Ask in my name, and I'll do it

Do you believe God answers prayers?

? > ? > ? > ?

Desire > Ask > Receive > Father glorified, I have the full joy of Jesus, I love my brothers and sisters, because the Father loves me

What does the Text Say? | John 14-16

English Standard Version (John 14:12-14)

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.

At the beginning of this section in Scripture, we’re given a basic truth to start with. Whatever we ask Jesus to do in his name, he will do it.

Notice that we’re asking Jesus, and Jesus is the one answering the prayer here. Also, there seems to be a focus on works here. Whoever believes will do great works for God.

What does “going to the Father” have to do with it? Because we will receive the Holy Spirit.

Why is that meaningful in doing great works in Jesus’s name? Because we can only do great works if we have power from the Spirit. No power, no works.

Purpose statement: “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

English Standard Version (John 15:7-11)

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. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Notice that the content of the message has changed slightly. We’ve changed from Jesus directly answering prayers, to prayers being answered passively.

Why did Jesus remove himself from the thought?

Who is answering the prayers here?

The word “wish” is used here. This is conveys the reason behind the asking. None of the other verses use this word. They function merely as fact statements “ask and it’ll be done”. But this begs the question, “why would I ask” or “what would cause me to ask”. The answer is you ask because you want/wish/desire what you’re asking for.

Purpose Statement: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” ALSO “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

English Standard Version (John 15:16-17)

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. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

We didn’t choose Jesus, but he chose us? That’s interesting. But that’s another topic for another time.

We have another message change here. We began with Jesus giving us what we ask for. Then, Jesus left himself out of the statement; he just said our prayers would be answered in general. Now we’re told the Father will give us what we ask for.

Something that’s curious here is that there seems to be “nesting” purpose statements. He chose us so that we would bear fruit, lasting fruit, that we can pray and receive what we ask for. The purpose of receiving what we ask is that we would love each other.

Purpose Statement: “so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” ALSO “so that you will love one another.”

English Standard Version (John 16:23-24)

23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

This confirms the message shift even further. Jesus repeats that the Father will give us what we ask for. But Jesus also takes it a step further and says we won’t ask him for anything. Instead, we’ll ask the Father, and we’ll ask in the name of Jesus.

Purpose Statement: “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

English Standard Version (John 16:26-27)

26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

The final “asking” statements ends oddly. Jesus leaves out the part where he says we’ll receive what we ask for. Instead, he focuses on 2 other things. The first thing he says is that we will ask for things directly from God the Father. It won’t be us asking Jesus, and then Jesus asking the Father. We will be able to ask directly. The second thing he says is that the reason why we’ll be able to ask the Father for things is because he loves us. And he loves us because we love Jesus and believe Jesus is God’s Son.

Purpose Statement: “for the Father himself loves you”

Because We’re Children

English Standard Version (Matt 7:7-11)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

English Standard Version (Luke 18:15-17)

15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Challenges

English Standard Version (Luke 11:9-13)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

God giving the Holy Spirit as the good gift isn’t a conflicting or contradictory passage to the parallel passage in Matt 7. It’s a supporting passage. See the next verse.

English Standard Version (Acts 1:8)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit is the one who gives power to see prayer answered. He is the Spirit of the Son of God. The Holy Spirit dwelling within you is the very spirit of sonship who enables you to be a child of God and to pray as a child of God.

English Standard Version (James 4:3)

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

Don’t think of this as God saying no. That’s a wrong thought process which the Bible doesn’t really support. God always answers the prayers of his children with a yes. But that’s the key is that it must be his child doing the asking. Your flesh is not God’s child. Your flesh must be crucified daily, so the only Son of God can live through you. God has one child, Jesus, who dwells in you through the Holy Spirit.