Study in Prayer

Yesterday, we learned the importance of interpreting Scripture in light of other scriptures.  So, before we move on to a different topic, this one is so important, I wanted to go back and emphasize a couple of things for you.

You’ve heard me talk about creating your “Prayer of Petition” and how important it is to KNOW that YOU KNOW what you are going to pray about! Amen!

And the ONLY way you can do that is by doing your own Bible research and study. I’m not talking about your daily Bible reading or for studying for 10 or 20 minutes. I’m talking about doing a Master’s Thesis type of research.

I know I lost a lot of you right there! 

“Well, brother Bob, I just don’t have the time to do something like that!”

No problem. I understand. You can continue to wallow in your same situation that is causing you problems. No problem. Go for it.

I can’t MAKE you study the Word. I can’t PRAY for you when YOU are supposed to pray yourself. 

And you can’t pray unless you KNOW that your prayers are based on God’s Word.

And you can’t know God’s Word unless you spend the time to READ God’s Word. That’s the ONLY WAY.

Yes, you can listen to teachings such as this…

Yes, you can watch or listen to teachings on TV or the internet…

BUT NONE OF THAT should replace YOUR OWN STUDY TIME!

Think of it like this…

You’re in some kind of trouble. It could be a health condition. It could be financial. It could be a legal problem. Whatever…it doesn’t matter.

The reason it doesn’t matter is because your Grandfather knows the exact doctor to call and get you to the front of the line. Or he’s super rich and is known for helping family members out without blinking an eye. Or he knows the top notch lawyer or someone in high places that can make all your legal problems go away. 

You follow me? Amen!

But, you just send your best friend to go see him. You just are too busy going to the gym and doing your workouts in addition to work. Or you need to watch your favorite reality television show. You just figure your best friend can go and take care of talking to your grandfather for you.

What is wrong with that picture?

Your grandfather LOVES YOU!  He wants a relationship with YOU.

I know… I’m a grandfather and would do ANYTHING for my kids or grandkids. But NOT if they never want to come see me. Not if they do not stop by from time to time just to hang out – even if it’s not as often as I would like. But just because they make the effort to come by without me continually begging them to stop by.

Now, do you see the problem with NOT spending time in God’s Word?  When you spend time in God’s Word – you are spending time with GOD – your Heavenly Father!  And you are spending time in the presence of Jesus as well. Both of them want to have a great relationship with YOU!

And you need to study the Word AND spend time in prayer. Amen!

Just like I would NEVER try to give my kids or grandkids bad advice – God will not do that to you either! Right?  

So if you read ONE scripture, I don’t know…maybe like Matthew 17:24-27 where Peter is told to go fishing and take up the first fish and the tax money will be in the mouth of the fish.

Now, if you take that verse and build up your expectations all around that one verse, you’d be wrong. If you decided to quit your job and go fishing every day – and expect God to give you a fish every day that has your days wages in it’s mouth – how long do you think you could keep that up?

What’s wrong? You seen the scripture. You seen it work. Now you go to “what God did for one He will do for another” and “God is not a respecter of persons, etc.”  And suddenly you have your own belief system. Maybe even your own denominational teachings!  And, you believe it is built on the Word of God!

Is it?

NO!  None of those verses compliment one another. None of those verses are talking about the same thing. NONE. Not ONE! 

Do you see what I mean? 

Amen!  

So do not build your Faith around ONE or TWO scriptures. DO THE RESEARCH and spend time in the Word of God for yourself and list out EVERY – SINGLE – SCRIPTURE that you can find that talks about YOUR situation. When you do that, you will then “hear from God” concerning your situation and – at the same time – You’ve developed your PRAYER OF PETITION to present to your “Heavenly Father” who is more than happy to bless you with what you need…but YOU must spend the quality time for Him – FIRST!

Let’s Pray! 

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

As we were studying the past several sessions on what various Apostle’s had to say about prayer, we also learned we had to take the scriptures in context. You cannot take a scripture out of the setting it was written in and try to make it say something that contradicts what the rest of the Bible says, right?

