Welcome to this new episode of the Gospel for the Nations podcast. This podcast has been brought to you by Pastor Kareem. Our desire is to open the Word of God with you and to speak in a way that is clear, simple, and full of grace. Wherever you are listening from, we pray that the Holy Spirit will touch your heart through his word, strengthen your faith, and draw you closer to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01Before reading the passage of the parable, we will do a short introduction, but also giving a context of this parable as usual. Otherwise, if we read just the parable, we don't fully understand the picture of it, as usual. So today we are going to look at a parable that speaks to all of us and that concerns prayer offered with persistence. I would say even perseverance and faith. The example that Jesus gave us in this parable will also be a comparison between a person who is morally unjust and another person who depends on him to obtain justice. As we already seen in the previous parables, so Jesus is also using another parable of comparing someone who is unjust and just. For example, in the parable of the persistent friend, a man comes at midnight and asks his friend for help. And because it is persistence, his friends finally get up and opens the door to him. Not because of love, but because he was persistent. This injustice and this justice will indeed be at the center of the message. Or rather, the justice of the world and the justice of God. The justice that comes from the righteous judge of our souls, our creator. But through prayer, this is important, through prayer, which is the essential element that allows God to have the first place in our life, so that we may represent Jesus Christ, his only Son, in whom He has placed all His affection on this earth, to save all those who will believe in Him and repent toward God and to give Him all the glory. But if Jesus uses this example of an unjust judge to speak to us about prayer, it is to show us a clear contrast. If even an unjust judge eventually responds to the persistent request of a widow, how much more will God? How much more? Who is just good and sovereign? Answer those who depend on Him and cry out to Him with perseverance. So this perseverance will allow us and show us what context we'll be called to into practice. Not out of obligation, not out of religiosity or just a duty, but in a real relationship with our Heavenly Father, in whom we keep our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us for the glory of God again. For if there is perseverance in prayer, it is because there is dependence on God. We continue to pray because we know that we need Him in every circumstance, that we can trust Him, and that we know He listens to us, He listens to our prayers. He listens to the prayers of the just. Amen. So now let's read the parable altogether. Chapter 18, verse 1 to 8. And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Give me justice against my adversary. For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect? Who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Amen. If we take into account the context of the previous chapter, chapter 17, we can see that Jesus tells his disciples to be watchful. When they hear that he is here and there, and especially not to pay attention of it. He was saying to his disciple, if you hear about me there or here, don't pay attention. It is not me. In the last days, he will return like lightning across the sky in an instant. Just as in the days of Noah and Lot, when judgment fell upon the earth and the separation of people took place. The disciples of Jesus could not yet fully understand. They couldn't, because the power of God was not yet here in them. The coming of the Holy Spirit on earth at Pentecost. So Jesus is preparing them for the times to come, which will be both times of glory but times of persecution. Yes. He said, they persecuted me, they will persecute you. They will then have to remain attached to him, waiting for his return. In the middle of the difficulties and trials that they will have to face. Just like all those who belong to him. Yes, the Lord says again, if you abide in me, I will abide in you. So this is exactly why, in what follows, Jesus will now speak about prayer. The prayer that we must exercise without ceasing, night and day, in the hope of his return, during the difficult moments they will have to face, and we also. But this shows the complete dependence on God. If we depend on God, we give him glory. We are submitted to our Heavenly Father. So this first verse, let's read it. And he told them a parable to show that they should always pray and not give up or not lose heart. Depends on the version that you have. Jesus clearly tells his disciples two things. First, to pray, yes, but to pray without ceasing. That is, at all times and on every occasion. So this implies complete dependence and faith in the one who watches over them. That is the Heavenly Father. For us who are here today, this means that it's important to maintain this relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, who interseats for us at the right hand of God, but not by our own strength, by the only power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us at all times, all circumstances. Yes, it is possible to pray to find a parking space in the supermarket. Yes, everybody does it. Oh Lord, I need parking for my car. Yes, but that goes far beyond that. We must pray all the time. Difficult moments, joyful moments, moments that are impossible to understand or to overcome. Because our lack of understanding and our human limitation. So I will tell you the truth today. We are limited. The Apostle Paul says, I am nothing. Isn't it beautiful? The Lord says that we have to deny ourselves. So what is prayer? Because we have to understand what is prayer and to apply it. It is a dialogue expressed by our mouth. Some people say to me, Oh, I pray in my head. No, this is not prayer. Prayer comes out of the mouth. But which comes from the heart? So it's a dialogue expressed by our mouth that comes from the heart with God. A dialogue involves two persons: we and the Lord. There are thanksgivings and requests addressed to the one who holds everything in his hand, even the universe. To whom shall we address it? We address it to God, our Father, who is in heaven, and who through the Holy Spirit lives in us, and by the name above all names, Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus. So in what circumstances? In all. So easy. The answer is easy. All there is nothing that should make us believe that we are independent from God. Nothing. But rather that we are children, even when we reach an advanced age, but still children compared to the creator