Being persistent in prayer. Luke 18:1-8.

excellent well it will be helpful if you

have that passage open in front of you

um each year as remembrance Sunday comes

around the distance between us now and

the two World Wars which particularly

spark our remembrance though of course

we do remember uh conflicts later on as

well but that distance between then and

now only ever increases doesn't it it's

over a 100 years since the 11th of

November 198

when the Armistice was signed that

brought World War I to an

end the average age for a soldier in

World War II was

26 that means Veterans of that war are

now mostly over a 100 years old if they

are still alive and every year there are

those who ask the question how much

longer will this important National Act

of remembrance

remain how long until it is relegated to

the history

books the Traditions must be passed on

the lessons continually taught and

adaptations have been made so we

remember not just those conflicts of the

early 20th century but those later as

well to this day on the state opening of

parliament when that happens there is a

ceremonial procession that

occurs the Royal bodyguard processes

throughout Westminster palace uh to

ensure that there's no gunpowder in

place a tradition which dates back to

160 5 and the Gunpowder Plot of course

that was uh gunpowder bomb finite was

this week wasn't

it so we can see these things do persist

over decades centuries

even I mean we remember that during the

coronation there were aspects of that

service that date back nearly a thousand

years well this morning our text is not

about big National occasions and whether

or not they will continue but about our

prayer and the question as to whether or

not our prayer is

persistent now if you are a Believer you

will have had struggles with prayer at

times prayer is a lifelong calling we

ought to pray every day as Daniel

multiple times a day seems

wise there are some things that we ought

to pray for every day for the rest of

our

lives but how

how do we

persist what about in the face of

unanswered prayer how do we keep

going well that's what our text calls us

to today here in Luke 18 now some of you

have more to say from personal

experience than I do indeed many of you

do having lived longer having had

faithful prayer routines and more

faithful prayer routines than I have had

but my job this morning is to unpack for

us what Luke 18 1 to8 has to say to us

and to Spur us on and as ever I preach

as much to myself as I preach to you and

very handily Luke sets us in the right

direction straight away look at verse

one again with me and he told them a

parable to the effect that they ought

always to pray and not lose heart well

there we go sermon over no no um

although you know some of us might be

grateful for that if you've got a

chicken in the oven it might get a

little bit cremated now but there we are

imagine with me for a moment that you're

in bed right and uh you're sleeping

nicely it's one of those cold nights so

you've you know nicely snuggled up in

bed maybe you've got the electric

blanket on if you've got one of those

and suddenly the doorbell

rings you ignore it it rings again and

because you are of course a very modern

person with one of these fancy doorbells

with a camera in it you get your phone

out and you open the app and you blind

yourself briefly cuz that always happens

in the night doesn't it and you can see

who is at your door and it's me I'm

stood there

hi now what would you

do would you talk to me through the

phone would you come to the door would

you ring Matt and tell him to come and

round up the training pasta he's got out

again and I start asking for food I say

look there some people have turned up at

our house and we weren't expecting them

but I've already eaten all the bread and

cheese and I want to give them some

bread bread and cheese have you got some

bread and

cheese can I have

some how many times do you think I would

have to ask you until you do it start

looking for you know a few slices of

Granary and a block of cheddar right how

long would it

take now it is a ridiculous scenario for

our day and age isn't it right

realistically I could get in my car and

I could in not too long probably find a

shop that's still open and manage to buy

some

food and people don't tend to turn up in

an unexpected way at least not here down

south

these things are usually planned months

in advance if you're like my

family well I put you in that scenario

to draw our attention to the fact that

Jesus has already given teaching on

persistent Prayer in Luke back in Luke

Luke 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11 a parable pretty much like

