We're going to talk about prayer this morning. Wonderful subject, isn't it? Prayer is a very important subject that comes up in many places, many different places throughout the word of God. And over the years, if you've been around here for a while, you know that we've studied that subject in many of those places. This morning, we're going to study the subject of prayer again, as it comes up in the context of John chapter 14. So if you want to move in that direction, please John chapter 14, We're going to be looking at a couple of verses there. In this chapter, as you know, just to kind of give you a little bit of a sweeping review of what's happened. In this chapter, as you know, Jesus is preparing his very troubled disciples for his soon departure from this world. They don't get it. They don't understand it. They still don't even know about the cross yet. This is Thursday night in the passion week. Uh, the cross is just hours away. Uh, they know he's leaving that is finally registered with them. Uh, but they still don't know about the cross. Uh, by the time we got to the end of chapter 13, actually is where that had finally registered with them after Jesus told them several times point blank, uh, that he was leaving them. And, uh, by the end of chapter 13, of course, they were in a terrible state of devastation and confusion over that. And so as we moved into chapter 14, then in the first six verses, Jesus has comforted his disciples with some counsel and some promises. You remember all of that. You guys have always believed in a God that you cannot see. Now you're going to have to believe also in a Christ that you cannot see. That was our Lord's very wise word of counsel to these men in verse one. And then as you recall, in those early verses, he also followed up that council with some wonderful promises in verses two and three. And because those are promises that we all love to hear as well, I'm going to read them again. I love to read those verses. John chapter 14 verses two and three, you know them well. In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you for I go to prepare a place for you. And then how about this? If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am there, you may be also. Are you all ready? I'm ready. I'm ready for that. He's coming and he's coming very soon. And so here in the context of John 14, excuse me, what Jesus is telling his disciples is this, there there's going to be guys, listen, there's going to be a physical separation between us for a little while, but that separation, will only be temporary. And once we're all reunited again in my father's house, which we will be, there will never ever again be a separation between you and me. And so that's what went on in the earlier verses of chapter 14. In the second section of this chapter, which is the one that we've been working on for a few weeks now, that begins in verse seven and goes down through verse 14. And Jesus went on from the counsel and the comfort to instruction in the verses that we're studying. Currently, Jesus is instructing his disciples on how to live the life of faith here on this earth. In the meantime, while they're waiting for that forever reunion in the father's house, you see, there's a, we talked about it many times over the past weeks. You see, there's a huge transition. right around the corner for these guys who for three years now have been living how? I mean living by sight. Jesus has been right there. Every day when they wake up, there he is. Jesus is there. For three years, these guys have been living by sight. But like it's always been for all believers before them and all believers after them, they are now, as of tomorrow, they are now going to have to live by faith. It's the way we've always lived, right? By faith. They're gonna have to live by faith. And so that transition, that huge transition, that's what Jesus has been helping them with here as he, kind of another way we've described these verses is that in these verses, Jesus is sort of handing them off or turning them over, if you will, to the father's care. And it's difficult. It's difficult. They're having a hard time with that. Their fears and their apprehensions about this transition have revealed the fact that they really don't know the father as thoroughly and as intimately as they should know the father by now. And that faith insufficiency is rooted in the fact that they have, these guys have only, it should be better by now, but it's not. They have only a very, very shallow comprehension of Jesus Christ, oneness and equality with the father. That's the underlying problem here. And so all of that, And I know that's just a very brief summary, but all of that is what Jesus has been dealing with in this second section of the chapter. By the way, we're going to finish up with today. Let me read it for you one more time. If you're there in John chapter 14, I'm going to begin reading in verse seven down through verse 14. And then the focus of our study today will be on verses 13 and 14 and the wonderful subject of prayer. Here's what it says beginning in verse seven, beginning of verse seven. If you had known me, you would have known my father also. From now on, you know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the father and it is enough for us. Right? Well, Philip is looking at God. He says, show us the father, right? How disheartening that must have been for Jesus. Jesus said to him, have I been so long with you and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who 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 initiative, but the father abiding in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the father and the father is in me. Otherwise believe, because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also. And greater works than these he will do because I go to the Father. And here's where we pick up today now. Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Pray with me. Father, thank you for this reading of your word. Our subject today is a very important one. We as believers, Father, have the incredible privilege of access to you through the vehicle of prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. And yet, Father, I know this to be true in my own life, and I assume it's true in the lives of these people. Prayer, Father, is far too often an untapped resource and privilege in our daily lives. And so father, would you use your word today to fix that in my life and to fix that in the lives of these dear people who are here today? Father, would you show us some things today, even if it's just one little thing, father, would you show us something today from your word that will help us to see the power of prayer in a way that will then literally transform the way we begin to pray when we leave this place today. Teach us now, Father, from this wonderful, inspired book that you have given to us. We love you and we worship you and we ask for your help now as we study and we pray it all in Jesus' name. Amen. How will the life of faith be? How will the life of faith work for these 11 men after Jesus is gone? The answer to that question is what we're getting in this text. I've broken it down into four sub points, three behind us, one more to go yet for today. Sub point number one, this is review. Sub point number one, after I'm gone, Jesus says, you will know the father that came at the beginning of verse seven. If you had known me, you would have known my father also. I've