he’s convinced he’s going to heaven when he dies because he looks around him and he sees the obvious sinners. He sees the multitudes of people who are like the tax-gatherer. And although he may never verbalize it, in his heart of hearts he says, “God, I thank You that I am not like other people.” Therefore, in his pride, the moral man never sees that his sin is the sin of Satan, the worst of all sins. Pride is the sin that caused the devil to fall, the sin that caused Lucifer to become Satan.

Do you see? If you try to come to God in your own merit, you will compare yourself to your standards, not to God’s. If you try to come to God in your own merit, you’ll naturally look down on other people. If you try to come to God in your own merit, you’ll be so busy look-ing at what you do that you’ll never see what you are – a sinner who falls short of the glory of God. And that is the problem!
But what about the other man in Jesus’ parable?
*Luke 18:13
13 “But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

This sinner, this tax-gatherer, comes to God knowing that he has no merit at all. What hope can such a sinner possibly have? He can seek after God’s mercy. Unlike the Pharisee who justifies himself because of what he does, the tax-gatherer humbles himself because of what he is. The Pharisee looks up to heaven and figuratively beats his chest in pride. The tax-gatherer looks down to the ground and literally beats his chest in contrition, and he pleads, “…be merciful to me, the sinner.”

In saying “me,” he singles himself out. He doesn’t lump himself in with other sinners. He doesn’t say, “I’m not the only one.” He speaks of his own sin, which is the only sin he can deal with and confess. And notice this: He doesn’t admit he’s A sinner, he confesses that he is THE sinner! Is this false humility? Far from it! It’s essentially the same thing the Apostle Paul would later say about himself when God allowed him to see himself as he really was.
1 Timothy 1:15
15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.

Listen please, this may seem to be counter intuitive, but it is a true as anything can be. The more clearly you see the beauty of God’s holiness, the more clearly you see the ugliness of your own sin. That’s the way it works, and that’s precisely the point to which this sinner, this tax-gatherer had come. And what was the result?
*Luke 18:14
14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Justified! That means that God has declared him, “not guilty.” But more than that, the very righteousness of Christ has been given to the tax-gatherer. Removing his guilt means he will not be destroyed in hell (anathema), but having his guilt replaced with Christ’s righteousness means he will be exalted in heaven. That goes way beyond “not guilty.” It goes all the way to “innocent.” The tax-gatherer has humbled himself and God will exalt him.
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III. Conclusion
So where are you in all of this? Are you relying on your religion and good works? People can see what you do, but God sees what you are. People can see the deeds, but God sees the heart. People can hear what you say, but God knows what you mean.
• You can give large amounts of money to church or a charity, and people will say, “How generous,” but God knows why you gave it.
• You can smile and be nice to someone while hating him and plotting revenge.
• You can be faithful to your spouses, but in your thought lives, you may be committing adultery every day.

God knows our hearts, and that’s one of the central lessons of this parable. But there’s another lesson as well, and it should crystal-clear to us all. There are two ways to come to God in prayer. You can come as the Pharisee, or you can come as the tax-gatherer. Which will it be? Oh, how you and I need to humble ourselves before God! That’s the third lesson, and may God burn it into our hearts.

~ Pray ~