Praying With Persistence

Continuing our study on prayer of and I don't want to preach on a passage that relates to what were looking out on Sundays and then next Sunday I wanted to join with the Bible. But what I believe is a great way to pray according to the Scriptures and so will look at how to spray scripturally and I believe is a biblical way to pray and so tonight if you have your Bibles to turn over to the gospel of Luke chapter number 11 chapter number 11. Read verse five down the verse number 13 in Luke's Gospel Luke chapter 11 verse five down the verse number 13 and what you find in Luke chapter 11 verse one through four is later in Jesus's ministry and they came to him and they said, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples and and what you find in verse two through four. Is this is what we have traditionally called the Lord's prayer. He says when you pray, say, our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name it and he goes through that prayer in verse two, verse three verse four. But in Luke's gospel. He gives a parable and he drives a point home that I want to look at tonight that I think is essential in our prayer life. And so I want to grab a hold of this message, and I pray that it would just really be applied to our lives.

We would understand the weight of it as Jesus gives it to us here verse number five. It says and he said to them, which of you shall have a friend, and shall go on to him at midnight and say in him, friend, lend me three loaves for a friend of mine is in his journey has come to me. I have nothing to set before him, and he from within shall answer and say, troubled me, not the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give the I say into you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needed and I say and you ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receive it and he that Sica find us and to him that knock if it shall be opened if a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone or PSK fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him by the Wii with great joy.

Returning to this book of all books. We stand because your word is worthy of our attention. We pray tonight that our hearts would be gripped by the word of God, that you would speak through your word and that I pray that you would allow our hearts to receive the engrafted word that has not only brought salvation but also that sanctifies us. Help us to be a people of prayer. May we understand the importance of persistent praying. Help us to not neglect this great gift that you've given us through the glorious Avenue of prayer. And if anyone tonight doesn't know Christ. I pray tonight would be the night of salvation we ask in Jesus name. And God's people said man, you may be seated tonight so Luke chapter 11 is later in the ministry of Jesus Christ. When you read about the Lord's prayer in Matthew's gospel. That's the launch of his preaching ministry here. It's later on and he again is laying out the model of prayer, but after he lays out the model of prayer in verse two through four. He doesn't leave the subject of prayer alone, which I think is interesting. He knows that men's attention spans are short. He knows that we can make it we can make commitments that we don't always follow through with. We can say Lord I'm going to really spend some time in prayer this week and by Tuesday we forget the commitment perhaps even by Monday we can be very fleeting in our commitments.

Think about how weak our devotion can be sometimes we make it devotion to God and and then we break it before the days over and so this is again the second time Jesus is taught on this specific topic of how to pray in his ministry and he didn't.

He knows that they don't need to just learn how to pray and I think it's important know what I'm saying there it's it's not just important know how to pray, but we also need to have a devotion to prayer. Prayer only works if you do it right.

Prayer is only effective if you actually take prayer and do something with it.

So what good is learning how to pray. If we don't pray and so Jesus is witnessed all through his ministry, frail spiritual commitments, devotions, that men show him the quickly fall away. And you know what you think about if the disciples gave up all they had to follow Christ. They drop their nets and followed him for three years, needed to be taught on the importance of praying with persistence, how much more do you think we need to hear about you haven't dropped all that we have to follow Christ is important and necessary for us to learn how to pray, but also to be committed to prayer and so I believe if Jesus were here that he would speak to many of us and say I know that you pray.

I know that you know many of the areas of prayer, but that there are things in our prayer life that need to be increased and that I believe that he would see our need to pray more and with more persistence and with more passion and with more diligence and I don't think the Lord would be angry with this. I think that he would want that communion is the father to the prodigal son and longing for that daily walking in the garden.

If you would with Adam and Eve. You long for that presence to the glory of God's presence to be with us to dwell with us and so much so that is taken up residence in us and when we make much of prayer as I said in the past. We are making much of God. Prayer reflects the place God has in our life and in so Jesus taught us in Luke 18 verse 20 says men ought always to pray and not to faint. The way we don't faint in our life is vice taking time to pray. Luke 2136, he says, watch you, therefore, and pray always, Paul said in Ephesians 618, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. First Thessalonians 517 positive, pray without ceasing.

