1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,400 Let me describe a scene that should be familiar to every parent here. 2 00:00:05,060 --> 00:00:08,160 You're in the middle of doing something when your four year old comes up to you 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:12,560 and says, daddy, I want this, or mommy, do this for me. 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,120 And being a typical parent, you give them that classic answer that every parent 5 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:18,640 has used since Adam and Eve. 6 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,040 Not now, honey, in a little while. 7 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:24,120 And off they go and you think you're safe. 8 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:31,800 And unfortunately, in a little while for them means, for you means five hours, 9 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,520 in a little while for them means five minutes. 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:38,640 And they're right back asking you again, daddy, can you do this for me? 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,840 Mommy, I want this. 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:45,680 And again, you give them your standard reply, in a little while, honey. 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,200 And again, they wondered off, disappointed, but undaunted. 14 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:54,040 How many times will they keep coming back and asking the same question? 15 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,920 If they're like my kids, they'll keep coming back until you stop what you're 16 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:02,520 doing and do what they want or until you get mad. 17 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,720 But even if you get mad, they will still not give up. 18 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,120 Kids can be incredibly persistent at times. 19 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:15,320 And every parent has to cope with the persistence of their children in asking 20 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:17,600 for something over and over again. 21 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,960 And if we're really honest, we have to admit that our prayer life with God 22 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:25,560 doesn't seem a whole lot different at times. 23 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:30,280 We keep asking God over and over for something, and he keeps saying wait, 24 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:35,560 but his idea of waiting and our idea of waiting are two very different things. 25 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:40,160 And it's easy for us to shake our head at Abraham's impatience when he listened 26 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,400 to Sarah and fathered Ishmael with Hagar. 27 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:49,080 But how many of us would have waited more than 10 years for God to fill a very 28 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:50,840 specific promise? 29 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,600 And how many of us would have given up all hope after that long? 30 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:59,200 And since a long time for us is about a day and a half, we'd have all been hard 31 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,360 pressed to wait nearly as long as Abraham did before he finally said, 32 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,720 God isn't doing anything here, I better do something myself. 33 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,640 And this morning's parable touches on all these things, asking for God, 34 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:17,080 asking God for something over and over again, the slowness of God and answering 35 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,520 at times, and our discouragement when God doesn't answer as soon as we think 36 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:22,680 he should. 37 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:27,240 These are all issues that every one of us faces in our own prayer life. 38 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,200 But the parable of the widow and the unrighteous judge is meant to encourage 39 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:32,920 us to keep on praying. 40 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:36,360 And we all know prayer is not easy. 41 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,320 It's not easy to discipline our hearts to take the time. 42 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,680 It's not easy to make the effort to pray sincerely. 43 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:49,560 And as this parable illustrates, it takes persistence in our prayers to keep on 44 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:55,080 praying even when we're frustrated or impatient or want an answer right now. 45 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,960 We need to remember the slowness of God isn't due to a lack of concern on his 46 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:05,080 part, but on his desire to grow us up spiritually and to mature us through the 47 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,360 process of prayer. 48 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,200 So turn to Luke 18, and we're going to examine the parable of the nagging widow 49 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,840 and the unrighteous judge and see what Jesus wants us to learn about our prayer 50 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:17,440 life. 51 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,840 So start with the setting. 52 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:23,760 It's always crucial in studying parables to take the setting and context of a 53 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:28,200 parable into account if you want to understand the meaning. 54 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,960 Each parable is meant to be interpreted, must be interpreted in light of the 55 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,440 setting we find it in and the context where it is told. 56 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:40,760 The kingdom parables of Matthew 13 have to be interpreted in light of the growing 57 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:46,320 rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders in the preceding chapters. 58 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:51,720 And here we need to check, to take note of the preceding context as well. 59 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:57,280 Luke 17 ended with Jesus describing the last days and God's people longing for 60 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:59,320 deliverance during that time. 61 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,920 And he warned them that the days would come when they would long to see the days 62 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,840 of the Son of Man and they wouldn't see them yet. 63 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:11,560 But Jesus was speaking to his disciples to give them hope and encouragement even 64 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:17,000 in the face of opposition from the world and delay in his return. 65 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,800 It is also meant to give encouragement to that last generation of believers who 66 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,360 will find themselves alive at that time. 67 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:29,360 But that encouragement applies to all believers of every generation as well. 68 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:35,520 And finally, this is a contrast parable, not a comparison parable. 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,240 Most parables teach by comparison. 70 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,880 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. 71 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,600 The kingdom of heaven is like a man sowing seed. 72 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,040 This one teaches by contrast. 73 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:52,080 If an evil man will sometimes do right, even if it's for all the wrong reasons, 74 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:56,560 won't our heavenly father who is totally righteous do right for his children? 75 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,000 That's a contrast. 76 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,720 So keep these points in mind as we go through this parable. 77 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,360 Let's start with the actors. 78 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:08,920 Like any good drama, our story begins by introducing us to the actors involved. 79 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,920 And they are as different as night and day and each represents something 80 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,160 important in society back then. 81 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:17,320 And we'll start with the introduction to verse 1 82 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,320 and then we'll look at the actors involved. 83 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:21,440 Look at verse 1. 84 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:27,040 Now, he was telling them a parable to show them that at all times they 85 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,000 ought to pray and not lose heart. 