The Village Church
Are we “Mac” Christians? - Audio
much. All right, this morning we're going to be looking at Luke chapter 18 and we're going to be looking in particular at verses 9 through 14, the parable or the Pharisee and the tax collector. All right, this is God's good and holy word. He that he is Jesus, he also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, "God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector standing far off would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but be this breast saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, where everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Let's pray, boy, look at this word together. Let's pray. Jesus, we do thank you again that you give us your good and kind word. It is for our good. It is for our edification. It stands over us whether we believe that or not. And Lord, we pray that you by your spirit would teach us this morning, that you would use even me a sinner to proclaim the good news, to proclaim the mercies, that you give to us in the gospel. Pray, Lord, that you would open our ears and open our eyes to hear and see what your word is saying to us. Would you apply to our hearts that we may live by these words? We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. I am an apple fanatic. I wasn't always an apple mat computer lover. I was kind of adamant about being PC and just one day tried out an apple product and just kind of was hooked ever since. You guys kind of know some of the ad campaigns that apple has had. This one is kind of from a few years ago, but there is these two men standing on this white screen, this white background, and one guy is, you know, he's hip, he's cool, he's young, he's funny, he's charismatic, he's you know, just standing there and then there's this older guy. He looks out of touch, you know, outdated, he looks flimsy and the cool guy says, you know, I'm a Mac. The other guy says I'm a PC. You guys kind of remember these commercials and how it talked about how the Mac was so much better than the PC and during these commercials, during the series, this PC guy, you know, he would often do things like in the middle of talking, he would freeze and just kind of the show and illustrate that PCs are bad computers, that this is what they do in comparison to Macs. And, you know, part of that is just Mac is just saying, hey, we are better than PCs, you know, just look at all the stuff we can do. If you're familiar with the new ads, you know, like the ones for iPhones, one of the things that is kind of really strange about the iPhone, you know, it talks about all the things the iPhone does, then at the end of the commercial it goes, you know, you don't have an iPhone, well, you don't have an iPhone. And it's kind of the guy's way of saying you're missing out, like you're a loser, really. They just don't say it. You're a loser because you don't have an iPhone. And that part of Apple is kind of the part that always makes me upset that that was the reason why I fought against getting an Apple anything for so long. It's just kind of the arrogance behind having the best thing. And a part of that resonates definitely with our culture, you know, like when you have the best, you have to, you know, proclaim it, you have to boast of it. At the same time while you're doing that, you have to tear down the competition. And so they'll make comments about PCs or they'll make comments about other phones. And it's what our culture loves. You know, it's that cynicism, it's that sarcasm, it's that cutting at, cutting down anything that is not like us. And we see this oftentimes within Christian churches even, you know, that when somebody tells you that they're not a Christian, you know, they're immediately, you know, for some of us, we just think, well, you're dumb if you're not a Christian. And the problem with that is, you know, you are devaluing somebody who's made an image of God. You know, you are devaluing somebody who is an image bearer. Even though they don't believe the same things that you don't, that you do, that you, they still have honor, they still have value, they still have dignity. And so one of the things that we as Christians often wrestle with and deal with is this self righteousness. This idea that we have the best, we have the truth and therefore everything else is worthless. So we might as well just tear it down or cut at it. We're the max. We're the max. And as we consider this parable, what Jesus does for us is he addresses this issue of self righteousness. He addresses the tendency that is in all of our hearts because we're sinners to think that we are it, the in and of ourselves, we are righteous. And you see this as the parable tells us in verse 9 that he told this parable to those, to some who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. And he starts this parable in a way that you are familiar with if you've been in the church or if you've been in the faith for for a while, you know this parable back and forth. Like, you know this parable, you could finish it before. You know, I'm even done speaking. You know what's going to happen. You know what Jesus says at the end of it. But oftentimes in those cases, when we are familiar with passages like this, we often miss the punch that was meant for us. We often miss the message that was meant and directed and aimed at us. And so Jesus starts this parable. Two men went up to a mountain, to a temple to pray, one of Pharisee and the other tax collector. And immediately what happens in our minds is we hear Pharisee, we go evil people, bad people, hypocrites, they're worthless, they're evil. And when you jump to that conclusion, again, you are missing this message. You are missing what Jesus is actually teaching here. Because what Jesus