Introduction

·        Introduction: Jesus and disciples now in the upper room; washed feet, Judas slips out, announced departure, words of comfort and reminder that He is the way, the truth, and the life.

·        Rd. John 14:7-15

·        Prayer – Thank you for this time of worship this morning, and that we are One people gathered together as one people in Jesus Christ. We pray with the psalmist in Psalm 119:33-34 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart. We know that all of Your law and statues is for your glory and our good. In Jesus Name, Amen.

·        A faithful grandmother was dying of cancer. For many days her family gathered around her hospital bed to encourage her, remember better times, and pray. Touched by the tender care of the family, a young nurse who was a Christian asked if she could join them in their prayers. Without hesitation they included her.

·        As the nurse listened, however, she grew concerned about the content of the prayers. The family called out “in faith” for healing. They told God they had no doubt that he who created the entire universe could re-create health in the body of their loved one. Occasionally a family member would remind God that he had promised in the Bible that if we ask him anything with sufficient faith, we will receive our request. The family called on God to be faithful to his promises by healing the cancer, and they assured my friend, ‘God will heal.’

·        …One day, as the nurse was finishing her rounds, the cancer completed its course. She walked into the hospital room shortly after the suffering woman had died. The family was still in the room, and the nurse asked if she could pray with them one more time. She was not prepared for the response.

·        With a steely voice full of new bitterness, the woman’s husband replied, ‘God says to pray and he will answer. We did and he did not. So we’re done with that.’ (Source: Brian Chappell, Praying Backwards)

·        Does God really promise to answer our prayers? Was this family wrong to pray for her healing? Or did they lack enough faith to be answered? Did God break His promise by not granting their request?

·        The passage before us this morning teaches us an important lesson about prayer and how we should approach God with our requests. I hope that studying this will help us pray more. It is one of the core values of our church. I believe that our confusion about prayer often leads to a lack of prayer.

·        This is actually part 2 of a message I began back on Dec. 7, before our special holiday services.

·        At that time, I introduced FOUR LESSONS ABOUT GOD WHICH SHOW US WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE AND HOW HE EXPECTS US TO LIVE:

·        #1 was “A Divine Picture” – that Jesus gives the perfect picture of God the Father. God invites us to know Him, and He is known most fully through His Son.

·        #2 was “A Divine Paradox” – a mystery, apparent contradiction; Jesus is equal with the Father, yet He is not the same Person as the Father. There is only one God, yet simultaneously three distinct persons. Christians have come to describe this as the “Trinity” which is a short way of saying “Tri-unity.”

·        >>Jesus has commanded several times now to believe. In v. 1, He commanded us to “keep believing in God” and “keep believing in Christ” as the antidote to a troubled heart. In v. 11, He commanded us to believe His word that He and the Father are co-equal. Then He said we can even believe on account of the miraculous works He’s done. Now, He offers a generous reward to all those who believe. This is also the third point in our outline…

3. A Divine Promise (12-14)

·        Rd. vv. 12

·        “Greater” clarity and results

·        Rd. vv. 13-14

·        Cf. 15:7; 15:16; 16:3

·        A cosmic genie? A wishing well?

·        “In Jesus’ Name” – Eight words:

-         Character – consistent with His character and nature. OT Name, person, glory. All that His name stands for.

-         Access – achievement, Mediator; humility; not our own merit

-         Mission – context is Christ’s commission, not our own personal agenda

-         Trust – eyes fixed on Him; not ourselves; total surrender

-         Humility – ‘works that I do’; not anything we can accomplish; He will see to it personally that it is done

-         Glory – His glory, not our own interests, gain, or priorities. This is the purpose of His generous promise.

-         Truth – cf. 15:7 Praying according to His Word

-         Fruit – cf. 15:16 praying for things that will make us more fruitful for His kingdom work

·        E.g. our family praying for missionaries - adoption of girl

·        Brian Chapell: “When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are petitioning God to bring glory to Jesus and we are asking for his will to be done in everything so that he will be honored above all. Prayers in Jesus’ name are enveloped with concern that he be represented, blessed, and glorified. By appealing to Jesus’ name, we surrender our prayers to his purposes. This means that, while we should present many kinds of petitions to God, a prayer offered in Jesus’ name ultimately requests his desires…When we become the primary focus of our prayers and our earthly satisfaction is our greatest concern, then ending our prayers with Jesus’ name is superfluous at best and possibly little more than superstition.”

·        When we pray in such a way, we can have absolute confidence that Christ will answer ‘yes’ to our prayers! That is the Divine Promise. This leads into our fourth main point…

4. A Divine Precept (15)

·        Precept – a command or principle

·        Rd. v. 15

·        We understand this. E.g. teenage son or daughter says they love parents, but are ignoring advice; breaking curfew; making friends and going places that parents would not approve of; deceptive. We know that is not love.

·        Connection between love and obedience

·        Perhaps John had this in mind when he wrote in 1 Jn. 5:3. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

·        Example: our car died last Sunday. Love is like the battery of a car. It gets the whole thing going. Obedience is like the alternator. It recharges the system.

·        If you love, you will obey. Obedience is the fruit of love. If a person says they love Jesus, but they are not willing to forgive, or they never come to church, or they are unwilling to get baptized, their love is brought into question.

·        Obedience without love becomes legalism, hypocrisy.

·        Should we wait to obey until we feel love? No. They feed on each other.

·        How’s your love? Is your heart like a pool of stagnant water that hasn’t been stirred in years, with a thick layer of scum on top. Or is it like a sparkling stream, that is being filled daily with the fresh water of God’s love? How to kindle deeper love affections: prayer, confession, Bible reading, friends, meditate on cross, telling others.

Conclusion & Closing Prayer