Week 5: Parables of the Persistent Prayer USING THIS SERMON DISCUSSION GUIDE Ø This Sermon Discussion Guide is only a tool to aid you in meeting the needs of your group. For most groups, there are too many questions to answer in one session together. After considering the needs of your group, you may choose one of the following options: s one section of questions s one or two questions from each section Ø Feel free to adapt the format to meet the needs of your group. If your group is mature and wants to dig deeper, add Scripture and ask suitable questions. Remember that this is only a guide. Ø Personal application is key to everyone s growth and should be included in every discussion. When asked how he or she intends to apply a certain principle a group member may say, I need to spend more time in the Bible and in prayer. It is important for you to help group members make applications that are more specific and commit to a specific plan of action by asking, for example, How are you going to begin? An example is to get up 30 minutes earlier each morning, spending 15 minutes reading the Bible and 10 minutes in prayer. Encourage each group member to be accountable to the group for personal progress at the next meeting. Ø As the leader your goal is to help bring the group into a stimulating discussion that helps the members recognize their need for personal life change. Ultimately you want them to be willing to commit to change with accountability to the group. Accountability helps us to persevere in our commitments and achieve the blessings of success. Page 1 of 8
INTRODUCTION As believers, we all know that we should pray more. We understand that we don t pray enough yet we lack the motivation to be diligent in our prayer life. The most powerful motivation to pray more is answered prayers! In this lesson we will discuss what Jesus described as the main ingredient to answered prayer. Prayer is the largest subject in the Bible! It takes up more stories, scriptures and air- time than any other single subject [Philippians 4:6-7] 6 Don t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [Ephesians 6:18] 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Page 2 of 8
The reason persistent prayer is such a big deal is the fact that there are two general aspects of God s will: God s unalterable will: things he has promised to accomplish with or without your prayer or permission. God s conditional will: things that are not accomplished or released or produced in your life without persistent, faith filled prayer! It s all the If s of scripture [Luke 11:5-13] 5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: Suppose you went to a friend s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat. 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, Don t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can t help you. 8 But I tell you this though he won t do it for friendship s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. Page 3 of 8
[Luke 11 Continued] 9 And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 You fathers if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people 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. 1. Perseverance in prayer requires a right perspective of God The Character of God, not our performance is at the center of Jesus teaching on prayer! [Psalm 84:11] 11 The Lord God is like the sun that gives us light. He is like a shield that keeps us safe. Page 4 of 8
[Psalm 84:11 Continued] He Lord blesses us with favor and honor. He doesn't hold back anything good from those whose lives are without blame. 2. The promise of answered prayer is not for everyone [Psalm 34 :15-19] 15 The eyes of the LORD watch over the righteous; his ears are open to their cries for help. 16 But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. 17 The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. 3. Continue to ask, seek and knock in Faith = determined persistence, being convinced to the point of relentless pursuit! Page 5 of 8
Why Prayers remain unanswered: 1.) Wrong Prayer (Praying outside the will and purpose of God) 2.) Wrong timing (ourselves, or other people involved and circumstances are not yet ready for the answer) 3.) Wrong motives (possibly a legitimate request being prayed with destructive motives. James 4:3) 4.) Spiritual resistance (see Daniel. 10:12-13, 1 Cor. 16:9) 5.) Lessons still being learned (God is shaping our heart and re- directing our desires during the process) 6.) Broken Relationships (Matt. 5:23, 1 Peter 3:7) 7.) Mystery (The hardest to endure, yet it creates precious, abiding faith) Page 6 of 8
What have you stopped praying about? Re- ignite your prayer life, revisit your prayer request and pray until 1 of 3 things happen: 1. Until God says no _ (Paul it s not going to happen, my grace is sufficient ) 2. Until you experience a heart- change and prayer is redirected 3. Until you see the answer!! [1 Thessalonians 5:17] Never stop praying. Page 7 of 8
Small Group Questions 1. What do you think are some of the most common topics of prayer across the world? What are some reoccurring prayers in your life and in your family's ongoing story? 2. Since the Bible calls us to pray for everything [Philippians 4.6], how come some prayers go unanswered? 3. How does persistent prayer impact God's "unalterable will" (with or without us actions) and how does it influence His "conditional will" (the 'if you...then I will' statements)? 4. Why is it so important to pray according to the character of God and with the right perspective of Him? (Small Group Leaders remind: the honor and reputation of God is not based on our actions) 5. How can we respond righteously when our prayers are not immediately fulfilled? (Small Group Leader: ask, seek, knock...intense pursuit...the "well- worn path") 6. When we reevaluate our own "closed doors" in prayer, which of the seven reasons of answered prayers resonate the most with your experiences? 7. What have you stopped praying about, and what can we help you "pick back up" in prayer again? (Small Group Leader: use wisdom and discretion in which requests you give attention to; steer your group members into a God- glorifying prayer time) Page 8 of 8