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[music]

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Before there was Jimmy Fallon
and Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno,

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my personal favorite,
David Letterman, there was,

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and many of you kids are
too young to know it,

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a guy named Johnny Carson.

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And Johnny Carson in his
day was the dude of dudes.

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He was the king of late night
and he pioneered a whole new

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television genre of
late-night comedy,

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so much so that
there was recently

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a Comedy Central awards ceremony

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for comedians and they
gave an award to David Letterman

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and he spent his time during his
acceptance speech just honoring

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Johnny Carson, saying that he
pioneered late-night television

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as we know it.

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He was the one who gave
many comedians, actors,

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and actresses their start.

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And without Johnny Carson, many,
many people today would not be

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enjoying late-night
television as we know it.

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And the sidekick for the show
was a guy named Ed McMahon.

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And he sat down
at the end of the couch

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and he tried to be funny with
varying degrees of success

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depending upon the night.

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And his big moment was the
introduction of Johnny Carson

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for "The Tonight Show."

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And he would say,
"Heeeere's Johnny,"

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in a much cooler
way than I just did.

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And that is the story
of Johnny Carson, who had,

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I think it is,
I wrote it down,

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4,531 episodes of
"The Tonight Show."

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He did it for a long time.

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Now, there's another guy you
probably don't know anything

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about, John Searing.

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He lived in New Jersey, what
we now call Bonjovi-ville,

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and he was a salesman
of art supplies.

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And he loved watching
Johnny Carson.

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That was his hero.

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And so he put basically one
thing on his bucket list,

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and before he died, he wanted
to say two words on television,

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"Here's Johnny."
That was it.

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His life goal was pretty simple.

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He just wanted to introduce
Johnny Carson during

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"The Tonight Show," saying,
"Here's Johnny."

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That's it.

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So he sent a letter
to Johnny Carson.

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"Dear Johnny, would love to just
once do Ed McMahon's job

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and introduce you
and say, 'Here's Johnny.'"

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Well, the staff was gracious and
kind and they sent a nice form

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letter back and a free 8x10
photo of Johnny Carson smiling

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and assumed that would
be the end of it.

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And it wasn't.

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He really, really, really wanted
to introduce Johnny Carson.

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So, over the course of I don't
know how many more years,

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he handwrote over 800 letters.

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"It's John Searing again.

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Hey Johnny, guess
what I want to do?"

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Letter after letter after letter
after letter after letter

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after letter after letter.

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And to his credit, there's no
indication that he escalated.

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He never threatened
Johnny Carson.

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He never tried to
meet Johnny Carson.

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He never stalked Johnny Carson.

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He never impugned
Johnny Carson in any way.

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He was just very persistent.

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Well, lo and behold, finally
he gets a letter back from

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"The Tonight Show."

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"Guess what?
Your dream has come true.

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"Don't send us any more letters.

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We're gonna put
you on the show."

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So they fly him out to the show.

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They give him his own dressing room
with his name, John Searing,

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on the door.

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And then the show begins
and Ed McMahon says,

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"Here's Johnny,"
and John Searing's confused.

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"Oh, I thought that was my job.
That's why I was here."

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And then they surprise him.

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They bring him out on stage and
he sits next to Johnny Carson

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and he's a guest on "The
Tonight Show" for 6 minutes,

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being interviewed
by Johnny Carson.

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Like, "Why are you sending
me all these letters?"

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And then they take him backstage
and they hand him a script and

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he gets to read the introduction
for "The Tonight Show" and say,

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"Here's Johnny."

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And his life goal is satisfied.

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He doesn't send,
insofar as we know,

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any more letters
and everything ends well.

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Persistence,
persistence, persistence.

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The big idea is that sometimes,
if you're real persistent,

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it can pay off.

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This was a quirky persistence,
a very quirky persistence.

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Sometimes there's
unholy persistence.

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Today, as we get into this
parable in Luke 18:1-8,

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Jesus is going to teach us
through the example

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of a persistent widow.

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And so what I need to say is
that persistence isn't always

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a good thing.

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It depends on who or what
you're persisting in or for.

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That's really the issue.

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Let's say you're dating
and one of you doesn't want

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to be together anymore
and the other persists.

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Good or bad?
Bad.

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We call it stalker, okay?

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That's bad persistence.
Okay?

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Let's say you're in
a marital relationship, ladies,

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and your husband's very violent
and abusive and you persist.

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That's not a good persistence.

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You need some distance
and protection.

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There is such a thing as
an unholy persistence.

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The ever-annoying salesman
who just won't quit.

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The Jehovah's Witnesses who
keep coming to my house.

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Unholy, unhelpful persistence.

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They must be elect because God
keeps bringing them to me

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to change their mind, so
that's kind of my view

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of the whole situation.

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So being persistent isn't
necessarily a good thing.

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Sometimes if you're
really persistent,

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you could be a bully,
you could be pushy,

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demanding, overbearing.

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If you're committed to the
wrong person or the wrong cause,

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persistence can be unholy.

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Sometimes, like John Searing,
it's just quirky.

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Sometimes, though, as well, you
can have a persistence that,

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quite frankly, is very holy.

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It's a noble virtue.

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It's a character trait.

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It's an ability or
an endowment that God gives.

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If you're gonna have
a good marriage,

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you both need to learn
some persistence.

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If you're gonna
be a good parent,

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you've got to learn
some persistence.

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If you're gonna do ministry
or have a business

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or lead anything, you have to
have some persistence.

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You want to be a good athlete,

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you want to be a good musician,
persistence.

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You got to keep
on moving forward.

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An example that comes to mind
is my two sons,

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buddy Calvin, buddy Zac.

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They've got a friend of theirs
who's been battling leukemia

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for a number--or at least
a couple of years.

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A really wonderful
little boy, a great kid.

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We love him very much.

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He's a friend of my sons
and he's persisting to pray

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and hope and fight cancer.

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His family is
praying and hoping.

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The doctors are
praying and hoping.

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Children's Hospital's been
a wonderful place for him.

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And everyone's persisting,
their community of faith,

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their church, those of us
who are connected to them.

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We're persisting in prayer
and support and encouragement.

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And almost every day, my
sons are praying for him,

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they're persisting in prayer,
they're logging onto

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the Caring Bridge's website to
see if there's any updates

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on his condition.

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Whenever his health is strong
enough that he can have

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visitors, they persist
in going to see him.

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There can be a very holy,

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virtuous demonstration
of persistence.

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And Jesus gives us an amazing
example today from

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the parable
of the persistent widow.

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And so he's going to talk about
holy persistence in Luke 18:1-6.

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And here's what the Lord Jesus
has to say about this virtue

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of holy persistence.

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"And he told them a parable,"
which is a little story with

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a big truth, "to the effect that
they ought always to pray

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"and not lose heart.

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"He said, 'In a certain city
there was a judge who neither

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"'feared God nor respected man.

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And there was a widow in that
city who kept coming to him,'"

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over and over and over,

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"'saying, "Give me justice
against my adversary."

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"'For a while he refused, but
afterward he said to himself,

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"'"Though I neither fear
God nor respect man,

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"'"yet because this widow
keeps bothering me,

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"'"I will give her justice, so
that she will not beat me down

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"'by her continual coming."

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And the Lord said, "Hear what
the unrighteous judge says."'"

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Now in the story, there is
the Lord Jesus Christ who tells

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the story, and then
the widow and the judge.

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They're the two
primary characters.

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And they are
exceedingly different.

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You have a woman and a man.

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The man is in power,
he is powerful.

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The woman is powerless.

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The man is prosperous;
the woman is penniless.

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In that day, he would have
been in an exalted position,

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great authority.

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She was in a very
humble position.

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Without a family to receive her
or a husband to protect her,

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she was very legally vulnerable.

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In that culture, it was very
uncommon for a woman to be able

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to do such things as
own property, vote.

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That meant even retaining her
husband's possessions

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as an inheritance could
be complicated.

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Many widows, as a result,
were taken advantage of,

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they were ripped off, they were
not given justice

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in the legal system.

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That's why the Bible in both the
Old and New Testaments has a lot

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to say about widows and God's
love for widows and how

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God's people are to love
and care for widows,

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women whose husbands have died.

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This includes Jesus'
own brother, James,

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saying that true religion is
caring for widows, orphans,

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and those in need.

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And we see this woman is
a tragic tale of a widow

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who has been at least
sinned against,

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but it looks like as well

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criminal activity
has occurred against her.

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We don't know if she was
beaten, robbed, abused,

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taken advantage of.

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Maybe her husband's assets
are tied up in court.

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We do not know.

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What we do know is that she
wants justice and she says

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that she has an adversary.

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Like some of you, like
me, she has an enemy,

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someone who is against her.

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Now, what would generally happen
is there were three ways

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to pursue justice.

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Number one, you would
pay off the judge.

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Well, she's got no money.

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Number two, you would
threaten the judge.

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Well, she's a poor widow.

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She doesn't have
power or strength.

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So, number three,
you would persist.

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You would have to muster up the
courage to just keep marching

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forward in the face of adversity
for the sake of justice.

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And she's doing so with a judge
that we only know

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two things about.

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Number one, he
neither fears God.

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Number two, he does
not respect man.

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Well, those are the two criteria
for a good judge, right?

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You're afraid of God
and you like people.

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He's 0 for 2.

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This is a bad resume for a judge
because if he doesn't fear God,

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what that means is he doesn't
care about the laws of God,

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he doesn't care about
the Word of God.

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He doesn't anticipate
that he'll have to die

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and give an account to God.

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He doesn't believe in a capital-
J judge and a heaven and hell

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and eternal consequence for
obedience and disobedience.

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And as a result, he's going to
live to some degree like some

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of you are and like I once did,
as if he were his own god.

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He's a law unto himself.

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There's no authority over him.

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He sits on a throne,
he renders verdicts.

245
00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,417
He's like a little god
and his courtroom is like

246
00:11:45,500 --> 00:11:47,333
a little kingdom.

247
00:11:47,375 --> 00:11:50,125
He doesn't believe there's
a God that he's going to give

248
00:11:50,167 --> 00:11:52,000
an account to
and rules over him.

249
00:11:52,042 --> 00:11:55,000
Well, that means that he is
going to be an arrogant man,

250
00:11:55,042 --> 00:11:57,000
a dangerous man who
does what is convenient,

251
00:11:57,042 --> 00:11:58,500
not what glorifies God.

252
00:11:58,542 --> 00:12:00,667
Secondarily, he
doesn't like people.

253
00:12:00,750 --> 00:12:02,083
Doesn't care about people.

254
00:12:02,167 --> 00:12:04,917
He's the kind of guy, if you're
suffering, he doesn't care.

255
00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:06,625
If you were victimized,
he doesn't care.

256
00:12:06,667 --> 00:12:08,833
If you were ripped off,
he doesn't care.

257
00:12:08,875 --> 00:12:12,333
It doesn't affect him, so
why should he care about you?

258
00:12:12,375 --> 00:12:15,667
We get the idea that he's
heartless and cold and cruel.

259
00:12:15,750 --> 00:12:20,333
And here's this widow
up against that man.

260
00:12:20,375 --> 00:12:24,833
And eventually, he says, "That's
it, I'm gonna give her justice.

