What’s your worst fear when you’re a child? Quicksand. There’s nothing like quicksand to strike fear in the heart of a child. I can’t wait to tell Elijah about quicksand. This week I came across a wonderful game published in 2001 called The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Game. It teaches you how to survive bad things that can happen. So I thought, let’s play a little game today. Let’s see how well you would do surviving some worst-case scenarios. I thought I’d start with sharks since there have been a couple shark attacks on Cape Cod this summer. .

How to fend off a shark:

Make repeated quick, sharp jabs in the eyes or gills. 

Punch or kick it in the nose. 

Grab and hold one or both pectoral fins. 

The correct answer is “A. Make repeated quick, sharp jabs in the eyes or gills.” I thought it was B or a combination of A and B. Now some of you may prefer a more tropical or jungle destination.

How to fend off a man-eating tiger:

Wear a face mask on the back of your head.

Rub elephant dung or urine on your clothing. 

Cover your body with crushed garlic; the smell repels tigers.

The correct answer is “A. Wear a face mask on the back of your head.” I think dousing yourself in crushed garlic may just make you taste better. Now for those of you who are really serious about survival.

How to foil a UFO abduction: 

Never travel alone in the woods. No UFO abduction has ever involved more than seven people.

Dress like a tourist and carry cameras and a map. Appear willing to go with the aliens.

Focus your thoughts toward the alien. Tell it, “Leave me alone. Go away, I have a virus.” 

Apparently, the correct answer is, “C. Go away, I have a virus.” I’m not sure what research they did in the late 90s to make them feel qualified to report this, but there you go. Did anyone survive sharks, tigers, and UFOs? Nicely done. Now I want to give you one more question that I wrote up.

How to survive the end of the world: 

Invest in a bunker or be the first to colonize Mars.

Live life to the fullest now because there’s no escape.

The only way to survive the end of the world is with Jesus.

So what do you think the correct answer is? I bet none of you are digging out a bunker or job hunting at SpaceX, but maybe you are living every day like it’s your last and not thinking about tomorrow. As Jesus shows us in our passage, neither of those are the best answer. The best answer is, “C. The only way to survive the end of the world is with Jesus.”

Today Jesus tells his audience and us about the end of the temple in Jerusalem and the end of the world. And when I say “end of the world” I don’t mean that the world will be completely gone because Revelation 21:1-4 promises a new heaven and new earth, but I mean the day Christ returns and this present world ends. Today’s passage can be kind of confusing so I thought I would start by outlining its structure to give you a bit more clarity as we go through it. Outline of Luke 21:5-38:

v5-24: Jesus prophesies the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

This destruction serves as a “pattern” or “type” or “sign” of an even greater future destruction.

v25-28: Jesus prophesies the end of the world at his return.

The destruction of the temple serves as a smaller example of a bigger event, the destruction and judgment experienced at the end of days. 

v29-33: Jesus assures his audience these things will take place. 

Jesus uses the parable of the fig tree to do so.

v34-38: Jesus tells his audience how to live in light of these things.

So what? What difference does this make for my life? He addresses those who would be willing to give themselves to “partying” or “living life to the fullest now” because they know what is coming.

Instead of preaching this passage verse by verse or section by section I want to take take the big picture and draw out what Jesus has to say for us today about preparing for Christ’s return. I want to do this by answering four questions: 1) What will happen? 2) When will it happen? 3) Ho

Today I’m going to preach one of those sermons that I hope you will talk about on the drive home or at dinner afterwards with your family. Today I’m preaching on politics. I didn’t choose this topic because I thought, “You know what would go well with my son’s baby dedication? Politics!” No, I chose this text a while ago. Now this isn’t the first time I’ve preached on politics, but I think it’s good to have a refresher before we head into the midterm elections. But since politics can be a touchy subject, let’s stop and pray. 

I want you to stop for a moment and think of the political positions you associate with Jesus, the Bible, and Christians. Some of the political issues that pop into your mind are probably pretty controversial, like abortion or gay marriage or the death penalty. Maybe you also think of immigration and refugees or feeding the poor. As you think of these political issues you associate with Jesus you also may assume Jesus lands on a certain side of the issue, maybe the side you’re on. But some of you may never have associated Jesus with politics, so this is a completely new idea. 

If you could ask Jesus one political question what would it be? Jesus, should we build a wall? Jesus, what do we need to do to get out of the deficit? Jesus, what should we do with our military? Should we have a military? Jesus, what should we do about pollution and global warming? What should we do about Israel and Palestine? Jesus, who should I vote for during the next presidential election?

