65 Sermon Illustrations on Persistence

Luke 11:1–13 — Lessons in Prayer « Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. The Model (”Lord’s”) Prayer; (the language is different from that found in Matthew 6:9–13, but the ideas correspond): 11:1-4 (NKJV):

1. 1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So 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. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 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.”

2. It appears that the Matthew account is near the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, this near the end; what are some reasons that the Lord Jesus repeats it here?

a. « the disciple, not necessarily one of the twelve, asks Him to do so (may not have been at the Sermon on the Mount) »

b. « if, as it appears, this is meant as a model of prayer, then the model should be repeated for the students to learn »

c. « Jesus was immersed in prayer; He conveyed its importance to His disciples in both word and example »

3. for whom does this prayer make its requests (look at the pronouns)? … what does this teach us about the primary goal of our praying? « — it is for “us”; this prayer is either corporate, or for us as individuals to pray for us a the body of Christ; our prayer is intended primarily for others, not our own self-interests »

4. is this an appropriate prayer for unbelievers? … why or why not?

a. « it is inappropriate

(A) they cannot address God as Father

(B) the believer can pray for God’s will without danger since he is no longer under condemnation (Romans 8:1) but for the unbeliever this would subject him to judgment

(C) for the believer, having a forgiving spirit should precede being able to ask for forgiveness (Matthew 6:14–15); the unbeliever can make no such claim, but only ask forgiveness depending on God’s mercy »

5. What are the major elements in this prayer?

a. « praise, worship or adoration: “Hallowed be Thy Name” – to reverence the Name is to reverence the Person »

b. « expressing desire for consecration, alignment with His will

(A) Our Father

(B) Thy kingdom come

(C) Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven »

c. « supplication for corporate needs: “keep on giving our daily bread” »

d. « confession and dealing with sin

(A) for sins past or latent: “forgive … as we”

(B) for sins future or potential: “lead us not … deliver” »

B. Assurances of answered prayer, Luke 11:5-13

1. The Value of Persistence, 11:5–8 (NKJV): 5 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; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.”

a. consider the picture given. In a small village, a traveller arrives at midnight. His host has the sacred duty of hospitality and asks a friend for three small loaves, just enough for one hungry man. But, the friend is in bed. Perhaps he is poor, and there is but one room, with the animals at a lower level. To get up will disturb them and the whole family. Giving the bread is no problem, but getting up is! But the host will not go away, cannot go away, and his shamelessness in asking wins the day. (adapted from a note by Leon Morris)

b. what are the lessons here for our prayer life?

(A) « prayer is a serious matter about serious matters »

(B) « answers may not come immediately; that should not be taken as “No” but as a test of our conviction of the thing being prayed for and our faith in the Giver »

(C) « it is not God’s not wanting to answer prayer, but that He desires that we discover, through our persistence, how important is that for which we pray »

2. Three Aspects of Supplication, 11:9–10 (NKJV): 9 “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. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

a. in respect to bringing our petitions to God, there are three verbs used here; each of which are complementary. What is the implication of …

b. keep on asking? « — consider the prayers: “Lord, if You do such and such, then I’ll …” and “God, You have said, so do this …” – not demands, not bargaining, but pleas »

c. keep on seeking? « — consider the requests: “Show me your will for my life” and “Teach me how to be holy” – answer to prayer and the right prayer found in searching the Word »

d. keep on knocking? « — consider the petitions: “Father, show me how I can serve You” and “Lord, give me a ministry in this church” — get up, get out, and get to work; try the doors that are there, letting God open or close as He will »

3. The Father-God Element in Prayer, 11:11–13 (NKJV): 11 “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? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 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!”

a. what are the two lessons about prayer that are to be learned from the father-child relationship?

(A) « earthly fathers, as a norm and despite other failures as fathers, respond to the needs of their children; God acts in the same fashion to our needs »

(B) « earthly fathers do this, despite the imperfections from a sinful nature; God, who is perfectly good and loving, acts without such human restrictions »

b. what do Jesus’ words identify as the supreme need of the Christian, of the child of God? « — the indwelling Holy Spirit »

c. what are some reasons that this is the supreme need (see Romans 8 for some of these)?

