Through the Bible

Now, we came out of chapter 17, which was, it's considered Jesus' high priestly prayer for us, His prayer for us to be one with He and the Father, as He and the Father are one. And we talked last time about coming to the point of resting in that, when we can rest in the fact that we're in Him, that He is transforming us into the image, the Father's transforming us into the image of the Son through the work of the Spirit, by the use of the Word of God, then we can come to the point of resting in Him, and that's in spite of any of the circumstances around us, like the great economic situation that's going right now. So now He was telling them a parable as we come into chapter 18, and we're going to see

this whole chapter deals with prayer, in the examples that are given, in the parables that are told, and I copied this, it's not mine, I borrowed it, let's say, but I like it because it just really details the chapter on prayer, and so these first few verses, He's going to deal with the persistence of prayer, and they are all Ps, so mnemonically we're in P-land tonight, the persistence of prayer. Now He was telling them a parable to show that, and I encourage you to mark in your Bibles, please, I have at all times circled in mine, mark it, highlight it, parenthesis it, or whatever, underline it, at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart. You should meditate on that verse, sometime other than tonight, just to sit, especially

as I know we're all going through different difficulties, to sit and meditate on the things of the Lord. We need more chairs? Praise God, that's exciting. Welcome. A bottle of water back there, if you want a bottle of water, also coffee, so help yourself. The persistence of prayer, the need to pray and not to lose heart, He knew, they're coming to the point of entering Jerusalem here, in the next chapter, and He knows that they will

have that tendency to lose heart, matter of fact, they will lose heart, all of them will,

that we're the only culture that prays with our eyes closed. The Jews always prayed with their eyes open, or with their eyes to the Lord, or if you go to Israel and you watch them at the wailing wall, they're nodding back and forth, they're just kind of bobbing back and forth, but as far as head bowed and eyes, every head bowed and every eye closed, that's a Western cultural trait. Standing is another Western cultural trait. The Jews pray standing, and Jesus is emphasizing the need to be praying all the time.

Paul picks that up in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and says to pray without ceasing, the continuality of prayer, in everything giving thanks, so that's an action of prayer, in praying without ceasing, and when I talk to people who are going through different difficulties in their lives, one of the things I ask is, are you in prayer, and are you in the word, and more often than not, they are not in one or the other, and prayer is usually the first to go, and then once prayer goes, your time in the word will leave, because you're not in communion with the Lord through prayer, so you begin to read his word, and it becomes duty rather than this wonderful discourse from the Lord, back and forth, you can read

it and pray it, and then he answers through the word, and so this being lost in prayer, or losing prayer, Jesus understands there's a need to persist in prayer, and he tells them a parable, emphasizing that need, verse 2 saying, in a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man, and there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him saying, give me legal protection from my opponent, for a while he was unwilling, but afterward he said to himself, even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming, she will wear me out, and the Lord said, hear what the unrighteous

judge said, now will not God bring about justice for his elect who cry to him day and night, and will he delay long over them, I tell you that he will bring about justice for them quickly, however when the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth, now let's just go back to verse 2 again, at the beginning of the parable, there's an unjust judge Jesus talks about, he was a certain judge, and that takes us to the highest spectrum of the societal hierarchy, the judge was in the position of God, Psalm 83, the psalmist talks about, and Jesus refers to that particular psalm, when the Pharisees talk about the fact that he made himself to be equal with God, Jesus quotes that psalm, and he said, well doesn't

your own word, doesn't the word of God say that you are gods, because you're in the position of authority of judging in the stead of God, in God's name, and so the judge here represents the highest position in society, but he is an unjust judge in the sense that he doesn't fear God and he doesn't respect man, so he has no fear of God, he has no respect for man, we talk about, wow, a position of authority where he doesn't fear God, so he doesn't sense any authority over him, and he doesn't respect man, so he doesn't care what his decisions are where men are concerned, I mean that's the worst possible person, and that's what Jesus is coming across with, that you could find yourself under the authority of, and

yet there was also a widow in that city, now a widow would have been at the other end of the spectrum, maybe just a hair above a leper, but the widow was at the other end, who was weak as far as, if the judge was the strongest in society, representative of the position of God, then the widow was the weakest, she didn't have a male authority over her, there were certain things she could not do because she didn't have a husband, a woman without a husband was considered worthless, women in that particular society, in society in the eastern culture at that time, didn't have any position, they didn't have any respect, and if they weren't married at all, then they were just ostracized or outcast, so even

if they'd been married and now their husband had died, they were again in that position of being a weak place in society, so you have the judge who's the strongest, and the widow who is, for all intents and purposes, in the weakest position in society, in that city, and she kept coming, she kept coming, and the verb tense is a continual, there was a continual coming to the judge, seeking for him to rule on some particular issue, the issue is not important in the story, the issue that she wanted the judge to rule on in her behalf is immaterial, the emphasis that Jesus is making on this is her persistence, she kept coming, and kept coming, and kept coming, now she didn't have any authority to move

him to grant her favor, she didn't have any finances, she couldn't buy his decision, and he was one who looked like he probably would have done it that way, because he had no fear of God, and he had no respect for man, he would go to the highest bidder, but she didn't have any resources to that end, all she could do was, she kept coming and appealing to him in his position, to rule in his favor, give me legal protection from my opponent, from whoever that was, maybe it did have to do with an inheritance, we don't know, something was going on, and for a while he was unwilling, verse 4, but afterward he said to himself, even though I do not fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, she's

not giving me any time off, she's not giving me a break, I will give her legal protection otherwise by her continually coming, she's going to wear me out, she's going to drive me mad, she's going to drive me nuts, every time the phone rings, it's the widow, every time the door knocks, it's the widow, he gets off and goes home, the widow's on the phone, the widow's knocking at the door, she just constantly, he can't go anywhere in the marketplace, there's the widow, you know, coming up, you ever wonder why doctors and attorneys and judges don't shop locally, they couldn't, and some do, I'd give them credit for that, those people in those positions, they walk through a store, or whatever, and everybody's,

