John tells us two things with respect to prayer in our passage for today.
1. We should pray according to God's will - vs. 14-15
What does it mean to pray "according to God's will"?
A. To approach God with a surrendered life.
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." - Psalm 66:18 (Amplified)
If I'm honest about my sin when approaching God and claim His forgiveness (1 John 1:9), I can approach Him with confidence.
B. To approach God with a submissive heart.
Praying according to God's will means wanting His will above all else. This means I'm willing for God to answer however He desires.
C. To approach God in a Scriptural manner.
God's will never contradicts God's Word. The more I can pray in line with the Scripture, the more I can be sure I am praying "according to God's will." For example, I can be confident I am praying "according to God's will" when I pray for those who are without Christ.
"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." - 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV)
Additionally, John tells us, I can know I am praying "according to God's will" when I pray for wayward believers.
2. We should pray for the wayward - vs. 16-17
A. When Praying For A Wayward Brother Is Proper - v. 16a
1) Praying for the wayward who are among us.
John tells us here that we are to be our brother's keeper. As members of the body of Christ, we are to care for one another's spiritual welfare.
"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works." - Hebrews 10:24 (NLT)
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." - James 5:16 (NIV)
We need to be open to asking others to intercede for us, to pray for us concerning our areas of weakness, so that we might be encouraged, strengthened, and victorious. There is not one of us who is without faults. Therefore, there isn't one of us without need for intercession.
Steve Green, the Christian vocalist, in his, "Listening Heart," shared about how he was often guilty of what he called "spiritual dishonesty." Though he desires to live a fully surrendered life to the Lord, he often falls short. He acknowledged he often pretends he is more committed than he actually is. So he said that he had gotten to where he often refers to himself as a "recovering hypocrite."
The point is that many of us need to get past the point of pretending that we "have it together" and learn to confess our faults to others and request to intercession. What a difference could be made in the body of Christ, if God's people would get sincerely honest with one another and pray for one another to be healed of our sinful struggles!
2) Praying for the wayward who are away from us.
Note the order of things as John lays them out for us here:
A) Observation - "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin"
B) Intercession - "he should pray"
C) Restoration - "God will give him life"
Here, intercession isn't requested. The intercessor takes the initiative to pray for one who maybe doesn't even realize his need to be prayed for. We need to go to God on behalf of our wayward brother, instead of gossiping about our wayward brother!
I love to tell the story of unseen things below,
Of people and their problems, each detail I think I know.
I love to tell the story, someone has said is true,
To pass it on inspires me, like nothing else could do.
I love to tell the story, 'tis pleasant to repeat,
What seems each time I tell it, a rumor to complete.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard,
The things that I could tell them, each vile and juicy word.
I love to tell the story, for those who should know best,
Seem hungering and thirsting, to hear it like the rest.
I love to tell the story, I care not if it's true,
It simply makes me feel good, to know I'm better than you.
Each of us has faults to overcome. That's where James 5:16 needs to be applied. Some of us, however, have been overcome by a fault. That's where Galatians 6:1 needs to be applied.
"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted." - Galatians 6:1 (NIV)
"We have the privilege of going to God in prayer. That is the first step toward the restoration of others. The prayer of God's believing
children can rescue a man or woman from losing their testimony and possibly losing their life. We need to do a great deal more praying like this in the church. I do not know of a church anywhere that does not have a lot of members who are totally inactive. Every time you see the name of an inactive Christian, it is a reminder of your divine injunction to go to God on behalf of that person and to engage in intercessory prayer." - Jerry Vines
2. When Praying For A Wayward Brother Is Prohibited - v. 16b-17
An obvious question is "What is the 'sin that leads to death?'"
A. It refers to a state of rebellion rather than an act of rebellion.
In the phrase, "There is a sin that leads to death," "a" is not in the original text. John is not referring to a particular sin such as murder, or adultery, or even devil worship. He is referring to a state of consistent rebellion against God's revealed truth which eventually leads to
death.
B. It is not the same as the unpardonable sin - Matthew 12:32
Again, the reference was not to an act of rebellion, but to a state of rebellion. Jesus spoke these words after the Pharisees had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. Their accusation revealed that they had gone so far in their rebellion against the truth as it was being revealed in Christ, and had so aligned themselves against God that they were literally in league with Satan. Their hearts had become so hard, that they were past the point of repentance.
The unpardonable sin refers to a state of rebellion on the part of an unbeliever, where because of persistent rejection of truth about
salvation, he "crosses the line" and is past the point of repentance.
The sin leading to death refers to a state of rebellion on the part of a believer, where because of persistent rejection of truth about spiritual growth, he "crosses the line" and is past the point of restoration.
C. "Death" refers to death in this life, not the next.
A believer who commits the "sin that leads to death," does not lose his salvation, but he does lose his life. He loses the experience of the abundant life Christ came to give him and possibly his physical life.
(Numbers 14:17-23; 26-35)
There's a time in our intercession for a wayward brother when God says to no longer pray for them, but to leave them alone. I do not know when that time comes, only God knows. Our job is to pray for wayward brothers. But sometimes, as one persists in prayer on behalf of a
wayward brother, God seems to stop you.
“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you." - Jeremiah 7:16 (NLT)
Note, however, that John says we are not to pray about whether or not a person has reached the point in his rebellion that he has committed the sin that leads to death. Our responsibility is to faithfully pray for wayward believers to return to the fold of faithfulness.
Conclusion: The fact that there is a sin that leads to death, ought to motivate us to pray more faithfully for those who are wayward.
How sad to think that some wayward brothers and sister might have had circumstances develop to which they would have responded
positively and turned around, if only someone had taken the initiative to intercede for them.
As we are made aware of the sins of our wayward brothers, my we be sure we do not sin by not interceding for them.
"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you." - 1 Samuel 12:23a (NIV)
"Oh Lord, make me an Intercessor,
through whom the Spirit can plead.
For the sake of the lost and wayward,
who are unaware of their need."
