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Not a tired subject
May we never get to a point that we think that prayer is a routine, no thought thing.
Prayer is a vital tool, and a command given.
We should not be surprised that John addresses prayer to the believers.
John is drawing to a close his Epistle and our passage this evening is going to focus on some words about prayer.
Now, we will look at (vv.16-17) and those verses are difficult to interpret and will spend some time there, but the overall theme, subject is prayer tonight.
Previously by John:
Taught on value of confessing in prayer (1Jn1:9)
let me show you in scriptures briefly
Taught on our Advocate in prayer (1Jn2:1)
Taught on reason we receive what we pray for (1Jn3:22)
In our passage tonight we will see he expands on prayer.
Praying with confidence and with compassion.
All this lines up with love for one another a great theme of the epistle and also a proof of authentic Christianity.
(Transition) So, tonight here is what we will look at.
Praying in confidence (1Jn5:14-15)
Praying with compassion (1Jn5:16)
Sinning a sin not unto death (1Jn5:16-17)
Praying in confidence
Prayer is a great theme throughout the bible and there are many teachings on it.
John uses terminology “ask” just as Jesus did (Mt7:7-12).
So this is asking in confidence, let’s look together at the passage.
Gleaning from the scripture:
Where is our confidence according to (v.14)?
Before Him
What is our confidence (v.14)?
That He hears us
What is the results of the confidence (v.15)?
We have the request that we asked for
Now, John is teaching, maybe reminding the young believers, the church to pray.
John tells them to “ask” but now may we look at what we are to ask and how we are to ask.
Praying with confidence requires:
Asking in accordance to God’s will (1Jn5:14-15; jn14:13-14; Mt26:39; 2Cor12:7-9)
Let me give you another version of these verses and let’s build on these verses some
Asking must be in accordance to God’s will.
Question: How can we know what God’s will is?
Some have drawn to a wrong conclusion regarding asking for anything, thinking they have open door because of faith to ask and God must give to them.
Taking a improper conclusion of
And if that were true how do you wrestle Jesus own words
Or maybe the words of Paul in (2Cor12:7-9) he asked 3 times for the throne to be removed.
I asked the question how can we know God’s will earlier, now consider the more we know His will the more likely we are to pray in accordance to His will.
Praying in accordance to His will brings a confidence we can have that they will be answered accordingly.
(Transition) So, know and pray according to His will and that leads to another point to consider.
Asking while keeping God’s commands (1Jn3:22-23; 1Pt3:22)
Keeping God’s commandments
According to (v.22) why do you receive whatever you ask?
You keep his commands and you do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
Think about it, can we expect God to favorably answer our prayers if we are not keeping his commandments?
Peter gives some rehashed words from the Psalmist that we can be reminded of.
In case you were wondering that is from PS34:15.
Who are the righteous?
Those who do those things that are pleasing to God (1Jn3:22); but also even more so
That we believe in Jesus, and love one another.
Now there is another request I want to request you to consider.
Request you abide in Him, and He in you(Jn15:7; Jn14:13-14; 1Jn3:24)
Jesus taught on this important subject, abiding
That goes hand in hand with the (Jn14:13-14) that we looked at earlier and now consider
I know, I think we used this one before too.
So, in summary
Confidence in prayer depends on knowing and praying His will
Confidence in prayer depends on keeping His commands.
So, love the Lord, love His word so you can keep His commands, keep His commands so you are abiding in Him and He is you and you can love one another which is a theme throughout this epistle.
loving one another is a trait of an authentic Christian.
(Transition) we can now move to another subject within prayer, praying with compassion.
Praying with compassion
Compassion: (N) sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
Is that not what we are to be compassionate toward one another?
So should our prayers show compassion for one another.
Some words used to describe compassion are: Feeling, Empathy, Sympathy, Understanding, Care, Concern, Sensitivity, Warmth, Brotherly love, Tenderness, Gentleness, Mercy and kindness.
So, John, the apostle of love speaking of compassion in prayer is not out of his wheel house, it is in his wheel house.
Focus for a moment, what is the prayer for in this verse?
God would give life to the one committing sin.
We are to pray for the sinning brother and help one another to be restored (Gal6:1-2)
We are to lay down our lives for one another (1Jn3:16).
That can be done in compassionate prayer
Now you can loosely add in the very next verse
Forget the worlds goods, but how about the spiritual goods, spiritual needs.
Compassionate prayer for the sinful heart that does not lead to death.
I would like to now look at our next part of the verse with the following verse which is baffled many and has many scholars drawing several conclusions that we will look at and hopefully draw a simple conclusion.
Sinning a sin not unto death
This is a difficult passage that can raise some questions.
Let’s look at the passage, some views and draw a simple conclusion.
Maybe it is obvious, but to be safe, what is the topic (beyond prayer) that is being addressed here in these verses?
Sin not leading to death
We are to pray for a brother who commits sin that is not leading to death.
But not for the brother whose sin leads to death?
Huh, that sounds confusing doesn’t it?
This has baffled many interpreters through the centuries.
one commentator F.F. Bruce said
“I suggest that it is, quite literally, a sin which has death as it’s consequence . . .
What John is doing, in that case, is to make it plain that he does not advocated praying for the dead.”
(F.F. Bruce answers questions; Zondervan press 1972)
F.F. Bruce offers one opinion, let me give you a few others.
A few opinions on this “sin unto death:”
A particularly bad sin which God will not pardon.
(Consider 1Jn3:9)
We cannot find in the N.T. sin that is so bad that it cannot be forgiven.
Peter cursed and denied Jesus and what happened?
Jesus fixed him breakfast and restored him.
One born of God does not live, dwell, practice sin: look at this verse
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