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How Do We Approach God? · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise in Psalm 55.
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This is in the Sing Psalms version, Psalm 55, page 71 of the psalm book.
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We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 8 on the tune of St. Columba.
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O God, please listen to my prayer. Do not ignore my plea, my anxious thoughts.
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Make me distraught, O hear, and answer me.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to 8 to God's praise.
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St. Columba.
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O God, please listen to my prayer.
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O hear, and answer me.
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I am troubled by the voice of foes, by their malicious stare.
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For they bring suffering to me, their hatred I must fear.
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Within me anguish grips my heart.
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Death's terror's heart come near.
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I tremble and am terrified.
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I am overwhelmed by fear.
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Oh, that I lie, a dove had wings.
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Then I would fly away.
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And be at rest.
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I sleep from here.
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And then the desert stay.
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And would I do my hiking place.
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And would I do my hiking place.
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For refuge take my flight.
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Far from the raging of the storm.
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And from the helpless mind.
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Amen.
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Let us come to God in prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Lord our God our Father in heaven we do thank you that you're the one who hears our prayer
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and we've come even anew today offering a prayer of praise and worship to you we thank you that
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you're the one who is able to help in all our different needs that you're the one who gives
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us all that we need from day to day even as we look back over the past week we think of
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the many blessings we've had with food on the table clothes to wear homes to sleep and to
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abide in we thank you for all the different things we have and so much we take for granted and we just
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pray that you will help us and encourage us Lord to always look and trust in you we thank you for
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the way the psalm described that you are a hiding place a place of refuge for us but we thank you
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that you have not hidden yourself from us we thank you that you are showing yourself to us in your
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word and in all that you do for us and may you bless us as a people bless oh Lord we pray our young folk
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in particular just now as we pray for the sunday school and the creche and the tweenies we thank
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you to see families gathered together here today and for so many young people and we pray Lord that
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in their young years you will look after them that you will bless them and keep them we think two of
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those who have gone on to university or are going away to university soon we pray Lord that you will
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watch over them as well and be with them we thank you for the joy of children who have been part of
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this congregation and indeed your church far and wide you know as we think of baptism and the blessing
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in that too Lord we pray for families who prepare for that remember them and all who have been
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baptized in our church all we have seen oh Lord maybe over many years maybe have moved on to different
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parts of the country or even the world but we thank you that you are the God who watches over all
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and we pray Lord that you will bless us that you will look down upon us that your word will speak to
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us today and you that you will pardon all our sin as we ask all these things in Jesus name amen
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it's good to see you here today hope you've had a good week hope you haven't been eaten by the midges
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as you were coming into church today they're bad this morning I was going to show you something
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I've got here can you see that it's it's not the one I wanted to bring it's it's a bucket of blocks
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I've got one that's much bigger than this with bigger blocks but there's a retired minister who
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stays next door and he borrowed them and he hasn't given them back he's got all so much spare time
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just now he's just playing out in the garden with his blocks but I was looking at this and there's
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things that we've often played with maybe not just the young folks here the older folks there are
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things that haven't changed over the years just playing with building blocks and one of the things we
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can often do is we can build little houses but one other thing we used to do is always try and see
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how high up we could build the building blocks and there was something that was mentioned to me the other
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day was if we try and build up the building blocks in this way and thinking to ourselves if we put up a
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block for every good thing that we've done do you think that will get us as high as God do you think
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that will help us to reach God and many people sort of try and play this game they try and build up
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all these blocks on top of each other and what happens is the high you get the wobblier the tower
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gets and eventually it's going to fall don't think I'll go too high in case it falls down on Ali's head
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but we play these games with building blocks and we'd see and try and build up this tower high high
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high as we can and you think of all the good things that you've done maybe say to yourself well I tied in
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my room this week I'll put one block up I did my homework that's another block I ate my food well
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that's another block and the tower is getting higher and higher you're thinking to yourself
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I can get so high I can reach God but that's not how it works because the more we start looking to
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ourselves and the good that we've done as we build this tower it's just becoming wobblier and wobblier
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and eventually it's just going to collapse it's going to fall down and that's what we're looking at
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in our Bibles today we're going to look at an account of Jesus telling a parable telling a story
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about two men who went to pray one's called a Pharisee the other's a tax collector and the
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Pharisee he thought he was a good man and he was looking to God in this way of building his tower
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and saying Lord I've done this I've done that I've done the next thing but he was focused on himself
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and what happens his tower comes tumbling down but the tax collector he saw himself as a sinner
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there was nothing good he had to offer God all he did was bow before him and pray to him have mercy
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on me as sinner and that's what God did for him he showed mercy to him he didn't have anything to
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bring to God but himself and a heart that was crying out to him and so it's a reminder to us we
