He Will Never Put You Off!

INTRO: FRUSTRATION

As a military family, moving is a regular occurrence.

With frequent moving, you tend to get use to doing one thing at one home, but doing something different at another home.

In one house we lived in, the house sat on about two and a half acres, and lawn maintenance was left to me to do. Naturally, I hired a landscaper to keep the lawn, especially since i would be frequently on a temporary assignment somewhere.

After a while, we moved again, this time to a home with a much smaller yard.

I figured I would save some money and get some exercise by having a yard that I would have to care for myself, and on those days i would be gone, pay someone to care for it in my absence.

One Sunday, after returning from a long training exercise, I went out to cut the yard.

Got everything ready...

Checked my filter...

Gassed my mower....

Primed it....

Then gave the cord a good pull.... and nothing.

Pulled again, nothing.

Pulled one more time so hard, that the cord pulled right from my hand..

NOTHING.

It was a hot day so needless to say, I have reached such a high level of frustration.

I could not understand, why the mower wasn’t working.

Why wouldn’t the motor respond to the pull?

Have you ever been there in your prayer life?

You pray, and pray, but it seems like God isn’t responding?

What do you do when frustration begins to set in as you are praying day in and day out, with no sign of change is in sight?

Do you begin to feel that praying is hopeless?

Do you begin to hear that inner voice say, “it’s never going to work, you might as well quit?”

Can we all admit that when we faced with delay, we can become frustrated, discouraged and even angry.

FRAME WORK

I invite you to turn with me to the book of Luke Chapter 18:1-8.

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Here’s the context...

Towards the end of Chapter 17, Jesus, with His Disciples by his side, addressed the Pharisees question in regards to the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ begins to teach, makes a few clarifications.

Beginning with verse 20, He said that the Kingdom of God would not be an event to be waited for and observed, much like we do when we get word of an anticipated solar eclipse or a comet that’s made its way around the world.

Then Jesus addressed His Disciples; saying that if they hear that the Son of Man is here or there; not to go, because the coming of the Son of Man would be so divinely epic that it could happen in one area, and be seen by anyone any where in the world.

Then Jesus uses what His Disciples and the Pharisees knew to illustrate what the last days would be like.

He said it would be like the days of Noah:

You remember the story of Noah’s day. The preacher warned for a 120 years that a rain would come to flood the earth; but everyone lived un-phased. They continued their normal routines until it was too late.

He said that the destructions that will come in the last days would be like the day of Lot in Sodom. Brimstone falling from Heaven destroying anything that placed God in second place to a sinful lifestyle.

Now the hearts of those listening were hanging on the words of Jesus, because in theiy’re minds… they have to be wondering how can humanity survive and endure until the last days

so he shared the parable of persistent widow.

The intent of the parable wasn’t meant to teach that we should pray for everyday thing persistently, the intent was to learn that our Creator and Father longs that we should pray everyday that He keeps us in the fight of salvation and the battles that frustrates us to the point we actually consider walking away from God

the battles that keeps us from answering his call..

the battles that keeps us from answering his call.

the battle that keeps us from teaching God’s truth and plan

the battle that restrains us from absolute surrender.

The Judge and The Widow

We all know that Jesus’ purpose for using parables was to simplify a message, by tapping into imagination of the hearer.

In Jonesboro TN, five hours North East from here, the town holds an annual Storytellers Festival.

Truth be told, the event is a bit pricey, but the festival has been happening for 47 years, so its evidence that most people loves a good story teller.

And these story tellers weren’t amateurs. These story tellers had the skill to make you feel like you were right there in the story.

In this same town, my wife would participate in plays depicting the experience of African Americans who lived as slaves in TN, and would get a standing ovation for her performance, because everyone loves a good story teller.

We love story tellers because they help shape our perspective and understanding by helping us to emotionally connect, and to see the story unfold in minds eye.

For this story, or this parable, the first impression of the audience was an unfavorable one..

The parable began with describing this judge of a certain city;

When we read the text we find that this Judge is the antagonist in this story

the bad guy if you will.

Jesus said that this Judge didn’t fear God, or respected man, which suggests that this Judge not only held a high political power, but he also believed himself to be the most important person in the village, even more important than God.

Now, It wouldn’t be hard for the hearers to imagine such a judge - nor would it be for us.

Village judges were established by the Roman leadership, similar to the tax collectors, or Herod portraying to be king. They were all despised the same way by the Jews because they used their positions as a self-serving purpose.

This was a judge who didn’t care about justice.

He had no responsibility to anything higher or bigger than himself.

He would have been characterized as wicked, cold-hearted, callous and calculating.

This is why Jesus called him the ‘unjust judge’.