What would your motive for your question be? Is it a competition? Ha! Jesus really is for green energy! Told you so! Or? Jesus, I want to know how to follow you better in all aspects of my life, even my politics? In our passage today some people ask Jesus a political question. 

Luke 20:20-22 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (NIV®)

What are their motives for asking Jesus this question? Are they good? No. They’re bad. They’re trying to catch Jesus in a trap! You can almost hear Admiral Ackbar yelling, “It’s a trap!” Star Wars. But because of this trap we actually learn something about what Jesus thinks of politics. Some of us might think we know where Jesus stands politically. He’s standing firmly in my camp! Right? 

But what if we’re wrong? What if when we try to trap Jesus in our politics he’s really standing somewhere entirely different? Jesus calls us to examine ourselves when we think he is on our side. 

When you think you know where Jesus stands politically…

The spies want to entrap Jesus with a politically charged issue—paying taxes to Rome. Now I know we don’t argue about taxes today… but what made this issue especially charged back then is: 

Rome was an enemy state that was occupying Israel by force, not by the will of the people. 

A few years earlier in A.D. 6-10 a rebel named Judas (different Judas) lead a revolt against Rome and called anyone who paid taxes to Rome a “coward” since they must not trust God.

As Jesus responds to this question he reveals that he doesn’t stand where they think he stands. From this story we can draw out three things we can do to examine if we are actually standing with Christ in our own politics or if we’re we’re trying to get Jesus to agree with our own political opinions. First… 

1. Test your motives. (v20-22)

Verse 21 says they, the Pharisees, teachers of the law, and chief priest, sent spies to Jesus who “pretended to be sincere.” This word for “pretend” is the Greek word hypokrinomai, which means to “be a hypocrite.” It means to act a certain part. To be something you’re not. Don’t come to Jesus, pr

When you expect one thing and God does something completely different, remember God is telling a bigger story than you can ever think or imagine. Watch, listen or read this sermon on Luke 5:17-25 by Mark Pender. Click “Save” to download the pdf manuscript.

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I want to start out by playing a little game. I want to see if you can guess each answer. I’m going to ask you a “how many” question and you’re going to see if you know the right answer. 

How many cars and trucks did Americans buy in 2017? Answer: 17.3 million

How much did we spend on movie tickets domestically in 2017? Answer: $11 billion

How much did Americans spend on donuts in 2014? Answer: $581 million

How many Cokes are consumed each day globally? Answer: 1.9 billion

Do you like to buy stuff? I do. I like going to the movies and my favorite Dunkin Donut is glazed blueberry. It seems like just about everyone likes to buy something. You don’t even have to go to the store now. You can use your smartphone to shop or you can buy a thing called a dash button from Amazon so whenever you run low on toothpaste with just the press of a button you can have toothpaste delivered.

How often do we treat God this way? How often do we come to church this way? God, I’m here to put money in the offering bag so that in return you will give me… dot-dot-dot, fill in the blank. Or maybe that’s how you use your prayers. God, I’m praying, now would you do what I want? The University of North Carolina asked teenagers about their view of God and religion and they found this.

“They concluded that most American teens view God as a “combination divine butler and cosmic therapist,” and teens were “primarily concerned with one’s own happiness in contrast to focusing on glorifying God, learning obedience, or serving others.” This was the religion of most teens, the researchers concluded, because it is also the form of religion practiced by their parents. Americans want a god who will serve our needs, fix our problems, and help us achieve our goals.”

Even in the church we unintentionally teach each other to look to God as the great provider of our wants and needs. When we come to church we expect excellent music, a funny yet thought-provoking sermon, and maybe a free mug and a t-shirt too. You can blame me for at least 3/4 of those things. I really wanted to make my big idea for this sermon, “Out with the merch. In with the church.” If God is something we use to get what we really want, safety, security, happiness, wealth, then we are consuming God and our religion is not Christianity, but consumer Christianity. Today, I want to ask this question…

What’s wrong with consumer Christianity?

What’s wrong with God helping us out? What’s wrong with only going to God when we’re in a tough spot? What’s wrong with God fitting into my life? Today in our text Jesus addresses what’s wrong and it’s not pretty. He has finally come to Jerusalem for his crucifixion. He’s just ridden in on a donkey and the next big thing he does is go to the temple. He walks up the steps into the courtyard and he makes a scene. 

