All right, I want you to open
your Bibles today to the book of Luke. I'm going to bring you
a message from the 18th chapter of Luke. I'm going to read verses
9 through 14. Now, if you have a Bible, I'd
like for you to get the Bible and open it to Luke, chapter
18, and follow as I read this story. The title of my message
today is The Good Man and the Bad Man. the good man and the
bad man. And here in Luke 18 verse 9,
it says, the Lord Jesus spake this parable unto certain who
trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. You hear that? The Lord spake
this parable unto certain, unto a certain group of people. and
he defines who they are. They trusted in themselves that
they were righteous, and they despised others. He says two
men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, that's
a real religious man, a moral man, and the other a publican,
a great sinner. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, God, he said, I thank thee that I'm not as
other men are. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
unjust. I'm not an adulterer. I'm not
even as this publican. He pointed over at the publican
who was in the temple. I fast twice a week and I give
tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, this is the
Lord speaking now, he goes on, he said, and the publican standing
afar off. would not lift so much as his
eyes to heaven. He didn't wave his hands. He
wouldn't do that. He wouldn't even lift up his
eyes to heaven. But he smote on his breast. And he said, God,
be merciful to me, because I'm a sinner. And Christ our Lord
continued, and he said, I tell you, I tell you, the master declared,
this man, this sinner, This bad man, this publican, he went down
to his house forgiven, justified, rather than the other man. For
he says, everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and
everyone that humbles himself shall be exalted. Now, there's
no reason to misunderstand this parable at all. It's very clear
to whom it's addressed. certain people. Christ spake
this parable unto certain people. And he tells about these certain
people. He said they, these certain people, they trust in themselves
that they're good. They trust in themselves that
they're righteous, that they're without sin, and they despise
others who are not as pious as they are. The Lord described
these people over in Isaiah, chapter 65. I tell folks, everything
in the New Testament is in the Old. It's prophesied in the Old
Testament, fulfilled in the New. But in Isaiah 65, verse 5, our
Lord describes the self-righteous. He says this. He said, they say,
they say, stand by yourself. Don't come near me because I'm
holier than you are. And God says, thus saith the
Lord, these people are smoking my nose. It's like when you're
barbecuing, and the wind's blowing, you keep trying to get out of
the smoke. It keeps blowing in your nose, and it irritates your
nose, and you keep trying to get away from it. It follows
you wherever it goes. And he says, these people that claim
to be holier than others, they're smoking my nose. They are nauseous
smell that burns all the day. That's not very complimentary,
but that's what the master said in Isaiah 65. My friends, there
are five marks of self-righteous people. Now, you listen to me. I know what I'm talking about.
And the Lord Jesus tells us this right here in this parable. There
are five marks of self-righteous people who think they're good,
who think they're holy, who think they're holier than other people.
Now, here's the five marks. You listen to them. The first
one is this. They justify themselves in their
own minds. They actually think they're holier
than others. They do. What'd this man say?
I am not like other men. That's what he said. He said,
I thank you, God, I'm not like other people. I'm different.
I'm holier than they are. I'm better than they are. I'm
good. They're bad, and I'm good. Well,
the Scripture says there's no difference. The Scripture says
there's none good. The Scripture says all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. That's what God says, but
these people say they're good. God says there's none good, but
they say they are good. They justify themselves in their
own minds. Here's the second mark of a self-righteous
person. They even justify themselves
before God. They call on God to be a witness
of the fact that they're good. He said, God, I thank you I'm
not like other men. You know I'm not like other men.
