Title Asking and Obtaining (1 John 5:13-21)
Contents
Scripture 1 John 5:13-21 / Space Daebok Church
*** Introduction
Any Christian would have a deep interest in answering prayers. Isn't it natural for those who pray that they want their prayers to be answered and fulfilled?
That is why books of faith, testimonies, and sermons are devoted to prayer. Nevertheless, surprisingly, there are many believers who pray vaguely without confidence in their prayers and without assurance of answers. Maybe you are not?
Why do you find prayer difficult and making time to pray is difficult? Do you know why? During this time, listen to what God has to say. The Holy Spirit will lead you into a new world of prayer.
He even prayed when he lost his keys in a dark warehouse. “Lord, the little orphan needs food. Please help me find the key to the warehouse.” And when I ran my hand down the floor of the warehouse, I found the key. I pray like this while I go to bed. “May the Lord be with me in this dream. Even if I die in the middle of the night, may thee fragrant my corpse, and make my face not look too filthy. Let me praise you even in my dreams.”
Isn't this a prayer that thinks of the glory of God and of our neighbors in need, which are not included in our own greed?
Prayer is life. A true Christian does not pray for his life. Because prayer is life. God works in us through our prayers. When prayer becomes difficult and formal, our light dims and our lives become gloomy.
At this time, the Lord's plan for us is full communion with the Lord through the channel of sincere prayer. Now let's get into the text you gave us.
1. Let's find the intention of the Word
Let's read verse 13.
However, I see that many believers do not use the power of eternal life even though they have it. In the text, we are reminded that the members of the early church had eternal life, but they did not have the courage to pray, and they were living incapacitated without certainty.
What the text tells us and what we need to know now are one. It is to know that the eternal life given to me through Jesus Christ is infinite in its power.
- Ephesians 1:18-19, “Open your hearts and eyes, and what is the hope of his calling, what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and the greatest of the powers that he has bestowed upon us who believe according to the work of his mighty power? I pray that you may know what greatness is.”
2. Then, what is the power of life manifested?
1) The first is the answer to prayer.
The power of life is the manifestation of the power of God who gave life. The most extensive and most concrete experience of that power is the answer to prayer.
Let's look at verses 14 and 15 of the text. A powerful weapon for answering prayers is hidden in these words.
First, we present “eternal life” as a basis for believers to pray boldly. Eternal life is in Christ Jesus, so that we have that life means we are in Jesus.
Second, as the principle of prayer, we propose ‘asking according to God’s will’. God’s will for us is ‘to seek the fulfillment of the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33). If so, it is 'all prayers that can reveal the glory of God', except for 'asking out of my own personal greed' and 'having a heart of doubt'.
Third, we present ‘confidence’ in the attitude of prayer. Confidence is believing that God has heard and answered my prayers. I see a lot of people failing in this pose.
In the past, I had led the members to the prayer center on a two-day, one-night schedule. Praise and prayer continued all night long. It was a time when I prayed very earnestly, such as individual prayer, group prayer, and intercession, and my heart was warmed. On my way home from work the next day, I listened to the conversation of the saints in the car while driving.
The content of the conversation was a good thing to share the grace you received. Then a butler took a light breath and said, “… … How would you like it to be like this?!” isn't it? It was a difficult task that the church had to overcome. It was so absurd that I said something like this. “Sir, isn't that what we've been looking for all night? But why do you want to take on the work that you have entrusted to God after telling them all?”
The Lord said through James, “Let him who doubts expect nothing to receive.” Everything I believed and prayed for was heard by God. You just have to have the patience to wait for the time God has set for you to make it happen. God spoke this fact through the prophet Habakkuk.
- Hab 2:2-3, “The Lord answered and said to me, Write this apocalypse and write it plainly on tablets, so that you can read it while running. This vision has an appointed time, and its end will come soon, and it will not be false. Wait even if it's late. I will surely respond without delay.”
Do you believe this saying?
2) The second is protection and guidance.
Let's read verses 18 and 19 of the text. These verses summarize the Lord's protection and guidance. Let's look at John 15:19. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”
We who belong to Christ with eternal life have a definite belonging. We are the Lord's chosen people. That is, all our life and all our lives are in the Lord. The Lord protects and guides those who belong to Him. Look at John 17:14-17. “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I pray not to take them out of the world, but to keep them from falling into evil. They are no part of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them with the truth, for your word is truth.”
The Lord preserves us from evil and leads us to holiness with the word of truth. Our Lord is the Creator, and He is still alive and provides Himself in all things. But what are we to be anxious and afraid of?
3) The third is to give you true understanding.
True understanding is knowing the truth and knowing God. This is possible because there is eternal life. It has been given to us by the Lord. This perception enables us to discern between true and false, of God and of the world.
When Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the Lord said that it was God who made it known. It is entirely by God's grace that we know God. God wants us through this true understanding to shun the worldly things and come to the holiness of God.
3. Now the given ability is to make it capable.
Everything that has been said so far applies to those who have eternal life. Are you sure that there is life? If you are sure, you already have this ability in reserve. It remains to be seen, however, that that ability will act as an ability.
It is only possible with constant prayer.
There is one interesting thing about Corista's fables.
A bachelor pigeon proposed to a virgin pigeon whom he liked, but was rejected several times and fell into a swamp of broken hearts. Seeing this, the sparrow approached and asked. “Dove, do you not know how heavy a snowflake is?” replied the dove in the middle of the night, not even a crimson, and seemed uninterested. “I don’t know, how heavy it must be!” said the sparrow.
“Listen to me, one day while I was sitting on a branch, it started to snow. The snow came down slowly from far away and sat lightly on a branch, and I was so beautiful that I began to count the snowflakes one by one. But, miraculously, nothing happened until the 3,641,950 buds landed on the branch, and then the next one, the 3,641,951st snowflake, fell, and the branch fell apart.”
The bachelor pigeon, who had been silently listening, said, “In the end, one more snowflake fell and the hard branch broke. Hmm… . Let me go to her again,” he murmured. So, it is said that when he proposed the eighth marriage, he was eventually accepted.
That's right. Even if it sounds like a small, unanswered prayer at times, if you do not get discouraged and build up your sincere prayer in confidence, it will surely come to pass.
God's promises and preparations for us are too wonderful and too many for us to be disappointed. Would you like to wander the world incompetently with that great ability? Or will you use the infinite abilities already given to you as your abilities? Only through the prayer of thanksgiving and assurance, the Holy Spirit will guide you on the path of that power.
In the name of the Lord, I pray that you will become warriors of Christ that the world cannot handle with your life armed with this power.