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don't build our lives and say Lord look at all the good things I've done and try and build this tower
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ourselves to reach up to God because we'll only make a mess of it but we see that God has come down
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to us in Jesus and he says just come and pray to me and I will hear you and I'm able to forgive
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so let's build our lives not with pride building ourselves up but humbly just looking to God and
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trusting in him we're going to say the Lord's prayer together so we'll say the Lord's prayer
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our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth
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as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
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and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory
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forever amen
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we're going to sing to God's praise in psalm 65
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this is in the scottish psalter version psalm 65 page 297 of the psalm books
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i'm going to sing from verse one to the end of double verse four
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praise waits for thee in sion lord to thee those page shall be o thou that hear art of prayer
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all flesh shall come to thee we'll sing from verse one to four and the tune is saint andrew we stand to sing
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praise waits for thee in sion lord to thee those page shall be o thou that hear an art of prayer
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praise all flesh shall come to thee iniquities i must confess prevail against me do but as for us
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praise all of our transgressions then parched away shall thou
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praise all of our transgressions then parched away shall thou
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bless you
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bless
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bless
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bless
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bless
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bless
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bless
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We surely shall be satisfied
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With thy abundant grace
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And with the goodness of thy house
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Even of thy holy place
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We'll turn to read together in God's Word in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 18.
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Luke chapter 18, reading from the beginning down to verse 14.
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Where we see here two parables that Jesus tells.
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And the parables come immediately after Jesus having spoken about the coming of the kingdom of God.
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And how before that he himself would have to suffer many things.
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So we read in Luke 18 at verse 1.
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And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart.
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He said,
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In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
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And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying,
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Give me justice against my adversary.
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For a while he refused.
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But afterwards he said to himself,
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Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
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Yet because this widow keeps bothering me,
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I will give her justice,
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So that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.
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And the Lord said,
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Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
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And will not God give justice to his elect who cry to him day and night?
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Will he delay long over them?
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I tell you,
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He will give justice to them speedily.
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Nevertheless,
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When the Son of Man comes,
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Will he find faith on earth?
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He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous
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And treated others with contempt.
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Two men went up into the temple to pray.
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One a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
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The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus,
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God, I thank you that I am not like other men,
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Extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
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Or even like this tax collector.
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I fast twice a week.
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I give tithes of all that I get.
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But the tax collector standing far off,
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Would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,
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But beat his breast saying,
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God, be merciful to me a sinner.
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I tell you,
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This man went down to his house justified,
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Rather than the other.
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For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
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But the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
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Amen.
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And may God bless.
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That reading from his word.
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We'll join together in prayer once again.
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Let us pray.
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Lord our God, our Father in heaven,
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As we hear your word,
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It may be a passage that we've so often heard over the years.
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We can be so familiar with many of the parables
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That we see Jesus teaching.
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We can be familiar with them as stories
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Perhaps we've learned from childhood.
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Stories that we perhaps miss the real meaning behind them.
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And we just pray today that as we open up your word,
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And as we hear it,
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As we seek to study it together,
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That by your spirit you will minister to us.
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That you will indeed humble us,
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As we have read in your word,
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That you might exalt us.
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That you might lift us up.
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That by looking to you we will realize
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How unworthy we are in all our sin.
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But yet, O Lord, may you help us to see
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That that is the very reason you sent your son into this world.
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That though we could not exalt ourselves,
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He was exalted.
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He was taken up.
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He was beaten.
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He was cursed in so many different ways.
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He was put to death.