261
00:12:24,875 --> 00:12:28,167
This woman is killing me."

262
00:12:28,250 --> 00:12:30,583
I mean, in some of your
translations, it says,

263
00:12:30,667 --> 00:12:32,083
"She's beating me up."

264
00:12:32,167 --> 00:12:34,500
Some say, "She's
blackening my eye."

265
00:12:34,583 --> 00:12:39,417
And you get the idea that she
keeps pursuing him persistently.

266
00:12:39,500 --> 00:12:42,625
You get the idea he comes out
of his house in the morning

267
00:12:42,667 --> 00:12:44,417
to go to work, there she is.

268
00:12:44,500 --> 00:12:45,917
"Good morning, Judge.

269
00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,208
"Yes, I'd love to walk
to work with you.

270
00:12:48,292 --> 00:12:49,625
Let's talk about my case."

271
00:12:49,667 --> 00:12:51,417
He comes out
for a lunch break,

272
00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:53,917
"Hey Judge, let's pick up that
conversation about my case."

273
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,708
On the way home, "Hey Judge,
good to see you again."

274
00:12:56,792 --> 00:12:59,708
And she's talking to him about
the case in front of family,

275
00:12:59,792 --> 00:13:01,333
friends, coworkers, colleagues.

276
00:13:01,375 --> 00:13:03,125
"You know, you haven't
gotten me justice.

277
00:13:03,167 --> 00:13:06,000
"You know it's wrong.
You know what he did is wrong.

278
00:13:06,042 --> 00:13:08,000
"How come you haven't
done anything about it?

279
00:13:08,042 --> 00:13:09,500
You're supposed to be a judge."

280
00:13:09,542 --> 00:13:11,000
She's brave, right?

281
00:13:11,042 --> 00:13:12,500
And courageous.

282
00:13:12,542 --> 00:13:14,833
And eventually, like
a cage-fighting granny who gets

283
00:13:14,875 --> 00:13:18,000
the judge in a clinch, he
finally taps out and says,

284
00:13:18,083 --> 00:13:19,833
"Okay, I give.
I relent."

285
00:13:19,875 --> 00:13:23,500
He has no fear of God, but
he's afraid of this gal.

286
00:13:23,542 --> 00:13:26,333
It's a pretty sweet story.

287
00:13:26,375 --> 00:13:30,083
And in this, he doesn't give
her necessarily what she wants.

288
00:13:30,167 --> 00:13:32,000
He gives her what is just.

289
00:13:32,042 --> 00:13:36,500
And this is important because
some of us, we just give in.

290
00:13:36,583 --> 00:13:40,875
if somebody is pushy, demanding,
bossy, rude,

291
00:13:40,958 --> 00:13:42,500
we just give in, right?

292
00:13:42,542 --> 00:13:45,125
And it starts with your kids
when they're little, right?

293
00:13:45,167 --> 00:13:46,500
Do you have kids?

294
00:13:46,583 --> 00:13:48,583
Isn't this how they do it?

295
00:13:48,667 --> 00:13:51,625
They'll usually
demand something,

296
00:13:51,667 --> 00:13:56,917
either in the grocery store
or particularly on an airplane

297
00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:59,000
because there's an audience

298
00:13:59,083 --> 00:14:01,167
and it's basically
a hostage negotiation.

299
00:14:01,250 --> 00:14:02,917
That's what
the children are doing.

300
00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,917
"I would like a Mountain Dew
and a number of bottle rockets

301
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,333
and a candy bar."

302
00:14:08,375 --> 00:14:09,708
"No."

303
00:14:09,792 --> 00:14:12,000
"Okay, then I'm going to
have a nervous breakdown

304
00:14:12,083 --> 00:14:14,833
"and I'm going to make it seem
like you assault me

305
00:14:14,875 --> 00:14:17,083
"or you're a perfect stranger
who has abducted me.

306
00:14:17,167 --> 00:14:18,500
I'm gonna act like that."

307
00:14:18,542 --> 00:14:21,000
And then the parent looks
at the child and says,

308
00:14:21,042 --> 00:14:23,708
"If you will stop, I will
give you what you want."

309
00:14:23,792 --> 00:14:25,208
Ah, hostage negotiation.

310
00:14:25,292 --> 00:14:26,625
All right?

311
00:14:26,667 --> 00:14:29,625
Now, we shouldn't give children
or adults that are pushy, rude,

312
00:14:29,667 --> 00:14:32,417
demanding, bossy, and
inappropriate what they want,

313
00:14:32,500 --> 00:14:36,875
but this woman, all
she wants is justice.

314
00:14:36,958 --> 00:14:38,625
Now, we should give justice.

315
00:14:38,667 --> 00:14:40,500
We should give what is right.

316
00:14:40,542 --> 00:14:43,000
If someone has been abused,
we need to help them.

317
00:14:43,042 --> 00:14:45,500
If someone has been victimized,
we need to defend them.

318
00:14:45,542 --> 00:14:47,000
If somebody cannot
defend themselves,

319
00:14:47,042 --> 00:14:49,000
we need to stand
alongside of them.

320
00:14:49,042 --> 00:14:51,167
If someone is poor
for a just cause,

321
00:14:51,250 --> 00:14:54,917
we need to be generous
with a loving heart.

322
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,083
Now we don't give everybody
everything they want,

323
00:14:57,167 --> 00:14:59,625
but we do pursue that which is
holy and righteous

324
00:14:59,667 --> 00:15:01,083
and just and good.

325
00:15:01,167 --> 00:15:04,583
And so she goes to the judge and
she tells him, "I want justice."

326
00:15:04,667 --> 00:15:07,333
And he says, "I will relent.

327
00:15:07,375 --> 00:15:09,292
"You have been resilient.

328
00:15:09,333 --> 00:15:12,792
I will give justice to you."

329
00:15:12,833 --> 00:15:16,500
Now, as we examine
the story, the parable,

330
00:15:16,542 --> 00:15:20,000
one of the ways that a parable
is to be interpreted by us is

331
00:15:20,042 --> 00:15:23,000
that we try and find ourselves,
to some degree, in the story.

332
00:15:23,083 --> 00:15:24,417
Which character am I like?

333
00:15:24,500 --> 00:15:25,875
Which character am I unlike?

334
00:15:25,958 --> 00:15:28,500
Who do I relate to and how?

335
00:15:28,583 --> 00:15:31,000
So before I ask you if
you're like the widow,

336
00:15:31,083 --> 00:15:35,083
I need to ask you, how
are you like the judge?

337
00:15:35,167 --> 00:15:38,375
See, 'cause my fear is this,
we're a culture of victims.

338
00:15:38,458 --> 00:15:39,792
We love to be victims.

339
00:15:39,833 --> 00:15:43,625
It tends to put us in a position
where we have power

340
00:15:43,667 --> 00:15:45,917
and people owe us.

341
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:49,375
And the result is we tend to
see others' sin against us

342
00:15:49,458 --> 00:15:53,417
more clearly and quickly than we
see our sin against others.

343
00:15:53,500 --> 00:15:57,000
Now the truth is, we're sinned
against and we're victims

344
00:15:57,083 --> 00:15:58,417
like the widow.

345
00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:03,000
But we're also sinners
like the judge.

346
00:16:03,083 --> 00:16:05,833
And we too have victims.

347
00:16:05,875 --> 00:16:10,500
And so I want you to
think, in hearing this story,

348
00:16:10,583 --> 00:16:16,625
what people for what reasons
would think that you remind them

349
00:16:16,667 --> 00:16:18,500
of the judge?

350
00:16:18,583 --> 00:16:21,500
How are you like the judge?

351
00:16:21,583 --> 00:16:23,917
Number one, do you
truly fear God?

352
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,708
Do you respect God, revere
God, honor God, obey God,

353
00:16:27,792 --> 00:16:30,625
submit to God, follow God?

354
00:16:30,667 --> 00:16:32,583
Or are you like
the judge, saying,

355
00:16:32,667 --> 00:16:35,833
"God does not weight
heavily in my life.

356
00:16:35,875 --> 00:16:40,417
"God does not factor heavily
in my decision making.

357
00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:45,000
"Who God is, what God does
in this book, what God says,

358
00:16:45,083 --> 00:16:49,125
not really important to me."

359
00:16:49,167 --> 00:16:53,875
Maybe you think there is no God
or that God necessarily owes you

360
00:16:53,958 --> 00:16:56,625
or that when you die, you
will not stand before God,

361
00:16:56,667 --> 00:16:59,000
that there is no heaven,
there is no hell.

362
00:16:59,042 --> 00:17:01,208
There is no consequence.
There is no judgment.

363
00:17:01,292 --> 00:17:02,917
Or you're better
than most people

364
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,208
and it'll all work
itself out in the end.

365
00:17:05,292 --> 00:17:08,417
All of that is no fear of
God, no respect of God,

366
00:17:08,500 --> 00:17:10,167
no regard of God.

367
00:17:10,250 --> 00:17:12,375
Are you like that?

368
00:17:12,458 --> 00:17:15,375
That's where all of
his trouble began.

369
00:17:15,458 --> 00:17:18,125
Number two, do you
truly care for people,

370
00:17:18,167 --> 00:17:19,708
really care for people?

371
00:17:19,792 --> 00:17:22,375
Not just in theory,
but in practice.

372
00:17:22,458 --> 00:17:27,500
He sees this woman in
need, suffering injustice.

373
00:17:27,542 --> 00:17:30,125
He does nothing,
he says nothing.

374
00:17:30,167 --> 00:17:32,625
He's in a position
that he could serve her

375
00:17:32,667 --> 00:17:34,333
and he could bring her justice.

376
00:17:34,375 --> 00:17:36,500
He could alleviate
the complicated variable

377
00:17:36,583 --> 00:17:38,000
in her life.

378
00:17:38,083 --> 00:17:40,083
He doesn't.

379
00:17:40,167 --> 00:17:41,708
His is a sin of omission.

380
00:17:41,792 --> 00:17:44,208
Now someone has
sinned against her.

381
00:17:44,292 --> 00:17:45,625
It's a sin of commission.

382
00:17:45,667 --> 00:17:47,208
Someone's done something wrong.

383
00:17:47,292 --> 00:17:50,125
And the judge's sin
is a sin of omission.

384
00:17:50,167 --> 00:17:54,000
He could render a verdict and
bring justice, and he doesn't.

385
00:17:54,083 --> 00:17:56,333
Who could you be
helping and you're not?

386
00:17:56,375 --> 00:17:58,500
Who could you be
serving and you're not?

387
00:17:58,583 --> 00:18:00,917
Who could you be
defending and you're not?

388
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,708
And you may say, "Well, I
didn't do the bad thing."

389
00:18:03,792 --> 00:18:05,375
Perhaps you did,
perhaps you didn't.

390
00:18:05,458 --> 00:18:08,333
But if you don't do
anything, that's a bad thing.

391
00:18:08,375 --> 00:18:13,083
We can't just have a value
of compassion, empathy, love,

392
00:18:13,167 --> 00:18:15,500
mercy, respect, and generosity.

393
00:18:15,583 --> 00:18:19,083
We have to have a lifestyle
that actually embodies,

394
00:18:19,167 --> 00:18:23,708
demonstrates those
stated values.

