1 John 5:14-15 (Prayer Part II)

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." 
                                               1 John 5:14-15

Over the last few weeks we have been looking at God's will, prayer and how the two intersect.  Jesus told his disciples how to pray, but I am not sure sometimes how much we, as followers of Jesus, have learned from His example.  In Luke 11 and Matthew 6 Jesus gives us the answer to the question "how should I pray?"

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:9-13.

We will come back to this in a minute.

Last week the Lord brought us to 1 Kings 16 and 17 to see what Elijah could us teach of about prayer.  We saw how Elijah confronted King Ahab, who worshiped the false god Baal, and how God stopped the rain.  We saw how God provided for Elijah, and later for a widow and her son, as Elijah hid from his enemies.  And, we saw how in the midst of all God was doing in these three lives tragedy struck.

Elijah and the widow must have been so confused.  Why would God miraculously provide for Elijah, the widow and her son, only to allow the son to die?  Why would God, in the midst of this incredible blessing, allow this poor woman to lose the only thing of value to her in life -- her only son?

From all of this, we drew three conclusions about prayer.

First, although Elijah was obviously confused about why God would allow the boy to die, the earthly reality that he saw with his eyes did not get in the way of the eternal reality he saw with his heart.   In other words, his circumstances did not change his faith.

Second, Elijah was persistent in his prayer.  He cried out not once, but three times.  His faith was not diminished just because he did not see the result he wanted the first time he asked.

And, third, when God answered Elijah's prayer he had something greater in mind than just the boy being healed -- he had in mind His glory.  If the widow ever questioned God or his servant Elijah, she would not do so again.  ^"Then the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.'”  1 Kings 17:24.

If we get nothing else from this, it is this last point that we don't want to miss.

As we continue on in 1 Kings, Elijah returns at God's prompting from his place of hiding to confront Ahab once again.  When Ahab and Elijah come face to face, Elijah rejects the label Ahab tries to give him as a "troubler of Israel", and he sets the wicked king straight about the real cause of Israel's woes.   "I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals."  1 Kings 18:18.  It is Ahab and the others who have worshiped an idol, a false god, who have brought trouble to the nation.  It is they who provoked God into stopping the rain.  And now, using Elijah, God would prove to the people that there is only one true God -- and it is he:  The Lord God Almighty.

So, in response to Elijah's challenge, Elijah stands alone against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel -- the very place where Baal is said to dwell.  Two bulls are cut up and placed on separate stacks of wood to see which god would appear to claim the sacrifice.  The prophets of Baal are asked to choose their alter first.  They call on the name of Baal and dance around the alter.  But idols do not answer.

Elijah provokes these false prophets of a false god further.  In response they shout louder and cut themselves with swords and spears.  This goes on for hours.  But, again "there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention."  1 Kings 18:29.

When the time for the evening sacrifice came, Elijah took his turn.  He first rebuilt the alter (which had been torn down), dedicated it to the Lord, and added water for good measure.  And then, Elijah prayed.

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
                                                                                                             1 Kings 18:36-37.

This time, of course, the true God showed up.  "[T]he fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench."  1 Kings 18:38.

Now, think about the parallels between Elijah's prayer and the prayer that Jesus gave us as a model -- the "Lord's Prayer."  Elijah's prayer was first that the people that would know on that day that "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel" was the one true God.  ("Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name!").  And secondly, it was Elijah's prayer that the people would return to worshiping this one true God once again.  ("Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!")

When you think about it, about half (four lines) of the Lord's Prayer is about God and his glory, about half (four lines) is about our sanctification, and one line is devoted to our material needs.  Hmmmmm?  I wonder, is that how most of us divide up our prayer time?

I have suggested it before, and I will suggest it again, but I really think we are usually quite backwards when it comes to prayer.  Many of us say we want revival.  Many of us say we want to see God's power manifest in the world.  Many of us say we want to be more like Jesus.  But, these kingdom things seem to consume precious little of our prayer time.

I don't know about you, but I want to see God use Heartland Church to make a profound impact on our community, our country and the world.  Heck, I want to see God use me in the greatest way possible before my own days on earth come to an end.

That is not to say that there is anything wrong with asking God to fix a flat tire.  The problem is that if all you ask God for is to fix a flat tire, the most that you can hope from your prayer life is a tire with air in it.  Do you want something greater than that?  Do you want something that has eternal significance?  Then I suggest you start praying for such things.






 

1 John 5:14-15 -- Prayer

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." 
                                                           1 John 5:14-15

Here in chapter 5, John might appear abruptly to change subjects from the repetitive theme of his epistle to the subject of prayer.  But I do not think that is actually the case.  In fact, I believe his shift into the realm of prayer has everything to do with what he has been telling us all along.

