1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,440 Good morning again. It really is a delight to be 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:06,880 with you. Some of you might remember my 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,200 wife and I worshipped with you this past summer while I was on 4 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,440 sabbatical. We wanted to be at a church 5 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:19,160 where we could be edified, and we chose you. 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:25,320 We trusted your doctrine, we knew we would be edified by your 7 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:30,080 pulpit, and it was a delight to be with you this past summer. 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,600 The other reason I felt attracted to you was I learned 9 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,560 that Michael Abraham was going to be here, and he and I have 10 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,520 one thing in common. We are both half Indian. 11 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,800 And then I learned that one of your elders is half Indian. 12 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,400 And so in this room about 3% of the men are half Indian, and 13 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,800 that might be a record. It's one thing to go to the 14 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,120 Gospel Coalition Conference in with 6000 people, but this is 15 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,200 amazing. Is there anybody else out there 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,200 who is half Indian? All right, wonderful. 17 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,480 We have 1.5 Indians in this room. 18 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:07,440 At least turn with me to Luke 18, one through 8. 19 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,760 I chose this passage because I preached it probably 5 weeks ago 20 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:16,920 at the Bible Church. So it was pre prepared so that 21 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,880 that's that. But I wanted to choose a passage 22 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:25,800 that was basic. I love the adage that Alistair 23 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,440 Begg often says do the most important things most of the 24 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,920 time as best you can by God's grace. 25 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,560 So our church started our year with a four part series on the 26 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,160 basics. The basics that comprise 27 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,920 fellowship, fellowship ultimately with God and 28 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:47,840 fellowship with each other as the church. 29 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,160 I believe in the basics and I thought that would be good for 30 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:56,200 you in this season, not to get fancy, but to consider the 31 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,320 basics. And prayer is one of those 32 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,880 things. So I want to read our passage, 33 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:07,000 Luke 18 one through 8. And can I have you stand for the 34 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:13,480 reading of God's Word? Luke 18, one through 8. 35 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,920 And he, that is Jesus, told them a parable to the effect that 36 00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:21,920 they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 37 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,920 And he said, in a certain city there was a judge who neither 38 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:30,840 feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that 39 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,800 city who kept coming to him and saying, Give me justice against 40 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,000 my adversary. For a while he refused, but 41 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,640 afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor 42 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:47,400 respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will 43 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,560 give her justice so that she will not beat me down by her 44 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,920 continual coming. And the Lord said, Hear what the 45 00:02:54,920 --> 00:03:01,040 unrighteous judge says, And will not God give justice to his 46 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,880 elect, who cried to him day and night? 47 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:09,600 Will He delay long over them? I tell you He will give justice 48 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,280 to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of 49 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,480 Man comes, will we find faith on the earth? 50 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:21,520 This is the word of God, it is true, and it is given out of His 51 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,320 love. Let me pray, Father, I am a mere 52 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:33,160 mortal, finite and fallen, and so I come up here, presuming 53 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:38,680 upon Your power and grace, to work through me to deliver Your 54 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,920 word. Help me to be faithful to this 55 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:46,160 passage and to get it across. And I pray for anybody in 56 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:52,680 particular that truly and peculiarly needs this truth in 57 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,280 this passage. Would you open their hearts? 58 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,560 May they be transformed. In fact, I pray that we would 59 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:03,480 leave this room not merely informed but transformed by the 60 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:06,360 word Lord, we trust you to do this. 61 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,520 We thank you in advance. We pray this in Christ's name, 62 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,320 Amen. Please be seated. 63 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:17,360 So as I said, our our theme for the opening of this year at the 64 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:19,839 Bible Church was fellowship. Now we ordinarily preach through 65 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:21,959 whole books of the Bible, expository preaching. 66 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:26,640 This will be an exposition, but I wanted to hit these basics and 67 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:32,000 there's no greater fellowship, I think, in this life then prayer. 68 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:35,800 Prayer is fellowship. Prayer is intimacy with God. 69 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,840 Prayer is talking with the real God as the real you and vastly 70 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:42,960 important. I love this. 71 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:48,240 We do not seek God in texts over your phone or emails or any 72 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,360 other direct way. But God has given us the gift of 73 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,440 face to face fellowship with Him through prayer. 74 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,800 Think about that. Only Moses had that access in 75 00:04:57,800 --> 00:04:59,920 the Old Covenant. Now, because of the finished 76 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,640 work of Christ, we are invited to the holy place to fellowship 77 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:08,720 with God through prayer. So what is our goal this 78 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,080 morning? That we pray more. 79 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,480 Yes, for us to pray with increased depth. 80 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,560 Yes, for us to pray biblically, for sure. 81 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,040 But the ultimate goal, my ultimate goal is for you to 82 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:28,520 desire God Himself and that will be key to your prayer life. 83 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,040 You see, the glory of heaven is God. 84 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:37,520 Not perfect weather, not perennially cut lawns, but God 85 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,400 Himself. I I want you to know that and 86 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:46,240 feel that as we begin this morning in Luke 18, we will see 87 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:48,440 that prayer and history are connected. 