Always Pray and Never Lose Heart - Live with Lon!

Well hello everybody and welcome to live long. So glad to have you with us and we have a great passage of Scripture to study today about prayer that I know will bring hope and encouragement to your heart so let's get ready to dig in and member what we study what we study say with me.

The Bible come on now, the whole Bible and what nothing but the Bible correct and reply to our lives so let's pray and were ready to go. Lord Jesus, I pray that you would open our hearts to your word this morning, or whatever it is that were listening. Lord I pray that you would deliver us from our own passions and forgive us for our sins and fill us with the Holy Spirit. Lord, and allow us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit each and every day, not in the power of argument passing.

Father I pray that you would forgive us for the sins we committed this week and even this day cleanse our heart and now make our heart soft and malleable in the hands of the Holy Spirit as we study the word of God today and we pray this in Jesus name and every body said what a man and a man right as you know yes for sleep shirt. See okay still I thought okay now. As you know, studying the Gospels and we're in Luke chapter 18 today. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for the very last time and this parable that word. In a study is a parable that he tells his disciples and us. While he's on his journey so without any further. You let's look were in Luke chapter 18 beginning in verse one out of course were using the new King James version of the Bible. All right here we go. First one and he that is of course Jesus spoke a parable to them. To this end, the that man ought always to pray and not lose heart. I think the only thing James says Miller always to pray and not faint on this is unusual in Jesus's parables in that he tells us before even tells us the parable or what's the so what was the point of it was supposed to get out of it's clear the point were supposed to get out of this parable is that we should pray and never lose heart. In prayer, so what ever this parable is about the message that comes out.

If we interpreted properly is a message to pray and not lose heart. Okay with me. Now that's how will know if we interpreted it rightly is if that's what we come out of the parable, with so here we go, verse two, saying Jesus saying there was a certain city of George who did not fear God nor regard man and was a widow in that city and she came to him, saying, avenge me of my adversary. Now, here are the two main characters in our parable until such an unrighteous joint and unjust judge if this is often called the parable of the unjust judge sometimes is called the parable of the persistent widow to so anyway this is not a godly man. He doesn't love God he doesn't fear man is a very selfish man. He only cares about himself and is a window in this town and widows in the ancient near East were in a very difficult spot. They couldn't go out and work for a living if they had no man in the house to go out and do that they had no source of income. And they were often taken advantage of and misuse, which is why God talks in the Old Testament so much about his defending the widow and the orphans widow in the orphans because they were defenseless and open to terrible abuse and the so this woman can't afford a lawyer, so she comes to the judge herself and says judge I have this adversary. We don't know anything about the adversary and I want you to avenge me of this adversary, I want you to decide this case in my favor. All right, so first before and he would not for a while. The judge would, but afterwards he said within himself, though I do not fear God nor regard man yet because this widow troubles me. I will avenge her last by her continual coming she weary me. The Greek word here means she wear me out now my wife awarded me when I preach us for the very first time.

Don't say anything smart, or funny to try to get a laugh about this so I'm not okay dog of the do not. Okay it is what it is about this woman keeps coming in keeps coming in teams coming no matter how many times the judge says no you ever see the movie what about Bob yeah well she's Bob okay and and she just keeps coming and coming and coming up and finally, the judge says enough. Okay you know he would show up at his front door in the morning she be there waiting for he try to sneak in the back door in the morning she be there waiting for, no matter what he tried, she was there and finally is an art. Do what you want you to do because you going to just where I can't take this anymore. Okay now that's the parable that Jesus tell and before we go on I want us to talk a minute here about this story up to this point the way many commentators and preachers interpret this is that of the widow of God. When she asked for in prayer here to the judge because she was so bulldog in and so determined and so persistent and so annoying and so wearisome that she finally does Warrendale, and that we need to be the same way in prayer. We need to be our process. The to the point that God grants what we want now I don't deny that we need to be persistent in prayer to talk about that minute but thinks this is the wrong interpretation of this parable. This is completely wrong. To the contrary, this is not what the parable teaches that if were persistent enough, we will talk a unsympathetic God into finally doing what we wanted to do that is not what this parable teaches, and the reason I know that is because of the three contrasts in the early verses of this parable between other people in the parable in God and us to say what you mean.

