Sermons

Self-righteousness is the poison of the soul--it brings death and ruin to the soul. God's righteousness in Christ, however, brings newness of life. The true gospel opens the eyes of the self-righteous. Nevertheless, we must beware and pray constantly to uncover wicked ways within; all of us may struggle with self-righteousness. The Pharisees were, in their culture, paragons of morality. Tax collectors were held as low and wicked. Self-righteousness incorporates the despising of others. In the passage, the Pharisee begins with thanks, but focuses on himself, declaring "I" five times. He holds himself up as the standard, boasting of doin more than the Lord requires. He perceives that he owes God nothing, rather that God owes him. We sometimes do the same. We compare ourselves favorably to others. We compare our church to others favorably. Our prayers should include petitions and confession; lacking these, we deem ourselves self-sufficient. Rather than confessing needs, we make demands. If we find ourselves "checking boxes," we should suspect ourselves of being self-righteous. We must concentrate on the holiness of God, as Isaiah did. He humbled himself in contrition. God will show us our deepest needs: propitiation and expiation. We are all in need of a covering of our sin and a quelling of God's wrath against our unrighteousness. The tax collector teaches us this. He needs mercy, humbling himself as THE sinner. Unlike the world, we must accept our own individual responsibility for offenses against God and others. The Holy Spirit leads us to true humiliation, by which we receive acquittal in Christ, known as justification. By justification, the gates of the Kingdom of God are opened to us. We grasp the light of life, and nothing can take us.