Ask God for Stuff

I’m in Lowe’s looking for this piece I need for a project. Man stuff. Tim Allen grunt. But I can’t find it for the life of me…and if I’m being honest, I’d probably call it a thinga-ma-jig. Like I know what it is, what it’s used for, all the stuff I’m supposed to know but I can’t think of the name of it. I’m looking everywhere...

“Why don’t you ask an employee....”

All my manly energy rises to a height. My adrenaline spikes. I WILL NOT ASK FOR DIRECTIONS!!! I’m a man, this is an affront to my manliness…men know where these objects are…if I can just think of what it’s called I can look it up on the app, find the aisle number, get it and nobody will ever know about this moment of incompetence.

I’ll find it…don’t worry.

But after a bit you have to admit defeat, right. And then you start thinking oh, man now I’ve got to go up to some employee who probably knows even less than I do about this thing—though maybe he’ll know the name—and I have to sound like an idiot trying to explain what that thing is called.

Why is it that people—and studies show its especially difficult for men—to ask for directions? They’ve actually done some scientific studies on this.

One of the reasons is that men tend to learn more by doing than by being told what to do. That might be a fancy way of saying we don’t do well at listening to directions…but they also found that we have this innate desire to win and to be seen as strong. That also factors in. But men also have a hard time abandoning a system even if its shown that this system isn’t working.

Why don’t we ask for help. Well, one is because we don’t think we need it…we aren’t desperate enough and because we might be embarrassed or stubborn or prideful or it’ll expose us…just a combination of those. And sometimes we don’t ask for help or directions because we don’t trust the person we are asking.

Now I could give similar illustrations with ladies. Y’all will be quicker to ask for direction but studies have shown that women are much slower to delegate—they are slower to ask for help in some situations.

What areas?

Well, it’s really the same. It’s whenever they feel threatened, they don’t feel like they need it, or they’ll just be flat out embarrassed or exposed.

You might be able to see this best with children. In one sense we might say oh, man kiddos are incredibly fine with asking for help. They do it ALL the time...

But that’s in areas where they don’t think they need to be mastering something. But try to help an 8 year old tie his shoe or help him get dressed and you’ll see the same thing you’ll see with me going to Lowe’s.

Why? Because he should be able to do that. And all those same human instincts rise up…I don’t need no help. And that’s really part of our human condition.

Now imagine a church where there are issues. Like pretty big issues of division. Things where people are fighting. Confusing theological issues abounding. Like the whole things seems like it’s about to rupture at the seams. Maybe people are all talking about it…or maybe they are afraid to talk about it but it’s just kind of an undercurrent...

And then John writes this letter and exposes the whole thing…and he’s trying to encourage, but man there are some problems there and it kind of exposes things a little.

What do we do? What do we do with these issues that we’re facing…How do we solve this…how do we fix this...

We’re running around Lowe’s....

This is what John says:

1 John 5:13–17 ESV

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward 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 that we have asked of him. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

Now, I know there are some verses there that get a bit confusing—what in the world is that talking about a sin unto death? We’re going to address those…but we need to understand the big picture first.

I’ll summarize this passage for us really simply…that doesn’t mean you can go back to sleep…you’re going to want to keep paying attention here…but the big thing here is this…It’s life changing…it’s going to be somethign so amazing....you ready for it…???

We should ask God to help us.

Again, I know that sounds so simple. Kind of a duh. But I’m convinced we dismiss that about as quickly as we dismiss a wife saying, “hey maybe you should pull over and ask directions…hey maybe you should ask that Lowe’s worker where that object is found...”

John is telling these believers that they have access to God and they ought to use it. Let me show you this.

5:13—Here John tells us the whole reason he is writing this letter. He wants the believers in the middle of this difficulty, the trouble these schismatics (that’s another word for false teachers…) when these dudes are wrecking everything, shaking their confidence, all of that…he says, those of you who are trusting in Jesus, clinging to Christ. I want you to have confidence…I want you to know that you have eternal life.