Caleb is shown to number one is the contrast between God and discharge go. This judge is selfish. He doesn't fear God you care about man is completely self consumed and doesn't care about anybody else or their knee on the other hand, are God is a loving God appearing God a very ever present God who cares about the needs of people. As Peter says, first Peter chapter 5. He says cast all your cares on God. Why because he cares for you. He's not like the judge is the opposite of the job. Okay, that's a first contract second contrast in this parable is between the window and us as followers of Jesus Christ, the widow was powerless. The widow had absolutely no basis on which to appeal to the judge, the widow had nothing on her side to in any way to make the judge sympathetic to her about on the other hand, we, as followers of Christ we are the dear children of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans chapter 8 all of us who have trusted Christ have become children of God by which we cry. Father we come to God as his beloved children and just like if you have children you understand everything that happens in your children's life. They have an inside track with you because they are your children to talk to you to ask for your help. To appeal to you. Your children and they have a unique access to you that rest of the rest of the world and how we have that same situation we are God's children and we have unique access to God because we are his children were not like the widow, and finally the third contrast is between the heart of this judge in the heart of Almighty God. The heart of this judge was completely self-centered, even when he granted the woman what she wanted. He didn't for his own benefit.

He did it because she was wearing him out and get rid of her. He gave her what she wanted completely self-centered heart, whereas God has a completely other centered heart and when he answers prayer. When he does things he does it out of his goodness and out of his graciousness and out of his benevolence, and out of his mercy, and out of his kindness for others is not thinking about himself if he was thinking about himself God would never sent the Lord Jesus to die on the cross for us and the only reason the Lord Jesus agreed to do this with the second person of the Godhead was because he wasn't thinking about himself, Philippians chapter 2, he emptied himself of his own prerogatives as God and he came and died on the cross for us. So the contrasts here are absolute meaning here's the point that if an unjust judge who cared only about himself actually could and did help a woman who had no way in at all to influence him or in any way make him sympathetic with her.

How much more will Almighty God, the gracious, loving God of the universe whose heart is nipped to us as his children, and who, when we come to him. We have access to the most high God continual access and influence because he loves and cares about us. How much more will that God answer our prayers prayers of his dear children to adoption in Christ. Are you with me.

That's the point. And this is what Jesus is going to say right now luck he says, verse six and the Lord said, do you hear what the unjust judge said, and shall God not avenge his own elect us as his children cry out to him day and night, even though he bears long with them. I tell you, he will avenge them speedily. That's it. How much more.

Some translations say will God avenge us is lovely children in Christ aren't. So here's the point. The point is we don't come to God like the widow we, as his children. He is not like the judge in that all he cares about is himself and his heart is anxious to do, kind, benevolent, helpful, gracious things to us for us because we are his children because that's just the heart of God is a good God in light of that, we should always keep praying because were not trying to talking unsympathetic God into finally doing what we want because we bug him enough and we father him enough know that is not the point. The point is, how much more if this will God announce a self discharge to do something for her. How much more will our loving heavenly father to things for us if we will just persevere in prayer. So that's the point of the parable. And that's what Jesus said at the beginning point of the parable is that people ought always to pray and never lose heart.

Why, why should we lose heart, because the God we have in the relationship we have in the way we come to him and his anxiousness to do something nice and benevolent for his children ever all the time means that we always got with always got a platform with God in prayer and it's a mighty platform as his children. Now we understand that okay now that's as far as were to go in our passage.

When I asked our most important question now what is it are you ready come on out here we go one to three days.

What yeah and the all my God. God is saying to sweet day to be alive. How soon we can't.

It is absolutely now I got to her car. When I was at McLean Bible church.

