Intro.
· Persistent is defined as ‘refusing to give up’, ‘never ceasing’, or ‘continuing to exist despite interference or treatment’
· Ill.: There’s a supposedly true story of a Welsh woman who lived in a remote valley in Wales. She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have electrical power installed in her home. However, after a couple of months, the electric company noticed she didn’t seem to use very much electricity at all.
Thinking there might be a problem with the hookup, they sent a meter reader out to check on the matter. The man came to the door and said, "We’ve just checked your meter and it doesn’t seem that you’re using much electricity. Is there a problem?"
"Oh no" she said. "We’re quite satisfied. We turn on the electric lights every night to see how to light our lamps and then we switch them off again."
- Now, why didn’t this woman make more use of her electricity?
She believed in electricity.
She believed the promises of the electric company when they told her about it.
She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have her house wired for it.
BUT - she didn’t understand the potential of electricity in her home.
AND SO, she used it’s power sparingly
· Many Christians are like this woman,
o We believe in prayer.
o We believe in the promises that the Bible tells us about prayer
o We have the power of God available to us, 24/7.
§ But we only use it sparingly. Just until we can get things back to a point that we can handle life, without God… without prayer
· Mt. 7:7-11 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
· I John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
· I John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
· Ps. 118:25 “Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.”
· Luke 18 introduces us to a woman, a widow, who had a persistent faith.
o She wants to teach us something today, regarding how we, too, can have a persistent faith.
I. Persistent Faith Is FOCUSED, 3
A. Focused On The Person With The Power ‘judge’
i. We need to focus on WHO God is!
ii. We need to focus on WHAT God has done!
iii. We need to focus on WHEN God has lasted failed!
iv. We need to focus on WHERE God is now seated
v. We need to focus on WHY God does what He does! (His good pleasure)
vi. We need to focus on HOW God moves!
1. God’s ways are not our ways!
2. God’s timing is not our timing
3. God’s priorities are not our priorities
4. God’s purpose is not our purpose!
B. Focused On Get A Need Met, ‘Avenge Me’
i. James 1:1-3 (Have not because…)
ii.
II. Persistent Faith Is INVOLVED, 5
A. It’s involved, even when it stands alone, ‘widow’
B. It’s involved, even when it seems to be ignored, ‘troubleth me’
C. It’s involved, even when it has already asked for something in the past, ‘continual’
D. It’s involved, even when it effort, ‘coming’
E. It’s involved, UNTIL it gets an answer
i. Dan. 10:2-14
ii. ( From Paul Harvey) We should be like the 3-year-old boy (that Paul Harvey told about) who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."
She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all.” So he sat back down.
They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. “Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down & be quiet.”
Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart & shouted in his loudest voice, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?”
And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded. And, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy & his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.
We ought always to pray and not give up…
iii. If this mother could answer the request of her son, don’t you think that our God could do the same for us…in the name of Jesus?
III. Persistent Faith Is REWARDED, 7-8
Mt. 7:9-11 “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
A. To those who are His elect, 7
B. To those who don’t stop praying ‘cry day and night…’, 7
C. To those who have a Persistent Faith, 8
Conc.
· So, How Persistent Is Your Faith?
o Just because God did it for someone else the first time they asked, and he still hasn’t done it for you, does that mean God loves them more and you less?
o Just because another church built a bigger church, and has more members, does that mean God is for them, and against us?
o Just because you’ve asked, and asked, and asked again, and still haven’t received an answer, does that me the God must be saying ‘No’?
· Gal. 6:7-9
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
· Persistent Faith is …
o Focused-Prayer
o Involved-Prayer!
o Rewarded-Prayer!
· Persistent Faith is like the faith of….
o Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice Isaac his son, believing that God would raise him from the dead!
o The widow who gave Elijah the last that she and her son had. God used an empty barrel or meal, and a failing cruse of oil, and feed the widow, her son and the man of God for many days!
o Daniel who fasted and prayed for 3 full weeks, until God sent him an answer!
o Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they were about to be thrown into the oven for refusing to worship the gods of King Nebuchadnezzar. These boys said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
· You see,
o You have some Faith!
o You may even have an honest Faith!
o Now, it’s time for you to have a Persistent Faith!
