"Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "In a certain city there was a certain judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’ And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she wears me out.’" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. Now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on the earth?"
Good Morning my beloved,
What a privilege it is to welcome you to worship today, in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, we're glad you're here. As the Gospel continues to go out globally, God has continued to bless our ministry, I humbly thank both God and all of you for continuing to share the web address and our posts on social media platforms with your friend, family and neighbors. It is a very sobering as a pastor to realize that so many have never heard of Jesus or been exposed to the Gospel. If God has been using this ministry to help transform your life or the lives of those around you, please write us to share your story. We'd love to hear all the ways God is moving in your life.
To determine the genuine value of something, whether it’s gold, silver, diamonds, or any precious stone, or anything that is of intrinsic value is subjected to testing to determine or affirm its true worth, and to distinguish it from counterfeits. This is also true in spiritual matters where God proves, refines, and exposes the reality of the genuineness of our faith. Prayer in the Christian life, is framed as necessity, because without it one’s inner spiritual life tends to weaken under the weight of temptation. I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that every human being is tempted, both Christian and non-Christian alike. Temptation is the common experience of every man, woman and child. Everybody is tempted. How we respond to those various temptations serves as a measure of the genuineness of our faith or the lack of the authenticity of truth saving faith. A faithful prayer life is not an optional trait reserved for elite believers; it is the common, ordinary mark of genuine discipleship. Satan targets both our weaknesses and our strengths, often exploiting our greatest strengths like spiritual gifts, talents, or virtues until they become sources of pride or self-reliance. Pressure doesn't create value, it merely reveals it. Similarly, delayed answers to our prayers do not create faith, however, they test our faith, exposing whether it is genuine, shallow, or even counterfeit. The genuineness of our faith is formed in secret long before it is tested publicly. So, since we have established that prayer is important, what types of things do you seek most when you pray? Do you most often pray for yourself, your spouse, your family, your friends, or your brothers and sister at church? Do you earnestly pray for your pastor asking God to guard him against physical, emotional and spiritual problems that can lead to "burnout", pray for him to remain faithful to the Word of God, asking the Lord to grant courage and boldness in preaching, ensuring that his messages remain Christ-centered rather than influenced by current cultural trends and that he will love the flock Christ has entrusted to his care? I must confess, as your pastor, I need your prayers every single day, that I will continue to trust in the Lord with my whole heart, and would not lean on my own understanding. That the Holy Spirit would grant me humility, clarity and that I would not grow weary of doing good. Pastors are special targets of Satan, because if he can take out a faithful pastor, he can cause weak believers to stumble, create public disgrace for the church, ultimately leading to a loss of respect and honor for the ministry, bringing reproach upon the Lord Himself.
In our text today, Jesus is calling His disciples to a life of persistent prayer that refuses discouragement, to pray without losing heart. I'm sure we all encountered people, both inside and outside the church, who seem to have no reverence for God and no interest in serving others, or loving their neighbor, they are completely indifferent to the needs of those around them. Knowing His disciples will face suffering, persecution and the temptation to become discouraged, Jesus addresses the tendency to become discouraged when our prayers seem unanswered, especially when facing a hostile world. The Greek word for lose heart, "enkakein" which implies becoming exhausted, worn out to the point of giving up in the midst of spiritual battles, when burdens remain heavy, and heaven appears to be silent. In order to illustrate His point, and to strengthen fainting hearts, Jesus tells the parable of the importunate or persistent widow and an unjust judge, to teach us that prayer is not only for those moments of crisis, but for a lifetime of dependency on God. Therefore, we must continue to bring our needs, our burdens, and our hopes before the Lord with the consistent, unwavering faith that persists through challenges, believing that God will provide what we need. In my personal experience, I've found that God is quite the Showman, He often likes to wait until every available human option has been exhausted, then, out of what appears to be nowhere, God shows up, eager to receive the praise and glory He alone deserves. In 1 Peter 5:7, our beloved Apostle commands us to "cast all your anxiety on him" because He cares for us and is eager to attend to the needs of His children. The Greek verb for cares, "melei," implies that God is not indifferent but deeply concerned giving painstakingly meticulous attention the details of every day human life, including food and clothing.