So there are the statements that the Bible tells us that were called to a continual way of life known as praying and so tonight I want to look at the importance of praying with persistence. According to our Lord and in any startup by giving us a parable on the persistence of praying in verse five through eight here in verse five through eight is a reflection of what was going on in the Middle Eastern culture. In those days people and that they were a lot more hospitable and they were a lot more dependent on their neighbors.

People needed one another more back than if you look back in the days of America in the early settlers of people relied on one another. They needed help and assistance in many ways and in that that was a blessing and in an and in many different ways, but they did have grocery stores didn't have a refrigeration process so they didn't have the preservative abilities when it comes to food before I moved to senior me, my family 13 years ago we lived out in Frankfurt close to Chillicothe and we would go when my flesh got the better of me to a good Amish store out there anybody go to an Amish like freshly baked bread muffins all the stuff they you know you walk in and I'm like I am getting calories. Right honey this is like you know dopamine Effexor firing off.

It is just incredible and we we would go there, we would buy a fresh loaf of bread I would back in the day you, you'd cut that batboy in big layers put cheese on it put in the oven the day I can't stay up with that kind of stuff but you know just love it.

But what I found when it it and I didn't. I just don't think about is a young guy, but that bread would go bad within like a day or two. You have to freeze it right because it doesn't have the same preservative qualities of all the no bread today can last for like 15 years outside of you last forever. Yummy nougat cancer but it will be there so so among the Jewish people.

You need understand that they would make bread that Dana needed to be that day many times they knew it would last, so that they shared that with their neighbors say we got some bread left over would you like some bread and they were very hospitable. If you remember when Abraham had the three men who were angels, but he didn't know.

Specifically, I think at first that they were angels. They peered as men. The Bible says they came in he made him food and and and was very hospitable to them when Lot saw those two angelic host in Genesis 19 he was seeking to be more hospitable and caring for their welfare even more than his own daughters. You see, the hospitality of Laban Jethro Samuel David, the sooner my woman in the north of the Old Testament.

That was the cultural norm to be very hospitable to people. I think we've unfortunately lost at night. I really would like to begin a hospitality ministry lighthouse to where we get five or 10 families that say hey let's let's just have one family over a month when it be nice just to build a culture of hospitality that we had people come to say we just that we have a list of 10 families and people that we just want to start inviting over once a month and and in a one family month and just start having people over to have dinner and just just to be kind and be hospitable to get to know one another. We live in such a fast-paced world that we lose sight of the importance of relationships you know it it's people matter. Don't think that it's important to have relationships and relationships don't get built real well texting night is only 7% of music mutation happens by words. The other 93% happened through unity diction paste tone, facial expressions, all that stuff if you don't believe me.

Don't send an emoji to your life or hiked to find out there is more to it than just the wording.

My wife doesn't get upset but I know some of you white creditors I got to be kind about this, so let's keep going on now in those days because the heat of the day. Many would not travel during the daytime. Rather, they traveled during the later part of the day but but they would not travel into the midnight numbing that's that's really beyond the scope of what would be normal in this story Jesus is is giving us a very uncomfortable situation and he intentionally sets this up for this man to deal with this difficult situation. He has a friend who the Bible says comes to him at midnight.

He needs to be hospitable and provide something for him but he doesn't have anything all the bread that he had must've been already eaten that day. Therefore, not wanting to be a poor host. He travels to someone who was his friend to get some food and I don't know about you but I probably would've been a poor house that night I had some people come to my house and I was like man out of food. I probably say I'm sorry because I don't like bothering people. I don't want to especially go to the midnight and ask for something like that would just be that I would be very uneasy anyway and it would just not be a comfortable thing to do. I would say if I was at situation say hey Tom can you do this for unit obligated for so these very very kind and friendly and doesn't mind that. So, but on this.

This date is this guy is at midnight they don't have TVs they don't have good lighting you know basically and that culture and time 2000 years ago when the sun went down. People went to bed because it was a whole lot going on. They woke up earlier.

They went to bed earlier is like my kind of people you know and the sun goes down my body needs to go down when the sun comes up. Let's get up right and so you know there is such a thing is life before the sun rises to.

There is such a thing that goes on so but these many Palestinian homes were also one room home so everybody was in the same room together.

Oftentimes that's why the Bible says there in verse seven he said my children are with me in bed so you know if it would get kinda cold. Many times he had one window in and they would stay close together to keep each other warm know this. This family had been in bed for several hours and all of a sudden they get woken up by a friend knocking on the door and diagnosing becomes your house at midnight. You're thinking there's got to be pretty serious situation.