86 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,320 After his previous conversation with the disciples, 87 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,120 Jesus decided he needed to encourage them in their prayer lives. 88 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,560 This is one of those places that reveal for us how deeply Jesus understands 89 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:42,560 our hearts. 90 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,120 He knows how easily discouraged we are when our prayers aren't answered 91 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:47,920 as quickly as we would like. 92 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,000 And he knows how easily we lose heart and hope, 93 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:55,320 especially in times of persecution and opposition, 94 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,120 like he described in chapter 17. 95 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:04,040 So he told this parable to remind them to keep on praying and not give up. 96 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,320 Delay in answering our prayers does not mean denial. 97 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:11,800 The fact that God hasn't answered yet doesn't mean that he hasn't heard us 98 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:13,880 or that he won't answer. 99 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:19,320 Even in the most difficult of circumstances, God is working. 100 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:23,160 It simply means God is waiting for his timing, not ours. 101 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:28,360 And so his encouragement to all his children in every age 102 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:32,400 is to hang in there, keep on praying, and don't lose heart. 103 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,360 God will answer the prayers of his people when the time is right. 104 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:39,120 And when Jesus says we are to pray at all times, 105 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:41,600 he means regardless of the circumstances, 106 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,040 we find ourselves sin at the moment. 107 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,920 Prayer should be our normal reaction to life and its problems. 108 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,760 It's maintaining this open attitude toward God throughout the day 109 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:53,680 and praying without ceasing, 110 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,520 as Paul encourages us to do in 1 Thessalonians 5, 17. 111 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,880 This parable is meant to keep us praying, 112 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:05,320 even in the face of delay and waiting. 113 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:07,120 This was new to many Jews, 114 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,960 and some rabbis taught that you should never ask God for anything 115 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:15,800 more than three times or you might make God weary. 116 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:20,680 And this is not the first time that Jesus talked about persistence in prayer. 117 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:23,200 In Matthew 7, in the Sermon on the Mount, 118 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,480 he exhorted his followers to ask and it will be given to you, 119 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:30,600 to seek and you shall find, knock and it will be open to you. 120 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:35,400 And the Greek tense in these verses can be rendered as continuous action. 121 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:39,480 Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. 122 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,480 Persistence in prayer is important. 123 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:44,280 Look at Luke 11, verse 5. 124 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:49,280 Verses 5 to 8. 125 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:56,080 Jesus said this, and then he said to them, 126 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:00,720 suppose one of you has a friend and he goes to him at midnight and says to him, 127 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:06,120 friend, lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey 128 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:08,560 and I have nothing to set before him. 129 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,920 And from inside, he answers and says, do not bother me, 130 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:13,400 the door has already been shut. 131 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:14,760 My children and I are in bed. 132 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,000 I cannot get up and give you anything. 133 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,200 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything 134 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,920 because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, 135 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,720 he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 136 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,560 In a different parable, Jesus makes the same point 137 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:35,160 that persistence in prayer is crucial to getting answers in prayer. 138 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,640 Notice it's the persistence of the man asking for help, 139 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:42,280 not his friendship that ultimately got him what he needed. 140 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,320 The idea that we could throw up a random prayer here and there 141 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:49,280 and that's enough is found nowhere in the teachings of Jesus. 142 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,720 Persistent prayer matters. 143 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:53,360 Now look at 18, verse 2. 144 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,360 Saying, in a certain city, there was a judge who did not fear God 145 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,760 and did not respect man. 146 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,840 The first actor in our drama is a judge in a certain city. 147 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,120 And there are some important things about this judge 148 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:13,120 that we need to notice. 149 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,640 First, he probably wasn't Jewish. 150 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,560 Jewish disputes were normally settled by a group of men 151 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:21,520 from the community, not a single judge. 152 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,000 So this man was probably a local official 153 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,800 appointed by Herod or the Romans to keep the peace. 154 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,800 And while normally called judges of the prohibitions by name, 155 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:35,880 their dishonesty led them to be called robber judges by the people, 156 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,720 a play on words in the original language. 157 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,000 They did not have a good reputation. 158 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,200 And notice this man's character. 159 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,120 He didn't fear God. 160 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:47,360 That man, he could care less about God's laws 161 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,040 and God's commandments. 162 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,120 He didn't feel bound by them. 163 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,960 And he wasn't worried about his own judgment or accountability 164 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:55,800 before God one day. 165 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,880 It also means he didn't share God's concern for real justice. 166 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:03,480 Remember, the constant theme throughout the Old Testament 167 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:08,400 is a call for judges to exercise righteous judgment 168 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,760 and a condemnation of wicked judges. 169 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:13,640 This man didn't care. 170 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,360 And second, he didn't respect man. 171 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,720 Now, not fearing man isn't always a bad thing in and of itself. 172 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,840 We are not to let the fear of man control our lives. 173 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,960 But in this case, it means he had no concern for public opinion 174 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:28,680 or what people thought was right or fair. 175 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:33,600 He could care less about the norms of right and wrong and justice. 