Praying as Kingdom People

Sermon: Praying as Kingdom People
Bible Passage: Luke 18:1-8

1. Recap From Last Week

(a) Why pray? A Christian prays by virtue of the example and instruction in Scripture, but far more because of the love for the Father
(b) To whom we pray? The recipient of the Christian’s prayer is the Living God the “Father”
(c) How is it distinct from other faiths? The ability to use the name “Father” for God comes from faith in the work of Jesus Christ through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit

2. Parable in the Gospel Narrative

(a) Comes in the travelogue of Luke 9:51-19:27… appears closer to the end of Jesus journey towards Jerusalem…before his entry into Jericho (Luke 19:1)
(b) Pre-parable: The Pharisees ask Jesus about when the Kingdom of God would come and Jesus responds (Luke 17: 20-37)
(c) Post-parable: The prayer of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

3. Unpacking the Parable

(a) The audience are the disciples (v.1a)
(b) The purpose of the parable is defined upfront… to show the disciples that they should always pray and never give up (v.1b)
(c) A portrait of the Judge is laid out… fearless… of God or people (v.2)
(d) The widow is a victim of injustice and is persistent in her pleas for justice (v.3)
(e) The judge resists… self-evaluates… but seeks to respond because he is frustrated… and does so by desiring justice… justice because otherwise he feared she would attack him (vv. 4-5)
(f) Jesus calls the attention of his hearers to what the unjust judge says and compares the judge with God (vv.: 6-7a)
(g) The question posed by Jesus has an affirmative ‘yes he will’ from the disciples…though not spoken (v.7b)
(h) Jesus responds the question himself in an authoritative manner… ”I tell you…” (v. 8a)
(i) Yet the question he poses to his is whether he will find faith when he returns (v. 8b)
4. Purpose of the Parable
(a) To pray always and not give up, defining the “when?” and the need to persist
(b) God’s justice for His chosen ones is a given

Takeaway

In prayer be Kingdom minded