Opposites with No Name

All right, let's go ahead and take your Bibles this morning to Luke chapter 18.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 18 this morning is where we're going to kick off here.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

We're going to be looking at more than a name.

And we've been looking at unnamed people in Scripture who left an impact in eternity

and then left those things.

This morning is going to be a little different because we're going to talk about two people

that we don't have a name, but we're going to talk about some opposites with no name.

But this is one of the few that is an actual parable.

But I think oftentimes Jesus, when he spoke in parables,

was looking at things that actually had happened or things that had actually taken place.

And I think that as we're going to look here this morning at these two individuals

with no name and the impact and the things we can learn from it here.

So Luke chapter 18, let's look here in verse 9 here this morning.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

And it tells us this, it says,

He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves

that they were righteous and despised others.

You know, I think we can all agree that that happens sometimes.

You know, sometimes there's people who think they're righteous and despise other people.

And so let's look here, it says in verse 10,

And two men went up into the temple to pray, and one a Pharisee and the other a publican.

And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,

God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,

or even as this publican.

I fast twice in a week.

I give tithes of all I possess.

And the publican standing far off would not lift up so much his eyes into heaven,

but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.

For everyone that exalted himself shall be abased,

and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Fathers, we just take a few moments here as we look at the two people

represented in this passage this morning, Lord,

of just the impact that they even have for us today.

Lord, to have the right understanding and the right mindset towards you.

And Lord, we pray that you just would stir our hearts and minds towards you

even here this morning.

And so let's give you all the praise and thanks and glory in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You know, the interesting thing is there's only one of you.

Now, some of you might think that's a good thing.

But God has made each of us unique.

He's created us different.

We look different.

Our personalities are different.

Our abilities are different.

Our capacities are different.

You know, even identical twins are really different in many ways.

There's things and traits about them that are unique to them as an individual.

And so each of us is very unique.

And in this account here, Jesus tells about two unnamed men who were very different.

You know?

We could say that they were opposites.

They were opposites in their approach to God.

And as a result, their spiritual states were also opposite.

Where they stood before God were total opposite because of how they came and presented themselves to Him.

So we find first here this morning the contrasting motive.

You know?

The motives were different.

You know?

The contrasting motive.

On the surface, this story begins.

And we cannot judge the motives of the two men.

They're just two unnamed men.

And they were going to do the same thing.

They were going down to the temple.

They were headed there to do the same thing.

And that's to pray.

But while, you know, those watching that day would have known they were not the same occupation or religious stripe or indeed different,

no one would be able to judge their motive initially.

You know, think about what it says there.

Look at verse 10 in our text.

It says,

Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.

You know?

The reality is, as these two men entered the temple that day,

they might have had outward appearances slightly different.

But considering this, was there any way of knowing their motive?

You know?

It's just like this morning.

There's people who come to church this morning.

And, you know, people come for all sorts of different reasons.

They can come in with a smile on their face.

But you know what?

The one thing we can't is understand the motive of a heart.

Why does somebody do something?

People do things for a lot of different reasons.

You know, God's Word talks a lot about that.

You know, how God looks upon the heart of an individual.

God knows who you are inside.

We can look on the outside.

We can take some guesses.

But you never truly understand the motive of a person.

But God does.

God looks upon the heart of an individual.

Jesus here is revealing, not the outward.

He's telling us that they're different.

But this text that Jesus, this parable Jesus gives us, talks about two men.

And he looks at not the outward.

He looks at the motive.

He looks behind the why.

Why were they doing what they did?

Because they were opposite in many ways.

You know, one, there was a religious display that went on when they came.

You know?

The Pharisees of Jesus' day were known for their outward display of spirituality.

So when it talks about the Pharisee coming in, everybody would have known who the Pharisee was.

He would have had the right attire on.

He would have been dressed looking the way that everybody expected.

Everybody looked at him.

And I guarantee you, when people judged on the outside, they said,

there's a guy who has it all together before God.

Looking on the outside, they thought everything was together.

But the reality is, is that Jesus points out the inward deadness of the individual.

Jesus calls them hypocrites.

