Finding Certain Hope In Uncertain times-
All I Needed I learned in Sunday School • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Good morning we are in our sermon series in the parables..
Entitled - All I ever needed, I Learned in Sunday School.
I read this statistic that .said..
about 47% of the behaviors we learn as children is transfered into adulthood
This just shows how important...our early child learning and experiences are!
Our formative years are the building blocks for the rest of our lives.
It is where our character is shaped and formed.. it is where we develop an aptitude for learning and for growing….It is where we learn how to socialize and interact in the world..
in the same way ..The parables are the ABC’s of Faith -—
They were the primary teaching of the early church -
and they are foundational truths of faith today..
The parables teach us That Word of God is important —
When word of God is sown into the good ground...it grows… Produces fruit.. some 30 fold ,60 fold and some 100 fold
The parables teach us to pay attention..to relationships … and to be good neighbors…to love others as our selves..
The parables teach us to build upon solid foundations.. make sure we have our priorities straight..seek first the things of God kingdom…to be like that merchant looking for pearl of great price..
This mornings message is intitled ~ Finding Certain Hope in uncertain times..
There was a Study conducted recently by Chapman University in (CA) - they researched the the top 10 fears in America in 2022 -
The list had things like
The fear of Corruption in our Government
The fear Environmental changes
The fear of being involved in another war
the fear of Economic collapse…
The study revealed that there are some real concerns in our world..
It concluded that about 85 percent of Americans live with a sense of impending doom…this is significany…
In counseling terms — “those feelings of doom” would be considered a classic sign of Clinical Anxiety.
Most of us are living on the edge..
When Jesus taught the parables - He was preparing His disciples for his departure -
In John 16 Jesus said the hour had come when they would be scattered..in his absence they would face uncertainty and challenging times.. Jesus taught discipes the could have certain hope in uncertain times..
He said in John 16.33
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said in this life there are going be challenged..trials and tribulations.. We know this was true for the discple.. but take heart…
because in times of uncertainty they could have the peace of God or shalom - sense of wholeness in Uncertain times…peace that is beyond understanding..
they would have hope … Why?
Because Jesus overcame this world he .…Our hope is tied to the Resurrection…
The word hope in English doesn’t do biblical hope Justice… We talk about hope terms of possibilities… cross your fingers and hope for the best..
but Biblical Hope has Substance..
The book of Hebrews -
19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
Biblical Hope is translated as Absolute certainty..
Tim Keller says it like this... Hope is the..
“Life shaping certainty of something that hasn’t happened yet, but you know will happen.” Tim Keller
TS..This morning we are going to be looking at two Parables THAT DEALS finding Hope in the UNCERTAINTIES OF LIFE..
- The parable the persistent friend and the Parable of the Persistent Widow..
Both these Parables teach that is Prayer is source of hope in times of Uncertainties..
That Prayer is thr antidote for anxiety..
T/s We Find Hope in Uncertain times through the
1. Practice of Abiding Prayers.
1. Practice of Abiding Prayers.
It has been said that “Imitation is the highest form of flattery”
It is a well known fact that children learn through imitation.. .Imitation is a crucial aspect of skill development, because it allows us to learn new things quickly and efficiently.
we learn best through modeling..
The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Corinth to follow his example - He told them -
1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
Though out the ministry of Jesus - He not only Taught his disciples, but he modeled what it looked like to be a disciple.. How treat others —
He showed us how depend on God as our Father…and How to Abide Prayer..
Throughout his ministry — we see Jesus in praying.
Jesus prayed at his baptism,
He prayed when he chose his disciples
He prayed for Simon Peter - when he was being tempted.
Jesus prayed in the garden before his betrayal and Jesus even prayed on the Cross..
Jesus often withdrew from the crowds and spent time alone in prayer... .
Jesus lived a life of prayer and he and . …His disciples took notice a…And they wanted to imitate His examples.. and they ask Jesus ..to teach them Pray..That we get the Lords prayer…or the disciples prayer..
Lets read our text…
1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread.
