Palm Sunday (Luke 18)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here uh grab your Bibles go to Luke chapter 18 we've been working our way through the book of Philippians and we are uh last week we installed Isaac as an elder and we are working our way towards Easter today is Palm Sunday and the story of Palm Sunday was called the triumphal entry is recounted to us in Luke chapter 19 this is where Jesus Jesus enters Jerusalem and it begins the last week of his life that it's the week that leads to the crucifixion.
Jesus enters Jerusalem as they celebrate him as a as a king they celebrate him as this prophetic figure who's coming to to rescue and to redeem they celebrate him as the Messiah they wave palm branches they lay them out in front of him in the middle of this one of the religious leaders fusses and says why are you letting them do this and he says if they didn't Shout the Rocks would cry out because the King has come he he spends most of the week what we're told is that he uh has adversarial aggressive interactions with the religious leaders it it's arguments um he drives people out of the temple uh there's there's conflict through.
This whole week and then on Thursday he has the last supper with his disciples Judas betrays him to the religious leaders he's arrested taken to to trial mocked beaten condemned flogged crucified that happens on Friday we'll gather together on Friday night this week and celebrate the the uh crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday and then we'll gather on Easter morning and and celebrate the resurrection of Christ and that's this week that's that's what we're celebrating but we're going to look at what happens right before he enters Jerusalem.
So we're in Luke I said that Luke 19 talks about the triumphal entry we're going to be in Luke chapter 18 because one of the things that you could think is potentially maybe Jesus just got caught up in something you know he'd been ministering he'd been out in rural areas and maybe he just got caught up it was over his head at this point they they they caught him they grabbed him and he ended up pressing too many buttons and messing with the wrong people and it.
Finally all caught up to him you could kind of think you know Jesus was a good man he was a good teacher but eventually he just had pressed them too far and in some ways and in a human perspective that's true that he did press them farther than they wanted to go and that's why they arrested him but Jesus did that on purpose he knew what was happening and so I want you to look at Luke 18:31 and this is the.
Third time that Jesus has done this but it says and taking the 12 he said to them see we are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written about the son of man by the prophets will be accomplished now he often referred to himself as the son of man and he's saying that we're going to go see all that's been prophesied all that's been taught in the Old Testament as is about to be accomplished in Jerusalem for he talking about the son of man which is himself he will be delivered over to the Gentiles that's non-jewish people specifically it's the Romans he'll be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully.
Treated and spit upon and after flogging him which is he's going to be beaten whipped they will kill him and on the third day he will rise he knew exactly what was happening when he entered Jerusalem he had set his face towards the cross he knew how bad it was going to be he knew that he was going to be mocked he knew that he was going to be beaten he knew that he was going to be crucified but he also knew that he was going to rise and this was the plan all along this is what had been prophesied from the Old Testament onward.
And so now we ask the next question which is why why why go do that why is that what he's going to accomplish if you knew that was going to happen why go but it's prophesied this is the plan all along so why is this the plan and so we're going to look at a story he tells in Luke 18 right before this just a few verses before he looks at the disciples and says okay it's time to go and it articulates by by the way of the story by this Parable that he gives he he explains to us this is how this works and this is this beautiful articulation of the Gospel.
So we're going to spend our time in it this morning let's pray as we then look at verse n and what comes after Lord we ask ask you that through your spirit we would hear clearly the Declaration of the Gospel and we ask that you would help us to Humble ourselves today in Jesus name amen all right verse nine it says he also told this Parable so Luke 18:9 so we just went back just a little bit he also told this Parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt.
So in this Parable what he's going to do is intentionally designed to be confrontational but it's also Invitational so he's going to confront and then he's going to there's an invitation kind of buried in here and so we're going to get to see both this confrontation but also this invitation that's in this text and it's nice that it tells us specifically who it's aimed at sometimes you read a story and you're like I wonder who that applies to this one was like Hey this story was told specifically to some people.
