Please turn with me now to the gospel of John. John chapter 14. We'll begin with verse one and read to verse 18. John chapter 14, beginning with verse one and reading to verse 18. It begins on page 1,241 of the Bibles there in the area in which you're sitting. Page 1,241. Jesus says, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and 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. And where I go, you know, in the way you know. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you're going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, 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, and from now on you know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the father. So how can you say, show us the father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me. or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, 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 my Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever. The spirit of truth from the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Remember the grass withers and the flower falls, but God's word abides forever. We started up a series a few weeks back where basically we're taking various scriptures that individuals have taken, have manipulated or twisted out of context and then come up with some ideas and we're untwisting what is twisted in order to rightly set the context and understanding of these verses. And this morning here in John chapter 14, we have another one of those twisted scriptures. It's this, Jesus says, and whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. Individuals will use this concept here for a couple of different reasons. Some will use it to be skeptical. There's one individual who wrote that, well, basically Jesus said that if you ask anything in his name, that he will grant it, that through prayer, you will just simply receive this. Elsewhere, Jesus noted that you can speak to a mountain and say that it be moved into the sea, and consequently, if you just speak it in his name, it will happen. The skeptic went on to say that Jesus didn't simply say that God will think about your prayers, but he'll grant all of them. And therefore, if God doesn't grant all your prayers, Jesus is a liar. And consequently, why should I believe? In fact, he went on to say, look, if you want to prove your point, just pray and ask that God will move a mountain and put it behind my house. I'd love to live on mountaintop or mountainside property, and therefore you can prove the point and I'll believe. but he said is yet to happen. And so unbelievers will take this passage and veal twist it in order to undermine your faith and your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. There are some within the Christian community who also have manipulated this concept or this text. in making the appeal to Mark 11 by having faith in God and saying to this mountain that it would be lifted and thrown into the sea and it will happen, that if you really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart and you pray for anything and if you believe that, then you will receive it. And so one popular teacher in this perspective said that the prayer of faith is important because it's the key to having your prayers answered. You can't affect spirit-led change in your life and in the lives of others without faith. But if you believe that you're going to receive it, it will be yours. Therefore, you can pray for anything. Faith finds out what the Word has to say, prays in accordance with the Word, and believes regardless of the outside circumstances. And so, if you trust in the Word of God alone, you need no other confirmation or affirmation but that what it is that you want and that you believe will be yours. And so they have four steps. They say, say it, speak and proclaim your desire, believe it, whether it's healing or wholeness or prosperity, and then you must stand for it and consequently see yourself receiving it. You must see it in your heart and in your mind in order to be yours, and then consequently act on it. Obey God's direction and you will receive these things. some pretty amazing stuff from the context of the church and those outside of it in order to assert this type of idea that we then would read Jesus' words here in John 13 and 14 and know, well, whatever you ask in my name, that I will do. And so the question is, well, what does Jesus mean when he says this? Is it simply that as long as we pray and add at the end of our prayers in the name of Jesus, that consequently anything that we ask will happen? Has Jesus answered all of your prayers? So it must not mean that. What does it mean? Well, let's look firstly at just simply what we have as the setting. You have John chapter 14, and what you see going on here are various statements that Jesus is making to his disciples. It's known as the upper room discourse that started in John chapter 13, and it goes to John 16. And most individuals also connect Jesus's prayer in John 17 with this section, but the heart of it is this. It's the night that Jesus was betrayed. It was the night prior to his death on the cross. In less than 24 hours, Jesus is going to be arrested, have his sleepless night, go through the various places in Jerusalem, back and forth between Herod and Pilate, and undergo everything as it leads then to his death on the cross. And in less than 24 hours from his time of washing the disciples' feet and saying the things that he does in John 14, he will be laid in a tomb and remain there for three days. And so what Jesus then is noting to his disciples here is quite passionate. I mean it's very heartfelt and it's a very intimate setting between Jesus and those then whom he's leaving who will carry on the fulfillment of his mission or at least bring the fulfillment of Christ's mission to those in the world. As Jesus begins talking with them after he washes their feet, he notes that he's