The Sacrifices of God are a Broken Spirit and a Contrite Heart.

• I will have Mercy, and NOT Sacrifice - Matt 9:13 declares, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. We are born sinful by birth, by nature, and by inheritance, as we learn from Rom 5:12. Rom 6:23 also affirms, “For the wages of sin is death...”. And the death that God has in mind is eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. It is no wonder that the Bible uses such horrific language as “...Vengeance is mine, I will repay...” found in Rom 12:19; and Heb 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. One of the most amazing of all of God’s characteristics is His mercy. It has been said that grace is getting what you don’t deserve (salvation), whereas mercy is not getting what you do deserve (God’s justice). God in His Mercy has provided Himself the only sacrifice that can redeem us from His wrath, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, typified by a “lamb …without blemish and without spot…” in 1 Pet 1:19, whose “precious blood”, or “life”, is the only covering, or payment, for sin. John 1:29 says, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. Our only hope lies in the work of the Lord Jesus to pay for our sins in Hell, and bestow His righteousness, or goodness, upon us, as we read in Eph 2:4-5. In Psa 86:13 we find words of eternal comfort for those who, by God’s grace, have a Savior – the Lord Jesus Christ: “For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell”. Titus 3:5 declares, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...”. Quoting from the Old Testament and referring to the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus, Rom 4:7-8 asserts, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin”. Acts 5:31 further acknowledges, “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel [Israel of God-the Elect], and forgiveness of sins.”

Luke 12:5 “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”

Isa 8:13 “Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”

Mic 7:18 “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.”

Heb 2:17 “Wherefore in all things it behoved him [Jesus Christ] to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

Eph 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

• I am NOT come to Call the Righteous - Matt 9:13 declares, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. The Bible declares in Rom 3:10-11, “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God”. Of course, apart from the Lord Jesus, of the human race, there is not one person—since the fall of Adam and Eve into sin—who can say that they are righteous in God’s sight. We are sinful by birth, by nature, and by inheritance, as we learn from Rom 5:12. Furthermore, 1 John 1:8 reminds us: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”. The most fundamental deception of sin denies the very existence of sin itself. Deception is indeed the core foundation for all sin, and its roots go down very deep into the darkest chambers of our hearts, as James 1:14-15 sharply warns. Sin also enslaves, as Jesus explained to the religious leaders of His day in John 8:34: “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin”. Sin is also characterized by spiritual deadness, as we see from Eph 2:1-3, “... who were dead in trespasses and sins...”. God sets the stage for us in Luke 18:9 by introducing those to whom this parable was addressed: “And he [Jesus] spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others...”. Immediately we know that the two sins of pride and lack of love are very much in evidence as we read through this account. The words of Luke 16:14-15 speak to this very issue. The contrast between pride and humility is found throughout the pages of Scripture; and one such example is the historical parable of the Pharisee and the publican, or tax-collector, found in Luke 18:9-16, which is a good example of the difference between the so-called “righteous” and “sinners”. Keep in mind that a parable is an earthly story with a spiritual meaning that God has assigned to it to teach His people truth. In Luke 18:10-12, look at the Pharisee’s words – one can’t help but notice the personal pronoun “I” used four times in two sentences! He also prided himself, boasting ostentatiously, for what he was not instead of acknowledging his sinfulness. Instead of standing in the grace of God, that Pharisee was standing in his own pride, as Jesus pinpointed. Prov 16:18 proclaims – “Pride goeth before destruction [in hell], and an haughty spirit before a fall”. In 1 Pet 5:5b (and in James 4:6) we are admonished to “… be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

James 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Luke 16:14-15 “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”

Luke 18:10-12 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”

Isa 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men...”

James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble”

• I am come to Call Sinners to Repentance - Matt 9:13 declares, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. The good news of the Gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from eternal damnation in Hell. In fact, Rom 10:17 informs us, “... so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. God utilizes His divine words of the Bible to convict of “sin, righteousness, and judgment”, as we see from John 16:8. David, after having sinned grievously, acknowledged his sin and repented of it, when God’s Word came through prophet Nathan, in Psa 51:5-6, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom”. As God opens our spiritual eyes and ears to comprehend our spiritually dead condition, we realize that we are sinners by birth and by nature, and that we have violated God’s Word, the Bible. This recognition, in turn, drives us to conclude that we need a Savior — Someone Who is altogether Righteous – because we are unrighteous, or wicked. Lastly, we need the Righteousness of Christ to escape the fiery judgment of God. In parable in Luke 18:14, God reveals a very important biblical principle, “... every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”. We must never forget that the publican was no more deserving of salvation than the Pharisee. What transpired has to do with the electing love of God entirely. Luke 18:13-14 describes the heart attitude of one who has already been humbled (or saved) by God. Both men uttered words which were indicative of the condition of their hearts as Mark 12:34 reveals, “... out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh”. Only God can so work in a person’s soul as to bring about that which James 4:10 affirms, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up”. Once again, the words of 1 Cor 1:27-29 ring out in praise to God’s rich grace and mercy: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE”.

Ps 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”

Isa 66:2 “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”

Ps 34:18 “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

Luke 18:13-14 “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

Ps 51:16-17 “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”