I invite you to turn with me to 1 John 5:14-17. Today and next Sunday are our last two Sundays in our look at this letter of 1 John - in which we’ve been focusing on developing a deeper fellowship with God and each other. Today our focus is on prayer.

Its significant that John closes his letter by writing about prayer. Buried deep within each of us there seems to be a natural instinct for prayer. All kinds of circumstances and experiences can prompt us to pray. Sometimes we pray because we don’t know what else to do. Prayer becomes our last resort. Someone has said, “There are no atheists in fox holes.”

As the church, prayer is a tremendous gift - an untapped resource - that God has given to us - to draw us deeper into fellowship together and with Him.

Do you remember the story of the ugly duckling? The ugly duckling thought it was a failure - it struggled with its identity and purpose. It was raised with the other ducks - but it was different - wrong color - awkward. The ugly duckling is a story about an individual who had great potential - but didn’t understand - the great gift of being a beautiful swan.

Another version of the same idea - somewhat irreverent - is the story of Jed Clampett who lived impoverished in the backwoods until Jed shot at the dirt and discovered oil. Then Jed and all his “kin” became the Beverly Hillbillies. There they were living on a farm - sitting on a life transforming discovery.

If we can learn the effective use of prayer together it will transform our life together as a congregation - and we will realize more of the joy of being together as a church body.

1 John 5:14-17: This is the confidence which we have before Him - before God - 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 which we have asked from Him. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

First, John writes that we have CONFIDENCE BEFORE GOD - boldness - certainty - in prayer.

For us - prayer is not an experiment - wishful thinking - good thoughts. Prayer works because God hears our prayer. Its a certainty.

So, John writes: This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Notice four things here. First - there are no categories for prayer. Sometimes we think that we should only pray about the big things - death - disease - global catastrophe. Or, we should only pray about spiritual things - world evangelism - a deepening walk with God. But, an upcoming job interview - our finances or lack of them - arthritis - a struggle in a relationship - or some other ordinary thing - somehow these are way down on the list of things that we can bother God with. John writes - “in whatever we ask” - if we ask anything - not just this thing - or a few things - or even a lot of things - but anything - God hears us.

Second - John writes that God hears us. How many of you have seen at least one of the Star Wars films? Prayer is not like tapping into some impersonal force which helps us to fight a spiritual battle - like Jedi Knights - with light swords and blasters - fighting on the good side of the Force. Prayer is not impersonal. The Almighty - living - God - who is a person - listens to us - hears what’s on our heart - and is concerned with us - personally.

Third - God hears us, when we ask according to His will.

A while back Burger King had this slogan, “Have it your way.” I have this cartoon of a man walking into a Burger King and he gives his order, “Whopper, hold the bun.”

The person behind the counter grumbles a bit. The man is insistent, “You advertise that we get to have it our way. Well, my way is a Whopper without the bun!”

Finally, the person behind the counter goes and comes back with a Whopper - no bun, and indignantly says, “Whopper, sans bun. Would you like anything else.” And the man says, “Milkshake, hold the cup.”

Sometimes we think that when we pray we should have it our way - that God should do things the way we want them to work out. Its like a vending machine - we put in a dollar and out comes a coke. In goes the prayer and out comes our answer.

Fortunately, God is a lot wiser than that. In prayer - we’re in conversation with somebody who knows us - knows the future - and all the possibilities of the future - and is completely committed to our well-being - and the well-being of His children.

I recently read a prayer by a girl praying on her wedding day. Listen to her prayer.

“Dear God. I can hardly believe that this day is my wedding day. I know I haven’t been able to spend much time with You lately, with all the rush of getting ready for today, and I’m sorry. I guess, too, that I feel a little guilty when I try to pray about all this, since Larry still isn’t a Christian, But oh, Father, I love him so much, what else can I do? I just couldn’t give him up. Oh, You must save him, some way, somehow.

You know how much I’ve prayed for him, and the way we’ve discussed the gospel together. I’ve tried not to appear too religious, I know, but that’s because I didn’t want to scare him off. Yet he isn’t antagonistic and I can’t understand why he hasn’t responded. Oh, if he only we’re a Christian.

Dear Father, please bless our marriage. I don’t want to disobey You, but I do love him and I want to be his wife, so please be with us and please don’t spoil my wedding day.”

That really sounds sincere. But, stripped of its fine spiritual language - what’s really being said is something like this....

“Dear Father, I don’t want to disobey You, but I must have my own way at all costs. For I love what You do not love, and I want what You do not want. So please be a good God and deny Yourself, and move off Your throne, and let me take over. If You don’t like this, then all I ask is that You bite Your lip and say nothing that will spoil my plans, and let me enjoy myself.”

