I want to direct you tonight
for our text to those last two verses that we read in our scripture
readings the words that we find here in this first general epistle
of John chapter 5 and verses 14 and 15 1 John 5 14 and 15
and this is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according
to his will he heareth us and if we know that he heareth us
whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we
desired of him and this is the confidence or the boldness that
we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will
he heareth us and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we
ask we know that we have the petitions that we desired of
him. To say something then with regards
to this confidence or this boldness in prayer. Previously he has
said something also with regards to a certain confidence in the
Lord Jesus Christ In the previous 13th verse, 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. What is he speaking of
then? Well, again, he speaks of the
record. In verse 11, the record that
God has given to us eternal life, he says, and this life is in
his Son. He's speaking very much of the
Lord Jesus Christ, that is, as I'm sure you're aware that he
won't, of John, what a remarkable gospel is that that bears his
name, so different to the other three synoptic gospels. with
that great emphasis upon the truth of the deity of the Lord
Jesus answering those heresies that had begun to manifest
themselves amongst those early professed Christian believers
who were denying the reality. not only of the Lord's human
nature but querying, questioning whether this really was that
one who is the Son of God manifest in the flesh. And John has much
to say concerning the wonder and the mystery of the person
of the Lord Jesus. And so here he makes reference
to that record that God has given to us eternal life. And this
life, he says, is in his Son. And this eternal life, this spiritual
life is bound up and evidenced, obviously, in faith, saving faith. Because that's what he is really
saying in the 13th verse. You that believe, he says, on
the name and then he goes on that she may believe on the name
of the Son of God. How he emphasizes the importance
then of this faith, this acceptance of the records that you have
confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. But from whence is this
faith to be found? This is saving faith that he
is speaking of and it's not that it is natural to any man. It's not that the demons possess,
the devils believe and they tremble but there's no saving faith there. From whence does this faith proceed. It is that that is only by God
the Holy Ghost. It is that faith that is the
gift of God. It is that faith that comes by
the operation of God as we read in Colossians chapter 2 and verse
12. And it is of course the Holy
Spirit himself that gives that faith. It's interesting what
he is saying here. at the end of verse 13, that
ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God. The record that he has spoken
of is all to this end, to this purpose. It's in order. This is the force of the language
that he's using. That words, that she may know,
in order that she may know. that ye have eternal life, and
then again, and in order that ye may believe on the name of
the Son of God. And we know that no man can say
that Jesus Christ is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. This faith
then that he's speaking of in the context of our text, this
faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Father, God's only
Son, God's eternal Son, the Son of the Father in truth and in
love as we see there in the third verse of that second epistle.
This faith can only come by the gracious ministry of the Holy
Spirit. Now, the Holy Ghost is not only
the one who is the author of that saving faith, but remember
that the Holy Spirit is that one who is also the author, the
inspirer of the scriptures of truth. Peter speaks of those holy men
of God, he's referring to the Old Testament and the prophets.
those holy men of God who spake as they were moved, he says,
by the Spirit of God, as they were born along, as they were
carried along by the Holy Ghost. Those prophets, what did they
do? They uttered not their own words. They could say, Thus saith
the Lord. They were the very mouthpiece
of God. They were speaking the words of God, and doing so by
God, the Holy Spirit, all Scripture. is given by inspiration of God. It is the Holy Spirit himself
who is the author then of this blessed book where we find our
text tonight. The author of Holy Scripture.
And what does John say? These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God. John is writing
and he is telling them why he is writing. Remember when we
come to the end of his gospel, he speaks of those things that
he had written. There, in the last but one chapter,
John chapter 20, and the final verse, he says, these are written
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. And again he says the same, doesn't
he, really here in the 13th verse. 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. Here is the point and the purpose
of the Scriptures of which the Holy Ghost himself is the author. He is that one then who is the
author of saving faith, he is the author of the Holy Scriptures,
he is the one who also gives new life, spiritual life. The words of the Lord Jesus here
in John chapter 6 and verse 63, It is the Spirit that quickeneth
the flesh, profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are Spirit and they are life. And who is uttering that? The Lord Jesus. He is the greatest
of the prophets. And He is one of those prophets
who spake as He was moved by the Spirit of God. Because the
Father gave not the Spirit by measure unto Him. He was a man
He is the God-man of course, but let us not lose sight of
the reality of his human nature and his offices in the Covenant,
and he comes as that one who is the fulfillment of the prophetic
office. He is prophet, he is priest,
he is king. And as a prophet, like all the
other prophets, he spake as he was moved by the Spirit of God. And so we can say, it is the
Spirit that quickeneth the flesh, prophet of nothing to words.