wants us to do is he wants us to consider this Pharisee to think about what this Pharisee was like to the people he was addressing, to the crowd that was hearing this message. That when we think about Pharisees, that these were the people that were looked up to you. These were the people who were teaching the Bible. These were the people who were teaching the scriptures. These were the people who at least outwardly, it looked like they had it all together. That everything was in order, that they did all these things, that they were the ones who were of pre-eminent spiritually. That when people looked at the Pharisees, that what people always wanted to do was go, look, that's an example of holiness. That's an example of righteousness. Look at the Pharisee. One commentator in talking about this passage, he says to us, "The Pharisee comes across as a despicable, self-righteous hypocrite. But most first-century Jews admitted the Pharisees, and mind the Pharisees as the godly folk. Even his prayer, I thank you that I'm not like this tax collector, would have not been one regarded as hypocritical arrogance, but his genuine gratitude that God had kept him from a life of sinful wretchedness. That this prayer would have been considered a very pious prayer." So to kind of give you guys a picture of what this would look like in our day and age, this would be Jesus saying, "Two people went to the temple to pray, one a PCA minister, the other a prostitute who walked in the door off the street, or one your favorite pastor or theologian, and a child molester went to the temple to pray. That's kind of the shocking nature of what Jesus is saying to his hearers, that this is a big deal, that for his hearers to think and see that this Pharisee and his tax collector are going to the temple, they knew the tax collector was a proud people. They cheated them out their money. They knew that there's no way in the world that this is going to end well for the tax collector. They knew that of course the Pharisee is going to be heard by God. Of course the Pharisee is going to be the one who was viewed as righteous before God. And what we see this Pharisee say, he talks about all the things he's doing, he says, "God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector." I fast twice a week. It's only required that you fast once a year, by the way, in this time. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get, and the tax collector standing far off will not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but be this breast. And so one of the things you notice about this is if you read what this Pharisee is saying is, "I did this. I did that. I do this. I do that. I'm not like him or these evil men. Look at me." And what he's really doing is he's showing you where his righteousness lies, that his righteousness lies in the fact that he fasts twice a week, that he gives tithes of all that he gets, that his righteousness is in something else other than the righteousness of Jesus. Now, you may never say those things. You may not even remember when it's the last time you fasted. You may not remember the last time you tithed. But Jesus' point in this passage is that it's not only these things which are good things that we set up as our righteousness before him, that it can be anything, that your righteousness can come from the fact that you've read your Bible every day this past year, that your righteousness can come from the fact that you've prayed every day this year, that your righteousness can come from the fact that you worship on Sundays, or you worship on Saturdays, that your righteousness can come from the fact that you are Presbyterian, or you are reformed, that your righteousness can come from the fact that you did not have a C-section when you had your child, that your righteousness can come from the fact that you voted Republican, or that you voted Democratic, that your righteousness can come from anything that you can say, "This is why God likes me more than anybody else," that your righteousness can come from the fact that you left your stable church, that you left southward, that you left whatever church you were part of, to be a part of this, be a church. That any of those things that you would say, "See God, this is why you should accept me, and this is why you love me, and this is why you should hear my prayers," that you can put your righteousness and stock in that, and not in the blood of Jesus Christ. And it's what we are, it's what we do. It's our sinful nature, again, rising, saying this is what makes me better than those other Christians, or even this is what makes me better than the people on the streets, this is what makes me better than this tax collector. You see the Pharisee, I fast, I give tithes of all that I get. I'm not like this man, I'm not God, I thank you that I'm not like this man. His prayer is so righteous, it is so self-righteous, it is so wrong, it is so off, and we know what Jesus says to him, that he who humbled himself will be exalted, but the one who exalts himself, they will be humbled. This tax collector, we read about him, and he stands far off, he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, the passage tells us, but he beat his breast saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner." And that's not a elaborate prayer. You know, it's not a prayer that's in your top 100 prayer list. God be merciful to me a sinner. That we learn so much about this man's words about his prayers, and we learn that this is the one who's justified before God. That one, he acknowledges the fact that he's a sinner, but that's not something that escapes him, that he acknowledges, I am not righteous, that I am not worthy to stand before you God, I'm not worthy to have your love poured upon me, but you do give