John has been telling us throughout the epistle basically three things:  (1) to believe in the true Jesus; (2) that our love for others is the evidence of our love for Christ; and (3) that we must be on the watch for false teachers -- the antichrists are already among us.  But John knows that we cannot do these things without prayer.  It is God who gives us the faith to love Jesus, it is God who gives us the strength to love like Jesus; and it is God who gives us his Spirit, so that we may discern the truth from the lies.  And, these three things are soundly within God's will for us -- if we pray for faith, love and discernment we shall have them!!

Prayer can be a confusing thing for us.  We pray with absolute faith (at least it feels like absolute faith) and see no response. We begin to wonder if the the problem is us -- perhaps our faith is not as strong as we thought. Or perhaps we are being penalized for some past, present or future sin.  Or we begin to wonder about God -- perhaps he is not who we think he is.

And then there are those who pray timidly.  We present our petitions, but feel the need to remind God that he need only grant them if "it is his will to do so."

Like most things, I believe it is we and not God or his Word that cause the confusion.  We are confused because of the disconnect between what we pray for in faith and what our eyes actually see.

Part of the problem is that our prayers tend to be about ourselves.  We tend to pray about our earthly needs and circumstances and with the wrong motives.   "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:3.

Part of the problem is that we see through our earthly eyes instead of through the eyes of eternity.  We lose heart when God doesn't come to our rescue -- when he doesn't provide what we think we need or deliver us from uncomfortable or desperate circumstances.  We see the temporary instead of the permanent -- the short term instead of the eternal.  We must be reminded to stand firm.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

                                                                                                     2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

As I was thinking about all this, the Lord lead me to 1 Kings and the story of Elijah.  

Have you ever wondered why the Israelites, despite all they had seen God do, kept straying?  Here, just a couple of generations from the glory days of David and Solomon, King Ahab ruled the land -- a king "who did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of [the kings] before him."  1 Kings 16:30.  Ahab worshiped Baal instead of the Lord.  1 Kings 16:31.  

Baal was an ancient Canaanite god who, among other things, was believed to have the power to cause or to hold back rain.  And rain, of course, was indispensable to an agrarian society that needed consistent rain for survival.  Perhaps it is not surprising that in times of drought the faith of the Israelites would wane, and they would be tempted to worship the gods of the indigenous people.  Maybe Baal was responsible for the rain after all.

It is against this backdrop that Elijah makes his appearance.  It is against this backdrop that the Lord our God would show Ahab who truly controls the rain.  "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.'”  1 Kings 17:1. 

God then sent Elijah to hide from Ahab.  At first Elijah hid in a ravine where he drank from a brook and was fed by ravens.  And later he stayed at the home of a widow and her son, who were on the verge of starvation.  Here, God miraculously saved Elijah, the widow and her son by taking the last bit of flour and oil that the widow intended to use for a last meal and multiplying it.  The jar of flour never emptied and the oil never ran dry.  How amazed the widow must have been!  The widow had only one thing of value -- her son -- and now they would live!

Imagine now the horror that the widow experienced when in the midst of this incredible blessing -- in the midst of such a miracle -- she would lose the only thing she had of value.  Why, she must have imagined, would God perform such a great miracle to save her son only to allow this same son to fall victim to illness?  Imagine Elijah's confusion.  Why would God use the widow and her son to hide Elijah from his enemies and then allow the son to die?

Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.  She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

But Elijah had faith.  He had persistent faith.  He had unequivocal faith.

“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.  Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?”  Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”

And God listened to Elijah's prayer, and brought the boy back to life.

The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.  Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”                                                     
                                                                                        1 Kings 17:17-23

The story of Elijah has a great deal to tell us about prayer.

First, although Elijah was obviously confused about why God would allow the boy to die, the earthly reality that he saw with his eyes did not get in the way of the eternal reality he saw with his heart.   In other words, his circumstances did not change his faith.

Second, Elijah was persistent in his prayer.  He cried out not once, but three times.  His faith was not diminished just because he did not see the result he wanted the first time he asked.

And, third, when God answered Elijah's prayer he had something greater in mind than just the boy being healed -- he had in mind His glory.  If the widow ever questioned God or his servant Elijah, she would not do so again.  ^"Then the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.'”  1 Kings 17:24.

I don't claim to be an expert on prayer.  But I do know this -- when we pray we must believe and not doubt.  I am not trying to be critical, but when we ask God to do something "if it is his will" I wonder whether we really pray in faith.  Just a thought.

 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.  James 1:6-8.

1 John 5:14-15 -- Finding God's Will

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

                                                                     1 John 5:14-15

Here, the disciple Jesus loved makes an abrupt shift and a great promise.  The shift is to the subject of prayer, and the promise is that anything we ask for we will be given if we ask according to God's will.

