Beyond Sunday: Faithful Persistence for God's Justice

Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.

I won’t let go. I won’t give up. I won’t stop pursuing. If we approach our walk with Jesus with this kind of fervent passion for God’s goodness, blessing, justice we will see His Kingdom come and will be done. Don’t give up, don’t give in, remain steadfast in the face of opposition until we see the Kingdom breaking in.

Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.

• Transcript

  00:00:10 - 00:01:10

  Hey guys, welcome to another episode of the Beyond Sunday podcast. We're Desire to take the conversation deeper. Um, I'm on virtually today, but that's okay. I'm on today with Shrea. How are you doing today? >> Good. How are you? >> I'm good. Um, yeah. Ready for this one? This will be a good one. Uh so before we dive into the conversation, take a look at this video. Heat. All right, as we dive into the conversation, Shrea, what was the big idea for this week from Sunday

  00:01:28 - 00:02:46

  scriptures we were in? Um yeah, what was what was what was our premise? >> Yeah. Well, we've been following um following Jesus through the book of Luke. And so, uh we're in in chapter 18 this week, which uh Jesus gives a story of uh a widow who uh models persistence, I guess. Um, and so this week we talked about uh this persistence for specifically for justice. Um, and and so he tells this story to his uh to his disciples about this widow who uh has been uh a victim of injustice and she

  00:02:07 - 00:03:08

  comes to this judge who is not a just and fair and good judge. uh the text says that he doesn't um fear God or care about people. And so she comes to him and he's not um he's not enacting justice. And so she just keeps coming. And so she's super persistent to the point where finally the judge um who is not a good judge finally he's like uh okay, I'll just give you what you want. I'm tired of being bothered by you. And so she wears him down. And so then Jesus um calls out like if this unjust judge

  00:02:37 - 00:03:36

  even will enact judge uh justice, then how much more will a good father, a good God um do the same? Uh and so then and then there's this this little question at the end um where where Jesus after he calls out like this good God that we serve, won't he then uh also enact justice and and this call out for us to be persistent? But then Jesus asked the question of um when the son of man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith? And so that's kind of the text, that's a main text at least

  00:03:08 - 00:04:14

  that we were in. Um >> yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. and and uh some other ones that we were touching on, we touched on Genesis 32, which is uh Jacob wrestling um with this man and um he sends all his uh flock and and wives and family across uh before he's about to meet up with his brother uh who he hasn't seen uh since he tricked him in getting the birthright. And after doing that and swindling his brother out of that, he left. And uh um so this is the first time he's about to encounter him. But

  00:03:41 - 00:04:38

  before he does, he he sends everyone across and then begins out of nowhere, it seems, right? The text just doesn't give like and somebody approached him and he saw him coming. No, it's then sends everyone across and then bam, he starts wrestling uh with this man and um and in this wrestling match, right, he's like holding on to this man, Jacob is, and won't let go up until like dawn breaks all through the night. Apparently, dawn breaks and the man's like, "Let go of me." And Jacob's like,

  00:04:09 - 00:05:17

  I will not until you bless me. I mean, it's also in that uh passage that Jac Jacob gets a new name says, your name is now Israel. Um and uh again, more of a promise and a covenant uh or identity spoken over Jacob in that space. But like a um I we were drawing conclusions or connections from Jacob's wrestling to this widow who's so persistent before the judge. like I I will not stop coming to you to ask for for justice uh to be served or to be um administered and and where Jacob is like I'm not letting go

  00:04:43 - 00:06:03

  until I see this blessing. Uh but we started in um in Psalm uh 121 and this was this reminder of where are we looking for our help uh in the in the way that the widow's looking for the the judge who should be administering justice should be car fearing God and caring for man and so even in the text that the the parable that Jesus uh shares is like this is not someone who is fit for that position. And yet they find themselves sitting there. Um and uh and in Psalm 121, it's like uh I lift my

  00:05:24 - 00:06:25

  eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. And it's and it's in this place of of uh redirecting where where I think our focus can be, who I'm looking for help from. Not that the widow shouldn't be going to the judge to to administer justice and and fear God and care for man, but um that God and and even Jesus in the parable says, "Look, if the the judge is going to is finally going to offer justice, how much more will God

