Episode Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.640
That speaks to that in our hearts. So will you stand with me and
2
00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:16.550
then I'll pray after the reading of
the scriptures, just from Luke Eighteen,
3
00:00:17.070 --> 00:00:23.539
starting in verse nine to fourteen.
He also told this parable to some who
4
00:00:23.620 --> 00:00:30.420
trusted in themselves that they were righteous
entreated other people with contempt. Two men
5
00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:33.820
went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a
6
00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:39.289
tax collector. The PHARISEE, standing
by himself, prayed thus. God,
7
00:00:39.409 --> 00:00:44.929
I thank you that I am not
like other men, extortioners, unjust adulterers,
8
00:00:44.969 --> 00:00:49.250
are even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week. I
9
00:00:49.409 --> 00:00:55.320
give tithes of all that I get, but the tax collector standing far off
10
00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:59.479
would not even lift up his eyes
to heaven, but beat his breast,
11
00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:06.950
saying God be merciful to me,
a sinner. I tell you, this
12
00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:11.829
man went down to his house justified
rather than the other. For everyone who
13
00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:18.349
exalts himself will be humbled, but
the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
14
00:01:19.099 --> 00:01:22.099
The grass weathers in the flower fades, but the word of our God
15
00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:26.340
will stand forever. Will you pray
with me? Father? We ask that
16
00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:33.250
this morning, as we do something
that you have called us to do,
17
00:01:33.409 --> 00:01:38.010
which is to come and to worship, to come and hear your word preached
18
00:01:38.090 --> 00:01:42.170
and taught and partake of your sacrament. We asked that you, through your
19
00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:49.719
spirit, would particularly speak through this
passage the spirit who inspired these words on
20
00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:53.799
this page, the spirit who has
dwelled with you and the sun for all
21
00:01:53.840 --> 00:02:00.920
of eternity, and the spirit who
lives and believers and changes the hearts of
22
00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:07.030
unbelievers. We asked that he would
be our teacher this morning, that you
23
00:02:07.069 --> 00:02:12.110
might shape us and give us deeper
repentance and faith. It's in Jesus name
24
00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:40.449
we asked this. Amen. You
may be seated. I lack social interaction.
25
00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:45.840
Right, you do too, is
my assumption. Some of you not,
26
00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:49.319
but even if you have a large
family, you and I both lack
27
00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:58.909
social interaction with more than at least
our inner circle and probably, like me,
28
00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:00.870
many of us in the room,
though hopefully not all of us in
29
00:03:00.909 --> 00:03:07.509
the room, are probably spending too
much time on the Internet. Maybe not,
30
00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:10.069
but at least I am, and
I'm confessing that to you. I
31
00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:15.659
spend too much time on the Internet, reading articles, doing research. Now
32
00:03:15.699 --> 00:03:20.500
I realize that there's PhD people who
have their PhD in the room and PhD
33
00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.819
students and you do real research.
I don't do real research, so I
34
00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:30.370
get that y'all do real research,
but also read social media posts and whether
35
00:03:30.409 --> 00:03:35.169
it's an article on the Internet or
social media posts that I read, they're
36
00:03:35.169 --> 00:03:39.889
all clamoring for a response inside of
me to signal to the outside world that
37
00:03:40.050 --> 00:03:46.120
I am on the right side of
an issue, whether it's something about racism
38
00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:52.280
or racial justice or Covid nineteen strategies, are wearing or not wearing masks,
39
00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:59.509
social distancing appropriateness, whether it's school
should start or not, or whether the
40
00:03:59.590 --> 00:04:04.710
MBA should have black lives matter painted
on their courts, whether or not statues
41
00:04:04.750 --> 00:04:09.310
should be torn down, or what, if anything, should be censored on
42
00:04:09.389 --> 00:04:13.939
the Internet, or what political candidate
that I should support. Even now,
43
00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:16.779
as I say that list out loud
and listen to myself say at my heart
44
00:04:16.819 --> 00:04:23.740
rate rises in my breathing shortens and
have to stop and take a deeper breath
45
00:04:24.449 --> 00:04:29.529
because it's anxious causing because we're invited. I'm invited, you're invited to signal
46
00:04:29.649 --> 00:04:32.449
to the rest of the world that
you're on the right side of an issue,
47
00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:38.920
that we're on the right side of
history, of morality, of the
48
00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:43.759
economy, of epidemiology, of the
battle against racism, of Orthodoxy in the
49
00:04:43.800 --> 00:04:49.480
Church. We're tempted to draw a
line in the sand, to declare what
50
00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:54.430
I believe, what you believe,
is right, and view all others with
51
00:04:54.550 --> 00:05:00.230
skepticism and doubt and mistrust and with
so much of our lives are, at
52
00:05:00.269 --> 00:05:03.670
least our countries, lives, lived
on the Internet. Right now it's even
53
00:05:03.750 --> 00:05:11.180
more tempting to constantly signal our virtue
to the world. My guess is that
54
00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:15.660
