Jesus would use parables often when teaching. A parable was oftentimes maybe a story that was fictional and yet took an everyday type of experience that people could say, well yeah, something like that happened to so-and-so, or it's an experience that they could relate to. Or maybe it was an object lesson and comparing something of everyday life to something spiritual. But a parable was Generally a fictional story but had one primary main truth that Jesus was trying to get across. Some of his parables can be confusing and extremely difficult to understand. But the parable that we just read here in Luke 18 is not one of those. Luke gives us the exact meaning and purpose in verse 1. Jesus taught this parable so that we will always pray and not lose heart. So the question is, with all the promises that God has given to us in his word, why would we give up? Why would we lose heart? Well, if we looked at Luke 17, and we won't take the time today to go into it in detail, But in Luke 17, just before Jesus gives us this parable, some Pharisees came to Him, and those are some of the religious leaders that were self-righteous in their own eyes. They came to Him and they asked Him to explain when the kingdom would come. And Jesus shocked them by saying the kingdom is already here, in one sense. That the kingdom is near. And yet He also then spent more time explaining how when the kingdom comes in its fullness, the day of the Lord, judgment is coming. The judgment day. And he compares that great and final day to the days of Noah and the judgment of God on the whole earth at that time. He also compares it to the judgment of God over Sodom and Gomorrah and the destruction of those cities. And so Luke 18, is both a warning about the day of judgment that is going to come, but it's also a call to pray and not lose heart. Don't give up. So I think it would be reasonable possibly to add a phrase to verse one to connect it with Luke 17 and say something like, because the judgment day is coming, we ought always to pray and not lose heart. Even though the purpose of the parable is plainly stated and easily seen, that doesn't mean necessarily that this has always been easily understood. It's obvious that the widow is supposed to represent us, right? That we are to cry out to God. But how can an unjust judge represent God? And that's the perplexing problem of this parable. Most of the parables were comparisons, such as the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which man found and hid and covered up. Or when he compared the Pharisees to the older son who resented the father's mercy that he showed to the younger prodigal son. Or when he compared the father to a shepherd who would leave the 99 sheep and go find that one lost lamb. However, the parable here in Luke 18 is not a comparison but a contrast. Jesus teaches us on the benefit of being persistent in prayer by telling us what God is not like. So let's start by considering God's character in contrast to the unjust judge. And then we'll see how we also are not like the widow, and yet should act like the widow when it comes to our prayer life. But first, let's consider the character of God. We must not lose heart because God is not like the unjust judge. The great day of judgment is coming when everyone is going to have to stand before God and give an account for what they have done and more importantly, what they have believed about his son, Jesus. But we don't have to worry or lose heart because our God is not like the unjust judge. We don't have to worry or lose heart. However, this encouragement is not only about the looming day of judgment that is to come, because there are times in our lives when we feel the dread of hopelessness. Some of us may feel like that today. Some of us may feel like that tomorrow or next week. In those moments or even seasons of our life, we may be tempted to think about God in ways that we shouldn't. When we're in a situation that seems hopeless, it is tempting to think that God doesn't care. That we're on our own to figure a way out. But is He like the unjust judge? Of course not. Verse 4, the judge admitted to himself that he did not care about people. He only served himself. Is our God like that? Of course not. The whole point of Jesus' story is to say our God is not like the unjust judge. Look at how he says it in verse 7. I love how the NIV translates that second question. It says, will he keep putting them off? The answers to these two questions are obvious. Yes, of course, God will hear and answer his children. And of course, God will not keep putting his children off. Jesus is obviously contrasting the Father with this unjust judge. If this judge, for his own selfish reasons, will give this widow justice, well then certainly our loving Heavenly Father will care for his children and give us justice. But when our situation seems hopeless, we can have a hard time believing that we are not on our own. It's very difficult to trust God and pray to Him with confidence and with thanksgiving. When the client is frustrated, when the sales team isn't producing like you think they should, when the lawsuit is still pending, when the illness is leading to death, when the storms of life rage, And they will for all of us at some point. When they are raging, it's difficult to pray with thanksgiving. It's difficult to believe that God hears us and is concerned for us and will answer us in a timely way. One of my favorite preachers once said, God is more willing to hear our prayer than we are to pray it. Our God is not like the unjust judge. However, when we're in a situation that seems hopeless, when we're tempted to despair because of the difficulty of the situation that we're in, we have a hard time believing that. In those moments, we must remember that Jesus says our God is not like that. In those moments, we must remember that He is still on the throne. He is not dealing with bigger problems than ours, and He's not interested in us. Absolutely not. It may feel like He's forgotten you, but our God is not like that. You see, the good news in this passage is that our God is more willing to hear our prayer than we are sometimes to even pray it. We must trust Him, and we must continue to pray. If you're in a situation that seems hopeless, you must understand how important this is because if you've lost hope, Jesus is telling you, pray. Keep on praying. Trust Him. Don't give up. Your Heavenly Father is still being gracious towards you. You just can't see it yet. Let me remind you of a story that Most of us have heard since we were little children the story of Jonah and his disobedience and being swallowed up by that great fish. There's a sentence in his prayer inside the belly of the fish that is often overlooked, but