The Prayer of Faith

Confidence in Prayer

Book of 1 John Chapter 5 Verses 13-21

What is confidence? Confidence is the assurance planted in our minds of the truth.

Confidence is a firm belief you have the truth.

Confidence is trusting in the integrity of someone or something you have placed your faith!

What must we understand?

Pro 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

If we just did this one thing, "trust in the Lord", we cannot imagine how much better our lives would be and that we have such a future ahead of us that it goes far beyond our imaginations!

Where did we end last week?

1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

The biggest problem in the Church is that our faith, "our trust" in the truth of Jehovah God is speculative and experimental and therefore there is no change or very little change in our lives!

Our faith must become certain!

We must know that it is the spiritual world that is the real world and not this physical!

We must know for sure, "we have a Heavenly Father" who wants to be involved in every part of our lives!

We must also understand that though we may not take every commandment God gives us to be serious, God does!

Every commandment we have from God, "rightly divided" has its own intended purpose for our lives!

We must understand that this world we live in lies in wickedness, and God teaches us how to survive with some peace of mind in this evil world, until He calls us home.

God has a purpose for us after He has saved us from ourselves!

There are many that ask, why would a sovereign God care about each individual in His creation.

God answers that question along with any other question that can be asked!

Let's begin at Chapter 5 and verse 13.

*****1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

You have to get the feeling that Jehovah cares for all His children. Not just as a group but each and every individual.

God wants to get up close and personal with each of His children!

According to the Apostle John, his epistle is written to believers.

It should also be obvious that the Bible is written to the Church, each and every Believer!

We should also understand that even today, there are those who believe but still are not assured of their salvation.

The Church has become opinionated, and there are many things we voice our opinions on, when we should just shut up and let God talk.

God says if you believe upon the works of His Son Jesus, then you have eternal life and not eternal death.

We don’t have to take a vote to see who is right.

We don't have to gather the elders of the Church to get their opinion.

All we must do is trust the Word of God and believe on Jesus Christ!

There is a great blessing that comes from assurance.

There is great peace that comes with assurance.

There is great joy that comes with assurance.

We can be perfectly sure we have eternal life.

We can experience eternal life right now while we live in these bodies of flesh.

We can live as if we will never die as long as we live by the Word of God and in faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can know beyond a shadow of doubt that we will live with our Savior for ever when He takes us home!

The one thing that must take place is, that we believe on the name of God's Son and believe, and believe, and believe, and believe, and keep on believing!

Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Since we will take on the subject of prayer let's listen as Jesus prays:

Joh 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

Joh 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Notice how Jesus addresses His Father 

Since we know how our Savior prays, then we should have more confidence in our own prayers.

Another of the great gifts of God is the fact that His ears are always open to hearing our prayers!

*****1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing "according to his will", he heareth us:

1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, "we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him".

We immediately see the key to answered prayer is praying for things that are in the will of God for your life!

We next see that this prayer must be a prayer of faith!

When we have that confidence in life eternal in God's Heaven, then we can also have that same confidence in answered prayer!

God hears the prayers of His children!

God does not hear the prayers of anyone else!

The only prayer of the lost that is heard is that prayer of salvation!

No one, not anyone, can approach Jehovah God without the Lord Jesus Christ!

You can pray five times a day or twenty five times a day, but without Jesus Christ that prayer is meaning less!

Every prayer that goes unheard is a plea for an action that will never take place.

As Christians, we should never fear the prayers of false religion, because they pray to a false god who is powerless to cause any harm to Christians.

When a Christian believer prays, God hears and if that prayer is in the will of God for your life, then that prayer will then be answered!

But don't be praying for the destruction of someone. We must never pray for God to destroy our enemies because God has already condemned them.

Don't be praying to win the lottery God has already said He would provide for us and we are to try to be good stewards of the things God lets us use.

Use prayer for the reasons God gave, and first prayer is intended for us to have a conversation with our Creator!

God hears our prayers if we ask according to His will, and this passage gives us God's will for answered prayer!

