Friendship with God Part 5 - Praying in the Name

Recap

Last time we talked about doing the ‘works of Jesus’

This week we will actually talk about how to do them.

John 14:12–17 (ESV)

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Praying in the Name of Jesus

Right after he tells us that we will do the same works he does, he actually tells us how we will do this.

Very simply put: Prayer.

He says...We simply have to ask and he will do it.

In fact he says

Whatever you ask in my name this I will do.

then he says it again

“If you ask anything in my name I will do it”

You say, ‘that doesn’t work’

I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work.

Of course the key phrase is: ask “in my name”

1. Union with Christ

What does this mean?

It doesn’t just mean ‘saying in the name of Jesus’ at the end of your prayer, although that is a good thing to do.

Some say to pray in the name of Jesus means to “pray in accordance with His will and character.”

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 14

14:13 Praying in Jesus’ name means praying in a way consistent with his character and his will (a person’s name in the ancient world represented what the person was like); it also means coming to God in the authority of Jesus. Probably both senses are intended here.

That is certainly true on one level, but I think it means much more than that.

Very simply put it means this:

To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray by virtue of our union with Him through the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel according to John (XIII–XXI): Introduction, Translation and Notes Verses 12–14: The Power of Belief in Jesus

A Christian prays in Jesus’ name in the sense that he is in union with Jesus. Thus, the theme of asking “in my name” in 14:13–14 continues and develops the indwelling motif of 10–11: because the Christian is in union with Jesus and Jesus is in union with the Father, there can be no doubt that the Christian’s requests will be granted.

Or to put it another way, we can pray in this way, by virtue of our new relationship with the trinity — by our ‘friendship with God’

The essence of Friendship is common interest

You like the same things, you share the same things, you enjoy the same things.

Jesus actually gives us to conditions to understand this praying in his name.

The Motive of Glorifying God, the Father, in Jesus

Loving Obedience.

2. Glorifying God

To pray in this way, we delight in what Jesus delights in — and that is to glorify the father.

James 4:1–4 ESV

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

James is instructive in our motives for prayer.

If our motive is to glorify God truly, then whatever we ask he will do.

This motive comes from the Holy Spirit as he works on our hearts to transform our hearts to be more like the heart of Jesus

3. Loving Obedience

John 14:14–15 (ESV)

14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

This is a relationship.

4. By the power of the Holy Spirit

John 14:17 (ESV)

17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Extra

Psalm 37:4

I think we see this even in places like Psalm 37:4

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.