Proverbs 19 7 all the brethren
of the poor do hate him How much more do his friends go far from
him He pursues them with words Yet they are wanting to him Poverty is not acceptable in
this world It's something that is very much
a looked upon with disdain. A person can be corrupt and evil
in just about every way, and they can be president of the
United States. But people hate a poor man. A person can be openly and shamefully
engaged in adultery in this world. And the world has a little problem
with that. In fact, we make statues of people like that and quote
their so-called wisdom. But lose everything like Job
and even your friends will blame you and shame you and mock you
in your poverty. Many develop mental problems
so that they can't function in this world. come to poverty that
way, but they're an embarrassment to even
look at in the eyes of this world. And no doubt many are poor at
their own fault. That's just true. This world
doesn't care why. The man Lazarus, who lay at the
rich man's gate in Luke 16, pursued the rich man with words, just
like our text says. He desired to be fed with the
crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, but the rich man
was wanting to him. That is, he was not generous
to him. But in the story, of the rich
man and Lazarus, we see that God is no such respecter of persons. The spiritual lesson here is
that God is not like us. We see in that story that God
saved Lazarus and sent the rich man to hell. Now we see clearly
in the story that God did not save Lazarus because
he was poor, nor did he send the rich man to hell because
he was rich. That's clearly shown in the story.
But God, by the word of the prophets, by the gospel, by the scriptures,
and through faith in Christ, had mercy on the poor man and
not the rich. We're taught in spiritual things
and in the gospel that riches in this world are a disadvantage
when it comes to spiritual things. It doesn't mean that you are
more sinful because you're rich, but it is a disadvantage because
the riches of this world tend to take away the hearts of men,
the cares, the concerns. of this world choke out the seed
of the word of God, our Lord said, how hardly shall a rich
man enter into the kingdom of God in Matthew 19.23, and that
teaches us something too. That rich man walked away sorrowful
from Christ himself, who gave him everything he had. And it
says he did so because he had great possessions. That's why
he did. And so that's clearly taught
also, but the Lord can save whoever he wants, whenever he wants,
but what the Lord can do and what he has said he will do are
two different things. There's no virtue whatsoever
in physical poverty, but if you think about the words
no virtue, That's who the Lord saves, those with no virtue. The truth of the matter is that
physical poverty is just a picture. All sinners are completely and
utterly bankrupt spiritually before God. Everybody is poor. Most people don't know it. Even
those in the church in Revelation 3 16 didn't know it The Lord
says unto them so then because they were lukewarm and neither
cold nor hot I Will spew thee out of them out of my mouth And
why were they lukewarm? Why did they have little interest
really in the things of God they? Were part of the church but it
didn't really mean a whole lot to them. They were lukewarm,
and that disgusted God. But what was at the root of that?
Next verse, because you say I'm rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Those who do know by God's grace
their condition before God are mercy beggars. They seek what they need from
Christ alone. They seek his mercy. They seek
what only he Can give when you know that you're poor These people
probably were than this church. They probably were physically
rich and so they thought that that meant That everything was
fine Increased with goods have need
of nothing And yet need is not measured
By earthly things before God Those who see their need of Christ
will cry for his mercy. They will cry for his mercy. And think about this, those who
seek what they need from Christ alone, that's not acceptable
in this world either. You will be despised even more
than the beggar on the street. if someone perceives that you're
a mercy beggar at the foot of the Savior. You know why that
is? It's the same thing as in physical
things. That's why it's a picture of
that. This world hates those who look to Christ for everything
because they've all made their decisions. They're better. It's like the Pharisee and the
Publican. We're gonna talk about them, Lord willing, in a minute.
But it's just the same way that rich people generally in the
world who don't know the Lord and are just thoughtless would
think of the poor. Well, I'll go get a job. I've
earned what I have. You can too. Type of attitude. We know that that prevails in
this world. It's the same thing in spiritual things. I made a
decision for Jesus. I walked an aisle. I did the
right thing. We're living the Christian life.
What's wrong with you? They fancy themselves to be rich,
just as we just read, and despise the spiritually poor and needy. The Pharisee and the Publican
are the perfect exposition of our text. The Pharisee didn't
despise the Publican because he was physically poor. Let's look at it together. If
you turn to Luke 18.9, we'll just give a thought or two here
that applies to our text. He didn't despise the publican
because he was physically poor. He despised him because he was
a sinner. And the Pharisee in his own eyes
was not. That's why he hated him. And
that's the spiritual message of our text. This world hates.
The last thing they want to be is a beggar before God. The last
thing a person in this world wants to be is a beggar before
men. I mean, I can't think of anything
else that more shame and disgrace is attached to than that. I think
most people would rather die than come to that. Certainly,
many would rather steal than beg. But it's even more so in spiritual
matters. The last thing a sinner is ever
gonna do, in fact, it ain't even the last thing they're gonna
do. It's something that they're not ever gonna do without the
grace of God. They will never come before God
empty handed, empty hearted, with an empty soul and say, it's
mercy or hell for me. I've got nothing to offer. I've
got nothing to pay. They're just not gonna do it. And they are despised the most
of all. If God gives somebody the eyes
to see how poor they are, they are the most despised in
this world. So let's look here, as again, look at why. Just beginning verse 9 of Luke
18, and he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in
themselves that they were righteous That's the language that we see
in the Pharisee He trusted in himself that he was righteous.
