Shocking Promises - John 14:8-14

©July 11th, 2021 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: John

Thanks to Disney, most of us are familiar with the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, the gist of it is that Aladdin finds a magic lamp that contains a genie who grants him three wishes. The rest of the story basically focuses on what Aladdin chooses to wish for and the effects of his choices.

The reason I mention a Disney movie this morning is because I think when a lot of people read the words in our text this morning what they hear is Jesus saying something like the genie—that I’ll grant whatever you wish for. Though that’s what many people hear, I don’t believe that’s what Jesus is saying. We’re going to take some time this morning to unpack exactly what Jesus was saying in these verses, because if we understand them properly, we see that Jesus was making some pretty shocking promises to his followers. We should take advantage of the promises He makes, but doing so will require us to change a lot about the way we think and act.

If you recall, last week Jesus promised his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them in heaven. He told them they knew the way to where he was going, but the disciples objected, saying they didn’t know the way or even where he was going. Jesus responded by telling them that He was the way, the truth, and the life, and that the only way to get to the Father was through him. Jesus also said that if they knew Him, then they also knew the Father. It is immediately after this declaration that we pick up our story today in John 14 verse 8.

Jesus Proclaims His Divinity

After Jesus made this declaration, Philip spoke up, and though he was trying to show his faithfulness, he quickly discovered that he did not understand things as he should.

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. (John 14:8-11, NLT)

Jesus’ response seems harsh, but I think he was trying to get the disciples’ attention because he makes some bold and clear declarations about himself. Jesus says that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father! This is a clear example of Jesus claiming to be God. He chastises Philip because Philip hasn’t been able to put all the pieces together despite spending so much time with him over the last few years.

In case his first declaration wasn’t clear enough, Jesus goes on to say that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. He says the Father is speaking through Him. This too is a clear claim of divinity, but it also is a clear statement of the doctrine known as the trinity. There are some who try to reconcile the idea that there is one God who exists in three persons by reasoning that sometimes God appears as the Father, other times as the Son, and still other times as the Holy Spirit. But that is not what Jesus says. Jesus says that both He and the Father are in existence at the same time, and they are both present even as He is speaking! Later Jesus will talk about the Holy Spirit as well. This is a clear proclamation of the doctrine of the trinity.

Why does any of this matter? First of all, Jesus thought it was important to correct Philip and make sure his disciples understood that He was in very nature God. If Jesus thought it was important, then it was. I believe their understanding of Jesus’ deity was important because when He was killed (which would be in less than 24 hours now), He wanted them to know God’s plan had not failed. If Jesus was God and He was killed, then it was because it was His plan.

Second, Jesus’ deity is important because it gives authority to everything He says. There are many who look at Jesus as just a great moral teacher, one who gives us good advice on how to live. But Jesus teaches with authority. His teachings are not optional, they are mandatory, because they are true and are the words of God.

Third, Jesus being God makes his sacrifice sufficient to pay the penalty for everyone who believes in Him. Sometimes we ask how one person could atone for the sins of the entire world. The answer is when that one person is God in the flesh, then His sacrifice is far more valuable than any normal human’s would be. His sacrifice has infinite value because He is infinitely holy and good. That’s why the deity of Jesus is important.

Jesus asks his disciples to believe these truths based on the evidence they have seen. He is not asking for blind belief, He reminds them that such a conclusion is eminently reasonable. He is simply asking them to submit to what they already know to be true, even though it’s hard to grasp. The same challenge is issued to you and me today: we must believe in the Jesus we see in scripture and submit to Him. There is plenty of evidence if we are willing to see it.

Jesus Promises We Will Do Greater Works

After making clear who He is, Jesus now makes a tremendous promise to his disciples.

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. (John 14:12, NLT)

He promises the disciples that anyone who believes in Him will do the same works He has done and even greater works! When people hear these words, they tend to think of the miracles Jesus did. We wonder how we could do greater miracles than Jesus, because Jesus fed multitudes, healed the sick, and raised the dead. We find it hard to imagine that we could do these things, let alone even greater things. But I think our problem is that we limit Jesus’ statement to miracles alone. There’s a different (and better) way to understand what Jesus is saying.

I don’t believe Jesus was saying that we will perform the same kind of miracles (though God could work these miracles through us if He desired to do so.) I think we get tunnel vision thinking of Jesus’ great works only in the physical realm. We fail to remember that Jesus’ greatest works were not the physical miracles he performed, but the spiritual renewal He brought about in people.

