Three qualities that characterize the life of a self-righteous person...

This week we have been looking at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. In this event from history, Jesus was telling a parable, an earthly story that was designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth that was directed to those in the crowd who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and viewed others with contempt.

And it is in this earthly story designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus in that inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires the humility to extend the mercy we have received from Jesus to those who are far from Jesus.  

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we recognize that everyone needs the message of the gospel. Both religious people and irreligious people need the message of the gospel.

The gospel is neither religion nor irreligion. Instead it is something else altogether. You see, religion makes law and moral obedience a means of salvation, while irreligion makes the individual a law to self. The gospel is that Jesus pays the penalty of our disobedience, so we can be saved by grace through our trust in Jesus life, death, and resurrection.

The problem is that there are people who do not see their selfishness and rebellion that separates them from God and therefore do not realize that they need to change the trajectory of their life that is moving away from God back to God. That is why Jesus would point such self righteous religious people back to the commands of God, so that they might become aware of their rebellion and need for rescue.

Now a question has been could arise here is "Well Dave, how do you know whether or not you are self righteous. I mean if self righteous people have a hard time seeing that they are self righteous, then how can they know they are self righteous?"

 If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And my response to that question is this: When we read the letters that make up the Bible, we discover three basic qualities that characterize the life of a self-righteous person.

The first quality that characterizes a self-righteous person is that of pride. In the parable the Pharisee was not offering an acceptable prayer to God as a result of wanting to hear from and spend time with God. Instead, the was congratulating himself so that God would hear and recognize how good he was. The Pharisee felt good about himself because of what he did for God in comparison to others. The Pharisee, in his prideful comparison, saw himself as being better than most people, especially the tax collector. By contrast, the tax collector prayed in a way that cried out for the mercy of God because he accurately saw himself in need of God’s mercy as a result of his selfishness and rebellion against God.

The second quality that characterizes a self-righteous person is a critical spirit. The Pharisee, in his self righteousness compared himself favorably to others who he could then look down on and display a negative attitude towards. The Pharisees self righteous devotion toward God produced a negative view of others. And as a result, the Pharisees focus was on the selfishness and rebellion of others instead of on his own selfishness and rebellion. The Pharisee pronounced judgment upon others based on external appearances. For the Pharisee, living right with God was about seeing others sin, condemning the sin and the sinner, and keeping himself separated from those who sin.

The third quality that characterizes a self-righteous person is a lack of mercy. The Pharisee’s critical spirit led to him displaying a lack of mercy toward the tax collector. However, for Jesus, mercy is at the very heart of obedience to God’s commands to His people. Mercy is at the heart of God’s commands to His people because God’s commands are a reminder of the mercy of God. You see, God’s commands are a reminder of the mercy of God because God continued to pursue the Jewish people in spite of their rebellion against God’s commands. The Lord desires a heart that is devoted to Him and that demonstrates that devotion by demonstrating mercy and love to others, not simply external acts of devotion that are done in public.

And because of that reality, inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we have a heart of humility towards Jesus and toward those who are far from Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are to remember that we desperately need Jesus as much as those who are far from Jesus need Jesus. We are to reject pride based on our religious performance and live a life that constantly trusts in Jesus performance for us.

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we criticize ourselves, not others. Jesus challenges us to focus on our own selfishness and rebellion, not the selfishness and rebellion of others. When we focus on our own selfishness and rebellion instead of others, we will end up thinking very differently about the selfishness and rebellion of others. If we have a hard heart towards those who are far from Jesus, this is a sign that we do not understand our own rebellion and our own need for Jesus and His continual mercy and forgiveness. 

And inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we show mercy towards those who are far from Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we reveal and reflect Jesus to others when we extend mercy towards those who are far from Jesus. The problem we can experience, however, is that extending mercy to those who are far from Jesus is uncomfortable because it reveals our need for mercy. 

Extending mercy to those who are far from Jesus is costly because it disrupts our lives and reveals the selfishness and rebellion that is present in our own hearts. Extending mercy to those who are far from Jesus is time consuming, as it takes far more time than simply attending church and having quiet times with Jesus.

And because of that reality, we can resist extending mercy because mercy receives very little praise and garners little or no attention to ourselves from others. However, the timeless reality is that inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires the humility to extend the mercy we have received from Jesus to those who are far from Jesus.

So here is a question to consider. Are you willing to demonstrate the humility to extend the mercy we have received from Jesus to those who are far from Jesus? Are you willing to experience the uncomfortable tension that comes when we extend the mercy we have received from Jesus to those who are far from Jesus?  Are you willing to pay the price in terms of time and the disruption that can occur in our lives when we extend the mercy we have received from Jesus to those who are far from Jesus?

Because Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires the humility to extend the mercy we have received from Jesus to those who are far from Jesus...