the story I told you a man goes to his

friend's door and he continually knocks

on it and keeps on asking for some bread

to give some food to unexpected guests

who have come to him

and Jesus there talking about persistent

praying well we've seen that Luke 18 has

a very similar Parable there's a widow

and she just keeps on asking until she

gets what she

needs but there is a key difference

between these two Parables and really it

comes out in the

context here in Luke chapter 18 Jesus

Luke 18 · chapter mention

has just finished teaching about the

coming of the

Kingdom the end of all things Matt

preached on this last week Jesus will

come back one day and bring in the

Kingdom in its fullness and people will

be about all the busyness of life and

acting as if life's just going to keep

on going on the way that it is and then

the Lord will

return and some will be

saved some will not and it's with that

teaching still ringing in their ears

that Jesus continued with this

Parable so our plan then we're going to

we're going to walk through the parable

just quickly and then we're going to ask

the question how can we be those who

persistently pray not just for a week

not just a month but for years decades

as long as the Lord has for you left on

this Earth so let's look at the parable

verse two he said in a certain city

there was a judge who neither feared God

nor respected

man it's a judge who's totally

unqualified to be a judge in Israel in

particular it should have been those who

feared the Lord who serve as judges

after all their law books come from God

himself if they've got no respect for

the originator of the law why would they

respect the

law but this judge isn't like

that in our day too we recognize the

need of having judges who are people who

care about human

lives a callous person would not be

appointed as a judge in our day and age

because we recognize the authority that

they are given the influence that it has

and we want to protect

life and here we ought to sober

ourselves with the reality that as a

society we are rather like the judge in

this

Parable we fall short in terms of a

conern concern and respect for human

life how else would it be that in our

day we are so plagued by the killing of

innocent children at their most

vulnerable in the

womb this judge who has no care for

human life would have no quals with

abortion he does not care and he does

not fear

God really what Jesus is showing us here

this is a judge who is about as bad as

he could would be the very worst person

to argue your case

before and the person doing the arguing

bringing her case is someone who is so

so needy look at verse three and there

was a widow in that City now when we

read the term Widow our minds often jump

to much older women but given that in

Jesus day it was common for women to be

married as young as 13 or

14 and that for many re reasons

including War

and the fact there was a great risk of

death even from the smallest of cuts

becoming

infected that one might be widowed more

commonly at a much younger age as a

young

woman I think of the sort of woman I

read an article this week she's 21 years

old she's just come out of the care

system she's got three children under

five and she's recently been made

homeless because she made a complaint

about feeling threatened in the home

that she was placed in utter

vulnerable that's what we're to have in

our minds here as Jesus presents us with

this Widow a totally vulnerable woman

and a totally unrighteous

judge the Widow ought to have been

protected the law that God gave his

people is very clear it even goes so far

as to say this cursed be anyone who

perverts the Justice due to the sjena

the fatherless and the Widow there's

curse upon those who do not care for the

Widow a righteous judge would have acted

in a moment to help this poor

Widow but it looks like a disaster

that's the scenario that Jesus

paints but she is persistent look at

verse three and four and there was a

widow in that City who kept coming to

him and saying give me Justice against

my

adversary for a while he refused and

we'll pause there and recognize she is

so persistent even in the face of being

told no why because this judge is her

only hope clearly she's got some kind of

legal matter we're not told exactly what

some kind of justice is needed against

an adversary this judge is the only one

who can do anything about

it so she's not exactly going to give up

asking she goes on asking and asking and

asking

verse four again for a while he refused

but afterward he said to himself though

I neither fear God nor respect

man yet because this Widow keeps

bothering me I will give her justice so

that she will not beat me down by her

continual coming the judge relents now

notice he doesn't have some change of

heart this isn't a wonderful Redemption

story he is still a judge who does not

care for human beings who does not fear

the lord it's a pragmatic

thing the term that's translated so that

she will not beat me down can more

literally be translated to give someone

a black eye that's the that that's the

language that's being used here now it

doesn't seem that Jesus is telling a

parable in which the judge worries about

this Widow beating him up not physically

anyway but the strength of the language

is she's just going to keep on coming

and coming and coming it's going to be

as if she's punched me right in the

face he's totally selfishly motivated

and wanting to avoid that moment of pain

he just gives in early on it's a

tactical decision to shut her up all

right fine I'll do

it that's the parable and then we get

the meaning which features what we call

a lesser to a greater argument lesser to

