Why was One Man’s Prayer Heard and the other Rejected?

YOU KNOW when you are trusting in Christ’s righteousness alone and not your own when you begin to rejoice at how great the love He’s had for you, knowing your own evil inclinations when you drift outside of His presence. Amen anybody?

Does God Really Reject Prayers? If So, Why? 

You see, Jesus didn’t come for the healed – those that thought they didn’t need Him. No! He came for those few who are willing to admit and to continue to admit what the publican admitted when he prayed – “Be merciful to me Lord, a sinner.” (Luke 18:10-14) In fact, this is the exact truth Jesus seeks to convey to our hearts when He gives us His parable of the two men who went to prayer as we have on record in Luke 18.

Which one of these two men are you? Which heart attitude most fits yours?

Luke 18

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
11  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. 
12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 
13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon 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 every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:10-14

Only one of these men was justified by God. It was the one who was willing to admit his own sinful state and go to God by faith and fall upon His blessed mercy. The man Christ justified only prayed a prayer with 7 words and the self-righteous man whose prayer was shunned, blocked, and rejected by God was 34 words.

SELF-righteousness – false righteousness imagined from your own intrinsic value or performance – even at its “best” is “altogether vanity (futility)” and “as filthy rags.”(Psalms 39:4-5; Isaiah 64:6)

“LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. 5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.” Psalms 39:4-5

Feeling good about ourselves? If so we need a pin in the balloon!

“If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.” Job 9:20

Instead of self-righteousness, taking the humble route is the biblical revelation.

“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” Proverbs 20:9

Self-righteousness is clearly soul-damning. It is sin according to the LORD. All one has to do to prove such is read what Jesus said to the Pharisees whose root sin was self-righteousness (originating from pride). Read Matthew 23.

While there should be absolutely no excuse for sin, there also must be the admission of the need for total and complete trust in God. This is a missing truth in the lives and ministries of some today.

Mankind is fallen and in a state of sin and separation that God alone can rescue him from. Psalm 51:5 says “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

So, do you think you can make your own self righteous before the Almighty?

Job 14:4 says “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.”

The answer to this question is that our Maker alone can save and transform us – redemption.

Paul Resume’ and Renouncement!

The apostle Paul had to deal with this sinful tendency as we do. To receive Christ’s righteousness, like Paul, one must denounce all other supposed, feigned righteousness.

Philippians 3:

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

2  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision (judaaizers – antichrists attempting to bring you back under obsolete Jewish law).

3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” Philippians 3:1-10

His religious pedigree was unsurpassed yet the apostle had to renounce it in order to receive the divinely-granted righteousness of the Savior. One must choose.

How is it that our salvation came about? Was it due to our own intrinsic or moral goodness or because of God’s sheer mercy?

Titus 3

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

4  But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7

Action plan: Praying Titus 3:5-6 every morning will truly offset all tendency toward self-righteousness and free one up to continue to more deeply trust in Christ alone – in His exclusive and perfect righteousness.

Who Found Who?

“We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:9

One must admit and continue to admit his own personal, great need for Jesus Christ and His saving mercy. That’s what Jesus meant when He taught “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” and “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.” (Matthew 5:3; 9:13)

“But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:12-13

According to Christ, the self-righteous religionist who cloaks himself with his good works and traditions is spiritually “sick” and yet refuses to admit his great need for God and His blessed saving grace. This is what Christ is getting at here. They reject Him for their religion (Romans 10:1-4).

Anything that we attribute our right standing with God to outside of the divine Person of Jesus Christ, is sin and antichrist (in replacement of Christ).

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:16-17

The self-righteous of today are exactly like the Pharisees of Christ’s day whose attitudes and characteristics are laced throughout the Gospels. In fact, Jesus never lambasted any other group as He did these evil religionists and even told them that the “harlots” (street prostitutes and any other vile sinner) had more chance to go to Heaven than they did! (Matthew 21:31)

Submitting ourselves to the righteousness that can only come from God requires that we first be brought low, brought to the place of realizing just how sinful, hopeless, and depraved and lost that we are without him. Romans 7! Jeremiah 17:9! Genesis 6:5, 12!

There simply ain’t no good in anyone else except Jesus Christ according to the apostle Paul (Romans 7:18, 24). (excuse the southern English here please)

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:1-4

Do We have Any Intrinsic Righteousness?

The cross of Christ is where the full price was paid to buy our wretched, evil-hearted, sinful, self-serving selves back to God (John 19:30).

False righteousness which keeps us from relationship with God and leads us to eternal damnation is that supposed righteousness derived out of a depraved heart with the idea that there is something good enough in us that makes us right with God. Well friend, let me clue you in – you are not special – you are a sinful, fallen human being in initial and constant, desperate need of Christ’s saving grace which came only by His perfect, sinless blood (Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:22, etc.).

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and ALL the world may become guilty before God.” Romans 3:19

To say that we have anything except unrighteousness in us without Christ and His perfect sacrifice is to call God a liar and He takes this very seriously and to the damning of any soul who dares insinuate such.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

Is God a liar? No. The LORD made it clear that all men are guilty before Him and in need of His salvation – the salvation that only He can grant. And, He has chosen to freely give that gift to those who admit their own spiritual poverty and chose to place their trust in Jesus Christ alone.

“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” Romans 11:32

God concludes that we are all in sin and unbelief and also requires that we agree with Him in this or we cannot be saved.

Those who, like the Jews, seek to work for their own righteousness through religion are still separated from God in their utter un-righteousness. All we can do is to admit and to own our own sinful state outside of Him and fall upon His blessed, sheer mercy given to us in Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God!

“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 4:4-5

How to get saved and live in harmony with God? Do we get saved by faith and then begin to work to sustain our walk with God? No! Any person who does such is lost again.

“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:3

Our part is to realize our own depravity and separation and hopelessness without Christ and to place our faith in Him and continue believing Him to the end of our lives.

“Without faith it is impossible to please” God, period! Memorize Hebrews 11:6.

The LORD has ordained and provided for each of His children to live the overcoming life!

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5

Self-righteousness is antichrist (anti means in place of) and is rooted in the idolatry of self. We put ourselves in place of the only Savior – the only One who can save us. That’s why self has to be slammed down flat by the law. We do great disservice to sinners and to ourselves by not dealing directly with our own fallen state and coming to grips with the fact of our own utter unrighteousness outside of present abiding in Christ by faith.

Like the great apostle Paul, each of us has to deal with the temptation and the tendency toward self-righteousness. Reading Romans 3:21-26 over and over, pouring over it prayerfully will greatly help. The washing of the water of God’s Word will deal with and cleanse away this evil (Ephesians 5:26).

Answered prayer is a privilege reserved exclusively for those whom the LORD has brought into His blessed kingdom. They are told to “forget not all his benefits.” (Psalms 103:2) The prayer of repentance for salvation is the prayer or cry God hears from those ye to be saved. Peace with God

Justification

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