1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,625 2 00:00:00,667 --> 00:00:02,167 Pastor Mark here. 3 00:00:02,250 --> 00:00:06,167 Behind me is the well-known Wailing Wall that is where 4 00:00:06,250 --> 00:00:08,667 many come to offer prayers. 5 00:00:08,750 --> 00:00:12,083 It is an exposed part of the city that is 6 00:00:12,167 --> 00:00:13,792 part of the older ruins. 7 00:00:13,833 --> 00:00:17,000 The city has been built up and the result is 8 00:00:17,042 --> 00:00:19,417 that much of the ancient portions of the city 9 00:00:19,500 --> 00:00:22,500 are not accessible unless, in fact, you go underground. 10 00:00:22,583 --> 00:00:24,167 But this is accessible. 11 00:00:24,250 --> 00:00:27,583 And for many, they consider this to be mediatorial. 12 00:00:27,667 --> 00:00:30,083 This is a place that gets them closer to God. 13 00:00:30,167 --> 00:00:32,292 As a Christian, we enjoy and appreciate it because 14 00:00:32,333 --> 00:00:35,125 actually Jesus would have walked by these walls. 15 00:00:35,167 --> 00:00:39,000 They were concluded prior to his birth and traveling. 16 00:00:39,042 --> 00:00:40,875 Jesus would have been here frequently. 17 00:00:40,958 --> 00:00:42,708 We know that from the Scriptures. 18 00:00:42,792 --> 00:00:45,125 He may have even touched these walls on occasion. 19 00:00:45,167 --> 00:00:47,625 But what makes this place important 20 00:00:47,667 --> 00:00:49,208 is that Jesus was here. 21 00:00:49,292 --> 00:00:51,500 It's a way for us to learn about him. 22 00:00:51,583 --> 00:00:53,500 For those who find it to be mediatorial, 23 00:00:53,583 --> 00:00:55,208 their assumption is that the temple 24 00:00:55,292 --> 00:00:56,792 is the holiest place on earth. 25 00:00:56,833 --> 00:00:59,625 We know that when Jesus died, the curtain was torn from 26 00:00:59,667 --> 00:01:01,500 top to bottom, from God to us. 27 00:01:01,583 --> 00:01:03,333 The presence of God, the Holy Spirit, 28 00:01:03,375 --> 00:01:06,083 was unleashed and God is no longer here. 29 00:01:06,167 --> 00:01:09,625 God has not been here for a very long time. 30 00:01:09,667 --> 00:01:12,500 The presence of God is now with the people of God. 31 00:01:12,542 --> 00:01:15,208 And the temple of God, no matter what they would say, 32 00:01:15,292 --> 00:01:17,875 is not the ruins in this place. 33 00:01:17,958 --> 00:01:21,375 It is in fact the people of God, in which the Holy Spirit dwells, 34 00:01:21,458 --> 00:01:24,417 the church, the body of Christ, and the Christians who are 35 00:01:24,500 --> 00:01:26,000 the sons and daughters of God 36 00:01:26,083 --> 00:01:28,375 through the work and ministry of Jesus. 37 00:01:33,083 --> 00:01:38,083 [music] 38 00:02:01,167 --> 00:02:03,708 God becomes a man, the Lord Jesus Christ, 39 00:02:03,792 --> 00:02:06,500 and during his life on the earth, 40 00:02:06,583 --> 00:02:08,500 Jesus said and did many things. 41 00:02:08,583 --> 00:02:11,500 And as we're discovering in Luke, he often told parables, 42 00:02:11,583 --> 00:02:14,917 which are little stories that teach big truths, 43 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,875 usually answering one question. 44 00:02:17,958 --> 00:02:20,917 And today, Jesus is going to have for us a parable that, 45 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,708 for the original hearers, would have been quite disorienting. 46 00:02:23,792 --> 00:02:28,125 He says that a seemingly holy man, a religious leader, 47 00:02:28,167 --> 00:02:31,333 a Pharisee, goes to a holy place, the temple, 48 00:02:31,375 --> 00:02:33,917 to do a holy thing, that is pray, 49 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,500 and it was all very unholy. 50 00:02:36,583 --> 00:02:38,333 Very perplexing. 51 00:02:38,375 --> 00:02:42,333 We find this in Luke 18:9-14. 52 00:02:42,375 --> 00:02:45,625 And as you're finding that place in your Bible or on your app, 53 00:02:45,667 --> 00:02:49,292 here's the question that the parable seeks to answer. 54 00:02:49,333 --> 00:02:52,833 How can we be righteous? 55 00:02:52,875 --> 00:02:54,208 That's the question. 56 00:02:54,292 --> 00:02:57,333 Jesus is going to use the word "righteous." 57 00:02:57,375 --> 00:03:00,833 And when it comes to righteous and righteousness, 58 00:03:00,875 --> 00:03:03,000 that is, in fact, an attribute of God. 59 00:03:03,083 --> 00:03:05,708 God, the Bible says repeatedly, is righteous. 60 00:03:05,792 --> 00:03:09,417 This means that he is holy, that he is good, that he is right, 61 00:03:09,500 --> 00:03:12,167 that he is without sin. 62 00:03:12,250 --> 00:03:14,917 To think of it in terms of a legal metaphor, 63 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:20,792 God is one who rules rightly and justly and honorably and nobly 64 00:03:20,833 --> 00:03:23,875 and faithfully and truthfully. 65 00:03:23,958 --> 00:03:26,125 And the Bible says that we were originally created, 66 00:03:26,167 --> 00:03:29,292 male and female, in the image and likeness of God. 67 00:03:29,333 --> 00:03:32,292 That's why Genesis 1:31 said that God made us, quote, 68 00:03:32,333 --> 00:03:33,708 "very good." 69 00:03:33,792 --> 00:03:37,125 It's why Ecclesiastes 7:29 declares that God made us 70 00:03:37,167 --> 00:03:40,708 upright, that he made us righteous. 71 00:03:40,792 --> 00:03:44,792 But through sin we are all unrighteous. 72 00:03:44,833 --> 00:03:48,000 That's where the Bible says no one is righteous, 73 00:03:48,083 --> 00:03:51,208 not one person is righteous. 74 00:03:51,292 --> 00:03:54,625 And this leads to a real problem. 75 00:03:54,667 --> 00:03:56,708 God is righteous and we are unrighteous. 76 00:03:56,792 --> 00:04:00,167 How could God declare us to be righteous? 77 00:04:00,250 --> 00:04:03,208 How do we remedy this sin problem? 78 00:04:03,292 --> 00:04:05,625 And the issue of God declaring us righteous, 79 00:04:05,667 --> 00:04:09,125 to use theological language, is "justified." 80 00:04:09,167 --> 00:04:13,708 That is when God declares a sinner who is unrighteous 81 00:04:13,792 --> 00:04:15,333 to be righteous. 82 00:04:15,375 --> 00:04:17,333 That is justified. 83 00:04:17,375 --> 00:04:20,500 Jesus is going to use these words in this parable. 84 00:04:20,583 --> 00:04:23,208 He's going to talk about sin, he's going to talk about 85 00:04:23,292 --> 00:04:26,833 righteousness, and he's going to talk about one man being 86 00:04:26,875 --> 00:04:30,417 justified, though sinful, declared righteous 87 00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:33,167 in the sight of God. 88 00:04:33,250 --> 00:04:36,833 And there are two ways in which the human heart and life 89 00:04:36,875 --> 00:04:39,083 pursues righteousness. 90 00:04:39,167 --> 00:04:42,208 To long for righteousness is not a bad thing. 91 00:04:42,292 --> 00:04:46,000 We simply need to pursue it in the right way. 92 00:04:46,042 --> 00:04:48,625 And in this story, Jesus is going to introduce us 93 00:04:48,667 --> 00:04:50,583 to two men, 94 00:04:50,667 --> 00:04:54,208 one man who pursues what we will call works righteousness, 95 00:04:54,292 --> 00:04:58,792 another man who will receive gift righteousness. 96 00:04:58,833 --> 00:05:02,500 And everyone in the history of the world falls into one of 97 00:05:02,583 --> 00:05:07,125 these two categories: pursuing works righteousness 98 00:05:07,167 --> 00:05:10,333 or receiving gift righteousness. 99 00:05:10,375 --> 00:05:13,833 So as we unpack the story, it is incumbent upon you and us 100 00:05:13,875 --> 00:05:17,292 to ask, "Which person do I most identify with? 101 00:05:17,333 --> 00:05:20,208 "Who am I most like? 102 00:05:20,292 --> 00:05:23,083 "Am I pursuing works righteousness of my own 103 00:05:23,167 --> 00:05:26,667 or receiving gift righteousness from God?" 104 00:05:26,750 --> 00:05:29,792 And furthermore, God is going to negate the first 105 00:05:29,833 --> 00:05:32,000 and he is going to affirm the latter. 106 00:05:32,083 --> 00:05:35,792 And so we will start with option number one, works righteousness, 107 00:05:35,833 --> 00:05:40,125 in Luke 18:9-12. 108 00:05:40,167 --> 00:05:45,083 "He," that is Jesus, "also told this parable to some who 109 00:05:45,167 --> 00:05:49,333 trusted in themselves that they were righteous," 110 00:05:49,375 --> 00:05:52,333 there's our word, "and treated others with contempt." 111 00:05:52,375 --> 00:05:55,833 And so the story goes, "'Two men went up into the temple to pray, 112 00:05:55,875 --> 00:05:59,500 "'one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 113 00:05:59,542 --> 00:06:03,125 "'The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: "God, 114 00:06:03,167 --> 00:06:08,500 "'"I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, 115 00:06:08,583 --> 00:06:11,333 "'"adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 116 00:06:11,375 --> 00:06:17,000 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get."'" 117 00:06:17,042 --> 00:06:22,000 So this man here is operating under works righteousness. 118 00:06:22,083 --> 00:06:25,000 He wants to be declared righteous in the sight of God, 119 00:06:25,083 --> 00:06:28,417 so he is going to live his life in such a way 120 00:06:28,500 --> 00:06:31,625 that he anticipates and expects, though wrongly, 121 00:06:31,667 --> 00:06:36,125 that God will be impressed with him and that God will bless him. 122 00:06:36,167 --> 00:06:39,583 And there are varying ways that we pursue works righteousness. 123 00:06:39,667 --> 00:06:41,917 Not all of them are religious. 124 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,583 You don't have to be necessarily religious to be one who pursues 125 00:06:45,667 --> 00:06:47,000 works righteousness. 126 00:06:47,042 --> 00:06:50,208 I'll give you a few examples of ways that people commonly pursue 127 00:06:50,292 --> 00:06:51,667 works righteousness. 128 00:06:51,750 --> 00:06:54,833 Some just assume, "I don't need to exert any additional effort. 