Greater see if you can spot it and the

Lord says hear what the unrighteous

judge says

and will not God give Justice to his

elect who cry to him day and night will

he delay long over them I tell you he

will give Justice to them

speedily right if a toddler stands on an

egg and it

breaks if I was to stand on that same

egg we could safely assume it will break

right I weigh a lot more than a toddler

lesser to Greater right or or in the

summer sof and I we went camping in

Cornwall um we took our van we've got a

like a blow up awning that goes on the

side of it and we had one night where it

rained and it wasn't even that much rain

at all very very blessed week but we

found in the morning there were drips on

the ground sheet right and we're

thinking right if the awning manages to

leak on a night when it only rains a

tiny little amount if a lot of rain's

going to come we're going to have a big

problem right lesser to

Greater well Jesus is saying

if an unjust judge who does not care for

human beings who doesn't fear the lord

if he can be moved by a persistent Widow

someone who's so vulnerable who has no

status how much more will God who is the

God of Justice give Justice to his

people when they ask for

it that's the difference it's lesser to

Greater this judge eventually gave

Justice look at how God is he will

surely give

Justice and this is where remember I

said earlier in Luke we've already had

teaching about persistent prayer Luke 11

this is where Luke 18 and Luke 11 are

most

similar persistence in prayer should be

motivated by the character of

God if a friend can be convinced to

leave their warm bed for something that

is needed

by

persistence how much more will God be

willing to answer prayers here the judge

is moved to do Justice by

persistence how much more will a just

God answer persistent prayer for

justice so here's our first point of

application then if you want to be

someone who

prays

persistently

consistently for the same issue you even

for years and years and years you must

start with a right knowledge of God's

character if you come away from this

passage thinking I need to be persistent

in prayer because I got to convince God

to give me you know by enough prayers

convince God to give me blessings that I

need we're missing the point right God's

character he's not like some unwilling

businessman guarding his possessions

with a miser eye this isn't Scrooge with

the coal not wanting to give it away

this is God who is generous The Giver of

all good gifts he is bountifully

generous and

loving and certainly as is the focus of

this Parable the God of

Justice now notice as

well in verse

seven God is Not distant and uncaring

it's not and will not God give Justice

to to the

elect it says and will not God give

Justice to his elect there's this

possessiveness that God has about his

people he loves us he cares for us he

calls us even makes us to be his

children if we are to be people of

persistent prayer we must know what God

is like if we think you know I've got to

be persistent in prayer because somehow

I've got to drag out blessing from God

you're not going to keep going

maybe some of us would maybe some of us

would be like this Widow who could deal

with someone who just keeps saying no

and not give up but that's not who we

come

to know what God is like right Christmas

is coming whether we're ready or not

books like this the gospel story book

Bible are really helpful they give us an

overview of some of the biggest stories

most famous stories really in the Old

and New Testament and they point us to

Jesus in the gospel what a wonderful

gift this would be to give to your

children and read it with them so that

they can learn what God is like set them

up to be people of persistent prayer

maybe you struggle with your devotions

right can I commend to you table talk

this is something I've been taking for a

few months now and I found it incredible

so so helpful really really helpful

articles come and have a look afterwards

it's a subscription it comes through my

door once a month and it gives me as

well as some really helpful articles a

devotion per day and I could just read

that it gives me extra bits that I can

go into as well right so so helpful in

reminding me every morning what is God

like because if I forget what God's like

I'm not going to keep on praying can I

commend that to you if you're struggling

with your Bible

reading you're not the only one here who

that's the case for can I encourage you

make use of resources like this come and

have a chat you can have a look at them

afterwards right

plug over I don't make any money from

that just just you know declaring

interest I

don't to really know God to really know

his character that's at least a step

onto the road of persistent regular

praying but now we need to look at where

Luke 11 and Luke 18 are different

remember earlier we said that the

context of this passage Jesus has just

been teaching about the end times

right people be going about all their

business suddenly the Lord will come

some will be saved some will not be

saved look at verse

seven and will not God give Justice to

his

elect who cry to him day and

night will he delay long over

them Justice is particularly in view in

this Parable not just persistent prayer

but persistent prayer that Justice would

be done

at the end of all

things when Jesus comes

again Justice will be done in Revelation

20 we get this fabulous incredible

Vision then I saw a great white throne

and him who was Seated on it from his

presence Earth and Sky fled away and no

place was found for them and I saw the

dead Great and Small standing standing

Before the Throne and books were