I'm not the only one in that
boat. Dictionarycom, just one of the
55
00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:21.889
multiple dictionaries online, has this definition
for virtue signaling. I think it's interesting
56
00:05:21.930 --> 00:05:28.329
because it uses religious language. Virtue
signaling is the sharing of one's point of
57
00:05:28.410 --> 00:05:32.449
view on a social or political issue, often on social media, in order
58
00:05:32.490 --> 00:05:40.240
to garner praise or acknowledgement of one's
own righteousness from others who share that point
59
00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:45.279
of view or to passively rebuke those
who do not. It's not just the
60
00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:49.870
Internet. Think about yard signs that
you see, think about by or stickers,
61
00:05:50.829 --> 00:05:56.949
think about people putting things on their
face, masks, sometimes t shirts
62
00:05:56.990 --> 00:06:02.350
that they're wearing the sometimes we're wearing
signs and stores, but it's not just
63
00:06:02.509 --> 00:06:08.100
out there. It actually comes into
our inner circles, into our house where
64
00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:11.899
you and I live, whether it's
with a family or roommates. My guess
65
00:06:11.939 --> 00:06:14.860
is, if you're anything like me, your tempt to divirt you signal with
66
00:06:14.939 --> 00:06:19.689
the people with whom God has placed
you in close relationship. For those of
67
00:06:19.730 --> 00:06:25.769
you who are married, maybe a
spouse. Today is Brittany's in my twelve
68
00:06:25.850 --> 00:06:31.529
anniversary, and even after twelve years
of being married, I am tempted to
69
00:06:31.689 --> 00:06:36.040
not trust that she loves me and
cares for me, even though she's been
70
00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:40.480
knowing all my faults. But I'm
tempted to signal to her all the ways
71
00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:46.040
that I am good so that she
loves me or keeps me in right relationship
72
00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.790
even more. And that on my
part is not actually intimacy, it's not
73
00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:55.750
actually loving her, it's not being
loved by her, as my self righteousness
74
00:06:55.870 --> 00:07:00.230
trying to communicate to her that I'm
worthy of being in relationship with her,
75
00:07:00.910 --> 00:07:04.540
and that's actually really terrible. Now
realize that many of us in the room
76
00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:08.819
aren't married, but we do it
in other ways. Maybe it's a roommates
77
00:07:10.019 --> 00:07:15.290
to parents, two siblings, sometimes
it's as simple as what you wear,
78
00:07:16.250 --> 00:07:21.649
what you choose who's to put on
your face mask. Sometimes it's the way
79
00:07:21.769 --> 00:07:26.730
you tell a joke or what you're
willing to talk about in a conversation.
80
00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:30.480
Well, you're willing to avoid in
conversation to signal that you're on the right
81
00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:35.399
side of something for younger friends in
the room. It's sometimes what you're willing
82
00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:41.800
to talk about with friends and learn
about, talking about friends like minecraft or
83
00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:46.990
Legos or Pokemon, and how that
puts you in the rights situation in a
84
00:07:46.069 --> 00:07:54.790
social group in school or with your
friend group at Church. The human heart
85
00:07:55.350 --> 00:08:01.180
is always tempted to virtue signal,
but the dangerous thing about virtue signaling is
86
00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:07.540
that we use it to reveal and
to develop our self trust that we are
87
00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:13.170
right in the world. And Throughout
the Gospel, Jesus rebukes this attitude.
88
00:08:13.009 --> 00:08:18.689
He warns don't stand on the corners
like the Pharisees and pray for everybody to
89
00:08:18.769 --> 00:08:22.689
see you. Don't plunk your offering
loudly and earn where people here that you're
90
00:08:22.930 --> 00:08:31.560
putting in so much money. He
even calls people like this whitewashed tombs,
91
00:08:31.039 --> 00:08:35.759
looking clean on the outside but containing
deadness on the inside. He warns that
92
00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:43.549
virtue signaling is a danger to our
soul. But virtue signaling, or with
93
00:08:43.629 --> 00:08:48.909
the Bible of what Christianity Call Old
selfrighteousness, doesn't just reveal yours, in
94
00:08:48.990 --> 00:08:52.710
my view, about ourselves. It
affects our view of other people. And
95
00:08:52.909 --> 00:08:58.620
in this parable this morning, Jesus
is tying that together in verse nine.
96
00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:01.220
Look at verse nine. Read Verse
Nine with me. He says he also
97
00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:07.179
the it says he also told this
parable to some who trusted in themselves that
98
00:09:07.340 --> 00:09:15.570
they were righteous and treated others with
contempt. When we pack all of our
99
00:09:15.610 --> 00:09:20.450
understanding of our right standing in the
world into our actions and our words in
100
00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:28.799
our views, and then pack all
of our understanding of somebody else's value our
101
00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:35.879
perception of their actions and words and
views, it leads us to see them
102
00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:41.230
as other and tempts us to view
them with contempt, especially if they're not
103
00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:50.350
meeting our standard of whatever our views
are. Just walk into any middle school
104
00:09:50.350 --> 00:09:56.340
cafeteria and you'll see it at work. Peer into anybody's pre UMPTE. A
105
00:09:56.419 --> 00:10:01.539
lot of peoples Thanksgiving feasts and you'll
see it at work. When family members,
106
00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:05.299
extended family members, don't signal the
right things and they get into arguments.
