According To Luke: Prayers From The Pious and Pitiful

According To Luke: Prayers From The Pious and Pitiful

Opening Illustration:

We live in a world of fakes. Counterfeits. Frauds. Just about everything of value has some sort of counterfeit copy. Diamonds have cubic zirconia. Ever heard of a super dollar, or a super note? Neither had I until a couple of days ago. Someone tried to pass off a $20 super dollar at a gas station and got busted. You see a super dollar is the same as a counterfeit bill. You can by fake Rolex watches on the street corners of large cities. You can purchase fake iPhones on Amazon. 

People have gotten really good a making counterfeits. In many cases, it is almost impossible to tell the real thing from the fake. Speaking of iPhones, I was watching a YouTube video the other day where a fella purchased one of those fake phones. He got it in the mail. The packaging looked just like Apple. The device looked just like an Apple iPhone. 

Do you know how he could tell that it was fake? He could tell the phone was a fake when he turned it on. He could tell it was a fraudulent phone by how it operated. You see a real iPhone operates smoothly. The apps work. It connects easily and effortlessly to the cellular network. A real iPhone stays charged for hours, not this fake. You see the fake only stayed charged for a couple of hours, the apps didn’t work, and it would not connect to the cellular network. 

It looked like the real thing, but it was an imposter. It had all the trappings of a real, working, bona fide, iPhone, but where it really mattered, the fake fell short. 

Point:

This morning you are going to be introduced to two men. One man was a Pharisee, the other a lowly tax collector. Jesus is going to reveal to us which man stood justified before God. Would it be the Pharisee who had all the trappings of a holy person. He prayed. He read his Scriptures. He would fast and give his resources. Surly this is the man that God would redeem. The Pharisee looked the part. Acted the part. Smelled like the part. He seemed to have all the works and words necessary to be considered for the role of pious believer.

Then there was the tax collector. He was a swindler. A thief. He betrayed his own people and stole from them. He had never given a penny to God. Prayers…what prayers? This person was hated by his own people and for good reason. Yet, he came to the temple with a contrite spirit and a repentant heart? He came humble before God. He came with nothing but depended on the grace of the Almighty. This man had nothing but God’s mercy to depend on. 

Point:

This morning, think about your relationship with Christ. Is your walk with Christ really just about rules and regulations? Is it about playing a part that you feel that you are expected to play? You have to do the right things, say the right words, go to the right places, in order for Christ to forgive you and love you. You might look like a diamond on the outside but on the inside you are just pressurized coal. You are just good cinema, good theater, outward works and words that mean nothing. 

Or, are you like the tax collector? Are you at the end of your rope? You realized long ago that your works were manliness without God. You are a sinner, in need of grace! Is your relationship with God grace centered? 

So answer this opening question for me, is your relationship with God good cinema or grace centered? 

Is Your Relationship With God Good Cinema or Grace Centered?

Luke 18:9-14 ESV

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

3 Points From This Parable On Prayer

I. Two People: A Pharisee And A Pickpocket vs. 10

Luke 18:10

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

Point:

Early in the parable, we are introduced to two people. The first person that we are introduced to is a Pharisee and of course the second is the tax collector. Let’s talk about the Pharisee first. For those of you that use Facebook, have you ever been scrolling on your phone and you come across that person or that family that seems to have it all together. The pictures that are posted indicate a perfect marriage. They are husband and wife and they are all smiles. They seem to take the best trips. Then you see their kids. Man, those kids seem to have it all together. You see posts about their grades, their athletic achievements, the dance recital results, and they play multiple musical instruments. The marriage seems perfect. The children seem perfect. They have the house, the pool, and the cars. Check, check, check. You begin to think to yourself, my marriage is not perfect. My husband and I were just screaming at each other the other night. My kid went 0-4 the other night, my daughter barely made it out of 8th grade, when my kid plays an instrument, it sounds like they are strangling the next door neighbors cat. 

Point:

You see, we humans often compare ourselves to other humans. Social media only amplifies these feelings of comparison and contrast. No one ever posts the videos of yelling and screaming at home. No posts the pictures of their kids failing. We only see the carefully crafted images that other put out for us to see. 

