Because He Lives

George Müller, a 19th-century evangelist, famously ran orphanages in Bristol, England, relying entirely on prayer for their support.

Müller's life and ministry were built on the principle that God is faithful and will answer prayer. He believed that nothing was too small to bring before God in prayer, and that God pledged Himself to provide for the needs of the orphans. 

No Soliciting or Loans: Müller refused to solicit donations or take out loans, choosing instead to trust solely in God's provision through prayer. He saw this as a way to magnify God's faithfulness and power. 

Answered Prayers: Müller's orphanages saw numerous instances of answered prayer, including provision of food, clothing, shelter, and even building funds. He would often pray for needs, and then God would provide through unexpected means, sometimes within minutes, according to GeorgeMuller.org. 

Building the Orphanages: Müller's confidence in prayer was evident in the construction of his orphanages. He would pray for the necessary funds and resources, and God would provide, according to GeorgeMuller.org. 

Impact and Legacy: Müller's example of faith and prayer inspired many, including prominent figures like Charles Spurgeon, who recognized the power of God in Müller's work. He cared for over 10,000 orphans during his lifetime and demonstrated that God is still faithful and powerful in the 19th century and beyond. 

Source: Google AI summary

George Muller’s example of confident prayer is something that many Christians, and I include myself in that number, seem not to know much about.

How could Muller pray so confidently and know God would answer his prayer?

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Today, we are looking again to the Gospel of John. We are near the end of John 16 which is part of Jesus’ crucial instructions to his disciples before he would be arrested and crucified.

Let us read our text together…

John 16:16–24 ESV

16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 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 passage begins with a somewhat cryptic saying of Jesus. In a little while, they would see him no longer and then in a little while they would.

With hindsight, it is obvious what Jesus was saying. In a few hours, he would be arrested and then killed. Then, on the third day, he would be raised back to life and appear to them.

But Jesus saw that they were confused. They did not understand what he meant. So, Jesus stopped to encourage them. He explained that like a pregnant woman endures great pain and labor as she gives birth.

But when the baby is delivered, the mother experiences overwhelming joy. In the same way, the disciples would experience great pain and distress for a little while (while Jesus was crucified and in the tomb) but great joy when he rose from the dead.

But more importantly, Jesus went to explain that his resurrection would signal a new relationship between the disciples and Jesus and the Father.

Big Idea: Christ's victory enables a new relationship for us with God.

Because Jesus lives…

1. We have direct access to the Father, v. 23.

(confidence in prayer)

John 16:23 ESV

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. (emphasis added)

In this verse, we find a theological concept that we accept, but may have lost a bit of the understanding of its significance - the priesthood of all believers.

PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS Christian belief that every believer has direct access to God through Jesus Christ and that the church is a fellowship of priests serving together under the lordship of Christ.

Mohler, R. A., Jr. (2003). Priesthood of Believers. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1327). Holman Bible Publishers.

When God instituted the Covenant with the Israelites in the wilderness, he instructed Moses to build a Tabernacle in which they would worship God and in which God’s presence would be manifested.

This Tabernacle had several rooms, but the innermost room, curtained off from all others housed the Ark of the Covenant. Into the Holy of holies only the high priest would go once a year to make a atonement for the people’s sin.

Later, when Solomon constructed the Temple and then when the Temple was rebuilt after the exile, again the innermost room was curtained off. This was where God’s presence was to be experienced most fully.

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But we read in Matthew 27 that as Jesus died upon the cross, a great earthquake struck and the curtain in the Temple was torn.

Matthew 27:50–51 ESV

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

This symbolized the fact that no longer must we find access to God through other human beings. Jesus is our high priest. Yet because we have access to God and can boldly, in a figurative and spiritual sense, enter the throne of grace to present our petitions, all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior serve as priests to the world and to one another.

1 Peter 2:5 ESV

you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

What are some of the practical ramifications of this scripture and theological truth?

We personally have access to God the Father. We can pray to God himself - asking for forgiveness of sin, strength for spiritual victory, and supply of whatever need we have. We are not reliant upon the pastor or the church to pray for us. God accepts us and listens to each one of us. We can have a personal relationship with the Father! Your relationship with God is and should not be limited to when you go to church! You can talk to God every day and any time of the day!

While there is an important role for pastors and churches to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, the believer’s spiritual education and growth is not and should not be limited to what we learn in church. Rather, we should be studying God’s Word daily, listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice and obeying his promptings.