said this several times. Let me say it one more time today. Let me say one more time that Jesus is not denying by that statement. He is not denying the fact here. that these men do know him in a true and saving way. They do know him in a true and saving way. What he's saying here at the beginning of verse seven is that they don't know him well enough. They don't know him deep enough. They don't know him sufficiently enough to make this transition work. But from now on, Jesus went on to say, after I'm gone, you will know him. And we talked about all of that. After I'm gone, you guys will come to a profound knowledge of the father and that profound knowledge of the father will come to you through a deeper and more complete knowledge of me on the day of Pentecost. Things are going to just begin to explode in these guys' minds. All things that Jesus has said to them on this night that they don't understand now, but they will understand and it will be an incredible thing. Our Lord's second point from the very end of verse seven all the way down through verse 11, was to say, after I'm gone, you will then realize that you have seen the father. Can you imagine that? They're looking at God right now, but they're not going to realize that until after he's gone. Just imagine that. Imagine them coming to that realization somewhere after the day of Pentecost. You guys do believe, you guys have even confessed that I'm God, right? Remember Peter's confession, you're the Christ, the son of the living God, right? But there's still a faith disconnect there in you that is hindering the supernatural reality of that in your minds while you're looking at me and talking with me while I'm here with you on this earth. There's a disconnect there. You say that I am God, and I know you really believe that, but you're really not seeing me as God right now. There's that disconnect. Remember, I've talked about it before. It's really hard to explain. But there is that disconnect there, but that faith disconnect, what Jesus is saying here is that that faith disconnect is going to be fixed after I'm gone. Somewhere after I'm gone, you guys are all going to look back and you're going to, and your, and your, and your mouths are going to drop open. You're going to look back and you're going to realize we have been walking and talking with God for three years. And then Jesus followed. He who has seen me has seen the father, Jesus said to Philip. And then Jesus followed that profound statement up in verse 10. And again, in verse 11 with another profound statement of Christology, I am in the father and the father is in me. I am in the father and the father is in me. There's a mutual abiding reality there between the father and the son that these guys are not going to fully comprehend or grasp until later on. Last week, we spent all of our time in verse 12. with our Lord's third point in this text. After I'm gone, you will do my works and even greater works. Remember, there are two parts to this promise. Part one, you will do my works, Jesus said. After I'm gone, you will do my works. And these guys did do his works. I gave you lots of examples last week. After Jesus was gone, the book of Acts is the inspired record of these apostles of our Lord, plus a later one named Paul. doing the very same kinds of miraculous works that Jesus did while he was here. But please always remember, please always remember that those miraculous sign gifts of healings and tongues were exclusively for the apostles and exclusively for that apostolic age. Don't ever forget that. When the church was brand new, And when the written word of God was yet incomplete, these miraculous sign gifts served the very important and necessary purpose of authenticating the apostles and their message. And listen, people, that's really not a very difficult thing to understand at all. People imagine living in that day, people living in those days, right? The word of God was not complete. The new Testament wasn't completed. And so people living in those days, needed that authentication so they would know who the true apostles were in a world that was filled with false ones, just like it is today. And the ability to do these miraculous sign gifts was that authentication. That's what those sign gifts were for. Never forget that. Second Corinthians 12, 12 says that these were the signs of a true apostle. not the signs of anyone and everyone, these miraculous wonders inside. These were the signs of a true apostle. But once the church had been established upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, it says in Ephesians 2.20, and when the apostolic age came to an end, those miraculous sign gifts ceased. And even before, if you remember from last week, even before the apostolic age ended, those miraculous sign gifts gradually slowed down more and more and more. And I showed you that last week, as you get to the later end of the apostolic era, uh, those signed gifts are disappearing. They're disappearing and going away. What else do we have now? We also have the completed and self-authenticating written word of God. by which we measure all things, making the miraculous sign gifts no longer necessary. As a preacher today, you don't need me to see, you don't need to see me perform a miracle. And that's probably a very good thing. You don't need to see me perform a miracle to validate the truthfulness of what I say, because we have what we have the completed written word of God. And so like good Bereans, Acts 17, 10 and 11, like good Bereans, you are to measure everything you hear me say against the backdrop of the completed scriptures. That's what we have by which to measure everything today. But then not only did Jesus promise in verse 12 that the apostles would do the works that he did, the specific miraculous kinds of works that he did. Part two of the promise is that they would do even greater works. And so remember that now by that he didn't mean greater in kind, Who could ever do works that were greater in kind than the ones that Jesus did? No one, of course, could do that. And so that's not what he meant. He didn't mean greater in kind, he meant greater in extent, greater in extent. During his earthly life and ministry, we talked about it a little bit last week. Jesus only covered a very small geographical area, really Palestine and a little bit to the north and a little bit to the east, or not much further than that, really. Jesus covered the area of Palestine and he had, At the time of his death in Ascension, he had only a very small group of followers. How many gathered in that upper room to pray in Jerusalem after the Ascension? About 120 believers, it says in the book of Acts. Gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem to pray and wait for the Holy Spirit. But what happened after Jesus was gone? through that tiny, this is just incredible, think about it, through that tiny, tiny little group of guys, right? Motley little guys who, for the most part, were spiritually dumb and ignorant, right? Through that motley little group of guys, that little band of apostles, what has happened? The gospel has now encircled the globe. You and I are believers today because of the ministry of those men. Absolutely, and everyone else who has ever been a believer and ever will be a believer are believers because of the ministry of those men that Jesus poured his life into. Unlikely candidates even, right? But that's how it was, right? Thousands and thousands upon men. And not