Jesus, the Pharisee, the Tax Collector and Me

June 2, 2025

Friends, Here’s the view from my study this Monday morning, the first Monday of June.

 

I’ve tried to give you a head start on the text for this Sunday and my emphasis in the text but, wow, when it came to the mercy seat, I just got carried away in study and ran out of time this morning. Then again, I love getting lost in the Word. That will probably be reflected in the sermon also. The OT mercy seat and its NT corresponding texts is a major theme in Scripture, kind of like the scarlet thread of redemption.

 

Anyway, my emphasis in this text this Sunday will be on saving faith and the majority of the message will be directed to the unsaved, the ‘ex nous,’ those outside, as C. S. Lewis called unbelievers. In the sermon I will be sharing the gospel and reminding our people of the joy of salvation by grace through faith. I hope it is a joyful, celebratory time for the people who know Jesus.

 

The staff and I are reading A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter by Miriam Huffman Rockness, which I would encourage you to also read. Throughout the book, Lilias understands the power of prayer and relies on it to keep her and her friends safe in Algeria, (English women in a Muslim country in the middle of the 19th century) and to prosper the Gospel. Thank you for your prayers for your CG, Heritage, the Word and me.

 

My prayer for you is that you will find Jesus to be your all-in-all this week, that he will fill your soul, home, and every place you go with His felt presence. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for loving Jesus.

 

Here’s what I have for the sermon so far.

 

Jesus, the Pharisee, the Tax Collector and Me

(Saving Faith)

Luke 18:9-14

 

Intro: In this section of Luke, Jesus is still on his way to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27). He’s meeting many people, but Luke has chosen several specific encounters to highlight various themes in Jesus’ ministry and teaching.

 

In this chapter, Jesus

 

a)       tells the story of a widow and a tax collector, and

b)       meets children, a rich ruler and a blind beggar

 

Each of these stories provide us with Jesus’ definition of faith. In this particular story, it’s the definition of saving faith.

 

First: The Self-Righteous Heart. 9

 

It is rare but as in the last story, Luke tells us at the very beginning of this story, what it is all about.

V 9 - He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

 

a)   They thought themselves righteous

b)   They treated others with disdain

c)    A result of grace – grace makes us all equal, unable to

 

Remember last week I mentioned that God is the only self-defining entity in existence. We can’t judge ourselves appropriately.

 

1 – We all have the same problem

 

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

 

2 – Unbelievers have a particular problem

 

2 Corinthians 4:4 - …the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,

 

Second: Two Different People. 10

 

a) A Pharisee

b) A tax collector

c) God’s view – we are all sinners

 

Romans 3:10 - None is righteous, no, not one;

Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

 

(v 24-25 - and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

 

(Hallelujah for the cross!)

 

Third: The Faithless Prayer. 11-12

 

a)   “Standing by himself”….(Pharisee = separated)

b)   “God, I thank you that I am not like other men…” – comparison

c)    “I fast twice a week…” – self-righteous

IMP: Self-righteousness is an oxymoron.

 

1 - When we get saved, God grants us Jesus’ righteousness.

2 – It is an alien righteousness, never ours

3 – It is a declaration based on what Jesus has done, not on us at all

 

Fourth: The Faith-Focused Prayer. 13

 

Merciful = hilaskomai = to make propitiation

 

The Greek translation of the OT uses the Greek word hilasterion, propitiation, for the Hebrew word, kappuret.

 

Picture of mercy seat:

 

ILL – On top of the ark was the mercy seat, flanked by two cherubim (Ex 25:19). Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest, walked into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. In response, God’s shekinah glory filled the Holy Place and God met Israel there.

 

Exodus 25:22 – There I will meet with you.

John 20:12 – When Mary Magdalene wetn to the empty tomb, she found

 

“she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.”

 

(Stop for a moment and let your heart say, “Hallelujah!”)

 

In the NT, that mercy seat has been transformed into at the throne of grace (Hb 4:16).

 

IMP: What is the difference between mercy and grace?

 

           1 – Mercy = rachimim = compassion

           2 – Grace = hesed = favor

 

           1 – Mercy points to forgiveness

           2 – Grace grants unmerited favor

 

Romans 3:21-25 - But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation [hilasterion/mercy seat] by his blood, to be received by faith.

 

Fifth: Jesus’ Judgement. 14 – “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified…”

 

ILL: Both of these men stepped into God’s courtroom but only one walked out justified – not by argument but by mercy.

 

Justified = dikaioo = declared righteous

 

           Conclusion:

 1 – To the proud – Don’t bring your spiritual resume. God isn’t hiring.

 2 – To the broken – God’s mercy is greater than your sin.

 3 – To everyone – Justification/Righteousness is found in Jesus alone, by faith alone.       