you know, hey, I've got this ache here, you know, doc, you get it all the time, somebody's see him in the store, and by the way, you know, can you adjust me right here, you know, can you give me an adjustment in the store, and so there's the widow there, constantly driving him nuts, she's going to wear me out, and the Lord said, hear what the unrighteous judge says, now remember, throughout the gospels, in every gospel, you're going to hear Jesus say, as he teaches, take heed how you hear, so he says, hear what the unjust judge says, hear what he says, why did he judge, why did he rule, because the woman kept coming, she was persistent in her coming, and she was going to drive him mad, she was going to wear

him out, because she was persistent, so he granted her, her desire, and the Lord said in verse 6, hear what she says, now will not God bring about justice for his elect who cry to him day and night, and the demanded answer, it's a rhetorical question, the answer is yes, God will, because he's just, and he loves us, he is just, he's a just authority,

and so his decisions are just and right, but he loves us, it's not that he doesn't respect us, it's the fact that he loves us, and so as we are persistent, he will answer, not because he's bugged, but because he loves us, and he will, will he, and then another rhetorical question, will he delay long over them in bringing the answer, and the question demands a negative, no, will he answer, yes, will he delay the answer, no, because we keep coming, sermon on the mount, Matthew chapter 6, ask and keep on asking are the verb tenses, knock and keep on knocking, seek and keep on seeking, that's something the Lord wants to teach us, now there are sections of Christianity, unfortunately, that have this idea that we

don't need to pray, because God knows what we are going to ask, before we ask, so it's worthless in praying, well you've just torn out the sermon on the mount, and you've just torn out Luke here, and other sections as well, where we are told to be persistent in asking, keep on asking, ask and keep, God knows what we are going to ask, absolutely, but for some reason he wants us to talk to him and to ask, it's part of his plan, it's part of his procedure, that he does in working with us, do we change his mind, heavens no, but it's in our persistence in asking, that he is responding, and we are watching for an answer, and we see it, how many times, like on the prayer chain, stuff comes through

on the prayer chain, and you see it, and you know, you are checking your emails, and here it comes, pray for this or that, and maybe you pray while you are going through the email, and that's it, and you don't think about it again, until you see the person walking in

and pray before you go to bed, and then the next morning click through and pray for them, and wait and see if an answer comes through, because inevitably we have updates, I'll send updates through, here's an update on this, and oh, wow, answered prayer. You go back through the Old Testament, and God's people got discouraged, the children of Israel got discouraged, because they forgot what God had done, and God wanted them to go back through and rehearse, remember the things that I have done, and you go through all the things over and over, and you go, yeah, I know that he parted the Red Sea, and he brought them through, and he fed them with manna, and all that stuff, but they forgot,

and God wanted them to remember that, to go back through and remember how he'd answered prayer, so when they get in those sticky situations, they'll know, he's still going to answer prayer, it's still going to come through, they can still trust him. That's why we, one of the benefits of taking time to go through the Word, is you're reminded and refreshed, God has a plan, he's working his plan, he wants us to be talking to him through that plan, praying for these different things, because he is just, and because he does care for us, and he's not just dangled us out somewhere, expecting us to fight on our own, and just, you know, God doesn't even know I exist, or doesn't even know I'm here, he wants us to be persistent in praying.

Now there's another group in Christianity who say, we only need to pray once, if you pray anymore, you're doubting God, it's a lack of faith, well again, you tear out the Sermon on the Mount, and you tear out Luke, and you tear out other sections of Scripture, because we are told to pray, to ask, and keep on asking, to be persistent. The whole parable here is obvious, the widow prayed, kept asking for the same thing, over and over, and Jesus said, hear what the unjust judge says about what she did, he responded because of her persistence, and he wants us to understand the need for persistence. And then, verse 8, again, you ought to box it in like you did verse 1, hopefully you're

underlining it all, I tell you that he will bring about justice for them quickly, however when the Son of Man comes, and that idea is when he comes again, because he knows he's going away, and when he comes again, will he find faith on the earth? Now he's not talking about some nebulous idea of faith, is he going to find faith on the earth? He didn't just go off now onto a new subject, what's he been talking about? Prayer.

The persistence of prayer. He's still talking in that parable on prayer, so the idea of faith, will he find faith on the earth, is faith or faithfulness for those praying. I'm expecting Jesus to come at any time, I'm praying he's coming at any time, things are happening so fast, that it just seems like he has to be coming at any time, and I'm talking to him all day, in an attitude of prayer, asking him to come. Praying for the different situations, I still run across people in the stores, and I pray with them and for them, the different situations that you find as you do, I mean that's, the mission field is your grocery stores, I mean hit your grocery stores on Walmart and all

that stuff, because that's a mission field in town, you see the people that you don't normally see all the time, or maybe you do see some all the time that you see there, but there's the mission field, opportunities to pray, and just a casual greeting with people. And Jesus is coming so soon, I anticipate it, is he going to find people faithfully praying when he comes, are we going to be all wrapped up in other pursuits, other things, are we all going to be wrapped up in the frustrations of our society, like over this multi-billion dollar bailout, whether they pass it or not, what's going to happen if they do, what's going to happen if they don't, well, God's going to still be God if they do, and God's

still going to be God if they don't, he's still in control if they do, he's still in control if they don't, he's still in control if they keep the Wall Street going, he's still in control if Wall Street falls on its head, he's still God, he's still in control, it's not going to change him at the end of the day, it's going to mean nothing in any difference as far as God's character and nature is concerned. Are you praying, are you seeking him, are you one back in chapter 17 with him, have you been one with him today, resting in him today, spending time with him today as we get together tonight to come through this section of his word? May I adjure you, encourage you, be persistent in prayer, pray together in your families,