only that, while Jesus was here, the greater works also means something else. While Jesus was here, it was, it was primarily physical healings and miracles of that nature that he performed and that the apostles did after he was gone. But now, but now thousands upon thousands of men and women have been healed from their most serious and eternally fatal sickness. And what sickness is that? It's the one that's talked that Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 53, their sin sickness, right? And, um, so whenever we talk about miracles, I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Whenever we talk about miracles, always remember that the miracle of salvation people is has always been and will always be the greatest miracle of all miracles. The miracle of salvation is the greatest miracle. And then as you think about these apostles doing these greater works, always remember what happened after Peter's first sermon on the day of Pentecost. Wasn't this amazing? Church is brand new. Peter pops up, he gets the privilege of preaching that first sermon to the brand new church, right? And what happened? What happened? After Peter's sermon that day, the Bible says about 3,000 souls were saved, Acts chapter two and verse 41. And so that's way more people than were saved throughout the entire three year span of our Lord's earthly ministry. So greater works means greater in extent. We as believers today have no part whatsoever in the miraculous sign gift part of Jesus promise in verse 12, in spite of what you will hear and see on TBN. Uh, we have no part of that whatsoever, but we are still doing those greater works as we preach the gospel that Paul said in Romans 1 16 is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes we preach the gospel. God takes that gospel and there are still miracles being accomplished today. Those miracles of salvation. And let's go to our Lord's fourth and final point now in verses 13 and 14. That was our review. Let's get into our, our new verses this morning. Uh, what he has to say here in verses 13 and 14 is very much connected now to what he just said in verse 12. And here's the point after I'm gone, after I'm gone, you will have power in prayer, power in prayer. Would you look at this promise with me? I'm going to read him about or read both verses 13 and 14. Whatever you ask in my name, Jesus said, that will I do so that the father may be glorified in the son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. I don't know how that comes across to you, but this is one of those statements from our Lord. And there are others like it. This is one of those statements from our Lord that sounds kind of over the top radical to us, doesn't it? At first, when you read that, Um, really I can, I can have whatever, and I can have anything just by asking. Well, um, that's what Jesus just said. Plain and clear. That's what Jesus just said. And I don't think, uh, you know, I don't think he intended this to be a radical sounding statement at all. What Jesus said is what Jesus meant. This is a very real promise, but it's a promise that comes of course, with some context that we need to talk about. It's a promise that comes with a condition that we're going to look at. And so, I mean, if you ignore the context and the condition, if you ignore those things, that could make this promise sound kind of radical. But let me suggest another reason before we get into it here. Let me suggest another reason that came to mind as I was thinking about this as to why, maybe why we struggle. so much with promises like this one. Why promises like this sound radical to us? It's a perspective thing. Whatever you ask in my name, Jesus said, that will I do. And so let me ask this question. What is it that validates that promise as being true? That promise is not true people. And those prayers are not answered because you feel like they've been answered. And that promise is not true. And those prayers are not answered because you can necessarily see the evidence with your eyes that those prayers have been answered. And so mark this as we begin today. This is, I think, important. This promise that Jesus just made in verses 13 and 14 is true people. Those prayers have been answered because Jesus said they were answered. That's the bottom line here. That's what validates this promise as being true. Jesus said it was true. And so mark that, just nail that down and let's go to the text. Now, follow me if you would please down through four outline points. Uh, as we look at these verses, the first thing that needed to be said about this prayer promise that Jesus just issued twice, once in verse 13 and then again in verse 14, is that it's a promise that has a very specific context. We can't ignore that. That context has to do, as I said a minute ago, with the two-part promise we just studied through last week in verse 12. The works that I do, you will do also, Jesus promised the 11, and then you will do even greater works. Now as we move from verse 12 into verses 13 and 14 this morning, understand there to be a contextual link there between them. And that link is this. Prayer is being set forth here by Jesus as the very important means by which these works and greater works will be done. And we can claim this as well. This is a principle that we're going to understand now and one that fully applies to you and me, as well as to the 11. We are not going to, let me say it again, we are not going to be doing those miraculous sign gifts like they did. We've already covered that. But there is a very real sense in which we are doing those greater works the disciples did after Jesus was gone. And so as we begin to get our minds around this, what Jesus wants these disciples and us to understand now in verses 13 and 14 is that our fruit bearing works, those things that we do that bring glory to God, will always be the product of our prayers in Jesus name. That's how he wants us to see those works. They will always be the product of our prayers in Jesus name. The power, let me just say something to power and the effectiveness of whatever you do, whatever your ministry is, whatever you do, the power and the effectiveness of whatever you do for the glory of God always comes from that time that you have spent at the throne of God's grace and prayer. And there are, you know, there are, as you know, other things that should be mentioned here. There are other things as well in the recipe when a work gets produced and it's through your life that is acceptable to God and brings glory to God and that will ultimately result in rewards for you at the beam of judgment. Things like, faithfulness and obedience and righteous living. And then another critical ingredient in that recipe is this, that I need to just mention it briefly. Any work like that must be something that was done by you when you were filled with or under the control of the Holy Spirit of God who lives within you, Ephesians 5.18. We've spent a lot of time there. In the past. I can't take the time to teach on that subject right now being filled with the spirit I have many times before and so I'm trusting that you all know exactly what I mean when I say that these works that bring glory to God or this fruit as It's called in Galatians 5 is never from you. It's only through you never from you. It's only through you It's not your fruit at all. It's his fruit And Galatians five makes that clear versus 22 and 23, but the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit. Um, it's