Luke 19:45-46 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (NIV®)

Jesus drives out the merchants in Luke. Both Matthew and Mark tells us he drives out those who were buying too. For some reason Luke leaves them out. But both Matthew and Mark say Jesus “overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves” (Matt 11:12; Mark 11:15). 

The money changers exchanged currencies from around the middle-east for the one type of currency the temple used, Tyrian Shekels. It wasn’t a Roman coin because they hated their Romans oppressors, but it did have “the image of the god Melkart.” When Jesus says they’re robbers, they would have been doing this by charging an unfair fee on the exchange rate. They were taking advantage of pilgrims who had come from far and wide to Jerusalem for passover week. That’s the first thing that’s wrong with consumer Christianity. 

1) It takes advantage of others.

When we approach Christianity and Christ as a way to get ahead or make some money we’re not hono

Does prayer work? When you’re going through something and you ask people to pray for you, does it matter? Does it help? Maybe you’ve seen this meme on Facebook about the uselessness of prayer.

“I named my cats ‘thoughts’ and ‘prayers’ because they’re useless.” 

I actually think that’s pretty funny, but it’s sadly popular because people believe it. Prayer doesn’t work. Maybe some of you were on social media after the recent Parkland Shooting and you saw this meme showing Neo from the Matrix stopping bullets with his mind.

“When you’re in school and the thoughts and prayers kick in.” 

The message is clear. Prayer doesn’t work. Prayer doesn’t matter. Do you believe this? I think most of us would say, “No! I believe prayer works.” But our real answer is not what we say but what we do. If you spend time in prayer every day, you believe prayer works. It’s easy to forget prayer’s power and importance. Today I want to encourage us to both pray more and help us understand what to pray for.

Always pray and never lose heart. (Luke 18:1)

What I like about the parable of the persistent widow is that Luke tells us up front what it means. 

Luke 18:1 “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (NIV®)

So why does Jesus tell his disciples and us this parable? He calls us to… 

1) Pray consistently and regularly.

This sounds familiar to another passage of Scripture. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually,” (NIV®) or “pray without ceasing,” (ESV)

Is that really possible to pray constantly? The word for “continually” (adialeiptos) really means “to have a consistent practice.” One pastor said it’s not that our prayer should be constantly occurring but constantly reoccurring. So to pray without ceasing means to pray consistently and regularly. If prayer is pouring your heart out to God you can do that by intentionally directing your attention to him throughout your day. I think that’s what Jesus means by saying we should always pray. 

If we look at the parable of this widow her practice seems to back this up. She keeps going back to the judge day after day. She’s not always talking but she is always going back. Do you do something regularly, like your daily commute, driving the kids to school or activities, or maybe your Dunkin Donuts run? What if you used the first 15 minutes of your commute or the drive to school to pray? When you pray, pray out loud as it keeps you focused on praying instead of your own thoughts and it models prayer for your kids. A great part of Cornerstone’s story is how Karyn prayed for our building when they she drove by years before God brought Cornerstone into existence. Praise God. Prayer works. Pray consistently and regularly.

2) Never give up.

The word for “not give up” (egkakeo) means to “not lose heart.” It’s the same word we find here.

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV®) 

May we never lose heart! May we hope that God will answer our prayers even when we’re tired and afraid. I love this illustration from C.S. Lewis’ book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The young girl Lucy, her brother Edmund, and their cousin Eustace are taken to the land of Narnia where the Christ-figure is a lion named Aslan. The three of them go on a voyage and come to the island Where Dreams Come True. This is where bad dreams come true like nightmares. The ship’s crew is overcome by fear and begin to wildly row in the darkness. Each sailor hears a different noise: huge scissors, enemies crawling up the side, and gongs, so what does Lucy do? She prays!

“Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now.” The darkness did not grow any less, but she began to feel a little—a very, very little—better. “After all, nothing has really happened to us yet,” she thought.

A ray of light, a spotlight, falls on the ship and Lucy sees something in it like a cross, an albatross. The albatross circles them

I think I’m a bit naive. When I chose preaching on divorce and remarriage this week I thought it would be an easy sermon. I mean I’m preaching on one verse, right? How hard can it be? Don’t the majority of pastors and scholars agree about what the Bible has to say on divorce and remarriage? No they do not. The more I studied this topic the more I realized I don’t know, but I’m still going to try and do the best I can to unpack what the Bible has to say about divorce and remarriage.