He justifies himself in the eyes of God. He calls on God to be
his witness that he's different. You know, I'd understand. It
would be praiseworthy if he had thanked God for his restraining
grace. There are people who haven't
indulged in the more wicked vices, but they ought to thank God that
he restrained them, that he kept them from those wicked devices. and vices. But this man's saying,
I'm not like other people in my heart, but we are in my nature,
in my guilt. This is arrogant pride. He justifies
himself in his own mind, then he justifies himself before God. And then thirdly, here's the
mark of self-righteous people. They compare themselves with
the worst kind of people. That's right. They don't compare
themselves to God now. They wouldn't dare try that,
or to the holy law of God. But this man here says, I'm not
like that publican. He picked out the worst fellow
in the temple, and he says, I'm not like him. I'm not like him. You know, Paul deals with that
in 2 Corinthians 10. He said, it's dangerous to compare
yourselves with one another. Listen to him. He says in 2 Corinthians
10, 12, we dare not be of that number who commend themselves,
who justify themselves, who measure themselves by themselves, and
who compare themselves among themselves. That's not wise. So a self-righteous man, five
marks. First one, he justifies himself
in his own mind. I'm different. I'm holier than
thou. And then he justifies himself in the sight of God. He said,
God, I thank you I'm not like other men. And then he compares
himself with the worst people. And that makes him look good
because he's not like them. But God looks on the heart. Now
watch the fourth thing. Self-righteous people base their
claim to holiness and outward morality on what they do not
do. He said, I'm not an extortioner. Outwardly, he is in his heart. I'm not unjust. Outwardly. I'm not an adulterer. Outwardly. He bases his morality and holiness
on what he doesn't do. And then he bases his hope for
salvation on what he does do. See that? His morality on what
he doesn't do. I don't drink. I don't smoke.
I don't curse. I don't commit adultery. I don't
steal. I don't do these things. That
makes me good. Outwardly, I don't do those things. And then he
bases his hope for eternal life on what he does. He said, I tithe.
I give alms. I fast twice a week, you see.
This is their claim. Their claim to morality is based
on what they don't do. And their claim to life eternal
is based on what they do in religion, in the service of God. And here's
the fifth mark of a self-righteous person. It's all right here.
Listen. Self-righteous people talk a lot about love. They talk
a lot about love. I hear them. But they really
despise others. They don't love people. I know
they say, well, God loves you and I do too. God might love
you, but they don't. A self-righteous man loves himself. And he despises. That's what
Christ said. He spake this parable to them
who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised
others who were not as holy as they are. These people despise
people who are not as pious as they are. You never met a self-righteous
person who wasn't critical, overly, strongly critical of other people. They're so critical. They enjoy
pointing out other people's weaknesses. Oh, yes, they do. They love to
point out other people's weaknesses. I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't
do that. They love to point out other people's failures. Look
where their children are. Look how their children have
ended up. Look what they're doing. My children wouldn't do that.
One preacher told me one time, he said, my little girl never
listened to this rock and roll music. I said, you want to bet?
See, that's how they do. Criticized. Criticize other people's
shortcomings. And they brag about their faithfulness.
And brag about their service to God. And one thing a self-righteous
person will never do. He'll never do it. He'll never
do it. He'll never do it. He'll never
say, I'm only a sinner saved by grace. He'll never say it. He can't say it. He'd choke to
death before he'd admit being a sinner. That's right. Old J.M. Gray. One of the great preachers
of the past, he wrote this psalm. Only a sinner saved by grace.
Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows. Loving his Savior, tell what
he knows. Once more to tell it would I
embrace. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. That's right. God has
kept us. God has restrained us. God has
blessed us. Shed abroad his love. And it's
all of grace. It's not of you. It's not of
me. It's of His grace through Christ our Lord. And our righteousness
is not ours. It's His. Richard Baxter wrote
Saints' Everlasting Rest. Richard Baxter always said, I
preach as a dying man to dying men. I preach as one who may
never preach again. But I'll tell you this, I preach
as a dying man to dying men. And one time Richard Baxter was
walking down the street and he saw a drunk. And this drunk was
staggering from side to side of the sidewalk and almost tumbling
and falling. And Richard Baxter said this,
he said, he said this, there, there, except for the grace of
God, goes Richard Baxter. There, except for the grace of
God, goes Richard Baxter. So let's look at the parable
now. Let's look at the parallel. You remember one thing a self-righteous
man will never say. I'm only a sinner saved by grace.
Can't do it. Look at this parable. Our Lord
said two men went up to the temple to pray. Now both of these men
believed in God. Or they wouldn't have gone up
there to pray. Both of these men went to the same temple.
Both of these men engaged in a form of prayer. But outwardly,
they were different. Outwardly, they were different.
Let's look at the Pharisee. One was a Pharisee, very religious.
He was an officer in the Jewish religion. He was different in
his dress. These fellas wore these broad
phylacteries to show their holiness, and they prayed on the street
corner, and they wore certain kind of robes. He was dressed
differently from the public. He had tokens of religion all
around. People who are super religious
usually wear some kind of decoration to show that they're religious. They were different in manner.
He was at ease in the temple. He walked right down to the front.
The publicans stayed in the back. He was different in his language.
