The Sacred Time

Benenz Hitchcock

Seeing Christ in 1 John • Sermon • Submitted 13 days ago • Presented 22 days ago

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Prayer is reserved for Christians and must be done so according to the will of God.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to 1 John 5. This morning, I am going to read verses 13-15 with what I have titled “The Most Sacred Time.” 1 John 5, starting in verse 13… I would like to ask you a question. Have you ever felt like you have not been heard? Maybe it is in your marriage, or maybe it is a friend of whom you are trying to get his/her attention. These times in our lives come when we think we have something important to say and the other person needs to know. It may seem like a slap in the face when the other person you are trying to talk to is not listening to you.

This morning, we are going to delve into an extraordinary reality. There is One who always hears you. Are you familiar with the scene in Bruce Almighty, where Jim Carrey takes Morgan Freeman’s place as God for a day? There is a point in the movie where Carrey begins to see and hear all the prayers of people, and they are recorded on a computer. Overwhelmed, he freaks out because there are so many prayers to answer that he cannot keep up. Thankfully, that is just a portrayal in a movie.

On the other hand, what a false and terrible picture it points about God! Does the God of whom you and I believe in “freak out” because there are ‘too many’ prayers for Him to take care of in one day? Of course not! The God of Scripture hears every prayer that we offer and the prayers of every other Bible believing Christian. We serve a big and great God, not an overwhelmed and stressed deity.

With this in mind, I want us to see our sacred time with the Lord in prayer in three ways. First, I want to see prayer as “The Time Reserved” in verse 13, second, I want us to see it as “The Time According to God’s Will (v.14), and third, I want us to look at the reality that God hears us in our time of prayer (v.15).

1. The Time Reserved (v.13)

Let us look at verse 13 as we begin our time together with ‘The Time Reserved.’ There are two ways that we think of the word reserved. They are said in these ways, this has been reserved for you, as in seats at a game or a concert, or I have reserved this time for something special. We see in verse 13 that our time in prayer is reserved for believers. Look at the beginning of verse 13. Who have these things prior been written for? John tells us that it is for those who believe in the Son of God. In other words, these things are reserved for those who have trusted in Christ for salvation. Now, where do we get the topic of prayer from since verse 13 does not even mention the word? Might I remind you that John wrote in this epistle and in his gospel the intention for writing. Here we see with utmost clarity that the Holy Spirit is the One who inspired John to write this (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1.21). How does this text stand out? As Bible readers of the New Testament, specifically the gospels, we tend to confine the works of Christ to those gospels and there was nothing else that was accomplished or maybe a few small things here and there. However, John writes in the last verse of his gospel, "And there were also may other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). How is it that John wrote everything he did in 1 John, and it matches up perfectly with his gospel and the other New Testament writings? Jesus had done so much that you and I are unaware of. It wasn’t as though John was just sitting on his hands as Jesus did all these things. John was active in ministry with our Lord! Do you really think that John had it much easier than us to remember all these things and write them down the way that he did? How difficult can it sometimes be just to remember what we ate the other day?! If we truly believe that nothing is new under the sun as Ecclesiastes 1:8-9 say, what makes the element of remembering any different?

It would be misleading if we took verse 13 to mean that the preceding verses 1-12 were written for those who believe but the rest of the epistle was not written for those who believe. It would be contrary to the times that we see the clarity in which John uses to distinguish his audience (1 John 1:3, 5, 2:1, 12-14, 3:1, 7, 19, 4:7, 17, 5:2).

We cannot forsake that which John writes after verse 13. We will see in a few moments the focus of our time spent with God in prayer, but looking ahead, John speaks to the confidence that we have in God for regeneration, that we are of God, and that Christ has come (1 John 5:18-20).

How do you and I know that this is written for us? Familiar language is used to define who you and I are. You and I are those who believe in Christ and have eternal life. I think what sticks out most for us here is where our eyes are fixed. Who are the people of God? Let me answer that with who the people of God are not. The people of God are not like those of the world who are fixed on material possessions, looking to pay raises and vacations for sources of joy, and those who rely on their own strength alone. There is a distinction made in 1 Corinthians 2 that I think you will find helpful as we work through this text in 1 John 5. Let me read a few verses from that chapter. Verses 6 and 8, “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” and verse 12 which reads, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” Have you noticed in these few verses that God has given to you and me, those who believe, these things? The same is true for our text in 1 John 5!

