This morning we consider together the Word of our God as we look at the parable. It's called the Parable of the Persistent Widow, Luke chapter 18, verses 1 through 8. We'll begin our reading in chapter 17, verse 20. There, chapter 17, verse 20, Jesus answers a question of the Pharisees. And then in verse 22, he begins speaking specifically to his disciples on through and then through this parable. Verse 8 of chapter 18. Luke 17, beginning at verse 20, as we give our attention to the Word of God. Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, the kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, here it is, or there it is, because the kingdom of God is within you. Then he said to his disciples, the time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, there he is, or here he is. Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, but first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, no one who is on the roof of his house with his goods inside should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night, two people will be in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other left. Where, Lord, they asked. He replied, where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather. Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray. and not give up. He said, In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men, and there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, Grant me justice against my adversary. For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming. And the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, Will he find faith on the earth? Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, He is coming again. Jesus Christ is coming again. Now that's hard to imagine, isn't it? Boys and girls, that's a very difficult thing to imagine. Especially as we go about daily life, engaging in our day-to-day busyness, that's hard to imagine, and truth be told, many of us, if not all of us, don't really give it much thought as we go about our day-to-day busyness that Jesus is going to come again. And if we do consider this fact that the Bible teaches, as we see the wickedness and the ungodliness of the world, we might be tempted to think, what's taking so long? Did He forget? Why would God continue to let all of the wickedness that we see around us go on day by day by day? But you see, beloved, our Lord teaches here that those are the wrong questions. Instead, as we as believers go about daily life, we are to be watching and waiting and because of the wickedness and the damage that Satan seeks to cause to the church of Jesus Christ, we are to be watching and waiting in a particular way. Now it's possible that as we read this parable together, it might have reminded you of something that may have been or may be similar in your homes from time to time. This persistent widow, as she is called, kind of reminds us of a child who wants something so bad. And the child comes to mom and dad over and over and over and over again, even when mom and dad says no, and the child wears down mom or dad with their begging until mom or dad gives in. Now please understand the idea here is not that we wear God down. But the idea that we are to understand is that we are called to demonstrate dependence upon Him. To demonstrate confidence in Him. even as God's people are to be looking for Christ in the posture of prayer. That is to be our posture, a prayerful posture as we are looking for Christ. And doing so with never-ending persistence, with guaranteed assurance, and also with tireless expectation. Looking for Christ in the posture of prayer. First of all, with never-ending persistence, because prayer is commanded. Notice again verse 1, then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. And of course, we know that that's the teaching of the Word of God for His people, both the Old Testament through the sacrifices and in the New Testament. Pray. Pray without ceasing. Pray always. Pray at all times. But here our Lord, or Luke, gives us from the beginning the purpose of this parable as our Lord is teaching His disciples that at all times, in all circumstances, keep on praying, even if the answer seems hopeless. Or even if you find yourself in danger of becoming weary, keep on praying. Prayer, we know, is a necessary activity of God's people. It is a gift from God to His people by which we commune with Him. And Jesus, we know, taught His disciples how to pray and we have taken what the Bible says and we have summarized the how-to with the acronym ACTS. Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. In essence, those are the things that our Lord taught His disciples ought to be included in faithful prayer, and of course it is to be according to the will of God. But here our Lord teaches us something specific beyond that with regard to prayer. And that is that God's people are to be praying and praying fervently for the return of Jesus Christ. And along with that, our final deliverance from this world of sin and from our adversary, the devil. And we may do so with confidence because our final deliverance, beloved, is guaranteed by Christ's victory. But while He tarries, we are to long for the complete fulfillment of it. You see, the return of Christ is addressed in chapter 17. He speaks of it there, and it will not be, as he makes clear, when man expects it. Instead, it will be as in the days of Noah or in the days of Lot, which on the one hand means just ordinary life. Things will be going along as usual. But the point there, too, is that men will not be watching, Which also means that wickedness and persecution on the earth will be great against the church of Christ. Things are not going to get better against the church of Jesus Christ as some teach. But it's going to get worse. Persecution and injustice. And of course, to God's people, the return of Jesus seems to be delayed. Yet the Lord encourages, don't get discouraged, don't lose heart, but keep on praying for His return. In fact, in verse 8, he asks that compelling question, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? Don't become discouraged. Don't lose heart. Prayer is a necessary activity of God's people and God's people are to be praying for the complete and the final revelation of God's salvation and His final judgment against the forces of evil, again, which will grow steadily