There is one major way we can learn to interpret Scripture that will almost always work. Are you ready to learn it?

We need to interpret Scripture – IN LIGHT OF OTHER SCRIPTURES!

Amazing! Right?

What you need to do is look up all of the scripture references you can find that talk about the problem or situation you are facing. You’ve heard me talk on this before in laying out a Prayer of Petition, right?

When we put all of the relevant verses together, then something powerful will start to happen…

They all start to support, amplify and clarify one another! They will all fit together and actually bring clarity and a special anointing on the verses as you pray them. Amen!

Isn’t that what you would normally want when studying God’s Word? 

Too many times, someone will read “a verse” in the Bible and suddenly have a great “revelation.” They will build an entire belief system around ONE VERSE.

The problem with that is when you see other scriptures that reference the same thing, but do not say the same thing as your “favorite” verse, you’re in trouble. You either ignore one and cling to the other – or cling to one and ignore ALL the others that may disagree with you.

For example, Mark 16:17-18 discuss “These signs shall follow those that believe…” and then it says, “…and they shall take up serpents…”  There have been some people that actually believe they need to be a snake handler in order to demonstrate their faith.

And some people have died in the process. Amen!

I hate snakes. I will not handle one, period!

But, besides that point, that verse does not create a specific command to handle snakes, like some would interpret that.

Paul was bitten by a snake by accident. He did not intentionally handle the snake, right?  So that means, he had a RIGHT (a scriptural and Spiritual RIGHT) to believe and stand on Mark 16 for his healing.

Do you want further proof?  Name ONE disciple or Apostle that handled snakes to PROVE they had Faith.  You can’t! There is not ONE example! Amen!

Do you see how some people would take a verse out of context with NO support from any other scripture in the Bible?

That is why you need to follow the Biblical Law of Bible Interpretation – which says that Scripture is to be interpreted in Light of other Scriptures! Amen!  How simple is that?

If you understand this now – shout AMEN SOMEBODY!  Glory to God!

Let’s Pray! 

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

These past several sessions we have been learning what various Apostles had to say about prayer. We started with Paul, then Peter, then John and also James. Now, I want to look at one of the shortest chapters in the Bible, written by the Apostle Jude, and see what he had to say about prayer.

Let’s read from Jude 20: 

“But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost…”

Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in the Holy Ghost – the term Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost are interchangeable. So Jude, right here is talking about praying in the Spirit.

What Jude said here, agrees with what we already learned Paul said to Church at Corinth. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:4, 

“He that speaks in an unknown talk EDIFIES himself…”  

Speaking or praying in tongues edifies YOU. The word “edify” means to build up. So, praying in tongues edifies, or builds up, the believer. 

Now, we see in Jude 20, it says, “But you, beloved, BUILDING UP YOURSELVES on your most Holy Faith, praying in the Holy Spirit…”

Praying in the Holy Spirit is a means of spiritual edification and a way to spiritually “build yourself up” or in other words “get stronger in the faith.”

This will not “GIVE YOU FAITH,” because Romans 10:17 clearly says that Faith only comes by “hearing the Word of God.”  But praying in the Holy Ghost helps you to BUILD UP the Faith you already have. Amen!

I believe we are foolish to try and take a text out of the context of its setting and try to prove something with it. I’ve seen some pastors take Jude 20 and try to prove that praying in tongues GIVES us faith. But that is not what this verse says.

Again, Romans 10:17 clearly tells us that Faith ONLY comes from “hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.” Amen.

Praying in tongues, or the Holy Ghost, helps you to BUILD up the Faith you already have. Amen!

I want to pray for you right now that you are grasping this context of Jude 20 and that you will start to pray in other tongues during your prayer time. This will help to build yourself up, spiritually, into a powerful man or woman of God. One that the devil will tremble at YOUR presence and one that God the Father can bless – because He sees how powerful in the Spirit you have become.