You know, take a look over in the Matthew for a moment.

Look over to Matthew chapter 23.

Matthew 23 · chapter mention

Matthew 23, look down at verse 25.

Jesus looks at the Pharisees and he says this,

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,

for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter,

but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup

and platter that the outside of them may be clean also.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,

for you are like unto white sepulchers,

which indeed appear beautiful outward,

but are within full of dead men's bones and of uncleanness.

Even so, ye also outward appearance,

appear righteous unto men,

but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

You know, think about the reality of what Jesus is describing.

He's basically describing something that is just hollow and empty.

You know, there's nothing there.

They look good,

but when closely examined is not what it appears.

You know, I remember a few years ago,

I went to look at a vehicle,

and you know, the thing about Nebraska and the Midwest,

you know, you can go look at a vehicle

and you start looking around on it

and it looks pretty good.

You know, especially, like,

you can have a paint that looks really good.

Have you ever went to look at a used vehicle

and it looks really good,

then you start poking on it?

The paint looks good and then the paint goes in.

Why is that?

Because it may look good on the outside,

but what's happened on the inside?

The rust has gotten in there

and decayed it from the inside going out.

It still looks good on the outside,

but there's no substance or nothing on the inside.

You know, Jesus is giving that same illustration.

You can have things that look good,

but it doesn't mean they are.

And tell it when we begin to examine.

Because today, many work hard to try to cover up

what's going on on the inside.

You know, there's a lot of people who work hard

to look good on the outside.

Just as this Pharisee wanted,

spent a lot of time trying to look good.

Trying to make sure he measured up

to all the things that were expected.

But the reality is,

is that Jeremiah the prophet described it this way.

He says,

The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately wicked.

Who can know it?

There's a religious display from one that happened.

And then we have the opposite.

We have a repentant desire of the other individual.

You know, whenever we find the word publican in Scripture,

it's almost always linked with the word sinner.

You know, it's one of those words

that is always tied together in that.

You know, publicans were the tax collectors.

You know, everybody's favorite.

You know?

It's funny how certain things pass the test of time.

Whenever you hear somebody,

I'm a tax collector,

no matter what they are,

nobody seems to like them.

You know?

It's kind of like,

you have a job that people don't like.

You know?

Because you're the person you don't want to see.

You know?

Today we have a fancy thing.

We call them assessors, you know?

But really what they're doing is assessing things

so they can collect money, you know?

And you get that little slip in the mail every year

of somebody where somebody's come around, you know?

And so we all have that same thought

when it comes to tax collectors, don't we?

You know?

Even today, because,

but even in Jesus' day,

they were known for their deception

and their thievery.

They generally,

many of them would cheat the people

to pad their own pocket.

In other words,

they would overtax to be able to get

their own pockets lined.

They were there.

They were despised and hated

by the people.

They were considered the worst

of the worst.

And now we find this unnamed publican

was not going to the temple

to show off his religious zeal.

You know,

his only possible motive

would have been to repent

of his wickedness.

You know,

we see these two that walked in that day,

these two unnamed individuals,

totally different, don't we?

Their purpose

and their reasoning

for being there

were two totally

opposite ends of the spectrum.

It's not what people

perceived them being there,

but it's what God saw

when they were there.

Because this unnamed publican,

this unnamed tax collector,

was not there in the temple

trying to impress somebody.

You know,

the Pharisee came

with all the right religious garb,

all the right language,

all the right things.

He was there to let everybody know,

I'm religious.

But this publican,

this unnamed publican,

this unnamed tax collector

came that day.

He wasn't concerned

with what other people saw.

Matter of fact,

most people probably avoided him

as he walked in.

You know the routine.

It's like,

okay,

there they are.

I'm going to go this way.

We find this individual

came,

his motive was there

because he was there

to confess who he was

before God who already knew.

You know,

he wasn't trying to cover up

his faults

or make himself look better,

but he knew

that he needed forgiveness.

You know,

another unnamed person

in Scripture

was one that was

a rich young ruler

who came to Jesus

in Mark chapter 10.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

It says this

in verse 17 of Mark 10.