opened then another book was opened

which is The Book of

Life and the dead were judged by what

was written in the books according to

what they had

done in a world full of

Injustice those people who perpetrate

war

crimes or terrorist offenses those PE

people who seem to just get away with it

they will face

Justice even those people we get these

periodically in the news don't we those

people who they've died and then a few

months later all the news comes out

about them the things that apparently

lots of people already knew about them

but never did anything while they were

alive and it's infuriating isn't it why

wouldn't why didn't these people speak

up not the victims other people who knew

about it and they did nothing it's

infuriating TV stars Hotel magnates

Justice will we

done they have not escaped

Justice or those who are persecuted for

their faith they in particular will know

Justice 10 of the disciples who are with

Jesus while he's teaching this will face

execution because of their

faith some by sword some by spear some

by crucifixion some by worse

there will be Justice tonight we have a

prayer meeting for the persecuted church

we will hear about some of what our

Brothers and Sisters in Christ

face but we don't come together to pray

Lord please please bring Justice and and

thinking well it might never

happen it's not an uncertain thing that

we're going to come here to do

tonight there's

certainty there are many uncertainties

in life but let's be clear on things are

certain a certain hope that when the

kingdom comes in its fullness at last

when Jesus returns all those who have

suffered for their faith will know

perfect

Justice and the challenge of this

Parable is in verse

eight I tell you he will give Justice to

them speedily nevertheless when the son

of man

comes will he find faith on Earth

when Jesus comes will he find us to be a

people who are praying in faith-filled

Hope even as we do mourn for what

happens now will will be found praying

for perfect Justice to be

done will we still be

praying or will we have given up what

will our actions say about our beliefs

now a challenge of this passage and I

don't have as much time as I need to to

really go into this I'm going to give

you the short version is about the

timing okay half second half of verse 7

notice it says will he delay long over

them I tell you he will give Justice to

them speedily right the question of

timing there speedy Justice right it

will

happen what we are called to here is

really what we started by singing about

this morning

is to remember actually Speedy Justice

yes God will act God will not

delay but God's timing is not the same

as our

timing and this isn't a copout answer

this is the answer of the Bible in 2

Peter chapter

3:8 we read this do not overlook this

one fact beloved that with the Lord one

day is as a thousand years and A

Thousand Years is as one day the Lord is

not not slow to fulfill his promise as

some count

slowness and actually he then goes on to

say but is patient towards you not

wishing that any should perish but that

all should reach

repentance so what Jesus is saying here

is not that perfect Justice will come

super quickly it's been nearly 2,000

years since Jesus spoke these

words what he's saying is it is

certainly going to

come it is in God's perspective outside

of time it is Speedy Justice it will be

fast and not speedy justice as in where

a court case kind of gets half heard and

everything's not uncovered no everything

will be covered it certainly is coming

that's the thrust of what Jesus is

saying I recognize I've not spent very

long on that but I've got to press on

otherwise your chickens really will burn

very properly in your ovens we press

on so we can then persistently pray for

justice knowing that those prayers will

be fully

answered there will be no miscarriages

of Justice in the court of

God um perhaps you might have come

across uh films films like these right

you might recognize these names films

like Aaron Brockovich dark Waters

Spotlight the torture report if you've

not come across any of those I apologize

for the references but they are stories

of people who over years and years years

and years and years persistently pursue

a particular case some great Injustice

normally in those examples and these

films make a huge amount of money

they're really really

popular why is

that well for one thing it's wonderful

seeing the rugged determination of

people isn't it I mean it's it's

inspiring but more than that every human

being has a deep desire to see Justice

properly done it is there it's

undeniable we hate

injustices people write columns and

columns and columns about injustices

that exist in our society people who

just seem to do what they want and they

don't care about what it does to other

people the Bible has something much

better to give to them than a story of

one or two remarkable people who keep on

going the Bible says if you long for

justice long for Jesus who came to this

world conceived in the womb of his human

mother Mary he

came if you long for justice long for

Jesus who lived his life

perfectly totally obedient to the

law if we long for justice we should

long for Jesus who despite his

Perfection went willingly to the cross

the place of punishment to take the

justice that we

deserve the punishment of of God in our

place if we long for justice we should

long for Jesus who rose again showing

that Anyone who puts their faith in him

when they come to stand before God on

that last great day and the books are

opened there will be no debt against

them none at all because Christ has paid

it see that is the message we need to

give to the world

long for

justice long for