395
00:18:23,792 --> 00:18:25,708
So if we looked
at your schedule,

396
00:18:25,792 --> 00:18:29,208
does it reveal
a real care for people?

397
00:18:29,292 --> 00:18:30,792
If we looked at your budget,

398
00:18:30,833 --> 00:18:33,292
does it reveal a real care
for people?

399
00:18:33,333 --> 00:18:37,500
Or are you like the typical
person today who has an attitude

400
00:18:37,583 --> 00:18:40,417
of compassion, but not
a lifestyle of compassion?

401
00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:43,833
And by definition,
that's hypocrisy.

402
00:18:43,875 --> 00:18:45,333
Say, "I really care
about people."

403
00:18:45,375 --> 00:18:46,708
Well, who are you helping?

404
00:18:46,792 --> 00:18:49,125
"Well, I love 'em in my heart."

405
00:18:49,167 --> 00:18:50,500
Well, great.

406
00:18:50,583 --> 00:18:52,500
Open up your wallet,
open up your mouth,

407
00:18:52,583 --> 00:18:53,917
get your hands dirty.

408
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,625
Love is what you do, right?

409
00:18:56,667 --> 00:18:58,875
Love is what you do.

410
00:18:58,958 --> 00:19:01,333
Number three, when
someone is vulnerable,

411
00:19:01,375 --> 00:19:03,917
do you protect or exploit them?

412
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:06,792
Now this woman in the story,
she's vulnerable.

413
00:19:06,833 --> 00:19:10,417
Her family has not received
her back, her husband has died,

414
00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:13,667
she doesn't have good
status under the law.

415
00:19:13,750 --> 00:19:16,125
She's been criminally opposed.

416
00:19:16,167 --> 00:19:18,625
Someone has done something
illegal and sinful.

417
00:19:18,667 --> 00:19:20,375
She can't afford an attorney

418
00:19:22,333 --> 00:19:24,000
to stand before the judge.

419
00:19:24,083 --> 00:19:25,583
There's no one to represent her.

420
00:19:25,667 --> 00:19:28,167
She can't afford to pursue
right legal recourse.

421
00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:29,833
She's vulnerable.

422
00:19:29,875 --> 00:19:31,417
And what does the judge do?

423
00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:33,208
He exploits that.
He ignores her case.

424
00:19:33,292 --> 00:19:35,417
He dismisses her.
He refuses to try it.

425
00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:39,292
He doesn't give her justice.
He doesn't care.

426
00:19:39,333 --> 00:19:44,375
You and I have to ask ourselves
who in our life is vulnerable.

427
00:19:44,458 --> 00:19:47,417
And we all have people that
we're under the authority of.

428
00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:51,500
We also have people that
we're over in authority.

429
00:19:51,542 --> 00:19:55,292
Teachers, coaches, parents,
pastors, managers, bosses,

430
00:19:55,333 --> 00:19:57,500
leaders of various
sorts and kinds,

431
00:19:57,583 --> 00:20:01,208
each of us has some sphere
of authority and influence.

432
00:20:01,292 --> 00:20:04,000
And the question is, when we're
dealing with people who are

433
00:20:04,083 --> 00:20:07,917
vulnerable, do we protect
them or exploit them?

434
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,375
You single men, you meet a gal,
new Christian, non-Christian,

435
00:20:11,458 --> 00:20:15,833
rough background, not a good
family, no father present.

436
00:20:15,875 --> 00:20:19,000
You think, "Mm,
she's vulnerable."

437
00:20:19,042 --> 00:20:21,417
Will you protect her?

438
00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:24,125
Will you exploit her?

439
00:20:24,167 --> 00:20:26,625
Ladies, you meet a guy,
he's a Mars Hill guy,

440
00:20:26,667 --> 00:20:30,208
he really wants to get married,
really wants to have kids.

441
00:20:30,292 --> 00:20:33,583
Are you gonna protect that
or are you gonna expose that,

442
00:20:33,667 --> 00:20:40,000
manipulate that, manipulate
him once he opens his heart?

443
00:20:41,500 --> 00:20:44,125
If you're a boss in a job,
you've got somebody working

444
00:20:44,167 --> 00:20:46,125
for you, they really need
the job.

445
00:20:46,167 --> 00:20:48,000
They really need
the medical benefits.

446
00:20:48,083 --> 00:20:50,333
Do you tend not to
treat them very well,

447
00:20:50,375 --> 00:20:53,083
take advantage of them, dump
a lot more work on them?

448
00:20:53,167 --> 00:20:55,083
Because after all, they're
in a vulnerable position

449
00:20:55,167 --> 00:20:57,792
so you can abuse them.

450
00:20:57,833 --> 00:21:00,583
If you're a man who has
a woman working under you,

451
00:21:00,667 --> 00:21:03,417
maybe a single woman or a woman
whose life is in

452
00:21:03,500 --> 00:21:06,125
difficult circumstance, do you
manipulate that relationship

453
00:21:06,167 --> 00:21:09,125
toward your own
nefarious purposes

454
00:21:09,167 --> 00:21:11,833
or are you taking advantage of,

455
00:21:11,875 --> 00:21:14,500
exploiting someone
who is vulnerable?

456
00:21:14,583 --> 00:21:17,167
Or are you protecting?

457
00:21:19,167 --> 00:21:22,500
We've got to ask ourselves
these questions all the time.

458
00:21:22,542 --> 00:21:26,625
When we meet someone who
is vulnerable financially,

459
00:21:26,667 --> 00:21:30,708
vulnerable spiritually,
vulnerable physically,

460
00:21:30,792 --> 00:21:36,333
vulnerable emotionally, are
we like the judge to them?

461
00:21:36,375 --> 00:21:38,083
Do we cease to protect them?

462
00:21:38,167 --> 00:21:39,667
Do we take advantage of them?

463
00:21:39,750 --> 00:21:41,083
Do we exploit them?

464
00:21:41,167 --> 00:21:43,167
If so, it's all sin.

465
00:21:43,250 --> 00:21:45,833
So my first collection of
questions to you is this,

466
00:21:45,875 --> 00:21:48,000
how are you like the judge?

467
00:21:48,042 --> 00:21:50,083
And I ask this of
myself as well.

468
00:21:50,167 --> 00:21:52,000
How are you like the judge?

469
00:21:52,083 --> 00:21:54,500
Who, in hearing this
story, would say,

470
00:21:54,583 --> 00:21:57,000
"Yeah, I've got a judge
in my life"?

471
00:21:57,083 --> 00:22:00,708
And your name would be
affixed to that

472
00:22:00,792 --> 00:22:05,167
determination, tragically.

473
00:22:05,250 --> 00:22:07,833
See, we are sinners
and we have victims.

474
00:22:07,875 --> 00:22:11,208
In addition, we are victims and
we have been sinned against.

475
00:22:11,292 --> 00:22:13,417
So that's the second
series of questions.

476
00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:17,083
How are you like
the widow, right?

477
00:22:17,167 --> 00:22:19,708
What good thing do you
need to keep striving for?

478
00:22:19,792 --> 00:22:22,833
She keeps striving for justice.

479
00:22:22,875 --> 00:22:25,333
What do you need to
keep striving for?

480
00:22:25,375 --> 00:22:28,500
Don't quit, don't give
up, don't give in.

481
00:22:28,583 --> 00:22:32,167
Persist to persist to
persist to persist.

482
00:22:32,250 --> 00:22:34,917
And this woman, it's the face
of great adversity

483
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:36,917
that she's staring into.

484
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:42,708
A powerful judge, a prosperous
judge against a powerless

485
00:22:42,792 --> 00:22:45,417
and penniless widow.

486
00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:47,917
And she wants justice.

487
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:53,583
So she pursues it, strives for
it vigorously, continually.

488
00:22:53,667 --> 00:22:55,417
What do you need to fight for?

489
00:22:55,500 --> 00:23:00,167
What, number two, is
worth fighting for?

490
00:23:00,250 --> 00:23:02,500
You can't fight for everything.

491
00:23:02,542 --> 00:23:05,833
And just so you know, not
everything's worth fighting for.

492
00:23:05,875 --> 00:23:07,375
Some of you are warriors,

493
00:23:07,458 --> 00:23:09,792
you'll fight over
everything and anything.

494
00:23:09,833 --> 00:23:11,167
Feel free not to.

495
00:23:11,250 --> 00:23:12,875
You're driving us crazy.

496
00:23:12,958 --> 00:23:14,875
Some of you won't
fight for anyone,

497
00:23:14,958 --> 00:23:16,708
you won't fight for anything,

498
00:23:16,792 --> 00:23:19,208
feel free to pick something
to fight for.

499
00:23:19,292 --> 00:23:22,333
You got to prayerfully,
carefully consider who or what

500
00:23:22,375 --> 00:23:24,833
is worth fighting for.

501
00:23:24,875 --> 00:23:26,417
Jesus, worth fighting for.

502
00:23:26,500 --> 00:23:28,500
The church, worth fighting for.

503
00:23:28,583 --> 00:23:31,875
Justice, as she pursued,
worth fighting for.

504
00:23:31,958 --> 00:23:34,125
Your family, worth fighting for.

505
00:23:34,167 --> 00:23:38,000
The oppressed, single
moms, kids, victims,

506
00:23:38,083 --> 00:23:40,333
worth fighting for.

507
00:23:40,375 --> 00:23:43,708
What things are worth
fighting for for you?

508
00:23:43,792 --> 00:23:47,083
What things has God burdened
your heart to be fighting for,

509
00:23:47,167 --> 00:23:49,625
not that you want to be
a contentious person,

510
00:23:49,667 --> 00:23:52,625
but you want to be a persistent
person pursuing things

511
00:23:52,667 --> 00:23:56,792
that the heart of God has
laid upon your heart.

512
00:23:56,833 --> 00:24:00,125
Number three, how can your fear
of God help you overcome

513
00:24:00,167 --> 00:24:02,333
the fear of man?

514
00:24:02,375 --> 00:24:04,500
And it says this
early in Proverbs,

515
00:24:04,542 --> 00:24:07,208
"The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom."

516
00:24:07,292 --> 00:24:09,708
And then it says in
Proverbs 29:25

517
00:24:09,792 --> 00:24:12,583
that the fear of man
is a trap or a snare.

518
00:24:12,667 --> 00:24:16,667
And here we see that
the judge has no fear of God,

519
00:24:16,750 --> 00:24:18,708
no fear of God.

520
00:24:18,792 --> 00:24:22,417
And by "fear," it is meant honor,
reverence, respect, submission,

521
00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:28,417
obedience, compliance, deference
to God, that in your mind,

522
00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:32,083
in your heart, in your life,
there's a functional lord.

523
00:24:32,167 --> 00:24:35,417
It may be the Lord Jesus Christ
or someone that you have chosen

524
00:24:35,500 --> 00:24:38,792
to be a functional
lord, a false god.

525
00:24:38,833 --> 00:24:41,667
If God is not
the center of your life,

526
00:24:41,750 --> 00:24:44,833
if God is not the highest
authority in your life,

527
00:24:44,875 --> 00:24:47,500
someone else will be.

528
00:24:47,583 --> 00:24:49,708
You'll live for their approval.

529
00:24:49,792 --> 00:24:53,000
You'll live for their affection.