not your fruit. It's not the fruit of you. It's the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit is what love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such things. There is no law. And then we can say it another way. Yet another way, an equal way to say that would be to say that those works that bring glory to God through and from your life are always going to be works that the indwelling Christ has produced in and through your life. And Oh, do we ever have the lesson on that coming up in John chapter 15, right? You know what's in John 15 in John chapter 15 verse five, what is Jesus going to say? I am the vine and you are the branches. I'm the vine and you are the branches. What a picture. What a picture. I'm the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. for, and then I love this statement. I love this statement. You should write it down somewhere for apart from me, you can do nothing apart from me. You can do nothing. Uh, that's a beautiful, that vine branches. There's a beautiful picture of the branch of the branch, getting those essential life juices from the vine and thus bearing precious fruit. And all of a sudden, what do you see out of the branch? A cluster of fruit, right? Um, and so there are other things I could go on and on. There are other things in the recipe when your life produces works that bring glory to God, but that's all stuff for another day for now. Let's go back to that ingredient in the recipe that is the subject for today in John 14, 13 and 14. And that ingredient is prayer. Let's talk about prayer today. That's our subject today. Prayer, you know, prayer is, um, one of those things, seems like it should be easy, right? Just talking to God, right? Prayer should be easy. It seems like it should be one of those easy things. But have you discovered otherwise? Have you discovered that prayer is not easy? I have discovered that prayer is not easy. If you're a student in the school of prayer, you know that prayer is very, very hard work. And it's not only hard work, It is very important work. Um, prayer in fact is the most, I believe this with all my heart. Prayer is the most important work that you will ever do as a believer in Jesus Christ. Prayer is the most important work you will ever do as a believer in Jesus Christ because God works through the prayers of his people. You know, a lot of professing believers don't see it this way and that's tragic, but prayer is actually people where that work gets done. Prayer is where the work gets done. And so in the very specific context here, Jesus is setting forth prayer as the means by which these works and greater works are going to be accomplished by these apostles and applying to us how those greater works will still be accomplished by you and me today. And so question, did the apostles then after Jesus was gone, did the apostles then and the early church believers avail themselves of this prayer promise that we're studying today in John 14, 13 and 14? Yes, they did. I'm not going to get too carried away, but I'm going to show you just a little bit now of the praying that went on in those apostolic days, right after, Our Lord's Ascension Acts 114 says that even before the Holy Spirit came down, I've already mentioned those 120 believers, what were they doing? After Jesus went up, what did they do? They went back to Jerusalem, they went into an upper room somewhere and they had a prayer meeting. These all with one mind, it says, were continually devoting themselves to prayer along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus. and with his brothers. And then can I show you just a little bit of beautiful stuff. In Acts chapters three and four, uh, Peter and John healed had healed a man who had been lame from his mother's womb. And they were ultimately arrested for that, uh, by the Jewish religious leaders. And then also because they were proclaiming in Jesus, the resurrection from the dead, as these religious leaders observe the confidence of Peter and John, it says in acts four 13. and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men. They were amazed and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Now that doesn't have anything to do with my point right now. Not, not at all. I read it because I love that verse. I've always loved that verse. Listen, insofar as ministry is concerned, education is optional, but spending time with Jesus is mandatory. Education is optional. Spending time with Jesus is mandatory. In verse 18, they commanded Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, verses 19 and 20, whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. And really all I wanted you to see here right now is what it says in Acts 4.31. And when they had prayed, when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Let's derive a correct order for things there from that statement. And that correct order for things is this. Listen, the praying must come before the preaching. The praying must come before the preaching. The praying must come before whatever else it might be that you're doing in service to your Lord. If you want the power of God to be in that thing, and if you want it to count for eternity. Let me give you another one. Actually, I think we looked at this last week. We were looking at some of those works that the apostles did that Jesus did. I think we looked at this one. Remember Peter raising Tabitha from the dead. Before Peter raised Tabitha from the dead, it says this in Acts 9 40, but Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, got rid of the people, knelt down and prayed and turning to the body. He said, Tabitha, arise and she opened her eyes and when she saw Peter, she sat up. So how was that work accomplished? God accomplished that work through Peter's prayer. I can't take the time to read it, but you know, this account, there's a little humor in it. In Acts chapter 12 from verse five down to verse 17, there is the beautiful account of the church gathered in the house of Mary, the mother of John to pray for Peter's release from prison, right? Peter was locked up. And so the believers were there gathered to pray for him and God answered their prayers. Peter was miraculously released. And so what did Peter do? He went straight to Mary's house. You know, this account, he went straight to Mary's house and knocked on the door, but a servant girl by the name of Rhoda, she went to the door and she came back into the room where the people were gathered. And she said, Peter out there, Peter's knocking on the door. You remember what they said to her? You are out of your mind. You are out of your mind. And so, wow, what a lesson, like it is so many times for us. These believers were praying, but they obviously weren't really believing that God was going to answer their prayer, right? They prayed, God answered their prayer. Peter was knocking on the door and he said, you're out of your mind. Peter's not out there. Sure he was. He was out there, right? That shouldn't be how it is. And there's some commentary on that over in James 1, 5 to 8. Let me read it for you quickly. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord being a double-minded man, unstable, in all his ways. And back to Peter now, after Peter had been out there knocking for a while, not sure how long he was out there, but they left him out there for a while. After a while, these praying people finally did let Peter in. And then the Bible says they were amazed as they listened to his report of how God had answered their prayers and how God had led him out of the prison. Let me give you another one. Just one more apostolic prayer example from Acts 28, eight and nine. And then we need to move on. I think we looked at this briefly last week as well. And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed, afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery. And, uh, Paul went in to see him. And after he had prayed says not before he prayed, but after he. had prayed. He laid his hands on him and healed him. And this happened after this, excuse me, after this had happened, the rest of the people on the Island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured. And so once again, this prayer promise that we're going to study now in verses 13 and 14 has a context. And so keep that in mind, that context has to do with the works in the greater works that we studied last week. And verse 12 prayer, is being set forth here as the very important means by which those works and greater works will be done. And let's move on from the context now to the scope and certainty of this prayer promise. We find both of those things clearly stated in verse 13 and then we find them clearly stated again in verse 14. And so let's just take those verses one at a time. Look with me at the scope and certainty of this prayer promise first in verse 13. And for right now, I'm just going to leave out the middle part of the ending part. We'll get to those parts. Those are important parts. But for right now, I just want to emphasize the clearly stated essence of this promise, the scope and the certainty of this promise. And listen, it is so clear. It is so crystal clear that it hardly needs any explanation at all. Look at what it says. Whatever you ask, that will I do? Who couldn't understand that? Whatever I, whatever you ask that will I do? That's what Jesus said. And again, that's exactly what Jesus meant. Now, if we were to pull that promise out of its context, this bold promise that Jesus just made would, would make Jesus a genie in a bottle, right? But as we've already said today, we can't do that. This prayer, we can't do that with anything in the word of God. This prayer promise does have, a context. And so, uh, whatever you ask, quote unquote, whatever you ask here, please understand, whatever you ask does not include a mansion does not include, uh, uh, a gold watch or a million dollars. No, no, no. It's none of that stuff. Uh, this prayer promise is all about performing those works and greater works. But, but then listen, even, even when limited to that, whatever you ask, is still a pretty wide open category, isn't it? To describe the scope of this promise, whatever you ask. And then what do we understand here in verse 13 about the certainty of this prayer promise? Whatever you ask that I might do. Is that what Jesus said? Maybe, maybe I'll do that. Um, no, that's not what Jesus said. Whatever he asked, he said, that will I do now, as I said earlier, it doesn't really matter if you feel like this prayer got answered. It doesn't really matter if you, are able to see the evidence of this prayer's answer. Here's the fact. This prayer did get answered simply because Jesus said so. Jesus said so. And then maybe because he knew that his disciples along with all of us might still be wondering if this could really be true. Jesus repeated this promise again in verse 14. And so look at verse 14 now under the same headings. Look with me now at the scope and the certainty of this prayer promise in verse 14. The words are slightly different, uh, but the meaning is exactly the same. And again, I'm going to leave that middle part out for now. If you ask me anything, dot, dot, dot, I will do it. If you ask me anything, I will do it once again, uh, without the contextual limits and the rest of what we have yet to talk about today, what would this be? This would be a blank assigned blank check for every believer from the creator of the universe. And, uh, by the way, I'm sure, I'm sure, you know, that there are those, um, shall I call them, name it, claim it, wacko people. Uh, there are those name it, claim it, wacko people out there who do interpret, uh, these prayer promises like that. And in so doing, uh, they bring reproach to the name of Jesus Christ and they bring mockery to his precious church. These promises were never met. Never meant to be a blank check for, uh, for wackos like that. And we're going to see that. And yet we're going to see that and understand that yet today as we continue to study. But then on the other side, on the other side of that foolishness, these prayer promises from our Lord are very real and they are dead serious. And this, by the way, is not the only place where prayer promises like this show up in John's gospel. There are two more of them in chapter 15, another one in chapter 16. Let me read them for you very quickly. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, Jesus will say in John 15 7, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Now we're going to get to the necessary condition of the prayer promise in John 14 here in a few minutes, but notice the condition here in chapter 15 to be that of abiding in the vine. This prayer promise is valid. Um, only for those who have that real life connection to divine. And then in verse 16, John 15, 16, Jesus went on to put the prayer promise this way, very directly mentioning the fruit. Now that the prayer promises for you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain so that whatever you ask of the father in my name, he may give, to you. Now, please understand again, this morning, that link that we talked about earlier, that connection between fruit bearing works for the glory of God in prayer. There is a link, there's a connection there, a very important one. And then we have this prayer promise from Jesus to his disciples in John 16 verses 23 and 24. This is kind of an interesting one. In that day, Jesus said to them, and what he's talking about there is the time after his ascension, In that day, after I go back to heaven, you will not question me about anything. And that makes sense, right? The disciples will then not be able to ask Jesus questions in the same way that they always had before, because he won't be there. He'll be physically absent from them. But, and here now is the point, there will still be a channel for their questions, and that channel will be prayer, as Jesus went on to say. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, verse 24, you have asked for nothing in my name. And so this asking things in Jesus' name is gonna be something new for these disciples. Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be made full. Up until now, You guys have always asked me your questions directly, right? Been right here, but now it's going to be different. Now you're going to ask the father in my name and he will take care of you just like I have always taken care of you. Before we move on to the third sub point, let me mention one more thing. Kind of an interesting thing about what Jesus said in verse 14. If you ask me anything, he said, I will do it. Now, How do we normally think of prayer? How do we normally think about prayer? We think of prayer normally as being to the father in the name of the son, with the help of the Holy spirit, right? Romans chapter eight and verse 26, but understand now that that is obviously not a rigid requirement. What did Jesus say here? If you ask me, if you ask me anything, Jesus said here, I will do it. It's okay. From that, we understand that it's okay. It is not inappropriate to pray to the son. And there are at least three examples of that, that I found in the New Testament. They went on stoning Stephen, it says in Acts 7.59, as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. Stephen is praying to the Lord Jesus. Here's another one, Acts 9.10. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias, and he said, here I am, Lord. He addressed the Lord. And then in Revelation 22.10, John prays to Jesus. He who testifies to these things says, yes, I am coming quickly. Amen. And then John prayed a little three word prayer at the end of that verse. Come Lord Jesus, right? It's a great prayer, isn't it? Come Lord Jesus. Let's move on to the necessary condition of this prayer promise. Uh, this now we're getting into the real important stuff here today. The necessary condition. Go back with me now to pick up a very important little three-word phrase that appears in verse 13. We skipped over it before, then again in verse 14. How, here's the question, how must these prayers be prayed? They must be prayed, Jesus said, how? In my name, in my name. Understand that to be a little phrase that either makes or breaks the whole deal here, it really does. Whatever you ask, in my name, that will I do so that the father may be glorified in the son. Verse 14, if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it in my name, in my name, as you pray for my works. Uh, and even those greater works to be accomplished through your lives. Uh, Jesus says to his disciples, those prayers must be made in my name. Now, Primary focus here is on those works and greater works. The context demands that, but it must be said here that it's certainly not wrong to pray for other things, to pray for physical and earthly kinds of needs. And so I need to say that here in that model prayer. In fact, over in Matthew six, what did Jesus teach us to ask for daily bread? Right? He taught us to pray and ask for daily bread. I do that every morning. I hope that you do that every morning. And I know I've probably mentioned this before, but I think about that a lot. Do you realize how, how broad the scope is on that request for daily bread? That's a, that's a request that really, really covers everything you could possibly think of. in the physical needs category, isn't it? Food, clothing, health, shelter, whatever. Daily bread. Do pray that prayer every day. Ask God for your daily bread. And by the way, he didn't say weekly bread. He said daily bread. He wants you to trust him day by day by day by day for that daily bread. But that having been said now, yeah, it's not wrong to pray for those other kinds of things, but that having been said now, the word of God makes it very clear that God is far more concerned with our sanctification. He's far more concerned with our spiritual progress. He's far more concerned with our fruit bearing for eternity than he is about our physical ease and comfort while we're here on this earth. And we love this text from Matthew six. Don't we do not be, do not be worried about your life, right? Lots of people worry about their life. Do not be worried about your life. It says, Jesus said, as to what you will eat or what you will drink or for your body as to what you will put on Matthew six 25 is not life more than food in the body, more than clothing, You know that passage well, right? And then Jesus went on to talk about the birds of the air and a beautiful illustration and the lilies of the field and how God adorns them and feeds them and takes care of them. And then he said this in verse 33, please get this, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be. added to you. You know, I know this comes up all the time, but here it is again. So I'm going to say it again. Can't say it enough. This life for the believer is not all about this life. Do you understand that this life for the believer is not all about this life. And if you've missed that, then you've missed it big. And maybe you've missed it all. This life for the believer is not all about this life. Set your mind. Paul said under things above Colossians three, two, not on the things that are on earth. If you're all about this life and this world and all of its stuff and all of its affairs, if all of that stuff, listen, if all of that stuff is why you get up in the morning, then you seriously missed something along the way about what it really means to be a Christian. And it might even be that you're not one. It could be that serious. This life for the believer is nothing more than an opportunity. Please see it that way. an opportunity to prepare for the next life, to lay up treasures, not for here, but for there to build with gold, silver and precious stones instead of wood, hay and stubble. And so it only makes sense then, uh, right. That those are the kinds of things that should always be the priority of our praying and back to that necessary condition to this prayer promise in John 14. Now, here's the question that I would like to try to answer for you today. What really, what does it mean? to pray in Jesus name. Let me try to answer that important question for you. If that's what it takes, if that's what it takes, then we better get this right. Because the window of opportunity that this life affords us to do those good works that God prepared beforehand for us to walk in Ephesians 2 10, it's a very brief and vapor like life. James tells us it's going by pretty quickly. Time is quickly running out. And as we've already said today, prayer is the means. by which God accomplishes those works for his glory through you. And now the important point is to say that it's only those prayers that are prayed in Jesus name that will get answered and produce that precious fruit in and through your life. And so, um, this now is a very, very supremely important question. What does it mean? What does it really mean to pray in Jesus name? I won't be able to answer this question comprehensively, but let me try to pull a few things together for you and answer to that question for openers. It must be said that praying in Jesus name is not just a magic little formula or a magic little phrase that you tack onto the end of your prayer, thus obligating God to answer it. No, it's not that at all. I think all of you know that. But then on the other hand, when we do come to God in prayer, we do need to come in Jesus name. We do need to approach him in Jesus name, not because it's a magic formula, but because he is our only means of access to God. You know, I think it's good. I think it's good to invoke the name of Jesus early in our praying, instead of just tacking that on the end, as you begin to pray, come to him in Jesus name. Why? Because apart from Jesus Christ, we have no access to God at all. Do you realize that we have none, we have no access to God at all. And where was that powerfully demonstrated? You know, where that was powerfully demonstrated. That was powerfully demonstrated when Jesus died on the cross, you know, that great big veil in the temple, great big, heavy veil. was torn from two from top to bottom. Jesus, the one mediator between God and men, 1 Timothy 2.5, when he died on the cross, he opened that way of access for you and me to the throne of God. He opened the way of access for us right up into the very Holy of Holies. And so think about that and understand the significance