It says,

And when he had gone forth

into the way,

there came one running

and kneeled down

and asked him,

Good Master,

what shall I do

that I may inherit

eternal life?

You know,

this young man

wanted to go to heaven.

He wanted to add

some religion

to his life.

He ended up,

however,

walking away sad

and grieved in his heart

because he was unwilling

to turn from himself

to the Lord.

He said,

I want this,

but I want it on my terms.

Motive makes a difference

because I want you

to understand

that Christianity

is not just a religion

of regimen or rules.

It's a relationship

with the Savior.

You know,

the inside of an individual

makes a difference

in what's taking place.

You know,

look over to Romans chapter 8

Romans 8 · chapter mention

for a moment

because when you get saved,

there's something

that takes place

in an individual.

The Bible tells us

that the Spirit

of God

comes and dwells

within us.

Romans 8,

Romans 8:15

verse 15 says,

For you have not received

the spirit of bondage

again to fear,

but you have received

the spirit of adoption

where we cry,

Abba, Father.

The Spirit itself

bears witness

with our spirit,

and we are the children

of God

and if children

then heirs,

heirs of God

and joint heirs

with Christ.

You know,

that's a whole different

dynamic, isn't it?

And we see that

being played out.

We see the comparison

mistake.

We have that contrasting motive

but also

a comparison mistake

because as we see

the Pharisee

comes and compares

himself

to the publican.

You know,

it's not hard

to see ourselves,

our own tendency

to compare ourselves

with others,

is it?

You know,

Peter also struggled

with comparing himself

with others

after Jesus told him

that if he loved him

he'd be willing

to commit his life

to serving him.

It would cost

Peter's suffering.

It would cost him

something in his life.

You know,

John 21,

John 21:19

verse 19

says this,

And he spake,

he signifying

by what death

he should glorify God

and when he had spoken this

he said unto him

follow me.

Then Peter turned about

seeing the disciple

whom Jesus loved following

which also leaned

on his breast

at supper

and said,

Lord,

which is he

that betrayeth thee?

And Peter seeing him

saith to Jesus,

Lord,

what shall this man do?

You know,

here Peter is,

he's not concerned

with where he is.

He's worried about

what John's going to be,

happened to John too.

You know,

he's comparing,

you know,

is mine going to be

better than his?

You know,

we're easy to get caught up

in comparison

of these things

and we find here

that Peter makes

no argument

and seems to understand

and agree with Jesus

that he is willing

to die for the Lord

and you know,

history records

that he did,

but immediately

upon hearing Christ's word

predicting his martyrdom

he falls to the temptation

and comparison.

Well,

if I'm going to have

this happen,

what's going to happen

to them?

You know,

we need to understand,

we need to know

where we are

with God.

The response

of Jesus here

is classic

and well-heeded

for us today.

You know,

we need to quit

comparing,

you know.

John 21

John 21:22

verse 22

says this,

and it said,

Jesus answered Peter

this way,

if I will

that he tarry

till I come,

what is that to thee?

Follow thou me.

In other words,

he says,

what I'm doing

in their life

is between me

and them.

What's it to you

with what's going on?

It's not your decision.

It's not your impact.

It's who are you

between you

and me?

You know,

we find here

that the first comes up,

you know,

the Pharisee

has a very self-centered prayer.

You know?

Now notice something,

and look back in our text,

look in chapter 18,

look at verse 11.

Because I think

this is important

as you read the scripture,

this is there

with them little phrases

that I think are important.

Because sometimes

we can get to reading

and just kind of

flow through.

It says,

the Pharisee stood

and prayed thus

with who?

Himself.

He's in the temple.

He's all dressed up

looking religious,

trying to sell everybody

how close he is to God.

Remember,

Jesus looks at the motive.

Jesus gives us

an insight.

He gives us a snapshot

of what's inside

of this unnamed individual.

He said he prayed

thus with himself.

You know,

here's this man

saying a prayer,

but God hasn't showed up.

He's in the place

that God's there,

God's available.

Everything is there,

but it says he prayed

himself.

You know,

sometimes we have to be careful

that we're not just praying

with ourselves.

