{"id":7189,"date":"2003-08-08T12:08:56","date_gmt":"2003-08-08T17:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?page_id=7189"},"modified":"2019-08-08T12:19:42","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T17:19:42","slug":"persistence","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-sermon-on-the-mount\/persistence\/","title":{"rendered":"Persistence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Persistence<\/h1>\n

Reading Assignment:<\/h2>\n

Matthew 7:7-14<\/p>\n

Did you understand what you read?<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. What must we do to receive good things from God?<\/li>\n
  2. What is the foundation of the old law?<\/li>\n
  3. Why is going to heaven harder than going to hell?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Discussion:<\/h2>\n

    Jesus tells us that God will give us the things that we need if we simply ask him for them. God does expect us to ask him. The blessings do not flow to us automatically, just because we are Christians. God expects us to take the initiative.<\/p>\n

    God will answer our requests, but he does place conditions on how we may ask him for favors. Though God is never far away (Acts 17:27), we cannot find him unless we search for him with our whole heart and soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). Once we have found Him, we must ask for things that are in accordance with his will (I John 4: 14-15). We must understand what God’s will is so that we may ask properly. Similarly, we need to ask in Jesus’s name (or with his authorization) (John 16:24). We cannot expect God to grant our requests if we are disobedient, so we must also live a proper Christian life (John 15:7).<\/p>\n

    Just because we ask God for a favor, it does not mean that we will receive exactly what we have asked for. Sometimes what we think we need may not be what is best for us. Children ask their parents for many things, but it is foolish for a parent to grant every request. A child who gets everything he wants has no appreciation for the things that he has. A spoiled child grows up thinking that gifts are his right instead of a blessing.<\/p>\n

    God also expects us to be persistent in our requests (Luke 18:1-8). When we work hard for something, it gives us more satisfaction when we receive it. Persistence helps us sort out what is important to us. If it is not important enough to ask God for something regularly, then maybe we don’t really need it.<\/p>\n

    When asking favors of other men, remember that people will treat us as we treat them. In addition, God treats us as we treat other men (Matthew 6:14-15).<\/p>\n

    We must also be persistent in striving for heaven. A goal is not reached by a half-heart, haphazard effort (I Corinthians 9:24-27). We must run the race of life with patience; setting aside every hindrance that we can (Hebrews 12:1). Life is rough and at times it seems so very long, but we cannot grow weary in well-doing (Galatians 6:9). If we endure to the end of our life, we will receive the prize of salvation (Matthew 10:22). Living the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.<\/p>\n

    Meditation:<\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Why do we have to ask God for the things we need? Since God knows what we need before we ask, why doesn’t He give the things to us immediately?<\/li>\n
    2. When would it be right to ask God for a car? When would it be wrong?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Sermon on the Mount\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Persistence Reading Assignment: Matthew 7:7-14 Did you understand what you read? What must we do to receive good things from God? What is the foundation of the old law? Why is going to heaven harder than going to hell? Discussion: Jesus tells us that God will give us the things that we need if we…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7143,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7189","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66120,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/teach-us-to-pray\/","url_meta":{"origin":7189,"position":0},"title":"Teach Us to Pray","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Teach Us to Pray Reading Assignment: Luke 11:1-13 \u00a0 Did you understand what you read? What had Jesus been doing that led a disciple to ask him to teach the disciples how to pray? Where else did Jesus give a sample prayer similar to this one? How are the prayers\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10578,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/genesis-a-study-of-the-beginning\/a-wife-for-isaac\/whose-prayers-are-answered\/","url_meta":{"origin":7189,"position":1},"title":"Whose Prayers are Answered?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Whose Prayers are Answered? As we go through Genesis, we see various people praying and God's response to those prayers. Let us consider, though, exactly what is prayer. In I Timothy 2:1-3 and Philippians 4:6 we find words which describe prayer. The word\u00a0supplication refers to a request regarding a personal\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65000,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-john\/the-blind-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":7189,"position":2},"title":"The Blind Man","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Blind Man Text: John 9 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The disciples wondered what often is curious to us, \u201cWhere does suffering come from?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We understand that God controls his creation. We know that God is all knowing. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Suffering is generally viewed as a punishment. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But that is not what the Scriptures teach. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Suffering,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66282,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/parables-and-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":7189,"position":3},"title":"Parables and Children","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Parables and Children Reading Assignment: Matthew 19:13-15 Mark 10:13-16 Luke 18:1-17 Psalm 131:2 Did you understand what you read? What is the point in the parable of the unrighteous judge? What might Jesus not find when he returns? How could that be possible? What is the point concerning the parable\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1148,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-lord-your-god-is-an-awesome-god\/the-eternal-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":7189,"position":4},"title":"The Eternal God (Awesome God)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 5, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The Eternal God Text: Romans 11:25-36 Imagine going back in time to the early days of this country and trying to explain the marvels of our time to someone who lived back then. Could you explain how we get around in automobiles? \u201cWell, cars are kind of like carriages, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66435,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/promises\/","url_meta":{"origin":7189,"position":5},"title":"Promises","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Promises Reading Assignment: John 16:5-33 \u00a0 Did you understand what you read? Jesus said they didn't ask where he was going, but isn't that what Thomas asked in John 14:5? Explain how this isn't a contradiction. How were the disciples reacting to Jesus' statements about going? How is Jesus lessening\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7189\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}