Jesus was talking to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt and he was like Hey have I got a story for you and so that's what's happening here so let's let's focus in on that for just a second it says they trusted in themselves that they were righteous well the word righteous there has religious connotations it means that you think you're right before God and I'm just going to take a wild stab in the dark given the room that we're standing in this is something that maybe you care a little bit about you've given some thought to maybe your mom dragged you here.
Today or your friend finally wore you down or you ran out of you know excuses or whatever and we're glad you're here welcome but it seems like it's possible that this is a room full of people who have given some consideration to what what is my life look like in front of God if he's going to judge if he's going to evaluate what does it look like and so that's this idea of righteousness but they trusted in themselves so basically this story was said to people who said I'm I'm.
Okay I'm one of the good ones I don't know maybe you're here this morning and you're kind of agnostic you you're trying to figure this whole thing out and and like I said we're glad you're here you're trying to you're like maybe there is a God I think probably it makes sense that things were created it makes more sense to me that God made everything than that nothing made everything um and uh I I'm just kind of trying to figure this out.
But you might would say something along the lines of but I mean you know I'm good like if if God's going to judge people and if there is a hell and and if that's a thing that he does but you know I'm okay I I'm not I'm not like a murderer I don't I don't you know spend my weekends robbing people and you know I'm not I I I've never really assaulted anybody you know and I pay my taxes and I parent my children and I go to work and I serve on the PTA and you know a speed.
But not that fast and the only people around here who care care are people in Springdale and uh so I'm you know I'm not that bad and so you you have this this General sense of I'm okay maybe you've talked to someone who doesn't believe there's a God at all but they they would be the same person in this story they say things like well if there is a God I've got some questions for him if there is a God he's got some explaining to do which would still mean that their righteousness is seated in themselves and that they're.
Okay they have their own righteousness so much so that they can actually evaluate God the person in the story here is specifically a religious righteous person so he's well behaved and moral he follows the law he follows the rules so what he would say is not I pay my taxes and I'm a good dad he'd say you know I'm a part of a Church been a part of Church for years was baptized when I was seven and then for good measure re-baptized.
When I was 22 like I'm I'm in you know he's he's got this General that's this he's got this religious resume but the point is he's trusting in himself his righteousness comes from himself that's the point of the story and so I would say it's likely that there's some of us in here today that that's the Zone we're in which is my righteous is in myself I'm also willing to argue that there's someone who wants to be like uh Preacher Man that's not me I know I'm not righteous I dragged myself here.
Today because everything I've ever done has fallen all apart I'm not one of the good ones I'm I I don't want him to look at my resume I I I'm here because I'm I'm a mess and what I want to say to you is we're glad you're here but it's possible that what you have framed up in your mind is so I'm going to go to Church I'm going to get it together I'm GNA start being one of the good ones I hope to one day trust in myself.
For my own righteousness and I would just say he's going to hold out a better option for you so if he's if he's correcting that don't set that as your aim let's let's see what he says but he says this trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt I want you to understand that that naturally goes together I don't know if you have a younger sibling that just kind of followed you around but if you trust in yourself that you're righteous just know that contempt is just hanging out it's just following you around it's going to go where you go.
Because that's how it works if I'm one of the good ones there have to to be some of the bad ones otherwise it the system doesn't work so even when you ask someone and they say well you know I'm not a murderer okay we've identified some of the people we get to treat with contempt we get to identify some of the bad ones and it doesn't matter what scale you use you've got some bad ones if it's manliness well then sissies are the bad ones they're the ones ruining the country.
If it's you know if it's the the environment then it's it's liters it's if it's if it's the way you vote then it's you know those red people or those blue people or whatever somebody's out here ruining things and I think if we talked long enough we could identify at some point you've got a line with these are the good ones those are the bad ones trusted myself for my righteousness these are the contemptible people so if it's religious righteousness it's the irreligious it's people who aren't a part of Church it's the pagans it's the Sinners.