The question we must grapple with, of course, is how do we know what is in God's will.  Indeed, it is a question of eternal significance.  Jesus warned us:   “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21.

It is funny, but at least in the modern American Christian world it seems that many people spend far too much time searching for God's will rather than doing God's will.  We seek "God's will" in decisions big and small.  We may even get frustrated that we receive no clear answer, and are left alone to decipher and decide questions like "who should I marry?" or "what job should I take?" or "how do I escape my financial dilemma?"

Personally, I don't think God intends discovering his will for our lives to be some sort of cosmic Easter egg hunt.  And, I think we have it quite backwards.  We do not need to discover God's will in order to make good life decisions -- we need to live in God's will in order to make good life decisions.

In reality, finding God's will begins and ends with our relationship with Jesus.  When we put our faith in Jesus God's will becomes more and more apparent to us.

Jesus said "[a]nyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."  Isn't that interesting?  When we submit to God, then Jesus reveals himself to us.  As Augustine put it:  "Do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that you may understand."

As we offer our very lives in worship to God, as we renew our minds through his Word, we come to know God's will.  The guessing game comes to an end.  This is the very point of this familiar verse: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

                                                                                                            Romans 12:1-2.

So, what then is God's will for your life?  Let's start with this:  to be conformed to the image of Christ.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

                                                                                                              Romans 8:27-30.

Or stated differently, "[i]t is God’s will that you should be sanctified."  1 Thessalonians 4:3.  I hope you see the magnitude of this.  This is not just a call by Jesus to be conformed to his image, but a promise that we will be.  And not only that, but he promises that if we continue to follow him we will share in his glory!!

Indeed, when we surrender to the will of God Jesus not only reveals himself to us, but he brings us into his family.  As Jesus said, "[w]hoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:35.

As a final note, I would point out that we are to "[r]ejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  Personally, I find this text to be extremely comforting.  God does not call us to do things that are not possible through His Spirit.  Nor does he make promises that he does not keep.

Over the last two and a half years "joy" has been an elusive thing in my life.  The grief we have experienced has been beyond description -- and continues to be.  But I also believe that, while the hole will never be fully mended, through the spirit of the living God we will find joy again.  And, even now we pray continually and give thanks daily -- in all circumstances.

What a great God we serve!!!!

1 John 5:1-12

As has been observed, John's first epistle is a repetitive book -- as is the whole of the Bible.  There are three primary points that the disciple Jesus loved wants to imprint on our hearts and minds.  The first is that our eternity rests on our faith in Jesus, and Jesus alone.  The second is that those who truly have put their faith in Jesus will exhibit fruit -- our growing love for others is the litmus test of our faith.  The third is that we must be discerning -- many antichrists are already among us, and they are intent on deceiving us.

Here, at the beginning of the fifth chapter, John answers again the single most important question we will ever ask ourselves -- who is Jesus?  Interestingly, the answer to that question is intertwined with a second question -- what does Jesus have to offer us?

On the first point, we are told that Jesus is the Son of God.  We are also told that he is the one who came by water and blood.  To emphasize the importance of this duality, John repeats himself:  "He did not come by water only, but by water and blood."  1 John 5:6.

Throughout the ages theologians have wrestled with the precise meaning and significance of  all of this.  Some think that "water and blood" refers to Jesus being pierced with a spear while on the cross -- "bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."  John 19:34.  Others think it refers to the sacraments of Baptism and Communion.  Still others would say it refers to the baptism of Jesus himself and His death on the Cross.

This question will no doubt continue to be debated until Jesus returns, and we can certainly dwell on such things if we so choose.  At the same time, we should not let such debates distract us from the point John is making -- Jesus is the Son of God.

The catalyst for John's first letter was that some people had left the fellowship, believing that Jesus was different in some way than the Jesus John knew and testified to.  Perhaps they had embraced some form of gnosticism.

In any event, John tells us that "there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement."  1 John 5:7.  Whatever else John is trying to tell us, I think he is making clear that Jesus, while on the earth, was fully God and fully man.  It is this Jesus, and this Jesus alone, who must be the object of our faith.  He is the one who came to earth in human form, was born of the virgin Mary, who died on the Cross for our sins and who rose again.  He is the one who will come again to judge the living and the dead.

To conceive of Jesus as a great teacher, or a great philosopher, or a great person will not do.  He is the living God, and understanding him to be such is the only way to obtain what Jesus has to offer.

