John's Prayer for the Church

Introduction

When we read the bible we sometimes overlook the prayers that are inserted into our reading. Here John gives a greeting and then a prayer. It's a wise practice to pray for each other and for the church. As John writes this letter to the mother church he prays a prayer that once again emphasizes his concern over the attack on the truth of God's word.

I. The Content Of His Prayer, vs. 3.

A. Recipient of God's Blessings, vs. 3.

"Grace be with you..." vs. 3. The recipient of this prayer is you. I believe John is praying a covering of God's Spirit over the mother church. The Greek word chavis or grace means joy, favor and acceptance. This ought to be what a church is all about. It ought to be our daily prayer for each other. Each of us should be prayed for collectively everyday! Not only do we see the recipient of God's blessing but also the result of God's blessing.

B. The Result of God's Blessing, vs. 3.

"...mercy, and peace..." vs. 3. It's no surprise that where there is God's grace there is mercy and peace. You'll almost always find the words mercy and peace in that order in the bible. Where there's God's mercy there will be peace. John wants the church to experience God's grace so there will be mercy and peace. Not only do we see the content of the prayer but also the context of the prayer.

II. The Context of the Prayer, vs. 3.

A. The Source of the Context, vs. 3.

"...from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father..." vs. 3. Why this strong emphasis on Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father? Because that's the truth that the Judizers were trying to destroy. In his prayer John wants to make it perfectly clear that Jesus Christ is God, the Son of God, one God! It's not a new thing that churches have wanted to excommunicate Jesus, it's just new to us. We had 350 years where Christ was central, sacred and solidly the center of worship in America. But in the last 50 years there has been an attack on His very reputation. Not only do we see the source of the context but also the seriousness of the context.

B. The Seriousness of the Context, vs. 3.

"...in truth and love." vs. 3. John is praying that the church will receive the truth. Don't let false teaching or teachers come in. John is telling us the context of this letter is serious. Falseness will lead to falling and falling will lead to failure. Churches that have moved from the truth have failed their people, their community and their God. They've desecrated the cross, denied the Savior and destroyed         all hope of living a righteous life before God. It's important what we believe. It's important what          we teach!