88 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:53,120 As we look at context, there is this time orientation that Jesus 89 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,480 is speaking within. It is a urgent and mission 90 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:00,840 critical time, and already and not yet. 91 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,960 And we pray in the midst of that tension, that crisis time, that 92 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,480 waiting, that hoping, that loving, that steadiness, that 93 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,240 time of fellowship that is critical with God in prayer. 94 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:17,120 So along with what time is it, we will look at who is God? 95 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,680 As you think about what Jesus says there at the end, what will 96 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,200 the Son of Man find? What kind of faith he is really 97 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,560 talking about? Who will the people of God 98 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,760 believe God is according to his promises? 99 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:33,080 So we must know the time, we must know the character of God, 100 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,360 and ultimately we must desire God Himself. 101 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,240 So one thing I learned about your preaching the summer is you 102 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,800 love to get the main idea right out on the front. 103 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,680 So here it is. And then the rest of you can 104 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:47,160 tune out. All right, here it is. 105 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:52,000 Faithful fellowship with the generous God through prayer 106 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:54,520 strengthens the believer's heart. 107 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:58,680 Faithful fellowship with the generous God through prayer 108 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,040 strengthens the believer's heart. 109 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,680 And at the end, we're going to get very practical on how to 110 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,000 apply that to our lives. So go with me back to the 111 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,840 passage. Little bit of context. 112 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,720 We are in the journey to Jerusalem, the big middle 113 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,240 section of the Gospel of Luke, 9 to 19. 114 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:21,840 In Luke prayer is mentioned 20 times in our section, kind of 115 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,400 the bulk of chapters around us, we have a prevailing question, 116 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,040 how can one enter the Kingdom of God. 117 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:34,320 So chapter 18 in many ways is answering that with our passage 118 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:39,800 about faithful prayer, followed by humble prayer, followed by 119 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,480 childlike dependency and then finally forsaking all for 120 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,920 Christ, including our earthly treasure. 121 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,560 Jesus in our passage uses a parable. 122 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:54,280 Now things, the thing about parable is often they are taught 123 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:58,560 as Jesus likes to use stories because humans perk up when we 124 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:00,480 hear a story. And that's true. 125 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,800 There's something powerful about a story connecting truth to the 126 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:05,720 heart. But if you read the purpose of 127 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,040 parables like going back to Mark 5, that's not really the point. 128 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,360 A parable is purposely obscure. It's a test. 129 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,600 It's a sieve. Jesus says if you have ears to 130 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:18,720 hear, then you're going to move into the parable to try and 131 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:20,640 figure it out. But if you don't have ears to 132 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,120 hear, you're going to get frustrated and move on. 133 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:27,880 So take that into account. Jesus is using a parable which 134 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:31,360 goes with this question of will the Son of Man find faith? 135 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,159 Will you apply that to this actual parable? 136 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,480 So the parable is a test. Do we hunger for the Son of Man 137 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,720 to come again? Do we groan for redemption? 138 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:47,120 Do we believe in the grace and love of God in this moment of 139 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,040 crisis? And so that will help us define 140 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:55,440 faith and prayer because earnest faith erupts in honest prayer. 141 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,440 So here's the structure this morning we will look at an 142 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:04,640 urgent time, then a bad judge, and then finally a true God, an 143 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,280 urgent time, a bad judge and a true God. 144 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,960 So first an urgent time. We need to understand the 145 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:12,720 purpose of this parable and I love it. 146 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,320 Jesus just tells us right there in verse 1. 147 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,720 He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to 148 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,960 pray and not lose heart. OK, so I want you guys, my 149 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,040 disciples, to always pray and not lose heart. 150 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,400 But we also need to understand the greater context. 151 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,960 This is really important. We got to go back to chapter 17 152 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:38,160 where five times Jesus mentions the Son of Man in verse 222426 153 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:40,800 and 30, and then again right at the end of our passage. 154 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,840 This Son of Man title is coming from Daniel 7 and 8. 155 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:48,840 That was a crisis time. Daniel is a key figure. 156 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:51,720 The people of God are hungering for justice. 157 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,400 So this divine figure, the Son of Man, brings justice to God's 158 00:09:55,400 --> 00:10:00,800 praying people who are in exile. Right at the end of chapter 17, 159 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,680 Jesus talks about the end times, and he looks at the unfaithful 160 00:10:04,680 --> 00:10:07,640 person at the end times and the faithful person at the end 161 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,080 times. Again, this is verse 8. 162 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,920 Tying back to that. What will the Son of Man find? 163 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,200 So the days will come. The Son of Man must suffer. 164 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:21,560 Jesus says followers will long for his appearing, so prayer in 165 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:25,320 this parable is about praying urgently in an urgent time for 166 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:29,120 God's righteousness to be known in the waiting period and the 167 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:32,400 mission critical period. This woman is not representing 168 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,760 our desires for our car to start in the morning OK, or our flu to 169 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,600 go away. This is about God being faithful 170 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,520 to His church to fulfill its gospel mission. 