176 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,480 So what guided this judge's decisions? 177 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:40,240 He was guided completely by his own whims and desires 178 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,640 and probably what was best for him in a given case. 179 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:47,040 Bribes probably helped him see justice more clearly 180 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:48,800 in specific cases. 181 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,240 So he wasn't concerned with justice. 182 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:54,080 He was unaccountable to the people. 183 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:58,080 And he wasn't constrained by anything outside himself. 184 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:00,480 The last thing anyone could be sure of when they came 185 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,520 before this judge was justice. 186 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,080 And to think he gave a hoot about a poor widow 187 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:07,400 is ridiculous. 188 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:11,440 Jesus deliberately paints the judge as bad as he does 189 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,640 because he wants to make the contrast between this judge 190 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:17,800 and our Heavenly Father as great as he can be. 191 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,960 The stark contrast is central to the story. 192 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:23,920 Now look at verse 3. 193 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,800 There was a widow in that city. 194 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:27,920 And she kept coming to him saying, 195 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,280 give me legal protection from my opponent. 196 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,240 The second actor in our drama is a widow woman 197 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,640 seeking justice from the court. 198 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:38,840 In the Bible, the widow became a symbol 199 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,720 for somebody who was helpless and needed protection 200 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,720 from the actions of evil people around her. 201 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:46,440 Over and over in the Old Testament, 202 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,960 God warns Israel to make sure that they take care 203 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,760 of the widows in their midst and not take advantage 204 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:54,240 of their misfortune. 205 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,760 And apparently, this judge hadn't got the memo. 206 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,080 And it was in the context of caring for widows 207 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,040 that Paul told Timothy that Christians 208 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:04,520 who fail to provide for their families 209 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:08,240 are worse than unbelievers and have denied the faith. 210 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,440 God is serious when it comes to treating widows with respect 211 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,760 and protecting them from being exploited. 212 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:17,840 That this woman was a widow suggests 213 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:19,800 several things about her. 214 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:23,720 First, she was probably poor, since most widows back then 215 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:24,640 were. 216 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,920 So she probably didn't have any money to bribe the judge with. 217 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:31,320 If he's waiting for her to grease the skids of justice, 218 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,200 he's in for a long wait. 219 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,040 Second, she seems to be alone with no protector or advocate 220 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:39,320 to plead her case. 221 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,440 She was her own attorney and had no influence or pull 222 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,000 with the judge. 223 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,160 And third, she's powerless. 224 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,080 There's nothing she could do on her own 225 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,600 to compel the judge to give her justice. 226 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:54,760 And finally, if we take her plea at face value, 227 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:56,640 she was in the right. 228 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,160 She had been cheated by someone and deserved 229 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,040 a favorable ruling from the judge. 230 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:05,520 She was only asking him to do his job and protect her. 231 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:07,240 She wasn't looking for special favors. 232 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,080 She wasn't trying to cheat someone. 233 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,440 Her only desire was simple justice. 234 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,680 And one more thing about this widow. 235 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:16,920 She was persistent. 236 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,320 Luke tells us she kept coming to the judge over and over 237 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:22,120 and over again. 238 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,480 It's the imperfect tense in the Greek, 239 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,880 which implies a continuous action. 240 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,480 She was constantly coming to him. 241 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:31,280 She couldn't make him act for her, 242 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:34,320 but that didn't stop her from trying day after day. 243 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:38,040 No matter how many times he ignored her, she kept coming. 244 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,480 And so these are the two actors in our drama. 245 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,840 A crooked judge who could care less about justice 246 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:48,280 and a poor widow who continually demanded justice from him. 247 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,520 Let's talk about the action taken. 248 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:53,880 Something had to give sooner or later. 249 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,120 The judge wasn't going to sit there day after day 250 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,320 and listen to this widow crying at him. 251 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:00,120 Either he was going to act on her case 252 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,120 or he was going to strangle her, one or the other. 253 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,240 But his action may surprise you here. 254 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:06,720 Look at verses four and five. 255 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,280 For a while he was unwilling, but afterward he 256 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:16,320 said to himself, even though I do not fear God nor respect 257 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,840 man, yet because this widow bothers me, 258 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:21,920 I will give her legal protection. 259 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,320 Otherwise, by continually coming to me, 260 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,320 she will wear me out. 261 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:29,440 For a while the judge simply ignored her plea, 262 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:31,520 pretending she wasn't there. 263 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,640 This is on the theory, if I ignore her, she'll go away. 264 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:38,120 Something every parent has tried. 265 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,400 But the judge underestimated the persistence of this widow. 266 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,200 It didn't take long for the judge 267 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,080 to realize she wasn't going away. 268 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:48,080 Every day when his court opened, she 269 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,960 was right there asking him for justice. 270 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,000 And finally he got fed up with seeing her there every day 271 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,480 and he made a faithful decision. 272 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:58,680 But notice his reasoning. 