Why We Pray?
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Last week when we started our doctrinal study on Prayer, we asked the question, “What Is Prayer”?
Prayer is more than just fellowship and communication with God, it’s the growing love story between God and man. Prayer is Asking, Seeking and Knocking that we can Receive, Find and have the door of God’s will Opened to us!
Prayer is the believers lifeline to the Father, where every good and perfect gift comes from. So when I tell you the title of my message tonight you may think I’ve already given you the answer.
I want us to look at “Why We Pray”
Text; Luke 18:1-8
Luke 18:1–8 (NKJV)
1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.
3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’
4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.
7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
1. Why We Pray; 1
1. Why We Pray; 1
There are two very simple reasons why we should pray found in this verse.
Because Jesus said so!
How often were you told as a child by your parents when you asked the question “why”, that you were told, “because I said so.” [Share about Paisley asking questions and we said because Jesus said so!]
The reason they said so was for our benefit. It didn’t make a difference whether we liked it or understood, but it was best for us. Later on we could see that mom and dad were right!
If we are going to be more intimate in our relationship with the Father, we need to pray. If we are ever gonna keep the commands of Christ, we need to pray. If we are going to be Spirit filled and Spirit led, we need to pray. In the long run we will realize that Jesus is right!
So we won’t lose heart/give up
Jesus spent a lot of time teaching about the afflictions and hardships of life, and told His disciples they would face things after he was gone, and He didn’t want them to lose heart and give up on their call.
It’s easy to get discouraged and become spiritually exhausted, when you do good and everybody seems to be against you, or as you live righteously and those who live worldly seem to have great success while you struggle.
Mark 14:38 (NKJV)
38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Many christians faint or lose heart because they fail to pray. They quit going to church, quit giving, serving and are no longer committed to Christ. Many preachers quit preaching because they failed to pray!
So Jesus shares a parable about “Why We Pray”
2. The Judge and the Widow; 2-3
2. The Judge and the Widow; 2-3
Judge; a man of power/authority concerning the rule of law in the land/jurisdiction which he governed
He was a worldly judge because he didn’t fear God and a arrogant/prideful judge because he doesn’t care about the needs of man. [Roman magistrate]
The idea of the context of the scripture is that he was a judge on the take and would rule in favor of those who paid him the most or gave him favors. He did not care for the law, morality or justice, just himself.
25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
26 Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.
[Today’s judges and politicians]
16 Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there.
Widow; woman with a deceased husband and in this particular situation, no kinsman redeemer/male caretaker [male would have pleaded her case before the judge/ Boaz did for Ruth]. She was a woman in a mans world which spelled trouble for her.
3. Her Problem; 3b
3. Her Problem; 3b
Because she lived in the city, her case more than likely dealt with taxes owed after her husband had died.
Because most women then did not deal with the finances of the home, she had no idea what the taxes actually were to be paid and she probably was being taken advantage of. [Know your finances]
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Matthew 19:5 (NKJV)
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
But there may be another reason she was going to the judge, and it might be that she had been swindled out of her husbands life savings from one of the religious leaders.
Matthew 23:14 (NKJV)
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
What a sad state of affairs it is when the one group of people that reflects true religion, is taken advantage of by religious people.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Avenge- to vindicate one’s right, to protect a person from another; exact justice, punish wrongdoing.
If she had been cheated, she wanted justice to restore what had been taken from her. If she was being threatened, she wanted protection from the judge.
4. Her Persistency; 4-5
4. Her Persistency; 4-5
This widow began to plead her case and all it did was fall upon deaf ears for a while. She had no money to bribe the judge, she wasn’t a prominent citizen in society, so he wasn’t interested in hearing her case.
Ought to pray- persistency, necessity, need, right of prayer
If we are not persistent in prayer we will give up and quit. And when we quit, justice is not served!
11 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
Persistency in prayer is not to get God’s attention, but persistency in prayer prevents spiritual fainting and loosing heart! It is a faith builder!
5. Understanding Why We Pray; 6-8
5. Understanding Why We Pray; 6-8
Jesus was teaching that as followers of Christ that women/widows/single moms will be taken advantage of today in our society as this widow was then
Because we are followers of Christ, we will be treated differently and unfairly socially [jobs, school, communities]
As christians we will be treated unfairly by the government [in our laws, by our elected officials and our court system]
Christians are treated ruthlessly internationally [Christian Americans are targeted and hated globally]
Nations who serve God will be targeted by the ungodly [Rome targeted Israel, Muslims target Israel/America]
Christians are treated as bigots and hated by men and Satan because of our spiritual beliefs
Men always ought to pray because God is a just God and not an unjust judge and He will avenge our prayers speedily! [At the right time]
[8c] Will Jesus find us faithful? Jesus knows that days will always get worse because the heart of man is sinful and desperately wicked.
Jesus statement is asking will we as followers of Christ stay faithful when things get worse? Too often when trials increase we give up on God, quit praying and lose heart!
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
Will we pray faithfully?
Close;
Why Pray?
Because prayer is more than a wish; it is the voice of faith directed to God. Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask. Men always ought to pray!
Billy Graham