Go with me, if you would, back
to Luke chapter 18. Luke 18. I am very, I'm going to say,
moved by what I believe the Lord has given me and impressed on
me to say to you tonight. I've been really pondering this
and I hope that all of God's people will ponder this, really
ponder this. This has deeply impressed me. Our Lord, we read these eight
verses just a moment ago about this parable of this widow who
came to this judge, this unjust judge. And our Lord here is exhorting
us to do something. He is exhorting us, if we really
enter in to what's being said here, He is exhorting us to do
something. And what He is exhorting us to
do is very encouraging to me, and I want to say inspiring. It has been very inspiring to
me. Now, before we get into what
He is exhorting us to do, we're going to start here, all right?
We're going to make sure that we understand this first. Everything that we do is only
the result of what He does. That's where we have to start.
If we talk about us doing anything, We need to realize that everything
that we do is only the result of what He does. Nothing that
we do is the cause of what He does. Nothing. Meaning we don't take the first
step, so He will in turn take the second step. He takes all the steps. And then
He evidences that by causing His people to respond to it.
He does it all, every bit of it. We only do because it's done. That's the only reason. It's because it's done. Our works
of regeneration, if He produces life in us and causes us to do
something, It's only because His work of salvation is done. The last sentence of our text,
which is the end of verse eight, it says, nevertheless, when the
Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth. That has really impressed me. Faith is not of ourselves, it
is the gift of God. He is the author of it. He is
the finisher of it. He is the performer of it. He is the object of it. He gets
all the glory for it. But faith will be evidenced in
the ones that He gives it to and performs it in. Faith will
be there, it will be evidenced. And that's what I want us to
emphasize tonight. His work for a sinner will produce
a work in a sinner. It will. If he sends faith, that
sinner will believe. If he draws, that sinner will
come. If He quickens, life will be
there. So with that being said, He's
going to exhort us to do something. And let's read this text and
then we'll see what it is. Chapter 18, verse 1, it says,
And He spake a parable unto them to this end. Meaning this was
the point of the parable. This is what He was getting at.
that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Now you think about that in light
of His sovereignty, in light of His finished work, known unto
God are all His works from the beginning. Think about what He's
saying here. This is our Lord. This is our
God. This is our Savior. And everything that he has written
in this entire book is for our learning. These things are written
for our learning. And he spoke a parable to them
and recorded it for us to this end. He said, men are always
to pray and not to faint. Saying, here's his parable. There
was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that
city, and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. She had some great need. And
he would not for a while. But afterward he said within
himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man, Yet because this
widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming
she weary me. And the Lord said, hear what
the unjust judge saith." He's saying, pay attention to what
she received through this unjust judge. She kept coming. Verse seven, he said, and shall
not God, that was an unjust judge, shall not God avenge his own
elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long
with them? I tell you that he will avenge
them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of
Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth. Now this is what
our Lord exhorted us to do. This was the whole reason he
gave this parable. He spake a parable to this end. He said, cry out to God, the
just judge. Cry out to God about it. Whatever
it is, this is, and this is God speaking. He said, cry out to
God about it. Pray, pray, pray. How often do we forget to pray? How often do we forget to pray? He said, this is what you need
to do. Pray about it. Cry out to God
about it. Cry out to God about it. And
he said, don't stop crying out to God about it. Always, always, faint not. Faint not. And he said, cry out
believing that he's able to accomplish whatever it is you're crying
out over. He said, you cry out in faith. I've given you faith. I put faith in you. I put faith
in my people. You possess something that the
unbelieving world does not possess. Whatever you're bringing to him,
whatever your need is, bring that need to him fervently, continually
in faith. It's called importunity. That's what it's called. The
heading at the top of my page up there says the importunate
widow. What that means is she would
not stop coming until her need was met. Our Lord has given us her story
to tell us to do the same thing. Do the same thing. He's saying,
don't stop bringing your need to him. Don't stop because the
need or the burden of it becomes too difficult. It's just too
much. I'm just I'm throwing in the towel on the whole thing.