4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
Jesus faced incredible opposition in his ministry.
— it came mainly from Religious leaders… but there were also feeling of disappoints, Sorrow, grief, betrayal … anxiety abandonment.. Pretty much every emotion life can bring…
The disciples saw Jesus in his best moments and his worst! theymust have wondered — How Jesus managed to keep going ..
They noticed one key habit.. That was his prayer life.. One day after he finished Praying -One of the disciples ask Jesus …
Teach us to pray..
And so Jesus tsught the disciples the “Lord’s Prayer” -
Jesus starts by saying When you Pray — the implication.. is that disciples of Jesus are prayers..
Pray - Father, in heaven..Some versions add the words -.. Our Father who is in Heaven -
The key word here is the word Father..
In Aramaic is the word ABBA- meant something like “Daddy”—but with a more severeThe best rendering is “Dearest Father”...
Our Father is heaven (above) or Sovereign over all things in creation…We approach God with closeness and reverence - -
Next Jesus.. says
b. Pray …
“Hallowed be your name” — Hallowed means Holy - it means to sanctify — or set to apart something.. we are to set apart the name of God as holy...
Next should Pray for
c. Let your Kingdom come - or some translations say (may your kingdom come upon us... ...
God’s kingdom is both here (in the present) and not yet… (it is a coming kingdom)
It speaks of the second Advent of Christ .
WE are to pray that his Kingdom come in the present.. . The Kingdom is not a physical Kingdom.. We are not building an Political earthly Kingdom..
But we are praying about Christ reign and rule in the hearts of people..
We are to pray that people come to Know Christ.. PRAYING HIS KINGDOM I MAKING IT A PRIORITY..
33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Next we are to
d. Ask God to Meet our Needs.
Give us today Our Daily bread -
Bread speaks of everything we need to sustain our . our physical and emotional and spiritual needs... God says that he will take care of us.. And our needs..
God supply is day by day…
Next we are to Pray forgive us our Sins…
This not salvation… but for ongoing sins..
These things that get in the way of our relationship with God.. and with others..
- We are to receive and offer forgiveness to other..We are to keep short accounts…
We are to pray that God protect us from Temptation..
“lead us not into temptation but deliver us from Evil”
The word Lead is the same word that was used when the Paralytic was dropped through the roof — when Jesus saw the faith of the men and healed the man…He told the man pick up his mat and walk…
He was carried/led towards Christ.
Temptation leads us away from Christ.. carries us in the opposite directions..
The Lord’s Prayer is really how we ought to approach prayer…
Most us have the Lords prayer memorized..but that was not the purpose of the prayer..
Jesus was not giving us a prayer to recite...
BUT a guide to prayer…AN APPROACH TO PRAYRR..
...When Peter - stepped out of the boat - and began to sink.. Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!.
.If he had begun first with “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come …” he would have been blowing bubbles before he got to the point!
THERE MANY TIME WHERE JUST PRAY LORD HELP..
…Jer 33.3
‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
The Lords prayer is a template for Prayer.. How to Approach Prayer.....The point is this .. the way you pray is simply through practicing it
The Lords Prayer is the set up for the parables on Persistence..
T/s How do we find Hope in Uncertain times..
1. Practice Abiding Prayers.
2. Practice Bold Prayers.
2. Practice Bold Prayers.
If you have ever met a car enthusiasts — You know they get excited about cars.. they have their favorite model… They know everything about these cars - they know engine specifications, horsepower, torque, acceleration times, and top speeds.
They know -the evolution of car, engineering, and manufacturing…BUT HERE IS THE THING..You can be an enthusiast without every driving or owning a car.
We can also become Christians Enthusiasts! Where we love the mechanics of Church - the mechanics of faith..but without THE practice of Faith.. We can become arm chair Christians..
The Lord’s Prayer is the set up ..For praying with Boldness.
Jesus’ supplied the disciples with the architecture of prayer… But, Jesus moves beyond the structure to the importance of the practice OR THE PASSION of Prayer…
Jesus LIKE ALL GOOD COMMUNICATORS.. KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF story.. We learn things in stories that we never learn in just handing out information.. Stories show us how..
lets read the parable..