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Psalm 119

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Resurrection Peace

By Reggie Weems • April 23, 2026
Big Idea: The resurrected Jesus meets the fear and doubt of my life with His real, bodily presence and speaks peace to my troubled heart. Introduction: Peace is one of the most desired and least experienced realities in our lives. We look for peace: By resolving circumstances By controlling events By creating outcomes But Luke 24 shows us a different kind of peace. This passage finds the disciples in fear, confusion, and uncertainty. A resurrected Jesus steps into that moment and speaks peace to those he loves. So, this passage answers an important question: What kind of peace does Jesus actually give, and how does He give it? First: The Peace of Jesus Comes to Fearful People (v. 36–37) As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. Jesus appears among them and says, “Peace to you.” This is not a calm room. The disciples are: gathered behind closed doors confused by reports of the resurrection startled and frightened by Jesus’ appearance And the room becomes even less calm because Luke says they thought they were seeing a spirit. But the important point here is that the peace of Jesus is not given after their fear is resolved. It is given in the middle of fear. He comes into their confusion and speaks peace into it. APP: If you are waiting for fear to be eliminated before you have peace, you won’t ever have peace. The peace of Jesus is not the reward for calmness. It is the gift He gives in the midst of fear and doubt. Second: The Peace of Jesus Confronts Our Fear (v. 38–40) And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Jesus responds directly to their inner struggle: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Then He shows them: His hands His feet He invites them to touch Him. Jesus does not ignore doubt or shame their fear. He confronts it with the resurrection, as if to say, “Is there anything a resurrected Savior cannot do/calm?” IMP: This means the resurrection is not presented as an idea to believe, which we often see it as, but it is a reality to embrace so that it changes the way we interact with life. APP: In other words, you don’t overcome fear by pretending it does not exist. You overcome it by remembering that Jesus has come back from the dead. If God can do that, what can’t he do? Where are doubts rising in your heart? about God’s goodness about your future about the truth of the gospel Jesus meets your doubt and fear with his resurrection. Third: The Peace of Jesus is Grounded in His Real Resurrection (v. 41–43) And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. Luke tells us Jesus’ followers still struggled to believe, “for joy.” So Jesus takes it further. He asks for food and eats in front of them. This is not incidental to what Jesus is doing. It is essential. Jesus is proving He is not a spirit He is not a vision He is physically, bodily alive Again, Christian peace is grounded in a historical, bodily resurrection. It’s not just a fact to believe. It’s a reality to bring into your world when you are troubled. If Jesus is alive: sin has been dealt with death has been defeated the future is secure APP: Your peace will only be as stable as what it is built on. What is it built on? If it is built on: circumstances, it will fluctuate feelings, it will shift control, it will collapse But if it is built on the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, it will provide you peace in the midst of fear and doubt. Ill: I’ll create a word about Ebenezer here. Fourth: The Peace of Jesus Leads to Assurance and Rest The progression in the passage is important. Is there, fear - Jesus speaks peace doubt - Jesus reveals Himself confusion - Jesus provides assurance Real peace that will change you comes through encountering the risen Jesus. APP: Peace is not something you create. Just like salvation, it is something God has created for you and that you receive from Jesus. This means: you don’t have to hold everything together you don’t have to resolve every question you don’t have to secure your life or future Jesus has already secured what matters most and his resurrection proves it. Fifth: Applying the Resurrection to Your Life Now So, the question is not: “Do you have a peaceful life?” The question is: “Have you received the peace of Jesus?” And for those who have: “Are you living in the power of his resurrection?” ILL: Think about how Paul applied Jesus’ resurrection to his life (And this may be the most important part of the sermon). Philippians 3:10-11 - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Paul means two things here: He wants to live again after he dies. He wants to enjoy the resurrected life now What Paul longs for in Philippians 3 is what the disciples are encountering in Luke 24. They are not just seeing Jesus alive. They are seeing the beginning of the life Paul says he wants to attain. In Luke 24, the disciples are standing in the presence of the risen Christ. In Philippians 3, Paul is saying, “I want that life to fully take hold of me.” This means the resurrection is something to believe. But it is also a life to enter, a power to live by, and a future to press toward. The same Jesus who stood in that room and said, “Peace to you,” is the one Paul is pressing toward, and He is the one who gives us both the power to live now and the promise of life forever. ( Friends , that’s a great conclusion for believers but it will take the rest of the week for me to flesh that out and say it with the full force it deserves). Conclusion: Think about this - The words “Peace to you” are not casual. They are purchased. (Hallelujah!). Jesus can speak peace because: He went to the cross He bore the wrath of God He satisfied divine justice His resurrection proves he is King of kings and Lord of lords Gospel: The peace He offers is not superficial calm. It is reconciliation with God and all the benefits of it. As Paul says in Romans 5:1 - “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” You can have that peace!