Let’s Pray! 

Beloved, I pray above all else, that YOU would prosper and be in health, even as you mind, your will and your emotions prosper – so YOU can share the Gospel with others and tell them what wonderful things Jesus has done for you – once you accepted Him as your Savior. Most important of all – is the forgiveness of your sins and the Gift of everlasting life. Amen!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

The last several days, we have been studying what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.”

“There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

 Notice that this is something God told us NOT to pray for. Amen!

But, John also told what we ARE SUPPOSED TO pray for!  We can read this in 3 John 2:

“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers…”

According to my Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word “wish” actually implies, “to pray.”  So we could read this verse as, “Beloved, I PRAY above all things, that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”

Now, we have already established the fact that the writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit in all things they wrote. If it were not so, they would not be included in the Word. Amen!

So, if John was motivated by the Holy Spirit to pray for those believers he was writing to (which includes US, amen?), then it was the desire OF the Holy Spirit for every believer to PROSPER!

It has to be for every believer – because God is not a respecter of persons (you can read that in Acts 10:34). So it is scriptural for us to pray that believers would prosper and be in health, even as their soul prospers.

And notice, John said he prayed this – ABOVE ALL THINGS that he prayed for! 

Now, I can hear some of those denominational mis-instructed preachers saying, “There he goes again, misinterpreting the Bible…”  But let me ask you, “old buddy,” is what I just read THE BIBLE?  If it is – then what does the Concordance say?  And if what I just shared is EXACTLY what the Word of God says, who is the one trying to misinterpret the Bible to say something it does not say?

In other words – YOU need to repent for NOT praying that other believers, including yourself – PROSPER.  That’s financial prosperity included, in-case you’re too dense to understand the meaning of the Word of God. 

I swear, some people need help to misinterpret the Bible. Amen!

This scripture is talking about financial and material prosperity as well as good health and soul prosperity.  God wants us to be healthy physically AND financially!

WHY?

Because if we use the prosperity HE provides for us – it is to share the Gospel and NOT to kick back and take it easy and eat chocolate bon-bons all day long. He needs us to take the WORD out into the world and share it. Amen! 

And that take MONEY. Amen.

But notice something else here…

God wants us to prosper, not just financially and not just physically. He wants our SOUL’s to prosper, too! 

In case you did not know, YOU are a spirit. YOU live in a body. YOU have a soul – which is made up of your mind, your will and your emotions. 

And God wants your SOUL to prosper. That means you need to have a prosperous mind, a prosperous will and prosperous emotions.

This entire scripture verse describes the Will of God for every believer to PROSPER in every area of our life: Financially, Physically, Mentally, Materially, and Emotionally. 

WHY?

Because that allows us to share the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus with others without worrying about “How are we going to get there?” Because everything encompasses those three things. Amen!

So John is making it very, very clear here, that we are SUPPOSED to pray for our PROSPERITY – in every realm of our spirit and physical being. Amen!

I want to pray for YOU right now – just as John prayed!

Let’s Pray! 

Beloved, I pray above all else, that YOU would prosper and be in health, even as you mind, your will and your emotions prosper – so YOU can share the Gospel with others and tell them what wonderful things Jesus has done for you – once you accepted Him as your Savior. Most important of all – is the forgiveness of your sins and the Gift of everlasting life. Amen!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

The last several days, we have been studying what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.”

“There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Then we referenced the five qualifications outlined in Hebrews 6:4-6 which outline the ONLY time that someone may commit a “sin unto death.”

1.     They are enlightened and see their lost condition and need for a Savior.

2.     They have tasted of Jesus Christ and been born again.

3.     They are filled with the Holy Ghost.

4.     They have grown Spiritually enough so they are not just a “baby Christian” feeding on the milk of God’s Word. They are Spiritually mature enough to be feeding on the “meat” of God’s Word with a deeper understanding.

5.     They have had the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the “powers of the world to come” operating in their lives and ministries.

