The other day I got a chance to watch one of my favorite movies, and that is Rocky. It’s a real spiritual movie. As I watched it, I thought, why is it that people love Rocky so much. Was it for his accent? His intelligence? No, it was because of his heart. When Rocky would fight, it didn’t matter how many times he got knocked down, Rocky always got back up.
You know, the people who I’ve come to expect over the years are not the flashy or even the most gifted people, but it’s the people who never quit. Those who hang in there and never give up. Like Rocky Balboa, they get knocked down, but they never stay down, they’re always back up on their feet, rearing‘ to go. The Reality in life is that you will get knocked down. It happens to even the best.
Many years ago, During a Monday night football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, one of the announcers observed that Walter Payton, the Bears’ running back, had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. The other announcer remarked, "Yeah, and that’s
with someone knocking him down every 4.6 yards!" Even the best get knocked down, but what makes them the best is they get back up. The key to success is to get up and run again just as hard. The key is to be persistent.
Now in our text, we see a woman who could teach us a thing or two about what it means to never, never give up. And this morning, if you are on the edge, and you’re considering giving up on your marriage, on your family, or even on your faith, be attentive to what is said this morning, and learn from this woman some key lessons on how to never give up.
The first lesson I want us to see here is that we should never give up, even when obstacles block our path. Luke 18:1-3, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ’Grant me justice against my adversary.” Now this lady faced many obstacles that stood in the path of what she wanted to get done. She wanted justice to be served. We’re not told of the specific offense that was made against her, but she wanted to see that justice was done, and many things stood in her path. The first obstacle was her situation.
Now as we study this parable, realize that this is not a modern day court scene like we imagine it to be. There is no Ben Matlock here. Try to see it in its Eastern setting. The “courtroom” was not a fine building but a tent that was moved from place to place as the judge covered his circuit. The judge, not the law, set the agenda; and he sat regally in the tent, surrounded by his assistants. Anybody could watch the proceedings from the outside, but only those who were approved and accepted could have their cases tried. This usually meant bribing one of the assistants so that he would call the judge’s attention to the case.
So the widow started off with three strikes against her already. First, being a woman she had little standing before the law. In the Palestinian society of our Lord’s day, women simply did not go to court. Court was for the wealthy men. Woman in that day were considered to be little more than an animal, or merely a possession of their husbands. She had little if none rights whatsoever. Second, since she was a widow, she had no husband to stand with her in court. Finally, she was poor and could not pay a bribe even if she wanted to. No wonder poor widows did not always get the protection the law was supposed to afford them!
She didn’t have the best of circumstances, but she didn’t let that stop her. And many of you, may not think that you have the best circumstances in the world, and you use that as an excuse to simply give up and throw in the towel. While in the Navy, I was trying to witness to a friend of mine and he immediately started by telling me that it was tough for him to go to church, because he never went to church when he was a kid. My response was, well you’re not a kid now. You know there comes a point where you need to stop griping about your situation and deal with the hand life has dealt you and make the most of it. This woman wasn’t about to let her situation stop her, and neither should you.
So you didn’t have the best parents in the world. That’s no excuse for you to not be a good parent. So you work in an environment that is hostile towards Christians…instead of griping about that, you make the most of it…you be the light upon the hill there. Make the most of your situation. You know you really have to admire people who even when the situation looks bad, they can make the most of it.
A Knoxville, Tennessee newspaper once carried two articles concerning similar situations in which the main characters had opposite reactions. The first was about a boy who was jilted by his sweetheart, so he jumped off the Henley Bridge. He left behind a note that read, “To Whom it may concern: I’m going to jump off this bridge because my people are all against me, and the only one I ever loved is mad at me, and I think this is the only way out.” So he jumped. The other was a brief editorial comment about a young air force corporal who, when his girlfriend jilted him, wrote out his heartache in a country song. The tune became a hit and netted him $20,000. The point is, when your romance fails, don’t jump off a bridge, write a country song and get rich. Make disappointment pay. Socrates once advised a young man to go ahead and get married. He said, “You marry a good woman, you’ll be happy. You marry a bad one, you can turn into a philosopher.” Make the most out of your situation.
