1. From the blog, Stuff Christians Like,
“Disguising Gossip as a Prayer Request.”
“I have a prayer
request I need to share. You know Tim and Nancy? They are having some marital
problems right now and need some prayer. Turns out Nancy put a filter on their
computer because Tim has been staying up late on the computer. Well after a
week of secretly monitoring all his online activity she found pornography on
it. So she told Tim and he told her to stay out of his business. And you know
their daughter isn’t going to graduate high school. She drinks so much and runs
with that Goth crowd. She’s a mess, but bless her heart. I think they’re going
to go to counseling but money is tight because of Nancy’s shopping habit. Their
credit debt is just out of control. I’m really concerned and as a close friend
I just want to lift them up in prayer.”
2. Luke 18:9-10; 9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.
A Pharisee was a type of religious leader.
Positive
Characteristics of Pharisees
Committed to obeying God
Admired by the common people
Believed in a bodily resurrection and eternal life
Believed in angles and demons
Negative
Characteristics of Pharisees
Behaved as if their religious traditions were as
important as God’s roles for living
They were often hypocrites who could not live up to the
same standards they demanded from others
Believed salvation came from obedience to the law
Concerned with appearing good
Tax Collectors
The task of gathering taxes was farmed out to private
companies of tax collectors called publican or conductors. These tax collectors took in the money to
meet the demands of Rome and retain a portion as a profit for them-selves. Tax collectors were hated and the Jews
saw them as both unfair, greedy, and traitors for working for Rome. Matthew was a tax collector.
Temple Prayer
The people who lived near Jerusalem often went to the
Temple to pray. The Temple was the
center of worship. Times for prayer were
scheduled daily in the morning and evening during the sacrifices, but people
could pray in private anytime.
3. Luke 18:11-12; 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
The Pharisees fasted twice a week and gave a tenth of his income to God. Pharisees fasted on Monday and
Thursday.
The Day of Atonement was the only required day for
fasting, but there were other days of voluntary fasting. It was use to express grief, penitence, and
devotion to God. Fasting was encouraged
during times of national crisis. Fasts lasted from several hours to as long as 40 days.
4. Luke 18:13; 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
To beat ones chest was an act of sorrow, grief, and
anguish. The tax collector also showed
humility by not lifting his eyes to heaven.
“Be merciful to me for
I am a sinner,” is a very powerful statement.
We are all sinners and we all need God’s mercy. I believe that there is not one sine that
can’t be forgiven, except the sin of not admitting you sin. We all sin and sometimes we continue to commit
the same sin again and again. If we lie
to ourselves, others, and God that our sin is not sin, then we put ourselves in
a dangerous place. We must admit our sin
and turn away, even if it means having to do it again and again.
5. Luke 18:14; 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Self-righteousness is dangerous. It lends to unjust pride and it cuts us off
form God’s grace. If we feel we are just
“so good,” then we will miss out on the gift God have given us the gift of
grace.
As Christians we must be willing to call out sin for what
it is, but we don’t need to condemn or pass judgment on others for their
sin. For who are we but just sinners
saved by grace.
6. Here Jesus explains how to pray.
Matthew 6:5-14;
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b]
but rescue us from the evil one.[c]
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b]
but rescue us from the evil one.[c]
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
References: Archaeological Study Bible form Zondervan, Life
Application Study Bible NLT from Tyndale House, Jonathan Acuff, Stuff
Christians Like; www.biblegateway.com, NLT