the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are
life and how Peter for example when
we come to the end of the opening chapter of his first epistle
and he speaks about new life spiritual life comes into the
soul what does he say? being born again not of corruptible
seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God that liveth and
abideth forever. Born again not of corruptible
seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God and the particular
word that he uses there is actually the word that we have in the
opening chapter of John's Gospel. It's the word Logos. in the beginning
was the words and the word was with God and the word was God
the same was in the beginning with God it's that word, it's
the Lord Jesus Christ born again not of corruptible seed but of
incorruptible by that word of God which liveth and abideth
forever and then he goes on later in that chapter, the end of that
first chapter, to say, and this is the word which by the gospel
is preached unto you. Now, the interesting thing is
that in that last verse, verse 25, it's not the word Logos. It literally refers to the spoken
word. The word is actually Rhema. This
is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. The preacher
simply speaks his own words, but he speaks of him who is the
living word, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is by and through the
Lord Jesus Christ and that ministry of the Holy Spirit whom Christ
has sent that new life is communicated into the soul of the sinner. The Holy Spirit gives new life. All these gifts come by the Holy
Spirit He is the one who gives faith. He is the one who has
given us the scriptures of truth. He is the one who gives new life.
He is the one who gives an assurance, an assurance of salvation. Isn't
that what John is saying really in this 13th verse? That ye may
know, he says, that ye have eternal life, who
he has written to them. concerning belief in the name
of the Son of God and what does he want that they may know that
they may have this assurance, this confidence that she may
know that she have eternal life you think of Paul when he writes
there in Philippians chapter 3 of his own experience and his
great desire that I may know him, he's speaking of Christ
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship
of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. And that is a remarkable verse
Philippians 3.10 because we might say well surely the order is
not quite right there. Shouldn't he speak first of all
of the fellowship of his sufferings and then after that speak of
the power of his resurrection that's the order the Lord Jesus
Christ first dies and then the Lord Jesus Christ is raised again
from the dead but what does Paul say? what does he want to know? what does he want an assurance
of that I may know him and the power of his resurrection that
must come first all that power must come into his soul that
he might know then what it is to have fellowship with the suffering
Saviour. And it is the Spirit, it is the
Spirit who gives to the sinner that assurance. You see what
John is speaking of then, he's speaking of those whom he wants
to have a certain confidence, an assurance with regards to
the Lord Jesus Christ. confidence in him and in their
belief that they might know of assurance
that they have that spiritual life, that eternal life and so
then he goes on to speak of confidence in prayer if all that he has been saying
with regards to the Son of God is true so we can go on and say in the
words of the text this is the confidence that we have in him
that if we ask anything according to his will he heareth us and
if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask we know that
we have the petitions that we desired of him oh this word you
see that he uses here this confidence it's it's the same word that
Paul uses. Paul uses it in Ephesians 3.12
in whom we have, he's speaking of Christ, in whom we have boldness
or confidence and access and access with confidence he says
through the faith of him but that word boldness, in whom we
have boldness access with confidence by faith and then again we have
it there in What Paul says in Hebrews 4.16, let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace. Or we can come to the
throne of grace with boldness when we come in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And this is what we have in the
text you see, it's boldness. It's boldness in prayer because
of that that has been taught and brought to us by God the
Holy Spirit concerning God the Son. And so as we look at the
words of the text for a while tonight I want to deal with three
simple points regarding prayer. to see prayer in relation to
God and God's decree, to see prayer as it is that that God
delights in, and then thirdly, with regards to ourselves, to
see what desires we have with regards to such prayers as these. First of all, God's decree and
prayer. What does He say? If we ask anything
in His Name. This is the confidence that we
have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth
us. He speaks of our prayers in relation
then to His will. it is his will that is so paramount
here when we pray and we ask according
to his will we can have that assurance, that confidence that
we will be heard now with regards to to prayer some say that predestination
is a discouragement to prayer We believe in that great doctrine
of predestination that all things happen according to the goodwill
and pleasure of God. That God is continually accomplishing
his eternal decree. We say that God is sovereign
in everything that happens. Nothing happens by mere chance. The fictitious powers of chance
and fortune I define my life's minutest circumstances subject
to his eye wishing the words of the hymn writer. There are
those who say well if you really believe that what's the point
of prayer? There are those who say predestination
is a discouragement to prayer. And then on the other hand Some
would say that there is no limits to what prayer can do. That prayer
can really change things. Well what we have to do of course
is to look to the word of God and we have to appeal in particular
to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. If anyone is a pattern
of what real prayer is, it is the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
And what does Christ say? John 14.14, If ye shall ask anything
in my name, I will do it, He says. If ye will ask anything
in my name. Again, John 16.23, Whatsoever
ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it. However, if we are those who
are really coming and asking in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and that's the only way we can ever pray because there
is no other way of access to the Father it is only real prayer
when we are those who are truly imploring the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ when we come to the end of our prayers and we
say for Jesus Christ's sake that's not just a vain repetition I
trust there's where we put our trust and our confidence. But
if we're really asking in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
are we not submitting ourselves to his sovereignty? Remember what Paul says in Philippians
2 after speaking of Christ and all his humiliation Though he
is the Son of God, he thinks it not robbery to be equal with
God. He is equal with God. He makes himself of no reputation.
