Hanging On Until We See The God Of Our Salvation by Ed Pruitt

Luke 18:1-8

Hanging On Until We See The God Of Our Salvation
Sunday May 25, 2003

Luke 18:1-8
1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.

2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone.

3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her.

4 The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. ‘I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself,

5 ‘but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ ”
6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this evil judge.

7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?”

What I want to talk about this evening is importuning.

If we as children of God will learn to importune and learn to pray without ceasing then we will see the power of Christ come to life in our presence like we have never seen it before!

If we as individuals will put forth a renewed effort in our prayer life then we will see the power of Jesus Christ go to work in our own spiritual life.

We will see our prayers answered like never before!

We will see our loved ones coming to Christ and giving their hearts to God!

We will see miracles take place in our lives and the lives of our loved ones!

But that’s a big "IF"!

We as a Church and we as individuals have GOT to be willing to pay the price in prayer.

God wants us to pray!

Jesus Himself said in, John 15:7
7 But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!

He wants us to spend time with Him in prayer...

He wants us to ask Him stuff...

He wants us to tell Him about what is going on in our lives, what we are doing as well as how we are doing!

Someone might ask, why, does God want us to pray?

I’m glad you would want to know more about this!

I feel that God has laid this on my heart to talk about this evening and I feel that this is what we all need to hear!

Prayer, real prayer, is a way of starting a conversation with God!

A lot of children have yet to learn the art of starting a conversation.

They will just burst out and say, Dad, can I have some money to go and get some ice cream?

Most likely we are going to say no!

But as they get a little older they seem to gain a little more finesse.

They will learn more effective ways of starting that conversation.

They might sit down and say, Hi Dad, can I sit down and talk with you"?

We will be excited that our kids want to spend time with us instead of their friends.

We will stop whatever were doing and sit down with them and give them our complete and undivided attention.

Now here we go.

It might sound a little like this.

Dad, You sure are looking good.

Have you lost any more weight?

You know, we really need to have close talks with each other more often.

I love it when it is just you and I.

Oh, by the way, would you like to go and get some ice cream together"?

It would be pretty hard to say N0
after a build up like that!

But if my kids were to just say, Dad, I want some ice cream.

They would be less likely to get it.

God is the same way.

If you just start out telling God what you want.

God, I want a new car.

By the way God, I would really like to win the lottery this next week.

Oh God, I need to be healed of this ache in my back and by the way while you are at it my uncle George is going to the hospital and I know that he isn’t saved and he hasn’t been in church for the last 25 years but go ahead and heal him too while you are at it.

And, and, and!

You end the prayer with amen and go back to what you are doing.

That is no way to start a conversation with God!

God wants us to spend time with Him.

He wants us to tell Him how wonderful He is.
It isn’t that we are insincere, and it isn’t that we are trying to bribe God.

It is just that people like to be told how much you appreciate them, they want to be told that they are special!

They want to be told that you love them.

God is no different than you and I in that respect.

Prayer is just a good way to start a conversation with God!

To have a mind like Jesus Christ is
another reason that God wants us to pray.

We need to be of the same mind.

We need to be aware of each other’s feelings and so on.

When two people talk, their minds merge
as you begin to know each other better.

You begin to think more like the other person.


You begin to know what that person might say or do in a certain situation.

My wife loves certain foods.

When we go out to eat, I can order my wife’s entire meal!

I know the foods that she likes.

There times that I can tell what she is thinking,
and she can tell what I am thinking.

We have spent time together and our minds have merged to a certain degree.

Philippians 2:5
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Through prayer, we can share the Mind of Christ.

We can begin to think like Christ, we can begin to know what Christ would do in certain circumstances!

We can know these things,
simply because we have spent time together
and our minds are becoming more like Christ’s.

Prayer Makes Our Journey More Enjoyable

The more that we learn to pray the more enjoyable our talks with God become!

The more enjoyable that our talks become the more we enjoy praying!