Okay so that's what he that's who he's talking to and then it says this he also told this Parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt this is the story two men went up into the temple to pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector for us to under understand this story we really need to understand what a Pharisee and a tax collector were who they were and also how this would have hit the ears of the original hearers Pharisees were the most religious of the religious they were the they were the best at it they were the most Jewish Jewish people they they followed.
The law very strictly and so much so that they added extra laws to keep them from ever even getting close to Breaking the other laws it'd be like if if someone said you don't need to drink too eat too much sugar and you just said well I'll never have sugar boom problem solved I'll never have too much if I never have any that's what they did with the law that's what they they did with the Sabbath that's what these rules about what is work we're not supposed to work on the Sabbath.
Well they started adding all these extra things to make sure they never even got close they were the ones if you read the Bible they followed Jesus around throwing flags all the time he'd be doing something they'd be like wrong and I'm assuming they walked around doing this to everybody so it seemed like they were a delight at parties but they walked around constantly being like wrong did that wrong uh going to hell like that's what they followed people around doing that's kind of what the Pharisees did and they were very good at it.
So picture the most buttoned up laced up I don't know Boy Scout Ned Flanders whatever you got a picture in your head that's that's the Pharisees and then he says a tax collector and you know like good Americans were like Boo taxes down with King George um it's it's worse than you think because it's not just a tax collector for the government in general it's a tax collector for the occupation of the Holy Land by the Romans so if China or Russia just depending on what era you're watching a movie in comes and takes over the US it's the person that betrays their neighbors to work.
For that government to extort their own people because they understand the systems they understand the language they understand the culture they understand how they would hide things they extort their own people for the opposing government for the occupation and they get rich doing it so if they made a movie about this this wouldn't be the main bad guy the tax collector wouldn't be it would be the the really despised person that you wanted to see suffer if they did the movie.
Well the main bad guy would be the Romans but there would be this one character who was supposed to be their friend who' betrayed them and he was and you would just want them to get really hurt if if they did the movie well that's what the tax collector was it was the lowest of the low that had betrayed their nation and gotten Rich doing it so for the way this would hit their years it's a little bit like Jesus said there were two men praying in a Church one was a preacher and one was a pedophile that's that's the setup.
Because of how they viewed this General group of people all right so we know the characters we know they're at the temple praying verse 11 the Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus God I thank you that's a good start y'all Pharisees he's starting with thankfulness if anybody teaches you how to pray they might tell you that start with being thankful just think about the things you can be grateful for we knew this Pharisee was going to crush it he's doing great started off with thankfulness all right write that down be thankful here's what he says.
God I thank you that I am not like other men extortioners unjust adulterers or even like this tax collector I fast twice a week I give tithes of all that I get okay his prayer went downhill fast um he he's thanking God but he's thanking God for himself my wife and I we our anniversary is coming up in May we've been married 15 years if I like write her a card you know some love note my best handwriting make it loopy you know.
Look at the Declaration of Independence see how they write try to copy it and I write to my praiseworthy wife with eyes that can recognize handsomeness you have such good taste in men like I just I don't know if she's going to Swoon or not like I just I don't know how that's going to hit because what I'm doing is praising myself and that's the way this prayer works is that it's it's exalting himself he's the one who's praiseworthy he's the one who gets the glory he's saying thank you.
So much and he actually at this point is praying and looking around he says even this tax collector he sees the guy he's evaluating and ranking himself while he's praying and he says better than yeah well definitely that guy like he that's the way he's praying and then he starts listing off not only am I not these people but he's listing off the things that he's done and what he's really what's what the essence of his prayer is is God compare me to others check out my resume.
See that I'm one of the good ones that that's his prayer what he needs from God is for God to to to judge him to evaluate him to rank him that it's God's job to see how good he is and to respond to and respect his goodness that's the prayer he's the hero of the story he's the one who's highlighted it even seems as if some of the things that he's doing which are good things to do it's good to fast it's good to give tithe yes he shouldn't extort people he shouldn't commit adultery shouldn't be unjust like all these things it's good.