And what is it exactly that Jesus has to offer us?  The first offer, of course, is eternal life.  "And this is the testimony:  God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."  Put differently, the first offer for those who believe is eternity in the presence of God.  But "belief" here is not mere intellectual assent.  The Greek word is πιστεύω (pisteuō).  It means to believe, to trust and to submit to the power of.  We must make Jesus the Lord of our lives to be saved.

The second offer is the power to carry out God's commands -- and particularly his command to love others.  Obeying God's commands is impossible through our own strength.  The pull of the world is diametrically opposed to the pull of the Spirit.  The world calls us to selfishness while God calls us to selflessness.  Anyone who is honest with himself recognizes this tension.  We all struggle with even the idea of putting others ahead of ourselves.  And, the problem becomes compounded when the "others" of whom Jesus speaks are our enemies -- or His enemies.

But with true faith in Jesus comes the power to overcome the world:  "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."  1 John 5:3-5.  What is impossible for man becomes possible through the power of His Spirit.  Indeed, His power is so great that commands that are impossible to keep in the flesh are not even burdensome for the spirit.

I hope you see the unmistakable parallel between what John is telling us here and what Jesus tells us are the two greatest commands:

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:35-40.

It is interesting to me that in the past few decades much of the Christian community has focused on the "moral decline" in America.  Indeed, a great deal of time, effort and money has been spent trying to legislate morality through the political process.  The two observations I would make about this are (1) those efforts do not seem to have had much success; and (2) legislating morality, were it possible, would not achieve the only really meaningful goal that we should have as Christians -- leading other people to a relationship with Jesus.

Looking back now, I am afraid that our attempts to legislate morality actually played into the hands of our enemy.  Our efforts alienated many, and probably diverted our attention away from the real battle -- the battle for hearts and minds.

In fact, I would say that the real battle, and the one we largely missed, has been taking place at the core of our faith.  It was, and is, a battle over exactly what John has been talking about in this letter -- the truth of who Jesus is and the war that rages within between loving ourselves and loving others.

According to research from The Barna Group published in 2015, while most American adults at least agree that Jesus was a real historical figure, there is increasing disagreement about who Jesus was and is.  In fact, for the first time in American history less than 50% of one generation group (millennials) believe that Jesus is God.  Moreover, there is a clear, negative trend from generation to generation.

According to the same research: "[f]ewer than half of Millennials believe Jesus was God (48%), compared to 55 percent of Gen-Xers, 58 percent of Boomers and nearly two-thirds of Elders (62%). Young adults among the youngest generation are also less likely than older Americans to say they have made a personal commitment to Christ. Just 46 percent say they have made such a commitment, compared with six in 10 Gen-Xers (59%), 65 percent of Boomers and seven out of 10 Elders (71%)."

In short, the greatest battle we have faced in America over the last fifty or so years has not been one of declining morals, but instead one of declining faith.  It is the greatest commandment itself, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, that has been at the epicenter of the enemy's attack.

The call of Jesus to love others more than ourselves, the second greatest commandment, has similarly been under siege in recent decades.  We hardly need statistics or a study to confirm that as a culture we are increasing becoming a selfish, self-centered people.  And, I am afraid the pattern is little different in the church than outside of it.

Even the secular world understands the basic problem.  As one psychologist noted, "The characteristic that perhaps most distinguishes non-narcissists from narcissists is empathy.  Empathy refers to a capacity and tendency to experience life not just from one’s own point of view but also from that of others, to feel others’ joy and sorrow, and to care about others’ well being.  Specialists in moral development consider empathy to be the foundation for human compassion and morality."  Peter Gray, Ph.D., "Why Is Narcissism Increasing Among Young Americans?  Play deprivation may underlie the increase in narcissism and decline in empathy."  Posted in Psychology Today, Jan 16, 2014.  [Think Romans 12:15 --  "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."]

Again, it is no great surprise where the culture, in and outside the church, is heading.  Commenting on questionnaires given to college age people over the last thirty years or so, this same psychologist made this observation.  "Over the years, these questionnaires have been administered to many samples of college students, and analyses that bring all of the data together reveal that the average narcissism score has been steadily increasing and the average empathy score has been steadily decreasing ever since the questionnaires were developed.  The changes are highly significant statistically and sufficiently large that approximately 70 percent of students today score higher on narcissism and lower on empathy than did the average student thirty years ago."

What do I take away from all of this?  At the end of the day, I think as God's people we need to repent and return to our first love -- Jesus.  We need to take seriously his call to put him first in our lives and to love others with the infinite love of Jesus.

Our willingness to obey God's commandments is not just a reflection of our individual love for Jesus.  It is not a call that has implications limited to our own salvation or spiritual maturity.  Rather, it has wide-ranging implications for our families, our friends, our places of work, our communities and beyond.  It is the epicenter of the attack of an enemy that has come to kill, steal and destroy.