You know,

when we try to make

ourselves feel better

as we attempt

to convince God

who we are.

You know,

sometimes we can think

about what we've accomplished

or what we've sacrificed.

You know,

when we let him know

that we're unappreciative

and take advantage

of things,

or how tired

and exhausted

you are laboring

for him.

You know,

that happens oftentimes.

We get so focused

on ourselves,

we have to be careful.

And he gives us

this picture,

we're praying

thus with ourselves.

God isn't anywhere

near our prayers.

Because I want you

to understand,

prayer is not getting

God to do what we want.

You know,

oftentimes people

look at prayer saying,

I can use prayer

to manipulate God.

I want you to understand,

your prayers

don't manipulate God.

Prayer isn't us

trying to get God

to do what we want.

It's getting God

to become,

it's getting us

to become like him

and doing what he wants.

Because the reality is,

it's his will,

not our will.

You know,

part of the problem

with prayer sometimes

is what do I want?

What makes me comfortable?

What's going to benefit me?

You know,

you think about

when Jesus taught

his disciples to pray,

when they asked him to pray,

you couldn't get

a greater contrast

in the Pharisees' prayer

and how Jesus taught

his disciples to pray.

Because the prayer

was all about

who God is,

what God has done,

and what God is going to do.

The right focus.

You know,

we can easily be caught up

in the things

of this life

and miss what Christ

has for us.

To be focused

upon what he desires.

You know,

we had that

self-centered prayer

of the publican.

He stood and prayed

thus with himself.

Let's look quick

at his prayer

just so we understand

what he says.

He says,

God,

I thank thee

that I am not

as other men are.

Extortioners,

unjust,

adulterers,

or even as this publican.

You know?

And then he starts

listing the things

that he did.

You know,

I fast twice a week.

I give tithes

of all I possess.

You know,

all the things that,

Lord,

Lord,

you better take note of me.

Lord,

you know I do a lot.

You know,

one of the things

that gets us in trouble

when we get our eyes

on ourselves,

because sometimes

we get our eyes

on ourselves

and we get our own

pity party going.

Well,

I didn't get what I want.

You know,

the reality is

as a believer

in what Christ

has done for you,

it says we're to be

a living sacrifice.

And that means

if you're going to

sacrifice something,

that means you're giving

voluntarily something

that you may possess,

that you may control,

but you're saying,

Lord,

you use it

how you see fit.

The problem with that

oftentimes with us,

that makes us uncomfortable.

That makes us anxious

because we want

what we want

instead of what God wants.

You know,

today oftentimes

when we get so caught up

in ourselves

is when you start

having the pity party,

isn't it?

A pity party

is no different

than what the Pharisees

praying.

It's me,

me,

me,

me,

me,

me,

me,

Lord,

look at me.

It's empty.

He stood there

with this supreme

positioning,

lording over,

you know.

Think about that.

It says,

he stood there

and prayed thus

with himself,

God,

I thank thee

that I am not

as other men are.

He had a supreme

mindset to say,

you know,

I get to make

the decisions

when we compare

our life

with our neighbors

and those at work

or the average person

on the street.

You know,

we may appear

to be doing great,

but it's God

who is the standard.

We need to hold

our life up

next to him.

You know,

I want you to understand

the Bible tells us

that we're not

going to measure up.

Matter of fact,

totally the opposite.

You know,

Romans tells us

that there is none

righteous,

no,

not one.

This man says,

Lord,

look at me,

I'm righteous.

And God looks back

at him and says,

no,

you're not.

You know,

if you use the wrong

measuring stick,

you'll get the wrong

length every time.

I'll give you

a good example.

You know,

it's like we compare

a lot of things,

especially like in

track and field.

They have two different

standards that go

because you have

a time for yards

that are run

and time for meters

that are run.

You know what?

There's a difference

between a yard

and a meter.

It might not be much,

but you know what?

When you start multiplying,

it makes a big difference

on the outcome.

You know,

if you grabbed a,

I remember they used

to make meter sticks.

You know,

I'm old enough to remember

when all that was

starting to come out.

I don't see them

around much anymore.