107
00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:07.649
Maybe that's yours, maybe it's not, but it's definitely a trope in
108
00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:13.889
American culture, the contempt that people
have for each other at Thanksgiving because they
109
00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:22.960
don't hold the same views. People
treat each other with contempt if they don't
110
00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:28.039
signal the right virtues. The Greek
word in this passage for contempt literally means
111
00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:35.509
to despise and view as worthless or
having no value. I'm not going to
112
00:10:35.549 --> 00:10:39.470
go into it this morning, but
that's what cancel culture is. It's viewing
113
00:10:39.629 --> 00:10:43.750
somebody else as having no worth,
no value in canceling them because of it,
114
00:10:43.909 --> 00:10:48.990
maybe because they've done legitimate damage.
But it's not just non Christians out
115
00:10:48.990 --> 00:10:54.179
there. It's Christians that have done
it as well over a centuries. All
116
00:10:54.220 --> 00:11:00.059
of us are guilty of promoting virtue
signaling and cancel culture. When we do
117
00:11:00.299 --> 00:11:05.210
it, we do it when we
trust in ourselves that we are righteous.
118
00:11:07.529 --> 00:11:13.490
So often we are tempted to trust
ourselves that we're righteous and in turn treat
119
00:11:13.490 --> 00:11:18.720
other people with contempt, and that's
virtue signaling at work, both in the
120
00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:24.840
Bible and in our hearts today.
But Jesus is talking to virtue signals,
121
00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:28.879
signalers, and there's hope for virtue
signalers, because he's still talking to them
122
00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:33.190
and he's still talking to us today. So what's going on in this pearable?
123
00:11:35.350 --> 00:11:37.549
Well, the setting of this parable
is the temple, the setting of
124
00:11:37.750 --> 00:11:43.830
this fictitious story that Jesus is telling
to teach a point, and he sets
125
00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:46.980
the story in the temple. So
what's going on in the temple? Well,
126
00:11:48.059 --> 00:11:52.700
twice a day, in the morning
and in the late afternoon, God's
127
00:11:52.740 --> 00:11:56.419
people would gather together, because he
commanded it, for the twice daily atonement
128
00:11:56.539 --> 00:12:05.809
sacrifice. Corporate Hymns and Psalms would
be prayed and sung, ours would be
129
00:12:05.889 --> 00:12:09.889
sung, prayers of confession would be
prayed and then at a certain point,
130
00:12:11.409 --> 00:12:16.039
the high priest would go back further
into the temple and he would slaughter a
131
00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:22.080
lamb and offered as a burnt sacrifice. And when he would do that that
132
00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:26.519
people would continue to pray. They
would pray their own individual prayers, they
133
00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:30.389
would thank God for certain things,
they would pray for themselves and for their
134
00:12:30.470 --> 00:12:35.629
loved ones, and the custom would
be to do it out loud. All
135
00:12:35.669 --> 00:12:39.389
that sounds familiar. That's what we
do right except for the burnt offerings in
136
00:12:39.509 --> 00:12:45.899
the praying out loud individually. We
don't do that as Presbyterians. But this
137
00:12:46.059 --> 00:12:48.659
is where we pick up these two
men. It's the time where people are
138
00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:56.899
standing praying out loud that Jesus inserts
them into the story. The priest has
139
00:12:56.940 --> 00:13:03.769
gone back, the aroma of the
roasting meat is wafting through the temple,
140
00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:11.289
they can see the blood of the
sacrifice and they begin to pray. So
141
00:13:11.450 --> 00:13:18.440
who's this first man? He's a
Pharisee. So pharisee would be someone who,
142
00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:24.240
in the s and the s in
the United States, be the equivalent
143
00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:31.830
of the moral majority. He has
the signals, all the right virtues.
144
00:13:31.870 --> 00:13:37.029
This gives him social, relational one
at least, some local religious political power.
145
00:13:37.870 --> 00:13:43.779
In so many ways, pharisees are
Orthodox. They believe in God's holiness,
146
00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:48.860
they believe in the resurrection of the
dead. They believe that God's Law
147
00:13:48.980 --> 00:13:58.009
of is of utmost importance because it
reflects his holiness. So what does Jesus
148
00:13:58.049 --> 00:14:03.250
say about him? In Verse Eleven, Breathe with me. Verse Eleven,
149
00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:07.289
he says. The PHARISEE, standing
by himself, prayed thus. Actually,
150
00:14:07.289 --> 00:14:09.039
we're going to stop right there.