it's so important for us in this topic today. As he prayed within that belly of the great fish, as he prayed, Jonah was either thinking of the godless men in that boat, which is more likely, or thinking of himself When he said, those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Our God is a gracious God. He loves to give his children all that we need. And yet we are so prone to cling to worthless worldly situations and stop trusting God. He's not like the judge in this parable. The judge was unrighteous, ungracious, unloving, unmerciful, unkind, unjust. In contrast, our God is righteous. He is gracious, loving, merciful, kind, and just. As another example, listen to the hope of the psalmist as he recounts the anguishing situation in which he found himself Psalm 116. Listen to how this psalm opens. He said, I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and pleased for His mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. And then listen to His anguish. The snares of death encompassed me. The pangs of Sheol laid hold on me. I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord. Oh Lord, I pray, deliver my soul." Whatever the anguish, it was very real, totally devouring this believer. But then he remembers the character of his God, our God. He remembers what God is like. Listen to verse 5 and don't lose heart. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple. When I was brought low, He saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Yes, God loves you because you are His own child. If we cling to idols in our life, worthless idols, they will only cause more sorrow, not solutions. But God has promised He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. He'll never cast us to the side. So pray to Him. He's righteous. He's gracious, loving, merciful, kind, and just. Do not lose heart. Our God is not like the unrighteous judge. And that leads us to the second point. First, we don't lose heart because our God is not like the unjust judge. And then secondly, we must not lose heart because we are not like the widow. Now in a moment, we'll see how we should be like the widow in her actions, but we are not like the widow in her position. In other words, we are not helpless. When we're in a situation that seems hopeless and we cannot even get a prayer to pass our lips, we are tempted to think that we're in the same position as this widow, with no one to help. And did you hear what Jesus said about you? Listen again to what he said in verse 7. In Luke 18 verse 7, will not God give justice to his elect? I know that some of you had struggled with the idea of predestination, but for just a moment, set those objections to the side and listen to Jesus. This is not John Calvin. This is Jesus. Jesus is saying, don't you realize who you are? You're not a widow without resources. You're a child of God, a chosen child of God. God determined to set his love upon you before the foundation of the world, before you even existed. He loved you. He loved you so much that he sent his own son to die in your place and then he made you alive by putting his spirit within you. He forgave you of your sin and adopted you into his family. He made you a joint heir with Christ. I love that phrase, a joint heir. Some of you that go back a long time in this church will remember every Sunday we sang about being a joint heir with Jesus when my dad was your pastor. I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by his blood. Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod. For I'm part of the family, the family of God. Joint heirs with Jesus. When you're in a situation that seems hopeless, we may be tempted to sing a different song. The three men I admired most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, took the last train for the coast the day the music died. Another great song, but a horrible theology. Are you tempted to doubt God's love? Are you tempted to doubt your position in the family? He has not cast you out. You're his child. You're his child that he chose before the foundation of the world to set his love upon you. By the way, that's one of the benefits of the doctrines of predestination. Not so that we can argue about it, but so that when the storms of life hit us hard, you know that God still loves you. Jesus says there's good news in the midst of your pain. You're not in the same boat as that widow with an unjust judge. You're not helpless. You're a child of the king. Come to the king. Ask him for help. He loves you because he chose you. The unjust judge could not have cared less about that widow. But that's not the way it is with us and God. We are in a completely different position. We are not like the widow even though there are times that we feel like we have no hope. We are his chosen children. Now some of you really need this debate today because maybe you are tempted to give up. Maybe you are tempted to doubt him. Maybe there doesn't seem like there are any answers at all. Well, throughout this whole sermon so far, I've repeated a phrase multiple times. I've been very intentional with the way that I phrased it. I've repeated multiple times that we may be in situations that seem hopeless. There was a time in my life when I would have said that we may be in hopeless situations. There was a time when I did not grasp the greatness of God, and I still have a long way to go. But there are no hopeless situations. Yes, absolutely, there will be many times that we will feel like we're in a hopeless situation. It seems like a hopeless situation, but when we have a sovereign God who cares for us, there are no hopeless situations ultimately. I hope you can see the difference in that. To think that a situation is hopeless is to doubt the greatness of God. To question whether or not he is able to do what he claims to do. To doubt even our position in Christ. However, to cry to him because we are in a situation that seems hopeless is another way of telling God, I know that you have everything under control, but I don't see it. I know that you're good, but I don't see the answer. But I know that you have the answers. I'm crying to you because I trust in you. I don't see the hope. I don't see the answer. Please, O Lord, hear my prayer." That's a completely different response. The Apostle Paul, as many of you know, ended up in a Roman jail facing the possibility of having his head chopped off. When church history says that that's eventually how he did die. However, instead of worrying about dying, he prayed. In addition to praying, he wrote letters to encourage other Christians to continue to pray and not worry about their situations. Listen to what he said for one example in Philippians chapter four, a verse that is probably familiar to many of us, Philippians 4.6. