Well, Jesus has a wonderful way of turning our expectations on their heads. I want you to think of two words this morning, arrogance and humility. Arrogance is an attitude of superiority, thinking that you are better than others. Some synonyms for an arrogant person might be self-important, haughty, pretentious. Humility is the opposite of arrogance. It is the recognition that you are not better than others. Someone who is humble might also be called down to earth, reserved, deferential, self-effacing. Now I want you to think of two people. An IRS agent standing at your door and a SUNY school teacher who has volunteered to instruct your children. Which of the two words, arrogance or humility, would best describe the IRS agent? And the Sunday school teacher, arrogance, humility. To tell his story, Jesus uses the two polar opposite professions in the first century Jewish communities. The most pious and respected, the beloved Pharisees. and the most hated and despised the turncoat thug-like tax collectors. He does this to shock his audience into hearing what he has to say. Now further, of the two people standing here in the temple, the tax collector is clearly out of place. Of these two men, the last place you would expect the tax collector, especially in Israel's current social and political climate, was at the temple praying to God. But nevertheless, here they both are in the temple praying. Now the way Luke sets up his story of Jesus telling a parable is important. He tells us that Jesus told the parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. Notice in verse 9 how he describes this, that Jesus tells a parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were in fact righteous and viewed others with contempt. Now you're going to want to know carefully this morning that these two characteristics of seeing yourself as righteous and looking down or showing contempt are intimately intertwined. People who are self-righteous will show contempt for others. And folks who usually look down on others will also tend to think better that they are better than themselves, than others. Now this is especially true when the stakes are really high, as in our relationship to God Almighty. We'll flesh this out a bit more here in just a moment. But first, let's consider how both of these men approach God in prayer. Now, this is going to tell us a lot about their condition before God. One thing is clear, that one of them goes home justified before God, while the other remains in a state of condemnation before God. Remember in verse 14, Jesus says, I tell you, this man went to the house justified rather than the other. So what we want to do in listening to Jesus' parable this morning is to look at this as a wonderful barometer, a benchmark if you will, for you to see where you stand before God this morning. Now a question that might help us to get what is going on in the hearts of these two men in the parable is this. Why do they go to the temple? And it's not enough to answer they go up to pray. We want to go deeper than that. We need to answer the question, what are they both seeking in going up to the temple to pray? After we read the story of each of these two men, we will have to wonder, if the Pharisee thought what he thought about himself, why did he go up to the temple to pray? What motivated him to go up? As an extension to the question we might ask, why do you go to church? Why did you come to church this morning? Now in a moment, we'll ask the same question of the tax collector. Why does he go up to the temple to pray? But for now, notice that both of these men go up to the temple and both go up to pray. That means that they're both standing in the same general vicinity in the house of God. The Pharisee, who is more sure of his standing before God, seems to be closer to the inner court, while the tax collector, standing off at a distance, probably remains closer to the court of Gentiles. Either way, they both show up to the temple together on this day and yet only one of them goes home justified before God while the other does not. Now what does that mean? Well, it tells us that it's not merely the fact that they're both in the temple, nor that one is closer to the inner sanctum of God that determines their standing before God, whether they are in a right relationship to God or not. And the same is true of all of you this morning. The fact that you're at church this morning sitting here in the pew is not enough of an indicator to determine your standing before God. In fact, we can assume that just as there were two people, two kinds of people in the temple in Jesus' parable, that there is likely both kinds of people here this morning. There are both types. There are those of you who are accepted by God, and there are those of you who are rejected by God. Both of you have come to church this morning to pray and yet each of you have come for very different reasons and with very different attitudes in your heart towards God and other people. In reality, each of you have come with very different views of God and of yourselves before God. And notice it's not because of how you view God and others that determines whether or not you are right with God. But it will give you a good idea this morning of the condition of your soul before God. Like the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple together, only one group of you will go home today justified before God, while the other group will seek to stand before God with your heart remaining hardened in your pride and self-sufficiency, condemned to an eternity in hell. Now Jesus begins his parable with two very different men who come to the temple to pray for two very different reasons. In verse 10 we are told, two men went up to pray into the temple, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The first man, a Pharisee. Now, that was not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. The Pharisees were theologically conservative. They generally believed the Law and the Prophets and attempted to rigorously follow their Jewish traditions. Most of the people looked up