it to me anyway. God be merciful to me a sinner. That when he prays be merciful, what he recognizes is that he needs God to hold back his judgment, that he needs God to not give him what he deserves because of his sin. That because of his sin, he knows he deserves hell, just like all of us in this room, just like everybody you know, because of our sins, we deserve hell. And what this man prays is, "God be merciful to me a sinner." We learn something of the passion of it. This guy is beating his breast. That what he's saying is, "Please, I have nothing else. I have no righteousness. I have nothing to offer." And what I'm praying is that God, you will be merciful to me a sinner. Do you know what that would do to you if you really believe that all the time? It would make you appreciate God, grace to you more, that it will make you go and worship God when nobody's looking, and worship God with your life and with your living, that you would come here on Sunday mornings, or wherever you go to worship, and it wouldn't be a difficult thing to worship God, that it wouldn't be viewed as all is just the routine thing again, "Oh, we've got to go to worship." Oh, it's awful. What you would recognize is how the mercy shown to you, that this God has to be worshiped, that out of the mercy shown to you, this God has to be loved, this God has to be adored. So why it's fitting for them to sing that song, "Oh, come let us adore Him." I know you're thinking, "Oh, it's the Christmas hymn. Why is that here?" It's fitting. Come let us adore Him. Let us adore Jesus, because this is where this tax collector's righteousness comes from. It is where your righteousness comes from, if you are a Christian, and nothing else. Regardless of where you're from, regardless of what you did, regardless of what color you are, your righteousness comes from Jesus. And you need that perfect righteousness, and it is not lacking in any way. And of course it is fitting to adore Him. And this tax collector we read is the one who goes down to his house justified. That's a legal term. He goes to his house righteous. He goes to his house knowing that there's peace with him before God. That there's no condemnation even upon this tax collector, this person who was notorious known for robbing people and taking more taxes than what was required. That Jesus looks to describe the people and says, "I know you think this guy who looks so good on the outside is the righteous one, but I'm telling you, it's this tax collector. I'm telling you, his heart is the heart of a person who trusts in Jesus. That God be merciful to me. His prayer is the prayer of one who trusts in Jesus. God be merciful to me, a sinner." So we've been so shocking for people to hear this, but it is what Jesus is teaching, that our righteousness comes from Him, Him alone. If you think there's any reason that God loves you other than Jesus, then you would just like this Pharisee. You will find ways to prove that you're better than everybody else and you're not. Jesus says, "This one who humbled himself is the one that's exalted." You know what that does where you relate to people? If you don't just look at people in a neighborhood and go, "Oh, they're just pathetic. Make sure you just went to school and got an education. I did it." Or they should have just made the right life choices. "I did it." You are a sinner. You have to understand that. You are a sinner just like them. And if God is not merciful to you, but for the grace of God, there goes you. But that has to be in the DNA of the Villa Church, that you are a sinner just like the people you're striving to love. But the hope of the gospel is that God is faithful to sinners, that Jesus loves sinners, that Jesus loves those who humble themselves, that in the kingdom of God, the low ground is the high ground. In closing, I know there may be some of you who just don't believe this, who don't believe Jesus. But what I want you to see is regardless of what your experiences have been with churches or with Christians, what I want you to see is I want you to look at Jesus from this text in the way he reveals himself. Because certainly we Christians can be self-righteous and we can be judgmental and I apologize to that. I ask you to forgive us. But what I want you to do is go from, go to the source, go to Jesus and see the way Jesus deals with sinners and see that Jesus welcomes sinners. That Jesus does not turn away the one who is groping for him, who is longing for him. That Jesus says, "Look, this guy has it together, Pharisee. He's not the one that's going home justified." This tax collector recognizes this, that he's a sinner and need of God's grace and mercy. And I want you to see that Jesus says, this tax collector is the one that goes home justified. And I want you to recognize that this is our kind and merciful Savior, the one who calls you even now. So my prayer is that we would be a people who recognize our need for God's grace and mercy. Not just today but all our days. Let's pray. Jesus, we thank you again that you give us this parable. That you give us this parable to correct us in the ways that we think that we are right before you. Well, we ask forgiveness for the times that we are self-righteous. We ask for a mindset that is ready to repent of it and does repent of it. We ask for the wisdom to know when we are being self-righteous, when our righteousness is resting in anything other than you. I pray also for our hearts that it will be changed by this message, that they would be humbled by this message. I pray, God, that you would continue to help us to love you and to love your gospel and to love grace and to love your mercy and to offer ourselves just living sacrifices because of the mercy shown to us. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.