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"If anyone sees his brother sinning..."

Text: 1 John 5:16

LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER

The Apostle strongly advocated the concept of looking out for each other as an expression of a love that is rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ! Caring for each other is a natural expression of a genuine and deep faith in the Lord.

“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death,
he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.
There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.”
1 John 5:16

1. Two types of sin distinguished

a) The sin that does not lead to death.

b) The sin that leads to death.

2. Prayers for those whose sins do not lead to death

a) The petitioner may intercede.

b) He must of course do the following:-

i) Pray in faith.

ii) Pray in the name of the Lord Jesus.

iii) Submit everything to the will of God.

iv) Trust God to hear and answer prayer according to His will.

3. Prayers for those whose sin leads to death

a) John does not recommend prayers for them.

b) He knows that they would not be answered anyway.

WHAT ARE SOME PRAYERS THAT GOD WILL NOT HEAR?

This is a difficult thing to figure out exactly. However, we may look at a text in the Old Testament that may yield some light on this subject!

1. The plight of the 10 spies who caused Israel to fear entering Canaan (Numbers 14)

a) This was the sin of rebellion.

b) This was the sin of rejection.

c) They died by a plague that God sent.

2. The plight of the nation of Israel

a) They were not slain by a plague.

b) God heard the prayer of Moses to spare the nation of Israel.