The more that we enjoy praying the closer we become with God!

God then becomes our best friend!

I can remember when Lisa and I first started going out together.

I invited her to go to Taco Bell with me.

I can assure you that; although I like Taco Bell,
that WASN’T the most important part of the trip!

While the destination was going to be very nice
the trip was special!!

We would hold hands, talking and laughing as the days went by.

The journey itself was just so enjoyable
because we could be together along the way.

The same is true with our prayer life.

Heaven is going to be a wonderful place, but our time spent with the Lord along the journey,
makes the journey so much more enjoyable.

It certainly is not much fun going to Taco Bell by myself.

By the same token, it is not much fun walking through this journey we call life all by
ourselves.

Aren’t you glad that we don’t have to do that!

According to Proverbs 18:24
24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.


Prayer Makes God’s Answers to Prayer a Delightful Surprise

Have you ever been praying for something and then, in an incredible way, God answers that prayer?

It is just an incredible feeling.

I mean, we do believe in a Prayer-Answering God, but even still, it is just such a delight to know that the God of the Universe listens to me!

It is such a delight that God answers my prayers!

I believe in a prayer answering God, and I know that God can work miracles.

Now, here I am, a Minister of the Gospel,
I believe in a God who answers our prayers.

I am still filled with delight, and awe, and amazement when He does!

And that’s one of the reasons God wants us to pray.

God desires to amaze us!

Another reason, Prayer is the tool whereby God supplies our needs.

When God supplied the manna for the Children of Israel in the wilderness,

He could have supplied enough to last them for months, but instead, He only gave them enough to last one day.

And there was a reason for this.

God wants us to be in constant regular and faithful communion with Him.

If God had approved the manna once a month,
I’m sure the Children of Israel, knowing them like we do from God’s Word, would have only gone to the Lord in prayer once a month.

Just when they had the need!

Sound familiar!

That is why Jesus; when He taught His disciples to pray,

He told them to say, "Give us THIS DAY our DAILY bread"

Prayer is the tool whereby He plans for us to ask for what we want and what we need.

And finally, Prayer Helps Us to Keep from Taking God for Granted

Everything we have comes from God.

Job said, "naked I came into the world, and naked I shall return".

Everything else is just gravy!

Do you have clothes to wear?

Give God the glory!

Do you have food to eat?

Give God the glory!

Do you have a roof over your head?

Give God the glory!

Are you able to breath in and out?

Are you able to come to the house of God?

Are you able to worship Him?

Do you enjoy the bonds of friendship with someone else?

Do you have someone that loves you?

Do you have a God that loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you?

Give Glory to God!!!

Let us never take God for granted!

We know that the Children of Israel got real tired of manna.

I can remember a time in my life when we ate a LOT of macaroni and cheese.

And you can get tired of macaroni and cheese after a while... but PRAISE THE LORD for the
MACARONI AND CHEESE!!

Philippians 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 says, "pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you

And the words of our original text: Luke 18:1

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up!

And then Jesus told the story of a widow who was persistent in coming to the judge.

She just wouldn’t quit!!

The judge, who wasn’t much of a judge in the first place, finally thought, "well, I better go ahead and help this stupid woman!

I mean, I could care less about her, but if I don’t do something soon, she will just wear me out, she will not quit!

And then Jesus basically tells us, if a wicked judge will give justice to a poor widow if she is persistent?

Will not the God of the Universe, the God of justice, the God who loves you and cares for you, will He not hear us when we cry out to Him?

Will He not answer us when we call upon His Name?

Of course He will!

But God wants us to pray!

Because prayer, is a great way to start a conversation with God!

God wants us to pray because through prayer, our minds become more like Christ!

God wants us to pray because prayer makes the journey so much more enjoyable.

God wants us to pray because then; when He answers our prayers; it is always such a wonderful blessing!

God wants us to pray because that’s the way He designed the plan to provide for our needs.

And, God wants us to pray because it helps us to keep from taking God for granted.

 

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