“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” Luke 18:10 NIV
Sounds like the beginning of a good joke, right? You know like, “two guys walk into a bar, the third one ducks.” Get it? So, where is Jesus going with this one and will we get it?
Last week we began a new series on transformed living by “priming the pump” with the concept that God loves us, is committed to us, and expects commitment in return. Commitment primes the pump that pours out a fresh supply of God’s unfailing love and blessings. This week’s message is called “Drawing Water” and focuses on prayer.
Prayer gives us access to all God wants for us. It taps into the treasures of heaven if we are willing to listen. Our text is Luke 18:9-14 and looks at two prayers. One from a Pharisee and one from a despised tax collector. Now you may be familiar with the story, and you think you know where it is going but wait. Like a lot of Jesus’s parables, we may be surprised by an unexpected plot twist. Instead of us “getting it,” it gets us.
Luke gives us a hint in the beginning of the story: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:”Luke 18:9 NIV
Two people will walk into church tomorrow, and one will go home justified. Which one will you be?
Come and see,
Pastor Rob
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