Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

IMPORTUNITY OF PRAYER

1. Our blessed Lord gave strong emphasis to prayer:
   1. He himself was a man of prayer.
   2. He taught the disciples how and what to pray.
   3. He made special and great promises to those who lead a life of prayer.
2. In the parable of our opening text, our Lord gives strong emphasis to our persistence in prayer, "that men ought always to pray, and not faint."

1. Importunity defined:
   1. To be, to plead, to urge.
   2. To persist, to hand on, and to overcome by persistence.
2. Instances of importunity as exercised by men:
   1. Blind Bartimaeus asking for his eyesight - Mark 10:46-52
   2. A mother pleads for the deliverance of her daughter from evil spirits - Matt. 15:22-28
3. Our Lord knows human tendency, which gives up too easily, becomes discouraged and loses the blessing:
   1. That is why he uses several illustrations to encourage us to hang on in prayer.
   2. What would have happened to many of us had we given up in despair when things went against us?
4. Why does God delay to grant our petitions?
   1. At times the petitions would, if granted, do us more harm than good - EXAMPLES -
      1. God added fifteen years to the life span of Hezekiah, but we know the results - Isa. 38:39
      2. At other times there are certain barriers in the way which prevent the Lord to grant our requests.
      3. At best, God has good reasons why our petitions are not answered.

1. Two parables of the Lord point to the rich reward of persistence in prayer:
   1. The begging friend got the three loaves to feed his visiting friend - Luke 11:5-8
   2. The importunate widow prevailed upon the unjust judge to set her free from her tormentors - Luke 18:1-8
2. Ingredients of persistence in prayer:
   1. Faith in God! "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" - Heb. 11:6
      1. Faith in God's compassion gave strength to blind Bartimaeus to persist in crying, "have mercy on me."
      2. That was true, especially, of the woman from Canaan - Matt. 15:22-28
   2. Cause of seeking help from God! Do we have a real, life and death, burden to cause us to persist in prayer? Are our motives unselfish to a point when God recognizes the importance of our plea!
   3. Our utter helplessness and our total dependence upon the Lord are good reasons to persist in our prayer.
3. Once we know that our petition is in harmony with the will of God, and that a favorable answer will be to God's glory, we have just reason to hang on in prayer:
   1. We then will have the Lord on our side; "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." - Jer. 29:13
   2. "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." - Jer. 33:3
   3. "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." - Luke 18:7, 8
   4. I know of some people who prayed continually for twenty years for the conversion of their loved ones, but the answer came even though it was delayed.
   5. There are instances when parents pray for years for their children, and yet they die without seeing the answer to their prayers.