Luke 18: 9-14 The Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9 “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Who is Your Tax Collector?

Some of you need to hear this for the first time, and so this is from our hearts... The Kingdom of God is for the burnouts, the broken, and the broke, The drug addicts, the divorced, the HIV positive, the herpes-ridden, the hopeless, For the outcasts that have been created by the church, And for the outcasts of our society that have been created by us.

The Kingdom of God is for the brain damaged, the incurably ill, for the barren, For the pregnant too many times, and the pregnant at the wrong time. This is for the over-employed, the underemployed, the unemployable, and the unemployed. This is for the swindled, the shoved aside, the left aside, The replaced, the incompetent, and the stupid. This is for the emotionally starved and the emotionally dead.

The Kingdom of God is for the bigoted, the murderers, the child molesters, the brutals, the drug lords, The terrorists, the perverted, the raging alcoholics, over consumers, the incredibly ugly, The dumb, the ignorant, the starving, the filled, and the filthy rich. The Kingdom of God is for everyone and the Kingdom of God is for me. Life in Your Way “ Introduction ” (2011)

Who is Your Tax Collector?

What is a Parable? more than just a story used elements of everyday life shocking twist

What is a Parable? Two problems for us over familiarity lack of proper context

Pharisee villainized righteous concerned with the law would have been the “hero”

Tax Collector used car salesman worked for the Romans “legally” stealing money would have been the “villain”

Story Introduction who is the audience Setting the Scene “A Priest, a Rabbi and a Pastor…”

Story Pharisee’s Prayer odd but not untrue distance from tax collector

Story Tax Collector’s Prayer didn’t go to the temple ashamed and guilty

Story Punch Line tax collector was “justified” shocking twist

Greatest Commandment Mark 12: Love your God Love your neighbour

Francis Chan grading on a curve “Love the sinner, hate the sin”

Who is Your Tax Collector?