5 Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’
8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
The Parable Starts with a rhetorical question.. Who of you will go to a friend at midnight?
Jesus often used Hyperbole —exaggeration.. and Humor here to engage and capture the attention of his audience....
… Jesus presents a absurd Scenario —
This man has guests arrive at this mans house at midnight.
It is late.and they haven’t eaten any food… They are tired and hungry… And the man has nothing to offer them.
What do you do?
In Middle eastern culture was an Honor and Shame culture… and Your reputation meant everything..
… You would do anything to keep your honor and avoid embarrassment at all costs..
This man finds himself in a predicament!
He feels compelled to go to his friends house and request for 3 loaves of bread...
… so he knocks on his friends door.. But,
He is asleep and so he keeps on knocking until his friend wakes up..
as you can imagine he is not too thrilled to see his friend at this time of the night.
The desperate host encounters Resistance.. What you doing? its midnight!— People are sleeping here and the Kitchen is closed..
But the man persisted - until his friend gets out of bed and gives His friend as much as he needs…
Jesus uses the Humor in this story- to teach an important lesson on Prayer..
- God is not in bed with His children, asleep and reluctant to answer our prayers.
Quite the opposite..We have a “friend” in God who never sleeps.. who is never “bothered” when we call out to him.
The book of Hebrews 4 teaches us that we have a great High priest in Heaven _ Jesus the son of God..
For we have a high priest who sympathizes with out weakness.. he has gone through ever aspect of life.. yet with out sin.. And he longs for us to come to him
because of Jesus ..
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Whenever, I come to verse of scripture.. I always think of Pam’s dad who vice president at the Merchant bank.. He had the corner office in this high rise building..You couldn’t just walk in.. you needed an appointment… one day we had to pick up some paper work… And we are in the waiting room… and Ryan hears his granpa’s voice.. and ran right past the secretary into his office. He was in an important meeting..Pam’s dad came out of the office.. glowing holding Ryan in his arms.. he was excited to see his grandchild..that is the image I have of prayer..
God wants to be bothered with prayer…
Jesus encourages boldness .. He says
ASK and it will be given.. seek and we find. and knock and the door will opened.
In the original language, these three verbs——are in the linear tense, meaning continuous action.
We are to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.
Persistence is the way to open heaven’s door, not just hardheaded persistence, but persistence with faith.
He tells the disciples the meaning of Prayer..
Luke 11:10 (NASB 95)
10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
Our prayers are God’s opportunities to do for us what He otherwise could not do.. we have not because we ask not….
The question..of prayer is one of boldness..
Do we pray with confidence? Do we pray with assurance? Do we pray with boldness?
There is a good reason to pray with boldness.
Jesus goes on to say
If your earthly father wants to give you whatever you ask for, how much more does your Father in heaven want to give you the desires of your heart?
take a moment jot down something that needs bold praying!
T/sT How do we find Hope in Uncertain times..
1. Practice Abiding Prayers.
2. Practice Bold Prayers.
3. Practice Continuous Prayers
3. Practice Continuous Prayers
How many times have we heard the phrase, are we there yet? Every parent in history has heard those words…
Growing up we travelled long trips… I remember my parents saying..we just left the house …
Twitter or X had some tweets from some exasperated parents
One for 4-year-old aske…. Are we there yet? Dad : You can't ask that again for six more hours.
The 4 year asked : Has it been six hours yet?
One mom said to her child if you stop asking “are we there yet?” I’ll give you $10 but for every time you ask, I’m taking a dollar away
It backfired!
By the end of the trip…Her child owed her $276
One dad threw his family for a loop when he simply answered, “yes”.
When it comes to making progress in our faith journey … it can feel like we are this journey that never going to arrive…
Seems like thereare always delays..in life…nothing ever happens fast enough…
Life is a journey… there will always be a need that requires faith!
the Bible teaches that Christian faith is one of perseverance..and persistence..