273 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,760 He said to himself, even though I don't fear God and respect 274 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,000 man, I can't take this woman coming to me every day 275 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:05,960 and bothering me. 276 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:08,360 I'm going to give her legal protection to shut her up 277 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:09,760 and make her go away. 278 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,880 I can't take this anymore. 279 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:13,320 Obviously it was probably cutting 280 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,200 into his more lucrative cases where 281 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,760 the bribes were more apparent. 282 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:21,320 But that phrase in verse five where he says, wear me out, 283 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,400 it literally means to give a black eye to. 284 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,080 It got to a point where the judge began to worry maybe 285 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:30,400 his reputation would suffer some harm if he didn't do something 286 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,120 to get rid of this widow. 287 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,360 So he gave her justice just to get her out of his courtroom 288 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:36,560 once and for all. 289 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:38,440 His motives are all wrong. 290 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,360 He wasn't interested in justice. 291 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:42,640 He didn't care if she'd been hurt or wronged. 292 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,440 It was just easier to give her what she wanted 293 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,160 than to listen to her whining another day. 294 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,680 Her persistence finally moved the judge 295 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:52,400 to act on her behalf. 296 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:56,280 Even though he was corrupt, didn't fear God or respect man 297 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:58,760 and didn't want to help her. 298 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:04,520 Her persistence wore him out until he gave in to her request. 299 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,080 And if there's one lesson we can learn right here, 300 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:11,600 it's that so much in life comes through persistence. 301 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:13,960 One of my favorite baseball players in the 80s 302 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,440 was Brian Downing of the Angels. 303 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,120 He had a great story. 304 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,120 He rarely played in high school. 305 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,240 He was a second string catcher and rarely 306 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,080 played on his junior college team in Orange County. 307 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:27,680 Wasn't drafted by anyone. 308 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,640 And one day, he met a scout for the White Sox 309 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,480 who was at his game to scout another player. 310 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,120 And he begged and begged the scout for the White Sox 311 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:37,640 to give him a chance. 312 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:40,880 And because the scout felt so sorry for the kid 313 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:43,320 and because they needed a catcher at their lowest 314 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,800 rookie ball team, the scout finally 315 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,360 signed Brian Downing for the whopping bonus 316 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:52,200 price of a ticket to Idaho. 317 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:54,360 But what no one knew at the time was 318 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,600 the persistence of Brian Downing. 319 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,160 He worked and worked and worked. 320 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,420 And eventually, he not only made it to the majors, 321 00:17:02,420 --> 00:17:04,840 he played in the All-Star game and retired 322 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,880 holding many of the Angel career batting records. 323 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,680 Persistence pays off in life, just 324 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:13,720 like it did for this widow, just like it did for Brian Downing. 325 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,760 And it will pay off in our prayer life 326 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,320 as well as Jesus is about to tell us. 327 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:22,600 So let's deal with the application. 328 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:26,800 By now, you should get the point about the need 329 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,720 for persistence in our prayers. 330 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:31,920 But there's more to it than just that. 331 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:33,440 We have to make sure that we remember 332 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:37,120 this parable is about contrast rather than comparisons. 333 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,260 God is not an unrighteous judge who 334 00:17:39,260 --> 00:17:41,320 can be badgered into acting. 335 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,240 His actions will be totally different 336 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,720 because He is our righteous Heavenly Father. 337 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,200 Let's see how Jesus applies this parable to our lives. 338 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,360 Look at verse 6. 339 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:58,360 And the Lord said, hear what the unrighteous judge said. 340 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:01,800 He begins by telling us to hear what that unrighteous judge 341 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,600 said, that he had answered the widow only 342 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,800 because of her persistence. 343 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,480 Jesus wants us to remember that because, 344 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,840 remember that because He is about to say something 345 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:18,120 about God that we need to know and how He answers 346 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:20,560 our prayers and the motives behind His answers. 347 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,320 And they are in sharp contrast to this unrighteous judge. 348 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,000 The difference between them is night and day. 349 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,880 Look at 7 and the first part of 8. 350 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,920 Now, will not God bring justice to His elect 351 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:35,440 who cry to Him day and night? 352 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,480 And will He delay long over them? 353 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:41,960 I tell you, He will bring justice for them quickly. 354 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:43,400 So as we go through these verses, 355 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,800 I want you to mark down the contrast 356 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:47,400 Jesus is drawing for us. 357 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,440 First, our God is different. 358 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,440 Our God is not unrighteous at all, 359 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,760 but completely righteous and just in all that He does. 360 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,500 Whereas justice was a whim to this judge, 361 00:18:59,500 --> 00:19:02,080 it's part of the very nature of God Himself. 362 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:06,320 He is always just and acts in accordance with justice 363 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:08,120 in all that He does. 364 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:10,240 And more than that, He is not only just, 365 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,280 He is our Heavenly Father. 