I often hear people say, "I wish I knew God's will for my life" as if God has somehow hidden His will from them, and they have to go and search for it, like they're going on some sort of a cosmic Easter egg hunt. And, I've had other people say to me, "I’ll be real honest with you, I don't know what God's will is for my life and I’m not sure I want to know, so I'm not going to ask, because then, I'll be obligated to do it," as if the will of God is something that you ought to be afraid of. God is not reluctant to tell us what His will is for our lives, He's not some sort of a cosmic killjoy, God's will isn't something you just grab for and if you’re lucky you get it. And, if we aren't lucky enough to find out what God's will is for our lives, we’ll have to settle for something less. I want to be very frank with you as your pastor, God has a will for your life and mine, and He wants you to know what it is. In fact, God has a will for everything and everyone. And, you're obligated to do God's will which He requires all humans to do, whether you know what it is or you don't, regardless of their level of understanding. He does not obligate you or anyone else to comprehend His will before obeying His will, expectation is submission and action, not intellectual clarity. Nor is He obligated to explain His reasoning. God owes nothing to humanity, but humanity owes reverence and compliance to God. Let me say that again, God owes nothing to humanity, but humanity owes reverence and compliance to God. In John 7:17, Jesus emphasizes that spiritual understanding is a result of willing obedience.
We are called to obey God even when His commands appear illogical, trusting that God’s omniscience. His commands are to be views as an act of protection rather than a means of deprivation. Unlike God's sovereign will, His moral will can be and if often disobeyed. There are many who are under the illusion of being a Christian when, in reality they’re not, though they may belong to the church, they may even tithe regularly and serve faithfully but because false teachers have perverted and corrupted the Gospel by introducing destructive heresies, exploiting believers with deceptive words while they themselves face condemnation. That's why Christians are called to evaluate the validity of their faith, testing the spirits. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said very plainly "No servant can serve two masters: either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." Scripture links deviant doctrine with deviant living. They have prostituted the goodness and grace of God by using biblical language, while their motives reveal a heart oriented toward self rather than God, living lives of wickedness. Any preacher who tells you that God is fine with sexual immorality, as God defines it rather than man, doesn't serve God but is serving Satan. Scripture teaches that sexual immorality and impurity are incompatible with the Kingdom of God and should not even be named among believers, in fact, Ephesians 5:3-5 commands they must be entirely absent from a believers life. We have violated our consciences for so long by entertaining wrong notions about sexual identity and gender that are completely disconnected from biological sex, because our hearts have become so calloused, hardened to the point that we are now believing Satan's damning lies over God's revealed Truth, all while claiming to be Christians, following Jesus. When in reality, they are self-deceived, facing the same fate as non-believers, even though they have identified with God, because they never came to Christ on His terms. Oh, they talk a lot about Jesus; but if you look closely at their lifestyle, you’re going to see that their lives betray their profession, because they are too in love with the world, and too unwilling to die to self and let go of their wickedness. True followers of Christ are commanded to renew their minds through Scripture, reject cultural narratives, and speak the truth with grace to counter these lies, recognizing that sexual identity is fixed by God’s creation rather than how one "feels" or personal preference. These are intentional attacks by Satan to undermine God’s design, destroy families, and lead people away from the life saving Truth found in Jesus Christ and Scripture.
John said in 1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." And, in James 4:4, he said "Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? And whosoever therefore would be the friend of the world is the enemy of God." If you love everything the world has to offer, and disregard the clear commands of God in order to indulge yourself in sin, you are revealing your true colors, regardless of your profession. In Ephesians 4:29, Paul writes, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." The Greek adjective "sapros" or unwholesome implies morally corrupt, obscene, offensive, literally worthless talk unfit for spiritual use to the hearer.
