Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

This is week #8 of our Stories series. We’ve got this week and next week and then this series will finally come to an end. It’s been long, but man, it’s been good. I can’t think of a better way for us to spend the summer than listening to Jesus. Every story in this series came straight from the man Himself.

So please keep that in mind today. Just like every other story in this series, the story we’re going to explore today came from Jesus. I just want you to keep that in mind because, for some of you, this story is going to offend you. It’s going to anger some of you. Some of you will get mad at me, and that’s fine. But I didn’t come up with this story. Jesus did. So if you’re offended or angered by what I say today, you can take it up with Him. You can shoot the messenger if you want, but that’s all I am. I’m just the messenger. Jesus is the originator of this story. It offended the people who originally heard this story. It’s going to offend people today.

How’s that for a sermon introduction? I thought I might as well tell you the truth right up front. Some of you will be offended today. But a whole lot more of you will be set free through this incredible story from Jesus.

Our story today is The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18. Let’s pray and then we’re going to get things rolling.

Luke 18, starting in verse 9. Let’s go. “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14, NIV)

This story didn’t earn Jesus any popularity points with the religious people in His day. They didn’t put His picture up on their refrigerator after this. In fact, stories like this are the reason they vilified Jesus. It’s the reason they hated Him. Ultimately, it’s the reason they killed Him.

Like we’ve done throughout this series, let’s go back and walk through the story a bit more slowly now. This one is controversial. It’s offensive. This story is Jesus unfiltered. You really get a glimpse of the heart of Jesus through this story, and for a lot of you, what you see today isn’t going to be anything that you would have expected.

Right before he records this story for us in his gospel, Luke leaves no doubt about whom Jesus targeted with this story. Jesus was speaking “to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else.”

In other words, this parable is focused like a laser at religious people. Throughout this series, I have come to an incredible realization. I already knew this, but this series has just confirmed it for me.

Jesus hates religion and He has no use for religious people. This comes out in so many of His parables. He directed so many parables at the Pharisees, who were the religious elitists in that culture. Our story today is directed at arrogant, self-righteous religious people.

Jesus can’t stand religious people, and yet His church is full of them. The longer I am in ministry, the more I am convinced that the biggest problem in the church today is religion. It’s time for the church to kick the religion out so Jesus can get back in. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about here, hang with me. Jesus is going to give it us to in a way that is crystal clear through this story.

Just like last week, our story today has two characters. A Pharisee and a tax collector. Jesus couldn’t have chosen two people who were more diametrically opposite than a Pharisee and a tax collector…and He did that on purpose. Both of these men went up to the temple to pray. But that’s where the similarities end.

Jesus said, “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’” (Luke 18:11-12, NIV)

The Pharisee was one of the religious elites. This guy was ivy league, the crème de la crème. But his prayer revealed the poison in his heart.

He had compared himself to all these sinful people, and he became utterly convinced of his own righteousness.

But here’s the deal. Self-righteousness is not righteousness at all. That’s a game a lot of religious people play. They compare themselves to other people who aren’t as “spiritually mature” as they are.

They don’t read the Bible like I do. They don’t speak Christianese as well as I do. They don’t pray like I do. They don’t tithe like I do. They do all kinds of sinful things that I would never do.

Those comparisons can start to make you feel pretty good. And there is the problem with religious self-righteousness. It produces pride.

Now, I’m all for comparing yourself to somebody else. I’m all for it. I think you absolutely should compare your good deeds and your righteous acts to somebody else…Jesus. That’s the only comparison that matters. How do you stack up when you compare yourself to Jesus?

Don’t waste your time comparing yourself to me. Because if you’re comparing your righteousness to mine, there’s a good chance that you’ll win that one, which will produce arrogance and pride. Try comparing yourself to Jesus. Let me know how you do in that little comparison game.

In our story, Jesus tells us that the Pharisee tithed his money. And he also fasted twice a week. Jews were only required to fast on the Day of Atonement. One day a year. So this guy went way above and beyond what was required. He was pretty impressed with himself, and he assumed that God was pretty impressed with him too. Actually, God was pretty luck to have this “faithful” Pharisee on his team!

You see what religion does to us? You see the pride and the self-righteous arrogance it produces? And this is a cancer in the church today. A lot of Christians think that, when it comes to God’s team, they’re first-round draft picks. They don’t realize that they’re not even good enough to be a walk on.

Nothing nauseates God more than pride. Jesus’ harshest, most biting criticism was aimed at the most religious people in his culture. Religion is sickening to God, because religion produces self-righteousness. Religion produces pride, looking down on everyone who can’t keep the rules as well as we do.

That’s where the Pharisee was, and Jesus absolutely blew him out of the water because of it. He had no tolerance for religion then, and He has no tolerance for religion now.

But now, watch this. We saw what the Pharisee said in his prayer. Check out what Jesus said about the tax collector.