But in some ways it seems like the whole point is is not response to God and God's glory and God's goodness but it's a it's for himself it's like when you when teenagers are like I got to I got to start volunteering to pad my resume so I can get into college where do you want to volunteer don't care just needs to say volunteer it's not really about the thing they're doing it's not about the people who are getting served it's honestly they're serving themselves.
So they're going to add it to their resume that's some of what he's doing that's what it seems like that ultimately everything he's done has really been about him then he says this verse 13 but the tax collector standing far off would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but beat his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner God be merciful to me a sinner in the Pharisees prayer he's a saint God recognize my saintness tax collector has no Notions of himself being glorious or good he says I'm a sinner and he says I need you to be merciful in his prayer.
God is glorious and good God is Holy and just he just needs him to be merciful be be gracious to me be kind to me have mercy on me because I have nothing to present I have nothing to show you I have nothing I I don't all I have is things that I'm going to need forgiveness for that's his prayer and Jesus says this I tell you this man went down to his house Justified rather than the other all right we got to know what that word Justified means it means rightous that he's been made righteous that he's considered righteous before.
God so he's he sets up the story we we're told there's a there's a man who trusts in himself that he's righteous that's who he's talking to they're they're looking for righteousness and they trust in themselves and then he says this man went home Justified meaning made right made righteous before God he would be released from Court declared not guilty what do you know how fundamentally scandalous that is here's a guy who's devoted his life to good behavior and he's done it from what we have in the story he's behaved he's given away his money twice a week he's not eaten.
For a day to pray I don't know what you're listing on your religious resume but I doubt that's on there and here's someone who has betrayed his Nation rejected in so many ways the God who gave them the land has helped Gentiles overthrow the Jewish his own people who's walking in sin walking in unrepentance in so many ways and he says may I have mercy and Jesus says he goes home righteous how well ultimately we're told that the how is that.
Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and that he's handed over to the Gentiles and he's shamefully treated and he's flogged and he's killed and on the third day he rises because there is a debt that has to be paid there is sin that has to be paid this is why Roman says that God is both just and the justifier so he can justify people but he's just and that sin is paid for and that's what Jesus came to do Jesus came to make this a real option a real reality that we can ask.
For mercy and receive it because our sin can be paid for in Christ this is why we say Jesus died for our sins we mean it then he says this this is the this is the the the landing of the story this is where he ends it for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted everyone who exalts himself will be humbled the one who humbles himself will be exalted uh IHOP their slogan is come hungry leave happy I don't know.
If you've been to an IHOP lately I'm not sure that's true maybe come hungry leave sticky I don't Jesus ends this with with saying if you if you come humble you leave holy if you come humble you leave whole if you become humble you leave happy there's joy and hope in humility but that everyone who exalts thems if you think you're in if you think you're one of the good ones you're out and if you know that there's no way you could be in.
If you think you're out then you can be in they they both get what they prayed for the Pharisees said judge me and he will be judged the tax collector said have mercy on me and he will receive Mercy the question is which Camp do you think you fallen do you think you'll do well when you're judged that's the only people who want to be judged the kid that raised their hand and said you forgot how to tank up our homework did their homework.
When you went shut up they didn't care they didn't care that you didn't do your homework they did their homework that's who wants the teacher to take up the homework is the kid who did the homework and honestly you not doing the homework makes it better they're one of the good ones at these homework clowns but I'm going to tell you if you stayed up late doing the homework you want the teacher to take it up what the heck and if they quit taking it up I'd be likely to quit doing the homework you know I've used this picture before.
Because I think it's helpful do you know who's going to try to get College loan forgiveness if they offer college loan forgiveness people with college loans do you know who's going to be really mad about them doing that people who just just paid off their college loans or the people who were like I'm not getting a college loan I'm going to go do trade work or I'm going to go do this or I'm going to work my way through college and they're like hey why don't we just forgive that and those are the people who said why don't we not.
For just handing out money hand it to me and even the people who disagree with the policy I don't think we should forgive college loans if they have college loans and they change the policy they're like well I'm going to get mine forgiveness I'm not I'm not dumb I mean I don't I wouldn't vote for it but I'll take it the the people who line up for mercy and forgiveness are the people who know they need mercy and forgiveness and the people who line up.
