A rabbi and a tax collector stand apart in the temple, praying to God. Who was more aware of their need for God? In Luke 18, Jesus relates a parable to confront those who are over-confident in their own righteousness because their mark of comparison is other people.
We continue our "This is Us" series, looking at what we seek to be as a church. People have a tendency to compare ourselves to others when it comes to spiritual development, which can turn into a self-justifying spiritual blindness. In this message, Pastor Skyler challenges us to be more like the tax collector in this parable, who humbly recognized his sin. We're reminded that we don't have to pretend to have it all together to be in church or in relationship with God. In fact, it's our awareness that nobody is perfect that keeps us on our knees before God and helps us avoid using others as our mark of acceptance.
The grace of Jesus is not a license of live your own way. Rather, it's an invitation to be freed from the illusion that living your own way is livable! Healing comes from being known, and you're only really loved if you are known. At Heritage, we aim to be a place where you don't have to pretend. As you start to get honest with God, He moves in and starts to transform your heart. Transformation happens after transparency.