lead your families in prayer guys, be that example in prayer, pray before you go to bed, pray when you get up before you go off to work, before you go to your different places. My kids, I have one in Enterprise who texts me during the day, please pray about this, and I'm praying, and I'll text her back, okay praying, let me know how it's going, and I have one in England who calls and says, hey keep this in prayer would you, we got this going on in the fellowship, okay I'm praying, I'm praying with you on the phone, and then next day I'm waiting for the call to find out how things are going, just be in a continual attitude of prayer, it's absolutely necessary especially because of the situation, the times

in which we're living in, and the imminence of the return of Christ. Okay now, verse 9, if you have a studied Bible you have a nice little black italicized header above it, the Pharisee and the Publican, okay well we're still dealing with prayer, we started off with the persistence of prayer, now we're going into the posture of prayer, we're going into the posture of prayer, and he also, so it's tied into verse 8, and what's going through the first eight verses, he also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt, he says two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector, okay again opposite

ends of the societal religious spectrum, the Pharisee was a representative of the ruling class of the religious group of Israel, Pharisees, Sadducees, the priests were a different group, he meant matter of fact he mentions them differently, we'll see that down later on in this chapter and in chapter 19, priests are mentioned as a different part, and the scribes, and they're all the religious hierarchy, Pharisees were, would have been the more conservative between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they were the more religiously correct in everything that they did, and he even mentions it in his prayer, they sought to do everything by the law, they were legalistic, they were legalists, but in society they were viewed as being closer

to God than the rest of them, than the rest of everybody else because they were in this position. of religious authority. So, Pharisee and then the tax collector again is the other end, just like the widow is at the other end in the peril of the widow and the unjust judge. Tax collector is at the opposite end. He was despised by society. The tax collector that they're mentioning here was a Jew who worked for the Romans.

He had to collect a certain amount of tax from the people. He could raise that. Whatever he could squeeze out of the people, he had to pay the Romans a certain amount. But anything on and above that, he could keep. So he could tell the people that they needed to pay X amount. The people didn't know. I mean, the tax collectors were the ones that were coming to get the tax and they just,

most of the people, they didn't have any authority to appeal to other than like the unjust judges. So when the tax collector came and said, I need so much tax for your property or whatever, they just paid it. But he might take, you know, 90% of that went to Rome, 10% went to him. So they were despised because the people knew they were getting ripped off by the tax collectors.

So they both come to pray. Jesus gives this parable, this example. And the Pharisee stood, verse 11, and was praying this. Now I'd circle to himself. He says, sure, and get into God. God, I thank you that I am not like other people. Then he gives a certain category of the other people that he's glad he's not like. Although he was unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector, I fast twice a week.

Now that was his religious practice. Now Jesus teaches in the Gospels, when you fast, don't be like the Pharisees. You know, they make themselves up and they let people know that they're fasting. To be seen of men, so that men will go, ooh, isn't he religious? Isn't he really close to God, devoted to God, because he's fasting? And so this Pharisee says, I not only fast, I fast twice a week.

So he's saying that in front of the tax collector, boasting, in a boasting way. I'm not a swindler, I'm not unjust, I'm not an adulterer, even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and I pay tithes of all that I get. So he is talking to himself because he is seeking to justify himself before God in his prayer. He's, God has to like me because I'm all this stuff.

You know, I have to be okay with God because I'm all of this stuff. It'd be like going through our lives saying, well, God, I have to be okay because, I mean, I went to church twice this week and I read three chapters in the Bible this week. And I went and helped paint a house or I did these things at school and I helped out doing all these things. And the idea, the assumption is God's favor is going to be upon me because I did all of that stuff.

I'm finding favor with God because I'm listing all of my achievements. But the tax collector standing some distance away was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven. Again, that's the assumption was, that's how they prayed. Remember? When I started off the beginning in the idea of prayer, the position of prayer, they would stand and they would look up and talk to God like, you know, like he has an authority over them.

But he was some distance away, was unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven because he was ashamed of himself, but beating his breast saying, God be merciful to me. Now, it says that New American Standard and I didn't have time to check all the other translations, but the next one has a definite article, the, the sinner, not be merciful to me, a sinner. New American Standard tries to stick closer to the actual Greek in the tenses and the verb tenses in the articles. And so the Greek has the definite article. He's saying, be merciful to me, the sinner.

And when he's saying that, he's identifying himself as the Pharisees bottom rung. Swindlers, you know, unjust adulterers and tax collectors. I am the sinner. I'm the one on the bottom, the one the Pharisee just mentioned. Excuse me. So he identifies himself as the lowest of the low, the sinner. Jesus says, I tell you this man, the tax collector that identified himself as a sinner and cried out for God's mercy.

He went to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. Now, these are principles. These are principles in life. Humble yourselves, therefore, before the hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you. Humble yourselves before the hand of God. Be humble, humility before the Lord.

Not a boastful, prideful. I'm great. I'm, you know, I'm one of the elect. I'm one of God's chosen. No, I'm a sinner. Paul said, I'm a sinner saved by Christ. I am the chief of sinners. Paul identified himself as that. God, I realize you don't have to. You're not obligated to me in the least. You're not obligated to bless me, but I thank you for the blessings.

And I ask for your mercy in these situations that are coming up. I don't deserve it. I'm not deserving of your mercy, but I thank you, Lord, for that. I mean, just realizing your position in life. I had a brother call the other day that had just heard about what we're going through with Ann, her Lou Gehrig's disease. And we hadn't talked to this guy for several years.