You need to have this rock-solid confidence. Standing on that solid ground. Don’t be rattled or shaken, breathe in grace, drink up the gospel, know that you’re loved and accepted.

v14. And this is the confidence, says John. That’s a word he has used in 2:28, 3:21, 4:17, and here in 5:14. It means not shrinking away, not being ashamed, it’s a boldness. It is a word that is also used in Hebrews 10:19, 35 when it similarly talks about our access with God.

This will seem like a “duh” illustration but think about it for just a moment and I think the simplicity of it will help us see the picture.

When my children go outside, or go over to a friend’s house and then come back, when they get home they don’t ring the door bell. They just come in. They come in, they probably go look in the fridge, they just act like they pay the mortgage on the place.

And they never think twice about it…they never think, I don’t belong here. No they say things like “my room” and “my bed”. And let’s try to resist in our minds going to one of those easy jokes about teenagers or whatever…and let it sink in.

They have confidence. And they ought to have confidence. They DO have that kind of access. Of course Nikki and I don’t want them ringing the door bell. We don’t want them asking to get in the fridge, or asking if they can eat this food or that food, or acting like that isn’t their room or that bed. It is OUR home.

What John is saying here…when he says “And this is the confidence”…he’s saying…something similar. And this is the kind of access that we have...

When I come into the presence of God I belong. No, I didn’t pay the mortgage…but I don’t belong any less. I have a room there. I have an audience there. I have access to the fridge. This is what John is saying...

This is the confidence we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Now a little bit of information here. When I first read through this I immediately went to prayer…and that’s cool…we ought to do that. This is talking about prayer…but there are different words that are translated prayer and we can miss that.

There is this general action of prayer that encompasses really everything we might call prayer. That’s not the word used here.

There is another one that is like an asking questions of God, or even of another. It’s a word that often means a request…but it’s a bit more general. That’s not it.

Another one is a desperate cry for help. Not that one either.

This is a word which means to ask…sometimes even the word is translated to demand…something specific.

This is a little tough to see, to be honest. But maybe this will help. I might be talking to God and say something like, “God, I’m hungry.” That’d probably be a different Greek word. And if I said something like “God, I’m hungry can you feed me…” that might be another word.

But this particular word used here might be used if I said something like “God, I’m hungry can you feed me some bread…that bread right over there…can you grab that for me and put it in my mouth?” Thanks!

It’s very specific.

And John is saying that we have that kind of access. Not some general and vague asking but asking for very specific things. And he’s saying you have that kind of access.

Now he puts that disclaimer there… “ask anything according to his will.” And see we get weird on both ends of this thing. On one end we might use that to just take the legs out from underneath of this whole thing—to where it really doesn’t mean anything.

Like…ask God for that specific piece of bread…and you know what…if He wants to, if everything aligns, and He is happy with you, and happy with how you asked it, and it fits in with all of His sovereign purpose, and all of these things are together---well good news, man. He’ll give it to you.

But that’s not what John is going for here. And there’s another side of this…and I think that’s why we might say things like I just did…because we feel like we need to put a fence around this because people can be really silly. And they can come into a passage like this just dripping with the world, not having any thought to God...

I think you might see something like this with James and John (our author)…same word is used there…when their mama put them up to this request…hey Jesus, when you come into your kingdom, could we have the coolest seats—like right by you.

That’s not asking according to God’s will. That’s asking according to John’s will…or at least John’s mama’s will. That’s what it’s talking about here…but that’s not meant to cut the legs out from under this passage.

Whatever you ask he hears. And if he hears…if His ear is bent…you know He is going to respond favorably. God WANTS to answer prayer. God WANTS to deliver.

I mean feast on Luke 12:32. “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.” God loves to answer prayer. He isn’t begrudging. He’s not like a tennis judge looking to make sure we don’t ever get out of line, making sure that we ask just the right way, with the right motives, with the right words, all of that…John wants them to see His disposition towards them. God hears you. And the Spirit wants us to know the same thing.

Now we move to that confusing verse…it’s connected to verse 15, it’s moving right along…and so we need to see that it’s a specific example of what to do with that access.

Ask God to give life to someone who is sinning.

But the way John says it…oh, man. Lot’s of difficulty. Because he says “a sin not leading to death and then he refers to another sin that is leading to death”.

What does this mean? I could give you some lengthy explanations and arguments as to why and why not to embrace each position…but honestly, I don’t want us to get lost on this…because big picture John is saying something so beautiful.