to the Pharisees. sometimes as if they were a standard perhaps too high for them to achieve, but nevertheless seeing them as examples of piously following God. Your everyday Jew would have typically admired the faithfulness of the Pharisees' devotion to the things of God. That's why when Jesus uses the Pharisees in the parable as an example of something negative, That would have unsettled his audience who would have normally been favorable toward the Pharisees. The Pharisees would have been like your Sunday school teacher. Now this particular Pharisee had let his faithfulness to God go to his head. He is Jesus' example of someone who trusted in himself that he was righteous and he looked down on others who were not as faithful to God as he was. He stood, we are told, by himself. Look at verse 10 and 11. Verse 11, the Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself. He stands by himself as to say he's in a category of one. He is one who trusted in his own goodness. As if he didn't need anyone else to come beside him, to join his group, to come to his aid. He's a self-made man. He's achieved all he got. He was proud of all he accomplished in life and didn't need anyone else to help him, or at least in his arrogance he didn't want to admit that he needed anyone else's help. Now it was certainly typical of Jewish prayers to begin them with thanksgiving to God, and usually something God has done, and the Pharisee does in fact do this. Look again at verse 11. The Pharisee stands up to pray, God, I thank you that. And from that point on, it all goes downhill from there. He may have even thought for a moment that what he's about to say next, God did for him. It's not quite the sense we get as we read on, but that could be his intention. He thanks God that he is not like other men. He goes on in verse 11, he says, I thank God that I'm not like other men, swindlers or thieves or those who are extortioners. I'm not unjust or unrighteous. I'm not like adulterers or those who are immoral. And I'm not even like this tax collector. Now notice that all these certainly are unrighteous violators of the law of God. No one would doubt such a thing. The final example the Pharisee gives shows that he's clearly generalizing about this particular man based simply on his profession. Because he's a tax collector, he's automatically guilty. He is immoral before God for sure. After all, he's a tax collector. But it's not enough that the Pharisee feels contempt for these kinds of people. He also feels pretty good about himself. Notice he says in verse 12, I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that I get. After all, look at all the good he does. He may not be lifting a finger to help others, but at least he fasts twice a week. Now this was way more than what God had required. When one fasted, he or she only took in bread and water. And God required his people to fast at least once a year on the Day of Atonement. So clearly he's going way above the call of duty thinking that God must surely be impressed as well as others by his devotion to God. In fact, Jesus points out in another place in the scriptures that the Pharisees weren't content with keeping their piety between them and God. They wanted to publicize their good works before others to be noticed and praised by men. Jesus exhorted that His disciples are not going to be like this. He says, Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full, but you, You, my disciples, when you fast, anoint your head, wash your face, so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." See, the disciples of Jesus are to fear God and God alone, not what other men think of them, good or ill. Jesus had the same thing to say about how the Pharisees gave so that others would notice them. And notice the Pharisees were known, that's key, they were known to have paid their tithes on everything they received down to the food they ate, even the herbs they used to season their food. Again, they were known by others to go above and beyond the call of duty. They tie on everything they get and people knew that. It was on the basis of these kinds of acts that the Pharisees acknowledged their superiority over most others. It's because he, the Pharisee, has gone beyond all that was asked of him that he thinks God should be impressed with his stellar achievements. Now, I want you to think this morning about not only what the Pharisee is saying, but before whom he is saying it. At one time or another, you may not be so brash as to say the kinds of things to God, but some of you have indeed said, I'm glad I'm not like other people. At least I'm straight and not gay. I work hard for all I've got. I've made something of myself. They made a mess of their life. They deserve what they got. Why should I lift a finger to help them? I chose to follow Jesus. They didn't. They should have to suffer for being a pagan. I'm a better father, a better mother. I'm a better husband and wife. that the fact that their children aren't walking with God is because they weren't as good a father as I am. You see, these all reflect the same attitude of the Pharisee who trusts in himself that he is righteous and treats other people with contempt. Now it shouldn't only shock you this morning to hear the things that you have said about others read back to you. What really ought to shock you is to know before whom you've said these things. The Pharisee is standing before God and he says, I'm glad I'm not like these other people. He's thanking God that he's better than others. Now, you have to wonder, does he really think that God is impressed with all his skills of tithing and fasting? What about you? Do you really honestly think that God is impressed that you're straight sexually and not gay? Do you really think that God is impressed that you're a better parent than that guy over there? Or a better wife than that lady over there? Do you really think that God looks at Jesus, and then He looks at you, and with Jesus next to you, He really thinks that you look great? Are you really that foolish? Are you really that blind? And notice what the