Persisting in Faith-Filled Prayer
Jeremy Bell
Luke 18:1-8
October 25, 2020
Sermon Video/Audio
Luke 18:1–8
[1] And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. [2] He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. [3] And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ [4] For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, [5] yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” [6] And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. [7] And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? [8] I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (ESV)
Main Theme: Keep coming to Christ in prayer, trusting in God’s perfect justice!
The Unjust Judge (verse 2)
The Persistent Widow (verse 3)
The Response (verses 4-5)
The Comparison – Unjust Judge vs. the God of Perfect Justice (verses 7-8a)
The Question of Faith (verse 8b)
Application:
- Keep coming to Christ in prayer!
- Trust God’s perfectly just plan
Questions For Discussion/Application:
- Re-read the text, Luke 18:1-8. What initial observations and insights do you have from reading this text?
- How would you summarize the main thing Jesus and Luke want us to learn from this parable?
- What do we learn from the widow’s example?
- Jesus told this parable with the aim that his disciples and we ourselves “ought always to pray and not lose heart.” In the area of prayer, in what ways can we be tempted, at times to lose heart? In what ways can you specifically be tempted to lose heart in the area of prayer?
- In our fallen world, we see injustices everywhere. This can be hard for us and so we pray for justice to take place. How does the promise of future justice (verse 7), at the Lord’s return, help us as Christians persist in prayer today?
- Take time to pray, asking God to help each of us to be people who persist in prayer.