Lesson 23: What Others said about Prayer (Part 2) Watch and Pray !

Lesson 23: What Others Said about Prayer (Part 2) WATCH AND PRAY: Then in (1 Peter 4:7) we read, "But the in of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter so into the future to the day in which we live and admonished believers concerning the necessity of watchful prayer. In Mark's Gospel we read where Jesus, talking about the last days, said "Take you heed, watch and pray: for you know not when the time is" (Mark 13:33). God's WILL IN PRAYER: John, too had important things to say about prayer. (1 John 5:14- 16) "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 hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. Although the word "pray" is mentioned only once in this passage of Scripture, John has used the words "ask" and "petition," referring to prayer. He said, ". . . If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us." Remember this: If it is according to the Word, it is according to His will. Some people take the attitude that they will pray for something and if it is God's will, He will give it to them. If it isn't His will, then He won't. However, this isn't what the Bible says. John said, ". . . If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us." His Word is His will ! If we know what His Word says about a certain matter, then we know what His Will is about that matter. This agrees with Jesus statement, ". . . If you are buy in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). Verse 16 of the above passage has been the subject of much controversy, and most preachers just stay away from it. However, it ties right in with the two preceding verses and continues talking about prayer: (1 John 5:16) "if any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." John is saying here that if we ask God to forgive someone, this is according to His Word and according to His will, and he will do it. There are many dear people that are believers and love the Lord, but there are sins of omission as well as commission and I could see where a lot of people had missed it. Others can see where I have missed it. We can see where others miss it sometimes better than we can see ourselves. When you see a brother or a sister taken in a sin of omission or commission you can go to God on their behalf and ask him to forgive them, and he will. Because, you should know that His Word says in (1 John 5:16), "if any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them. . .! The last part of that verse does make an exception, however. It says ". . . There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." How will we know if a person has committed a sin unto death ? We will only know this as the Holy Spirit reveals it to us. This has happened to me only to times in my life when I have been praying for someone and the Lord showed me that there was no need to pray for them, because they had sinned the sin unto death. What is this sin unto death ? First John is not talking about physical death here, but about spiritual death. This isn't a sin that an unbeliever can commit. It is a sin only a Christian can commit, for he used the term "brother."