We covered a couple of situations in how someone can meet these five criteria. I focused on someone who leaves the Christian Faith and swears allegiance to another, like Islam. 

I also shared with you how someone may be in a situation where they must act a certain way and do certain things, but that they are still maintaining their faith in Christ. Usually, this will involve someone who is not in the ministry, not walking in the Gifts of the Spirit, etc.

How will you know if someone has committed a “sin unto death” or not?

Again, the obvious would be someone who curses Christ, swears allegiance to another and persecutes Christians who refuse to do the same. You see this in the Middle East on a daily basis.

But yet, there are plenty of Christian brothers and sisters there that refuse to kowtow to the demands that they recant their Faith. And they suffer greatly for it. Some pay with their lives.  But they refuse to renounce Christ because they understand they are only passing through this life. Amen!

So, again, “How will you know whether or not pray for them?” is the question.

John said in 1 John 5:16, “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

The best way I can explain it is, if the Holy Spirit tells you NOT to pray for a person, THEN it is too late. They have already committed a “sin unto death.”

There have only been a couple of instances in my last 27 years where the Lord told me “stop praying for them.”  In every instance, it involved a fellow brother and laborer in ministry who had fallen into sin and left the ministry. When I inquired to WHY, this scripture came to the forefront of my mind.

I may have had some inkling as to what their life had become and knew it was in opposition to the Lord – but I’ve prayed for others that had left the faith as well and they came back into right standing with God and repented of their sins. They may not have gone back into the ministry, and they shouldn’t have, but at least they came back to the saving Grace of God.

But why these others was I told to “stop praying for them?”

Because they had sworn off the Blood of Christ.  They had committed the unpardonable sin.

The Lord showed me that. Then He showed their ultimate destination…

The Lake of Fire.

Forever.

It is a sad, sad thing when the Lord shows you that you need to stop praying for someone.  I cannot even describe the sickening feeling.  And if I feel that way – I can imagine how it must make the Lord feel. Amen…

I want to pray for you, right now, that if you have any loved one – or if YOU, yourself, are listening to me right now and you are sorrowful for your sins, it’s not too late. As you can see from the five criteria, the people who are beyond repentance have no sorrow for their sins. And for them, IF the Lord shows you this – it is too late.

Continue to pray for anyone and everyone the Lord puts on your heart. No matter what it is they have done or are doing. NOBODY is beyond the Lord’s reach. NOBODY.

But, if the Lord impresses upon you to “stop praying anymore for that person because they have committed the unpardonable sin,” you need to obey the Lord. YOU need to obey.

Let’s Pray!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

The last several days, we have been studying what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.”

 “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

 Then we referenced the five qualifications outlined in Hebrews 6:4-6 which outline the ONLY time that someone may commit a “sin unto death.”

“For it is impossible for those who were once ENLIGHTENED, and  have TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT, and were MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY GHOST, and have TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, and THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”

Yesterday, we learned exactly what this meant. That a believer, and not just a believer, but someone who was operating in the Gifts of the Spirit and understood the Power of God, swore off Christ and began to swear allegiance to a false god. It could be leaving Christianity and convert to Islam or whatever. 

We learned that a believer, even a person who had operated in the Gifts of the Spirit, even a minister of God and a preacher, could sin terribly – but still not fulfill the five criteria of committing a “sin unto death.”

It takes someone who totally swears off their salvation in Christ alone and, basically, swears allegiance to another. Or to themselves.  That type of sin is the ONLY SIN that fulfills all of the five criteria. 

This is not the sin of lying or cheating or anything like that. God will still forgive you of those sins if you genuinely are sorry for your sin and you confess them to Him.

The writer of Hebrews explains, in detail, that person can only commit a sin unto death who, “…hath trodden under foot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he has been sanctified, as an unholy thing and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace.”

If you are familiar with church history, you know the Hebrew Christians were under great persecution. And they were constantly tempted to go back to Judaism. 