129 00:06:54,875 --> 00:06:56,333 "I'm a good enough person. 130 00:06:56,375 --> 00:06:59,000 "I'm sure in the end, when I stand before God 131 00:06:59,083 --> 00:07:02,000 "and he judges me, he'll think, 'Pretty good person. 132 00:07:02,083 --> 00:07:05,000 "'I'm okay with you. You're not as good as some. 133 00:07:05,083 --> 00:07:07,833 "'You're not as bad as most. We're grading on a curve. 134 00:07:07,875 --> 00:07:10,167 Lo and behold, you've made the cut.'" 135 00:07:10,250 --> 00:07:11,917 And some of you feel that way. 136 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:13,917 You don't have the sense of urgency like, 137 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,667 "I need to try harder and do better so that God 138 00:07:16,750 --> 00:07:18,167 would be pleased with me." 139 00:07:18,250 --> 00:07:19,667 You say, "Ah, I'm not too bad. 140 00:07:19,750 --> 00:07:21,167 "I haven't done anything too catastrophic. 141 00:07:21,250 --> 00:07:24,583 I'm sure when all is said and done, God will be fine with me." 142 00:07:24,667 --> 00:07:27,583 Some of you as well will wrongly assume that because you have 143 00:07:27,667 --> 00:07:31,000 suffered in this life, you cannot suffer after this life. 144 00:07:31,083 --> 00:07:33,000 Your life has been hard physically, emotionally, 145 00:07:33,042 --> 00:07:37,417 spiritually, financially, and as a result of perhaps abuse 146 00:07:37,500 --> 00:07:40,833 or neglect or sin committed against you, you think, 147 00:07:40,875 --> 00:07:43,500 "Well, when I die, perhaps God sort of owes me. 148 00:07:43,583 --> 00:07:45,833 "He can't judge me and send me to hell. 149 00:07:45,875 --> 00:07:48,667 "My life on earth has already been a little bit hellish. 150 00:07:48,750 --> 00:07:50,083 "I've suffered enough. 151 00:07:50,167 --> 00:07:51,583 "I don't need to do any more. 152 00:07:51,667 --> 00:07:54,917 "I'm sure that I'm a good person in God's sight and he'll have 153 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,125 favor upon me in the end." 154 00:07:57,167 --> 00:08:02,083 There are also those who are cause-oriented crusaders. 155 00:08:02,167 --> 00:08:06,417 And they would say, "I am a good person because I do blank." 156 00:08:06,500 --> 00:08:08,708 And fill in the blank with whatever you want. 157 00:08:08,792 --> 00:08:11,583 And you don't even need to be religious to do this. 158 00:08:11,667 --> 00:08:14,667 "I am better than you because I take the bus. 159 00:08:14,750 --> 00:08:16,083 "I drive a hybrid vehicle. 160 00:08:16,167 --> 00:08:17,500 "I ride a bike. 161 00:08:17,542 --> 00:08:19,208 "I work at the local pea patch. 162 00:08:19,292 --> 00:08:20,625 "I recycle. 163 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:22,417 "I use all of my rain water. 164 00:08:22,500 --> 00:08:24,917 "I have a low carbon footprint. 165 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,708 "I only feed my pet organic treats. 166 00:08:28,792 --> 00:08:32,208 "I'm a good person because I made this list 167 00:08:32,292 --> 00:08:33,625 "of what good people do, 168 00:08:33,667 --> 00:08:36,333 "and I keep the list of all my own rules. 169 00:08:36,375 --> 00:08:38,625 "I don't necessarily go to the Word of God, 170 00:08:38,667 --> 00:08:42,625 "but I act a little bit like God and I make a little list of dos 171 00:08:42,667 --> 00:08:46,208 and don'ts and I give myself a high score on performance." 172 00:08:46,292 --> 00:08:48,000 Right? 173 00:08:48,083 --> 00:08:50,667 And this is what some of us do. 174 00:08:50,750 --> 00:08:53,125 "I'm better than most people because I blank." 175 00:08:53,167 --> 00:08:56,292 And then we get very moral and self-righteous and judgmental. 176 00:08:56,333 --> 00:08:57,833 "Do you do what I do? 177 00:08:57,875 --> 00:08:59,208 "You don't? You should. 178 00:08:59,292 --> 00:09:02,333 "I'm going to make you feel very ashamed and I'm better than you 179 00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:03,708 and I'll show you why." 180 00:09:03,792 --> 00:09:06,708 And this is why people get so addicted to their little causes. 181 00:09:06,792 --> 00:09:08,708 Sometimes the causes aren't bad. Sometimes they're weird. 182 00:09:08,792 --> 00:09:10,708 Weirdest one I've ever seen? Glad you asked. 183 00:09:10,792 --> 00:09:12,125 I'll tell you what it is. 184 00:09:12,167 --> 00:09:14,292 I saw it recently on a bumper sticker. 185 00:09:14,333 --> 00:09:16,708 It said, quote, "Save the wolves." 186 00:09:16,792 --> 00:09:19,167 The wolves. 187 00:09:19,250 --> 00:09:23,000 Have you not read "Little Red Riding Hood"? 188 00:09:23,083 --> 00:09:25,000 We need to be saved from the wolves. 189 00:09:25,083 --> 00:09:27,333 You know you're officially out of causes by which 190 00:09:27,375 --> 00:09:30,875 to distinguish how righteous you are when you end up 191 00:09:30,958 --> 00:09:32,875 at "save the wolves." 192 00:09:32,958 --> 00:09:35,708 And I'm sure one of you is part of that organization. 193 00:09:35,792 --> 00:09:38,917 You're going to send me an email with all of the reasons why 194 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:41,208 I should join "save the wolves" and publicly apologize 195 00:09:41,292 --> 00:09:42,917 for criticizing "save the wolves." 196 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,583 And my point is you're self-righteous. 197 00:09:45,667 --> 00:09:48,583 And God made wolves and he loves 'em and so do we, 198 00:09:48,667 --> 00:09:52,125 but at the end of the day, no one is more holy than another 199 00:09:52,167 --> 00:09:55,000 person because of the cause that they have chosen. 200 00:09:55,083 --> 00:09:57,625 No one will stand before God and have God say, 201 00:09:57,667 --> 00:10:00,333 "Why should I declare you justified and righteous 202 00:10:00,375 --> 00:10:02,000 in my sight?" 203 00:10:02,083 --> 00:10:06,708 And it will not be sufficient to say, "I was pro-wolf." 204 00:10:06,792 --> 00:10:10,000 That's a totally different topic. 205 00:10:10,083 --> 00:10:13,208 And this sometimes, as well, plays itself out with what 206 00:10:13,292 --> 00:10:15,125 we'll call self-esteem. 207 00:10:15,167 --> 00:10:19,125 Sometimes works righteousness manifests itself in self-esteem. 208 00:10:19,167 --> 00:10:21,167 And you're taught since you're a little kid, 209 00:10:21,250 --> 00:10:22,583 "Have a very high self-esteem." 210 00:10:22,667 --> 00:10:24,583 And so you think very highly of yourself. 211 00:10:24,667 --> 00:10:26,583 You think, "Well, of course God loves me. 212 00:10:26,667 --> 00:10:28,000 "Look at me. 213 00:10:28,042 --> 00:10:29,708 "Of course God is impressed with me. 214 00:10:29,792 --> 00:10:31,125 I'm pretty impressive." 215 00:10:31,167 --> 00:10:34,917 We have a very high self-esteem, even though sometimes we have 216 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,625 a very low morality. 217 00:10:37,667 --> 00:10:41,208 Now, how many of you like Leo Tolstoy? 218 00:10:41,292 --> 00:10:42,625 You like his works? 219 00:10:42,667 --> 00:10:44,625 He's a good author. He made this statement. 220 00:10:44,667 --> 00:10:46,625 I'll give you an example of works righteousness 221 00:10:46,667 --> 00:10:48,083 and high self-esteem. 222 00:10:48,167 --> 00:10:51,583 He says, quote, "I have not yet met a single man who was morally 223 00:10:51,667 --> 00:10:53,917 as good as I." 224 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:55,333 Pray for his wife. 225 00:10:55,375 --> 00:10:57,333 I mean, that's amazing. 226 00:10:57,375 --> 00:11:00,625 See, and some of us, we hear that and we laugh at that 227 00:11:00,667 --> 00:11:03,125 and we say, "I can't believe he thinks he's better 228 00:11:03,167 --> 00:11:04,500 than everybody else." 229 00:11:04,583 --> 00:11:07,500 Many of us think that, but we just don't write it down. 230 00:11:07,583 --> 00:11:09,000 Right? You think that. 231 00:11:09,083 --> 00:11:10,833 You think, "I'm better than most people." 232 00:11:10,875 --> 00:11:13,833 The people you work with, do you not think, "They are stupid. 233 00:11:13,875 --> 00:11:16,333 "They are all stupid. It's a good thing I'm here." 234 00:11:16,375 --> 00:11:18,417 Right? How about in traffic? 235 00:11:18,500 --> 00:11:21,625 You're in your car and you don't put it on your bumper sticker. 236 00:11:21,667 --> 00:11:24,333 You know, "I have not found anyone as fantastic as me." 237 00:11:24,375 --> 00:11:25,792 You wouldn't Twitter that. 238 00:11:25,833 --> 00:11:28,292 But truly, when you're driving in your car in traffic, 239 00:11:28,333 --> 00:11:31,292 you think, "I'm the only person on the road who's not stupid. 240 00:11:31,333 --> 00:11:32,667 I'm the only one." 241 00:11:32,750 --> 00:11:34,833 And what happens is we consider ourselves 242 00:11:34,875 --> 00:11:36,500 morally superior to others. 243 00:11:36,583 --> 00:11:38,000 We look down on others. 244 00:11:38,083 --> 00:11:40,000 Some of us just say it. 245 00:11:40,083 --> 00:11:42,500 Some of us just say--some of you have said this. 246 00:11:42,583 --> 00:11:44,292 Somebody will look at you and say, 247 00:11:44,333 --> 00:11:46,000 "So you think you're better than me?" 248 00:11:46,083 --> 00:11:47,500 You're like, "Yep." Right? 249 00:11:47,583 --> 00:11:50,500 Some of you have just said it and others of us wouldn't 250 00:11:50,583 --> 00:11:53,000 say it, but we think it and we believe it. 251 00:11:53,083 --> 00:11:56,333 And the worst, perhaps most common and nefarious kind of 252 00:11:56,375 --> 00:12:01,208 works righteousness of all is religious works righteousness. 253 00:12:01,292 --> 00:12:04,292 And this can be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, 254 00:12:04,333 --> 00:12:06,708 whatever version of religion you're into, 255 00:12:06,792 --> 00:12:10,208 Jehovah's Witnessism, Mormonism, whatever it is. 256 00:12:10,292 --> 00:12:14,292 But it's this disposition, it's this proclivity to see God 257 00:12:14,333 --> 00:12:17,833 as a judge and we as performers seeking to impress God 258 00:12:17,875 --> 00:12:20,333 with our religious performance. 