  00:05:54 - 00:07:18

  offer justice for those that he cares for, for his chosen ones?" And um the other thing that struck me in the midst of Sunday was here's a in this parable here's a widow who's advocating for herself. And in Jesus's time, there are laws that they are following, should follow, uh that are written in the Torah that that give widows priority, give widows extra, uh a place or a prominence of of care and of um like you you have the ear of those uh who are in charge if you have a need, right? and and it's it's written

  00:06:38 - 00:07:37

  into the law that they are supposedly following. And so here in this parable, this widow is having to advocate for herself >> to go to the judge and say this this injustice has taken place where where's the justice? Please administer it. Um and and that in the moment on Sunday, I'm like, and that's not where she should be. A community should come >> and and either either help in the area of need or advocate for her if it's not if it doesn't exist. And that's the the

  00:07:08 - 00:08:15

  part of community that I didn't, you know, we don't read in this um in this parable that should have probably existed. >> Yeah. Was interesting because I I listened to your message. I heard you call that out for me. What what struck was so so in the context in the cultural context of God's community of God's people, yes, the the widows and orphans should be cared for and and that's not here. We're not seeing that certainly. But in the the general context of the time um in the culture, the widow

  00:07:41 - 00:08:51

  wouldn't have a voice really in in the broader context outside of God's people. That's what set them apart, right? Um and so even in that for that's what was hitting for me on Sunday. And I guess um I guess not knowing uh Jesus isn't super specific if what the what the specific context of this widow and judge is. But in the broader space of the cultural context, this this is a woman who doesn't have a voice in culture as a whole. Um because she's a woman, because she's a widow. Um so she is the the

  00:08:18 - 00:09:16

  marginalized. a reason God tells his people to care for them and to call uh to to come around them. And yet um even with all of that, her persistence shows up. And so for me, that was like a in those spaces in those places where uh we feel like we don't have a voice or we are just one voice, right? So we can look at the world around us and see um like there is no shortage of injustice in the world around us. And it actually doesn't matter what your uh beliefs are or what how you vote or where you sit

  00:08:47 - 00:09:39

  politically. Um, I even said on Sunday like if I asked you right now to make me a list of things that you think are wrong in the world, every nobody would have a hard time writing things down. Um, so it doesn't it actually doesn't matter. Um, but we can look at that list of things we would write down and we can feel really helpless like this list is too big and I'm one person or I don't have a voice or you know what whatever and we see a woman who um her persistence does make a difference and

  00:09:13 - 00:10:20

  whether she should have been there or she shouldn't uh regardless of what the context is specifically that Jesus is giving us in in God's community or otherwise um the persistent voice of somebody who really doesn't or shouldn't have a voice in that space does make a change and does enact justice. Um, and so there's something in that, I guess, for me in those spaces of like, um, we actually don't get to use that as an excuse to say, well, I don't have a voice or I'm just one person or it feels

  00:09:46 - 00:10:58

  too big. Um, because that's what this shows, like persistence made a difference, >> right? And a a willing to uh to keep coming back uh even when the uh being dismissed or the answer is no. Um but uh I I sense conviction in this widow, right? You don't um you have to read between the lines, but I sense a conviction to continue to keep coming back to the judge. Here is the one who ought to offer justice. I'm going to there's conviction to keep coming. Otherwise, if there's no conviction or

  00:10:22 - 00:11:28

  or persistence like, oh, they said no and I'm probably not going to get anywhere. I guess I'll just move on. I'll endure the injustice. I'll I'll um I'll just endure it and and you know make do with make do with this being the reality. And maybe that's the piece. I I'll make do with this being the norm when actually this is brokenness. This is this is injustice. This is not the way uh that God's uh designed or his this doesn't look like God's kingdom come. And so I'm going to keep pursuing.

  00:10:56 - 00:12:00

  I'm gonna keep wrestling. I'm going to keep showing up um until I do see God's God's kingdom coming in this place where where brokenness is restored to made whole where where hopelessness is is um renewed and restored with hope where you know where where chaos is um is replaced with with peace and shalom and calm and like I'm not going to stop and just I'm not going to sit in a place resigned to the fact that it's not going to change and this will just be how it is. Mhm.