of the universe. Are all prayers answered? This is also a question. Are they all answered? God gave us through the Apostle John this beautiful passage to answer this question. I have written these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life. You who believe in the name of the Son of God, and this is the confidence that we have before Him. This is a confidence that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of Him. So there is a word which is important here anything according to His will. Not our will, not our desires. Not for a new car. Maybe as soon as we have eternal life, we have passed from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of Christ. And it is by faith that we have been forgiven and saved in Jesus Christ by the grace of God. So this reconciliation with our Heavenly Father must lead us to this firm assurance that His love is for us. He loves us. Because without that, we cannot pray fervently if we are not sure that the Lord our Father is loving us. Something comes to my mind. Would you pray? Or would you love your biological father? If he's hard toward you, no. But if you believe that it is a loving father, you will rejoice all the time. So if we don't understand that we have been saved by grace and we belong to the Father, we cannot pray. We will not have this heart of thankfulness. Because of his providence, he loves us. So what is the will of God? Because we say according to his will, but what is his will? The whole Bible speaks about it and reveals it. But if we ignore the Bible, we also ignore the will of God. So the real question is: what does the Bible tell us about the will of God? So the will of God is that his people glorify him and obey him. When he tells us in his word to love him first and to love others. Not only in words, but in actions, which will confirm our love for him and for others. Because if we say that I love God, I will love others, but it's not visible, I don't believe. This is called the fruits, the visible fruits, the spiritual fruits in our life. So this love was manifested in the world, in Jesus Christ, who gave himself on the cross of Calvary, in order to do the will of the Father, and to drink the cup of the wrath of God that was reserved for us for the day of judgment, which will come like lightning, as the days of Noah and Lot. Yes, suddenly. Therefore, through this prayer, we express our dependence on God. It guides us through the Holy Spirit in our request. Make us humble toward others. Because we understand that we depend on God and that we want to seek His will. Not my will, Lord, but your will. Amen. And he said, In a certain city, there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. Wow. Do we know some people like that? How can we think that there is a judge who should be impartial according to the law and the rules, who has no fear of God, that is, of a divine supremacy of a man, and no respect for man. That is no respect for others. So without any responsibility or even any accounts to give to anyone, I do whatever I want. So having a man, this kind of man, this kind of judge in a city is a disgrace for people who are seeking justice. Because we cannot place our trust in such a person who has authority and power over others. And who can even have the power to decide of someone death or life? Freedom, imprisonment. So Jesus gives us only a glimpse of this character. Corrupted in his heart, hard, arrogant, doing whatever he wants according to his own will, to help us understand that despite his position of authority, he will have no love for those he should protect, unlike God. So Jesus is leading us toward what he will tell us later: that God loves, protects those who pray and wait for his justice. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Give me justice against my adversary. The fact that Jesus uses a widow as an example is also significant. Because she's vulnerable, she no longer had her husband, who in the society of that time was normally the one who provided protection and defense for his household. In a society that could be hostile toward vulnerable people. A widow could therefore find herself particularly exposed and in need of protection. It's even worse. Her request does not tell us precisely what this widow is asking this judge to do. But there is a clearly here, clearly, action being taken so that she can obtain justice because of the circumstances that she's experiencing. So the adversary means that she's facing a conflict or a person who is causing her harm. And she comes to ask the judge to give her justice. But this is the whole message that Jesus will use to help us understand that this widow is seeking justice from a judge who will not care about her, but that his disciples, through prayer, can turn to God, who will hear them and take care of them according to his sovereign justice and his infinite love. So now we are going to see how this judge will treat this widow and in what states of mind will answer her request. For a long time he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I do not fear God, I have no respect for anyone. Yet, because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not come continually and wear me out. So the judge refused to deal with this widow first because of his lack of compassion, because he had no fear of God and no respect for people at all, important or not, because he thought he had all the keys of the lives of others in his hands, because his position and authority. Secondly, the tongues of the judge also shows us what his heart is like, and his actions will also come from that heart. Having such a hard attitude toward a venerable widow shows a heart of stone. The fact that the widow bothers him shows us that her persistence before this judge finally brings an answer. Yes, she was persistent. But here, in this example, Jesus shows his disciples that persevering in prayer keeps them in a certain hope. God the Father heals them. And he will bring justice according to his will, beyond the things that can be seen and understood by a natural man. So the judge agrees, not because of integrity, not because he's convinced of her innocence, and not because of compassion toward this widow, but because he wants to get rid of her. He simply wants her to stop bothering him. So that he could move on to other else things, even though he was supposed to represent justice in the world. You are bothering him. So the question naturally arises: should we trust justice in the world? The answer is yes. As far as God remains sovereign over authorities and over the justice of man, God is sovereign. But the subject here is not whether we should trust justice in the world or not. But rather to compare the request of this widow with the request