171 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:49,120 However, in contrast to that, often today, especially as 172 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,920 modern Christians in America, our temptation is to live in the 173 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:56,240 ever present. Now we are weighed down, we are 174 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:00,360 even hurt often things by by things in the past, distracted 175 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,280 and often numbed in the present with little vision of the 176 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,920 redemption and healing power of the ultimate future. 177 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:13,440 So if as Christians we are not to be bound by the ever present 178 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,520 now what then? Well, we've already seen it in 179 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,960 chapter 17, and it is implied in our passage here in this 180 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:23,000 parable. We are in this already and not 181 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,920 yet in the middle of that. Some of God's promises have been 182 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,760 fulfilled big time, but many of them are yet to be fulfilled. 183 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,520 And so we wait, and we must live by faith. 184 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:36,720 We are in the delay of the fullness of the Kingdom. 185 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,920 So what is God that doing? One day soon Jesus will be 186 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:46,200 lifted up in the book of Acts. After he has been lifted up, we 187 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,000 are seeing the disciples trust him as he's gone back to the 188 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,800 Father and he sent his Spirit in the waiting time and the mission 189 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,840 critical time. They are trusting in the 190 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:58,080 promises of Jesus and so they pray. 191 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,120 They cling to those promises through prayer without losing 192 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:04,080 heart. They applied this parable. 193 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:08,160 So key in laying out your foundation for prayer is twofold 194 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:12,000 #1 believer, get your true clock out. 195 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:16,440 Look around the time is coming, the headlines. 196 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:18,560 See it all in Peter's prayer this morning. 197 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:22,560 All the distress and anguish of these final days. 198 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:28,840 Now I, I get it back in a moment where most of you cannot 199 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,840 remember because you were not born yet, the 70s and the 80s, 200 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,960 there was a lot of thinking about the end times and there 201 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,400 was charts and they were color-coded and it got a little 202 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:40,520 bit wacky. And you don't need to worry. 203 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:43,040 I'm, I'm not saying we should go back to that. 204 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,920 However, the pendulum has swung so far to the other side that 205 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,720 many modern Christians do not consider that we are in the 206 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:56,000 final days and consequently, they are not hopeful and they're 207 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,600 not hungering for the Lord to return. 208 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,000 But this is all over the New Testament. 209 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,240 That was the mindset, that was the clock, if you will, of the 210 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,640 early church. So it's not about charge. 211 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,880 It's not about speculation. It's not out opting out of 212 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,520 engaging this world. No, to be on mission well and 213 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,520 empowered in this world is the hunger for the Son of Man to 214 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,480 return, to restore, to bring heaven. 215 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:23,760 That needs to be the object of our prayer life. 216 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:27,160 So get your clock out. Number two, pray heaven to 217 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,080 earth. So Jesus is starting way up here 218 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:34,200 in the cosmic realities, like our time orientation needs to 219 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:37,920 take eternity and the future into account. 220 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,160 So prayer should start with the top down. 221 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:41,720 We prayed the Lord's Prayer this morning. 222 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,040 I love it. It's a great model, starting 223 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:48,320 with the Kingdom and the glory of God and then working your way 224 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,000 down there, praying heaven down to earth for the Son of man to 225 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,240 come. And then you can talk about your 226 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:58,040 term paper with the Lord or your cold or your stressful day. 227 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:03,880 Start with the cosmic reality in in light of the time we're in. 228 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:10,040 But if you are still struggling with prayer, one more aspect. 229 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,160 We see it in the next passage. I'm I'm not going to exposit 230 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:17,040 that, but quickly. Prayer is also fueled by grace. 231 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:21,160 We have two people also compared in that passage. 1A 232 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:26,120 self-righteous religious leader and another a tax collector who 233 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:30,080 understands that he is a Sinner. It is a contrast of self 234 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:32,560 righteousness versus humility and grace. 235 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,560 And Jesus says self-righteous prayers are not heard because 236 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:40,640 they are not in fact prayers. They're false beliefs put to 237 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:44,480 words. Humility is a massive part of a 238 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,040 rich prayer life. So we need to know the time. 239 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:51,320 We need to know the time, but we also need to know the real God. 240 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:54,720 And so that's where we're going to have this comparison between 241 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:58,240 a bad judge and a true God. So will you turn with me then to 242 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,520 verses 2 through 5, A bad judge, a bad judge. 243 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,320 We have the cast of characters. It's it's simple. 244 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:06,920 We have this judge and we have a widow. 245 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:11,640 The judge is clearly ungodly. He is transdressing the word of 246 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:15,640 God. I think Second Chronicles 19, 247 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,920 six through 7 might be the background of this teaching. 248 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:23,960 There we have King Jehoshaphat, who's been rebuked, and now he 249 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,120 is ready to repent and live correctly before God. 250 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:32,080 And so he exhorts, he is exhorted to serve the Lord, and 251 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,040 he appoints judges throughout the land, and he commissions 252 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,200 them with these words. Second Chronicles 19, six and 253 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,160 seven. Consider what you do for you 254 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:43,080 judge not for man, but for the Lord. 255 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,440 He is with you in giving judgement. 256 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,200 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. 