of that. When you pray now as a new Testament priest, you know, we've talked about this many times before, but let me remind you of it again in the old Testament, only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies. And then only once per year on the day of atonement for a very, very short, limited period of time. And Oh, did he ever have to be careful in there? one little tiny mismove while he was in the Holy of Holies and he would be dead, immediately dead. And so remember what they did? They would always tie a rope around his ankles and leave the other end of that rope outside the veil because if God struck him dead in there for whatever reason, they would have no other way to get his body out of there. And so please understand now this incredible prayer privilege that we have. we can go right into the Holy of Holies in the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore it says in Hebrews 4 16, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And so we pray in Jesus name because he's our only means of access to God. But let's talk about some other things now. They're all a part of what it means to pray in Jesus name. What is Jesus name for openers here? Jesus name represents everything we know about who he is and what he wants as revealed in his word. His name represents his attributes, his will, his ways, his commandments, all of that is represented by his name. And so a very simple way to understand what it means to pray in his name, a very simple way to understand this condition for prayer would be to say that there is nothing you could ever rightly pray for, ask for in Jesus name, that would not be consistent with and compatible with and in full accord with everything that his name represents. And so what's the implication of that? Well, the better you know him and the more you know about his will and his ways and his commandments as revealed in his word, the more powerful and effective your praying will be. The greater your intimate knowledge of him is, the more your praying will line up with what his name represents. You see, this whole thing is not about you asking him for what you want. That's what most professing Christians understand prayer to be, but that's not what prayer really is at all. Biblical prayers in Jesus' name are all about you asking him to accomplish through you what he wants. You see, prayer doesn't line his will up with your will, prayer lines, your will up with his will so that you, uh, what you want is what he wants. That's what it means. That's what it means to pray in Jesus name. And so mark this again, uh, this morning, all of those prayers, whatever you ask in anything you ask are the prayers that he has absolutely promised to answer in our text today. Let me put the same thing in yet another way that might be helpful. truly pray in Jesus name means that we are literally acting on his behalf and actually praying the very prayers that he would pray. And then when God answers those prayers and produces those works or that fruit through you, it's actually the indwelling Christ who does those things through you. And I know I read Galatians 2.20 for you quite often, but that's okay. I'm going to read it again because it fits right here real well. This is such a, this, this is really such a beautiful, a powerfully beautiful way to understand what it really means to be a Christian. I've been crucified with Christ, Paul said, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life, which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. Everything, listen, everything, about your life as a Christian is really not your life anymore. It's His life. Everything about you is now Him, including this morning now, including your prayers. And so that makes it pretty easy then, I think, to understand how the prayer promise in verse 14 could be so broad and how the answers could be so certain, right? If the prayers that you're praying are really His prayers, that you're praying in His name and on His behalf, then how How could they not be answered? How could they not be answered? One commentator I read put it this way. Think about this statement. When we pray in Jesus name, he said, according to the fullness of what that really means, the father looks right past us and sees the son as the real supplicant. Think about that. Father looks right past us and sees the son as the real supplement. And then another commentator illustrated this in a way that I thought was helpful. And so let me share his illustration with you, and maybe you'll find it helpful as well, as we think about what it means to pray in Jesus name. A cliche from the old movies, he said, would often show the police officers shouting at someone who was committing a crime, stop in the name of the law, right? We've heard that before. And the implication was of course, that those police officers were speaking for the law, right? They were speaking on behalf of the law with the approval of the law and with the authority of the law. And so they appropriately shouted what they shouted in the name of the law. But then he went on to say this, it would be nothing more than a nonsensical and meaningless statement. for that same police officer to shout at a pedestrian, hey, you, buy me a coffee in the name of the law. That would be invalid. That would be null and void and a complete contradiction because it would be totally inconsistent with the law that he just named. Let me take you in one more direction on what it means not to pray in Jesus' name. And then we're going to quickly finish up with that last phrase at the end of verse 13. Turn if you would please to John's first epistle, John's first epistle chapter five. And I want you to look with me at verses 14 and 15, 1 John 5 verses 14 and 15. Here we have yet another similar prayer promise this time from John who was there. And John, of course, remember John was there to hear Jesus make these prayer promises. And John, in fact, recorded them in his gospel. And as I read for you now, what John says in chapter five of his first epistle, it will become pretty obvious that John derived this prayer promise from what he had earlier heard Jesus say. 1 John 5, 14 and 15. This is the confidence which we have before him, John says, 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, which we have asked from him. Now, I don't have time enough time left this morning to unpack everything that's here in first John five, 14 and 15, but I do want to highlight at least a couple of things. Notice that first phrase with me in verse 14, this is the confidence which we have before him. What does that beautiful phrase mean here in the context of a prayer promise? Well, it means that it means that we, as believers can come to the throne of God's grace with confidence. Knowing that we are accepted there. Isn't that a beautiful thing? We belong there at the throne of God's grace. We as believers have been invited to pray. We are welcome there. We are, you know, another way to put it would be to say that we are on praying ground. We are on praying ground. This is the confidence that we have before him. If you're a true believer in Jesus Christ, you have access to him. You are postured as a qualified person of prayer. Contrast that with unbelievers. unbelievers don't have that access at all. Unbelievers aren't even allowed in that room, but you are. And if you understand, even begin to understand the significance of what I just said, then you ought to be immediately praying more