I reminisces every life-and-death situation. Somebody is is really in a desperate need. This is an emergency and so it would probably be very startling. I don't know about you but when I get woken up. Suddenly, like Mike, I don't wake up slow. I wake up fast.

Is anybody else like that like it if your starter like you're ready to go. I got there like fight or flight it it I like something.

I remember my want my why I don't want to go to the stories of Bill me later, but I know now your thinking. You gotta tell the story. You can't do that. I've told you before, but I remember when we were early married, probably couple years of marriage lived way out in the boondocks of Frankfurt, Ohio. Nobody's around in it, so we had a room on the work world where there's no neighbors around me is just around the hills and always treason and ending on my trashcan was right outside our bedroom and and and there's also wrapped around the house was a front door interested. She woke me up in the middle of the night humming.

I don't do well with this, but she she's done this to me probably a dozen times over the years. She didn't say honey like she doesn't like Me it's just like it's just fire when I wake up if you like. There's a house and all I do is I was running through the house. I don't even know what I'm coming into like I that's me I just run out there. I don't know and I might not for the rest, and I probably I don't know if I got was able to back to bed but there was a there's a raccoon digging in our trash know what I'm talking about senior raccoon's talking about the boondocks Greg existing was like a small bear, I thought about a 12gauge shotgun and I go to the front door. He's he's got a I am not hatred he's got a bag of wrongful chips.

He's eating a chip out of it like there's still stuff in there but it's it's it's senior and it looks at me and it just goes right back on Mike, are you kidding me just fearless just really was in so the shock of it. I thought I thought dear wife of mine. My love the girl that I gave my life.

You know, in marriage to go there must be some desperate thing that's going on. There must be a little deer running through the house, but it is a raccoon eating ruffle chips right outside the door so these guys get somebody who comes to them, wakes them up and and they come to the door. This gotta be pretty heavy need. You know this is probably maybe the only dummy like this happen and become the door. The guy says I need three loaves of bread about you if your whole house got woken up because it's just that room not too happy Bob I found out that I am not a spiritual person at night if you want to know the most carnal and I didn't realize how carnal I was always slept through my carnality right so then you have kids you realize you know I'm a very selfish person. My life is much for giving me then so you begin to find these challenge the night and the guy wants to help you go through the thing about like the Amish bread bingo loaves of bread, and that's not what they're talking about here.

Three. Three loaves of bread. Here is the idea of three pieces of flatbread that was used to spread something upon them. It would be enough for a meal, just three little three little pieces of bread was the idea. This is not an emergency.

This is this is in the middle of the night. This guy isn't just asking for himself.

He says in verse six for a friend of mine is in his journey has come to me. I have nothing to set before him and he's like I'm on here just to pass the love on your my life got interrupted, I'm coming over here to do to pass on the joy of being woken at night and so you think about how would you respond to someone waking you up in the middle the night asking for three pieces of bread anybody here think you have a trouble to be a very spiritual inhospitable host okay some of us are being honest. The rest of you. I don't believe you. I think all of us will be in the same boat that we would say, what are you doing leave me alone.

Don't talk to me now. I will unfriend you know you get a thumbs down for sure tonight I will I will I will Facebook post you tomorrow with the bad, you know, I'll tell the world what you did to make Jesus knows exactly how we respond, so he he gives this story and this man is woken up with his house, and though a friend. He is irritated with his friend and is unwilling to give the guy what he needs in verse seven, the man says. And he from within shall answer and say, trouble me, not the door is now shut my children are in bed with me. I cannot rise and give the like in this is an extremely inconvenient request. Stop somebody inconvenient you over and over and over again together down the tolerant right oriented team and you know you work but I will continue on his arguments are in trouble, but I can relate to this guy, you know, again, I remember when we when we had our first child with four children in you know when the first child born Joyce had that precious person in your life that comes to you and says you know this your first child. I just just want to be cautious about how you let your baby in its crib at night because then they tell you every horrifying story of SIDS that's ever existed. If you aim in the face of a suffocating time frame on the back of surely dead if you lay in facing the wall them that they're not going to make it yummy. They go through all the story so so we put it like it you both sound system and the right with you know it would with 10 monitors in your in your bed so that when that little baby moves. It sounds like a crack in his next door to you right. I remember just every little thing was like and by the second baby you have one baby monitor. By the third when you like. I will be flying down the hall survive from the catenary rewrite but the selfishness that Jesus is talking about is is the idea that human by humans, by nature, would not want to be bothered and inconvenienced.

