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Jesus had already ministered with His Disciples for some time. Then Jesus instructed His Disciples on persistent prayer, He had already sent His Disciples to preach, heal, and cast out demons for almost three years. Even though the Disciples had done ministry for years, Jesus did not take the Disciples’ morale for granted. Jesus felt that it was necessary to exhort them to pray through times when they felt that their ministry was failing.

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

The word translated “faint” in the King James Bible comes from the Greek word evkakeiv (Strong #1573). The Greek word means “to lose heart” or to be greatly discouraged. This word is only used one another time in the New Testament, where Paul used it to exhort Christians to persevere through the temptation to despair because of tribulation (Ephesians 3:13).

We are living in times of tribulation and testing. The world hates God. The world hates Jesus. The world hates Christians. And we are supposed to love those people who hate us and reject us. It is easy to become discouraged and feel like it is all hopeless. The context of this parable is important. Jesus has just finished describing what the last days would be like in the previous passage. Jesus knew that His followers were going to encounter the feeling that everything was going downhill and nothing was going to work out. Anticipating this feeling, Jesus gives His followers the parable of the unjust judge, which begins with those words, " And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Dr. J. Vernon McGee adds this comment on our text:

We are living in days, as [Christ] indicated, when men’s hearts are failing them for fear. What we have in the first parable is a pertinent paragraph for the present hour. Notice that He says He spoke a parable to them to this end; that is, for this purpose, that men should always pray and not to faint. He opens two alternatives to any man who is living in difficult days. You and I will have to do one of the two. You will have to make up your mind which you are going to do. Men in difficult days will either faint or they will pray (McGee, Thru the Bible, vol. 4, p. 326).

I want you to notice that Jesus’ prescribed response to His followers for feeling discouraged is to be persistent in prayer. Jesus did not mean that a person should quit his job and become a recluse so that he could literally always be praying. No, what Jesus is describing in this parable is consistent, persistent, and steadfast prayer. And consistent, persistent, and steadfast prayer for what reason? So that you do not lose heart. So that you do not give up. So that you continue on with the good fight of faith. Persistent prayer for the goal of perseverance in evangelism and winning souls. So that you put one foot in front of the other in this marathon of the Christian life.

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

How about you? Do you ever feel discouraged in evangelism? Do you ever feel like it will never happen? Unless you are a stranger to evangelism, you have certainly experienced that feeling of frustration and tiredness. How should you respond to such a situation? You should pray persistently for the power of God in your life and in your ministry.

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

The answer to discouragement in soul winning is persistent prayer. Earlier in His ministry, Jesus taught His Disciples how to pray. In his basic instructions on prayer, Jesus gave strong exhortation that prayer must be persistent. Jesus gave the Parable of the Importunate Friend to His Disciples. In the Parable of the Importunate Friend, a man needed bread for his guests, but his friend refused him. Despite this, the man continued to ask persistently. Jesus said, “Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity [persistence, not giving up] he will rise and give him as many as he needeth” (Luke 11:8).

In our text, Jesus describes a woman who persists in her pleas to an unjust judge. At first, the woman is ignored by the judge (Luke 18:4), but because the woman will not leave the judge alone, finally the judge gives the woman what she is asking for (Luke 18:5). Jesus is not comparing God to an unjust judge in this passage. Instead, Jesus is saying that if persistent prayer could move this unjust judge to action, then certainly the Just and Merciful God would answer persistent prayer.

“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily” (Luke 18:7-8).

Years ago, there was a man who loved his mother very much. All throughout his life, he had a goal of winning her soul to Christ. In many ways, that was one of his main goals in life. But his mother was not an easy case. She lived a hard life. She was very resistant to every effort to bring her to church to hear the Gospel. The man felt powerless to save his mother. I am sure many times he felt extremely discouraged. I am sure that he felt like it was never going to happen. So then what did he do? He returned again and again to persistent prayer.

He did not persist for a year or two years or even ten years. He persisted for decade after decade. But at last when his mother got saved at the age of eighty years old, I know that he felt like his entire life had meaning, that Jesus was never more beautiful, and that even Heaven itself had been improved because her presence would be there. That man was our pastor Dr. Hymers. He prayed for his mother all his life, and finally at the age of eighty years old, she had a miraculous conversion, and though the angels sang in Heaven, nobody’s heart sung louder and longer than his.

