Praying in Jesus' name (John 16:23-24)

1. Intro

1) Difficulties in our prayers

- When we pray to God, I think we all have the same tendency.

- When we feel we are blameless before God, we pray boldly and confidently. For example, you can feel you had a good service to God on Sunday, or you can think you did not commit any special sin last week, then prayers get easier and more comfortable.

- However, when we feel we are not blameless before God, for example, when we committed sins, when we did not worship God well, when we feel like we are dirty sinners becasue of some particular sins, then we think God is not responding to our prayers. And we feel afraid before God. So we don’t pray. Even when we pray, we don’t expect for God to listen to our prayer.

- Eventually, our weaknesses and sins are the difficulties we have when we pray. Because of these, we cannot pray to God with confidence.

2) 당시 사람들의 기도

- The same was true for people of the time of Jesus.

- At that time, Jewish people prayed to God because they believed in God.

- But the thing was that when they lived righteously before God, they prayed boldly, but when they sinned againt God, or they felt ashamed before God, they could’t pray. Faith did not arise in them.

~ To those people, Jesus gives a teaching of opening a new horizon of prayer.

2. 기도의 새로운 지평 A New Horizon of Prayer

1) 예수님의 말씀: 기도응답의 약속 <23절>

<< John 16:23 “Truly, truly, I say to you...”

- When Jesus is about to say a very important thing, he uses this expression.

<< John 16:23 “whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”

- This is a promise of responding to our prayers.

- Jesus says we can ask for anything of the Father in Heaven.

- But there is an important requirement, we have to pray “in the name of Jesus.”

2) 번역의 문제 <PPT>

- In Korean version and NIV version, it says that when we pray to the Father, the Father will give us in Jesus’ name.

- But this sounds weird.

- Regarding this part, ESV and NASB versions translated correctly.

~ Anyway, what Jesus emphasizes here is praying “in the name of Jesus.” This is today’s topic we have to focus on.

3. 예수님의 이름으로 기도하기 <24a>

1) Until Now / From now on

<< John 16:24 “Until now you have asked nothing in my name.”

- Jesus says that you guys have never prayed in my name in the past. It’s natural because the time was before Jesus died on the cross and rose again.

- Until then, people just prayed to God.

- However, now Jesus says, “From now on, pray to God in my name.”

- This is an amazing proclamation. It means a lot to us.

2) 예수님의 이름으로 기도한다는 의미

- This does not mean that we can use Jesus’ name like a kind of magical spell.

- Also, It is not important to simply say “in the name of Jesus I pray” when we finish praying.

- Then, what does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? <PPT>

- To know the meaning, we have to think of the timing when Jesus spoke this to his disciples.

- It was right before Jesus was captured and killed on the cross. When Jesus says “now” “until now” or “from now on,” the Now refers to the time of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection.

!! Therefore, when Jesus taught us to pray in Jesus’ name, what it means is that our hearts should rely on Jesus and His work when we pray. In other words, we have to think of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. <PPT>

- What has Jesus done for us? He solved all our sins as our atoning sacrifice. He was punished on the cross for our sins. As a result, we’ve become blameless before God through Jesus. 예수님을 통해서 우리는 떳떳해졌다. This is the Gospel!

- This Gospel should apply to our prayer, too. Even though we are not blameless before God, even when we committed sins, we can pray to God with confidence because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. It is not God’s will that we do not pray because of our weaknesses and sins. Our Father God wants us to come to God with confidence always. There is no barrier between God and us now!

- So when we pray, we can approach God with boldness and confidence and freedom.

- Now God listens and responds to our prayer not because of who we are, but because of what Jesus has done for us.

- Now Jesus is teaching us to pray with this faith.

~ And He promised, if we pray to God with this faith, we will receive from God.

3) Application

- Is there anyone among you who had or has difficulties in prayer because you think your thoughts and behaviors can be problematic and not perfect before God?

>> 권면하기

- Be bold! Be shameless when you pray before God! It’s okay! God wants this!

