reading at verse 37. 1 Kings 8 and verse 37. If there be in the land famine,
if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locusts, or if there
be caterpillar, if their enemy besiege them in the land of their
cities, whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be, what prayer
and supplication so ever be made by any man, or by all thy people
Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart,
and spread forth his hands toward this house, then hear thou in
heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to
every man according to his ways whose heart thou knowest, for
thou, even thou, knowest the hearts of all the children of
men, that they may fear thee all the days that they live in
the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. I want to now read
from the New Testament from Luke's Gospel and chapter 18. Luke's Gospel and Chapter 18. So we've read of the dedication,
the prayer and the dedication of the temple and now this is
a parable that the Lord Jesus spoke about two men that went
up to the temple to pray. This is not the same temple as
Solomon built because it got destroyed in the time of the
captivity but it was still the temple. that was being referred
to obviously it still became the temple. So this is Luke chapter
18 and beginning at verse 9 Luke 18 and verse 9 And he spake this
parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous and despised others. Two men went up into the temple
to pray The one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not
as other men are extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give
tithes of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar
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. Well as we gather for prayer
this night, I thought it was very good to look at this, what
the Lord Jesus had spoken about these two men that went to the
temple to pray. They both went up to the temple
but there was a vast difference between how they came and a vast
difference as to how God saw them. And we read in Solomon's
prayer, the dedication of the temple, a very important point
that Solomon made and that was in verse 38 of 1 Kings 8, whatsoever
prayer and supplication is made which which shall know every
man the plague of his own heart. Here Solomon puts his finger
on this as a real mark of how we are to come to God, realising
our sinnership, realising that we are sinners. You see some
have thought that well the problem with the Pharisee was he was
too upright. He was more upright than he needed
to be. But that's not at all what the
sense of it is. You see it says elsewhere that
except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom. It is
not that the Pharisee was too righteous. The problem was that
the Pharisee did not understand, did not appreciate the plague
of his own heart. And you see if we come to God
and think that God will be impressed, you see if you look at the Pharisee
we are told that he stood and prayed thus with himself. He didn't really even pray to
God. He refers to it as God but it seems that the God was himself.
I thank thee that I am not as other men are. And then he gives
a list of the things that he isn't. He isn't an extortioner
or unjust, adulterer or even a republican. And all these things
are very commendable if we have been kept from these things.
And then he says that he fasts twice a week. He gives tithes
of all that he possesses. He is a generous person. Well
all these things are good in their place. But you see, did
he know the plague of his own heart? You see we know from Saul
of Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul that he claimed that as
touching the law he was blameless. That's what he thought as a Pharisee. He thought he was blameless.
He didn't need, in fact therefore this Pharisee was coming to present
himself to God as if God would be really impressed with him.
He didn't ask anything of God but he was coming thinking that
God would be impressed. The thing is that we each have
sin in us and we each can come like that Pharisee in our own
self-righteousness. We can easily come that way and
we need to be brought back to realise that we come on the grounds
of mercy. We come undeserving of the least
of God's mercy. The Ten Commandments were not
given so that we could climb up to heaven and God could be
impressed with us. The Ten Commandments were given
as a standard of righteousness which shows how righteous God
is. And when we understand the spirituality of those laws like
Jesus explained them in the Sermon on the Mount, we realise that
we all come short and therefore our place has become seeking
for mercy. Seeking that God would look upon
us in mercy. You see it says in the first
epistle of John chapter 1 and verse 8 it says,
if we say that we have no sin, which is effectively what the
Pharisees were saying, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not
in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. So here we have this Pharisee
that came in to the temple, he didn't really realise that God
was holier than he was. He could come in brashly, he
could come in like the publican, the tax collector, he felt far
off. He felt that he couldn't come
so close because he felt his own sinfulness. And therefore
he didn't feel worthy to come to the temple. But you see the
Pharisee didn't realise that. And you see as we see our own
sinfulness we realise that naturally there's a separation between
us and God. He is holy and we are unholy.