We like to help people on our terms we like to do things when it's convenient for us but this guy in the story is not easily deterred. He's he's very committed to getting this midnight snack. So in verse eight he says I say to you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needed so what Jesus is saying here is the man's friendship was not enough motivation to help the guy's friendship, was not he like the guy with his friend, but it wasn't enough. What was enough was his importunity know what does importunity mean it's different than opportunity opportunity is a good thing in our life. It speaks of a circumstance it's favorable to us. You see something favorable to you and you take advantage of it. Importunity is a very different word. It's a Greek word that is used only one time in the New Testament it means to be shameless, overly bold trouble simply persistent, even annoyingly persistent. It's like it's like persistence on steroids. Jesus says this man's relationship to a friend again didn't cause him to get up and give him what he needed, but his annoying persistence caused him to get up and say I will give you everything you need, just so you will leave meal like I will. What else do you need go. So that's the parable that that's that's what Jesus tells us here know what is what is the point. Now this this gets in verse nine through verse number 10.

Jesus here is telling us that we need to show that same kind friends of importunity when it comes to how we pray to God. The point of the parable is we need to approach God with with a fervency with a perseverance with endurance with commitment. He goes into a mini sermon in verse nine, down the verse number 13. Look what he says in verse number nine. He says and I say and you this is this is the this is the application I send you ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be open to everyone that baskets receive you that seek to find it him that knock and it shall be open to the point here is that you need to constantly pursue God in prayer and you notice the progression. It starts with asking. It's the starting point. It progresses into seeking and then it gets into knocking the boldness grows verse 10 Jesus reiterates this point in the King James Bible is a you uses the like. The ETH you need to know the people in talk like that for years ago talking with its but the Bible uses that for accuracy. The ETH let you know that's a continual action.

That's a present imperative that say that's us that something that you're doing now and you will continue to do into the unforeseen future.

So it's like asking is like you asked now and you just keep asking basically like the idea just ongoing won't stop you seek. Now you just keep on seeking you. Not now, and you just keep on knocking, it's just a continual thing that you just do it so when you think about your prayer life is your prayer life reflected that kind of a commitment to persistence because I remember I can't remember what season the life. It was in but there was a season in my life I think is probably when I was in Chillicothe are remember thinking God knows what I had need of II I'll ask him once, but I won't bother hitting me more with it and understand this parable obviously so I know God's omnipotence is omniscient.

He's all-knowing, all powerful.

He is sovereign.

Why should I bother him.

I will ask him.

He knows and just going to leave it you come to Jesus and he says you're doing it all you're doing it all you need to you need to ask continually unit unique units of importunity and you you need some persistent, some fervency, some boldness, like when you come in prayer this this approach to God. It's like wow and I can tell you guys I may do a message on the boldness of prayer from the Old Testament. It is almost embarrassing how they prayed in the Old Testament it it's it's it's really uncomfortable to read some of their prayers, open your eyes, would you say that to imagine talking to someone when you open your eyes open your ears and hear us for who you think you are to get a little bit bold.

This is downright almost rude. Great message. I know I will show you how uncomfortable they pray. It's like it's like I can imagine praying like that like this is so bold. This is like, but you know what they had. They had some importunity. They had some persistent they had such fervency to see God step in the day when they they came to the throne and they would not leave until there is an answer today. There was a passionate pursuit. And so the Lord is calling us to do this kind of a a a a longing for God to move in in and so he in the Bible there is the Jewish way of teaching is to go from the lesser to the greater, and that's what he does here in verse 11 through 13. If you notice he drives the point home. He says in verse 11, he says of his son shall ask bread of any you that is a father, will he give him a stone or fiesta fish, will give him a serpent or fiasco neighborly offer him a scorpion and so he talks about three earthly things that people can ask children can ask their parents, innovate your son says can I have some bread that you don't give them a rock that become to cold when it yes refresh you don't give them a snake in the Ashford in a you don't give him a scorpion. We believe these are obviously extreme situation. You don't do that in any drives again. The point home in verse 13.