and praying better than you did yesterday. And then, and then there's just one more thing I want to land on here in first John five, the scope is the same. In this prayer promise, the certainty is the same. And this prayer promise is the one in chapter 14, but notice that the necessary condition is different. And so we're going to call that one more answer to the question. What does it mean to pray in Jesus name? To pray in Jesus name is just another way of saying that you are praying. What does it say here? According to God's will in Jesus name, according to God's will. Those are just sort of synonymous phrases. And so let's talk a little bit now about prayer from that will of God angle. Understand that the sovereign God doesn't need my prayers. Doesn't need your prayers to accomplish his will. this world. God is perfectly capable of doing all of that without any of us, and so be assured that your lack of prayer, if you fail to pray, your lack of prayer will not hinder God or keep God from accomplishing his will in this world. And so why then do we pray, some people might ask, if the sovereign God is just going to do what the sovereign God is going to do anyway? Why should we even bother to pray? Well, there is a beautiful answer to that perplexing question that is found all the way through the word of God. I think I've already hinted at it earlier today. And the answer to that question is this. God doesn't need our prayers, but God, the Bible makes it clear over and over and over again, in various multiple places, the Bible makes it clear that the sovereign God has chosen to accomplish his will. He has chosen to do what he does through the prayers of his people. Your prayers and my prayers actually then become a part of his sovereignty for this incredible reason. He doesn't need us and why does he do it? Well, for this incredible reason, our gracious and loving heavenly father people who created us to have intimate fellowship with him and bring him glory allows you and me to have the blessed privilege of participation in the things that he does. And I think that's nothing less than beautiful. He doesn't need us to do anything. He doesn't need us to do any of those things that are his will, but he wants us to be a part of it. Isn't that beautiful? He wants us to be a part of it. Let me give you an example from the New Testament. Paul expressed that well. One time in his letter to the Philippians, Paul was in prison and he said this to the Philippians in Philippians 1.19, for I know Paul said to them that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the spirit of Jesus Christ. And so did God need the Philippians prayer in order to deliver Paul from prison? No, no, he didn't. God could have very easily delivered Paul without the prayers of the believers in Philippi. but God chose to deliver Paul through their prayers so as to give them that blessed privilege of participation. You see, that's how much God loves us. That's how much God longs for fellowship with us. That's how much God longs for communion with us. And even this participation, he wants us to be participants in what he does. And you know what would have happened? What do you suppose would have happened had the Philippians been disobedient and failed to pray? I'll tell you what would have happened. God would have still accomplished his will, probably by using someone else's prayers. That's probably what would happen. That's how it works. You see, if you fail to pray when you want to be praying, then God will still accomplish his sovereign will. You're not going to hinder that, but you will lose. You will lose out on that incredible, wonderful, blessing of participation. And so as you think about prayer, please understand that as God would put a burden on your heart to pray for whatever, something, some person, some situation, whatever it might be. When God burdens you to pray for various situations and circumstances and people, Might be these good works that we're talking about, ministry things. If God is determined to do something and then moves in your heart to be the privileged praying means to that end, you can be sure that that prayer of yours will be answered and you can be sure that that end will be accomplished. God will get the glory and you will get the blessed privilege of participation and even ultimately eternal rewards for that. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing. All of that. and probably so much more is what it means to pray in Jesus' name. Hopefully that's been enough to at least get you started down the right track. And let's go back to John 14 and finish up now with that last little phrase at the end of verse 13, where Jesus sets forth the ultimate purpose of these prayers. It's only going to take a minute. Whatever you ask in my name that will I do so that, what is so that? You know what so that is. So that's a purpose clause. So that what? So that the father, may be glorified in the sun. That's always the beautiful end of this thing that we've been talking about this morning, the purpose of these prayers. And really it must be said, the purpose of all prayers must always be the glory of God. When these prayers are answered and they will be, why? Because you feel like they were, or you see the evidence. No, they will be because Jesus said they will be. The father who abides forever in the son, will do His works in and through your life to the end result that the Father will be glorified in the Son. But then it's not just our praying as believers that must bring glory to God, right? What is it? The glory of God is to be the reason why we do everything that we do. Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 10.31, whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. That's the way we got to live, right? Next time, Lord willing, we're going to get started on the third section in this chapter. It goes from verse 15 all the way down through verse 27. If you want to begin getting familiar with it and in this section, we're going to find more beautiful, beautiful, beautiful stuff. I'm going to call this third section of John chapter 14, wonderful promises from Jesus. And you know what the first one's going to be? The first one's going to be that promise of the Holy Spirit, who's going to come down to indwell believers on the day of Pentecost. That's the first one. And then you know what's going to happen after that, Jesus is going to expand that promise all the way out. to be the abiding presence of the Trinity. By the time we're done with that promise, you and I are going to understand that we have the triune God living within us. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. And then there's a couple of other promises that we'll get to as we move on down through that. But get yourself familiar with that section, if you would, for next time. And we'll jump right in there at verse 15. Bow with me in prayer. Father, we thank you again for the privilege and the power of prayer. Jesus name and even though you don't need us father to do your will you you graciously allow us to have that blessing of participation with you and the things that you then do in us and through us by your son and by your spirit and answer to our prayers father thank you use what we have learned from your word today father to strengthen and mature our praying for your glory thank you father for this Lord's Day opportunity we pray it all into wonderful In matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.