The pastor is and should not be considered the only person who can minister spiritually. Since every believer is a priest before God, we all should minister to each other - serving one another, encouraging one another. Sometimes, people feel like they haven’t been ministered to if the pastor doesn’t visit them in the hospital, etc. While pastoral ministry is important and has a place, please understand that as a priest before God, you have a vital ministry in serving others, encouraging them, praying for them, etc. In the same way, the pastor is not required to be present in order to see people get saved from sin. You can be used by God to lead people to Jesus Christ!

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Notice also because He lives…

2. We have an advocate with the Father, vv. 23-24.

(submission to God's will)

John 16:23–24 ESV

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. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (Emphasis added)

Up to this point, the disciples had sought Jesus for answers to their spiritual questions. Now, they had direct access to God the Father. They also had a great privilege - to present their requests in Jesus’ name.

One commentary explains this wonderful truth:

As Hughes points out, “Praying in Christ’s name means coming only in his merit, not our own. Christ’s full name is Lord Jesus Christ, which means Jehovah, Saviour, God’s anointed. It is this name whose merit we must humbly pray. We cannot think that somehow God will hear us because of our virtue. We come by virtue of his merit. Poverty of spirit is the basis on which we approach God, and our on-going poverty is the crown of blessing. If we learn this, if we come to God in poverty of spirit, we can expect our prayers to be answered” (Hughes, II, pp. 102–03).

Gangel, K. O. (2000). John (Vol. 4, p. 303). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Another commentary notes:

It is in this knowing, this being taught by the Spirit, that the incredible reality of prayer is opened up for the disciple. Then the disciple knows he is loved as the Father loves Jesus. In this intimate relationship the disciple is in the presence of the Father. The Christian’s prayer now is Jesus’ prayer. As John Calvin puts it, “We have the heart of God as soon as we place before Him the name of the Son.”

Fredrikson, R. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1985). John (Vol. 27, p. 239). Thomas Nelson Inc.

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Isn’t that beautiful?

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“We have the heart of God as soon as we place before Him the name of the Son.” (Calvin)

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There are at least two essential truths we find in this concept of praying in Jesus’ name. First, we understand that Jesus is our Advocate before the Father, interceding for us.

Romans 8:34 ESV

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Jesus is at the Father’s right hand. As we pray, he prays - he intercedes - on our behalf. Indeed, we find the assurance in Hebrews 7…

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Secondly, however, we recognize that by praying in Jesus’ name, we must submit our desires, our needs, our lives to Christ.

As someone has written…

To pray “in Jesus’ name” means to pray in alignment with His character and purposes. The name of Jesus represents His identity, teachings, and redeeming work. Thus, praying in Jesus’ name reflects a believer’s desire to become aligned with God’s will, as stated in 1 John 5:14: “This is the confidence that we have in Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us”.

Consequently, while God hears all sincere prayer, prayers made in Christ’s name intentionally submit to what honors Him and furthers the kingdom’s work. This harmony with God’s design includes confession, thanksgiving, and supplication, rather than mere personal gain or self-centered petitions.

Source: https://biblehub.com/q/what_does_praying_in_jesus'_name_mean.htm#:~:text=Alignment%20with%20God's%20Will,gain%20or%20self%2Dcentered%20petitions.

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Isn’t this a beautiful reality … and promise?

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We can surrender our will to God. We can even know the will of God. And we can know that as we pray according to God’s will, He will hear our prayers and answer them.

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Because He lives, thirdly our text teaches us…

3. We have answers to our prayers to the Father, vv. 23-24.

(Trust and gratitude)

John 16:23–24 ESV

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. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (emphasis added)

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What a promise!

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We have all seen God hear and answer prayer in mighty, even miraculous, ways, haven’t we?

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I remember a few weeks ago. Robin was in the hospital and was especially not feeling well one day. The Kings called different ones asking us to pray at 7 p.m. And God heard and Robin felt special relief.

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On our return trip from Honduras, we were a bit anxious, with various reports in the news about immigration denying even some tourists access to the country, how things would go as we brought Zenia’s mom to visit with us a few weeks.

Different ones were praying.

And when we got to the immigration area, there was basically no line at all. The officer asked a couple of questions, stamped her passport and we were through!

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But quite frankly, I’m not sure many of us have fully experienced the promise Jesus makes.

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I personally feel like I don’t know much about “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

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Can we truly pray… in Jesus’ name, of course… and receive God’s answer to our prayer?

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We might be afraid to be so bold.

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We know there are various conditions to prayer. There are hindrances to prayer that we must avoid. There are qualifications to prayer we must recognize.

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But can we truly ask… and receive?

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I have a feeling that God has a lot more in store for us than we might realize.

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I think… I believe… I know… God can do much more than we think or imagine.

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“O what peace we often forfeit / O what needless pain we bear, / All because we do not carry / Everything to God in prayer!”