And he called and was filling him in on how she was diagnosed and all. And he said, I just feel so bad. He said, she doesn't deserve that. And I said, well, you know, although I agree, God knows what's best. God knows what's right. I mean, none of us deserves to breathe in, breathe out. Deserves? Nah. We are sinners in God's creation. I mean, deserve? We deserve snuff and off to hell, off to the lake of fire.

That's what we deserve. But God, in his mercy, saved us. For by grace we have been saved, Paul says. In his mercy, he saved us. And we need to remember that. Deserve? Naked I came into the world, naked I shall return. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord, Job said. And in everything, he did not sin by blaming God. What do we deserve? God, whatever you give me, thank you.

Bless you. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for the blessings that you've given. When you get to that point of realizing that, God opens to you. He exalts you. And the exaltation, I've gone over and over and over that. When you read about those that are exalted in Scripture, I mean, yeah, if you go through, I'm teaching Revelation to my high school Bible class. And we're just going through the areas of the churches and those who are persistent,

who are consistent and press on to the end. Well, I give the right to sit with me on my throne in my Father's kingdom to rule and reign with me. Yeah, we're going to have position of rulership and authority and we're going to have crowns. But the idea of being exalted here is the idea of God opening, understanding to us. He gives us more wisdom and understanding of what's going on, what he's doing.

And we receive his peace and his assurance in the midst of these circumstances. If I'm trying to justify myself before him, I'm not going to have peace. If I'm trying to, I'm going to have more agitation and more irritation and more frustration. I find when I'm broken before the Lord, humble before God, he raises, he lifts us up. He lifts up our heads. He just, it's like the hope is there.

And you just, you know, you're not going on feelings all, but you sense his presence. You sense his assurance and there's a peace that's just there. So he who humbles himself will be exalted. So that's another parable concerning our approach to God, our posture of prayer before the Lord. Praying in humility before the Lord rather than demanding. Oh, I demand God that you do this. I demand that you answer this prayer because I'm a king's kid.

And in Jesus' name, you give me the authority and I'm demanding it in your name. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Humility, humble before the Lord. Jesus will lift us up. Okay, now we come to the power of prayer. How does the power of prayer come in? All right, that's what I want, is the power of prayer. And they were bringing even their babies to him so that he would touch them.

But when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them saying, Permit the children to come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all. Okay, power of prayer. You want to experience the power of prayer.

The power of prayer is revealed in coming to Christ in childlikeness. Okay, well, what is that? Well, Jesus gives us the illustration of this. The people were, the disciples were seeking to keep the kids away. People were bringing their kids to Jesus. Why? That he might just touch them. Him to just touch them. They knew who he was, just touch them. Was there anything wrong with them? I don't know, just touch them.

You just touch them, they'll be fine. They get him in the proximity of Jesus and he just touches them. They'll be okay. And the disciples were saying, no, you know, kids. Problem with kids. Take them to the children's church. You know, leave them out of here with the Lord. And Jesus says, no. Let them come. Let them come to me. Don't hinder them. For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

The kingdom of God belongs to such as these? Kids are running the kingdom? Well, in a sense, truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it. The kids weren't afraid of Jesus. None of the kids were ever afraid. They wanted to come. I mean, it's unlike, you know, the pictures you see of Santa Claus in a department store

and the mom's trying to put the little kid on Santa's lap so that she can take a picture of him, and the kid's screaming and crying because he's scared to death of the jolly white man in a red suit. Jesus never had that problem. Kids weren't afraid of him. He had... His character and his nature was soft and appealing and... Remember, kids can sense. Kids can sense fear.

Kids can sense love. Kids can sense hypocrisy. They may not be able to define all of those, but they can sense. They know the truth. They know when you're just blowing smoke or when you're telling them the truth. And kids respond. And they respond quickly. And they respond intimately. And they respond willingly when they sense that love that's there.

Kids are ignorant of limitations.

There was a study done, and you've heard of the studies before of kids on a playground at a school. And I saw that after the study came out 20-some years ago in a school in Winfield. It's Lowell School.

That's not the one that they did the study of, but they said they put the kids on the playground and the kids all congregated towards the center of the playground. And they had all of the rest of this playground area with all kinds of room to room, but they all congregated to the center because it was an open playground area. But then they fenced it. They put a chain-link fence all the way around it, and the kids moved clear out to the rest of the playground area because they knew their limit, because they felt secure.

They felt the security of limitation. Kids,

they need the understanding of where they can come, where they can't come. They need that. They are ignorant of their limitations unless that's defined. And so they'll come to Jesus, and He's the Son of God, and they'll just come. I mean, they just come because they don't sense any limitation with Him. They sense a drawing. They want to come to Him. And that's how the Lord wants us to come.

I often, you know,

whenever we go out to eat after services on Sunday, and we'll go to different places, and people are really nicely dressed, and there I am in my jeans and my white shirt. And I know I'm getting looks because I can see them like, did you just come from church? And whether or not they know I'm the pastor or not. And I'm in sandals. And it's like, I've heard people say,

well, you know, we dress up because we want to honor God when we come to church. Okay. God really doesn't care if your sport coat matches your slacks, or if you wear brown shoes or black shoes, or if you wear a dress or pants. He really doesn't care. He wants to know your heart. You can come in decked to the nines, and your heart can be far from Him. He wants us to come,

not to seek to impress Him, but He wants us to come, again, with humility. And that's how the kids come. They don't start seeking to impress anybody. They just want to come and sit on His lap. They were ignorant of boundaries. They were ignorant of, you know, He's the Son of God. You approach on your face or on your knees or whatever. You don't touch Him. That's how the Lord wants us to come.

He wants us to come that way in prayer. It's not, well, Lord, you know, I can't pray in King James or whatever. God doesn't want you to pray in King James. He doesn't care if you use proper grammar. He just wants you to come. He just wants you to talk to Him, to commune with Him, to be in that relationship, that consistent relationship, because that's the kingdom of God.