You see, when a Jew accepted Christ, they were cut off from their family, their kin folk, their friends, their business associates. And their social support system. As a result, Christians in that day had it very, very difficult. They suffered emotionally and financially and every other way, too.

But Paul was issuing a warning to them. He was saying here, 

“If you go back to Judaism, then you are going to have to deny Christ to do it. You are going to have to deny that He is the Messiah. You will have to deny that He is the Son of God. And to deny Christ like that is the same thing as saying that the Blood of the New Covenant, the Blood of Christ, is an unholy thing and worthless…”

And it is the same way today. 

If you were to convert to Islam, you would have to swear to that, too.

What do you think all of the persecution is against Christians in Muslim nations is about?  They try to force believers to renounce Christ and swear allegiance to Mohammed.  A believer cannot do that. But – let me emphasize the five points again…

I’m already out of time, so I’ll just summarize here and then we will take this up again tomorrow…

A believer in a Muslim country is under great persecution. Some are babies in Christ. They have realized He is their Savior and have accepted Him as such. But they are not operating in the Gifts of the Spirit.

The Lord showed me this when our radio station started to be listened to – a lot – from Muslim nations. Almost 1/3 of our listeners come from what is known as the 10-40 window. Amen!

What the Lord showed me was, these brothers and sisters in Christ need to act and behave a certain way, publicly, in the environment in which they live. But when they get behind closed doors, they are repenting for having done so and studying the Word and listening to Christian teachings via the Internet. Amen!

THAT is totally different from someone who has been living, preaching and operating under the Gifts of the Spirit and then, because they want to save their own life for temporary situations, curse the Blood of Jesus.  Go back and look at the five criteria again and you will see what I mean. 

I’m all out of time for today…

I want to pray for you, especially if you are in this type of situation. You are NOT committing a “sin unto death” – unless you fulfill the five criteria we discussed. Amen!

Let’s Pray!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

Yesterday, we started to discuss what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.”

“There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

 Then we referenced the five qualifications outlined in Hebrews 6:4-6 which outline the ONLY time that someone may commit a “sin unto death.”

“For it is impossible for those who were once ENLIGHTENED, and  have TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT, and were MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY GHOST, and have TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, and THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”

Those qualifications can ONLY apply to a believer – not a sinner. Let’s look at the qualifications that MUST happen for a person – a believer – to commit a “sin unto death.”

1.     They are enlightened and see their lost condition and need for a Savior.

2.     They have tasted of Jesus Christ and been born again.

3.     They are filled with the Holy Ghost.

4.     They have grown Spiritually enough so they are not just a “baby Christian” feeding on the milk of God’s Word. They are Spiritually mature enough to be feeding on the “meat” of God’s Word with a deeper understanding.

5.     They have had the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the “powers of the world to come” operating in their lives and ministries.

In order for a believer, a Christian, to commit a “sin unto death,” ALL FIVE of those qualifications MUST be met. Because of this serious, stringent qualification, you can see why very, very few believers would ever commit such a thing.

It is a tragic situation, when a believer who has been saved, Baptized with the Holy Spirit, operated in the Gifts of the Spirit, taught on and have such a deep revelation of scripture, probably worked in ministry in some form or fashion (if not the five fold ministry – at least in the helps ministry or prayer ministry) – and then, for some reason, SWEAR OFF CHRISTIANITY AND JESUS CHRIST and leave the Faith.

It could be someone who becomes a Muslim or Buddhist. It could be someone who is bitter at losing a loved one – whatever the case may be.  Think about it – you are casting aside the Blood of Christ as being worthless.

I’m not talking here about a believer who leaves the church because they fell into sin. Whatever it may have been. Adultery, addiction of some sort, etc. and they feel unworthy of their salvation. They feel they have done something so horrible, there is no way Jesus could ever love them again. They feel miserable about their sin, but feel their future in eternity is hopeless…

I’m not talking about someone like that. 

Why would the “sin unto death” rules not apply to them? Didn’t they leave the church?

Yes. 

Didn’t they commit horrible sins?

Yes.