I also know that some of your stories included divorce and remarriage. So you may have spent lots of time thinking and praying through what the Bible has to say. After the sermon, I’m going to linger up front so if there’s anyone that wants to talk further about this issue we can have a little group Q&A discussion. I admit. I don’t have all the answers, but I do want to know what the Bible says. At the end of the day, whether you’re married, divorced, or single, we want to obey God in every part of our lives, so we need to know what his word says. One pastor read his sermon on divorce and remarriage to his church to try and be really careful with his wording so I am actually going to follow his lead today and do the same. Together let’s see what Jesus has to say about divorce and remarriage starting in the gospel of Luke.

Luke 16:18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (NIV®) 

This verse is an interesting place to start because Jesus seems to make an absolute prohibition against remarriage after divorce. Don’t do it because you’ll be committing adultery. We see this again in Mark.

Mark 10:11-12 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” (NIV®)

Starting with these verses John Piper and others argue that divorce is never acceptable. I’ll link to John Piper’s Position Paper on Divorce & Remarriage in the sermon manuscript on the website so you can read it. I don’t take John Piper’s position. The main reason I don’t agree with this position is because elsewhere Jesus permits divorce for a specific reason. 

Jesus permits divorce and remarriage for sexual immorality.

In Jesus time there was a debate between a conservative school called the Shammai and a liberal school called the Hillel. These two schools were debating the right interpretation of this Old Testament law.

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. (NIV®)

Conservative Shammai interpreted “something indecent” (ervat davar) as sexual immorality, like adultery (Deut 23:12-14). Liberal Hillel interpreted “something indecent” as “anything indecent,” or “anything I don’t like,” which opened wide the door for any kind of divorce. The Mishnah records their debate.

Mishnah Gittin 9 Beit Shammai say, “No man shall divorce his wife, unless he found in her unchaste behaviour, as it is stated [Deuteronomy 24:1], ‘Because he found in her ‘ervat davar’ [unchaste behavior].'” Beit Hillel say, “Even if she spoiled his food, because it is said, ervat davar”. Rabbi Akivah says, “Even if he found another [woman] prettier than her, as it is stated [ibid.] ‘If it happen that she does not find favor in his eyes.'”

The Pharisees actually seem to mention this debate when they as

We’re starting this sermon by watching a clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This clip shows how many people feel about the idea of kings and authorities. Dennis really didn’t like the king, did he? He saw no reason to respect King Arthur and King Arthur was not very respectable. He used his authority to repress his subjects. If you could have a good king, would you want him? Would you want a king to lead you, protect you, and provide for you? From beginning to end the Bible is the story of a king and his love for his people. Today we’re finishing our Biblical overview of the kingdom of God. So far we’ve learned:

Chapter 1. God is king. (Gen 1:1; Psa 93:1-2)

Chapter 2. People are called to rule. (Gen 1:26) 

Chapter 3. The first rulers fall short. (Gen 3:15)

Chapter 4. God gathers a kingdom people. (Gen 12:2-3)

This chapter helped us answer the question, “What is the Kingdom of God?” 

Reign: God reestablishing his presence on earth.

Realm: God restoring all of creation from the fall. 

Redemption: God redeeming his fallen subjects.

Chapter 5. God provides a human king. (Deut 17:16-19)

Chapter 6. The human king falls short. (1 Kings 11:6)

Chapter 7. God promises a final king. (2 Sam 7:16; Dan 7:13-14)

And now finally we come to the arrival of the king from the line of David.

Chapter 8. The king is born.

The eternal king came as a small baby boy. Remember how king David received this promise from God?

2 Samuel 7:16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” (NIV®)

The gospel of Luke draws our attention to this promise by what the angel Gabriel says to Mary. 

Luke 1:30-33 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (NIV®)

There are two genealogies in the New Testament that show Jesus is a descendant of David, one in Matthew 1:1-17 and the other in Luke 3:21-38. The king is born.

Chapter 9. King Jesus preaches kingdom news.

All throughout his ministry, Jesus preaches about the kingdom of God. 

Luke 4:43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (NIV®)

A few verses earlier in Luke we see who Jesus is preaching the Kingdom of God to. 

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

     because he has anointed me

     to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

     and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free, (NIV®)

As you read the miracles in Luke, when Jesus heals people and drives out demons (Luke 4:33-35; 38-39), they are not meant to just be nice stories but to show Jesus is doing what he said he would do here. The people of Jesus’ day thought that the Messiah would bring the kingdom of God through violence and war. They thought he would overthrow the Romans. The common people thought this and so did the Pharisees. Even John the Baptist struggled to understand Jesus’ kingdom is a different kind of kingdom.

Luke 7:21-22 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. (NIV®)

What type of kingdom is Jesus preaching? Is it for this world or the next? 