4. 엄청난 약속 <적용>

- This promise of responding to prayer is very significant in our lives.

- Because it is not easy to live in this world. There are too many things we cannot do on our own.

- EX: schoolwork, college preparation, career issues, financial issue, relationship problems...

- Especially, it is more difficult to live by faith as Christian in this world.

- EX: There are a lot of temptations around us. Because of our arrgance & our weak will

- But our Jesus promised to us that the Father will give us what we ask for when we pray in the name of Jesus.

- It’s amazing promise! Don’t miss this amazing promise! enjoy this privilege!

5. 이 약속의 목적: 우리의 기쁨 <24b>

1) 설명

- The purpose of this amazing promise is that our joy may be full.

<< John 16:24a “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

- The original Greek Bible shows that Jesus emphasized this part so much.

- Acutally, it should be like this. 이탤릭체 + 볼드체 <PPT>

- Why is God trying to respond to our prayer to this point?

- Jesus says that the reason why God responds to our prayer is the fullness of our joy. <PPT>

!! Our God wants us to be happy and joyful in God. This is God’s wish and purpose of saving us. This is also the purpose of God’s response to our prayers.

- In a sense, it is natural because God is our Father, and we are his lovely children.

- EX: 나의 딸들이 기뻐하는 모습을 볼 때, 내가 가장 기쁘다! 그들이 울면 나도 마음이 아프다.

- Don’t misunderstand the relationship between God and us. Our relationship with God is not just that of God and His people. It is right but not everything. The most important aspect of the relationship between our God and us is that God is our Father, and we are His children.

- That’s why God wants our joy.

2) 우리의 오해

- A few weeks ago, we heard the message that the glory of God should be the ultimate purpose of our lives. This saying may make us misunderstand that God does not care about our situation or our happiness, and that God is a selfish God.

- But think of this! Is it possible that such a selfish one could give us his most precious, the life of his only Son? Is it possible? No! God is not selfish.

- Remember! The glory of God and our joy do not conflict one another!

- Our purpose is to glorify God. But God’s desire is our true joy and happiness.

- God does not need to pursue His glory because He is already glorious in Himself.

- God always wants His children, us to be joyful fully. And God is most glorified when we are happy in God and when we enjoy joy God gives us. <PPT>

- And we are most happy when we stay in God and we live a life of glorifying God.

~ So, Jesus gave us this amazing promise and gave us Jesus’ name for us to always pray to God with confidence and freedom.

6. 결론

1) 예화

- 2-3년 전 한국에 갔었다. 그 때 생일

- 하나님께 기도! 하나님이 저 생일선물 주세요!

- 수요예배.. 은혜를 많이 받았다!

- 하나님이 “내가 너의 생일선물이다"라고 말씀하시는 것 같았다.

- 집에 와서 이메일을 확인! 하우징 오피스에서… 너무 기뻤다! 하나님의 생일선물

- 오래 걸린다고 했던 것! 위치도 너무 마음에 들었다.

- 오해 방지: 2베드, 3베드가 중요한 게 아니다!

- My point is that I was happy because I felt like God is listening to my prayer and he is caring for me. 그게 감동! 감사! 기쁨!

- I believe that God was pleased and glorified through my joy. That is why God responds to our prayer!

2) 정리

- Pray in the name of Jesus!

- It means that we have to think of what Jesus has done for us when we pray. Then we can pray to God with boldness and confidence even when we are not blameless before God. God responds to our prayer because of what Jesus has done for us, not because of who we are.

- The purpose that God responds to our prayer is that our joy may be full. God is pleased when we are happy and joyful in God.

- How good! How good our God is! 이 좋으신 하나님을 신뢰하면서, 마음껏 기도하라! 예수님의 이름으로 기도하자!

찬양과 기도

1) 찬양: 예수 피를 힘입어

2) 기도

- 우리의 기도를 되돌아보자! 우리의 부족함 때문에 기도를 담대하게 못한 적 없는가?

- 하나님이 원하시는 것 아니다!