God has promised to answer our prayers if these conditions are met, but He did not say He would always make His answer obvious to us or in the time frame we have placed in our own mind!

Remember God is still the all-knowing God, and there are things we pray for that we do not need in our lives at any time!

For answered prayer we must have that total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

For answered prayer we must possess the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

We can pray for many things, but we need to spend more time talking to our Heavenly Father than asking for any need!

Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Our Father in Heaven is not a deadbeat dad!

It is the will of God that we be delivered from the trials of this life!

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

If God is first in your life because of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, then we should actually have no worries at all!

Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isa 41:11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Isa 41:12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

We must pray to God by the Lord by Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit and He will answer our prayers!

We let our own selves down when we do not follow God's rules and I hate to use the word "rules".

You see by being obedient children, then we will be delivered from all evil!

2Ti 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The God of all comfort will hear His children when we pray according to His will, but it is foolish to ask God for anything, if we do not have enough faith to believe He can provide us that answer.

Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Jesus would not have said this if it were not true!

We should not forget John is writing to believers and we believers are all in this thing together and therefore we need to help one another.

*****1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

1Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

What are the facts? First, we are to pray for all our brothers and sister in Christ. If we see that they are in sin, then we are to pray even more for them!

We must always be concerned about sin and especially sin in the Church. Many lessons can be learned from a study of the Church in Corinth.

I will present a few things for us to consider.

It is clear that if we live in sin, then we do not love our Savior. To live acceptable to God, we must live holy and righteous lives!

By praying for our brothers and sisters who are in sin that can be seen, shows the Lord that we are aware of sin!

There is but one time that we should not pray for our brothers and sisters in sin and this is when they have committed a sin unto death!

There is also sin not unto death!

The Word of God says all sin is unto Spiritual death!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Then the only sin that is not unto Spiritual death, is that sin that is under the blood of Jesus.

This is sin that is pardoned by our Heavenly Father by His free gift of "Grace"!

Rev_1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

We must also mention the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which is a great lesson in itself.

Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

What was the truth of the Messiah from the Old Testament?

Mat 12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: "I will put my spirit upon him", and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

What is the sin unto death?

Joh 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God "giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him".

Joh 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: "and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him".

What we know is that the day when Jesus healed a man who was demon possessed the Pharisees and other religious leaders said these things.

Mat 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

Mat 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils".

This is the "blaspheming" the work of God the Holy Spirit who God the Father had placed on God the Son.

In reality since Jesus has returned to Heaven so blaspheming the Holy Spirit cannot take place as it did this when Jesus was upon the earth.

Now the instance of "Spiritual Death" still comes on all those who have rejected the "work" that Jesus Christ has done for our salvation, and are not a home for the Holy Spirit, but these are two separate things.

Getting back to our lesson there two more things that we can consider.

We do not judge our brothers and sisters, but we do see them get caught up in sin and we need to pray from them just as the Scripture says.

There are somethings in our world of sin that can bring capitol, punishment from the local governments, which would be a sin unto physical death and when those charges are in fact true, then maybe we should not pray that God deliver them from this death because God endorses capitol, punishment for certain crimes.

It does stop us for praying for their soul which remains in the hands of God and no man can take away.

We are also reminded of those who leave the Church:

1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest "that they were not all of us".

1Jn 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

These who have left the Church and go out of the Church, blaspheming all the truth of the Church, were probably never saved to begin with!

They were just spies, for the Devil and people trying to cause confusion in the church!

They had heard the truth and decided against that truth!

We still need to pray for their souls, even if we have a tendency not to do so.

They will suffer eternal death just as all those who reject our Lord Jesus Christ!

Now if this does not answer that question of "sin unto death", then as individuals we need to pray for God's wisdom in these matters and just make sure we remain in prayer for all our brothers and sisters.

We are all sinners saved only by the "Grace" of God!

The one other thing we should point out is the Lord's Supper!