Because I'll pick up the rest in a
151
00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:13.720
minute. But what is he doing
at the first everything he's doing is signaling
152
00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:18.840
to the outside world. He's standing
by himself, but not so far away
153
00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:24.240
that they can't see him. He's
communicating to them that I really truly believe
154
00:14:24.389 --> 00:14:26.789
in God's holiness and cleanliness. So
I'm going to stand a little bit apart,
155
00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:30.909
where I'm not I'm going to make
sure that I don't touch someone who
156
00:14:30.909 --> 00:14:35.029
might be unclean. So even with
his posture, in his body, body
157
00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:41.539
language, he's communicating. He's signaling
his virtues to the rest of the people
158
00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:46.379
in the Temple who are worshiping as
well. Now let's listen to his words,
159
00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:52.340
says God. Thank I, thank
you that I am not like other
160
00:14:52.460 --> 00:15:00.690
men, extortioners, unjust adulter's,
even this tax collector. He's signaling to
161
00:15:00.809 --> 00:15:05.529
God and to the other people around
him that what righteous is, righteousness is
162
00:15:05.769 --> 00:15:11.759
not like he's signaling who he's against. This is like a bumper sticker that
163
00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:18.000
says dump trump or a social media
post that decries social justice warriors. It's
164
00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:22.789
declaring what somebody is against so that
they set their selves apart with what they
165
00:15:22.870 --> 00:15:28.710
view is virtuous and right the showing
how they're virtuous by what they're against.
166
00:15:28.070 --> 00:15:31.870
But he doesn't just stop there.
He continues to pray and he reveals his
167
00:15:31.950 --> 00:15:41.539
view of righteousness and he's describing the
ways that his righteousness far exceeds even gods
168
00:15:41.580 --> 00:15:46.899
standards. Verse Twelve continues his prayer. I fast twice a week. I
169
00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:52.250
give tithes of all I get.
You See, God's law only require people
170
00:15:52.289 --> 00:15:56.730
the fast out of faith once a
year on the Grand Day of Atonement,
171
00:15:56.730 --> 00:16:03.610
Yam Kippour, the great day of
sacrifice and asking for God's mercy. But
172
00:16:03.690 --> 00:16:06.240
he does it twice a week,
not just once a year, twice a
173
00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:08.480
week. And then he describes how
he gives of his resources. That's a
174
00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:14.519
good thing, but God required people
to give of their resources to care for
175
00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:18.629
the work of the temple and of
the priests and of the poor, and
176
00:16:18.750 --> 00:16:26.149
he told them to give wine,
flower and oil. And this Pharisee is
177
00:16:26.789 --> 00:16:33.779
saying that he's tithing of what all
that he has kids in the room.
178
00:16:33.820 --> 00:16:37.620
This is like if your parent told
you, your parents told you and your
179
00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:45.860
siblings to clean your room and your
sibling cleaned his or her room and clean
180
00:16:45.980 --> 00:16:49.330
the kitchen and clean the bathroom and
clean the Din and then said to you
181
00:16:49.850 --> 00:16:55.850
you only cleaned your room, mom
and dad liked me better. That's what
182
00:16:56.169 --> 00:16:59.570
the Pharisee is doing. It's ridiculous
that your parents love you just the same
183
00:16:59.809 --> 00:17:02.960
because you they love you whether you
did it or not, but you're in
184
00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:06.160
good relationship with them even if you
just cleaned your room and didn't do all
185
00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:12.319
the other things. He's saying that
his righteousness far outsedes even God's standards.
186
00:17:17.069 --> 00:17:21.109
He's respaling his assumption, that he
believes that he is able to come to
187
00:17:21.309 --> 00:17:30.460
God based on his own righteousness.
What about the tax collector? WHO's he?
188
00:17:30.380 --> 00:17:34.299
What do we learn about him?
What's he signaling? The tax collector,
189
00:17:34.339 --> 00:17:38.940
it says, stands far off,
far off where he's less visible,
190
00:17:40.420 --> 00:17:45.970
realizing that he has no virtue worth
signaling. If anything, anything he might
191
00:17:45.049 --> 00:17:53.049
signal to them might make his life
worse. He's a tax farmer in league
192
00:17:53.250 --> 00:17:56.490
with the oppressive Roman government. This
is not a good guy, this is
193
00:17:56.609 --> 00:18:00.039
not a hero. He betrays his
fellow countrymen. He betrays the poor.
194
00:18:00.759 --> 00:18:07.279
This is like the American in the
nineteen, sevent s and e s with
195
00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:11.839
spying for the Russian government. This
is like the coyote, or the human
196
00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:18.589
smuggler that takes three thousand dollars for
a single mother trying to cross the border
197
00:18:18.309 --> 00:18:22.349
and then gets her into the middle
of the desert demands her last a thousand
198
00:18:22.390 --> 00:18:26.910
dollars that she has, otherwise he'll
leave her in the desert. This is
199
00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:34.619
the Ponzi Scheme Guy who convinced your
grandmother of investing your grandfather's life insurance and
200
00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:40.700
then runs off with the money,
leaving her with nothing. This is not
201
00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:45.410
a good guy. This is somebody
who not only betrays his countrymen, but
202
00:18:45.569 --> 00:18:52.490
oppresses people who are already in a
weak and vulnerable state. How does this
203
00:18:52.569 --> 00:18:57.359
tax collector pray? Even though he's
not intentionally signaling, what can we read
204
00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:04.519
based on what we see here?