Years ago we used to have these visitor registration card in the bulletin and there was a room on the back called in our care card to write a message to me, or prayer request to to to us is stamped and here's what I God will put it up on the screen so you can read. Here's what it said it said quote. Please pray for my husband and atheist who hates Christians, and especially his wife.

If you really have a heart for the unsaved and pray hard for this man. I watch I have prayed for him for 20+ years and I can't pray anymore. Forgive me Lord" post 20 years. A long time to pray for somebody and and I think I can indemnify with this woman tend to identify with her that on. She is worn down. Just praying and praying and praying for this man and see nothing happened. So here God tells us in the pray and pray in prayer and never give up. And yes, sometimes he goes months, years, decades without answering particular prayer bars. So how does that fit together. You say on well, let's talk about that in my way.

This is just the blinds in my window because I'm taking a little bit later today, so I don't work out okay.

That's all it is the punitive okay was there to recognize that stuff and have people constructed by okay you so. Oh what about this will friends God often delays in answering our prayers and wants us to keep praying and praying and praying and not giving up and I understand. Like I said, the frustration of this woman. I pray 22 years for my mom salvation. When I got to 20. I was like, concrete floor, pray 20 years and nothing's happened. They seven years or more than 15 years, my brother. 22 for my mother and you start to go.

Holy smokes. Yeah well you know my mom came to Christ. Figure 22 and I often ask God why are you why are you making me keep praying want. Why is it taking so long and friends. There are reasons why God doesn't answer our prayers right away but makes us keep praying and I'm not gonna give you all of them. I don't even know all of them. Some of them are between God and himself about one of them is the humblest guy you know God gave us everything that we wanted right this minute. The minute we asked for like the genie coming out of a lamp, we would be some of the most arrogant people in the whole world was followers of Christ and and so having a humble yourself and get on your knees and seek the face of God and ask again and again and persevere in prayer and humbles us, and even when God answers the prayer we don't get too big for our britches, because after praying about it for weeks or months or years.

We know where the answer came from and and so he doesn't go to our head. That's one reason. Another reason that God often makes us wait in prayer is to develop patients and endurance in us.

You know I read a quote one time it said on the one thing that people want most in their leader, whether that leader is a general or an admiral in the middle of a war or a corporate CPS CEO in the middle of a problem or a pastor of a church or what ever the thing that people want most in their leaders is that they remain calm under pressure and I can relate to that. My gosh is the leader completely freaks out if the father of the home freaks out of the pastor of the church freaks out with the general commanding the truth freaks out how the truth supposed to maintain confidence in Kallmann and a sense of presence understand that but you know, often times it's people who are along in years.

There were not 20 years old or even 30 years old or even 40 years old but older who have this amazing patients and all in the middle of the store. I remember watching the movies. We were we were soldiers with Mel Gibson and of course he was portraying a true story that happened in Vietnam with Lieut. Col. Hal Moore who went on to become a three-star general. But but how more in this movie play play bundle Gibson maintains the most amazing because it was at the Audrain Valley of they were told her that Americans were completely outnumbered completely out, tactically maneuvered by the Vietnamese and he was so calm and even one of his soldiers.

He said to him were to win this fight, don't you worry will win this fight so call how to get to be that way will he wasn't a 20-year-old recruit anyone a 30-year-old Capt. anyone, a 40-year-old major.

He was a Lieut. Col. who had had experiences in life that had developed patience and call endurance in his life and friends. This is what God teaches us in prayer by making us wait and persevere. We learn patience. We learn, how to be calm even and endure even in the toughest situations of life. It develops our arc, our ability to be good leaders to be good fathers to be good mothers to be good be good parents for whatever I and another reason that God sometimes delays answering our prayers and we talked about this in the last few weeks is that God is busy getting all the clickers ready to take him with something else going on and he just needs us to hold so you know, for example, Joseph is in jail and God says hold, I gotta give Pharaoh dreams and do all this other stuff and were not when I've gotten all that ready that will put this together. You understand what I'm saying.

