November 18, 2012
Scripture:
Scripture:
Read John 3:14. We all know the story about the brazen serpent that was put on a pole. The serpent hadn’t bitten anyone, but it was a likeness of what had caused so much damage. Jesus was lifted up: He hadn’t sinned either, but He was made sin. Now, for us, there is life in a look. v.15.
Hymn 350 - I will make you fishers of men
Prayer
Matthew 9:9
This man’s name was Matthew. His job was to collect taxes. A tax is money that we pay the government for the services that they provide. Matthew collected the taxes for the government and in exchange he was allowed to keep some of the money that he collected. One day, as Matthew was doing his job, Jesus approached him and asked Matthew to follow him. Let’s think about this for a moment: following Jesus would mean leaving his job as a tax collector, and might even mean persecution. Amazingly, Matthew left his tax table and followed Jesus without a question.
Many years ago, I was listening to my father-in-law preach the gospel and he told this story. A man was walking in the forest and he got lost. He took several paths, but they always lead him back to the same spot: he was going in circles Not knowing what he should do, he shouted,”Lost! Lost! Lost!” A few minutes later, a First Nations man came into the clearing. He said,”White man lost? Follow me.” We are lost until we trust the Lord as our Saviour.
I would like to connect this story with another one in Joshua. Read ch. 14: 6 - 9,11, & 13. Caleb was one of the spies that went into the land of Canaan. He and Joshua were the only two spies that gave a good report of the land. In this way, Caleb followed the Lord just like Matthew did. For following the Lord, Caleb was given Mount Hebron. Instead of losing anything, Caleb gained the possession of Mt. Hebron.
It is possible for us to follow the Lord today by reading and obeying His word. When Saul was stopped by the Lord on the way to Damascus, he asked the Lord what He wanted him to do. I wonder what kind of lives we would live if, before we did anything, we asked the Lord what we should do. We need to seek the Lord’s mind to find out what His will is for us. Jesus told Matthew to follow and he followed. We need to do the same.
Luke 18:1-43
Our chapter starts with the parable of the unjust judge. It teaches us the lesson of “perseverance in prayer”. It shows us not only the one who asks, but also the One who answers prayer. We should all pray and not faint, and prayer should be an important part of every Christian’s life.
There is no doubt that there is a lot to do with prayer written in the New Testament, but what about the Old? It’s got a lot of good examples: Elijah, Solomon, and more. But how much was prayer a part of their lives? It’s an interesting question, because we don’t get the same type of exhortations to prayer under the law that we do under grace. Not only do we get here the truth that God hears and answers prayer, but also an invitation to pray.
As we mentioned, this parable talks about persistence in prayer. The best example of this is young children, who can certainly beg. We get tired of their continual asking, but God doesn’t get tired of ours. He encourages it, and tells us to keep on asking!
Another thing that this parable shows us is that part of prayer is dependence. We are so dependent on God! By the same token, God is very dependable. Psalm 16:1. The first statement here is one of dependence, and the second is one of confidence. Mr.McDowell used to say that it was terrible to be dependent on someone in which you had no confidence. Would you depend on a doctor if you didn’t have confidence in him? How good it is that we can be confident in our God!
It’s important, too, that we don’t faint in prayer. It’s so easy to give up; but it’s blessed if we don’t. We sing: “take it to the Lord in prayer”, and that’s exactly what this parable encourages us to do.
If we look at this parable as a type, though, this woman is a picture of the remnant in the tribulation (this is related to the end of chapter 17). This isn’t the only application, though; we need to take this parable to heart.
The judge in this chapter was totally self-centered: he didn’t care about God or man. We have so much of that today! This woman came and asked him to avenge her of her adversaries. “Avenge” means to judge righteously. The judge finally agrees to help her, but only because she annoys him. In contrast, our Lord will help the remnant because of His love for them.
Verse eight brings us a good question: will there be faith on earth after the tribulation? Well, this parable shows us that the remnant will be there, crying out to God day and night. Some will give up—faint—and that means that their faith is gone.
Thankfully, we aren’t going through all that, but it’s a message to you and me: we have a resource that is faithful, dependable, and knows what’s best. We need earnest prayer to avail much for we know that, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (v.27). May the Lord encourage us, because we’re not in an easy day to live in. Think of that word in James, “Ye have not because ye ask not”. Why don’t we ask?
Think of when Herod killed John the Baptist. His disciples buried his body and then came and told Jesus. Jesus already knew, but He wants us to spread out our troubles and trials and share them with Him.
Hymn 282 - What a friend we have in Jesus
Prayer