You know,

those have kind of

faded away.

But you know,

the problem with that,

the 39 and a half

inches tall was a problem

when you thought

it was 36.

Why is that?

Because you're measuring

with the wrong assumption.

This man was measuring

with the wrong assumption.

He thought he was good

and it was about him

and Jesus says,

no,

it's about me.

To measure up

those things,

all have sinned

and come short

of the glory

of God.

You know,

the reality is

is what we measure

against is important.

You know?

It's kind of like

when you're doing work,

you know,

one of the most

important things,

you have two important

things in building

a building.

One is level

and the other is plumb.

The difference,

level goes this way,

plumb goes this way.

Both are critical

and to know

how to measure it

is critical

because a plumb line

will give you

a truly accurate

picture of where

something is.

You know?

A level sometimes

you can get off

a little bit.

You know about

a plumb line though?

A plumb line

will always be accurate.

When a plumb line

hangs,

the end of that point

is perfectly

90 degrees,

perfectly straight down

from the point

it hangs from.

There's no hiding it.

There's no deception.

If you put it

against there,

it will show

and reveal exactly

the plumb line.

Matter of fact,

you know,

turn back in the Old Testament,

go to Amos chapter 7.

Amos 7 · chapter mention

Because it's interesting

that God doesn't

tell us to be level,

He tells us to be plumb.

I didn't say plump,

I said plumb.

Amos chapter 7

Amos 7 · chapter mention

and verse 8,

notice what it says,

And the Lord said unto me,

Amos,

What seest thou?

And I said,

a plumb line.

Then said the Lord,

Behold,

I will set a plumb line

in the midst

of my people Israel,

and I will not again

pass by them anymore.

It's interesting

that God uses

a plumb line

as a picture.

Why?

Because there's no deviation

of a plumb line.

It will be true.

The reality

is proven out.

The truth is,

God gives us

a plumb line today.

It's called His Word.

He gives us His Word.

He is not interested

in negotiation

or compromise.

He has forever

settled His Word,

and He's not going to

bend the standard

to make us look straight.

You know,

the problem is,

we like things

we can maneuver.

But we need to understand

that God gives us

His standard.

Look back in the New Testament.

John chapter 12,

John 12 · chapter mention

in verse 48,

it says,

And he that rejecteth me

and receiveth not my words

hath one that judges him,

and the word that I have spoken,

the same shall judge him

in the last day.

You know,

I want you to see here,

the Word of God

is our plumb line of life.

Are we lining up

with what God's Word says?

You know,

this man,

the interesting thing

about the Pharisee

that we're looking at,

he had a soothing portrayal

of himself.

He prays with himself

and he feels better

about his conscience

because he attempts

to remind God

of how spiritual he is.

Lord, look,

I go through

all the right things.

I fast twice a week.

I give tithes

of all I possess.

You know,

like the Pharisee,

sometimes we get caught up

in ourselves

instead of caught up

in what God has.

to say,

God,

I'm willing to do

what you want me to do.

It's not about me

or how it makes me feel.

It's about what's my responsibility

before you.

How am I measuring

to your plumb line?

When we pray to God

and he sees us as we are,

are we saying,

God,

look at me?

Are we saying,

Lord,

I need you

to assess me?

You know,

think about Isaiah

in chapter 6

and verse 5

when he says,

Woe is me

for I am undone

because I'm a man

of unclean lips

and I dwell in the midst

of people of unclean lips

for my eyes

have seen the King,

the Lord of hosts.

When we get our eyes

on the Lord,

it changes the perspective

of ourselves.

But we see next quickly here,

we see not only the motive

in the mistake,

but we see a very contrite man

that's the counter.

Because if we're going

to look here,

we see the other unnamed,

the publican.

The opposite is unfolding.

Now these two things

are happening simultaneously,

I think.

I think when Jesus talks

in this parable,

he's talking about

two men that walk in.

One goes to do his thing,

the Pharisee,

and wants everybody to see,

you know,

and everybody to know.

And I think you have

the publican that kind of

sneaks in behind

and says,

I have to focus

on what God has.