If you look in the gospel of Luke, Jesus sent the disciples out and they were amazed at the authority Jesus had given them to drive out demons. Jesus’ response is telling.

19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20, NLT)

Many read these verses and miss the point too. They focus on the powers Jesus gave his disciples in the physical realm and conclude this is the pinnacle of Christian life—that our goal should be to perform such miraculous works. But Jesus was saying that while miraculous signs seem impressive, but they are nothing compared to the spiritual work God does inside us and those to whom we minister. Jesus’ response shows us that when He speaks of great works, He isn’t referring to miraculous signs—He is referring to changed hearts and lives.

So what does Jesus mean when he says we will do the same works and even greater works than He did? I think He is promising us that we will continue his work of proclaiming the gospel to the world.

But you may ask, how can we do greater work than Jesus? I think one way we can understand it is that we will see more people come to faith in our lifetimes than Jesus saw in his. When Jesus ascended into heaven after his resurrection, he likely had around 500 followers. On the day of Pentecost, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began to preach, they saw 3,000 get saved in one day. Today, millions have come to faith in Jesus through the work of His followers.

So what does this mean for us? It means should continue Jesus’ mission—to point people to Him. He promises that if we will be obedient, He will use us to accomplish great things. The Christian missionary William Carey issued a challenge to Christians that I think is fitting in light of this verse: Expect great things from God; Attempt great things for God. If we believe Jesus’ promise, then we will be emboldened in sharing the gospel, because we know Jesus promises to use us. We will share our faith, even though it scares us. We will serve in a ministry we feel inadequate to do. This promise should cause us to attempt great things for God, because God promises to do great things through us! When we are faithful, we get a front row seat to see God work.

Whatever You Ask

The last promise Jesus makes in these verses is probably the most easily misunderstood. It is a tremendous promise, but it has probably been twisted to mean the wrong things more than almost any other verse. In verses 13 and 14 Jesus said,

13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:13-14, NLT)

At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is making a promise like the one the genie made to Aladdin—that Jesus will give us whatever we ask for. But experience tells us that this is not always how things work. We have all prayed for God to do things that He didn’t do. Some declare this is due to a lack of faith, but I don’t think that’s always correct. I think more often it’s due to misunderstanding Jesus’ promise.

Jesus does indeed promise that He will do whatever we ask…but there are some conditions which must be met. And these conditions are essential to properly understanding this promise.

First, the request must be made by a believer.Jesus is speaking to his disciples. Just like the previous promise, it applies only to those who are his followers. Practically speaking, this means those who are not followers of Jesus cannot make requests of Him. This makes sense. Why would someone who does not believe in Jesus expect to make a request of the One they claim doesn’t exist? Jesus only makes this promise to believers.

Second, we must ask in Jesus’ name. You may have noticed that the common way to end prayers is to say, “In Jesus’ name. Amen.” I believe this verse is the reason we say these words at the end of our prayers. But we know that praying in Jesus’ name must mean more than just saying some magic words at the end of our prayers.

There are two important aspects to praying in Jesus’ name. The first is that praying in Jesus’ name means praying in accordance with Jesus’ heart. Imagine someone who was serving as an ambassador of the United States to a foreign country. That person acts in the name of the United States. If they came to a foreign leader and demanded millions of dollars given directly to them, and that they are making that demand in the name of the President of the United States, what do you think would happen? Hopefully the foreign leader would recognize that the President would never make such a ridiculous request. He would recognize that even though the person was claiming to come in the name of the President, they were not truly.

Praying in Jesus’ name means asking for things we know are in accordance with the heart of Jesus. This means when we pray for revenge, indulgence of our sinful desires, or anything else Jesus condemns, we shouldn’t expect Him to do what we ask. Instead, we ought to work to align our hearts with Jesus’ heart. When our hearts are aligned with the Lord’s, we can be confident He will give us what we ask—because we’re asking for the right things.

The other aspect of praying Jesus’ name is relying on the power of Jesus rather than our own. I’ve often heard people (sometimes even myself) complain that God hasn’t answered their prayers, and then they list the reasons He should have: I’ve been reading my Bible diligently, I’ve attended worship regularly, I’ve served Him faithfully, and I’ve given consistently! When we do this, we are pointing to our track record as reasons God should answer our prayers! That is praying in our own names, not in Jesus’ name. Praying in Jesus’ name is humble. It recognizes that our power is found in submission to the Lord, not in demanding our own way. It recognizes that the only reason we have any opportunity to make a request of God is because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. We have no claim on our own.