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But yet, O Lord, we are reminded in your word
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Even death itself had no power over him.
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For we are reminded today on the first day of the week
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That he is risen.
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That we come worshiping our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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Who is risen.
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Who is ascended.
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Who is at the right hand of God.
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Who is even now making intercession for us.
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So that as we come offering up our prayers,
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It is in and through his name.
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And we thank you, Lord, that despite our sin,
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Despite all that we are before you as unholy people,
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Unworthy of the least of your mercies.
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That you are the one who raises up your people.
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That you are the one who helps us to see
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That you are God and there is no other.
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You are the one who puts our feet on solid ground.
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You are the one who helps us to go on in your strength
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As we look to you.
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And so we thank you for all that you do for us.
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And we pray, Lord, that you will continue to build us up as your people.
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To bring us to know you more and more.
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To bring us to trust in you with all our hearts.
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To acknowledge you in all our ways.
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So that you would direct our paths.
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Lord, we ask your blessing on our time together today.
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We thank you for the privilege that is ours to worship and to praise your name.
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We thank you for the light that you have given to us through your gospel.
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And we pray that you will still us before you.
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That you will help us, even in this time together,
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To be still and to know that you are God.
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And so hear all our prayers as we offer them up to you.
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Prayers for so many things going on around us.
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For so many people in different circumstances.
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For so many events going on around the world at this time.
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We thank you, Lord, that there is nothing unknown to you.
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Nothing hidden to you.
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That you see and know all things.
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But we come and commit ourselves and others to you in prayer.
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That in all our different needs and circumstances,
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You will turn us towards you.
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That you will help us to call upon your name.
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We think of those who are mourning and grieving in our midst, O Lord.
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We thank you that your word reminds us that you are a God of all comfort.
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And we pray that you will comfort us only you can.
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That you will heal the broken hearts.
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That you will be close to those who feel the way tough just now.
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Whether it be a recent bereavement or a bereavement maybe a long time ago.
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We thank you that you know and remember us in all our different needs.
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So, Lord, surround people in these situations.
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Remember those who are unwell.
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We pray, Lord, for healing.
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For your goodness to be upon different people who are unwell.
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We pray for your grace in situations that maybe will not or cannot change.
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Because that is not your will.
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But we thank you that your grace is sufficient for every circumstance.
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That you provide for us even when there is nothing humanly possible for us.
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We thank you that you have prepared us, Lord, even for the pains of death.
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And we thank you, Lord, that with you that there is mercy.
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With you that there is hope.
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For it is not just about this world and this life.
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But Jesus came that we might have life to the full and life eternal.
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And so, we pray, Lord, that you will surround us and give us that hope of the gospel.
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The hope that is light into all the darkness of this world.
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We thank you, too, of our nation, O Lord, and how far away we are from you.
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We pray, Lord, for those who are ruling over us in different ways.
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In monarchy, in parliament, in governments of various kinds throughout our land.
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We see the consequences, O Lord, so clearly described in your word.
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That when we turn away from you.
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When we look to our own ways.
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That we only stumble and fall.
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And that is where we are, Lord.
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We have stumbled from you.
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But we thank you, too, Lord, that there is a reminder in your word that righteousness exalts a nation.
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And so, we pray, Lord, not for our own righteousness to be to the fore.
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But that we would look to the righteousness of Christ.
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That you would come in healing power into our midst.
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That you would restore our land and revive us once again.
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We pray, Lord, for other parts of the world, too.
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We've seen the earthquake in Morocco and the devastation and the loss of life there.
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We thank, O Lord, of all that's still being done to seek for those who are trapped.
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And helping those in great need.
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We pray, Lord, for them.
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Especially those in remote places that are difficult to reach.
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We pray, Lord, that you will help those who are seeking to help others.
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And throughout the world, O Lord, we know that there is so much pain and hurt and anguish.
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And war and terror in so many different ways.
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And we just pray, Lord, that you will hear your people.
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We thank you that you have your people from every tribe and nation throughout the world.
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And we pray, Lord, that you will hear your praying church in these days.
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That you will do us good.
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That you will build us up.
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Lord, be with us now, we pray.
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And continue to go before us throughout this day and in the week ahead.