Notice here in verse 13

back in our text,

it says this,

it says,

and the publican

standing afar off

would not so much

as eyes,

lift so much as eyes

unto heaven,

but smowed his breast.

In other words,

you know,

I want you to see here,

there's a common thread

in those who are used of God.

This man was willing

to humble himself.

He caught the first

important thing.

If you're going to catch

God's ear,

it's to humble yourself.

To say,

Lord,

it's not about me.

You know,

by nature,

we like ourselves.

Ultimately,

we look out for ourselves.

We are by nature

selfish people.

People will even do

good things

to help themselves.

Think about the Pharisee.

What was he pointing to?

He says,

I do these things

so everybody thinks I'm good.

But he missed

what it was before God.

But here we have

this publican

that comes in,

this tax collector,

and he comes

and he humbly

comes before God.

Because look at

how he humbles himself.

Look at his cry

for help.

Verse 13 says,

saying,

God,

be merciful to me,

a sinner.

You know what?

When Jesus went

to the cross,

he went for sinners.

He went because

of our sin.

He didn't go

so we could be proud

or boastful.

He didn't say,

I'm going to go

to the cross.

My body's going

to be crushed

and bruised.

I'm going to bleed

for those to be prideful.

Exact opposite,

wasn't it?

To realize we're a sinner

that needs a Savior.

You know,

the more we depend

on ourselves,

our goodness,

our merit,

our abilities,

the more we're going

to fall.

You cannot get rid

of your own sin.

You know,

we need to grab

a hold of the fact

that we need

to humble ourselves

before God.

Be willing to say,

Lord,

what would you have

for me to do?

Where would you

have me to be faithful?

Where would you

have me do my part?

You know,

oftentimes I think

we get caught up

in what's in it

for me instead of,

Lord,

what would you

have me to do?

Because we cannot

live for Christ

on our own.

We need to be

dependent upon Him.

You know,

2 Corinthians chapter 3

2 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

says this,

it says,

not that we are

sufficient of ourselves

to think anything

as ourselves,

but our sufficiency

is of God.

You know,

sometimes we need

to get our eyes

off ourselves

and get them

back on God.

Because even as a believer,

you know what,

we can become

like the Pharisee.

You can become

like the one

that gets our eyes

on ourselves

instead of having

our eyes

on the Savior.

To keep our eyes

upon Him

because our sin

and our miserable

condition in ourselves,

we may think

that our cry to God

will be in vain,

but you know,

the reality is

when we come

humbly before Him,

God will hear

and God will answer.

Think about what

Micah says

in Micah 7 verse 18.

Micah 7:18

It says,

Who is a God

like unto thee

that pardoneth iniquity

and passes by

the transgression

of the remnant

of His heritage?

He retaineth not

His anger forever

because He delighteth

in mercy.

You know,

the one thing

you can know

about God

is God delights

in those who

humbly come before Him

because God delights

in being merciful.

He'll not turn

a deaf ear.

God will hear

the merciful.

He will be merciful

to those who have

humbled themselves

because we see

also a clear measurement.

You know,

the Pharisee

had a false measurement

by his assessing

of himself

with another human being.

You know,

when we compare

ourselves to others,

it's always easy

to find somebody

who will make us

feel good.

Have you ever noticed

that?

Don't take long

looking around

to find somebody

worse than you.

It's just amazing,

you know.

It's like you can

always find,

you know,

no matter who it is,

I could take you

down here

to the worst ward

down here at the jail

and you know

what the person's

going to do?

Well,

that guy over there

is worse than me.

I only killed

22 people.

He killed 24.

He's worse.

I mean,

the measurement

is just insane,

really.

Well,

he said,

I didn't kill

anybody,

but you know

what?

Sometimes we look

at our own sin

and say,

hey,

they've sinned

worse than me,

so therefore

I must be okay.

A humble person

says it doesn't

matter what

the other person

did.

One of humility

says I only

understand that

I'm accountable

to God.

I'm accountable

for what He's done.

You know,

a false measurement,

one that was

inaccurate.

You know,

one of the things

you'll find

in the Old Testament

is people would

use scales

to cheat people

and God would

call them on it.

