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Unforgiven Sins; hindrance to answered prayers

Since the first week in January I've been talking to you about having your prayers answered. We've discussed How to pray, When to pray, and even What to pray. We've looked at the prayer lives of great men of God; how they were in their situations, how they prayed, and how God answered their prayers.

And so today I want you to be honest with me - and tell me how many of you still have unanswered prayers?

You don't have to answer me out loud; - the fact that you are still here in prison, awaiting trial, proves to me that you still have unanswered prayers in your life, or were there any of you that prayed to stay here? - I seriously doubt that!

So there must be something that is still hindering the answer to your prayers. We have learnt that God hears each and every prayer that we send, even those from unbelievers, so the problem is not getting our prayers to God anymore, it has to be something else.

If your prayers reach God, and He hears them, then something must be in the way of Him acting on it!

You guys know me, and you know that I preach GRACE and not the LAW, I preach FREEDOM and not the following of RULES, but there are certain rules that remain on this Earth. For instance, whether you believe in gravity or not, if you lift up both of your legs at the same time, you WILL fall down - that's a rule of nature. Now it seems that there is a SPIRITUAL RULE that we have to understand before our prayers can be answered.

Let's look at what the Word of the Lord has to say on this matter:

Turn your Bibles to the First Epistle of John, Chapter 3 and verse 22:
(1 John 3:22 KJV) And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

John says whatsoever we ask, we WILL receive. So if you have asked, and not received, something is wrong! Either this scripture (in other words, God's Word) is a lie, or we are doing something wrong.

The Bible says in the book of Numbers, chapter 23:
(Numbers 23:19 KJV) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Thus if the problem is not with God, it has to be with us.

So John says whatsoever we ask, we WILL receive. I have looked up the word "whatsoever" in a couple of dictionaries; it means WHAT SO EVER! Everything is included, nothing is excluded.

(By the way - don't go back to trying to keep the 10 Commandments just because you read the word "commandments in verse 22; verses 23 and 24 explains this word -
1Jn 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.)

Verse 21 of 1 John 3 says:

(1 John 3:21 KJV) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
The Amplified Bible says:
(1 John 3:21 AMP) And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God,
(1 John 3:22 AMP) And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him.

Do you realize how powerful this scripture is? The answer to our dilemma is in this scripture! If I can boldly go to God's Throne of Grace, and ask Him for whatsoever I want, this scripture says that He will give it to me. In other words, to get answers to my prayers, I must come to God's throne with BOLDNESS!

Now this means that if we come to the Throne of Grace without boldness, we don't get answers to our prayers - we just waste our breath, our time, and God's time. So, how do we get this boldness that John is talking about? What produces it, and more importantly, what takes it away?

Verse 21 says that if our hearts (our consciences) do not condemn us, and it explains what that means: if they do not make us feel guilty and accuse us...

So condemnation comes by feeling guilty about our sins. And condemnation takes our boldness away from us, so that we dare not approach God on His Throne to ask whatever we need or want. It's NOT our sins that robs us of our boldness, it' the guilt that we feel BECAUSE of the sins that dies that.

What do I mean with that?

In Isaiah 59 we read:
(Isaiah 59:1 KJV) Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
(Isaiah 59:2 KJV) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

But in the First Epistle of John Chapter 1 verse 9 we read:
(1 John 1:9 KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
and Chapter 3 verse 20 says:
(1 John 3:20 KJV) For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

So it is NOT our SINS per se that builds this wall between us and God, but the GUILT that we feel because of the sins, because God is true and faithful and bigger than those sins to forgive us. You have to understand this: It is NOT God that condemns us, but our own consciences.

If you don’t agree with me, turn your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter 8:
(Romans 8:1 AMP) THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

From God's side, if you have accepted Jesus as your lord and Saviour, He cannot condemn you anymore. Still unsure, look at verse 33:
(Romans 8:33 KJV) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

If it is God that justifies you, (remember that it was His plan all along - even before the creation - to sacrifice His Son for your sins) how on Earth will it be Him that condemns you? Next verse...

(Romans 8:34 KJV) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

So who can then condemn you? Can it be Jesus, who died for your sins, rose from the dead, and is currently interceding, pleading with the Father for your justification? The idea is absurd!

But John says in 1 John 3:20:
(1 John 3:20 KJV) For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.


It is our hearts (our consciences) that condemns us because of the sins that we have committed.

Back to our prayer life:

If God is bigger than our sins, if Christ has died to wipe away those sins, if we accept Jesus and ask for forgiveness, why then do we still have unanswered prayers? Why do we not receive whatsoever we ask?

The answer is UNFORGIVEN SINS! But John says that if we confess our sins, God WILL forgive us, and we know that God is not a liar, so what are we missing?

Back to the SPIRITUAL RULE that I mentioned earlier:

Turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 11, and we'll start from verse 22;
(Mark 11:22 KJV) And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
(Mark 11:23 KJV) For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
(Mark 11:24 KJV) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(Mark 11:25 KJV) And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
(Mark 11:26 KJV) But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.