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That all we would do, we would do for your glory and for your sake.
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Hear our prayers, pardon our sins.
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And continue with us now.
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As we ask it all in Jesus' name and for his sake.
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Amen.
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We'll sing to God's praise in Psalm 26 in the Scottish, in the Sing Psalms version, page 31 of the psalm book.
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Psalm 26 on page 31.
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We're singing at verse 6 down to the end of the psalm.
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I wash my hands in innocence and blameless is my heart.
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I go about your altar, Lord, the place you set apart.
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We'll sing from verse 6 down to the end of the psalm and the tune is Balerma.
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I wash my hands in innocence and blameless is my heart.
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I go about your altar, Lord, the place you set apart.
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I'll tell of all your awesome deeds.
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Proclaiming loud your place.
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Your glory fills your dwelling place.
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I love your heart always.
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Sweep not away my soul, O Lord,
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With those who hate your way.
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Nor take away my life with those
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Who love to wound and slain.
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For fair right hands are full of pride.
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They've got inequity.
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But I will lead a blameless life.
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And mercy set me free.
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My feet will stand with God's protection.
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Upon a level place.
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And in the people's gathering.
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I'll praise the Lord of grace.
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Amen.
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We can turn back to our reading in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18.
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And our focus is going to be on the second of the parables that we read in verse 9 to verse 14.
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The Pharisee and the tax collector.
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We read there in verse 9 where it says,
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He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt.
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We've read two parables here in this passage in Luke.
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And parables were what Jesus used to instruct people in this day.
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They're seen as maybe stories and illustrations of things that were going on around them in these times.
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But yet behind them all was a real serious meaning.
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Parables were always interesting.
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And we're familiar perhaps with many of them.
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Many of the parables we learned maybe in our youth.
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For example, the parable of the sower and the seed.
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Where the farmer is described as going out and scattering the seed.
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And it's a reminder of how the word goes out and finds itself landing in different kinds of ground that gives different kinds of results.
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We've got the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin.
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How when we've lost something we'll keep going until we find it.
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And how Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.
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The parable of the prodigal son.
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The parable of the good Samaritan.
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There's so many of them that we may be familiar with.
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And we just maybe see them as nice stories.
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Good stories.
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Interesting settings.
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And interesting situations.
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But there's always much more to them than that.
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Behind them all is always a serious challenge that Jesus gives to his people.
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And in the passage that we've read.
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In the two parables that we see.
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We see Jesus telling us the reason for the parables.
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In the first one.
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In verse one.
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He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
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So it's a powerful reminder to us and a powerful challenge to us in our own prayer lives.
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Are there times when we give up in prayer?
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Are there times when you lose heart in prayer?
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Do you feel that way?
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Well, Jesus is saying to always pray and not lose heart.
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Reminder to us that he hears, he listens to our prayers.
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He may not always give us what we're asking for.
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But we know his will will be done.
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And that he will give us as we need.
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As we look to him.
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And then the second parable as we're going to look at together this morning is to be sure that we approach God in the right way.
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To approach God in the right way.
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So how do we approach God?
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How are you approaching God even as you come here today to worship?
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Are you prepared yourself to come and draw near to God?
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Are you coming in and approaching God in the right way?
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What we see here is a real contrast between these two who come before God in prayer.
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One was proud and full of self-righteousness.
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The other was in anguish, full of doubt and fear.
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But who made a difference before God?
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Who came before God in the right way?
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There's a strong challenge to ourselves in this parable too.
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You see, change is often necessary.
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And that's what's behind this parable too.
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The man who came trusting in himself and his own righteousness.
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He needed to humble himself.
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Others realize the necessity of change and the power that God has to change.
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And that's what we see in the tax collector as he came to Jesus.
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So how do we approach God?
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And what do we say to God even in our own prayers before him?
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Are we proud or are we humble?
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You may have heard of the famous inventor Samuel Marsh.
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He was behind Marsh Code, the telegraph system.
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And he was once asked a question.
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Somebody asked him,
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Did you ever encounter a situation where you didn't know what to do?
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And Samuel Marsh replied,
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More than once.