He's unintentionally signaling to us that he realizes
205
00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:11.869
he is not worthy. The reality
of his sin and sinfulness are weighing down
206
00:19:12.109 --> 00:19:17.430
on him. He can't bring his
gaze up to pray in the way that
207
00:19:17.509 --> 00:19:19.589
everybody else there would pray, because
they would gaze up as they pray.
208
00:19:22.109 --> 00:19:26.180
We see it in his emotions,
we see it in his body language.
209
00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:32.180
The women in his society would beat
their chests when they were emotionally ain't when
210
00:19:32.220 --> 00:19:36.500
they were angry or when they were
deeply grieved, as if to say my
211
00:19:36.660 --> 00:19:41.849
heart is breaking. But what he
is doing is the same thing, beating
212
00:19:41.009 --> 00:19:47.650
his chest double fisted like this as
it says if he's saying my sinfulness comes
213
00:19:47.730 --> 00:19:55.839
from my heart and I cannot help
it. And then he prays, quoting
214
00:19:55.960 --> 00:20:00.759
psalmn Fifty One, which we've already
read twice. Really he says God be
215
00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:06.759
merciful to me, a sinner.
With his hands and with this prayer he's
216
00:20:06.759 --> 00:20:11.430
signaling I am not worthy. I
must rely on God's mercy. But he's
217
00:20:11.430 --> 00:20:15.789
not just relying on God's general mercy. Out there pie in the sky.
218
00:20:15.150 --> 00:20:21.309
He sees the visceral reality of God's
mercy. He sees the cost of his
219
00:20:21.579 --> 00:20:27.259
sins right there in that temple.
He sees that the lamb that has slaughtered
220
00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:33.539
is showing him that the cost of
his sin is separation from God. The
221
00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:37.329
cost of his sin is death and
separation for God for all of eternity.
222
00:20:37.369 --> 00:20:44.970
He sees that that's what his sin
deserves. He smells the barbecue coming across
223
00:20:45.009 --> 00:20:51.920
the room, but he what he
also realizes and sees as he smells that
224
00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:57.200
smell as he sees the sacrifice in
the room before him, is that his
225
00:20:57.559 --> 00:21:04.630
sins have been placed on another.
Because that's what the whole sacrifice system is
226
00:21:04.829 --> 00:21:08.589
doing. It's helping the people.
It's God's signaling to the people that he
227
00:21:08.910 --> 00:21:14.630
particularly takes on their sins and one
day in the future he will put their
228
00:21:14.789 --> 00:21:22.539
sins on another. And the people
were supposed to come in faith and trust
229
00:21:22.579 --> 00:21:27.940
in God's mercy. As they came
in saw that sacrifice, people missed God's
230
00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:33.170
signal over and over again. But
this human man, worst of the worst
231
00:21:33.609 --> 00:21:38.529
is seeing that sacrifice he's experiencing,
seeing God's particularly mercy for all of his
232
00:21:38.690 --> 00:21:45.650
sins, and it is undoing him. Say Him, I am a sinner.
233
00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:52.240
Have mercy on me. He understands
rightly, the signals that God is
234
00:21:52.359 --> 00:22:00.599
sin. The word that he's using
here is a word that's connected the word
235
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:06.750
for propitiate or tonement, sacrifice.
God, have mercy on me and a
236
00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:11.829
tone for my sins. He's claiming
that mercy, that particular mercy, that
237
00:22:11.950 --> 00:22:15.470
went on that spotless lamb, the
wrath that went on that spotless lamb,
238
00:22:15.670 --> 00:22:21.619
the righteousness that comes to him.
He's claiming it as his own. He
239
00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:27.819
truly believes God's mercy, he realizes
that he has nothing to offer on his
240
00:22:27.900 --> 00:22:33.329
own, nothing to signal, and
because he relied on God's mercy. At
241
00:22:33.369 --> 00:22:37.529
the end of the parable, Jesus
says this man went into his daily life
242
00:22:38.210 --> 00:22:48.240
justified. So what do we do
with all this? Jesus gives us some
243
00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:51.680
hints at the end of the parable, the end of verse fourteen, Fourteen
244
00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:56.599
B, for everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, but the one who
245
00:22:56.599 --> 00:23:03.869
humbles himself will be exalted, because
God is the only one who makes us
246
00:23:03.910 --> 00:23:10.069
righteous, who justifies us. Those
are the same words. We must humble
247
00:23:10.190 --> 00:23:14.299
ourselves. And so how do we
do that? Where do we do that?