1) The kingdom of God is both spiritual and physical.

Jesus came to set free men and women who are captive physically and spiritually under the reign of the prince of this world, Satan (John 12:31; Eph 2:2; 2 Cor 4:4). Jesus does this by healing

I want to start today with an ice-breaker question. “If you could choose, who would you prefer to be in charge of your life?”

Myself

Scientist

Celebrity

Politician

King

Now I want you to be honest. Don’t just give the answer you think I want to hear. Who could you trust to handle your life well? Maybe some of us would say, “I want to be in control, so I choose myself!” Are you sure you want that much responsibility? If you’re a logical thinker and want your life to be based on the hard facts of reality, you might choose a scientist. If you want to be rich, famous, and successful, you might choose a celebrity. If you want to have influence and run for office, you might choose a politician. If you really like the dark ages, you might choose king. Really, why would anyone choose king? 

Did you know that Jesus is a king? In fact, he talks about kingdom all the time. We find “the kingdom” and “the kingdom of God” 39 times in the Gospel of Luke. In our passages today the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God is coming and he says, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20b-21)

The Pharisees seem to think they know what the kingdom of God is (they’re actually wrong) and Jesus definitely knows what it is, but do you? I’ve struggled to understand the kingdom of God in the Bible. Maybe you have too. This theme ties the whole Bible together from beginning to end. Today I’m going to give you a Biblical overview of the kingdom of God so we can come to fully know the good king who is offering to be in charge of our lives. Let’s start in the first book of the Bible.

Chapter 1. God is king.

I’ve broken today’s sermon into chapters because the Kingdom of God is more of a story than a three-point sermon. The kingdom of God is a story building towards a consummation and ending which is really a new beginning. I’ve divided this story up into 12 chapters but we don’t have all evening so in Part 1 today we’re going to go through 7 chapters and in Part 2 next week we’ll finish up the story. Just like any good story, it has to have a good beginning, and we find that in Genesis 1. 

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV®)

I don’t believe Moses wrote Genesis 1 to give us a scientific explanation of the origin of the earth. I don’t think Christians and scientists should argue about the age of the earth in Genesis 1 because I believe God is revealing himself to be the king who rules over all creation. 

Psalm 93:1-2

The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;

      the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;

      indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.

2 Your throne was established long ago;

      you are from all eternity. (NIV®)

In Genesis 1 God creates a kingdom and appoints vice-regents, small “k” kings, to rule over it with him.

Chapter 2. People are called to rule.

God makes men and women in his image. One of the things that means is that humankind will rule over creation just like God. 

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (NIV®)

The ESV says “let them have dominion…” Those who rule or have dominion are those who have been given royal authority by God. So God creates a beautiful world for all of nature and creation to share. Everything about it was perfect, good, and harmonious, and the Lord places men and women in this creation to keep it (Gen 2:15, 18). What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter 3. The first rulers fall short.

Despite Adam and Eve being created without sin and God inviting them to help him rule creation in perfect paradise, they give into temptation. The serpent, who we know as Satan, tempts Eve to eat a fruit that God

When I was in college I was walking to my car when I found a poster slipped under my wiper blades. It advertised free pizza. All I had to do was go by the local Dominos and I would receive my own pizza. I looked at this poster for a long time. It didn’t say I had to do anything to get that pizza. It simply said that I had to show up and I would get my pizza. But it didn’t say why I would get that pizza or who was giving it to me. The poster told me one thing. Free pizza! But my heart told me something else. This pizza can’t possibly be free. There’s a catch. There’s always a catch! Tonight I make sure that each one of us understands the message of Christianity and that it’s not a bait and switch. But it starts with a similar message.

Salvation is free. (Romans Road to Salvation)

I’m giving you a metaphorical flyer tonight and on this poster is the offer of free salvation. You can go home this evening with eternal life. I don’t know if I’ve ever really explained the message of salvation step by step at Cornerstone so I want to do so tonight. I’m using the Romans Road to Salvation which is a nice way to explain salvation using one book of the Bible, Romans. So you’ve just picked up the Romans Road to Salvation flyer, and the first line says this. 

Everyone is broken by sin. 

This is a startling headline! It’s intriguing. You want to know more. Our first verse from Romans explains it.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (NIV®)

Sin is anytime we disobey God in in thought or action. We sin anytime we do anything that does not reflect God’s perfect and holy nature. So I am sinful and broken and he is not. And if God is going to remain good and holy, he is not going to welcome sinful beings into heaven. The next line of the poster tells us the consequence of our sin. 