Additionally, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 affirms that the unrighteous, including the sexually immoral, will not inherit the kingdom of God, while also offering hope that believers can be washed, sanctified, and justified through Jesus Christ. Once you've been washed cleaned, you no longer willingly participate in the deeds of the flesh, even though you may still be tempted because the internal conflict remains. Self restraint and self-disciple are fruits of the Spirit, or the Greek term "enkrateia," which conveys the meaning of total mastery over oneself to prevent hypocrisy. That's why the Apostle Paul uses the boxing metaphor in 1 Corinthians 9:27, to describe spiritual discipline, saying "I discipline my body and make it my slave, —mortifying the deeds of the flesh—so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." In Romans 6:19, we are called to actively offer our bodies to righteousness rather than sin on a daily basis. We cannot just allow people to live under the illusion that they’re Christians, when a mere cursory look at their life reveals they're not, exposing their spiritual complacency, lukewarmness and self-reliance, having a "purely aesthetic" or a visual relationship with Christ, believing they have secured their salvation, a product of cultural Christianity rather than an intimate, personally committed one. A life of self-gratification, focused on pleasure is a clear indication they haven't even begun to comprehend Christianity. The best defense against error is a deep familiarity with Scripture, which many Christians today seem not to have. Spiritual complacency is extremely dangerous because it prevents individuals from ever beginning the process of having a genuine relationship with Christ, if they think they already possess genuine salvation, because they mistake routine for relationship, while foolishly living in disobedience to God's Word. It is the hypocritical and ungodly behavior of self-proclaimed spiritual immature Christians that drives the most vocal critics of Christianity, significantly undermining the credibility of the Christian faith.
Preaching must embody Christ and the Gospel of Christ, the two are inseparable, and I believe that authentic proclamation demands the pastor's life, must be a living embodiment of the Gospel's message through intentional habits and spiritual accountability, and its power to transform believers into the likeness of Christ. Loving the Lord must work itself out in the way one loves others. To borrow from the words of our beloved Apostle John in 1 John 4:20, "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." When pastors act as owners rather than managers, they often exploit the flock for "dishonest gain" or prestige, a practice condemned in Ezekiel 34. Because this authority is derived, it extends only as far as the faithful proclamation of God's Word. By the way, when a pastor faithfully proclaims the Truth of God, the congregation is called to obey, not because of the pastor's status or authority, but because the pastor is delivering a direct message on behalf of God, which is why Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah would often say, "Thus says the Lord." However, to be clear, this authority does not grant dominion over believers' personal lives in areas not addressed by Scripture. The life of a pastor is to be modeled after Jesus, Who came to serve and lay down His life, rather than to be served. Consequently, pastoral leadership is characterized by humility and service, recognizing that they too stand under God's Authority and Judgment. In Acts 20:28, Paul warns elders to "pay careful attention to yourselves" before attending to the church, recognizing that a pastor/elders spiritual health is the prerequisite for the congregation's spiritual well-being. If a pastor's life is marked by unrepentant sin, arrogance, or a lack of genuine love for the people of God, especially those under his care, the credibility of the Gospel is compromised. And, let's be honest, some people are just more difficult to love than others.
Have you ever had something or someone in your life you'd like to change. The Book of Acts, and the Bible in general shows many examples of circumstances and situations that were totally changed as a direct result of prayer. Sometimes things change for the better, and other times, not so much. At times our situation can remain the same; but the way we perceive it changes. Then, there are those moments when no matter how much you pray, heaven seems to remain silent, and all you can hear is the echo of your own voice. That's the beauty of prayer, even when our prayer appear to go unheard, unnoticed by God, our prayers can have a positive effect on God and the future can even be changed through prayer, meaning that God may choose to act or refrain from acting in certain circumstances, even if we do not live long enough to see our prayers answered. I'll give you an example, look at Isaiah 48:9, this one is rich, "For the sake of My name I delay My anger, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off." God says for My own sake I will act in order not to cut you off. God forgives sinners not because we merit it, or because there’s anything in us worthy of forgiving; but because forgiving sinners brings God glory.