To pray in Jesus’ name means that our hearts are aligned with Jesus’ and are dependent upon Jesus and nothing else. There is no room for arrogant prayer or demands placed upon the Lord. Praying in Jesus’ name is humble and submissive.

Third, we must seek God’s glory. Jesus says the reason he makes this promise is so he can glorify the Father. So if we are asking for something that does not glorify God, then we should not expect Jesus to do it!

James Montgomery Boice tells the story of a preacher named Ralph Keiper. Ralph had a significant vision impairment and had often prayed the Lord would heal him of it. One day during his studies, Ralph felt the Lord asking him what his primary purpose in life was. His response was quick: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That was the correct answer, but then the bombshell hit, “If you had the choice, would you rather glorify God or have perfect vision?” Suddenly his answer came much slower. But as the young preacher wrestled with it, he came to understand that God’s glory was far more important than his ability to see well. And if God was glorified through his poor vision, then he wanted poor vision. The realization changed the way he prayed going forward.[1]

Boice himself embodied this spirit. When he found out he had cancer, he told his congregation how he was praying. He believed God could eradicate the cancer completely, and he prayed God would heal him if that would most glorify Him. But he also prayed that if God was most glorified by him living out his faith even as his earthly life was coming to an end, that God would help him to be a faithful witness, even as he died. That is a prayer of faith. It is humble and submissive. It’s a prayer for God’s glory. And I believe it’s a prayer God loves to answer.

We must come to the same understanding. Our ultimate desire should not be our comfort, it should be to honor the Lord. The kind of prayer Jesus promises to answer is one that aligns our hearts with God’s. It is a prayer that is not selfish, arrogant, or demanding. It is a prayer that seeks what would most honor the Lord. If we work to align our hearts in this way, we can be assured God will do what we ask.

This means we don’t get to have a genie granting us wishes, but it means something far better—we learn to think and act like the Lord. We learn to ask for things that are good and right. We learn to find satisfaction in trusting Him. And we learn to boldly ask God to do things our hearts desire—waiting in eager expectation for Him to answer.

Conclusion

There are several great proclamations in these verses. They are wonderful promises. Let me remind you of three truths these verses teach us.

Jesus is God incarnate. Jesus isn’t like God, He is God! We emphasize this because it is the source of our confidence for everything else. Because Jesus was God in the flesh we can be certain He can and will deliver on the promises He has made. We can be confident He can forgive us and give us new life, and we can be confident He will keep the rest of the promises He makes to us. Jesus is not just a good teacher, He is in very nature God!

Jesus promises He is still working in our world.Not only that, He promises to work through His followers! It is tempting to see the problems in our world, to see the movement of our society away from the Lord and throw up our hands in despair, but Jesus’ promise should embolden us. Jesus promised we would continue His work and do great things through Him! So we should be diligent in reaching out to the world around us, believing that God is going to work through us. In our own strength we can do nothing, but through Him, we can do great things, affecting the lives (and eternities) of those with whom we come in contact each day.

Jesus promises to answer our prayers as we align our hearts with Him. Let’s be honest, it’s far easier to have a genie who will simply do what we want. And there are many who would prefer that Jesus promised us a genie kind of relationship. But we are selfish people who rarely know what is best. It is far better for us to rest in the wisdom and knowledge of God. As we learn to align our hearts with God’s, we can pray boldly, knowing He will do as we ask. As we do, we will see God do great works—greater than we could imagine! And we will find freedom in resting in God’s wisdom and provision rather than our own.

There are many who twist these promises of Jesus to say that we have the power to command God to do our bidding. But that’s not what Jesus promised at all. His promise is far better. As we learn to rest in Him and trust in Him, we find a new confidence in life. We can do the things Jesus tells us, even when they seem impossible—because we believe He will keep his promises. We can reach out to the world around us knowing that God will use us to make a profound impact. We can be faithful in a little town in the middle of nowhere because we believe God will bless our efforts. We can do the little things, big things, and in-between things faithfully, trusting God is working through them all. We don’t have to understand how God will do these things, we can simply rest in the promise that He will. And for the believer, that knowledge is a wonderful comfort and a reason to attempt great things for God, as we expect great things from God.

©July 11th, 2021 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: John

[1]Boice, James Montgomery. The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.