366 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,520 And people may yell and complain that God is unfair, 367 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,120 that there isn't any justice in this life. 368 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:20,920 But come judgment day, every mouth will be closed 369 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:23,320 and everyone will acknowledge fully 370 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,520 the absolute perfect justice of God. 371 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:31,040 So our God is different because He is truly a just God 372 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:32,640 and He loves us. 373 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,240 Jesus tried to point this out in the Sermon on the Mount 374 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,080 when He cautioned His disciples 375 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,600 that long flowery public prayers 376 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:41,240 like many of the Jewish leaders prayed 377 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:42,960 didn't impress God, 378 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,040 nor did heaping up words and babbling on and on 379 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,360 to wear God down like the Gentiles work with God. 380 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:51,760 Instead, He encourages disciples 381 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,600 that their Heavenly Father knows what they need 382 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,840 before they even ask and that He cares for them. 383 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,240 Just come naturally and normally 384 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:02,520 and lay your request before God 385 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:04,840 and trust Him with the outcome. 386 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:08,320 Our God is very different from this unrighteous judge. 387 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,480 Our Heavenly Father loves us and is on our side. 388 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:15,040 Second, we're different. 389 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,800 We aren't some strangers coming before a judge 390 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,440 we've never met who could care less whether we live or die. 391 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:24,800 Jesus calls us here, God's elect, 392 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:27,040 His specially chosen people. 393 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,280 We are His children and He is our Father 394 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,520 and that means we have a love relationship with Him. 395 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,520 And this makes all the difference. 396 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,480 If some stranger comes up to me and asks for money, 397 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:41,040 I'm skeptical. 398 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,360 I don't know this person, the whole thing could be a scam. 399 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:47,720 But if one of my kids comes up to me and asks me for money, 400 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:49,200 I'm still skeptical. 401 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:52,920 But at least I know them 402 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:55,200 and I can make sure their need is legitimate 403 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,640 and I have a personal interest in helping them. 404 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,600 Having a personal relationship with someone 405 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,800 always changes the dynamic and gives us a stake 406 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,440 in the outcome of their situation. 407 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,320 God has a personal stake in the outcome 408 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,120 of the situation of our lives. 409 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:16,360 He wants us to honor Him. 410 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:19,600 He wants us to glorify Him by our obedience 411 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:21,960 and faithfulness and persistence. 412 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,920 And He has promised to us as His children 413 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,720 that He will bring justice in our lives 414 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:31,200 if we will trust Him and be persistent. 415 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,360 We are different because we have a personal relationship 416 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:36,840 with our God and Father that the judge never, 417 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,640 that the widow never had with the judge. 418 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,760 Third, our persistence is different. 419 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:45,360 Let's be honest, the judge gave in to the widow 420 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:47,320 because she nagged him to death. 421 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:51,240 Nagging works on a human level as every parent knows. 422 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,360 We give in to our kids just to silence them some days. 423 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:58,000 Do that all the time and you will have a real problem. 424 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,440 But our persistence in prayer is not the same 425 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:02,000 as the widow's nagging. 426 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,600 Jesus is not telling us if a nagging widow 427 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,840 can make an unrighteous judge give her what she wants, 428 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:10,160 the nagging saints can make a righteous God 429 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,160 give them what they want. 430 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,760 But notice Jesus does say that God will bring justice 431 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:19,720 for His elect who cry to Him day and night. 432 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:23,360 There is a need for us to persevere in our prayers 433 00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:26,160 and to keep coming to the throne of God 434 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,280 until the answers are until we're told by the Spirit 435 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:31,520 to stop praying. 436 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,800 It's a common theme in scripture that God's people 437 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,720 need to pray to Him and then wait for Him patiently 438 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:42,840 to answer, especially in difficult times or situations. 439 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:45,560 As Pastor Jeff showed a number of times in Psalms, 440 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:49,480 you have David calling out to God for help and justice 441 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:52,120 and then waiting patiently for God to act. 442 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:55,400 In Revelation 6, you have the souls of the saints 443 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,440 under the altar in heaven crying out for justice 444 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,240 and God telling them to rest a little longer 445 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:02,680 and then He would act. 446 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:06,480 God often asks His people to wait patiently for Him 447 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:11,320 to act on their behalf and to not give up hope or lose heart. 448 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:13,640 This is especially true when we're 449 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:17,160 in the middle of trials or persecution or hard times. 450 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,080 We need to persevere in our prayers 451 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:22,160 and keep waiting expectantly for God to answer. 452 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:26,480 It's not wrong to pray for some request again and again 453 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,040 and again if it has not been answered. 454 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,280 I don't know where this idea got started 455 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,840 that you should only pray once and that's it, but it's wrong. 456 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,120 Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 457 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:56,000 Look at verses 7 to 9. 458 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:00,200 And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelation, 459 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,000 for this reason to keep me from exalting myself, 460 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,040 there was given me a thorn in the flesh, 461 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,560 a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me 462 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:09,880 from exalting myself. 463 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:13,400 And concerning this, I implored the Lord three times 464 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:14,880 that it might leave me. 465 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:17,840 And He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you 466 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,640 and my power is perfected in weakness. 