257 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:51,880 Be careful what you do, for there's no justice with the Lord 258 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:54,880 our God, or partiality or taking bribes. 259 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,920 There's no injustice, I should say, with the Lord our God or 260 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:01,840 partiality or taking bribes. I, I think the language of this 261 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,560 parable goes right along with that. 262 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:08,960 And so Jesus is saying the judge in this parable is unlike those 263 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:11,600 judges. In fact, there's all this 264 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,840 teaching and Exodus and Deuteronomy and other places 265 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:16,920 about taking care of the widow and the orphan. 266 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:22,040 This judge is very ungodly. But then we have this widow. 267 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,200 She is one of the most vulnerable people in the ancient 268 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,280 Near East, legally, economically, relationally. 269 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:30,640 In this passage, she is a victim. 270 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,640 And she, as we'll talk about in a second, I think represents us, 271 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,880 the church. The judge is supposed to look 272 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,480 out for her. But perhaps he is more immoral 273 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:46,000 than her oppressor. He finally acts after the button 274 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:47,840 of self-interest is pushed enough. 275 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,640 He literally says in the passage, I feel like she's just 276 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,080 going to punch me in the face, so I'm just going to get on with 277 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:58,080 it and give her justice. There is no love in his wake. 278 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,400 There's no guarantee of future grace. 279 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,599 I think the judge represents the fallen leaders of God's people, 280 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,359 other authorities that should have aided God's people, the 281 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:13,599 Pharisees, fallen shepherds. In fact, this morning, right 282 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:16,440 now, I would like some of you to insert that Christian leader, 283 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,920 that pastor, that denomination, that theological camp, that 284 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,680 parent or that household that has let you down, that was 285 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:29,560 supposed to point you to Christ. Is your view of God more defined 286 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:34,240 by that human or that institution rather than God 287 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:38,440 himself? The point of this parable, the 288 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,600 point that gets us to pray continually and not lose heart, 289 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:48,200 is this doctrinal truth. God is not like this judge. 290 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:54,000 God is not like this judge. So what is the real God like? 291 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,840 I am so glad you asked. That brings us to our Third 292 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:02,960 Point, a true God, a true God. Let me read verses 6 through 8 293 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,440 again. And the Lord said, hear what the 294 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:10,320 unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to 295 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,720 his elect, who cried to him day and night? 296 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:17,240 Will he delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice 297 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,520 to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of 298 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:24,880 Man comes, will he find faith on earth? 299 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:29,120 OK, we have a shocking contrast here. 300 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:35,200 We have the shocking contrast between verses 6 and seven and I 301 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,040 missed it the first time. I preach this. 302 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:42,520 So everybody 15 years old and younger, I get it, 6-7. 303 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,440 All right, we got that done. Moving on. 304 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:52,880 Listen to the unrighteous judge. He is self-serving, beaten down, 305 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:58,880 wanting his own relief. And Pastor Jesus this morning is 306 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:03,400 asking us, is that the way you kind of think about God? 307 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:06,600 Is that the way you kind of think about God? 308 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:13,040 So will the real God stand up? And so from this passage, 309 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:17,920 especially these verses, they're two powerful truths to believe 310 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:26,000 about God #1 the real God gives justice to his elect, His elect, 311 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:30,400 His people, His chosen people. Elect is not a word to fear. 312 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:34,200 It is not a word to qualify to death or to disown as an 313 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,600 embarrassing word sometimes found in the Bible. 314 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:41,960 But election is so important to our understanding of God's 315 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,200 loyalty to us. Brothers and sisters, before the 316 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:49,520 foundations of the world, God set His love upon you. 317 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:55,000 God did not mock you by inviting a stone to believe, but God gave 318 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,200 you a heart of flesh, opened your eyes, unstopped your ears 319 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:03,200 so you could see the glory of Christ as it was shining in your 320 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,680 heart. Therefore, you are a child of 321 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:10,640 God. God is a perfect Father, or let 322 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:15,200 me put it this way, God has attached His glory to your good. 323 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,720 God has attached His glory to your good. 324 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:23,480 Do you believe that when you cry out to Him, you do not need to 325 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:27,200 fear that you were barely hanging on by a thread to God's 326 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,720 good graces? No, He is attached His glory to 327 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:35,800 your good, for you are one of His chosen sons or daughters. 328 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,720 The real God gives justice to His elect. 329 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:44,440 But #2 the real God is always on time. 330 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,760 The real God is always on time. Did you see that? 331 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:51,720 He will not delay. He will speedily give justice. 332 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,720 Friends, here is an axiom you can put in your back pocket. 333 00:20:55,720 --> 00:21:00,320 God is never late, but he won't show up early either. 334 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:06,400 God is always on time. Backed up to the Red Sea and the 335 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,760 Egyptian army in the rearview on time. 336 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:16,920 Jesus waiting two days, then traveling for two days after he 337 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:21,280 hears about Lazarus such that Lazarus has been dead for four 338 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,160 days by the time he gets to Bethany. 339 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,640 On time. Jesus crying out to the Father. 