Description

Luke 18:1-8 Don’t take “No” for an Answer

Luke 18:1-8 - One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes. 2 “There was a city judge,” he said, “a very godless man who had great contempt for everyone. 3 A widow of that city came to him frequently to appeal for justice against a man who had harmed her. 4-5 The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she got on his nerves.  “‘I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself, ‘but this woman bothers me. I’m going to see that she gets justice, for she is wearing me out with her constant coming!’” 6 Then the Lord said, “If even an evil judge can be worn down like that,7 don’t you think that God will surely give justice to his people who plead with him day and night? 8 Yes! He will answer them quickly! But the question is: When I, the Messiah, return, how many will I find who have faith and are praying

The Parable – Persistent Widow

Reason – Keep Praying

Characters

1. The Widow – most needy/helpless person in society
2. The Judge – didn’t care about God or people

The Encouragement is based on contrast between Judge & God

The “No” of God may come in things we want or request

1. Healings
2. Protections
3. Provisions
4. Plans

Things God wants are areas for us to persist in.  Keep Praying, Keep Praying, Keep Praying!!!

1. Salvation – 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them. 2 Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the Lord. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth: 5 That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, himself man, is between them to bring them together,6 by giving his life for all mankind. This is the message that at the proper time God gave to the world. 7 And I have been chosen—this is the absolute truth—as God’s minister and missionary to teach this truth to the Gentiles and to show them God’s plan of salvation through faith

2. Repentance – 2 Peter 3:9-10 -He isn’t really being slow about his promised return, even though it sometimes seems that way. But he is waiting, for the good reason that he is not willing that any should perish, and he is giving more time for sinners to repent. 10 The day of the Lord is surely coming, as unexpectedly as a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the heavenly bodies will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be burned up.

3. Forgiveness – Matthew 6:14-15- Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you; but if yourefuse to forgive them, he will not forgive 

4. Reconciliation – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 - All these new things are from God who brought us back to himself through what Christ Jesus did. And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into his favor and be reconciled to him. 19 For God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
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