For judgment and valuation are the people who wrongly think they'll do well I did the homework I'd love for you to take it up it's not in some ways it is in some ways it is God responding to you exalting yourself or you humbling yourself and certainly in you humbling yourself but in other ways it's just how it works it's the nature of it because if you exalt yourself you're wrong it's not that he just goes oh that's prideful I'm mad at you it's that you're wrong you have nothing to exalt yourself over.
So you've set up the system incorrectly it's not going to work this is what Romans 3 says we're going to have this on the screen it says but now he's talking about the C the the cross he's talking about what Jesus has accomplished he says now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law okay so manifested means it shows up we now have the righteousness of God it's here it's been manifested but he says it's apart from the law.
So the law is what the Pharisees were using I'm going to be moral I'm going to be good I'm going to do the stuff I'm going to check the boxes I'm going to pad the resume I'm going to be good and he says no it didn't show up with that it did not show up with your moral law rule following it's not there it's shown up over here he says although the law and Prophets bear witness to it this is what.
Jesus was talking about when he says I'm going to fulfill all the prophets have been saying the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe that's the story that's he goes down to his house Justified because he's trusting in God to do it and specifically we're trusting in Christ to do it because God in Christ is the one who offers forgiveness and mercy through the work of the cross that that's where the rightous of God has shown up.
So if you want to be righteous you need Jesus to be righteous for you you need to trust in him to do it and you need to humble yourself and say I can't do it on my own for notice it's Faith it's believe it's for all who believe do you believe in Jesus do you trust in him and then it says this for there is no distinction for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God sin separates us from.
God when we sin we fall short of his glory we we we are no longer holy we are no longer in his status but it's not ultimately what keeps us from him pride is what keeps us from him self-exaltation is what locks the sin in the tax collector had s but so did the Pharisee and the reason the tax collector leav is Justified is that he knows it and he asks for mercy and the reason the Pharisee leaves with his sin is.
Because he says judge me rank me and so he will be but he'll be in his sin because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God the truth is some of the best things you've ever done were just to compensate for some of the worst things you've ever done the I say this all the time but the people you've hurt the most are honestly just the people who get the closest to you the people you love the most are the ones that have to deal with your sin the most it's not like you're you're super sweet and kind to your spouse.
And then you just go out and S to someone on the street often you're nicer to that person and then you come home and you're mean to your spouse they have to do with more of your sin because it's in you you have it and so even if you're like well I've got a pretty good resume you still have sin you've still fallen short of the glory of God and you still will fail that evaluation for there is no distinction for all who have sinned and fall short of the glory of.
God and are Justified that's the word by his grace as a gift did the tax collector earn anything no does he receive Mercy yes because God's merciful because God's good not the tax collector the most you mean to tell me that Christianity is saying that the most vile Wicked despicable sinner who's never done anything good in their life that's basically a creature in human form that has poured out wickedness on everyone could in the last moments of their life say Lord forgive me and he will yes yes we mean to tell you that.
Jesus means to tell you that and the most well-b behaved good showed up to everything did what they were supposed to looks I mean has earned I they're a good citizen they're a good Church member they could they could go before God and be in their sin yes if they ask him to keep them there if they exalt themselves if you strut in front of the Lord you will be brought low but if you fall low before the Lord you'll be brought up that's how this works and here's the danger is that some of us in this room might have set this up the way the taex the the Pharisee hasn't set up there's.
Evangelism is the word that's used for trying to tell people about Jesus trying to to see people come to know him come to trust in him I'm doing evangelism right now I want you to trust in Jesus but there's Street evangelism and there's door to-door evangelism and there's different things that people used to to do and my uncle used to do this a good bit he he and some friends when they were in college would would do evangelism they would go knock on doors they would do different things and they were out doing this one night and it was three of them riding in a car it is in the 70s they all got hitchhiking.