248
00:23:15.539 --> 00:23:19.299
We do that on playing vertically and
horizontally, and relationship with God and
249
00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:23.420
relationship with a other people. So
we're going to look at those two in
250
00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:29.049
the last few minutes. So we
must humble ourselves in our relationship with God.
251
00:23:30.369 --> 00:23:36.769
The tax collector comes empty handed.
To come empty handed before anyone is
252
00:23:36.849 --> 00:23:41.089
to humbly submit to the mercy of
another. If you've ever been into surgery
253
00:23:41.130 --> 00:23:44.200
and they say take off everything,
all your rings, all your jewelry,
254
00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:48.559
you're coming in with just the gown
on you're humbly submitting to the surgeons.
255
00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:55.119
When you're humbly submitting, you're coming
with nothing before you. That means he's
256
00:23:55.279 --> 00:24:02.990
coming empty handed, not carrying all
the things in favor of his own righteousness
257
00:24:03.630 --> 00:24:07.910
from his own doing. He's also
not carrying in his hands things against him,
258
00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:12.140
reasons that he shouldn't come in.
Some of US need to hear the
259
00:24:12.220 --> 00:24:17.380
first thing, because we are so
tempted to bring before God to prove our
260
00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:22.420
right standing and the world based on
some longlist of all the good things that
261
00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:26.369
we've done. So we need to
ask ourselves a question. What am I
262
00:24:26.529 --> 00:24:30.009
tempted to bring in my hands to
signal to God that I'm really good?
263
00:24:30.809 --> 00:24:33.089
It's not going to be simple things. Is actually going to be really good
264
00:24:33.210 --> 00:24:38.039
things yours. In my practice of
Christianity, even as crazy as it sounds,
265
00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:41.480
our practice of the means of grace
that God set up to communicate His
266
00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:45.559
grace, we twist it into God. Look, I'm righteous because I do
267
00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:52.829
these things. Maybe it's your intellectual
curiosity, maybe it's your open mindedness to
268
00:24:52.950 --> 00:25:00.230
ideas, maybe it's your tolerance,
maybe it's your stalwart defense of the truth.
269
00:25:03.549 --> 00:25:07.900
Invite God's spirit to shine the light
of his gracious truth into your heart.
270
00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:12.660
With what are you tempted to justify
yourself before God? For us to
271
00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:18.779
humble ourselves before God is to lay
down any argument of our virtue and righteousness.
272
00:25:22.170 --> 00:25:26.329
Others of us, and I'd say
most of us, at some time
273
00:25:26.369 --> 00:25:33.930
or another, need to come empty
handed and empty our hands of the case
274
00:25:33.970 --> 00:25:40.759
against us. The tax collector actually
comes and he doesn't come with an argument
275
00:25:41.160 --> 00:25:44.599
of why he shouldn't come. He
doesn't come with excuse. He doesn't tell
276
00:25:44.599 --> 00:25:48.240
his friends or his own conscience I
can't come because I did this thing or
277
00:25:48.279 --> 00:25:52.069
this thing was done to me.
He doesn't bring a list of excuses.
278
00:25:56.109 --> 00:26:00.630
So we, some of us,
need to ask what in my conscience keeps
279
00:26:00.710 --> 00:26:06.900
me from coming before God? What
am I holding on too? What am
280
00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:10.140
I ashamed of that I've done or
that somebody else has done to me?
281
00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:15.779
What am I guilty of? Confess
those things, don't hold on to them
282
00:26:15.099 --> 00:26:18.970
like to him says that actually will
read in a little bit. Let not
283
00:26:18.170 --> 00:26:23.210
conscience make you linger, nor of
fitness fondly dream. All the fitness that
284
00:26:23.369 --> 00:26:32.450
he requires is to feel your need
of him. Some of US need to
285
00:26:32.650 --> 00:26:37.799
come empty handed of the case against
ourselves and lay it aside and confess our
286
00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:40.680
sins and say, Lord, you're
right, I've done all these things,
287
00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:42.200
but I know you don't hold it
against me. Have mercy on me.
288
00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:49.150
Others of US need to come empty
handed of the case this for us,
289
00:26:49.750 --> 00:26:57.430
for our reputation, but we also
must humble ourselves before other people. When
290
00:26:57.470 --> 00:27:03.059
we really understand God's justification by grace
for us, we should be compelled to
291
00:27:03.140 --> 00:27:11.220
humble ourselves before other people. The
tax collector left justified at the end.
292
00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:12.779
He says it went to his house, went down to his house, left
293
00:27:12.779 --> 00:27:17.250
the Temple Mount down to his house
and what he's Jesus is saying. He's
294
00:27:17.490 --> 00:27:21.650
he went into his daily life.
