Richard Ellis Talks

Richard Ellis: Today on Richard Ellis Talks. This is not about willpower and what you can muster and keep going. This is about believing that God is way down the road ahead of you and can make things happen that just should not be able to happen. You say, well, I'm going to take matters into my own hands. Put your matters into his hands and see what he can do.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. Richard's style is unlike anyone else's, where he shares the life-changing message of the gospel in a way that's real, refreshing, focused, and fun. We know that life is pretty challenging these days, but these talks will help you meet those challenges head-on with biblical truth, encouragement, and direction.

Now, if you're not able to stick around with us for all of today's talk, you can always listen to, download, and even share this entire message with a friend right from our website, richardellis.com. Let's jump right in with today's talk. Here is Richard Ellis.

Richard Ellis: The title of today's message is My Fair Lady. The fair lady that we're going to talk about today, begin talking about, is Lady Justice. If you've ever seen a courthouse, usually the Roman goddess Justitia, Lustitia sometimes, is there, and the one thing that most people notice about Lady Justice, there's really a couple of things. What are the two things you notice about her? Blindfolded, scales. What's the third thing? She has a sword.

The old school Lady Justice had sword, blindfolds, and a scale. So blindfolds to be impartial, a scale obviously going to be a fair balance of justice, and a sword meaning that it could be swift, justice could be swift and kind of final if that's what it came to. So what do you do as a Christian with the legal justice system? We're going to talk a little bit about this before we get down to the next few verses.

A lot of people reveal how much or if they trust God at all by the extent that they will just sue anybody. You say, well, is it okay to just sue anybody? Do you have grounds for that? You should not do anything that God tells you not to do. In the case, for instance, of divorce. People say, I know people have problems in their marriage, and they go scampering through the Bible trying to find verses to justify getting out. I say, why don't you try to find some verses that will figure out how to stay in?

You say, well, I found my verses. It's infidelity, it's adultery. I can get out. I say, look, there is nowhere in these verses that says even if that has happened in your relationship that you are commanded to get out. You say, well, I could never forgive this. You don't know what you could do if you let God work in your heart and see what he can do. You say, well, I'm not doing that. I'm going to do what I want to do.

As I say repeatedly, how has that worked out for you so far? Not very good. You say, but if I don't do that, if I don't jump in and take matters in my own hands, it's not going to work out for me. It doesn't work out taking matters in your own hands. But it is very hard to be patient and trust God and let him when he says, look, do this and I will take care of you.

Let's start in Matthew chapter 18. These are just some simple steps to go through as a church. This is directed to Christians. I am not trying to take this outside of a body of believers, brothers and sisters in Christ. But this is Matthew chapter 18, verse 15. Everybody got that? By the way, I normally go left to right. We're not doing that today at all, so hang on. I'm going to tear your sheets here going through this.

Verse 15. Moreover, if your brother sins against you, it does not say if you sin against your brother. It says if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. This is where things get screwed up immediately. Something goes wrong between two brothers, two Christians, two women, two men, two Christians, and instead of going to that person only, we go stir it up, we go find people.

We say, oh, you need to pray for me and this is my situation. Now everybody in the world knows about a situation that if you had just gone to that person could have been resolved and now their reputation's not tarnished unless that's what you're after. You have a brother, specifically, has sinned against you. Go to him and do what? Say, hey, this is what I'm just coming and telling you this is what you did and I'd like to be reconciled.

Look what it says. If he hears you, you've gained your brother. You stand there, you have a conversation and say, dude, this is what happened. And he goes, you know what, you're right. I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me? I forgive you, and you go on like nothing happened. Being it's just between the two of you. Now what if that doesn't work? Step two.

But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. You find two people and you say, look, this is what happened. This is what he did. I tried to go to him, it didn't work. Will you go with me? And they say, we'll go with. So they go with, and you sit down or stand there and say, hey dude, he came to you the way he was supposed to, so what's going on?

You know what, I don't care what you say, I'm not changing. I'm not wrong. So the person locks down. Now we've got two more witnesses that the initial attempt was made and at least the second attempt is documented. Keep reading. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. You say, well, does this ever happen? It happens.