467 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,760 Most gladly, therefore, I will rather 468 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:27,120 boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ 469 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:30,320 may dwell in me. 470 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,240 There's a lot of discussion over exactly what 471 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,200 Paul's thorn in the flesh was. 472 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,960 Most scholars believe it was some sort of physical issue, 473 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,480 possibly an eye problem. 474 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:41,480 But Paul went to the Lord three times 475 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,000 and asked that it would be removed. 476 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,040 And it wasn't until God specifically said no 477 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,920 and don't ask again that Paul stopped praying about it. 478 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:54,160 Paul prayed several times for his thorn in the flesh. 479 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,800 And he prayed until God answered and in his case, 480 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:58,560 the answer was no. 481 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,080 In Daniel 10, we see that Daniel prayed 482 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,760 for 21 days for understanding of the vision 483 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:07,120 that God gave him before an angel came and explained it 484 00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:07,840 to him. 485 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,320 And the angel told Daniel that from the first day 486 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,780 he had prayed, the angel had been sent with the answer, 487 00:25:13,780 --> 00:25:16,800 but spiritual warfare with the enemy delayed him. 488 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,560 And Daniel was right to pray repeatedly 489 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:20,600 until he got an answer. 490 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,000 And I believe his prayers pray to roll 491 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,960 in that successful mission of the angel. 492 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:28,680 It's not wrong to pray repeatedly. 493 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,160 Think of David as we saw in the Psalms. 494 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,840 He was anointed as king as a young man by Samuel the prophet 495 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:38,600 and then had to spend over 10 years on the run from Saul 496 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:41,720 waiting for God's timing to take the throne. 497 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:43,920 And even after he took the throne of Judah, 498 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:46,880 he had to wait another seven years before he became 499 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:48,680 king over all Israel. 500 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:51,480 And many of the Psalms we've looked at in the last year 501 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,120 reflect David's struggles during this time 502 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:57,720 as he prayed diligently for God to keep his promises to him 503 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:01,840 while at the same time waited patiently for God to act. 504 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:03,920 We should be persistent in our prayers. 505 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:05,600 We should be persistent in our prayers 506 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:10,600 for people to come to Christ, praying as long as is necessary. 507 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,520 George Mueller was known as a great man of faith 508 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,760 in England in the 1800s. 509 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,200 And he prayed for a friend to come to know Christ 510 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,280 for more than 40 years. 511 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,120 And he died without seeing that man converted. 512 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,600 But at George Mueller's funeral, that man 513 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:28,480 gave his heart to Christ. 514 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,040 We need to pray persistently for the souls of the lost. 515 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:34,480 And we need to pray persistently for wisdom 516 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:36,240 in the midst of life trials. 517 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,760 I know that some of you are facing hard times 518 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:42,440 and difficult decisions and tough choices. 519 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,040 You may feel like there isn't any end in sight. 520 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:46,200 Hang in there. 521 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:47,400 Don't lose heart. 522 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:51,160 God knows your situation and he knows what you can bear. 523 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:53,440 And he knows the kind of pressure it will take 524 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:58,440 to mold our hearts and produce real holiness in our lives. 525 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,400 Be persistent in your prayers for wisdom in life's ups 526 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,360 and downs, God will answer. 527 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,920 And isn't at the point of Paul's encouragement in Romans 828 528 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,520 that all things work together for good to those who love God 529 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:13,960 and are called according to his purpose? 530 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,320 If God is waiting to answer, it's 531 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:19,800 because he is still working to achieve his greater purpose 532 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,120 and good in our lives. 533 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,440 Persistence is one of the keys to prayer. 534 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:28,320 And we must not be afraid to come to God again and again 535 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:31,480 and again, not because nagging God works, 536 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,960 but we are convinced that he is righteous and just God who 537 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,400 will answer the prayers of his children 538 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,480 and bring justice to their cause. 539 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:42,320 He will answer in his perfect timing. 540 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:47,680 So our perseverance is different than the nagging of the widow. 541 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,880 And fourth, God's timing is different. 542 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:53,280 When we read that he won't delay long over us 543 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,120 and that he will bring justice speedily, 544 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:58,280 we tend to think, cool, won't be long now. 545 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:03,480 But speedily here doesn't mean so much mean quickly 546 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:07,720 as in view of time, like tomorrow or the next day, 547 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,840 but that when God deems the time right, 548 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,720 then he will act quickly and without delay. 549 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:16,520 It's a certainty of quick action when the time is right, 550 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,000 not immediate action when we ask. 551 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,080 And over and over in scripture, we see that God act 552 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:23,920 and his timing, not ours. 553 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:24,800 Turn to John 11. 554 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:33,600 Here are verses 1 to 6. 555 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:40,320 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, 556 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:42,960 the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 557 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:45,520 And it was Mary who anointed the Lord with the ointment 558 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:46,920 and wiped his feet with her hair, 559 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:48,880 whose brother Lazarus was sick. 560 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:51,440 So the sister sent word to him saying, 561 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,640 Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. 