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication. This is while he is imprisoned in Rome. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He says that we should not be anxious about anything The prescription for anxiety is prayer. However, the preventative to anxiety is found in a little phrase just before those verses. I started in verse 6, but if you back up to verse 4, Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always. I'll say it again. Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Then verse 5, The Lord is at hand, or the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything. It's the same thing that Jesus was teaching through this parable in Luke 17 and 18. You want to know what the kingdom is like? Well, it's right here already. It's here now. But there is coming a day of judgment when every knee will bow and everyone will have to give an account for all that they have said and done and what they have believed about the Messiah. The day of judgment is coming. But don't lose heart. Keep praying. Paul says the Lord is near. Don't be anxious about anything. But in everything, with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Don't give up. The Lord is near. He abides within you now. And a day is coming very soon that we will actually see Him Face to face. Now we also learn from the widow that we must pray and not give up and not lose heart. She did not quit asking for justice when it was denied the first time or the second time and just kept going. Have you ever asked God for something and he didn't answer immediately? There's no quick response? Of course you have. All of us have prayed like that. Did we quit praying? Well, if you did, that's a huge mistake because our God is not like the judge. You're not like the helpless widow. Don't quit. Keep praying. Many years ago, and I forget how many now, maybe a decade, I was blessed to be able to travel to West Africa with my brother to the Ivory Coast, and we saw things that, especially for me, it really challenged my comfort in my PCA bubble. The way that they worshiped, The way that they prayed. After every service, there were people who came forward to be saved. I mean, that was incredible. However, we also prayed for the sick at every service. Every worship service ended, or at least within a portion of it, the sick came forward and we laid hands and we prayed. I don't remember how many hundreds of people were in that auditorium, but when we would do that, there would be at least 50 to 75 people after every service that would come forward hoping for healing. We laid hands on as many as we could, and we prayed. At every service, several people of the 50 to 75 that said that they were healed, Now I confess to you that on that first night, I was totally skeptical. My skeptical American heart made it difficult to accept that it could be genuine. But night after night, by the end of the week, I finally realized just really how foolish I was. God was at work. Now I know a majority of you are probably just as skeptical as I am, Some of you may even be tempted to want to talk to me after the service and voice your skepticism. Well, let me just tell you now what I probably wouldn't have the courage to say to your face, don't give me your skepticism. You weren't there. All I can say is that God answered prayer and people were healed. Not everyone. Sadly, on the third day that we were there, the pastor began to fast and pray. because one of the leaders of the church that we had not had the privilege to meet, but one of the leaders of the church became very ill. And the pastor fasted and prayed that he would be healed. My brother and I were not able to go see him because of the type of sickness that he had, whatever it was, was very contagious. And they didn't want to put us at risk. So we prayed and the pastor prayed and he fasted for two days. I'm convinced that the pastor would have persisted in prayer. except that that man pass away. We are to pray and not give up until God answers. Sometimes His answer is not what we want, but it's always the answer that will give God the most glory. We were blessed that week, abundantly blessed to see many people respond to the gospel and believe the word of grace concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. We were so blessed to know that there will be many new faces in heaven because they received Christ that week. Together, we will see Jesus face to face. But we were also blessed to hear that one of his children got to see him face to face that week. His faith became sight. We prayed and we prayed that he would be healed. The pastor prayed and fasted and God said no. But he also said to his child, welcome home, my blessed child. Now there's at least one more question that some no doubt would have. Why do we have to persist? If God is so good, why won't He answer right away? Does He need to be persuaded by us? Well, of course not. We must pray expectantly every time we pray. We ought to pray and expect God to answer. But sometimes God's answer to our prayer is quick. It is a quick yes. But oftentimes, as we pray expectantly, we also must be willing to pray patiently because sometimes God says no. The Bible gives us several reasons why God would say no to our prayers. Two of them, or you can see very easily, such as in James 4, when we ask with the wrong motives to spend it on our own pleasure. God says, no, you haven't been heard. Or in Psalm 66, verse 18, when the psalmist admitted, if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. God will say no to our prayers if we're praying selfishly due to our own sinful actions or desires. But there are also times in which God says no, but is actually saying not yet. When he delays his answer, And then we come back to Luke 18. He is not being like the unjust judge. He is always loving, and always righteous, always just. But sometimes he may seem to be like that unjust judge, and we've got to keep pleading, and keep pleading, and hopefully we'll change his mind, but that's not what is happening. So why does God tell us to wait? Well, maybe our motives need to be purified. So he makes us wait. Maybe he's calling us to examine ourselves and to repent. So he's calling us to wait. It could be a multitude of reasons. Persistence can force us to recognize our selfish desires and turn away from them and to seek the glory of God. Persistence prepares us to receive God's answer. It also humbles us. So God alone gets the glory. Well, no matter how severe our situation may seem, we must not give up on our gracious God. We must keep on praying. We must keep believing and keep praying until God reveals what he's going to do for his own glory and for the good of his dearly loved children. Keep praying.