Have Mercy on Me, O God (Luke 18:9-14)
Gary McManus, 02/21/2016Part of the Mercy series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
No penalty = mercy
“mercy”=126 times in the Bible.
55 times in the New Testament
Add the word “merciful” + 18
Jesus taught about mercy and
Jesus showed mercy.
Jesus Himself told this story. . .
Details help us learn about God.
“Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other
a tax collector.
The Pharisee is grateful for
what he has NOT done.
Tax collector in ancient Judea. . .
AND the Pharisee is glad for
what he HAS done. . .
This Pharisee looks like a Super Christian.
So, what is broken here?
. . .just about everything is broken
in the picture of the tax collector. . .
The sinner received mercy.
And here is our problem. . .
Are we “bankers of righteousness”?
We often think we have grounds to ask for forgiveness.
The Lord is not interested in what we think
of ourselves.
See Psalm 51
The tax collector is asking for mercy
based on who God is.
The Pharisee wants to be forgiven
based on himself, not on God
Further in Psalm 51 we read: (vs 17)
Based on a knowledge of God
does the tax collector ask for mercy.
Conclude: I should sin more so I can receive mercy?
Nope (Romans 6:1); we HAVE already sinned.
“He hasn’t got a prayer.” == no chance of success
The tax collector knows that he has no chance of
success with God. The Pharisee thinks that he DOES
have a chance with God.
Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
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