562 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:56,760 But when Jesus heard this, he said, 563 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:58,720 the sickness does not end in death, 564 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:00,360 but to the glory of God, 565 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:04,880 so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. 566 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,920 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 567 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:09,560 So when he heard that he was sick, 568 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:14,040 he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 569 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:17,880 When Lazarus fell ill, Mary and Martha 570 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:19,760 sent a desperate message to Jesus 571 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:21,920 to come quickly and heal him. 572 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:24,080 Instead, Jesus waited two more days 573 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,840 before deciding to go to their village. 574 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:28,720 And in fact, he deliberately waited 575 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:31,800 until Lazarus had died before he went to them, 576 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:33,280 because in the plan of God, 577 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,640 he was gonna demonstrate God's power 578 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:39,520 by raising Lazarus from the dead, not simply healing him. 579 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:40,640 And you know the story. 580 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:44,360 When Jesus arrived and Bethany, Martha and Mary 581 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:47,520 were distraught because their brother was dead, 582 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,760 they had wanted Jesus to come and raise, 583 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,760 and to heal Lazarus in their timing, and he didn't. 584 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,000 They didn't understand why Jesus delayed so long 585 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,680 and waited till their brother died. 586 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:02,920 And that last phrase in there is the key 587 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,480 to why we need to persevere in our prayers, 588 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,040 especially in the midst of hard times and severe trials. 589 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:11,640 We don't understand. 590 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:14,680 We don't understand the whole picture. 591 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:16,880 We don't know what tomorrow may bring. 592 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:18,680 We don't understand our own hearts 593 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,160 and what God is trying to do in them, but God does. 594 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:24,400 He sees the whole picture, 595 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,440 and he sees it with absolute clarity. 596 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,440 But most of all, he knows our hearts inside and out, 597 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:33,440 and he knows what must be done to strengthen our faith, 598 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,640 purge out sin, and produce godly character in our hearts. 599 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:39,920 He knows all this, and he acts speedily 600 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,760 to bring about justice and deliverance for us 601 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,800 exactly when the time is right. 602 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,960 He's not speedily by our watches, 603 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,200 but speedily once the time is right, 604 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,200 and we have grown through the circumstances as he intended. 605 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,760 God's timing is different than our timing, 606 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,920 and the sooner we learn that lesson 607 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,120 and start persevering in our prayers, 608 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:03,080 the sooner we will be at a place 609 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:06,280 where God will act on our behalf. 610 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:09,440 And he will act exactly when it's the best time 611 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,880 for our growth, maturity, and deliverance. 612 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:14,480 I heard a song a few years ago 613 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:17,120 that sums up this lesson pretty well, 614 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:18,080 and it went like this. 615 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:19,800 He may not come when you want him to, 616 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:21,640 but he's always right on time. 617 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:24,440 And so the contrast in this parable 618 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:27,960 between the widow's relationship with the unrighteous judge 619 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:31,080 and our relationship with our heavenly father 620 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:32,560 are night and day. 621 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:33,520 God is different. 622 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,840 He is a just and loving heavenly father. 623 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,120 We're different. 624 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:41,080 We are his beloved and chosen children 625 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,360 and have a relationship with him. 626 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:45,120 Our perseverance is different. 627 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:47,680 We aren't nagging God until he gives in. 628 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:51,160 We're coming before him persistently and in trust. 629 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:52,840 And God's timing is different. 630 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,600 He will answer at exactly the best time 631 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,440 for our growth and his glory. 632 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:00,600 But there's one more application Jesus made 633 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,320 for this parable that's crucial for us to learn, 634 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:05,160 and it's a sober challenge for us all. 635 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:06,680 Look at the end of verse eight. 636 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,320 However, when the Son of Man comes, 637 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:13,480 will he find faith on the earth? 638 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,880 See, our great worry is God isn't listening 639 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,040 or that he doesn't care about our circumstances, 640 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:19,000 our problems. 641 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,920 Oh, why doesn't God answer us right now? 642 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:23,720 Caroline walked through that for three years 643 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,480 and four miscarriages trying to get a handle 644 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:28,240 on why God took us through all that 645 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:30,440 and why he didn't act sooner. 646 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:32,680 But that's not what concerned Jesus. 647 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,200 He wasn't worried about God doing his part. 648 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,760 He knew the heavenly father was faithful. 649 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:41,200 Jesus was worried about his people doing their part. 650 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:43,120 That they would, would they trust God enough 651 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,800 to keep on praying and not lose heart, 652 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,640 even when times got tough, 653 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:51,200 even if God didn't answer when they felt he should. 654 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:54,760 And Jesus' question ought to cut right to our hearts 655 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:57,600 and make us stop and take a hard look 656 00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,800 at our perseverance in prayer. 657 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,640 Will Jesus find faith on earth when he comes? 658 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:05,880 Will his people continue to trust him 659 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,760 and act, to act on their behalf? 