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13, NIV)

Tax collectors were con men. They worked for the Roman government. They were liars and thieves. They stole from Jewish people, but the people couldn’t do anything about it because Rome simply looked the other way. The lifestyle of a tax collector was one of unchecked, unbridled greed and robbery.

But this tax collector is fully aware of his sin. So much so, that he doesn’t even feel like he can really approach God. Instead, he stands at a distance. He won’t even raise his eyes to heaven, but stares at the ground. He beats his chest, which was an ancient sign of deep sorrow and remorse. And his prayer was simple. “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

He didn’t have a religious résumé that he could trot out for God to see. His résumé was completely sinful, and he knew it. So he came to God in complete humility, knowing the only hope he had was God’s mercy

And here is what is so amazing about this story. Jesus wraps up this story by telling us that the tax collector went home justified, but the Pharisee did not.

He reminds us that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” That last line is the linchpin of the entire story. This story isn’t just a contrast between two men. It’s so much deeper than that.

This story is a contrast between religion and redemption. The Pharisee had a ton of religion, but he had never been redeemed. The tax collector was the least religious guy to ever live, but Jesus said he was redeemed.

We’re going to rest of our time unpacking this concept. Honestly, if you’re not yet a Christ-follower, you’re going to love this part of the message, because I’m probably going to say some things that you’ve thought your whole life. And if you’re a lifelong religious person, you might hate me by the time this is over. Or Jesus might use this time to change your life. It’s up to you.

What is the big deal about religion vs. redemption? Why does Jesus care about this so much? Let’s get into this. Just for full disclosure, not all of this is original with me. I owe some of this to Mark Driscoll as well as some other incredible pastors and teachers.

Here we go. Religion says, “If I obey, God will love me.”

Redemption says, “God does love me.”

Religion says that God’s love is conditional. Redemption says that the love of God is unconditional.

Here’s how religious people see God. It would be like me looking at my two boys and saying, “If you do this, I will love you. If you do this, I will be your daddy. But if you do this, then I won’t love you and I won’t be your daddy.”

That’s disgusting. That’s religion. Religion teaches that God’s love is conditional. As long as you say good things, sing good things, think good things, and do good things, God will love you. But, if you mess up, if you say bad things and do bad things, God will not love you.

That is repulsive. That is not the gospel of Christ. That is the false gospel of religion.

Check out what the Bible says in the book of Titus. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:4-5a, NIV)

Why does God save us? It is NOT because of anything righteous that we have done. It is because the kindness and love and mercy of God our Savior has appeared.

A lot of you have been taught that you have to earn God’s love. If you go to church, if you don’t cuss, if you put a fish on your car, if you don’t drink or don’t smoke, if you do this and don’t do that and do this and don’t do that, then God will love you.

No! God does love you. This heretical idea that God’s love is conditional, that we have to do something to earn it, is a damnable lie. It is sacred to religious people, but it is sickening to Jesus.

A second difference in religion vs. redemption. Religion says, “There are two kinds of people. Good people & bad people.”

Redemption says, “There are two kinds of people. Forgiven people and unforgiven people.”

The religious person says, “There are good people and there are bad people.” How do you know the good people? “They’re like me, of course. And the bad people? They’re not like me?”

That’s the game that the Pharisee played in our story. All the sinners, they were bad people because they weren’t like him. He set up his religion to be a spiritual beauty contest where he would always be the winner.

The Bible doesn’t teach that there are good people and bad people. The Bible teaches that, “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:22b-24, NIV)

You know the only difference between a Christian and a non-Christian? This passage tells us. The only difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is Jesus.

We’re all sinners. We’ve all made a mess of things in our lives. We are all broken people with no hope except for Jesus. We are justified freely by his grace. It’s a free gift.

There are no good people and bad people. There are simply forgiven and unforgiven people. The only difference between the two is Jesus.

Religious people can’t stand that, because that means that they’re no better than anybody else. But someone who is redeemed grabs onto this truth with both hands and won’t let go, because they know that their only hope is Jesus.

A third difference, and this one is huge. Religion tells you, “It’s all about what you do.”

Redemption says, “It’s all about what Jesus has done.”

Religion is all about rule keeping. It creates a list of rules that you have to follow…and most of these rules aren’t even in the Bible. Religious people love to pile their own rules on top of what the Bible has already said. The Pharisees were great at that, and Jesus hammered them for it.

I love the Bible. I preach the Bible. I believe everything in the Bible. And I also believe that just because you own a Bible doesn’t mean that you get to keep writing.

Religion says that life is all about keeping the rules, many of which aren’t even Scriptural rules. It’s all about what you do and don’t do.

Redemption says that it’s not about what you do. It’s not about what you don’t do. It’s about what Jesus has done. What did Jesus say as He hung on the cross? It is finished. Jesus lived the life we could never live. Jesus died the death we should have died. And right before he died, Jesus said, “It is finished. It’s all done. You don’t have to earn my love. You don’t have to earn your salvation. You don’t have to do anything. I’ve done it all.”

