By John Foll
“And
He [Jesus] also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that
they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:” Luke 18:9 NASB. Have you met individuals who think that
they are good and view others with contempt? Have you heard individuals who
are quick to talk about others behind their back and hurt their reputation? Then
you know those whom Jesus is addressing. Do
you think that you are good? Do you have trouble protecting the feelings
and reputations of others? Do people who break God’s Law or do not believe “the
Truth” get you all fired up? We hope that
you will keep reading this message, if any of these points hit home. Jesus’
message wasn’t just to rebuke the self-righteous, He loved these people and
wanted to help them before it was too late! Can you see the love in His message here? The problem that Jesus is
addressing is a very common problem in humanity. Many people have had this
problem in their life at one time or another. Jesus was telling some people
here that they needed to make a change if they wanted to be saved.
We
took a pause from finishing this passage in Luke to contemplate Jesus’ message
here. People read that Jesus was speaking to the
Pharisees, then think that this message doesn’t apply to them, and say ‘I am
glad I am not a sinner like that Pharisee’. Many people are OK
with hearing a message, if they think that it applies to someone else. So think
about this message, and not just jump to the conclusion that it doesn’t apply
to you. Often people just read a passage, and run with what they think it
means, and skip over some of what has been said. So it is beneficial to read the
whole passage, and read every word of it, not skipping over parts of it, to get
the whole truth, especially for parts that are often ignored. It is good to
hear a startling message to help you wake up, or to hear a message stated from
a different perspective, so you can be at peace.
Jesus
continues:
“"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a
tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God,
I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or
even like this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all
that I get.' But the tax collector,
standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven,
but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I
tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be
exalted."” Luke 18:10-14 NASB.
Why was the tax
collector justified before God, and not the Pharisee in this account? Because
he humbled himself before God and begged for His mercy! The Pharisee didn’t. ‘There
is no one who does good, not even one.’ Psalm 14:3 NASB. So why wasn’t this Pharisee justified before God? Because he
humbled not his heart before God, and confessed not his sin of pride and of praying
unkind words towards this poor tax collector - sinner. “If my people, which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV. God declares through His prophet
Jeremiah, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of
evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall
go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me
with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your
captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the
places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD;
and I will bring you again into the
place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 KJV.
Dear reader, are you held captive by sins or bad habits? Do you want to be
free? God says that if you will seek
after Him with all of your heart, then you will find Him, and He will take away
your captivity, and place you where you were always meant to be, with Him in
Heaven as one of His sons or daughters. Jesus says, “If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 KJV. He
has provided the way, Oh sinner, if you will accept it, He will make you free
indeed! What a promise!
This text shows the
connection between God’s people and the humble who will inherit the earth: “For
evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look
carefully for his place, and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land, and will delight themselves in
abundant prosperity.” Psalm 37:9-11 NASB. We have all been evildoers at one point in our life, but if we will
humble ourselves before God and wait on Him, He will help us to become one of
the righteous. And remember what Jesus
our Savior said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:5 KJV. God told Moses to tell the people
before the Day of Atonement: “If
there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be
cut off from his people.” Leviticus 23:29 NASB. Why was that? Because the Day of Atonement, also known as Yom
Kippur, represents the Day of Judgment, when the judgement takes place. All
who wish to be clean before God, will humble themselves before Him, and will confess
all of their sins. Those who will not humble themselves before Him, will be
cut off from among His people, and will not go to Heaven to live throughout the
endless ages with the peace, love, happiness and the delight of the saved. Those
who refuse to humble themselves before God will be cut off from His people, and
will then realize that they have made a terrible mistake! Many people have no idea what they will be missing if they fail to
humble themselves before God and stay that way! Peter admonishes us:
“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy
and all slander, like newborn babies,
long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to
salvation, if you have tasted the
kindness of the Lord.” 1 Peter 2:1-3 NASB. The Psalmist, David says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the
man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8 NASB. Only those who have humbled themselves before God, and have tasted of
the goodness to come, have a clue to the priceless treasures of peace, love, joy
and delight that God wants to give His people in Heaven forever!
Consider those who
have tasted of the heavenly gift: ‘those who have once been enlightened
and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy
Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come’
Hebrews 6:4-5 NASB: it is very hard for these to fall away and become lost.
How could you walk away from the best
thing that you have ever known or could know? Dear reader, have you tasted of
this heavenly gift of the age to come? Do not stop humbling your heart,
and seeking after God until you get it! You will never regret it, we promise
you! So humble yourself before your
God, whom you love, confess all of your sins, asking Him to be merciful to you
a sinner, and you will go home justified before Him, and He will fill your
heart with His love. And you will indeed taste and see that the Lord is
good, and will get the taste of the Heavenly gift and of the good things in the
age to come. This is our prayer for
you! Amen.
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