going to be leaving them and the disciples begin to be tore up about learning about these things. In addition to this, they also hear that one of them is going to betray Him, and that hits them in the gut. And then they also learn that Peter, who is very vocal and outspoken as to his commitment and love for the Lord Jesus Christ, that that one is ultimately going to betray Jesus within just a few hours. And so you can see this situation here where Jesus is equipping the disciples because as he lays all these things out in chapter 13 or so, halfway through, he then begins to tell them of the works that they will do and the call to love. one another as Christ has loved. And Jesus then promises in chapter 14 and 15 and 16 that he's going to send another, the Holy Spirit, who will help, who will comfort, who will encourage, who will guide and strengthen them. And yet as they have this happen in their lives, they also learn that they're going to be hated. as Jesus was, and yet he says, have no fear. And so it's in this setting, this intimate setting just before he dies, the last instructions that Jesus is giving as they then are prepared to hear it, that Jesus tells them, whatever you ask in my name that I will do. that the Father may be glorified in the Son, if you ask anything, I will do it. And yet, that's not the most amazing statement in this passage. It's the statement that everyone draws their attention to, ask anything and Jesus will do it. But it's not the amazing statement of the passage. What's more significant, I believe, is what's noted in the previous verse. Jesus says, Think about that for a moment. I mean, the works of Jesus? You recall throughout the Gospels the various things that He did, where He was able to heal the sick, cause the lame to walk, the blind to see, the mute to speak, the deaf to hear, even the dead to be raised from the dead. He fed 5,000, over 5,000 at one time with just a few loaves and a couple of fish and he fed on another occasion some 4,000 individuals with the same material, well not the exact same, with bread and fish. I mean, Jesus did all sorts of miracles. John tells us, as we heard in Sunday school this morning, that Jesus, you know, if everything was recorded that Jesus did, not even all the books in all the world could contain all that he did. And yet Jesus says, as I go to the Father, there will be greater works that you will do because I go. Remember, Jesus is encouraging the disciples. He's helping them to see that even as I go away, the loss of my presence does not remove my power. I will continue to work, I will work through you, and the things that I will do will be even greater than the things that you saw me do. In other words, Christ continues his work even though he's left. Luke confirms this for us. If you go to Acts chapter one, the first couple of verses there in that book, Luke notes, the former account, he's speaking of his gospel, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day in which he was taken up. And then listen, after he, that being Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he then presented himself alive. Luke is confirming the point that Jesus makes in John 14, which is that even though I'm away, you will do greater things because I will be at work through you to accomplish these things. So they are then strengthened by the Spirit in order to be equipped to do these works. And Jesus notes in John 14, the few verses after this section, that it is sufficient to have the Holy Spirit because He says He will give you another helper. He will be the one who counsels you, who will remain with you. In chapter 14 and 15 and 16, you see that the work that the Spirit does is to equip and sustain the people of Christ. It is to cause them to remember what Christ has spoken, that they may be able to speak those things to others. It is to have the Spirit's conviction to remain steadfast in the truth and also be led by Him. And so Christ then says, even though I'm gone, a tremendous thing is going to happen. And yet we ought to recognize that the greatness of the work isn't as it pertains to that which is physical. I mean, we would expect these things from Jesus, after all, he's the God-man. He's the one who is declared in Colossians 1 to be the one who made all that the world contains. And so as God, it's no surprise, it's no complication for Him to be able to do a tremendous work. But to take the disciples and enable a great work through them, that's far more fascinating. And yet the greatness of the work isn't just in the fact that they perform miracles, which they did. The book of Acts is quite clear that Peter was able to bring Dorcas from the dead in Acts chapter 9, and that Peter and John led in the healing of the lame man in Acts chapter 4, I believe. And we see amazing things that happen simply as the shadows of some of the apostles were cast upon others that their diseases were removed. Amazing things, yet it was the power of Christ. And yet that is small in comparison with what exactly is the greatness of the work. That Christ uses these men in order to see that the lost would come to being found. That those who are dead in their trespasses and sins would have life. that those who remained in darkness would come to the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ equips these individuals to do great things. And in light of this work, this work which is rooted in the gospel that transforms lives as the witness of these men went forth into all the world, Jesus then says, and whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. So what is Jesus then noting? Well, he summons them to prayer. In light of this statement of great activity, he then summons them to prayer. Jesus is not setting before the disciples, well, if there's anything that you want, just let me know. As a result, it's yours. Jesus isn't saying, you know, well, I want you to be healthy and wealthy and wise. And