  00:11:27 - 00:12:30

  >> And that's the that's the piece of like it really then starts on my knees. >> I I can keep showing up and and calling attention to it, but honestly, I'll get weary. I'll get tired if I'm just keep showing up, but but I get strengthened when I when I I come in on my on my knees or I've been on my knees. I get strengthened to continue to come and return to those places uh that there is brokenness or hopelessness or uh or just doesn't look like God's kingdom has

  00:11:58 - 00:12:56

  come. Yeah. Well, and I think I guess that's the other piece for me in that last um part of what Jesus says. So it Yes, absolutely. Starts starts on our knees. It starts with the prayer. I mean it call he calls that out right um his chosen people who cry out to him day and night. This is one instance in scripture. I mean we read this all throughout scripture that the prayers of God's people are powerful. There's power in prayer, right? And persistence and they even I mean Jesus uses other

  00:12:28 - 00:13:41

  parables even to to drive that point home. So this is like that absolutely um it's it starts in communion with God and in prayer and in petitioning and persistence in in prayer. But I also think there's a piece of um maybe the next natural step of that is that when I'm empowered in prayer uh when I when I am coming to God persistently consistently in prayer um and I'm being filled with his spirit, then there's a power and authority that I'm given in that that changes the way I show up. and

  00:13:05 - 00:14:05

  not in a what you just said where it's like um I'm not just showing up to call out because that's unfortunately uh maybe what has has become the thing, right? Christians are known for calling out what whatever >> yeah see this is wrong guys you're doing it wrong >> right but actually it means I show up differently um and that that was the piece that hit for me because what Jesus says at the end how many will he find on earth who have faith and the um the paraphrase the message paraphrase um

  00:13:35 - 00:14:33

  says how what how much of that kind of persistent faith will the son of man find on earth when he returns but the faith word and there's here's the Greek word for >> here we go here we So take us to school. >> The Greek word there is pistus which is this like um this belief that moves you to an action. Right? This is the same word um that Jesus uses in Mark chapter 1 where we pull out the whole idea of chyros which we talk about on this podcast every week. We talk about uh in

  00:14:03 - 00:14:57

  our in our churches regularly. Um and and in Mark chapter 1 what Jesus is saying is like hey the time there's a significant moment in time happening right now. Now God's kingdom is breaking through. He's trying to get your attention. You need to he says repent and believe. The believe word there is the same word that's used for faith here. This pistus or the the root word of it is the same. And in that it's this idea of like not just a head knowledge or a head kind of a faith, but it's a

  00:14:31 - 00:15:36

  faith or a belief so deep in me that it changes it. It forces me to act. And so I always like for me the the illustration of like I believe so deeply that the sun will rise tomorrow. Like I I believe it so deep within myself that I will make preparations. I'm going to act as though the sun is going to rise tomorrow because I believe that to be true. So that means I'm going to make plans in my schedule. I'm going to uh make sure my house has food or whatever. Like those things come out of a deep

  00:15:03 - 00:16:12

  belief or a faith that the sun's going to come up tomorrow. And that's the kind of thing I think Jesus is talking about here, which is like um believe that justice will come, believe that God is uh the good judge. Um and so yes, coming to him and petitioning, but does that belief also change the way I show up in the world? And does it change >> what >> or prepare prepare to show up, right? In my preparation as as well as my presence in the world, my >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, and and just

  00:15:37 - 00:16:39

  there's a quietness. Sometimes I think we think justice is loud, and sometimes I guess it is. Um, but there's a quietness. There's a quiet justice. If I show up and look like Jesus in the spaces that I'm showing up, and if the things that I'm doing in my life, if if I'm focused on God, in every space that I show up today, let me look like you. There's a quiet justice in that. because in every space that I show up looking like Jesus, I'm standing in contrast to the injustice of the world

  00:16:08 - 00:17:07

  that doesn't look like Jesus. >> And so I think that for me um because I we we also went to Jeremiah um 29 which is a um every time I read this passage there's like a conviction but in a like a good way. Um because God's talking to his people and they're in exile and they're crying out. We, in fact, we were in Isaiah 40 last week, and we have been uh as a district for a while now. Yeah. But in Isaiah 40, God's people who are in exile are calling out this like, "You