Don't stop just because you don't think you are receiving or you
don't think you're going to receive an answer. He said, that's no
reason to stop. Don't faint. That's what he's
saying. Don't faint. Keep coming. Keep coming. Keep coming with the assurance
of faith. Come believing and trusting in
the ability and come trusting in the willingness of the one
that you're coming to. Now our Lord told Abraham something
back in Genesis 18 and it'll bring so much comfort to us if
we can get a hold of it. Turn with me over there to Genesis
18. Genesis 18 verse 1, it says,
And the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre, and he
sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he lifted up
his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him. And when
he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed
himself toward the ground. That was the Lord and two angels
with him. And Abraham invited them to sit
down and eat. He asked Sarah to cook a meal
for them. Verse 9, and they said unto him,
Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold in the tent. And he said, I will certainly,
this is the Lord speaking, he said, I will certainly return
unto thee according to the time of life. And lo, Sarah thy wife
shall have a son, And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was
behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old
and well-stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after
the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within
herself, saying, After I'm waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my
Lord, being old also? We do that all the time. We do that all the time. We doubt
the ability and the willingness of the Lord. We think, no, mm-mm. Verse 13, the Lord said unto
Abraham, why did Sarah laugh? Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying,
shall I of a surety bear a child which am old? Verse 14, he said,
is anything too hard for the Lord? Man, that'll comfort your heart
if you get a hold of that. If the Lord, by His Spirit, will
allow us to get a hold of that. We think this is too much, it's
too far gone. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Now this widow in our text had
a great need And her physical need represents our spiritual
need. It represents all of our needs.
But namely, our spiritual need. We have one great spiritual need. And we have one great spiritual
desire for ourselves and for our loved ones. And I'll tell
you what it is. We all have so many needs. There are so many
needs. But if you could bring them down to one, If you could
bring it down to one great need, it would be salvation for ourselves
and for our loved ones. We are burdened and we pray over
our own needs and we are burdened and we pray over the needs of
our loved ones. And when it all comes down to
this, the one great need is salvation. That's the issue. The issue at
hand, that's the issue of this message. Here's what we need. We need
the blood of Jesus Christ to be on us. Here's what I need. I need the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ to be on my children, on my wife, on my brethren. That's what we need. We don't need health. We don't need healthy bodies. Are they a blessing to have?
Absolutely. Yes, they are. But that's not our great need.
I see so many people endure physical hardships and my heart breaks
for them, but that's not the great need. We don't need wealth. And I tell you this, honestly,
it's difficult to say, but we don't need happiness. We don't
need happiness. We need the covenant of God's
mercy and God's grace. That's what we need. We need
eternal life to be given to us through the death of God's son.
That's what we need, the death of God's son. That's all we need. We need Christ. We need to be
saved. Our children need to be saved.
through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the gift
of God, the blood of the Lamb, that's what we need. To that
end, this is what our Lord has told us to do. He said, cry out
to God about it. Isn't He sovereign? Isn't salvation already finished?
Isn't it already finished? Weren't all of his works ordered
and sure and set before the foundation of the world? Yes, but the God
who saved us said, had it not been God who told us to do this,
we wouldn't preach this. But the very God who saved us,
sovereignly, eternally, completely saved us. He said, this is what
I want you to do. Cry out to God about it. Don't
stop crying out to God about it. Don't stop crying out to
God about it. And cry out believing and trusting
in the ability of the one you're crying out to. He said in Ezekiel
36, I'm going to do all of these things for my people, but they're
going to cry out to me for it. They're going to ask me for it.
They're going to cry out to me. They're going to beg me. Now
I want us to read a few accounts that our Lord has given to us
to illustrate this, this thing. And as I read these, this, I
see this so clearly. It just has struck me so clearly.
Also, I want us to notice that in each one of these, in each
one of these accounts, there's a need brought to the Lord and
it's always for somebody else. And I love that and the reason
is because there are people who I cry out to the Lord for. I
know you do too. There are people that your heart
is so burdened for and you're crying out for somebody else.
All of these examples are somebody bringing a need to the Lord for
somebody else. All right, turn with me if you
would to Matthew 8. Matthew 8 verse 5, it says, And
when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion
beseeching Him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home, sick
of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will
come and heal him. What would have been your response
had the master himself said, I will come to your house and
heal him? I'll tell you what I would have
said. Thank you. Come on, come with me. Look at
what this man said. Verse eight, the centurion answered
and said, Lord, I'm not worthy that thou should has come under
my roof. You don't need to, you don't need to take one step,
but speak the word only. and my servant shall be healed.