He talked religious language. He talked about fasting. He talked
about praying. He talked about tithing. He talked
about all these things. And he was different in general
acceptance. Everybody there knew him. And
the other was a publican. Now, who's the publicans, Peter?
Well, the publicans were avoided by the religious Pharisees. They
were regarded as great sinners. The publicans were regarded as
great sinners. Let's listen to the scripture.
One time the Pharisees said to the Lord's disciples, says, why
does your master eat with publicans and sinners? Publicans and sinners. Why does he eat with them? In
Luke 7, 34, one of the Pharisees said of the Lord Jesus Christ,
this man is not a prophet. He's a friend of publicans and
sinners. You see, publicans were were disliked. They were regarded
as great sinners. In Matthew 21, Christ said to
the Pharisees, listen to this, Christ said to the Pharisees,
John came preaching righteousness and you Pharisees didn't believe
him. But the publicans and harlots did. Publicans and harlots. And you'll find the publicans
and harlots enter heaven and you on the outside. Our Lord
said that to them. Zacchaeus was a publican, was
a sinner. The Pharisee said, I'm not as
other men are. But the publican, how would you
describe him? He would say, I'm as other men
are. That's the difference. Two men,
they're different. All right. These two men approached
God. Let's listen as they approached
God. The religious man and the sinner approached God. The bad
man and the good man both approached God. The Pharisee, the Lord Jesus
said, he stood to be seen and to be heard. Matthew 6, 5. When
you pray, don't be like the hypocrites, Christ said. They love to pray
standing in the temple, on the streets, in the synagogue, that
they might be seen of men. The Pharisee stood, that's what
Christ said. And he prayed with himself. He
prayed with himself. What does that mean? He prayed
about himself. He said, I, am not like other
men. I am not an extortionist. I fast
twice a week. I tithe. I prayed about himself. His dependence was upon himself.
There's no mention of mercy. There's no mention of a mediator.
There's no mention of his needing help. He's satisfied with what
he is and who he is. And his prayer concerned only
himself. Listen, there's no confession
of sin. There's no celebration of the divine attributes, hallowed
be thy name. There's no request for mercy,
grace, or forgiveness. There's no mention of an atonement
or sacrifice or sin offering. Actually, this is no prayer at
all. This is no prayer at all. It's
a sinful, self-righteous display of religious pride. God, listen
to it again. God, I thank you. I'm not like
other men. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
unjust. I'm not an adulterer. I'm not
even like that fellow. I fast twice a week. Just required
to fast once, but I do it twice. I tithe all that I possess, everything,
not just some things, everything, and I give alms to the poor.
Is this prayer? This is not prayer. One old writer
said, prayer is the soul's sincere desire. or unexpressed. Prayer is the falling of a tear
when none but God is near. Prayer is a contrite sinner's
voice returning from his ways, attended by angels who rejoice
and say, Behold, he prays. Well, that's the Pharisee's so-called
prayer. Two men went up to the temple.
The Pharisee prayed with himself. Now, our Lord describes the sinner's
prayer. Here's the bad man. That's the
good man's prayer. Now, here's the bad man's prayer.
Well, we saw the Pharisee's posture. He prayed standing, so to be
seen of men. The posture of this publican
was afar off. Filled with reverence, filled
with awe. He's in the temple. And he realizes
that this is where the glory of God and the mercy seat and
the Ark of the Covenant is behind that veil in the temple. And
he is filled with reverence and awe and fear in the presence
of God. He's in the house of the Lord.
Notice this. That's his posture. Notice his
eyes. The scripture says the Lord Jesus said he did not lift
so much as his eyes to heaven. Didn't wave his hands. Didn't
put on a show. Didn't put on a show. All his
arrogance and pride was smitten. He didn't even lift his eyes,
but his eyes were bowed down with a sense of guilt, a sense
of sin, a sense of unworthiness, calling on the living God. Notice
his actions. He's smote on his breast. What's
he doing? He's pointing to the source of
his troubles. He's pounding on his breast.
That's where his heart is. It's the heart that's deceitful
above all things. It's the heart that's desperately
wicked. It's out of the heart that man's
evil thoughts, blasphemies, adulteries, lusts come. Out of the heart.
The heart. Keep your heart. Out of it are
the issues of life. The fountain of sin. God looks
on the heart. God does not look on the outward
countenance. God is not amazed by and impressed
by what we do outwardly. God Almighty looks on the heart. No question of this man's sensibility,
his posture, his eyes downcast, his actions smote on his breast.
