Well, today I wanna talk about praying in Jesus' name. And just to begin with, think of a statement from the Lord, from John chapter 14, verses 12 through 14. I'll just read those to you. Tr uly, 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'm going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. So those verses, to me, contain an irresistible promise. Jesus says, ask anything in my name and I'll do it. That's huge. I wanna get into that if I can. Now the phrase praying in Jesus' name sort of derives from this, but it's become so commonplace that it may be like what Stephen described a few days ago in his thoughts, like a loaf of stale bread. And just as he encouraged us then, I wonder, could we benefit from some meditation together to bring some fresh meaning to this stale bread? And as we do this today, I'm hoping, I'm praying that we'd see together how much effective prayer depends on intimacy with Christ. And then from that, be able to have our prayers empowered with a greater dependence on the Lord. So the first question I want to think about together is what does this mean that something bears God's name? God's name is much more than a mere word or a label that you might find stuck on a product, right? It's not like you go to the store and you buy something, oh, this thing is made in China or this is made in the USA or a product of Canada. It just tells you sort of what this thing's associated with or where it comes from. It's much more than that. Think of Solomon's prayer of dedication after building the temple. So you remember back in 1 Kings 8, which we've discussed in this group before, the ark of the Lord is brought into the temple, and then the cloud of God's holy presence comes down and fills the house. And then Solomon prays, oh, Yahweh, my God. Listen to the cry and to the prayer of your servant as I pray before you this day that your eyes may be open day and night towards this house, the place of which you have said, my name shall be there. So that's it. My name shall be there. When you wanted to find God in that time, you turn to the temple. That's exactly what we see from men like Jehoshaphat. So later on in the scripture in 2 Chronicles 20, he was facing, the whole kingdom was facing disaster with an army coming against them that they could not oppose. And he prays, if disaster comes upon us, the sword or judgment or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house. and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save." So Jehoshaphat kind of reached back to Solomon's prayer and recognized that when people stand before the temple, they are in effect standing before God because the temple bears his name. Daniel, later on in the exile, he invoked the same thing. In Daniel 9, in his prayer, Oh my God, he prayed, incline your ear and hear, open your eyes and see our desolations and see the city that is called by your name. So both of these men and all the saints, they understood that the thing that bears God's name represents his presence with the full weight of his person and his purpose behind it. So that's what it means that something or someone bears God's name. Now let's just enrich this a bit with Jesus's teaching. In John 13 to 17, these chapters, they all detail Jesus's teaching from the time that he eats the Passover feast with his disciples up until he's arrested in chapter 18. And these chapters are unique in the gospels in that they contain the most intimate revelation about Trinitarian fellowship that we find anywhere. Trinitarian fellowship and the believers union with Christ. So Jesus says things like in chapter 14, I am in the Father and you are in me and I in you. And then probably as they leave the upper room and they're walking towards Gethsemane, they're passing by some vineyards on the way and he reaches out to those for illustration. And he probably points out to them and says, I'm like that, I'm the true vine And you abide in me, and I in you, just like a branch abides in the vine and bears much fruit. But how is this possible? That's what I think as I read these chapters. How is the oneness between God the Father and God the Son, How can that be known in my oneness as a believer with Jesus Christ? Someone has to bring us into union with Christ, as much as Christ is in union with the Father. And Christ answers that in the same chapters. He says, the Father will send the helper, the Holy Spirit, here it is, in my name. to teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I've said to you. In other words, in the New Testament church era, this Holy Spirit will be for you the fullness of my presence. And woven into this Trinitarian economy is the promise that we began with in John chapter 14, whatever you ask in my name, I will do. that the Father may be glorified in the Son. So that is whatever you pray for with the full weight of my person, presence and authority, this I will do. And then he builds on that in John 16. He says, until now, you've asked nothing in my name, ask and you will receive that your joy may be full. So I don't want for us to miss this amazing gift in the Christian life. The very act of asking in Jesus name and then receiving the thing we asked for from God is a source of joy. It's legitimate. It's by design. It's not mercenary. It's definitely not sinful. It manifests God's presence in our lives. So then, Praying or acting in Jesus name is to invoke that promised oneness of the believer in Christ by the Holy Spirit so that the presence of Jesus is realized in my very situation. To pray in Jesus name is not merely a way to sign off on my prayers. In fact, if you scour the Scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament, no prayer recorded in the Bible ends with the words, in Jesus name, amen. And Jesus never taught his disciples to pray that way. I mean, in those words. So let me just close with three examples from the New Testament texts that illustrate what this means to live and pray in Jesus' name. The first one comes from Luke chapter 10. This is sort of a foretaste. It comes from the disciples' early training. Jesus, remember, he sent 72 disciples, two by two, to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God. This was kind of a prototype of the church in power. And the 72 return with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. There it is, exactly as Jesus would later teach in John 16. These disciples asked, and with the full delegated authority of Christ and the presence of him accompanying them, when they received, they were filled with joy. Example number two, a little bit later in Acts chapter three, John and Peter, they're going up to the temple and they see there a man who's been lame from birth. And Peter says to him, I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. What did Peter have? Not money. What did he have though? He had the authority of Jesus, which was promised in John 14, given to him by the infilling of the Holy Spirit, which happened first in Acts chapter two, and then repeatedly after that, as people were filled with the Spirit. And he said, this I give to you. In fact, Peter spoke in that moment. He spoke as if Jesus himself were present and standing where Peter and John stood and commanded that man to rise. Third example, last one. And this is in the life of the church, 2 Corinthians 2. Paul is instructing the Corinthian church how to forgive a sinner. in their congregation and restore them to fellowship. So he says, anyone whom you, plural, forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. So in the church context here, here's an example, where the united act of forgiveness by a body of people who bear Christ's name Jesus says, I'm present there, and I also forgive that sinner. So the matter comes down to this. To act in Jesus's name is to say, I believe this is what Jesus himself would say and do if he stood in my situation right here. How is it possible to speak, to act with that kind of knowledge and confidence? I struggle with this all the time. Well, I think the scripture tells us, one, be in Christ, abide in him, be filled with the spirit and walk in step with the spirit. And two, obey his direction for delegated authority. Because when you do the things he commissioned you to do, he will be with you. He promised that in Matthew 28. Think, if you don't, if a person doesn't walk and pray in his delegated authority, His prayers will not have this power, even if they're all peppered with the words in Jesus' name throughout, right? But in contrast, if you are indeed walking in his power, then your prayer carries his name, even if you don't end your prayers with that formula, even if you don't use those words, you have that power. So let's hold these things in our hearts as we join together in prayer now.