Look what he says in verse 13 he says if ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more there is that there's the transfer from the lesser to the greater how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him couple couple important truths irreversible. Notice how Jesus describes the nature of man. Isn't that something he doesn't describe man as being morally good and according to the worldly system of psychology man is born with a pure nature. Another not always think they must've never had kids because they don't come out good right yet to do some work on them.

Just be nice if they came out good and obedient father there anything else you like me to do. I've Artie done the dishes clean the review nine on three years old writer for the screwdriver for you whatever you need to know to check on the wrecking victory not good because you are evil. Jesus doesn't seem a unnaturally good Matthew 1917 Jesus says there is none good but one, that is God. Romans 312. There is none to do with good no not want the nature of God is also here seen as being good abundantly kind and merciful and generous Psalms 86, five, for thou, Lord, are good and ready to forgive plenteous in mercy and all them that call upon the patient's to form a God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us mission. Psalms 103 the other day.

If you haven't read that in your prayer life. I would encourage you to do that someone of three you'll be very blessed to spend time there. Notice what the father gives his children who seek him, did you notice what the gift was is is how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him why would they ask the Holy Spirit why think Jesus is like the snow here. This is like the highest gift you can get. This is the greatest reward you so ask yourself when the last time I asked for the blessing of the Holy Spirit to be working in my life the last time I pray that God that you would grant me the that the that the work of the Holy Spirit in and through my life.

That gift of the Holy Spirit not know what are some things the Holy Spirit doesn't just list a few from the Scriptures. First of all, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and brings us into salvation. He opens our heart to the gospel, Titus 35 says not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, not not accorded our works, but according to the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings regeneration salvation to us. He also baptizes the believer according to the Scriptures. He places us into God's family. Thirdly, he indwells the believer.

John 1416 through 17 Jesus says that he would abide with you and he will also be in you, the Holy Spirit will dwell within us. He also will teach the believer.

Jesus taught that in John 1426 John 1613, the Holy Spirit would teach us all things bring all things to our remembrance of the Holy Spirit also is the one who seals us until the day of redemption. Ephesians 113 and 14 as well as Ephesians 430 says grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day redemption leads the believer. Romans 814, as many as are led by the spirit of God. They are the sons of God. He lets the believer know that we are the children of God. Romans 816. We do not receive a spirit of bondage again to fear that we receive the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba father, Holy Spirit lets us know we belong to God.

He validates for us, our salvation, and that he also prays for the believer. Romans 826 likewise the Spirit also bears witness with our error E also help with our infirmities and says if we know not what we should pray for as we ought it, so he makes groanings which cannot be uttered. Talks about and then he empowers us to live the Christian life.

That's why Galatians 516 says walking spirit not in the flesh, and so the Holy Spirit also fills us according to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18 were filled with the Holy Spirit of God. He takes control of our life as we surrender that will to him and then he empowers us to evangelize going to ask when a you will receive power of the Holy Ghost is come upon you the list just goes on and on. The Holy Spirit is that third person of the Trinity that takes up residence inside the believer and empowers us to live the Christian life.

If you want to live for God. It's not by our strength, but by his spirit is we we must submit our will to him Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ convicts us of sin teaches assorted of leases in truth, this goes on and on. So give you an example of persistent praying in Daniel nine Daniel nine.

If you have your Bibles.

You can flip over there to Daniel chapter 9, Daniel had been taken captive to Babylon for 70 years. As a result of the sins of the nation. God has spoken through Jeremiah the prophet of this happening in Jeremiah 29 verse 10. If you just notice of your own experiences for the sake the Lord that after 70 years be accomplished by one I will visit you perform my good word and toward you and causing you to return to this place so she finds this was prophesied before it happened that they were going to Babylon for 70 years to Daniels and Babylon and he's reading Jeremiah the prophet Daniel 92 it says in the first year of the reign of Daniel I Daniel understood by the books. The number of years were of the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet that he would accomplish 70 years, and the desolation to think about urine from Babylon like it's been 70 years like it's is coming like he's he's gonna bring us out here were returning to her homeland, Daniel. I calculated that it was as it was time. Daniel 93 and he says this and I set my face into the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. You think he was serious about this one time to be good. Verse four. And I prayed and the Lord my God, and make confession and said, oh Lord, the great and dreadful God keeping the covenant and mercy to them the lovely and then they keep his commandments. Verse five we have sinned and save the nation. He says we write we have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from by precept and from thy judgments.