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On many occasions I found myself in a situation where I wasn't sure what to do.
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I couldn't see the way ahead clearly.
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But he said,
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What I did was I knelt down and prayed to God for light and for understanding.
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And Samuel Marsh received many honors for his invention of the telegraph system known as Marsh Code.
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But he felt undeserving of any of these honors.
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And he once said,
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I have made a valuable contribution to society.
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Not because I was superior to any other.
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But solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone.
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And he was pleased to reveal it to me.
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He gave all honor to God.
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And that God used him for his glory.
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Here was Jesus putting a challenge to the people in and to ourselves today.
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A very powerful challenge to everyone who hears this parable.
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To look at how we approach God.
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And do we give honor, a right to God for all that we are and all that we have.
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Are we proud or are we humble?
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So I want to look at this parable under four headings.
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First, the parable as a whole.
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Secondly, we look at the people in the parable.
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And the prayers that they have.
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And then finally, the profit that they receive.
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So first of all, we see the parable.
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And like I said, verse 9 makes it very clear to us why Jesus told this parable.
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He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt.
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There's two sides to that, isn't there?
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We could maybe think of the first one.
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To those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.
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And it's such an easy sin for us to fall into.
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Self-righteousness.
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Pride.
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To think as we were looking at the building blocks that we can show our good works before God.
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And that we can somehow attain God's height.
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That we can reach up to him and say, look at what I've done.
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I am a good person.
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I am a righteous person.
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And we look at our own hearts and we so often perhaps see that coming in.
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Every one of us.
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Myself, yourself.
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There will be times when pride will take a hold in our hearts.
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And we start looking at ourselves.
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How good we are.
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And we take our eyes of God.
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And so the challenge is obvious there when we see it here.
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It's to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.
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But you see there's another side to it there as well.
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And treated others with contempt.
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Because the more we fall into the sin of looking at our own righteousness.
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And how good we see ourselves.
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The more then we look at others.
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And look at them and see their faults.
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Find fault with them.
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And that's what clearly comes through in this passage for us too.
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There's these two sides.
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What this is getting at in this parable is.
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What are we relying on when it comes to our own lives?
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What are we relying on remembering that this has been spoken.
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These two parables come just after the end of chapter 17.
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Where he's speaking about the coming of the kingdom of God.
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And you see even towards the end of that passage.
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How it speaks about the seriousness in chapter 17.
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In verse 31.
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On that day let the one who is on the housetop with the goods in his house.
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Not come down to take them away.
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Likewise the one who is in the field not turn back.
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Remember Lot's wife.
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You know he puts this into the serious context of what's happening.
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And how the Lord is going to come.
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And what are we going to be showing before the Lord.
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Is it our righteousness or are we looking to his?
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Do you exalt yourself or do you humble yourself before God?
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These parables.
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These parables.
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They're more than just interesting stories.
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They get to the real heart of the matter.
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They get into our hearts.
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And they ask us.
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How are we before God?
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And you see here the contrast.
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Between the people in Jesus' day.
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The Pharisee and the tax collector.
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And the difference between them.
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And how easy it is for ourselves to look at ourselves above others.
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To see ourselves as good people.
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And then worse than that.
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To look on others with contempt.
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And contempt is a strong word.
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It's almost like hatred.
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Disdain for these people.
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We want nothing to do with them.
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Because we're too good for them.
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So there's a serious warning in this parable.
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A powerful warning.
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It was Dwight Moody who once put it very simply.
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He said, be humble or you'll stumble.
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Be humble or you'll stumble.
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If you're building your own works of righteousness before God.
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It's only going to fall apart.
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Be humble or you'll stumble.
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So we have this parable.
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It's a serious parable for us to consider.
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The second thing is this.
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So we see the people in the parable.
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And again, Jesus is so powerful in the way he speaks of his parable.
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In his parables.
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How often he uses real people in these situations.
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People who, those who are in his hearing, they can relate to.
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You think of the parable of the good Samaritan.
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Such a powerful illustration to us.
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Because the Samaritans, they would have nothing to do with Jews.
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And yet, the only one who stopped to help an injured Jew was a Samaritan.