530
00:24:53,083 --> 00:24:56,417
You'll want to make them happy
and keep them from being angry

531
00:24:56,500 --> 00:24:58,917
at you or punishing you.

532
00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:03,125
For some, it's friends
and we live for them.

533
00:25:03,167 --> 00:25:06,208
And just so you know,
when we live for someone,

534
00:25:06,292 --> 00:25:08,125
that's worship.

535
00:25:08,167 --> 00:25:10,625
We're worshiping
them like a god.

536
00:25:10,667 --> 00:25:12,417
For some, it's
a boyfriend or girlfriend,

537
00:25:12,500 --> 00:25:14,417
for others it's
a husband or wife.

538
00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:16,125
For some,
it is their children.

539
00:25:16,167 --> 00:25:19,625
For some, it is their teacher
and their grade point average

540
00:25:19,667 --> 00:25:21,000
and their performance.

541
00:25:21,083 --> 00:25:24,417
And for others it is their boss
and their performance review

542
00:25:24,500 --> 00:25:28,875
and their place on
the organizational chart.

543
00:25:28,958 --> 00:25:37,583
For some, tragically, like
this man, it's themselves.

544
00:25:39,292 --> 00:25:43,125
They're a law unto themselves
and a judge of themselves.

545
00:25:43,167 --> 00:25:47,125
This man has no regard for
anyone's opinion of him.

546
00:25:47,167 --> 00:25:49,708
He has no regard for
God's opinion of him.

547
00:25:49,792 --> 00:25:53,000
He acts as if he's a god
and all he needs to do

548
00:25:53,083 --> 00:25:55,708
is impress himself.

549
00:25:55,792 --> 00:25:58,875
We would say today he has
a very high self-esteem.

550
00:26:02,167 --> 00:26:05,625
And if you live for the approval
of someone else than the God

551
00:26:05,667 --> 00:26:09,417
of the Bible, you will
end up like this man.

552
00:26:09,500 --> 00:26:12,875
You'll end up not doing what is
right, not doing what is good,

553
00:26:12,958 --> 00:26:16,917
not doing what is fair,
not doing what is just.

554
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,417
You will end up living not
in the fear of the Lord,

555
00:26:20,500 --> 00:26:23,167
love, honor, respect,
obedience to the Lord,

556
00:26:23,250 --> 00:26:26,375
you will live with someone else
as your functional lord

557
00:26:26,458 --> 00:26:31,000
and the result is that your
soul will be judged by God

558
00:26:31,083 --> 00:26:35,000
and your life will be painful
for others.

559
00:26:35,083 --> 00:26:38,917
And the way we deal with
the fear of man is with

560
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:40,625
the fear of God.

561
00:26:40,667 --> 00:26:43,000
See, some of you
have had fear of man,

562
00:26:43,042 --> 00:26:44,375
so you'll fear one person.

563
00:26:44,458 --> 00:26:47,875
And then you're able to get rid
of them in your heart at least

564
00:26:47,958 --> 00:26:49,375
as the center of your life.

565
00:26:49,458 --> 00:26:52,000
And then someone else
takes their place.

566
00:26:52,042 --> 00:26:55,500
The only way to overcome this
problem of fear of man is with

567
00:26:55,583 --> 00:26:58,792
the fear of the Lord,
that God is preeminent,

568
00:26:58,833 --> 00:27:03,208
that God is prominent, that
God's opinion of us weighs most

569
00:27:03,292 --> 00:27:08,375
heavily, that God's judgment is
what guides our decision making.

570
00:27:08,458 --> 00:27:10,708
And that we're trusting
and waiting that the day

571
00:27:10,792 --> 00:27:13,208
will come when God will
tell us,

572
00:27:13,292 --> 00:27:15,167
"Well done,
good and faithful servant."

573
00:27:15,250 --> 00:27:18,083
And until then, everyone else's
voice is not unimportant

574
00:27:18,167 --> 00:27:22,167
if they love him, but is
secondary to his.

575
00:27:24,292 --> 00:27:30,708
Now in this, Jesus is telling
us that persistence can be,

576
00:27:30,792 --> 00:27:33,667
if you're committed to the
right person or the right thing,

577
00:27:33,750 --> 00:27:36,583
a very virtuous, noble
thing in general,

578
00:27:36,667 --> 00:27:39,708
and he applies it to
prayer in particular.

579
00:27:39,792 --> 00:27:42,000
Persistence in
general can be good.

580
00:27:42,042 --> 00:27:45,208
Persistence in prayer
can be most good.

581
00:27:45,292 --> 00:27:49,667
He says this in 18:1, "He told
them a parable to the effect

582
00:27:49,750 --> 00:27:54,000
that they ought always to
pray and not lose heart."

583
00:27:54,083 --> 00:27:57,833
So as we read this story, we are
not to read that God is like

584
00:27:57,875 --> 00:28:02,208
the judge, he's crooked, mean,
nasty, unloving, unkind,

585
00:28:02,292 --> 00:28:05,083
and that we need to just beat
him up in prayer

586
00:28:05,167 --> 00:28:06,583
to get what we want.

587
00:28:06,667 --> 00:28:08,417
That's not
the point of the story.

588
00:28:08,500 --> 00:28:11,417
The point of the story
is that above all judges,

589
00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:13,625
this would include the judge,
the boss, the parent,

590
00:28:13,667 --> 00:28:16,000
the spouse, the boyfriend,
the girlfriend, the coach,

591
00:28:16,083 --> 00:28:20,083
the teacher, the pastor, above
all the little-j judges,

592
00:28:20,167 --> 00:28:22,208
people who speak
verdicts in our life,

593
00:28:22,292 --> 00:28:26,000
there's a capital-J Judge
named God and all people,

594
00:28:26,042 --> 00:28:30,375
including the little-j judges
all give an account to him.

595
00:28:30,458 --> 00:28:35,625
And when we pray, we are giving
request to the capital-J Judge,

596
00:28:35,667 --> 00:28:38,625
the one who judges the heart
and the mind and the soul,

597
00:28:38,667 --> 00:28:41,875
the one who judges perfectly,
justly, and forever,

598
00:28:41,958 --> 00:28:43,625
the God of the Bible.

599
00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:46,833
And when we pray to that God,
we're praying to a judge

600
00:28:46,875 --> 00:28:49,125
who is completely unlike
this judge.

601
00:28:49,167 --> 00:28:53,333
And the point is this, if this
woman would persist in her

602
00:28:53,375 --> 00:28:58,500
request to a godless judge, how
much more should we persist

603
00:28:58,542 --> 00:29:02,667
in our prayers to God the Judge?

604
00:29:02,750 --> 00:29:05,500
If he's unjust and our
God is just, he's unkind,

605
00:29:05,542 --> 00:29:07,083
our God is kind.

606
00:29:07,167 --> 00:29:10,667
If he's uncaring and our God
is caring and she persists

607
00:29:10,750 --> 00:29:14,000
in making her requests
to this bad judge,

608
00:29:14,083 --> 00:29:17,208
how much more should we be
motivated to continually bring

609
00:29:17,292 --> 00:29:20,667
our requests to
God, our good Judge.

610
00:29:20,750 --> 00:29:22,917
And we do that in prayer.

611
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:24,417
We do that in prayer.

612
00:29:24,500 --> 00:29:28,000
So ultimately under all of this
persistence is an admonition,

613
00:29:28,083 --> 00:29:32,000
an exhortation,
an invitation to be prayerful,

614
00:29:32,042 --> 00:29:34,000
to persist in prayer.

615
00:29:34,083 --> 00:29:37,000
So let me unpack a little bit
about prayer, because I don't

616
00:29:37,083 --> 00:29:40,000
want to assume or presume that
you have a lot of experience

617
00:29:40,083 --> 00:29:41,792
in prayer.

618
00:29:41,833 --> 00:29:44,000
Prayer is simply talking to God.

619
00:29:44,083 --> 00:29:46,125
The Bible is how
God talks to us.

620
00:29:46,167 --> 00:29:49,125
And prayer is how we talk to God
and that's the means

621
00:29:49,167 --> 00:29:52,625
by which our relationship with
God is formed and grows,

622
00:29:52,667 --> 00:29:54,500
like all relationships.

623
00:29:54,542 --> 00:29:57,625
There has to be two-way
conversation and communication.

624
00:29:57,667 --> 00:30:00,000
God speaks to us
through the Scriptures,

625
00:30:00,042 --> 00:30:03,000
and we speak to God in prayer.

626
00:30:03,083 --> 00:30:06,833
And in this, I want to tell
you that some of you will not

627
00:30:06,875 --> 00:30:09,000
persist in prayer because you
believe that prayer

628
00:30:09,083 --> 00:30:13,708
doesn't work, right?

629
00:30:13,792 --> 00:30:16,000
Prayer does work.

630
00:30:16,083 --> 00:30:17,833
God answers.

631
00:30:17,875 --> 00:30:21,417
God hears
and answers all prayer.

632
00:30:21,500 --> 00:30:24,583
Sometimes he says yes,
sometimes he says no,

633
00:30:24,667 --> 00:30:27,125
sometimes he says later.

634
00:30:27,167 --> 00:30:29,125
Because God is like a parent.

635
00:30:29,167 --> 00:30:32,625
How many of you are parents and
you have kids and your kids come

636
00:30:32,667 --> 00:30:35,417
to you with requests, and you
would be a horrible parent

637
00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:37,417
if all you ever said was
"Yes, yes.

638
00:30:37,500 --> 00:30:38,833
"Mountain Dew, bottle rockets?

639
00:30:38,875 --> 00:30:40,208
"Yes, that's fine.

640
00:30:40,292 --> 00:30:43,792
That's a--yes, at 2 a.m.
in the house, yes, yes, yes."

641
00:30:43,833 --> 00:30:45,167
Say "No, no, no."

642
00:30:45,250 --> 00:30:47,500
Sometimes a good parent
has to say no.

643
00:30:47,583 --> 00:30:50,000
Sometimes a good parent
has to say later, right?

644
00:30:50,083 --> 00:30:53,417
It was recently
48 degrees out and sunny,

645
00:30:53,500 --> 00:30:56,375
for the first time
in more than 40 days.

646
00:30:56,458 --> 00:30:59,708
And in the Bible, 40 days
without sun is an indication

647
00:30:59,792 --> 00:31:02,917
of God's judgment.

648
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,708
So my daughter Alexie, cute
as can be, she looks and me,

649
00:31:06,792 --> 00:31:08,417
she says, "Daddy,
it's sunny out.

650
00:31:08,500 --> 00:31:11,917
Can I get my swimsuit on
and go on the Slip 'n Slide?"

651
00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,333
It's 48 degrees.

652
00:31:14,375 --> 00:31:15,792
Answer?

653
00:31:15,833 --> 00:31:19,000
Later, much later, right?

654
00:31:19,083 --> 00:31:21,000
Months from now.

655
00:31:21,083 --> 00:31:22,583
I'm not against
Slip 'n Slides,

656
00:31:22,667 --> 00:31:24,208
I'm against pneumonia.

657
00:31:24,292 --> 00:31:26,833
So, the answer is later, okay?

658
00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:30,833
So what that means is, Alexie
is probably going to keep asking

659
00:31:30,875 --> 00:31:33,708
every time it's sunny,
and then the day will come,

660
00:31:33,792 --> 00:31:35,208
"Today is the day.

