Background to passage: Last Supper, farewell discourse
John 14:1–13 ESV
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
And you know the way to where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Opening illustration: The Prayer that God Cannot Ignore: How to Force God to Answer Your Prayer Every Time, by Prophet Uebert Angel
Main thought: As we end our month of Prayer and Fasting on Tues, knowing that we have labored in earnest in prayer while focusing on God, will God hear? Will God answer? Will God pour out his blessing on this church? Will God use us to impact this community for the kingdom as we have asked? This is a text that is mind-blowing in possibility. Jesus said it multiple times. This we know from this text, Christ will do for us whatever we ask upon two conditions: 1) in my name, 2) for the Father’s glory.
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1) In My Name (v. 13)
John 14:13 ESV
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
1) In My Name (v. 13)
Explanation: What does it mean to pray in Christ’s name? Just tack on the special phrase at the end of our prayer? 1) Through his blood as our access, 2) for the continuance of his work, 3) and according to his will.
No condition as in John 15:7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” No condition as in 1 John 5:14–15, “If we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” No condition as in Mark 11:24, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
John 15:7 ESV
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
1 John 5:14–15 ESV
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Mark 11:24 ESV
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Illustration:
Application: Three things
Through his blood. We acknowledge that the only way that we can approach the throne of God is because of the death and resurrection of Christ. We base the hearing of our prayer on the fact that the veil was ripped from top to bottom, giving us access. The fact that we have been born again by the precious blood of Christ is our humble expression of our unworthiness to do it upon any of our own merit. So, let’s examine a typical prayer.
For the advancement of his kingdom. This comes right from this text when speaking of the works that Christ did to testify of the Father, we will continue to do even greater works because we have the Holy Spirit. These works will be to testify of Christ and his kingdom which has come. When we pray that the church will prevail against the powers of darkness, we can truly claim that we are praying in Christ’s name. For example, a common prayer request.
In accordance with his will. Ah, here is a tricky one. How do we know if this request is in line with God’s will or not? Proverbs on Wed night. Bottom line is that you won’t if it’s not commanded in scripture. Even Jesus understood that. Knowing that God’s will was the cross, he still prayed “not my will, but thine” be done. That’s always a safe one.
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2) For His Glory (v. 13)
John 14:13 ESV
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
2) For His Glory (v. 13)
Explanation: You exist, prayer exists, trees and mountains exist, bugs and beavers and sunsets and skyscrapers exist for the glory of God. Christ is going answer prayer in order to glorify the Father. The glory of God is the manifest beauty of his holiness. If your hope is the end of your prayer is the glorification of God, you are doing exact what Christ wants. To glorify him is to make much of him, to put his value on display, to make decisions that show that he is more treasured to you than money, possessions, power, family, futures, anything. To glorify Him is to make him look great (because he is great) to others so they will want him.
Argumentation:
Illustration: Praying in Jesus’s name is just one act among many in a whole life under the same banner: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). Unsurprisingly, in the book of Acts, we see the earliest Christians making the name of Jesus explicit in all they did — whether baptism (Acts 2:38; 10:48; 19:5), or healing and exorcism (Acts 3:6; 4:30; 16:18), in all their teaching and preaching (Acts 4:18; 5:40; 8:12; 9:27), even risking their lives and embracing imprisonment and death in his name (Acts 15:26; 21:13).
Such living, and performing various actions, for the world to see, in the name of Jesus has a particular end in view: to glorify him. To honor him. To act in Jesus’s name is to act for Jesus’s fame. To aim to make him known and admired and appreciated and enjoyed, as he ought to be. But what about when we turn Godward in prayer? How is prayer, in directing our words Godward, instead of our actions toward fellow humans, distinct from other acts undertaken in Jesus’s name? -David Mathis
Application: So, what does that look like? We make decisions that demonstrate the value of Christ. Since he is the greatest treasure, and the One whom we most want to please, what do we do. He said the great commandment was to love God, so what does that look like? Privately, enjoying communion with him, loving his word. He said that we also must love others as yourself.
So as a church, to show the community we love them, what do we do. Share resources, invest in helping people, sharing the gospel at all times. Personally, in your victories, how do you point people to him not you? With your time, how do others see that Christ is first? Not just as a moralist or legalist, but as one who has tasted the Lord, and desires to please him? With your money…In your times of pain and crisis, do people look at the decisions you make and say wow, Christ must really be awesome for them to sacrifice that joyfully?
He said to keep his commands. Part of discipleship is to teach those around us to do the commands of Jesus. Not divorce when the world does. Remain pure when the world doesn’t. Rejoice and leap for joy when you are attacked and slandered. Refuse anger and retaliation. Pray for your enemies. Believe in the midst of the impossible. Love the nations. Receive the sinners without condemnation, seek the lost sheep. Share a meal with hypocrites. Give to the needy. Forgive those who have wronged you. Don’t judge and be critical. Refuse to be afraid or worry. Count the cost of following Him, and only come if you will forsake family, money, power, position, authority, your very life.
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Closing illustration: “In my name!” That is, for my fame and not yours. Because of my divine worth and my infinite payment on the cross. And according to my sovereign wisdom. Put every request though that filter—my fame, my worth, my purchase, my wisdom. And every prayer will be answered. You will have everything you need to do the works that I do, and even the greater works.
Names in our Month of Prayer
God is Jehovah
God is Jehovah-M’Kaddesh
God is Infinite
God is Omnipotent
God is Good
God is Love
God is Jehovah-jireh
God is Jehovah-shalom
God is Immutable
God is Transcendent
God is Just
God is Holy
God is Jehovah-rophe
God is Self-sufficient
God is Omniscient
God is Omnipresent
God is Merciful
God is Sovereign
God is Jehovah-nissi
God is Wise
God is Faithful
God is Wrathful
God is Full of Grace
God is Our Comforter
God is El-Shaddai
God is Father
God is the Church’s Head
God is our Intercessor
God is Adonai
God is Elohim
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Recap