How can we come? But that's the Gospel. The Gospel
is for sinners. Peter found that when he said,
depart from me for I am a sinful man, when Jesus filled those
nets with fish. But Jesus said, follow me, I will make you to
be a fisher of men. He brought Peter back. He didn't
push him away. He graciously drew Peter to himself. And he did so with this tax collector
as well, this publican. So the Pharisee, he He just came and presented all
his uprightness to God as if God would be impressed with that
uprightness. Now that's not to say that being
upright in these ways externally is not a great blessing. It certainly
is. But we need to realise that all
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags before our holy God. We
still are sinners and we still need God's mercy. We are going
to be debtors to mercy alone. Well you see the publican, the
tax collector we read, and the publican standing afar off. So he realised that God was holy
and he was unholy. He realised that naturally there
was a great separation because of his sin. Sin always brings
a separation. The Pharisee felt no sin and
therefore felt no separation. He was ignorant. Very much like
those churches we read in Revelation. They'll say that I'm rich and
increased with goods and of need of nothing. But no, it's not
that they are poor and wretched and vile. But you see the publican
felt and understood something of his sin. Something of the
evil nature of his heart. and the publican standing afar
off would not lift up so much of his eyes unto heaven. He was
very downcast. He was very lowly but smote upon
his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. He confessed
that he was a sinner. He confessed that he was. He
came to God with a request. God be merciful to me a sinner. The Pharisee had no request.
All he wanted was God to congratulate him on his own holiness. But
you see this publican realised that he had no holiness in the
sight of a holy God and he needed God to be merciful to him. So as we come in prayer, how
we need to be reminded of this. I don't believe this is just that God's people cannot come
in as Pharisees at times. We each have that in us and we
need to be brought back to realise that we stand upon the mercy
of God. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are here tonight, that we have health and strength and
many, many blessings. It is of God's mercy. God has
been merciful to us and we are unworthy of the least of his
benefits. Then in verse 14 it tells us, and I tell you, this
man went down to his house justified. So this is how God sees it. You
see the Pharisee no doubt came into the temple, did his performance.
We read that they loved to stand on the street corners and in
the synagogues to be seen of men. He'd done his performance
and he went back home no doubt, I suspect being quite impressed
with what he'd done. And maybe he went on for many
years doing that. Paul the Apostle would have carried
on Saul of Tarsus, no doubt carrying on doing that for many years
had not God stopped him on the road to Damascus. He had no sense
of his need, no sense of God's displeasure on him. I tell you
this man went down to his house justified. The publican, the
tax collector having poured out his soul in prayer to God, asking
God to be merciful. He went down to his house justified.
So he was justified. But the one who exhorted himself
shall be abased. You see here in the latter part
of the verse we have this. For everyone that exhorted himself
shall be abased. and he that humbleth himself
shall be exhorted. I would just notice here that
there can well be a time delay between what God thinks of us and what
we realise of that. What I mean by that is You see
that we can be justified in God's sight but we may not know that
yet. There is an encouragement here.
It was said that you have need of patience that after you have
done the will of God you shall receive the promise. So in other
words when we do the will of God we don't always immediately
receive the blessing straight away. Joseph, as he was given
grace to turn aside from Potiphar's wife's advances He wasn't immediately
blessed was he? He was thrown into prison for
years. But he was exhorted. He was vindicated
but in God's time. And you see so this Pharisee
could have gone back to his house quite content with all his performances
for many years perhaps. Never realising the holiness
of the law, never realising God's righteousness. And this publican goes back home justified
really before God. But you see there is a time,
a set time that God reveals himself. If I just quickly think of the
book of Ruth, there was a time when Boaz sorted out all the
legal requirements to make Ruth his wife at the city gates. But
Ruth wasn't there. He'd sorted it out. He'd bought
Ruth. He'd bought all that was Marlins and Chileans and he'd
settled all the payments. If you like, Ruth was justified.
She was redeemed. But she didn't know it. She was
back home with Naomi. She didn't know it. But she came
to know it. She came to know it. And you
see that's the difference between redemption accomplished and redemption
applied. So as we go on our way, maybe
we are carved down at times, maybe the sin which does so easily
beset us and we have to cry out, God be merciful to me a sinner
and we might go home and perhaps be still sad. But you see ultimately
if we are justified, it will be well. And God in his own time
and way will show those that are justified that it will be
well with them. While life endures and well when
called to die, God will do it, we're told, For everyone that
exhorted himself, like the Pharisee, shall be obeyed. Certainly it
shall. But you see in Psalm 73 we read,
I have seen the wicked or Psalm 37 as a green bay tree in great
wealth and prospering so much. But it was short term. It was short term. And you see
so we need to be concerned for what God thinks. and what God
ultimately will show his thoughts and he ultimately will vindicate
his people and justify those who condemn themselves before
him and plead the blood that does the sin atone and that is
what it is to be blessed. May the Lord add his blessing.