And we could say that the same is true for our time in prayer with God. It is reserved for us and us alone. God has given to us everything that we need for the Christian life. We have seen throughout this epistle many things that God has given to us, and by His grace He has given us the means to be able to speak to Him, the Creator of the very universe in which we live. This time with Him in prayer is special and reserved for His people indeed.

2. The Time According to His Will (v.14)

Let us turn our attention to verse 14 where I want us to focus our most sacred time in prayer ‘According to His Will.’ In verse 14, John gives us the substance necessary to properly see verse 15 as well. You will notice that these two verses are somewhat similar. May the Spirit help us all as we highlight the differences between the two.

God’s will does something for us in verse 14. Did you catch what that thing is? Look at the beginning of verse 14. John says, “This is the confidence which we have before Him.” Confidence is what the will of God gives us. What is this confidence and how is this confidence different from what we have already seen in 1 John 3:21-22? Simply, this confidence in the prayers that we offer to God are heard by Him. More on God hearing our prayers a little later.

In other words, you and I have confidence before God that if we pray according to His will, He will absolutely hear us.

I want us to see how this confidence is different from the confidence as seen in 1 John 3. The most notable difference is that there are qualifiers listed under whatever we ask, we receive from God. There is an emphasis on the keeping of the commandments and doing those things that please God. These are true in our text, but they are not the focal point, hence why they are not mentioned. Nowhere in 1 John 3:20-22 are you going to find the will of God mentioned.

What is stressed upon in verse 14 is the confidence you and I have in prayer, and this is not the only text that speaks of this confidence. For this confidence is not said of us in our day nor was it in John’s Day only. Listen to the means of confidence as written to the exiles in Jeremiah 29:12. “They you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” God tells the exiles that they will call upon Him, and they will pray to Him! And what does God promise to do? Listen. What great confidence? That God Almighty promises to listen to people like you and me!

Further, what a promise that is given by Jesus as we had read for us in Matthew 7:7-11? To no surprise to us, Jesus speaks along the same wavelength as it was written in Jeremiah 29:12. Jesus gives the same promise that the Father did to the exiles, but now it is for all who believe in Him! “Ask, and it will be given to you.” How do we know what to ask? 1 John 5:14 tells us, according to His will!

This leads me to ask a question. What is appropriate to ask for according to God’s will? There are many people who will pray for things that might seem like a good thing to pray for and it could be according to the will of God as they fashion it in their minds. Permit me to use the following scenario. There is someone that you know (and maybe this is true of them or even you), that is praying to God that a Republican get elected to office. You might hear it said that this is something that God would want. After all, Republican’s do not support the murdering of babies, and some of them oppose the LGBTQ agenda, and they support fiscal responsibility too! Doesn’t God tell us not to murder (Exodus 20:13), have fiscal responsibility (Proverbs 22:26-27), and clearly state that homosexuality is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22)! Surely, those who champion these things in politics must be according to the will of God!

As noble and honorable as these things are, this is not praying according to the will of God. The core of the will of God as seen throughout the entirety of Scripture is that human beings would be saved from their sin that is found in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation that is found in Christ alone is what the will of God is all about! Is it wrong to pray for these things regarding the election of presidents? No! For God has put those in government to lead well (Romans 13:1-2)! Listen, governments are not the end of all of our prayers. In fact, they must never be! We have confidence in prayer before God according to His will being done, not the election of a president. May I remind you of what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, “For consider your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.”

I do, however, want to give a prayer that is according to the will of God. You may turn if you like to Romans 15. I am going to read verses 30-33… What defines this prayer as being prayed to the will of the Lord? Well, Paul wanted to be rescued from those who were persecuting him. He desired that his Christian service would be acceptable. He also desired rest and joy as means of refreshment as he collaborated with the brothers. There was a very real antagonism that were in those who disagreed with the gospel that Paul was sharing. In other words, Paul's desire was to be with the people of God, and he prayed that he would have safety and be able to do share in that fellowship. Do we not pray for our fellow brothers and sisters who are not well, or when they are having a hardship of some kind? And what do we desire for them? If we stop at the physical healing, we have not gone far enough. What you and I long for is their company once again in the fellowship of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because it is in the assembling of the local church where we a greater growth in Christ! We must bear this in mind with our prayers as Paul did with the affliction he regularly faced. He said in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” The fact is that we are always going to have physical needs to pray for. The question is, are you and I diligent in considering the spiritual weight of the matter? We must be those who pray according to the will of God! Let us pray for healing and recovery but let us not stop there. May you and I be those who pray for the physical recovery and the spiritual growth that comes out of every affliction. Rejoice, for you and I are given the means to pray!