He comes, he fulfills all the goodwill of the Father. He is
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore,
says Paul, God also hath highly exalted him, given him a name
which is above every name. that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and
things under the earth and every tongue confess that he is Lord
to the glory of God the Father. Oh it's that name the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ he is that one you see to whom all power
all authority has been given and so to pray in his name is to acknowledge his sovereignty
and that's what we have in the text this is the confidence that
we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will we come as those who when we
pray we recognize the importance of his will, the decree of God,
the sovereignty of God that's so paramount in our minds Lord James says of some ye ask
and receive not because ye ask and miss that ye may consume
it upon your lusts we're not to ask simply for ourselves are
we? what are we to to do in our prayers
we're to follow the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ we read
the passage there in Luke 11 It's another occasion but it's
basically the same instruction that he'd given previously in
Matthew chapter 6. He came to pass it as he was
praying in a certain place. He himself was praying, mark
that. When he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him,
Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples. and
he said unto them when ye pray sigh and then we have the pattern
prayer the Our Father and so forth. The Lord Jesus is that one who
who gives instructions then concerning how we are to pray and we have
those petitions of the Lord's Prayer which we should be mindful
of when we come to pray ourselves we are to follow that pattern
but Christ doesn't just give teaching Christ is also a remarkable
example, is he not? A remarkable example. He tells
his disciples what petitions they are to pray amongst them.
They are to pray in submission to God's will. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. In earth as
it is in heaven amongst the petitions. But where we see the Lord Jesus
doing the very same thing himself. amongst all the agonies of his
soul as we see him there in the garden of Gethsemane wrestling
in prayers to God sweating and his sweat like great drops of
blood falling down to the ground an amazing scene as he contemplates
all that is before him the very purpose of his coming is obedience
unto death even the death of the cross. And what does He say
to the Father? Father, if Thou be willing, remove
this cup from me. If Thou be willing, remove this
cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
Thine be done. Oh, He's a wonderful example
of how all of our prayers are to be brought in that fashion
we are to pray remembering that God is sovereign, remembering
that God has his purpose that there is that eternal will that
he will do all his goodwill and pleasure why do we pray? if that is true,
if God is an absolute sovereign well we pray because we recognize
that God has not only ordained the end but God has also appointed
the means whereby he is going to accomplish that end. He had every intention he would
restore the children of Israel out of the bondage that they
would endure in the Babylonian captivity. They were going to
go into exile. But there would come a restoring.
All Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonian hordes. The
temple razed to the ground, the people taken away. We were looking
at Jeremiah's Lamentations only on Thursday evening and remember
that book's a lament. Here is the Prophet viewing the
dreadful scene, Jerusalem in ruins. Well, God intended that
that would not last forever. He couldn't last forever because
Christ was yet to come. There was a purpose to be fulfilled. God would restore them. But what
does He say through the prophet Ezekiel? I will yet be inquired
of by the house of Israel to do it for them. I will increase
them with men as a flock. And in the context there Ezekiel
36, the end of that 36th chapter, and we go over into chapter 37
and we have that remarkable vision of the valley full of dry bones.
In the historical context it's the restoring of the children
of Israel from the captivity. God was going to do it. And God
would do it. But how would God do it? I will
yet be inquired of. by the house of Israel to do
it for them. You see, prayer was appointed
to convey the blessings God designs to give. Do we believe that? Prayer is the means to a blessed
end, it's God's ordinance. And so, in that other portion
we read in the Gospel, in Luke 18, Christ speaks a parable unto
them to this end that men ought always to pray and not to faint. We're to pray and we're to pray
and we're to pray and we're to pray and we're not to faint. And our praying breath will not
be wasted breath because we believe in a God who is a sovereign God
and a God who has appointed prayer. And this is the confidence that
we have in Him. that if we ask anything according
to His will, He heareth us. But then also here, we see that
God delights in prayer. All God delights in prayer. We
have it twice, don't we? In verse 14, the end of the verse,
He heareth us. He heareth us and then again
the beginning of verse 15 and we know that He hear us whatsoever
we ask. Why does God hear prayer? Because
God has a delight in prayer and the remarkable thing is that
he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think we are so limited you see in
our poor minds we have such low views of God and and the goodness
of God and the grace of God and we cannot really begin to
pray in a proper sense why because of our sin, because of our unbelief.
