Luke 21:28 “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
What things? The things that will happen before…..”the end times”. (Matthew 24:33-42)
Everyday we see these things happening.
And what are we, as Christians, told to do?
To grow sad, as though our hope was in this world….no!
But we are to “look up”……..we are to look above the circumstances and see the Lord working behind everything that He is allowing.
We are to “lift up our heads”…..we should rejoice in the scriptures being fulfilled right before our eyes….
….don’t let our head (thoughts) hang down,….but we should be praying,…
…”Even so, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
And loving His appearing…for there is a crown of righteousness laid up for those who love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).
But in order for us to “love His appearing”….we must be watching and praying….ready for His return…….not fainting under the weight of the Adversary’s attacks.
He might send darkness….but we are given Light….pray for light.
He might send hatred….but we are given joy and peace in believing….pray for that peace to fortify your heart.
We are not to faint….and Jesus gave us a parable to show us the Way we are to handle the enemies attacks….especially in our prayer life….which is so important now.
We are no one important to this world….but we are His child….and He hears us, and has already given us HIs Word for our case.
Luke 18:1 “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint:”
Here, we see plainly, that to be ready for Christ’s return:…..we must be a praying people.
Praying for His Will done….Praying for His kingdom come….within us and His church…..and on the earth….soon.
For Jesus speaks, here, of the closing days of the church age….just before He returns to Rapture the church….
….and how these times will be…….we will have enemies….those that think we are helpless and seek to ruin us…..and those that seek to take our blessings…….
…..and He says what we should be doing about them.
Luke 18:2-3 “There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary.”
This was probably a Roman judge (for Jewish judges were in three’s)….so he would not care about the needs of a Jew….especially a widow…
….she was not someone important,….she was not rich…..she did not have important friends…..she was a nothing, a nobody to him….
….but she kept coming back.
This judge did not fear God, nor man….he was appointed by Rome.
So anything he would do, was on a personal level…..only for what affected him….or for his gain.
“Avenge me of my adversary”….was the widows cry….again and again. “She kept coming back”.
This is not a request for punishment for her enemy (she had an enemy which persecuted her….sought to take things from her…..so do we.)
……but this cry was for a decree issued from that judge……that would give her protection from her enemy’s injustice…..
…..and to keep him, from harming her…..like a restraining order, today.
She wanted protection…..not vengeance…..so she kept coming back, to someone who could give it to her…..
…..but he thought nothing of her….and ignored her….for a while.
Luke 18:4-5. “And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man
Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest, by her continually coming she weary me.”
Because this widow kept crying unto this unjust judge….”I will avenge her”.
The reason? “Lest by her continual coming she weary me.”
The Greek, “she weary me”….literally means….”she give me a black eye”.
That means, that her continually coming there, might ruin his reputation…..
…..something he cared about….though he did not care about anything else.
People might get the wrong impression about him…….so he gave her that “restraining order” against her enemy…..just to be rid of her.
Luke 18:6 “And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.”
Jesus says to listen,…..to really see what that unjust judge says…..
….”I will do it, just to get rid of her, for my reputation is on the line.”
See his motives….selfish, and proud….yet the widow got her request…
Luke 18:7 “And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?”
Then, Jesus said…..look to God…..cry unto God, Who loves you.
God is just….He will issue such degrees for us, against our Adversary…
…”Heavenly Father, Avenge me of my Adversary”.
Shall not the Judge of all the earth…..and our Heavenly Father….surely do right?
(Sometimes we act as if God was unjust…..in His dealings with us, and the men of the world.
They prosper,….and we just get by.
They lie and steal and cheat….and yet are not, seemingly, chastened…..but if we try and use these means….we are rebuked.
Why? Their rebuke is coming…..for all eternity, if they do not turn and repent.
But our rebukes….are for our good, that we might grow thereby.)
Yet Jesus uses this parable…..especially for these last days….because we are not to look to our enemies…..but to God in prayer.
We are not to look for “justice”, here, in the world’s system……but to God, the Judge of all the earth.
And we are to look to God, crying……”Avenge me of my Adversary”.
“Though He bear long with them”….we are not what we ought to be in this age…
His church has Him outside the door in Laodicea….this last of the church age. (Revelation 3:20)
….He is loving, rebuking, and chastening….that we might become all He has for us….to have the victory He has for us, in our circumstances…even in these days.
He is “bearing long” with us….to bring us to one day stand before His throne, hearing….”Well done, My good and faithful servant”.
We should always cry unto the Lord for such restraining decrees against our Adversary.
“Heavenly Father, avenge me of my adversary”….
…this is especially helpful in prayer….when our thoughts roam, or as we are praying we suddenly become angry, or depressed…..
“Lord, Avenge me of my Adversary”
Luke 18:8 “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?”
Faith gives us victory. (1 John 5:4)
Our faith is increased as we pray, going before the throne of grace….the Father’s throne….and receiving from His hand mercy and grace, especially in the face of our adversaries.
Remember this began with:
Luke 18:1. “And He (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint;”
“Faint” means to weaken in our purpose, to languish, to give up.
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
When we pray, we ought to believe that our Heavenly Father….the Just God of all the earth…. is going to hear,….
….and keep at it until He does…..and gives us these restraining orders against our Adversary……..
…..for He will avenge us speedily.
And “speedily” means that God gives Himself to our request with all His Wisdom and Might…..He answers our cry’s.
“And when these things begin to come to pass”……do not faint….but cry to the Just Judge of all the earth….He hears…and will “avenge” us speedily.
“Heavenly Father, Avenge me of my Adversary”
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 