I don't know what you and you do
295
00:27:22.329 --> 00:27:23.890
or I do in our daily life. We do nothing right now because we're
296
00:27:23.890 --> 00:27:27.809
at home, but in his day
he would interact with other people. That
297
00:27:27.930 --> 00:27:30.880
means he has to interact with other
people. Now. We don't see what
298
00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:37.119
happens to this man because he's a
fictitious character and one of Jesus's parables,
299
00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:41.440
which is fiction, but we do
see what happens to at least two other
300
00:27:41.559 --> 00:27:47.589
tax collectors who encounter God's race through
Jesus. One of them happens a few
301
00:27:47.829 --> 00:27:53.230
lines past this in exit in Luke
Nineteen. It's the story of Zechias.
302
00:27:55.430 --> 00:27:57.390
What do you know about Zechias?
That he was a wee little man,
303
00:27:57.740 --> 00:28:03.180
we little mam see, and he
climbed in a Sycamore Tree. We also
304
00:28:03.220 --> 00:28:07.940
knows that he was a tax collector. He was hated and despised and when
305
00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:12.970
Jesus encountered him all it was the
talk of the area because they hated Zekias
306
00:28:14.089 --> 00:28:21.250
so much. But we also know
Zechius has at least verbal response to Jesus
307
00:28:21.289 --> 00:28:30.039
when he encountered his mercy. This
is Luke nineteen, verse eight. Zechius
308
00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:33.599
says to Jesus, behold Lord,
the half of my goods I give to
309
00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:38.279
the poor, and if I have
defrauded anyone of anything, I restore a
310
00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:44.470
fourfold. Now we don't get to
see it happen, but we can take
311
00:28:44.470 --> 00:28:48.390
him at his word that he had
true heart and life change. We can
312
00:28:48.430 --> 00:28:53.230
imagine him going before other people,
not holding any defense, defensiveness of saying
313
00:28:53.269 --> 00:28:56.980
like well, it was my right, I could have done it because I
314
00:28:56.299 --> 00:29:02.380
worked for the Roman government. From
what his language and his contrite heart is
315
00:29:02.380 --> 00:29:06.380
right here we can see and assume
that he's saying, I'm sorry, will
316
00:29:06.420 --> 00:29:11.410
you forgive me? What can I
do to make it right? Sometimes that's
317
00:29:11.490 --> 00:29:18.369
what we need to do as we
humbly relate to other people. Confession and
318
00:29:18.569 --> 00:29:22.569
repentance. Man, that's incredibly humbling
because you give up complete control in the
319
00:29:22.609 --> 00:29:29.079
relationship and you say, will you
forgive me, I was wrong, I
320
00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:30.960
hurt you, I did this thing
and I shouldn't have done it and I
321
00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:36.079
have no defense against it. Is
there anything? What can I do to
322
00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:41.029
make it right? And there might
not be anything right now that we can
323
00:29:41.109 --> 00:29:48.069
do. It's completely humbling. We
see another man who is transformed by God's
324
00:29:48.109 --> 00:29:56.420
mercy through Jesus, who's a tax
collector, a man named Matthew, who
325
00:29:56.460 --> 00:30:00.819
wrote the First Gospel account of Jesus's
life, and it's interesting that the Holy
326
00:30:00.859 --> 00:30:08.769
Spirit pricked his conscience, super imposing
the writing of the word to dedicate three
327
00:30:10.049 --> 00:30:15.369
full long chapters of the sermon on
the Mount, which really highlights what it
328
00:30:15.450 --> 00:30:18.849
means to love God and love of
other people. And in the sermon on
329
00:30:18.970 --> 00:30:26.839
the mount, Jesus gives us creative
license at the end in Chapter Seven of
330
00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:33.240
how to apply humbly submitting to other
people. Jesus says in Matthew Seven,
331
00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:37.670
due to others as you would have
them do to you. This is humble
332
00:30:37.789 --> 00:30:42.950
love because it forces us to see
someone else as a human being, to
333
00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:48.190
have patience with them, like God
has had patience with us, to show
334
00:30:48.230 --> 00:30:52.259
compassion and love even when they don't
deserve it, even when they haven't earned
335
00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:56.380
it, because that's what God has
done to us. Sometimes it might mean
336
00:30:56.420 --> 00:31:00.220
setting up boundaries, but it's treating
them with the dignity of a human being
337
00:31:00.380 --> 00:31:04.930
and as incredibly difficult and incredibly humbling, because we have to step off of
338
00:31:06.170 --> 00:31:11.569
our own throne and get dirty with
the brokenness and the messiness of other people's
339
00:31:11.609 --> 00:31:22.640
pride and lack of self control and
hurtfulness, lack of right views, and
340
00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:27.880
actually love them. When you and
I begin to realize that we're justified before
341
00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:33.670
God only by His grace through the
substitute of another, we will have freedom
342
00:31:33.950 --> 00:31:38.109
to not to have to signal any
virtues to anyone else. We don't have
343
00:31:38.150 --> 00:31:42.509
to use our behavior or our words
to signal that we are righteous, and
344
00:31:42.710 --> 00:31:48.259
we don't have to read other people's
words or behaviors or views to determine if
345
00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:55.700
they're righteous enough for us to care
about them, and then when we struggle
346
00:31:55.779 --> 00:32:01.250
to fail to love well, we
come back again and ask for goodness of
347
00:32:01.369 --> 00:32:07.849
God and realize that mercy comes for
us, whether we've been completely self righteous
348
00:32:07.849 --> 00:32:14.049
and virtue signaling or whether we've betrayed
lots of people. You and I,
349
00:32:14.089 --> 00:32:17.960
all of us, are lacking social
interaction, and I'd say family doesn't count
350
00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:22.039
in that, even though family great, roommates don't count, because we need
351
00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:24.400
people, we need to gather like
this, we need a bump up with
352
00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:30.509
other people who aren't in our brain. We lack that social interaction. Life
353
00:32:30.549 --> 00:32:37.470
is difficult right now and in God's
providential curriculum for us it seems extra difficult.