But it has to happen in sequence and by the way, the intent of these things is never to throw people out of the church just to say we did. The last resort is saying, you're out of here. We are trying to redeem people, restore people, not run people off. But if one person goes to one person, there's no change, the person gets one or two more goes and there's no change, and you literally stand the person up in front of the whole church and say, look, this has got to change. And they go, no, now it gets extreme.

What happens? But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Like he is completely lost. Now that's extreme. But that also puts him in a category where you can deal with them differently because if they're that locked up, almost a chance they're not even believers.

Believers at the core there is an attempt to reconcile. If you have done someone wrong and they come to you and you're unable to reconcile or unwilling to reconcile, it demonstrates pride, anger, unforgiveness, whatever you've got going on, and it's not going to go well and what you look like to the world and even the church is a heathen and a tax collector. Like you don't even know God. How could we not forgive each other or confess our sins when God has forgiven us so much?

Now go to Luke 18. I love this little story and this is my fair lady. Luke 18. She was all about fair, relentlessly so. Luke 18 and verse one. You've got to pay attention when Jesus says something and tells a story. Look for if there's a statement of intent here why he is telling the little story, don't miss that. You get so caught up in the story you miss what the story's about.

Look what he says. Then he spoke a parable to them and this is the statement: that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. Don't start praying and quit praying and give up. Then he goes into the story, saying, there was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. He didn't have any really regard for God, no fear for God, and no regard for man.

You could say maybe he was impartial. He didn't care what God thought and he was going to do whatever he was going to do no matter who walked in. So that's him. Now there was a widow in that city and she came to him. The fact that Jesus pulls the word widow here and that is the person. Widows have nothing, no one. It's a woman and it's a woman without covering of a husband in that day.

She is completely alone and she's got to fight and scamper unless somebody comes in, remarries her or her family goes to bat for her and apparently here no one goes to bat for her. There's this certain widow in that city and she came to him saying, get justice for me from my adversary. What did she want? Justice. Something had happened to this widow and she comes to him and is commanding, demanding, you're the judge, get justice for me from my adversary.

He would not for a while. But afterward he said within himself, though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me. I am so tired of this woman. She's not going to go away. I'm going to do what she says. She troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. This word get justice means to vindicate, retaliate, punish, in other words, do the right thing judge and punish the person who has wronged me.

What did the story start with? Men ought always to pray and not lose heart. Is God here saying that harass me? If that's what it takes. Now you say, well, what will happen if I stick with it? This is what happens when you pray. Either God answers your prayer or he changes your question. Sometimes we go to him and because we are praying, we're in a conversation with him, maybe demanding something, and because we are in relationship and in conversation all of a sudden you say okay God, I want what you want.

I think this is what you want and then he says no, this is not what I want and then he starts to change you. You have to be open to that. But the context here is don't get caught up in just the little story. Men ought always to pray and not lose heart. What are you praying for? What do you want so bad that you're not willing to give up on asking for? A lot of kids get stuff for Christmas this way.

Right? Dad, I know it's January, but I think I want a red bicycle with a basket and those cool little things that dangle off. You just described the whole bicycle. Okay, okay, okay, okay. You think he's going to forget and go away. Week later, hey Dad, have you thought about my bike for Christmas? Son, look, I'm busy and okay, okay. Dad, I found a picture of my bike. This is it right here.

This is the bike. Here, I'll give it to you Dad. Sorry to bother you, but here's the picture. It's only February. Boom, boom, boom. Dad, are you saving up for my bike? I'm going to tell you what will happen almost 100% of the time with almost any dad is they will find that stinking bike in the picture because the kid has demonstrated I don't want anything else. I've asked for that bike and you know they're going to be disappointed if they don't get it because they've persevered in their asking and they're passionate about what they're asking for.

Then the delight on the father's side is to come through. It's way more fun to show up with the bike that you've paid someone at the store to put together. Make sure you put that in your notes. First-time parents buy them in the box. You'll never do it but once. Pay the whatever they charge, let them put it together. Then Christmas comes and somewhere you roll out a bike.

You think the kid's going to be excited, you're so excited because you know that you are delivering exactly what the kid wanted. No more fun than that. Not buying a bunch of stuff they don't want or need, it's something they actually requested over and over and over and literally wore you out on until it showed up. Keep reading Luke 18. Then the Lord said, hear what the unjust judge said.