  00:16:38 - 00:17:27

  must have forgotten about us. Like, this is really bad. We're oppressed. We're, you know, we're uh displaced from where we're supposed to be." And in Jeremiah, God's talking to them and he tells them like, "Here's what you actually need to do. I want you to work for the peace and prosperity of the place I put you. Yes, it's not your home. And yes, your poor decisions landed you there. And yes, you're experiencing injustice and oppression and whatever. What I want you

  00:17:02 - 00:18:03

  to do is I actually want you to work to make the place I've put you good to make it and and the prosperity of that place. And he says he calls out prayer as well. >> Um pray to the Lord because the welfare of the place that I've put you is going to determine your welfare. And he says very specifically like build houses, plant gardens. >> Yeah. like and and that >> that feels like such a quiet act of justice to me. Like that makes no sense. If I am in exile and I'm being oppressed

  00:17:32 - 00:18:34

  and I've been taken from my land and and essentially I'm kidnapped and enslaved, the last thing I want to do is make the place that I'm at nice and good and >> Yeah. and pray for its peace and prosperity. >> Yeah. >> That feels like a quiet act of justice. And that's for me um and and in this whole series of formation that's what landed for me on Sunday was like part of being persistent yes it is a a a hitting my knees and a crying out calling out the injustice around me but part of

  00:18:03 - 00:19:04

  being persistent is actually letting myself be formed to look like Jesus so that every space I show up in pushes against the injustice the the brokenness in the world. >> Yeah. Yeah. the things that are opposite to the kingdom and and being kingdom people, we get to show up and uh and enter into that, offer it up where it doesn't exist, where there's darkness, we we show up as the light, as the light of Christ. Um and and even in those ways of the Jeremiah speaks to is that it's

  00:18:33 - 00:19:36

  um uh not a making things bearable for us, but it's actually moving things to be flourishing, >> right? the welfare of this of this city. Uh for when the city prospers, so too will you. And that that's looking to the really kind of a broad big picture. When you you're in this place to to seek and to see redemption come and and reconciliation. And so when you are in those places, it's through potentially us that that's where it's coming from because of the way we're showing up and

  00:19:05 - 00:20:21

  and being kingdom kind of people. >> Yeah. Yeah. and in and in the simple everyday things because Jesus or God is not telling his people like work your way into a place of authority in in the in where you've been exiled or you know whatever he's like plant gardens, build houses, live your life in in that place that I've put you. Um and that it's so contrary to I don't know. I think it's contrary to what we expect justice to look like. Um, but that's an act of justice. And that

  00:19:43 - 00:20:51

  doesn't mean that we don't also like uh stand up in loud ways when we see blatant injustice around us or or in front of us. And I'm not saying that we don't get involved in um creating try trying to create systems that offer more justice. I'm not saying any of that. But there is something about like this this quiet persistence of like this one widow that just keeps showing up and she just keeps showing up. And um there's something in that that's uh yeah, it's less about what I'm saying

  00:20:17 - 00:21:30

  with my mouth and more about the way that I'm I'm living life and showing up like Jesus. >> Right. and and maybe it's the posture that that's uh where we're headed into um next week that it makes sense that it leads lends itself into it does matter how I show up the even in those yes in some of the loud and um upfront ways but maybe more more important in those quiet everyday kind of moments in the ways that we uh show up into spaces that we walk into moments that uh It's

  00:20:53 - 00:22:20

  this it's the mercy, the justice and and the and the walk humbly, right? The will will will this be how I I orient and operate in my everyday life, >> right? Yeah. And it stands in contrast not only to a broken world where there is injustice, but it also stands in contrast to uh what the church or Christians have long decided justice looks like, >> right? >> Um and I I yeah, I think so did Jesus when he showed up. Um, and that I know we both talked or shared the this uh uh

  00:21:36 - 00:22:29

  story like Moshe's story, which is this this man who's essentially he's a Jewish man who's saying like, "Hey, I've been taught and and I when I read scripture, it says that if the Messiah comes, the world's going to look a certain way." And it doesn't look like that. Um and and for for Jewish people a lot of times the or or the idea of the Messiah is actually this period of time that where things should look different. The kingdom should be uh really obvious and

  00:22:04 - 00:22:56

  breaking through in really obvious ways. And so the call out of like you're telling me the Messiah is here, but I'm not seeing uh I'm not seeing God's people show up the way I would expect them to. Um, and I think that's that's what Jesus did was like, "Hey, you thought I was going to come in this way and and I didn't." Um, and I uh I'm reading messy spirituality uh off of your recommendation right now, >> Yeah. Um, and that's one of the things