259 00:12:20,375 --> 00:12:23,000 This can be truth righteousness, where I'm better than everyone 260 00:12:23,083 --> 00:12:24,833 because I read all the right books, 261 00:12:24,875 --> 00:12:27,833 I've memorized the verses, I can answer the questions. 262 00:12:27,875 --> 00:12:29,667 This can be morality righteousness. 263 00:12:29,750 --> 00:12:32,167 "I'm better than everyone because I don't do bad things 264 00:12:32,250 --> 00:12:33,875 and I do do good things." 265 00:12:33,958 --> 00:12:35,333 This could be ministry righteousness. 266 00:12:35,375 --> 00:12:37,000 "Of course I'm better than everyone. 267 00:12:37,042 --> 00:12:39,500 "Look at all the things I do for the Lord. 268 00:12:39,583 --> 00:12:40,917 I've done so much." 269 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,917 Maybe it's even giving or serving. 270 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,000 And these are not necessarily bad things, 271 00:12:45,083 --> 00:12:48,667 but they do not cause us to be seen by the God of the Bible 272 00:12:48,750 --> 00:12:51,417 as acceptably righteous in his sight. 273 00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:54,333 And that is this story. 274 00:12:54,375 --> 00:12:57,208 This man is very devoutly religious, 275 00:12:57,292 --> 00:12:59,167 pursuing works righteousness. 276 00:12:59,250 --> 00:13:00,792 We're told that he's a Pharisee. 277 00:13:00,833 --> 00:13:04,833 That was a very strictly devoted sect in that day. 278 00:13:04,875 --> 00:13:08,000 Today, it would be like a preacher, a pastor, an elder, 279 00:13:08,083 --> 00:13:11,500 a deacon, a theologian, a noteworthy Christian speaker, 280 00:13:11,583 --> 00:13:14,000 leader, or author. 281 00:13:14,083 --> 00:13:17,833 He is very devout, very serious, very committed. 282 00:13:17,875 --> 00:13:21,125 Everyone looked up to him and respected him. 283 00:13:21,167 --> 00:13:24,500 And Jesus says, "God is not pleased with him." 284 00:13:24,583 --> 00:13:25,917 Disorienting. 285 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:27,917 And some of us would be that way. 286 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,417 "Look at how zealous they are. 287 00:13:29,500 --> 00:13:31,417 "Those people go knocking door to door. 288 00:13:31,500 --> 00:13:34,125 "Three times a day, those people face east and pray. 289 00:13:34,167 --> 00:13:36,000 "Those people carry a rug with them 290 00:13:36,042 --> 00:13:37,375 "for the special prayer time. 291 00:13:37,458 --> 00:13:40,375 "Those people get on an airplane and go to a sacred place. 292 00:13:40,458 --> 00:13:41,875 "Those people don't eat pork. 293 00:13:41,958 --> 00:13:44,875 "Those people don't eat, drink, do certain things. 294 00:13:44,958 --> 00:13:47,000 "Look at how serious they are. 295 00:13:47,083 --> 00:13:49,000 "I could never be that self-disciplined. 296 00:13:49,083 --> 00:13:50,417 I am so impressed." 297 00:13:50,500 --> 00:13:52,917 And because we tend to be wrongly impressed by those 298 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:57,958 people, Jesus introduces one as a villain and not a hero. 299 00:14:00,875 --> 00:14:05,417 Because works righteousness is unrighteousness. 300 00:14:05,500 --> 00:14:09,000 Works righteousness is unrighteousness. 301 00:14:09,083 --> 00:14:13,333 Now, pulling from the story, I'll give you eight reasons why 302 00:14:13,375 --> 00:14:15,625 works righteousness is unrighteousness. 303 00:14:15,667 --> 00:14:17,667 Number one, it's man centered, not God centered. 304 00:14:17,750 --> 00:14:22,208 In the story, the guy prays, "Dear God," so he says God once, 305 00:14:22,292 --> 00:14:24,917 "I, I, I, I, I." 306 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,625 He says "I" five times in one prayer. 307 00:14:28,667 --> 00:14:33,375 "God, I, I, I, I, I am really fantastic. 308 00:14:33,458 --> 00:14:34,792 You're welcome." 309 00:14:34,833 --> 00:14:36,500 That's basically the prayer. 310 00:14:36,542 --> 00:14:38,500 That's not a prayer. 311 00:14:38,583 --> 00:14:40,208 That's a boast. 312 00:14:40,292 --> 00:14:42,292 That's all that it is. 313 00:14:42,333 --> 00:14:45,292 And we have in our day even theologies, 314 00:14:45,333 --> 00:14:47,917 those who would claim to teach the Bible, who say, 315 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,333 "You don't exist to obey and glorify God. 316 00:14:51,375 --> 00:14:54,500 "God exists to obey and glorify you so you can be all you 317 00:14:54,583 --> 00:14:57,500 "can be, do all you can do, have all you can have. 318 00:14:57,583 --> 00:15:00,208 God's in it for you to make you a winner." 319 00:15:00,292 --> 00:15:01,625 Not true. 320 00:15:01,667 --> 00:15:05,083 We exist for God, God does not exist for us. 321 00:15:05,167 --> 00:15:08,500 The center of human history is not humanity, 322 00:15:08,583 --> 00:15:12,917 it is the creator God of the Bible. 323 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,917 And this man sees himself as the center of his life 324 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,917 and God exists to be impressed with him. 325 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:24,208 Number two, it compares us, works righteousness does, 326 00:15:24,292 --> 00:15:26,583 to someone other than Jesus. 327 00:15:26,667 --> 00:15:29,125 This man in the story, he says, "God, thank you. 328 00:15:29,167 --> 00:15:32,833 "I'm not like the unjust and the adulterers and thank you 329 00:15:32,875 --> 00:15:35,333 "that I'm not like other men and thank you, 330 00:15:35,375 --> 00:15:37,125 I'm not like the tax collector." 331 00:15:37,167 --> 00:15:38,708 He's comparing himself to others. 332 00:15:38,792 --> 00:15:41,625 And those of us who are prone toward works righteousness, 333 00:15:41,667 --> 00:15:44,000 and let me say this, friends, we all are. 334 00:15:44,042 --> 00:15:46,500 This is not a lesson you're going to learn today, 335 00:15:46,583 --> 00:15:48,625 this is a lesson to learn every day, 336 00:15:48,667 --> 00:15:51,208 because this is something we continually gravitate toward 337 00:15:51,292 --> 00:15:54,167 is works righteousness. 338 00:15:54,250 --> 00:15:55,833 We compare ourselves to other people. 339 00:15:55,875 --> 00:15:57,208 "Oh, they're horrible, they're terrible, 340 00:15:57,292 --> 00:16:00,292 they're not as good as me, they're not as smart as me." 341 00:16:00,333 --> 00:16:02,125 Friends, we are to compare ourselves to 342 00:16:02,167 --> 00:16:03,500 the Lord Jesus Christ. 343 00:16:03,583 --> 00:16:06,500 And as we do, we realize we're not righteous. 344 00:16:06,583 --> 00:16:09,708 We realize that we're not righteous. 345 00:16:09,792 --> 00:16:12,625 Number three, in works righteousness, 346 00:16:12,667 --> 00:16:14,708 our performance establishes our worth. 347 00:16:14,792 --> 00:16:16,833 That's exactly what this man says. 348 00:16:16,875 --> 00:16:20,333 "I fast twice a week," which is a big deal because according to 349 00:16:20,375 --> 00:16:24,500 the Old Covenant, you were only required to fast once a year. 350 00:16:24,583 --> 00:16:26,833 So twice a week is a big deal. 351 00:16:26,875 --> 00:16:29,167 Many of you don't even know what fasting is. 352 00:16:29,250 --> 00:16:31,667 You're like, "I eat fast food, what's the big deal?" 353 00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:34,000 No, fast food is different than fasting, it's different. 354 00:16:34,083 --> 00:16:35,500 Fasting is where you don't eat. 355 00:16:35,583 --> 00:16:37,208 Somebody'll be like, "I didn't eat." 356 00:16:37,292 --> 00:16:40,208 That's 'cause you were working and you skipped lunch so you had 357 00:16:40,292 --> 00:16:41,708 two dinners, that's not fasting, right? 358 00:16:41,792 --> 00:16:43,583 Fasting is where for a whole day, 359 00:16:43,667 --> 00:16:47,708 you don't eat out of devotion to God to discipline yourself 360 00:16:47,792 --> 00:16:50,083 because to be a disciple is to be disciplined. 361 00:16:50,167 --> 00:16:53,708 That's the root intent of fasting, among other things. 362 00:16:53,792 --> 00:16:56,708 And he says, "Two days a week, I don't eat at all." 363 00:16:56,792 --> 00:16:58,708 How many people would be impressed with this? 364 00:16:58,792 --> 00:17:01,125 How many of you would be impressed with this? 365 00:17:01,167 --> 00:17:02,875 "You don't eat 2 days a week?" 366 00:17:02,958 --> 00:17:04,375 "Yeah, every Tuesday and Thursday, 367 00:17:04,458 --> 00:17:05,875 "I don't eat anything at all 368 00:17:05,958 --> 00:17:07,875 and I spend the whole day in prayer." 369 00:17:07,958 --> 00:17:09,875 "Wow. That's amazing. 370 00:17:09,958 --> 00:17:14,125 "I couldn't do that. I couldn't do that. 371 00:17:14,167 --> 00:17:17,208 "You're fantastic--that's crazy. 372 00:17:17,292 --> 00:17:21,208 Once a year I fast for 1 day, that's it." 373 00:17:21,292 --> 00:17:24,875 And he says, "I give a tenth of all that I have," so all this 374 00:17:24,958 --> 00:17:28,083 money comes in, off the gross, not off the net, 10% to God, 375 00:17:28,167 --> 00:17:29,583 10% to God, 10% to God. 376 00:17:29,667 --> 00:17:34,792 First check he writes, "Every month, I give money to God." 377 00:17:34,833 --> 00:17:37,708 His performance establishes his worth, not, "God made me, 378 00:17:37,792 --> 00:17:41,917 God saves me, God loves me, God adopts me." 379 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,208 None of that, nothing related to God. 380 00:17:44,292 --> 00:17:47,417 In this works righteousness orientation, 381 00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:52,833 God is simply keeping score for my fantastic life. 382 00:17:52,875 --> 00:17:56,917 And number four, it focuses on the external and it also then 383 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:01,375 subsequently ignores the internal. 