You see, we all have a little Pharisee in us. If Pharisees were a thing, they would love Facebook and other forms of social media. You see, the Pharisees wanted people to think that they had it all together. The Pharisees wanted everyone to know that they memorized. They wanted people to see how often they prayed. So they prayed 3 times a day in public for all to see how pious they were. They would let everyone know when they were fasting to prove just how holy they really were. Can you recall Matthew 6:16-18?

Matthew 6:16 ESV 

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

They would also be “generous”. I use air quotes because they really were not very generous. They would give their tithes to the synagogues and then they would dip back into the finances that were to be used for the poor and pocket the excesses. The Pharisees would give huge portions of their resources to the synagogues for the explicit purpose of not having to care for their aging parents. Essentially, they turned the synagogue into an offshore account that would protect their money from taxation or their duty to care for their parents. We see this practice discussed in Mark 7:11-13. 

Point:

What we have here is a very religious man, considered to be holy by everyone who saw him. He loved the adoration that came his way from the common people around him, Matt. 23:5-7.

This man is a picture of many in the church. Everyone who sees them thinks they are pure, holy and righteous. They have convinced everyone that they are the epitome of righteousness, holiness and virtue. They have even convinced themselves that they are right end everyone around them who is not exactly like them is wrong.

Point:

Now let’s talk about this tax collector. I call him a pick pocket. This fella was a Jew but he was an outcast. A turncoat. A traitor. Even though he was Jewish, he was a stooge for Rome. He was employed by the very government that would keep his people enslaved. He was a spiritual outcast. While he was welcome to come to the Temple to pray in the Court of the Jews, he would not have been allowed to attend the meetings at the synagogue. The other Jews hated him and looked down on him.

During the days of Christ, Rome collected 3 types of taxes from the people that they conquered. 

1. The collected a land tax.

2. They collected a head tax.

3. They collected a custom tax.

These taxes would have been collected by the chief tax collector, a person like Zacchaeus, who controlled the work of other tax collectors like Matthew, Jesus’ disciple. The chief tax collector could set his own rates and the men who worked for him could set their own rates. As a result, Rome received its taxes, by the chief tax collectors and the local tax collectors grew wealthy from extorting large sums of money from the common people.

Tax collectors would have been known to be dishonest thieves. Greedy. Pick pocketing their own people for their selfish gains. Tax collectors lived off the misery of their own people. 

This man is a picture of the other element we find in the church. These are the people who do not act like we think they should. They might not dress like we think they should. They might not do things and say things just like we think they should. These folks are often looked down on by the other folk who think they are more spiritual.

Point:

Here is the good news, when it comes to God’s house, all are welcome. It doesn’t matter if you have it all figured out, which none of us do, or if your life is falling apart. I have said many times that the church is not a country club for saints. The church is a hospital for the sinner, a hospital for the hurting. The church takes the pious and the pitiful. We take the sinner and the saint. Jesus did not die with His arms crossed, Jesus died with His arms outstretched, symbolically saying all could come to Him. Come to Him just as you are. Rich. Poor. Sick. Healthy. It doesn’t matter, just come. 

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

3 Points From This Parable On Prayer

I. Two People: A Pharisee And A Pickpocket

II. Two Prayers: Haughty and Humble vs. 11-13

Luke 18:11-13 ESV

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 

Point:

Again, let’s look at the prayers of these two men, starting first with the Pharisee. He brags about his righteousness by comparing himself to other men. He even points how much better he is than the tax collector that is within ear shot of him. Extortioners, the unjust and adulterers, he beats them all with his brand of holiness. The Pharisee had a problem, you see his was not really a prayer. It was really a proclamation. He did not really care about talking to God, he wanted others to know just how great he was. It was a show. It was theater. It was cinema. 

He wanted people to know about his religious works.

He wanted people to know about his giving record. 

Point:

Do you know what we call this sort of deceptive theology? We call this works based theology. it is a very dangerous brand of Christianity. It is where people believe that their relationship with God is based purely on their good deeds. God loves us more when we do more good things. He loves us less if we sin and fail. The problem with works based theology, beside it being wrong, it leads to this type of behavior. It eventually turns into a comparison and contrast religion. Look how great I am. Look how much better i am than other people. 

We are saved, justified, not by our works, so that no man may boast. We are saved by the work of Christ on the cross. 

Recall Titus 3:4-8.

