This is the twenty-third in a series of verse-by-verse expositions of the book of 1 John. This message was delivered at Hillcrest Baptist Church on the evening of August 3, 2014. This message deals with the issue of praying according to God’s will, and the prayers that God will not hear. This post contains an audio recording of my message, along with my sermon notes. Please note that the sermon notes are not a full transcript.
AUDIO – Listen Now:
AUDIO DOWNLOAD:
SERMON NOTES:
1 John 5:14-15
v.14:
This promise is comprehensive and unlimited—a tremendous assurance of answered prayer.
But there is one provision—according to His will!
There are a number of Christians who, with all good intentions, have argued that it evidences a lack of faith to add the qualification “if it be your will” to one’s prayer.
However, that is certainly not true since Christ Himself prayed that.
Matthew 26:39
The question is how to know whether or not we are praying according to God’s will. One key, of course, is to search the Scriptures.
God’s will can never contradict His Word, and it is foolish to ask God to do something which the Scriptures themselves forbid.
James 4:3
Such passages are, in themselves, a direct indictment of the word of faith movement, which is based on our desires, our will, and rooted in the power of our words.
Productive prayer is based on God’s desires, God’s will, and rooted in the power of His Word!
When we sincerely desire God’s will to be done, and there is no biblical or personal barrier hindering our prayer, then we can pray in confidence even if we yet don’t know for certain God’s will in the matter.
Romans 8:26-28
v.15:
In order to know that He hears us and will answer, we must know what He won’t hear or answer.
God won’t hear when you:
- Regard iniquity in your heart
Psalm 66:18
- Remain in sin
Isaiah 59:2
John 9:31
- Forsake Him
Jeremiah 14:10-12
- Reject God’s call
Proverbs 1:24-25, 28
- Are without faith
James 1:6-7
- Are violent
Isaiah 1:15
- Worship idols
Jeremiah 11:10-11
Believers can certainly find themselves in any of these situations, thereby hindering their ability to pray. We must constantly be on guard that we may be pleasing to God.
What must be noted, is that most of those listed conditions perfectly describe the unsaved. They regard iniquity in their hearts, they remain in sin, they forsake God and reject His call, and they are without faith.
God will not answer the prayer of the unsaved. Sometimes you’ll hear the unsaved say they’ll pray for you, but it is a waste of breath.
It is just as pointless to have a muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Mormon, Jehovah’s witness, or a follower of any other false religion to pray for you.
God hears only the prayers of His children, and even then we must pray according to His will, that is non-negotiable.
We can; however, know God’s will by studying His Word, and following the command of Romans 12:1-2
When that is done, you are certain to eliminate and barriers to your prayer life.
In Defense: The Blog 
Posted on August 8, 2014
0