384 00:18:01,458 --> 00:18:06,500 So Jesus literally says, "They trusted in themselves." 385 00:18:06,583 --> 00:18:09,208 Friends, we all have faith. 386 00:18:09,292 --> 00:18:12,208 The difference is the object of our faith. 387 00:18:12,292 --> 00:18:16,125 I'm asking you to trust in Jesus, and if you don't, 388 00:18:16,167 --> 00:18:19,625 you are trusting in yourself. 389 00:18:19,667 --> 00:18:23,333 And so they don't trust God who is external from them, 390 00:18:23,375 --> 00:18:26,917 they trust themselves internally. 391 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,667 They trust their gut, their opinion, their perspective, 392 00:18:29,750 --> 00:18:34,667 their view, their proclivity, their inclination. 393 00:18:34,750 --> 00:18:39,000 As a result, the only authority that they see is themselves. 394 00:18:39,083 --> 00:18:41,500 And so they put themselves in the position of God. 395 00:18:41,583 --> 00:18:44,500 "I know my heart, I know my life, I know my deeds, 396 00:18:44,583 --> 00:18:47,792 I render a verdict, I declare myself righteous." 397 00:18:47,833 --> 00:18:49,208 Nothing external. 398 00:18:49,292 --> 00:18:50,625 "Is there a God? 399 00:18:50,667 --> 00:18:52,625 "Will I give an account to him? 400 00:18:52,667 --> 00:18:55,208 What will his verdict of my life be?" 401 00:18:55,292 --> 00:18:57,083 Additionally, number five, why works righteousness 402 00:18:57,167 --> 00:18:58,500 is unrighteousness. 403 00:18:58,542 --> 00:19:02,792 God is not our judge, people are in that false system. 404 00:19:02,833 --> 00:19:05,000 That's why he prays publicly. 405 00:19:05,083 --> 00:19:07,208 He wants everyone else to hear it. 406 00:19:07,292 --> 00:19:10,167 He wants everyone else to know it. 407 00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:12,500 "God, thank you that I don't lie. 408 00:19:12,583 --> 00:19:14,417 "Thank you that I don't steal. 409 00:19:14,500 --> 00:19:16,583 "Thank you that I don't commit adultery. 410 00:19:16,667 --> 00:19:20,000 Thank you that I'm better than everyone else." 411 00:19:20,083 --> 00:19:22,625 And he wants them all to hear it. 412 00:19:22,667 --> 00:19:26,917 And he wants the crowd to agree, "Yes, you are morally superior. 413 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,000 "Yes, you are fantastic. 414 00:19:29,042 --> 00:19:32,167 Yes, we are all impressed with you." 415 00:19:35,292 --> 00:19:36,917 Number six, it leads to pride. 416 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,500 Inevitably, it leads to pride. 417 00:19:39,583 --> 00:19:41,625 Some of you don't know this: 418 00:19:41,667 --> 00:19:43,333 Pride is a sin. 419 00:19:43,375 --> 00:19:46,625 You can call it self-esteem, it's still pride. 420 00:19:46,667 --> 00:19:49,208 It's the sin that got Satan kicked out of heaven. 421 00:19:49,292 --> 00:19:51,583 Augustine, the church father, says that pride 422 00:19:51,667 --> 00:19:55,375 is like a mother who is pregnant with all sin. 423 00:19:55,458 --> 00:19:58,417 All sin ultimately comes from pride. 424 00:19:58,500 --> 00:20:01,875 The first sin was to be like God. 425 00:20:01,958 --> 00:20:05,708 That's pride. That's pride. 426 00:20:05,792 --> 00:20:08,667 Would you say this man is proud? 427 00:20:08,750 --> 00:20:11,417 We read in the story that he goes close to 428 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:13,125 the presence of God. 429 00:20:13,167 --> 00:20:17,500 He feels like he should just walk right up to God. 430 00:20:17,542 --> 00:20:19,500 He lifts his head, he doesn't look down. 431 00:20:19,542 --> 00:20:21,667 He raises his voice, he doesn't mumble. 432 00:20:21,750 --> 00:20:25,500 And he prays out loud, "God, I, I, I, I, I." 433 00:20:25,583 --> 00:20:28,000 Massive pride. 434 00:20:28,083 --> 00:20:29,833 Again, put yourself in the story, friends. 435 00:20:29,875 --> 00:20:31,208 Who are you like? 436 00:20:31,292 --> 00:20:33,083 Me, I'm like this guy. 437 00:20:33,167 --> 00:20:35,917 I'm like this guy. 438 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:39,208 I don't know about you, with me, even if I overcome a sin, 439 00:20:39,292 --> 00:20:41,917 then I get proud of my overcoming of my sin 440 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,833 and all that is is picking up a new sin. 441 00:20:44,875 --> 00:20:47,208 What a piece of work your pastor is. 442 00:20:47,292 --> 00:20:49,083 How many of you have done that? 443 00:20:49,167 --> 00:20:51,583 You say, "I used to smoke and now I don't. 444 00:20:51,667 --> 00:20:54,583 "Now I look down on people who smoke 'cause they're all stupid 445 00:20:54,667 --> 00:20:56,083 "and I'm better than they are. 446 00:20:56,167 --> 00:20:58,417 Wait a minute, pride's worse than smoking, d'oh." 447 00:20:58,500 --> 00:21:02,208 To quote the great theologian, Homer Simpson, "D'oh," right? 448 00:21:02,292 --> 00:21:04,917 You're just like, "Man." But we do that, right? 449 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,208 We do that in our works righteousness. 450 00:21:07,292 --> 00:21:11,708 We get filled with pride. 451 00:21:11,792 --> 00:21:14,375 And it causes contempt, not compassion. 452 00:21:14,458 --> 00:21:16,500 Jesus says that exactly. 453 00:21:16,542 --> 00:21:19,000 They trusted in themselves, they looked down on other people, 454 00:21:19,042 --> 00:21:20,667 and he uses that word "contempt," 455 00:21:20,750 --> 00:21:22,792 they had contempt for other people. 456 00:21:22,833 --> 00:21:24,333 Who do you have contempt for? 457 00:21:24,375 --> 00:21:25,833 And we all do. 458 00:21:25,875 --> 00:21:27,833 "Oh, they're stupid, they're lazy, they're undeserving. 459 00:21:27,875 --> 00:21:29,208 "They're ridiculous. 460 00:21:29,292 --> 00:21:31,375 They're annoying." 461 00:21:31,458 --> 00:21:33,208 Contempt. 462 00:21:33,292 --> 00:21:38,500 See, works righteousness leads to contempt. 463 00:21:38,583 --> 00:21:42,208 He doesn't have any compassion for the tax collector, right? 464 00:21:42,292 --> 00:21:45,125 If he understood the gospel, the good news of Jesus, 465 00:21:45,167 --> 00:21:47,583 he would look at the tax collector not with contempt, 466 00:21:47,667 --> 00:21:49,208 but with compassion. 467 00:21:49,292 --> 00:21:53,500 He'd walk up to him, "I've never seen you here before. 468 00:21:53,583 --> 00:21:55,292 What are you doing here?" 469 00:21:55,333 --> 00:21:57,792 "Well, you know, I'm a tax collector, I'm a thief, 470 00:21:57,833 --> 00:21:59,167 "I rip people off. 471 00:21:59,250 --> 00:22:02,292 "God's really shown me who I truly I am and I feel 472 00:22:02,333 --> 00:22:05,333 "pretty embarrassed to be here, but you know, 473 00:22:05,375 --> 00:22:07,333 "it looks like everything's going good for me. 474 00:22:07,375 --> 00:22:08,833 "I'm making a ton of money. 475 00:22:08,875 --> 00:22:11,833 "I live in a big house and I got a nice job, 476 00:22:11,875 --> 00:22:13,333 "but I can't live with myself. 477 00:22:13,375 --> 00:22:17,000 "I can't wake up and look in the mirror and be proud of the man 478 00:22:17,083 --> 00:22:18,500 "that I see every day. 479 00:22:18,583 --> 00:22:21,500 "And so I'm here to see what God would have for me. 480 00:22:21,583 --> 00:22:22,917 Things need to change." 481 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:24,417 "Really? That's why I'm here." 482 00:22:24,500 --> 00:22:26,625 "Oh, that's why you're here? But you're very religious." 483 00:22:26,667 --> 00:22:30,208 "Yeah, that's my problem. Yeah, my sin is religion. 484 00:22:30,292 --> 00:22:31,917 "I'm all proud and self-righteous 485 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,125 "and arrogant and judgmental. 486 00:22:34,167 --> 00:22:36,833 "How about, brother, I pray for you, you pray for me? 487 00:22:36,875 --> 00:22:39,500 "Maybe we become accountability partners and we help each other 488 00:22:39,542 --> 00:22:41,208 "with our stuff 'cause we're both sinners 489 00:22:41,292 --> 00:22:42,833 "needing the grace of God. 490 00:22:42,875 --> 00:22:44,417 "I understand where you're at. 491 00:22:44,500 --> 00:22:47,417 I'm there just on different issues." 492 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:50,292 It would lead to humility and compassion, right? 493 00:22:50,333 --> 00:22:51,917 No. 494 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,125 "God, thank you I'm not like him or him or him or him 495 00:22:55,167 --> 00:22:57,792 or especially him, amen." 496 00:22:57,833 --> 00:22:59,208 Contempt. 497 00:22:59,292 --> 00:23:01,625 Who do you have contempt for? 498 00:23:01,667 --> 00:23:03,833 Not if, who. 499 00:23:03,875 --> 00:23:06,208 Who? 500 00:23:06,292 --> 00:23:09,833 Who do you have contempt for? 501 00:23:09,875 --> 00:23:13,917 Let the Holy Spirit highlight that for you, 502 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,208 reveal to you what's really in your heart. 503 00:23:16,292 --> 00:23:18,708 I don't know who it is, maybe it's an individual, 504 00:23:18,792 --> 00:23:22,917 a kind of person, a category of person, maybe it's a body type, 505 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,625 a race, a gender, a socioeconomic background, 506 00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:29,583 a lifestyle choice, I don't know what it is for you, 507 00:23:29,667 --> 00:23:32,792 but the Holy Spirit will highlight some person or group 508 00:23:32,833 --> 00:23:35,875 of persons and say, "You have contempt for them rather than 509 00:23:35,958 --> 00:23:37,417 "compassion for them. 510 00:23:37,500 --> 00:23:40,500 You don't understand the gospel." 511 00:23:40,583 --> 00:23:42,583 And ultimately it offends God. 512 00:23:42,667 --> 00:23:47,000 That's the point of the story, that God is offended by this 513 00:23:47,083 --> 00:23:50,125 kind of behavior, right? 