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Jesus Appreciates the Tax Collector's Prayer

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Bible verse : Luke 18:14 (NIV)

"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."

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When Jesus was on this earth, there were people called the Pharisees.
These people were the ones who thought they believed in God the most.

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The people used to fast in a public place so that others could see them fasting.
They fasted twice a week to show that they believed in God well.

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The Pharisees were also very good at offering money.
They strictly kept their tithe. People thought that they were truly serving God well.

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The Pharisees were very proud of themselves, thinking that God would like people like themselves who were good at fasting, praying and giving offerings to God.
They thought they were very righteous people.

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They have great disregard for those who do not live as they do.
They especially hated tax collectors, thinking that they were sinners who could never go to heaven.

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Jesus saw people who thought only they were righteous and ignored others, and told them a story.

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There were two people who went up to the temple to pray.
One of them was a Pharisee who considered himself righteous.
He went up to the temple very proudly.

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And another person was a tax collector who the Pharisees ignored and did not even deal with. When he went up to the temple,
he went up quietly, unnoticed by the people.

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The Pharisee entered the temple and began to pray very confidently.
“Thank God I am not a cheater. Thank God I don't do anything bad. God, especially thank you for not being like this tax collector.”
The Pharisee prayed as if he were proud of being a clean person.

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The Pharisee continued to pray.
“I fast twice a week. And I donate a tenth of my income without fail.”
This Pharisee spoke and prayed as if he were proud of his own deeds.

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However, the tax collector who was there did not dare to raise his eyes to the sky in a corner and prayed while beating his chest.
“God, I am a sinner. Please have pity on this sinner.”
The tax collector humbly confessed his sins to God.

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Jesus told the people how God viewed these two people.
“Of the two people who prayed in the temple today, God recognized the tax collector as more righteous than the Pharisees.”

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“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus gave a very important lesson to those gathered there.

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What the Bible teaches us today is that no matter how much you believe in God yourself, like the Pharisees, praying with a arrogant heart and a sense of superiority compared to others is not pleasing to God.
Rather, God accepts prayers from a humble heart that confesses its sins and humbles itself like the tax collector.

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Perhaps you should not pray with an arrogant heart just because you are a little more diligent in your religious life compared to other friends.
When we always pray for God's help with a lacking heart that we cannot practice more diligently in front of God who has bestowed great grace on us, God is pleased with the prayer, answers it, and exalts that person.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)