What did he say? He said she's wearing me out, I'm going to avenge her. So if an unjust judge who doesn't fear God or have any regard to man, and shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them. If a judge that just operates under a human lady of justice and that doesn't always go well, but if you deal with God himself who is dealing with his own elect, his chosen children, who cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them, don't you know that he will avenge his own elect?

Now you say, well, then what does that mean? It means don't quit asking. You say, I'm tired. Take a nap, get rested up, keep asking. You say, well, what if I quit too quick? Does that mean God won't do it? I don't know. Don't quit. Wear him out. By the way, if you go back up there in verse five, lest by her continual coming she weary me, means to hit under the eye.

That is to tease or annoy into compliance, subdue one's passions, keep under, weary. It's not a good thing. It's just this pummeling like, dude, I'm not going away. I am here to stay. I want an answer. I want you to avenge me. I want you to do whatever this is I'm asking you to do. At some point you can't keep doing it unless God is working in and through you to keep you going because we all give up unless the Holy Spirit of God is interceding through us on behalf of someone or something.

Everybody got that? Keep reading. And shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth? What does it take to stay with it like that? Faith. This is not about willpower and what you can muster and keep going.

This is about believing that God is way down the road ahead of you and can make things happen that just should not be able to happen. You say, well, I'm going to take matters into my own hands. Put your matters into his hands and see what he can do. It doesn't mean you don't ask, it doesn't mean you can't do certain things, but start with him and ask him what he can do and ask him to do it.

You'd be amazed what he can do. Go to Judges 16, way back to the left. I'm going to show you a terrible example of the same thing and this is my unfair lady. Just pretty much evil and the guy who got trapped by her is not too bright himself. Judges 16, verse 12. If you know anything about this story, this passage deals with a guy named Samson and a girl named Delilah who he had to have and just ends up literally dead in a horrible situation because he was messing with the wrong woman.

Look at verse 12. Judges 16. Therefore Delilah took new ropes, bound him with them, and said to him, the Philistines are upon you, Samson, and the men were lying in wait, staying in the room, but he broke them off his arms like a thread. What she's trying to do is seduce him, talk to him, and say tell me the secret of your strength, and all she's doing is trying to set him up so he can be captured once they discover his weakness and destroy him.

Delilah said to Samson, until now you have mocked me and told me lies, tell me what you may be bound with. And he said to her, if you weave the locks, the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom, so she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom and said to him, the Philistines are upon you, Samson. But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the battens of the loom from the loom.

Then she said to him, how can you say I love you? Listen to this woman. You tell me that you love me, but you're not telling me how I can destroy you. He's playing her. He knows what she's doing and he's having fun beating up the Philistines that come in to try to take him because he knows they can't touch him, he's strong. He's playing with her, thinking it's all going to be okay.

Sooner or later your games don't work anymore. You play with the enemy, you get destroyed. She uses this, you say that you love me. How can you say I love you, but your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me where your great strength lies. It came to pass, look at this, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him so that his soul was vexed to death.

I think the new word is nag. Just wore him out. Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me. Just like, I'm going to die if I have to listen to this woman anymore. So he's with the wrong woman in the first place and now he's got in this game and he's not willing to leave her and she's not willing to leave him alone until he speaks.

He's finally vexed to death that he told her all his heart and said to her, no razor has ever come upon my head for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, in other words, my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me and I shall become weak and be like any other man. Look what happens to him.

When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines saying, come up once more. I know I've been getting you in and out of here and it's just some kind of game. Come one more time for he has told me all his heart. So the lords of the Philistines came to her and brought the money in their hand. Now we know what it's about.

Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees. One more stupid man lulled him to sleep on her knees and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. All it took was one woman to lull him to sleep and one man to shave his head and he's finished. Then she began to torment him and his strength left him and she said, the Philistines are upon you, Samson.

So he awoke from his sleep and said, I will go out as before at other times and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters and he became a grinder in the prison. So it can go very poorly with an unfair lady, but it can go really well with a fair God.

You say, well, I'm tired of asking. Don't give up. Usually, unfortunately, most of us finally pray, we don't initially pray. We take matters into our own hands, we don't get what we want. Maybe we pursue legal measures, we don't get what we want. That doesn't satisfy, even when we win, it doesn't satisfy. Then God says okay, are you going to give me a shot at this? Maybe one more. Let's go to Luke 11.