You know,

the Lord condemns

improper measurement.

You know,

Proverbs 20,

Proverbs 20:10

verse 10

says,

divers weights

and divers measures.

Both of them

are alike,

abomination to the Lord.

You know,

the funny part is

they've actually found

weights that are off

in archaeology.

They'll be marked

for one thing

and when they

actually weigh them,

they weigh different

than what they're marked.

You know what

that tells them?

Hey,

there was people

cheating people.

Today,

oftentimes,

we cheat ourselves

by measuring

with the wrong things.

Just like a weight

on a scale

can be inaccurate

when we judge

with the wrong thing

ourself before God,

it becomes inaccurate.

I want you to understand

that sometimes

this is good and bad

because sometimes

we think God

can't do something

and we have

an inaccurate

measurement of God

because God says,

I can if you trust me.

It works both ways.

God says that we

ought to have

a right measurement

because notice here quick

the justification

that was pronounced

by Christ.

Verse 14,

Jesus looks at him

and says,

I tell you this,

man went down

to his house

justified

rather than the other.

You know?

Boy,

that's a pretty harsh

assessment,

isn't it?

Jesus looks at the Pharisee

that everybody would have said,

man,

that guy has it together.

And everybody looks

at the public

and it says he's over there

just crying out to God.

The Bible says

just being,

it's just saying,

God,

I'm the sinner.

I imagine everybody

was looking at him

like,

look at him.

He's right.

He needs to get right.

But Jesus says

he went down

to his house

justified

because he humbled himself

and said,

Lord,

be merciful to me,

a sinner.

What a picture

that we have.

You know,

you think even when

Jesus was on the cross,

consider the two thieves.

You know,

the two thieves

were comparing themselves

one to another

and comparing themselves

to Christ too,

weren't they?

You know?

And their perception

of who Jesus is

made a difference.

They both deserved

a cruel death

that were hanging beside him.

One ridiculed him

but the other thief

cried out to God.

The Bible says

that he cried out

and said,

Lord,

remember me

when thou comest

into thy kingdom.

He looked at Jesus

and said,

I believe that you are

who you said you are.

There was no good thief

that would merit heaven.

He could not come off the cross

and reform his life

or start going to church.

His only hope

was in the Savior.

His eyes was only on Christ.

Jesus said,

today thou shalt be with me

in paradise.

The picture

of simple faith

and the proper judgment

of saying,

Lord,

I'm a sinner.

Have merciful.

Be merciful to me.

You know,

today I think we have

a lot of people

who call themselves Christian

but the real question

we ought to ask

is God call you one.

All that will matter

on judgment day

is judgment day

when you stand

before the Lord

is what Jesus

is assessment of you

because it will either

be assessed

by the shed blood

of Jesus Christ

and how it's been applied

to your life

or it won't.

We need to grab a hold

of the justification

Jesus pronounced

one justified.

But we find also

a jarring paradox

here because notice here

in verse 14

it says,

for the one that exalted

himself shall be abased

and he that humbled himself

shall be exalted.

You know,

Jesus is again

teaching a very simple reality.

He says to humble yourselves

before God.

The Bible says

that he will lift you up.

Not ourselves

but him.

You know,

the Pharisee exalted himself

and the publican

humbled himself.

Now,

2,000 years after

we're still

reading and speaking

about what took place.

These two unnamed men

and what took place.

Now,

don't get caught

in your own self-conceit

or by comparing yourself

the wrong way.

I want to encourage you

to always see yourself

as God sees you.

That starts with

understanding that God

sees you as a sinner

who needs a Savior.

But the other side of that

is a very positive thing too

because once you're saved

God sees you as his child.

He's there.

He's with you.

He protects you.

He looks over you.

The same is true

if you're his child.

If you've called upon him

as your Savior.

If you've been born

into his family.

God looks at you

and not just

as a sinner

but a sinner

that's been saved

by grace.

make sure you see yourself

and understand

how God sees you.

We can learn that

from these two men.

These two people

with no name

that Christ mentions.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father

as we come before you

this morning

Lord we just thank you.