Pharisee does. This is typical. He doesn't pick on someone who is morally superior to himself. After all, he's not comparing himself to someone who fasts three times a week or someone who ties everything they earn. He picks on the worst possible examples of humanity. The extortioners, the unjust, the adulterers, the tax collector. And he prides himself, he's not as bad as those people. He doesn't recognize his own failures as a sinner because there's always going to be someone in life that's a worse person than you are. So why is he doing this? What moves him to think of others this way? Well, it all goes back to what he thinks of God. The way you think about God will affect the way you Treat other people. And that's really the heart of what Jesus' message here. The whole context is screaming forth that you as God's disciples, you as Jesus' disciples, you are not to show contempt for other people. You have no right to look down on other people. And it all goes back to what you think about God. The Pharisee sees his relationship with God as one being in competition with others for God's favor. It's like a little child in the nursery who's in competition with his little brother or sister for mom or dad's love. If God is going to accept the Pharisee, he must be acceptable before God. Paul points this out to the Romans. He says, for I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by that righteousness. This is exactly what Jesus describes in verse 9. And He told the parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. Now, there is only one possible way this morning that you can possibly think that you are righteous. And that is by seeing others around you as unrighteous. Either you will look at the worst possible examples of humanity. Oh, at least I'm not like those terrorists. At least I'm not like those embezzlers. At least I don't treat my wife like that serial killer. So God, I'm good. You'll pick the worst possible examples of humanity and there's always plenty to choose from. Or you will find a flaw, even the tiniest flaw will do. You'll do this to your wife, you'll do this to your husband, you'll do this to your parents, you'll do this to your children. You'll find a flaw, any flaw in your neighbor. And once you can point that out, you instantly feel better about your chances of gaining God's favor. That's what you're doing all the time, by the way. You're always looking for flaws. Why do you think we love to watch the news? We don't love to watch the news to catch up on the day. We're looking for flaws in people. We want to hear stories about that person who shot up all the people. Because we can at least say before God, at least I'm not like that guy. That's how we read our newspapers. We scour the internet for stories about some person that's fallen from grace. We love those stories because we can appeal to God to say, at least I'm not like that person. Why do you love to hear gossip? Why is your ear always open to hear the dirtiest story about someone? Because you're looking for a flaw so that you can compare yourself to that individual and say to God, at least I'm not like that person. Now the only problem is what do you do when you find someone who doesn't have a flaw? It makes you look really bad before God. After all, that's what happened between Cain and Abel. As long as Abel was around, Cain had no chance of gaining God's favor. So he killed him. And the canes of this world did it again when God himself showed up. And because they knew they were never going to gain God's favor as long as Jesus hung around, they decided instead to hang him from a tree to die. With him out of the way, they could get on with seeking to establish their own righteousness based on the law. With Jesus out of the way, maybe they think they now have a fighting chance. Beloved, this is how we treat one another as long as we're trying to gain favor with God by the works of the law. Paul describes it to the Galatians, but if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Cannibalism in the church. Now it's clear that the attitude of the Pharisees, and by the way, your attitude, doesn't impress Jesus in the slightest. You can show him all your trophies, all your good works, all your good behavior that you've accumulated throughout life to the one whose eyes are too pure and holy to behold sin, and yet all your righteousness is but filthy rags. That really is what defines us as Reformed people. We don't simply repent for our unrighteousness. We know we must repent to God for our righteousness. This is really true. And most of you don't get it. Most of you will go out of this place today and think, I'm still a pretty good person. And you have no idea how rotten you truly are. But that's how the tax collector understood himself. He was unrighteous to the core. So verse 13, the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast saying, God, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. You see, he's just the complete opposite of the Pharisee. Tax collectors weren't all well liked by the people. In fact, they were hated. He goes up to the temple, not to impress God, but to cry. To cry out to Him for mercy. Luke tells us that Jesus described him as far off from God. He would not dare lift his eyes to the Lord. He knew he was too impure to look upon God's glory and live. Instead of proudly lifting his breast in haughtiness before God, he pounded upon his breast with his fists, revealing his sense of unworthiness. He needed to be punished before God. There's no self-confidence or pretension in his voice. He's been arrested by God. He knows it's time to come clean and admit his moral bankruptcy before God's holiness. There's no presumption of merit before God. He knows the only thing God owes him is death. He's a sinner and the wages of sin is death. His only hope is that God will choose to show him mercy. As a sinner, he knows the ball is in God's court. It's up to him and him alone to decide what he's going to do with this sinner who has no claims on God. But what happened to this man? What produced this in this man's heart? Well, Paul tells us very clearly that what's happened to this man is that he has come to death in himself and he has been born again by the Spirit of God. Paul says it this way, therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, If there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if there is any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. And what is that? Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interest of others. Do you see the difference between these two men? Can you tell how vastly different is their approach to God? Which one do you think pleases God? Which one do you think God will accept into his presence. You see, for most of you, the idea that you would, with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourself? Abominable. You mean I have to regard that homosexual as more important? I have to regard that lowlife, that loser as more important? I have to regard that prostitute and that adulterer as more important? You see, some of you this morning will hear everything that Jesus has to say to you. And yet, like the Pharisee, you will return home today with the same hard-hearted, stone-cold soul before God, and you will continue to show the same contempt for other people who are not as good as you are. You will continue to wonder why others can't try harder and get their life right like you've been able to do. And there will be no question in your heart that God must be thankful. God must thank His lucky stars. He must surely be impressed to have you in His kingdom. It's just too bad He has to go and fill it up with all these other people who are so unworthy of being here. Now if that's you this morning, and some of you know it is, Let me ask you a very simple question. Which of the two men do you think is more likely to go out from this temple and serve their neighbor in love? And you see, that's exactly what Jesus is getting at. The emphasis that Jesus is making here in verse 9 is, these people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, they viewed others with contempt. That's the key. That's what He's saying His disciples are not going to be like. And those who act like that cannot be His disciples. Do you think it's going to be the Pharisee who thinks he's better than others and holds them in contempt? Or do you think it's going to be the sinner who knows he's saved only by God's mercy, who will go forth and love his neighbor? See, there's no question that God delights in seeing His loving service to helpless sinners imitated in His children. It gives God joy in His heart to see you, the children of God, loving people who are helpless the way He loved those of us who were helpless. If you've done everything right in your life and you've made something special of your life, then fine. Use what you've achieved to help those who have made a mess of their lives. And stop worrying about whether or not the other people God has put in your path are worth helping or not. Let's be clear about this, and I know that this is going to shock some of you. God did not help you, He did not give you new life because you were worth it. He gave you life because He is love. And it glorifies Him to make known the riches of His glory on vessels of mercy which are prepared for glory. The prophet Micah has beautifully summed up the kind of life that pleases God as, He has told you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. It's the kind of life that you can know for sure, with certainty, that God's always pleased with. You don't ever have to wonder if you're doing what is right when you choose to humble yourself before God and serve other people in love. But you do know with certainty that the life that God hates, the life that He is at war with, is the life of the proud man or woman who shows contempt for his fellow man. Peter says it this way, you younger men likewise be subject to your elders and all of you clothe yourselves with humility towards one another. Notice it's not humility towards God, it's humility towards one another. For God is opposed to the proud. God's at war with you who are proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves unto the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. Jesus ends his parable with this teaching. The tax collector who understood that the only reason he will receive anything good from God is because of God's mercy. God owes him nothing but death and condemnation. And it is this attitude and only this attitude toward God that will ever receive anything good from God. Because as Jesus explains, look again at verse 14. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. That ought to scare the living daylights out of you. You who constantly exalt your heart before your wife, proud and arrogant that you are better than she is. God is at war with you and he is set to destroy you. You who look at that gay person and you say, well, I'm straight. I'm much a better person and follower of Jesus than they are. They deserve what they get. God is at war with you and he will destroy you. You who raise your heart up against another human being who is created in the image of God and you think you're better than they are and you show contempt, God hates you. and he will destroy you. You are at war with God and you're not going to get away. God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So Jesus says in verse 14, but he who humbles himself, he alone God will exalt. Now, some of you this morning, your reply to all of this is this. Just who does God think He is that He can speak to me like this? Who does He think He is that He can require me to humble myself before others? Well, He's the eternal God. who although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant, a slave to you. And being made in the likeness of men, being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself. by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And it was for that reason God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under earth, and that every tongue will confess, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Let's pray.