Dear God, Part 4: You’re Right

Brian Behrends, Creative Pastor

Luke 18:9–14
⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
         ¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
         ¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

“One of the hardest things in the world is to be right and not hurt other people with it.”
D A L L A S.  W I L L A R D

My notes

Luke 18:11
‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

My notes

Luke 18:12
‘I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

My notes

Luke 18:13
‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

My notes

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

My notes

Small Group Questions

1. Just for fun: when you’re praying with others, how do you usually begin? (Dear God; Heavenly Father; Hey Jesus; etc.)
2. When was the last time you really begged God for something? What was it?
3. Why do you think we spend so much of our lives trying to prove that we’re right? What can that mentality get in the way of?
4. Do you consider yourself someone who prays long or keeps it short? Why do you think that is?
5. What’s one area of your prayer life that you want to invest in this week?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?