Notice in verses 22 and 23 we again read of "whatsoever we ask, we shall receive” exactly as in 1 John 3! And we find this spiritual rule in verses 25 and 26; If you want to be forgiven, you must first forgive those that have sinned against you. Now this is an important concept, because you will find references to it in various other places in the Bible:

Look at Matthew Chapter 5, verse 23-24:
(Matthew 5:23 KJV) Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
(Matthew 5:24 KJV) Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Let me paraphrase this;

If I approach the Throne of God, and I feel guilty about some unforgiveness between my brother (in Christ) and myself, nothing is going to happen, unless I go to my brother and forgive him. Then I will not feel guilty, I will have boldness, and I will be able to approach the Throne of Grace with my worship or requests.

In Matthew 18 Peter asked The Lord how many times we should forgive. He thought seven times was enough. Jesus responded and said that seventy times seven would not even be enough. Then He told them this parable:

(Matthew 18:23 AMP) Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a human king who wished to settle accounts with his attendants.
(Matthew 18:24 AMP) When he began the accounting, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents [probably about $10,000,000],
(Matthew 18:25 AMP) And because he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made.
(Matthew 18:26 AMP) So the attendant fell on his knees, begging him, Have patience with me and I will pay you everything.
(Matthew 18:27 AMP) And his master's heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave him [cancelling] the debt.
(Matthew 18:28 AMP) But that same attendant, as he went out, found one of his fellow attendants who owed him a hundred denarii [about twenty dollars]; and he caught him by the throat and said, Pay what you owe!
(Matthew 18:29 AMP) So his fellow attendant fell down and begged him earnestly, Give me time, and I will pay you all !
(Matthew 18:30 AMP) But he was unwilling, and he went out and had him put in prison till he should pay the debt.
(Matthew 18:31 AMP) When his fellow attendants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and told everything that had taken place to their master.
(Matthew 18:32 AMP) Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to.
(Matthew 18:33 AMP) And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you?
(Matthew 18:34 AMP) And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed.
(Matthew 18:35 AMP) So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses.

Can you see how many times Jesus spoke on the importance of forgiving others?

You will find another example of this concept in Matthew chapter six and verse 9:
(Matthew 6:9 KJV) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
(Matthew 6:10 KJV) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
(Matthew 6:11 KJV) Give us this day our daily bread.
(Matthew 6:12 KJV) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
(Matthew 6:13 KJV) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:14 KJV) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
(Matthew 6:15 KJV) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Let's look at a couple of these verses in the Amplified Bible:

(Matthew 6:12 AMP) And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors.

(Matthew 6:14 AMP) For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
(Matthew 6:15 AMP) But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.

This concept of forgiving must really be an important concept, because when Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them how to pray, He taught them to pray the "Our Father". And right in the middle of this prayer that He was teaching them, He instructs them first to FORGIVE the people that sinned against them, and then only to ask God to forgive THEIR own sins in the same manner. Then in verses 14 and 15 He re-iterates the concept, by emphatically stating that your sins will ONLY be forgiven if you have forgiven the people that sinned against you!

This is a tough thing to accept, and this is the reason why there are so many people out there that are going to church Sunday after Sunday, worshipping God, confessing their sins, asking for forgiveness, and yet, not receiving ANYTHING that they ask for in prayer.

So what have we learned today?

God wants us to have whatsoever we need or want. (1 John 3:22, Mark 11:24)

He wants us to approach Him directly. He wants us to look Him in the eye (have boldness) and ask Him personally.
He is sitting on the Throne of Grace (not condemnation), which is also called the Holy of Holies [Amplified]. (Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 10:19-23)

Sin and guilt cannot enter there.

So if we feel guilty about sin, we are not forgiven, and cannot enter the Holy of Holies. All we can do is stand in the outer court, shouting our prayers, hoping that the wind will carry them to the Father. But the Devil can also come into the Outer Court. His called the "accuser of the Brethren". And so when we shout out our prayers, the devil starts working on us (our consciences).
He may say: "You dare ask for a new car, don't you remember how horrid you were towards your wife this morning?" or "How can you ask for a new job, Yesterday you cursed that taxi driver that cut in front of you." or "How dare you ask for healing, when you haven't been in church for five weeks?"
The Bible says that this guilt that we have because of our sins robs us of our boldness. (1 John 3:20)

And so, if we want our prayers answered, we have to be inside of the Holy of Holies. For that, we need boldness. In order to get our boldness back, we need to be rid of our guilt. To get rid of our guilt, we have to be forgiven of our sins. And to be forgiven of our sins, we have to forgive everybody that has sinned against us.

Father, I pray for each and every one sitting in this meeting today. Holy Spirit, come into the lives of every one of us and show us where we still have unforgiven sins in our lives. Father I forgive every single one that I have a grudge against. Holy Spirit, help me to forgive immediately after I remember the bad things that other people have done to me. Father I thank you that You do not condemn us for our sins. Jesus, I thank you for your blood. I thank you that You died on that cross for my sins. I thank you that you have set my sins aside, that you have cleared it completely, by nailing it to the cross. Thank You that through sacrifice I can now boldly go to the Throne of Grace, my head held high. Thank you Jesus, that in your name and by Your Authority I can look the Father in the eye and personally give Him my praises, prayers and supplications. Thank You my Father, that You promised that whatever I ask, You will give me. I accept it in Jesus name.

Amen