1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

1Co 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1Co 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

By the Holy Spirit, written by the Apostle Paul, those that take of the Lord's Supper unworthily, could also see sickness and even death and we may not even notice when these things have happened.

The Lord's Supper is a simple ceremony of reverence to the Body of Christ and should be observed in that fashion!

Maybe those who are not the children of God, should not partake of the Lord's Supper since they know these things!

Trying to impersonate a Christian for evil reasons can bring death to your body and your soul which could couse your death when you are completely healthy.

This is dying when there is no physical reason for your death!

If we are true "Born Again" children of God, doing the best we can to live holy and righteous lives, praying daily for the forgiveness of our sins, we will never get caught up in any of these things!

*****1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, "and that wicked one toucheth him not".

If we have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, then all our sin is under the "Blood of Jesus" and our sin cannot ever be counted against us!

It is a fact, that we must live righteous lives as best we can, while still in these bodies of flesh and righteous means according to the Word of God.

When God says it is wrong, then it is sin!

We must not give in to temptation and remember that "He that is within us" is much stronger than "he that is in the world"!

1Jn_4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

All unrighteousness is sin! The only sin unto death is rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ!

There are no little sins and no big sins, they are all sin.

We must repent and forsake all sin, while we are still living!

And remember these are those who have been born of God!

Those who do not know the Lord as their Savior, must first invite Jesus into their hearts and be washed in His Blood!

Because we have accepted the fact that Jesus took all our sin upon Himself, we are freed from sin and are now acceptable to God, but we will never have a free license to sin!

Because of Jesus, that "Wicked one" (Satan, the Devil, the Deceiver) cannot touch us!

Though we may feel like it at times, "the Devil cannot ever get on our back", because we belong to Jehovah God!

*****1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

When we know, that we know, that we belong to Jehovah, then we also know that we live in a wicked world.

Think about Noah when he was building the ark. He knew He was right with God and He believed when God said it was going rain and the earth would be flooded.

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

At the same time, Noah knew the world would be flooded because of sin and therefore he knew he lived in a wicked world.

Noah was not bothered because he provided good jobs, and everyone thought he was a fool.

Things have not changed so much today, the Christian is still looked upon as a fool, but now this wicked world wants all Christians to be eradicated from this world and God will come get His people one day soon.

The world we live in is not the same world God, created back in the Book of Genesis.

The world we live in is not the same world that was left after the flood in Noah's day.

Everything in this world has been corrupted by the Devil and those who follow him!

Everything in this world is aging, deteriorating, and passing away, and this is easily seen if we just open our eyes.

We must do our best to separate ourselves from this world.

We must do our best to pray for all our brothers and sisters to do the same, and we must give ourselves to the Lord for safe keeping.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

2Th 3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

2Th 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

While this wicked world looks to the coming of the Messiah, we know He has already come.

*****1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

The Old Testament told us of the coming of the Messiah.

The New Testament tells us that He has come and who He is.

If you are a child of God, then you are aware of the Spirit world, while we live in the physical world.

We know the truth!

Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Jesus the Messiah came to us to teach us the truth!

Jesus the Messiah came to restore our fellowship with Jehovah.

It is this restored fellowship that protects us from the wrath of God upon this sinful world.

We know these things because our fellowship with Jehovah is restored and this fellowship extends to every brother and sister in Christ throughout this world.

Joh 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

Joh 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

If we reject the proof of the Messiah and the person of the Messiah, then we have placed this world above our Holy Father, and we are idolaters.

As the little children of God this is the first thing we must get right!

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Anything that takes first place in our lives becomes our little god or if it is our Savior then we have made the right choice!

There is only one answer to all our problems:

Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

We have only one God and His name is Jehovah!

Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

The Lord has taken the time to make sure we know all these things surely we can take the time to praise Him for the truth.

Any other thing we lack, God will certainly explain them to us, if we go to Him in prayer.

God wants us to know that He is not hiding anything from us!

When we know all these things are true, we can also believe our prayers will never go unanswered!

Amen

Let’s Pray!