They picked him up one of the common ways that you would start an Evangelistic conversation is you ask the question if you died tonight do you know where you'd go it it's to try to to jar people into I'm I hope you know I hope you're aware you're going to die at some point the assumption is that people would understand that there is some judgment and there is a heaven and there's a hell and do you know what would happen to your Everlasting Soul.
If you die it's just a normal kind of a thing that you might would say to somebody who you're trying to tell them about Jesus you're trying to tell them they can have assurance and hope so they get this guy in the car my uncle looks at him they're riding and he says if you died tonight do you know where you'd go and the guy looked like he was really thinking about this you know struck the question concerned doesn't answer they're waiting you know he's like he's thinking about it and pull up to a stop sign that dude jumps out the car runs as fast as he possibly can to get away from them.
And then they were like oh I hear it yeah I hear it yeah he thought we were going to kill him yeah yeah chase him down the street we'll yell at him that we're not another one of those questions is if if you really stood before God and he said why should I let you in what would you say what's your reasoning that that he would accept you and y'all if you think about it if you have an answer for that it's really really possible that you're just going to restate this Pharisees prayer put put it back on the screen the phes prayer prayer is this.
God I thank you that I'm not like other men extortioners unjust adulterers or even like this tax collector I fast twice a week I give tithe of all I get it's really really possible that you would say in your heart right now my response is well I'm not a murderer I'm not a robber I haven't actively harmed people I've never committed genocide and you've begun with please rank me and then you're going to list a few things on your resume I pay my taxes I'm a good parent I was a part of a Church.
For a long time and you'll have just repeated the Pharisees prayer and what you'll have said is should I let you in rank me judge me look at how exalted I am and you will be brought low because nobody gets in on their own Merit nobody walks in and says open wide the gates and declare my glory kick open the doors of Heaven announce Chesters here it doesn't work it's not to the praise of my glorious work it's to the praise of his glorious Grace as a gift that.
Jesus Christ the righteous goes to a cross on purpose to save sinners like that tax collector and like us that's the hope and here's what's beautiful if you're the person who said I dragged myself in here today because I'm a mess you can go down to your house Justified you can eat lunch today made righteous before God because of the work of Jesus and not based off of a single thing you do other than laying down and surrendering and saying all I can ask from you is Mercy I have nothing to offer I have nothing to show the only thing that I brought is the sin that made the cross necessary and I need you.
To take and I need you to rescue and I need you to cover me and I need mercy and you can go homemade righteous before the king of the universe not because of your work because of his and then you can sing and praise His glory the reason why we can walk around with confidence is not because we're good but because he is and none of us are trying to say look at my resume we didn't do the homework we're saying cover us give us Mercy give us Grace and he's good enough to do it that's what the cross is and that's why Christians can come and we can praise his glorious name where he.
Gets the glory and we don't if your answer sounds like the Pharisees will you change your mind today and will you say be merciful to me a sinner and will you go home Justified we're having baptisms this coming Easter this next week will you stay after and talk to us and and declare that I've trusted Ed in him with mercy and we can baptize you too we can talk about it we can look at this and you you can be someone who says it's not by my work.
But it's by his and we can celebrate that Jesus saves Sinners the band's going to come back up and we're going to sing about Christ who went to the Cross to redeem us from sin will you humble yourself today will you lay yourself low will you ask for his Mercy you know he'll give it that's why Jesus picked the absolute worst person he could pick because you're welcome when Jesus saves the most viest of Sinners all it does is declare how wonderful.
Jesus is that his blood isn't insufficient but that he saves like a God and a king who rules over all things bow your heads with me for a moment let's pray oh Lord we need mercy and may we rejoice in the finished work of Christ that you save Sinners and Lord if there's someone in here whose heart wants to present to you a resume whose heart wants to say rank me and see that I'm one of the the good ones Lord may you bring to mind their sin and your Holiness and may you by your grace help them to fall before you and ask.
For mercy so that you might graciously give it as a gift and may they go home as righteous as Christ because he's covered them in Jesus name amen.