(A) « He enables a daily, God-pleasing walk (Rom 8:1, 4, 8) »

(B) « He dwells in us giving us spiritual life (Rom 8:9-11) »

(C) « He leads us (Rom 8:14) »

(D) « He confirms our child-Father relationship to God (Rom 8:15-17) »

(E) « He is the promise in us of the glory to come (Rom 8:23) »

(F) « He helps us in our weaknesses (Rom 8:26) »

(G) « He teaches us to pray and intercedes acceptably to God for us in those things where we cannot (Rom 8:26-27) »

Richard Armstrong, "Make Your Life Worthwhile", reports the story about a man in Wales who sought to win the affection of a certain lady for 42 years before she finally said, "Yes." The couple, both 74, recently became "Mr. and Mrs." For more than 40 years, the persistent, but rather shy man slipped a weekly

love letter under his neighbor's door. But she continually refused to speak and mend the spat that had parted them many years before.

After writing 2,184 love letters without ever getting a spoken or written answer, the single-hearted old man eventually summoned up enough courage to present himself in person. He knocked on the door of the reluctant lady and asked for her hand. To his delight and surprise, she accepted.

Every day brings new inventions, new methods and styles. Trends come and go. We spend so much time pursuing the newest approaches and movements only to find them here to day and gone tomorrow.

Even as Christians we are tossed back and forth between new methods that promise to be the next big Spiritual movement. Big conferences for men and women, special events, new and exciting Bible study teachers, new approaches to church growth and discipleship programs come and go!

Often pastors and church leaders work full time at just trying to stay on the “cutting edge.”

Through the various trends that come and go, many people are brought to Christ. Yet, so many more return to their same old ways after the event is over or the fad fades. Hundreds and thousands of people have been attracted to “cutting edge” approaches only to fall back right where they were as soon as the cutting edge dulls.

I believe there is nothing more “cutting edge” than the simple presentation of the gospel message, presented by a Christian who loves the Lord and has proven faithful during the ups and downs of life!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day– and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”(2 Timothy 4:7-8).

The Apostle Paul fought the good fight. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”(2 Corinthians 4:7-9).

We, too, must realize that as we live out our Christianity to the fullest, it definitely becomes a battle. If you don’t think so read through Hebrews 11 and see what those great men and women of faith went through!

No new trend or event can make this battle any less or any easier. A battle is a battle. We especially must never fight Spiritual battles with worldly weapons. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds”(2 Corinthians 10:4).

Not only did Paul fight the good fight, but he ran the race. Again, winning the race is not always because of speed. “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong”(Ecclesiastes 9:11).

David tried to first wear Saul’s armor to defeat the Philistine giant until he quickly realized, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God”(Psalm 20:7).

Slow and steady wins the race! Paul ran the race. He was compelled to travel on three missionary journeys to spread the gospel of Christ. He was compelled to raise up leaders throughout the various churches he started and visited. He was compelled to write, to preach and encourage others day after day–slowly but steadily he ran the race.

Finally, he tells us that he kept the faith! Keeping the faith surely isn’t all that hard is it? Or is it?

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”(Hebrews 11:1). Paul kept the faith during the tough times, times when faith is challenged. It’s easy to keep the faith during the good times, when all is going well and challenges are few and far between. But when the storms of life crash against your faith, and instead of filling your sails the wind destroys your sails, faith is challenged. Many will forfeit their faith due to the challenges of life, especially those who have not traded their worry for faith!

Worry is the enemy of faith. So many Christians hide in churches hoping they will never be challenged beyond their comfort zone, hiding behind religious works refusing to hear or accept the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

Paul did not play it safe. To use words like “fight”, “ran” and “kept the faith” certainly shows us what we too must face as we step our of our comfort zones into God’s courageous zone!

Paul didn’t need to rely upon the newest trends and methods for his successful approach in spreading the Good News! “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power”(1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

Today, have you become a trend junkie? Are you addicted to the newest religious approach? Often times this is driven by wanting an easy and instant revival, or instant growth without having to fight, run or have faith. Let me encourage you to buckle down and be slow and steady! Go with what has been commanded of us! Fight in prayer! Have faith! Run the race with endurance! Slow and steady wins the race!

