Valerie Rae Hanneman
Matthew 23:27 (New Living Translation)"How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs--beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity.”
Psalm 51:7 (NLT) “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow”
Last fall my family went to Oregon for Thanksgiving. Coming home we got caught in a snowstorm. Snow and dirty slush got all over my white Impala. Inside the car was just as bad with empty cans, snow chains, books, papers - you know all the stuff that accumulates during two days on the road. When we got home I was working extra hours to get caught up at work. My poor car was more grey than white and it was embarrassing to be seen in it - but I just couldn’t find the time to take it to a full service car wash. Finally on a Saturday night I took it to one of those drive-in car washes where you park your car and all these sprayers circle around you car washing then rising it. You see, I had church the next morning and I was not taking my car there for another week with it looking so bad! The snow chains had finally been put away, but the inside of the car was still pretty messy. But as long as nobody actually looked inside my car they would never know that the inside of the car did not match the shiny clean outside of it.
The Pharisees were the religious leaders of Israel. They could recite the law backwards, forwards, sideways and in pig-latin, and they kept the Law religiously. Jesus talked about them tithing the mint in their gardens they kept the law so well. Have you ever had a mint plant? The leaves tiny and it grows like wildfire! I can’t imagine the work of putting 9 leaves of mint in their basket and one leaf of mint in God’s basket. And Jesus said that they did this with all the herbs in their garden. They kept the law religiously and made sure everybody knew it. But Jesus said that they were like graves - pretty and white on the outside - but full of rotting bones on the inside. In other words - their car was clean on the outside - but all the trash from their life’s journey was still on the inside.
People are like that aren’t they? They think if they present a nice clean outside to the world then nobody will ever know about what is on the inside. But God knows. We can fool other people - we can even fool ourselves - but we can’t fool God. He knows.
In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable about a religious leader’s prayer. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” Notice that it says the Pharisee prayed with himself. God wanted nothing to do with that prayer. This man was praying to the braggart god of himself.
People are like that too - they compare themselves to others and say - well, I may not be perfect - but I am better than that guy! They convince themselves that because they follow all the rules and they are better than that other guy that they are good enough to get into heaven. But even though we present a clean, shiny surface to the world - and to God - He knows the truth about us. He says “There is none righteous no not one.” (Romans 3:10) No matter how shiny your life looks we are not good enough. None of us are. But surely Billy Graham is good enough! God says not even Billy Graham. Then Mother Teresa? Not even Mother Teresa. If these two aren’t going to make it to heaven on being good - I don’t have a prayer of making it.
Actually - the only hope I have of making heaven is a prayer.
When the Pharisee prayed in the synagogue there was another man in there. The publican (or tax collector) stood off to the side. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven but just said, “God, be merciful to me a sinner”
Jesus ended His story by telling the people that the publican, who had prayed for God’s mercy, went home justified by God. The Pharisee who was depending on how good he was went home justified only by himself.
The Word says that it is by grace we are saved, that not of ourselves it is a gift of God. Not of anything good we can do - lest we boast of it. (Ephesians 2:8-9) The Pharisee went home cleaned only on the outside and he was boasting about it. The publican was cleaned on the outside and the inside by God, and he was grateful for the gift of God’s mercy.
Jesus died to pay the debt of our sins. He died so we can live with Him forever. He is the only way to heaven and a prayer for His mercy and forgiveness is the only way to Him. It isn’t difficult to reach Him. He wants to forgive us, He wants us with Him forever. He has always longed for us more than we have longed for Him. He is anxiously waiting for us to whisper His name from a contrite heart.
Are you depending on being good enough or are you depending on Jesus?
If you are not sure I urge you to contact me, or one of our staff pastors at (559)BAP-TIST or go to our website and look on the tab “Knowing Jesus” or call the Billy Graham Association at 1(888)know-Him. Jesus is waiting for you.
LORD Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice for my sins, thank You for saving my soul and giving me the assurance of an eternity spent with You. I praise You today - I praise You forever.
Contact Valerie or sign us for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at May 24, 2006 08:16 PM