514 00:23:50,167 --> 00:23:53,792 The temple in that day, it was destroyed in 70 A.D., 515 00:23:53,833 --> 00:23:56,625 it contained the Holy of Holies, the very presence of God 516 00:23:56,667 --> 00:23:58,125 the Holy Spirit on the Earth. 517 00:23:58,167 --> 00:24:01,417 And this man in the story, he gets close to the presence of 518 00:24:01,500 --> 00:24:03,917 God and rather than crying out to God for forgiveness, 519 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:05,583 he boasts of his own righteousness, 520 00:24:05,667 --> 00:24:08,833 his works righteousness and his performance. 521 00:24:08,875 --> 00:24:11,583 Friends, you need to know this, that works righteousness, either 522 00:24:11,667 --> 00:24:17,625 in its secular form or in its religious form, is nonetheless 523 00:24:17,667 --> 00:24:23,208 an abomination, it is deplorable to the God of the Bible. 524 00:24:23,292 --> 00:24:26,333 When we come to God, friends, we are to come empty-handed to 525 00:24:26,375 --> 00:24:31,167 receive a gift, not bearing all of our works righteousness 526 00:24:31,250 --> 00:24:33,625 as if God were to be impressed. 527 00:24:33,667 --> 00:24:37,333 And to impress this upon us, the Bible uses two images, 528 00:24:37,375 --> 00:24:42,000 metaphors that are particularly cringe-worthy. 529 00:24:42,083 --> 00:24:44,833 One is in the Old Testament, one is in the New. 530 00:24:44,875 --> 00:24:46,333 I've shared them with you before, 531 00:24:46,375 --> 00:24:48,333 and I'll share them with you again today, 532 00:24:48,375 --> 00:24:53,208 not for shock value, but to give us the disposition of God 533 00:24:53,292 --> 00:24:57,208 when we bring to him works righteousness as a gift. 534 00:24:57,292 --> 00:25:00,208 The first is in Isaiah 64:6, I've used it before. 535 00:25:00,292 --> 00:25:05,792 He says that our righteousness is like filthy menstrual rags. 536 00:25:05,833 --> 00:25:08,167 The other one is in Philippians 3:8 537 00:25:08,250 --> 00:25:11,625 where Paul says that our works righteousness 538 00:25:11,667 --> 00:25:15,000 is like a steaming pile. 539 00:25:15,042 --> 00:25:18,125 Okay, now how many of you, this would be a weird birthday. 540 00:25:18,167 --> 00:25:20,708 Your friend comes to you with a box and says, 541 00:25:20,792 --> 00:25:26,167 "I have something for you and I made it myself. 542 00:25:26,250 --> 00:25:32,125 No one else is gonna give you what I'm gonna give you." 543 00:25:32,167 --> 00:25:35,125 You take the lid off and you see one of those gifts, 544 00:25:35,167 --> 00:25:36,708 or perhaps both of those gifts. 545 00:25:36,792 --> 00:25:38,208 "Oh, you did make it yourself. 546 00:25:38,292 --> 00:25:41,125 That is handmade." 547 00:25:41,167 --> 00:25:44,500 You would say, "That's no gift. 548 00:25:44,583 --> 00:25:47,375 "It's disgusting to look at. 549 00:25:47,458 --> 00:25:50,167 "I don't receive it as a treasure. 550 00:25:50,250 --> 00:25:52,667 And it's a stench in my nostrils." 551 00:25:52,750 --> 00:25:57,708 God says, "That's what works righteousness is to me." 552 00:25:57,792 --> 00:26:01,125 Now, people in hats, people in suits, committees, 553 00:26:01,167 --> 00:26:04,000 preachers in dresses, it all looks very official, 554 00:26:04,042 --> 00:26:06,167 they can all get together and vote and say, 555 00:26:06,250 --> 00:26:09,375 "We declare that this is a really nice gift that the God of 556 00:26:09,458 --> 00:26:13,375 the Bible will love," and put it in a box and put a bow on top. 557 00:26:13,458 --> 00:26:15,875 And God is saying, "When I take the lid off, 558 00:26:15,958 --> 00:26:18,208 "you need to know that's no present for me. 559 00:26:18,292 --> 00:26:20,000 "That's actually offensive and disgusting. 560 00:26:20,083 --> 00:26:24,333 That's actually offensive and disgusting." 561 00:26:24,375 --> 00:26:30,208 That's our works righteousness to a holy righteous God. 562 00:26:30,292 --> 00:26:33,083 So there are two options for how we pursue righteousness, 563 00:26:33,167 --> 00:26:38,333 works righteousness, Jesus here is absolutely condemning. 564 00:26:39,750 --> 00:26:42,083 He says that when this man leaves the temple, 565 00:26:42,167 --> 00:26:45,292 he does not leave justified in the sight of God. 566 00:26:45,333 --> 00:26:47,917 God does not say, "He's righteous." 567 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,500 God says, "He's unrighteous." 568 00:26:50,583 --> 00:26:54,292 The second option is the second man, the tax collector. 569 00:26:54,333 --> 00:26:56,625 So option number two is gift righteousness. 570 00:26:56,667 --> 00:26:58,208 If it's not works righteousness, 571 00:26:58,292 --> 00:27:00,833 the only option is gift righteousness. 572 00:27:00,875 --> 00:27:05,500 Luke 18:13-14, "But the tax collector, standing far off," 573 00:27:05,583 --> 00:27:08,833 not drawing near, "would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, 574 00:27:08,875 --> 00:27:10,417 but beat his breast." 575 00:27:10,500 --> 00:27:13,333 This is like mourning in a funeral. 576 00:27:13,375 --> 00:27:18,000 "Saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 577 00:27:18,042 --> 00:27:20,833 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, 578 00:27:20,875 --> 00:27:23,000 rather than the other," here's the big idea, 579 00:27:23,083 --> 00:27:25,333 "For everyone who exalts himself," 580 00:27:25,375 --> 00:27:27,125 with works righteousness, 581 00:27:27,167 --> 00:27:29,500 "will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself," 582 00:27:29,583 --> 00:27:31,125 for gift righteousness, 583 00:27:31,167 --> 00:27:32,625 "will be exalted." 584 00:27:32,667 --> 00:27:35,875 Now the tax collector, friend, in this story, he's a monster. 585 00:27:35,958 --> 00:27:38,500 He's an absolute monster. 586 00:27:38,583 --> 00:27:41,000 The way it worked is the Roman government took over 587 00:27:41,042 --> 00:27:44,583 God's people, basically nearly enslaved them. 588 00:27:44,667 --> 00:27:47,917 They would hire fellow members of God's people 589 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,500 to collect taxes. 590 00:27:49,542 --> 00:27:51,875 These are extortionists and crooks and thieves. 591 00:27:51,958 --> 00:27:54,125 They bankrupt people, threaten them. 592 00:27:54,167 --> 00:27:56,625 This is horrible what they do. 593 00:27:56,667 --> 00:27:59,625 Today, for us categorically, we would put those 594 00:27:59,667 --> 00:28:02,083 who deal drugs to kids. 595 00:28:02,167 --> 00:28:06,167 We would put those who enslave people in sex trafficking, 596 00:28:06,250 --> 00:28:09,417 we put the abortion doctors who work overtime 'cause they love 597 00:28:09,500 --> 00:28:12,708 their job into the same category that they would have placed 598 00:28:12,792 --> 00:28:15,208 a tax collector. 599 00:28:15,292 --> 00:28:17,708 That the tax collector would even walk into the temple, 600 00:28:17,792 --> 00:28:19,708 that was scandalous. 601 00:28:19,792 --> 00:28:22,833 This man is a monster. 602 00:28:22,875 --> 00:28:25,208 But what does he do? 603 00:28:25,292 --> 00:28:29,333 He stands far back, unlike the works righteousness man, 604 00:28:29,375 --> 00:28:31,125 he does not draw near. 605 00:28:31,167 --> 00:28:33,708 Rather than, with a haughty gaze, raising his head, 606 00:28:33,792 --> 00:28:36,500 he hangs his head low, looking at the ground in conviction 607 00:28:36,583 --> 00:28:40,083 and shame, right shame, good shame. 608 00:28:40,167 --> 00:28:44,000 And rather than talking about everybody else's sin, 609 00:28:44,042 --> 00:28:46,500 he talks about his own sin. 610 00:28:46,583 --> 00:28:49,083 He talks about his own sin. 611 00:28:49,167 --> 00:28:50,917 "God, I'm a sinner. 612 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,792 "I'm not gonna try and justify the life that I've lived 613 00:28:53,833 --> 00:28:56,708 or the way I've behaved." 614 00:28:56,792 --> 00:29:01,333 And he asked for a gift, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 615 00:29:01,375 --> 00:29:02,708 Have mercy on me." 616 00:29:02,792 --> 00:29:05,625 He's asking for gift righteousness. 617 00:29:05,667 --> 00:29:08,208 And Jesus said, "That guy nailed it. 618 00:29:08,292 --> 00:29:10,292 "That guy left justified, declared righteous 619 00:29:10,333 --> 00:29:12,333 in the sight of God." 620 00:29:12,375 --> 00:29:15,625 But he didn't fast twice a week. 621 00:29:15,667 --> 00:29:17,000 But he didn't give 10%. 622 00:29:17,083 --> 00:29:20,083 But he couldn't answer all the theological questions. 623 00:29:20,167 --> 00:29:22,708 But he hadn't read the Bible cover to cover. 624 00:29:22,792 --> 00:29:26,417 But he hadn't been baptized and he didn't speak in tongues 625 00:29:26,500 --> 00:29:30,625 and--but he received gift righteousness. 626 00:29:30,667 --> 00:29:35,917 So he was justified, declared righteous in the sight of God. 627 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,500 How to become righteous. 628 00:29:37,583 --> 00:29:39,500 Pull a few things from the story. 629 00:29:39,583 --> 00:29:43,875 Friends, start by comparing yourself to Jesus 630 00:29:43,958 --> 00:29:47,917 and the Word of God so you could see your sin. 631 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,167 Too often we spend too much time an energy comparing ourselves 632 00:29:51,250 --> 00:29:53,167 to one another. 633 00:29:53,250 --> 00:29:56,375 And if we look at the Word of God and we look at 634 00:29:56,458 --> 00:29:58,708 the Son of God, we see that we're unrighteous. 635 00:29:58,792 --> 00:30:01,500 How many of you think you're pretty good till you start 636 00:30:01,583 --> 00:30:02,917 learning about Jesus? 