Sermon Tone Analysis

*Three Keys of Prayer*

*TEXT: 1 John 5:14-15*

* *

*Introduction**: *There is a story of Dr. James Gilmore, missionary to Mongolia.

Although he was not a medical doctor, he did know something of first aid.

After treating several soldiers for minor injuries, a man was brought to him with a broken leg.

He diligently searched for a medical book, but he found none, so he knelt down and asked the Lord to help.

Shortly afterwards, a small band of village beggars came to the camp looking for a hand-out.

He gave them some bread and water, and all of the beggars left, except for one man.

This man was a mere skeleton of bones.

As he gazed upon the starving beggar, he immediately realized that God had answered his prayer!

Dr. Gilmore took his fingers and traced the femur in the beggar’s frail leg, and he was then able to know how to set the broken bone of the wounded soldier’s leg.

Someone once said, In order to GET an answer to prayer…..one must PRAY!

In our text, we find */3 Keys/* that open the */"door of prayer"/* in our lives*/: /*

*/The Key of Confidence /*

*/The Key of Conformity /*

*/The Key of Comfort/** *

!

I.           The Key of Confidence /(1 John 5:14a)/

!! A.        "And this is the Confidence that we have in Him……"

!!! 1.      Prayer is much more than a religious ritual – Many religions are more devout in their prayer lives than Christians – However, only those who have been truly born-again reach heaven with their prayers.

!!! 2.      There are only 2 kinds of prayers: Those that reach heaven and those that don’t!

!! B.        The First Key of Prayer found in 1 John 5:14-15 is that of /Confidence/.

!!! 1.

We can have /Confidence/ because of /2 Reasons: /

!!!! a)      An Earnest Petition – "And this is the confidence….We Have….."

!!!!! (1)  Confidence means "assurance; steadfastness"

!!!!! */(2)  /*Children of God can have */confidence/* because God’s Word teaches us that we have a loving, heavenly Father who loves.

!!!! */James 1:5-7 /*/If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.

/

!!!!! */(3)  /*We can have */confidence/* if we offer to God */an earnest petition/*.

*/Illustration/* – A man asked a pastor to pray about a problem he was having.

The pastor asked the man whether he himself had prayed about the matter.

The man replied, "Well, I have prayed a little, but I figured if anyone could get a prayer through to God, it would be you!"

!!!! b)      God’s Word teaches us that God giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not…….All believers should have */Confidence/* God hears.

!!! 2.      An Excellent Person – "……confidence that we have IN HIM."

!!!! a)      The */key to confidence/* is not found in ourselves or our efforts.

!!!! b)      The object of our confidence is the Lord Jesus Christ.

!!!! c)      */Hebrews 7:25/* teaches us that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, daily making intercessions for the saints.

!!!! d)      While many have stated, */"Prayer Changes Things….Prayer Works"/*, may I submit to you that it is not prayer, but */God who works! /*

!!!! e)      We know that we have a loving, heavenly Father who desires our petitions, and of Whom is said in *2 Corinthians 9:8 – *"And God is able to make ALL grace abound toward you; that ye, ALWAYS having ALL sufficiency in ALL things, may about to EVERY (ALL) good work."

!!!! f)       YES…..the Key of Confidence opens the door of prayer!

!

II.

The Key of Conformity /(1 John 5:14b)/

!! A.        "…..that, IF we ask any thing according to His will….."

!! B.        The Second Key of Prayer in our text is that of Conformity.

!! C.        Someone once said that Conformity is 2-Fold:

!!! 1.      Vast in Its Scope – "….if we ask any thing…."

!!!! a)      What can we pray for?

*/Anything!

/*

!!!! b)      What a blessed word….what a beautiful word…..what a bountiful word– */Anything!

/*

!!!! c)      *John 14:14 – *"If ye shall *ask anything *in my name, I will do it."

!!!! d)      *Matthew 18:19 – *"If two of you agree on earth as touching *anything*, it shall be done for you."

!!! 2.      Vital for Our Hope – "….according to His will…."

!!!! a)      Many people like the idea of */anything/*, and they forget there is a very important */prerequisite to anything/* – notice the word */"IF"/*.

!!!! b)      This little two-letter word is vital for our hope – IF we ask /"according to His will….." /

!!!! c)      *Oswald Chambers – *"The whole essence of prayer is to find the *mind of Christ*."

!!!! d)      It has been said that "The prayer that reaches heaven is the prayer that begins in heaven!"

!!!! e)      We ought to seek wisdom to discern the will of God even for our prayer life – Do you have divine authorization for the requests you make in prayer?

!

III.

The Key of Comfort /(1 John 5:14c-15)/

!! A.        "….he

heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that are desired of him."

!! B.

Here we find the /Key of Comfort/ in the /2 Promises/ we are given in regard to prayer:

!!! 1.

The Promise of His Audience

!!! 2.      The Promise of His Attention

!! C.        What /Comforting Promises/ the Lord has given to His children!

!! D.        These are the same promises that the prophet Jeremiah wrote about in the Old Testament

!! /Jeremiah 33:3 //Call upon me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things that thou knowest not./

!! E.        Let us again look at these /3 Keys of Prayer /in /1 John 5:14-15/.

!! F.         We can have /Confidence/ that God will hear our prayers /IF we ask/ any thing/ according to His will (that’s Conformity)/, and we can take/ Comfort/ in the knowledge that /IF/ He hears us, we will have the petitions that we desired of Him.

There is a story of a man who worked in the court of Alexander the Great who once asked him for financial help.

The king told him to go to the treasurer and ask for whatever amount he wanted.

A little while later the treasurer came to the king and told him that the man who he had sent had asked for an enormous amount of money!

It is said that the King Alexander the Great replied, */"/*/Give him whatever amount he has asked.

He has treated me as a King in his asking, and I shall treat him as a King in my giving!" /

*CONCLUSION: *How might our God Who Is Able to Supply ALL our Needs According to His Riches in Glory in Christ Jesus respond to OUR ASKING of Him?

May God help us to unlock the Doors of Prayer with the Keys of *Confidence*; *Conformity*; and *Comfort*!