354
00:32:38.950 --> 00:32:44.779
But God knows what it's like to
enter in two difficult world, a
355
00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:51.380
difficult and broken world. The second
person of the Trinity made it a plan
356
00:32:51.539 --> 00:32:55.619
from all of eternity, with the
father and the spirit, to enter into
357
00:32:55.740 --> 00:33:02.690
creation and in this difficult life that
you and I live in, that second
358
00:33:02.970 --> 00:33:08.049
person of the Trinity, the man
Jesus, in the face of difficulty and
359
00:33:08.329 --> 00:33:15.000
difficulty and Messiness, lived a completely
humble life, always loving God and submitting
360
00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:22.079
to God, never virtue signaling but
actually living out his virtue, always humbling
361
00:33:22.160 --> 00:33:32.910
himself to other people, even despised
Canaanite Women, even tax collectors, living
362
00:33:32.990 --> 00:33:40.579
his life of humbly loving others,
living a perfect and virtuous life and then
363
00:33:40.619 --> 00:33:47.859
humbly submitting to unrighteous mob, humbly
submitting to the will of the father and
364
00:33:47.940 --> 00:33:54.809
the father's wrath, laying down his
life that he wasn't just signaling God's love
365
00:33:55.009 --> 00:34:04.250
for us, but he was accomplishing
it on the cross. His substitute covers
366
00:34:04.690 --> 00:34:08.849
all of your sin, all of
my sin, whether it's sins of selfrighteous
367
00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:15.039
virtue, signaling and despising other people, or you're breaking of vows and betrayal
368
00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:22.719
of other people, things that you're
ashamed God doesn't just signal his love for
369
00:34:22.760 --> 00:34:30.230
us, he accomplishes us and accomplishes
it and then exalts us into the right
370
00:34:30.469 --> 00:34:36.869
standing that only Jesus deserves. The
father. You're not just forgiven, you're
371
00:34:36.909 --> 00:34:40.659
brought into right relationship for all of
eternity with the Living God. Imagine if
372
00:34:40.699 --> 00:34:45.699
that you and I as individuals,
that we as Christian Church and community,
373
00:34:45.940 --> 00:34:50.619
believe this justification, justification by grace, a little bit more. Imagine the
374
00:34:50.739 --> 00:34:53.650
freedom that we would feel as we
come before God, come to the table.
375
00:34:53.889 --> 00:34:58.969
Imagine the freedom of not having to
virtue signal to any one in our
376
00:34:59.010 --> 00:35:04.849
life, and imagine the freedom of
bringing light and hope to hopeless and dark
377
00:35:04.889 --> 00:35:10.440
world as we humbly love others because
God has loved us first. This is
378
00:35:10.480 --> 00:35:16.280
the freedom that the Christian Gospel brings
and invites you to drink deeply of.
379
00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:22.190
So would you do that with me? Will you pray with me? Father,
380
00:35:22.269 --> 00:35:28.469
we can only do this if your
spirit provokes our hearts and deepens our
381
00:35:28.550 --> 00:35:37.380
faith. Some of US are longing
to rest in you because we haven't done
382
00:35:37.380 --> 00:35:43.860
it in a long time. So
would you cause us to rest, because
383
00:35:43.900 --> 00:35:50.650
humility before you brings rest. Some
of us have never done it. So
384
00:35:50.769 --> 00:35:53.369
we asked that you, for those
people, would humble their hearts and give
385
00:35:53.409 --> 00:36:00.369
them the courage to have humility and
to submit before you, because you are
386
00:36:00.570 --> 00:36:07.440
gracious. Others of US need to
do it again for the thousands of times.
387
00:36:07.519 --> 00:36:09.280
We ask that you would give us
the courage and the humility to do
388
00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:15.639
it. Help us to believe that
we are made right with you only by
389
00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:22.110
your grace covers all of our sins
and exalts us into right standing with you.
390
00:36:23.269 --> 00:36:27.710
We ask this in the powerful name
of Jesus Amen