340 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,840 If it is your will, make this cup pass for me. 341 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:35,440 What is the answer? You will go to the cross and you 342 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:39,440 will die upon it. And then on the third day, I 343 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:44,560 will raise you from the dead on time, child of God. 344 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:50,520 Do you fear God is tarrying? Do you feel he is late? 345 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,080 Do you fear that he is not caring for you? 346 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:58,440 We sang it this morning. What a friend we have in Jesus. 347 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,120 All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry 348 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:06,600 everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. 349 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,320 Oh, what needless pain to we bear, all because we do not 350 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:13,200 carry everything to God in prayer. 351 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:16,400 Do you believe that God has other favorites? 352 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:18,960 That you are the runt of the litter? 353 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,360 Oh believer, all of us are his favorites. 354 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,520 So have we trials and temptations. 355 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:31,000 Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. 356 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:35,760 Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful 357 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:41,600 who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, 358 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:43,920 so take it to the Lord in prayer. 359 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,680 And so here we come to verse 8. The bottom line of faith. 360 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,360 Faith is not some abstract thing out there. 361 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:56,920 It is not some muscle we flex. Faith is clearly defined in the 362 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:01,160 Scriptures as taking God at His word, taking God at His word. 363 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:07,040 And so as Jesus says in conclusion, when the Son of Man 364 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,440 comes, will he find faith on the earth? 365 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:14,880 He is asking us, his people, are you trusting the revealed word 366 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:18,360 of God, the promises of God? OK, context is key. 367 00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:22,160 Again, go with me to the very end of chapter 17. 368 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,840 Jesus is talking about the end times and those who trust Him 369 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,920 and those who don't, OK, those who have faith and those who 370 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:30,840 don't. And look at verse 33 of chapter 371 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:33,800 17. Whoever seeks to preserve his 372 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:38,680 life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 373 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,600 That is what the believer must abide in. 374 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:47,720 In the final days, the crisis days, the already not yet days, 375 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:52,480 will we take God at His word because we desperately need His 376 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:59,360 promises to live the life of loss, to really believe that the 377 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:04,600 life of gain beyond our wildest imagination is awaiting us in 378 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,120 the world to come. We need to be like Jesus because 379 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:11,760 that is exactly the beliefs in the pattern of Jesus. 380 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:15,640 Back to the Garden of Gethsemane, which I would argue 381 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,120 is the new garden of the New Covenant to restore Eden. 382 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:24,960 Jesus is there praying in desperation to His Father, but 383 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:26,600 He is not praying out of unbelief. 384 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:32,960 He was standing on belief. He was the man of faith, and He 385 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,880 took His Father at His word. I believe Jesus was trusting in 386 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:41,160 the clear, revealed promises of God, places like Psalm 62. 387 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,000 For God alone my soul waits in silence. 388 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:48,440 From Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock, and my 389 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:52,040 salvation my fortress. I shall not be greatly shaken, 390 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:57,760 or Joel chapter 225. I will restore to you the years 391 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:01,040 that the swarming locusts has eaten. 392 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:06,400 He believes the Father, that his death for the sins of the world 393 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,200 would bring salvation to God's people. 394 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,000 That he would be raised on the third day, That he would be 395 00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:14,200 glorified before the nations, a victor over sin, death, and the 396 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,000 devil. That he would be seated in 397 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:19,000 heaven at the right hand, ruling over heaven and earth. 398 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,440 He believed that, so he went to the cross. 399 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:27,920 So we follow the Savior. We follow in the pattern of 400 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:33,720 losing in this life for His name because we trust in the greater 401 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:38,400 gain in the world to come. And so again, looking back at 402 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:43,520 verse 8, when he says the Son of Man comes, you see that is the 403 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,680 crisis of faith. We sometimes wonder, will he 404 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:50,160 come? And Jesus says it right there in 405 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,960 verse 8. He is going to come. 406 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,480 He's going to restore. He's going to usher in the 407 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,000 Kingdom. That is a done deal. 408 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,520 So the question then for the disciple for Trinity Baptist 409 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,640 Church this morning is, do you believe it? 410 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:11,920 And if God will bring ultimate justice, will you trust him at 411 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:18,280 every step along the way? God is never late, He's never 412 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:21,120 early, He's always on perfect time. 413 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,920 Then if we believe this, maybe, just maybe, you and I will spend 414 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:31,000 far less energy and time on fear or managing our life in the 415 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:37,400 flesh and instead we trust God and enjoy praying because it is 416 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:43,200 fellowship with Him. Remember Luke 7/17/21? 417 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,200 Go there with me. Jesus is talking about where do 418 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:52,040 you find the Kingdom of God? He says, nor will they say, look 419 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:56,080 here it is, we're there. But behold, the Kingdom of God 420 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:58,600 is in the midst of you. What does he mean when he says 421 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:00,560 that the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you? 422 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:02,800 You don't need to be going looking for it. 423 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:07,680 What does he mean? He's the Kingdom, He's it. 424 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:13,440 Are you hungering for justice? Are you, are you hungering for 425 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,320 the ailments of this world to be done, for the tears to be wiped 426 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:18,960 away? You're hungering for the 427 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:23,680 Kingdom, yes, but in doing so, you're ultimately hungering for 428 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,160 Jesus. And Jesus has given of himself 429 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,640 in full. He is our desire. 