Life Giving Prayer 1John 5:13-17
Last week we talked about the power of faith. This is the victory that overcomes the world ¡V our faith. Faith and prayer go hand in hand. We trust God to hear and answer our prayer. Prayer demonstrates our dependence on God.
Another one of the marvelous marks of the new birth is an inside track with the God of the universe. We have a most magnificent promise regarding answered prayer. John repeats this basically identical promise 9 times in his writings. This particular promise has to do with our prayers on behalf of a ¡§sinning brother.¡¨
What does the Bible say we should do when we see a loved one committing an obvious sin?
Like many life dilemmas, there are a number of equally Biblical options.
NOTE: Anyone who wants a copy of the Sunday School notes on prayer can pick up one from the office.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:13-15
The true child of God has the assurance of God¡¦s ear. This is the confidence that ¡§He hears us!¡¨
Not only does He hear us but He promises to grant our request. These are all present tense verbs indicating a continuous state of asking and hearing. Keep on asking. Keep on knocking.
PERSPECTIVE ON PRAYER
Prayer was never intended to be viewed as a parachute to be opened only in case of emergency. Neither is prayer a criminal cringing before an unmerciful judge. Prayer is a dependent child conversing with his loving Father expressing his admiration and gratefulness and explaining his present need for help for himself, his family and friends. Put simply, prayer is continual communication between a needy creature and a loving Creator who is our Heavenly Father.
Our moments in prayer should never become an obligation or duty that we dread to do. We need to be careful that pray does not become a meaningless ritual. Jesus said that meaningless repetition does not impress God or bring results. Rather, we should view prayer as a privilege that we desire to do because of the goodness of our God and the greatness of our need. At times, we desire to pray long and hard because the heaviness of our heart requires that we linger longer to share our deepest hurts seeking His dynamic help. We pray longer because we want to pray longer, not because someone has proclaimed that long prayers are more effective or more spiritual. It should be as natural and invigorating to communicate with God as it was to communicate with our spouse in the early days of our courtship. Can you remember back that far? For some, it is a fresh experience easily remembered. Prayer is not like a forced daily one hour conversation with the principal or boss that we would much rather avoid.
It is a treasured moment with a beloved friend or partner who has demonstrated unconditional acceptance and has promised to share all of themselves and their resources to accomplish mutual goals. The greater the personal need, the longer the desire to talk. The deeper and more secure the friendship, the greater the willingness to share our deepest self. Corporate prayer is a group of people talking to a mutual admired friend who has the resources to address our deepest need. We gather to express our deepest gratitude for His friendship and past help as well as our desire for His continued friendship and help. Does your prayer life reflect that kind of relationship?
Filled with language foreign to your normal conversation.
Filled with meaningless repetition of old phrases and words.
More like ritual rather than conversation.
JESUS¡¦ PRAYER LIFE
Prayer was an integral part of the life of Jesus because relationship with His father was at the center of His life. Although all the recorded prayers of Jesus could be recited in 10 minutes, the Biblical record indicates it permeated His ENTIRE life.
HE PRAYED BEFORE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TASKS
* The raising of Lazarus John 11:41-42
* The Garden of Gethsemane Lk 22; Matt 26; Jn 18
* The choosing of the disciples Lk 6:12
HE PRAYED DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
The first and last words on the cross were prayers. Forty strenuous days of temptation was thoroughly resisted with prayer and fasting.
HE PRAYED AFTER A DIFFICULT AND TRYING DAY
And after bidding the crowd farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray. Mk 6:46
Jesus knew where to refuel.
HE PRAYED DURING TIMES OF JOY AND SUCCESS
HE BLESSED AND GAVE THANKS FOR FOOD
HE PRAYED IN ANY NUMBER OF PLACES
In the Jordon river Lk 3:21,22
Solitary place Mk 1:35
Desert Lk 4:42
Wilderness Lk 5:15,16
Mountain Mark 6:46
Certain special place Lk 11:1
HE PRAYED AT VAIOURS TIMES AND DURATIONS
In the morning, a great while before day. Mk 1:35, All night Lk 6:12, Special Needs i.e. Peter's faith, Evening, Day Time, Long, Short, Continual present day intercession Heb 7
HE PRAYED WITH VARIED INTENSITY
With great Joy, thanksgiving, With blood and sweat, With heart break, With loud cries
HE PRAYED ALONE
HE PRAYED WITH OTHERS
HE PRAYED FOR OTHERS
PURPOSE OF PRAYER
„« Prayer facilitates intimacy with God
„« Prayer fosters humble dependence on God
„« Prayer furthers God¡¦s work John 14:12
„« Prayer fortifies the soul against temptation Matt 26:41
„« Prayer facilitates peace in the heart and mind Phil 4:6-7
PREREQUISITES RELATED TO CHRIST¡¦S WORK
„« Access through the blood of Christ
„« Standing through the righteousness of Christ
„« Kinship (relationship) through the name of Christ
PREREQUISITES RELATED TO THE BELIVER¡¦S WALK
There are personal some issues that affect our communication. They do not sever our relationship but strain the dialogue just as certain actions and attitudes strain any relationship.
„« Humble submission vs. proud self-reliance
„« Thankfulness vs. thanklessness
„« God¡¦s cause vs. my comfort God's glory vs. my gain
„« Purity vs. impurity
„« Active response to the word vs. apathy
„« Response to the needs of others vs. indifference
„« Harmony vs. dissension
„« God¡¦s will vs. my whim or my whining
„« Faith vs. doubt
„« Persistence vs. passivity
„« Praying in the spirit vs. praying in the flesh
PROMISES CONCERNING PRAYER
As I mentioned before, there are at least nine promises about asking and receiving recorded by John alone (7 in his gospel and two in 1 John). They are found in the following passages.
