Praying in the Name Of Jesus

Intro/Welcome

Series:

John 13-17.

Jesus last teaching

What would he leave his disciples with?

Today:

John 14:14 (ESV)

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

Hook:

How can this verse be true?

Has anyone ever experienced that?

Wouldn’t that be nice?

In the name of Jesus — someone bring me some chicken wings.

Aren’t there conditions to this?

Yes — it is tied up in this phrase ‘in my name’

Today

We are going to unpack what this means

Which in turn, will teach us to pray more effectviely.

Implications

We have a direct line to the Creator of the Universe

We have a relationship with the ultimate insider

A God who brings things into existence by a word

Think about the what that means:

How we pray for our culture?

How we pray for our children?

How we pray for the things in our life?

our daily struggles?

our anxieties? our fears?

What if we can learn to pray more effectively?

Let’s look at what this means to ‘pray in the name of Jesus’

Text

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.

I. In the Name of Jesus

So what does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus.

It doesn’t just mean tacking on “in the name of Jesus to out prayers”

not some magical incantation

Sons of Sceva (Acts 19:11)

Acts 19:13–15 (ESV)

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”

We should verbalize it, but in means much more than that.

1. Union with Christ

Simply put, praying in the name of Jesus means praying by means of our union with Christ.

This whole section is unpacking the reality that Christ is in us and we are in Christ

A. Abide

It’s why we need to abide

We are united to Christ.

look at John 15.

John 15:7–8 (ESV)

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

John 15:16 (ESV)

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Let me unpack what that means:

2. We have access to God the Father

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

It means that God the Father hears our prayers in Jesus

Because the sin that had kept us from a reconciled relationship has been removed by Christ

In Chist then we are sons of God and he hears our prayers.

3. “The heart to glorify God”

John 14:13 (ESV)

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

This is perhaps why many of our prayers don’t seem to be answered

We are praying not to Glorify God, but to glorify something else

perhaps most often our desires and wishes.

James 4:3 (ESV)

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Most of us may be discourged right there

We don’t often pray that God would be glorified.

A. Jesus Prayer

Isn’t it amazing that this is Jesus’ prayer in John 17.

John 17:1–2 (ESV)

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,

2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

He is praying that God would be glorified as he goes to the Cross to suffer a brutal death.

He knows that God will be glorified through His plan of redemption for his people.

It’s amazing.

4. In accordance with His charater and will.

God will not answer prayers that are contrary to His Word and his Work and his Character

1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

A. Praying God’s Word

This is why pryaing God’s own Words back to Him can be so effective.

We know what his heart is and he has said his Word never returns void.

Isaiah 55:10–11 (ESV)

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

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.

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

If you love me you will do what I ask of you.

A. Enjoy a Friendship with God

This is friendship

We will hit this more when we get to John 15 where Jesus talks about freindship.

But the essence is this:

Friends have common interests

Friends do what pleases the other person

A. Keep = Treasure

Obedience — Yes, but more than that.

There is a greek word for mere obedience, this is not that word

It is the greek word teraw

Means: To keep, observe, preserve, guard, look at, live by

Luke 2:51 (ESV)

51 ...And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

6. In means in the Authority of His name

It means we can pray in the Authority and Power of His name and by virture of his righteousness.

Acts 3:6 ESV

6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Acts 16:18 ESV

18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

Luke 10:17 ESV

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

Luke 9:1–2 ESV

1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

7. We have the Spirit of Christ

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.

What this mens for prayers is this:

There are times where we will be prompted to pray for something.

I think that is the Spirit of God whispering to us a prayer he intends to answer.

I think there are times that God puts things on our hearts that he wants us to ask Him about so that he can answer the prayers.

Furthrmore Rom 8 says that the Spirit prays for us when we do not know how to pray.

Romans 8:26–27 (ESV)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We are partnering with God to bring about his purposes — his will.

We have the ultimate insider in God.

he will put prayers on our hearts

We can ask him about anything

B. Summary (Ps 37:4)

I think psalm 37:4 actually summarizes this quite well.

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

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

Union w/ Christ

Access to God

Heart to Glorify Him

In accordance with his Character and will

Loving Obedience

Authority in His name

We have the Spirit of Christ

Conclusion

So what does John 14:14 mean?

John 14:14 (ESV)

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

We have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.

This is why prayer is a conversation (Psalms sereis)

We both Talk to God and Hear from Him.

So we must have the conversation, we must pray.

Do you want to see more answered prayer in your life?

More of his supernautal presence and power?

A. Growing in Prayer

We must develop our friendship with God — We must be In Christ

(T)rust in Him — ‘the one trusting’

(A)sk Him — we must ask - pray

We must both set aside time to pray and pray throughout our day.

It’s like any relationship

It’s why we need to schedule dates and be ready anytime the conversation comes up.

Illustration: Daddy Dates

Pray God’s Words back to Him

This is a great way to grow in prayer

personalize it.

Ask for help praying.

Holy Spirit teach me to pray

Read the prayers in the NT, pray them

Pray the Psalms

In His Name — union w/ Christ

(L)ove Him — loving Christ (intimacy)

(K)eep/Treausre — His Word / His commands

He doesn’t bend to our will/desire — we must bend to His

Application

Take some time praying for one another.

Pari up: Take some time to Listen to the Spirit for one another.

Ask for a word, or a picture for a person

Prayer walk your neighborhood this morning