that the disciples and his church today must bring before the Father. If we need justice, we have to rely on the Father. So a second question will be then: should a Christian appeal to justice? But this will have to be a different sermon. This is not the subject today. This is not related to the passage. But this is something that we should ask ourselves what the Bible says about a Christian seeking justice in this world. Let's continue. And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge says. So Luke makes something clear in this account, in this gospel. So this sentence could mean, did you understand what the unjust judge said? He finally decided to judge the windows case because of her persistence. And did you see how strong and courageous this woman was in front of this corrupt judge? So insistence and perseverance can even bear fruit in this world. God loves those who persevere with faith. What a beautiful message of encouragement. Jesus is going to give his disciples for the unjust judge, corrupt as he is, grants a favor to this widow while God is God. God is God. And he can do everything for those who belong to him. Do we understand that this unjust judge responded favorably? Yes. We can see that even corrupt people in this world can be allowed by God to do such things. But let us now see what God can do with our requests. Amen. And will not God give justice to his elect who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? So now Jesus speaks openly about God to his disciples. Now it is the turn to understand what God does and gives them this reassuring and comforting statement for when they will be in adversity and in need. Yes, God loves his people, his elect. Those who he has chosen for his glory, by his holy and sovereignty, and his perfect purpose. The word elect is very important here. The apostle Paul tells us, Romans 8 33, who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. We are justified by God, and nobody can be against us. So crying out day and night expresses prayers in moments of suffering and discouragement. Continual supplication to God the Father, like King David. In the supreme, this supreme recognition of God toward men and of men belonging to God, it goes altogether. This is the divine relationship through an upright attitude with a sincere and perfect communion with the Father. So sometimes we might believe that God has forgotten his people. God, hear my prayers. And there is no longer at our side. But his purposes are accomplished according to his perfect wisdom. Even through painful situations, he hears us. So even oppression seems no longer bearable. He is here. Jesus directs his disciples and all those who belong to him before their immediate circumstances toward the certainty of God's timing, God's coming justice, which will be fully accomplished and completed when the Son of God, the Son of Man, returns and openly establish justice. Let us now look at the last verse, which leads us toward the conclusion of this parable. I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Here Jesus shows his divine authority. When he says, when Jesus says, God says. I repeat, when Jesus says, God says. The Bible tells us in Matthew 39, let the one who has hears to hear. So let us hear what the Bible says. God will quickly give justice to his elect, to those whom he justified by faith. In the time of Abraham, as in the time of Jesus. The Lord never changes. Nothing changes, nothing has changed in the salvation of mankind. The Bible tells us that the righteous shall live by faith. However, when Jesus returns, there will be an important issue. Have you noticed in this verse? Which is also kind of a prophetic side. Because we know that when Jesus returns, the question will be whether he will still find faith on the earth. So in this parable, we are speaking about a faith that allows us to persevere, to continue the race, even though the times that were coming would be difficult. Especially when Jesus will be lifted up and seated at the right hand of the Father. This faith which submits us to the will of the Father through fervent and sincere prayer. In order to have this peace in our hearts, this justice, and this faith that moves mountains. So, if this prayer of faith is not yet a reflex in order to overcome situations in our daily life, let us begin practice it with favor. Let us begin now to pray so that we may submit to the will of the Father and so that he may be glorified when he brings his justice in our darkest moments in our lives. Amen. So to conclude this message, Jesus shows us through this parable that justice of God is very real and a direct consequence of prayer. But prayer offered by faith to those who submit to his will. The legitimate children of his grace. For God hears the prayers of the righteous. Yes, he does. He responds according to his holy will and sovereign purpose. So may our prayers remain fervent and a priority in our life. May be sincere and full of faith toward our Father. And let us wait until his response comes. Let us pray that our faith in Jesus remains strong and grows every day. So that our testimony of his grace may be visible around us. As the Apostle Paul's reminded us when he wrote to the church Thessalonians, in these difficult times, see that no one repays anyone evil for evil. But always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. And give thanks in all circumstances. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Almighty and Sovereign God. We thank you for your holy word, for your grace, which enables us to know you, to worship you in spirit and truth in this place. We thank you because you are merciful and compassionate. We ask you to continue to work in our lives, strengthen your church, and deepen our conviction of your truth. We ask you, oh Lord, to teach us to pray more fervently, to rely on you alone in everything we are facing in our lives, in our challenges, in our disputes, in our betrayals, and to abide in you and understand your love through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We surrender everything into your hands, trusting you completely and choosing to walk by faith. Keep us on your narrow path and continue to sanctify us, transform us into the likeness of your only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord. You are the great shepherd of our souls and the head of this church. And we all pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah. Please go.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for listening today. If the Lord used this message to bless you, feel free to share it so others can also be encouraged and strengthened for the coming days. Keep seeking Him, keep reading His Word, and keep trusting His grace every single day.