so consequently, whatever it does to make you comfortable or make you happy, you can have it. Jesus is not fulfilling the request of the pop song from the 60s where the individual asked that God would buy him a Mercedes-Benz because all their friends drive Porsches and so they must make amends. It's not the request to secure a color TV or a night on the town and that somehow they would be provided the next round. Some of you know what song I'm talking about, right? That's not what it's about. Jesus is noting that this prayer is in connection with his work through the church. That at the center of this prayer, ask whatever you will in my name and it will be done. It's ultimately seen in the work that God would do through his church and through his people. That the kingdom of God would be advanced and that sinners would be brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ. And as the glory of the will of God is unfailing, enfolded in this world through his church, accomplished by his people. Christ is saying, you need to not have any fear, no worry, no doubt, no disharmony, no distrust, because as you call upon me, I will make it happen. Again, the apostles affirm this point for us. If you do a simple trace of the actions of the church in the book of Acts, you see that in every significant event in the life of the church, the church is engaged in prayer. Every single one. They are ultimately taking what Jesus said here and putting it into practice. They have a vacancy in Acts chapter one regarding one of the disciples. Judas had hung himself, and so what did they do? They call out to the Lord and ask for His guidance as to who should be the replacement. And the lot fell to Matthias. In Acts chapter four, we see after Pentecost and after there's then preaching in the city, that there's a challenge, there's a confrontation, there's a questioning of what in the world the church is doing. And so consequently in Acts four, they come together in prayer and they ask for strength and for boldness to honor and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. And he hears and answers and off they go. As the widows cry out in Acts 6 desiring to have their needs met regarding the distribution of the food that daily occurred. The apostles say, choose out from among yourselves men full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit. And so the people did and so then as these representatives were brought forward or these candidates, the apostles in turn prayed and laid hands on the men and they were set aside to the work. When Dorcas is healed in Acts 9, Peter prayed and asked that Christ would intervene And she was raised from the dead. As the Gentiles are included with the interest of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10, we see prayer that occurs as he is asking that God would bring him in and would bring someone to explain things to him. And then he calls up Peter, who goes and meets with Cornelius. We see prayer engaged as Paul goes forth in his missionary journeys. Even as he's in the midst of suffering in Philippi, that church comes up as a result of Paul's and Silas' prayer and praise being uttered in a jail cell, so much so that the foundations are shaken by an earthquake. And salvation comes to the jailer and a church is established. These are but a few examples. the church understood that the call to ask anything in my name was an ask, it was a request, that they in turn would see the work of Christ through them. And so they petitioned Him accordingly to accomplish His will so that Jesus would be praised. And even as they're summoned to come before the throne of grace, we see that the strength lies not in their belief, not in their seeing it, not in their desire to receive it, but ultimately because of the authority of Jesus Christ. Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do. Verse 14, if you ask anything in my name, what did Jesus mean? He's basically speaking to his person in work. He's identifying all that he is and all that he's done as the representative of the church who's been ascended into heaven and exalted on high in a position of power and authority. The call upon him to act on behalf of his church to accomplish his will, Jesus says, do so and it's yours. We hear this idea of name, for example, when we have someone who is an officer of the law, who comes to serve a warrant at a house and he shows up and he says, we're here in the name of the law, open up. Depending on what's happening inside, they either blow them off or they go, come on in. But if that individual showed up and said, I'm here in the name of the law, pay me money in order to not tell what's going on in this place, he's not using the name properly, is he? In the first instance, he recognizes that he's there on behalf of the authority of the laws that are in the state in order to be able to call upon them to listen to him. And the second, he seeks to do so, but through an illegal activity, and consequently, it is insufficient and not warranted for him to make the call. Jesus says, I have authority. I have strength. I have a right before the God of heaven to fulfill his purposes and to glorify my name among the church. And so call upon me based on my authority. And these things will come to be. This encourages us as we come to pray. It encourages us because it means then that the strength of our prayers or the certainty of our being heard isn't rooted in us. It's not the eloquence of our prayers. It's not the length of our prayers. It's not the wonder of the things that we would bring forth or the uniqueness of those things. It's all about the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Christ just before he ascended into heaven said all power and all authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Therefore Christ has the right to answer. Because Christ is now in heaven at the right hand of God, we then are assured that he has