LUKE 18:1-14
BEYOND TODAY
Today something will bother you.
It might be a minor thing.
It might be a major thing.
But something will bother you.
You might be bothered that a friend has said an unkind word.
You might be bothered that your job is leading nowhere.
You might be bothered by your health or the health of another.
You might be bothered by problems at school or on the job.
You might be bothered by the problems of a friend.
You might be bothered by your husband or wife, son or daughter, brother or sister.
You might be bothered about the inconsistencies in your Christian walk with God and in your testimony.
You might be bothered by the inconsistencies of fellow Christians.
You might be bothered that so few people seem to be saved through our church.
You might be bothered at a general lack of interest in Spiritual things by some of those in this church and their sporadic attendance habits.
There is a lot about today that can bother us.
I've only mentioned a few possibilities.
There is a lot about today that can get us down.
Norman J. Clayton wrote a song
If we could see beyond today
as God can see,
If all the clouds should roll away, the shadows flee.
O'er present griefs we would not fret,
Each sorrow we would soon forget,
For many joys are waiting yet, for you and me.
If we could know beyond today
as God doth know,
Why dearest treasures pass away and tears must flow.
And why the darkness leads to light,
Why dreary days will soon grow bright,
Some day life's wrongs will be made right, faith tells us so.
If we could see, if we could know, we
often say,
But God in love a vail doth throw across our way.
We cannot see what lies before, and so we cling to Him the more,
He leads us till this life is o'er, trust and obey.
(Source: Singing Evangelism: Billy Graham
Campaign Songs, #81, by Norman J. Clayton, 1943)
In a literal sense we can not see beyond today and its problems.
But today's problems will defeat us unless we learn in a spiritual sense and in a real sense to look beyond today.
In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells a parable. I see this parable as my Lord Jesus showing us how we can see beyond today, not letting today's circumstances defeat us.
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PRAYER - Vs. 1
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PERSISTENCE - Vss. 2-5
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PROMISE - Vss. 6-8
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PRAYER - Vs. 1
Vs. 1 - And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Jesus knew that when times were tough, and especially when Christians were being persecuted, that we would faint, or lose heart and want to give up.
I'm sure that there have been times when you wanted to just quit.
When things go wrong as they
sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and
the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists
and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
So don’t give up, though the
pace seems slow -
For you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
it
seems to a fain and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given
up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure, turned
inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when
you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
Annymous - http://www.bible.org/illus/p-q/p-q-162.htm#TopOfPage
So how do we see beyond today so that we don't faint, lose heart or quit?
Jesus tells us that we are always to pray.
This doesn't mean that we have to twist God's arm and plead desperately in order to have our prayers answered. But it does mean that we are to be in continual prayer until the answer comes. It also means that prayer is to be a habit! Whatever happens today in my life, I should be praying about it.
Warren Wiersbe says that prayer should be as natural as regular breathing. "Unless we are sick or smothering, we rarely think about our breathing; we just do it. Likewise with prayer-it should be the natural habit of our lives, the 'atmosphere' in which we constantly live." Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Volume 1, © 1989 by SP Publications Inc., Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, Page 248
How does prayer help us see beyond today?
Very simply, God answers our prayers, so that we can look beyond today to the answers.
1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Notice that our confidence is in God, not in ourselves and not in our "clever" solution to problems.
Notice that when we ask we are to ask according to God's will.
If I know that something is God's will, I can ask for it.
When I am not sure what God's will is, I can ask Him to show me His will.
And I should always be yielded enough to say "nevertheless, thy will be done."
I want to encourage you that as you pray, don't neglect to ask God for Spiritual things.
Ask God to save specific individuals.
Ask God to change you spiritually. And what you know to be God's will in the way of Christian behavior, ask Him to make it real in your life.
And pray for other Christians that God will work in their spiritual lives as well. In Ephesians 1, Ephesians 3, Philippians 1, and Colossians 1, you will find prayers that Paul prayed for other Christians. You can pray them for Christians you know. I prayed Colossians 1:9-12 for you in the morning prayer. Let me share one example.
Philippians 1:9-11 - And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; [10] That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; [11] Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
As 1 John 1:14-15 tells us, as we pray we are confident that God will answer if we are praying according to God's will. "We know that we have the petitions that we desire of him."
Mark 11:22-24 - And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. [23] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. [24] Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
The disciples had just witnessed Jesus telling a fig tree to "dry up" and it did!