637 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,667 You're like, "Oh, man, I'm not like Jesus, that's for sure." 638 00:30:05,750 --> 00:30:08,083 "He says stuff like love your enemies, oh, man. 639 00:30:08,167 --> 00:30:11,500 "Be generous, help those in need, look out for those who are 640 00:30:11,583 --> 00:30:16,333 "marginalized, weak, suffering, obey the Lord, live by faith. 641 00:30:16,375 --> 00:30:17,833 "Oh, man, I'm not like Jesus. 642 00:30:17,875 --> 00:30:20,000 I'm unlike Jesus." 643 00:30:20,083 --> 00:30:24,000 See, as we read the Word of God and we look to the Son of God, 644 00:30:24,083 --> 00:30:25,500 we see how unrighteous we are. 645 00:30:25,583 --> 00:30:28,000 And then we can say, like this man rightly did, 646 00:30:28,083 --> 00:30:31,000 "God, here is where I'm at, a sinner. 647 00:30:31,083 --> 00:30:32,792 "Let me just make it real simple. 648 00:30:32,833 --> 00:30:34,500 I'm a sinner." 649 00:30:34,583 --> 00:30:36,417 That's a good place to start. 650 00:30:36,500 --> 00:30:38,500 Then despise and do not excuse, tolerate, 651 00:30:38,542 --> 00:30:40,500 or celebrate your unrighteousness. 652 00:30:40,542 --> 00:30:41,917 Now the works righteousness man, 653 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,708 he's boasting and celebrating in his unrighteousness. 654 00:30:45,792 --> 00:30:48,208 "Here's all the amazing things I do so that others 655 00:30:48,292 --> 00:30:51,583 will be impressed and think I'm closer to God." 656 00:30:51,667 --> 00:30:54,667 Jesus says, "Not like that, like this." 657 00:30:54,750 --> 00:30:59,167 The tax collector, he despises his sin. 658 00:30:59,250 --> 00:31:02,208 Are you at the point where you don't just hate the consequence 659 00:31:02,292 --> 00:31:05,500 of your sin, you just hate your sin? 660 00:31:05,583 --> 00:31:07,917 Just need to change. 661 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:13,208 Who you were needs to die and someone new needs to rise. 662 00:31:13,292 --> 00:31:15,292 Number three, humbly repent to God. 663 00:31:15,333 --> 00:31:16,833 He does so humbly, right? 664 00:31:16,875 --> 00:31:18,208 He stands far back. 665 00:31:18,292 --> 00:31:19,708 He doesn't approach near to God. 666 00:31:19,792 --> 00:31:21,125 He hangs his head low. 667 00:31:21,167 --> 00:31:22,625 He doesn't hold his head high. 668 00:31:22,667 --> 00:31:24,625 He speaks in a softened tone. 669 00:31:24,667 --> 00:31:27,708 He doesn't raise his voice. 670 00:31:27,792 --> 00:31:31,417 He doesn't talk about everyone else's sin, just his sin. 671 00:31:31,500 --> 00:31:35,000 And Jesus tells us that those who are proud 672 00:31:35,083 --> 00:31:38,625 and raise themselves up, that God must bring them down. 673 00:31:38,667 --> 00:31:41,500 That's the story of the works righteousness man. 674 00:31:41,583 --> 00:31:45,417 Those who are humble and repent of their sin and come to God, 675 00:31:45,500 --> 00:31:48,708 in time, he will lift them up to be honorable leaders with 676 00:31:48,792 --> 00:31:52,125 changed lives and stories of God's grace at work 677 00:31:52,167 --> 00:31:54,125 in their midst. 678 00:31:54,167 --> 00:31:57,125 Number four, receive grace and place your faith 679 00:31:57,167 --> 00:32:00,875 in Jesus Christ. 680 00:32:00,958 --> 00:32:05,500 Jesus Christ is the teller of the story. 681 00:32:05,542 --> 00:32:09,917 Jesus Christ gives the mercy of God. 682 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:12,500 That's what he asked for, "God have mercy on me." 683 00:32:12,542 --> 00:32:15,167 He's asking, "God, forgive my sin. 684 00:32:15,250 --> 00:32:17,792 "Don't bring me the punishment I deserve. 685 00:32:17,833 --> 00:32:21,667 Please, do me a loving favor as an act of kindness." 686 00:32:21,750 --> 00:32:23,792 That's grace. 687 00:32:23,833 --> 00:32:27,708 And he asks this in faith, trusting that God can and does 688 00:32:27,792 --> 00:32:32,167 hear this kind of request from a guilty sinner who's not just 689 00:32:32,250 --> 00:32:35,000 undeserving but ill-deserving. 690 00:32:35,083 --> 00:32:37,125 And Jesus, the one who's telling the story, 691 00:32:37,167 --> 00:32:40,917 he's the one who makes this mercy possible. 692 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,917 In the context of the story, he's on his way from a rural area 693 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,333 to the city of Jerusalem. 694 00:32:47,375 --> 00:32:50,667 It says in Luke 9:51, which is like a hinge on which 695 00:32:50,750 --> 00:32:54,083 the story swings, that he set his face toward Jerusalem. 696 00:32:54,167 --> 00:32:57,000 So at this point in the story, Jesus is headed to Jerusalem, 697 00:32:57,083 --> 00:33:00,625 where he's going to die on a cross in our place for our sins 698 00:33:00,667 --> 00:33:05,292 as our Savior paying our debt so that God could give us mercy 699 00:33:05,333 --> 00:33:10,333 because there was also justice through his suffering. 700 00:33:10,375 --> 00:33:14,167 And so friends, when we come to God and we ask, "I'm a sinner. 701 00:33:14,250 --> 00:33:16,125 Have mercy on me." 702 00:33:16,167 --> 00:33:19,375 The answer is Jesus. 703 00:33:19,458 --> 00:33:23,917 Grace comes from him and we ask by faith in him 704 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:26,833 to receive this great mercy. 705 00:33:26,875 --> 00:33:30,583 So that the enemies of God would be made friends of God. 706 00:33:30,667 --> 00:33:33,667 Receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ 707 00:33:33,750 --> 00:33:36,333 and be declared justified. 708 00:33:36,375 --> 00:33:39,417 See, he repents of his sin, he receives the gift of God's 709 00:33:39,500 --> 00:33:44,083 mercy, and the result is Jesus said, "He left there justified, 710 00:33:44,167 --> 00:33:47,708 declared righteous in the sight of God." 711 00:33:47,792 --> 00:33:49,500 You know what's more exciting than people 712 00:33:49,583 --> 00:33:51,125 saying you're righteous? 713 00:33:51,167 --> 00:33:54,708 God saying it, 'cause ultimately it's only his estimation 714 00:33:54,792 --> 00:33:56,417 that counts. 715 00:33:56,500 --> 00:33:59,625 And what this man didn't do, he didn't come to God and ask, 716 00:33:59,667 --> 00:34:01,708 "God, what should I do to impress you? 717 00:34:01,792 --> 00:34:05,667 "Where is the punch list for righteousness so that I can get 718 00:34:05,750 --> 00:34:08,083 a high score through my performance?" 719 00:34:08,167 --> 00:34:11,125 Instead, he came to God and said, "I need a gift. 720 00:34:11,167 --> 00:34:13,208 Have mercy on me." 721 00:34:13,292 --> 00:34:17,625 And I would invite you to that as well, to receive the gift 722 00:34:17,667 --> 00:34:19,583 of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 723 00:34:19,667 --> 00:34:22,833 And I'll unpack that a bit more thoroughly in just a moment. 724 00:34:22,875 --> 00:34:25,125 And then some of you will ask, "So what? 725 00:34:25,167 --> 00:34:26,667 "God doesn't care about our works. 726 00:34:26,750 --> 00:34:28,500 "God doesn't care about how we live. 727 00:34:28,583 --> 00:34:30,375 God doesn't care about what we do." 728 00:34:30,458 --> 00:34:32,792 He certainly does. 729 00:34:33,667 --> 00:34:35,125 He certainly does. 730 00:34:35,167 --> 00:34:37,917 So you can then be sanctified by the Spirit of God 731 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:39,833 to do your good works. 732 00:34:39,875 --> 00:34:42,292 Friends, we're not saved by our good works, 733 00:34:42,333 --> 00:34:44,500 we're saved to our good works. 734 00:34:44,542 --> 00:34:47,667 That's totally different. 735 00:34:47,750 --> 00:34:51,333 We are saved by works. 736 00:34:51,375 --> 00:34:53,833 The question is, whose works? 737 00:34:53,875 --> 00:34:56,208 Our works or Jesus' works? 738 00:34:56,292 --> 00:34:58,125 Whose works save? 739 00:34:58,167 --> 00:34:59,833 Jesus' works. 740 00:34:59,875 --> 00:35:02,500 It's his life, not ours. 741 00:35:02,583 --> 00:35:05,208 His perfection, not ours. 742 00:35:05,292 --> 00:35:07,583 His obedience, not ours. 743 00:35:07,667 --> 00:35:10,500 His death in our place for all that we have failed 744 00:35:10,583 --> 00:35:12,500 to be and do. 745 00:35:12,542 --> 00:35:15,875 So yes, something was done but it's not done by us, friends, 746 00:35:15,958 --> 00:35:19,500 it's done for us by Jesus. 747 00:35:19,542 --> 00:35:22,125 This is such good news. 748 00:35:22,167 --> 00:35:25,000 We would never understand this apart from the revelation 749 00:35:25,083 --> 00:35:26,708 of the Bible. 750 00:35:26,792 --> 00:35:29,083 We would all end up even treating the Bible 751 00:35:29,167 --> 00:35:31,708 as just another works righteousness document. 752 00:35:31,792 --> 00:35:34,000 A list of things to do and not do, 753 00:35:34,042 --> 00:35:38,000 we will set up a set of leaders who just sort of keep score and 754 00:35:38,042 --> 00:35:40,875 render verdicts and then we'll get all smug and self-righteous 755 00:35:40,958 --> 00:35:44,000 and proud because we did good things, we didn't do bad things. 756 00:35:44,083 --> 00:35:46,917 We'll look down on others, have contempt, not compassion, 757 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,000 be filled with pride, get harsh, and then start adding rules 758 00:35:50,083 --> 00:35:54,000 to God's rules and enforcing them and then it goes on and on 759 00:35:54,083 --> 00:35:59,000 and on until you murder God because he's not as righteous 760 00:35:59,042 --> 00:36:02,125 as you are. 761 00:36:02,167 --> 00:36:06,708 Or you realize that you're unrighteous. 762 00:36:06,792 --> 00:36:09,708 You realize that Jesus is your righteousness. 763 00:36:09,792 --> 00:36:11,917 And you repent not only of your sin, 764 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,500 but also your righteousness. 765 00:36:14,583 --> 00:36:17,000 And you come like the tax collector. 766 00:36:17,042 --> 00:36:18,417 "God, I'm a sinner. 767 00:36:18,500 --> 00:36:19,833 "Give me mercy. 