He is able, says Paul, to do exceeding abundantly. Oh, it's typical Pauline language,
isn't it? There, at the end of Ephesians
chapter 3. Exceeding abundantly, above all
that we ask or think. We can't even begin in our minds
to comprehend what God is able to do, let alone to give expression
to it in our prayers. He delights in prayer. Isaiah
45 verse 19, I said not under the seed of Jacob. Seek ye my
face in vain. Who is the seed of Jacob? Jacob
is Israel. Jacob's seed, well Jacob's seed
ultimately is Christ, isn't it? He's the seed, he's the seed
of the woman. He's the seed of Abraham. Abraham was Jacob's grandfather. He's the seed of Jacob, he comes
of the tribe of Judah. Judah, the son of Jacob. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
one who is the true seed, but all those who are in Christ,
they are the seed, that's the true Israel of God, that's spiritual
people. And God does not say to His people,
seek in my face in vain. He doesn't. That's impossible. He always
hears His people. and he will not only hear, if
he hears, he answers. Again in that remarkable 45th
chapter of Isaiah verse 11 we have this verse or these words
I should say, part of the verse he says to Israel concerning
the works of my hand command ye my concerning the works of
my hand command ye my, that's what God says to his people I
remember reading a sermon of Ralph Erskine's on that particular
part of the verse, a remarkable sermon, on prayer really. What
are we doing in prayer? Yes, we're praying and we're
praying in submission to the divine sovereignty, we're recognizing
God's decree, but what boldness there, you see. He will have
his people, as it were, to command him. How the Lord Jesus brings
it out, asks, He says, He shall be given. Seek ye shall find,
knock it shall be opened. Everyone that asketh receiveth.
He that seeketh findeth, to him that knocketh it shall be opened. All the shalls, the wills, the
certainty of these things by all the promises of God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Are they not yea and amen to
the glory of God by us? It's all for the glory of God,
and yet it's by us. God glorified by our poor prayers,
because He delights in our prayers. He never says to Jacob, Seek
His face in vain. We're to pray. We're not always
to pray, says the Lord Jesus. And we see it, do we not, at
times in the Psalms? David in Psalm 4 says, the Lord
will hear when I call unto Him. The Lord will hear when I call
unto Him. Why? Because the Lord has a delight
in prayer. It is His own ordinance. He heareth us. We know that He heareth us. Do we know that? and believe
that and you remember how all the persons in the Godhead are
involved in our prayer when the Lord Jesus gives that
instruction when you pray say Our Father there's a sense in
which we can think of God the Father the first person in the
Trinity but we can address all the persons really Father, Son
and Holy Ghost and we do address all the persons as our father
like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth
them that fear him, he knoweth our frame how does God know our
frame? how does God remember with us?
because who made us? God made us and who was the God
who made us? well God said let us make man
in our image after our likeness all, all the persons father,
son and holy ghost but when we think of prayer we
think in terms about we do come to the father, we address the
father and we come by and through that gracious ministry of the
Lord Jesus Christ because he is that one who is the great
high priest and he has accomplished all his priestly work here upon
the earth he came to make the great sin atoning sacrifice he's
not only the priest he's the sacrifice he's the Lamb of God
that takes away the sin of the world and having accomplished all that
priestly work upon earth now he has entered into that within
the veil. Or think of the priest in the
Old Testament. Where was the brazen altar? It was in the courts
of the tabernacle. And there they made the sacrifices,
the burnt offerings, the sin offerings, the trespass offerings.