430 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:33,520 So do you know the time? Do you believe in the real God? 431 00:27:34,360 --> 00:27:42,320 And do you want God himself? So I want to take this then from 432 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:48,160 this passage from theology to the shoe leather reality of our 433 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,440 lives. And I don't usually do this. 434 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,000 I I did this during the series, but I'm going to ask a series of 435 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,800 questions that bring application from this passage to us. 436 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,720 So here is the first question. What is the starting point for 437 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,720 rich prayer life? I don't want to assume all of 438 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:06,920 you have been walking with the Lord for decades. 439 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,520 Some of you might be fairly new Christians, So what is a 440 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:13,760 starting point for a rich prayer life in light of the vision of 441 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:17,200 this passage? First, I think it is important 442 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,720 to acknowledge the brush that must be cleared. 443 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:27,080 Like Jesus is teaching on money and other idols, Growing in a 444 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,600 rich prayer life is looking at your heart and looking at what 445 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:33,360 it may trust more than God right now. 446 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:37,920 What are the root issues that are replacing what prayer should 447 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:41,800 be in the Christian life? Are you converted but 448 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:45,280 functionally depend upon your own talents and time and 449 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,560 creativity and money to get through? 450 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:51,640 I I think you like the Bible Church are full of really gifted 451 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:56,040 people. That's wonderful used for the 452 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,320 Kingdom of God, but it can be dangerous at the same time. 453 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,160 Are you medicating and finding resolve in food and drink and 454 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:06,840 technology and maybe sexual pleasure or other toxins rather 455 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:12,200 than going to God in prayer? Or by contrast, do you have an 456 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,160 unrighteous judge, quite frankly, in your brain that you 457 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,600 pray to? Maybe not as exaggerated as a 458 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:21,480 judge in this parable, but something kind of like that in 459 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,560 your mind when you think about God, and thus you've become 460 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,640 discouraged or even embittered toward prayer. 461 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:31,920 Then here is the question of questions. 462 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:40,640 Do you want God for God's sake? Prayer is not technique, it is 463 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:44,680 not a tool. Prayer is intimacy with God. 464 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:51,360 Parents, if they haven't asked you already, eventually your 465 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:56,120 children, especially in a family with big God theology, is going 466 00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:00,960 to ask you if God knows the future and he knows everything 467 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,640 you need and you don't need to tell him, and you're not going 468 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,120 to manipulate God, God is going to do what he's going to do. 469 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:09,040 Why do we need the prayer and ask him, Pray and ask him for 470 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:13,280 things and he, so here's the answer for free. 471 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:19,480 You're welcome. We pray because God wants to use 472 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:24,320 our prayers in the context of intimacy with us and fellowship 473 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:29,000 with us to do his work. And I think that's going to be 474 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,200 very satisfying to your children. 475 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:33,640 By the way, there's a bunch of young couples in this room. 476 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:35,920 You haven't had kids yet. Don't wait too long. 477 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:38,480 Start by the minivan and they will come. 478 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:43,120 All right, so get, get going. I love that. 479 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,800 I love that God can do what he wants to do without us. 480 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,080 So why pray? Because prayer forms us in 481 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:52,240 Christ as we fellowship with the triune God in prayer. 482 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,640 God, God can drop cash from heaven, He can bring justice, 483 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,160 healing, sanctification, provide and bless without our prayers, 484 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,440 but He chooses to use our prayers so that His answers are 485 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,520 never void of a love relationship with Him. 486 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,640 I think that is very attractive to the human heart. 487 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:14,400 Into prayer #2 this is new to me. 488 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,440 How do I start? Again, some of you might be very 489 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:19,160 young Christians, but I found that this has been helpful for 490 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,760 me, and I've been a Christian since I think I was 5. 491 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,640 If this is a Baptist Church. So I'm going to alliterate. 492 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:30,680 All right, there you go. Number one, start, start, end of 493 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,880 point #2 structure. Have some structure to your 494 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,160 prayer life. I I do believe morning is a good 495 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:41,200 time. Praying at the end of the day, 496 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,400 great, but I do think it's really good. 497 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:47,360 Start your day with some extended time in morning prayer. 498 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,320 One thing that might help you is getting a piece of paper or 499 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:53,680 three by 5 card and just begin to jot out the needs. 500 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:56,440 The needs in your own life, the needs in your family life, the 501 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,640 needs in your friend's life, the needs of Trinity Baptist Church 502 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,280 right now. That helps give some structure. 503 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,640 I think there's some really helpful books out there on just 504 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:11,240 the beauty of of prayer. These are both by Paul Miller 505 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:15,480 and they've been helpful for me. The 1st is a praying life, a 506 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:19,960 praying life, and the second is a praying church by Paul Miller. 507 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:25,680 So start, have some structure. 3 spontaneous. 