Faith for Justice:

Context:

• Jesus just finished a discourse on the coming kingdom.
• It will be sudden.
• It will be a surprise to many.
• Now He encourages His follows to pray always, and to not lose heart.

Luke 18:2-8 “...He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?...”

Who were the characters in the parable?

• An unrighteous judge who didn’t fear God or respect mankind.
• A widow with an adversary.

Did the situation appear to be favorable for the widow’s needs to be met?

Was it easy for the widow to get justice?

What did it require of the widow?

• Persistence.

Name some situations in our world where there is an adversary and little justice.

What is Jesus suggesting as a course of action?

• Crying out to God day and night.

How does this differ from the course of action taken by most people?

• Most people spend minimal time talking to the God of the universe.
• Most people work in their own power to find justice.
• Most people end up despairing about the lack of justice in our world.

What role does faith have in the pursuit of justice?

• Galatians 5:5 “...For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness...”
• Romans 1:17 “...the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith...”
• Hebrews 11:1 “...faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...”
  
• Romans 10:17 “...faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ...”
• Matthew 21:22 “...whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith...”
• Matthew 17:20 “...For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you...”
• 1 Corinthians 16:13 “...Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong...”
• 2 Corinthians 5:7 “...for we walk by faith, not by sight...”

Did Jesus find many people of faith at His first coming?

Are there many people of faith on the planet now?

Will Jesus find many people of faith at His second coming?

Summary:

• There is a great need for justice.
• There is a great need for relief from the adversary.
• There is a great need for convictions about things not yet seen.
• There is a great need for faith.
• There is a great need for people of faith to talk to the God who gives justice.