661
00:31:35,292 --> 00:31:37,417
Go get your swimsuit."

662
00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:40,917
God is like a parent, God
is a Father, the Bible says.

663
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,000
And like a good parent,
he has three options

664
00:31:44,083 --> 00:31:47,208
when we make a request:
yes, no, later.

665
00:31:47,292 --> 00:31:50,917
We persist in prayer because
perhaps the answer is later.

666
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,292
You've got a friend who's
an unbeliever, family, friend,

667
00:31:53,333 --> 00:31:54,667
coworker, neighbor.

668
00:31:54,750 --> 00:31:56,167
You want 'em to meet Jesus.

669
00:31:56,250 --> 00:31:59,000
The answer may be later,
so you keep praying to see

670
00:31:59,083 --> 00:32:00,500
if it's no or later.

671
00:32:00,542 --> 00:32:02,667
You don't know if you
don't keep asking.

672
00:32:02,750 --> 00:32:05,625
Additionally, prayer does work
even if what we ask for

673
00:32:05,667 --> 00:32:09,208
didn't happen, because prayer
always has two purposes.

674
00:32:09,292 --> 00:32:11,917
Usually our primary purpose is
that we want to move

675
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,500
the hand of God.

676
00:32:14,583 --> 00:32:17,500
But God's primary purpose
oftentimes in prayer for us is

677
00:32:17,583 --> 00:32:20,125
that he wants to mold our heart.

678
00:32:20,167 --> 00:32:22,500
And so you may say,
"Prayer didn't work.

679
00:32:22,583 --> 00:32:24,333
God didn't do what I told him!"

680
00:32:24,375 --> 00:32:26,833
Well, by definition, being God
means you don't always do

681
00:32:26,875 --> 00:32:28,208
what you're told.

682
00:32:28,292 --> 00:32:32,292
I mean, that's just--that's
just in the definition of God.

683
00:32:32,333 --> 00:32:35,292
It's not like God's in heaven[CG2]
going, "I didn't want to do it,

684
00:32:35,333 --> 00:32:37,917
"but they said to do
it, and who am I?

685
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:39,792
Oh, I'm God!
I can say no!"

686
00:32:39,833 --> 00:32:42,333
You know, God doesn't always
have to do what--God never

687
00:32:42,375 --> 00:32:44,625
has to do what we
tell him to do.

688
00:32:44,667 --> 00:32:47,500
God is free, God can do
whatever God wants to do.

689
00:32:47,542 --> 00:32:49,000
So sometimes we pray,
and like--

690
00:32:49,083 --> 00:32:51,333
"Didn't work.
God didn't do what he was told."

691
00:32:51,375 --> 00:32:54,708
Well, sometimes prayer
moves the hand of God,

692
00:32:54,792 --> 00:32:58,000
but primarily prayer is
also to mold our heart.

693
00:32:58,042 --> 00:33:01,208
That's why the Bible says to
even pray for our enemies, why?

694
00:33:01,292 --> 00:33:04,833
So that our heart can be molded,
so that we're not bitter,

695
00:33:04,875 --> 00:33:08,583
calloused, uncaring
toward our enemies.

696
00:33:08,667 --> 00:33:11,125
That we love them, that
we grieve for them,

697
00:33:11,167 --> 00:33:13,708
that we want good for them.

698
00:33:13,792 --> 00:33:16,500
Ultimately as well, you
will see as you pray,

699
00:33:16,583 --> 00:33:20,333
that maybe things don't change,
and people don't change.

700
00:33:20,375 --> 00:33:24,917
But you do.
You change.

701
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,833
All of a sudden, you
become, in character,

702
00:33:27,875 --> 00:33:30,667
increasingly more like God.

703
00:33:30,750 --> 00:33:32,833
And you can't say,
"This prayer didn't work,

704
00:33:32,875 --> 00:33:34,875
'cause they didn't change
and things didn't change."

705
00:33:34,958 --> 00:33:38,375
And God says, "I love you and
it did work and I wanted you

706
00:33:38,458 --> 00:33:41,917
to keep praying, 'cause I
wanted you to change."

707
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,583
And so when we pray, friends,
we pray like Jesus

708
00:33:44,667 --> 00:33:46,208
taught us to pray:

709
00:33:46,292 --> 00:33:48,875
"Our Father.
Our Father."

710
00:33:48,958 --> 00:33:51,208
So if you want to
know how to pray,

711
00:33:51,292 --> 00:33:52,708
don't look at religious people.

712
00:33:52,792 --> 00:33:54,208
They don't know
what they're doing.

713
00:33:54,292 --> 00:33:56,208
They just don't--oh--but
you can get real impressed.

714
00:33:56,292 --> 00:33:58,583
"Oh, look at that.
A guy in a hat."

715
00:33:58,667 --> 00:34:00,833
Or, "Oh, there's
a rug and they're on it

716
00:34:00,875 --> 00:34:02,208
"and they're facing east!

717
00:34:02,292 --> 00:34:03,625
Wow, that looks amazing!"

718
00:34:03,667 --> 00:34:05,000
No, it doesn't.

719
00:34:05,083 --> 00:34:06,875
It looks ridiculous.
It looks ridiculous.

720
00:34:06,958 --> 00:34:10,625
Because, when Jesus says
to pray "Our Father,"

721
00:34:10,667 --> 00:34:13,000
if you really want
to know how to pray,

722
00:34:13,042 --> 00:34:18,125
look at how a child speaks
to a father who loves them.

723
00:34:18,167 --> 00:34:20,208
That's how we are to pray.

724
00:34:20,292 --> 00:34:22,583
Not disrespectful
or dishonorable,

725
00:34:22,667 --> 00:34:24,625
but like you're
talking to your dad.

726
00:34:24,667 --> 00:34:26,208
In fact, that's what Jesus says.

727
00:34:26,292 --> 00:34:28,000
"Our Dad, who is in heaven."

728
00:34:28,083 --> 00:34:29,500
When he uses
the language "Father,"

729
00:34:29,583 --> 00:34:32,083
it's the language for "Dad."

730
00:34:33,667 --> 00:34:35,875
Are you okay with that?

731
00:34:35,958 --> 00:34:37,625
Do you understand that?

732
00:34:37,667 --> 00:34:40,000
Some of you say,
"I didn't have a dad."

733
00:34:40,042 --> 00:34:41,833
God is a Father
to the fatherless.

734
00:34:41,875 --> 00:34:43,333
"My dad wasn't a good dad."

735
00:34:43,375 --> 00:34:46,375
Well, don't project your
dad onto God the Father.

736
00:34:46,458 --> 00:34:50,542
Judge your dad
by God the Father.

737
00:34:52,583 --> 00:34:55,000
Kids talk to their
dad all the time

738
00:34:55,083 --> 00:34:56,875
about anything and everything.

739
00:34:56,958 --> 00:34:59,792
There's not a lot of pretension,
it's not real formal,

740
00:34:59,833 --> 00:35:01,208
they just talk to him.

741
00:35:01,292 --> 00:35:02,625
I got five kids.

742
00:35:02,667 --> 00:35:05,417
I learn more about prayer
just watching my kids.

743
00:35:05,500 --> 00:35:07,333
They just ask.

744
00:35:07,375 --> 00:35:12,833
So since God is our Father, that
means we can persist in prayer.

745
00:35:13,833 --> 00:35:16,333
I'll tell you a few things
that it doesn't mean.

746
00:35:16,375 --> 00:35:18,875
Number one, you don't
have to pray eloquently.

747
00:35:18,958 --> 00:35:21,000
Right, we had this last night.

748
00:35:21,083 --> 00:35:24,333
We had dinner and my kids didn't
come up to me for dessert

749
00:35:24,375 --> 00:35:29,708
and say, "Dearest father, we
first would like to thank you

750
00:35:29,792 --> 00:35:34,208
"for your kind provision
in our former days.

751
00:35:34,292 --> 00:35:39,625
"Furthermore, we know that
you have the ability

752
00:35:39,667 --> 00:35:44,833
"to grant requests, and we
acknowledge that gladly.

753
00:35:44,875 --> 00:35:49,833
"Furthermore, in addition,
our sub-point is this,

754
00:35:49,875 --> 00:35:56,375
"that we would beseech you,
though undeserving as we are,

755
00:35:56,458 --> 00:36:00,417
"that perhaps in
your great mercies,

756
00:36:00,500 --> 00:36:04,125
we could have
ice cream for dessert."

757
00:36:04,167 --> 00:36:05,625
No, my kids walked up.

758
00:36:05,667 --> 00:36:07,917
Two words: ice cream.

759
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,417
That's it.
That was the request.

760
00:36:10,500 --> 00:36:12,000
Answer?

761
00:36:12,042 --> 00:36:14,208
"Heck yeah,"
that's the response.

762
00:36:14,292 --> 00:36:16,000
It's really simple.

763
00:36:16,083 --> 00:36:18,875
It doesn't need to be
eloquent and complicated.

764
00:36:18,958 --> 00:36:22,333
Just let your dad know,
he's happy to hear.

765
00:36:22,375 --> 00:36:25,000
Number two, your prayers
don't need to be lengthy.

766
00:36:25,042 --> 00:36:27,292
You have an uncle
like that, that guy?

767
00:36:27,333 --> 00:36:29,792
He's over at your house,
and he's like, "I'll pray!"

768
00:36:29,833 --> 00:36:31,917
You're like, "Oh, no.

769
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:34,417
"My food's gonna be cold,
I'm gonna miss a birthday.

770
00:36:34,500 --> 00:36:36,500
This guy prays forever."

771
00:36:36,583 --> 00:36:39,208
It's like he's thumb wrestling
with God and he's determined

772
00:36:39,292 --> 00:36:41,500
to wear him out and get
his prayer answered.

773
00:36:41,583 --> 00:36:43,000
You don't have to pray long.

774
00:36:43,083 --> 00:36:45,708
Sometimes you can pray long,
sometimes you can pray short.

775
00:36:45,792 --> 00:36:48,208
Just like when you talk to your
dad--sometimes my kids

776
00:36:48,292 --> 00:36:51,208
come to me, "Dad, we need to
talk," and it's 30 seconds.

777
00:36:51,292 --> 00:36:52,625
Other times, it's 30 minutes.

778
00:36:52,667 --> 00:36:54,000
You know what?

779
00:36:54,083 --> 00:36:56,500
Your dad loves you, your
dad's there for you,

780
00:36:56,583 --> 00:36:58,708
sometimes it's short,
sometimes it's long,

781
00:36:58,792 --> 00:37:00,917
but you don't need to pray long.

782
00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,917
I got a church planter buddy
of mine, he prays a lot.

783
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:05,708
You know what his
favorite prayer is?

784
00:37:05,792 --> 00:37:07,125
He told me.

785
00:37:07,167 --> 00:37:08,500
"Lord, help."

786
00:37:08,583 --> 00:37:10,000
He prays that all the time.

787
00:37:10,083 --> 00:37:11,708
"Lord, help!"

788
00:37:11,792 --> 00:37:14,375
It's a good prayer, it's
a really good prayer.

789
00:37:14,458 --> 00:37:17,625
If I heard that from my kids,
I would show up and help.

