The Pharisee & the Tax Collector | Sermon

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Who wants to hear a good story? Jesus often told stories to share with
people what God is like and what the Kingdom of God is like. Even people who don't
believe in Jesus know His stories. He was simply the best storyteller of all time. What
made his stories great is the simple fact that, on the one hand, they're easy to
understand and easy to relate to. On the other hand, they are rich with meaning,
multilayered, and we continue to learn more about God and ourselves as we allow His
stories to work their way into our hearts. This is true of this parable about the Pharisee
and the Tax Collector. We might want to identify with one character and judge the
other, yet as soon as we do, we find ourselves casting judgment. What if, instead, we
tried to see people the way God sees people and live with that kind of humility and
grace?
Bottom Line: Humble yourself before the one who humbled Himself for you.

Series: This is Kind of like That
5/25/25 Title: The Pharisee & the Tax Collector
Speaker: Corey Trevathan, Senior Minister
Scripture: Luke 18.9-14
 
What happens to us when pride, void of love, takes root in us?
 
Pride turns into sin when it is void of LOVE. 
 
The Pharisee and the tax collector are both SINNERS praying before a Holy God
 
Humble yourself before the One who HUMBLED Himself for you. 
 
CONNECTION GROUP QUESTIONS:
1. What stands out to you most in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector? Why do you think Jesus told this story?
2. Jesus told this story to “some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else” (v.9). How do those tendencies rise up in our own lives, even subtly?
3. The tax collector’s prayer was simple: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Why do you think that kind of prayer pleases God?
4. How do we sometimes fall into the comparison trap? Why is it so dangerous?
5. How can we have eyes to see people the way God sees people? How does that help us in our struggle with pride? How does that cultivate compassion in us for those around us?
6. What might it look like this week to humble yourself before the One who humbled Himself for you? What step could you take to live out that kind of humility?