PRAYING WITH CONFIDENCE
1 John 5:14-15
INTRODUCTION
Illustration: Testimony Praying for a house in Strathroy.
The Lord said to speak to the mountain. I did not understand what the Lord meant until I saw the house that would become our home. My first reaction was, ‘Does the Lord love me enough to actually give me the desires of my heart.’
The mountain was not whether or not I would have a place to live. It was my faith, or lack of confidence in the Lords love for me to provide what I needed.
The lesson God taught me was that He does care, and He does hear and He does answer prayer when we pray confidently according to His will.
I am not an expert on prayer. It is a discipline that I continue to grow in. Just when I think I have a handle on my prayer life, something happens that causes me to pray more diligently, more passionately, and teaches me to have greater confidence in Gods power and desire to meet my needs.
One of the areas where the Lord wants us to have boldness is in prayer. Notice that the text mentions confidence, or boldness, along with the subject of prayer.
1. CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER
Sometimes we confuse boldness with brashness and confidence with arrogance.
Our text begins, with an assertion,’ And this is the confidence …’
The KJV uses the word boldly. The word “boldly”, in the KJV and other translations has the thought of being brazen—there is sort of a flippancy suggested by it. But that is really not the idea.
It is a very interesting word in the Greek (parrhesia) it is the same word rendered “confidence” in 3:6. We can enter into God’s presence before the throne because we understand it is not a throne of judgment or condemnation but one of grace.
Believers should courageously approach God in prayer because His is a “throne of grace,” and our High Priest sits at His right hand interceding for us.
The Bible gives this unequivocal promise and invitation to ‘approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need..’
Because we have Jesus as our High Priest we have an open invitation to enter into the presence of God.
Heb. 10:19-22 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by th
blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is,
through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Then, Eph. 3:12 tells us that we can “have boldness and access with confidence.”
This morning, you and I can have full access into the very presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords through His very own Son, and our High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Many Christians shy away from prayer because of guilt or shame of the past. But the Bible says We can and should draw near to God even when we feel the burden of guilt, and amazingly enough we are invited to do so with boldness.
In the Old testament, only the High Priest cold enter the Holy of Holies once a year where he would intercede for the nation. The tradition began that a scarlet rope would be tied to his ankles, so that in case the Priest died whle in the presence of God, he could be pulled out.
It’s so good to know that we don’t need another individual to go into God’s presence for us. We don’t have to wait till a certain time of year to have a mediator go to the Father for us. We don’t have to live in fear of being struck dead if we enter His presence unworthily anymore, but we can rest in His promise that if we draw near to Him He will draw near to us. His invitation is open to all men and women to come boldly before His throne at any time, in any place, in any condition.
His presence is available in our Sunday services. His presence is available in our daily quiet times. His presence is available at our family altar. His presence is even available on the job or in our car. It doesn’t matter where you are or what time of day it is, the invitation is still extended. He’s approachable. He’s accessible through His Son and our High Priest.
II. THE DIRECTION OF PRAYER (v. 14).
‘…that we have toward him,…’
All too often the attitude towards prayer is much like the woman who was rushing home from a doctor’s appointment.
Everything that could go wrong during this appointment did go wrong. The doctor had an emergency and was summoned to the hospital. The blood test he ordered took longer than usual, etc. So by the time she left the clinic she was running way behind schedule. She still had to go the pharmacy to pick up her prescription, the kids had to be retrieved from the baby sitter, she had to fix supper and get the family ready for church that night.
As she began to circle the busy parking lot at Wal–Mart the proverbial windows of heaven were opened and down came the torrents of rain. While she wasn’t one who usually bothered God with small problems, she began to pray as she turned down the row closest to the front door. “Lord, you know what kind of day I’ve had, and there’s still an awful lot left to do. Could you please grant me a parking space right away, oh and close to the building so I don’t get soaked.” The words weren’t even out of her mouth when she saw the backup lights of a car come on at the end of the row. It was the best space in the whole parking lot, right up next to the handicap spots and directly in front of the door. She made straight for it and as she pulled in, she said, “never mind God, something just opened up.”
Prayer is all about RELATIONSHIP.