768 00:36:19,875 --> 00:36:21,583 "Don't tell me what to do. 769 00:36:21,667 --> 00:36:24,500 Remind me of what Jesus has done." 770 00:36:24,583 --> 00:36:26,833 And when Jesus says it is what? 771 00:36:26,875 --> 00:36:30,500 Finished, all the work is done. 772 00:36:30,583 --> 00:36:33,333 And I receive the gift. 773 00:36:33,375 --> 00:36:36,417 Now this is a huge theological idea. 774 00:36:36,500 --> 00:36:40,500 Protestant Reformation had this as its fault line. 775 00:36:40,583 --> 00:36:44,833 Even today, there's a massive debate raging. 776 00:36:44,875 --> 00:36:47,333 There are some Christian scholars who have done 777 00:36:47,375 --> 00:36:49,625 some good things, like a man named N.T. Wright. 778 00:36:49,667 --> 00:36:51,333 Get a little bit into theology. 779 00:36:51,375 --> 00:36:54,208 He's written what's called a new view 780 00:36:54,292 --> 00:36:55,625 on these sort of issues. 781 00:36:55,667 --> 00:36:58,167 And then a dear friend of mine, Dr. John Piper, 782 00:36:58,250 --> 00:36:59,667 has written a book against him. 783 00:36:59,750 --> 00:37:01,708 Lots of books are being published and conferences 784 00:37:01,792 --> 00:37:03,417 being held and debates being held. 785 00:37:03,500 --> 00:37:06,208 And how can we be righteous in the sight of God? 786 00:37:06,292 --> 00:37:07,708 Which is a big, important question, 787 00:37:07,792 --> 00:37:11,583 the same one that's asked even in the Bible in Job 9:2. 788 00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:14,417 How can a man be righteous in the sight of God? 789 00:37:14,500 --> 00:37:16,167 Hugely important question. 790 00:37:16,250 --> 00:37:19,833 One of the most important questions we can ask. 791 00:37:19,875 --> 00:37:22,500 And without getting into all the complexity and all of 792 00:37:22,542 --> 00:37:25,125 the theology, because I love you and I'm a pastor 793 00:37:25,167 --> 00:37:27,625 and I'm a Bible teacher, I drew you a picture. 794 00:37:27,667 --> 00:37:29,917 So I'll show you. Here it is. 795 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:31,500 This is it, right? 796 00:37:31,542 --> 00:37:34,333 Here it is, all boiled down to one picture. 797 00:37:34,375 --> 00:37:36,000 Okay, you're on the left. 798 00:37:36,083 --> 00:37:38,792 You are unrighteous. 799 00:37:38,833 --> 00:37:41,417 You can say it. You are unrighteous. 800 00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:43,292 Raise your hand if you're unrighteous. 801 00:37:43,333 --> 00:37:45,125 Okay, if you didn't raise your hand, 802 00:37:45,167 --> 00:37:47,708 you're the most unrighteous of all, okay? 803 00:37:47,792 --> 00:37:50,500 You are--and I raise both my hands, okay? 804 00:37:50,583 --> 00:37:52,208 I'm unrighteous too. 805 00:37:52,292 --> 00:37:53,708 So you are unrighteous. 806 00:37:53,792 --> 00:37:56,000 Over here is Jesus. He is righteous. 807 00:37:56,042 --> 00:37:58,000 That's why we put a crown on him. 808 00:37:58,042 --> 00:37:59,875 Yay Jesus, all right? 809 00:37:59,958 --> 00:38:04,500 So, now working with Luke, now Luke wrote Luke and Acts, 810 00:38:04,583 --> 00:38:07,000 and then the other man who contributes the majority 811 00:38:07,083 --> 00:38:09,667 of the New Testament is a man named Paul. 812 00:38:09,750 --> 00:38:12,292 Paul originally was Saul, very much devoted 813 00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:14,000 to works righteousness. 814 00:38:14,083 --> 00:38:15,875 He talks about this in his testimony, 815 00:38:15,958 --> 00:38:17,500 for example in Philippians 3. 816 00:38:17,583 --> 00:38:20,000 "I was born to the right family, right tribe, 817 00:38:20,083 --> 00:38:22,917 "circumcised on the eighth day, went to the right schools, 818 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:24,708 "studied under the right rabbis, 819 00:38:24,792 --> 00:38:26,833 "got straight As in Pharisee school. 820 00:38:26,875 --> 00:38:29,833 "I was graduated 'most likely to make martyrs.' 821 00:38:29,875 --> 00:38:33,083 "I nailed it. That was me. 822 00:38:33,167 --> 00:38:35,708 "And I had an amazing resume. 823 00:38:35,792 --> 00:38:38,917 "And then I met Jesus and I realized it's all garbage 824 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,917 "and righteousness is not something I work for, 825 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,208 it's something that he gives as a gift." 826 00:38:45,292 --> 00:38:48,417 And so then Saul becomes Paul and he goes on to write 827 00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:50,125 much of the New Testament. 828 00:38:50,167 --> 00:38:52,375 His traveling companion, his close buddy, 829 00:38:52,458 --> 00:38:55,417 his near and dear friend, and I think his personal physician, 830 00:38:55,500 --> 00:38:57,208 is Luke. 831 00:38:57,292 --> 00:39:00,167 And so when Luke here records gift righteousness from the lips 832 00:39:00,250 --> 00:39:04,000 of Jesus, Paul echoes this repeatedly, 833 00:39:04,083 --> 00:39:07,000 repeatedly in his teaching in the New Testament. 834 00:39:07,083 --> 00:39:10,167 I'll give you one place that is my favorite verse, perhaps, 835 00:39:10,250 --> 00:39:14,500 in the whole Bible, 2 Corinthians 5:21. 836 00:39:14,542 --> 00:39:18,417 "God made him who knew no sin, Jesus, to become sin," 837 00:39:18,500 --> 00:39:22,083 that would be our sin, "so that in him we might become 838 00:39:22,167 --> 00:39:23,833 the righteousness of God." 839 00:39:23,875 --> 00:39:27,500 I tell you this verse all the time because it is so amazing. 840 00:39:27,542 --> 00:39:30,167 Martin Luther called it the great exchange. 841 00:39:30,250 --> 00:39:33,417 And let me show you exactly what it is saying. 842 00:39:33,500 --> 00:39:37,167 Paul here is echoing Luke and they're both echoing Jesus. 843 00:39:37,250 --> 00:39:41,833 God made him, Jesus, who is righteous and knew no sin, 844 00:39:41,875 --> 00:39:47,333 to become our sin, to become our sin so that in him 845 00:39:47,375 --> 00:39:51,208 we might become the righteousness of God. 846 00:39:51,292 --> 00:39:54,500 Theologically, we call this double imputation. 847 00:39:54,583 --> 00:39:56,417 My sin goes to Jesus. 848 00:39:56,500 --> 00:39:59,708 Jesus' righteousness comes to me. 849 00:39:59,792 --> 00:40:01,667 Say, "How do you do that?" 850 00:40:01,750 --> 00:40:03,333 You don't. 851 00:40:03,375 --> 00:40:05,000 It's a gift. 852 00:40:05,042 --> 00:40:08,000 You receive it empty-handed. 853 00:40:08,083 --> 00:40:10,208 This is how it works. 854 00:40:10,292 --> 00:40:13,833 This is where Christianity is not another religion. 855 00:40:13,875 --> 00:40:16,625 This is where Christianity is not another punch list 856 00:40:16,667 --> 00:40:20,667 of dos and don'ts to receive a declaration of righteousness 857 00:40:20,750 --> 00:40:23,708 in the sight of God. 858 00:40:23,792 --> 00:40:27,000 This is altogether different and it's really good news and I 859 00:40:27,083 --> 00:40:30,333 really like teaching this and I really get excited about it and 860 00:40:30,375 --> 00:40:35,583 we really will forget it, and so someday I will tell you again. 861 00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:38,417 Okay, but perhaps in summary, and I say perhaps because 862 00:40:38,500 --> 00:40:40,417 I'm never exactly sure when I'm done, 863 00:40:40,500 --> 00:40:43,417 but I want to share with you a couple things about this. 864 00:40:43,500 --> 00:40:47,583 And I want you to see you can't become any more righteous 865 00:40:47,667 --> 00:40:50,583 than the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 866 00:40:50,667 --> 00:40:54,625 His sinless, perfect, Spirit-filled, obedient, 867 00:40:54,667 --> 00:41:00,917 biblical life of submission is altogether and only perfect, 868 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:03,917 and he gladly gives it to you. 869 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,333 And he takes all of your sin and he suffers and dies. 870 00:41:07,375 --> 00:41:11,208 He declares that it's finished and all the work is concluded. 871 00:41:11,292 --> 00:41:14,167 That's what Jesus does for us. 872 00:41:14,250 --> 00:41:18,917 That's why we love him so much and that's why we're so excited. 873 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:22,917 [congregation applauding] 874 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:24,583 So a couple things in closing. 875 00:41:24,667 --> 00:41:26,917 It's not about you. 876 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,167 It's all about Jesus. 877 00:41:29,250 --> 00:41:34,000 Additionally, it's not about what you do for Jesus. 878 00:41:34,042 --> 00:41:36,125 It's about what Jesus does for you. 879 00:41:36,167 --> 00:41:38,708 That's what justification is about. 880 00:41:38,792 --> 00:41:42,417 Furthermore, God is not impressed with you. 881 00:41:42,500 --> 00:41:46,292 God is not impressed with you, but God loves you. 882 00:41:46,333 --> 00:41:48,333 That's even better. 883 00:41:48,375 --> 00:41:53,000 Because if God is impressed with you, you need to keep performing. 884 00:41:53,083 --> 00:41:57,417 But if he loves you, he loves you no matter what. 885 00:41:57,500 --> 00:42:01,500 Additionally, you do not have any righteousness. 886 00:42:01,583 --> 00:42:05,875 Whatever you put in the box, it's not awesome. 887 00:42:05,958 --> 00:42:07,333 It's awful. 888 00:42:07,375 --> 00:42:09,292 You do not have any righteousness, 889 00:42:09,333 --> 00:42:12,917 but Jesus will gladly give you his. 890 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:14,333 Right? 891 00:42:14,375 --> 00:42:17,333 So that when you stand before God the Father for judgment at 892 00:42:17,375 --> 00:42:20,333 the end, you don't say, "Here's my resume and all the nice, 893 00:42:20,375 --> 00:42:22,125 good things I did." 894 00:42:22,167 --> 00:42:25,333 You look at Jesus and you say, "I'm with him. 895 00:42:25,375 --> 00:42:27,583 "I'm with him. 896 00:42:27,667 --> 00:42:29,375 "He has a large reservation. 