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So he's using these illustrations very powerfully.
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And people very powerfully.
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And it's the same in this parable too.
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He speaks about one, a Pharisee.
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And the other, a tax collector.
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And when you look at them, Jesus is teaching through using the Pharisee and the tax collector.
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It just adds into the whole situation here.
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Because they were at opposite ends of the spectrum in the community at that time.
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The Pharisees, they were the godly people in that day.
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They were the ones who attended to so much of the things that were going on in the temple.
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They were leaders of the people.
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They were respected and looked up to.
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And yet, on the other hand, you have the tax collector.
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They were despised and hated.
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They were cheats.
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They bribed people.
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They took money from people at great cost to them.
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Remember when Jesus met with Zacchaeus.
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He was a tax collector.
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And Zacchaeus was a man of small stature.
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And the crowd, as he was trying to barge his way through, they wouldn't let him through.
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He was despised.
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And yet, Jesus said to him, Zacchaeus, come down from the tree that he'd climbed just to get a glimpse of Jesus.
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And how often you see the accusing Jesus of going to sit and eat with tax collectors and sinners.
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The two were on the same label.
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Tax collectors and sinners.
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And that's what you have here.
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The Pharisee and the tax collector.
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A very religious man considered to be holy by everyone who saw him.
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And a tax collector who was hated.
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But when you look at the Pharisee.
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And how Jesus deals with the Pharisees so often in Scripture.
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You see that what he is doing with them so often is getting to their heart.
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There was a problem with the Pharisees and many of the Pharisees in that time.
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Not all of them, but many of them.
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We're told of it in Matthew 23, verse 5 and 6.
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The problem was pride.
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There it says, they do all their deeds to be seen by others.
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Seen by others.
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They love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues.
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They were looking out for themselves.
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Pride was in their heart.
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They were doing it all to be seen by others.
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And yet, the tax collector, when you look at him.
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A spiritual outcast.
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He is the kind of person who would think, well, church is the last place I would go.
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They're going to hate me there.
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They won't want me there.
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There's a strong reminder to us here.
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A strong challenge to us here.
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In our own hearts, what is our attitude?
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Are we like the Pharisee?
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Do we perhaps end up in that situation where we can maybe go about our lives doing good things.
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But doing them with the wrong motives and for the wrong reasons.
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Doing it to be seen by others.
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Or doing it quietly for the Lord.
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The Pharisee here is one who pride has taken a hold in his heart.
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But the tax collector.
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How would he have been viewed in these days?
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Well, as I said, he was hated.
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He was hated.
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These are, if you were to look at it today.
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They're the kind of people that we so often perhaps, in our own hearts when they become proud, we look down on.
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We may be fearful of this kind of person coming into our church, what they'll bring with them.
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The problems that they might bring with them as they come in here, into our lives.
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And yet, what Jesus is challenging and teaching us here is what is our heart like before God.
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He's reminding everyone in this society to guard your heart.
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And to see how you approach God, not with pride and with your own righteousness.
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But using the tax collector as a way we are all to come before God.
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Humbly, beating our breast.
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Crying out, God be merciful to me a sinner.
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Jesus is speaking to all the people in this parable.
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He's speaking to ourselves today.
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It's not about who you are.
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It's not about what you've done.
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But that we come to Jesus in the right way.
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That we come knowing that only he is able to do anything for our righteousness.
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To do anything for our good because we are not good in and of ourselves.
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But he is able to change our hearts.
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So we have these two people reminding us of so much of what we see in our own lives and in our own society.
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To guard against pride in our own hearts.
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And not to look down on others with contempt.
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But to look to the Lord in all of this.
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The third thing we see here is the prayers.
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You see the Pharisees prayer here.
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In verse 10 it says,
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Two men went up into the temple to pray.
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One a Pharisee, the other a tax collector.
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The Pharisee standing by himself prayed.
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God, I thank you that I am not like other men.
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Extortioners, unjust, adulterers.
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Or see this, or even like this tax collector.
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And then he goes on to say,
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I fast twice a week.
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I give tithes of all that I get.
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Who is he praying to?
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It says there he's standing by himself.
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The Pharisee standing by himself prayed.