Notice the preposition, “in.” You could translate that phrase before Him, or face to face with Him. It is talking about the direction of prayer. John is reminding us that prayer is intimacy with God. We address our prayers to the heavenly Father.
Jesus turned the disciples’ concept of God around when HE instructed them to pray, ‘Our FATHER who art in Heaven…’
God does things in answer to the prayers of His children. Prayer is all a part of being in a living relationship with God as your Father. For this reason we have ACCESS to God in prayer.
Access. — God makes it possible for us to have access to Him in prayer. That’s one of the most astounding concepts in all the world. To think that the God of this whole universe, has encouraged those of us who are creatures of dust to come into His presence in prayer.
Asking. — Notice that several times in these two verses he talks about prayer in the context of asking and receiving. That’s the simplest and probably the best definition of prayer. There are many ways that you can describe prayer and there are many facets of prayer. Sometimes prayer is praise, sometimes thanksgiving. But fundamentally prayer is asking God. You and I have the privilege of coming into the presence of God and asking anything we want to ask. In fact we don’t get a lot of things because we don’t ask God (see James 4:2).
You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
Now the Bible makes clear there are conditions placed upon prayer.
III. THE CONDITION OF PRAYER (v. 14).
‘…that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ‘
The Scripture has put a condition on prayer. The Scripture has said you must ask according to His will. That’s why we ought to study the Bible constantly on the subject of prayer. As we study the Scriptures we find that there are certain conditions which must be met in order to get our prayers answered.
If God is going to answer our prayers and give us peace in our hearts, there are certain conditions that we must meet. In fact, the meeting of these conditions is a blessing in itself!
Jesus gives instructions concerning prayer in John 14:12-16
We must pray in faith (John_14:12).
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
This is a promise for us to claim, and the claiming of it demands faith. Since Jesus kept His word and returned to His father, we can be confident that His really is standing night and day interceding for each of us .
We must pray in loving obedience (Joh_14:15).
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
When you love someone, you honor his or her name; and you would never use that name in a demeaning manner. Love is an important theme in the Gospel of John; it is used as a verb or noun a total of fifty-six times.
We do not obey the Lord simply because we want our prayers answered, somewhat like the attitude of a child just before Christmas. We obey Him because we love Him; and the more we obey Him, the more we experience His love. To “keep” His commandments means to value them, treasure them, guard them, and do them.
We must pray in Christ’s name (Joh_14:13-14).
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the
Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
This is not a “magic formula” that we automatically attach to our prayer requests, guaranteeing that God will answer. To ask anything of the Father, in the name of Jesus, means that we ask what Jesus would ask, what would please Him, and what would bring Him glory by furthering His work. When a friend says to you, “You may use my name!” he is handing you a great privilege as well as a tremendous responsibility.
The “whatsoever” in Joh_14:13 is qualified by all that God has revealed in His Word about prayer; likewise, the “anything” in Joh_14:14. God is not giving us carte blanche; “in My name” is the controlling element. To know God’s name means to know His nature, what He is, and what He wants to do. God answers prayer in order to honor His name; therefore, prayer must be in His will (1Jo_5:14-15).
The first request in “The Lord’s Prayer” is, “Hallowed be Thy name” (Mat_6:9). Any request that does not glorify God’s name should not be asked in His name.
So, when the Bible says to pray, according to His Will (1 John 5:14) how do we know we are praying in God’s will.
When we pray and say, “If it be thy will,” it is more than an empty, meaningless phrase. When we pray according to His will it means that we are understanding the condition of prayer. That prayer must always be according to the will of God.
How do we know when we are praying in God’s will?
1. Desire God’s Will. When you come to God in prayer, your first desire must be that the will of God be done in your life. Usually our tendency is to go into the presence of God and have it already worked out. But that’s not the way the verse says you’re supposed to pray.
Do you know why Jesus always got His prayers answered? Because He always desired the will of God. Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.” Prayer is not getting my will done in heaven, it’s getting God’s will done on earth.
2. Discern the Will of God. How do you discern the will of God? Colossians 1:9 says we can be filled with the knowledge of His will. You discern the will of God in the Scriptures. There are some things in the Bible you don’t have to ask if it’s the will of God.