Will you go straight to the sin that needs to be repented of verse nine and 10. He goes on, he says to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness that we have rebelled against him.

Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws which he set before us, by his servant. The prophets in this repented prayer continues all the way to verse 19, but I want I want to see the passion, boldness and persistence of Daniel in verse 17 says now therefore owe our God hear the prayer of my servant in his supplications and because I face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate for the Lord's sake. Oh my God, incline thine ear, and hear open thine eyes. Behold our desolation is in the city which is called by thy name, for we do not present or supplication before the for our righteousness, but for thy great mercy and that good it's it's not all goodness that I'm leaning on it's your goodness. Verse 19, oh Lord, hear somebody talking you think hear me and they're telling you. Are you hearing me, I need you to hear me you'd be like, I hear you that this is somebody that's so desperate and in and in and God is not upset with his desperation. God is not upset with his boldness and he says defer not verse 19. For thine own sake.

Oh my God for thy city of thy people are called by not dining verse 20 and while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and sin of the people is really a while I was praying in prayer, even the man. Gabriel comes into God's is Gabriel God answers them in verse 22 through 23 and he answers that prayers of Daniel nine. Look at verse 2223 for just a moment, and in this is this is the response that God gives to him. He says in verse 22 and he informed me and talked with me and said oh Daniel I am now come forth to give the skill and understanding at the beginning of I supplication the commandment came forth, and I am not come to show the thou art greatly beloved therefore understand the matter and consider the vision like God greatly loved Daniel. Daniel is passionately pursuing God.

God brings the answer in chapter 10 Daniel Dennis praying to understand the vision that God had given him. It was so heavy on Daniel's heart.

Daniel fasted and prayed for three weeks until at the end of three weeks, God sent the answer by Gabriel who told to look at Daniel 10 verse 12 then said he under me, fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come forth come for thy words. Something he chastened himself or three weeks ago, the answer was sent the first day he came in. When you read Daniel there is a spiritual battle between his answer in the demonic world that there is the result there is a battle between the servants of God in the spiritual realm and the ministers of Satan.

If you would. There is a Bible tells us in Ephesians 6 we don't wrestle flesh and blood right up and there is a spiritual reality that the wars that is behind the scenes and so forth to battle a physical enemy or spiritual enemy. We that's a Spiritual Armor Right Is Way, Ephesians six is put on the whole armor of God, you may be able to withstand the evil day, and having done all the stay and stand. You need the armor of God from your your your wasted that the word of God and the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation and shoes shall the preparation of gospel of peace of having an understanding with those armor pieces are we see persistent praying from Paul in second Corinthians 12, God gave him that thorn in the flesh, and he's bothered by this, and I think the thorn in the flesh, involved a multitude of things from people persecuting him to perhaps physical diseases as well as spiritual assaults, but in second Corinthians 12 nine after Paul had sought the Lord three times about this verse nine says God answered and said, my grace is sufficient for the my strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul responds most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities at the power of Christ may rest upon.

So it was his constantly seeking Jesus in the garden prayed earnestly three times the same prayer that God would take the bitter cup from him if there was no other way but nevertheless he says that your will be done in all three examples. You have two great men, and you have a God man, Jesus Christ. He faced great hardships, heavy situations and you know what their plan. A plan B implants. He was prayer Jesus as the bitter cup what you do, pray we did that wrong to pray again that I was planning implacably.

What you do what it just continues on you go back and pray again and you do it again and you do it again praying with persistence is the best and the only thing that will I prayed about it, but will they go back and praise more plug-and-play, but didn't do some more. I forget when I came here to use the research I left a church family that I deeply loved.

We started at church the same when we started this one. Start with a people group 6 and people like this and and and I deeply love them and I remember one family. I went to visit the wife was saving the kids and that it has been that was was lost in this dear wife. She very involved in church and she had been praying for husband for 17 years to be saved. I say can I come out and talked and she said he will will be so mad if you do just so I Isaiah, I snuck out there to visit like the teenager down.

I revisit the sun you athlete stuff and so all you and I just happen to pull in the driveway of their doctor and he talked to me for like an hour and 1/2 amine under heavy conviction would get saved you nice guy just so I will never forget when I went back to preach there. They told me he got saved and can just get like a little bit safe.