The second obstacle this lady had was that she had an adversary who was against her. Now we’re not told who this adversary was or what had happened, but it must have been series enough to cause this woman to come to a court where she was not welcomed. Now if you are a competitor, you know there are times when you don’t quit simply because you want to overcome your adversary. Your team does its best when it plays its arch-rival because you don’t want to give that team the satisfaction of gloating over you in defeat. We refuse to quit because we can’t stand the thought of your opponent winning.
Well, all throughout scripture we are told that we have a spiritual adversary who is ruthlessly seeking to destroy your relationship with God and your joy in Christ. His name is Satan, the devil, the prince of darkness, the father of all lies as Christ said, and he wants to oppose you in you walk with Christ. He’ll try to throw you off the course, tell you to give up. You’ve failed, you’ve lost. He’ll try to convince you that your prayers are going unheard, that your faith is useless. He won’t stop until you are defeated. Don’t listen to him. Don’t get caught up in his lies. Oppose him with all your strength. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Oppose him and his lies as well.
Now as you walk this Christian faith, there will be others who will oppose you in your walk. 2 Thess 3:2-3 says, “And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
This world is filled with people who, for no good reason, are hostile towards Christians and toward the Christian faith. When my wife and I lived out in San Diego, there was a certain church who on every Easter Sunday for over 50 years had rented a piece of land from the city that was high upon a hill overlooking the city. And every Easter they would have a sunrise service there. But the 2nd Easter we were there, a group of Atheist had beaten them to the paperwork, and just to spite that church, on Easter morning they set up lawn chairs and drank beer. Now why did they do that. They were hostile toward God and toward God‘s people.
When Christians stand up for the authority of scripture and for moral absolutes, we are often ridiculed and scoffed at. Now I often respect Bill O’Reilly, but on September 3 he interviewed and blasted Stephen Bennett for his Christian beliefs about homosexuality. Bennett is himself an ex-gay who has founded a ministry to homosexuals and Mr. O’ Reilly blasted him for his belief in the bible as being true, and for his stance that homosexuality is a sin. Bill O’Reilly said, "We live in a secular society, you’re a religious fanatic, with all due respect," he told Bennett. When Mr. Bennet objected to the characterization, O’Reilly repeated, "You’re a religious fanatic." All because he didn’t agree with his stance on homosexuality. Now when a conservative talk show host is calling evangelical Christians “fanatics” it’s so discouraging. It’s even worse when certain Christian preachers try to be politically correct rather than biblically correct, and it’s so tempting to throw your hands up and quit.
But the bible says to never grow weary in doing good. Even when it’s tough, never grow weary. Even if you’re the only one, never grow weary. God asked the question in Psalms 94:16 , “Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?” Will that person be you? One question has always stuck with me. David Hanna was preaching a revival at my friend’s church, and he said, “Everybody’s a fool. Some are a fool for this world. Other’s are a fool for Jesus. Now who’s fool are you?”
Now the third person this woman faced a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. Now it is always sad when a person is like this, but it is a dreadful situation when this person is a person of public office, one who leads the nation and one who has power to set forth laws. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, said “Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.” It is sad when a judge who opposes God takes it upon himself to go after God’s people. As we have seen with recent court decisions dealing with the abuse of the first amendment when it comes to the separation of church and state.
Now, it’s sad when those in power oppose God and God’s people. And just like this woman, we may feel like giving up, like throwing in the towel, but we need to press forward. This woman did, and look what happened. Luke 18:4-5, “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ’Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!” This woman never gave up, even after he refused to hear her, she kept after him, and eventually she got what she wanted.
Now from this I want to give you some practical applications to help you to develop this type of persistence. First of all, develop a sense of duty. Much of life is fulfilling not your pleasures, but rather your obligations. Such as showing up on time at work even when you don’t feel like it; doing your job even when it isn’t what you wanted to do. Doing your best, even when your tired. Life is not all about fun and games. Everybody’s enthusiasm runs out on occasion, but the real test of maturity is to keep going even when you don’t feel like doing it but you keep on because you have a sense of duty.
