Upward Series: Prayer

Intro - Upward series is meant to discuss our focus on God and our interactions with him. Today we will focus on prayer

1 John 5:13–15 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.

TR: The first aspect of prayer is knowing…knowing who you are to the Father...

Knowing

Trust is essential to the life of the believer

How are you assured of your adoption as a child of God?

This is a foundational question that everyone must answer.

When confronted with the reality of your sin, disobedience, inadequacy, etc. you are being confronted with this challenge....are you REALLY a believer?

Are you REALLY in relationship with the Father?

Here John is pointing out that the basis of a believer’s salvation is not going to be in subjective works that are going to come and go but rather to someone who is believing in the name of the Son of God.

He has already spoken of the believers obedience but it isn’t OUR obedience that overcomes the world…but instead it is our FAITH (v. 4)

So you are an overcomer, you are more than a conqueror, not because of your obedience, not because of your submission to God’s Word that let’s be honest, may ebb and flow as life happens, but because of your faith…your believing.

Why is that so powerful? BECAUSE IF YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST....IF YOU PLACE YOUR BASIS OF SALVATION…in ANYTHING else…you have no hope. You shut off and turn to your own devices.

One of the things that so many people do as believers, and it is detrimental to their relationship with God is that they read works BACK into their salvation, the very works, the very rules, that killed us before we begin to cling to…let me explain.

Story of Indiana Jone sinking into quick sand and needing a rope to get out but all that was around that was long enough to get him out was a snake…a snake that would try to kill him in any other setting was his only visible source to pull him out of his sinking.

Most everyone listening to this would agree that we are not saved by what we do but by what has been done for us by Jesus Christ.

However, once we get saved from the consequence of the law…when we sin…when we fail…when we fall…and we don’t stop sinning immediately....we begin to doubt. Am I really saved? How can I determine that?

And what our flesh…this world…the enemy tosses back out to us to pull us from our sinking…is the very same thing we ran from at first and would kill us…rules....metrics…law.

However, John is writing this epistle, which closely mirrors his Gospel, to let people know that it is those who believe that have ETERNAL life....you need to KNOW that.

That knowledge needs to be absolute…static…unmovable. Knowing that faith and faith alone is what guarantees eternal life is crucial.

Trust in your possession of eternal life is the bedrock of your actions…especially the action of prayer.

TR: The chief reason that knowing you have eternal life is crucial is because if you don’t know that…you don’t believe God hears you...

Hearing

God hears those who are His children

Assurance of our position before God…especially when we KNOW Him and even more so when we know that He knows us leads us to confidence.

There is an expectation from God…and it’s far more than to obey His commandments. It’s more than the “one anothers” of Scripture. More than giving, loving, forgiving or reconciling.

The expectation is that you TRUST Him.

This is CRUCIAL…because without trust then the only reason to obey anything He asks, to do anything He says to do, to believe anything He promises is because you have determined it to be correct.

However, there’s a little problem with your evaluation....you don’t have the skillset to judge anything.

Illustration of critics who have never played the game. One of my friends writhes in pain everytime Matt Hassleback gives commentary on football.

But when you trust who God is and what He is to you....then you have confidence!

Realize how earth shattering this was at the time…God was someone to be feared…viewed and interacted with at a distance.

God was a being of infinite holiness that you best tread carefully around because He was waiting for a misstep.

Yet here John is saying not only is He not waiting for a misstep but WHEN YOU DO MISSTEP…YOU CAN STILL HAVE CONFIDENCE TO APPROACH HIM!!!

Literally this word means “saying all things”

I am convinced that the most radical truth about God is His unconditional love…because it’s truly unconditional…I mean really think about who He is welcoming into His family.

I challenge you to find a relationship you currently have and see if you believe that no matter what you did, no matter if that person committed the most vile sin you can think of, if they could still come before you and your feelings toward them wouldn’t change.

But the confidence you have is a direct reflection of the trust that you have. Do you know how much He loves you?!

There is not a thing in this world that I would not move or fight through to respond to the cry of my child…that is what you must understand!

The Father will literally move Heaven and Earth, create completely new ones, just to be near His child that called to Him, that trusts Him.

One of the greatest disappointments is to let down someone that trusts you…God has never behaved in that way.

Will you pray to Him? Call out to Him? Entreat Him?

And when you do, do you know that He enjoys hearing from you and He listens.

Not only do we ask confidently but we continue asking with the expectation of being heard and the thing we’re asking for benefits us.

And if we ask “according to His will”....this is the qualifier and for various reasons it is difficult for many to understand. Let me give an example.

My son coming to ask me for something has an entire world full of things that I’d happily give him if he desires them. Food, affection, attention, encouragement, some new shoes if his are too small, etc. However, if he comes and asks to drive my car, being 10 years old, I’m going to say no. He didn’t ask for something that was in my will to give him. Not that it’ll always be “no” or that I won’t speak to a deeper need and answer that, for instance if he was asking because he wanted to go somewhere, I could just take him. However, it is still my desire that he sees me as a source for his needs. The only reason why a child would ask you for something is because they believe that you’re capable of doing it.

Family do you believe, truly believe the Father desires to hear you, do you trust Him, and do you petition Him in prayer?

TR: If you do, if you approach confidently, knowing you are a child of God, asking according to His will…THEN KNOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR REQUEST!!!

Having

One of the sad truths about the Christian journey is that there are many blessings that you are going to leave behind because you didn’t ask for them...

No, God’s will is not such that it is just going to be what it’s going to be. Yes, He will get glory. Yes, He will reconcile all things to Himself.

However, there is a unity and a cooperation that occurs between the sovereignty of God and the will of man.

I remember in Science City there was this machine that would push water through all of these tubes, however depending on how you aligned the tubes the it would produce a different result when the water came out the other side. Either way you’d get wet but how wet was the answer.

Prayer is much the same, the nature of the blessings of God have not changed. The fact that they are going to flow to His children has not changed. How much they do and in what manner they arrive many times is up to us.

Prayer is an opportunity for us to come confidently, speaking freely, biblically and knowing that He’ll respond.

Sometimes it may arrive in a different form than what we ask but nonetheless it will arrive.

Family as we engage in this world, as we attack systemic racism, police brutality and are in desperate need of wisdom…what are you PRAYING for?

LAND IT LOUD

Do you trust the Father and do you believe that when you ask Him you not only have His ear but that your requests are being granted.

As I listen to with a discerning ear to the voices of my children, I not only hear what they ask and say but I listen to their heart and deeper desires behind it…it is that call that I answer.

As much as it is in my power to give they will have everything that they need…how much more so a loving Father who is divine?!

Family....YOU HAVE IT! HE HEARS YOU!

Pray and be confident…TRUST HIM...

Come before Him

Come before Him with confidence

Come before Him with confidence and asking

Come before HIm with confidence and asking according to His will

Come before HIm with confidence and asking according to His will, knowing that He hears you.

As my anger and feelings of inadequacy confront me with racism, with overwhelming leadership responsibilities, with great expectations that press down....I TRUST HIM!!!

DO YOU TRUST HIM?! DO YOU KNOW YOU CAN GO TO HIM AND HE’LL LISTEN....and not just listen but GRANT YOUR REQUEST through His will?!?!?!