The cross declares that God loves us. The cross is the only way we can be saved.

Religion has a checklist that says you’re good with God. Check, check, check, check…you’re good to go.

Redemption looks to the cross. Because of the cross, you’re already good to go.

The reason that Jesus hates religion so vehemently is because it cheapens His death.

In Galatians 2, the Apostle Paul says, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21a, NIV)

If righteousness could be gained through the law…in other words, by something we do…then Christ died for nothing. If we can earn God’s grace, if we can make God love us, if we can become so religious that God simply has to accept us…then the cross of Jesus Christ was totally, utterly, completely worthless.

The only reason Jesus died is because there is NOTHING we can do to earn God’s love or deserve His grace. It is not about what you do. It is about what Jesus has done. And what He has done is give His life for yours. On the cross, He became your sin so you could become the righteousness of God. You are loved, you are accepted, you are saved because of what Jesus did for you. Bing, bang, boom, done.

Now, does that mean that we don’t obey God? No. But the motivation for obedience in religion vs. redemption is totally different.

In religion, I manipulate God.

In redemption, I love God.

Religious people obey God because they want something from Him. They want brownie points. They want God to accept them. They want salvation. So obedience is simply a means to an end. It’s all about manipulating God. If I obey God, then He’ll have no choice but to accept me.

Redeemed people obey God because they love God. Through the cross, they are accepted by God. They are loved. They are forgiven. They are saved. And so all they want to do is obey God out of joyful gratitude for what He has done. There is no manipulation. There is no selfish ambition or ulterior motive. And it’s not about some religious set of rules that we have to keep. Obedience to God is simply the outpouring of love and gratitude we have for Him.

In John 14, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15, NIV)

Jesus wants obedience from us. He wants us to obey Him, but did you see this? He wants obedience that is based in love. If you LOVE me, you will obey me.

Jesus isn’t interested in dogmatic, religious rule keeping. He is looking for followers who will obey His commands simply because they are so in love with Him.

One more key difference between religion and redemption. Religion never leads to joy. It either leads to pride because I kept all the rules, or despair because I can’t keep all the rules.

A lot of you are in one of those two places today. You’ve been drilled with religion your entire life. And now, you’re either prideful or desperate.

Maybe you really feel like you can keep the rules. You are prideful because you keep the rules so much better than other people. You talk better, and look better, and just plain are better than those other people. Pride is destroying your life, it is destroying your relationship with Jesus, and the tragic part is that you don’t even know it. I pray that the truth has cut through your religion and has pierced your heart today.

Or maybe you’re on the other side of the fence. Religion is destroying you because you just can’t do it. Instead of feeling loved and accepted by God, you feel like a loser who can never measure up. And it’s led to a sense of desperation because you just can’t keep all the rules.

Here’s what you’ve got to understand…neither one is God’s will for your life. God doesn’t want you to walk around with a self-righteous arrogance. He hates pride. But He also doesn’t want you to feel like this sinful scumbag who will never be accepted by God because you just can’t keep the rules.

What He wants for you is redemption. Redemption leads to a humble joy.

I’m humble because I fully realize how broken I am. No one has to remind me of my sinfulness. I know it all too well.

But in that humility, there is joy because I don’t have to save myself. Jesus does that for me. It’s not about how good I am. It’s about how good He is. There is freedom, and peace, and joy in knowing that I am saved by God’s grace, and God’s grace alone.

The more I read the gospels, the more I see that religion is completely rejected by Jesus. Jesus goes out of his way to tell us that the tax collector in our story was forgiven and justified by God. The religious Pharisee was not.

This was earth-shaking to the people who first heard this story. And it ought to shake the church up as well. The tragedy is that in churches all over the world this morning, the false gospel of religion is being preached. People are being told that if they are good little Christian boys and girls, God will love them. God will accept them. God will save them.

But today, we are choosing to stand in redemption instead of religion.

So where does that leave you? Some of you need to repent of your sin. You’ve never been forgiven by the blood of Jesus. You’ve never accepted the free gift of God’s grace.

Maybe religion has been the reason you haven’t come to Christ. You just don’t think you can be good enough. You can’t. You just don’t think you can be religious enough. You don’t have to.

Today, you can walk right around religion and you can come straight to redemption. You can allow the blood of Jesus Christ to pay the price for your sin and you can walk out of here today pure, holy, forgiven, and free.

Some of you need to repent of your sin. Others of you need to repent of your religion. I have no doubt that we have royally offended someone today. But my prayer is that we have also rescued someone from the false gospel of religion today.

You don’t have to be good enough. Jesus is good enough.

You don’t have to buy God’s love. You have already been bought with the blood of Jesus.

You don’t have to be perfect. Jesus is perfect.

You don’t have to save yourself. Thank God, Jesus will do that for you.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: grace, legalism, Luke 18, Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, religion, religious people, Stories