So why wouldn’t that apply?

Because the Holy Spirit is convicting their heart. They are ashamed and sorrowful for what they did. But because they did it willingly, they feel THEY have committed a sin worthy of death. 

But if they are sorrowful and the Holy Spirit is convicting their heart – that means the Holy Spirit is still IN THEIR HEART!

If they swore off Christianity and swore allegiance to Islam or something like that – different story! If they swore off Christianity and worked to oppress Christians, etc. – different story. 

But, just because someone committed a sin – even murder – that does not mean they cannot be forgiven! There is NO SIN that the Blood of Jesus cannot cover. Amen! NONE. NOT ONE – except – the “Sin Unto Death” of swearing allegiance to another higher power other than Jesus – AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN.  Not before!  Not BEFORE!  Because if you did that BEFORE you were born again – you can still repent and receive Jesus as your Savior!

Notice the difference?

I’m way over time for today. We will take this up again tomorrow.

I want to pray for you right now! I want to pray that you realize, no matter the sin you or a loved one may have committed, it is not too late to repent. Other than, the “sin unto death” that we have discussed. Amen!

Let’s Pray!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

We have been looking at what the Apostle John has to say about prayer.  Yesterday, we looked at the first part of what John wrote in First John 5:16, but today I want to look at the rest of verse 16:

“There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

 So, the question is, “What is a sin unto death?”

I want to be very clear here. A “sin unto death” is NOT a sin that a sinner can commit. Over the last few days that we have been studying this verse, we have come to understand that John is speaking here – to BELIEVERS. Born again Christians.

This part of verse 16 is also speaking about believers.  Go back to the first part of verse 16, “If any man sees his BROTHER sin a sin that is not unto death…”

John was not talking about physical death here, but Spiritual death or eternal separation from God. This is the sin of denying Christ. This verse is speaking about Christians who make a conscious decision to reject Jesus Christ. Only – here me – ONLY mature Christians can make that type of decision and commit this type of sin.

In Hebrews 6:4-6, we see the five qualifications that a believer would have to fulfill before he or she would be guilty of committing this unpardonable, “sin unto death.”  Hebrews 6:4-6:

“For it is impossible for those who were once ENLIGHTENED, and  have TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT, and were MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY GHOST, and have TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, and THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”

Before Christians can be found guilty of committing this “sin unto death,” they would need to fulfill all five conditions mentioned in that scripture and apply them to their life. In summary, I’ll list them all again here:

1.     They are enlightened and see their lost condition and need for a Savior.

2.     They have tasted of Jesus Christ and been born again.

3.     They are filled with the Holy Ghost.

4.     They have grown Spiritually enough so they are not just a “baby Christian” feeding on the milk of God’s Word. They are Spiritually mature enough to be feeding on the “meat” of God’s Word with a deeper understanding.

5.     They have had the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the “powers of the world to come” operating in their lives and ministries.

So, from this list, you can see that very few believers could ever qualify for committing the unpardonable sin, or the “sin unto death.”

I will talk more about this next time. 

Right now, I want to pray for you, that you will have an understanding and know that you have not committed this “sin unto death,” or you would not be listening to me right now! Amen!

Let’s Pray!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

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We have been looking at what the Apostle John has to say about prayer.  We have been looking at what John wrote in First John 5:14-15, but today I want to look at verse 16:

 “if any sees his brother sin a sin which not unto death, he shall ASK, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death…”

 If you notice, John is talking about ASKING. Which is a form of prayer, right?

For example, if  you ask God to forgive someone according to 1 John 5:16, then that request is according to God’s Word – which means it is His Will. Amen!  That means God WILL answer that prayer request!  Praise God!

This is especially useful when you have a loved one that you are praying for. Now, let me clarify something here…

You cannot pray a sinner into Heaven. Salvation and the forgiveness of sins is only available individually. Each person must make that decision for themselves. You cannot pray in your children or grandchildren. You cannot pray in your mother, father, brother or sister. You cannot pray in your spouse.

