Prayer Promises

Ask and You will receive

Isn’t it great GETTING WHAT YOU WANT?

A hug when needed

and unexpected gift

even an amazing deal on amazon

a text of encouragement or kind words

Even cooler are the stories of people barely able to pay their bill

and a check shows up in the mail

Getting what we want

and what we desire is cool

BUT

unfortunately, This....

Clouds our understanding of Jesus

Not a vending machine

Not an Urgent Care to drive by until you need it

Don’t you some times think well

if the Bible says ask and you will receive

That your Pastor would be smarter and better looking.

A New Time

Lets look at our passages today --- cause there are about asking.

John 16:23–24 (ESV)

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.

Jesus is giving insight to his disciples and that includes us today.

Last week we heard that....

He is telling the disciples that the grief

that they will experience will be turned into joy.

that is not a natural reaction for US ---

Do we see sorrow as turning to Joy?

The parallel in Isaiah is amazing

Isaiah 26:16–21 (ESV)

16 O Lord, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.

17 Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord;

18 we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.

21 For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.

The people of the OT knew the words from Isaiah

we can read and study but our prospective must be different.

Jesus starts these passages with IN THAT DAY.

What Day?

The end times or the

eschatological times

People like to ask me --- are we in the end times?

and we have been in the end times since the day of Christ’s resurrection.

The intense suffering that Christ is going to go through will lead to a joy beyond measure

It will lead to the Good News the Gospel

Here is chapter 16 we are readying for the fulfillment of ...

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The very onset of the last days started at the CROSS

the joy that christ has paid the price for ALL to come to him.

I believe that Jesus is introducing PRAYER

Prayer because of the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT

that is coming to them.

we should keep in mind that we have the opportunity to be loved by HIM

and because we are LOVED by Him

we have the ability to have the Spirit in us

the connection to the Father

The concept that we want to explore today is one that starts with

understanding the deeper meaning behind our verses today.

Lets read them again

John 16:23–24 (ESV)

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.

In that day ---- so in the coming of the Resurrected Christ

The ask is something that i believe we all have misunderstood at times.

Erotao - to ask a question

The original word here for ask

means to ask a question in verse 23

Aiteo - to ask for something

and to ask for something in verse 24

The disciples certainly have ask questions

and ask for things but

Jesus is giving the change in the world now

The broken relationship with the Father is going to be restored

Jesus is solving the curse

the distance is now closed

and we can talk with the Father in Jesus name

that is why we pray in Jesus name

because only because of Jesus

do we have access to the Father.

look at the connection in John 14:13

John 14:13 (ESV)

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

Asking for the Right Reason

knowing the love and desire of the Father

will change our hearts and change our desires.

The answer to your earlier question

If I ask for anything and it will be given....... WHY

THE QUESTION IS THE MOTIVATION

When we seek to only Glorify God, then we will only ask for things to bring Glory to God.

It is never for our glory, but the Glory of the Father. OUR FATHER

Listen Friends ----

IF we ask for things only to Glorify God and our sole purpose is to glorify Him

then it doesn’t matter if we receive it or not BECAUSE it is for HIM and Not US.

Let me repeat that and let you ponder on it.

IF we ask for things only to Glorify God and our sole purpose is to glorify Him

then it doesn’t matter if we receive it or not BECAUSE it is for HIM and Not US.

If you are upset that you prayed and you believe you didn’t receive..

Check your Motivation

All the answers to our questions and to our needs and desires are on the other side of heaven.

Friends we will not

NEED in Heaven

nor

have any unanswered questions

So that should leave us with a questions

What do we do on earth in this life?

and What are the right questions?

we know part of the answer

to seek only the will of God

Ask in Jesus name

and to ponder what is our real joy

Is our purpose for HIM ( 100%) or is there a little ME ME ME in there

Listen to one of my favorite verses.

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The other exhortation is from what we learned in Ch 15

to abide in Jesus

is your true motivation 100% for God’s Glory?

Likely NOT

Friends frankly we are all a mess.

the trick is to know when we are being a mess LOL

Listen:

Our Joy is based in:

living with and only through Jesus

Understanding that life itself is from God

the air, water, food and rest

Our joy should be in reading His Word

bearing fruit for Him

Trusting in Him alone

growing in our understanding of His Love

All of these things are enhanced and empowered through prayer

Prayer is talking with God

But it is also a

SUBMISSION to HIM

We pray because:

We acknowledge we can not do it alone

We understand that the praise we give was from His power

We realize that He is God and i am not

We express our need for Him

and our dependence on Him

Conclusion

the Bible says “Ask and you will Receive”

that is a promise from Jesus

Recorded in Scripture

I exhort you to remember

Jesus is the WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

if you ask and think you DIDN’T receive

don’t question GOD

but question your motivation.

We are going to be talking more about prayer in the next few weeks

so let us pray

Lord give us

Patience

Wisdom

Endurance

so that we may be lifted up, walk Righteously, and endurance the world

until we meet you in Heaven

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

amen