That's how much I believe in you. For I'm a man under authority,
having soldiers under me, and I say to this man, go, and he
goeth to another, come, and he cometh, and to my servant, do
this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled
and said to them that followed, verily I say unto you, I have
not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Verse 13, And
Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast
believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed,
and the self saint. That's beautiful. He said, I've not found so great
of an amount of faith in all of Israel. And he said, as thou
hast believed, so be it unto thee. as you've believed. Look
at Matthew 9 verse 1. It says, And he entered into
a ship and passed over and came into his own city. And behold,
they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. Mark 2 tells us this is the very
account where they couldn't get into the house. So they climbed
up on the roof and ripped a hole in the roof and let the man down
by the ropes. Verse 2 it says, And behold, they brought to him
a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed, and Jesus, seeing their
faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer,
thy sins be forgiven thee. Now that's what it says, doesn't
it? We just read it. We have already
prefaced where faith comes from. We have already prefaced who
performs the faith. Who's the author? Who's the finisher?
Who's the doer? We've already prefaced who gets
all the glory for the faith. But that's what it says. It says,
Jesus seeing their faith, the faith He gave to them. Seeing that faith in them, seeing
the fervency that it gave to them. Seeing that they could not just
walk away without getting their loved one to the master. They
came to the door and it was too full, too packed, couldn't get
in. They literally couldn't get in. And they couldn't take no
for an answer. Jacob couldn't either, could
he? I can't let you go until you bless me. God said, you're a prince with
me, changing your name to Israel. Seeing how confident they were
in his ability, so confident they climbed on the roof and
ripped a hole in it. He said, son, you be of good
cheer. I see their faith. I see what
I've done in them. Your sins are forgiven. Was it their faith that saved
their friend? No. But God used the means of
the faith that He gave to them. He created something inside them. They possessed it. They wanted
into that house. And He used that means to bring
about the purpose in saving their friend. Look right here at Matthew
9 at verse 27, it says, And when Jesus departed thence,
two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou Son of David,
have mercy on us. And when He was come into the
house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus saith unto them,
Believe ye that I am able to do this. That's the question
He asked them. Do you believe I'm able to do this? They said
unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying,
According to your faith, be it unto you. Our master is exhorting us to
cry out to your God. Don't stop crying out to your
God for your need, for your loved one's needs. Cry, believing in
the ability and the willingness of the one you're crying to.
Cry out, cry out. He said, I'll bless it. Cry out.
Matthew 15, look with me at Matthew 15. Verse 21, then Jesus went thence
and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a
woman of Canaan came out of the same coast and cried unto him,
saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David. My daughter
is grievously vexed with the devil. But he answered her not
a word. And his disciples came and besought
him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us. But he answered
and said, I'm not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me." This is importunity. That's what
this is. This is faith that faints not. It just keeps coming and it just
keeps coming. She came to him, she came to
them, she came back to him. Verse 26, but he answered and
said, it is not meat to take the children's bread and to cast
it to dogs. And she said, truth, Lord, yet
the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table.
This is what she said. That's true, Lord. But even the
dogs don't go away empty handed when they come to the master.
Do we hear what she's saying? No one goes away empty-handed
when they go to the Master. This is the message. Here's the
point of the message. Here's what I pray the Lord will
let me get a hold of and let all of us get a hold of. Here's
the heart of it. No one goes away empty-handed
when they go to the Master. No one walks away empty-handed
when they go to the Master. Nobody does. Nobody does. Verse 28, then Jesus answered
and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee
even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour. We see the promise in this, the
exhortation in this, the hope in this. If he gives the faith
to bring the need, if he gives the faith to bring the need. And if he gives the faith to
continue bringing the need, that's him doing it. And if he does that, that ought
to give us the encouragement and the hope that he is going
to supply the need. Turn with me to Mark 9. Mark 9 verse 14, And when He came to His disciples,
He saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning
with them. And straightway all the people,
when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him, saluted
Him. And He asked the scribes, What
question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered
and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath
a dumb spirit, and where so ever he taketh him, he teareth him,
and he foameth and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away. And
I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and
they could not. He answered him and saith, O
faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long
shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. And they brought
him unto him. And when he saw him, straightway
the spirit tear him. And he fell on the ground and
wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, how
long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, of a child. And oft times it hath cast him
into the fire and into the waters to destroy him. But if thou canst
do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Now do we
see the error in what that man just said to our Lord and how
he approached our Lord? He said, if there's anything
you can do, would you have compassion on us and help us? The Lord said,
that's not the question at all. He said, here's the question,
can you believe? Verse 23, Jesus said unto him,
if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. The Lord said, here's the question,
have you been given faith to believe me and believe on me? And apparently the man had because
he said in verse 24, straightway the father of the child cried
out and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. He said, Lord, I acknowledge
that I do not have the faith in you that I need to have and
that I ought to have. Would you please give me more?