508 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,120 I do think it's really good just to talk with God throughout the 509 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:31,720 day. Pray throughout the day in short 510 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:33,520 bursts as things come to your mind. 511 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,200 Pray. Pray out loud in the car. 30 512 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:40,880 years ago you looked crazy. Now people think you're just 513 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,040 talking to somebody over Bluetooth. 514 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:45,720 So young people, it's so much easier. 515 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:51,680 Talk to God throughout the day. You are friends with the living 516 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:54,560 God. You are a lover of Christ, 517 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,640 filled with the Holy Spirit, invited into his throne room 518 00:32:57,960 --> 00:32:59,680 throughout the day. Pray to him. 519 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:05,480 So start structure, spontaneous and finally serious. 520 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,080 Be serious about the power of prayer. 521 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,960 And this morning, may I touch on temptation. 522 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:21,880 Prayer in temptation is a canvas for God to paint His power and 523 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:24,920 His glory. And may I get personal with you 524 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,840 this morning. I am an outside pastor. 525 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,240 I am not your pastor, but sometimes you can hear it 526 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:32,720 differently from an outside voice. 527 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:38,200 Brothers and maybe some sisters, some of you are besieged with 528 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:45,120 bondage to pornography. Beloved, in the moment of 529 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:52,160 temptation, stop and pray. Ask for God to arrive and 530 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,360 deliver. Ask for a holy mind. 531 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,840 In the moment, I believe he will do it. 532 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:04,720 He will do it. There's a famous story in our 533 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:10,199 family's life that I have a child who hated vegetables and 534 00:34:10,199 --> 00:34:14,600 fruit, and to this day he hates vegetables and fruit. 535 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:18,239 So one morning when he was much younger, I was driving him to 536 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:20,800 school. I won't name him, but I I said, 537 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:26,639 O child of mine, why don't you just pray that the Lord will 538 00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:30,199 give you an appetite for fruits and vegetables? 539 00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:34,000 And immediately he said no. I said, why? 540 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:39,560 Because then he would answer the prayer and I don't want to like 541 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,840 fruits and vegetables. He has no guile to this day. 542 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:50,040 And I think it is the truth when it comes to temptation of all 543 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:54,480 sorts, not least sexual temptation, it is a test. 544 00:34:55,199 --> 00:35:00,560 Do we really want to obey the Lord if you ask him? 545 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:02,240 In fact, there's a scriptural promise. 546 00:35:02,240 --> 00:35:06,360 First Corinthians 10/13 When you are tempted, no temptation is 547 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:08,800 seized you except what is common to man. 548 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,200 God will always provide a way out. 549 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:16,720 Will you take Him up on that? He will remove the temptation in 550 00:35:16,720 --> 00:35:20,800 that moment and then for the long term over the big war, not 551 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,680 just the battle. Definitely be praying for a new 552 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:28,160 character, new affections, a love for Christ that drives out 553 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:31,880 loves that drive sexual sin, which by the way, has a hundred 554 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:33,680 other things often attached to it. 555 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:39,000 Be serious about the power of prayer. 556 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:44,040 Third question, how do I make sure prayer is not just a 557 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:50,000 vending machine approach to God? So that's one ditch that we 558 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,240 don't want to fall into. God is a vending machine. 559 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:58,080 Yet another ditch is that we do not actually ask boldly because 560 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,000 we lack faith in a God who can do anything. 561 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:04,360 So we need to live between those two ditches of treating God like 562 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:08,400 a vending machine, but also not going to God enough, trusting in 563 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:11,040 his mighty power. So my friends, look at the 564 00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:17,160 Scriptures. Look at the scriptures, jot down 565 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:19,320 every time you see prayer, and take note. 566 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:24,080 Our church has been challenged to memorize Ephesians 314 to 21. 567 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:26,880 I've been memorizing it. I've been praying over myself, 568 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:31,200 my family, my church, going to the Father from whom every 569 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,320 family on heaven and earth has been named, asking for His 570 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:39,560 strength, believing He can do far more than we ask or think by 571 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:42,920 the power at work within us. Do you believe that kind of 572 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:44,920 stuff? Do you pray like that? 573 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:48,960 And then coupled with wanting God for God's sake in prayer, 574 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:52,680 going to prayer because it's fellowship with God, you stick 575 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:55,920 beautifully between the two poles of treating God like a 576 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:59,720 vending machine and not going boldly to the God who can do 577 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,880 everything. I would encourage you as you 578 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:07,120 read Scripture to pray over the passage. 579 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:09,720 That's one of the things that helps me focus in the morning, 580 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,440 not just getting through the content, but praying that God 581 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,640 would conform me to the truth of that passage. 582 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,680 That if there is a promise in that passage, I would believe 583 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:23,920 that promise that day. I would also encourage you to do 584 00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:25,760 that with strong Christian books. 585 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:29,680 I am rereading JC Ryles Holiness right now and as I read it, I am 586 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,240 asking God to conform me to the truths of that book. 587 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:40,760 Pray in the middle Rd. trusting in the bigness of God and 588 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:47,200 wanting prayer because it's fellowship with God #4 #4 if 589 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:51,880 prayer is fellowship with God, but also fellowship with his 590 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,240 people. How does prayer connect us to 591 00:37:54,240 --> 00:37:59,400 the body of Christ? Well, it is essential for 592 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,400 Christian community, not least the local church. 593 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:08,840 I love it that you have Sunday evenings set aside for a prayer 594 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:12,040 service if there's something else you want to pray for. 595 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:13,920 The Bible church is that we will grow in prayer. 596 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:15,560 Tonight we actually have a prayer service. 