That said, Scripture explicitly commands believers not to accept every spiritual claim at face value. Testing is not an act of judgmentalism but a necessary defense of truth to ensure that one’s faith rests on the true Gospel rather than a deceptive counterfeit. Therefore, if anybody claims to be a Christian, we are commanded to test that claim. And the way we test the claim, is first, we test them on their view of Christ. Next, test them on their view of sin, especially their own, because anybody who doesn't have the right Christ and doesn't understand the magnitude of their sin, and cannot to come to true salvation. Then, in order to know whether someone is genuinely a true Christian or not, we look at their conduct. We must be able to observe practical evidence of regeneration through obedience and love. We are to look for submission to the Word of God, obedience to the Word of God, resulting in righteous patterns of behavior, made manifest in love for the brethren, for God and even for the unconverted.
If any of those things are bereft from someone's life, there is just cause to question the authenticity of their claim to salvation.
While Jesus' illustration on the importance of persistent prayer may seem rather simple at first, it is actually very well chosen. Jesus characterizes the man in the story as "unjust," meaning not only is he corrupt, he is perfectly comfortable with it —a flaw made all the worse by his very important position as a judge, bound to uphold the law of God. A judge who has no regard for God, disregards the divine principles of God will inevitably bring profound consequences to all who appear before his court, as he may fail to punish the guilty or condemn the innocent due to a lack of godly wisdom. Anybody who has ever gone before a judge who has no sympathy and compassion toward people, who rules with an unkind heart, knows exactly what I'm talking about, it prevents them from remaining neutral being unable to identify with people's struggles, a critical ingredient for arriving at just decisions.
First let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we are so thankful for your Word, we are full of reverence for who You are and how You've kept it perfectly throughout all history; You are the God who sees, the God who provides, and the God who never changes and always keeps Your Word. May we do our part to faithfully proclaim Your Word, to warn as many who will listen about the horrors of Hell and the punishment that awaits those who go there. Even still, we're ready and eager for Your return, so we plead with You to come, Lord Jesus, come soon, come suddenly as You have promised, that we might experience unhindered praise and worship in Your presence throughout all eternity. Work mightily and powerfully in the hearts of those who have not yet received Christ as Savior and surrendered to His lordship in their lives, grant them O' Lord the gift of repentance leading to salvation. May it all be for Your glory, for Christ's sake and Your increase in the Kingdom. It is in His most precious name we ask and pray these things.
Amen.
Today's Message: The Power of Persistent Prayer
If we’re being completely honest, some of us didn’t just show up for church today—we had to drag ourselves out of bed, force ourselves to get moving, carrying with the weight of unanswered prayers. But, we've learned how to put on our Sunday clothes and "play church," Telling everyone just how blessed we are and how lucky we are to be alive, but not with the same expectation, because inside, there is something quietly, subtly, dangerously happening beneath the surface, deep within our heart, not rebellion… not disbelief... but questioning, a slow erosion of hope. You still pray—but not with the same fire. You still believe—but there's a part of you that has stopped hoping. And this is where many believers live—right in the middle of faith and fatigue. Thank God, our Lord doesn't ignore this uncomfortable tension, in fact, Jesus Himself leans into it, painting a picture—a widow, powerless in society, standing before an unjust judge. No influence. No leverage. No connections. All she has… is persistence in petition, until finally, she receive justice.
In our continuing study of the Gospel of Luke, we are tremendously blessed to embark on a new chapter, with a new lesson being taught by our Lord, not just to teach us theology, but to connect something—faith to persistence. Because real faith, saving faith is not validated in the moment of prayer… but is revealed in your willingness to keep praying, even when nothing changes. Persistent prayer is about transformation, what happens in your heart when the answer to your prayer is delay. It's about testing what is genuine by which God proves, refines, and exposes the reality of true saving faith. Open your Bibles with me, to the Gospel of Luke chapter 18, and please keep them open if you would, as we examine verses 1-8, about a very simple story with a profound spiritual message on the power of persistent prayer. I'd like to encourage you to follow along with me, with receptive hearts and opened minds, as I read this magnificent story and what follows. Luke 18:1-8.
"Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "In a certain city there was a certain judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’ And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she wears me out.’" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. Now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on the earth?"
Let's begin by looking at verse 1, "Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart." What Jesus is introducing is not that believers must always be in nonstop verbal prayer every second of every day, but that prayer should be a regular routine, enduring, and habitual rather than merely occasional and crisis-driven. Notice Jesus begins by telling a parable to illustrate the need for unceasing prayer, not merely obligatory prayer. True believers have a pattern of consistent, ongoing prayer in their life. Prayer is framed as a necessity for every believer, not a last resort, that is the key to understanding this passage. Similarly, Paul says the same thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, "pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." In the Greek, it's "adialeiptōs," refers to a continuous attitude of dependence on God, while establishing that a prayerful life is characterized by gratitude in all circumstances. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul wrote, "praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints," to encourage discouraged believers to devote themselves to continuous, Spirit-led prayer with persistent intercession for other Christians, emphasizes being spiritually alert and demonstrating all perseverance, this often accompanies the request for boldness in proclaiming the Gospel as we ought, as seen in the subsequent verses 19 and 20.
Verse 2, saying, "In a certain city there was a certain judge who did not fear God and did not respect man." To better understand what He's talking about here, you need to understand that in the Middle Eastern culture, men held all the power, women were essentially powerless in the male-dominated culture, in fact, it's still that way today for the most part, however, they did possess social and moral leverage through honor and respect, so could get away with things that men couldn't. Luke tells us this incident occurred "in a certain city," because the story isn't about the location, the specific location was irrelevant, the purpose of the parable is the necessity of persistent prayer, you need to pray that you'll have the strength to endure to the end; whether the end of your life or until the Lord Himself returns, should you remain alive until we are gathered to Him. We've already covered that we have been promised that He will come, every true Christian, believes that He will come, suddenly, unexpectedly, globally, just as He said He would. And, as things in this fallen world progressively continue to get worse and worse, we are to faithfully keep praying for that event, declaring that God is still worthy, even long before the answer to our prayer arrives.
Verse 3, "Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’" Again, Luke doesn't mention the city except to say "in that city" because the city which His story occurs is unimportant, it's an ordinary and local setting. Notice he does say, "she kept coming to him." using the Greek verb "erchomai," meaning she is persistent, we might even say she's relentless in demanding justice against her adversary. In other words, she is pleading with the judge to vindicate her by giving her what is rightfully hers and refuses to give up until she gets what she wants. She's not seeking personal revenge, as some have interpreted this verse to mean, she is merely a poor window appealing for the judge to make a righteous decision, since she is unable to secure justice by political power, social status, financial influence, no apparent defense, nowhere else to go. I'd like you to notice, she's does not ask for comfort first, she asks for justice, a crucial distinction often overlooked. Jesus is painting a picture of extremes using minimum language, we have to fill in the gaps here, an unjust judge and a helpless widow. He is illustrating God’s willingness to vindicate the helpless, His compassion for the vulnerable, justice for the powerless rather than human self-assertion. Biblical prayer is not just about personal relief; it is about God setting things right. God is glorified in judging evil without us taking vengeance into our own hands. Persistence in prayer is the form that mature faith takes when injustice is unresolved.