Titus 3:4-8 ESV

4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Point:

Let’s look at this tax collector, this pick pocket’s prayer. It was vastly different from the Pharisee. He comes to the Lord with nothing. He was not proclaiming how great he was to God, he came to the Lord low, humble, repentant. He knew all too well that he was a wicked sinner. He finally came to a place in his spirit where he accepted the truth, he was a sinner in need of grace. 

The Scripture in Luke 18 tells us that he was so distraught by his sin that he beat himself on the breast. Picture a man on his needs, hitting his chest. Why would he do that? The answer is because this man knew that he had a heart problem. He had a heart condition. He was in spiritual cardiac arrest. His heart was blocked by sin and he need a heart transplant. 

Have you ever had so much to say to the Lord but said nothing? You just hurt so bad that you couldn’t get the words out? I have been there before and chances are, so have you. This man’s prayer was not long and drawn out. It was short, sweet, and to the point. 

There is a lot that we can learn from this man’s prayer. Prayer should be more than a daily ritual. Prayer is not something that you just get to check off your to do list. Prayer is fellowship with God. It should be something that we hunger for and never want to end. While there is nothing wrong with a pre determined, or pre written prayer, prayer should ultimately be from the heart. God knows our hearts and he knows what we are thinking. Knowing that, don’t play games with your prayers. Pray when you are happy and joyful. Pray when you are hurting and depressed. When you are hurting so bad that you cannot pray, then just be in His presence. Don’t limit prayer. Prayer can happen anywhere and anytime. Prayer is not reserved for church settings. You can pray here, at home, in the car, or at the gym. God wants to hear from you no matter where you are or what you are doing. Lastly, prayer is for you and God, no one else. You don’t have to put on a show when you pray. You don’t need 3 points and alteration when you pray, just pray. 

I Timothy 2:8 ESV

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…

3 Points From This Parable On Prayer

I. Two People: A Pharisee And A Pickpocket

II. Two Prayers: Haughty and Humble 

III. Two Perceptions: One Man Received, One Man Refused vs. 14

Luke 18:14 ESV

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Point:

Jesus simply explains that the tax collector, the repentant pick pocket was forgiven by God. It was the tax collector that stood justified and forgiven. Sadly, the Pharisee that appeared to have it all together was humbled and humiliated. Jesus does this, tells these sorts of stories all the time. He takes what most people believed to be true and proves it false. You see, like today, most people in Jesus’ day thought that it was all about the outward trappings of a person that proved their relationship with God. It was their works that meant everything. Jesus says no, it is all about what is in the heart that matters most. You see, we should not be in the business of judging others, we should be in the business of judging ourselves. We need not worry so much about the trouble in other’s lives, their sin. No, we should concern ourselves with being right before God. 

Point:

The way to be honored by the Lord is to realize that you are nothing before the Lord.

The way to forgiveness is through confession of sin.

The way to be right with the Lord is to realize just how wrong we are.

We are all guilty of this from time to time. We all have those little areas of irritation bother us when we see it in the lives of those around us. If we are not careful, we will become like the Pharisees and we will come to “despise” those people. That would means “to treat as nothing”. If we are not careful, we will think that our way is the only right way and anyone who is not like us isn’t worth the time of day.

Conclusion:

One man went to church and left with nothing. He went through the rituals. He judged others by his standards. He prayed his self-serving prayers. He worshiped himself. This man went home feeling good about himself, but He received nothing from God for his efforts.

The other man went to church and left with everything. He didn’t make a spiritual show. He prayed a simple prayer. He offered God honesty, confession and worship. He left that church right with the Lord.

What was the difference between the two? The difference was in the attitude and condition of their hearts. One was full of himself and thought he needed nothing more. The other knew he was nothing and possessed nothing. He humbled himself before God and he was blessed.

How do you come to church? How do you see others around you who don’t do things to your standard? How is your praying? When you leave church, do you feel better about yourself? If that is all you get that you have missed it all.

Or, when you leave, do you feel as though you have had a spiritual bath? You feel as though you have bathed in the Word and that the Spirit has washed you. You feel as though you have been honest before the Lord, open about your sins and willing to call on Him by faith. Instead of judging others, you are content to leave them with the Lord. If they are His children, He will deal with the errors in their lives! If that is you, you leave here with everything.

Matthew 7:1-5 ESV

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

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