3. The Time He hears (v.15)

Let us now move from the means of prayer to the reception of our prayers. Look with me in verse 15 where we turn our attention to “Time in Prayer that He hears.” Verse 14 leaves off with God hearing our prayers, but I wanted to focus our attention to that in a greater way in verse 15. I want to mention that a distinguishing trait of the God of heaven is that He hears the prayers of His people (Proverbs 15:29, Isaiah 30:19, 65:24, Matthew 21:22, James 5:16. This is the main focus of 1 Kings 18:23-29, 37-39. The prophets of Baal do not answer although the priests cry out to him all day. Elijah calls out to God and He immediately responds with fire from heaven. Now, this case is extreme, but Israel needed to see this in this day. This does not in any way mean that God is going to answer our prayer immediately when we request, but we can trust that He definitely hears it. Just as it was God's prerogative in Elijah's day to answer the prayer, so it is in our day. As you and I are well aware, God does not always answer our prayers with a "yes", but you and I can trust that He has heard it.

Verse 15 is an extension of verse 14. In many ways they are similar. Jesus promises in Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." The prayers of a believer that are according to the will of God that He hears are bathed in belief. An unwavering belief at that. What does James say about such a one that wavers in belief upon inquiring of God? James 1:6-7 says regarding asking God for wisdom, "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord." We see in both instances that faith and belief work together in leading us to a confident prayer life, centered on the will of God, and is heard by God Himself. All of this we have seen in the first 15 verses of 1 John. Faith and belief are the means of being an overcomer in Christ. Prayer is the avenue in which these things are fleshed out! And we have the promise from Christ that none of this is in vain.

I want to reiterate that the requests that we offer to God are to God, for God, and about God, even if they are prayers for physical healing. Of course, we want an individual to get better and recover, but we also desire that the Lord be glorified, or that the eyes of the person going through the physical trial would have eyes open to see the grace of God upon his life.

The blind man of John 9 understood this reality. He says in John 9:31, "We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him." How do these things come together? The believer prays out of fear and reverence to the Lord, does he not? The blind man says that God hears God-fearing people. What does this say about my prayer life? Do I pray out of fear and trembling at the power and majesty of God? Do I see Him as I should, as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end?

Seeing God as majestic and Almighty plays the role in the life of the Christian. This guides us as we fight temptation and run from it, it helps us in moments of doubt, and it is the core of my very prayer life.

One more note about the blind man. In that verse, he says those who are God-fearing and do His will. Doesn't that sound familiar? Verse 14 said the same words. "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." The blind man, who had not known the Christ all that long clearly understood this reality and he believed it with all his heart.

So, does God hear your prayers? Does He hear mine? Verse 15 helps us grapple with our motives and intentions when it comes to our prayers. Are our prayers for God or for us? In so measuring these things to see whether God will hear our prayer or not, you and I can kill any sin that lurks before we offer our prayers to the Lord! This is growth in Christ! If there is any doubt to the majestic and awesome nature of God, may Psalm 18:1-2 be a reminder to God whom we offer our prayers to and He who hears us. Bible clubbers, it is ok to say it or even ‘sing’ it with me. “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (KJV). Brothers, take comfort in your time of prayer to our Lord. For He is our rock, our refuge, our salvation, our God!

Conclusion

I hope that looking at these verses this morning convicted and encouraged you as you consider your time with the Lord in prayer. John has given us a measuring stick to measure our prayer lives against. God in His kindness has given us parameters for our prayer lives. He knows how quickly we get distracted and waver in thought, thus He has given us the means to pray. Alongside the Lord’s prayer, this text is very helpful for those who are new converts and new to prayer, this is helpful for those who may feel as though their prayer life is getting stale, and this is helpful for those who need direction as to how to pray.

May the prayers that you and I offer to the Lord be prayers that are worthy of being heard by the King. Not because we are wonderful praying people for Romans 8:26 would disagree quite sternly with that notion. But because God has given us the guideline how to pray. You and I must be those who pray according to the will of God. Praise be to our God for He has not left us in a place helpless, but He has told us how He wants us to pray to Him. May we do so with fear and reverence!