But there was also that business that they had to attend when
they went into the tabernacle proper. And then once in a year
the great Day of Atonement, the High Priest would go beyond the
Second Veil into the Holy of Holies and go to the Mercy Seat
and take the blood and sprinkle the blood upon the Mercy Seat
and before the Mercy Seat. By the Lord Jesus Christ having
made that one sacrifice for sins here upon the Earth has now entered
into that within the Veil, He has entered Heaven itself it
says. there to appear in the presence of God for us. All Christ is in heaven and He is able to save to the
uttermost all to come unto God by Him. We come to God and we
come by and through the mediation of God the Son. But what of us
upon the earth? Why the Lord has not left His
children as orphans He has given the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. And it is the Holy Ghost who
comes and dwells in the hearts of the people of God. And He
is the one who helps all our infirmities. All remember those
words there in Romans 8. Romans 8.26 He helpeth our infirmities. He maketh intercession for us
with groanings that cannot be uttered. That's the ministry
of the Holy Spirit. yes we come and we come by and through the
mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ but how we need the Spirit and
the ministry of the Spirit how we need Him to come as that Spirit
of grace and of supplications how we need Him to indict in
our hearts believing prayers you see how God delights in prayer
how God is so concerned to make way whereby his people who in
themselves are such sinners can come before that God who is the
holy one who is thrice holy and before him the sinless angels,
the seraphim, the burning ones they veil their faces they cover
their feet, the ground is holy ground, they cry holy, holy,
holy and yet Believers can come and approach with such boldness. How amazing it is. Boldness and access with confidence
by the faith of Jesus Christ. Oh, there's God's decree. Yes,
we have to be mindful of that, that God is sovereign. But God
has ordained prayer. It's his own ordinance as a purpose
in prayer. He will have his people come
not only to inquire of him, he will have his people come to
command him. He has such a delight in prayer.
He loves to hear his children pray. He gives every encouragement
to them to pray. To take with them words and to
turn to him and to say take away iniquity and receive us graciously. But what of us? What of our desire?
what of our desire? well verse 15 if we know that
he hear us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of him if he hear us in whatever we
are asking John says we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of him is that our desire? that our prayers should
agree with God's purpose. Is that our great concern when
we come to pray that what we ask agrees with God's, and God's
decree, and God's eternal purpose? Do we really pray, Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done in earth? as it is in heaven. That's what
we want. We want to see God's will being accomplished. Or this is the confidence that
we have in him. If we ask anything according
to his will, he heareth us. We have to ask according to his
will. But how can we know the will
of God? How can we know the will of God? Where do we discover
God's will? Where do we learn about God's
great purpose? Well, we're told, aren't we? Deuteronomy 29.29 The secret
things belong unto the Lord our God. The things which are revealed
belong unto us and to our children. There are secret things. All
the Lord knoweth them that are his. There are things we don't know. Many things that we don't know,
don't understand. However, there is a revelation. And the things that are revealed
belong unto us. What's that revelation? Well,
isn't it this book, the Word of God? And this is why God's
Word is so vital to our right praying. When Daniel prays, in Daniel chapter 9, remember,
God had said He would be inquired of by those of Israel to do it
for them. And He would increase them with
men as a flock, there would be a restoration. And it's Daniel
who's the prayer. There in that great 9th chapter,
the prayer of Daniel. And he tells us, in the first
year of Darius, the son of Asuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which
was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first
year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by books the number
of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah
the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations
of Jerusalem. And I sent my face unto the Lord. to seek my prayer and supplications. He is reading books. What is
he reading? He is reading there in the prophecies
of Jeremiah. He is reading the words that
God had given to his servant Jeremiah concerning what he was
going to do with regards to the children of Israel and their
restoration. Jeremiah 25 11, this whole land
shall be a desolation and an astonishment and these nations
shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years and it shall come
to pass when seventy years are accomplished that I will punish
the king of Babylon and that nation saith the Lord for their
iniquity and the land of the Chaldeans will make it perpetual
desolations God's going to visit judgment upon the Babylonians,
whom he had used as an instrument in the chastening of his people
Israel, after 70 years. And then we have it again in
chapter 29 of Jeremiah's prophecy. Verse 10, Thus saith the Lord,
that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you.
and perform my good word toward you in causing you to return
to this place for I know the thoughts that I think toward
you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give
you unexpected ends then shall you call upon me and you shall
go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you and you shall
seek me and find me when you shall search for me with all
your heart Oh God's Word, when we come to God's Word, is that
the effect it has on us? It moves us to pray. Do we pray
over God's Word? I'm sure you read God's Word.
And I'm sure you pray. But do we find much in God's
Word to encourage us in prayers? And to embolden us? How the old
Puritan used to speak of thickening his prayers with the Word of
God. God has given his word, we are
to pray over his word, we are to pray his word to him, hold
him fast by his own words. Surround him with his own promises. Well this is the confidence you
see that we can have. When the Spirit grants us such
an assurance And we know that our praying to the Lord when
we come by and through the mediation of Christ is no vain, futile
thing. No, this is the confidence. This
is the boldness that we have in Him, that is in the Son of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ. That if we ask anything according
to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He hears
us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of Him. Oh, the Lord grant then that
we might be those who are moved to that life of prayer and to
see in Christ that One who is the perfect pattern of prayers. May the Lord be pleased to bless
His Word to us. Amen.