September 6, 2023
Author: Pastor Gordon Cook
September 06, 2023
The question that we should always be asking ourselves when we think
of ourselves as individuals is, “What is a Christian?” But when we think
of ourselves as a corporate entity, “What is a church?” And here's the
question that I'm sure you've heard before, “What are the marks of a
true church?” And if you have studied historical theology or Reformed
theology they say three things mark a true church. 1) Preaching, 2)
Discipline, 3) Sacraments, the Lord's Supper and baptism. Pastor Mark
Dever has a book titled The Nine Marks of a Church, and he expands upon
those three marks and gives a number of other categories, but he adds
church membership, evangelism, Biblical theology, conversion. A true
church should only be bringing converted people into membership. But
here is a question when I read this and then when I think of the
reformed perspective over the years I've asked the question, why don't
they have prayer as a distinguishing mark? And Dr. Dever puts it under
the subject of membership, but I would argue that it should belong in a
separate category. Prayer is a distinguishing mark of a true church. Go
through the book of Acts starting in chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 6,
chapter 9, the church continually prays. So that's a distinguishing mark
of a true church. What is the true mark of a true believer? He prays.
And the true mark of a true church is a church prays.
Luke’s
gospel has sometimes been called the gospel of prayer. You have Jesus’
prayers recorded at least nine times and I think you find most of those
only in Luke's Gospel and then Luke also brings in two parables on
prayer and both of them are found here in Luke 18. The first one is the
persevering widow and the second one is the prayer of the Pharisee and
the tax collector.
Luke 18:9-14, He also told this parable to
some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated
others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by
himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I
fast twice a week, I give tithes to all that I get.’ But the tax
collector, standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,
but beat his breast saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ 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.”
If I asked you the question, “What is
our greatest problem?” If you were to ask that question to a man like
Dr. John Stott, here's what he would say, “Here's our greatest problem,
as Christians at every stage of our Christian development and in every
sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is our greatest enemy.”
Pride can follow us anywhere, even into our prayer closets. You have
here in Luke 18, two men go up to the temple to pray and one man prays
proudly, the other man prays humbly. The one man is thinking of himself
and really only of himself. There's nothing here of adoration; there's
nothing here of true petition; there's nothing here of honest confession
of sin. The Pharisee goes into the temple to pray more of
self-exaltation then God exaltation. And you would expect it, he leaves
empty handed. Like the Pharisee, we can fall into that trap as well when
we pray. Remember what James says in James 4, “You ask and do not
receive because you asked wrongly and to spend it on your passions.” So
there's a problem that we can all struggle, we can go into the prayer
closet and we can be praying in a very selfish, proud kind of way.
But
look at the other guy here. He goes into the temple, he's a publican.
You know publicans were not considered to be the good guys, they were
considered to be the worst of the worst. And look what he does, the guy
knows it, he doesn't deny it, the very first word out of his mouth he
focuses upon God, His mercy, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” He prays
a humble prayer, he prays as a beggar and he leaves the temple blessed,
he goes home justified.
As we come to prayer as Christians we
don't pray to be justified because we have been justified. We never have
to pray that, we are already justified, but we do have to pray for
mercy, we always have to be praying for mercy because we're always
sinners, we never ever stop being a sinner. I would think that one of
the most humbling doctrines in the Bible is the doctrine of
justification. God justifies the ungodly. Why did he justify you? Not
because you were good; not because of any of your religious works, but
only because of his grace. We’re justified by grace; we're justified by
the blood of Christ; we’re justified because of his righteousness and
not our own. Romans 4:5, “God justifies the ungodly.” So that is really
one of the most humbling doctrines in the Christian faith. When we come
to prayer we have to remember that we are justified. We are justified by
grace and that should also encourage us, shouldn't it? We're not coming
to a throne of merit, we're not coming to earn anything. Christ has
done everything for us. We are justified because of him, but we can go
to the throne of grace with boldness because we are justified.
Listen
to what Thomas Brooks, the Puritan, says when it comes to praying as
justified sinners, “This is my comfort, the imputed righteousness of
Christ. This answers to all my fears, doubts and objections. How should I
look to you? In the righteousness of Christ. How shall I have communion
with you, a holy God? In the righteousness of Christ. How should I find
acceptance with you? In the righteousness of Christ. And so enable me, I
pray, to fix my eyes on the mediatory righteousness of Christ under all
temptations, fears, conflicts, doubts. I am accepted in him.”
That's
the great truth of our justification. We are accepted in Jesus Christ.
We come as justified sinners. I trust we come as humble beggars.
BACK