790
00:37:17,667 --> 00:37:19,125
"Dad, help!"

791
00:37:19,167 --> 00:37:20,833
Got it!

792
00:37:20,875 --> 00:37:22,708
I don't need a real long prayer.

793
00:37:22,792 --> 00:37:24,583
I don't need a long request.

794
00:37:24,667 --> 00:37:26,000
Just let me know.

795
00:37:26,083 --> 00:37:28,333
You're welcome to
talk to God for hours,

796
00:37:28,375 --> 00:37:31,125
you're welcome to talk
to God for seconds.

797
00:37:31,167 --> 00:37:34,417
Doesn't have to be
eloquent or lengthy.

798
00:37:34,500 --> 00:37:36,583
It doesn't need to
be repetitive.

799
00:37:36,667 --> 00:37:38,917
You don't need to
pray repetitively.

800
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:40,333
Religious people do this.

801
00:37:40,375 --> 00:37:42,208
Man it--ugh.

802
00:37:42,292 --> 00:37:44,000
I saw this at the airport.

803
00:37:44,042 --> 00:37:48,583
It was a while back, but Jewish
guy, big hat, long sideburns,

804
00:37:48,667 --> 00:37:52,917
tassels, all dressed up,
beard, spectacles.

805
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:54,708
And I guess it was prayer time.

806
00:37:54,792 --> 00:37:57,708
He's standing up in the middle
of the airport doing this,

807
00:37:57,792 --> 00:38:00,500
praying over and over and over
and over and over

808
00:38:00,542 --> 00:38:01,875
and over and over.

809
00:38:01,958 --> 00:38:03,375
And I prayed for him.

810
00:38:03,458 --> 00:38:06,167
I prayed he'd meet Jesus
and sit down, I mean just--

811
00:38:06,250 --> 00:38:07,667
Because this is weird.

812
00:38:07,750 --> 00:38:10,875
I'm like, if my kids came to me
and, "Oh, chocolate ice cream,

813
00:38:10,958 --> 00:38:12,292
"we love chocolate ice cream.

814
00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:13,667
"We want chocolate ice cream.

815
00:38:13,750 --> 00:38:16,000
"We'd like a big bowl
of chocolate ice cream.

816
00:38:16,083 --> 00:38:17,792
"My brother would like
chocolate ice cream.

817
00:38:17,833 --> 00:38:19,625
"We like sprinkles
on our ice cream.

818
00:38:19,667 --> 00:38:21,417
"We like marshmallows
on our ice cream.

819
00:38:21,500 --> 00:38:23,417
"We would like whipped
cream on our sprinkles

820
00:38:23,500 --> 00:38:24,833
"on our chocolate ice cream.

821
00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:26,833
Could you please give
us the ice cream?"

822
00:38:26,875 --> 00:38:28,667
I'd be like,
I'm a horrible father

823
00:38:28,750 --> 00:38:31,208
with the world's
weirdest children.

824
00:38:31,292 --> 00:38:34,083
Right?

825
00:38:39,083 --> 00:38:42,333
You get the idea.

826
00:38:42,375 --> 00:38:46,917
Jesus says when you
pray, persist in prayer.

827
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,917
Just keep talking to
your dad, working it out,

828
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:51,792
letting him know
where you're at.

829
00:38:51,833 --> 00:38:55,792
He already knows, sit down
and have a conversation.

830
00:38:55,833 --> 00:38:59,000
Now how many of you, and you
don't have to raise your hand,

831
00:38:59,042 --> 00:39:01,000
but you don't really
persist in prayer.

832
00:39:01,083 --> 00:39:03,708
And part of it may be
your misperception of God.

833
00:39:03,792 --> 00:39:05,917
You don't see him
as a loving Father.

834
00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,292
But how many of you,
you just fall asleep.

835
00:39:08,333 --> 00:39:12,333
You're like, "Dear Lord...

836
00:39:12,375 --> 00:39:14,292
"Thank you, Lord, for sleep.

837
00:39:14,333 --> 00:39:16,625
I appreciate that."

838
00:39:16,667 --> 00:39:18,500
Maybe pray at
a different time, right?

839
00:39:18,542 --> 00:39:20,708
Maybe that's not
the best time for you.

840
00:39:20,792 --> 00:39:23,167
How many of you, you're
just totally disorganized?

841
00:39:23,250 --> 00:39:25,917
Like my kids have got a prayer
list on their phone

842
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:27,917
and they've always got their
phone with them

843
00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:29,708
and they keep
a little prayer list.

844
00:39:29,792 --> 00:39:31,167
Two of my kids do.

845
00:39:31,250 --> 00:39:33,708
You just don't have a list.
You don't record anything.

846
00:39:33,792 --> 00:39:36,208
You don't write it down,
you don't type it up,

847
00:39:36,292 --> 00:39:38,208
so you don't really
keep a running list.

848
00:39:38,292 --> 00:39:41,208
So when it comes time to pray,
you're sitting down to pray.

849
00:39:41,292 --> 00:39:43,583
You're like, "I don't
know what to pray for.

850
00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:45,417
"I mean, I don't--uh,
dear Lord, uh,

851
00:39:45,500 --> 00:39:48,083
help the guy in the place
with the thing, amen."

852
00:39:48,167 --> 00:39:49,625
You're just like,
"I don't know,

853
00:39:49,667 --> 00:39:51,125
"I'm sure
that'll hit some target.

854
00:39:51,167 --> 00:39:52,875
I just sent it out
there generally."

855
00:39:52,958 --> 00:39:54,292
Pray.

856
00:39:54,333 --> 00:39:56,792
Keep a little list
and it'll help you to pray.

857
00:39:56,833 --> 00:39:58,292
How many of you
don't--you ignore

858
00:39:58,333 --> 00:39:59,667
the Holy Spirit's prompting?

859
00:39:59,750 --> 00:40:02,167
God brings somebody to
mind and you don't pray 'cause

860
00:40:02,250 --> 00:40:03,667
the Bible says don't
grieve, quench,

861
00:40:03,750 --> 00:40:05,083
or resist the Holy Spirit.

862
00:40:05,167 --> 00:40:07,083
The Holy Spirit will
bring people to mind.

863
00:40:07,167 --> 00:40:08,917
You're driving, you're working,
you're doing something.

864
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:10,333
Oh, somebody comes to mind.

865
00:40:10,375 --> 00:40:13,125
Great, you can pray silently
and God knows your thoughts.

866
00:40:13,167 --> 00:40:14,500
You can pray out loud.

867
00:40:14,583 --> 00:40:17,500
You could call them up and
pray for them on the phone.

868
00:40:17,583 --> 00:40:21,208
You could go see 'em and put a
hand on 'em and pray for 'em.

869
00:40:21,292 --> 00:40:22,708
I mean, whatever.

870
00:40:22,792 --> 00:40:24,500
But you resist
the Holy Spirit's prompting.

871
00:40:24,583 --> 00:40:27,208
God the Holy Spirit is always
bringing people to mind

872
00:40:27,292 --> 00:40:28,708
that we can be praying for.

873
00:40:28,792 --> 00:40:30,375
And here's what really
encourages people.

874
00:40:30,458 --> 00:40:31,792
Let 'em know.

875
00:40:31,833 --> 00:40:33,625
Send a text, an email,
a voicemail,

876
00:40:33,667 --> 00:40:35,417
"Hey, today,
God brought you to mind.

877
00:40:35,500 --> 00:40:36,833
"I prayed for you.

878
00:40:36,875 --> 00:40:39,000
I love you, just wanted
to let you know."

879
00:40:39,083 --> 00:40:40,500
It means a lot, right?

880
00:40:40,583 --> 00:40:42,500
Persisting in prayer.

881
00:40:42,583 --> 00:40:45,500
I've got a list of people
I'm, by the grace of God,

882
00:40:45,583 --> 00:40:47,083
trying to persist in prayer for.

883
00:40:47,167 --> 00:40:49,083
A buddy of mine
keeps texting me.

884
00:40:49,167 --> 00:40:52,833
His kids are struggling, drugs
with the son and trouble

885
00:40:52,875 --> 00:40:56,917
with the daughter and I'm just
like, you let me know.

886
00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:00,625
I will keep praying.

887
00:41:00,667 --> 00:41:03,833
I just want to be a lifeline
of encouragement for that guy.

888
00:41:03,875 --> 00:41:06,208
All right, persevere
in prayer for people.

889
00:41:06,292 --> 00:41:08,625
It's good for them,
it's good for you.

890
00:41:08,667 --> 00:41:11,667
And if you don't know what
to pray for, just ask people.

891
00:41:11,750 --> 00:41:15,167
Here's a simple question: is
there anyone or anything

892
00:41:15,250 --> 00:41:18,583
I can be praying for?

893
00:41:20,750 --> 00:41:23,708
Is there anyone or anything
that I can be praying for?

894
00:41:23,792 --> 00:41:25,292
And you know what I find?

895
00:41:25,333 --> 00:41:28,292
People say yes.

896
00:41:28,333 --> 00:41:30,292
Even atheists say yes.

897
00:41:30,333 --> 00:41:31,917
I get this all the time.

898
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:34,917
I had this recently, a guy, he's
like, "Well, I'm an atheist."

899
00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:36,708
"Is there anything
I can pray for?"

900
00:41:36,792 --> 00:41:39,708
"Yeah, I'm not sure I believe
in God but if there is,

901
00:41:39,792 --> 00:41:41,208
could you ask him?"

902
00:41:41,292 --> 00:41:44,917
We just moved you to agnosticism
and it wasn't a big push, right?

903
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,125
It didn't take a lot.

904
00:41:47,167 --> 00:41:51,208
People like to know that you're
praying for them

905
00:41:51,292 --> 00:41:54,500
and it's a good thing to do.

906
00:41:54,583 --> 00:41:57,125
Have you lost hope for people?

907
00:41:57,167 --> 00:41:59,125
"I'm not praying for them.
They'll never change.

908
00:41:59,167 --> 00:42:01,500
They'll never get saved.
I give up, I'm bitter."

909
00:42:01,583 --> 00:42:04,625
Then first pray for your own
heart 'cause prayer is not

910
00:42:04,667 --> 00:42:08,208
always to move the hand of
God, it's to mold our heart

911
00:42:08,292 --> 00:42:10,708
in addition to moving his hand.

912
00:42:10,792 --> 00:42:13,500
And maybe you need to first
pray, "God, change my heart.

913
00:42:13,583 --> 00:42:15,500
"I don't even want
to pray for them.

914
00:42:15,583 --> 00:42:18,125
"I don't even want
them to get saved.

915
00:42:18,167 --> 00:42:22,875
"I don't want them to even
try and reconcile with me.

916
00:42:22,958 --> 00:42:24,417
"I'm so bitter.

917
00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:26,125
I'm just done with them."

918
00:42:26,167 --> 00:42:28,583
Pray for your heart,
pray for their heart.

919
00:42:28,667 --> 00:42:31,167
Pray for God's hand
in both of your lives.

920
00:42:31,250 --> 00:42:33,833
So Jesus' big idea is
persistence can be a holy,

921
00:42:33,875 --> 00:42:37,500
virtuous, noble, good thing,
especially when we persist in

922
00:42:37,542 --> 00:42:41,500
prayer, bringing our requests,
bringing our family,

923
00:42:41,542 --> 00:42:46,125
bringing our friends,
bringing our heart before God.