660 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:12,120 Will we persevere in our prayers until the end, 661 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:13,520 no matter what? 662 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,720 God will be faithful, will we? 663 00:33:16,600 --> 00:33:19,360 And Jesus asked his question in light of his teaching 664 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,920 in Luke 17 about the end times 665 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,120 and the pressures his people will face 666 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:25,880 from an ungodly world. 667 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:29,040 Will his people keep praying even through the last days 668 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:30,840 until Christ returns? 669 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:34,200 That's why Jesus exhorts us to pray always 670 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:36,080 and not lose heart. 671 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,880 And now's the time we need to examine our own prayer life. 672 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:42,480 How persistent have we been? 673 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:44,760 Are we hanging in there and continuing to pray, 674 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:46,040 even though it's been hard 675 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:48,960 and even though it seems like God is taking forever? 676 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:51,600 Or have we pitched this prayer stuff 677 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:55,120 because we prayed once or twice and God didn't answer? 678 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:59,200 Will the son of man find faith on earth when he comes? 679 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,280 And if God hasn't answered our prayers yet 680 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:05,200 or hasn't rescued us from the hard place we're in, 681 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:07,280 it's because we're not ready yet. 682 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:08,780 We need to persevere. 683 00:34:08,780 --> 00:34:11,920 We need to learn to be persistent in our prayers 684 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:13,240 and not lose heart. 685 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,200 Today, we need to commit ourselves 686 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:20,680 that we will wait for the Lord no matter how long it takes 687 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:24,160 because we know he loves us, we know he is just, 688 00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:26,240 and we know we can trust him, 689 00:34:26,240 --> 00:34:29,640 and we know that he is working to build our character 690 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:32,200 and grow us up in our faith. 691 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:34,520 Too often today, we understand faith in prayer 692 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:35,960 to mean we believe so much 693 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:39,880 that all we have to do is ask once and it's done, boom. 694 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:41,280 Truth is, real faith is seen 695 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,520 in our persistent in prayers over time 696 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:47,360 because we know and are convinced that God is just 697 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,080 and he is working in our behalf 698 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:52,780 and he will answer quickly when the time is right. 699 00:34:52,780 --> 00:34:56,480 Faith in prayer is persistently believing 700 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,760 God wants the best for us and is working to achieve it. 701 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,880 Even if we don't understand what we're going through right now 702 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,080 and even if we don't see the light 703 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,520 at the end of the tunnel yet. 704 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,520 And it's persistently coming to God again and again 705 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:14,680 because we know he is a just and loving heavenly father. 706 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:18,000 And it's through our persistence that God uses prayer 707 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:23,000 to change us, mold our character, and deepen our faith. 708 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:26,440 And if you're wrestling with the slowness of God right now 709 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,560 over an issue you've been praying about, don't give up. 710 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,640 Dr. David Jeremiah has a great statement about prayer 711 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:34,320 and how God answers. 712 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:38,320 He says, if the prayer is wrong, he says no. 713 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:41,140 If the timing's wrong, he says slow. 714 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:45,060 If we're wrong, he says grow. 715 00:35:45,060 --> 00:35:48,040 But if the request is right and the timing is right 716 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:50,400 and we're right, he says go. 717 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:53,920 Our God is not like the unrighteous judge 718 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:58,000 who acted arbitrarily and had no concern for justice. 719 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:01,960 Our God is loving, he is just, he is faithful, 720 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,080 and he is working patiently to produce the fruit 721 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:09,000 of the spirit and the character of Christ in us, 722 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:13,120 especially in hard times we all endure in this life. 723 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:15,440 What God wants from us is our persistence. 724 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:19,560 Hearts that continue to come and pray and refuse to give up 725 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,680 just because God is taking longer than we thought. 726 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:26,200 Persistence in prayer will always be rewarded 727 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,200 in the timing and the sovereignty of God. 728 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,240 So let's commit ourselves to hang in there, 729 00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:35,040 keep on praying, our Heavenly Father will answer. 730 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:36,880 Let's pray. 731 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:42,960 Father, I thank you now for the encouragement of your word. 732 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,680 I thank you, Father, that Jesus knows our hearts well. 733 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:53,440 He knows, Lord, how easily we are discouraged, 734 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:58,120 how easily we give up, how easily we cease praying 735 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,800 because we haven't gotten something right away 736 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:02,240 when we thought we should. 737 00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:05,320 And so Father, I pray today 738 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:07,640 that we would take this parable to heart, 739 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,520 that we would remember you are not an unrighteous judge, 740 00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:14,920 but you are our loving Heavenly Father 741 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:18,680 who cares deeply for us and has a stake 742 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:20,920 in the outcome of our lives. 743 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:23,840 That Father, we are not some stranger coming to you, 744 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:25,560 we are your dear children, 745 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:29,000 elect and chosen by you to be your own. 746 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:30,600 And that Lord, when we come, 747 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:33,840 we are coming as children to their daddy. 748 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:36,640 And Father, I thank you that our persistence 749 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:41,640 is not simply nagging, it is us exercising faith and trust 750 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:46,400 that you will act and answer when the time is right. 751 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:51,400 And I thank you, Father, that your timing is perfect. 752 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,120 You will answer when the time is right 753 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:57,320 to achieve your great purpose in our lives. 754 00:37:57,320 --> 00:38:00,120 Nothing that comes into our lives is an accident, Lord. 755 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:02,680 It all is filtered through your hand 756 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:06,920 and you will answer our prayers when you are ready 757 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:10,600 and it's going to bring you glory in our good. 758 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:16,600 We ask this now in Jesus' name, amen.