So he had to put Joseph on our whole while he got the rest of the stuff ready and so sometimes God says to us, know you just need to go into neutral for minute I got some other things I'm get ready and then all natural law surrounding the another reason why God doesn't answer prayer is he's in the middle of trying to get everything ready to make that answer for you when you need to see those to be patient okay that's enough because those are the ones I want talk to about the lower top depot is that often, God delays in prayer answering because he wants to grow us spiritually and the way to grow us spiritually is to make us go down deep in the Christ looking for sustenance of our you know when Oaktree is it is to have it what it is very strong because when the water dries up at purpose. The Oaktree goes down deep, looking for water. And that means the roots are deep, so the tree is strong are trees that grow up in the marshlands and in areas that are sloppy where there's all this water on the surface.

Those trees are not strong. Their roots never basically leave the surface because they got all this water on the surface, and they can easily be pulled overblown over trees that are forced to go deep to get sustenance and water are the ones that are strong, my friends. The same is true of followers of Christ of Christians, when God forces us, and he has a moral order to be right on the surface because we wouldn't we would never develop into strong people with deep roots in Christ, so he lets the water dried up on the surface he doesn't answer all our prayers right away makes us go deep into him in prayer seeking answers to prayer and and you know after having done that with my mom and my dad, my brother. It taught me so much about this knowing God was going to answer when he was ready and and and not not doubting him and having a completely different relationship with him that I had when I was a young Christian and everything was on the surface for me and it was wonderful.

It was a blessing. I think that God made me go deep in living other things in my life. My friends and I prayed about for years and years and years and God answer some of them right away. Yeah, the other proceeded and there's some I'm still praying about and I've been a believer 50 years and some things I'm still praying about that happened decades ago.

But you know what is all right on calm about because I know from having done this before from having praying long time for things previously. I know when my God is ready my God can handle anything and my God will answer my prayers. I know that and so on call and relaxed about the whole thing and this is something that happens to Christians, not just to soldiers are not just her corporate executives to Christians who have to have to go deep into Christ in prayer and continue to go deep seeking the sustenance of God and eventually the answers of God's will. God is making you do that, my friend. It's okay, don't give up like this lady said maybe been praying for 20 years time. Pray for 25 prayed for 30 some prayers may not be answered until you're on the shores of heaven. My friends are okay when Jesus say always pray never give up now got a great quote sometimes God sees the then we need physical sickness for the good of our souls more than we need healing for the ease of our bodies and then we must be willing first season because there is need to be in heaviness. When God sees that the work is done for the good of our soul. That is, remember, and we need healing we shall have no that's not just about physical healing. My friends that's true about everything in our life. Sometimes we need God to say no for the good of our souls rather than for the ease of our bodies and when God finished doing what he needs to do for the good of our souls, then he will answer and we will have what we need and the only way you learn to believe that is letting God put you through it and experiencing it by having to go deep in prayer and longing prayer with Christ. Okay well give up. As Winston Churchill said in one of his speeches during World War II. He put on the screen. He said never give it, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in, and this is how we should be in prayer. Don't get discouraged. You got God was listening. You got a God who's interested you got a God who is sympathetic you got God who is good and merciful and kind and benevolent you got God who loves you as his child way you love your children, you got God who was omnipotent and doesn't even have to snap his fingers. He can simply think the thought and your prayer will be answered to give up your answer and for the good of our souls. He's done what he needs to do a God bless you and give you fortitude in prayer is for your Jesus, thank you so much for speaking to us today and everyone of us here every believer in Jesus here has unanswered prayers that were still praying about for some of us it's been a week a month by dear 10 years, 20 years more of the Lord Jesus I pray that you would encourage us today to never give in, never give up, to pray and not lose heart and were Jesus. When you are done with what ever reason why you are delaying this we know that you will answer. So Lord Jesus, thank you for your Encouraging Word today applied to our hearts make us strong in prayer and we pray this in Jesus name and every body said a man and a man okay – and the several weeks where we endure in our prayers. Douglas