“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” (Luke 18:7).

And so what was the work that the Disciples were going to be doing? Jesus said,

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20).

The Disciples were commanded by Christ to evangelize the world! That was their main assignment. We are also disciples of Christ. Therefore it is also our main assignment to do evangelism. But that is not easy. We are living in the last days. We are living in times where men’s hearts will fail them. These are times of doubt and despair. And yet, Christ gave very clear instruction to evangelize the world and to make disciples. But how will these disciples be made in these dark days? As Dr. McGee said, “Men in difficult days will either pray or they will faint.” In order for evangelism to be successful it must first be blessed, endorsed, and strengthened by the power of God.

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).

We are commanded by Jesus to win souls. But without the power of God, we will not be able to win souls, instead we will only become discouraged. Therefore we must sow in persistent prayer in order to reap a soul. It will not be easy. It never was, and it certainly isn’t now.

The last days are here and you are called out of the world to be a follower of Christ who makes others followers of Christ. That is a great assignment. We are battling a spiritual enemy who is always attempting to discourage and dissuade us. That is why we must pursue God persistently in prayer. We must pray for God to work on us. We must pray for God to work in those who we evangelize. Pray that God will once again give you the energy and zeal to bring in lost souls to hear the Gospel!

But prayer alone will not evangelize people. Dr. McGee said, “You can’t just stay on your knees all the time and pray for a crop of corn. That’s pious nonsense. But to pray for the corn crop and then go to work is the thing our Lord is talking about in days when men’s hearts are failing them” (ibid). And so that is what we must do. We must pray for the crop of souls, and then we must go get them.

The glad evangel now proclaim,
Through all the earth, in Jesus’ name;
This word is ringing through the skies:
Evangelize! Evangelize!
To dying men, a fallen race,
Make known the gift of Gospel grace;
The world that now in darkness lies,
Evangelize! Evangelize!
   (“Evangelize! Evangelize!” by Dr. Oswald J. Smith, 1889-1986;
      to the tune of “And Can It Be?” by Charles Wesley, 1707-1788).

Just as when a farmer prays for corn, we should pray that we would have the energy to plant and grow the corn, we should also pray that we will have the passion for evangelism and that the people will be responsive to us. God must bless both sides of the equation in order for it be a success. Therefore, persistently and earnestly pursue God to give you the energy and the strength to do the work of evangelism. Persistently and earnestly pursue God to make the people respond to your efforts and come to hear the Gospel.

Persistent prayer must be made by those who follow Christ. People must be brought into the church and out of the coldness of the world. But how can it be done? Many of you have been doing evangelism for many years. You are not naïve. You are accustomed to being rejected and turned away. Over the course of time, it may have hardened you from believing that people will come in to church and hear the Gospel and be saved. That is a normal and human response. Jesus Himself anticipated that you would feel this way. He knew that over time, the battle scars of the spiritual warfare of evangelism would run very deep. What should you do then?

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to [lose heart]” (Luke 18:1).

The “Prince of Preachers,” C. H. Spurgeon, understood the relationship between evangelism and the need for persistent prayer because of our tendency to lose heart. Commenting on our text, Spurgeon said,

How many times we ask of God, and have not because we do not wait long enough at the door! we knock a time or two at the gate of mercy, and as no friendly messenger opens the door, we go our ways. Too many prayers are like boys’ runaway knocks, given, and then the giver [goes] away before the door can be opened. O for grace to stand foot to foot with the angel of God, and never, never, never relax our hold; feeling that the cause we plead is one in which we must be successful, for souls depend on it, the glory of God is connected with it, the state of our fellow men is in jeopardy. If we could have given up in prayer our own lives and the lives of those dearest to us, yet the souls of men we cannot give up, we must urge and plead again and again until we obtain the answer (Spurgeon, 1869; “The Importunate Widow”).

Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). The Greek means “keep on asking,” “keep on seeking,” “keep on knocking.” Your great assignment of evangelism requires persistence in prayer: keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. It may take time before you get the answer, but Christ said, “Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” (Luke 18:7). You must make up your mind to either lose heart or persistently pray. But if you pray persistently, souls will be saved, lives will be changed, and Jesus will be glorified. May God give us the grace to do so. Amen.

(END OF SERMON)
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Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
“Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare” (by John Newton, 1725-1807).