Hee hee the Lord saved him and when I came to preach on the forget one as it has been nice close.

He grabbed his family's hands and he walked down and got on his knees right at the altar and just leaving his family in prayer the last time I had seen him was in the garage where he was rejecting Christ and his wife said you probably don't ever want to talk to him because going to get mad.

He fidgeted up and that's that's the process that's not that was in mere whoever leading to Christ.

That was the wife who called out to God for 17 years, loved her husband. She loved him as a lost man she loved him, prayed for him beg God persistent prayer in a prayer so much more effective than nagging her husband or wife getting on and being unkind in any way. It's not our pride that will change limits our prayers because God works through prayer.

Does any and so God answers prayers something to say why don't my prayers get answered sometimes God's answer is no and see if you continue to pray he will open the door that he would want you to know, sometimes it's not yet, not yet. You Lord I will just be patient and wait on the Lord be material comfort your heart when I say of the Lord.

Sometimes there's a delay. Sometimes you know sometimes there is a delay to the point where it really hurts, you know, Mary and Martha got that good night.

Your brother will live again.

I know the resurrection know it's it's not even be that long the delay guys and in and he made that known and so today what what is that situation you pray for that.

Maybe tonight, so you know I just need to come and pray again.

I pray for that I need to pray again.

I've been on my knees but I just need to get on my knees again. I've I prayed about it. Perhaps I need to fast about is my soul, so grieve that I would come to God and just plead with him, but God already knows faster. Yes he does know when he invites us to seek to ask and send knock. He invites us to be annoyingly persistent. Who in the world.

Does that no one in this room will be self-righteous only because none of us what is known is that you come to my house at time you come to my house between these hours of the best out of your it's a mill that I call Tom at the very house I will I will I will so, but in the morning young pretty good goodbye. I'm not so Jesus. It's just amazing that God invites us like that incredible invitation. What a joy. Sometimes people say this to me all pattern a really busy and I don't say that you not I will make time for you.

I will make you anybody in his church today can you meet with me. I will be with anyone absolutely, but we we feel sometimes we invading people's time with God. That is not the case.

God doesn't. He's not man. He doesn't get weary right he can fight since that's why Hebrews 416 says therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, we may obtain mercy and find grace to help me close with just this story with Hudson Taylor is a famous missionary in China found the China inland Mission submissions sent out over 800 missionaries just just the work of God is beyond measure under 25,000 Chinese Christians you spent 51 years in China, God used him in an amazing way is 18-year-old Hudson Taylor, who wandered into his father's library as a lost 18-year-old he read a gospel track and he said he could not shake it off. Finally, falling to his knees. He accepted Christ as his Savior. Later, his mother, who had been away return home when Hudson told her the good news. She said I already knew. 10 days ago on the very date on which you tell me you read the track. I spent the entire afternoon in prayer for you and so the Lord assured me that my wayward son had been brought into the fold. Incredible is on the forget when Eric Woodworth, who went to came here to help me sort the churches is is girlfriend time. She was a Mormon and the grip Mormon home she got saved and she went all in like he did for Jesus.

Her brother was like M team class president and she would witness to him and he was just it was in his equipment so she said what I do and in the Candace was pray and fast law for different things with church and just ministering stuff and and and she encourage or take some time to fast so so Ashley fasted for the entire week for her brother.

She went up and hung a gospel track outside of his door and spent the next seven days fasting for him then say one word to she tried to argue Jesus entering the didn't work so she is distracted she fasted for seven days is a true story. At the end of seven days. He walked up to her with that track with tears in his eyes and said I need to be saved at the true story. That's the power of a sister loving her brother to Christ and saying I would go without food for your soul hungry are we for the lost. How hungry are we to see God do something that only he could get glory for the make since the night he says if somebody can you at midnight you would like it does not like us. He says come to me. Seek asking knock and it will be open. What a God we have a man that's all Stan tonight father with joy. We come to you in prayer Lord, I know we don't pray as we assured and were just so thankful and humble tonight again by your word operates and nine at an altar.

Maybe there's a burn in her heart rate just as in praying in rehab this week sold, pray for them personally so as to be saying is in your will give us that is not of thank you for your mercy in our lives.

Thank you for not being irritated with this not being frustrated with constant prayers and seeking you things on the you have were you invited us in and we we rejoice in pray everything is you and your Lord is your name