597 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:23,480 But you need to keep growing and connecting with each other by 598 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:26,640 means of praying to God like the individual. 599 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,760 Churches should start, have structure, be spontaneous, and 600 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:34,200 be utterly serious. Two quick applications. 601 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:37,000 This is something I've been starting to do in the last 602 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,520 couple of years. When someone asks me to pray for 603 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:43,560 them, I actually stop and pray for them. 604 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:47,240 It just takes a minute. Often we say, Oh yes, I'll pray 605 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:48,760 for your brother, I'll pray for your sister. 606 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:52,160 We might pray later. Often we forget. 607 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,480 If someone asks you to pray, stop right then and there. 608 00:38:55,480 --> 00:39:02,040 Take a minute, pray for them and then pray for a praying church. 609 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,400 One of the things that stuck with me in Paul Miller's book, 610 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:07,760 as he said, before you do a prayer campaign, pastor before 611 00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:11,240 you get that out there and start structures and have leaflets to 612 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:14,400 hand out, start to pray that you would have a praying church. 613 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:17,680 I meet with my assistant once a week. 614 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,440 We talked about, you know, some of the operational stuff, but 615 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:24,400 then we prayed together and she prayed something that really hit 616 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:26,480 home with me. She would, she prayed that our 617 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:28,880 church would be known as a praying church. 618 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,480 It's so interesting. Outside of Spurgeon's 619 00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:36,040 Metropolitan Tabernacle in Victorian London, I have 620 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:40,600 actually never heard of a church described as a praying church. 621 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:45,240 I sometimes hear churches described as big or strong 622 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:52,600 pulpit or great music, or rich programming, or evangelistic or 623 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:56,120 justice oriented. We're multiethnic, and all of 624 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:59,760 those are wonderful, but I've never heard of a church marked 625 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:06,480 by prayer. Oh, that God would meet you and 626 00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:12,240 the Bible church in that way. In terms of the unity and 627 00:40:12,240 --> 00:40:14,840 mission. Churches that pray together for 628 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,600 the glory of God and the advance of the gospel are often 629 00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:23,480 protected from spiritual attack, sinful fracturing, cultural 630 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,120 swaying. And distractions by lesser 631 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:27,880 things. So I know you're a praying 632 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:31,040 church. Keep doing that, especially in 633 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:35,320 this season. Pray all the more so that God 634 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:38,560 would strengthen you and protect you in this moment of 635 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:41,440 transition. And then I haven't even touched 636 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:45,400 on how prayer effects marriages. We're families, we're 637 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:50,760 workplaces. My mom would often struggle with 638 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:56,040 sleeping at night, and she said rather than just trying to count 639 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:59,720 sheep, she just decided to pray for her children. 640 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:02,520 Both of us are walking with the Lord. 641 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:07,160 That would encourage you. Parents, pray for them, 642 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,280 especially when you lose sleep over them. 643 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:13,920 By the way, you young families, you never stop worrying. 644 00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:17,760 You're welcome. Pray, pray, pray. 645 00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:24,400 Beloved, isn't it such sweet news that we never have to 646 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,160 repeat a request because we think that the quality of a 647 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,640 prayer is dependent on the quantity of words? 648 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:33,440 We never have to repeat a request because we think that 649 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:37,640 God is ignorant and needs to be informed, or not ignorant, at 650 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:40,640 least He is, but he is unconcerned and therefore needs 651 00:41:40,640 --> 00:41:43,720 to be aroused. We never have to repeat our 652 00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:46,520 prayers because we believe that God is unwilling to answer and 653 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:50,280 we must prevail upon Him somehow, transforming a hard 654 00:41:50,280 --> 00:41:52,600 hearted God into a compassionate, loving one. 655 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:56,080 We never have to repeat a petition because we think that 656 00:41:56,080 --> 00:42:00,160 God will be swayed in His decision by our putting on a 657 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:04,080 show of zeal and piety, as if God cannot see through the thin 658 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:09,400 veil of our hypocrisy. No, we come to God on the basis 659 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:17,120 of our election with Him, that He is our Father who loves to be 660 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:23,520 with us, to listen to us, to use our prayers as the vehicle of 661 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,920 His glorious work. So beloved are we weak and heavy 662 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:29,840 laden, cumbered with a load of care. 663 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:32,920 Precious Savior, still our refuge. 664 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:38,680 Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise forsake 665 00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:41,640 thee. Take it to the Lord in prayer. 666 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:44,760 In His arms He'll take and shield thee. 667 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:50,560 Thou wilt find a solace there. Indeed Thou will find a solace 668 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:52,680 there. Will you pray with me? 669 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:04,600 So, Father, we pray for praying. We pray for our own hearts to be 670 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:09,400 mined, that Your word would continue to do its work. 671 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:13,080 The preaching of the word is often just the planting of the 672 00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:17,320 seed, but starting tomorrow it must grow. 673 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:24,360 And I pray that the seed would have met receptive soil today, 674 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:31,680 that your teaching on prayer would grow a crop 3060 and a 675 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:34,600 hundredfold. And the brothers and sisters 676 00:43:34,600 --> 00:43:42,680 here in Trinity Baptist Church and I pray for answered prayer, 677 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:47,800 yes, for fruitfulness, yes. For conversions, yes, for 678 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:53,800 spiritual growth, yes. But ultimately that my brothers 679 00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:57,560 and sisters would have greater joy with you, greater desire for 680 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:02,000 you to hunger and thirst for a Kingdom where you are the King. 681 00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:05,240 I ask this in Christ's name. Amen.