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There's another way that you can translate that.
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It could read, standing he prayed to himself.
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Because it's not the prayer that God is going to listen to.
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He's just praying to himself and those who may be in earshot round about him.
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Doing all to be seen and heard by others.
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He's full of pride.
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Is that the way you pray?
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I hope none of us would come to God with this kind of prayer.
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I thank you that I'm not like other men.
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Or I thank you that I'm not like this tax collector.
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I thank you that I'm not like so-and-so who lives down the road.
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That's not how we are to approach God.
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John Calvin, famous theologian.
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He says,
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Every man that is puffed up with self-confidence carries on open war with God.
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To whom we cannot be reconciled in any other way than by denial of ourselves.
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That is, by laying aside all confidence in our own virtue and righteousness.
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And relying on his mercy alone.
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That is not how the Pharisee has come.
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And that is not how we are to come to God in prayer either.
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We are to come to God laying aside all confidence in self.
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And that's the difference we see with the tax collector here.
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The tax collector who perhaps has even heard the Pharisee praying in this way.
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I thank you that I'm not like this tax collector.
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But the tax collector says,
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Standing far off.
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Would not even lift up his eyes to heaven.
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But beat his breast saying,
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God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
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He had nothing to offer God.
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He had nothing to bring before God to say,
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Look at what I've done for you.
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Nothing.
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And yet his prayer is so much more powerful.
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God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
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It's recognizing what we are before God.
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He can't even lift up his eyes.
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He beats his breast.
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He knows within himself he has done wrong before God.
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And all he can do is cry out,
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Have mercy on me, a sinner.
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That is how we should all come to God.
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Because that is what we all are before God.
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None of us are righteous of our own making.
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We can only be righteous in a right standing before God
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If we come in this way.
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Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.
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The tax collector's prayer is short.
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I think that's a reminder to us as well.
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There's more in these few words than any thousands of words the Pharisee could offer up.
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We don't have to pray long prayers.
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We don't have to come to God in a certain way.
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We are to approach him humbly.
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Because he hears a humble prayer.
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He hears the humble cry.
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And there is the cry of this tax collector.
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Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.
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Have you prayed that prayer?
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Do you need to pray that prayer?
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Even as a Christian, do we have to come and pray that prayer ourselves?
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Because pride is taking over our hearts again.
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When we become proud, we look at others in contempt.
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And perhaps we have to cry,
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Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.
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To come in that way.
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Because the final thing we see here is the prophet.
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Both these men went into the house of prayer.
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Both these men were in the right place.
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But only one of them was there with the right motive.
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One was there full of pride.
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The other was there full of humility.
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And what you see is one man got everything.
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And one man got nothing.
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But as with Jesus' parables,
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it's not what you would expect.
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It's not what the people would have expected
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or even wanted to hear in his day.
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The Pharisee surely is deserving of everything.
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This tax collector who's robbed people, he deserves nothing.
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And yet Jesus shows,
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because of the way they come and approach God,
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it is the opposite that is true.
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One man was received by God.
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The Lord heard the prayer of the tax collector.
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The simple prayer offered up.
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And through sincerity, pleading with the Lord for mercy.
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The Lord heard it.
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Because you see in verse 14, it says,
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I tell you, this man went down to his house justified,
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rather than the other.
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For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.
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But the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
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It's not for us to come before God,
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building our blocks before him, saying,
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Lord, look.
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Look at my righteousness.
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Do me good.
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I deserve it.
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That's not how we come.
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We come like the tax collector.
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Just prone before God, on our knees before God,
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pleading for mercy.
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And what you see is the one who stood proudly is humbled.
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He's brought low.
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But the one who was low,
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who humbled himself before God, is exalted.
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He's able to stand right before God,
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right in the day of judgment when he comes,
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because he humbled himself.
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Are we too stubborn to change?
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Are we trusting in ourselves too much?
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Do we need to repent of pride in our hearts
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and humble ourselves before God?
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In September of 1986,
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two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia.
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One was a cargo ship.
53:25
The other was a passenger ship.
53:27
And both ships sank.
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And there was a great loss of life.
53:34
There was much sadness in what took place there.