He thanked God for it But look at the next words there and despised
others What would a believer have done
if he came in there and there was a wretched publican, somebody
that everybody hated, and he was begging God for mercy? If
you went in there and saw that, as a believer now, would you
have hated him for it? apart from God's grace, absolutely
we would. But do you see how, how self-righteous
that is to hate somebody for being a sinner? I can see how God would hate
somebody for being a sinner, but another sinner? Instead of praying for that man, and taking his place as a sinner
before God, just like that man was, he despised him for it. You know, I hope I'm wrong about
people that I know, but you know, you can despise others for being in your own eyes more
sinful than you, But did you know people despise
others for not knowing as much as they do too? I see that over
and over. It's really not that ambiguous.
It's pretty obvious. They will pronounce you a heretic
if you haven't taken the same stances that they have on things
that aren't even in the Bible. If somebody really didn't know
the truth and you thought that they believed heresy, would you
hate them for that? Or would you pray for them and
speak kindly to them, considering yourself as the scripture says? Good question, I believe. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a Republican. And the
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank thee
that I am not as other men are. See, he knew the words, but he
wasn't even praying to God. He wasn't even saying that to
God. The scripture tells us that. He was praying with himself. He wasn't even thinking about
God. He was thinking about himself. Oh, he said God, because you
know, that's what you do in church. But we're giving some insight
into the man's heart. And he wasn't even praying to
God. I thank thee that I am not as
other men are. You're thanking God for a myth.
You're thanking God for something that didn't happen. He didn't
make you different than other men. He made you exactly like
every other man. And he either has mercy or he
don't, but you're not different. You're not different. There is
no difference, the scripture says. The difference is Christ,
not you, not you. Other men are extortioners. I've showed you before, if you
look at the Lord's words to the Pharisees, one of the first things
that he said to them, if not the first thing that he said
to them, is you extortioners. You make merchandise of men.
You devour widow's houses. You're extortioners. And here's
one of them saying others are extortioners. Unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. You see why he hated the publican?
It wasn't because he was physically poor. It was because he was a
sinner. Other people like this wretch
here are adulterers. unjust extortion. I, on the other hand, fast twice
in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing far
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone
that exalteth himself shall be abased. And he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted. You know, this story doesn't
say that the publican was really the better man. He wasn't. He wasn't. To think that is to miss this
completely. The simple spiritual lesson is
this. Just what the Lord said, he that
exalteth himself. You know what that word exalteth
means? To raise to the very summit of opulence and prosperity. He was rich spiritually, he thought. That's where the Pharisee was,
that's where he spoke from. Umbileth, he that umbileth himself
shall be exalted means to reduce to meaner circumstances. Meaner, lesser, poorer circumstances. The publican simply came before
God with nothing to offer God, nothing. He had nothing but sin. He said,
I'm a sinner. That's all I can say about myself. He didn't say, God be merciful
to me, I'm doing my best. God be merciful to me. I may not be as smart as this Pharisee,
but I'm reading, I'm learning, I'm gonna do my best. I'm a sinner. That's all you
can say when you're a sinner. Nothing but sin. And that caused
that Pharisee to hate him, like our text says. But that's okay, because God
justified the publican. And on what basis? Was there
virtue in his spiritual poverty? Was, maybe the Pharisee was a
hypocrite, I'm sure he was, I'm sure he had a lot of skeletons
in his closet and he didn't, he wasn't all he was presenting
himself to be. And maybe the publican was a
better man, you know, on the inside. Nope He was justified
on what basis the mercy seat Propitiation that word God be
merciful that word is propitious And the word propitiation Means
mercy seat It means sin offering That's how sinners are justified
before God. The Pharisee, you think about
this. Religion goes out into this world. and has something to offer this
world, don't they? They got money. They say what
people wanna hear so they get all this money in. And there's
only so many summer homes and helicopters you can buy as a
false preacher before people start thinking, I don't know
about this guy. So you gotta give some of it
to the poor, right? So they go to the poor in all
the far reaches of the world where poverty is predominant.
They say we have this to offer you, but that's all they have
There's no gospel. There's no truth. There's no
hope of eternal life The Apostles were exactly the
opposite they said we don't have any silver ago But we know somebody that can
do a life-changing miracle on you and so that you'll never
be the same again. And the Pharisee thanked God
for his spiritual prosperity. He was bragging about giving
tithes and doing good things. May we, by God's grace, thank
God for bringing us to poverty, that in Christ we might be made
rich. Despised by this world, but loved
by the Savior. May God make it so in all of
us. Let's pray.