That's when the kingdom of God's among us, is when we're in that continued state of communication. Innocent, open, limitless communication with the Lord like a child. That's how we enter the kingdom of God. You come to Christ humble like a child because you know you're a sinner and you're in need of redemption. You want to repent. You've humbled yourself. You've set aside your own abilities.

You've set aside your appeal to your own righteousness to come to Christ, and that's like a child. So all of us come to Christ like a child. Humbly. And that's how we're to keep coming. Daily in prayer. Okay, well, now we come to the purpose of prayer. The purpose of prayer. And what's the purpose of prayer? To get our way. No. To get the answers we want. No.

The purpose of prayer is to seek the mind of Christ. I'm praying because I don't understand the situation. I don't like the situation. I don't know what to do in the situation. And I want an answer. And I want direction. I want to know your mind in this, Lord. So, a ruler questioned Jesus saying, Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Now, that's a prayer.

If you realize it. If you understand it. He's asking God. He's asking Jesus a question. He's talking to the Lord. Good teacher. And Jesus is clarifying that. Why do you call me good? There's no one good except God alone. He's establishing before this guy. And this guy knows it. He understands that. But he's establishing the fact that you're praying. We're talking.

We're conversing in prayer. That's what prayer is all about. There's no one good but God. You're talking to God. And that's good. He's wanting to know the mind of God. He's wanting to know God's mind on that answer. What shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness.

Honor your father and mother. Now, if this up here are the two tablets. The two tablets of the Ten Commandments. Jesus just quoted this side of the tablets. The right side of the tablets. He just quoted the right side of the tablets. These five or six deal with man's treatment of his fellow man. He said, You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder.

Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother. That deals with the right side of the tablets. And the guy said, All these things I've kept for my youth. And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure. And the Bible says, What do you mean by the tablet?

I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have any other God besides me. What was that guy's possession? And what was the money? His God. He carried his God with him. He had his God that he appealed to, that he trusted in, that he leaned on, that he clung to. That was the left side of the tablet. Jesus said,

to be your God. Honor God. Follow the Lord. What are the stuff that's hindering you in your search? You want to know the answer? Jesus said, here's the answer. Another attorney comes and talks to him later, and he says, what's the greatest of the commandments? The first one, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.

On these hang all the law and the commandments. Left side, right side. Left side first. Or actually, in the Hebrew, it would be this side first, because they're going this way. But, you know, for us, for our benefit, the tablets are like this, because this is how we read them. But it's the God's side first, then the man's side. You've got to love God first before you can love your fellow man.

If you don't love God first, if you're not honoring God, you love your fellow man with a limited love, with a love that only you can work.

Love your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and you will then love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said the second is like it, tie it to it, because it's the natural outgrowth of the first one. So the guy wasn't loving the Lord first. He was hanging on to his stuff. And when he heard these things, verse 23, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

And Jesus looked at him and said, Now, in Matthew, it sounds like he's saying it to his disciples, remember? But here he's looking at, this guy's looking at, and the guy hasn't said anything. He hasn't gone away yet. He became very sad, so that indicates his countenance changed. Now, in Matthew, it says that he went away sad. And Jesus said, like he was talking to his disciples,

Luke clarifies it, he was sad because he was extremely rich. And Luke looked at him and said, How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God, for it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Now, how do you enter the kingdom of God? Well, he just told us back up here, like a little child.

Innocent, ignorant of limitations, and dependent, dependent upon the Lord. Trusting, completely trusting, completely trusting, and completely dependent upon the adult to take care of them. That's how we're to enter. That's how we're to come to the kingdom of God. Completely trusting in Jesus, completely entrusting ourselves to him to care for us. And so, here this guy is saying, you can't do it.

It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, because he can't trust God. He'll trust in his resources before he trusts in the Lord. God says, give him away. Now, what if, see, we don't know what would have happened if the guy would have gone to give him away. And Jesus could have said the same thing that he said

to Abraham with Isaac. Okay, okay. Now, I know truly that you trust me, for you have not withheld from me even your riches. Take those and distribute them as I tell you to distribute them. And he could have used them as a vital, vital tool, you know, of resources. Like God told Abraham, take your son, your only son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering on a place where I will show you.

Took him to Moriah. Abraham didn't question, didn't try and talk. Got out of it, took him, was ready to kill him, but God said, wait, now I know that you trust me because you haven't withheld from me your son, your only son whom you love. Well, God knew that before he left. He knew his heart, but Abraham bore it out so that we could read it and go, Abraham, yeah.

God could have said, okay, I know you wouldn't do it. And we'd go, how do we know he wouldn't do it? You know, he wouldn't have done it. But he was all the way there. Now we know he would have done it if God hadn't stopped him. Everybody knows he would have done it. But he trusted God. And God said, okay, now take your son. And through him, he brought the nation of Israel.

How do we know that this rich, young ruler, if he hadn't just said, okay, I'll go sell it. You know, what God does is when we give, when you learn how to give, when you learn how to tithe, when you learn how to give your resources to the Lord and trust Him with it, you never lose. You never lose. You can't give it away. It's like you give it away and you go home

and there it is, whoa. You go try to give it away again. You go home and there it is. I mean, we're faithful to trust Him. This guy didn't learn that. He didn't trust God where that was concerned. And he missed out on God working in some marvelous ways because resources were his God. Now, again, the camel through the eye of a needle, the Greek word there is a needle.

A needle that sews. It's from a root word meaning to sew. It's not the eye of a needle. It's not a gate in the gate of Jerusalem that after dark they close the gates and they open the little bitty one that the camels had to get down on their knees and scoot through that's called the eye of a needle. There is no such thing. There was no such thing. That's not what he's talking about.