worse against the church. But beloved, there are two major prayer dangers, I believe, that the church faces when it comes to prayer. And the first is that when we enjoy peace and prosperity in our lives, it's very possible that our prayers may lack frequency and fervency. Maybe you found that in your own life when things are going extremely well and you have nothing to complain about and everything is going your way that all of a sudden you realize, you know, I'm really not praying as much as I used to. And you may find that in those times that when you do pray, your prayers may lack fervency because after all, what do you need? You have everything you want. What do I need to ask of God? Of course, now we're facing a bit of an economic hardship in our day and it might be, once again, a little bit easier for some of us to pray, to ask God for relief in the things that we need. But the danger is that when we enjoy peace and prosperity, we may be tempted to pray, Come, Lord Jesus, but not quite yet. Take your time. Life is good. I'm enjoying it. And there's a lot more yet that I would want to enjoy. So come, but take your time. But there's a second danger, kind of on the other end of the spectrum, and that is the danger of the church becoming weary because of fear for the enemy. And I'm talking about our adversary, the devil, and his wicked hosts. That as the world presses in around the church, which herself is weak compared to the world, As the world of wickedness attacks and threatens the church and God's people, and while the Lord tarries, while He waits to come, it's possible for the church to lose hope and to stop looking for relief. Or to think, yeah, yeah, like the Pharisees, you know, they were looking for the Messiah, but it seems as if they really weren't looking for the Messiah. We think of the Israelites in Samson's day. They came, you remember, 3,000 strong to bind him. In essence, they say, are you trying to get us killed? Don't you know that we are there, the Philistines' servants? Don't you understand that they, the Philistines, rule over us instead of saying as they ought to have, we are the Lord's servants and our God rules over us. But they had turned their backs on God. They had lost heart. They had given in. And the point of this parable, beloved, is that God's people are to pray with never-ending persistence in the face of injustice, in the face of the injustice of wickedness and hatred for the church, even when it seems like God doesn't notice the ungodliness of man getting worse. Even when it seems that God doesn't notice the unrighteousness of the world against the church. Even when it seems that God doesn't notice the compromise of so many who call themselves church, yet, in truth, they are taking on the character of the world. Jesus teaches never-ending persistence in the face of injustice here with a compelling example, this parable. Now, the details of this parable include a situation in which justice seems most unlikely. And the reason for that, compared to God's promise to believers, is to convict us of why we are to pray at all times and not lose heart. No doubt, as our Lord told His disciples this parable, they were reminded of the Old Testament requirements regarding judges and widows. In Exodus chapter 23, Israel is instructed about justice, especially for the poor, including widows. And there we are told, they were told that they were not to accept bribes because, as the Word of the Lord says, their bribes blind the discerning and they pervert the words of the righteous. In other words, bribes can influence the best and the noblest of men. Bribes can give an unfair advantage to those who are able to give the bribe. But God, in His Word, laid down very specific requirements for the care of those who needed it most, including widows, and especially by judges. Psalm 82 talks about God, the judge of the world, and there, in a sense, He is addressing, He is challenging the judges of this earth, pointing out, reminding them of their obligations and duties. In Deuteronomy 10, verse 18, we read that God defends the cause of the fatherless and widow and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. Notice widows are included. And a simple reason, beloved, is because widows and those like widows had no status. No rights in society. They had no source of protection. They had no clout. And therefore, they were to be cared for in a special way. In Psalm 68, we read that God himself is a defender of widows. And in Deuteronomy 27, 19, a curse is pronounced against those who pervert the justice due, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Very simply, a judge was supposed to uphold the right of the widow. Now in this parable, we don't know the problem. We have no idea. We're not told what kind of problems this adversary was causing the widow. But no doubt her complaint was justified. And this widow had every reason to expect justice from this judge. And this judge knew what was expected of him. He knew that he was expected to show compassion to this widow who had no place else to turn. He knew that it was his duty to check out her complaint and then to give an impartial and a fair judgment. But at first, he doesn't do it. And the injustice is clear by his own admission in verse 4, even though I don't fear God or care about men. He was anti-God. He was anti-people. He didn't care about God and His commands or the people under His care and their needs. He didn't care about true justice. We might wonder why in the world was He a judge? He simply wanted nothing to do with her. He knew that her claim was just. He knew that this widow had no money with which to bribe him and that she had no influence by which she could gain a following and impeach him for not doing his job. He simply does nothing. He doesn't render judgment either for or against her. He was ungodly, selfish, and lazy. But then in verse 5, we are told his motivation for helping. Yet, because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming. boys and girls, very simply, he was sick and tired of her nagging. He was sick and tired of her being a pain in the neck as honestly, sometimes parents get tired of their children asking over and over again. And therefore, from selfishness and for his own comfort and for the sake of his own reputation, because that too was in danger, he does what his position as