53:38
But there was further sadness later on,
53:41
when the investigation revealed the cause of this incident.
53:48
There was no bad weather.
53:51
There was no fog.
53:53
There was good visibility.
53:55
The waters were calm.
53:58
So what went wrong?
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Pride.
54:02
Pride.
54:03
Both captains of the ships refused to alter course for the other.
54:14
They were waiting for the other one to change direction.
54:17
Because they saw themselves as the important person.
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Pride was the cause.
54:25
It wasn't until it was too late that they tried to take any action.
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And disaster struck.
54:35
They were both too proud to change direction.
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And it's a warning to ourselves.
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Not to be so proud.
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Not to change direction.
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Not to humble ourselves before God.
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Until it's too late.
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Until disaster strikes.
54:59
But to humble ourselves before God.
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Pleading with Him that He will help us to change direction.
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And to have a humble heart before Him.
55:13
A man called Andrew Murray, who's written many books.
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He spoke in this way.
55:18
He says,
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To have a soft, humble heart as this.
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To have a blessed home in the Lord.
55:25
Where I can go in and shut the door.
55:28
And kneel to my Father in secret.
55:31
And be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness.
55:37
When all around is trouble.
55:39
To find that refuge place.
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That place to be able to come to God.
55:49
Not in confidence of ourselves.
55:52
But confident in Christ.
55:54
In His finished work.
55:58
To humble ourselves before Him.
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And not to let pride lead to destruction.
56:05
He told this parable that some.
56:08
Who trusted in themselves.
56:10
That they were righteous.
56:12
And treated others.
56:13
With contempt.
56:17
Let's make sure that's not our hearts.
56:21
Hearts that are proud.
56:23
Trusting in our own righteousness.
56:26
Treating others with contempt.
56:29
Let us be like the tax collector.
56:32
Humble ourselves before God.
56:34
That He will exalt us.
56:36
Let us pray.
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Our Father in heaven.
56:41
We thank you for your word.
56:43
For these wonderful parables.
56:45
That you have given.
56:47
We thank you for the great instruction.
56:49
But also the great challenge.
56:50
That is in them.
56:52
For they remind us Lord.
56:53
That we can so often become a people.
56:55
Who are proud.
56:57
And full of pride in our hearts.
57:00
That reminds us too.
57:01
That we are to humble ourselves before God.
57:04
And so we ask oh Lord.
57:06
That you will teach us.
57:07
That you will rebuke us.
57:09
That you will build us up.
57:10
Through your word.
57:12
That you will help us to look to Jesus.
57:15
And his righteousness.
57:16
His finished work.
57:18
We ask it in his name.
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Amen.
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We are going to conclude by singing to God's praise.
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In Psalm 55.
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We sang it at the beginning.
57:33
Psalm 55.
57:36
We are going to sing from verse 19 to verse 22.
57:39
Three stanzas.
57:41
Page 72 of the psalm.
57:43
My God enthroned forevermore.
57:45
Will hear.
57:46
And will repay.
57:48
Those men.
57:49
Who have no fear of God.
57:50
And never change.
57:52
Their way.
57:53
Verse 22 says.
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Oh cast your burden.
57:56
On the Lord.
57:57
And he will care for you.
57:59
He will never let the righteous fall.
58:02
But bring him safely through.
58:04
We sing from verse 19 to 22.
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To God's praise.
58:08
The tune is martyrdom.
58:13
My God enthroned forevermore.
58:14
Will hear and will repay.
58:15
Those men who have no fear of God.
58:16
And never change.
58:17
throne forevermore will hear and will repay those men who have no fear of God
58:41
and never change their way.
58:48
This man attacks his loyal friends and breaks his solemn word
59:07
as truth has fought God is his speech that in his heart's a sword.
59:25
O cast your pardon on the Lord and he will care for you.
59:43
He'll never let a righteous fall but bring him safely through.
1:00:03
After the benediction I'll go to the main door.
1:00:05
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
1:00:17
Amen.
1:00:35
Amen.
1:00:36
Amen.
1:00:36
Amen.
1:00:38
Amen.
1:00:39
Amen.
1:00:40
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