924
00:42:46,167 --> 00:42:49,708
The next question is: well,
how long do we persist for?

925
00:42:49,792 --> 00:42:53,500
So then he concludes by talking
about not only holy persistence

926
00:42:53,542 --> 00:42:57,583
but, in addition, holy patience.

927
00:42:57,667 --> 00:43:02,417
Luke 18:7-8, "And will not God
give justice to his elect?"

928
00:43:02,500 --> 00:43:05,208
Those are all that God has
determined to save from sin,

929
00:43:05,292 --> 00:43:08,000
death, hell, and wrath.

930
00:43:08,042 --> 00:43:09,625
That's believers in
the Old Testament,

931
00:43:09,667 --> 00:43:13,000
those who are Christians today,
and those whom God has not yet

932
00:43:13,083 --> 00:43:15,333
saved but he will.

933
00:43:15,375 --> 00:43:18,333
And by his grace we
get to be a part of it.

934
00:43:18,375 --> 00:43:21,167
Those are all the saints
of all time, the elect.

935
00:43:21,250 --> 00:43:23,000
"Who cry to him day and night?

936
00:43:23,083 --> 00:43:25,292
"Will he delay long over them?

937
00:43:25,333 --> 00:43:27,792
"I tell you, he will give
justice to them speedily.

938
00:43:27,833 --> 00:43:29,708
"Nevertheless, when
the Son of Man comes,

939
00:43:29,792 --> 00:43:32,500
will he find faith
on earth?"

940
00:43:32,583 --> 00:43:39,333
What he says is, persist in
talking to God about this life

941
00:43:39,375 --> 00:43:42,500
until this life comes to an end.

942
00:43:42,583 --> 00:43:46,833
And when this life comes to an
end, you and I will receive our

943
00:43:46,875 --> 00:43:51,875
proverbial day in court, that
we will all stand before

944
00:43:51,958 --> 00:43:54,500
the capital-J Judge.

945
00:43:54,542 --> 00:43:57,375
And there will be justice.

946
00:43:57,458 --> 00:43:59,667
There will be justice.

947
00:43:59,750 --> 00:44:04,833
For the Christian, justice came
at the cross of Jesus Christ.

948
00:44:04,875 --> 00:44:07,625
God became a man.

949
00:44:07,667 --> 00:44:09,917
God entered history.

950
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:17,292
God did not sin and we murdered
him and he died as a substitute

951
00:44:17,333 --> 00:44:21,708
in our place for our
sins as our savior.

952
00:44:21,792 --> 00:44:28,208
So for the guilty Christian, God
is both a just and merciful God.

953
00:44:28,292 --> 00:44:33,583
He says, dropping the gavel,
"You're guilty, and I died

954
00:44:33,667 --> 00:44:37,083
in your place for your
sins, you're forgiven."

955
00:44:37,167 --> 00:44:39,000
And that is justice.

956
00:44:39,042 --> 00:44:43,500
So at the cross of Jesus,
justice and mercy meet

957
00:44:43,583 --> 00:44:47,333
and the judge
is also our savior.

958
00:44:47,375 --> 00:44:49,917
That's amazing.

959
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:55,375
For the non-Christian,
judgment comes in the end.

960
00:44:56,833 --> 00:45:00,875
All stand before Jesus
and there will be

961
00:45:00,958 --> 00:45:04,125
a proverbial day in court.

962
00:45:04,167 --> 00:45:08,500
Jesus knows all, Jesus
hears all, Jesus sees all,

963
00:45:08,583 --> 00:45:10,875
Jesus judges all.

964
00:45:10,958 --> 00:45:15,083
John 5:22, Jesus says,
"The Father judges no one.

965
00:45:15,167 --> 00:45:18,500
He's entrusted all
judgment to the Son."

966
00:45:18,583 --> 00:45:21,208
What that means is
if you're a victim,

967
00:45:21,292 --> 00:45:25,583
you will experience justice in
the courtroom of God

968
00:45:25,667 --> 00:45:27,583
in the presence of Jesus.

969
00:45:27,667 --> 00:45:29,708
So just wait for
your day in court.

970
00:45:29,792 --> 00:45:32,292
And I know it seems
like a long time.

971
00:45:32,333 --> 00:45:36,125
For this widow I'm sure those
days of longing and waiting

972
00:45:36,167 --> 00:45:41,000
were at times frustrating,
perhaps even discouraging,

973
00:45:41,083 --> 00:45:44,375
but she persisted patiently.

974
00:45:44,458 --> 00:45:47,708
If I could give you
an equation, it's this:

975
00:45:47,792 --> 00:45:51,625
persistence plus patience
equals perseverance.

976
00:45:51,667 --> 00:45:55,500
Persistence plus patience
equals perseverance.

977
00:45:55,583 --> 00:45:58,500
If you want to persevere, you
need to have persistence

978
00:45:58,583 --> 00:46:03,000
and patience.

979
00:46:03,083 --> 00:46:06,500
As well, for those of
you who are sinning,

980
00:46:06,583 --> 00:46:09,417
for those of you who are
rebelling against the just laws

981
00:46:09,500 --> 00:46:13,417
of a good God, you may think,
"Maybe there is no God.

982
00:46:13,500 --> 00:46:14,875
"Maybe there is no consequence.

983
00:46:14,958 --> 00:46:16,333
"Maybe there is no judgment.

984
00:46:16,375 --> 00:46:17,708
"Maybe there is no heaven.

985
00:46:17,792 --> 00:46:20,500
Maybe there is no hell because
nothing has happened to me."

986
00:46:20,542 --> 00:46:22,000
Here's what
the Bible says elsewhere:

987
00:46:22,042 --> 00:46:23,500
You are getting
away with nothing.

988
00:46:23,542 --> 00:46:27,125
You are simply storing up
wrath for the Day of Judgment,

989
00:46:27,167 --> 00:46:31,167
that God is keeping full account
and you're getting away

990
00:46:31,250 --> 00:46:34,500
with nothing, that Jesus
will perfectly,

991
00:46:34,583 --> 00:46:37,333
justly judge you in the end.

992
00:46:37,375 --> 00:46:41,208
And Jesus says this Day of
Judgment is assured

993
00:46:41,292 --> 00:46:43,000
but the question is this:

994
00:46:43,042 --> 00:46:46,625
will you have
faith to walk in that truth

995
00:46:46,667 --> 00:46:48,917
until that day?

996
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,917
And he reveals himself
here as the Son of Man.

997
00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:56,167
It's his favorite designation,
office, and title for himself.

998
00:46:56,250 --> 00:47:00,333
He takes it from Daniel 7:13-14.

999
00:47:00,375 --> 00:47:02,500
It was uttered hundreds of years
before Jesus

1000
00:47:02,583 --> 00:47:05,875
was even born on the earth.

1001
00:47:05,958 --> 00:47:10,125
The Son of Man he gives himself
roughly 80 times in Matthew,

1002
00:47:10,167 --> 00:47:11,667
Mark, Luke, and John.

1003
00:47:11,750 --> 00:47:16,625
And the Son of Man
in Daniel 7 is God.

1004
00:47:16,667 --> 00:47:23,000
It shows us that the Son of
Man is not a created being.

1005
00:47:23,042 --> 00:47:24,875
He is the creator God.

1006
00:47:24,958 --> 00:47:28,292
That in eternity past in his
heavenly kingdom he is ruling,

1007
00:47:28,333 --> 00:47:32,500
according to Daniel 7, with the
Ancient of Days, God the Father,

1008
00:47:32,583 --> 00:47:37,417
and then he comes to the earth
on a mission as the Son of Man.

1009
00:47:37,500 --> 00:47:42,500
God becomes a man.

1010
00:47:42,583 --> 00:47:45,792
Jesus Christ is the Son of Man.

1011
00:47:45,833 --> 00:47:48,833
This is his way of saying to
his original hearers,

1012
00:47:48,875 --> 00:47:51,000
who were familiar
with the Old Testament,

1013
00:47:51,083 --> 00:47:54,375
"I am God.
I am creator.

1014
00:47:54,458 --> 00:47:59,958
"I have come into human history
to bring justice, either through

1015
00:48:00,083 --> 00:48:05,500
"the cross or through hell,
justice that I pay or you pay.

1016
00:48:05,583 --> 00:48:10,000
Either way, justice is assured."

1017
00:48:10,083 --> 00:48:14,417
And Jesus is telling them, "The
day of the fulfillment has come

1018
00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:16,917
and I am in your midst."

1019
00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:22,417
This is a very serious,
sober claim by Jesus,

1020
00:48:22,500 --> 00:48:25,000
the kind of claim that
no one else has made

1021
00:48:25,042 --> 00:48:26,500
in the history of the world.

1022
00:48:26,542 --> 00:48:28,500
No one else will
tell you, "I'm God!

1023
00:48:28,542 --> 00:48:29,875
"I've existed eternally.

1024
00:48:29,958 --> 00:48:31,500
I have come down from heaven."

1025
00:48:31,542 --> 00:48:33,500
No one says that but Jesus does.

1026
00:48:33,583 --> 00:48:35,208
"I am the Son of Man.

1027
00:48:35,292 --> 00:48:37,375
"There will be a day in court.

1028
00:48:37,458 --> 00:48:42,292
Trust me, persist patiently,
and persevere until that day."

1029
00:48:44,042 --> 00:48:49,708
Now, this is a frequent
exhortation of Scripture.

1030
00:48:49,792 --> 00:48:52,625
And I was thinking about it.

1031
00:48:52,667 --> 00:48:56,417
Roughly 12 of the books
of the New Testament,

1032
00:48:56,500 --> 00:49:02,333
there may be more, but roughly
12 books of the New Testament at

1033
00:49:02,375 --> 00:49:06,417
or near their conclusion give an
exhortation to persistence

1034
00:49:06,500 --> 00:49:10,333
and patience that culminates
in perseverance.

1035
00:49:10,375 --> 00:49:13,833
Keep on keeping on, keep going.

1036
00:49:13,875 --> 00:49:16,375
Dear victim, don't quit.

1037
00:49:16,458 --> 00:49:21,208
Trust the judge
and get to the court date.

1038
00:49:21,292 --> 00:49:24,208
I'll read them to you because
the Bible says elsewhere that

1039
00:49:24,292 --> 00:49:27,000
faith comes by hearing
the Word of God.

1040
00:49:27,083 --> 00:49:29,000
And some of you are
tempted to quit.

1041
00:49:29,083 --> 00:49:31,000
Some of you are
tempted to doubt God.

1042
00:49:31,083 --> 00:49:33,000
Some of you are
tempted to deny God.

1043
00:49:33,083 --> 00:49:35,208
Some of you are tempted
to disregard God.

1044
00:49:35,292 --> 00:49:39,333
Some of you are
tempted to disobey God.

1045
00:49:39,375 --> 00:49:45,292
Persistence plus patience
equals perseverance.

1046
00:49:45,333 --> 00:49:47,708
Matthew 28:20, it
says to continue,

1047
00:49:47,792 --> 00:49:51,167
"To the end of the age."

1048
00:49:51,250 --> 00:49:56,625
1 Corinthians 16:13 says,
"Be watchful, stand firm."

