Todaywe will be looking at a new chapter, Luke chapter 18. Over 50 years ago when I was in BibleCollege in Lynchburg, I went to Winchester, Virginia, to be a part of startinga new church, Shenandoah Valley Baptist Church. Right after I graduated in1975, I became the senior pastor of the church. Shortly after that, I met adear friend who greatly influenced our lives and greatly encouraged andassisted us in my early days of ministry. His name was Dave Sisler.
Wewere very sorry and sad to hear that Dave went to be with the Lord earlier thisweek. He was someone who invested in us in many different ways. One of the wayshe tried to help us, I’ll never forget, was taking me and my brother-in-law,Ronnie Riggins, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, because we were getting ready toplant a new church up there. Ronnie was going to go up there and meet somepeople and start a church, and we were excited about that. So Dave took us upto Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and he introduced us to a man that he knew by thename of Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. Dave was involved in Amway in a really bigway, and Charlie Tremendous Jones was one of the top motivational speakers inthe world at that time and spoke at the Amway conventions. So Dave personallyknew him.
I’llnever forget our first meeting with Charlie Tremendous Jones there inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, in his bookstore with Ronnie Riggins and Dave. That’sa longer story, but Charlie Tremendous Jones, over the years, also became apart of the church that was started there with Ronnie, and became a friend ofours too. One of the things that Charlie was famous for saying is, “Two thingswill change your life more than anything else in the next five years are thepeople you meet and the books you read.”
Isaid all that to first give honor to my friend Dave Sisler. He’s going to begreatly missed by many people, especially his family, but also to make a point.The Bible is a book of people. If you want to learn the Bible, learn the peopleof the Bible. God introduces us to people in the Bible, and through thesepeople, the main person we meet is God Himself. When you meet people, you meetthem in their books, you meet them in their lives, you meet them in theirstories, and your life can be forever changed because. And especially throughthe people of the Bible, you meet God.
Now,in this story in front of us today in Luke chapter 18, Jesus is teaching alesson about prayer, that men ought always to pray, not to faint, not to giveup hope. This parable is teaching us that either we’re going to be praying, orwe’re going to be fainting, quitting, throwing up our hands, throwing in thetowel, and walking away from our Christianity. The importance and the power andplace of prayer that Jesus speaks about here is wonderful.
SoJesus told this parable, saying, “There was in a certain city a judge whodid not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city, and shecame to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would notfor a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear Godnor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest byher continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjustjudge said. And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry out day and night toHim, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge themspeedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on theearth?”
Forthe next few days, we’ll be talking about this parable and the three people inthis story that we’re going to meet: the widow lady, the unjust judge, and thewidow’s adversary. Through them, we’re going to hear and learn about how greatour God is to take care of us when we cry out to Him day and night.
Todayyou might think about who you’re going to meet and how you can influence theirlives or maybe how they might influence your life.