It's the literal needle. He's talking about the impossibility of squeezing a camel through the eye of a sewing needle. And the disciples understood that because when he said that, those who heard it said, verse 26, then who can be saved? Now, it's interesting to me that they would say that because I don't think any of the 12 really were rich other than Matthew had been a tax collector.

But the rest of them were fishermen or zealots. They weren't wealthy. So, they were looking at this guy like this guy is righteous. He looked righteous because he'd done all the stuff on this side of the tablets. He was a good guy. He was a Boy Scout. Would have been an Eagle Scout because he'd done all those things. Nice, good stuff to people. And they knew themselves.

They knew they hadn't done any of this stuff. I mean, they were just the ones. So, how did they get into heaven?

With God. Remember who it is that the kingdom of God belongs to back up in verse 16. Who does the kingdom of God belong to? Children. Because they have no limitations with God. God can do anything. He can do anything. There isn't anything God can't do. I believe that. So, if he says it's impossible for God, listen, He can do it. If He wants to do it, He can do it.

Lean on Him. Whatever. How can they be saved? Well, we can do anything. He can turn that guy around. And God does. And He has. And Peter said, well, Peter picked up on that. Well, you know, that guy wouldn't give anything away. Behold, we've given everything away. We've left our homes and folly. We've given up stuff. And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house

or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come receive eternal life.

I know there are those who go, well, wait a minute. You know, I've given up all these things for God and the stuff hasn't maybe come back the way I, you know. And there are those who've built monuments of ministry on the seed faith of sowing and reaping. And, you know, you sow to me and you'll reap a hundredfold. Well, you know, all of those who say that. You give to me and God's going to bless you a hundredfold.

If they really believe that, then all of the televangelists who believe that and are asking you to send your money in, they should be sending you money because then it will reap a hundredfold of them. So they should be developing a mailing list, not for people to send them money, but send me your email address and we'll send you a hundred dollars because we're going to reap a hundredfold. If they really believe that, that's not what he's talking about. God's going to bless you.

Whatever you think you give up in this life for the Lord, you're going to be blessed. He will give you back more than you have ever given Him. You will never outgive God. He will never be indebted to you for what you've given. Then he took the twelve aside, verse 31, and said to them, Behold, we're going up to Jerusalem and all the things which are written through the prophets

about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon. And after they have scourged him, they will kill him. And the third day he will rise again. So, here's the product of prayer. Understanding God's Word. The product of prayer is understanding God's Word. When I pray, I'm praying to understand God's mind.

I'm praying to understand what His will is. And as I'm praying, and remember, when Peter says to Jesus, Behold, we've left our own people and followed You, He's discoursing with the Son of God. He's praying. He's conversing with the Son of God. That's prayer. The product of prayer is the understanding of God's Word. And so, Jesus takes them aside and says, Here's the answer to God's Word.

He answered them. He said, All the things that are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. So, He's opening and affirming His Word to them. I'll be handed over to the Gentiles. I'll be mocked and I'll be mistreated. I'll be spit upon. I'll be scourged and they'll kill me. But the third day, I will rise again. Now, in teaching, in teaching teachers,

one of the things they teach you about teaching is to have somebody repeat back to you what you've said so you make sure they've understood what you said. Now, for our benefit, it would have been good if Jesus would have said, Peter, what did I just say? And Peter would have said that it's impossible for a rich man to go through the eye of a needle because he's not hearing what Jesus is saying right now. And that's often what happens, isn't it, when we pray?

We're praying wanting a specific answer, usually a specific way. And so people will get hung up and sadly churches have said, well, you haven't prayed with enough faith. Well, how do I pray with faith? Well, you beseech God in that prayerful tone. And God will hear you and your prayer.

Now, we're praying, we want this, like if I pray a certain way, I'm turning the knob and the crane's gonna come up and God's gonna pick up my answer and drop it down the chute just like I want Him to do. And that's not what prayer does. Prayer brings us in tune with the mind of God so that we can hear the will of God, understand the will of God, and He always reveals His will through His Word. And it may not be the way you wanted it answered.

Paul said, I prayed three times for the Lord to remove this thorn. I prayed specifically, and we are to pray specifically, but we're to listen for the answers, not listen for the answer that we want, we're to listen for God to answer. And God said, God told him, no, my grace is sufficient for you. For I will be made strong through your weakness. In the midst of your weakness, you'll be strong,

for I'll be made manifest through your weakness, strong through your weakness, through what you're going through. Now, had Paul not been open to what the Lord was gonna say, he would've gone, no, remove this thorn. But he was open to what God was saying. He was open to whatever God, see, we need to pray, and it's not wrong. There are those in Christendom who say that to say,

Lord, whatever your will is, is fine with me, is blasphemous. And yet that's how Jesus prayed. Not my will, but yours be done. That's how we should pray. I don't want Anne to have ALS. I'm praying with all the faith that I have that I know how to pray. I'm talking to God all the time saying, God, I don't want her to have that. I don't want her to have to go through that.

I'd like for you to just touch and heal her. I know you can. I mean, there's a gazillion people praying. We run into people all over the place, all over everywhere. Our church is praying for you. You're on our prayer chain. And that's such an awesome, awesome feeling. I mean, okay, Lord, if you're not gonna heal her, at least put her in remission so she doesn't get worse.

I mean, I know her voice has gone bad and she's so frustrated with that and I'm frustrated for her because she just feels like I don't want to be around people because they can't understand me. And, you know, that hurts. And you want to take that away and you can't. And I pray and I ask God to at least put her in remission. Don't let her lose her hands and her feet.

Let her still be mobile. And yet it's okay, Lord, to come to that point when you say, okay, Lord, yet not my will, but yours be done because your strength is made manifest in our weakness. I sat across from Mark Austin this morning and met him for coffee this morning. He's in town. Campus Crusade for Christ Missionary. We've supported him for 25 years. Mine didn't seem like that long.