What a thing to... continually bring to Him, continually
come to Him with, all of us need more faith in Christ. All of us need more faith in
the very man who saved us. How does faith come to God's
people? Faith cometh by hearing. and hearing the Word of God. The more of God's Word that we
hear, the more faith it will produce. If we hear little, it
will cause us to have little. May God cause us to hear much,
much, and have much. Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. What do we believe? Do we believe
that He will do whatever we ask Him to do? Well, if I ask Him
to do it, He'll do it. Is that what we believe? No.
The Apostle Paul asked Him three times to remove that thorn in
His flesh, and the Lord didn't remove it. But He did answer
him. Paul did not walk away empty-handed.
He did not walk away empty-handed. He went away with the confirmation
in his heart that God's grace was sufficient. That's a wonderful
thing to walk away with, knowing God's grace is sufficient. Now go back to our text, we'll
wrap this up. Luke 18, verse 1, it says, And he spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men are always to pray and
not to faint, saying, There was in a city a judge which feared
not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that
city, and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while.
But afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God,
nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge
her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said,
Hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall not God avenge his
own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear
long with them?" His own elect. What he is saying to us is this. You remember that you have already
been chosen by the Father. God has already chosen you. You
remember that you have already received His special favor. You are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood. a holy nation, a peculiar people,
that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time
past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which
had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. As you cry,
remember. You've already been selected
by the Father to be a special people to Him. He loves you. He loves you. He shed His blood for you. He cleansed you. so that you
could approach Him and approach His throne freely. We think of our Lord walking
on this earth and think, oh, how glorious it was for the believers
back then who could walk right up to Him and ask Him whatever
they needed to ask Him. So can we. He has made the way acceptable
for us to walk straight up to His throne and stand at His throne
and say, Lord, this is my knee. You can come to Him and He will
hear you. As we cry, not yet receiving
our answer. She didn't receive her answer
immediately and we don't either. And as we cry, not yet receiving
our answer, know He's listening. He hears you. He watches you. He watches us.
He knows. He already knows everything,
He already knows. This is what He has said to all of us, all
of His people, this is what He has to say. He says, ask and
you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall
be opened unto you. That's what He said. Lord, for
Thy name's sake, Because that's who you are. Would you save? I'm bringing this need to Him.
We're bringing this need to Him. I need to be saved. I need for
them to be saved. And I need for you to be saved.
We need to be saved. Lord, we need to be saved. That's
what we need. We don't need anything that this
earth considers to be good. We need to be saved. Lord, because of your name, would
you show mercy? Because that's who you are and
what you delight to do. And that's our need. Would you
please show mercy? Would you please do it? Here's
my exhortation to you. We all have loved ones, families,
friends, loved ones who don't know this God yet, don't ever
stop bringing them to the throne. Don't ever stop. Faint not. Carry them to the throne and
don't stop. Weary the throne. begging out
of great need. Oh, this is our need. This is
our need. If he sent the faith that will
keep doing that, believe and hope that he will supply the
need. He said, you come, you keep coming
and you come in faith. You come believing, you come
with assurance, trusting in the one you're coming to. Verse eight,
he said, I tell you, he will avenge his own elect speedily. Nevertheless, when the son of
man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? He's not going
to find it in the world. He came into the world, the world
received him not. He is not going to find it in
religion. They have a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge. They don't know God's righteousness.
They're not looking to him. But He is going to find it in
His people. He's gonna find it right where
He put it. And if He's put it in us, then
let's cry out to Him with it. If He's given it to us, then
let's cry out to Him with it and let's not stop. What is our need and do we believe
He's able? What is our need? And do we believe
he's able? If so, take it to him and don't
stop. Do not stop. Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. Increase our
faith. May the Lord make that our prayer.
All right, let's all stand together.