Welcome to the For The Gospel Podcast where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people.

I'm your host Kosti Hen and I want to welcome our listeners on Apple Spotify and those of you

enjoying this on our YouTube video podcast format. On today's episode I'm continuing with

part six of this journey through the parables and I think my favorite aspect of

the parables is that there's simple stories that pack a massive punch and the

truth that Jesus lays out are life-changing and they're convicting and yet he

taught with such simplicity. I'm sure you've experienced this. I know I have even going through this

series is reminding me he's the best preacher there has ever been. Today we

come to our next parable. It is the Pharisee and the publican. If I had to pick one

parable that's a favorite of mine, this is right up there. It keeps coming up. I kid

you not, I've probably illustrated with the Pharisee and the publican or the tax collector as some

translations will put it more than every other or any other illustration in my ministry it just

keeps coming up because there's so many great aspects of it that

teach us important truths. I love everything about this parable it brings conviction on

my soul it's a reminder of how God works. It is an indictment from Jesus on religious hypocrisy and pride which man I don't know about you, but I certainly need these reminders in my own life.

We can all go through these patterns where we come off like prideful know-it-alls or we have these

arrogant displays of spirituality.

As much as I don't want to be that and I think man I don't like when people are I can be that way in my life I know you can as well we're all human

And there's this sort of a who do we think we are type of provocative question when we think about a

parable like this we tend all of us to think we're impressive to God sometimes and

surely you and I both would share this in common. I think all mankind loves the underdog, right? The underdog movie, the underdog sports team. and perhaps it's because your own past or mine, maybe it's because of Jesus and the way that he reshapes our thinking after

we're saved, probably a combination of all of that but the publican

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