Source: What a Friend We Have in Jesus

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The challenge I find in our scripture for me personally as well as you is an intimacy with God much greater than I’m afraid I’ve experienced, but that is possible.

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We have personal, direct access to the Father. We have Jesus as our intercessor with the Father. As we pray in Jesus’ name and according to Jesus’ will, the Father will give us the answer to our prayer.

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May God help us to know Him this deeply and richly! Truly, there are great rewards for those who do!

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The disciples that night just a few hours before Jesus’ betrayal were confused. Jesus’ talk of leaving them was sinking in. And they didn’t know what to think of it or what to do.

Yet Jesus had shared with them already that he would not leave them comfortless. The Holy Spirit would come on his behalf. Jesus promised them this four times!

Now, Jesus assured them that because of his death and resurrection, they would experience reality in new wonderful ways. While they would experience deep sorrow for a little while, soon they would be full of joy!

(pause)

Big Idea: Christ's victory enables a new relationship for us with God.

Because he lives…

We have direct access to the Father, v. 23. (confidence in prayer)

We have an advocate with the Father, vv. 23-24. (submission to God's will)

We have answers to our prayers to the Father, vv. 23-24. (Trust and gratitude)

Because He lives, we live with overwhelming joy!

John 16:24 ESV

… Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

During his lifetime, George Muller founded several orphanages, often supporting and running as many as three at any one time. But running three orphanages that provided homes for more than 2000 orphans isn't an easy task to accomplish when there aren't any regular funds!

After serving dinner at one of his orphanages one evening, George realized that there was no food for the next day's breakfast and no money to buy any. This didn't shake him, however.

When he retired for the night, he conveyed his needs to his Heavenly Father, and then he went to sleep. He knew God would provide on time. Early the next morning, a gentleman knocked on the door and offered a donation that supplied for all of their needs. Another time when there was no breakfast for the children, George went for an early morning walk to talk it over with God. He was so caught up in discussing his needs with the One who can help that he didn't notice when he took a wrong turn.

Soon he met an old acquaintance on the street. Though George never once hinted that he had financial needs, the friend offered him five pounds-enough money to provide adequate food for the orphanage for the next few days. One day a lady offered George a small donation: 2 pennies. She was unaware that the orphanage was lacking a penny to buy bread. Later, when facing the dilemma of paying for milk, the money arrived just minutes before the milkman! Here is George's own description of another time when there was no food for the children: "Our bread was hardly enough for the day. After dinner, when I returned thanks, I asked Him to give us our daily bread, meaning literally that He would send us bread for the evening. While I was praying there was a knock at the door of the room. After I had concluded a poor sister came in and brought us some of her dinner, and from another poor sister five shillings. In the afternoon she also brought us a large loaf. Thus the Lord not only gave us bread but also money." On another occasion when he was praying about not having enough money, George reported: "The instant that I got up from my knees, a brother gave me one pound which had been taken out of the chapel box." A coincidence? If it had only happened once, it might could be considered one; but this type of thing happened over and over again. George Muller noticed that as the numbers of orphans he was taking care of increased, the Lord's provisions also increased.

One kept pace with the other. God always answered George's prayers with just the right amount of food or money, never too much, never too little.

And, no meal fed to the orphans was ever more than 30 minutes late. In fact, during his lifetime, George received 7½ million U.S. dollars in answer to his prayers! There are some who would say that God's provisions are only reserved for some special kind of faith-filled religious people. Here is George Mueller's reply to this kind of remark:

"Let not Satan deceive you in making you think you could not have the same faith, but that it is only for persons situated as I am. When I lose such a thing as a key, I ask the Lord to direct me to it, and I look for an answer to my prayer; when a person with whom I have an appointment does not come, I ask the Lord to be pleased to hasten him to me, and I look for an answer. Thus in all my temporal and spiritual concerns, I pray to the Lord and expect an answer to my requests; and may you do the same?"

Source: https://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon11/george_muller2.htm

So often, we are very timid in prayer, afraid to ask God for what we really want or need and not daring to believe he will actually answer our prayers.

Our scripture today shows us that instead of fear and timidity, we can be filled with joy for the privileges we have in talking to God and the ability to expect him to answer our prayers.

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So the challenge remains: may we become more adventurous in prayer, both in our asking God to do great things and but also in our trusting Him to answer largely on our behalf.

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I know there are so many questions about prayer. I don’t have all the answers. I would not suggest we can just pray anything and fully expect God to grant such a request.

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But scripture does teach us… we pray to God himself. And as we pray in Jesus’ name, submitted to the will of God and being interceded for by the Son of God, we can know and believe that God will answer our prayer.

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May God help us to pray with such confidence and joy!