But, once they confess Jesus as their Savior, once they are born again – this opens up 1 John 5:16 for you in some situations.  Let me explain.

Let’s say someone you love, your spouse, parents, children, grandchildren – even a co-worker or next door neighbor, etc., is a believer. Do they commit sins, even though they are a believer?

Let me ask YOU, since you became a believer, have YOU committed any sins?

Yes! Of course!

Have you been forgiven? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins?  Every single one of them? Is it possible you may have forgotten a few along the way?

Yes! Of course!

Does that mean you will go to hell?  No. Not if you are a believer.  Again, just like 1 John 5:16 says, I am not talking about a “sin unto death” (I’ll get to that soon).  But it could cost you one of your “crowns of rewards” in Heaven.  Not your salvation, just some of the rewards. 

I don’t have time to go into all of that – you can study it out on your own. But, let’s continue with the example…

Let’s say your loved one is in a car accident and unresponsive in the hospital. Doctors say it does not look promising. What about the unconfessed sin in their life at that point in time?

You know they are going to be with the Lord, it’s just the unconfessed sin MAY cost them some of their Heavenly rewards. You would rather they wake up and confess their sins and ask the Lord for forgiveness – but that may not be possible. What then?

1 John 5:16 specifically says, “if any sees his brother sin a sin which not unto death, he shall ASK, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death…”

This means YOU can ASK the Lord to forgive them – and HE WILL!  Why? Because YOU ASKED!

Then, IF they do pass away, this area of their life and salvation has been taken care because YOU obeyed the Word of God! Amen!

Ok, this is going long again today. 

I want to pray for YOU right now that you would begin to implement this in your personal prayer time. Cover your family and loved ones and friends like this in prayer. Amen!

Let’s Pray!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

Yesterday, we started to look at what the Apostle John has to say about prayer. Today, I want to look at what John wrote about the teaching of Jesus in the Gospel of John, Chapter 15 and verse 7:

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” 

Notice what these words say. They correspond directly with what we read yesterday in First John 5:14-15: 

 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us; and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

 In other words, if we know God hears our prayer and our petitions, then we can KNOW (which the Amplified Bible says, “We can have the assured confidence” that we HAVE the petition that we desired of Him. 

I’ve taught on the “Prayer of Petition” before – extensively. I’m not going to launch out into a deep teaching on it again. Go back in the archives and look it up.

But, for those that may not have heard that teaching, or for those that need a refresher, let me just explain the concept to you…

First, to present a petition before God to have a particular need met, whether it is healing for you or a loved one; whether it concerns finances or employment or whatever, you must be VERY SPECIFIC.

This is not one of those “general prayers” that you pray during your prayer time. 

You need to go about it like a lawyer presenting a case before a judge in court. In fact, you are presenting your case before the Great Judge. God Himself. Amen!

Just as a lawyer would take hours to prepare a case that he or she would present before the Supreme Court of the land, you should take your time and prepare your prayer of petition.

That means looking up EVERY scripture that has anything at all to do with your situation. Every single scripture. Write them down, by hand (not on the computer). 

Why? Because by writing them each by hand, you must mentally read and then write the scripture out. This reinforces the scripture in your mind.

Then, you write out your “petition.” What are you asking God for? What is it you want Him to do? What is the “ruling” you want Him to issue in regards to your petition?

You then state your case in a summary statement right up front. Maybe something similar to:

“Father God, I request you heal my body of this (cancer or whatever it is). I know you have healed others in the past that have had the same thing. I know you honor your Word. In fact, there have been other cases in which you have issued this type of ruling from your Word.

In the following situations, your Word says:  (and then you list every single instance and scripture reference you found in your research).

Then, finish it off by saying, I pray all of this IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

That is a quick summary of the Prayer of Petition.  Do not rush this. It may take you a week to write it out. It may take you an hour or more to pray. That’s OK. That’s the way it should be!

Now, I want to pray for you… 

Let’s Pray!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2