Jesus tells the disciples of the importance both of prayer and faith.
I like to think of mountains as obstacles in the work of God.
If I by faith in prayer ask God to remove these obstacles, He will.
This is a pretty challenging statement in verse 24.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
If your desires are right, you can expect God to be answering your prayers, if you pray in faith.
Psalm 37:4 - Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
As you pray, look beyond today and see God answering your prayers.
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PRAYER - Vs. 1
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PERSISTENCE - Vss. 2-5
Vs. 2 - Jesus tells His story.
In a certain city there was a judge, who was supposed to administer justice.
But he had no regard for either God or man.
That would probably mean that he could be easily bribed.
He was not concerned as much with doing right as he was doing what was convenient or profitable.
Vs. 3 - In the same city there was a widow who had a legitimate case. She was asking for justice. Widows in those days had very little rights. They could easily be taken advantage of. It would have been very easy for this woman to give up in despair.
This woman however was very persistent. She kept on asking.
And she probably just didn't come to court to do so.
If this were today's setting, I can see her sitting in the justice's office just waiting to see him.
I can see her sending him email messages, and leaving him voice messages on his answering machine.
I picture her waiting for him when he gets home at night, or trying to catch him as he walks out the door in the morning.
Wherever that judge was, I believe that woman was, persistently.
Vs. 4 - For a while, the judge just ignored the woman.
But then, after a while she began to grade on him.
It was becoming obvious that this woman was not going
to quit asking.
This judge begins reasoning within himself. He says, "I don't regard God or man." In other words, he wasn't afraid of what God or man would do or say.
Vs. 5 - The widow was troubling him. I've had some people trouble me when they have been persistent. Tele-marketers have a habit of troubling me. I've seen children badger their parents until they would just give in to shut the kid up.
He concludes "I'll give her justice lest she weary me by her continual coming." The word means to "give a black eye". He wasn't thinking of a literal black eye, but that it would make him look bad. Although the judge didn't regard God or man, he was concerned about his own reputation, and the persistence of this woman was not making him look good.
People were probably beginning to notice her persistence and probably starting to wonder why the judge did nothing.
This woman did not faint.
This woman did not lose heart or quit.
Why was that? She was looking beyond today to see, in her mind, the judge giving her justice. So, she could persist until she won her case.
We are told to persist in prayer.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing.
Philippians 4:6-7 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Why can we persist in prayer?
We can persist in prayer because God says to.
We can persist in prayer because we never run out of needs.
We can persist in prayer because continual, confident asking is a reflection of our faith.
We can persist in prayer, because God runs the universe, and if He doesn't mind listening, I shouldn't mind asking.
I can see beyond today to God answering my prayer.
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PRAYER - Vs. 1
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PERSISTENCE - Vss. 2-5
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PROMISE - Vss. 6-8
Vs. 6 - Jesus tells us to listen to what the unjust is saying. The unjust judge didn't care about justice and still answered the woman's request.
Vs. 7 - God is not like the unrighteous judge.
God cares about His elect.
Who are God's elect?
God's elect are the people who have come to God, God's way.
God says we are sinners who deserve punishment.
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death…
God's elect realize that Jesus died for their sins and that He rose again from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 - For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
God's elect have accepted Christ's payment for sin as the a free gift.
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
If you are a Christian, you are one of God's elect and you are a child of God. The promise here is that God will act much more graciously towards His children, than an unjust judge.
Even though there are times when we need to wait for God to act, we must realize that God has not forgotten us. He works out His answers in His time according to His will. God's silence is not an indication that He has not heard or that He is ignoring us.
As we persist faithfully in our prayers, God will "avenge" us or bring us justice.
Vs. 8 - When God acts, he will do so speedily and decisively.
There will be no doubts.
There was a lady who had tried to spread misinformation about me in our last church. She had left the church. Later, before we left to come to Mount Union, she came to see me and apologized.
I was able to close the "door" so to speak on this situation and experience some finality. God answered some prayers in the process. He made me wait, but when He worked there was no doubt.
I'd like us to take verse 8 as a personal challenge.
God promises to answer the persistent prayers of his elect.
If Jesus returns today, will He find you with faith?
Will he find you pouring out your heart on a regular basis in believing prayer?
My friend are you looking beyond today?
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PRAYER - Vs. 1
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PERSISTENCE - Vss. 2-5
WE CAN SEE BEYOND TODAY THROUGH PROMISE - Vss. 6-8