3. Do the Will of God. Remember what Jesus told us to pray in the model prayer? Jesus said when we pray we’re to pray, “Thy will be done.” God wants you to do His will. I want to ask you a question: If God, right here in this service, should reveal His will for you, would you do it? A lot of Christians think the will of God is like a cafeteria line, where you pick and choose what you want. You can’t expect to get your prayers answered if you’re not willing to do the will of God whatever that will is. If God revealed His will to you would you do it immediately?
Two men were walking through a forest one day when they spotted an enraged momma bear. Immediately they ran toward the nearest fence. The storming bearran after them in hot pursuit, and they realized that they were not going to make it. Terrified, one man shouted to his friend, “Say a prayer, John. We’re in trouble!” John said, “I’ve never prayed out loud before. I don’t know what to say.” “But you have to,” yelled his companion, “The bull is catching up to us.” “All right,” said John, as he ran with all his might, “I’ll say the only prayer I know. My father used to say it at the dinner table: Oh Lord, for what we are about to receive, let us truly be thankful.”
People talk about prayer and the power that is contained in prayer. The ability to approach a loving, caring, all–powerful God and lay out all your problems and present your requests is to often either ignored or underestimated by many people today.
Christians should and need to realize that we should pray to our Heavenly Father regularly, daily, and for everything. God hears us and He will answer when we come to Him in the proper way.
IV. THE FRUITION OF PRAYER (v. 15).
And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Here is the assurance of the answer. We can know that God is going to answer our prayer.
ILLUS: I heard of a traveler going through China who visited a temple where the people were making paper mud balls, wadding them up, and throwing them at an idol they were worshiping. If the mud ball stuck to the idol it meant that the idol would answer their prayers. If the mud ball didn’t stick it meant that their prayers weren’t answered.
Aren’t you glad we have a God who says that we can know we have our petitions answered? God will answer your prayer. In fact God will answer every prayer you ask. There’s several answers that God will give to your prayers.
Direct. — You ask God for it and, boom, you get it right on the spot. That happened to Elijah. Elijah knew that the people of God needed revival and that they had an evil king and queen, Ahab and Jezebel, so Elijah said, “God, shut up the heavens so there will be no rain,” and God answered. It was direct.
Delayed. — Sometimes you pray and the answer doesn’t come right then, it is delayed. That happened in the life of Abraham when he prayed for a son. Sometimes God delays the answer to prayer because He knows we’re not ready for the answer.
Different. — You ask God for one thing and God gives you something else. It happened to Abraham. Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael may live before you.” But it wasn’t God’s plan that the answer be in Ishmael, it was God’s plan that the answer be in Isaac. Sometimes God’s answer is different. Every time God gives you something different than what you have asked Him it will always be better.
Denial. — Sometimes you ask God for something and God’s answer is no. Paul asked three times to have his thorn in flesh removed. God’s answer to Paul was no. But do you know what God told Paul? He said, “My grace is sufficient for you” And do you know what Paul said? He said I found out God’s grace is better than the answer that I’d requested. So you see, sometimes the answer to prayer is direct. Sometimes the answer to prayer is delayed. Other times the answer is different. Sometimes the answer is denial. But when you pray you can know that you’ll get your prayers answered.
When we pray according to God’s will, we are releasing our wills, and desires to God, trusting him to work thngs out His way in His time for His glory
ILLUSTRATION: There was a man marooned on an island who was desperately looking for a boat to come by and rescue him. After many days praying and asking God to send a boat to rescue him, he sighted a boat and his hopes were lifted. He ran out on the beach took some shirts and waved them to get the attention of the boat. But they didn’t see his shirts signaling to them and went on by. He was so downhearted and so downcast he began to accuse God. “God, why didn’t you answer my prayer? God, why didn’t they see me?” As he walked back to the hut he had constructed, he saw that the hut had caught on fire and was going up in smoke. He said, “Now, God, what have you done? The boat passed by and missed me and the hut that I’m living in has burned down.” About that time he heard the boat coming back. When he was rescued he asked them, “Why did you come back? They said, Well, we got your signal.” He said, “No, you didn’t get my signal. I waved my shirts until I was exhausted, you didn’t get my signal.” They said, “We saw the fire you built to let us know that you were there.”