  00:22:29 - 00:23:18

  he talks about in there and he um he talks about the script that existed for the Messiah and the religious leaders of the time when Jesus shows up. He's like, "They had a script and Jesus showed up and he wasn't playing by the rules. Like he wasn't he didn't fit their script." And he's like, "Uh, and and Mike is calling out like the Messiah, you know, doesn't do this and doesn't do this and doesn't do that." And Jesus basically responds and says, "Well, I do." Like

  00:22:54 - 00:24:00

  this is what it is. And that's where I sense um maybe for us in this in this space and time um is like not only not only are followers of Jesus called to stand against the injustice and the brokenness in the world. That's true and that's always been true. But we also find ourselves and this is not new either. um in a in a specific kind of way. We also find ourselves in a space where we're having to stand against what uh the script that the church has written for themselves um that doesn't look like

  00:23:27 - 00:24:33

  what I see God call his people to in scripture all the time. And so um that's where the quietness that and I I I don't know that's landing I guess for me now. I didn't I didn't have it in that phrase on Sunday, but a quiet justice of like, do I recognize that every time I show up looking like Jesus, that actually is an act of justice? >> Yeah. Was that your chyros? >> Maybe. I don't know. Yeah. Um Yeah. Well, yes. And then again, I didn't have that language on Sunday, but

  00:24:00 - 00:25:02

  I even was having a conversation yesterday with somebody who was there Sunday, and she said um she was like that, uh Sunday's message was challenging for me. And she's in a uh a rough work environment and has been for a while. Um she leads a nonprofit uh that's supposed to be uh Christian faith-based nonprofit um which sometimes is a tricky place to lead um because people don't always look like Jesus in those places when you would expect them to um and so the conversation we were

  00:24:31 - 00:25:31

  having yesterday was even around this and again I didn't maybe necessarily have that language or that that perspective of like that is a quiet justice but she was calling out um she said that Sunday felt challenging because uh it felt like this idea of like um it actually doesn't matter how the people around you are treating you. I want you to pray for the good. I want you to work for the good of the place I've put you and called you. And so she's like, if I feel called to be where

  00:25:00 - 00:26:31

  I'm at, which I do right now, um then I actually like my job in this space is to work for the good of the organization and even people who uh aren't treating me well who where it's not super easy to do that. And so um >> yeah, the quiet the quiet justice. >> Yeah. >> What's yours? Um I I would say right now it's in this invitation uh to with persistence and faithfulness uh to to pray and to seek uh uh God's direction and favor in in in God's justice in places that I I don't

  00:25:50 - 00:26:56

  see it and to trust that that God will bring right in and I think I'm I'm reflecting in that that the the judge is like, "No, I'm good." And then finally finally relents. And then God's Jesus's statement like, "If the judge will relent, will God not will God not show up? Will he not bring justice?" And uh so it's that being in a place of of trusting God, but will I will I persist in my in my uh communion with him and my prayer with him and my seeking after

  00:26:22 - 00:27:29

  him? Will I will I persist versus and I think I I go back to that what I offered earlier in the podcast was like there's a tendency sometimes to sit in a place of like I guess that's the norm. >> Mhm. >> Ah not if it's broken not if it's not kingdom it's not. And I can I have I have I'm convicted that I in times can be resigned to the fact that like I guess that's just how it's going to be right. this fatalist kind of deal and then I don't I I'm convicted in the

  00:26:56 - 00:28:08

  chairos for years. I don't see that in this in this parable. She is not resigned to like >> to that. So why I don't want to be I want I want when when Jesus comes back to like here's here's the faith here's the faith of someone who was willing to persist and seek after me >> um in ways that that the redemption needed to come. reconciliation was an opportunity uh and a place for it to come. Um and you and you persisted. >> Yeah, it's good. >> Yeah. Well, guys, thanks for joining us

  00:27:32 - 00:28:06

  and listening in to the Beyond Sunday podcast. We hope and pray that your conversations are going beyond Sunday and what God is leading you in, what the text is uh offering us, and maybe in your everyday life, what God what Jesus is inviting you into. Uh so, have a great week.