the basic message # E69
Luke 18:13-14
“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.”
The “other” man mentioned in this passage was a Pharisee who also prayed to God, but noticeably absent from his prayer was his admission that he was a sinner. The tax collector, in essence, stood unclean before almighty God and admitted he was a pig. Years ago, I used to tinker around with old cars. Car collectors are familiar with terms like “cosmetic restoration” which is generally some minor touch-ups and detail work. The most serious type of restoration is the “ground-up” restoration, which literally means that every single component is rebuilt, replaced or remanufactured. A ground-up restoration is only for the very serious collector, since it requires a tremendous amount of resources. When we, as sinners, come before God, he won’t do a simple “tune-up” on us. God, the master builder, wants his people to be their very best, and he won’t settle for inferior work.
Matthew 9:12-13
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Many people venture to the Cross to get “a little bit of Jesus.” Jesus only comes in one package, and you can’t get the economy size. You either take it or leave it- there’s no in between. I like the analogy Jesus used about the sick needing a doctor. What would happen if you showed up for your Doctor’s appointment tomorrow and the following exchange takes place?: Doctor: “Well hello, Mr. Jones, what can I do for you today?” Mr. Jones: “Nothing Doc, I feel great!” Right about then, Doc might be sending you to another kind of Doctor, a shrink. What’s next? BELIEVE!
Romans 10:10
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Ahhh, that word “justified” has finally appeared. Some Christians are taught a simple lesson as children that goes something like this: “When I become justified, it’s ‘just-if-I’d’ never sinned. Is this hard to fathom? Some folks can’t understand why God would: Create man, allow man to mess-up, destroy all of mankind except for Noah and his family, and then bring in Jesus as the clean-up man. It would seem that God could have just “programmed” us to be “good” from the start. Programming is for robots, and God wanted children. Children that God wants to be proud of. Children that do the right thing, and when they don’t, they go to Daddy God and say, “Daddy, I goofed-up, will you forgive me?” God wanted children bad enough that he was willing to humble himself by dying in human form on a cross like a common criminal. If this ain’t love, baby, tell me what is.