judge obligated him to do from the very beginning, and that is he gives justice. Now we can look at a parable like this, and especially this judge, and wonder, well, what's it all about? What do we learn from that? Where's the point of comparison? But we need to understand that our Lord is indeed teaching through comparisons and contrasts here. In verses 6 and 7, And the Lord said, listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? First, there's a comparison between the widow and the church. She represents the church. And here Christ calls the church God's chosen ones. This widow had an adversary, and her only weapon to get justice against this adversary was persistence. To continue, as the text says, to keep coming to the only one who could possibly help her. Well, the church's adversary, we know, is the devil in the world of wicked men, whose goal it is to destroy the church of Jesus Christ, whether it be by outright attacks or even through flattery or friendliness, because as the Bible says, Satan sometimes disguises himself as an angel of light. He doesn't care how he gets us, but just that he gets us and destroys the church. But the church too is called to keep on coming to the only one who can help her. But notice there's a contrast also between this widow and the church. She went to a judge she didn't know. and she wanted what was hers by right. While the church of believers is to keep coming through prayer to a God who knows us, to a God who loves us, and to a God who has proven that by the cross of His own dear Son, and to a God whom we know by the grace of God, coming not for what is ours by right. In and of ourselves, we have no right to the justice of God. We have no right that He should deliver us from the attacks of wickedness. But we are to come to Him for what is ours only by the right of the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Because we have a righteous hatred for the evil done against our God and desire for it to be put away. Yet, beloved, we come looking for Christ in the posture of prayer in the second place with guaranteed assurance. A guaranteed assurance that God will hear. Seen again in both the contrast and the comparison between this judge and God. The judge's motive again for upholding justice was to keep her from irritating Him. From wearing Him down. But God's motive is His own justice. God's motive is His own perfection and righteousness and glory and His own word. He perfectly cares for His people. He has their good in mind. And beloved, our God never tires of His children coming to Him again and again and again. But He desires it. He welcomes it. He asks for it. He is just. And He will avenge His chosen. And He will give them justice because of Jesus Christ who fought for justice on Calvary and won. He earned God's declaration of not guilty for you and me. He earned God's eternal protection and care for His children. And therefore, as Jesus says in verse 7, And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? The answer is yes. Will He keep putting them off? The answer is no. We come to Him with guaranteed assurance that God will hear and God will deliver. This widow, she had nowhere else to turn, yet when she came to this judge, she came with no certainty that He would help her. But as believers, we also have nowhere else to turn except to our Almighty God. Yet we come to Him with overwhelming certainty, a guarantee, That God will hear and help. As our Lord says in Psalm 50, verse 15, Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you. And you will honor me. But there's also an unlikely comparison here between the wicked judge and God. And there's only one similarity that we can make. And that is that both answer, or the motives for their answer are different again, but both answer, that's the only point of similarity. And our Lord is teaching us a lesson here, what we might call a lesson from the lesser to the greater. In Luke chapter 11, you remember the story that Jesus tells about the man who receives guests at midnight. He had nothing to serve them to eat. So he goes to a friend and says, Hey, some guests arrive. I have nothing to give them to eat. Help me out here. And the friend didn't want to do it. Look, my family is sleeping. Don't bother us. But yet, because of his friend's begging, he gets up and gives him whatever he needs. And Jesus says that if you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? And our comfort, beloved, is that if the unjust judge gave the necessary aid, how much more will our God vindicate and deliver His chosen people from their adversary of wickedness even when we don't realize how much we need it. You see, our guaranteed assurance is that God will hear His people. He will deliver His people by sending the righteous judge, Jesus Christ, who will return on the clouds of heaven to judge the living and the dead. And you see, beloved, on that day when Jesus Christ comes again, our sins, the sins of His believers, will not count against us because they have already counted against Christ Jesus. But on that day, all the wrongs that have been committed against God and His people will be made right. All that was done against God and His people will be revealed for the sin that it was and God's punishment will be handed out against all those who purposefully and violently lived in sin and contempt against a holy God and the blood of the righteous, those who have been made righteous for the sake of Christ's righteousness will be avenged, satisfied. And as Belgic Confession, Article 37 says, their cause, the cause of God's people at present in this life, condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil authorities. And we know that, don't we? Even as believers, as we fight to protect the unborn child. as we stand up against the sinfulness and the ungodliness of alternative lifestyles and those kinds of things, as we fight, the world looks at us and says that we are the evil ones. It says that we as Christians are the unloving ones. We are the intolerant ones. But on that day, their cause, your cause, and mine, the cause of God's people, at present condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil authorities, will be recognized as the cause of the Son of God. It will be recognized, beloved, as the cause of truth and righteousness, God's truth and righteousness. And on that day, when Jesus