The wages of sin is death. 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV®)

The first half of this verse tells us that if we do not deal with our sin problem, our sin problem will eventually result in our destruction. At the end of time God is going to judge every sin and everyone who sins. If you are still in your sin when that happens, you will be condemned to everlasting death in hell. The wages of sin is death! But there’s good news because the verse doesn’t stop here. 

God offers us eternal life through Jesus Christ. 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV®)

As we look at the second half of Romans 6:23, we find a great deal of hope. Yes the wages of sin is death, but God offers us eternal life through Jesus. We don’t have to be consumed by sin and death but can live forever at peace with God. But this is only possible through Jesus Christ. How can this be?

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NIV®)

While you were yet a sinner, Jesus went to the cross because he loved us. At the cross he took on God’s anger and wrath for sin and he died. But he didn’t die for his own sin. No. He was perfect, completely innocent, a spotless lamb (1 Peter 1:18). Because he had never sinned and was always obedient to God, he could die for someone else’s sins besides his own, and he choose to die for us. 

Three days later Jesus rose from the grave defeating sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). Paul wrote Romans, and one of his other letters, 1st Corinthians, tells us “he appeared to more than five hundred” at one time. Now Jesus offers us the same eternal life he now has.

Jesus grants salvation to all who believe in him.

A little later in Romans we hear what it takes to receive this free salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you pro

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Cornerstone

Luke 18:9-14

By Rev. Bernie Michaud, June, 2018

Question:  Why did you come here today?

What do you want form God?

What do you need, what do you expect to receive from God today?

I know that if we were perfect, we would not come as needy people; we would come just to sing praises and to worship God.

But, we are just people who are in need, and God cares for us.

Today we are going to be looking at the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Two men who went to the temple, both for different reasons.

As we look at this parable this evening, I want us to think about why we come to church.

And, more importantly, how we approach God.

Try to see if you identify more with the Pharisee or the Tax Collector.

It’s good every now and then just to ask the hard questions and the questions today are:  Why do I come to church; what do I want from God; what do I expect from God today, and, how do I approach God.

Read Luke 18:9-14

Jesus told this parable because there were many who’s hearts were not right.

People just seem to get this God thing mixed up.

We too can get things mixed up.

So, the Pharisee came into the temple thinking that he was somebody special.

Even standing before God he thinks himself to be great.

He doesn’t confess even one sin but begins by telling God, or himself, just how special he is.

“I’m not like other men; I fast twice a week, I tithe, I’m pretty darn great!”

BTW, according to Lev. 16:20, they were only required to fast once a year.

And he says all of this when there are plenty of people around to hear him.

What is the point of doing good stuff if no one see or hears you?

Next, he compared himself to others; robbers, adulterers and evildoers.

He didn’t compare himself to anyone that’s good, just the bad people.

Seeing the tax collector on the other side of the room; he told God how much more special he was than this man.

I hear people doing this all the time.  They say, “I think I’ll go to heaven; I’m not that bad of a person, I don’t steal stuff at Walmart or cheat people.

I don’t even drink or smoke or chew gum!

Do you ever feel better about yourself when you are around people who are a mess?

This Pharisee didn’t realize that the tax collector was going to heaven and that he was on his way to hell.

It’s dangerous to be wrong about stuff.

Luke 18:9 says: He also told this parable to some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on others.

All of us fall short in many ways and yet God loves us all.

All of us are in need of a savior and God reaches out to us no matter what our sin is.

Now the tax collector on the other hand, cries out to God.

He’s ashamed of his sins.

He’s ashamed of himself.

He begs for mercy.

His heart is broken and he’s sick of being the way that he is.

He needs God’s touch on his life.

Do any of you ever come here feeling this way?  (I know many who feel this way)

At the end of the parable Jesus says,

Luke 18:14 (RSV) 14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So, both of these men came to the temple for different reasons.

The Pharisee to show how great he was.

He came looking for the praises of man.

The tax collector to beg God for mercy, not caring what any person thought of him.

For me, it’s not so important how they came in as to how they went out.

The Pharisee went out being proud, just the way that he came in.

He thought that all that he did and said really impressed everyone including God.

The Tax Collector went out justified by God.

He went out clean, loved and forgiven.

But, I’m not sure that he felt as though he was justified.

I’m not sure that he went away feeling clean, loved or forgiven.

I’m not sure that we always leave here feeling the love that God has for us.

When we come to God thinking that we have no needs we leave without any blessings. (Repeat)

On the oth