John 14:12-18; 15:7-8, 10-17; 16:24; 1 John 3:14-15; 5:14-17
Let¡¦s look more closely at our present passage.
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:13-17
First there is a general promise about God hearing our prayer. Then, John specifies prayer in relation to a sinning brother. Those who ¡§believe in the name of the son of God have the confidence that God hears them when we ask according to His will. This assumes that our request is in line with God¡¦s desires. We must be in tune with the will of God. How? Through a growing understanding of what He has written in the Bible.
Paul prayed that the Colossians be ¡§filled¡¨ with the knowledge of His will so they could not only pray according to His will but live pleasing to Him in every aspect of life. This is just one of several Biblically permitted responses to a sinning brother.
Again, John uses an all inclusive word ¡§if anyone¡¨ or ¡§whenever anyone¡¨.
This applies to everyone. ¡§Whenever anyone sees¡¨. This is a point action verb. If anyone becomes aware at a point in time of a brother continuing to sin a particular sin. Or it might be translated ¡§at the moment that¡¨
The word ¡§see¡¨ has to do with perception, knowledge, awareness. Become aware of a ¡§brother sinning a sin¡¨. The present tense participle indicates awareness of a sin pattern in brother¡¦s life.
John continues to carry his purity theme to the end of the letter. He addresses sin in every chapter of his letter. Here, he enlists the family in the promotion of purity through intercessory prayer. Failure to pray for our sinning brothers and sisters is sin itself.
Samuel understood that principle.
"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you (Saul); but I will instruct you in the good and right way. 1 Samuel 12:23
Moses understood the power of intercessory prayer for a sinning people.
The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people. Numbers 21:6-7
The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. "Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation. Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Exodus 32:9-11
Jesus did not intercede for the world but for believers.
I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours¡K John 17:9
Jesus prayed for Peter¡¦s faith that it would not fail when thrashed by Satan.
No matter what the unclear portions of this passage may be, one thing is clear. John instructs the family of Christ¡¦s followers to pray for our sinning brothers whenever we become aware of a problem.
Paul instructed the church to pray for one another every time they gathered.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints¡K Ephesians 6:18
Paul instructed the Colossians and the Romans to devote themselves to prayer.
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2
not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, Rom12:11-12
The disciples considered such prayer and study of the Word to be their top priority.
"But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Acts 6:4
Before we do anything else, we ought to give ourselves to praying for our sinning brothers.
The result of such prayer?
he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not to death.
Give life? What life is John talking about? Perhaps it is the life and light that has been the subject of his letter in contrast to death and darkness all through John¡¦s letter.
Intimate fellowship with God and love for God
Walking in the light
Walk as Jesus walked.
Love for the brethren.
Knowing and living the truth
Become mature in Christ
Abiding in Christ
Purifying ourselves
Listening to the Word of God
Abiding in the Word
The Word abiding in us
Confession and Forgiveness
Anointing
Not loving the World
Victorious living above the world by faith
Demonstrating love through sharing
Obeying His commandments
Confidence
All of these indicate the presence of eternal life, sonship, abiding in Christ, abundant life.
We know we have passed out of death into life by our love for one another. Failure to love or manifest these signs of life demonstrates death and darkness in our life. Prayer implores God to restore life to those experience death because of their sin. He who fails to love still lives in death.
¡§She who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives. 1 Timothy 5:6
Even Christians can become as the living dead. We can continue to walk in death and darkness.
Death is a state of unresponsiveness. Death indicates separation, alienation, pain, hopelessness, dullness, hardness, stubbornness. John touched on the signs of death as he did on the signs of eternal life.
Failure to love and hate
Failure to share with those in need
Failure to acknowledge and confess sin
Walking in darkness
Failure to abide in Christ and His word
Not living by the truth
Listening to and loving the world
Sin brings deadness to the soul that keeps us from enjoying the life God has made available through Christ and designed us to experience from the beginning. Sin brings a cloud that only gets thicker and harder.
Encourage one another daily lest we become harden4ed by the deceitfulness of sin. Heb 3:13
God will grant life for death in response to our prayers for one another. God promises to grant life to the ones (plural) sinning. The assumption is that there will always be sinning brothers that need our prayers, not our punches.
James also encouraged prayerful intercession for sinners.
Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:16-20
Just as John addressed many symptoms of soul deadness, James¡¦ whole letter addressed similar signs of soul deterioration and deadness. I don¡¦t fully understand the power of this promise.
I want to. I long to see believers pass out of death into life. I long for us to live in the light and life of our eternal life.
There is one exception to this promise that was probably understood by John¡¦s readers but has somehow become obscure to us today.
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. 1 John 5:16
¡§Sin to death¡¨. We are not encouraged to pray for those who sin a ¡§sin to death.¡¨ It is not that we should pray but God does not indicate He will answer that prayer. What is it? I don¡¦t know. Most commentators don¡¦t know. All sin brings death. Otherwise why would God need to grant live to those sinning? John seems to indicate another level of death perhaps a final death indicated by physical death.
One option is that John may be referring to the false prophets and antichrist who rejected the true teaching concerning Christ while calling themselves ¡§brothers.¡¨ This rejection is unredeemable. It will be final.
A second option relates to those convicted of a capital crime.
A third option may have to do with those whose continual sin necessitated an early release.
We have our hands full interceding for our sinning brothers to get hung up on the possible exceptions.
How should this passage affect your prayer life? When it comes to dealing with sinning brothers it should ALWAYS be the starting point! It should become a major part of our daily intercession. We may not even know the particular sin but recognize the ¡§death rattle¡¨.
Broken relationships, anger, apathy toward the word, lack of love, worldly focus, lack of joy, lack of sharing, lack of service, negative focus.
Our responsibility? PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