The Burning Heart

By Reggie Weems • April 14, 2026
Big Idea: You can be near the things of God and still miss Jesus until He opens the Bible to you and reveals Himself. When He does that, everything changes. Introduction: These two disciples are not searching for Jesus even though they’ve heard reports he’s alive, women have seen angels and Peter and John have seen the empty tomb. Even so, they are not staying in Jerusalem waiting to see what happens next. They are leaving town. Jerusalem and headed toward a small town. Now, they’ve listened to Jesus correct their misunderstanding about a suffering Savior but they’ve not yet returned to Jerusalem. They’ve got the facts. They just have no feeling. That should get our attention. Because it means: You can know the facts about Jesus and still not know Jesus. So what does it take to move from us from information to recognition and from recognition to submission? That’s the big question this text hopes to answer - This text answers that. First: You Can Be Close to Jesus and Still Miss Him (vv. 28–29) Jesus has been with them walking and teaching and now He acts as though He will go on. They urge Him to stay but they still don’t know who He is. IMP: They are with Him—and still blind. This is not ignorance. They are coming to the truth. This is partial understanding without true sight. There are people in the church and around the things of God but Jesus is not real. APP: Proximity is not the same as conversion and it’s also not the same as discipleship. Second: Jesus Must Make Himself Known (vv. 30–31) Notice what Jesus does. He takes bread. He Blesses it. He breaks it. He gives it to them. And then: “Their eyes were opened.” IMP: That is the hinge of the passage. It is not that they figured it out, that they remembered some key piece of information that changed everything or connected the dots. Instead, God acted. Knowing Jesus is not something you achieve. Loving Jesus is not something you produce. It is something God gives. You don’t come to Christ because you got smarter or reasoned better or felt something more deeply than others. You became a Christian because God opened your eyes. Note: Somewhere around here I’m going to build a theology of conversion that will look something like this –What just happened at that table is not just the story of these two disciples. It is the story of every Christian. Because the Bible is clear: We do not come to Christ by discovering him. We come to Christ by the Holy Spirit enabling us to see him and changing our minds and hearts about him. a) God Must Open Our Blind Eyes These men were not ignorant. They had information. But they could not see. And the Bible says the same is true of every one of us. 1 Corinthians 2:14 - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God… he is not able to understand them 2 Corinthians 4:4 - The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. So what must happen? ILL – Saul on the Damascus road is the perfect example of this – God blinded him to give him sight. 2 Corinthians 4:6 - God… has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ APP: Salvation is when God does in your heart what He did in creation—He says, “Let there be light.” b) God Must Give Us A New Heart The problem is not just what we see. It is what we love. We don’t naturally love Christ. We don’t naturally choose Him. So God does something deeper. Ezekiel 36:36 - I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you The Holy Spirit changed our heart and made us fall in love with Jesus c) Then God gives us faith Even the act of believing is not something we produce. Ephesians 2:8-9 - By grace you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God. Philippians 1:29 - It has been granted to you… to believe in Him Faith is not your contribution. It is God’s gift. d) Sanctification Follows the Same Pattern And here’s what matters for this text. The way you are saved is the way you grow. You don’t begin by grace and continue by effort. Galatians 3:3 - Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? No. Philippians 2:13 - It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. The same God who opened your eyes to Jesus, gave you a new heart and faith, must continue to shape your heart. Lazarus in John 11 is the perfect example off this: 1 – Ephesians 2:1 - And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 – Ephesians 2:5 - Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, Think about Lazarus dead in the grave. Jesus called specifically to him and only Lazarus came out. That’s salvation. Then, Jesus had to instruct him be loosed from the linen cloths that bound him. That’s sanctification. Back to the Text: So when you read 16 - But their eyes were kept from recognizing him and 31 - …their eyes were opened, and they recognized him - That is not just a small detail. That is a declaration. This is why prayer is so important – A Prayer – John 11:1-3 - Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” A Model – v 4 - But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” A Resurrection – vs 43-44a - “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out A Loosing – v 11:44b - … his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” This is what we are working for. This is what we are praying for. Third: The Word Burns In Our Hearts Before Our Eyes See Jesus (v. 32) After Jesus vanishes, they say: “Did not our hearts burn within us… while He opened to us the Scriptures?” Before they saw Him something was already happening. Their hearts were being stirred, their assumptions were being dismantled and their understanding was shifting. The Word was doing its work. APP: Jesus does not bypass the Scriptures. He reveals Himself through them. We want shortcuts. We want immediate clarity and instant recognition But God works through the Word to give us sight. Fourth: When We See Jesus, Everything Changes (vv. 33–35) These two disciples, who earlier in the day were confused and discouraged, now get up “that same hour” and return to Jerusalem. It’s the ae road but the opposite direction. Everything reverses from leaving to returning, from confusion to clarity, from depression to declaration. APP: When you see Jesus in the Bible, everything changes. You don’t need to manufacture your witness. When Christ is real, you don’t stay on the road away from Him. If nothing has changed in your life. If there is no definite direction, no urgency to living and no witness to others, the issue isn’t knowledge, it’s seeing Jesus. Conclusion: These disciples had all the information they needed but that wasn’t enough. They didn’t see Jesus in the Word. Until Jesus opened the Bible, opened their eyes, and made himself known. Some are still walking the road away from Jerusalem. You’ve heard it. You know it. You’ve been near it. But Christ is still distant. And the problem is not that Jesus is absent. The problem is that you don’t see him. Because when you see him – your heart awakens your mind changes your direction reverses  (That’s Bible repentance!)