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to test the spirits so that we aren’t sidetracked by the devil as we seek various new trends that promise to usher in revival and renewal. Help us to be faithful, to run the race and to fight the good fight. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, AMEN!

Senator John McCain tells this story from his days as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam:

In the final years of our imprisonment, the North Vietnamese moved us from small cells with one or two prisoners to large rooms with as many as 30-40 men to a room. We preferred this situation for the companionship and strength we could draw from our fellow prisoners. In addition to moving us to new quarters, our captors also let us receive packages and letters from home. Many men received word from their families for the first time in several years. The improved conditions were a result of public pressure put on the North Vietnamese by the American public.

In our cell was one Navy officer, Lt. Commander Mike Christian. Over time Mike had gathered bits and pieces of red and white cloth from various packages. Using a piece of bamboo he had fashioned into a needle, Mike sewed a United States flag on the inside of his shirt, one of the blue pajama tops we all wore.

Every night in our cell, Mike would put his shirt on the wall, and we would say the pledge of allegiance. I know that the pledge of allegiance may not be the most important aspect of our day now, but I can tell you that at the time, it was the most important aspect of our lives.

This had been going on for some time when one of the guards came in as we were reciting our pledge. They ripped the flag off the wall and dragged Mike out. He was beaten for several hours and then thrown back into the cell.

Later that night, as we were settling down to sleep on the concrete slabs that were our beds, I looked over to the spot where the guards had thrown Mike. There, under the solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling, I saw Mike. Still bloody and his face swollen beyond recognition, Mike was gathering bits and pieces of cloth together. He was sewing a new American flag.

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Copyright(c) 1998 by the author or Christianity Today, Inc./Leadership Journal. Fall 1998, Vol.XIX, No. 4, Page 67

From a speech that John McCain made before the 1988 Republican National Convention.

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Another version from Don Johnson:

From a speech by U.S. Senator John McCain:

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment; the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.

One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn’t wear a pair of shoe until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country, and our military, provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle.

Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed it on the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike’s shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell, it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike’s shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us; beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him us as well as we could. The cell in which we live had a concrete slab In the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.

After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag.

He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to pledge our allegiance to our flag and country. So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.

You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America; and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

-- Michael Jordan, cited in BITS & PIECES

"Nothing fails like success because we don't learn from it. We learn only from failure."

-- Kenneth Ewart Boulding (1910 - 1993), economist and writer, BITS & PIECES

"You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat."

-- Christy Mathewson (1878-1925), baseball player, Bits & Pieces, 10/26/01

"We have forty million reasons for failure but not a single excuse."

-- Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), writer, Bits & Pieces, 7/3/01

"If you have made mistakes ... there is always another chance for you ... you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."

-- Mary Pickford (1893-1979), actress, Bits & Pieces, 7/3/01

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

-- Thomas Edison, QFTM 5/24/03

"I never thought about losing, but now that it's happened, the only thing to do is do it right... We all have to take defeats in life."

-- Muhammad Ali, former professional boxer, B&P

"What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?"

-- Robert Schuller, minister, B&P 8/8/03

“Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the successes that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to obtain something beautiful is ever lost.”

-- Helen Keller

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”

-- Henry Ford

Many men fail because they quit too soon. They lose faith when the signs are against them. They do not have the courage to hold on, to keep fighting in spite of that which seems insurmountable. If more of us would strike out and attempt the “impossible,” we very soon would find the truth of that old saw that nothing is impossible… Abolish fear and you can accomplish anything you wish.

Many men fail because they quit too soon. They lose faith when the signs are against them. They do not have the courage to hold on, to keep fighting in spite of that which seems insurmountable. If more of us would strike out and attempt the “impossible,” we very soon would find the truth of that old saw that nothing is impossible… Abolish fear and you can accomplish anything you wish.

“Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.” — Denis Waitley

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.” — Vince Lombardi

“Failure is an opinion. It is either an educational tool for starting over or an excuse breeding tool for saying it’s over.” — Doug Firebaugh

“I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play to win.” — Tom Hopkins

“Most people achieved their greatest successes one step beyond what looked like their greatest failure.” — Brian Tracy

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” — Napolean Hill, author

Questions to Ponder

• How well do I utilize each of the three p’s above?

• Which is my strongest attribute?

• When have I combined the three to achieve my objectives