You can go read Mark 10 by yourself try to figure out why I would have read it. Luke 11 and verse one. Now it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place. So what is Jesus doing? He is praying. When he ceased, that one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples. Jesus is praying, they see that, and they say, can you teach us to pray?

And he said to them, when you pray, say, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Bullet points.

You say, well, that's all we're supposed to pray, that's it? I promise you, you cover the bullet points, you'll end up in a whole lot more stuff. It's hard to get off of 'our', the first word, because the second you say the word 'our' you realize you're not alone. So prayer is the context. By the way, go back to verse one. Who was praying first? Jesus. Is he just talking to himself?

No, he's speaking with his Father. He is demonstrated that he is God in man, but he is man-God and so he shows the disciples, I am speaking to the Father. He said I don't do anything unless I see the Father doing it. Whatever he says, that's what I do. A life of total obedience. It has to be possible, he did it. You say, but I've already screwed up. I understand, but that doesn't mean you have to perfect screwed-up-ness.

Then look at the next in that context of the praying, verse five. And he said to them, which of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him. And he will answer from within and say, do not trouble me, the door is now shut, my children are with me in the bed, I cannot rise and give it to you.

He says, I say to you that though he will not rise and give him because he's his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. Just to get rid of him. Now so you say, well, then I feel like I'm harassing God. Exactly. He must love it. Pray and don't lose heart. Why do you think God loves us so much? Because it demonstrates determination and faith, obedience, confidence in him.

He said to do it, so you say okay, I don't know what else to do, I'm going to harass you till this happens. Now again, you say but I can't keep this going. Sometimes the reason you can't keep it going is because you realize what you're asking for really doesn't make any sense. You're asking for silly things that you might consume them in your own lust.

You realize I'm just asking for this, but I realize as the more I pray about this, the more it falls apart. And then you'll find yourself eventually praying for people and things that matter. And the people I know that persevere in these things, one of the top things on all their list are other people who are lost. I'm not beating up on you for not praying, I'm just saying don't give up.

Keep reading on this one here, that same story just in continuation. Verse nine. So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. By the way, the tense of these things is to not just one time ask, it's a keep on asking, keep on knocking, keep on seeking.

Then he gives some more illustrations. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

Guest (Male): We'll get back to Richard in a moment to close out today's talk. But first, I want to share something with you about the program. Our mission is actually very simple: to take the planet. So it's our prayer that these daily talks from Richard aren't something you only hear and enjoy, but that they inspire you to share with others.

Together we can do this. The message of the gospel is something everyone needs to hear and that's why it's a huge priority to us. And you can join us in this important mission. Call us at 855-6-RICHARD to say you're in. Or you can get on board with us through our website, richardellis.com. Here's Richard with some closing thoughts for us.

Richard Ellis: Don't quit so easy. And my fair lady here in the scriptures, this widow, is a tremendous inspiration to me. My dad taught me some of this, to not give up, but it's women like that who have no one else, nowhere else to go, who stick with it and they see results. And God is moved by this somehow. You say, well, I asked once and that's it. That's not what scripture talks about. It's replete with harassing him, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, don't give up.

There's a young woman I know today who I am afraid is this close to taking her life. And I have texted her, I have literally known her since she was born, and I can't do anything about it. But I can pray. And ask God to be merciful to her children, to her husband. She's made some terrible decisions, but so have I, and so have you. And the enemy will attack you and tell you there is no hope. But until there is no breath, then you can talk about maybe there is no hope. But I quit even using that because my Jesus can raise the dead.

Guest (Male): Thanks for listening today to Richard Ellis Talks. We're confident that the program blessed you and we want to hear about it. One way is to give us a call and let us know. The number is 855-6-RICHARD. Another way is to drop us an email. Jump on over to our website, richardellis.com, and click on the connect tab at the top. We'd love to hear from you.

And while you're there at the website, it's the best way to stay up to date with all the audio and video talks with Richard, post on the prayer wall, how you can join the team, and even a place where you can ask any questions you have to get straight biblical answers. Check it out: richardellis.com.

Finally, we're grateful when you help us with the cost to bring you this program. Call us at 855-6-RICHARD or you can contribute through the website, richardellis.com. That's 855-6-RICHARD or richardellis.com. Until next time, thanks for listening to Richard Ellis Talks.