I’ll give you the major views in a super quick summary…then say without much argumentation why I’m not convinced of that one…then share what I’d lean towards.

Common one…pretty old view. That John is talking about mortal sins and venial sins. There are some super serious sins, done willfully, knowingly, and without coercion—and these lead to a spiritual death, a separation from God.

But I’m not convinced of that one because I don’t think Scripture separates sin quite so sharply like that. I think mortal and venial is a bit arbitrary. But even more than that I don’t think it fits with what John is saying here.

He’s saying… “pray for those who have venial sins...” but I’m not saying to be praying for those who have mortal sins. I’m just not convinced.

Another option is to say this is talking about physical death. Maybe like Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. There is a sin that is so grievous perhaps that it will result in the physical death of the person.

But that doesn’t really fit with how John talks about life and death. In fact the word he uses here for “life” isn’t bios. That’s what’d you expect if he’s talking about physical life. It’s zoe—which is like a quality of life, often used of spiritual life. It’s what is used in 5:12. And I don’t think we’d say “He who has the Son is still alive. If you don’t have the Son you don’t have physical life.” Well that doesn’t make sense.

And so I think both the life and death here in this passage is spiritual.

A couple other views are that it’s referring to apostasy—walking away from the faith, so maybe John has the false teachers in mind. Or another that it’s referring to blasphemy of the Spirit. Or maybe it’s talking about just habitual sinning so much that God just cuts them off. And so I think you’d be saying that such a one is too far gone, don’t bother praying for them. But if someone hasn’t done that…well pray for them.

I suppose that could be what it’s talking about but he uses the word “brother” there and I think that has some weight. I’m not as convinced it’s any of these.

If we look at how John has been talking about those who are “unto life” and “unto death”, I think he’s really talking about believers and unbelievers.

What if John isn’t talking about sins in themselves but rather the one who is committing them. That God does not give over to death those who he has restored to life—those who, as we saw earlier in John’s letter—those who are trusting in Christ’s atonement.

All sin…in itself is Christ-rejected. And all sin…in itself is of death, and leading unto death. And so I don’t think John is talking here about specific sins. But rather the difference is in the one committing them.

One is trusting in Christ and His atonement, the other is not…similar to what we’ve seen the whole time in 1 John. The realm of death is with those who are not trusting in Christ.

And so think about what he is telling us to do...

How in the world would I know if you “intended to do that thing” you did? How do I know if your rejecting Christ is definitive? I mean John is saying something like, “sees his brother committing a sin”…that means it’s not something that is invisible or really inward, not something which is unable to be observed...

Which I think he is saying that believers are able to know and discern other believers. And when John says, “I’m not saying one should pray for that”, I don’t take him as saying, “don’t even bother praying for them”…I take it more like a parenthesis. It’s him saying, “I’m not talking about that…I’m not talking about them right now.

I’m saying that the atoning work of Christ is powerful and effective. And when you see believers struggling, when you see it look like they are about to walk away…pray for them…ask God on their behalf. Make that request… “God, my brother is drinking some poison. Lead him into truth. Rescue Him from this”.

Think about what John’s community is facing. It might be somewhat similar to ours....you are seeing those who profess Christ, those you’ve been side by side with, abandoning Christ---whether dropping on the right or the left…they are embracing some “ism” that distorts their faith and as a believer your’e seeing this and you’re concerned....

Or you’re in a church, or you’re thinking about American Christianity, and the church broadly, or even worldwide, and you’re deeply concerned...

This is what John is saying. We should ask God to help us. You have this access to God—walk in and grab something out of the fridge access…and you should use it.

Why would I not do that?

First, I think we don’t do this, we aren’t specific, our prayer is general or mechanical…I think it’s because that laser focused clarity would expose things. One, it would clearly expose our desires. But I think we might also be a little scared of it. It requires a deep trust in God.

What I mean is that if I pray something like, “God bless my day” and I have a horrible day where everything goes wrong…then at night when I lay my head down and reflect on that prayer I can just kind of spiritualize it all and say, “Well, I guess God decided to bless me through these trials.” I can reshape it in anyway where my prayer is “answered”. God looks good, I don’t have to wrestle with the implications for myself in not having a prayer answered…we all save face.