comes again, the church will march down the aisle of the universe before the eyes of Satan and all of his wicked hosts and join with her bridegroom for all eternity. Yet that day is not yet here. The time is delayed. And therefore Jesus teaches that we are to be constantly looking for Christ in the posture of prayer in the third place with tireless expectation. Not giving up. Now boys and girls, maybe you've had a similar experience to what I'm talking about when you were expecting a guest to come. you knew the day that they were coming, but you didn't know what time in the day. A special guest, maybe a grandparent or an older brother or sister who was away at college or a friend that you haven't seen for a long time. And the day comes and you wait and you wait and you wait and the day comes and the day goes and it's bedtime, it's all of a sudden past your bedtime, but you're not about to close your eyes. You wait with tireless expectation for that one to arrive. We don't know when Jesus Christ is coming again. But God's people are called to wait with tireless expectation. In the midst of a bit of a contradiction here, notice verse 8 begins, I tell you, He will see that they get justice and quickly. How do we understand that quick justice in the context of this delay? Indeed, it seems like God is taking His time. But we are to understand, beloved, that our Lord is delaying for the sake of the elect. He is delaying for the sake of those whom God has chosen for before the foundation of the world until every last one is gathered in. And that is to be so comforting to you and me, even as we wait, as we pray for our loved ones and friends who have not yet come to the Lord Jesus Christ. we give thanks to God that there is still hope. But even during this delay, it may seem that God is overlooking the crimes done to His people and the sin committed against Him. That's what Asaph thought in Psalm 73. But Asaph also learned that God will never leave that sin unpunished. And that's why we too as God's people are called to take the command of our Lord seriously to go into all the world. to seek to tell of the only Savior from sin, the only way that one can be delivered from the wrath of God to come. Because when the time is exactly right, His judgment will come quickly as with a flash of lightning. But until that day, with tireless expectation, beloved, we are called to demonstrate our dependence upon Him to cry out to Him day and night, acknowledging that our help at all times comes only from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. And with tireless expectation, we are to be demonstrating faith. Notice verse 1 again, Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. And then again, that compelling question at the end, However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth? As God's people, we are to be demonstrating faith by not giving up. By continuing in prayer. By believing God's Word, His promise, that He is coming again, even when it looks and seems hopeless. The believer's faith is tested in part by looking expectantly for Christ's return. By desiring it more than anything else. is not giving up on Him because it's taking a while. And the believer's faith is tested in part by living as if it could be any moment. And desiring that when He come, He find us patiently but anxiously waiting and looking. Are you ready? Are you prepared? You see, beloved, for those who are not ready when He comes, Christ's return will be a terrible day. For those who were not ready, they will cry out on that day for the hills to cover them from the sight of His glory and from the sight of His terrifying justice on that day. Those who were not ready will recognize in an instant that He is the Lord of glory. He is who He claimed to be. He is who His people confessed Him to be. They will recognize in an instant that they rejected the one and only Lord of glory, the one and only Savior. And they will also recognize in an instant that like in the days of Noah or the days of Lot's wife, that there will be no second chances. But beloved, today, while he delays, is the day of salvation. And for all those, only those, but all those who look to the Lord Jesus Christ alone in faith and trust in Him alone for their salvation, they will be saved. They will be rescued both now and forever from the wrath of God to come. And for those who are ready on that day because they've been brought to faith in Him by the grace of God, they will rejoice to see Jesus Christ receive the honor He deserves. They will rejoice to see the Savior in all of His glory come as He said and to take His redeemed home forever. They will rejoice to know that after His enemies are put away forever, He will take those whom the Holy Spirit has made perfect. He will take them into His everlasting care and that we will never, ever again sin against or offend our holy God, but give Him perfect honor and glory and obedience forever and ever. A beloved looking for Christ in the posture of prayer with the confidence of being heard because He is victorious and because He will come again even as He said. And beloved, what a day that will be when His enemies will be put away forever, never again to oppose God, never again to torment His redeemed people. And what a day that will be when our Lord will say to His people, Come near ye, blessed. See the kingdom I bestow. You forever shall my love and glory know. And therefore come, Lord Jesus. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we do thank You and praise You for this exciting reminder that Jesus Christ is coming again. And that this event, Lord, is an event that Your people are called to look forward to, to desire greatly, to not simply, as it were, put it off in the back burner because we don't see it happening any time soon. Father, indeed, you call us to be a praying people. And you promise to give us all that we stand in need of for body and soul. But may we too, O Lord, never be negligent in praying for the return of Jesus Christ. We pray too, O Lord, that you would continue by your Spirit to make us ready for that day. To long for that day. When sin and wickedness and Satan will be put away forever and ever. and you will be glorified perfectly by all that you have made. Father, until that day, keep us safe in your hand and lead us to that day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.