Pray and Never Give Up - 1

Pray and Never Give Up - 1

Subject: The Power of Persistent Prayers

by Rick Welborne

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT2)
¹  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
²  “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.
³  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’
⁴  The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
⁵  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
⁶  Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.
⁷  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
⁸  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” 

1. I challenge you to pray bold prayers!

--Life Church, God is looking for people who will pray prayers like their lives depend upon it, pray prayers that will resurrect the dead (prodigals), and prayers that will make walls come crashing down. America and churches

--Our bold prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers.

--God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God. Why? 

--Because they do not require divine intervention. But ask God to part the Red Sea or make the sun stand still or float an ax head, and God is moved to omnipotent action.

--We must be convinced that God loves keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is Who He is! That is what He does! The bolder the prayer, more glory for God!

--God is just waiting for our human impotence to intersect with His divine omnipotence, and they intersect when we ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, and knock and keep on knocking. 

--But, Pastor, I have prayed for ten years for this miracle…pray another year and pray boldly that this is going to be the time for God to show up in power and majesty! Stretch your faith! 

--I promise you God is ready and He is willing…you must get in your mind and seal it in your heart that God is for you. If you don’t believe that you will pray weak timid prayers. If you believe it, you will pray bold prayers!

Romans 8:31-32 (NKJV)
³¹  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
³²  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

2. I challenge you to pray and not give up or quit!

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT)
¹  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
²  “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.
³  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’
⁴  The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
⁵  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
⁶  Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.
⁷  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
⁸  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” 

--Justice will come from a just Judge…How do we view God?

--Do we see Him as just to others but not to us? Is He just to Americans but not to Muslims? Is God just to everyone? Is He truly willing that none should perish? Is He willing to answer our prayers?

--Is your God waiting with a big stick wanting to crack you on the head the first mistake you make or is He so far away and so unconcerned about you and your problems…He can’t be touched by your stuff.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (KJV)
¹⁴  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
¹⁵  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
¹⁶  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

--How we view the justice of God will determine how we view our world and those closest to us. If we believe He does not care…we will not care for them…the judge neither feared God or cared about people.

--Justice will come to the chosen who cry out night and day. Those who pray and don’t give up!

The story Jesus told was to emphatically say that if an unjust judge will give justice, how much more will the just Judge God answer those who cry out night and day! Don’t quit praying!

--How we pray will determine how we live…how we pray will determine how we care for the lost and hurting …how we pray will determine how much we trust our just God.

--Justice will come to those who pray and never give up. We give up, we quit way to soon! What if Israel would have gone around Jericho one less time on that last day? Stopped on lap 12. No miracle!

--What would have happened if the people would have started talking instead of being silent …Be still and know I am God? Their history proved their grumbling and complaining killed miracles.

--What if we pray one more time today and then, do it again tomorrow…what will happen if we pray and never give up?

--So learn a lesson from this persistent widow and the results she had. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night?

3. I challenge you to pray for those things that are most important.

--Many of us have a Gatlin Gun mentality when it comes to our prayers. We blast out prayers for everything under the sun and, most of the time, we are not serious about any of them. 

--Don’t misunderstand me, everything I pray for is very important and every person I mention in my prayers are dear to me and obviously are dear to God.

--I will continue to pray for all those needs but when it comes to praying bold prayers over certain needs that are absolutely near to God’s heart and mine…I pray with a different intensity. I am more focused. 

--I am more likely to pray with greater diligence about a family member who is lost and far from God than I am you being able to kill a big buck this year or find the best deal on a piece of furniture.

--Three needs that are near to me are my family, my church, and the lost! All these things are near to the heart of God so I will pray boldly and passionately for them. Do you understand?

--When I am praying with intensity for my family, I am praying for my marriage to Tricia…do we have a good marriage, yes, but could it be better by me praying…of course. She is probably crying…Help, Lord!

--I pray for my kids to love God and to find their calling and destiny with Him…I plead the blood of Jesus over them and I pray favor over them every day. Much of my prayer is for them. 

Joshua 24:14-15 (NKJV)
¹⁴  "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!
¹⁵  And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

--When I pray boldly for the church (Life Church) I pray for Holy Spirit, Book of Acts growth and that Jesus will build His Body and multiply us by souls being saved. Pray for the Villages for the campus there. 

--When I pray for the church I never have to wonder if I am praying the will of God:

Matthew 16:18 (NIV)
¹⁸  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

--When I pray for the prodigals I pray for my own family (who are lost), your families, and those I am witnessing to in our communities. Quite a long least. 

Isaiah 60:1-4 (NKJV)
¹  Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
²  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
³  The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.
⁴  "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. 

--Back to the persistent widow. Surely you believe the community was watching while she fought for the justice that was due her. The community is always watching when we tell them we are believers. 

The last verse in the parable is of utmost importance to this idea of praying. 

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT)                                                                                                                                                ⁸  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” 

--How many will Jesus find on the earth who have faith? Those who are praying and never giving up!