He's been in France now and his kids are grown and all that. We were rehearsing a lot of stuff and he said, what's been going on with you? And I mentioned to him about Ann being diagnosed with ALS this summer. And, I mean, he's just shared with me all the things that have been going on and the rough times that they've been having and different things and difficulty with finances and being down and all that.

And I said, well, you know, we're going through this. And I mentioned to him how we came to that part of the diagnosis and six different specialists and all that and then telling him about talking to the neurologist and getting to share the Lord with her. And he just, I mean, he teared up and he took his glasses off and he was just weeping for us. And he said, man, you know, what a testimony.

And I'm just telling him what I've been telling people ever since we found out in June. But what God is doing to use this to encourage other people, to strengthen other people, if he has to do that, to do that, blessed be the name of the Lord. Not the answer I want, but I want to be open to that if that's what the Lord wants. I'm open to that. I'm trying to humble myself before the Lord

and not try and tell him what to do. I mean, I'm really pushing for the rapture, you know. I keep thinking, Lord, it'd be great if we just be caught out of here and she didn't have to go through the rest of this stuff. But I'm open for whatever the Lord wants. And I want to hear him through his word telling me what to do next. Just what's the next step? How do you want us to go next?

What do we do next? I'm willing to go the route you want to go. Your road is the road we want to be on. Just show us what to do next. Verse 34, but the disciples understood none of these things. The meaning of this statement was hidden from them and they did not comprehend the things that were said. Now that's not some mysterious...

The disciples didn't understand any of these things and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them. They weren't listening. It was hidden, if I can be so bold, it was hidden because of their ignorance. Because they weren't anticipating what he was going to say.

He had shared, just shared with them. Had they been willing to hear? I think they would have understood, but I'd have been right there with them though. That's a thing, often. Okay, quickly, moving on down, we go to Bartimaeus receives his sight. Different characters involved, same subject, the product of prayer. What's the product of prayer? Product of prayer is understanding God's word.

I'll show you how he's taking this on. See, the disciples didn't understand what he was going to say. They didn't comprehend the things that were said. See, the disciples didn't understand God's word. Verse 34, Bartimaeus did. Verse 35, as Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was.

And they told him, Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And what did he say? He called out. To who? To Jesus. What's that? A prayer. So he prayed, called out to Jesus. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Now he could have just said, Jesus, have mercy on me. But he said, Jesus, Son of David. What's that? It's an acknowledgement of his messianic position. It's an acknowledgement of who he was.

He was Messiah. He's the Son of David. That's a messianic phrase. That's an affirmation that Jesus is the Messiah. That is him appealing by faith, I believe that you are the Messiah. Son of David, I'm appealing to you. I'm praying to you. That's a prayer. Have mercy on me. And those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet. But he kept crying out all the more.

What's that? Persistence in prayer. That you ought always to pray and not stop, not faint. There's an example of persistence in prayer. He called out all the more. Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to him. And when he came near, he questioned him. What do you want me to do for you? And he said, Lord, I want to regain my sight.

He didn't say, Lord, I want you to heal me. Jesus said, what do you want me to do? He said, this is, I just, I want to see. I just want to see. He didn't say, I know you can do it. Now, one of the lepers did. He approached Jesus and said. Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And Jesus said, I will be clean. But Jesus said, what do you want me to do? And he said, Lord, I want to see.

I just want to see. And Jesus said to him, receive your sight. Your faith has made you well. Now, what was his faith? He was persistent in prayer. That's what Jesus was asking. When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? Those who are persistent in prayer, those who are persistently calling out to me in every situation on a daily basis, your faith has made you well.

Immediately, he regained his sight and began following him, glorifying God. And when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God. OK, we're going to have to motor through chapter 19. Then he entered Jericho. And as he was passing through, there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus' name means pure or righteous one. And he was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

And Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was. And he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. OK, now he's a tax collector, which means he's at the lowest end of the spectrum, remember. And he's also short. I mean, that's a double whammy. You talk about not being liked, and then he can't see anything because he's small. So he was just put down all over the place.

But he was a tax collector. People didn't like him. So he's the lowest lower of the low. And so he ran on ahead, and he climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see him, for he was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house. And he hurried and came down and received him gladly.

And when they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, he has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. Now, Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, the way Luke has it, they're on their way to his house. And he makes this revelatory statement. When they saw it, the people began to grumble. He's gone to be the guest of a man who's a sinner. And Zacchaeus stopped.

It's like Zacchaeus heard that. And somehow he stopped, and he said to the Lord, behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much. And Jesus said to him, today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. OK, now I want you to get this. I know you've heard Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

and a wee little man was he. He climbed into the sycamore tree the good Lord poured to see. And you've heard that since you were a kid. And it's easy to kind of blow off Zacchaeus and Jesus because of all of the times that we've heard it. But I want you to hear it in a new way.

How did Zacchaeus come to Jesus?

The only way he knew how.

He couldn't get to him on the road. He's too small.

So he climbed a tree. Who climbs trees? Kids. How did he come to Jesus? Like a little child.

And he was obedient. Come down. I'm going to your house for lunch. And he was thrilled. Because here's the one who everybody's wanting to see. He's heard. He probably knows. Everybody's wanting to see. He's heard. He probably heard. The story was probably preceding Jesus coming into town that blind Bartimaeus had just been healed. It's waxing through the crowd ahead of Jesus.