In Luke 18 Jesus tell the Parable of the Persistent Widow (or the Unjust Judge) and it is similar to the Parable of the Persistent friend… but there is difference in Emphasis — While the Parable of the Persistent friend focused on boldness…the parable of the persistent widow focus on the Response on Justice of God..
Let's read
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ”
In both parables the set up for persistence is prayer!
Jesus starts off by saying that We ought to Pray and not Loose Heart…
Paul the apostle said the same thing to the believers in Philippi
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Both Paul and Jesus taught that antidote to anxiety is prayer.. — When we pray we find Hope..
Jesus tells this parable of the widow and the unjust Judge..
He tells the story of a certain city where there was a unjust Judge - He was did not fear God and not respect men..He did not represent someone who we would expect to be in that office!
Jesus say that one day a widow came to him for help.. Because of an accuser an — someone was taking advantage of her situation - She appealed to the Judge to have mercy and to hear her case..
But the Judge refused to give her a hearing..
She didn’t have much options so she kept on coming to the Judge with the same request -over and over again
Until the Judge became wearied by her persistence..
After some time He realized that the widow was not going to quit..
The Judge says to himself... she keeps beating me down..- in the Gr literally means to "be struck in the eye, to give a black eye. HE REALIZED THE ONLY WAY TO GET RELIEF WAS TO concede....
-He breaks down and gives what the widow the justice and grant her request..
IT IS easy to quit.. We are so easily drawn to the path of least resistance..
In psychology they have term called, “learned helplessness” - this happens when we face a situations in life that appear to be out of our control.
The problem is that its elicits a passive response to life…We believe that no matter what we try nothing will help..we conclude ...Why bother if nothing I do makes a difference.
They recently changed the term “learned Helplessness” they talk about “learned Optimism.”
Which is more constructive way of finding solutions… Learned Optimism develops a positive internal dialogue.. Reinforces HOPE AND empowers us to break free from the cycle of HELPLESSNESS.
This is what prayer dose…… it changes our perspective from hopelessness to hopefulness.. —
it changes that inner dialog.. from the negative to and sees the possibilities… Prayer Brings HOPE..
Ray Johnson _ in his book Hope Quotient.. .
“When a struggling individual gets just a 10 percent boost in hope, almost anything becomes possible.”
― Ray Johnston, The Hope Quotient
RAY goes on to say that .All it takes is one person to get Hope .
In a flash, the whole atmosphere changes.
The impossible actually starts to look possible (think Steve Jobs).
Defeat starts to look like it could be turned to victory (think Peyton Manning).
Difficult things begin to look like they might actually be possible (think Nelson Mandela).
Courage replaces fear, and strength chases away powerlessness..
Jesus then explains the Parable..
6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said;
7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
Jesus explains the parable.. .
Our Father is not like the unjust judge, God is good he is infinitely loving, infinitely gracious, infinitely merciful, and infinitely just.
Prayer is not frantically begging God to answer our Prayers… .
It is not about Critical mass— acculating a mass of prayers that God cannot ignore..
We persist in prayer because is a good God we know he cares and will hear us…
Jesus makes the point that..
If unjust Judge will do justice... How much more will God move on behalf of the Elect?
Who cry to him night and day?
"He will bring about Justice Quickly"
GOD IS WILLING TO ACT..
Conclusion
Jesus concludes HIS TEACHING with the question-
Will He find Faith when he returns?
Some might ask why Jesus is delay f in his coming..
There is a couple if reasons the first is God is still sanctifying his church…he is wanting all to come to him..
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Jesus taught on prayer it was about his Kingdom work now and his coming which is not yet.…if you were playing a sport those would be the boundary lines…Everything that happens on the field is framed within the boundaries of his purposes.. Some time you might have wins.. Sometimes their are losses..
But everything in life falls into on his eschatological time frame… We are not anxious because in these boundaries
T/sT How do we find Hope in Uncertain times..
1. Practice Abiding Prayers.
2. Practice Bold Prayers.
3. Practice Continuous Prayers
HYMN BLESSED ASSURANCE.