On one hand Jesus has us picture a hard-bitten, godless man in a position of power. Then he contrasts that man with a woman in a position of utter vulnerability.

She has no husband, no adult children or any one for that matter to plead her case.

She represents those who have nothing, and no one; they’re oppressed, need help, and have nothing but hope that asking will make a difference.

Jesus doesn’t describe her age or her situation;

because let’s face it, it doesn’t matter if your 2, 22, 32 or 82… the enemy will attack at any level, at any age. And when we’re attacked we want justice.

The widow comes to the one who is in position to help, and pleads for justice.

Maybe someone has robbed her or defrauder her, taking advantage of her lack of support.

What ever it was, i imagined a little old woman who has reached a point of frustration and demanded that something be done.

Jesus then says that the judge refused for a while...

You called a company and placed on hold to the point that you felt the representative forgot that you were on the other line? Or better yet, they keep redirecting your call to the person that could help you, just to be back on the phone with the person you started with?

Maybe you were in line waiting to be serviced, yet you see the employees doing something clearly unrelated to their job? Like hey, i don’t care about the cutest thing your kid did last night… i need you to ring up these groceries!

Eventually the judge gave in… The persistence of the little old lady got her request to loom inside of his head.

“I will giver her justice, just so she would leave me in peace!”

That’s so funny to me!!!

By her repeated pleas, she managed to get on the judges last nerve.

The Judge and the Widow.

She bothered him into finally ruling in her favor.

He wasn’t moved by compassion...

He wasn’t convinced that justice needed to be done.

He wouldn’t even budge out of shame...

This hard, ruthless, irresponsible, un-feared and unbothered man, who held enough power to have this small frail little old woman taken away, gave in because she bothered him to death!!!

The Lesson

So what’s the lesson, behind this parable? Jesus summarizes it like this...

“Hear what the unjust judge said… Shall not God avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?

Do you mind if I paraphrase it???

Jesus was saying, “Are you listening? Did you hear what this scoundrel, godless rascal said? Even someone as wicked as this person can be bothered into right action… How much more will God?

This parable was to distinguish the character of God.

Jesus reminds us of the words of Romans 3:26, that we serve a God who is “just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

That we serve a God who says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble.” and invites us to bring to Him all of our problems, and all of our cares.

“”Christ here draws a sharp contrast between the unjust judge and God. The judge yielded to the widow’s request merely through selfishness, that he might be relieved of her importunity. He felt for her no pity or compassion; her misery was nothing to him. How different is the attitude of God toward those who seek Him. The appeals of the needy and distressed are considered by Him with infinite compassion.””

White, E. G. (1900). Christ’s Object Lessons (p. 165). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

We live in a society where there is a lack of compassion,

A lack of understanding, and being supportive in times of distress.

Society has ALWAYS looked out for itself,

makes it clear that in the last days that men will be lovers of themselves and of money, boasters, proud blasphemers disobedient to parents, unthankful, and unholy

So society’s current status won’t change and we don’t possess the power to change people,

but we have a Father who loves us unconditionally, and who will never grow tired of our cry for deliverance.

Why Wait so Long?

But the question is; why won’t God just go ahead and answer the prayer? Why do have to be persistent in our praying?

FIRST, reason is us and how we think God should answer our prayers.

You’ve heard before that when praying, God answers YES ,NO, and WAIT

First let me say that God doesn’t say no without giving you and alternative to your petition.

The scriptures supports that there are reasons why God just doesn’t answer prayer:

teaches that prayers of self-indulgences will not be answered

Presumptuous attitudes in prayer will not be honored

Prayers offered from a heart which simultaneously calculates disobedience will not be heard

Mouthing prayer while tolerating un-forgiveness toward others blocks the provision of even our most basic needs.

God makes us wait in order to develop us and come to a place where we can say...

I don’t have to be all knowing

God wants us to develop a sense of hope and trust in Him and His promises.

I don’t have to have arrived to a special level of holiness

I don’t need to have a record of great accomplishments of faith.

All I need to be is honest, straight forward, and open

All I need to do accept that I am a child of God, saved by Christ, living according to the Grace that I received.

That’s where the persistent woman was in her life.

That’s where we need to be.

says,

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you [if you relate without guile and are receptive to what I’m teaching you along the way],you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you

Hayford, J. W. (1977). Prayer is invading the impossible (p. 87). Orlando, FL: Bridge-Logos.

Eventually the mower started, and I was able to mow the lawn,

God isn’t an unjust judge, nor a mower, He is our Father who is looking for surrender and faithfulness. Can He find that in you today?

If we can get to a place where we want want God’s will, His answer will always be Pray, and I’ll make it work.

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