1049
00:49:56,667 --> 00:50:00,583
Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us
not grow weary of doing good, for

1050
00:50:00,667 --> 00:50:05,792
in due season we will reap,
if we do not give up."

1051
00:50:05,833 --> 00:50:10,333
Ephesians 6:18, "Keep alert
with all perseverance."

1052
00:50:10,375 --> 00:50:16,125
Colossians 4:2, "Continue
steadfastly in prayer."

1053
00:50:16,167 --> 00:50:19,417
2 Thessalonians 3:13,
"As for you, brothers,

1054
00:50:19,500 --> 00:50:23,000
do not grow weary."

1055
00:50:23,083 --> 00:50:26,833
1 Timothy 6:12-14, "Fight
the good fight of the faith...

1056
00:50:26,875 --> 00:50:30,417
until the appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ."

1057
00:50:30,500 --> 00:50:34,375
2 Timothy 4:18, "The Lord will
rescue me from every evil deed

1058
00:50:34,458 --> 00:50:38,917
and bring me safely into
his heavenly kingdom."

1059
00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:41,917
James 5:7-8, "Be patient,
therefore, brothers,

1060
00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:43,667
"until the coming of the Lord.

1061
00:50:43,750 --> 00:50:46,667
"See how the farmer waits for
the precious fruit of the earth,

1062
00:50:46,750 --> 00:50:48,792
"being patient about it, until
it receives

1063
00:50:48,833 --> 00:50:50,583
"the early and the late rains.

1064
00:50:50,667 --> 00:50:53,667
You also, be patient."

1065
00:50:53,750 --> 00:50:59,208
1 Peter 5:12, "This is the true
grace of God. Stand firm in it."

1066
00:50:59,292 --> 00:51:02,167
2 Peter 3:17, "You
therefore, beloved,

1067
00:51:02,250 --> 00:51:04,833
"knowing this beforehand, take
care that you are not carried

1068
00:51:04,875 --> 00:51:07,000
"away with the error
of lawless people

1069
00:51:07,083 --> 00:51:08,667
and lose your own stability."

1070
00:51:08,750 --> 00:51:11,000
He's saying remain stable.

1071
00:51:11,042 --> 00:51:15,000
And Jude 24-25, "Now to him
who is able to keep you

1072
00:51:15,083 --> 00:51:18,000
from stumbling."

1073
00:51:18,083 --> 00:51:21,833
God exhorts us, God encourages
us, and, let me say this,

1074
00:51:21,875 --> 00:51:26,833
God enables us and God empowers
us to have both persistence

1075
00:51:26,875 --> 00:51:30,333
and patience.

1076
00:51:30,375 --> 00:51:34,500
The life we live is not
just a life lived for God.

1077
00:51:34,542 --> 00:51:36,625
That's what religion teaches.

1078
00:51:36,667 --> 00:51:39,625
It is the life of
Christ lived for us.

1079
00:51:39,667 --> 00:51:43,083
It is the life of
Christ lived in us.

1080
00:51:43,167 --> 00:51:45,125
The one who is
telling the story,

1081
00:51:45,167 --> 00:51:48,375
he's a better judge than
the judge in the story.

1082
00:51:48,458 --> 00:51:50,667
He judges justly and perfectly.

1083
00:51:50,750 --> 00:51:54,167
He also pays the price
for all guilty sinners

1084
00:51:54,250 --> 00:51:57,333
through his death, burial,
resurrection.

1085
00:51:57,375 --> 00:52:01,125
Furthermore, Jesus who teaches
us the story and meets us

1086
00:52:01,167 --> 00:52:05,500
on the other side of this life,
is better than the widow.

1087
00:52:05,583 --> 00:52:09,000
She suffered, to be sure,
but he suffered more.

1088
00:52:09,083 --> 00:52:12,917
She did not suffer to
the point of shedding blood.

1089
00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:17,583
She was not arrested, beaten,
stripped nearly naked,

1090
00:52:17,667 --> 00:52:22,500
disowned by family and friends,
scourged beyond human likeness

1091
00:52:22,583 --> 00:52:25,583
and nailed to a Roman cross.

1092
00:52:25,667 --> 00:52:30,375
Our Jesus suffered an injustice
that is in a completely

1093
00:52:30,458 --> 00:52:34,833
different category than that
which the widow suffered.

1094
00:52:34,875 --> 00:52:37,708
And he suffered it persistently.

1095
00:52:37,792 --> 00:52:39,917
He suffered it patiently.

1096
00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:42,333
He suffered it perseveringly

1097
00:52:42,375 --> 00:52:47,000
because he is a good God
and savior.

1098
00:52:47,083 --> 00:52:50,875
And dear friends, you and I are
called to follow in the example

1099
00:52:50,958 --> 00:52:55,792
of Jesus and we are compelled to
follow in the example of Jesus

1100
00:52:55,833 --> 00:52:58,083
and it is ultimately
by the grace of God

1101
00:52:58,167 --> 00:53:01,917
and the indwelling power of
the Holy Spirit that we can.

1102
00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:05,708
The Bible says that
this is Christ in you.

1103
00:53:05,792 --> 00:53:09,375
So it is the life of Christ in
you and through you

1104
00:53:09,458 --> 00:53:14,583
empowering and enabling you
to persevere

1105
00:53:14,667 --> 00:53:17,125
through persistence
and patience.

1106
00:53:17,167 --> 00:53:20,833
And in that way I want you to
see this life like a marathon

1107
00:53:20,875 --> 00:53:24,000
and to be a Christian is
to run through to the end.

1108
00:53:24,042 --> 00:53:26,208
The Apostle Paul uses
this language elsewhere.

1109
00:53:26,292 --> 00:53:28,625
He says, "I have run my race."

1110
00:53:28,667 --> 00:53:31,708
He sees the finish
line in sight.

1111
00:53:31,792 --> 00:53:34,583
And I don't know about
you, when we think of that,

1112
00:53:34,667 --> 00:53:37,333
I tend to think of a marathon.

1113
00:53:37,375 --> 00:53:41,333
I find marathons fascinating
because people are running

1114
00:53:41,375 --> 00:53:47,333
and there's no dog and no
fire and they're running.

1115
00:53:47,375 --> 00:53:50,292
And marathons tend
to be how long?

1116
00:53:50,333 --> 00:53:51,833
Twenty-six miles.

1117
00:53:51,875 --> 00:53:54,833
Do you know why?

1118
00:53:54,875 --> 00:53:58,792
The Greeks had suffered many
crushing defeats in battle.

1119
00:53:58,833 --> 00:54:02,000
I learned this when I was in
Greece last year with my family,

1120
00:54:02,083 --> 00:54:04,667
touring and learning.

1121
00:54:04,750 --> 00:54:08,417
And they went into one epic
battle and they were outnumbered

1122
00:54:08,500 --> 00:54:11,333
four to one and they
won their battle.

1123
00:54:11,375 --> 00:54:12,792
It was a miracle.

1124
00:54:12,833 --> 00:54:16,333
It's still a legend to
this day in Greek history.

1125
00:54:16,375 --> 00:54:19,833
And they needed to get news back
to the city of Athens from

1126
00:54:19,875 --> 00:54:25,208
the city of Marathon about
the victory and to position

1127
00:54:25,292 --> 00:54:28,500
and prepare themselves for
a potential army

1128
00:54:28,583 --> 00:54:32,000
that was still coming in via
ship, so they needed to know

1129
00:54:32,083 --> 00:54:33,833
what was happening.

1130
00:54:33,875 --> 00:54:35,500
So they commissioned a man.

1131
00:54:35,542 --> 00:54:37,125
His name is Pheidippides.

1132
00:54:37,167 --> 00:54:40,125
I'll just call him Dippie, which
is probably what they called him

1133
00:54:40,167 --> 00:54:42,500
in elementary school.

1134
00:54:42,583 --> 00:54:46,375
So they told Dippie he had to
run from Marathon to Athens,

1135
00:54:46,458 --> 00:54:48,667
about 26 miles.

1136
00:54:48,750 --> 00:54:54,625
He had already fought all day in
battle and he ran the 26 miles

1137
00:54:54,667 --> 00:54:59,208
to bring news
of the victory to Athens.

1138
00:54:59,292 --> 00:55:02,125
History records that he
entered Athens and he shouted,

1139
00:55:02,167 --> 00:55:04,625
"Victory!" and died.

1140
00:55:04,667 --> 00:55:07,500
That's the Christian life.

1141
00:55:07,583 --> 00:55:13,292
You run to Jesus, you proclaim
his victory, and you die.

1142
00:55:14,292 --> 00:55:17,000
You leave it all in this life.

1143
00:55:17,042 --> 00:55:19,708
You run through to the end.

1144
00:55:19,792 --> 00:55:25,083
Persistence plus patience
equals perseverance.

1145
00:55:26,500 --> 00:55:31,000
Father God, I pray
for my friends.

1146
00:55:31,042 --> 00:55:33,625
I pray, God, that
we, by your grace,

1147
00:55:33,667 --> 00:55:38,625
we would persist as this woman
persisted and we would persist

1148
00:55:38,667 --> 00:55:45,167
until Jesus returns, the dead
are raised, sin is judged,

1149
00:55:45,250 --> 00:55:50,083
heaven and hell are assigned,
and the kingdom has fully come.

1150
00:55:51,583 --> 00:55:54,833
God, I pray for my friends,
that they would not give up,

1151
00:55:54,875 --> 00:55:57,500
that they would not give in.

1152
00:55:57,583 --> 00:56:01,875
I pray, Lord God, that we
would run our marathon.

1153
00:56:01,958 --> 00:56:06,333
For some of us,
the terrain is very hard

1154
00:56:06,375 --> 00:56:11,125
and the work is very difficult.

1155
00:56:11,167 --> 00:56:16,000
God, for those people I pray
a Holy Spirit supernatural

1156
00:56:16,083 --> 00:56:20,625
enablement to finish well.

1157
00:56:20,667 --> 00:56:25,125
And Lord Jesus we thank you
that we will stand before you

1158
00:56:25,167 --> 00:56:29,208
as judge and that you will say
that we are guilty

1159
00:56:29,292 --> 00:56:33,500
and that you have paid our price
and that we are forgiven

1160
00:56:33,542 --> 00:56:38,333
so that justice and mercy
might be unveiled.

1161
00:56:38,375 --> 00:56:43,500
God, we thank you as well that
you send the Lord Jesus

1162
00:56:43,583 --> 00:56:49,583
to suffer injustice better than
the widow, more than the widow.

1163
00:56:52,375 --> 00:56:57,583
Lord Jesus, thank you so
much that you ran your race,

1164
00:56:57,667 --> 00:56:59,625
that you saw your
mission through,

1165
00:56:59,667 --> 00:57:01,792
the cross and the empty tomb.

1166
00:57:01,833 --> 00:57:03,792
That you are patient
with us today,

1167
00:57:03,833 --> 00:57:05,792
that you are persisting
with us today,

1168
00:57:05,833 --> 00:57:08,917
and that one day you will come
and there will be justice

1169
00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:12,708
for all and sin will be no more.

1170
00:57:12,792 --> 00:57:17,500
Lord Jesus, please give us the
grace to run our race, amen.