897 00:42:29,458 --> 00:42:32,000 I'm with him." 898 00:42:32,042 --> 00:42:36,417 Additionally, regarding our motivation for change, 899 00:42:36,500 --> 00:42:40,000 we do not change so that God will bless us. 900 00:42:40,083 --> 00:42:42,500 We do not change so that God will love us. 901 00:42:42,583 --> 00:42:45,083 We do not change so that God would accept us. 902 00:42:45,167 --> 00:42:47,833 Rather, we change because in Jesus Christ, 903 00:42:47,875 --> 00:42:49,292 God has blessed us. 904 00:42:49,333 --> 00:42:51,500 In Jesus Christ, God has loved us. 905 00:42:51,583 --> 00:42:54,583 In Jesus Christ, God has accepted us. 906 00:42:54,667 --> 00:42:56,917 Christianity then is not what we have to do. 907 00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:58,417 It's what we get to do. 908 00:42:58,500 --> 00:43:01,333 And because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, 909 00:43:01,375 --> 00:43:03,333 it's ultimately what we want to do. 910 00:43:03,375 --> 00:43:06,000 We want to follow Jesus, we want to be like Jesus, 911 00:43:06,083 --> 00:43:09,292 not so that God would love us, but because he's already 912 00:43:09,333 --> 00:43:11,500 loved us in Christ. 913 00:43:11,583 --> 00:43:13,500 The motivation is very different. 914 00:43:13,583 --> 00:43:17,500 It leads to joy and not duty or burden. 915 00:43:17,542 --> 00:43:20,333 It's a bunch of get-tos, not a bunch of have-tos. 916 00:43:20,375 --> 00:43:22,375 That's the Christian life. 917 00:43:22,458 --> 00:43:24,667 Additionally, we do not change so that people 918 00:43:24,750 --> 00:43:26,625 will be impressed by us. 919 00:43:26,667 --> 00:43:29,000 "You're amazing. You're fantastic." 920 00:43:29,083 --> 00:43:30,833 "Yes, I know. You're welcome." 921 00:43:30,875 --> 00:43:33,917 No, rather, we change so that people would be impressed 922 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:37,500 with the work of God the Holy Spirit in us. 923 00:43:37,542 --> 00:43:38,917 "You are changing. 924 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:41,292 "God is really working on you. 925 00:43:41,333 --> 00:43:45,833 I am so glad for the work of the Holy Spirit in your life." 926 00:43:45,875 --> 00:43:47,833 It's not to deny, "Oh, nothing's happened. 927 00:43:47,875 --> 00:43:49,208 Nothing's changed." 928 00:43:49,292 --> 00:43:51,208 No, no, that's a false humility. 929 00:43:51,292 --> 00:43:54,167 We should boast in the Lord. 930 00:43:54,250 --> 00:43:55,708 "Yeah, God is working on me. 931 00:43:55,792 --> 00:43:57,292 "God is convicting me. 932 00:43:57,333 --> 00:43:58,667 "God is changing me. 933 00:43:58,750 --> 00:44:01,917 "I know he's not done, but it is pretty cool what he's already 934 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,292 been able to do in spite of me." 935 00:44:05,333 --> 00:44:08,292 And so we change not so that people would be impressed with 936 00:44:08,333 --> 00:44:11,500 us, but that they'd be impressed with the God who changes us. 937 00:44:11,542 --> 00:44:15,917 Additionally, we do not change to feel better about ourselves. 938 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:20,500 We change because we want to glorify God, 939 00:44:20,583 --> 00:44:23,875 because we want to glorify God. 940 00:44:23,958 --> 00:44:27,417 Additionally, I'll close with this, perhaps. 941 00:44:27,500 --> 00:44:31,125 Don't leave here saying, "Thank you, Lord, 942 00:44:31,167 --> 00:44:35,125 I'm not like the religious man." 943 00:44:35,167 --> 00:44:37,000 You get that? 944 00:44:37,042 --> 00:44:40,333 Then you are the religious man. 945 00:44:40,375 --> 00:44:43,417 So we need to even be careful when we criticize religious 946 00:44:43,500 --> 00:44:49,500 people to acknowledge that we're religious people. 947 00:44:49,583 --> 00:44:51,708 So rather than saying, "Thank you, Lord, 948 00:44:51,792 --> 00:44:55,000 that I'm not like that religious man," we have to say, "God, 949 00:44:55,042 --> 00:44:59,333 "thank you for showing me how I'm like that religious man. 950 00:44:59,375 --> 00:45:04,333 "And thank you for convicting me of that sin so that I too can 951 00:45:04,375 --> 00:45:10,167 "repent of my righteousness, and by your grace leave here 952 00:45:10,250 --> 00:45:14,500 declared justified, made righteous in your sight." 953 00:45:14,583 --> 00:45:16,125 And here's the good news. 954 00:45:16,167 --> 00:45:18,333 I've got good news for all of you. 955 00:45:18,375 --> 00:45:21,125 You can walk in here not righteous, 956 00:45:21,167 --> 00:45:24,083 not justified in the sight of God because of sin 957 00:45:24,167 --> 00:45:27,208 you've committed, stuff you're embarrassed about, 958 00:45:27,292 --> 00:45:31,625 ashamed about, enslaved to, stuck in, controlled by, 959 00:45:31,667 --> 00:45:34,500 haunted for. 960 00:45:34,583 --> 00:45:39,417 Or some of you would walk in unrighteous, haughty, proud, 961 00:45:39,500 --> 00:45:42,833 you're overachievers, you're do-gooders, 962 00:45:42,875 --> 00:45:47,125 you're cause-pursuers, and you're smug and self-righteous 963 00:45:47,167 --> 00:45:49,500 and proud like the devil. 964 00:45:49,542 --> 00:45:51,125 And you're unrighteous too. 965 00:45:51,167 --> 00:45:55,417 And we all walk in here in some kind of unrighteousness. 966 00:45:55,500 --> 00:45:57,417 And the good news is this. 967 00:45:57,500 --> 00:45:59,917 Like that man left the temple, Jesus says, 968 00:46:00,042 --> 00:46:04,000 "I tell you the truth, that man was declared justified, 969 00:46:04,083 --> 00:46:06,333 made righteous in the sight of God." 970 00:46:06,375 --> 00:46:09,708 You can leave here today justified, 971 00:46:09,792 --> 00:46:13,708 declared righteous in the sight of God through 972 00:46:13,792 --> 00:46:19,000 faith in and righteousness from Jesus Christ. 973 00:46:19,042 --> 00:46:21,417 Absolutely. 974 00:46:21,500 --> 00:46:25,875 So there is no one here whom God would turn away 975 00:46:25,958 --> 00:46:28,917 if they would turn to him. 976 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:34,500 Don't trust in yourself as this works righteousness man did. 977 00:46:34,583 --> 00:46:37,125 Trust in the Lord as the repentant, 978 00:46:37,167 --> 00:46:42,500 humble sinner who received the gift righteousness did. 979 00:46:42,583 --> 00:46:44,625 So confess your sin to Jesus. 980 00:46:44,667 --> 00:46:48,333 Receive the righteousness of God in Christ. 981 00:46:48,375 --> 00:46:51,208 And then celebrate with joy. 982 00:46:51,292 --> 00:46:54,417 What good news is it to have the God of the Bible 983 00:46:54,500 --> 00:46:56,917 look at you and say, "Justified! 984 00:46:57,000 --> 00:46:59,208 "Justified! Justified! 985 00:46:59,292 --> 00:47:02,375 "Righteous in my sight! Righteous in my sight! 986 00:47:02,458 --> 00:47:04,625 Righteous in my sight!" 987 00:47:04,667 --> 00:47:08,000 That is good news. 988 00:47:08,083 --> 00:47:12,000 Father God, I thank you so much for the Bible. 989 00:47:12,083 --> 00:47:14,917 Holy Spirit, thank you for inspiring the writing 990 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:16,583 of the Bible. 991 00:47:16,667 --> 00:47:19,083 And God, on this day I want to thank you. 992 00:47:19,167 --> 00:47:20,500 I love my job. 993 00:47:20,542 --> 00:47:22,708 This is the best job. 994 00:47:22,792 --> 00:47:25,667 I get to open the Bible and talk about Jesus. 995 00:47:25,750 --> 00:47:30,333 And Lord, I really, really, really, really like this job. 996 00:47:30,375 --> 00:47:33,500 And I thank you for the people of Mars Hill Church that they 997 00:47:33,583 --> 00:47:36,500 want to hear the Word of God, that they want to know 998 00:47:36,583 --> 00:47:40,375 the Son of God, they want to be filled with the Spirit of God. 999 00:47:40,458 --> 00:47:44,333 God, I confess to you, as I read this story, 1000 00:47:44,375 --> 00:47:48,833 I'm a works righteousness man. 1001 00:47:48,875 --> 00:47:53,167 Even when I do see progress, I like to take credit for it 1002 00:47:53,250 --> 00:47:56,500 and get proud and I'm right back where I started. 1003 00:47:56,542 --> 00:48:00,500 God, I pray for my friends who are like me, that God, 1004 00:48:00,583 --> 00:48:06,000 we would see, we would see there is righteousness. 1005 00:48:06,083 --> 00:48:09,708 It's in Christ, not in us. 1006 00:48:09,792 --> 00:48:12,667 When we boast, may we boast in you, Lord Jesus, 1007 00:48:12,750 --> 00:48:14,667 and not in ourselves. 1008 00:48:14,750 --> 00:48:17,667 And Father, I pray, as well, for my friends who are here 1009 00:48:17,750 --> 00:48:19,708 and they feel like this tax collector. 1010 00:48:19,792 --> 00:48:26,542 They're guilty, they're dirty, they're ashamed, condemned, 1011 00:48:29,083 --> 00:48:33,625 they have a hard time even thinking that you love them 1012 00:48:33,667 --> 00:48:37,125 and that what they've done could be forgiven. 1013 00:48:37,167 --> 00:48:40,333 Maybe, God, this is even a hard word for them to hear because 1014 00:48:40,375 --> 00:48:43,875 all they hear is condemnation and accusation from Satan, 1015 00:48:43,958 --> 00:48:46,917 their enemy, who is also a liar. 1016 00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:50,167 Holy Spirit, I pray that you would encourage their heart 1017 00:48:50,250 --> 00:48:54,292 and that you would let them know that Jesus died for them, 1018 00:48:54,333 --> 00:48:59,000 that Jesus rose for them, that Jesus takes away their sin, 1019 00:48:59,083 --> 00:49:01,500 and Jesus gladly, not ungladly, 1020 00:49:01,583 --> 00:49:05,583 gladly gives them his righteousness. 1021 00:49:05,667 --> 00:49:10,000 Father, may we all experience this great exchange 1022 00:49:10,042 --> 00:49:15,792 and may we leave here with that glorious word, "justified," 1023 00:49:15,833 --> 00:49:17,792 ringing in our ears. 1024 00:49:17,833 --> 00:49:20,333 In Jesus' name, amen.