But if I’m asking God for something specific like, “God, I’ve got $25 to my name and I need to pay this bill for $119. I’m about a $100 short. Help.” Well, if the end of the day comes and I don’t have that “help” well then I’ve got to wrestle with that don’t I? Or if someone comes up to me and says, hey God woke me up at 4:00 this morning and told me I needed to give you this $100, well then I’m able to dance a little more passionately, right.

But we’re not comfortable with wrestling with these things. That walk of faith makes us jittery and so we stop praying these very specific prayers. Because it means they might very specifically not get answered—and we aren’t sure how to place that.

Another reason we don’t pray specifically and passionately…why we don’t ask is because we are spiritually self-satisfied. This quote from Piper is a throat punch:

The lukewarm are spiritually self-satisfied. To find out whether you are among that number, don't look into your head to see if you think that you are needy; rather, look at your prayer life. It doesn't matter what we think in our head, the test of whether we are in bondage to spiritual self-satisfaction is how earnest and frequent and extended our prayers for change are. Do you seek the Lord earnestly and often in secret for deeper knowledge of Christ, for greater earnestness in prayer, for more boldness in witness, for sweeter joy in the Holy Spirit, for deeper sorrow for sin, for warmer compassion for the lost, for more divine power to love? Or is the coolness and mechanicalness of your prayer life Exhibit A that you are spiritually self-satisfied and lukewarm?

We don’t pray like this after awhile because we think we’ve got it figured out, or that we shouldn’t be asking God for trivial things anymore. Or we don’t beg God for other people because we are wrapped up in our own world. As good Westerners we aren’t comfortable with desperation. We run from it as if it’s the mark of ungodliness. You should have things more together…you shouldn’t be this desperate still…

I need to take you back to Lowe’s with me. This time we’re with my friend David. David is a contractor, builds houses for a living, knows exactly what he’s doing. Been doing it for many years. When my house in Aurora had all these issues and had to rebuild our kitchen, I talked to David.

David, being the amazing guy, offered to help me out. To show me out to do things…as best as he could teach a student like me…and you know what this meant. It meant we’d make a few trips to Lowe’s together.

And so we’re in Lowe’s and need to know where something is at. And you’ll never believe what David did. He walked right up to a worker. Like no questions asked in his mind, no deliberating, no thinking he’s going to feel stupid. He just in the broad light of day does this…he goes straight to the guy and says, “where’s this thing we need.”

Do you know why?

There are two types of people who “ask”. Those who are children and know that they don’t have a chance without help AND experts who know what they don’t know.

You know who doesn’t ask. Those who think they are experts or those who are trying to prove to others that they are. And so when it comes to issues with life, issue with church, issues with whatever...

You know what the “experts” are going to say.... “we should ask God to help us.” As we mature spiritually we don’t get “less dependent” we get even more…because we know reality.

I have a pastor friend, John, who is in his 70’s—kind of a mentor to me. He has pastored mega-churches. If we’re talking about an “expert” pastor its this guy. But you know what he does everyday---he prays. Not just a little cool mechanical prayer but he gets quiet before the Lord and pours over a prayer list. He’ll just ask something specific over each name. It’s simple.

He doesn’t pray as a strategy. He doesn’t pray as a means to something greater—like “oh, I need to pray so that we have revival”. No, he just prays because after all these years of ministry he understands his desperate need, apart from the work of the Spirit we are helpless.

When I call him asking about things his go to thing is to pray and to assure me that he’s going to be praying for the situation and I know he will be. I have so much to learn from him.

Ask God.

We should ask God to help us.

That is what John is saying here. We have this access to Christ. We are able to pray this way because of what Christ has done on our behalf…and if we are those who “believe in the name of the Son of God” well we have this confidence.

Do you have this access?

Jesus is the one who gave us this access…Jesus is the One through whom this access continues…that is the difference here in this text. Do you know Christ, do you believe you need Jesus to cover you, to provide you atonement, or do you still think you can do it on your own…I’m going to keep walking around Lowe’s for awhile, I’ll get this figured out.

I’m going to ask God even now...