CONCLUSION
Matthew 26 when Jesus was in the garden, he prayed, "Lord, if it is possible, take this cup from me. Yet not as I will. But as you will?"
I think what Jesus was trying to say was, "Lord, this is what I want. But ultimately, what I really want is what you want. I want your will to be done. On earth as it is in heaven."
And that’s the way we should pray. If you really want to pray in the will of God, then you should be praying for these four things:
Number one: Pray for people to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:4 says that God wants all men to be saved.
So when you pray for certain people to get saved, you are praying right in the center of God’s will.
The second thing you should do is to pray for people to grow spiritually. Paul was always praying things like that.
In Philippians 1:9, he says, "This is my prayer: That your love may grow more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best
A third thing that you should do is to pray for their health. 3 John 2 says " Dear friend, I
pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is
getting along well.
And finally, we should pray for our basic needs to be met. Remember the Lord ’s Prayer? Jesus says, "Give US this day OUR daily bread." Not, "Give ME MY Daily Bread." He’s teaching us to not just pray for our own needs. But for the needs of others.
But what about when I have prayed, and it seems that my prayers are not being heard. I will close with this true story that was told by Pastor John Piper in his desiring God telecast.
RUBY'S PRAYER
Ruby Hamilton, a businesswoman in her fifties, was stunned at the loss of her husband of 32 years in a car accident. Her anger and disappointment went deeper than a more typical expression of grief though. She had become a follower of Christ in her late twenties, but her husband didn't share her newfound interest in spiritual things. Nonetheless, she had set about praying for him feverishly and unceasingly that he would come to know the Lord. And one day when she was praying, she felt a wave of peace wash over her, and that still small voice assuring her that her husband would be okay. She eagerly awaited the day when her husband surrender his life to Jesus. And now this.
What do you do when faith doesn't make sense? When God doesn't seem to be answering or opening doors or being found? Ruby Hamilton stopped living for God.
Roger Simmons was hitchhiking his way home. He would never forget the date - May 7th. His heavy suitcase was making him tired and he was anxious to take off that army uniform once and for all. Flashing the thumb to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped.
The passenger door swung open. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. "Going home for keeps?"
"Sure am."
"Well, you're in luck if you're going to Chicago."
"Not quite that far - do you live in Chicago?"
"I have a business there, the driver said. My name is Hamilton."
They chatted for a while, and then Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to share his faith with this fiftyish, apparently successful business man. But he kept putting it off, till he realized that he was now just 30 minutes from his home. It was now or never.
"Mr. Hamilton, I would like to talk to you about something very important." Then he simply told Mr. Hamilton about the plan of salvation and ultimately asked him if he would like to receive Jesus as his savior and Lord.
The Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger expected that he was about to get thrown out of the car. Instead, the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."
Five years went by. Roger married, had a couple of kids and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a trip to Chicago he found a small white business card that had been given to him by Hamilton five years previous. In Chicago, he looked up Hamilton enterprises. The receptionist told him that it was impossible to see Mr. Hamilton, but he could see Mrs. Hamilton. A little confused, he was ushered into a beautiful office where he found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties.
She extended her hand "You knew my husband?"
Roger told her about how Hamilton had picked him up while he was hitchhiking home after the war. "Can you tell me what day that was?"
"Sure it was May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army."
"Anything special about that day," she asked.
He hesitated, not knowing if he should mention how he shared the message of Jesus with her husband. "Mrs. Hamilton, I explained the gospel to your husband that day. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day."
Explosive sobs shook her body. Finally getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, "I had prayed for my husband's salvation for years. I believed God would save him."
"Where is your husband, Ruby?"
"He's dead. He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see, I thought God had not kept his promise. I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought God had not kept his word!"
Yes. God meets our basic needs in answer to prayer. And let me just say that if you’re here this morning. And you’re not a Christian. Then let me say that the most basic need that we have is our need for Jesus Christ. We need his forgiveness. We need his salvation. And we need his love. All this and more can be yours. If you ask Jesus to be your savior today. I invite you to Him. Let’s pray.
RESOURCES
Sermon Central,
Boldness In Prayer by Ed Wood
Commentaries
Warren Wiersbe, Commentary on the New Testement, 1 John
Full Life Bible Commentary
Strongs Concordance