And listen to his words. Preachers, if there are any preachers
listening to me, they know what this man's words, they know what
he's saying here. They know what this man is saying.
You see, the publicans were Jews who were traitors to their own
country and collected taxes for the Romans. That's what Zacchaeus
was. He was a Jew. But they hated him because he
was a... Matthew also was sitting at the
receipt of customs. They taxed their own people.
They were instruments of Rome and of Caesar. And this man's a—he's a compromiser. He's a traitor. He's a wicked
sinner. But he knows—he knows the Scripture. Now listen to
him as he prays. God—who's he addressing? God against whom I've sinned
and God only? God with whom there is forgiveness
and mercy? That's what David said. If thou,
Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, who would stand? But there's
forgiveness with thee." This man knows there's forgiveness
with God. God who only can forgive sin. God who delights to show
mercy. That's God. Listen, be merciful
to me. You know what he's saying here?
Be propitious. Be reconciled. Show mercy to
me through the blood of the covenant on the mercy seat. That's the
mercy seat. Show mercy. The Jews knew mercy
was in the mercy seat. Covering the broken law. Moses
wrote this in Exodus 25. God told Moses, he said, put
the mercy seat on the ark. Put the broken law in the ark. Put the mercy seat to cover the
broken law and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. an atonement
for your sins, propitiation, propitiation, a mercy seat. And I'll meet you, God says,
I'll meet you and I'll commune with you on the mercy seat. That's
what this man's praying. God, be propitiated, be propitious,
be merciful. You know, the first thing a sinner
wants is mercy, forgiveness. And forgiveness springs from
grace. And the mercy of God can only
come to us through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ,
who redeemed us by his blood. So this is his prayer. God, be
propitiated, be reconciled, be merciful to me. Notice his last line. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. This other man
didn't say he's a sinner. He said, I'm not a sinner. But
this man says, I'm a sinner. What a difference here. There's
no boasting here, no word of boasting. There's not a word
of what he's done or a promise of what he will do. This man's
words are the words of David in the Psalm of Repentance. I'm
just sure he read that Psalm many times. Have you? Psalm 51, David said, Have mercy
upon me, O God. according to thy loving kindness,
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out
my transgressions, be propitiated, be reconciled, wash me throughly
from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin, purge me with hyssop,
I'll be clean, wash me, and I'll be whiter than the snow." A good man's prayer that was
no prayer. A bad man's prayer that was a
genuine, prayers seeking mercy. And our Lord said, listen, in
closing, two men left the temple. Two men went up to the temple.
Two men prayed. And two men left the temple,
the bad man and the good man. And our Lord said, I tell you,
I tell you now. You know when our Lord says,
I tell you, it'd be a good idea to listen, wouldn't it? He said,
I tell you now. The publican went down to his house justified. What does that mean? Forgiven?
More than that. What does that mean, justified? Pardon? More than that. It means
not guilty. It means just as if you'd never
sinned. All sin gone, remember no more. The Pharisee went to
the temple full of righteousness and confidence and self-esteem.
He went home empty, rejected of God, condemned. The publican
came to the temple empty, poor, lost. He went home justified,
full of grace, rich in mercy, justified before God. I tell
you Christ, I tell you, I tell you, the Pharisee justified himself
and God condemned him. The publican condemned himself
and God justified him. If you don't see what I'm saying,
I hope you will. I hope you'll study it. The Pharisee
justified himself, and God condemned him. And the publican condemned
himself, and God justified him. And our Lord said, I tell you,
everyone that exalteth himself is going to be abased. And he
that humbleth himself will be exalted. Humble yourself under
the mighty hand of God, and He'll exalt you in due time. Humble
yourself in the sight of God, and He'll lift you up. Oh, John
Jasper. I love John Jasper's writings.
Rhapsody in Black. People used to ask him questions
just to hear his wisdom. He'd been dead for years. But
a man said to him one time, John Jasper, when you get to heaven's
gates, and you're standing there, and someone asks you, what right
have you got to be here, John Jasper? What right have you got
to be in heaven? What you gonna say? John Jasper
said, I'm gonna say, I got no right to be here at all. Because
I'm not here on my rights. I'm here on the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, who saved a sinner like me. You want
this tape? The bad man and the good man.
Or the good man and the bad man. You write for it. Send two dollars
and we'll mail it to you. Till next week, God bless you.