Now most of the time, I come to church on Sunday’s a preach because I am eager to preach and to worship God, but there are other times when I come because of a sense of duty. There are some Sunday mornings, when the fan is blowing just right, and it’s a cloudy, rainy day outside, that I just want to pull the covers back up over me and just stay home. I don’t feel like singing, or smiling and hi to everybody. There are some mornings where I feel like getting up here behind the pulpit and stare at you the same way you stare at me. “Just try to reach me.” is what many faces say, and I’m thinking, “Fine, I won’t.” But I do my darnedst because I have a calling from God, and as a Christian it is my duty to be in church every Sunday, to sing and to praise God, even when I don’t feel like it. So start off by developing that sense of duty. You do your best, you come to church, you pray each day not only because you feel like it, but because it is your duty as a Christian.
When Christ went to the cross He didn’t do it because it would feel good, He did it because He knew He had to if you and I were going to be forgiven of our sins and have a home in Heaven. He knew it was His duty to die for you and me, and in spite of the pain and agony, He did it.
The next application is this, when you get knocked down…don‘t stay down, always get back up. Don’t stay down. Develop of form of resiliency where even when life deals you a blow, you get back up charging. Mike Jordan was cut off his high school basketball team. Abe Lincoln failed for public office at least 8 times before being elected President. The founder of our Methodist movement, John Wesley had this sense of resiliency.
A page from John Wesley’s Diary reads as follows: Sunday morning, May 5, preached in St. Ann’s, was asked not to come back anymore. Sunday p.m., May 5, preached at St. John’s, deacons said, "Get out and stay out." Sunday a.m., May 12, preached at St. Jude’s, can’t go back there either. Sunday p.m., May 12, preached at St. George’s, kicked out again. Sunday a.m., May 19, preached at St. somebody else’s, deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return. Sunday p.m., May 19, preached on the street, kicked off the street. Sunday a.m., May 26, preached in meadow, chased out of meadow as a bull was turned loose during the services. Sunday a.m., June 2, preached out at the edge of town, kicked off the highway. Sunday p.m., June 2, afternoon service, preached in a pasture, 10,000 people came to hear me. Don’t give up.
Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl. One was an optimistic soul. But the other took the gloomy view. "We’ll drown," he lamented without much ado, and with a last despairing cry, he flung up his legs and said "Goodbye." Quote the other frog with a steadfast grin, "I can’t get out but I won’t give in, I’ll just swim around till my strength is spent, then I’ll die the more content." Bravely he swam to work his scheme, and his struggles began to churn the cream. The more he swam, his legs a flutter, the more the cream turned into butter. On top of the butter at last he stopped, and out of the bowl he gaily hopped. What is the moral? It’s easily found... If you can’t hop out, keep swimming around!
Finally, stay focused on the eternal goal of Christ. The troubles of this world are temporary, but the glory of our Lord and Savior is forever. And by looking to Jesus, it keeps our mind focused as well as strengthening us for the battle.
Several years ago Charles Stanley said that he was struggling with some opposition. During that time an elderly woman from his church invited him to her retirement community for lunch. Although he was very busy and under some serious pressure, he went and ate lunch with her. Afterwards she took him up to her apartment and showed him a picture hanging on her living room wall. It was a picture of Daniel in the lion’s den. She said, "Young man, look at this picture and tell me what you see."
Dr. Stanley looked at the picture and saw that all the lions had their mouths closed, some were lying down. Daniel was standing with his hands behind him. Stanley told the lady everything he knew to tell her. Then she asked, "Anything else?" He knew there must be, but he couldn’t see anything else. She put her arm on his shoulder and said, "What I want you to see is that Daniel doesn’t have his eyes on the lions, he has his eyes on the Lord."
The next time you’re afraid or your problem’s seem insurmountable, then turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace. Ron Dunn described the Christian life this way, "You start with Jesus, you stay with Jesus, you finish with Jesus. It doesn’t get any better than Jesus.”
There comes a time in each of our lives when we run up against an overwhelming obstacle…or an incredible challenge…or an intimidating opportunity and we’re forced to decide if we’re going to quit…or JUST DO IT! Maybe it’s time for you to Just do it, and commit your life to Jesus Christ. If you have never made the choice for Christ, we want to invite you to make that decision this morning by coming down here and meeting me at the altar. Or if you do not have a church home and you would like to make this church your home we’d welcome that decision as well.
