February 23
Lesson 13 (KJV)
Ever-Persevering Petitions
Devotional Reading: Psalm 13
Background Scripture: Luke 11:1–13
Luke 11:5–13
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 I say unto 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 needeth.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he [asks] a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye 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?
Key Verse
I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.—Luke 11:9
Honoring God
Unit 3: Jesus Teaches About True Worship
Lessons 10–13
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. State the main lesson of the parable.
2. Explain how prayer is asking, seeking, and knocking.
3. Identify one reason for lacking persistence in prayer and make a corrective plan.
Lesson Outline
Introduction
A. Seeking a Blue Doorknob
B. Lesson Context
I. Persistent Request (Luke 11:5–8)
A. Inconvenience (vv. 5–7)
B. Yielding (v. 8)
Don’t Stop Believing
II. Tenacious Prayer (Luke 11:9, 10)
A. Asking, Seeking, Knocking (v. 9)
B. Receiving, Finding, Opening (v. 10)
III. Faithful Response (Luke 11:11–13)
A. Imperfect Givers (vv. 11, 12)
B. The Perfect Father (v. 13)
Good, Good Father
Conclusion
A. How Should I Pray?
B. Prayer
C. Thought to Remember
HOW TO SAY IT
Cornelius
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Cor-neel-yus.
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Gentiles
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Jen-tiles.
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Judea
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Joo-dee-uh.
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synagogues
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sin-uh-gogs.
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What Do You Think?
What are some ways to increase your bold persistence in prayer?
Digging Deeper
Considering passages such as Job 38:1, 2; Jonah 4; and Malachi 2:17, what guardrails should you put in place to ensure that your boldly persistent prayers do not cross lines that they shouldn’t?
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What Do You Think?
What are some steps to strengthen the process of asking, seeking, and knocking?
Digging Deeper
Will it be important in answering that question to distinguish asking from seeking from knocking? Why, or why not?
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What Do You Think?
What are some ways to model persistence in prayer when you yourself have not yet received, found, or had doors opened?
Digging Deeper
At what point in a Christian’s prayer persistence should he or she reexamine the nature of the unanswered prayer itself?
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What Do You Think?
How can we encourage those who feel God has given them “a scorpion” for “an egg”?
Digging Deeper
As you encourage such a person, how will you know when the time is right or wrong to point out passages such as Psalm 13; Jeremiah 20:7–13; and/or Romans 8:28?
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What Do You Think?
What are some things your church should be more persistent in asking of the Lord? Why?
Digging Deeper
How will you need to change your own prayer priorities so you can best help your church change its prayer priorities?
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Prayer
Father God, we do have daily needs, things like food and drink that our bodies require. We have personal needs, to be loved by others and to have others to love. Most of all, we have spiritual needs that will only be satisfied by Your Holy Spirit. We knock on Your door to ask that You supply all our needs, all that we seek. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who graciously taught us to pray. Amen.
Thought to Remember
“The worst sin is prayerlessness.”
—P. T. Forsythe (1848–1921)
Involvement Learning
Enhance your lesson with KJV Bible Student (from your curriculum supplier) and the reproducible activity page (at www.standardlesson.com or in the back of the KJV Standard Lesson Commentary Deluxe Edition).
Krause, Mark S., Petra L. Miller, et al. “Ever-Persevering Petitions.” The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2019–2020. Ed. Ronald L. Nickelson et al. Vol. 67. Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2019–2020. 217–219. Print.
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