Look at verses 4 and 5, "And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she wears me out.’" Here we have a soliloquy, the act of talking to oneself, like in the parable of the prodigal son, who reasoned with himself, finally coming to his senses. Notice the judge's statement actually condemns him, he is a self-confessed, unashamed, masterclass wretched human being, indifferent to the poor widows plight and has no noble motive, he's not moved by compassion, only that he's irritated by the persistence of the widow kept bothering him, which exposes the judge’s moral emptiness and turns his inner monologue into the key to the parable. Even persistent prayer is often met with significant periods of waiting before any tangible victory is secured. You will recall that Daniel waited 21 days for a spiritual battle to resolve, a reality illustrated in Daniel chapter 10.
There are thousands, if not millions, of churches today, all across America and abroad, that have people who are very religious, very zealous for God, just as religious and zealous as Israel was. They have the Scripture. They have the gospel. They have the truth about Christ. They have the source of all necessary teaching for life and eternity. And they are very busy being religiously speaking, seething with emotion, but they are eternally damned, because they have Bibles they don’t believe or obey, so they're rejecting the truth, rejecting Christ, with their lives. They'd rather die damned, they compromise on their religious tradition or abandon their sinful lives. So, they follow false teachers, disguised as angels of light, who are blatant liars, proclaiming a "social gospel," telling them whatever they want to hear to feel better about their unconverted, eternally damned, sinful lives. They are trapped by spiritual blindness and self-deception, performing external acts of godliness without possessing the inward transformation of the Holy Spirit, necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, despite having the Scriptures.
Our hearts should be broken, grieving, filled with compassion for these very religiously deceived people, who are living in damning error, believing they are saved, thinking that they are pleasing God, only to stand face to face with Him, destined to hear, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." How does all of this fit in with what Jesus is talking about? He's talking about the Second Coming, when He returns to establish His glorious kingdom, to judge the ungodly. He's telling them it's going to be quite a while, not by His measure, but by ours. It's already been over two thousand years, God is still being dishonored, His Name taken in vain, Christ is continually being mocked, Christians are living in a world hostile against Christ, being persecuted, assaulted and attacked, even martyred. Our Lord's message is unmistakably clear; Don't lose heart. Keep praying, at all times, through every season, that the Lord will come back and pray for the strength to endure until He arrives! This is what persevering faith, that prays relentlessly, trusting in the promises of God looks like. Delay is not cancellation. Sometimes, it's necessary for the Lord to make some change in us before our prayer gets answered. Have you ever noticed that when a husband and wife are married for a long period of time, that they start behaving like each other? The more time we spend with Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through our lives, the more we become like Him.
Let's move on to verses 6 and 7, "And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. Now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?" Jesus, teaching in typical rabbinic fashion, is moving from the lesser to the greater, by saying let's look at what the unrighteous judge is saying about himself, he lacks reverence for God and concern for people, so by his own admission, his eventual response comes primarily from a place of self-interest, the polar opposite of God's loving, merciful, compassionate nature. Whose delay is never about neglect, but patience and strategic timing through wise restraint. If that sounds familiar, it's because Peter said essentially the same thing in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." And, the author of Hebrews 10:35-36, said it this way, "Therefore, do not throw away that confidence of yours, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." By the way, if we are truly in Christ, we should never do anything that Christ Himself wouldn't do! That then is to be the foundation of behavior of someone living the Christian life.
Then, Jesus moves from the character of God, pointing to the covenantal relationship between God and His chosen people, asking "Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry to Him day and night?" Think about that for a moment, an admittedly cold, unrighteous, self-protective judge changes his behavior because of the widow's relentless persistence, how much more will a righteous and just God do what is right for those who are loved by Him, whom He has chosen for salvation, pleading for His glorious return to eternally be with Him? Sustained devotion to prayer is not a sign of weak faith, it's the mark of true faith. Beloved, we are, in a sense, the widow in the story, crying out day and night to our Heavenly Father for vindication, Who is always kind, always compassionate, always merciful, always gracious, always tender-hearted, Who is always faithful to fulfill His promises. Jesus is saying, keep praying when justice is slow, when answers are delayed, and when circumstances seem to be unmoved. Persistent prayer is not nagging your reluctant Father; you are bringing your case before your Father whose justice is certain. Mature faith keeps asking, keeps waiting, and keeps trusting while submitting to God's perfect timing, Who is patiently waiting to gather His elect? Are we not called to be like Christ, Who is quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger?