And Zacchaeus wants to see this man, but he can't. Can't get to him. And so he climbs the tree so that he can see Jesus. And Jesus says, come down. And Zacchaeus, when he's summoned by the Lord like a child, is obedient. And he comes. And he pledges himself to walk in righteousness. If I've defrauded, I'm going to give back. I mean, that's part of the law. You can go back to the law.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector. He was Jewish. He knew the law. If a robber was caught stealing, he was supposed to give back twice as much. He understood that. He's repenting. He wants to give back fourfold, twice the twice as much. I want to be obedient. I want to follow You, Lord. And what I know, when you are seeking the Lord honestly like a child, God reveals to you,

and He revealed to him His Word, I believe. And Zacchaeus responded. And he responded. Who knows? He may have heard the parable of the rich man. And he's going to give half of what he had away so that he could begin to bless people. He could begin to be obedient and follow the Lord in righteousness. And when Jesus said, today salvation has come to this house, what's He saying?

What comes with salvation? The righteousness of God. Clothed in the righteousness of God. What's Zacchaeus' name? Righteous one. Righteous one. Pure or righteous one. Today, righteousness has come to this house.

For he too, he too, he also is the son of Abraham. He was already a son of Abraham by birth. But now he's the son of Abraham by faith. Obedience. For the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost. Zacchaeus understood his lostness. Somehow in the midst of that transaction, he understands his lostness. Now, we don't see a sinner's prayer. We don't see a, God, I believe You.

I trust You. You died on the cross for my sins, even though You haven't gone to the cross yet. And You saved me. Your blood's going to save me from my sins. And I believe that. And I repent and all that. But you see the results of righteousness. You see the actions of righteousness. You see the response of righteousness. Zacchaeus was saved. Now while they were listening to these things,

Jesus went on to tell a parable because He was near Jerusalem. And they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. And so He said, a nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return. And he called ten of his slaves and gave them ten minas and said to them, I will do business with this until I come back.

But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, we do not want this man to reign over us. So they were resisting his authority. When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves to whom he had given the money be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. Now follow this because you're thinking differently.

I know you are. I'll show you in a minute.

You take up what you did not lay down and you reap what you did not sow. And he said to him, By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put the money in the bank? And having come, I would have collected it with interest. And then he said to the bystanders,

Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas. And they said to him, Master, he has ten minas already. I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given. But from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."

Okay, now we've heard this one before in Matthew, sort of. A little bit of difference here. A little bit of understanding where faith is concerned. We're going to quit. I'm not going to make it all the way through. We're going to quit here in just a second. As soon as we finish this one. Ten slaves, each given a mina. Ten minas. How many slaves did he talk to when he got back?

Three. First one said, I've taken it and made ten more. Oh, faithful slave, you get to rule over ten cities. Second one said, Master, I've taken it and made five more. Ah, great. You get to rule over five cities. And the third one says, you know, I stuffed it in a handkerchief and kept it because I knew you were an exacting man. Now listen to what he says. I was afraid of you

because you are an exacting man and you take up what you did not lay down and you reap what you did not sow. And he said to him, by your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know I am an exacting man? Well, yeah, I just said that. So you knew what I do and you didn't obey. You knew what I will do but you didn't obey. See, there's a lot of people

and we're talking like slaves to whom he's entrusted part of his sustenance, his mina. A mina was worth like three months wages. So he's entrusted them with a lot of money in a mina. And so the slaves are kind of like us. You know, he's entrusted us with a sum, with a certain sum. And there are those who are, you know, God's entrusted you with much, with the Word of God to share with others

and to be faithful in that, to live it out before Him. And yet it's easy for people to go and they say, well, I know that God wants me to do this. I know I should be doing this but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do what I want to do. Whoa. Time out. God's saying, you know that I am an exacting man. You know that. Now taking up what I did not lay down

and reaping what I did not sow. I mean, you could divide that a whole bunch of different ways is what the Lord's doing because God's in everything and He's doing all of these. God's working His will in every situation and every purpose. But the idea is the guy knew what the master would do. He knew him. He understood his ways. And rather than being obedient to him

because he knew his ways whether he was afraid of him or not, he hid his stuff. He hid it just to give it back. He was unfaithful. He did not, even though he knew what he'd do, he was disobedient. In a sense, he's thumbing his nose. Like people who know what God wants but I'm not going to do it. It's like we're thumbing our nose at God saying, what are you going to do about it?

God says, I'm going to judge you that way. Take his mina and give it to the one that has ten. And people have said to him, Master, that guy has ten minas already. And Jesus said, I tell you, to everyone who has, by obeying, they've been obedient to My Word, more is going to be given. But to him who does not have some disobedience, even what he has is going to be taken away

because of his disobedience. Now, where are the other seven? Well, there was a group here. See, back up in verse 12, he went to a distant kingdom. They called ten of his slaves, gave them each a mina. But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, we don't want this man to reign over us. Well, evidently, the other seven were part of that group, I believe.

And they were just slain. They didn't do anything. They were the ones who not only were disobedient to his authority, they mocked his authority. They didn't want anything to do with him even though they were seemingly a part of what the Lord was doing. They looked like a duck and they talked like a duck, but they weren't a duck. They weren't saved, obviously.

They didn't trust the Lord. They didn't want His authority. They didn't want that Master's authority. Other than that, all of it even though we're in chapter and a half. But may we see tonight the areas of persistence in prayer and just that continued obedience. Trusting you like a child. Persistence. Continually talking in all things, in conversation with you.

Seeking your face. Seeking your ways. Surrendered to your ways. Not trying to manipulate you, but to understand your will and to be obedient to it. And even when we don't understand it totally, to be obedient to what we know. Just like that slave should have been. Lord, strengthen us in these last days. You're wanting to do a mighty work through us. And Father, I really desire

that all of us here be those that are faithfully obedient to You and investing what You've given us, both our natural resources and our spiritual resources. Walking in Your ways. Trusting You that others' lives are being changed because of us for Your glory, for Your credit. That our mina is making ten minas or twenty minas or whatever as we're investing it in the lives of others.

Just glorify Your name through us, Lord, I pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.