This sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing our need for God's mercy and forgiveness by humbly acknowledging our sins and coming to Him in repentance. It contrasts the attitude of a self-righteous religious person with that of a humble sinner seeking God's grace, highlighting the necessity of understanding our own sinfulness and desperate need for salvation through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

God be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, Jesus said. Why? You see this man came as a sinner to be saved, to be forgiven. This man couldn't put himself into the category of a sinner. How can you be saved unless you know you're lost? How can you genuinely cry to God for mercy and seek God in God's ordained way? Unless you put yourself into the category of a sinner. Do you know what God says concerning religious who can't be saved because they cannot see themselves as other men are? As other men who come to the house of God weeping, begging God for mercy and he stands there reasoning in his heart why he doesn't have to do this. Why he doesn't have to ever come to the house of God and do what another man will come for getting other people just crying to God to be justified for forgiveness. This man, he begins to reason and he thanks God that he's not as other men are. I don't have to be like this to reason why he never has to be put into the category of a sinner seeking God in the house of God. I fast, I tithe, I'm not as other men are. He names the sin other men do. I'm not like this Republican. He wasn't just speaking words, he was reasoning with God. Why? Do you know what God says? Horrible words. All your righteousness is as filth. Can God use a word like that about religion? Filthy rags in my sight. All your righteousness is as filthy rags in my sight. If it keeps you from salvation, you'll never be saved. If it keeps you from seeking me as a sinner to be saved, crying for mercy in a way I can have mercy. If it keeps you from looking to me for forgiveness, in a way I can look upon your cry. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. The truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That isn't coming again and again and again. Forgive me, forgive me. That's to acknowledge I'm a sinner in need of forgiveness and mercy. What an encounter with God in such a way, in desperation. God, be merciful to me, the sinner, the one who needs grace in this building. Not the one who stands saying, I don't need grace and this is why I don't need grace. This is why I don't need to come, knowing I'm condemned because I'm not condemned in his eyes. If we confess in such a way, we're forgiven. If we confess in such a way, our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar. His word is not in us. If you can't put yourself into the category of a sinner, you're calling God a liar for God has said all have sinned. There's none righteous, not one. Not the Pharisee, Nicodemus. How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't understand being a teacher? How is it you can't get to grasp that even you can't get to heaven unless you are born again? Unless you come to God in repentance and cry to God for mercy without nothing else in your hands but the blood of Jesus. Do you know what your great sin is? Do you know what your greatest sin if religion keeps you from salvation? If goodness, good works, what you haven't done, what you have done, how you've been brought up, how you've behaved yourself, if that keeps you from seeking God in desperation, knowing that others deserve damnation but not you, your great sin is that you can't put yourself into the category of someone who nailed Jesus to the cross with the murderer because you're going to the same damnation the murderer is going to though you never committed murder. You're going to the same damnation as an adulterer though in your cleanness of life. I wonder how many religious people and God must grieve over this with a grief you and I couldn't imagine. I wonder how many religious millions as they sing into hell, cry out God I thank thee I'm not as other men are but they are as other men are. They need to be saved from religion and good works like the sinner needs to be saved from evil works but no man can be saved who can't see himself as lost. That's your great sin that you cannot realize that there's nothing God will look at in your life but Jesus Christ's blood and the moment you do that, that's the first thing you've ever done in your life that God could consider you becoming his child, consider you being forgiven. We put big sins and small sins you know. The murderers must go to hell but do you know in Revelation when it speaks of all the people who will go to damnation, the murderers, the whoremongers, those who identify with evil spirits and witchcraft and Satanism in its context, do you know right there another sin is all liars, all liars shall have their part in lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. You lied. Do you think that's a small sin? No, in God's eyes that's sin. That's as evil as it's sin. This is echoing for some reason brother. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed Jesus. He shall prolong his days the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, not of your soul, not what you did, what Jesus did, what he allowed him to go through, what God went through for you and he will be satisfied but nothing else you've ever done or haven't done will keep you from eternal damnation. When will you come with nothing but the blood of Jesus? For only then God will save your soul. Only then. Oh, the central theme of the whole Bible is the cross of Jesus Christ. The central theme of the whole Bible is the cross of Jesus Christ. As you page through this book from cover to cover, you will find that there is the message of the cross for the lost. You will find page upon page upon page as you go through sacrifices and offerings and everything just pointing, pointing to the cross. Everything as you go through this book from page to page in the Old Testament is pointing to the cross. It's just the message of the cross as you go to the New Testament is everything fulfilling what the Old Testament was pointing to. As you go through this book you will find there is the message of the cross for the lost but be careful now, be careful now, beloved, there is also the example of the cross for the saved. There is the message of the cross for the lost page upon page upon page. You will just somehow find this is what God, but parallel to that page upon page upon page Old Testament and you, you will not only find the message of the cross for the lost, you will find the example of the cross for the saved. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his eyes.