That brings us to verse 8, "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on the earth?" After assuring them that He will come, bringing justice for them quickly, not in the human sense, because God acts decisively, deliberately, not half-heartedly, we should not interpret His delay as rejection or cancellation. Then, He closes His parable with a profound question, "When He does come, and He will, will He find His people earnestly praying for His return?" Jesus is warning that long periods of waiting can erode trust, while reminding us that subtle distractions that seem godly enough, can keep us busy, often too busy to spend quality with our Lord, Who we are commanded to love more and anything or anyone else. If Satan cannot destroy our faith, he will do whatever he can to distract us with things that aren't inherently bad but they prevent us from spending time in God's Word, praying and pleading for His return. True saving faith never loses hope, never loses trust, and never gives up. It's persistent, enduring all the way to the end, whether it's the end of your life on earth, or the end of man's age. Because true saving faith, changes the way you live, the way you pray and the way you serve, earnestly longing for His imminent final return. This is not just about persistent prayer, this a painful diagnosis of the condition of men's hearts. In 2 Timothy 3 and 4, Paul speaks of a time when people will no longer endure sound doctrine, wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. They will become men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, without love for good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power He is calling us to self-examination. He warned it will be just like in days of Noah, when people were distracted by the ordinary events of every day life, until the Judgment fell upon the earth. The question is not if Christ will return, the only question is when He will return. He has promised the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. What will Christ find you doing when He returns? Engrossed in the ordinary rhythms of every day life? In Revelation 6:9-11, we hear the saints crying for vindication saying, "How long, O Master, holy and true? Will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" and a white robe was given to each of them; and it was told to them that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also, delaying a little while longer according to His purpose, thereby encouraging believers to pray and not lose heart even when immediate answers seem delayed.
Then, in Revelation 8:3-5, a pivotal scene unfolds in heaven when an angel, having a golden censer, a divine instrument used to gather and present the prayers of all the saints, filled with much incense and the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints, out of the angel’s hand, before God, as a sweet-smelling sacrifice before God, indicating that God hears and receives these petitions at His throne. God answers decisively, not with clarification, but by the angel taking the censer filled with fire from the altar and hurling it to the earth, resulting in peals of thunder, sounds, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake to mark the onset of divine judgment, which is significant, establishing a direct link between the earthly intercessory prayers of God's people, even those born out of suffering and persecution are not ignored, but are constantly ascending to His throne, reminding believers that our prayers, while occasionally delayed, even as we suffer and are rejected and persecuted, play a significant part supplying the fuel for heavenly activity, which can shake the foundations of the earth.
What does all of this have to do with the church today? Everything. We continue to live in that hope, allowing our love for Christ to burn brightly, living out the Holy Spirit's power to transform lives before a broken and watching world, proclaiming that salvation through Jesus Christ still offers new beginnings, even to wretched sinners like us, while continuously praying with the utmost confidence that God always keeps His Word. Beloved, our hope is not a fragile hope, that flickers when the winds of culture blow, nor fades when difficult trials press hard against us, but a sustained hope, anchored in Christ, that perseveres with unwavering devotion, holding fast and firm to the blessed assurance that darkness never has the last word, because we know how this all ends, don't we? Because the end of the story has already been written; Christ will return and every tear will be wiped away, death will be swallowed up in victory and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away in the glorious Kingdom of our God. (Revelation 21:1-4)
Make no mistake, the world is watching the church, watching how we live, how we love, how we endure, how we respond when life trial presses hard against us. What will they see? O how I pray they will see a people who proclaim the Gospel, not just with words but with their lives as living proof that no life is too far gone, no heart too hardened, no past too sin stained that the grace of God cannot redeem it, even a wretched, vile sinner like me. This is our blessed hope.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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