Ray Stedman has said, “Prayer that lies outside the will of God is an insult to God.” Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard wickedness in my heart - if I keep sin in my heart - the Lord will not hear me.”

Prayer is not trying to get God to do things our way. Prayer must be according to God’s will - in the direction God is going - with a view towards obtaining the purpose God has in mind. Prayer requires that we be focused and open to being drawn deeper in tune with the will of God - that the Holy Spirit has increasing control over our hearts and minds - prompting us - moving us - from deep within to pray according to God’s will.

John writes - if we ask anything according to God’s will - we have the confidence that God hears our prayers.

The fourth thing we need to notice - John writes in verse 15 - that we can be certain that God grants our requests. When and how our prayer is answered is not the issue. The point is the certainty of having what is requested according to God’s will. The answer may come at a time or in a way that may surprise us. But God will answer.

This is the confidence that we have - if we ask God about anything - according to His will - He hears us - He answers us. That’s an amazing promise and a tremendous resource He’s given us.

In verses 16 and 17 - John focuses on HOW WE’RE TO USE THIS RESOURCE OF PRAYER. What are we suppose to be praying for?

Verse 16: If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

These two verses are really difficult verses. Commentators have been debating over these for as long as there have been commentators. On one hand its easy to see what John is writing about - on the other hand its hard to understand what he means.

John is writing about praying for each other according to the will of God - and that’s pretty easy to understand. If we see our brother or sister caught in sin, we need to pray for them, and God will restore them - give them life. Its an example of what our prayer life can be like in the Body of Christ.

But, then he goes off talking about sins leading to death and those that don’t - and that raises all kinds of questions. Why does John bring this up?

We need to keep in mind that John is writing to believers. He’s not writing about those who profess to be Christians - who talk about being Christians - who are raised Christian - who live Christian in the sense of their conduct and tradition. He’s writing to Christians who are spiritually reborn - who have given their lives to Jesus and know Him personally as their Savior. So, in these verses John is not writing about salvation issues - eternal life or eternal death and separation from God. John is writing about the fellowship we have here in the church - the seriousness of sin - and the ministry of prayer that we have for each other today.

There are some sins which we commit that do not bring us to physical death. They may damage our fellowship with each other and with God. They may cause physical sickness - emotional struggles - other serious consequences - but not death. There are other sins which we commit that are so serious that God chooses to end our lives here on earth - physical death.

In the Bible there are a number of examples of what John is talking about. One example from the Old Testament - Moses - in pride and disobedience - striking the rock at Mirabah - dying at God’s command before he could enter the promised land. (Numbers 20:1-13) An example from the New Testament - Ananias and Sapphira - lied before God and the church about money they had received - and were put to death by God. (Acts 5:1-11)

Paul writes to the Corinthians about sin in the church - 1 Corinthians 11:17ff. - the passage that we often read when we take communion: Paul says - you’re drunk - selfish - showing no love for others - you’re living in sin - you’ve profaned the Lord’s Supper - “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep” - they’re physically dead. (1 Corinthians 11:17-30)

Years ago I worked in an American church where there was a deacon who was against what God was doing in the congregation. He was clearly in opposition to the church leadership and openly advocating what was sin and against God’s will. In one meeting this conflict came to an ugly head. Within one week we did the funeral for this deacon. What John is writing about is that serious.

John could have written about a number of different ways in which we can pray for each other and pray together - prayers for healing - guidance - joys and concerns - outreach and missions. But, its significant - focusing on fellowship - that he writes about our sin.

Prayer concerning our sin goes to the heart of our relationship with God and with each other. It is that serious - that foundational. When we focus on our struggles with sin - our individual need for Jesus - when we’re on our knees together before God - in humility - and open confession - there’s no room for pride or pretense - no one is elevated higher than the other - before God we’re all sinners - struggling together - to live lives pleasing to Him.

John writes that if we will come - according to God’s will - and pray for each other - then God will hear and bring forgiveness and healing and restoration and freedom from guilt. God will give life. Restored life in Jesus.

This is what Jesus says in John 10:10: “I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.” God’s life is the kind of life that we can’t wait to get out of bed to experience - full of joy - delight - vitality. Its the kind of life that excites us to come here to experience together - to worship together - to serve together - that makes us miss each other when we’re away from each other.

For some that kind of life may be hard to imagine. Maybe in our homes - in our church - we have a ways to go. But, it is possible. We have a great gift - a resource that God has given us to use. John says, “Be confident and pray.”