provided access to the throne room of God so that our request will be heard. And number three, we are assured that the Father will act on behalf of the Son for a significant purpose, that the Son will be glorified. Notice what Jesus again says, The whole point of prayer, let me put it this way, one of the points of prayer is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, it is the chief part of thankfulness whereby we can bring our concerns and our petitions and our praise to God. But Jesus tells us it is a means by which we ask that Christ would act so that the Father would be glorified in and through the Son. The reason we pray isn't just simply to secure or garner various things. It's ultimately to see the glory of God brought forth as he accomplishes his will through the Son in the lives of his people. And so this should then encourage us and strengthen us. It should encourage us because we all know instances in which we've prayed, even prayed things that were right and good and proper, and yet they didn't come to be. And we struggle with that. We wonder about that. We at times might even be filled with doubt. I mean, after all, if Jesus calls the church to pray and asks that Christ would intervene, and one of the missions of the church is to see people added to the kingdom, and so we have loved ones, whether they be family members or friends, we have neighbors that we're concerned about, and we prayed for some months or some years regarding them, and yet nothing seems to happen. and we consequently become discouraged. Remember the point of God in this is ultimately how he will glorify his name. It's not up to us to figure out the manner in which he will glorify his name, only that we would be pleased to pray that God would bring glory to his name accordingly. but it also strengthens us too. It strengthens us because even as we pray and we don't know what's going to happen in time, we don't know how long it will take if ever. We do know that God has promised that he will glorify his name. And therefore we do not need to know what he's purposed. We don't need to wonder what exactly he's going to accomplish. We just simply remain steadfast in the truth that God will praise his name. And so sometimes we wait. And we wait. And we wait. I'm sure Joseph, when he was in Egypt in a prison cell, prayed often that he would be remembered so that he could be out in order to be able to be free and go see his family. But the manner in which God most glorified himself was to make him wait. Sometimes the things that God seems or God does seems Strange. It's not the path that we would have chosen. It would have even been the thing that we would have spared ourselves or others from. And yet it's God's good purpose to work accordingly. Paul prayed time and time and time again that the thorn in his flesh would be removed and yet God said it was better for it to remain to show that his grace is sufficient in the midst of weakness. And there are times where we don't even know what God is doing. Why is it that one saint was spared and another wasn't? Why did Stephen have to suffer martyrdom in Acts chapter 7, but the rest of the deacons who were selected in Acts chapter 6 didn't? Why was Peter delivered from prison, but not James, the brother of John, the son of Zebedee, who was martyred in Acts chapter 12? Why did God act in the manner in which he did and take men and women who he could have used mightily for his purposes and chose instead to glorify his name through means of their death? We don't know the answer to these things, but we do know that Christ has told us that as we ask, And as Christ hears, and as Christ answers, it's done with the purpose that the triune God would be praised. There are things that are unanswered in prayer. There are times in which Christ doesn't answer. There are times in which we ask and yet we're delayed. There's times in which we request and yet it's still shut before us. It doesn't mean that the truth of what Jesus says is invalid or that he's somehow a liar. It simply means we don't know what God is doing and that's okay. Because Jesus assures us it's ultimately gonna lead to the praise, honor, and glory of my holy name. And it will be used in a manner that will be marvelous and glorious. so that we might be able to praise Him accordingly. As Christ calls us to ask and assures us that it will be answered, if it's asked but unneeded, Christ will say no. If it's asked and not a part of His ultimate purposes, Christ will say no. And yet you can respond with confidence and thanksgiving because you can be assured that God is still accomplishing his will, that he's honoring, glorifying his name, that he's using these things for his purposes, and that his name will be praised. And to that purpose, you pray, you ask, you request, with the assurance that Jesus will answer and be glorified. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, help us in prayer. We know the struggle that we have with it. We know the difficulty that it is for us. We even know that even as we hear these promises in other times where we're told to knock and the door will be open, to seek and we will be fine, to ask and it will be done, yet we, We really wrestle with those promises because we see the times in which it doesn't happen. And instead of pausing and thanking you accordingly with the assurance that you will still be honored by it, we doubt and we become disillusioned and we become disheartened. And so overcome that lack of faith. with the promise that Jesus has made, and may we rest in it, knowing that you have given us your spirit to be at work in us, knowing that you are in control, and that you are bringing about your sovereign purposes, and knowing that through it all, you will be adored in our lives and in the lives of all of your creation. Help us to remember these things, even as we pray, saying, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.