Jesus he is the solution to the problems

that we

Face how can we be those who build

prayer lives that are P persistent then

how can we be those who pray for the

same cause the same people year after

year decade after decade

Faithfully how can we set ourselves up

for the Long

Haul well for one thing there's people

in here who've been doing that talk to

them right let's share these things home

groups are a vital part of this

church I would even go and say far to

say that home groups are totally

vital without home groups we miss on

those opportunities really to commune

with each other we can talk with maybe

one or two people after the service but

to spend time every other week with

people praying discussing sharing our

lives learning from each other

is so

important so make it a

priority and if the timings don't work

for you and that's what's holding you

back talk to the

elders secondly we need to learn about

the character of God right we need to

know what God is like we got a wrong

idea of what God is like we won't pray

persistently we just won't we'll give up

remember God is generous

he's not Eben a scrooge holding back

misily no arms open wide he

gives

and we should be praying in light of the

fact that Jesus is coming back he will

bring perfect Justice it's a matter of

timing and on this third point there are

some matters that we can pray for where

we already know it will 100% be

answered Justice is one of them right

Jesus is coming back perfect Justice

will be done whenever you pray for

justice that prayer will be

answered because that's what God is

about and so then we might ask well why

pray at all if Justice is going to

happen anyway why should I persistently

pray for

justice and this is where it's vital we

understand that

prayer is not is not just us bringing

things to God prayer is a means of Grace

it's a way by which God shows his grace

to us pours his grace out on us the

clearest illustration of that is how

does someone become a Christian someone

asked you how do I become a Christian

what would you say you would say pray to

God confess your sins it's by prayer

that we receive that greatest of Graces

forgiveness in the same way as we pray

for justice which we know is coming but

in the short term we can see so many

problems that feel so difficult we know

it's coming God in his grace he shapes

and molds our hearts towards his will as

we

pray prayer isn't about you doing

something to God prayer is about God

doing something to

you that's how it works God doesn't need

us to pray but he Wills us to pray for

our good so as I there's some cause some

situation that you know about that

hasn't come to light and as you pray for

it as you're praying in the Hope Lord

Jesus I know there will be perfect

Justice one day I know it is coming but

please in the meantime ple might this

happen might that happen we can bring

those things but underpinning it all we

know it is

coming and that shapes our

hearts and helps us to live more

Faithfully towards him as we better

understand what God is

like another example of a prayer which

is always

answered is for the healing of a

Believer the healing of a believer that

prayer will always be

answered not necessarily in this

life but when Jesus comes again his

people will be given perfect new bodies

read first 1 Corinthians 15 perfect new

bodies in which to enjoy the perfect new

heavens and new earth so by all means we

pray for medical intervention to be

effective great thing to pray we pray

for wisdom for doctors and nurses we

pray to a God who doesn't enjoy seeing

his people suffer far from it so it's

not like we're trying to squeeze out an

unwilling blessing from God as we pray

for someone's

healing but when those prayers go

unanswered in this life

we know they will be answered and

actually those prayers are not wasted

unanswered prayer is not wasted

prayer because as we pray those things

we're exercising faith that God is the

one who is in control of all

things remember the Widow with the judge

she goes to the judge because the judge

is the only one who can help her why do

we pray because God is the only one

ultimately who can make a difference so

as we pray and pray and pray for

something you might commit many hours of

your life to praying for

someone and you do not see that prayer

answered in this

lifetime but God has been causing you as

you pray to be exercising Faith to be

growing in strength with him it is a

means of

Grace so yes keep record of your

answered

prayers but keep record of your

unanswered prayers too

because they are not a testament to the

unfaithfulness of

God they are a testament to what God is

doing in your

life he has allowed you to pray those

prayers knowing that they will not be

answered in this

life for your

good for I'm going to have to draw to a

close now to those who persistently pray

to be someone who persistently

prays we need to have a true sense of

this certainty and uncertainty in prayer

right when you pray for something that

is

uncertain you don't know if that person

is ever going to be saved but as you

pray for them that they might be saved

for

example root that in something which is

certain which is that God will always

work for his people's

good he will always work for his glory

root your un certain prayers in the

certainty that God will do you good God

will achieve his glory it's a golden

rule of prayer remember that when you

can pray nothing else Lord do your

people

good Lord bring glory to your

name when the son of man comes will he

find faith on

Earth will he find us in persistent

prayer for those things certain and

uncertain

by the grace of God we might be found so

prayer is never wasted