"Till He Comes ...." The 2nd Coming of Jesus." What did Jesus tell His Church to do until He comes again.
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?” (Luke 18:1-8).
PRAYER and FAITH, Why? Because of what the world will be like.
Matthew 24:7-8 NKJV, For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24:42 NKJV, Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT, You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.
The widow woman in the story is demonstrating a type of FAITH that Jesus will be looking for “When He returns.”
Persistent Faith
Luke 18:8 MSG, But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?” MSG
Luke 18:3, A widow of that city came to him repeatedly,
Luke 15:5, 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!’”
Luke 18:31 Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. 33 They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.”
34 But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about.
Why did they not understand?
Why didn't they ask him?
Why were they not Persistent?
Romans 10:17, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Why did they not LISTEN? or UNDERSTAND?
THEY DID NOT WANT TO HEAR what HE was SAYING.
2 Timothy 2:3-4, For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
It is the same today, people do not want to hear about the End Times.
Luke 18:35, As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. 38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” 42 And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” 43 Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.
This Blind man is how Jesus wants us to be. Desperate. Persistent in Pursuing God.
Colossians 4:2 TEV, “Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, always giving thanks to God.”
Psalm 105:4, “Look to the Lord and his strength; Seek his face constantly.”
Ephesians 6:10 NLT, A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Zechariah 13:9a (TEV), “I will TEST and PURIFY them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them.”
Jeremiah 12:5 NLT, “So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses? And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm, what’s going to happen when troubles break loose like the Jordan in flood?
What God is saying is to Pray and Do not Give UP. Because, if you cannot stand in faith today, how will you stand as we move more into the End Times.
Larry Neville