Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner
Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner
The 2008 Presidential campaign and election has brought out the worst of us in the American Christendom. Accusations and counter accusations were flying left and right. Christians on one side of the political debate are calling each other hypocrites and other names. Some say because you are not concerned about the abortion disease that has plagued this land, therefore, the others are not “righteous Christians”. Another side says because you are not caring enough for the poor and feeding the hungry, therefore, the others are not “caring Christians”. Each side is claiming to have a hold on righteousness and doing only what God wants. Who is really right and is there really such a one who is right in their position? Can our self righteousness and what we do or don’t do get us any where with God? What really should we be doing and what attitude should we live by?
Come on! I know you, like me have and did take a position one way or the other during the debates and election. Now that we have a new president-elect, Barack Obama, let’s pray for ourselves and the new president-elect like Jesus would like us to pray.
Luke 18: 9-14
9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. This is one of few parables that Jesus at the beginning clearly stated the purpose and intent of his message. “The key words and phrases are “Confident”, “self righteousness” and “look down”. When you have all three ingredients operating in any human being, there you see a person full of pride. Unfortunately, that describes all of us in our “un-cleaned” state. We are to be confident but on what does our confidence stand? It is clear that in this parable, the Pharisee’s confidence is on what he does – he prayed may be more than twice a day, fasts twice a week and gives tithe. Don’t we all also have our own check-off lists that become our measure of righteousness?
2. “Own righteousness” (innocent, holy, just, meet, right). Aren’t you and I full of those words at least in our thinking and often in our actions? We walk on a slippery path when our Christianity is defined by what we do and likewise when we categorize people based on what they do and don’t do. This “performance based Christianity” is a different gospel and not the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”. It is really another religion and not Christianity. You are not a Christian based on you party affiliation or whether you speak against abortion or not; or you feed the poor and hungry. All of the above are important and we should do them any way. The good things we do are by-products of our justification in Christ and not the cause of it. We are justified by faith through grace and even the faith is a gift from God. Let’s stop “looking down” on others that may hold a different political position from us.
3. Our God is ready for the unrighteous at any thing when they call. He will receive us in our unclean state and we cannot clean ourselves and then come to him. Are you waiting to be clean before you come to God? It is the other way round. He sees every bit of our sins and pride, so while pretend to hide it from him. God is for those who “own-up”. Let’s learn from the tax collector (“the publican”). God is looking for such “publicans” not self righteous republicans, democrats or independents. Are you confident and prideful of your party affiliations? Why not join the right party, “the lowly and the humble”?
4. “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner”. This means “to be propitiated” or appeased for an offense. This is the best prayer you and I could ever pray. Mercy triumphs over judgment. I do not want what I deserve and neither do you. Let’s then stop wishing on others, what they deserve while wishing mercy for ourselves. When was the last time you confessed your sins to God? If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
5. Let us all go home, “justified before God” - Just as if we never sinned. Basically, we are given credit where credit is not due but rather debt is owed. As a CPA, I understand this very well. It is called “write-off”. Your account is reconciled by a write-off so the books can be balanced. Have you been reconciled with God or are you still trying to pay the balance by yourself? You can’t pay the debt of sin by your self righteousness. Let God write it off. Paid in full by Jesus’ death on the cross. This is the true Gospel and not the gospel of self performance.
With a new horizon ahead of us, let’s approach God with the utmost humility in words and in deed. Let us commit to praying for ourselves and others, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner”. Let us pray for the president- elect, Barack Obama, “Lord, have mercy him, a sinner” and help him be humble enough to fulfill your calling on him. Pray for the other elected officials that God will have mercy on them too. Will you do that rather than remain in the lofty position of self-righteousness? You and I know that we are not righteous though we may pretend to be but God knows we are not. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Pray, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Amen.
The 2008 Presidential campaign and election has brought out the worst of us in the American Christendom. Accusations and counter accusations were flying left and right. Christians on one side of the political debate are calling each other hypocrites and other names. Some say because you are not concerned about the abortion disease that has plagued this land, therefore, the others are not “righteous Christians”. Another side says because you are not caring enough for the poor and feeding the hungry, therefore, the others are not “caring Christians”. Each side is claiming to have a hold on righteousness and doing only what God wants. Who is really right and is there really such a one who is right in their position? Can our self righteousness and what we do or don’t do get us any where with God? What really should we be doing and what attitude should we live by?
Come on! I know you, like me have and did take a position one way or the other during the debates and election. Now that we have a new president-elect, Barack Obama, let’s pray for ourselves and the new president-elect like Jesus would like us to pray.
Luke 18: 9-14
9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. This is one of few parables that Jesus at the beginning clearly stated the purpose and intent of his message. “The key words and phrases are “Confident”, “self righteousness” and “look down”. When you have all three ingredients operating in any human being, there you see a person full of pride. Unfortunately, that describes all of us in our “un-cleaned” state. We are to be confident but on what does our confidence stand? It is clear that in this parable, the Pharisee’s confidence is on what he does – he prayed may be more than twice a day, fasts twice a week and gives tithe. Don’t we all also have our own check-off lists that become our measure of righteousness?
2. “Own righteousness” (innocent, holy, just, meet, right). Aren’t you and I full of those words at least in our thinking and often in our actions? We walk on a slippery path when our Christianity is defined by what we do and likewise when we categorize people based on what they do and don’t do. This “performance based Christianity” is a different gospel and not the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”. It is really another religion and not Christianity. You are not a Christian based on you party affiliation or whether you speak against abortion or not; or you feed the poor and hungry. All of the above are important and we should do them any way. The good things we do are by-products of our justification in Christ and not the cause of it. We are justified by faith through grace and even the faith is a gift from God. Let’s stop “looking down” on others that may hold a different political position from us.
3. Our God is ready for the unrighteous at any thing when they call. He will receive us in our unclean state and we cannot clean ourselves and then come to him. Are you waiting to be clean before you come to God? It is the other way round. He sees every bit of our sins and pride, so while pretend to hide it from him. God is for those who “own-up”. Let’s learn from the tax collector (“the publican”). God is looking for such “publicans” not self righteous republicans, democrats or independents. Are you confident and prideful of your party affiliations? Why not join the right party, “the lowly and the humble”?
4. “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner”. This means “to be propitiated” or appeased for an offense. This is the best prayer you and I could ever pray. Mercy triumphs over judgment. I do not want what I deserve and neither do you. Let’s then stop wishing on others, what they deserve while wishing mercy for ourselves. When was the last time you confessed your sins to God? If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
5. Let us all go home, “justified before God” - Just as if we never sinned. Basically, we are given credit where credit is not due but rather debt is owed. As a CPA, I understand this very well. It is called “write-off”. Your account is reconciled by a write-off so the books can be balanced. Have you been reconciled with God or are you still trying to pay the balance by yourself? You can’t pay the debt of sin by your self righteousness. Let God write it off. Paid in full by Jesus’ death on the cross. This is the true Gospel and not the gospel of self performance.
With a new horizon ahead of us, let’s approach God with the utmost humility in words and in deed. Let us commit to praying for ourselves and others, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner”. Let us pray for the president- elect, Barack Obama, “Lord, have mercy him, a sinner” and help him be humble enough to fulfill your calling on him. Pray for the other elected officials that God will have mercy on them too. Will you do that rather than remain in the lofty position of self-righteousness? You and I know that we are not righteous though we may pretend to be but God knows we are not. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Pray, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Amen.
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